Dee and Soul

Body and Soul were a short-lived duo signed to Delicious Vinyl at the tail-end of the 80's. They only put out this one single - and appeared on the West coast anti-gang collaboration record "We're All In the Same Gang" - before folding. The dedications on the back cover claim "we'll get you on our album," but it never came; and Dee (the one on the right) went on to host Pump It Up: a cool, little hip-hop video show that aired weekends at 1am on Fox. You probably remember her best for getting assaulted by Dr. Dre in 1991... as Tim Dog immortalized it in song, "Yo Dre, beatin' on Dee from Pump It Up? Step to the Dog and get fucked up!"

And I can see why the album didn't come... they weren't exactly mind-expanding lyricists... but they did manage to put together a pretty worthwhile, underrated single. It earned a spot in a lot of our collections already for the picture cover alone, but it's actually worth taking out of that cover and spinning, too.

"Dance To the Drummer's Beat" is produced by Delicious Vinyl's regular in-house producers Matt Dike and Michael Ross. But the question of who the producers were here is kinda besides the point, because the music is all performed by Trouble Funk (who were surely a much bigger draw than the record's headliners). So, you've got a great live go-go band covering a classic disco tune, and two female MCs who come with a lot of fun interplay and energy, sounding like an early Salt-N-Pepa. If this song doesn't = good times, I don't know what does.

And after that, you'd probably assume the B-side will be a limp noodle of a disappointment, right? But actually it manages to come pretty close to the A-side. And that's even more surprising, given that it's produced by Def Jef (sorry, Jef). But he manages to include a lot of.... dare I say "def?" traditional, old school samples, high energy horns and some nice scratching. Body and Soul are as lively as ever, and it all comes together for an enjoyable, classically inspired (in terms of hip-hop, not Beethoven, etc) winner. It plays it about as safe as you possibly can, with its familiar collage of tried-and-true sounds, but hey, whatever works, right?

So, yeah. instrumentals for both songs are also included, and there's nothing remotely rare about this; so you can pick it up nice and cheap next time you're ordering anything from just about anyplace. And though their album never came out, Delicious Vinyl did include two other songs they recorded - "We Can Do This" and "Ya Gets None," both produced by Def Jef - on a couple compilations of the day. So if you're feeling really inspired, you can track those down, too. Me, I stopped at the 12" with the cute picture cover. ;)

Natural Elements "EP" - What Is It, Exactly?

The last Natural Elements release (at least as a collective unit), wasn't even a legit release. It was a 2005 EP, actually titled EP, on Word of Mouth Records, which is a pure, illegitimate bootleg label. So you could be commended for staying away from it altogether... but six previously unreleased Natural Elements cuts on vinyl? Let's face it, we're not staying away.

Now, it's commonly understood that these are 6 tracks from their unreleased Tommy Boy LP (but hopefully not unreleased for much longer, right Traffic? ::wink, wink::), but that's only... mostly true. So, as part of my continued efforts to dispel all mystery surrounding Natural Elements' material, let's compare our EP with the "never mixed down" "pre-production" "album that people have:"

We start out with the inconspicuously titled "Intro." It's essentially a fresh hook, repeated, freestyled and riffed on over and over, by the three members over a fresh beat. It sounds good, if a bit repetitious. And, yes, it's the same introductory track that's featured on the LP... except it's about thirty seconds shorter. Most of the lines are the same, and the instrumental's essentially the same, but I'd say it's been completely re-performed. Where the beat breaks down is different, some of the lines are different. Check the endings, for instance... the EP version has them saying "word up" and stuff, and you hear L and A pretty prominently. But the LP version ends with Mr. Voodoo declaring, "time's up, baby! We back, motherfuckers!" It really sounds like, though they're performing the same song, that it's an entirely different recording session on each release.

Track two is "Definitely;'" this was the last song on the LP. Then side A wraps up with "Second Hand Smoke" (track 7 on the LP). They're some smooth tracks, especially "Second Hand," but both are the same on the EP as they are on the LP.

