ESG - A South Bronx Story

ESG (Emerald, Sapphire and Gold) are a band from the South Bronx, New York, U.S.. The band originally consisted of sisters Maria Scroggins (congas, vocals), Renee Scroggins (guitar, vocals), and Valerie Scroggins (drums), and friend Leroy Glover (bass). ESG have been influential in a wide range of musical genres, including hip hop, post punk, disco, and dance-punk.

ESG's music is centered around complex polyrhythms, a funky bass and pop-flavored guitar.

The group's work had become popular among hip-hop artists searching for samples, with such acts as TLC, the Wu-Tang Clan, the Beastie Boys, Big Daddy Kane, Gang Starr, Tricky, Jay-Dee (J-Dilla) and indie rockers like Unrest and Liars. The group addressed this issue on the 1992 12" EP Sample Credits Don't Pay Our Bills.

Major kudos to Universal Sound for compiling ESG's best works for A South Bronx Story, a crucial document of sparse, old school funk. Until 2000, the group's scant material had been nearly impossible to find.

Download Torrent