Did You Know Urban Dance Squad Recorded a Tribute To Scott La Rock?

Hey, did you guys know the Urban Dance Squad recorded a tribute to Scott La Rock?  I sure didn't; I just found it now.  That's largely because I never really listened to them.  The only real impression they made on me was back in 1990, when their video for "Deeper Shade Of Soul" used to play on Yo! MTV Raps constantly.  Lots of skateboarding in a swimming pool, the guitarist mugging to the camera, and a DJ shown doing scratches you didn't actually hear in the music.  That's what I remember.  It was a catchy sample, and they made major use of it; but I never liked the rapping even as a kid, so I never bought their album.

For me and most of us in the US, they were a little one hit wonder act that released one album on Arista and then disappeared.  But they're actually a Dutch band (they popped up on Cheez Steez vol. 1), and they apparently they were big over there, releasing six or seven major label albums on Virgin Records throughout the 90s.  Rudeboy's the MC, and the other guys are drummer Magic Stick, DJ DNA, and guitarists Silly Sil & Tres Manos.  The only other memory I have of them was back when I was working at The Source, and we were making an online database of every Hip-Hop artist.  Dave Mays sent a memo saying he looked at it and three artists on the list weren't actually Hip-Hop and should be taken off: Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch, 7L & Esoteric and the Urban Dance Squad.  I replied that if we're just taking off artists because they're wack then we'd have to remove the Made Men, too, and I never heard back about it and all the artists stayed.  ...The only other time I got a memo from Mays was when he sent one to correct me that "Super Rappin'" wasn't a Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song, so I had to fax him a scan of the record label showing him that it was.

Anyway, the point is, I'd never listened to their one album that really sold here in the US, Mental Floss for the Mind.  That title's another thing that put me off it.  ...Never listened to it until this week.  And it's mostly what I expected.  Hip-Hop mixed with live rock music, which isn't bad, though all the live drums and guitars feels a little sloppy for a guy used to loops.  It definitely has a rock and roll vibe to it that doesn't appeal to me, and I still don't like the rapper.  There are some cool samples, like, the first song heavily uses the instrumental from "Strong Island," which sounds good, but guess what?  The JVC Force song is still a ton better, so why bother with this one?  That's kind of the album in a nutshell, and most of the best bits are front-loaded to the beginning of the album, so it gets weaker as it goes on.  But apparently they later really embraced the 90s rap/ rock thing on their later albums, and Mental Floss at least has a funkier vibe to it.

Anyway anyway, near the end of the tape, I was surprised to hear them suddenly rapping about Scott La Rock.  And there's no question that they mean the Scott La Rock.  They specifically go out of their way to sample "South Bronx" right after they say his name for the first time.

The song's called "Famous When You're Dead," and the whole thing isn't really about him.  They start out rapping about themselves, "our aim: we entertain to gain a place, maybe, in a hall of fame.  And If we don't reach this, the world's to blame."  And they slowly get to the overall concept of the song: tragically, a lot of great artists don't become famous until they're dead, "the people and the critics in the biz are impressed 'till my death, so make an album: 'The Best of Rudeboy's Raps.'  Yeah, twice as much money behind my back, now that's lame; too late to get, yeah, you're famous when you're dead. ... Now they fake it, when they try to weep.  Like a family scene, they all just wish it: to bury your body; they won't miss it. like a wife who is wicked.  She inherit, then you know her real spirit."  So there you go; if Rudeboy turns up dead, the police know who to look at.

But then the rest of the song suddenly becomes about Scott La Rock, starting out, "9 AM again, I wake up.  A cold shower, breakfast, time for pop.  Then I be in the mood for some lyrical rock.  I pop in a tape in my deck: Scott La Rock."  Because that's what Scott La Rock's known for... his lyrical rock.  I guess "rap" wouldn't have rhymed as well with "Rock" as "rock" does.  And yeah, he did actually rap at least once or twice in his career, but wouldn't it make more sense to reference his cuts or production rather than his lyrics?

He continues, "superstar status he never lacked, but the words of mouth were final on wax.  The extravagant life came to an end, a nine millimeter and a glock went bang."  Get it?  Because BDP had a song called "9mm Goes Bang," so they're imagining that the gun that shot him was a 9mm.  I'm not sure that's in such great taste.  And again, more about his "words" on wax.  I know they're not from New York, but they had to know Krs-One was the vocalist, right?  It's kinda weird.  The whole song's kinda weird.  Rudeboy keeps mispronouncing words, which makes his verses hard to decipher (he turns "recognition" into a six or seven syllable word); I'm guessing English was not his first language.  And instrumentally, they loop a sample of Biz Markie beat-boxing then pack it with electric guitars.  In fact, the first thirty or so seconds is just a guitar and drum warm-up/ noise jam before the song starts proper.  Then they end it with an electric guitar riffing the famous opening notes to Chopin's "Piano Sonata No. 2" funeral march.

