You Got It!

Here it is: the 12" single for one of my all-time favorite hip-hop songs. Cool C's "The Glamorous Life." A break-through rap hit that pinnacled a rise to fame for Cool, starting with indie rap 12"'s like "Juice Crew Dis," through his successful major label single and video "I Gotta Habit" and ultimately to this 1989 great. This song was on the radio ALL the time for years, had a hot video that got regular play on all the video shows... it is a definite rap classic, and frankly a classic record of the 80's of any genre.

The production for this record, by LG Goodman and Steady B is just perfect, with enough pop appeal for mainstream audiences, but a banging enough beat to keep the real hip-hop heads from frontin'. The hook features a fresh Shiela E-sampled chorus (from her own hugely successful 80's dance hit, also called "Glamorous Life"), the infamous Hilltop Hustlers' signature call ("Ooo-ooohh!") that gained international recognition after this record, and some unforgettable scratching by his DJ, Tat Money - and when the breakdown comes towards the end of the song and Tat cuts it up... man, hip-hop just doesn't get any better than that.

"Glamorous Life" is actually a sequel of sorts to Three Times Dope's "Funky Dividends" (another great Philly record that belongs in your collections). 3XD used to be down with the Hilltop, but when they split with LG because they felt he was holding out on them financially, the Hustlers turned on them (check 3XD's self-produced second album's liner notes. In small print it says, "L. Goodman didn't do a damn thing on this record, but our lawyer said we have to give him credit due to our settlement agreement."). Ironically, years later, Steady and the rest of the Hilltop crew would also part with LG for the same reason and self-produce their own records.

Anyway, "Funky Dividends," about a girl who MC EST falls for until she starts to expect money from him, features recurring dialogue with him and the girl, Michelle, throughout. At one point, in the middle of the song, she complains, "When I was with Steady B, I had it all: Gucci, Louie Vuitton, gold, Liz Claiborne... I had it all. You ain't giving me nothin'!" And on "Glamorous Life," she's back! This more fun yet cynical joint's all about gleefully showering riches on the girl you adore ("a girl that has no price... when she's in the glamorous life"). Towards the end of the song, Michelle returns to have a conversation with Cool, "When I was with Steady B, I had everything. I was rollin’ phat... livin’ large. I had all the luxuries of life. But when I was with that nut EST, he ain’t give me nothin'! I guess it's like my mama used to say..." Tat Money than cuts in a vocal sample, "We gotta use what we got to get what we want! U-u-use what we got... to get what we want!" Cool C answers, "Yeah. Girls like you, Michelle, is hard to find. That's why I had to make you my wife - so you could live the glamorous life." I guess that's meant to be a diss... like EST can't afford what the Hustlers can, but really it just confirms what EST already said on his record... that he's not down with paying gold diggers and he gave her nuthin'. But if there was any doubt that maybe it was just meant to be a playful nod and not a diss, the video left no doubt. Right after that exchange, there's a shot of a 3XD record lying on the sidewalk, and Cool C aggressively steps on it.

Besides having a fun picture cover (he's stuffed his pants with money!), the 12" is a must have for the extended version that's not featured on the I Gotta Habit LP. Remixed by LG, this features an extra keyboard sample (not really necessary, but it doesn't detract either), a keyboard solo during the breakdown (it's really pretty tight, though it might turn off the hard rocks), and most importantly, an all new third verse from Cool C!

"Glamorous girls are an exception...
You have to give them love and perfection.
Try to fill all their needs
So that your love can succeed.
That doesn't mean let them use you...
'Cause some of them may choose to.
For a girl who's just that hype,
No need to juice me, 'cause I like
To give her all that I can give,
'Cause I like my girl to live
As large as possible,
So that my girl will know
That I truly, truly love her,
And I place no one above her.
That's why I don't think twice
To give her the glamorous life!"

The b-side is another cool album track, "Enemy Territory," and instrumentals are provided for both.
Of course, I don't need a myspace link to show us what Cool C is up to these days; he's still on death row, awaiting execution for fatally shooting a police officer during a bank robbery gone wrong with Steady B (who's also in prison for life, though not death row).

