Take the Bait

Ah, "Bait." What made Kool DJ Red Alert's mixed compilation albums so desirable were the exclusive promo songs by Bizzie Boyz, Total Control, DJ Premiere, King AmperRock, etc. And at the pinnacle of that impressive pile is The Ultramagnetic MC's tribute song, "Bait."

Straight from his radio show to his Red Alert Goes Beserk album (the first in his series), Red Alert had a killer jam on his hands. In 1987, the Ultramagnetics were fresh and exciting new artists at the top of their game. Their crazy flows ("on the mix, Red Alert, controlled by gamma light") and raw-as-fuck scratching laid over Bob James' classic "Nautilus" break. Everybody wanted to know where they could get this record. But they couldn't.

Neither Ultra's label, Next Plateau Records (which also put out Red's comps) nor Red's own label Let's Go saw fit to release this gem to the masses. Rumors still float around, and if you want to make a collector hump your leg, you can tell him you've seen a dusty old test pressing someplace... but it never happened. The best heads were going to get was the mixed version on Red's compilation album.

But it's not just the fact that this wasn't released without radio blends and some chatter on it. The album version was missing a whole verse and more! If you listen closely, you can hear a bit of human beat-boxing on the track... well, if you'd heard the complete version on the radio, you knew there was more of that (provided by none other than Greg Nice himself) and a second verse from Ced Gee!

It wasn't until 1997 that we'd heads would get their chance. Rock & roll label Roadrunner Records pressed up a limited (200 copies) run of 7" singles that featured the Red Alert Goes Beserk version of "Bait" on one side, and the extended version on the B-side. It was only given away when you purchased a full set of Ultramagnetic repress 12"s. Needless to say, they're pretty sought after and hard to come by.

That same year, Next Plateau put out an Ultramagnetic MCs compilation album called The B-Sides Companion, which featured all of their rare 12" B-sides (of which their were many), a new Ultra song or two, and "Bait!" Unfortunately, all of the songs were remixed and, well, basically ruined. It's got a lot of live instrumentation by William "Spaceman" Patterson and, yeah. Not much more to be said about that. It's a collection for completists only.

Eventually, "Bait (Original 12" Version)" (I don't know what 12" they're referring to... but this is the full-length version with the fourth verse intact) was included as a bonus track on a remastered rerelease of Ultra's debut album from 1988, Critical Beatdown. Now, this album has been repressed and reissued a number of times... once in 1997, once in 2001... but the one with "Bait" is the 2004 repressing. It's CD only, I believe, but what can you expect?

Most recently, in 2009, there was the release you see pictured above (yeah, we've finally gotten to it). It's a bootleg 45. The label claims it's "Bait" on both sides, but in actually, side A is the shorter version of "Bait" from Red's album, and side B is "Funky" (an Ultramagnetic song that was released on 12" in 1987... a remix of which was included on Critical Beatdown; but this is the remix that was only on the 12" single). It's made to look like it came out on Let's Go Records, and it's dated 1987, but of course that's all phony bologna.

Still, unless you're one of the lucky 200 who scored that 1997 release, or you've stolen some kind of epically coveted acetate from Red Alert's well-guarded stash, this is probably your only opportunity to own it on vinyl (well... except for the Red Alert LP, which - sense this is the shortened version on here anyway - is just as valid). It's pretty common and inexpensive. That's why I got it. (shrug)

Master Ace Meets The Simpsons

Have you ever wanted to hear someone rap over The Simpsons' theme song? Me neither! But Masta Ace did it anyway. And he rapped over an 8-bit video game digitized version, which makes it even ... better?

Game Over was a conceptual compilation album that came out in 2000 on Landspeed and Yosumi Records (the label that put out Ace's Disposable Arts album as well). The gimmick was to have a bunch of known rappers rap over video game beats, which was probably ultra-keen neat-o for fan boys, but made the rest of the rap world squint and say, "these beats are pretty weak."

But Master Ace was a sport about it anyway and contributed two tracks, both of which are featured on this 12" single. The lead track is called "Spread It Out," and like I said, it's over The Simpsons' theme. Now if you're familiar with tune (and, really, who doesn't watch The Simpsons?), you know it's got a very quick, upbeat "bum-bum-bum-bum" rhythm. This compels Ace to do a very... almost Southern rap, broken up short syllable "rat-a-tat-tat" style of delivery, and while I guess this shows that he's got range, it's not the most appealing sound for long-term Ace fans. Lyrically, he's not saying much, and the whole thing feels like an attempt to crossover that didn't crossover. The novelty value is upped a bit towards the end when they start throwing in a mess of random Simpsons' vocal samples, "D'oh!" "Aye carumba!" etc. That comes in Clean, Dirty and Instrumental versions (in case you ever want to rap over The Simpsons' theme!).

Next up is a really randomly assorted posse cut called "Game Over" featuring J-Black (some random unknown guy who's only done Game Over appearances as far as I know), Jugga the Bully (that guy who tried to make a name for himself by dissing Clue, then disappeared when nobody cared), Steele (yeah, that Steele of Smif-N-Wessun), Godfather Don (just listed as Godfather here) and P Dap (some guy who did a lot of guest spots in the early 2000s). It's ok. I don't know what game soundtrack they're rhyming over... it doesn't sound great, but it's definitely more appropriate for a hip-hop track than The Simpsons. Unsurprisingly, Don and Steele have the best verses here, but even they aren't bringing their A game. This song only comes in a Clean version, which is distracting because they curse constantly.