But now here's where things really get interesting: The first song on side B, "Survival," isn't from the Tommy Boy LP at all. Remember that Natural Elements snippet tape I referenced in my last Fear Of the Rap! column for HHC? It's on there! That means this is actually some of their earliest material (though on the snippet tape, Fortress titles it "Survive").

Then we get to "Paper Chase 2005." Despite the extra five years Word of Mouth tried to bless it with in their titling, this is the same "Paper Chase" remix that was on the LP. It's pretty fuckin' slick, though.

Finally we hit the "Free Style Outro." The LP didn't have an outro... what is this? Well, this is actually "NE Angels," the last song on L-Swift's 2003 mix-CD, Cross Country; the only song that featured A and Voo. This is also the only song here that had actually seen a pretty legit release beforehand.

So, all in all, EP is an interesting, more-varied-than-you-probably-would've-guessed mix... pretty much a must-have for any NE fan who can abide a bootleg. A couple of these tracks have never been heard before or since, even within the context of the unreleased music that's been floating around amongst the fans; and the ones that have were never available on vinyl before... and sadly, I'm not too optimistic about the prospect of Traffic's upcoming release dropping on anything but CD. So this isn't an alternative to the soon-to-be-released LP so much as a companion piece.

Dionne Warwick's Apology Record To Hip-Hop

(Youtube version is here.)

I Got To Tell Ya

"You see, pimpin's big business. And it's been goin' on since the beginning of time. And it's gonna continue straight ahead, 'till somebody out there turns out the lights on this small planet."

You can't really be sure what record you're on when it opens with the frequently-sampled line from 1973's The Mack; it's been used so often. But once Big Daddy Kane's (yeah, he produced the track) unforgettable funk guitar loop kicks in on top of the funky drums, you're instantly pulled into Positive K's most beloved classic, "Night Shift." I mean, sure, "I Got a Man" was a bigger commercial hit, and "Step Up Front"'s the banger; but any head will tell you: when it comes to Pos K, it's all about the "Night Shift."

The track instantly pulls you in and won't let go. You could restart this single every time it ended 20 times in a row and not be tired of it. Jazzy Jay provides some ill scratches on the hook (the same "I Got To Tell Ya" sample younger heads will remember being cut up on Dr. Octagon). And while he never actually kicks a verse, Kane drops in before every hook to kick a little pimping advice like, "Man, you got to work your women by the scale. I mean, if she skinny, make her bring you home a good penny; and if she fat, make her pay like she weight."

Now, don't be confused by the two versions present on this 12". Neither one is the Silver D remix from the album. The Radio Version is just an edited version of the Pimp Version, which is the classic version we all know and love. But if you're looking for 12" exclusives, look no further than the B-side.

Yeah, "One 2 the Head" was on the album. But the version on the O.G. 12" (the one on +K Records, as opposed to the later Island/ 4th & Broadway releases) is completely different. The instrumental is 100% different, and so are the rhymes. The only thing they have in common is the title... and even that's slightly different, since they spell it "To the Head" on the 12".

Now, the album version wasn't bad... It's produced by Jazzy Jay and sounds very dated (which might be a plus or minus for you, depending how nostalgic you are), and Pos's rhymes are fun as always. But trust me, you haven't heard shit 'till you've heard the 12" version (also produced by Jay). It's got a crazy ill harmonica loop and a super funky bassline, and the way Pos rides the rhythm sounds super slick. There's also a hot beat change-up during the third verse, with some old mack flick sounds. And Jazzy Jay again gets busy on the hook, doing some quick rhythm rubs over the "Got To Be Real" break. Again, the album version was a cool tune, but the 12" version is definitely one for the greatest hits packages.

Now, this 12" was never particularly hard to find, but it's been made a lot easier with a semi-recent repress. You can get a copy still shrink-wrapped at a regular 12" price from places like ughh.com.

