InstaRapFlix 12: Brotha Lynch Hung: Ghetto Celebrities: Vol. 1

InstaRapFlix is back on the new blog! Disappointingly, Netflix has removed a lot of instantly viewable films, stating that those had been available for a limited time only (something they only thought to mention after the time was up), so sadly I won't be getting to some of the titles I had on my list... but they have added new ones.

So, I thought Brotha Lynch Hung: Ghetto Celebrities: Vol. 1 (Netflix rating: 2.5 stars) might be fun, if only for the pure outrageousness of the rapper.

Well, it's actually pretty tame, but not bad at all. It's largely centered around one interview with Lynch talking to the camera, telling his story, and sometimes cutting away to what what he's talking about... like a trip to see some of his high school basketball teammates, or recording in the studio. There's not a lot of graphics or zany MTV camera angling. Lynch just earnestly shares his story, from his childhood and family situation, to how he came up in the music industry.

Each member of his crew is given a change to speak, too, at one point, briefly saying who they are, what projects they have coming out, etc (and Zig Zag busts a freestyle). But, really, 95% of this 80 minute movie is just Lynch sitting in his chair, talking to the camera. So he gets to every question you'd probably have for him, from his influences, the references to baby killing in his rhymes, to why he split with Black Market Records, and how he disowns some of his albums that he considers incomplete, released without his approval. And he talks about the things you'd probably never think to ask him about, like his mother's passing, the times his personal studio got robbed, and his bouts with depression.

This is a good doc, and you'll probably come out with more respect for Lynch Hung having seen it.

Shorty'z Kaught In the System

Shorty Long is one of the lesser-known DITC-related Bronx MCs. He was discovered by Lord Finesse, who produced his first 12", "Shorty'z Doin' His Own Thang" in 1994. Shorty apparently had a falling out with Finesse, and stopped releasing music. But he did release one other 12" in 1996 before disappearing.

"You Know It's Good, Baby" b/w "Let's Get At It..." - like his first 12" - came out on his own label, Long Shorr Records. Both songs are produced by Finesse's DJ, Mike Smooth.

"You Know It's Good, Baby," for my money, is the better instrumental. Straight up hardcore, east New York style... sparse, banged piano keys loop over hard drums, and a low, rumbling bassline and an eery sound effect, with a brief, extra sample for the hook. As an MC, Shorty's not bad... he has a gruff voice but a lighter, more playful tone. His lyrics are his weak point, though. The song's about him kicking game to a girl (using the played out phrase, "pussy ain't nothing but skin on bone. I might suck it; or leave it alone" for the hook... was Luke having a close-out sale that week?). With a rugged beat like this, you wanna hear someone like Big Pun just rip it apart. Instead Shorty just kind of flounders around on it, leaving us with a final total of: "just ok."

The B-side (wins again) is the real compelling joint on this record. "Let's Get At It..." is his posse cut, featuring Timbalan, De La, Moet, C-Terror, Joe-Sex and Fanatic. I don't really recognize most of their names either; they're just his clique and/or loose DITC affiliates. No one kicks an exceptional, stand-out verse, but they're all nice over another ill, more subtle Mike Smooth beat.

There are clean, dirty and instrumental versions for both songs.

There's actually two versions of this record. Both seem to be original, US pressings that came out on Long Shorr in '96 with the same track-listing - both even have the same catalog number and run-out groove - but the labels are different. You can see the version I have, pictured above; but there's another with detailed production credits on it (check it out here on labelscans.com). Why are there two versions, and which came out first (assuming one did come out earlier than the other)? I don't know.

So this record is the last we've heard from Shorty... until now. A collection of Shorty Long's vintage songs recorded with DJ Mike Smooth and others (including production from Showbiz, Timbalan and Buckwild, and guest verses by Harry-O, Moet and others) from that era are being released as a limited (200 copies) EP on One Leg Up Records. It's up for pre-order now, so if you're interested, get on it. And hopefully he'll tell us in his 1LU interview about the two "You Know It's Good, Baby" versions.

