The Strange World of Gentle Jones

Wonders Beyond Belief is Gentle Jones'... eleventh album, I believe, if you don't count things like a greatest hits compilation and a live CD.  But he's always been on the outer edges of my radar... from seeing his releases pop up on underground forums to his journalism.  He interviewed Cage 1's Pooch in prison; and honestly, if you asked me to name rappers from Delaware, Cage 1 and Gentle Jones would be my complete list.  Oh, and Disco Beave.  But sticking to Jones, he had a great track on one of those Independents' Day compilations I used to play on repeat called "The Cleaners," which was a sort of Angry Young Man take on the plight and rebellious spirit of the working class.  It had a catchy loop and managed to walk that very tricky line of being funny without being irritating.

So this is his latest album, and it is all over the place, to say the least.  What I'd say is going on here is that, in order to showcase his creative talents and versatility, he's doing songs in all kinds of styles and even genres.  And objectively, I reckon there's nothing wrong with that, but it's definitely not for me.  In fact, as a strictly Hip-Hop guy, I kinda hate it when groups defect... like Whistle going full R&B, The Force MCs becoming the Force MDs, Everlast becoming Whitey Ford, Kid Rock going from rap to... well, actually, I'm fine with rock music keeping Kid Rock; they can have him.

A closer analogy might be Big Daddy Kane going Las Supper.  Jones has clearly "graduated" to working with a lot of live musicians.  That, plus branching out in different genres probably works for him doing shows in Delaware.  And like Las Supper, where Kane still had a song where he killed it on the mic, Gentle Jones still has some dope rap stuff on here.  You've just gotta skip around.  So let's dig into it.

Discogs tags this album as "Hip Hop, Jazz, Pop, Folk, World, & Country."  And at just ten songs, that can start to feel like one song per genre, but it does hue closer to Hip-Hop than that.  Like the opening track, "The Day I Became a Robot," definitely has an old school jazz sound, but sort of the way Digital Underground might toy with dusty jazz samples and sing-songy vocals.  It's certainly got some slick scratching over a funky loop.  But it's also got silly lyrics and sung vocals I wouldn't revisit if I wasn't playing the whole album through... like a "Sex Packets" as opposed to an "Underwater Rimes."

The second song, on the other hand, I'll revisit.  Like, now we're talking.  It's got an even catchier loop and tight scratching for a hook, and Jones is actually rapping.  He's flipping a freaky, maybe Freestyle Fellowship inspired flow, which works with the simpler, more repetitive track.  It's called "Riding On a Cloud," and he's definitely flexing his elevated state: "in the city, the humidity's hideous and the shittiest idiots quickly rip you off penniless.  My committee hits from Wilmington to the Caribbean; and my affiliates get so lit it's ridiculous.  Flying higher than a hippy in a hot air balloon; might leave a footprint on the moon.  Riding on a cloud and we're never coming down."

Let's speed run through the rest of the Not For Me tracks.  The best of them is "Comes Love," which is an old timey lounge song.  It's got a lot of good, live instrumentation, it's a classically written song and is generally quite good at what it's trying to be.  I'm just not interested in that kind of song, so it's an interesting experiment, but nothing I'd recommend to a fellow Hip-Hop head.  Then you've got "Once In a Lifetime Thing," which is a straight-up country and western song, which is a big no thanks from me.  And still, sure, I can appreciate that even though I don't like country and western, there are good country songs and bad country songs.  But Jones' country singing doesn't stand up to Dolly Parton or whatever other country singer I'd have to concede is a good singer even if I don't care for what they're doing.  Finally, "Drink Up and Go Home" is right down the middle... better than "Once," but not as impressive as "Comes Love."

That leaves a couple more cool rap songs: "Catfish Vulture," "Ballad of a Fifty Year Old Skateboarder," which has a super funky instrumental and "Songs To Drive My Enemies Insane," the latter of which really lives up to its title, in a good way.  And I looked this album up online, and the digital version is pretty short.  Just those eight songs.  But the LP has two bonus tracks that you can only get on the physical copy, rounding it up to a fell ten.  And thankfully they're both Hip-Hop.  "God Is Inside You" has a cool, spacey track and a chill vibe, but the repetitive, simplistic (and preachy) lyrics are just annoying.  "I ask all the plants, can you tell me, where is God?  And in the cities, I ask the people, where is God?  I ask the doctors, where is God?  I ask the teachers, where is God?  Deep into the Forrest, I ask the dirt, where is God?  I ask the worms, where is God?"  And so on.  Like, okay, I get it already.  Can't you just say, "I ask everyone and everything, where is God?" and move on already?  No, we have to go through the whole tiresome procession.  Finally, we have "Night Light," which will grab your attention because it features Vast Aire.  It's pretty good, but Jones' best solo Hip-Hop tracks are better.