The Megadope Jazzy Jeff

"The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff" is one of those cuts that's dope now, but you had to've been around in 1987 to really appreciate how impressive it was when DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince first dropped it. Actually, the rhymes are pretty simple... Smith is of course praising the DJ, but in a less playful, clever way than he we've come to expect from him, instead just providing a basic platform for Jeff to showcase his skills. The instrumental features unapologetically crashing drums, bashed cymbals, and the occasional classic old school sample as Jeff flexes. Sometimes he just gets nice on the hook, other times he cuts in samples to finish his partner's sentences (The Prince starts, "in a battle you cannot win, because my DJ will" and Jazzy Jeff rolls in a vocal sample from "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" to finish the sentence: "tear your butt limb from limb!") or does tricks ("make it sound like a bird... now make it chirp." And of course there's the unforgettable moment where "my DJ transformed into an Autobot" and he showcases the transformer scratch.

So this 12" doesn't offer much by way of non-album versions of "The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff"... there's just the regular and Instrumental versions. But there is a dope exclusive B-side.

A megadope exclusive B-side, to be exact. "The Megadope Mix" is a 10 minute mix of songs from their then forthcoming album, Rock the House. And this is really a pre-commercial Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Any keyboards or samples and such that may've been featured in the original songs are cut out or at least mixed down in favor of playing up the thumping drums, handclaps and constant rhythm cuts. They even use the original, rawer version of "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble," as opposed to the 1988 Extended Mix that most audiences are familiar with today. You really get the sense that young Will Smith is just freestyling these raps to you, rather than it being a series of major label records being spun in a mix. Jeff even finishes with the least melodic moments from "A Touch of Jazz," but don't mistake that for a criticism. This mix is banging and even makes the cheesiest and most kid-friendly moments of their early catalog (I'm looking at you, "Just One of Those Days") palatable to a hardcore purist.

This is one record that's truly earned its place among as a classic crate staples. And because it was backed by a major label, it's in cheap, plentiful supply. It may not be as mind-blowing as it was in '87, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a head who won't still enjoy giving this a listen.

Learn Along With Werner, part 3

It's not about Father MC this time!

...Sorry; I Just wanted to get that out of the way so nobody bounces out before we get started. haha

Here's what this is about. I've decided it's finally time to settle down on exact, 100% correct track-listings for P.E.A.C.E.'s debut album(s), A Wing Dinner: The EP (1999) and Southern Fry'd Chicken (2000). Now you might say, dude, you been had the track-listings on your Freestyle Fellowship page already! And the track-listings are right on the album covers.

Yeah, "dude," but it's not that simple. See, the first EP clearly has more tracks than are listed, and the second actually has one less. Further more, a quick, needle-dropping session of Southern Fry'd will tell you something further is wrong with the track-listing. So, I'm taking them both out, side-by-side, and we're gonna work this out together, once and for all. It's just a little thing; but it's constructive. So let's get to it.

So, let's start with Wing Dinner. It's pretty accurate for the most part. By the way, "Way Cool Inst." is actually just a short clip of the instrumental to the old Freestyle Fellowship record from '93, and the next track, "Harder and Harder" is just a thirty-second acapella freestyle. Just FYI. Anyway, the track-listing for the EP is essentially correct, all six songs are as they're listed on the cover.

But that still leaves two more tracks on the CD that aren't mentioned in the listing. The first one's a bugged out 3-minute freestyle that starts out over a smooth beat, but winds up being acapella as P.E.A.C.E. keeps going when the beats run out. Then the last track, curiously, is an instrumental from the excellent Beneath the Surface compilation album ...that P.E.A.C.E. was never even on! It's from "Line Postin' In Pedro," by Brothers Manifesto (St Mark 9:23 & J-Smoov). So yeah, dunno what that's doing here. But this EP is the first and only place the instrumental was released, so it's a kinda cool bonus.

Ok, so now let's jump over to Southern Fry'd. The first two tracks are correct again and the same as the EP. But after that is where the first glitch comes in. Track 3 on Southern Fry'd is actually "Souf' West Rida" from Wing Dinner, which isn't even supposedly on this LP... which means now there's two too many songs on the LP's credits.

Well, when you take "Souf' West Rida"'s insertion into account, this line's up the track-listing for the album. Basically, every song on the track-listing is one ahead of the actual album. In other words track 4 is supposed to be "Already Gone," but it's actually "Southernwit," track 5 is supposed to be "Packedhouse" but it's actually "Already Gone," and so on right up to the end of the album. ...Which means that the last two songs listed, "Hell Yeah" and "Man Slaughter," aren't actually anywhere on this album (boo!).

