Strong Island

Recorded for B Boy Records after JVC Force signed to the label in 1987, Strong Island featured Long Island group members AJ Rok, B Luv and DJ Curt Cazal. Curt Cazal produced the track, which appeared on the 1987 Strong Island single and the 1988 album Doin Damage. Strong Island became an underground hit and helped give Long Island rap a distinct identity outside the five boroughs. The record marked JVC Force as one of the earliest groups to turn the phrase Strong Island into a hip hop anthem. The track remains JVC Forces signature record and a heavily sampled golden age hip hop source. It has continued through reissues and later sample use by artists including Fat Joe, Urban Dance Squad and MC Solaar.