So, all in all, an extremely mixed bag.  A lot of talent is on hand, but it's definitely a record you'll want to skip through rather than relax and let play.  Even if you don't have my particular Hip-Hop-specific tastes, the wide variety of musical genres, tones and mood is going to have most people alternating between hot and cold (putting all the rap on one side of the LP, Transformation-sryle, might've been nice).  But some really good songs is more than most albums can claim, these days.  Jones fans who enjoy the edge-case stuff like "Robot" should be very pleased with the album, and almost everyone should find some stuff to enjoy on here.  The LP comes in a fun, full-color picture cover, it plays good and loud and it's inexpensive.  So pick it up if you're in the mood for something non-traditional and you're prepared to keep your hand on the tonearm.

Whirlwind D In Toyland

It's been about a year, so I'd say it's about time for a new Whirlwind D record.  And sure enough, we've got a brand new 7" single from AE Productions called "On the Floor."

One would naturally assume this is the long-awaited Hip-Hop remake of Johnny Gill's smash hit single "The Floor," but no, it's actually an homage to his childhood toys that he used to leave on the floor, from Steve Austin to Skeletor and his horde.  Honestly, that nostalgia bait-y listing thing has never done much for me.  "Hey, remember these things" feels a little thin for a proper song.  But D actually gets ahead of my criticism in his final verse: "you may say, 'hey, it's all trivial;' and I kind of agree.  But reminiscing on the past is a way to be free of all the death and destruction and the permanent noise.  So kick back with me and don't be one of the toys."  So fair cop!  It's probably on me for being too much of a grump to get into the spirit of things (honestly, Hot Karl may've poisoned the well for me).

At any rate, I really like the high-pace track (I had to double-check I wasn't supposed to be playing this at 33 when I fired it up the first time) with Djar One's hyper-kinetic cutting for a hook.  And the way they keep constantly, rapidly hitting that horn blare ...It's a very PE-style move until it breaks out into a funky little solo at the end.  D isn't an MC I typically think of as a Fast Rapper©, but he keeps up with it effortlessly.

And everything pulls together for me on the B-side, "Watcha Waitin' For," another Djar One produced track, this time on the funkier side, but with plenty more killer cuts.  It's still not a song about death and destruction and the permanent noise, but it's no trifle.  It's a duet with London OG Blade (I wrote about a record by his son a few years ago).  There's a consistent message of self empowerment and seizing the day, but I particularly like the wild flourish Blade puts on the material in the last verse, "either you can be a fish in a bowl or a shark in the ocean, wide open, nobody controls you.  Swim like the world's yours.  You make the rules; you can break the laws.  Man made escapades adventure seeker.  Lurkin' in the undergrowth, underhanded creatures.  Hierarchy threat to the ecosystem food-chain."  It's like when Rakim started off rapping about how he writes a rhyme but his metaphor expanded and expanded to the point where "the Earth gets further and further away [and] planets are small as balls of clay."  Alright, man, go off!

So "B-side wins again," as the saying goes, but I really do like the instrumental and energy of "On the Floor" as well.  Together, they make another strong limited edition single fans won't want to let get away.  It comes in a cool picture cover (that has taught me I'll never be able to build a microphone  haha) and sounds good when you crank it up.

With Hitman Howie Tee, the DJ Innovator

I've been spinning this record over and over recently, and it finally dawned on me that I should write about it.  "DJ Innovator" is the second single by Chubb Rock with Hitman Howie Tee off their self-titled album on Select Records in 1988.  To me it's the stand-out track on that slightly shaky first album, when Chubb was still putting on that fake, gruff voice, as opposed to his natural, smoother style he eased into ever since.  But this song, with that killer sample, has never stopped making me bob my head from the back of my mind all these 35+ years later.

Both men are credited with the writing and production here, though only cousin Howie (yeah, not sure how many of you knew they were cousins?) does the scratching.  The first big draw is obviously that one soul sample, including that beautiful "aahhhaaaHHHHHH" vocal line that gets looped with it.  That's practically the whole instrumental right there, layered with some extra drums and some simple but damn catchy cuts.  The title and hook actually comes from Chubb's first single, "Rock 'N Roll Dude," where Howie Tee does a short rap at the end, saying, "well, I'm a DJ innovator when it comes to scratch, and anything I wanna scratch I'll scratch.  There's no matchin' my style!  I get wild, so just shut your face.  And students, don't ever try to bass with HOWIE TEE!"  So now on this record, they're just stuttering that opening line, "well I'm a D, well I'm a D, well I'm a DJ innovator," turning it into a super funky earworm of a hook.

