I Put Off Listening To This Album for a Long Time...

So, this album came out in 2010, and I put off purchasing it for a long time.  Then, even after I finally found it cheap and bit the bullet, I had this CD sitting by my computer for months unplayed.   It would justs it there, staring at me with its bright, somewhat cheesy cover like, "are you gonna listen to me or what?"  And I'd put it off for another night...

Since you can see the picture clear enough, I won't milk the suspense: I'm talking about DoItAll's American DU album. I'd been a fan of The Lords Of the Underground since they first made a record name-dropping my hometown back in 1992; but just wasn't up to facing another "past his prime" disappointment. And LOTUG was already coming with a questionable batting average. And, ten years after "Funky Child," did I really want to hear anymore of that crazy, cartoon voice flow and punch-lines? This is 2012. But, finally, what pushed me over the edge was that I was curious about the Grand Daddy IU guest spot on track 14. If nothing else, he was going to kill his verse, so I might as well test the waters.

Now, this isn't DoItAll's first solo album; he released the very rare Eleventh Hour in 2003. I don't even have that, though I've heard some tracks and... eh. But I have to say, in the end, I'm glad I got American Du and have finally checked it out.

First of all, thankfully, DoItAll's coming with a more mature, relaxed steez. No silly, hyperactive, "can I slam like Bam Bam, that kid from Bedrock" raps. And while it's tempting to just say "needs some K-Def!" (which really would've gone a long way), the production by a collection of essential unknowns is actually often pretty full-bodied and interesting. Pete Rock (yay!) and Scott Storch (yeck!) drop by for one track apiece, but everything else is by cats named Jimmy Johnson, Kay Mason, Be-Life, The Real Focus, Tab, Lady Trauma, Ric Note, The Are*, Illastrate, Lexzyne, and Mel & D. I feel like he made all those names up, but I, no, I don't really believe that. It's just a bunch of tracks (this is a long album) by a bunch of unknowns.

If you're gonna give this album a go, though, I have to say, skip the first couple of tracks. There's bad spoken word poetry, talking intros, R&Bish skits and some crappy club beats. If you're feeling open-minded, you might jump in at track 4, his joint with DJ Kool, but discerning heads will want to hold out a little longer, even past Pete Rock's "Surrender," which is far descended from his best work, it's tempting to believe that there must be two Pete Rocks working in the industry - the one we all love and remember so fondly, and the new guy who's running around ruining his rep. But, sadly, no...

Anyway, wasn't I saying there's something actually good about this album? Yeah, just start in about midway through. If this were a cassette or LP, I'd say just play side 2 and forget about what's on side 1. Just... don't even think about it or question it. But starting with "Let's Go," we're into some compelling territory. It's a posse cut with Craig G, Masta Ace and Ed O G. And thankfully, they've got a good beat for 'em. They all come nice and sound really good. There are some quality scratches at the very beginning and ending by DJ Lord Jazz himself, and while they make the unfortunate decision not to use them on the hook, but have some guy named Probz do some LV-ish kinda hook, they still manage to pull it off alright.

But it's not just the guest spots (the rest include Treach, Shyheim, Mr. Cheeks and a bunch of unknowns) which are compelling. As the album progresses, DoItAll comes pretty nice over some solid tracks. "Surgeon General" and "Hi Def State of Mind" are some respectably produced reminders of why DoItAll's a name worth remembering. And "Flash Forward" is a really compelling, jazz sampled instrumental. Really, if you don't let side 1 tarnish your listening experience and listen to side 2 with fresh ears, it's a nice little record with only one annoying skit. No, it's not the an Illmatic or anything, but I'd give the second half of this album a genuine recommendation. Just make sure you don't hear the first seven tracks, or it'll ruin your opinion of the good stuff. I mean, it's at least worth giving it a spin if it's sitting there on your desk, staring you down.


*Actually, I know who The Are is; he's from K-Otix. Remember them?  I should do a blog on those cats one of these days.