Then, on the B-side, we get the highlight of this 12", "Hellbound (H&H Remix)" by Eminem, J-Black and Masta Ace. This is before Eminem turned into a grist mill of sappy pop rap, and every verse was a gem. And sure enough, Eminem is sick here, and hearing him paired with Masta Ace (who also kills it this time around) is a treat. This video game is also the most effective video game loop yet (enhanced with a clearly non-video game sourced beat and bassline - I guess that's the benefit of the Remix). J-Black contributes nothing of value, but he's at least tolerable enough not to ruin the proceedings. It comes in Clean, Dirty and Instrumental versions.

Game Over was successful enough that Game Over II came out the following year, this time on Yosumi and Interscope Records. They didn't release a single this time, but German labels ZYX and Fon-kay Records threw this little something together. The A-side is Ace's "Spread It Out" again, from the first Game Over. It only features the one (dirty) version and despite the fact that it's a 12", it plays at 45rpm. I'd really take this for a boot, but ZYX is a legit label that picks up a lot of US stuff for overseas, so I guess it's legit... maybe?

The B-side is Masta Ace's song for Game Over II, "Rap Y2K1" (as in the year, 2001, when this was made). The beat's kinda mediocre (another video game laid over drums and a bassline), and the hook is boring, but lyrically Ace has stepped his game up since "Spread It Out." He's written a fun concept song this time out. He lays out the concept simply enough, "I had a dream that I was inside of my PlayStation," but instead of just being a crazy story of hanging out with Sonic the Hedgehog or something, he twists it into a series of clever metaphors for the hip-hop music industry. Granted, metaphors for the hip-hop music industry are a dime a pound, but this one's consistently smart and amusing:

"I started off, underground, in a dark room
With a freestyle, a sawed-off pump and a harpoon
That transformed to a pen in case of a verse war.
I opened the first door that led to the first floor.
...
I got attacked right away when I walked in
By a four-foot manager with a contract and a pen.
I put up my force shield to block any attempt
At this shrimp drainin' my life 20 percent.
The floor opened up and I almost fell inside,
But I used my mic wire, and I swung to the other side.
And just when I thought I avoided the booby trap,
I got slapped by a female MC with a doobie wrap.
And this chick was tryin' to be he(a)rd like she raised cattle;
But I remembered somethin' I seen on the Blaze Battle:
'Whoever sold you them shoes, they fooled you.'
I killed her with a verse about her fucked up weave and her fake FUBU.
A record exec then appeared in a black limo
And started to attack with a bag full of wack demos.
And I will admit, it was hard as hell to kill,
'Till I stabbed him with an invoice and a studio bill."

So yeah. If you ask me, "Spread It Out" is a little puke-worthy, but labels must've thought the Simpsons beat was a golden ticket, since they included it on both 12"s. "Game Over" was also unexceptional (especially considering it was Clean only!), but the other two songs are definitely worth your time. Hell, "Hellbound" is awesome. And if you're a fan of the game they sampled, you'll probably get extra geeked out by it.

Lord Ishawn and the Bronx Outlaws, Webcammed!

(Youtube version is here.)

Lyte + Premier = Bootleg?

In 2006, MC Lyte made a lot of comeback noise with a hot Premier-produced track called "The Wonder Years." There was a fancy, CGI-heavy video for it on YouTube, and a lot of fans were suddenly interested in picking up a new MC Lyte record for probably the first time in a long time.

...But then it never came.

I guess she was hoping for a major label to pick it up, and she didn't get the kind of offer she was expecting? Or maybe the digital age's assault on music sales and the fact that this song was getting spread all over the place just made her give up and say "fuck it, everybody who's interested already has this anyway?" I don't know; but fortunately bootleg label Word of Mouth (who also did that Natural Elements EP I covered recently) were there to scoop up the dropped ball.

This is one of Premier's better recent tracks, and Lyte comes with that unique spin on braggadocios rhyming we hadn't heard much of since her early albums:

"Pull up a chair,
Let me explain how I maintain the youthful glow;
For you that don't know, it's called H2O.
So stop askin' when I walk by,
How I look so young and stay that fly?
It's elementary.
Kick the liquor when you turn dirty thirty;
The rest is a secret, so I keep it for the worthy.
Some of us need to be doin' a bid,
Spittin' lyrics that's worse than Ridlan for kids.
They say, 'Lyte, they ain't ready for nuthin' new, kid,'
So we kick the same stuff, as if they were stupid;
Take the same beat and loop it
50 times - why not? That other group did.
It's idiotic, average and robotic.
I keep it real;
My mental thick like a Harley clique.
I got 'em singing Bob Marley hits (I don't want to wait);
They don't want to wait in vain,
But I'm worth all the joy and the pain.
Come hard when I hit; you know the name."

The hook is the weakest link... It's not bad, but it's by some random guy (Premiere lip-syncs to it in the video; but discogs seems to think it's Shabeeno of the NYG'z, which seems more likely) and it just makes you think, "what's this guy doing talking on the hook?" Also, he calls her "the female G Rap;" and I guess you could say she is, sort of, in the sense that she's the most respected female MC, lyrically, who's been in the game for roughly the same amount of years; but... she doesn't flow or write anything like G Rap. You'd expect a "female G Rap" to come with 50 million quick rhyming syllables and violent mafioso tales, right? So it just stands out as a weird comparison. Still, it's a fine, passable hook, that at least manages not to ruin the greatness established by Lyte and the instrumental.

This song alone makes this a must purchase (and it comes in Clean and Dirty versions), but there's actually a whole lot Premiere-produced goodness on offer here, so let's move on.