Lyrically, it starts out as a relatively straight-forward ode to the DJ: "my DJ is very scary.  He has a multitude of cuts, and he's also very alert and modeled to things that are new."  There's a nice mini-scratch breakdown midway through the song, with Chubb pointing out, "he goes berserk... and wild," but they're a little soft in the mix, so you have to pay attention.  And it's easy to get distracted once Chubb's sense of humor breaks out and he starts spinning terrific braggadocio tales:

"Many major record labels made offers to steal us;
And even Soul Train, huh!  Don Cornelius
Said to come on over with my pen and pad
All the way to California - he'll pay for the cab.
And the gesture is quite understood:
He knows talent when he sees it 'cause he's on my wood
For being an artist and a good producer.
They want me to do a duet with Luther.
But it's okay 'cause I like the brother,
That Kentucky Fried Chicken eatin' mother!
To compete with me, he has to eat more salads.
I'll do the rap, and he'll do the ballad."

For you younger readers, that would be Luther Vandross he's clowning on.  It's such a crazy, wonderful song that still shines to this day.  And another fun aspect of "DJ Innovator" can be found on the back of the album cover.   I never discovered this until many years later, because I grew up with the cassette, which has the same illustrated front cover.  But only the LP has cartoons with quotes from every song on the flip.  That's Howie on Janet Jackson's left arm saying, "I had to show my talent sooner or later."

There's also a B-side, "I Feel Good," which was on the album, too.  And as you can see, it got a comic panel as well.  This instrumental's more stripped down, without the same kind of absorbing sample as the A-side, though Tee's cuts are a little sharper.  Chubb's voice conflicts a little more with this track as his lyrics go from silly to sappy: "now me and Howie are getting paid properly, driving automobiles and owning property.  Like Bonanza, acres and acres; and we're getting front row seats to watch The Lakers.  Johnson has magic.  James is very worthy.  Kareem is 41, so addio!  Arrivederci.  I'm not dissing, that's what I'm not about.  I'm so happy that my album is out ...And maybe this great feeling was sent from above, 'cause I'm happy and peppy and bursting with love."  But I like how he twists it into something tough with the last line, "Don't understand?  Make sure it's understood that you're livin' only because I feel good."

So it's not one of Chubb Rock's best known records, but to me this single's a real classic.  Every version of the 12" (retail, promo, imports) has the same track-listing: the vocal version and Instrumental for both songs.  I've seen an "extended 12" long version" listing online, but it's just the vocal version followed by the Instrumental, just like on all the vinyl.

Anyway, all of that just to say: RIP DJ Howie Tee

Radioactive Dreams

Two years later and Drasar Monumental is back with another brand new EP, entitled Chernobyl Sessions.  This project has a solid, timeless sound.  You've got classic Hip-Hop production with a modern bent.  Some of it sounds like raw, 90s NY, and lyrically, "2012" is full of fun old school references.  But then the music will suddenly flip to something modern and experimental, and then you'll catch that old drum riff from "The Bridge."  So on the one hand, you never know what to expect next moment to moment, but on the other hand there's a reliable consistency to Drasar, as a producer and an MC.  A startling sample will come completely out of left field, but yet he manages to make it all feel of a piece.

"DMW" starts out turning a tough "On the Run" vocal sample (appropriately, not the only time Kool G Rap's voice turns up on this record... the way he literally spits his bars makes his voice a perfect fit for this EP's invective attitude.) into a hard life lesson over a heavy beat. "You claim to stand on business but don't have a business to stand on.  Act like life is a sprint, but it's a marathon; so you crashed out, took the fast route, only concerned with cash flow in large amounts. Treat life like a game, you get gamed on. Don't know how to move, you get moved on. Don't know how to bang, you're gettin' banged on. Emptied the clip; your clique got rained on. It's the same song everywhere you look; everybody's a crook 'till you get booked. Now you're shook. Visualize your coffin; now you're a dead man walkin'."  But Drasar fans know by now, he doesn't like to stand in one place for long, and two minutes into the song, he's flipping it up with some crazy flute samples, and a new, high energy kicks in and the next verse is just about setting it on other MCs.  Then all the samples are slowed and spaced out for an almost psychedelic meltdown.

