DJ Premier's Mystery Medley

You guys can thank Will for this post.  😎  The answer to his question is: not quite.  But I do have the M.O.P. "World Famous" cassingle, which has the exact same track-listing, including the mystery song in question.  I totally didn't remember this, so I was excited to run and check if it was on my tape.  It's interesting; this came out in 1997 and is kind of the last major single of their second album, Firing Squad, but it feels a lot like a lead single. 

Here's where I am with M.O.P.  They're great, but once you have one or two records, you kind of have them all.  Like, they don't have a great range, and they put together some nice bars (that sometimes go under-appreciated by audiences who just get into their hooks and shouting), but it sort of feels like they're either remaking the same song with slight variances, or they're experimenting in a bad way... remember when they were going to front a rock band in the early 2000s?  But, that basically means, you don't need to keep adding new M.O.P. records into your collection, unless they happen to have a really great beat.  And "World Famous" has got it.

It's produced by Jaz (yes, the "Hawaiian Sophie" guy), and it's just a really great loop.  It's surprisingly kind of mellow for the Mash Out Posse.  I mean, yeah the drums snap kinda hard, but it feels like an old 70s soulful track.  But thankfully, the guys play against that and come really high energy and hard, which works perfectly.  Lyrically, it's pretty much just them selling themselves to us ("Hardcore was raw but we got more to hurt 'em. Firing Squad all up in your district.  Last album was phat, but yet some missed it.  But they gone get with this shit.  Who's in the house?  It's the last generation, real ill niggas from the 'ville you be facin'.  '96 flava for your neighbor; how ya like us now?"), which is one part of what makes this feel like a lead single.  It feels very "wait'll you hear our upcoming album," though it had already come out in '96.

Anyway, that's on here as the Album Version, Instrumental, Acapella... and something unique called "World Famous/Downtown Swinga" (Video Version)."  That's because they did one of those music videos for two tracks at once, where they play half of each song to get both out there for the cost of one.  Plus, DJ Premier produced "Downtown Swinga," so even though "World Famous" had the more addictive beat, I think they wanted Premier's name, because he was really becoming recognized as a selling point in the mid 90s.  But listening to halves of a song is nowhere near as satisfying as listening to whole ones, so I can't say this is too exciting.  In fact, I don't care for that whole practice at all.  Let's move on.

Because we're here for the fifth and final track on this single, anyway: "DJ Premier Medley," which is not on the album or anywhere else.  It's nothing super essential, so don't get too excited, but it's interesting.  It's a mix by DJ Uneek of Crooklyn's Finest (not that Uneek), and like Will guessed, it is a medley of Premier MOP songs, but far from all of them, or even a greatest hits.  Only tracks from Firing Squad, so in a way, it plays like "snippets," which is another reason why this all feels like a lead single.  But it's better than snippets, it's a genuine mix and Uneek really does something on the turntables, including lots of cuts and some juggling.  It's more than just radio blends.  It starts out with "Brownsville," then you get a little of the "Stick To Ya Gunz" instrumental before diving into "New Jack City."  It's definitely not a reason to run out and track down the 12" like some lost Premier gem; I can see why I forgot all about it.  By the time the single came out, I already had the album with those songs, so the value was mostly just in Uneek's cuts.  But it's kinda neat, and at least makes the single a little more interesting.

Summertime with Ill, Al and the Boys

The sun just melted the rear-view mirror off of my windshield the other day, so I reckon it's time for this year's summer jam. I've chosen "Summertime" by Ill Al Skratch on Mercury/Polygram Records. This is a promo only single, so there's no date on the label. But it definitely came after their big single debut ("Where My Homies") and it pre-dates their second album, so I'd guess 1995 or 1996 at the latest.

It can't be too much later than that, after all, 'cause "Summertime" is an album track off their Creep Wit Me LP. There it had the more expansive title, "Summertime (It's All Good) (Al's Solo)." There are no production credits on this 12", but the album credits everything to The LG Experience and Lo Rider, so one of them must've done the "Summertime," and quite possibly the B-side as well (more on that when we get there).

Anyway, a summer jam is right up these guys' alley... they were always more on the laid back, not particularly lyrical or hardcore tip, so this follows in the footsteps of their strongest material. Like the expanded title suggests, Al takes this one solo, except for an R&B hook by an uncredited singer... Well, the album credits the singers, but it doesn't say who's singing on which songs. So, discounting the females and assuming it's not Brian McKnight again, that leaves either Kenneth Staten or Jerry Elcock. Take your pick. Anyway, the hook is pretty simple and calm... the bulk of the song is about Al kicking your typical, relaxing narratives (seeing some girls, getting a lift from his partner and of course having a barbecue).

So it's definitely one of their better songs, and this 12" gives us Clean, Dirty, Instrumental and Acapella versions. But much more compelling, frankly, is the B-side. Exclusive to this 12" is "Dr Feelgood," a posse cut featuring Nine, Greg Nice and M.O.P. DJs Red Alert and Kid Capri are also on hand to say a few words for the intro and outro. Now, to be honest, Ill and Al Skratch have always been just okay to me. I can't say I've felt very compelled to go back and revisit their album since I got it in 1994. But thanks to the B-side, this 12" is the one to own; it's easily the best thing they've ever done, IMHO.