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.

The First Stand Out Album of 2007?

So, you may not've noticed, but I've linked another "Favorite Hip-Hop Site That Ain't Mine" to my blog links. Oh Word is a fun, well-written site that I've been sort of checking for every so often.... but not so much because they focus on contemporary hip-hop, no matter how dreary and commercially painful the scene has become. I mean, do I really care about comparisons between UGK & Outkast, or commentary on Cam'Ron's latest album, even if the writer is clever? I don't know, maybe I'm just a cranky ol' curmudgeon. But, anyway, I was just browsing through a bunch of their old entries I'd missed the first time around, and there's some really good stuff, so I finally added 'em.

But, yeah. That brings me to the object of this post. The only new releases in 2007 that I've had any interest have been part of the recent (and really fantastic) wave of unreleased old school material being put out for the first time. The Ultimate Force LP was just released, Freestyle Professors just re-released their obscure '94 EP with all new tracks from the period, DWG is putting out a 7-track EP of great, unheard GodFather Don songs from the late 90's... But finally, a new album has come out that's really woken me up; a 2007 release that actually ranks higher than "eh, I guess that's alright."
Sacred Hoop's latest album, Go Hogwild actually has a copyright date of 2006 on it; but Atak has only just added it to their catalog, and until recently, the Hoop had pre-mix, earlier versions of some of the songs on this album up on their myspace. Which makes me think the album was just recently completed, but they printed up the artwork earlier. Just a guess. Anyway, they're only just now promoting it and making it available.

And it's hot. Damn, go get it. Vrse's production is spot on, DJ Quest and DJ Raw B's scratches add new life to the prerelease demo versions (although, frankly, I miss the driving piano sample from the original version of "Chicks Pack Heat" - can we get a 12" single that combines the best of both worlds please, guys?), and Z-Man, as ever, is on hand to add some ill guest verses. And there's no filler; this is at least as (possibly more so) consistently solid as Sleepover. Gone is their lo-fi, 4-track Sexy Henrietta sound, but you won't miss it. The Hoop is definitely at that rare point where they've matured and elevated their sound without turning into it into dumber, commercial gloss.
So, yeah. You can pick this up from Atak or direct from their official site, sacredhoopfan.com. Live it up. This might be the only worthwhile new album 'till 2008.

The Other Dana Dane Comeback 12"

In a previous entry about Dana Dane's (notice the link, by the way? that's what I'm talkin' about!) latest comeback record, I mentioned he had an "other" one first. Well, this is it. "Let Me Do My Thing" came out a year before "Fame 2000" on Hardball Entertainment, and it's produced and co-written by, believe it or not, Redhead Kingpin and David Wynn (I don't know much about Mr. Wynn, but there's a definite Teddy Riley connection here, as he's co-produced stuff by artists like Wreckx-N-Effect and Blackstreet).

This was a pretty low-key, limited release... when I mentioned it to Redhead Kingpin in a 1999 interview, he was pretty surprised anybody'd heard of it. Redhead was making a bit of a comeback as a producer at the time, producing for R&B singers like Mona Lisa, Case, Kandice Love and Kym Rae. He was mainly pleased by how different they were able to make Dana sound from his old school work, and that if you were to hear this on the radio, you wouldn't even recognize that it was him (which is true; Dane's famous accent is almost entirely lost in the deep, whispered ultra-laid back delivery on this record). Now, I don't really know how good of an idea it is to take a beloved old school entertainer making his comeback and strip him of his most appealing and sellable aspects on his "debut" single, but hey. It's what they wanted to do, I guess; and they succeeded.

So... the song's not bad. The production is kind of bouncy, but slow, with a very "all music created by a studio technician with no samples or instruments" kind of sound. Dane's rapping is adequate, but completely uninspired. I doubt anybody would really dislike the song, per se; but you'd have to be a pretty serious Dana Dane fan to really care if you heard it a second time. The b-side features a remix, with the same basic instrumental chopped a little differently by Mate Boogie (he also did a remix for that Redhead produced Kym Rae single I mentioned before), who also adds some scratches to the mix... which manages to make it slightly more interesting, but still nothing more than mixtape filler.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any current links for Redhead Kingpin (though he was recently featured on the 90's remix of Nas's "Where Are They Now?"), but I did find DJ Wildstyle (of the FBI crew)'s myspace. :)

Crash! Boom! Here Comes Flynamic!