I'm Over Here Now

As I mentioned in a previous post, My blog and site host is closing down on me. So I've moved my blog here (the URL is http://wernervonwallenrod.blogspot.com). There are upsides and downsides to this move.

Upsides:

• Not only was I able to move all my old entries, but also all of your comments. :) What's more, it will now be easier for people to comment, with more comment options.
• I'm now able to implement a new feature, where the name of every artist tagged in a blog post (i.e. the previous entry's would be The Rhyme Poets and Disco Dave) will be put into a long, alphabetical list (not unlike my discographies on my other site), so you can click on the name of an artists you're interested in and see all the posts I ever made about them. This will take me a little time to get fully set up, though.
  
• The Best Blog Posts I Didn't Write feature doesn't have to look quite so ugly as it was forced to be in AOL's rigid template.
• A few other little lay-out tweaks and what-not.

Downsides:

• I wasn't able to carry over all the images that were in AOL Galleries (i.e. at the top of almost every post), so at the moment they're missing. Now, I have saved every single image to my computer, so I will ultimately be going back and adding them to every single old post... but as you might imagine that will take me a while. So, for now, many old images are missing. Done. I stayed online for a painful amount of time and got them all up.
  
• All of your bookmarks, cross-links, etc etc. of that nature will be invalid. That old address won't forward over to this one... it will just be dead. Any of you interested, will have to update your address books, etc.
• That also includes links in this blog from one post to another (eventually I'll fix those, too). Think I found and fixed them all... if you find any links in any old posts still pointing to the AOL journal, let me know and I'll fix 'em.
  
• Moving here doesn't solve the problem of my main site also shutting down imminently. I haven't decided exactly what I'm gonna do with that yet; but that's gonna be a much bigger hassle for me, and many more broken links for you guys (until I fix them).

But enough with the downside business. We're here now, so let's enjoy it. Plus, if you think about it, the downsides are pretty much all temporary; and the upsides are all long-term improvements. So it's a good thing.

Layout tweaks are still happening, but it's already looking pretty much how I wanted it to. Look for new posts here as frequently as they were over there.

Whose Turn Is It Now?

Ok, now this is a rare one. The Rhyme Poets, as mentioned in my last post, had a release in between their 1989 album (itself reasonably rare) and their J.G. appearance: this maxi-single/EP (it's sorta borderline between the two). It's titled It's Our Turn, though that's not the name of any of the four songs on here; and was put out on cassette only by Cristone Records in 1992 (CR1001 - I believe the label's only release).

This is ok - certainly not great. I picked it up off the strength of "Put Down the Guns," and it's certainly an interesting piece... probably worth picking up if you see it cheap, if only for the novelty of the one song (which I'll get to in a bit).

It's produced by Ezra L Buckner, who I've certainly never heard of; with co-production credit going to William Patterson (possibly William "Spaceman" Patterson?) and The Rhyme Poets themselves. The production is fairly limp as a whole, with additional keyboards and strings by Willie Beck (possibly of the Ohio Players?) adding very little. I mean, you could listen to it without being bothered by it; but they're sure not beats that'll grab you.

The main song on here is "Roadblock" (or "Road Block;" it's spelled both ways). The Poets don't do much back and forth here (or on any of the songs on this EP)... each MC just takes a verse, kicking a rap about how they won't let any roadblock (obstacle) stand in their way of success: "I'm comin' like a road warrior, knockin' down ya roadblocks. Stoppin' suckers who's afraid of me, cold gettin' docked. You see I'm comin' from the cold-blooded gangster city. Like Frank Nitty, I'm never showin' any pity." A singer named Darlene Morris provides the chorus ("roadblocks... straight through your ROADblocks!"). She has a nice voice; but with her taking long pauses between lines and not much instrumentation there to fill in the blanks, it feels rather sparse. There's also an instrumental for "Roadblock" here, which is the only instrumental on the tape.