LOTUG's Nas Bootleg

Ok, I covered all the other Undaground Butta releases, so I guess I might as do the final one. =) Although there's no artist credited on the label, this is Kamakazee's "On the Real," featuring Nas and Cormega. In an interview with Unkut.com, Blaq Poet of Screwball talked about how that song originally came about, "[w]ith that 'On The Real' shit, Marley had the DAT at his crib and Nas came up there one day and laid down shit first, to the beat. Then KL and Solo went up there and Marley was like 'Yo, I got some shit with Nas. Y'all cool with Nas, right?' 'Oh yeah, yeah. Nas is our man.' They jumped on the track, then Marley played it and motherfuckers was loving it." It was originally pressed up as the b-side to Kamakazee (the group Kamakazee was the duo of Screwball members KL and Solo, later known as Kyron)'s "The Bridge '95" 12". As an indie release from a then unknown group, it was a very small run; so when the B-side started turning up on mixtapes and playing on Marley Marl's Future Flavas show, a bootleg was inevitable.

The track's produced by Marley Marl, where he essentially just loops the very opening of The Soul Children's "Move Over" (listen to it; the first six seconds are pretty much the entire instrumental of "On the Real"). Well, Marley's name is on it, anyway. As to who actually produced it, K-Def had something to say, in his interview with Unkut, "I was on the radio one day, cause I used to the radio with Marley on pirate, I played that break for the first time and Marley had recorded that radio show and looped it up and then put Nas' vocals on it, and then claimed the fame for that track."

Now, a few of you reading this might be thinking, "hey; wait a second; I've got Nas's 'On the Real,' but it doesn't have KL and Solo on it." Yeah, there's actually been a couple versions of this song, though the beat never changes on any of 'em. First you have the original mix featured on this 12". But then, in 2000, Screwball included it as the final track on their Tommy Boy album, Y2K. But since Nas, as Hydra Records co-founder Jerry Famolari explained in his Unkut interview, "wanted a certain amount of money, so they took him off and they put Havoc and Mega on there." So, that's mix #2, with a new, alternate verse from Cormega and one from Mobb Deep's Havoc. Then there's mix #3 that came out in 2004. Nas included an "On the Real (Remix)" on his Illmatic 10th Anniversary reissue on Columbia, featuring his original verse from the first mix, and replacing any other MC's verses with two new ones of his own. Columbia and Ill WIll (Nas's imprint label) also put this version out on 12" that same year with clean, explicit and instrumental versions; b/w the other "unreleased" song from the reissue, the Large Professor produced, "Star Wars." According to The Record Inspector, however, some copies of this record (or at least one) are misprinted, featuring only the "Star Wars" b-side on both sides of the record. So listen to it in the store before you take it home. ;)

So, the Marley Marl/ Future Flavas connection sort of explains why this wound up being booted on The Lords Of the Underground's indie label, which otherwise stuck to putting out legit releases of their own music. DJ Mike Nice clarified on the DWG boards that the "[s]tory behind it was someone from the group left with a dat after a Marly session, their was some Real Live and Kamakazie joints on it as well." So, this was the second release on their label, and they gave the b-side over to Jac Swinga, DoItAll's little brother, to make his debut with his only released solo cut to date, "Coast II Coast."

Well, I say "solo," but actually the second verse is shared by two uncredited MCs Jac apparently met on the West coast. Anyway, they keep it short, and the weight of this song is all on Jac Swinga's shoulders, who carries it well. The production - which doesn't sound like Lord Jazz's more low-key approach during this era… could it be Marley? bounces along, with a nice little horn loop for the hook, as Jac Swinga, sounding kind of like UG using Masta Ace's Slaughtahouse flow, shines, narrating his trip "to LA, around the time of OJ." This song alone more than makes this 12" worth nabbing. Really, it's a shame those cats didn't use him a bit more.

All in all, a nice little 12", even if it is 50% boot.

