Before There Was Raw Produce, There Was... Eddie Bone

Raw Produce released their debut 12", "Cycles," in 1995. And we've already looked at the very first record they worked on, 1993's New England Massive EP which they produced on. But there's a record in between those two, and it's actually on a fairly major record label: Tommy Boy Records. Pitch, on his own, produced the first and last single by Eddie Bone in 1994, the self-titled "Eddie Bone."

Now, looking at the name, picture cover and title, you might expect this to be a pretty terrible pop rap song best left forgotten. That's probably why, even though he came out on Tommy Boy, pretty much nobody's ever heard of him. But it's actually pretty interesting.

Eddie Bone is actually from Texas, and he's on some smooth shit, sort of a cross between Q-Tip and the Penthouse Players Clique. This is a two-song 12", and Pitch only produced the first song. The B-side, "Check the Game," is a more traditional gangsta rap track. The girl singing the hook on the A-side is credited, but the Nate Dogg-lite guy who sings this chorus is uncredited. Could it be Eddie Bone himself? I don't think so; but I'm not ruling it out. It's not brilliant, but it's got a pretty cool, light gangsta rap vibe; that'll at least having you nodding along to it.

But of course, we're all here for the A-side, "Eddie Bone." Eddie doesn't come off as well here as he did on the B-side, but Pitch has cooked up a really interesting instrumental for him. It's jazzy and pretty unusual, not exactly like the stuff Raw Produce would later make for themselves, but it hints at it for sure. And I get the logic behind naming an early record after yourself to market yourself. If all the kids are singing "Eddie Bonnne" after having listened to the radio, they know what CD to buy. Makes sense. Ultramagnetic did it, Stetsasonic did it, Public Enemy did it... The problem is it just comes off so silly and corny. Eddie sounds like an executive-crafted rap act (which he probably was) when he says lines like, "this is something for you G's to ride to," but it's the chorus that really kills it. Ramona DeBreaux is the girl unfortunately taxed with the duty to sing "Eddie Bone, ya loves ta' bone" over and over on the chorus. And she freestyles it a bit at the end, but her singing on the main chorus is really flat, like she's just saying it rather than singing it. There's no way heads were going to take this seriously in '94 and give Bone a career.

So, sorry Eddie Bone, that's the breaks. That hook was a real shot to his own foot. But again, the instrumental is pretty lush and groovy. It's got kind of a g-funk slide whistle thing in it, which is a little heavy-handed and I could live without; but it's a pretty great track. And fortunately both instrumentals are provided on this 12", so you can buy this just for Pitch's quality work, sort of like how all the Large Professor collectors still buy that Kid 'N Play 12" about not doing drugs. Pitch's production is really on that level. And if you're in the mood for a light-hearted guilty pleasure, you can play the vocal versions.

The NEW New England Hip-Hop Massive

The great Herring has chopped another holy grail off many of the most entrenched hip-hop aficionados' want lists, this time hitting us with one nobody saw coming. They've repressed 1993's New England Hip-Hop Massive EP. It's one whose rarity has definitely elevated its status, but make no mistake; it's a seriously dope record.

The headline track is "The Line Up," where the indie CT record label DFO gathered every artist they had associated with them into one giant posse cut. A long, anonymous line-up of complete unknowns to all of us unfamiliar with the local scene, this joint had to earn its ranking as a crazily high-priced, sought after "raer" based purely on its ability to rock our knots. It's a raw, high-energy jam based on a hot break and DJ/producer Quazar cutting up as the mic gets passed further and further down the line. It's an impressive array of MCing, with most of the guys being distinct and varied; and only one guy stands out as being sub-par, with a corny punchline flow that wouldn't've even passed muster back in '93: "I'm a G-R-E-A-T P-O-E-T; imagine I'm a Twinkie, open your mouth and eat me. I'm no homo; I'm phat like 'Flow Joe;' I'm so poetic they call me the white negro. ...It's all about the paper, you ugly little faker. Your rhymes stink more than my brother's anal vapors." And he ends his verse by saying, "I've got so much flavor, it's even in my shit," which... I'm not even sure exactly what that would mean. It's so juvenile, I think it went sub-logical. But it's a hot, fast-paced track, so his flow at least sounds really tight if you don't pay attention to the lyrics. And really, I've singled this guy out because I couldn't resist it, but everybody else acquits themselves quite well. Don't let my quotes dissuade you from what a funky, rough treat this song actually is.