Drasar does his own scratches as well, and "Vitriol" opens with some slick scribbles over a killer bassline, going off on modern producers. "Sample kits, digital diggin', popped up at your session, wanted to kill 'im! ...Comedy, a real fuckin' joke, made me want to cuff my hands around your throat.  But it's not all rap shit; mid-way through "Post Covid Takes" a serious turn that lives up to its title.  "It's all fun and games 'till you get stuffed in a casket.  Post Covid, it's like a bad acid trip.  Hallucinations, broken visions; I watched a whole generation get thrown in prisons. Broken homes lead to broken dreams; hopeless tryin' not to end up homeless. Desensitized normalized manslaughter, timeline snuff films traumatize our sons and daughters. Pain ...Slave wages, poverty's contagious like the black plague. We don't practice group economics so it's impossible for us to stack bread."  That last line's a slant rhyme, but it's so sick.  And, you know, true.  Drasar hits as hard as ever, in every sense.  If you guys haven't checked him out yet, seriously, look his stuff up.

As you can see up top, this comes in a full picture cover from Drasar's own label, Vendetta Vinyl, where this can be ordered directly.  All the vocal tracks are on side 1, and all the instrumentals, which haven't been released digitally, are on side 2.  A CD version is also available from the Hawaiian label DITCD, which also includes the instrumentals. 

Intrepid Street Stylez

Here's one I slept on for a long time.  The first I ever heard of Intrepid Stylez is when Chopped Herring putting out their Junior Criminalz EP.  I only noted it because I've always check out every Herring release when they drop.  But a random group of Canadian teens I'd never heard of?  It was an easy pass when you've gotta save money for all the unreleased Natural Elements and JVC Force they were restoring on wax.  But then, when I started working with Dust & Dope, they hit me off with a bunch of CDs they'd released in the past, including this Intrepid Stylez EP, which is basically the CD version of the Herring vinyl that they put out concurrently.  But when I listened to it, I realized, damn, I shouldn't've ignored these guys.

Intrepid Stylez is a four-man crew from Toronto.  The CD booklet helpfully breaks down how rapper Mast started out in a B-Boy crew in the UK called the Intrepid Street Rockers.  When he moved to Canada, he teamed up with his cousin Chill da Bandit, Special and their producer DJ Kama to become Intrepid Stylez.  They first came out on wax in 1996 with one song ("Junior Criminalz") as the B-side of a bootleg Tone Hooker white label.  Then they released their first (and only) proper 12" single in '98 on their own label, ISR (which I assume stands for Intrepid Stylez Records) Productions.  They followed that up with a self-released full-length 1999 album on CD called Underground Connex, which featured all three songs from their official single, but not "Junior Criminalz."  That's their whole catalog.  Both IRS releases are pretty rare, and if you weren't plugged into their local scene in the late 90s, you probably missed out on these guys like I did.  So just the thing for Chopped Herring and Dust & Dope to resurrect.

So this EP is seven tracks deep - it's the same track-listing on the CD and vinyl except the sequence is changed slightly.  "Junior Criminalz" is on here, as is an earlier, demo version of the lead track from their 12", "Da Outcome."  There's also an earlier demo version of a song called "Kasualties" from Underground Connex and four previously unreleased songs from 1997.  "Junior Criminalz," then, is the only track that's been released before.

And okay, you might be thinking what I thought seven years ago, "some young Canadian cats I never heard of?  I'm good."  But at least find some sample online and give them a listen, because these guys are nice, on a real Mobb Deep kind of vibe, with a slick flow over catchy, original production.  The opener is "Massacre Pt. 1."  You might've wondered what the deal was with "Massacre Pt. 2" on Underground Connex; well, now you finally get to hear the original.  They're completely different songs, instrumentally and lyrically, though they definitely share a vibe.  Each MC has a distinct voice and style - they work well together, but you'll immediately work out who's rapping when, especially since they're constantly name-checking themselves.  And as far as the dueling "Massacre"s, I think I actually prefer this recovered original.

While we're in comparison mode, let me talk about the two demo versions.  "Da Outcome" is pretty similar.  Like, it features that same, big chunky piano sample that prompted them to make it their big single in the first place.  You know that sound that made the indie 90s beautiful.  This one sits in the middle of Shadez of Brooklyn's "Change" and Milkbone's "Keep It Real."  And did I mention a Mobb Deep vibe?  It's never more overt than here, with their "there's a war going' on outside no man is safe from" hook.  I thought it was vocal sample at first, until they took it in their own direction, "Intrepid Stylez droppin' bombs, feel the outcome."  I'm telling ya, give these guys a chance!

