This Is How We Chill From 1990 Until...

(You could call this Slip N Slide Society, part 3.  Youtube version is here.)

Slip N Slide Society, part 2

Ok, so in part 1 I talked about how Society was signed to Slip-N-Slide, who ultimately sat on his album and never put out any of his music. But he wasn't left with absolutely nothing to show for his years spent at the label... almost nothing, certainly; but not absolutely nothing. He did manage to land three guest spots on Trick Daddy records, two of which were released on 12".

The first Trick Daddy/ Society collaboration to be released was on the B-side to his hit single "Nann" - or "Nann Nigga" as the original, radio unfriendly version was called - his colorful duet with Trina. First a few notes about this 12" - like you see in my labelscan, everyone of these 12""s has that word after "Trina" covered up with black marker. That's because it's crosing out the word "dirty" (after scanning it, I took a little solvent to the label and can now make it out) and the first track is in fact the clean version. So they're all that way; that's the way they shipped from the label. Also, you want to be sure to get the original "Nann" 12", not the "Nann (Remix)" 12", which doesn't include the Society track.

Ok, so that out of the way, let's get to that B-side. It's called "Living In a World," and like the A-side, was also included on Trick's 1998 album, www.thug.com. It's produced by Rush and you can tell it's his obligatory "message" song, because it features a sappy hook by a children's choir, credited only as The Children's Choir, that goes, "Living in a world where hearts are cold, yeah yay, ya'll/ Livin' in a city where thugs don't live that long, so/ Sleepin' in a home where only gangstas roam, all nite long; and I'm/ Thuggin' there for days wit my G's and we pray... 'help us, Lawd!'" The instrumental is well done, though, with some varying elements that even switches up for Society's verse. Speaking of Society's verse, he obviously outshines Trick on his own track, but Trick Daddy's verse is respectable and sincere. But Society manages to bring those elements as well as a much tighter flow and more compelling, rapid-fire wordplay for a killer verse that defines the phrase "next level:"

"Never confuse love and lust;
Retailate bust for bust.
You can trust in us; we spit that venomous.
It's either them or us, ash to ash, sell the dust;
We go to war for the peace, ignore the police.
I still believe that it's the East that invented...
See, the West complemented; they always represent it.
And all my peoples down South keeps it weed-scented!
Better focus when I put this hocus pocus on the CD;
I drop mine in braile so them blind cats can read me.
I'm the cat that curiosity killed. Prophecy filled.
I'm still waters that run deeper than hoe pussy.
Get pushy in the clutch, roll up like dutch mastas;
I cuts and slashes, plus I flows like Casius.
It's warless clashes; you need credit in the last days.
So when them gats spray, do crime pay, when you get shot?
That's why I stay calm[/com] like w w w dot. CD
For who seeks the actual... article;
You heard it live; it's certified, mechanic on the mother ship,
The alien. I changed the course of them with the wings;
I would love to be considered sin in the physical form,
Like I'm born to be crucified, and mother was born to cry.
Taught: bitches born to live long and bastards are born to die,
And God and the devil just don't see eye to eye.
'Cause ya'll thugs don't understand that this devil gone always lie."

That's the kind of verse that just screams, "put my album out!" And he sounds damn nice over the track. Unfortunately, you only get Clean and Dirty versions of this song, as the bulk of the 12" is full of "Nann" versions.

Three years later, Society was still chillin' on the Slip-N-Slide roster when Trick Daddy released his next album, Thugs Are Us. This time, Trick released his message song (yes, with another chorus by The Children's Choir, although this time they go uncredited) as the advance single, complete with a big budget video and the whole nine. Titled "Amerika" on the album, but retitled to the more politically correct "America" for the single, this song's instrumental, produced by the daringly named Righteous Funk Boogie (who produced a lot for Trick Daddy, including the aforementioned hit "Nann"), is very reminiscent of "Living In a World." Nobody says so, but this is clearly meant to be some kind of remake or sequel to "Living In a World." Trick Daddy ups his game alittle here, with a tighter rhyme scheme and a direct message to the president. But while Society still delivers a solid verse, he definitely doesn't come off as impressively as the first. He brings a more direct, and angry, message... but (in a way, possibly, to his credit) doesn't show off his skills here. And the fact that Trick wraps things up with another verse of his own at the end, this time. I suspect there was a concious effort by all parties involved not to let Trick Daddy be outshined again here, on his "important" single.