Plus, I'm not sure how much the song's premise even applies to Scott.  Like, his records were big when he was alive; "The Bridge Is Over" was a monster when it dropped.  And since his passing, Hip-Hop purists have been keeping his name alive, none more so than Krs himself.  But it's not like anything he did went on to become a mainstream, crossover success after he died.  Teenage girls around the globe didn't flock to "P Is Free" once they about him on the news.

So, I don't know.  I'm not really knocking it; it's a good thing that they're honoring Scott.  In fact, for me, it's kind of the best moment on the second half of the album.  And when he says, "some act like they were his best friends. those hypocrites, they make me mad!"  That sounds like a real sentiment; that's a good song-writing moment.  It's just an interesting little discovery I thought I'd share, because I'd bet a lot of heads had no idea this was a moment in our history.

Krs-One's First Word

(Before Boogie Down Productions was a thing, Krs-One and Mantronix created a happy little record together, to the tune of Gilligan's Island.  Youtube version is here.)

The New Boogie Down Productions... circa 1997

(Youtube version is here.)

When Sly and Robbie Met BDP

In 1989, we saw a new side of Boogie Down Productions when Krs-One teamed up with Sly and Robbie to collaborate on their twentieth or so album, Silent Assassin. I don't mean reggae-influenced instrumentation or ragamuffin vocal stylings Krs sometimes broke off into... he'd already been doing that before this album. No, what we saw were some of the other members of the crew we barely knew. Like, name some BDP members besides Krs: Scott La Rock of course, D-Nice, Ms. Melodie... Kenny Parker... Did you say Willie D or Shah of Brooklyn? I think it's safe to say the only people who might've are the people who had this album.

I know hip-hop; I don't know other genres of music. But even I knew Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare were big. They've won Grammies and shit. And they're known for innovating and pulling reggae forward into each new decade. And so it made since that they would take the dive into hip-hop in the 80s, bringing in Krs-One to produce their entire album and getting American rappers on every single song.

Anyway, just look at that great album cover. Sly and Robbie (and... is that Sidney Mills?) up front and Krs reaching up out of the smoke behind them. This is no token "let's get a guest rapper on a song" thing, this is a real blending of their styles. Krs produced every single song on here, and (unfortunately) Sly & Robbie have no other record like this.

The big single was "Dance Hall." I just remember Yo! MTV Raps playing this every single day without fail. You had BDP stomping through the streets of Jamaica in full 80's American rapper gear. They're not trying to show how reggae they can look or sound here (as, again, BDP had done a couple of times in the past). They're in full-on New York rap crew mode. Meanwhile Sly & Robbie are jamming a very hip-hop sounding instrumental with a fast, funky bassline, popping drums and killer horn stabs. And on the mic is Willie D doing actually fairly average party rhymes. Yeah, this isn't the kind of song where it's rewarding to sit and contemplate the lyrics; but he sounds great over a brilliant instrumental. And on the album the song runs almost twice as long, letting each of the instrumental elements break out for solos and come alive to show that they're not just programmed sound-bites.

The only programmed sound-bite, really, is the hook, where they've got the one line ("just dance, y'all, to this dance hall beat") on a sampler so they can keep repeating it, stuttering it and changing the pitch. The 80s kinda got enamored with the technology, as you do, and went overboard with that production technique; but I think the pendulum has swung too far since then to where nobody ever uses it anymore and I miss it. If you want to discuss the current rap generation and if this is a good or bad time for hip-hop, just check and see if they've got any records like "Dance Hall." Nope. They're missing out.

The rest of the LP isn't necessarily as strong as the single. It's up and down and we'll get into all those peaks and valleys in a minute. But one cool thing is that it isn't an album trying to be eleven or twelve "Dance Halls." The album is more varied and often darker, more street and serious. More like a BDP album.

So WIllie D has one other song on here... And no, I don't care what discogs connects; this is not the guy from the Geto Boys. This song, "Ride the Riddim" doesn't actually sound reggae at all. Willie's just kicking freestyle rhymes over a sparse drum track with a little DJ cutting in the background and some electric, guitar riffs. Sort of like a softer version of "Ya Slippin'." You'd never think it was from a Sly and Robbie record, but it's presumably Sly behind those funky drums.

There are a couple of non-BDP members on hand as well. Queen Latifah does a nice little duet with Krs called "Woman for the Job" where she both raps and sings her own hook. Krs doesn't actually rap proper verses on it, but he does ad-libs and back-up vocals all over the joint. In fact, he does that all over this album. He's actually only properly featured as the lead MC on one song, "Party Together" (which, yes, is a rap/sing-songy track where they cover the tune of the original 60's song "Happy together" - or, as my generation knew it, the theme song to Golden Grahams cereal). Everything else is just him tagging p the album to make sure you know it's his project.