Ok, that might be a little confusing to read out in paragraph form like that, so let's list it out properly... these are the new, accurate track-listings for both albums (you'll notice some titles are also spelled slightly different between projects), done in my unique discography-style. Again, this is what's really on them, not what they've written on the covers:

A Wing Dinner:
1. Way Cool Inst.
2. Harder & Harder
3. Souf' West Rida
4. Southern Wit
5. I'm Already Gone
6. Packed House
7. unknown freestyle
8. Line Postin' In Pedro Inst.
(B-Boy Kingdom - 1999)

Southern Fry'd Chicken:
1. Way Cool Inst.
2. Harder & Harder
3. Souf' West Rida
4. Southernwit
5. Already Gone
6. Packedhouse
7. Southern Fried
8. Good 4 Nothin (freestyle)
9. R.T.A.
10. Physical Form
11. Six-Tray
(B-Boy Kingdom/ Meanstreet - 2000)

So it's a little disappointing for Southern Fry'd Chicken... we lose two songs (which now I'm pretty darn curious about!), and just gain 1 that we already had on the EP. But it turns out Wing Dinner was a bit fuller than it took credit for, so I guess it almost balances out. Anyway, at least now we P.E.A.C.E. fans can sleep a little less confused at night.

(MC) Ted Nugent and The Don in '91

"Big 12 Inch" is The Don's second single. Remember The Don? He's essentially a Young MC clone (his flow, his content, his voice... really, if you weren't familiar with him you'd assume you were listening to Young) who came out on RUSH/Columbia, and his first single, "In There" got a lot of MTV rotation in '91. His most notable accomplishment, though, is doing the Livin' Large theme song with Herbie Hancock. He did that, his album (Wake Up the Party) and the two singles all in the same year, and then disappeared. His album was kinda interesting, because though the opening song and singles were produced by studio man Daniel Shulman, giving him some 80's guitar and a lot of slick, pop music sound, the bulk of the album was actually produced by old school DJ Vandy C. You know, the Viper, "Let's Whop?" And he even had two Large Professor beats, so it winds up in completists' crates.

But, anyway, this is that other single that came and went with basically no fanfare. You could tell the studio was no longer behind The Don at this point, but they were still willing to press up one more single... why? Because it features 70's hard rock legend Ted Nugent, that's why!

Huh? God knows what the thinking was here. If Ted Nugent was gonna do his big, "Bring the Noise" style rap/rock collabo, you wouldn't think he'd do it with a virtual unknown act like The Don? Somebody must've owed somebody some favors. And it certainly was a big non-draw fan-wise. Fans of The Nuge didn't want to see him prance around in some ultra-corny pop rap video, and us hip-hop heads were certainly nonplussed by some big-shot 70's rock star slumming around with our worst musical emissaries.

Even the basic concept seems designed to widely miss the mark of any kind of 1991 target audience. The whole song's a pretty basic pun where The Don laments about how the ladies show no interest in him... until he finally whips out his big 12 inch. Oh gosh, The Don has a foot-long porno dick? Maybe he's just in the wrong career! No... he means his 12" vinyl single. Nyuk, nyuk.

But how many middle-class non-urban kids across the nation knew what the Hell a 12" record was in 1991? Maybe, generously, 5%? So, now the two biggest selling points of this song are lost on the people they're trying to sell. Brilliant. But it's not the first big mistake of The Don's very short career... check out the twelve minute long "Super Club Mix" on the B-side of his first single!