Next up is Cormega's "Dirty Game." This isn't unreleased at all: it first appeared on a 2005 12" single, b/w "Dirty New York," and then turned up on his 2006 album with Lake (who's not featured on this particular song), My Brother's Keeper. A few years later, Cormega put it out again, this time on his 2009 album, Born and Raised. It's a dope track, but serious Premier or 'Mega fans probably didn't need it included it here.

Now, on the flip side, we've got some Teflon. First is another exclusive. Well, it's mostly an exclusive... it had turned up on a few mix-tapes back in 2005 under the title "Married 2 tha Game," but "Married To the Game" (as it's spelled here) had never received a proper, unmixed release... much less on vinyl. It's an interesting track, a little outside of Premiere's usual vein, with a dramatic classical violin loop and subtle, un-bouncy bassline. It's helped a lot by a guest verse from Styles P, and comes here in Clean and Dirty versions.

Finally the last song, "Showtime," was released as a 2006 12" on Premiere's label, Works of Mart. That 12" featured clean, dirty and instrumental versions of this song plus a B-side, "Just Rhymin' With Krumb" (featuring, clearly, Krumbsnatcha); but only the dirty version of "Showtime" is included here. It's another hot Premiere track in Teflon's usual, MOP lite style.

So, I guess the idea here is essentially a 2-song 12" with exclusive tracks (the ones in Clean and Dirty versions), and the other two songs (only in Dirty) are just sorta tagged on as bonus tracks (that's the nice thing about being a bootlegger, I suppose... you can tack on anything by anybody as a bonus track, and it doesn't cost you anything)? Well, hey, I guess that's reasonable. The Lyte track alone already made it a must-have for me, and it's good to see that Tef and Styles track get a proper - if not legit - release. And the rest is just gravy. Definitely one for the crates.

The Other Strong Island Remixes

You've probably heard of the 1988 "Blue Mix" of JVC Force's classic (in the strictest sense of the word) hit, "Strong Island." It's rare, expensive, and if you see one at a record store, grab it quick and duck, because there's probably another collector looming over your shoulder about to sucker punch you in the neck for it if you're not prepared. AJ Rok gave Unkut a bit of the back-story to that track in a dope interview (click here to read the whole thing), "we did that too. The U.K. was giving us mad love, so we did something just for the U.K. It ended up going other places, but it was just for the U.K. It ended up coming back out to the States, eventually. They were giving us love so we gave them something extra."

But here's the thing. It's not really all that great. I mean, it's not bad. I'd buy it if it were freely available at a regular price... but it's nothing to get excited about. It uses all of the same elements as the original instrumental (wise, since the original instrumental is one of the most recognizable, signature sounds in hip-hop instrumentals), and just chops them up differently. And not in a way that's less appealing than the original mix. So it's interesting... it's a great curiosity piece for collectors... but for a casual fan, really, it's not worth your time.

But holy shit - why didn't anybody tell me DJ Skribble's mix was so good?

In 1998, Sidewalk Music (a label that otherwise seemed to specialize in crap) put out a promo 12" of "Strong Island" remixes. DJ Skribble was pretty big at the time, he was a regular fixture on Hot 97 and down with The Fugees. But I (and I guess most people) never picked it up, because hip-hop was getting over-run with junky remakes of hip-hop classics ever since Jason Nevins blew up for ruining a Run DMC record in '97.

But I recently picked it up, and it's great! Like the "Blue Mix," Skribble plays it safe by retaining the original instrumental elements... that crazy industrial sound and the horns and all... but he smooths it out just a little, and chops up the horns making a whole new, def horn riff. I can't tell you how perfectly the vocals sound over this version, it's just... perfect. I can't say this replaces the original, because again, that's really at the pinnacle of hip-hop tracks; but this remix is actually a worthy companion piece, and sounds like it could've been an original, '88 JVC Force cut. ...The instrumental is included, too. 8)

Then, on the B-side, there's another remix by Trade Secrets. As good as Skribble's is, this one is bad. He follows the same, unwritten rule of keeping the signature sounds, but this time turns "Strong Island" into some kind of jungle/drum'n'bass/what-the-fuck-ever mix. I mean, it's better than most records in that "genre," simply by virtue of the fact that it features JVC rapping and samples (and, to its credit, a fair amount of quality scratching); but who would want to hear "Strong Island" bastardized into some awful euro-club mix? I suppose this is Sidewalk's more direct attempt to cash in on the dance club DJs butchering hip-hop classics craze, but uh... yeah, let's just stop talking about it so I can hurry up forgetting that it exists.

So, screw the B-side, but the A-side is a must have. Do yourself a favor and pick it up some place for cheap while the crazy elitist collectors are busy spending thousands to outbid each other on that boring-ass "Blue Mix."

The Chrono-Archeologist: BC (Red Tide) Interview

I was thinking recently about doing a blog post on Florida group Red Tide. They were a tight, I guess you'd say back-packer group that came out in the 90's and released a bunch of quality, overlooked material. So I figured I'd write about their debut EP or 12" or something... when I serendipitously got an e-mail from Lazy, Red Tide's DJ, telling me that one of their MCs - BC - was coming out with an all new solo EP, and was wondering if I'd be interested. Hell yeah, I was. So we wound up connecting and doing a full-length interview. And here it is:

To start out, how did Red Tide come together?

I met the other members of Red Tide when I was in college. I was going to school in Sarasota, Ringling School of Art. I was doing some MCing with some friends of mine… just more recreationally; and there was an open mic night at New College, where the other members of Red Tide went. It was kind of like this weird… things coming full circle. I had met Lazy before at this club. So I went to this open mic with another friend of mine, and I got on the mic with Skoolz, and we got to rhymin'. We kinda it hit off, and he was like, oh, let me introduce you to some of my friends. And so he re-introduces me to Lazy, and also 2%.