But, for all the bluster and bravado of the attention-getting posse cut, I think the second track actually holds up better in the long run. Holocaust Frost's "The Mind Is a Universe" is just a killer solo cut with MC Frost spitting over another hype banger by Quazar. If the title reminds you a little of the Ultramagnetic MCs, listening to it will only put them more in mind. Frost sounds like a non-eccentric Kool Keith over a track that would sound right at home on Critical Beatdown.

For the third song, Quazar's fast and dusty breakbeat style is replaced with the richer, fuller sound of Subversive Element. And with it comes the introduction of the only guys you might well've heard of who appear on this record: Raw Produce. Unfortunately, they don't rhyme here (that's left to the MC, CIA); but they are the beatsmiths, and while this is a little more hardcore than your standard Produce record, their aesthetic definitely still comes across. And with the startling and tragic passing of Cadence in March, the fact that his incredibly rare debut on wax has finally become accessible for fans is a real highlight.

And that's about where the original EP ended. The three songs, and an undesirable Censored version of "The Line Up." But Chopped Herring once again demonstrates how they've gone from outliers to front runners in this limited game by not just bringing forth a highly desired grail, but actually making it better. For The New Line Up EP, Chopped Herring has removed the useless Censored version of the lead song and in its stead replaced it with a never-before-released demo by Quazar and his MC Adrenaline. It's a demo they recorded under the name Def Duo (not the same guys who started with Jazzy Jay and wound up making records with Markey Mark and the Funky Bunch, though), and it's completely in tone, and up to par, with the rest of the material on this EP.

That last song was sourced from a cassette, so it does sound kinda hissy; but this record was made entirely from the vaults of Quazar himself, so it's the best recording available, and it does hold up pretty well on wax. The other songs are remastered off the reels, so they sound as just as good as the original recordings ever did (bearing in mind the songs were originally created somewhat on the cheap). This is limited to 350 copies, with 75 on a "Clear with Orange swirl mixed colour," 75 on "Orange and Black swirl mixed colour," and the other 200 on your standard black.They all come in the phat sticker cover pictured above, which identifies all the MCs of "The Line Up." I believe the original just came in a plain black sleeve, so while the DFO pressing naturally retains collectability just by virtue of being the original; this Chopped Herring is well above just being an acceptable substitute.

Legitimate Raw

(Youtube version is here.

...And that link I mention is here.)

Ain't No Need for Us To Wait No More

The Diggers With Gratitude label is back! Chr!s has been championing (with good reason) Raw Produce since the Spine Magazine days, so it's only fitting that this time they're hitting us with two great, unreleased Cadence tracks. It's another limited release (200 copies), but this time it's a reasonably-priced(!) 7".

The first song is "Stand Up Tragedy," an almost-sequel to his earlier political ventures "W" (as in George W. Bush) and "W pt. 2." The beat's dominated by fresh old school, playful jazz samples; really sounding like Raw Produce's best singles of the past. The music flourishes, the tone changes; you'll love it. It's from the first week of February '07, so don't expect any Obama vs. McCain talk, but rather a scathing indictment of the US government's standard policies of propaganda covering up the dark side of our nation's military industrial complex ("a comedy of errors that's unfolding as a tragedy") that holds up much better anyway. The only way this joint could be any better is if it were maybe another verse longer.

The B-side, "Wait No More (Cade Money Mix)" (is there a non-Cade Money Mix still in a vault/closet somewhere?), is from 2004, a shelved collaboration with Grand Puba that never saw fruition. The two MCs kick playful, freestyle rhymes over a simple but catchy little groove, sort of in the Shawn J. Period vein (but again, produced by Cadence), with a nice wailing sax sample behind the hook. It's very different from the A-side, but Cade exceeds at both styles: his lyrics and delivery able to slip his verse perfectly between Puba's two without a hitch. And of course Puba is in his stylistic element here, so you know he comes off at his best.