Here's a really rare one. Before becoming the hosts of the Wake Up Show, Sway and Tech were recording artists on Giant Records. And before they signed to Giant, they were known as The Flynamic Force, and released a classic EP on their own label, All City Records. Sometime between the Flynamic EP and Giant record came this odd, little 12".

Titled "Wild Style" (or maybe that's meant to be the name of the record label; who knows?), is a 12" single of mixes by Alexander (no, I don't know either) for On the Beat Productions. The catalog # is OTB001, which suggests the label is actually On the Beat, and that this is the first and - presumably - last release on that label. They're three instrumental mixes, blending instrumentals of its time like Heavy D's "Somebody for Me," Twin Hype's "For Those Who Like To Groove" and Technotronic's "Pump Up the Jam." And they're actually quite good; dude has mixing skills. And, notably, one track features some slick scratches by King Tech.

Which brings us to the real jewel of this 12"; an all-new Flynamic Force song called "Truly Funky." The song starts out as a mock radio show interview, with Alexander, Sway and Tech being interviewed by Michael Erickson, who hosted his own show on the same station as the WUS. But this isn't an actual radio freestyle pressed on wax, this is definitely a fully produced, original song. He starts out by asking them about their new movement, FFORM, Fighting For Organized Rap Music (I guess that idea didn't last very long, since I never heard it mentioned anywhere else), then Sway starts rapping as the instrumental kicks in.

When you think the song's about to end, Michael Erickson comes back on, "yo yo, man, that was truly funky, but uh... that was only three minutes. I paid you for five." Tech says he ran out of beats, so Sway rocks it over a human beat box. Then a fresh drum track blends into the mix. This is just a really good late 80's rap record, at least as good as anything on the Flynamic Force EP, maybe even a little better. The instrumental for "Truly Funky" is also included.

Because I'm utterly unable to break away from my own insignificant traditions, here's a link to Sway and King Tech's myspace page and their official Wake Up Show website. If you haven't checked my main page (and why haven't you, may I ask?), you might be interested to learn that this blog entry is being posted in conjunction with a brand new artists' page I made for the Flynamic Force, so you can see their complete discography (note: I didn't bother including any of the mix CDs and freestyle albums they host, since they don't actually feature music by Sway and Tech).

Who Is Tucka da Huntaman?

Who is Tucka da Huntaman? Well, contrary to the popular (and quite understandable) misconception, he's not Nine (D. Keyes). Tucka, who gets his alias from his real name: K. Tucker, came out with a single 12" in 1995 on Profile Records (same label as Nine). "Da Hunt Is On" b/w "Watch Yout Back" (I went with the cassingle so you could see his picture, not included on the 12" sticker cover), to keep it brief, is dope. It's just a really good, east coast hardcore rap record, that's still sought after today (fortunately, it's not that rare), produced by Nine's producer at the time, Tony Stoute. And his voice sounds a lot like Nine.

Unfortunately, I can't find where I read it (dude, this was like 12 years ago), but I remember Tucka was a young MC coming out under the wing of a radio show host (Red Alert, I think it was) after making noise with some on-air freestyles. He first appeared on another Profile release, Bodyrock's "Groove With You Tonight (Crush Sounds Flippy Remix)" in 1994. But Tucka was only signed for a single 12" deal, and I guess Profile thought Tucka would forever be in Nine's shadow, or just generally didn't have a lot of commercial potential, because they didn't grab him for a full-length follow-up, and apparently he dropped out of the game entirely, never releasing any music again.

I wish I could link to a myspace or something, but I've searched pretty hard and come up with nothing. If anyone has any info on where he is currently, or anything he's done since, please leave a comment here or send an e-mail. Cheers. 8)

Red, Red, Fat and The Dr.