And, for a short time, we had another MC, Demo, who went off and did his own thing shortly after we all formed up. They already had Red Tide started as a concept shortly before they met me.

So, your first release was Rogue MC's…

You know, what's funny about that, I think we were, as a group, starting to get to know one another when we did Rogue MC's. It was kind of just a collage of stuff we started doing when we got together, started listening to beats and writing; and we just put out what we got. Also, too, our time was limited, because by that point, 2% had left New College and was living in Tampa. So we would drive back and forth between Sarasota and Tampa, which was an hour drive. It was a really long commute. So, really, that was just us pushing to get something out. It was very experimental, not just musically, but as far as our artistic process, to see if we could get something out.

So, how would you compare that, then, to the "Fabric Addicts" single? Do you think that was a lot stronger…?

Yeah, I definitely do. I really do feel like we were gaining our stride more. Actually, that song was not really working… and then 2per came up with the track… because we had experimented with some beats, and we left it thinking it wasn't really working. And then when we came back to the studio in Tampa, 2per had this amazing track in there. And the rest is history.

Also, when we did Rogue MC's, I didn't have as much material; I wasn't as prolific at the time. "Fabric Addicts" was something where I actually began the writing process for that song, which isn't the case with a lot of the other songs. I wrote a verse, and that was about it.

It does sound like Rogue MC's has more almost freestyle-type material.

Yeah, it's very conceptually loose. The songs weren't as pointed in their direction. We did have a couple, but… Actually, there's a couple songs that just Skoolz was on, and I feel those were conceptually more pointed; but the stuff we did together was definitely much more of a collage process, and just feeling each other out.

It's so funny, for me listening to that material. Like, every so often I'll pull out the CD. It's just a world away from what we developed into later. And obviously it's a world away from what we've gone on to do, our own separate ways. Like Skoolz has his group Grafitti Death Threat, and I've just released my solo stuff. It just feels like a really long time ago.

Well, I guess it was - like over ten years.

Yeah, it's been a minute.

But it seems like, maybe not regularly, but sometimes Red Tide still performs together?

Yeah, we performed together up until like probably a better part of a year ago. We kept performing, and we had a lot of songs we didn't get out, which I'm still interested in still mixing down and putting online or whatever. So hopefully you'll see some stuff on the website popping up.

Well, I know you had a live album that had some songs that weren't on the other releases.

Yeah, we did one EP we called the Beta EP that was a really limited run we sold on Warped Tour. We also had one called Fear and Loathing In Florida…

Those weren't live, though?

No, those weren't live, but they had new material. You know, I know we did something with some live music, and I can't even remember what happened to it. We made very small runs of everything, and I don't think I even have a copy of it, to be honest.

Well, back then, I think I was mostly following you guys through what came out on Atak. How did that hook-up come about, because I think P was mostly putting out music by California artists, because that's where he's from.

You know, I think that hook-up happened through Skoolz, because he was originally from Cali. That was really none of my doing. I'm probably the least technologically and networking savy person in the group. I'm like a caveman. I sit back and write and up until now - when I've been forced to be a little bit more up on the networking and communicating - back then, I was very kind of reclusive in that sense. So I think that connection was through Skoolz.

Would he've been the connection for DJ CheapShot[of Styles of Beyond], too? Because he seemed to be the only artist outside of your kind of clique that you seemed to collaborate with.

Yes. Actually, what happened was, Skoolz left and did the Hyphen Tirade EP before they changed their name to Grafitti Death Threat. And on the GDP stuff he got Cheapshot - and I think he might've gotten him on some of the Hyphen Tirade stuff, too - and he also got T-Rock, who's a pretty known DJ as well. But yeah, all that stuff was pretty much through Skoolz.

I did a single with Hyphen Tirade, and also the Grafitti Death Threat stuff… but that was basically me flying out, contributing my verses and being like ok, peace. It was like an experience where I was like, oh cool, so that's what that sounds like, after it got done.

So, coming out of Florida, especially in the beginning in the 90's, you were sort of a part of and apart from the 4-track tape movement that was happening on the West coast. Do you feel that it hurt you, being on the outside of it, just geographically; or did it helped because you got kind of a local scene to yourselves?

I think both. I think definitely a lot of people recognized us… we did stick out. But also, while we stuck out, I don't think everyone viewed that as positive. We played tons of shows in Florida and people looked at us like we were from Mars. 'Cause our influences were like what was coming out of The Good Life, or New York like Def Jux… This was back before even file sharing. So, I remember Lazy just giving guys money if they went to do shows, like, just give me anything Company Flow or get me whatever you find at the record stores… And we'd get the vinyl back and be listening to that stuff.

So that's who our influences were, like Freestyle Fellowship or whoever. So presenting material that was like that, especially in some of our really early shows, mostly based in Sarasota. There were a lot of people that were just like… ok. And what's funny is we found mostly just eclectic audiences who liked it, more than those who considered themselves hip-hop heads, but people who just like electronica or the whole spectrum. And they'd even roll up on us like yo, that's not even like hip-hop; it's like some crazy, intelligent music. I'd be like… hip-hop can be intelligent. (Laughs) Hip-hop can be all these things, you know. But it's just what they were exposed to.

It also seems like, had you come up someplace like in California, you'd've been doing guest appearances on everybody's tapes like Deeskee and all them, and sharing audiences. But it's like you guys were coming out of a vacuum almost.

