When Kurious Was All Great

Kurious released just one record since his last single on Columbia in 1994 until his return in 2008 with his awesome demo EP and lackluster comeback CD, II. And that record is the single "All Great" on Stonegroove Recordings, which dropped in 2001.

Predictably, this is middle-of-the-road Kurious material... not as funky as A Constipated Monkey, but better than most of the material on II. It's a single song 12" with two mixes of the one song "All Good," both coming in Clean, Dirty and Inst. versions. The A-side is produced by Celph Titled; and while it lacks the rich, soulful samples of his early work, instead sounding like it was made out of studio-created sounds. But despite that, it's catchy. It's got some very upbeat percussion, a head-nodding bassline and some fresh horn stabs. The hook features some very Premiere-like scratching by DJ Cheapshot (of Styles of Beyond). Lyrically, it's pretty solid, with Kurious doing his usual style of thoughtful freestyles:

"On a lifelong search for what's divine;
It's gettin' kinda hard to find an openin' line.
I met a wise man who said it's all in the mind.
I'm feelin' like I'm God and the devil at the same time."

Solomon comes on at the end to kick a short sing-songy verse:

"Players get played on;
We're gettin' sick and tired of the same song.
You're talkin' all this and that - whatcha sayin', dog?
Look at all them cats that ya paid off.
You niggas ain't sellin' dimes and ya ain't raw,
You don't do crimes and you afraid of law.
Now people tell me what y'all came for?
You want more, you only get what you paid for."

Then the B-side is remixed by Cheapshot. Conceptually, the instrumental is pretty much the same... catchy studio sounds. It's a little harder, but still bouncy. I think, personally, I marginally prefer the A-side, but it's a narrow distinction. Which isn't to say that they sound too similar, though. They sound different enough that it's worth having both mixes. It's just that they come in at a photo finish.

So yeah... this single lacks the deep production sound of his early work, but if you like Kurious, you'll like this. It's not must-have status like his debut or his demo, but it's not like we've got hundreds of Kurious records to choose from either.

Still Another 1-4-U-2-N-V

(Youtube version is here.)

The link I mentioned in the video is: http://www.another14u2nv.ning.com and their e-mail is another14u2nv@gmail.com.

OB4CL2 - FINALLY!!

(Youtube version is here.)

3rd Bass 2000

3rd Bass has to be one of the most request - and promised - reunions in hip-hop history. Fans beg, the artists say they'll do it... but then nothing happens. I remember reading an interview in The Source where Serch was saying that they were finally reunited and that their long-awaited and unfortunately titled third album, Icabod's Cranium, was in the works. He asked us to be patient, however, because they were taking their time, indulging in the fact that a label wasn't pressuring them with deadlines, so they could take their time and do it right. I think now, in 2010, I can finally say that my cynicism was justified - it ain't coming.

A small run of one promo single did sneak out, though, in 2000, on Serch's own label, Serchlite Music. It was called "Hail To the Chief."

"Hail To the Chief" is not the incredible comeback song you might be hoping for. It's not up to par with the material on their previous albums. But it sorta wasn't meant to be - this is more of a mixtape teaser. It's a simple, concept-less track (except loosely that they're running for best the position of "street chiefs") with 3rd Bass kicking freestyle rhymes over a simple track. It's further tarnished with appearances by Stone Rivers (a mediocre MC Serch was managing at the time) and DJ Corey Hill. But fortunately, they're both relegated to just the hook and intro/outro.

So that's the downside.

But the upside is that it was a new 3rd Bass in a world where it seemed certain there would be no new 3rd Bass songs, the track isn't bad or anything, and the rhymes are solid. Damn it's good to hear new material from Pete Nice, and Serch is always nice with his. Daddy Rich doesn't seem to've been involved, though in interviews, they always said he'd be a part of Icabod's. Certainly his involvement could've helped this song enormously, but like I said... it's still good.