On the plus side, you do get the Acapella and Instrumental, along with the Clean and Dirty versions on this 12". And you also get those four versions of Trick's posse cut "Get On Up," featuring The Lost Tribe, Money Mark of Tre +6 and JV on the B-side.

Unfortunately, the last collabo - "The Hotness" - never made it onto a 12"; it's just another Thugs are Us album track. This is a nice, freestyle track where both just flex their freestyles and bragging skills over a dope, east coast sounding beat produced by Black Mob Group. Trick even seems to have dropped his Southern drawl for this one - at first I thought he gave Society a solo joint on his album as a little showcase. Well, on closer listening, there's clearly two MCs; but I'm really not convinced that other MC on the track is actualy Trick Daddy, and not some unnamed other contributer. The hook features someone doing a screaming DJ shouting everyone out, which is a little annoying but sets the tone perfectly for what they're going for. The drums are even repeatedly scratched in. Both MC's take turns passing the mic back and forth... lyrically, it's nothing monsterous, but just fun, Boot Camp Clik-sounding freestyle rhymes like, "we're worldwide without the web/ Grateful without the dead/ Juicy without the fruit... or the loops/ For the troops/ I kick the ill titantic flow/ Society, the black DiCaprio/With one more year to go/ The hot shit 'bout to blow!"

Anyway, all three tracks are definitely worth checking for, even if you're the type to ordinarily hate Trick Daddy with a passion (IMO, he's really not that bad; but that's a whole other series of blog posts - haha). Society displays talents and skills possibly even in advance of his earlier work, so it's a shame that "the right people" didn't take notice of him here and give him his shine. Oh well. At least Trick Daddy vinyl is cheap and plentiful, so you can pick these up on a whim and at least enjoy a little more quality Society.

Slip N Slide Society, part 1

Most of you reading this are probably already familiar with Marcus Effinger, a.k.a. Society, but just in case... he was a conscious MC with some very east coast influences who started out with Professor Griff, then wound up releasing his own, very dope EP (and 12") on Luke Records before they went bankrupt. That's all the catching up I have patience for; but if you haven't already, check out his EP - you'll like it.

He seemed to drop off the scene after that, but he actually signed to Slip-N-Slide Records. He was due to drop an album called Godflesh: Solids Liquids Gases in May '97 (see the ad, above), but it never came out. Notice it says it's featuring Lord Mecca and Mighty Buda... those are the other MCs from Griff and Society's Field Nigguhz Klick, as featured on Society and Griff's albums. I remember calling the label back when I was at The Source, and they acted like I was crazy asking about Society. They literally told me all they cared about was Trick Daddy, who was blowing up at the time; and they wouldn't say anymore about him. Nice, huh?

Well, Society's unfruitful stint on Slip-N-Slide (read the fine print of that ad... apparently the graphics are also by "Society Productions") was pretty much the last the world heard of Society, except in 2005 he dropped a guest verse on Public Enemy's New Whirl Odor album. But is Slip-N-Slide sitting on a completed Godflesh? How much of it was recorded? Considering they already had the guest appearances worked out for the ad, I'm guessing that it was recorded. So the question becomes: what are the chances somebody could liberate it from their vaults?

Where the Hell Is My Wise Intelligent?!

"Blackdraft" is an okay track off of Professor Griff's third album, notable for its deep, slow bassline and catchy sax sample over the hook. Like the picture cover suggests, Society and Griff share equal time on the mic here. Society was somewhat involved with the previous album, getting a co-production credit on one or two tracks, but by Disturb N tha Peace, he was as much a part of things as Griff himself, essentially joining the Professor's production crew The Soul Society (Griff, Tone Control and Kavon Shah), appearing on most of the songs, including this and the lead single, "Sista Sista;" and even getting "mix," "illustration" and "album concept" credits in the album's liner notes (and there weren't even any illustrations!). And after this, Society went solo (though Griff and co. were still down and involved with his project). ...But back to this 12". It also includes the instrumental, "blaccapella" and two remix* versions of the title track, both by Griff and Society. For my money, the Blacksteel Pineal Gland Mix is gonna be your "Blackdraft" of choice.

But let's face it, unless you're a hardcore Griff fan (and why not; his albums were all pretty underrated after all), the real reason you're buying this 12" is because the sticker promises, "The Pre-Released Remix of Verbal Intercourse Featuring Brand Nu-Bians [their hyphenation and pluralization, not mine] & Poor Righteous Teachers." Now, the original "Verbal Intercourse" isn't actually on Disturb N tha Peace, but his previous album, Kao's II Wiz *7* Dome; and except for a brief vocal sample of the phrase "Verbal Intercourse" that turns up at the very end of the tune, the two versions are completely unrelated to each other. The original was a subtle and expertly produced track (again by The Soul Society), that followed a fun, back & forth, question and answer flow like, "why does the devil keep callin' our people Africans? To keep the people divided and not knowin' who's your brother man."