Yeah. We definitely had our influences because we were listening to stuff, but as far as being around that, nah. I also think another reason for our being different was us being open from our backgrounds. Like, I was an art school student and they were in The New School for mostly like gifted students and stuff. So like, before Demo left… he was almost like a spoken word cat. And like I said, Skoolz had come from Cali… so he already had a bit of that flavor. Even when I first did that open mic night with him, I knew that his style was not born of anything that was happening around us. And me? I don't know. I just always kinda wanted to be different. Like, I didn't care what people thought was dope; I just wanted to do what I could come up with, throw it against the wall and see what sticks. I was just lucky enough to find like-minded people who supported that and made me feel comfortable.

Ok, so now there's a bit of a gap between the last Red Tide project and your current release… so what've you been up to in between?

Well, like I said, there is Red Tide material that hasn't yet seen the light of day. And a lot of material in Time Pieces was written in that gap. And if it wasn't written, it was conceived. And I was doing a lot of live performances, but you know… it was just life getting in the way, quite honestly. Just got out of college, jobs happen, girls happen… stuff like that. I just finally looked at myself and quite frankly, was like, well I'm not getting any younger. I need to quit bullshittin' and really do it. Especially since I'm nearing the end of the age for an MC - hip-hop is a young man's game. So I was like, I really need to get this stuff out that's been in my head for a long time. So I just took a leap; quit the day job. Plus, it was just like getting fed up. I think, if you're an artist… you can only let that pent-up frustration fester for so long until you make a move. So, a little over a year ago, I quit my job.

Also, in the interim of the last Red Tide stuff, I developed a relationship with my homeboy who's now my roommate and also works at the same club that I do. This guy Mudd, who used to be in a crew called The Void; and those cats were one of the few who really approached us and were on the same tip as we were; so we just hit it off right away. And Mudd is an excellent producer. So when it became time to get this thing out, he just really helped me out a lot. He produced the majority of the cuts on Time Pieces. Some of the tracks, like I said, I had ideas and was working on Time Pieces for years… one of the producers was an industrial musician, and I was just like, I like those sounds. So "Pop World" and Fusion?" Those were my friend Vinnie's, and I had those beats on a hard drive literally for years. And all the while, the whole narrative was developing. So it was just time.

So me and Mudd got in the studio, we resurrected the old stuff, mixed it, mastered it. I got my lyrics ready, recorded 'em. And we had his beats, too; and I wrote over that. We just went all out and got the EP done.

So, now obviously times have completely changed since the early Red Tide days as far as putting out music, with file-sharing etc. Do you think this is a really bad time, or do you think it's opening doors…?

Umm Wow. Well, I will say that I am thankful for this electronic age that we're in as far as dissemination of the music. Maybe file-sharing and all this stuff diminishes what you actually sell, but I think for an artist like myself… I want as many people to hear the music as possible. So the short answer to your question is: I think it's a good thing. I'm totally down with the internet and the way music is distributed now. I think it's great. Because a poor person like myself who's not signed wouldn't be able to disseminate his music with the ease of today.

And also, I think it just means that artists need to up their live game. They just need to go places and rip live shows - that's the way you get paid. I definitely have made more money from doing shows live than selling CDs. But yeah, I want people to hear and know the music; that's the most important thing for me. I think first and foremost like an artist. It's definitely something I want to become more financially viable as I start to move on, but at this point, my goal for this EP is really just to get my name out there as a solo artist.

Now you have a lot of remixes on your website by some notable people, like Bomarr or Thavius Beck… How did that happen? Were they Red Tide fans, or did you just reach out o them out of the blue?

We kinda just reached out to most of these cats out of the blue. We were just like hey, we got this thing that we're doing, here's some acapellas, here's the breakdown to all the tracks… It was kinda more just based on: are you feeling it? Ok, cool. We definitely broke some of 'em off some money. (Laughs) Everybody gotta get paid. But some of 'em were just like, I like it; I'ma go ahead and do this.

And I guess on a similar note, I should ask you about Saul Williams. He's a pretty major guest for an independent production. How did that come about?

Actually, that track is the oldest track on the EP. And I felt like that it just kind of, in a very serendipitous way, fit with the narrative of the EP. I met Saul at artist residency at a place called Atlantic Center for the Arts. He was one of the master artists at the residency, and it was just three weeks of intense discussion and making work. And I had this fragment of that song in my rhyme book, and I got there and it was a real interesting time. It was right after 9/11 and we were all thinking they might cancel the residency, but everyone showed up and I just got real inspirited to finish my song. And I finished my verse Then I met this guy, Levi, and he was feeling what I was doing lyrically and we made the track. And then we were just like, maybe we can get Saul on it.

And Saul being the cool, super down to Earth guy that he is was like, cool, let me listen to it; let me listen to what you got. Give me a copy of your verse, and he just kind of…

So he's doing your material on there?

No, no, no. He got a copy of my verse so he could respond to it. His verse on the song is his material.

It's interesting, because he's got a flow on there… He doesn't sound "spoken word" on there like I was expecting when I saw his name come up.

Yeah! What's funny is I felt like my flow was more like gravitating more towards his kinda flow, while he gravitated towards more of a traditional hip-hop type flow. Which was really cool. Because, you know, Saul has a background of writing raps as well. At the residency, he recited some of his old rhymes, which was a lot less mature subject matter than what he does now. But he was heavily influenced by hip-hop.

What's funny, too, is that song became like really relevant to me again, given the times, the whole recession and all that. So I was like, this has to go on there. Because I'd been threatening to release it for a long time. And I've seen him a couple times… every time he comes through here I go to the shows, we talk, he's real cool. He's like put it out, put it out. I'm always like, this isn't gonna step on any labels toes? And he's just like put it out. I was always worried about it, but I was like, this needs to go on this EP.