Serch comes with some humor: "yes, I inhaled and real deep. yes naked when I sleep - trust me, you don't wanna peep;" and manages once again to say something uncomfortably racist, "all my life, only rode between a pair of black thighs. Word to my sister and my mother, the only white lips I kissed. You should know before you vote I fuckin' hate white chicks. Not racist I just say this so your vote is not jaded." Well, gee, I guess if you say "not racist" afterward, nothing you say is racist? lol Meanwhile, as ever, Nice comes with the stylish, more abstract wordplay, "'ey yo, illuminatin' on your frequency: the high level and degree of the epitome. Master of the subterranean in your cranium; auditory outlets feelin' like a stadium. If ya got the fluid on the brain, I got a method to relieve it; unscrupulous minds aiming to deceive it. I’m mischievous, devious, hittin' never missin'; got a pocket full of nitroglycerin."

It comes in a sticker cover (above), and features five mixes: Album Version (what album? sigh...), Radio (which is about a full minute shorter), Instrumental, TV Track and Acapella. So it's just that one mix of that one song, but at least it comes fully loaded.

So that's about it. Eventually, in 2008 or so, MC Serch released an mp3 only album (he promised vinyl, but it never happened) of tracks he recorded for a second solo album that never got finished. As two bonus tracks, he included the only three songs (besides "Hail To the Chief") 3rd Bass got recorded for Icabod's Cranium, "Cats In the Cradle," "Commute" (a Serch solo track) and "Out the Back," two of which (the latter two) were released in part back in 2000 on a Serchlite snippet tape[pictured right]. Again, "Hail To the Chief"'s not the best, but it's respectable; and there's no use in holding out for anything more from them.

Remixes Against Phony Entertainers

This is an interesting, alternative UK version of a common US 12" with an extra remix. Now, UK versions of 12"s with extra remixes aren't all that uncommon in hip-hop... but usually they're dreadful CJ Mackintosh or Norman Cook things that are best ostracized. But how about an extra SD50s' remix on a 3rd Bass 12"? Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised, too.

The 12" in question is 1991's "Pop Goes the Weasel," the debut single of 3rd Bass's second (and sadly final) album, Derelicts of Dialect. It's their anti-old to pop music... you surely remember the music video where they beat down a Vanilla Ice look-a-like and giant weasels terrorize the city? "Hip-hop got turned into hit pop the second a record was number one on the pop charts."

Now the US version came in a cheerfully colorful picture cover and featured Radio, LP and Instrumental versions of "Pop" plus four versions, including an SD50 Remix, of "Derelicts of Dialect." Well, this version comes in a sticker cover and features just two versions of each song: LP and SD50 Remix versions - which means an all new SD50 Remix of "Pop Goes the Weasel." Oh, and just to keep you on your toes, this 12" plays at 45 rpm and is mislabeled, listing the songs in the wrong order.

So yeah, the "Derelicts" remix isn't exclusive here, but if you haven't heard it, it's dope. It's smoother and mellower than Prince Paul's original, but features a bunch of extra samples and different instruments - organs, piano, flutes, scratches of crazy vocal samples... all drift in and out over a similar, but much more low-key, softer drummed track. It's more Midnight Marauders.

Well, so like how the "Derelict" remix keeps a lot of elements of the original, the "Pop" remix (called the "Weasel Remix," but the label credits tell us it's by the Stimulated Dummies, who also produced the original) keeps even more. It starts out with an old storybook vocal sample saying, "let's sing 'Pop Goes the Weasel'," and then it sounds kinda like the LP version at first - it's the same drum and bass lines, even the same sleigh bells. But the key distinction is that the signature Peter Gabriel sample is removed. You might say, "but that sample was hot!" Yeah, but it's been replaced with a new, tight horn sample. There's a few other little bits, like a little funk guitar, sprinkled into the mix sporadically to spice things up, too. But the main difference is the replacement of the signature horn sound with another.