Tags: Kamakazee, Nas, Screwball, Cormega, Jac Swinga, LOTUG, Lords Of the Underground

Excuse Me, Do It All

Today we have another of The Lords Of the Underground's Undaground Butta 12"s, this time a Do It All solo joint... well, sort of. The first song, "Dangerous" is clearly labelled as being by just Do It All, but there's unquestionably another MC kicking the first verse. No, it's not Mr. Funky... maybe it's one of the Lunatic Asylum? Anyway, it's a pretty cool, understated little song, which picks up a bit more when Do It All takes the mic. The production is low-key but good... consistent with DJ Lord Jazz's production on the other Undaground Butta 12"'s; a cool, slightly sinister NYC crime-type record.

Next up is Do It All and Jac Swinga's duet, "Which Side Iz Which." Now, you may be wondering just who this Jac Swinga character is... The only material he put out before this was a song on the b-side of the only non-LOTUG-related (well.... not entirely non-LOTUG-related, as you'll see) Undaground Butta 12" "On the Real" by Nas. Here, just to clarify by catalog #s, the Undaground Buttas label went like this:

UBLMT11 - L.O.T.U.G. "M.O.N.E.Y." b/w Lunatic Asylum "Lunatic Asylum" (already blogged about here)
UBLMT12 - Nas "On the Real" b/w Jac Swinga "Coast II Coast"
UBLMT13 - L.O.T.U.G. "Bring It" b/w The Infamous Backspin "Sing My Song" (blogged about here)
UBLMT14 - Do It All "Dangerous" b/w Do It All & Jack Swing "Which Side Iz Which" & The Infamous Backspin "Ready To Party" (the blog entry you're reading now)

...So, his appearance here kind of ties UBLMT12 in with the rest of the series. And when you actually listen to the song, he explains explicitly who he is and his connection: he's Do It All's little brother, who he thanks for introducing him to the scene. On top of that, he's actually pretty good... he sounds like a mix between UG and RA The Rugged Man, but a little less over the top. He and Do It All really compliment each other with their styles and voices as they trade verses back and forth, line for line, over a simple, bassline-heavy instrumental that pulls you right into their flows. This song is a definite winner. The instrumental is included for this one, though they make the odd choice of not just including hte ad-libs, but the "conversation" at the end, where Jac thanks his big bro.

The b-side, labeled "Party Joints," on the other hand, is an entirely different kettle of flounder. Backspin (who, after this record, has indeed earned the title of Infamous in my book) returns, this time without the safety net of a familiar, classic instrumental to ride on (read my post on his "Sing My Song"). Instead of being the "Uptown Anthem" instrumental with a few added vocal samples, this is a dull, plodding bassline and drumtrack with a few vocal samples just looped over and over. It's painfully monotonous and it's sooo slow... I was genuinely beginning to question if I was meant to be playing this side at 45bpm. I don't know who Backspin thought would be partying to this... ground sloths celebrating a retirement? Ridiculously, they then include an instrumental version of this song - yes, the main mix is already an instrumental - where they just remove the vocal samples from it. ...Except for some of them, which they leave. So it's not even like you just get the beat and bassline if (for some reason) you wanted it... it's still got vocal samples ("Say 'oh yeah'" and "ha ha" looped) stuck on it. It's just like the main mix, but... even more boring.

Now, I've already linked to their myspaces and stuff in the previous posts, but I should point out that LOTUG has a new full-length album that just came out now called House Of the Lords. I can't say anything about it, because I haven't heard it yet. But it's available from ughh.com and places like that.

Tags: Lords of the Underground, LOTUG, Do It All, DoItAll, Du Kelly, Jac Swing, The Infamous Backspin, L.O.T.U.G.

Bring It Back

Following up my L.O.T.U.G.M.O.N.E.Y.U.P.D.A.T.E. post (they never make it clear in the song just why the title "Money" was written as if it were an acronym... maybe just because "C.R.E.A.M." was), this is the second indie 12" from LOTUG, which came out in '97. And it's definitely a cool record.

