On this day, Jan. 28, in hip-hop history...

1997: Today marks the 22nd anniversary of Bronx duo Camp Lo dropping their debut album Uptown Saturday Night.

Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba formed Camp Lo in 1995 and brought the funk to the golden age of hip-hop. Riding on the success of their party single, “Coolie High,” off the Great White Hype Soundtrack, Camp Lo forged a compilation of mixed melodics, blending old jazz with incessant grooves of funk and hip-hop soul. With a sound like that, it makes perfect sense that the album held guest appearances by De La Soul's Trugoy and Digable Planet's Butterfly. The pair's biggest hit “Luchini a.k.a. This Is It,” sampled “Adventures of the Land of Music” by Dynasty and the song’s video further demonstrated their old school style.

Uptown Saturday Night would go on to peak at No. 5 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts and No. 27 on the Billboard Top 200. Besides being remembered for its music, the album is also known for its cover, which pays homage to Marvin Gaye’s famous I Want You cover created by Ernie Barnes.

Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba still create music. After the release of their debut album they went on to follow up with Let’s Do it Again, in 2002 and Black Hollywood in 2007. Their most recent work, 2017's The Get Down Brothers, still sounds as fresh as they did in 1997. —Chris Garner

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