I wonder if this is maybe an alternate version they created just in case they couldn't clear the Gabriel sample, and that's why they just threw it away on this little 12"? At any rate, I'm not sure which one is better... they're both worthwhile, and the remix has the added benefit (or weakness, depending on your PoV) of losing that instant pop tune recognizability. So I'll leave you to make your own judgments, but whichever version you consider to be definitive, it's worth picking this up to have both on call.

Missy Elliot's Non-Demo

(Youtube version is here.)

A Missing Piece from Several Puzzles

The internet is awesome for finding things. Things like great music that's been lost for a decade and a half. And that's what I've just found on the internet. Five pieces (plus five more snippets) of great, unreleased music that tragically sank on the same ship: Perspective Records.

Janet Jackson left Perspective Records, and the label was done. Despite having signed a killer line-up of hip-hop acts who all recorded complete, excellent albums, which to this day remain unreleased. And this promo tape, the '96 College Rap Sampler, features nothing but unreleased gems from that line-up, one complete song and one snippet per artist.

The first artist is probably the least interesting, only because his shelved album was at least released in a mediocre-quality dub that's spread well through the tape-trading and internet circles over the years. So let's start there. Young Zee. Most of you have heard it already, so I'll just briefly state that the full unreleased song on here is "Tonsil Check," featuring Yah Lovah... and I have to say, hearing it in proper quality has increased my appreciation of this slick sex rap. The snippet is one of my favorites from the album, "Electric Chair."

Next up are The Black Spooks. These guys made a name for themselves as Digital Underground affiliates (a good legacy there!), and a couple of them went solo after their album was swallowed up by Perspective. I have an underground 12" or two by these guys, but I have to say, the tracks here feature some solid production but also really display some ill lyricism I hadn't properly credited these guys for in the past. The song is "Mad Black Spooks" and the snippet is "Make Up Your Mind," neither of which seem to've been included on any of their subsequent post-Perspective releases. Until I heard these, I can't say I was too disappointed their album never dropped, but now I am.

Now we get to the really exciting stuff. How about some lost material from Pudgee's King of New York album? If you read my 'The Lost King of New York' post on the subject, you know I had found an old catalog title of a song called "Say Goodbye." When I asked Pudgee about it, he said he never released it. Well, I just found out it was a song intended for the Perspective album, 'cause here's a snippet of it on the sampler. The full length song is also mentioned briefly in that past blog entry, where I list some song titles mentioned in a King Of New York album review in The Source. The tape has no production credits unfortunately, but from a line in the intro, I gather this one was produced by The Beatminerz. It has a very similar feel to his single, "On the Regular."

Next is the highly under-rated artist The Almighty Arrogant. It doesn't help that his absolute weakest joint, "Lay Tight," was the only song Perspective ever put out by him. The tracks here are much better... he's like a west coast Young Zee, with a bugged out song called "Toxic Urb," which is about just that. The snippet is called "Arrogant Wayz (Remix)" and is pretty hot, too. Man, I just want to shake the Perspective tree and have all his material fall out already!

Finally comes Rufus Blaq. Now, if you're clever, you might point out that unlike the other four artists you've covered, Perspective did put Blaq's album out. And that's true, but for whatever reason, these two songs aren't on it. The full song is called "NRG" and the snippet is "Make It Last," and both show Blaq as a more rugged yet punch-liney MC than I remember him being. I like these tracks... I may have to go pick up his album which I never copped. If it's as good as these songs, I'll be happy.

It's great to have these songs, but it just makes me wish even harder that someone would give these albums their proper releases already. That way everybody can hear these tracks, and all the other ones still unheard; and the artists can finally get their due. So, I gotta thank the internet for a nice treat, but that's what really needs to happen. Sigh. ...If only hip-hop fans still bought music.