So, anyway, Queen Latifah is one, and Young MC is the other. Hey, it was 1989 and I guess they really wanted him, but they shouldn't have bothered. The instrumental to "Under Arrest" is surprisingly R&Bish, with Young rapping in full "Principal's Office" style. It's alright if you're in the mood for a pop rap tune; the hook's catchy and even though it's simple and superficial, there is a message to it. But it sure sounds out of place surrounded by the Boogie Down. And "Living a Lie" is even worse.

So, tallying it up so far, that's two Willie D songs, one Latifah, one Krs and two Young MCs. That leaves five more songs, or eight if you have the CD version with three additional bonus tracks, all of which are fronted by Shah of Brooklyn. Yeah, this obscure BDP guy who I don't think has ever rapped on any of the BDP albums or anything else, has the majority of this album all to himself. You could practically replace Sly & Robbie's names with Shah's and no one would blink.

And how is he? Pretty dope. He's obviously replicating a lot of Krs-One's flows and mannerisms, but that's not a bad thing at all. He sounds a little younger and his voice isn't as deep. He's like a Krs-One junior, or "Krs-Two" from "Poetry." He's pretty good, and he's rapping over BDP records with Sly & Robbie adding extra instrumentation. It's kind of hard to lose. Like I said, there are a few valleys. "Adventures Of a Bullet" is a great concept for a song (years before Organized Konfusion's "Stray Bullet"). The lyrics kill on paper. But the style of delivery they go for is like a weird, jazzy thing that just doesn't work. "Steppin'" is cool, but it sounds like he should've passed the mic to Kris who could've done it better. And "Letter To the President" is on some corny, sappy "We Are the World" sung bullshit.

"Man On a Mission," is a little poppier than your typical BDP album, like maybe they had younger audiences in mind. But it's still pretty fresh. It's a really good overall album, in fact. The CD version especially, because it actually features most of Shah's strongest tracks. "Come Again" is tight, with loads of funky scratching, too. It really has me wondering about Shah Barrett... who is he, where did he go? Why didn't he ever get a project, even a single 12" of his own after this huge, major label showcase? After listening to tracks like "No One Can Top This Boy," I just think yo, this guy could've made a good album. I would've bought it.

Well, regardless, this is still a pretty great lightning in a bottle-style moment for hip-hop. Yeah, there's one or two tracks that should've been dropped. But especially if you get the CD version which adds a lot more raw BDP flavor, it's great. I used to regret that Sly & Robbie didn't try another album like this, but I guess it doesn't matter as Krs-One didn't miss a step and kept putting out great music at a steady pace. But yeah, man. If you somehow missed this, don't sleep on the Silent Assassin.

1, 2, 3, the Crew Is Called Jam Rock Massive

What we have today is "Stop the Violence" by Jam Rock Massive & Krs 1 (not to be confused with "Self Destruction" by his Stop the Violence Movement, which was named after this song). This was released independently on Massive Records on 1988, and has that classic B-Boy Records feel.

Now, you may remember that "Stop the Violence" was featured on Boogie Down Productions' second album, By Any Means Necessary (also 1988). Of course you remember: "I say: one, two, three/ the crew is called B-D-P/ And if you wanna go to the tip-top/ Stop the violence in the hip-hop/ Y-Oh!" In fact, they released it as the second or third single (not sure if "Ya Slippin'" came before or after it), with a colorful picture cover and everything. But this is the original version, that didn't wind up getting put out by Jive/RCA Records.

Well, this mix is the one for sure. I don't know why Krs bothered to remix it for the album, except possibly they felt every song on a Boogie Down Productions album should be produced by them on principle? Because production here is credited to an R. Stafford... which I guess is a government name for one of Jam Rock Massive? Anyway, it's still got that funky, reggae vibe, but this version has a different, much funkier bassline; and while it doesn't include the horn section from the album version, which was decent, this one has an ill horn clip that sounds like it was sampled off a turntable with a busted belt. Fortunately, both versions feature that silly Caribbean library tune that comes in after he says "the president's on vacation," though. :)

This 12" just has the one song, but it's fully-loaded with all the elements: Extended Version, Radio Version (which is about a minute and a half shorter), Instrumental and Acapella. There's no picture cover like the major label version, but it does come in a bright red sleeve, which is coming close.

I wish I had more info to impart on who Jam Rock Massive is exactly... All the vocals are pretty much Krs-1's except possibly some back-up on the hook. And they never released any other records that I've ever heard of. It's also possible it's a fake name... in the May 1988 issue of Spin Magazine, where they write, "the single's sparse underproduction and relaxed pace make it more exciting than anything on the album," Krs-1 replied that it was just "a bootleg of a demo recording." But whatever it is, it's dope.