This is a great release; both songs really compliment each other. There's no doubt that I'll be bumping this for a while. It's a must-have (for Puba fans as well), but unfortunately if you didn't pre-order this, you already missed it because it sold out before it shipped. So keep your eyes on discogs for your best chance to find a copy, and next time don't sleep on DWG ((cough cough; they're already taking orders for their next 7", unreleased Main Source demo tracks! cough cough)).

What I Call Produce

Now That's What I Call Produce was an 8-song "bonus disc" EP that came free with Raw Produce's Feeling of Now album from Sandbox in 2004. It's a collection of rare and unreleased tracks from Raw Produce. All the unreleased tracks (and even some of the released ones) later found their way onto Raw Produce's really nifty Selling Celery To Get a Salary compilation, which came out on Pro Se Recordings (Cadence's label) in 2006, but for a long time this was the only way to hear 'em. Well... all that is, except for one (more on that when we get to it). I'm not gonna write much about the previously released stuff, assuming any Raw Pro fan is familiar with this stuff, and this post will be long enough anyway... but I do have some great notes that Pitch wrote for each track that I'll share with you guys as we go.

The first track is "Fruit of Our Labor," which had been floating around on mp3 for years (I don't remember how it first came out on mp3... it's possible I got it from Insomnia and debuted it in my column in the late 90's... or not. I'm really not sure now. hehe), but this was its first proper release (allowing that a freebie bonus disc from a single online vendor counts as a proper release, which it really kinda doesn't). It's from their demo, before even their debut "Make a Mark" 12"... Here, I'll just let Pitch explain it, "from our first demo, it remains one of my favorite Raw Produce songs - points to anyone that can name that opening sound clip." And for the record, I cannot name that opening sound clip. ;)

Secondly we have "Make a Mark," which was first released as the b-side to their "Cycles" 12" in 1995. I'll jump right to Pitch's comments here... "from our first single because a lot of folks don't have it. A pain in the ass to mix." Good song; not as good as "Cycles." 'Nuff said.

The third track is "Who's Right (Remix)." Ok, here's where we talk Japan. See, Raw Produce had been planning to release their first full-length album, The Feeling of Now (unless you count their Refrigerator Poetry EP as a full-length release, which I kinda do... but, whatever. You get the point) for ages. Seriously, it had been announced many years before it finally got released - Insomnia Records sent me a sound clip ofthe title track way back in '98 to promote the album; and it didn't wind up coming out 'till 2004. When they finally started making their comeback (as it were), and it looked like TFoN would finally be released, they made a deal with handcuts Records to put out an alternate version of the album, called Now and Then, in Japan. TFoN wound up getting held up even more, and the Japanese album managed to come out a good year before the US version (which threw the clever play between the titles a little off). Anyway, each album featured some exclusive tracks not featured on the other version (you can check my Raw Pro page for the specific track-listings, of course), and while TFoN featured the song, "Who's Right," NaT had the remix. Pitch says, "from the Japanese release of our record, it's a remix that Cad and I put together for fun."

Now track number four - "I Got a Rhyme" - is the never released one. Probably because it's just, as Pitch says, "a Cadence freestyle - definitely cool." But it's hot. The hook is based off of a fun Common Sense line, "I've got a rhyme; You've got a rhyme. But my rhyme is better than yours" from "Orange Pineapple Juice." Cadence raps over the same track, which has a pretty similar sensibility to Raw Produce's production sound, and kicks some slick, playful wordplay, which is the perfect blend of clever rhymes and a smooth flow that makes the material even better:

"My rhymes are better than
The next half-assed attempt.
MCs are reckless on mics.
I call their number if they slumber,
Servin' breakfast on mics.
But there's no need to get defensive.
The phrase turner Cadence rockin' the mic for my man, Pensive.
Bringing Deep Thoughts like Jack Handy.
Hand me the man of the year lyricist;
This is the way to the gym.
Buildin' and still I'm Poisonin' the Minds of Children.
A slaughter
Crossin' the front lines from South of the border.
Free delivery,
Bringing you the chaos that you ordered;
Hate when MC's are worth less like Canadian quarters.
Sort of insanity,
As if rockin' the mic was an embarrassment;
I came to bring some good old fashioned American arrogance!
I learned it from George - my man W,
Who said, 'I have no morals, fuck this.
I'm bombin' cats; don't let it trouble you.'
That's the example to follow; forget tomorrow.
If your ass can't cash the checks,
There's always trouble to borrow.
Fuck the world, right?
If it's no justice, no peace,
Then blast peace to pieces, then the need for justice will cease.
At least that's the plan,
The plan, the propaganda;
And it's a thin line lyin' between dissent and slander.
hand to hand, I stand to combat the hate;
Make no mistake, Cadence got proirities straight.
'Cause in these days and times of illegally wagin' wars,
Think I give a fuck, kid? My rhyme is better than yours!"

...Then Pitch comes in with some fresh scratching at the end. F'in' nice.

Track five was the first proper, never otherwise released, full song (until Selling Celery, of course): "Green Is the Color." Pitch writes, "from our first demo tape, this song is about naivete and jealousy. Have one of our first cut breaks that we would come back to in 'Mister Dope America.'"

Track six is "Nervous," a nice little number you probably remember from their Refrigerator Poetry EP. Pitch wrote, "my personal unreleased Raw Pro track (actually, it was on the Japanese-only EP) - this is probably one of my favorite overal RP songs."

If six is one of Pitch's favorites, seven is one of mine. "Mister Dope America" originally came out on 12" in 1998. It was (foolishly, IMHO) left off The Feeling of Now domestic release, but did find its way onto the NaT version. Pitch's notes: "the joke that just about no one got, or they got it and didn't think it was funny. Was originally supposed to have Pos from De La Soul on it but he backed out at the last minute. I think this song, and the reaction it to it cause Cad to write the immortal line "'Making real music for the six people who give a fuck.'" Of course, I'm as much a De La fan as anybody, but this is such a classic, I think we're better off without having Pos on the track... though I have to admit, I'm damn curious.

Finally, track eight is "Sink Or Swim," another debut at the time. Pitch wrote, "from our first demo tape, a downright silly song but still kind of fun. We were thinking of excluding it and then said what the hell. Definitely interesting for those interested in the evolution of the RP sound."

Today, sadly, Raw Produce is no more. Pitch has given it up, it seems. Their site, rawproduce.com, is still live at the moment, but it says right on the front page, "this site will gradually fade to black." :(

Cadence is still in the game, at least. He's put out two solo albums to date and produces for artists like Zimbawbee Legit who've got a new album coming out called House of Stone (due out on pH Music/Pro Se Recordings in late summer/early fall*). It's just not as good without Pitch (Cadence's solo output, I mean; not the Zimbawbee Legit album), though personally I think a large part of the blame for that can be put on the fact that he constantly passes the mic to guest rappers (some better than others) on his albums, since Cade is definitely still a very talented MC and producer, and his stuff is always worth checking for. He has a myspace page here (he's also been known to post on the DWG and VE boards). Heck, if we support him enough and he keeps building a following, then maybe he'll even be able to talk Pitch out of retirement down the road. ;)

ERRATA: (updated on 07/02/07) This correction comes from Cadence himself, so I'll just give you guys his exact words, "in the interest of giving credit where it's due, the cuts on 'I Got Rhyme' are from the original Common track. I did it for a mixtape (by a DJ form Canada named Pensive) and the lyrics ended as the cuts began, so I left them in. And Pitch--multi-talented though he is--never laid down a scratch--good bad or otherwise--in his life. Ask him h'ell tell ya the same, he knows my name..."


*And what's more, it's got a guest appearance by Chubb Rock. =)

Tags: Raw Produce, Cadence