Missin JMJ

Everyone knows that Rev Run kept up a healthy solo output post-Run DMC, but DMC's 2006 solo CD, Checks, Thugs and Rock N Roll, seems to've rolled in well below most fans' radar. And that's just as well, considering what a mess of generic rock, country and R&Bish production mish-mosh this is. Lots of boring studio instrumentation and ill-advised guest spots by artists like Kid Rock, Sarah Mclachlan, Aerosmith (but not the lead singer), The Cars, Buck Cherry and other pop and rock bands I know nothing about. There was a single ("Freaky Chick") and everything, all of which can be yours for the price of a penny on Amazon.

So maybe you never heard of any of that, or maybe you did and just pushed it out of your mind like me, but you might be a little more encouraged to hear that the Japanese disc featured a new, decidedly better song, as a bonus track. And better still, that bonus track received a small run on vinyl as a promo-only 12".

Now, don't get me wrong. When I say "decidedly better," you still have to be feeling pretty sappy and forgiving if you're gonna give this a spin. But if you are, then you'll find a pretty respectable - even touching - dedication to Jam Master Jay called "Missin My Friend." DMC, who's at the verge of losing his voice around this time, doesn't sound like we knew him back in the day, but his sounding softer and muted works much better on this dedication track than it does on the rest of his album. The production (uncredited) is on the light, R&Bish side, but not bad for what it is, and it features a well sung hook, which is also uncredited. According to an interview in The Source, this is the first song DMC wrote without writing any lyrics down, which is interesting, since his lyrics are much better here than on the rest of his album, where they often sound simplistic and kinda dopey. Here he's sincere, authentic and really kind of touching:

"I seen you on the bus playin' video games;
You beat all of us, I ain't sayin' no names.
You was a real cool cat; you never caused trouble;
You would relax your mind doin' a crossword puzzle.
You and Run would argue: who's better in ball?
And I would sit back and just laugh at y'all.
I miss ya, Jay, I ain't gonna front,
I'd give anything to see you smoke one more blunt.
So when asked who's best, we all will say:
Jason Mizell, Jam Master Jay.
When asked who's best, we all will say:
Jason Mizell, Jam Master Jay!"

The label to this 12" gives us practically no info (just a defunct url), but playing through the record tells us the track-listing is as follows: A1) Clean Version A2) Instrumental B1) Dirty Version B2) Acapella. There's not much distinction between the clean and dirty versions since, as you'd imagine, there's not much cursing on here, but there is a single usage of the word "nigga" silenced out.

So, while steering as far clear of the album as possible, you still might want to add this 12" to your crates. Even if you're realistically not gonna break it out and spin it too often, it's just nice to have it in there as a tribute to the great Jam Master Jay.

Kick In the B.A.S.S.

(Youtube version is here.)

Party, Party!

What's not to love about this record? This is Ice-T's epic Rhyme Syndicate posse cut from his album, Freedom Of Speech... Just Watch What You Say that dropped in 1990 on Warner Bros/ Sire Records. It's got an exclusive B-side remix, and as you can see it comes in a spiffy picture cover.

So yeah, the song is called "What Ya Wanna Do?" It's produced by Ice-T and Afrika Islam and is, as the back cover puts it, "CUT THE !&*!&%!! UP" by DJ Evil E. It features the full-length LP Version (a whopping 9 minutes) and the shorter Edit (the one they used for the video etc.). There's also an instrumental, which is a little bit longer than the radio edit, but shorter than the LP version.

It's a super fun joint, with a cracking break with hand-claps and a little Miami-style percussion, a deep groovy bassline and a funky guitar loop. It's a pretty simple but entirely effective beat that plays the background for a plethora of MCs to just drop freestyle rhymes. The entire line-up is: Randy Mac, Nat the Cat (with a sick fast rap style), The Syndicate sniper Donald D, who kicks the infamously fun rap about his rodent problem:

"There's a mouse in my house, so I bought a cat.
The cat ran away, 'cause now there's a rat.
I'm on the attack with my baseball bat...
That one rat brought many others back.
All through my house I set up traps;
It seem like the rats have a map.
But nowadays I don't know how to act,
So now I feed the rats crack."