Then there's the song, "Talkin' Dat Bull." The is where that novelty value I mentioned earlier comes in. It's exactly the same instrumental and chorus as "Roadblock," but the lyrics have been altered, making the song about The Chicago Bulls (who will run right through your roadblocks). Check how the lines I quoted in the paragraph above become: "We're coming like a raging bull, pushing the rest of the pack back; because the Bulls are comin' in the red and black, and representin' a cold-blooded gangster city. Because Scotty P. and Michael J. will never show pity." They've also added ad-libs by Disco Dave - who was a sidekick on The Rap Down program on WGCI radio* - and a brief intro, meant to sound like they're in a sports arena.

Then you've got their slow, positive song, "Prince of Peace," referring to Jesus. I wouldn't categorize The Rhyme Poets as Christian rap, but they do quote a biblical passage in their liner notes: "Yea though I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death I have not feared no evil for thou has always been with me. O lord I am grateful for your life giving promise." It only features two of the three Rhyme Poets, Deva-D and Triple S. And while most of the production on the EP sounds studio-made, this tune is based heavily on a well-worn sample. I wouldn't even call it "familiar;" I'd call it "tired." They give examples of hard times: greed, lonliness, poverty, corruption and babies being born addicted to crack... and how these wouldn't be a problem if we all followed the example of "the prince of peace."

Pancho is back with his fellows on the last song, "Mis-understandin'," which is sort of their manifesto on everything, from their music to their lifestyle. It's a livlier track, and their lyrics are defintiely the most interesting on this song:

"Misunderstandin' the gangster,
Comin' from the segregated city of America
Try to take my hit? Yo, I dare ya.
Because the Poets are organized rhymers:
Kinda violent, yo, but you'll never find a
Gangbanger rolling with us,
'Cause we're not gang bangers,
But the slangers of some real danger.
The gang-bangers bang about the wrong thing;
It's not ya turf, it's about the money you bring.
'Cause on the midcoast, it's all about that green
Piece of paper; so I might have to take yours.
We built and built, and now we're on the top,
Paying off the cops, we can't be stopped.
Because we don't need the police;
We've got our own police.
'Cause they've got a black piece
And we've got a black piece.
So the only difference is who pulls the gun"

So, yeah, this is a neat, little rarity; but certainly nothing incredible, musically. Unless you're specifically collecting Chicago rap history, you shouldn't lose any sleep over this hole in your collection. But hopefully it made for an interesting read. 8)

*I hate to bring you guys down, but sadly Disco Dave died in his sleep the following year, 1993, at age 40. R.I.P.

Tags: The Rhyme Poets, Disco Dave

Put Down the Guns

In 1993, a a first-time Chicago rapper called J.G. came out with a single featuring a grip of independent Chicago artists making a call for peace entitled, "Put Down the Guns." Remember that? The video got mad airplay back in the day, though despite its success his label, Gasoline Alley, never put anything else out by him. Guess they just considered it a one-off.

Production-wise it came out at just the right time, using that shamelessly Dre-inspired Ron Isley slide whistle sound before it got hopelessly played out. But even putting that aside, it had a hard, thumping bassline, good drums and just a simple loop to hold it all together. A simple beat to let the variety of MCs carry the weight.

And every MC did carry their weight... and the fact that they were pretty much all unknown made it that much more exciting when the single came out of nowhere, like "H.E.A.L." with the celebrity fluff ripped off. And the label sure didn't help the MCs become less unknown. Not the actual 12" label, or the cassingle insert, which had a full page of credits and thanks, actually tell you who any of the MCs are (though one or two are named in the specual thanks... but not all!). Without actually hearing the song, you'd assume it was a J.G. solo cut.

Thankfully, the video gave little subtitles everytime another MC got on the mic. So we know the line-up.

