2024 reissue on red & silver vinyl - packaged in gatefold jacket with lyrics & obi, limited to 1000 - Leaders Of The New School began recording their debut album late in 1989 under the watchful eye of Chuck D and the Bomb Squad. The result was their masterful 1991 release A Future Without A Past. The group's members, Charlie Brown, Dinco D, Cut Monitor Milo & Busta Rhymes complement one another, mixing classic Cold Crush Brothers style routines with a New School edge. Leaders Of The New School made an impact that had them living up to their name. Often slept on, A Future Without A Past stands as a trail-blazing release due to its mix of jazz samples with fun and creative storytelling on top of pounding Hip Hop drums.
The first thing that grabs you while listening to A Future Without A Past is the unique delivery of the three rappers (Dinco D, Charlie Brown, and Busta Rhymes) in lyrical content and flow. Stand-out tracks such as "Transformers", "Sound of the Zeekers", "International Zone Coaster", "Sobb Story" and the lead single "Case of the P.T.A." all display the multi-talents of each MC and how they bounced off each other's style. "Feminine Fatt" and "My Ding A Ling" showed the group's more playful edge, while "Show Me A Hero" and "Teachers Don't Teach Us Nonsense" had the group trading rhymes in their rapid-fire deliveries. With a sound so fresh and new, the production on the album by the Bomb Squad's Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, the SD50s, and members of L.O.N.S. rivaled what Public Enemy started and the Native Tongues finished. Often underappreciated, A Future Without A Past is 90s rap at its best.
| A1 | Homeroom |
| A2 | Case Of The P.T.A. |
| A3 | Too Much On My Mind |
| A4 | What's The Pinocchio's Theory? |
| A5 | Just When You Thought It Was Safe... |
| B1 | Lunchroom |
| B2 | Sound Of The Zeekers @#ˆ**?! |
| B3 | Sobb Story |
| B4 | Feminine Fatt |
| B5 | Transformers |
| C1 | Afterschool |
| C2 | Show Me A Hero |
| C3 | Trains, Planes And Automobiles |
| C4 | The International Zone Coaster |
| D1 | Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense!! |
| D2 | My Ding-A-Ling |
| D3 | Where Do We Go From Here? |