...Bronx Style Bob ("Life ain't nothin' but a piece of existence"), Hen Gee, Shakell Shabazz, old school legend Toddy Tee, Everlast (who lazily recycles a verse from his single, "I Got the Knack"), MC Taste and Divine Styler. In the Edit, each MC kicks 1 verse (except Ice, who kicks 2), but in the full-length version, everyone comes back for a second verse (third in Ice's case). What's interesting is that the Edit doesn't just play the first "round" of verses or the second, but selectively picks what I guess they consider to be the best verse from each MC, so you get, for example, Randy Mac's first verse, then Nat the Cat's second and then Bronx Style Bob's first verse again.

Finally, we hit the exclusive remix, a Radio Remix of "The Girl Tried To Kill Me." Remember the over-the-top rock & roll style sex anthem Ice ended his album with? Well, this is that, but this remix was clearly made for the heads who thought the original wasn't hip-hop enough. This one still has some of the same guitar riffs (and a big solo finish), but the emphasis is much more on the drums and all than the album version, which was a pretty substantial genre cross-over. Which version you'll prefer will probably depend on how tolerant you are of rock music... the original probably lends itself more to the subject matter and Ice's yelly style, but this is definitely on a more head-nodding B-Boy tip. So I gotta go with the remix.

So, you know, if you've already got the album, then getting "What Ya Wanna Do?" isn't such a coup... the Instrumental is nice, but the Edit doesn't add much value, except maybe for historical purposes. But it's also got the remix of "Girl" and the pic cover and all, so it's a worthwhile crate staple considering it can usually be had for peanuts.

Do the Many Varied Right Things

This has to be the seminal union of new jack swing and conscious rap: Redhead Kingpin & the FBI's 1989 hit "Do the Right Thing." The song was originally meant to be a Teddy Riley joint for Wrecks-N-Effect to appear on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's film of the same name. But it wound up being left off the soundtrack and going to Redhead instead; but that didn't stop it from being a huge hit. And it should be pointed out that while Teddy Riley gets arrangement credit (and Joe the Butcher mixed it), "Do the Right Thing" was actually written and produced by Markell Riley (a.k.a. Marky Mark of Wrecks-N-Effect) and Redhead himself.

This is just one of those timeless rap hits... the music, the hook... Having grown up in the time this came out, I don't even have to play this song to quote you guys the lyrics:

"Brothers are stealin' and dealin' and big wheelin',
And to a younger mind, that stuff is appealin'.
So what do they do? They gather up a crew,
Go out and steal and rob, instead of getting' a job.
Now your mother tried to bring you up better than that;
The same way she loved you, you loved her right back.
But now you think you're grown and you argue a lot
Over money you got from dealin' stuff on the block.
Now you're not the only one in the world that has problems;
Keep your head straight, and you can surely solve them."

And I call this new jack swing 'cause of the artists involved, the hook, and a few sparse keyboard riffs... But this is pretty hardcore for new jack swing with it's aggressive "UFO" ringings, a lot of cuts that aren't played soft on the mix, and a driving funk guitar sample taken right off an NWA record (It shares George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby" with MC Ren's rugged solo cut "Quiet On the Set"). Even those distinctive Teddy Riley horns (somebody needs to bring that sound back!) sound harder than ever here; and it's all laid over "Impeach the President."

So it had a hot animated video, a ton of radio play and while it didn't wind up in Spike's movie, it did eventually find a home as the final anthem in Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs. Wait; what? I asked Kingpin about this in my interview with him back in 1998 and he answered, "Yeah. I didn't understand that, though. I went to the movies and saw that, and I'm like, 'Ok. They're chasin' monsters through walls, they're killing monsters, and then they're doing the right thing?' I don't get it. It was a check, though. I just didn't get it, personally."

So with a hit this big, you wind up with a lot of versions of the single... little 7"'s, white labels with fewer tracks (though that's the only way to get the proper album version or the instrumental), etc. But really, there's basically two proper singles, with matching picture covers (shown above). First is the yellow.