It starts out with J.G. (naturally), kicking a laid-back flow, "funny feelin' when you're starin' at the ceilin', locked in the pen and pretend you don't grin. And when it's time for parole, you're a pro. You know just where to go to make yourself some dough... say what's up, ain't seen him since we were shorties. Used to be homies and now ya don't even know me because you're rough adn you're tough; I say man, you've grown up. ...He said, 'what happened to that brother I shot?' I said, 'Joe? he's still alive,' thinking: damn, he forgot?"

Next up is Ten-Tray, with a gruff and angry flow. Or more specifically, Crunch, the lead MC of the group Ten-Tray, which also included Blood, Sweat, Tears and DJ X-Ray. They had come out with an album (Realm of Darkness) and single ("I Convey") in 1992 on Smash Records. Smash was a division of Polygram, apparently making them the first Chiacgo rap group with a major label deal. Confusingly, he starts his verse by saying he's "from the Bricks, so you know I'm down;" when he's definitely from Chicago like everybody else on this record. The crew split up after this. X-Ray (who has a myspace here) once made wrote an online post saying, "hey whats up i was the dj in the group ten tray i dont no what happiend all i now i got fucked in the hole deal." Crunch later changed his name to Jitu tha Jugganot (check out his site, jituthajugganot.com or his myspace), and came out with an indie album in 2007 called Necessary Ingredients (which X-Ray also worked on).

Next up is Stevo. I really have no idea who he is. He holds his own, though, with a slower and simple flow, stressing individual words. Sort of like a toned-down, non-growling Tim Dog.

Fourth, "it's time for the Poets." The Rhyme Poets, that is. Their specialty here is the back and forth wordplay, which helps liven things up. The Rhyme Poets were a three-man crew consisting of Deva-D, Triple-S and Pancho, who had an album in 1989 called Nation Within a Nation. The group later split up, and Pancho hooked up with a new group called The Illiniez in the mid-90's, who are apparently still together. Leastways, they still have a myspace page.

Fifth is either Madd Skillz (as it's spelled in the video) or Mad Skillz (as it's spelled in the cassingle's special thanks). In either case, he's definitely not that Mad Skillz. Actually, both his voice and flow sound a lot like some early Fat Joe. As far as I can tell, this song is his only appearance on wax.

Sixth, J.G. comes back for a second verse. That's only fair, I reckon, since it's his record; and after all, Gasoline never showed him the love and let him release an album.

Seventh is Prince Akeem, best known for being the godbrother of the great Chuck D: "Put down my gat? I say never! 'Cause another brother's got a gat without a lever. So I say 'never leave home without one' around my way; I shoot a punk in his goddamn face... Got a glock in ya sock, and a nine in the spine of ya back; and ya target is always black." Akeem has always sounded and flowed like Professor Griff, and this song is definitely no exception; but that's ok, because Griff was always a little underrated as an MC. Akeem started making a name for himself with a couple singles and a hard to find album on Chicago Tip Records in '91. But even with guest appearances by Chuck and Flavor, he never seemed to really take off; and this was pretty much the last song he'd ever do.

Finally, Crunch of Ten-Tray comes back for a final hardcore verse, definitely taking the preachiness edge off of this record, "don't you see we have a universal enemy? Yet and still, you point your goddamn gat at me! How much heart does it take to smoke your own? Raise your fist, black, 'cause the war is on!"

So, the video version was cool... but there's a far superior remix on the single. They ditch that "let's appeal to all coasts, guys" vibe on the "Street Mix," which brings a grimier beat, rolling bassline and a DITC-style horn sample. It's straight up ninties New York, b-side wins again style.

There's also the "Stepper's Mix," which goes in the opposite direction, taking the west coast elements and replacing the vocals with a bunch of extra, live instrumentation (piano, funk guitar, keys and a few more samples), like an old "Quik's Groove." It works pretty well as a reprise, though you wouldn't spin it without listening to the original version, too.