Well, you've mentioned it a couple times, so maybe explain the concept of Time Pieces.

It is a story told through the eyes of this guy who's a chrono-archeologist. And this chrono-archeologist comes from this world that's in our future called Pop World, but Pop World isn't a good place. You can hear in the opening track, titled "Pop World," which is a very vivid description of this world that has suffered through pollution and all of the things that we're currently doing. So the chrono-archeologist decides he's going to go back in time and figure out what got them to this point. But at this point in the story, he's stuck back in our time. So the only thing he can do is chronicle what's happening and try to warn people to avert a future crisis. So that's where we are in this one story.

I kind of started when I wrote "Future Pop," which to me was like what would cats rhyme about in the future? And then I started questioning the world, like what kind of world does this come out of? Then I wrote "Pop World." But there's always been this concept playing in my head of what's happening in the present affecting the future. And this one I titled Time Capsule because it's just that, it's all these things that actually in a way made me feel like I was traveling through time. Because there were fragments here and there, and this was like the skeleton of this world I'm gonna flesh out.

So, hopefully I'll get the second one out soon. I'm looking at probably March, April next year.

Oh, cool. So you've done a lot of it already?

Yeah, I've already got a lot done on it. It'll probably be about the same length. This was definitely designed to be a three-part concept album. Originally, I had this grandiose plan to make this really long-ass concept album. But I was like, wow, this is really daunting. So I said, let's break this thing up. And it also gives me time to explore and keep it relevant, because while it is a sci-fi album, it's really politics wrapped in a sci-fi metaphor. I like to keep current with the news and stuff, so when the next one comes out, I want to be able to discuss things that are happening in the present and what I think their consequences will be. This album will still see the character sliding, at least mentally, back into the future, into the present and back into the future.

It's interesting, because though I think you've improved or developed, and your production has - and even though now it's not all by the same guys - there's still a real feel of natural progression from the Red Tide material. Like it's not you've gone left field. Usually when somebody comes out, it sounds pretty different, and often not in a good way. But this EP still feels like more music from the Red Tide MC we knew from ten years ago.

Oh yeah. I still feel like there's a lot of fertile ground in the area that I'm in. And in some ways I feel that Red Tide never reached its full potential. Not because of the talents of the individual members, but life happens. They have girlfriends, they have jobs, they have personal agendas. Myself included. A group is tough to work with, because the more moving parts, the more than can go wrong.

Yeah, especially when you're not being subsidized by a label.

Exactly. And I feel the other members of Red Tide are very like-minded people as me. So even though this is an EP completely seen through my eyes and I had complete control, it's my world. But I don't think that the world that comes out of my head is all that much different from their world. It might be a slightly alternate universe, but it's not so far out there.

Also, too, Lazy did produce one of the tracks. He produced "Future Pop." And you'll see more Lazy production on the next one, probably two tracks of his. I still like working with those cats. Red Tide doesn't exist, but I still have relationships. Lazy not only still produces but has become in many ways like a mentor and has been real helpful in me managing my solo efforts. I owe a lot of the success this EP has had, as far as getting out there, to him and his being on the grind for me.

And let me wrap this up with an obvious question… We've already sort of touched on it, but what's up with the other Red Tide members today, and is there hope for a Red Tide reunion? I know you're still collaborating like you've said, so do you think about a new group album?

You know, I don't know. As far as what they're up to, Skoolz is out in Cali; he's married. I don't even know how active Graffiti Death Threat is. He's the one that I have the least amount of contact with anymore. Also, 2per works with us. It's funny, most of the people involved in the production of this EP, we all work in the same place. We all work in a small music venue called The Orpheum here in Tampa. And Lazy's got a wife and kids, so he's doing that. And you know, a kid is a job. His kid is gonna be 2 in January, so he's got his hands full there. And 2per manages the club, so he's got his hands full with that.

And I think he's got some side rock and roll projects going on. He's a bass guitarist. That's actually kinda been under wraps. I know some of the cats he's working with, but I haven't even gotten to hear any of their material yet.

As far as a Red Tide reunion? I don't know. I would definitely do it; I think it would be fun. But honestly, it's not something that I'm pushing for at this point. I feel like our relationships have evolved, and I'm really comfortable with where I'm at, work-wise. There's a lot more immediacy to what I do, because I'm not running everything two or three other people. This is my vision, this is what's gonna happen. So, artistically, if a record comes out, it's all on me, which I'm actually really enjoying. I love all my homies in Red Tide and I love all the people I've worked with… I don't ever work with people that I feel iffy about. But at the same time, I enjoy having this creative control and really rolling on my own time schedule. I definitely feel at this time in my life, there's a definite sense of urgency, as far as producing work.

I will say this, though: I do want to involve those guys more on the upcoming EPs as well. So hopefully you'll be seeing some more production and guest appearances from Skoolz and the other members of Red Tide.

BC(which stands for Black Child, by the way)'s EP (Time Pieces part 1, Time Capsule) is out now... you can order it digitally through itunes and the usual spots. And I'm pleased to report hard-copies are available, too. It's just $5 from his site, thepopworld.com, and the booklet folds out into a mini-poster, which is definitely cool. And he's also got a myspace here, so check it out. It's good stuff.