The yellow 12" has five mixes: US Street Mix, 12" Mix, US Radio Mix, A Capella and the Butcher Mix. And the A Capella is self-explanatory. So let's compare the other three mixes.

The US Street Mix is like the version you're familiar with, the album version, the version they use in the video, etc. Except they remove the sung hook and replace it with a vocoder version. And there's additional scratching - some during the hook, and especially at the end, where the DJ is really allowed to go for solo. The back-up singing is also removed from the shout-outs at the end.

The 12" mix is similar, but a lot more chopped up. It opens with just the "UFO" sounds, and the whole instrumental is constantly being scratched and juggled around by a DJ (I presume WildStyle is doing all the scratching on all the mixes, but it's not specified in the credits). Even Red's vocals are sometimes stuttered. We also get to hear more from the singers (Guy?) who do the hook, and some extra funky bass at the end of the song. Labels like to remix hit records, because it's easy to sell a record that's already a hit. But records that are already perfect the first time also don't need remixing; and we're given a bunch of inferior versions for no good reason. But this mix is actually an interesting, compelling alternative. I can't see it replacing the original, as that's the most clean and natural sounding version, but this is a funky extended mix that shows off everybody's talents. So if you like "Do the Right Thing" at all, you'll have to appreciate this mix.

So, ok, there are no curse words in the any of the mixes; so what is the US Radio Mix? Well actually, surprisingly, it's not just a slightly trimmed version of the Street version. In fact, it's substantially longer. It's like the US Street Mix, but the singing is brought back (though we hear the vocoder briefly, too), including the extra vocal flexing we heard in the 12" Mix. Oh, and this mix also features a little vocal introduction with someone saying "yo Red, kick that one;" and there are a few other little added details like that throughout the extra couple minutes.

Finally, we have the Butcher Mix. The label doesn't say so, but I think we can safely assume this remix is performed by Joe the Butcher. This is as broken down as it gets. Joe is mixing up just the drum and bassline, sometimes juggling the bass note for note for the short duration. That's it; no vocals or anything else. It's pretty cool as a bonus track.

Ok, now we come to the green cover, which I actually prefer... not just because green is my favorite color, but because the green and the red border jive with his African medallions much more than a giant swath of yellow. So I prefer the cover... not the music.

This 12" has four mixes: Jazzy 12" (in the UK, which is actually the version I've got, this was released as Happiness Remix; but it's the same thing), Jazzy 7" (just a shortened version of Jazzy 12"), Sky 12" (or 212 'Sky' King Remix in the UK) and Sky Instrumental. So basically there's two new remixes.

The Jazzy Remix really isn't so jazzy... it's called that because it's remixed by Jazzie B and Nellee Hooper. It's got a funky congo break, and a cool little bassline... but the rest: thumping dance club claps, and a piano loop that doesn't really fit with the rest of the song, don't work. This is listenable, the bassline starts to get pretty catchy by the mid-point, and it's neat that Red changes up the shout-outs at the end (calling out different countries instead of US cities), but it's nothing to go out of your way for.

The Sky Mix by Gail 'Sky' King is weirder... it features some old school horn stabs and stuff, some clubby elements, and some percussion (and "ooh ahh" vocals) that sound like an old Egyptian Lover record. As Redhead raps, the beat changes to other breaks and sample sets. It's... interesting, and surely not what you'd expect to stumble upon on a Redhead Kingpin record. I don't know if I can say it's really any good, but somebody's at least trying to get creative with it, and bring in some funky new scratches and elements.

All in all, I've gotta call the green remix 12" a miss. Dedicated Redhead Kingpin fans will get some enjoyment out of this (I did - heh), but it's really nothing I can recommend. The yellow 12" is definitely better... but casual hip-hoppers should note that the straight up album version, which will probably be your ideal mix, isn't on either of these. So you're probably better off just picking up Redhead's album or this nice little white label. But if you're a fan of some good new jack swing, I think the yellow 12" will be worth your time.