This wasn't destined to become any kind of major hit, since The Lords are just rapping over a very familiar, old school beat (KC & The Sunshine Band's "That's the Way"); but hearing DoItAll and Mr Funky go back and forth over a classic, funky bassline is pretty much the ideal formula for a LOTUG record, short of producing another "Funky Child." This is the sort of record, really, you wish would've got a little airplay when it came out.

The B-side is a DJ track by The Infamous Backspin (pretty sure this is the DJ Backspin who provided scratching on the second Fugees LP and what-not), very much in the vein of something like Frankie Cutlass's "Puerto Rico/Black People," with various, repetetive vocal samples being laid over Naughty By Nature's "Uptown Anthem" instrumental. It's a good, engaging track, because "Uptown Anthem" is a good, engaging track, but Backspin really doesn't do much with it, so you can go ahead and file this under "nothing special."

Undaground Buttas steps up their game this time around, providing instrumentals for both tracks. Definitely worth obtaining of you're a LOTUG fan. And it's typically pretty easy to find if you look, since I don't think a ton of people really know about it.

There are several DJ Backspins... One from Detroit, one from Paris, one from Massachusetts, one from San Diego... Seriously, if you're an aspiring DJ, do us all a favor and think of another name. So, I tried to find a website or myspace link, but couldn't find one. He might have one, but... there are just too many DJ Backspins. :P

L.O.T.U.G.M.O.N.E.Y.U.P.D.A.T.E.

Will the updates EVER slow down? Holy cow; I'm on a major roll! Blog updates every day, discography updates, new artists' pages... I need to get out of the house more! Well, here's another one for ya.
After their period of great success, it was several years before the Lords of the Underground came out with their third, comeback album, Resurrection. But to us indie hip-hop record collectors, they really hadn't been gone. Their last releases on Pendulum records, the "Faith" and "What I'm After" remix 12"'s, which had some buzz mainly due to a timely Keith Murray guest appearance, came out in 1995. Then this came shortly after in '96, just as we'd all found out they were officially dropped by their label. I remember seeing this sticker cover up on the new release wall at Armand's Records ('at's in Philly)... so to me, they were always around.

No production credits are given here, so I don't know if Marley or K-Def had a hand in this, but judging from the sound of it, I'm guessing it was self-produced by DJ Lord Jazz. Which is not to say it's bad; this is a pretty cool record, really. The sound, with a cool guitar sample over a basic beat, bassline and a lot of snare, is definitely catchy. But with much more relaxed flows (though still distinctive voices... when DoItAll jumps on for the second verse, there'll be no doubt who you're listening to), this ain't no "Funky Child." Instead, with a cut up Method Man vocal sample for a chorus, this fits right in to the underground, indie vinyl style of the late 90's.

The b-side, which I again suspect but don't know to be produced by DJ Lord Jazz, is by Lunatic Asylum, which is also the name of the song. They haven't done much else, but did turn up again on LOTUG's third LP, on the cut "Infinite." This one features a slow, heavy bpm, that snare again! and a subtle piano loop that eases in mainly just during the hooks. It's ok, but the generic lyrics - continually drifting between being a realistic look at hard times and talking about how Crazy Psycho Nutzoid they are - and derivative deliveries won't make you respect The Lunatic Asylum as MCs. Not that they're terrible, but with raps like these, you'd need need a hot beat to sell you on the record, and this one ain't it. So, you'll play it once or twice when you first get it, but A-side wins out here for sure.

So, yeah. In addition to this post, I've made a new artists' page for LOTUG, which also includes affiliate De'1 (Sah-B already has her own page). As for what they're up to these days... According to (yes!) their myspace, they're working on their fourth album, House of the Lords. And they've got this site: stilllotug.com, promoting a documentary DVD about themselves.