Update! DJ Lazy e-mailed me a few comments on this interview (which he said was ok for me to go ahead and share on here):
"you know to follow up a couple things
we actually hit deeskee up about doin a remix but he couldn't fit it in.
And the hook up to atak came about through my talking to celph titled who used to run p-minus' website for him.
Later on when skoolz went back to cali they became friends but initially it was us knowin celph and both bein from florida that caused him to get p to include us on atak.
bc was outta the loop with a lotta that stuff just based on the fact that like he says "he's a cavemen with regards to technology" hahaha
cheapshot was a younger cat that went to the same high school as skoolz back in cali who thought skoolz was fresh back in high school. he later went on to form styles of beyond and then they re-connected when cheapshot started up his short lived label."

Where'd Schoolly Get That Funk From?

"Where'd You Get That Funk From" is the lead single off of Schoolly D's 1991, How a Black Man Feels. It's possibly his most commercial single ever... which for Schoolly D, means it's really not very commercial at all (only Schoolly would throw the words "junkie," "cocaine," "crackhead" and "8-Ballin" in his bid for MTV airtime... which he got). This was during Schoolly's brief stint at Capital Records, where he also released the singles "Original Gangster" (chosen surely because it was guest produced by Krs-One) and his famous movie tie-in, "King of New York."

It's commercial in the sense that the lyrics are relatively non-confrontational, his flow isn't as free-form as it sometimes is, the scratching's kept pretty soft in the mix (though Code Money is name-checked twice) and the instrumental is entirely indebted to P-funk: a tidal wave that was rising but had yet to turn into the g-funk tsunami that nearly drowned hip-hop a few years later. This is more in the mode of the classic, harder-sounding uses of P-funk (a la X-Clan)... Y'know, the good kind. 8)

Really, the instrumental (produced by Schoolly himself) is essentially a mash-up of two classic P-Funk records, with some tweaking (including an ultra-deep, rolling thunder-style bassline). You've got your basic "Atomic Dog" percussion... a foundation which has been used a thousand times, but you've gotta admit it hits hard. Then you've got the sample that this song really owes the bulk of it's success to, "Funkentelechy." That's where the sung hook comes from, as well as all the funky horn sounds and such. Just isolating that sample and laying it on top of some hip-hop drums practically guaranteed you a fresh song no matter what else you did or didn't do.

Now, this 12" features a bunch of versions, but none of them fuck with the winning formula of "Funkentelechy" + "Atomic Dog." But there are a bunch of differences... Some versions include additional samples (for example, most of the remixes put some "Theme from SWAT" bassline behind the second verse throw and in a little guitar from "I Know You Got Soul" here and there)... Some have extra cuts (the "Funky Funky Dub Mix" adds a nice stutter scratch to the hook, "where-er'd you-g-get that f-funk fr-uh-uh-uh-uhm?")... Some start with Schoolly's opening lines being repeated instead of the traditional P-funk samples, and include extended breakdowns where the beat rides and Schoolly's lines are played back. There's definitely an overload here, hitting us with more versions with more minor distinctions than anybody could really want, but some of the changes do make the remixes worth your time and improve on the original. Spend some time with it, pick a favorite.

The last thing to note about this song is the second verse, since it's not by Schoolly but an uncredited guest MC. Neither the 12" credits or the album liner notes name him, but it's definitely not Schoolly. Lyrically, his verse isn't as compelling (basically he's just saying "this song will make you dance"), but his deeper voice is a nice counter-point to School's. He appeared in the music video, too (along with former Ruthless Records recording artist Tairrie B, vamping around a record store), but I can't call it.

Update! I got in contact with Schoolly himself, and the featured MC is Brew from Mass 187. Thanks for clearing that up - definitely a dope song!

The REAL Mista Tung Twista

Way back in the early 90's, I was rapping along to Tung Twista's debut single "Mista Tung Twista,"* following the lyrics printed in the cassette's sleeve (rap nerdistry for the win!). Well, I quickly noticed that those lyrics were wrong. And not just wrong like the occasional conjunction or syllable was off (which is interestingly the case in a lot of printed rap lyrics), but I mean... they were pretty majorly off. So... I got on my old school word processor I had back then and transcribed these, completely accurate lyrics (did I mention the phrase "rap nerd?"), using the album's transcripts to guide the formatting (some of those line breaks seem a little arbitrary) and clear up some difficult to decipher phrases like "the sucka descendant of Canaan." Remember, this was back in the days before you could just google terms like that and learn that Canaan is "an ancient term for a region encompassing modern-day Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Jordan, Syria and northeastern Egypt."

Well, today I stumbled upon that sheet of paper while going through a couple old boxes. So I decided to scan and post it so you can finally read, for the first time ever, the real "Mista Tung Twista" lyrics:
[I know the text looks a bit small, but you can click to enlarge each verse.]


*It's actually not so impossible if you've got the lyrics memorized.

The Return Of the Return of K-Solo

Over the summer, we looked at K-Solo's indie comeback record from 1998, City of Shaft. Well, in 2004, K-Solo came back to make another go of it with this 12", "Wolf Tickets." He came out on Waste Management Records, which was his own label. They had a website all the way up 'till '07-'08 and he still reps Waste Management on his myspace, but so far this has been their only release.

I held off on picking this one up at first, because I heard a couple lackluster reviews; but actually it's pretty dope. The A-side, "Wolf Tickets," definitely wins this round. The beat is subtle but strong, with a killer rolling bassline. It kinda reminds me of a slower version of "Excalibur," but the lyrics remind me more of "System." That's probably because he recycles a whole verse from that song (the first verse of "Wolf Tickets" = the last verse of "System"). Yeah, it's kinda lame; but at least he chose the best verse, and the other two verses on this track are new.