On the other hand, this "pre-release remix" (whatever that means... it certainly wasn't released before the original version, like the name would imply) dumps the original lyrics, dumps the instrumental, and dumps the whole concept. Suddenly, it's a posse cut that uses a very familiar, hardcore piano loop [damn, I wish I could remember where it was originally from; I can hear it in my head... it's become a staple for freestyles now, like the "Tried By 12" beat] for the hook, and swaps that out with a toned down, catchy bass and occassional blaring horn sample underneath the verses. Griff takes the mic first, followed by an MC I can't name (the 12"'s credits aren't too helpful here; they just say, "featuring Brand Nubians, Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers"), then after the hook, Lord Jamar and Sadat X each take a verse. After the third hook, Society gets on the mic, and then Griff comes back to round out the show. It's tight, but... wait a minute. Where was Wise Intelligent?

Now, admittedly, I couldn't identify that first MC after Griff, but there's no way that was Wise Intelligent. Actually, I'm guessing that Wise Intelligent was the voice we sort of hear at the beginning of the song... there's an intro where someone is talking (it sounds like an answering machine message in low, static quality), but we can't hear what's being said because vocal samples of "understand, man" "check this out" and "verbal intercourse" are being repeated over and over at a much higher volume. I have had my ear to the speaker and the volume turned way up and it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell what he's saying, or even if that's Wise Intelligent. I don't particularly recognize his usually distinctive voice; I'm just assuming it must be him because he sure isn't anywhere else on the record. What a frikkin' rip-off.

And there's one more piece to this puzzle that actually just confuses matters more. The liner notes for Disturb N tha Peace, specifically the track "Respect tha Art-Kill-Tech," say, "additional voice by Lord Jamar of 'Verbal Intercourse.'" Now there's absolutely no one saying anything on that track except Professor Griff, but there are two vocal samples being cut up during the hook. One is clearly taken from the opening of Naughty By Nature's "OPP" ("drop a load on 'em"), but the other one COULD be Lord Jamar's voice, saying something like "educate the youth." It's hard to make out just what he's saying or if that's Jamar, but comparing the two back to back I can tell you it's definitely NOT a line from his verse on "Verbal Intercourse." ...Griff's albums are frustrating in that they have extensive, detailed liner notes, but it's still impossible to tell who's contributing what to each song. >:[

Anyway, this 12" also features one more number - the album track, "107. Point Live (At the Slave Theater)," a surprisingly grimy, east coast sounding track, featuring members of his posse Nappy Ness, Buda, Tech "G" and Studdah, again produced by The Soul Society and with constant scratching by DJ Toomp (a DJ who worked with MC Shy D, Poison Clan, and went on to form 2 Nazty with Brother Marquis). It's kinda like a Rumpletilskinz track, but rougher than anything they managed to release. Griff gets on at the end, and doesn't come as ill/ hardcore as his crew before him, but still manages to hold his own.

So, yeah. It's definitely a 12" worth having, even if you're not otherwise a Griff fan. Just don't go into it like I did, expecting to hear Wise Intelligent, and you won't be disappointed. Besides, the awkwardly homoerotic overtones of the picture cover (not just that they both have their shirts off, but the way that Society is positioned just behind Griff like that...) demand a place in any hip-hop lover's collection.

As to where they are now, well... I already posted Griff's myspace in my last entry. Society, meanwhile, signed to Slip-N-Slide records in the late 90's, even appearing on Trick Daddy's album, www.thug.com. Society's album never came out, and he pretty much disappeared from the scene. He did drop one or two verses on Griff's fourth album, but no longer seemed to be involved in the production and as far as I know he hasn't had anything to do with Griff's new stuff.

*Fun fact: according to the notes on this 12", the word "remix" is actually an acronym for "Rule Equality Master Islam X." If you missed it, kids, ridiculous acronyms were all the rage in hip-hop from the late 80's straight into the early 2000's, when Killah Priest finally took it too far and killed the whole thing.

Tags: Professor Griff, Society, Wise Intelligent, Brand Nubian, Lord Jamar, Sadat X, Poor Righteous Teachers