So, yeah. That's the song idea. Daniel Shulman lays down a pop track with a nice little bassline and some grinding guitar loops courtesy of Ted Nugent. The Don tells some predictable tales about hot girls ("she had sandy brown hair, and her eyes were green; every ounce was lean and mean with nice amounts to be seen") who won't give him any play (yes, he uses that expression - it was 1991 after all!) until he gives them his record. Susan Campbell provides "sexy female vocals," during the hook, saying things like "oh, it's so big!" like a cheesy phone sex operator. And finally Ted Nugent RAPS! Yes, he's not just here to lay down the guitars but to kick a verse. Not even a quick couple of bars, but a whole damn verse you keep expecting to end, but it doesn't:

"Yo, Don... Hey. It's the Nuge, man.
When in doubt,
You got ta whip it out.
If you're in a pinch,
I've got an extra 12".
And it's a cinch.
When you were still in diapers,
I was training the 12" pipers.
You gotta go with the flow
Of the almighty Gonzo.
You looking for wang-dang, sweet poontang?
Well, what I got right here's the real thang!
The cats were scratchin' for the weekend warrior;
Rock & roll was getting gorier and gorier,
And I romanced the ladies
In the 70's and 80's;
And like a hot Damn Yankee,
The 90's get cranky!
So go ahead and run, son,
'Cause the fun is gettin' done.
Like a cocky little gun
I ain't even begun;
And I'm second to none!
And in case you didn't know,
We've already won!
Ted Nugent and The Don in '91."

And if you've got the titular 12" (or, like me, the maxi-single cassette), you get even more. First of all there's the Instrumental. Ok. But then there's Extended Mix. For the most part it's the same, but it's got a new breakdown, where they repeat some of Susan's lines, as well as some new guitar soloing. But, interestingly, this new stuff isn't by Nugent but by one Andrea Straub. She does a good job matching with Ted's stuff, though. She manages to both make it sound like it's all by Ted, but still really goes for her spotlight... as opposed to Ted's playing, which pretty much just sticks to the basic rhythm and groove. So, it's already the definitive, superior version (for what that's worth)... but at the end of the song, we realize we're in for a special treat: Ted Nugent's verse is even longer! "Like the past, I last and last. Just try to get rid of my rockin' white ass! Yeah..."

Wow... This is the kind of stuff the internet lives to dig up and make fun of, but surprisingly there's not much out there on this one. But this single DID make Ego Trip's second book (not Rap Lists, the Racism one), because apparently there were rumors that Nugent told Russell Simmons during the video shoot, "I'm a bigger nigger then you'll ever be." He admits, "THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID ... I meant that I've got soul, that I don't resort to fuckin' electronic drumbeats and I listen to James Brown and Wilson Pickett and Sam and Dave - THOSE ARE NIGGERS! THOSE ARE FUCKIN' SPIRITED, GENUINE AFRO-AMERICANS ... BECAUSE THE BLACK GUYS WITH THIS RAP, ELECTRONIC MAKE BELIEVE TALENTLESS MUSIC MAKE ME WANT TO THROW UP! WHERE'S THE SOUL?" Unfortunately that's all the book devotes to the incident/record, but I guess it let's us know pretty definitively that The Nuge doesn't exactly endorse this tune... lol

It's a Wonderful Life

This Is the Life: How the West Was One (I think they over-reached for puns by one there) is the new documentary on The Good Life, the LA hip-hop venue and the movement it spawned. And I'm happy to say it's definitely worth checking out.

A whole heap of Good Lifers are interviewed, and there's a lot of vintage footage on hand. They interview the owners, some regulars, and a ton of artists like PEACE, 2Mex, BusDriver, Medusa, Cut Chemist and a whole ton more. For someone like me, who's familiar with The Good Life artists and music but was never actually there, it's a bit of a revelation to finally see what it was like inside what was essentially a health food store with a stage.

Everyone interviewed is happy to share and seem to have a lot to say. They talk about how it got started, different artists who came up, the origins of Ganjah K's super0huge bong, the time Fat Joe got booed off-stage, when Freestyle Fellowship first got a major label deal, etc etc. And they constantly strike just the right balance between interview and performance footage. There's no fancy CGI effects bullshit or pointless shout-outs clips like most of the junky docs I cover in my InstaRapFlix series (heh). Just simple, quality content.

But it's not flawless. After you've passed the halfway mark, the film starts to get a bit redundantly formulaic. Pick an artist and everybody talks about how brilliant he is for five minutes, then move on to another one. No one has anything to say about anyone else besides "brilliant," "genius," "wonderful," etc. It basically turns into one big, shameless stroke session. And topics like why many of these artists weren't able to transition their freestyle skills to making quality records - or basically anything that isn't 100% ego-inflating - are artfully dodged. And this would've been easier to excuse if they were being comprehensive and managed to document everybody, but there's still plenty of great artists who were left out.