So yeah, both this and "Kasualties" are basically the same tracks, I guess mixed a little different (the Underground Connex version of "Kasualties" I heard online sounds more echoey), but the key distinction is that they're lyrical remixes.  Completely new verses on both songs.  And the new songs are completely in keeping with their released material.  "For Instance" is a typical weed smokers' song, and the one I like the least, but it still has a smooth vibe that fits in well with the rest of the EP.  "How de Hell" features a tight NY beat with a taught string loop and a ragga hook by a guy called Sample King, and "Streetz No Joke" lets DJ Kama flex his turntable skills on the hook, while the track takes an otherwise grittier turn.  It'll have you saying "naaah, these kids can't be from Canada" more than any Maestro record.

Chopped Herring's EP 12" EP came in a sticker cover on limited yellow (yellow) and blue vinyl (120 copies) and black (230 copies).  Dust & Dope's release is a properly pressed CD limited to 300 copies in a jewel case with 2-page booklet including the aforementioned notes.  And if you missed out on Underground Connex, don't worry!  It's getting it's vinyl debut wax this month from SCMD Music (I'm not really familiar with them, but Hip Hop Enterprise is carrying it) in a full gatefold sleeve picture cover on both gold and black wax.

Four Wing Killa

I'm starting to become a regular reporter on the musical stylings of Joejas, because I've got his latest here for you today.   Left Handed Bandit is the third Joejas album I'm covering, but his fifth overall.  I've already introduced him to you guys, so I won't waste time making the same, easy Tyler the Creator comparisons.  But I did just throw his name out there quickly to give a quick reminder of the rough ballpark we're, musically.  And as with his previous projects, everything is written, produced and performed by Joejas himself, so there's a real self-expressive auteurist vibe to the whole project.

It's also a pretty short album, checking in with only nine tracks and those only totaling about 20ish minutes.  But that works in its favor.  One gripe you might recall I had with some of his previous songs was that they were, "too comfortable to just ride the rhythm of a repetitious hook.  I ran low on patience a couple of times just wanting him to keep it moving to the next rap portion."  That pacing stuff's not an issue here; apart from an entirely instrumental track near the end, this whole album moves at a tight clip.

It takes some risks, too, which I appreciate.  "Run!?" is a bit of a rock rap cut, featuring crashing drum cymbals and crunchy electric guitar riffs, echoing those 80 electric guitar-infused jams like "The Fuck Shop" or "The Girl Tried To Kill Me."  But of course where those are juvenile sex songs, Joejas's is a decidedly more thoughtful exploration of the pressures to succeed: "Question I have lately/ Making sure regrets don't chase me/ Mouth talk while the mind still hazy/ So for now, regrets can't phase me/ The happy and free one, the shoulder to lean on/ Might say just: amputate me!/ ...How many times did you feel you couldn't run/ Not from these problems, but these goals you wish would come?/ They tell me time is tickin' if I ain't sort my mission/ In they time they givin'.  But fuck that, this my own vision."  "Off Kilter" dips back into some of those 80s rock vibes, too, but this time meshed with an old Miami bass element.

Other songs hew closer to his earlier work, but Joejas is always switching up the tone (sometimes mid-song; his beats never rest as simple loops), and his topics.  "Left Hearted Bandit" gets into relationships and the difficulty connecting, "Last 108 Ride" is about skating or something (honestly, I don't get all those references) and "WTF" is more of a time honored rapper's state of the union: "finna go global, check my first LP/ And the name of the band. Nigga, that's all me/ Keeps it hassle free."  Fans of Joejas will definitely be happy to see him living up to all the promise of his earlier material and continuing to deliver; and even new listeners in the mood for something artsy, youthful and experimental might find this to be a good point to dive in.

As with his previous CDs, this includes a full-color booklet with the lyrics and a page to draw your own picture.  A poster and bandit face-mask are also included.  I notice he's released his last two albums on vinyl, too, since I covered them; so maybe a Left Handed Bandit LP will drop down the road, too?

Real Hip Hop By the Original

Some of my favorite records to spotlight on this site are overlooked comebacks of classic old school artists, especially when they're good.  And that's what we have here: "Real Hip Hop My Man" by Original M.C. Jazzy Jeff on Pow Wow Records from 1988.  That's the Jazzy Jeff from The Funky Four Plus One, not the cut maniac.  It must suck to have your rap name jacked and usurped in the public consciousness to the point where you have to change it so you don't get a cease and desist from the new kid's label.  Jazzy Jeff should never have to have amended something like "Original M.C." to his moniker, at least not until joining Instagram.