This is a quintessential time capsule of 90's hip-hop if ever there was one. If that's what you're into, pick it up; you're sure to get a kick out of this.

Tags: J.G., Rhyme Poets, Madd Skillz, Stevo, Prince Akeem, Ten Tray

Lord Of the Underground Uncovered

You would think any rapper coming out after the 1990's, especially one from New Jersey, would consider the name Lord of the Underground taken. But apparently not.

In a recent article, I wrote about Yah Yah's promo single, "All I Need" on a little label called 5 Lmnt. According to them, he'd also recorded an album called Lord of the Underground, but I'd never ben able to find it, and they've never answered any of my e-mails. And I'd basically started assuming that it was never actually released.

But I was wrong.

After posting that article, I was contacted by a reader[thanks again!] who managed to order a copy off of their site - as I said, by the time I found their site, they weren't replying to e-mails... but I guess he got in early. So, yeahl he got it... it actually exists. Here's a pic of the actual CD:

As you can see (click it to enlarge), it's dated 2004.

The production (possibly by Azizz, who he name drops once or twice... and it sounds like his stuff) on this album is nothing like the CD single I reviewed... it's very low-fi and there's nothing poppy about it at all (and no R&B crooners doing back-up). It's also generally less dynamic... none of the tracks ever really stand out and grab you. They're just solid, respectable underground beats. It's twenty-tracks deep (though the track-listing 5 Lmnt iddused apparnetly named twenty-one), but that includes a couple of skits and two songs not by Yah. Sam Goodie Greene and J-Dot, two artists 5 Lmnt was putting out, both get "Debut" songs randomly in the middle of the album.. They're ok (J-Dot is the better MC of the two), but both tracks are totally skippable.

So, that's the bad news, I guess. But the good news is Yah spits fire on every song (except the twohe's not on, of course). I said it last time, and this album only further solidifies this belief: Yah is easily the most underrated Outz MC; for both his lyrics and delivery. And most of the songs are just about flexing his skills ("I hate cops but got a couple brothers on the force; it pays off because I be havin' trouble in the courts. Fuck fumblin' and loss, we doublin' and floss. Late night, me and Ma cuddle in the Porsch"), but he does sometimes expand into other topics, on songs like "Times Is Hard," "How Couuld You" and "All I Want" (the hook is, "all I want is to survive; all I want's to stay alive. All I want's to not die. That's all I want")... though never at the expense of the crazy, ill wordplay:

"Ay yo, it's sorta like that day when Tobey tried to blow me
in the back from his 'Lac, 'cause I bussed the U slowly;
And just as I ducked, mad shots flew over me,
And totally ripped up this bitch Toyota seats.
They reload and I go to leave and notice three
Old police approachin', all in one motion.
I backed up, ran them;
Cops chased, scramble,
All while this little-ass car is eatin' the ammo.
First, second, hittin' the curb, I can't gamble;
Third, fourth, straight through the alley, they can't handle.
I'ma ditch this car, fix these scars,
Get some firearms 'cause this means war!
And I'm in it 'till I finish y'all ducks;
Make you wish cops sprinted, and prisoned y'all up."

There are a few Outsidaz appearances... Axe does a brief skit and Azizz (I thnk!) raps on "All I Want." There're a few others, including a posse cut called "Your Truly;" not sure who all those cats are, but they're all up to par [update 10/9/8: apparently they're a Florida-based crew called Critical Madness.... see the comments].

This is a hot album, and it's really a shame it never got more of a release. But at least there are a few copies out there, apparently, floating around to be found. Are there copies of The Collaberation, too? I don't know. But I'm keeping an eye out.