But stick around for the DVD extras, because a lot of what goes South in the film is right here!

There are several full sequences in the deleted scenes that are much meatier and more important than a lot of what's actually dragging the film down. There's a great segment on The Nonce, covering the time their record "Mix Tapes" became a hit to the moment they found Yusef's body mysteriously left on the side of the freeway. It's by far the most emotional moment of the film... I can see why they cut that out! Wait, what?

Other important topics they cover in the deleted scenes but leave out of the film are the spreading of Good Lifers' music through tape-trading across the world and how everybody came together for the classic Project Blowed album. Seriously, I'm a fan of Medusa and Figures of Speech, and was glad to see them in the film; but I would've been happy to see 20 redundant shots of guys all marvelling at how the ladies are both attractive and talented disappear, in order to fit these much more historically relevant and compelling topics in. It's a little frustrating to think that with a decent re-edit, a good film could've been a great film. But at least it's all there for anyone who's got the DVD.

Then there's the the bonus footage which wouldn't have fit in the film, but is still great to have as DVD extras. There's a segment called More Mikah, which is just that: more interview time with him, more performance footage, etc. And then there's a 50-minute long collection of performances shot at The Good Life. It's all shaky VHS camera stuff shot from somewhere in the audience, so the quality isn't amazing (sound or picture), but there's some great material, including performances by a lot of artists not featured anywhere else on the disc (like Ahmad springs to mind).

It's a nice package for a good movie... definitely worth your time.

Outsidaz, Come Rain Or Shine

This is the debut of the Outsidaz right here. I mean, granted, Young Zee had come out a few years earlier, and through his singles and (unreleased but leaked) album, we'd been introduced to his Ouz crew already. And they cameo'd on The Fugees' second album... But this is their first collective single as The Outsidaz, the penultimate in New Jersey hip-hop. "Rain Or Shine" on Proceed Entertainment/ Out House Productions, 1998.

The track is simple, but a killer, produced by Kobie Brown. Proceed Entertainment was his label, and I think he was also acting as a sort of co-manager for The Outz at that time. He's the same Kobie who speaks up once or twice in my 1998 Outsidaz interview. and had been down with the Outz at least since Young Zee's earliest Perspective singles, which he also worked produced and collaborated on. He seemed to drift more towards the R&B side of the industry after this, but "Rain Or Shine" shows he was certainly adept at producing hip-hop. It's basically all about one ill, pounding piano loop and a crisp, slow and hard drum track. It's immediately compelling, you could just listen and focus on that loop the whole five minutes. But it's also simple enough to play the background for the Outsidaz sick and varied flows.

The line-up for this record is spelled out on the label, albeit in the wrong order. In order of appearance, it goes: Pace Won, Axe, Yah Yah and Young Zee. There's also a short, fifth verse which is uncredited... I think that's Azizz, but I'm not certain. The hook is a catchy example of The Outz' interplay, with each MC taking turns saying different lines each time, sometimes in unison. Each MC really gets a chance to play to their strengths, with Pace Won dropping some playfully slick wordplay, "The lethalest, I'm evil as Kneival is; I drop the bomb and leave your city people-less." Axe kicks a lot of quick, short syllable rhymes, "Swift to smack a lady actin' shady, that's the way the Axe amaze thee. Blastin' crazy, get the cash, then Axe be Swayze." Zee kicks his entirely unique brand of drug slanging raps, "I used to make a grand a day out in Santa Fe. Cops came, I ran away; moved to Tampa Bay. Now they say my tape promotes drugs when I bust, like I be out sellin' dust in front of Kids 'R Us." But it's Yah Lover, Zee's younger brother who sometimes manages to be more Zee than Zee, who possibly manages to steal the show with some of the sickest, craziest rhymes:

"We sever the ligaments of army confederates
For leverage. I smoke a blunt and dump two sedatives.
Still flowin' looser than the bitches I seduce;
After a noose, crews get disposed like a douche
From the grittiest, shittiest, climax climidiest[?],
Whose affiliates be on some old Willy shit!
Keep an open eye, you think of scopin' Yah?
Ya better apply for life with Mutual of Omaha.
All you biters'll die from malnutrition,
Or Yah Yah'll stomp out your endocrine system!"

