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War Zone
Studio album by Black Moon
Released	February 23, 1999 (1999-02-23)
Recorded	1997–1998
Studio	D&D (New York City)
Genre	East Coast hip hop underground hip hop
Length	1:01:12
Label	Duck Down Priority
Producer	Buckshot (exec.) Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman (exec.) Da Beatminerz (also exec.) Rockwilder (co.)
Black Moon chronology
Diggin' in dah Vaults (1996) War Zone (1999) Total Eclipse (2003)
Singles from War Zone
"Two Turntables & A Mic" Released: 1999 "Worldwind (Remix)" Released: June 29, 1999

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Los Angeles Times
RapReviews	7/10
Rolling Stone
The Source

War Zone is the second studio album by American hip hop trio Black Moon. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Duck Down Music and Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York City. Production was entirely handled by Da Beatminerz, who also served as executive producers together with Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and member Buckshot. It features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Heather B., Louieville Sluggah, M.O.P., Q-Tip, Rock, Smif-N-Wessun and Teflon. The album peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200 and number 9 on the Top R&B Albums. It was supported by two singles: "Two Turntables & a Mic" and "Worldwind (This Is What It Sounds Like) (Remix)".

The album was released almost six years after its influential debut Enta da Stage. The group began a lengthy legal battle with Nervous Records in 1995 over the licensing of their name, which finally settled soon before the release of War Zone. Though many of the albums released from the Boot Camp Clik family between 1997 and 1999 received mediocre reviews, War Zone garnered some strong acclaim and moderate sales. Member 5ft, who only appeared on three tracks on Enta da Stage, provides verses on six songs.

Track listing

Sample credits

• Track 2 contains a sample from "How Do Yeaw View You?" written by George Clinton, William Collins and Bernard Worrell
• Track 4 contains a sample from "The Day" written by Manos Hadjidakis and Brian Corrigan
• Track 5 contains a sample from "N.T." written by Kool & the Gang and "Dead On It Part II" written by James Brown and Fred Wesley
• Track 12 contains a sample from "A Divine Image" written by David Axelrod
• Track 15 contains a sample from "Heartbeat" written by Kenton Nix
• Track 17 contains a sample from "General Confessional" written by Danvid Axelrod
• Track 18 contains a sample from "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" written by Curtis Mayfield

Personnel

Black Moon

• Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake – main artist, lead vocals, executive producer, liner notes
• Kaseem "5ft" Reid – main artist, vocals (tracks: 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 16), liner notes
• Ewart "DJ Evil Dee" Dewgrade – main artist, scratches, producer, executive producer, liner notes

Charts

Singles chart positions

References

1. Farley, Keith. "War Zone - Black Moon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
2. Baker, Soren (April 11, 1999). "In Brief: Black Moon, "War Zone"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
3. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (March 21, 1999). "Black Moon :: War Zone :: Duck Down". RapReviews. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
4. Ex, Kris (April 15, 1999). "Tiny Terrors". Recordings. Rolling Stone. No. 810. p. 107. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
5. Morales, Rigo "Riggs" (March 1999). "Buckshot, 5ft & Evil Dee – War Zone". Record Report. The Source. No. 114. New York. pp. 193–194.
6. Auerbach, Evan (September 25, 2013). "The Choice Is Yours: 10 Great Rap Release Dates Of The 1990s". NPR. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
7. "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of April 3, 1999". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
8. "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 14. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 3, 1999. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

External links

• Black Moon – War Zone at Discogs (list of releases)

• 1999 albums
• Duck Down Music albums
• Priority Records albums
• Black Moon (group) albums
• Albums produced by Da Beatminerz