Tags: Yah Yah, Outsidaz, 5th Lmnt

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Werner's Gonna Need a New Home

I started Werner von Wallenrod's Humble, Little Hip-Hop Site way back in 1997 as an AOL members' page, because that's how I - like almost everybody in '97 - was accessing the net. Over the years, a lot of people moved on to other services, and Werner's grew from a humble, little site to a humble, huge site, full of ancient coding, some low quality graphics, etc. It's a huge monster of pages connected to pages, with all different screennames hosting different sections.

I started this blog in January of 2007 - I decided to make it an AOL Journals blog to commemorate the fact that my site was still an ancient AOL members page after all these years. There've been a few frustrating drawbacks (like people needing to register with AOL to comment), but I've stuck by it.

But I just got an e-mail telling me that on October 31st, AOL will be shutting down their Journals for good. What's more, I went to an article they linked in the e-mail, poked around a "Peoples' Connection" blog they have up; and found a previous announcement saying they're shutting down all of their webhosting (thanks for the no e-mail on that one, guys... I could've just woken up one day and seen it all deleted)! Everything I've created since 1997 has gotta find a new home - it's gonna be a massive, ugly monster to move (for example: "members.aol.com" is in pretty much every image tag on every page of the site!).

That also means the homepage address I've had since '97 (crappy as it was) and this blog address is gonna be gone (oh, and my Todd Solondz website, too)... bookmarks, links to my site: kaput.

On the plus side, it'll finally allow me to make some changes/improvements I could never do on AOL, and force me to finally swap out some of that terrible coding and bad graphics I made way back in the 90's when nobody knew any better. And I won't have to rely on their ...lacking customer service anymore (calling their paid tech support guys to talk to people who didn't know aol even had a journals section LOL). But I'm sure not looking forward to the chore of redoing all that.

I just got this notice tonight; so I don't know where I'm gonna move to yet or anything. So stay tuned and I'll announce whatever new URLs and stuff you guys'll need to know to find this blog and the site as I get it sorted. They say, "We're working on a way to easily move your Journal to another blogging service," so hopefully that turns out to be true, rather than me having to remake every post manually.

In the meantime, I will continue to update this blog here.

TTFN.

Biscuits 'n' Porn

So, following up my recent write up of BHR002, I bring you BHR001: "Me & Him," the debut 12" by Mr. Jason and Nabo Rawk, collectively known as the Porn Theatre Ushers. This came out on Biscuithead Records in 1999.

Biscuithead described PTU and their record, "The Porn Theatre Ushers are Mr. Jason & Nabo Rawk. Their influences are Dj Premier, Ultramagnetics, Large Professor, & De La Soul just to name a few. Nabo & Jason say that they love hip hop with a passion, but felt it wasn't fun anymore. They felt it was time to bring back the fun in hip hop again. Expect to hear alot[sic.] of funny lyrics and dope beats from these guys. Me and Him is the first release from these guys on the Biscuithead Recordings label."

So, yeah, this 12" is BHR001, the label's first release... or at least the first of their rap line. They had two separate lines: house music (BH001-BH005) and rap (BH001-BH004). Biscuithead Records was originally a Boston record store run by house DJ Bruno. Here's an ad they ran on the back cover of Red Eye Magazine in 2000. --->

As soon as you put this on your tables, it's clear that they're serious about bringing the fun back to hip-hop. "Me & Him" starts with some Nabo cutting some vocal samples over a crazy instrumental, which fades out after about 20 seconds to be replaced with the real beat for the song... and man, it bumps! With just that combined with the slick Ladybug/Digable Planets vocal sample ("play me in the winter; play me in the summer... play in the autumn; any order") they use for the hook, it's easy to see why this was a surprise underground hit. And Mr. Jason's no Kool G Rap, but his flow's alright and he manages not to be totally outshined by the track, which is more than most MCs could do.