The b-side isn't by The Outz at all, but by R&B singer Tonya Von featuring A.L. (short for All Lyrics). I don't think being paired up with the Outsidaz wound up doing her any favors, because the song got completely overshadowed by all the buzz "Rain Or Shine" was getting. And the Proceed family must've felt the same way, because they later re-released "Tonite" as its own single, but it still didn't catch on. Tonya Von, though, was also an artist who Kobie was working with back in mid 90's, who was also signed to Perspective Records, and who also got dropped before dropping her album (she had a single called "Bounce"). Anyway, it's not a bad track... the beat (co-produced by Kobie and somebody named Ibo) is a smooth head-nodder, Tonya's a talented vocalist, and A.L.'s guest raps are decent, if unexceptional... he was one of those Lyricist Lounge-type 90's MCs who was heavy on the punchlines ("lyrics so deep I wrote 'em in submarines"). But he's got a nice, swift flow and multi-syllable that definitely keep things interesting.

"Tonite" comes in two versions (not counting the Instrumental), the Main Mix and the Queens Mix. The instrumental and everything is exactly the same in both cases, but the difference is that the Queens Mix has an extra verse from A.L. right at the beginning. So for hip-hop heads like us, the preferred version is obvious.

So, pictured above is the classic vinyl, but I have something else I think you'll enjoy for today's show and tell: pictured right is the promo-only cassette singles Proceed was giving out to labels and rap journalists like myself. It does away with the instrumentals, clean edits and stuff from the vinyl, and just features the main, vocal mix of each song. They've got some slightly different credits (and different spellings: "Pacewon appears courtesy of Roka Block"), and they've also got stickers on the back covering up a 212 number with a 973 phone number.

Unfortunately, Proceed closed its doors after this (and the other 12" pressing of "Tonite"). Kobie and The Outsidaz were a good pairing, and I would've liked to see them continue to do more work together. But, hey. Maybe it's not too late. The Outsidaz have been doing more and more collaberations lately, and Kobie doesn't seem to have been doing much in the public eye, lately. Surely he has the time to link up and provide those guys with some beats again. Everybody would win.

Bronx Promo

(Youtube version is here.)

You Should Pay Close Attention When We Drop It

Update 9/27/11: The HHC site seems to be down, so I've posted the article below... Click 'em to enlarge 'em to a readable size.

The new issue of HHC Digital drops today, with a special double-length column (Fear Of the Rap! pages 18 & 19) by yours truly. Why is it double-length? 'Cause I needed the space to make a definitive, set-the-record-straight guide to the Natural Elements' unreleased tracks. There is possibly more misinformation online about them than any other hip-hop group ever... And I also had access to some pretty exclusive details, so even the really knowledgeable heads should learn something by clicking here. 8)

The rest of the issue's dope, too. There's a big look back on the DMC tournies throughout the years. I'm still reading most of it myself.

Oh, and by the way. You know their unreleased Tommy Boy LP (which I touch on briefly in the column)? Well, it's not gonna be unreleased much longer. We've got it from Traffic themselves that they've rescued it and are putting it out this year. Quote: "Yes, 12"s were released back in 90-whatever to promote the shelved album, this is that album. not a recent effort by some old, fat rappers trying to sound jiggy." ...That's a bit harsh; the new 2Face stuff sounds dope; not pseudo-jiggy. lol But, hey, it's all good news.

Hopefully, this will be different than the bootleg people have heard, too. In an interview for Unkut, L-Swift has said, "The album people have, it was never mixed down. Nothing was mixed down. The song 'I'm Not Sure Anymore' (Track 3 of the Natural Elements Unreleased Tommy Boy Album), we were going to have Super Cat on that one. Those are skeletons of songs. They were in pre-production period." So, hopefully the Traffic album will have all the meat on it.