Anyway, this record is produced by Frank Inglese, who did a bunch of records on Pow Wow and has a few other sporadic credits.  I'd say his signature is a raw, hard drum heavy style, and that's definitely what's on the menu here.  We're also left to guess how much credit goes to him for this track, Jeff himself who also has co-production credit, and DJ Bass Master Ace, who I've never heard of before or since.  I mean... there is a Miami Bass Master A.C.E. who sang freestyle stuff in the 90s, but you wouldn't think he's the same guy.  Well, whether he is or isn't, here he's only credited with cuts, but this entire track is made up of samples (a pitched down Ultimate Breaks and Beats drum track with James Brown horns for the hook), so the whole track may've been birthed out of his personal crate.  That's certainly the tone of this record, like it's being created and performed live right before your eyes.

Either way, a signature aspect of this song is the scratching and the DJ mixing in various samples throughout the record, so he's a key player no matter how you cut it.  There's a big scratch breakdown and everything.  It's all to the theme of the song; even the titular line is a Grandmixer D.St. line being chopped up for the hook.  Jeff's rapping about bringing the real Hip-Hop (except for the last verse, where he goes off on a tangent about the variety of women he's dated), and then it's being cut into the song, everything from the "Mardi Gras" bells to DJ Hollywood's singing about "that yummy yum yum."  At one point they're scratching in Eric B and Rakim ("def with the record"), which always strikes me as too new, but then you remember this record is from 1988.  He's even rubbing in James' "brand new funk" line the same year the other Jazzy Jeff famously did.  I wonder which came first - could this be an intentional call-out?

In many ways this is an old school throwback, but the stripped down instrumental and Jeff's hardcore delivery gives it a more modern sensibility.  I guess his flow isn't really all that different from when he was on Jive (not counting the love songs and all that), but without all that hip electric production behind him, he comes off a lot more raw.  You can almost imagine this record was originally written for Just-Ice or somebody rather than a member of the disco era's Funky Four.  Jeff does still have a bit of that older radio DJ inflection to his voice, but it just lends that extra authenticity you want when you call up one of the OGs.

There's just the one song on this 12", though in addition to the full Club Mix, there's a shorter Radio Version (which thankfully retains the DJ breakdown), Instrumental and a Dub.  This comeback was a one-off for Jeff, and unfortunately he never tried again.  "King Heroin" is his most famous solo song, but this is better than that or any of what he put out on Jive.  He has stayed in the game as a legend - like he jumped on for a track on Grandmaster Caz's Mid-Life Crisis - but this is the last Jazzy Jeff record, which is a shame, because sure, he sounds "old school" but he's also proven he can hang in Hip-Hop's different eras.  Like, I'd argue "The Ghetto" was pretty cutting edge for 1984 and "Real Hip Hop My Man" is a strong record for 1988 even if you had no Funky Four nostalgia or even any idea who he was.  Dammit, there should've been a whole Jazzy Jeff and Bass Master Ace album.

Beats, Zines and Demos

I’ve got an atypical post for you today about a label you’ve probably never heard of.  But if you stick with me all the way to the end, I think you’ll be looking them up.

We'll start off with Chemtrails, the loose collaboration of Australian producer Luke O'Farrell and his band/ housemates who recorded the beat tape Treason In the Sky back in 2013.  The band played psychedelic rock, but this is a strictly Hip-Hop endeavor: a mix of vinyl samples and live instrumentation made with an Akai MPC2500.  Only 25 copies of the original tape were released on an indie label called Skydreams, but now it's coming back via a newly remastered vinyl LP from his own label, Puff Down Records.

Now, regular readers may recall that I'm not traditionally predisposed to instrumental Hip-Hop, but I'm starting to come around to it.  After all, you can't calculate how much Raw Quartz you need to belt into your Manufacturer to maximize the Crystal Oscillator throughput of your Radio Control Unit line to make Pressure Conversion Tubes in Satisfactory with Kendrick Lamar ordering you to turn your TV off.  I've tried; you absolutely have to pause it.  But Treason In the Sky generates just the right amount of ambiance to get your pretend digital job done while still feeling engaged with what you're hearing.  Because this is definitely meant to be listened to, as opposed to a DJ battle tool or production kit LP.  These aren't just beats waiting for someone to rhyme over them and give them purpose.  Like, the titular horn loop of "Intergalactic War Horns" occupies the space for vocals; it would all sound too busy with an MC.

Puff Down also has its own print magazine, appropriately titled Puff Down.  They hooked me up with issues 2 and 3.  And then I actually got an email update from Hip Hop Enterprise as I was writing this telling me they were now carrying them.  It's a full 12" mag, 48 pages mostly in black and white with a few color inserts.  They feature record reviews, book reviews, and primarily interviews with underground artists like Has-Lo, DJ Rocksteady (of Trauma Center, whose material you might remember Dope Folks releasing early in their run) and DJ OG-S.  That last one makes sense, since they're working with him for their latest release...