...Of course, that's largely because they're overshadowed by their guests. The beat is sort of in the low-key, mellow territory of their other work, but much harder, driven by a rugged bassline. M.O.P. and Greg Nice of course quadruple the energy level, and Nine's voice is always a welcome guest. The hook is provided by an uncredited DJ cutting up Big Daddy Kane's "Smooth Operator" line, "I make it real good, like Dr. Feelgood." This is the kind of joint I imagine Ill and Al would've made all the time if they weren't taken over by a major, commercial record label. And this mix also comes with instrumental and acapella versions, for those of you itching to take it apart.

So yeah, if you only pick up one Ill Al Skratch joint (and frankly, one's enough), your first impulse might be "Where My Homies," but nah, I would say this one. It's got a cool, easy-going summer jam on the A-side that reflects the best of what they were normally about, and then their best, atypical work on the flip. It's a nice, breezy pick-up for a stultifyingly hot summer day.

B.K.N.Y.

This is a pretty cool, little 12" that's usually found pretty cheap.  It's by the production team known as The Heatmakerz, who've done work with The Diplomats (primarily), Melle Mel & others.  It's a 2-song 12" (plus clean versions and instrumentals), but it's pretty much all about the A-side.

Like you can see in the labelscan there, it's an unlikely - but effective - between M.O.P. and Big Scoob (as in Kane's former dancer, yes).  Fortunately, by this point, Scoob was past doing the cartoon-voice schtick he adopted around the time of Daddy's Home, and has actually put out a series of underrated, indie 12"'s.  Including this one.

Taking a gripping, head-nodding sample from the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack, and laying it over some slamming drums, The Heatmakerz make a solid foundation for M.O.P.'s high energy - well, shit; you don't need me to tell you how M.O.P. do.  The Heatmakerz almost ruin the hook, though with a super annoying chorus sung by... female singers? Kids? I can't even tell. Fortunately, M.O.P. do their own hook right over that shitty one, so once you get used to it, you can readily ignore it.  And for a while, it looks like Big Scoob is just gonna be relegated to playing back-up to M.O.P. (who definitely don't need it), but eventually at the end of the song he kicks a slick verse.  Flat out, the song's a banger that sounds good the first time and grows on you even more with repeated listens.

The b-side is kind of a throw away: "Back In the Building" by Hell Rell of The Diplomats.  The beat's alright and tries to inject some energy, but after the A-side, it's pretty underwhelming.  Hell Rell's flow is pretty simple and punch-liney, but without any particularly clever lines to back it up.  The hook is so subtle, you won't even realize when he switched between hook and verse unless you're paying close attention to the lyrics.  He does have fun with the delivery of a couple lines, though.  I mean, his verse is okay... the instrumental is okay... the hook is okay... you could ride along to it if someone played it in the car or on a mixtape.  But in a world where there's, like, eighty bajillion rap songs in existence now, and more being made every day.  It's not worth your time going out of your way to listen to it.

So forget the B-side, but pick this up for the A-side.  ...Not every producer can make a record that supports M.O.P.'s high-energy delivery, but these guys did it right; and Big Scoob's involvement just sweetens the pot.

Tho' Up with Doo Wop

This record is all about the b-side, surprisingly. It's surprising because you'd think a collaboration between Kool G. Rap, M.O.P. and Canibus made in the early 2000's would be a gem of a banger. But it's not at all.

The downfall here is the beat. It's got this deep, bass-heavy garbage can style drum track, which I guess is meant to elicit a dark and ominous atmosphere, but it just doesn't. The rest of the tinny track, full of beeps and "whoops" sounds like some cringe-worthy Hustle & Flow reject. And you can just imagine how well that kind of beat, the "dark" kettle drums and a posse cut of fast, New York rappers mix together. You'd think some suburban nerd just combined the acapellas from three different songs and put them onto his own sloppy beat to show off his "ultimate posse cut" for Youtube. But actually it was produced by Doo Wop for his State Vs. Doo Wop mixtape (this 12" was released as the only way to get these songs unmixed).

The beat switches up for the first few bars of Canibus' verse to "The Symphony" instrumental; but just when you start to get into it, it switches right back to the old mess. Lyrically, Canibus comes with one of his better verses, but M.O.P. and Kool G Rap phone it in; and the whole song is such a mess it's not even worth trying to salvage your favorite MCs' verses. Oh, and Doo Wop's hook is weaksauce, too. An acappella would've been blessing, but you just get album, radio and instrumental mixes.

Fortunately, though, the B-side suffers (almost) none of the ailments of the A-side. Yeah, it's another track from the mix-tape, but this one is really all about Big Pun killing it. The beat is much better, since Doo Wop wisely sticks with one that was used successfully before. But even with that said, he tweaks it nicely; and Pun sounds great over it. Also unlike the last track, Doo Wop spits a verse. It's not too great (and following Pun just highlights the great, unflattering distance between their levels of talent), but it's passable. The only thing that doesn't work here is (again) an irritating hook from Doo Wop. You might want to just turn this song off when it's halfway through... but the first half is fire!

Most people who bought this were probably suckered in by the A-side. But at least the B-side pays off, so it's still a nice little pick up in the end.