I just made a discovery. That alone is pretty darn cool for me. What's even cooler is that it's a discovery that was already in my collection. :) What'd I find? The first rap appearance of Red Hot Lover Tone.
I just recently sorted all my CDs, and have been revisiting a few albums, like this one, that I haven't listened to wee hip-hop collecting lad. Along with everybody else, I was getting everything on cassette in those days; but in 1990 my parents bought a CD player. My first two CDs were Long Live the Kane and The Cactus Cee/D.

Well, one of the few other CDs I bought that year was Cool Lover Boy by Red Bandit on Motown. What can I say? I was buying everything in those days. I didn't spend my money on anything else (well, I went through a couple comic book phases at certain points in my childhood); when I got my allowance, that meant I could go to the mall and get a rap tape. If I saved enough change to make $2, I could buy a single. You would fall over if you saw the amount of tapes I had (and still have) by the time cassettes were taken off the market.

Anyway, the CD is ok. You've got a lot of R&Bish rap love songs ("Please Don't Cry" features Ricky Bell of Bell Biv Devoe), and a couple of poppy dance songs. Red Bandit is no great MC, but for these kinda songs, no exceptional skill is really required. It is what it is, and if you like that sort of thing, it's alright.

Now, it's no secret that this album features some of The Trackmasterz' (Red Hot Lover Tone's hugely successful production team with partner Poke) earliest work on record. It may even be their first (everything they first started becoming famous for, like their work with Chubb Rock and Tone's rapping career, started in 1992). They produced cowrote his house track, "House People."

But what I think will be news to most of you reading this, is that the CD version of Cool Lover Boy features a bonus track not available on the LP or cassette. It's a posse cut called "Can I Get a Little," featuring Red Hot Lover Tone, Phat Doug (here in the liner notes spelled "Fat Doug," but I'm pretty certain it's the same guy) and Dr. Freeze (who produced most of this LP, and who had some big production hits around that time, like BBD's "Poison" and Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up"). The mic gets passed down the line, with Tone definitely shining as the best MC on the track (though Phat Doug comes tight, too). Then at the end, the mic gets passed back to the first MC, and each MC kicks another verse. Finally, producer Spiderman (who I never heard of, and doesn't seem to have done anything on this album, but I know he's a producer from reading the album's special thanks) gets the mic and briefly closes the show. Pretty nice find in my own collection, 'ey?

You may remember Bandit better for his "All Men Are Dogs?" single, with production by Postive K, and a remix by Sean Puffy Combs featuring Faith Evans. This was later turned into a major posse cut, with Grand Puba, Positive, Snagglepuss, Notorious BIG, Raggedy Man, Grand Daddy I.U. & Pudgee the Phat Bastard. More recently, in 1998, he changed his name to Jimmy Crooks, started his own indie label, and put out a compilation album of his crew, The Nighthawks (comprised of B-I, Ill Flo, Bigman, Rockiem and himself), The Nighthawks Family Album. I thought it pretty well sucked, but hey, whatever. Then, in 2001, he put out a new solo CD called Straight Ghetto Remixes, which features some surprisingly big name guest appearances like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Queen Latifah, Usher and more (there was also a single off that album, "R.E.D.B.A.N.D.I.T.," if you really want to complete your collection). You can order both of those albums new from CDBaby.com. And as always, of course, I also have the link to his myspace page.

And since this post is reallymeant to be about Red Hot Lover Tone, here's a link to his (Trackmasters') myspace page, and official website. Dr. Freeze has a myspace page, too; but it's currently set to Private.

Well, Guess What? He Doesn't Care Either

Ok, I know most of you guys probably couldn't give a flying fudgsicle about Father MC, so I promise this'll be the last post on him for a long time. But I just found a 12" by him that I'd never known about; so even though it's not all that great, I'm a bit geeked.

This came out on Echo International in 1997, the same year he created some curious buzz by signing with the unlikely Luke Records. I'm not sure if this came before or after that stint, but it's interesting to note on the sticker cover that this single was touting a forthcoming album entitled Men With Millions. Of course, that album never came out, and this was Father's only release on Echo ...though they did include two of the three songs on this record on a compilation they released the following year, called East Coast Flava.

