Tom Skeemask – Niggas Watch Your Back We Gonna Make Changes (1995)

Tom Skeemask – Niggas Watch Your Back We Gonna Make Changes (1995)

Niggas Watch Your Back We Gonna Make Changes is Tom Skeemask’s first realized solo statement, released in 1994/1995 and produced entirely by DJ Squeeky. Coming out of the same Orange Mound ecosystem that birthed many of Squeeky’s most notorious releases, this tape captures Skeemask at his rawest and most focused. The production leans into DJ Squeeky’s signature eerie, bass-heavy sound, blending ominous synths, slow-burn grooves, and radio-style interludes that were becoming a defining trait of the era. Lyrically, the tape revolves around street paranoia, loyalty, survival, and internal codes, with Skeemask positioning himself as both a narrator and participant in the chaos around him. Features from core underground figures like Outlaw, Killa Murphy, Thugsta, Yo Lynch, Tinimaine, Criminal Manne, and Lil Stick Up help reinforce the tape’s “crew-based” feel, especially on tracks like Da Family. Interludes such as the “O.M.G. Radio” segments and “chewin’” breaks give the tape a lived-in, street-level authenticity that mirrors how these cassettes originally circulated. This release sits firmly in the mid-90s Orange Mound / DJ Squeeky lineage, making it an essential piece of the underground Memphis Rap puzzle.

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Interlude

3. Outlaw, Killa Murphy – Niggas Watch Your Back

4. Outlaw, Mac Kyle – Deez Bitches

5. DJ Squeeky – O.M.G. Radio Interlude II

6. Yo Lynch – In A Cloud of Smoke

7. Tinimaine, Lil Stick Up, Criminal Manne, Yo Lynch – Da Family

8. Chewin’ Interlude

9. Hangin’ Low Standin’ High

10. Pisces P, Outlaw – Visions of A Gangsta

11. Chilly D, DJ Zirk, Lil Stick Up, Lil Grove, Mac Kyle – Dedications

https://untitled.stream/library/track/YyWV8kybrRKfTC957HVgE