The Houston-based trio of Odd Squad lived up to their name when they released their only album, Fadanuf fa Erybody, in 1994. They spread awareness of overcoming physical disabilities (“I Can’t See It”). They shared cautionary tales of being romantically involved with single mothers (“H Wit Babies”). They reflected on favourite pastimes (“Putcha Lips”). They celebrated recreational drug use (“Smokin’ Dat Weed”, “Coughee”). They advised against pursuing excessive means of fulfilment (“Fa Sho’”). They even penned a ballad on the extremities of dedication as a result of addiction (“Your P’s Like Dope”).

Signed to Rap-A-Lot Records, the true heart of Southern hip hop from the late-1980s to the mid-1990s, the Odd Squad stood out from their contemporaries and labelmates who generally produced music in the realm of gangsta rap. In the same year, Trinity Garden Cartel generated controversy with the depiction of a murder scene on the cover of Don’t Blame It on da Music; 5th Ward Boyz represented their label’s ethos with Gangsta Funk; Big Mike had his focus on Somethin’ Serious; and Scarface produced one of the greatest albums in hip hop history with its heavy death emphasis on The Diary.

These were contrasted with the weed-smoking, beer-drinking, women-chasing and self-deprecating antics of Odd Squad who wanted to make something which was fat enough for everybody. They were odd in their environment but odd in their composition too. The trio included rapper/producer Rob Quest who is visually impaired, rapper/singer Devin the Dude who sounds he could have been a legitimate crooner if not for his marijuana infatuation, and rapper Jugg Mugg who only makes four appearances on the album. Their sole effort, Fadanuf fa Erybody, differs in content but also sonically with uses of jazz loops and guitar samples in addition to the more standard deep bass grooves of Southern hip hop.

There was one Rap-A-Lot Records staple that even the Odd Squad could not stay away from: the posse cut. This was an institution on multiple albums by the label throughout the early 1990s. The posse cut was utilised to either showcase upcoming artists or give a spotlight to the host’s friends or crew members. On Fadanuf fa Erybody, the celebratory fun elsewhere on the album is put on hold for the penultimate track: “Came Na Gedown”. Over hard-hitting drums and a pulsing bass loop, twelve rappers perform what would have been stereotypical in the landscape of 1994 hip hop but atypical in the environment of Fadanuf fa Erybody which is what makes its sudden and unexpected appearance so jarring the first time that it is heard in sequence.

Rob Quest opens the track with a spoken introduction about there being “a whole bunch of” people “in” this “tonight” as those waiting to appear make noise in the background almost in anticipation of what they are about to do. Smit-D – the future Facemob member – is given leading duties and responds with an essential battle cry – “wa-la!” – and then makes threats of holding guns to heads and wiping out posses. Ricardo Royal – from early Rap-A-Lot group Royal Flush – is not to be outdone with his own battle cry in the midst of a verse filled with high-pitched embellishments and almost comical minimisations (“Oh, you wants to shoot me in the pinky toe … that’s not nice”). Cōz – out of Oakland, California – arrives in Houston to deliver an excellent verse with rhythmic flow. Ed Jack – who makes his only recorded appearance on this track – combines lamentations on the uncertainty of life (“Will I die tomorrow from busting caps? I don’t know”) with the certainty that he is a contributor (“Fuck around and be the deadest motherfucker in the cemetery”). Lez Moné – the Rap-A-Lot affiliate who deserved a greater platform – stands out as the only woman on the track but blends in with her threats of violence. Scarface – Rap-A-Lot’s leading artist – only appears for a brief cameo before segueing to a combined verse from child rappers 2 Low – signed to Rap-A-Lot – and Kilo – not signed to Rap-A-Lot – who still possess the ability to terrorise with their firearms. 6-4 –unsigned and in his debut – delivers what is perhaps the strongest verse on the track with an appearance that is brimming in hostility with its references to black power (“They tried to hold a black back ’cause I throw up my black fist”), suppression (“Suckas wanna feel the real but they don’t hear me though”) and – of course – murder (“I can dig a ditch fast / And I can lay you six feet deep like the undertaker”). Rob Quest then returns for his own verse and shows that he can conform to his surroundings (“It’s the handicap assassin / And I be blasting”) yet still stay true to his Odd Squad morals (“Handing out knuckle sandwiches and keeping plenty rubbers handy”). The Unrappable – also in his sole recorded appearance – takes his interpretation of the aggressive theme to unprecedented levels and performs a verse which is more so ineligible than unrappable; it sounds like Jamaican dancehall mixed with gangsta bravado. 3-2 – the long-time Rap-A-Lot artist –wraps up the song with a freestyled verse and the 7-minute tour de force comes to a close.

The following is an assortment of amusing “Came Na Gedown” facts:

• Of the 12 performers, 9 make a gun reference – more individual allusions than on the rest of the album. There are 3 who do not: Lez Moné who refers to her preference for physical violence instead; Scarface who resists with a mere fellatio reference; and The Unrappable who at least does not have any audible gun mention.
• Murder is threatened by Smit-D, Ricardo Royal, Cōz, Ed Jack, 2 Low, Kilo, 6-4 and 3-2. The remaining performer who makes a gun reference, Rob Quest, avoids direct threats as he instead “be blasting” indiscriminately.
• Ricardo Royal has a “piss attack”, 6-4 is “pissed” because he is silenced and Rob Quest pauses his verse “while [he] takes this quick piss”.
• 6-4 calls himself the “assassin” and Rob Quest calls himself the “handicap assassin”.
• Numerical perfection results in rappers named 3-2 and 6-4 appearing on the same track.

“Came Na Gedown” could have been an unusual inclusion to conclude an album that is so alternative in its stylings. Instead, such exaggeratedness from 12 artists with strong performances serves as the contrast for everything Fadanuf fa Erybody could have been – and everything that it was not.