"I Could Care Less" (available here in street and radio versions), is sort of a laid back message to everyone who doubts him (he doesn't care what you think), with a very relaxed flow, mellow beat and a very undramatic, repetitive chorus by a female vocalist. It all adds up to one boring song, really.
"It Ain't Where Ya From," however, is a bit livelier, and decidedly more hardcore... not in that M.O.P. hardcore sense, so much as in the Snoop Doggy Dogg, talking about "hardcore" crime-type topics sense. In this case, he's up for two back to back life sentences because some of his crew snitched on him. He warns, "take it as a threat, you might get wet if you ain't doin' what cha rappin'." He even mentions having connections to the Russian mob! I do like this line, though, presumably directed at parents who object to his new, gangsta steez: "If you don't want your kids to hear, and they hear it, you deal with it." Yeah, you tell 'em.

"No One's Gonna Love You" is in more traditional Father MC territory, with Father lyrically kicking it to a lady about how no one will ever love her like he will (no, he's not calling out some really unlikable lady, telling her how no one could ever love her - though that could've been a fun song. Opportunity missed, perhaps?). It's got a pretty heavily R&B'd out chorus, with both a male and female singers, which is actually kinda good, and a real Video Soul-reminiscent instrumental.

You can check the track-listing for this 12" and the rest of his discography on my Father MC page. You probably haven't noticed, but I've actually been "stealth updating" the discography pages of the artists I've been writing about in my blog as I go. And, in fact, I've just done a proper update of my main page, including the first new artist's page in a really long time! I've also finally sorted all of my records (and CDs), so I'll be adding more stuff to my store in the coming weeks, too. In case you missed it, the link to my main hip-hop page is at the top of the links column to the right. :)

What More Can I Say? Lots of Childen

Here's a neat little single track 12" that's not featured on any of his albums.

M.C. Bobby Jimmy (minus The Critters this time, apparently) dropped this right between Roaches: the Beginning (an odd title for his second album; but I guess you have to expect oddness from a rap group called Bobby Jimmy & The Critters) and Back and Proud in 1987; and it's actually one of his most fun parody records.

Producer DJ Pooh hooks up a beat that's just a slightly lower-key duplicate of the Audio Two's classic original, and adds some fresh Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy sample scratches for a little extra freshness. There's even a special thanks printed on the label to "Daddy O" of Stetsasonic (I dunno why he felt compelled to put it in quotes) for letting him pervert his classic "Go Brooklyn" chorus.

If you haven't guessed which song he's parodying yet, just peep these lyrics:

"I had money;

Money I had,
Kids I don't know
Just callin' me Dad.

That's how it be;
Ask Ice-T.

I was havin' babies while I was in prison,
Jail,
For non-child support;

Had no job,

It's not my fault.

Pooh's got childen,
I've got childen;
What more can I say?
Lots of childen!"

This is one of the Jimmy's best records in terms of just timelessly cracking me up and getting my head nodding at the same time. Why this never wound up on one of his albums, I don't know. But it's definitely worth tracking down the 12". You can even just rock the instrumental on a mix-tape or whatever, and have everyone bugging out, "what the heck is that 'Go Jimmy; go Jimmy?'" ;)

Sticking with my trend, here's his current myspace page. Russ Parr (that's his real name) isn't recording as Bobby Jimmy anymore, but he's still hosting his radio show, as well as promoting a film and television project, which you can check out on his website: uptoparr.com.

The REAL Weekend Warrior

After releasing a series of really dope, indie 12"s ("...And I Rock," "Turn tha Party Out," "It's da Biz," and "Something For the People"), heads' anticipation for the Diabolical's full-length comeback was really high - high enough to wait the incredibly long amount of time (we're talking years and years) since Remember Me? was first announced in the back pages of The Source).