There's just one downside. The "funny lyrics" just aren't funny, and that makes them stick out awkwardly like sore thumbs: "How come I'm the number one rhyme getter? How come you're twenty-one and still a bed wetter? I got no time for you fake fraud generics; plus I'm late for my date with Bo Derek." It's punchlines like that Bo Derek thing that made the heads they failed to reach say, "no thanks; I'll stick to my Freddie Foxxx tape." I mean, it never gets as bad as "Sing It Shitface" (which was completely song-ruining); but it would've been better if he just concentrated on sounding fresh instead of trying to prove how terribly witty and much smarter than the typical rappers he is.

The first b-side, "Cat Nip," is essentially the same story as "Me & Him:" crazy samples for an intro, a really catchy, head-nodding beat, a great vocal sample for a hook, and Mr. Jason is adequate. On both the label and back cover, the trac-listing is off, though. They say that "Cat Nip" is the last song, but on the actual vinyl, it actually comes before the second b-side track: "My Imagination."

"My Imagination" is another cool tune, featuring some nice scratching and Mr. Jason's best vocal performance. The beat may not be as immediately catchy as the other two, but after repeated listenings, I think it bears out as the best song on the record.

The 12" comes with instrumentals for "Cat Nip" and "Me & Him," and a clean version of "Me & Him." It's worth noting that the three tracks on this record were later included on the CD version of their debut album, Sloppy Seconds, but not the LP, which instead offered us all the other seven tracks, plus instrumentals on a second record. So, essentially, if you have the 12" and the LP, you have everything.

After Biscuithead Records shut down, PTU came out with one more single and album on Detonator Records (2003 & 2004, respectively); but then they quit. There was a brief video interview on UGHH in early 2007 where Nabo Rawk says he'd been talking to Jason and that there was, "probably a ninety percent chance right now that we'll do another PTU record. That's something I wanna do before I fucking die. It's definitely something that we've been talkin' about; and if we do drop the record, the record's gonna have a certain sound to it throughout the whole thing. And it's something we're really feelin' nobody's tapped into yet." That was almost two years ago, but Nabo still does the occasional guest verse. So I guess we'll see.

Tags: Porn Theatre Ushers

=New Toy

Hey, guys. You might notice a new little feature over to the right: The Best Blog Posts I Didn't Write. I just started it, so there's not much there yet... but basically I'll be highlighting the best/most interesting hip-hop blog posts I come across whenever I come across them. New, hip-hop related posts only - you won't see Obama or Palin's names pop up in anything I link to until they cut a record together. Yeah, it's a Google Reader thing... so there'll be the latest six (I may change that number) featured on the right, and they'll all be archived on my GR page (which you can always get to by clicking the Best Blog Posts heading).

For the bloggers and webmasters who may be concerned/curious, clicking the blog titles will take you to the original posts on their own pages, not my Reader.

I think that's about all there is say about that. Hope you guys enjoy it - it should be updated at least once a day (albeit at odd hours haha), assuming there's enough good stuff for me to find. 8)

More dope content is dope.

Tone Loves the Jiggable Pie, Too

^Video blog!!
(All original, request-fulfilling content! The volume's a bit low, so crank it!)

Tags: Red Hot Lover Tone

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Listen Up, Shitface

This is the debut 12" of Boston's Edan on Biscuithead Records, a label that had just made its name with the Porn Theatre Ushers' debut. The buzz of that 12" got a lot of us to give Edan a listen, and he definitely used that opportunity to grab our attention with "Sing It Shitface."

Biscuithead described Edan and his record, "EDAN has to be the strangest mother fucker I have ever met, which is why I respect his brilliance. This Berklee student is a living embodiment of hip hop. If you listen to Migrain[sic.] you will see that he is all about the old skool. As for Sing It Shitface, well that speaks for itself. Edan is a very unique individual, his production, lyrics, and attitude prove that on this record."

It's got a fun, unique beat and a deliriously catchy hook: a freaked sample of a small child singing in Japanese while Edan eggs him on with hostility, "yeah! Sing it, Shitface!" It created almosta s much of a buzz in the underground as his fellow Bostonians 7L and Esoteric did, using that Transformers sample on "Be Alert" the year before.