OG-S is a name I recognize from doing mixes with labels like Heavy Jewelz, Lost Records (shame what happened there) and PQuest Revivals.  He and his partner Fatcap have been finding and releasing unreleased Hip-Hop demos for a little while now.  The main one that tripped my radar was the Joint Ventures CD a few years ago.  Well, their new release on Puff Down, Smoke Flavors, combines these ventures by mixing an impressive collection of never before (and probably never to be) released demos on both CD and cassette.  It's is a compilation of various artists, most very obscure (one is simply credited to "Unknown Artist Demo, 1992 California").  That's not to say that you shouldn't recognize any names on here, though.  We've got a tight untitled Powerule track from 1992 and a Delinquent Habits song dating years before they came out on LOUD Records.

But most of these names you're not gonna know.  I assume the reason these demos have been collected here and put out simply as a mix is because this is all the dope odds and ends they couldn't make official releases out of: groups you couldn't even track down to pay, who didn't put out enough music to fill a release on their own, and never managed to make the names for themselves to sell if they did.  But it's strong material that deserves to be heard, so this mix is a welcome catch-all of material, ranging from 1992-1996.  There's more New York stuff than anything else, but California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Washington, Pennsylvania, Texas, Chicago, London and even The Bahamas are represented here.

Their bandcamp listing assures us that these were all preserved "to the best possible quality with the best equipment ... through professional distillation and extraction techniques."  In fact, OG-S goes into quite specific detail on his process and the exact equipment he uses in Puff Down issue 3.  The sound quality is still variant (a song by a crew called Homicide Division sounds particularly rough), but I think we can take it that this is as good as we could've ever hoped for.  Make no mistake though, this is a mix, not a compilation with separated songs and each song allowed to begin and end unsullied.  As one giant CD track, you can't skip to specific songs, and when you don't know who most of these artists are, and song titles aren't even listed, it takes a lot of patience if you want to suss out any one particular joint.  To isolate the Delinquent Habits, I had to work backwards from Cool Mike G song where he helpfully shouts his name in his hook (although, in retrospect, it should've been obvious from the production style which one was them).  At times I was questioning whether the scratching I was hearing was by the original artist or OG-S.  No, the way to enjoy this is like William Hurt said in The Big Chill, "sometimes you just have to let art flow over you:" one 60+ minute tidal wave of scrappy, raw 90s rap you've never heard before.

The Treason In the Sky record is pretty limited, too, to just 100 copies and comes in a picture cover.  It also includes a short 'zine about how the album was recorded, and a sticker of the original 2013 artwork.  The Smoke Flavors CD and tape are limited to 100 copies each, and come with a DJ OG-S sticker.  Treason is also available digitally, and has been since 2013, so you can check it out and see if you're taken with it.  But if you want to hear the demos, you've got to cop a physical copy.  And I strongly recommend it.

When the L Came Back

(The overlooked and underrated return of Larry Larr.  Plus a l'il update on Omniscence and Nick Wiz vinyl.  Youtube version is here.)

From the West To the East, It's Rappin' Mae

Last Halloween, I went on a bit of a tangent, giving a brief overview of the Rappin' Duke catalog in a video on some unrelated records.  Every Hip-Hop fan over a certain age remembers the crazy novelty record where Shawn Brown adopts the persona of John Wayne to bust some silly raps over a surprisingly funky beat.  As Biggie famously reminded us, "remember Rappin' Duke, 'da-ha, da-ha?' Never thought Hip-Hop would take it this far."  Not so many people know there was actually a whole series of Duke records, including a follow-up to his self-titled debut hit, a full-length album, a serious message rap, and an unofficial knock-off by Buzzy Bragg.  Brown also put out another record as Kato-B, as in the sidekick to the Green Hornet as played by Bruce Lee.  But there's one more related record I didn't mention.  And if I'm ever going to cover, today's the day.

"Rappin' Mae" by June East.  I guess you'd call it an answer record, released on Still Rising Records in 1985, shortly after the original "Rappin' Duke."  Yes, it's April Fool's Day, but like I say every year, this is a real record that exists and you can find for your own collections, if you're ever so possessed.  I don't do those April 1st posts where I pull your leg making up nonsense.

So I think the best way to categorize it as an answer record to "Rappin' Duke."  The concept, simply, is that this is a rap record by another former film star, Mae West.  She was known as one of Hollywood's earliest envelope-pushing sex symbols, a little before Wayne's time, in the 1930s (though she occasionally appeared in movies into the 1970s).  If you're thinking she's before you're time and you've no idea who she is, you've still probably seen caricatures and impressions done of her in classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Donald Duck and the like.  If you've heard the demure purr, "come up and see me sometime," that's her.