There's no production credits on here, so I can't say who did what, but somebody did good. The hook is real simple, just a K-Solo repeating a couple lines between verses. The instrumental doesn't change up either; it's just all about Solo spitting over a hard track - like it should be.

The B-side isn't quite as strong, but it's ok. It's got a solid drum track, but otherwise relies on kind of a generic "gangsta rap studio sound" looped sample, and features a chanted hook, like a throwback to the early 90's. It seems to be a posse cut, but it's hard to tell, 'cause no one says their names, and they all sorta sound like Solo. But, no... it's definitely only him on verse four, so the other tracks must be some other dudes. And he outshines 'em all. I guess they're his Waste Management weed carriers crew? So, as a whole it's a little underwhelming; but you can't really complain about a rugged posse cut where each MC is just coming as hard as they can over a simple beat. Nothing exceptional, but it gets a respectable pass.

Both tracks come in Main, Edit and Inst. versions. For years, K-Solo said in interviews that he was coming with a full-length called There'll Be Hell To Pay, but it never materialized. Of course, since he's still repping Waste Management, maybe it's still coming. He also signed a couple other artists, including Canibus (which is why Solo appears on two of Canibus's later albums), but Can kept coming out on other labels during that time. So I guess maybe Waste Management Records has been acting more as a management company since this record? Anyway, both of his indie comebacks have been hot... so here's hoping there'll be a third.

It's Naked Time!

Remember in my Sole interview when I asked him who Time was? He's like I have no idea, and I'm like, "well, your on his new album." He remembered and said, "ahhh thats my homey time. he's from denver. he's become a good friend of mine. sometimes when i think someone shows a lot of promise i do music with them." Well, Time was good enough to send me his album (plus a bio), so we can delve into the matter a bit further.

Time's a solo MC (yes, from Denver), though he's also part of a 2-man crew called Calm, with producer AwareNess, who also did more than half of his latest album (which makes the distinction between a Calm album and a Time album pretty thin). It's called Naked Dinner, and it's his third, not counting the Calm album and an EP he mentions in his bio. It's on Dirty Laboratory Records.

Now, I've never read any William Burroughs, but just seeing Cronenberg's movie was enough for me to get that this album is full of Burroughs references, and the album has more than just a punny title in common with Naked Lunch, from a hook about botching a William Tell-style shooting to the bugs and typewriter in the artwork. I'm not really sure why it's full of Burroughs, though... I guess it just serves as atmosphere?

Anyway, it's a pretty solid album. Time sounds like a cross between early Eyedea and Braille when they're in full concept song mode. Their website (I'll drop the link at the end) says AwareNess's beats sound like early RZA, Pete Rock & Large Pro, "but he manages to transcend all of them." I give him credit for having the nerve to write that and make it public, but it's not true... he doesn't sound like any of them at all. His production is good, though, don't get me wrong; but it's of the 'mood above funkiness' variety. It's like haunting synths and strained samples - not the kind of you're gonna want to bump in your jeep like those other producers' work, but fitting for songs called "Cockroach Goddess."

Content-wise, the album's actually got a lot of variety. He goes from rapper biography to a song about vampires to one about never growing up. Guests include Sole (as previously established), C-Rayz Walz, who sounds surprisingly like Bizarre on this record, and some guy named Damon JeVon who's on five or six tracks. Time breaks out the autotune on two or three tracks, which is interesting to hear on a decidedly underground-sounding album. The quality of the lyrics is as varied as the subject matter. He certainly gets points for scope and he comes up with some genuinely effective lines and moments... Other lines just come off as kinda silly and confusing, with cloying attempts to be clever like:

"Charlton Heston told me that
Soylent Green is people,
With pink stars, yellow moons,
And babies and steeples.
The clouds rain panic,
And I rain on command
With teardrops, snow flakes,
Mobs and man.
She wears a bullet-proof heart;
He wears a Dick Dastardly smile,
With carnations in his teeth
And a spastic style.
She can't believe it's love;
He can't believe it's not butter.
She shows her breasts like car wrecks
Making his privates flutter."

I mean, I think that verse is supposed to be a sillier moment on the album (I hope), so maybe it was an unfair verse to pick out of context... and his songs with a stricter focus are do tend to flow more smoothly. But you see what I mean: he sounds a bit young (I mean his writing, not his actual voice). Once he gets past that, he could really be an MC to watch out for; but even as it stands now, Naked Dinner is a decent quality album if you fall into his niche style audience. You'll know if you perked up or groaned when I mentioned "early Eyedea" and "concept song" in the same sentence.

Time has a myspace here, and also a pretty nice official site for him and his label at dirtylaboratory.com. And Naked Dinner is available at ughh, itunes, and probably where ever else you frequent online.


P.s. - I apologize for the title of this post... couldn't help myself.

T-U-R-T-L-E Secrets

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 Digitial just dropped tonight, and with it comes my latest Fear Of the Rap! column (page 9). I talked with the creators of "Turtle Power" themselves, the Partners In Kryme, to get the inside scoop on one of hip-hop's all-time biggest hits, and a damn enjoyable record still to this day. In fact, before you click over there, see if you can guess what classic cartoon show the medley to this song came from (hint: it's not the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon). ...And, no, this is not recycled content from my interviews with GV and Keymaster Snow; this is all new interview content and info. 8)

You'll also want to check the issue out for a major Rakim interview. The reviews I'm hearing for his album may be disappointing, but a lengthy talk going back to his Paid In Full days? That's a must read any day. Oh, and there's a cool little Esoteric interview, too.

Whoops! Don't let me forget to actually drop the link after all that... It's right here.