The Bronx & Queens Unite On Freestyle Records

Da Gritty & da Grimey EP by Branesparker and Nut-Rageous is limited, but it's been released in a much larger run than the Freestyle Professors 7" I just reviewed yesterday - 750 copies, as opposed to 200. 750's probably a lot for an independent artist these days (which is a sad commentary on the state of things), so the pressure to act quickly on this EP isn't as strong. But it's no less dope for that fact.

This EP's entirely produced by Branesparker, and he and Nutso share lead vocal responsibilities, though Professors' extended family member Giff and Stanley Grimes each put in an appearance here. Grimes has also done an appearance or two with Lord Finesse, which follows since thhe FPs are essentially DITC associated artists...

In fact, here's the thing that's so good about the FPs in general and this EP in particular. While the artists of DITC have struggled to maintain the quality the quality they first brought to the table in spades (seriously, I'm nto sayi8ng they're all crap now or anything, but like OC or Diamond D's Huge Heffner Chronicles anyone? And let's not even think about Fat Joe), it's like the FPs were kept locked in a time capsule since their original EP in 1994. So their new music is following right where they left off fifteen years ago, uninfluenced by all the trends and crappy newer artists who've influenced the rest of the crew for the worse. ...Not that every song here is 100% on par with Runaway Slave or the very best DITC ever did; it's just this particular affiliate group has apparently been preserved and spared from the otherwise seemingly inevitable decline all their other satellite groups faced. I love it. =)

This EP has some nice, surprisingly upbeat moments. For example, "Haze" sounds like it uses the same break and bassline from Sir Menelik's underrated "Physical Jewels," but marries it with a cheery, old school vocal sample. Several of these songs, in fact the overall feel of this EP, come off as more light and feel-good than you'd think, considering the title of this EP. But that's okay, because it's good; and "good" trumps any expectation of style or theme.

Overall, you get six songs, plus two instrumentals in a sticker cover (shown). And despite being limited, it's only beiong sold for $18, which is pretty much the price of a standard new release. I mean, maybe it's a dollar or two more expensive, considering it's an EP rather than an LP; but we'd really splitting hairs at that point. Between the two, I have to say I slightly prefer the Freestyle Professors 7" over this one, but this one gets props for breaking formula a little (successfully); and I can't really say a bad word about either of them.

You can check out the video they shot for one of the EP tracks, "It's a Shame," here.

Who Needs Premier Anyway?

It's easy, and not entirely unwarranted, to put this 12" down for what it's not. One thing it's not, for instance, is produced at all by DJ Premier. Of course, a lot of 12"s aren't produced by DJ Premiere. But the difference is, when this particular 12" was first announced, they said it would be.

See, this is one of the earlier examples of the recent "limited" game... a 12" of "Wut's Poppin'" by Nut-Rageous on Poor Pocket Music that dropped in 2008. The song is taken off of one of Nut's CDs (Raw Nuts), but the big selling point of this limited (to 200 copies) 12" was the new DJ Premier remix, with an additional verse by Blaq Poet of Screwball, signed by Nutso and pressed on red vinyl. Sounds pretty awesome, right?

Well, unfortunately, it was later announced that, "Also as for the Wat's Poppin 12" Dj Premier & Blaq Poet love the original so much!! that they wanna leave it the same except for the added Blaq Poet verse and Premier on the intro introducing the record." So, no more DJ Premier track; now he's just going to introduce an alternate version of the original track with the Blaq Poet verse. That's disappointing. - BUT!! - But, to make up for that, The Mighty V.I.C. of The Beatnuts will instead be providing a new remix. So... a let down for Premier enthusiasts, but still a pretty compelling 12". And hey, even though there's no Premo remix, "Primo will be recording blaq Poet vocals and doing an intro talking in the begining of the record as well." So that's pretty sweet. So orders were taken at $30, which at least compared to the other early limiteds by DWG and Freestyle Records, was pretty reasonable.

Except, uh... well, to cut right to the chase: the 12" doesn't have a version with an additional Blaq Poet verse. It doesn't have Premier introducing the track. It doesn't have a Mighty V.I.C. remix. It's not pressed on red vinyl. And a lot of the copies weren't signed. Oh, and also more than 200 copies wound up being pressed, so it wasn't as limited as they claimed. So yeah. Some people were understandably disappointed.

Okay, we just bagged on this 12" because it had it coming, and I think we can all sympathize with people who pre-ordered a 12" with a whole set of unmet expectations. - BUT!! - But, now that we've finished doing that, let's talk about what a dope 12" it is and why it should be in everybody's collection!

"Wut's Poppin'" is a pretty nice, mellow track (produced by Ron Mills) featuring KL (RIP) of Screwball. It's a cool, steady head-nodder with a surprisingly broad appeal. This definitely has that radio summer jam vibe, but the MCs (especially KL) keep a nice street edge to it that you won't find on most other summer joints. KL and Nut have a nice chemistry together, and KL's slightly scratchy voice sounds especially cool over the track. It comes in Main, Clean, Instrumental and Acapella versions.

Then, you've got an exclusive B-side, "Nuts & Screws" on the B-side. As the title suggests, this is another Nut-Rageous and Screwball collaboration, this time featuring Blaq Poet and KL. Where the last track was smooth, this one's a banger, with old school blaxploitation style samples, Premier-style scratching for the hook and harder drums. This could easily fit in on a Screwball 'Greatest Hits' collection... which, if you're familiar with their full catalog, is really saying something. It's produced by 12 Finger Dan, but if you told me it was by Alchemist, I'd not only believe it, I'd say it was one of his strongest tracks. This track also comes with Instrumental (yay!) and Acapella versions.

Then, finally, we do get a "Wut's Poppin'" remix. It's not by Premier, V.I.C. or anybody else I've ever heard of, though. It's by DJ Brans France. Or maybe his name is DJ Brans and he's from France; the credits on the back cover are a little confusing. But, anyway, it's pretty nice. It switches up the atmosphere to a faster, harder track driven by pounding piano notes; the kind of beat you'd expect Kool G Rap to spit on. It's surprisingly effective in giving the song a whole new feel without falling to pieces like most remixes that get that ambitious tend to do.

So, if you can get over the fact that this isn't the killer 12" you were expecting (and maybe you were taken for a bit of a ride by the label); I think you'll find it's still pretty damn nice and definitely worth a spot in your crates. And since this was later sold at a standard 12" price - that is to say, about $6, as opposed to the original $30 people who got in early paid (ouch again!) - you should still find this one nice and affordable. Plus, as you see, it comes in a cool picture cover, and apparently some of the proceeds went to help KL's family, which takes a little bit of the sting out of the whole debacle.