That's the plus side. The downside is this: I've seen a lot of Edan dretractors call him "gimmicky;" and it's clear to me, especially here, exactly what they're talking about.

...Well, actually, they could be talking about two things. They could be referring to his constant homages to the old school ("Schoolly D Knew the Time," "Ultra '88," etc) as an insincere facade to appeal to a jaded rap audience and a cheap bid for "street bid." Well, I don't know the guy personally to say just how sincere he is about all that offstage - but his efforts in that regard are good enough that I don't care. It works for me.

But there's another gimmick on display here that doesn't wash so well with me: his attempt at comic rhymes on songs like this one. Sometimes he can be pretty nice on the mic, but here (and other songs... but "Sing It Shitface" has to be the epitome) he's way too hackneyed: "I fart at family functions, landing punches in the face of life... I made 'em feel uncomfortable by talking about my hemorrhoids and how my parakeet's unemployed." That shit just sounds like a really lame attempt to make gradeschool kids snigger on the playground. I don't know if he's ever denied it or not, but it's clear to me that he was trying to immitate Eminem's "Hi, My Name Is" success. And he's actually done multiple songs with lines about farting in them - what is he five? That kinda lyric just makes me wince and hope nobody else can hear the music I'm listening to. And it's a real shame here, because like I said, the beat and hook are a blast. And he's shown on plenty of other songs that he has the skill to elevate way above this material.

His voice also sounds a bit "put on" here... like Chubb Rock on his debut album, before he relaxed into his natural cadence. While still not ideal, this is easier to ignore on some of his other early work; but coupled with his forced delivery, contrived rhymes and juvenille subject matter; it just lands square in the middle of "bad."

This song comes in three versions on this 12": Dirty, Clean and instrumental. The instrumental is a blessing (put any other acapella to this... even if it's totally off beat, it will be an improvement); but the notion of a clean "Shitface" is absurd and should never be listened to.

Now, the exclusive b-sides ("Sing It Shitface" eventually found its way onto his 2002 album, Primitive Plus, but not the other tracks on this 12"), while lacking the stand-out catchy elements of "Shitface"'s strong points, are much better. The first song is "The E's Have It," featuring Skillz Ferguson. This is the first of three collaberations Edan has done with Ferguson, and while it's not quite as impressive as "Clinical Rhymes" in '02 - neither MC's seem quite as fully developed yet - they're definitely on their way. They just flex fun, back and forth wordplay over a gruff beat with some cool piano samples, with some great scratching (cutting up vocal samples by Rakim and Erick Sermon) for the hook. Yeah, it's not his best; but this is the kind of timeless hip-hop song that holds up perfectly today as it would've in any era: hip-hop in its purest form.

The other b-side is even further in the right direction. "Migraine" features Edan back on the solo tip, just ripping it fast and furious over a quick, slick rhythm. Again, he's not really saying anything (a plus in his case, as we've seen), just freestyle rhymes for the sake of rhyming. His voice even sounds normal here. And while the scratching was nice on "The E's Have It;" the DJ (also Edan) really goes off on this one, murdering a Percee-P sample and downright stealing the show from himself. This cut would be top drawer random rap, you know, except for the fact that Edan went on to release a whole bunch more records and make an established name for himself in the indieand college circuits.

So, even though he really, frustratingly dropped the ball on his debut song (I'd really like to hear him take another stab at this cut, with the same beat and hook but all new lyrics), this is a great, must-have 12". Oh yeah, and this record also features an instrumental for "The E's Have It."

Edan hasn't done much in the last couple of years except for a couple of guest verses for Cut Chemist... hopefully that means he's cooking up his illest shit yet; and not that he's quit the rap game or been by a bus or something. :/ He has a website at: humblemagnificent.com, and of course a myspace; but there's nothing by of news at either one except for an out-of-date tour listing.

Tags: Edan