For anyone who truly stands on the foundation of real Hip Hop, there is no way this day passes without saluting the legendary Lord Finesse on his 56th birthday.

Born on this day in 1970, right as a cultural movement was beginning to take shape in parks, rec rooms, and subway stations across New York City, Finesse would grow into one of the sharpest lyricists and most respected producers the culture has ever seen. As a founding member of the Diggin’ In The Crates crew, he helped architect a sound that defined the early 90s underground; gritty drums, dusty samples, and punchlines that cut like surgical steel.

With four solo albums to his name, including classics like The Funky Technician and Return of the Funky Man, Finesse didn’t just rhyme. He mentored, produced, and built. His fingerprints are on records from Big L, Fat Joe, and a young Notorious B.I.G., long before mainstream America caught up. That is legacy work.

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