Smif N Wessun The All Zip Top Page

For Tek and Steele, the song remains a deep cut they occasionally acknowledge in interviews. When asked about their favorite obscure tracks, Steele once told The Crate 808 : "That ‘All Zip Top’ joint? That was for the neighborhood. We made that specifically for the fellas who used to meet us at the barbershop. You had to be there."

Unlike the major label releases on Wreck/Nervous Records, this promo track likely contained uncleared samples—possibly a dialogue clip from a kung-fu film or a jazz fusion loop from an obscure European library record. Because it was a promotional item not sold for mass profit, the labels let it slide in 1995. But in 2024, clearing those samples for streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music would cost tens of thousands of dollars. smif n wessun the all zip top

Lyrically, Tek and Steele do not deviate from their formula, but that is precisely the point. The phrase "All Zip Top" refers to a specific style of leather jacket—a full-zip, often with a high collar and quilted lining—that was currency in the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the mid-90s. For Tek and Steele, the song remains a