Finally, in 2003, Tommy Boy managed to push Biz Markie's fifth LP, Weekend Warrior, out into the stores. And, man was it a disappointment. I mean, for the really desperate (read: all of us) Biz fans, there were elements to pick out and enjoy. The first single, "Tear Sh_t Up" with DJ Jazzy Jeff was pretty hot, and "Chinese Food," produced by J-Zone, was a good song. But the bulk of the generic production, primarily handled by, umm... no one I'd ever heard of before, unappealing guest spots by Elephant Man, P. Diddy and Erick Sermon (actually, he came off kinda OK), and god awful, song-ruining hooks, often sung by some cat named Lil' Kal, really makes panning for the gold a chore.

But the secret turned out to be the bonus "Promo Exclusive" disc that came free with the CD when you ordered it from a site called Rap and Soul Mail Order online. It's a whole 'nother full length album (13 tracks with no skits); and it's soooo much better!

I think I remember reading (though I can't find it now to confirm, so it's possible I made this up in my subconscious... but it certainly sounds true) that this is essentially the album Biz wanted to release; but it's loaded with samples Tommy Boy couldn't or wouldn't clear. So, instead they got a bunch of their in-studio producers (though, to be fair, they did spring for The 45 King on one song... and it's a dope track. Too bad about that horrible, horrible chorus) to make cheap beats, and you all know the results.

This album is full of samples, some fairly familiar; but that definitely doesn't detract from the appeal. In fact, probably the best track on this LP (though it's really hard to pick), features the Biz ripping it over Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real" - I mean, come on... just TRY not to enjoy that cut. And you've gotta check "Imma Do It" and hear how he flips the Austin Powers soundtrack into a fat hip-hop track, the perfect match for Markie's style. Basically every track on here is at least as good as the very best moments of the retail CD.

There's only two missteps on this album, really. First and mainly are the three alternate remixes of songs featured on the commercial release. While it's cool to have them just for the sake of completion (and, hell, the whole thing was free after all), I don't know if we really need a version of "Tear S**t Up" without Jeff's scratches... his scratches are the best part! And "Games" and "Let Me See You Bounce" both just rate "eh" no matter which version you spin.

The second is the fact that one song: "Dance Party Scream and Shout," fades out after a minute and a half, mid-verse! I guess something went wrong with the recording, the second half of the master is screwed up, or something. If that's the case, it's cool that they included it anyway. If they just screwed up, then that's pretty sorry as. But yeah. It's not a whole song in any case.

But these two drawbacks don't keep it from being a HELL of a lot better than the commercial version of Weekend Warrior, and basically being the fifth Biz album we all wanted. And the good news is that rapandsoulmailorder.com still has this available, free with purchase of the official Weekend Warrior CD.

(P.s. - Sorry it's been so long since my last update... my harddrive died on me. Had to go to a "data recovery" place and get it replaced. Ugh. Fun fun.)

Hell.... No?

Here's a curious little find...

First of all, as a longtime, big-time, finding an Outsidaz 12" I'd never known about was a definite, unexpected surprise. "Hell Yeah" b/w "Rehab" on Ruffnation (if you can tell me the difference between Ruffnation and Ruffwax Records, I'd love to hear about it): two decent but underwhelming album tracks from the disappointing follow-up to Night Life, The Bricks LP. Two odd choices to make a single out of... I wonder if they selected "Rehab" to follow "Hell Yeah" only because they follow each other directly on the LP?

Well, what makes it even weirder is when you play it, the first song isn't actually "Hell Yeah." That song isn't on this 12" at all. Instead what you get is the four versions of "Keep On" (as it would be for "Hell Yeah" according to the label: main, radio edit, instrumental and a cappella), a much more dynamic, natural choice to release as a single[1]... even though this version is nowhere near as good as their old demo version that everyone was tape-trading a few years before.

The B-side, on the other hand, is what it says it is: four versions of "Rehab," which is only on 12" here. Anyway, you can't go wrong with two Outsidaz acappellas, and at least the one side is exclusive; so it's worth picking up if you ever come across it.

[1]So much so, in fact, that Ruff Nation did indeed release "Keep On" as the lead single for The Bricks, b/w "Done In the Game."