So June East isn't a real person; the name's a play on Mae West, get it?  June, the month after May and East v West.  Ostensibly East is West's sister (sure, they're different last names, but that's already putting too much thought into this premise).  It was actually a trend for artists, mostly novelty/ joke acts, to call themselves "Rappin' ____:"  There was Rappin' Rodney, Rappin' Rabbit, Rappin' Reverend, Rappin' Granny, and so on.  And then real MCs started adopting it, like Rappin' Tate, Rappin' 4-Tay, and Rappin' Ron.  I even titled my short film Rappin' Reno in honor of that tradition.

As soon as you start to spin it, there's no question that this might just be a novelty record with a coincidentally similar gimmick to Rappin' Duke.  It's got a very slow, very similar beat and bassline, albeit with some new harmonica and other instrumental flourishes.  The hook, by a couple uncredited guys, is sung in the tune of the "Rappin' Duke"'s, "she's so-oh bad, so bad, just so-oh-oh-oh bad."  And then June gets on the mic, yes doing a full on Mae West impression, laying down the law for the Duke and another notable rappers of the day, "I'm the baddest rap in this town.  Sorry, Duke, don't mean to put ya down.  And as for rapper Kurtis Blow, sorry Sugar, you'll have to go."

It's not entirely a diss record; she spends more time just dropping gentle innuendos in the spirit of the real Mae West and telling us how to do the Mae West dance.  But she does come back for more at the end, "Sorry, Duke, but you see what I mean.  When it comes to rappin', I'm the real queen.  All those pilgrims you keep referring to?  The Mayflower must've been a real zoo.  You know the Duke's tough, and that's okay; he just better not get in this girl's way.  What the Duke does with muscle, I can do with a feather, because when I'm good I'm good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."  That last line coming from West's 1933 film I'm No Angel with Cary Grant.

There's just the one song on this 12", though there's a Short Version and an Instrumental on the B-side.  As you can see, it was released in a modest sticker cover.  There were never any follow-up June East records, but Still Rising was a legit label that put out some other funk and Hip-Hop stuff, including the early singles by Microphone Prince.  It was produced by Patrick Adams and Ron Mindseed, who did most of Still Rising's stuff.  Adams was also a member of the Golden Flamingo Orchestra, who did music for Lovebug Starski's earliest records, among plenty of other stuff.

So, who was June East really?  Happily, she's around and online to tell us.  June was the persona of stand-up comic Fran Capo, who's probably best known for holding the The Guinness Book of World’s Records' title of fastest talking woman (though she raps quite slow on "Rappin' Mae").  According to her website, she used to do the weather, traffic and movie reviews in the character of June East on the radio.  As she told EPN Spotlight, "I was working at WBLS Radio as a comedy writer and one day was kidding around and said that I could do a really cool Mae West Impression, but that I called the character June East. The DJ [Sergio Dean] flung the weather copy at me and the red tally light in the studio went on, and I did the weather as June East."  That became a regular morning thing and led to her getting signed to make the record and tour along the east coast with LL Cool J and The Fat Boys (man, do I wish I could've caught that!).  You can watch a clip of her on public access television from the time here.  Apparently, she'll still come to an event as "Mae" to this day.

The Sugar Bear Demos

Here's a really nice release that probably slid under many of your radars - it certainly did mine - Sugar Bear's Never Lost: My '99 Demos on Spitslam Records,  Spitslam, if you didn't realize, is Chuck D's label, which you might remember for putting out the Chill Rob G comeback album a few years ago.  They've also been putting out the new Stetsasonic material and a bunch of other interesting projects from old school and new artists.  And Sugar Bear's album, which actually came out last summer, but I just discovered recently, is exactly what its title promises: a preservation of Sugar Bear's previously unreleased demo recordings from 1988.

There are essentially six tracks.  These have been remastered and are pretty clean, but listening closely, I'd guess they're from a retail cassette dub, and they do still sound a little thin.  And admittedly, they're not all on par with his most famous single.  The opening "Get It Together" has a catchy sample, but it's a slower track that's more focused on delivering a message than the hyped up delivery on his Next Plateau material.  And lyrically, frankly, it's a little clunky:

"Some people say
That life is not easy.
Some things out there
Are always not pleasing.
Handle it;
Take one step at a time.
And make it slow,
And maybe you will find
What you've been looking for.
That's important,
Not miscellaneous.
What I'm saying is:
There is a better way.
You gotta find it.
Use your brain
Before you bind it."

Like, contriving phrases like "are always not pleasing" from "are not always pleasing" just sounds awkward; and a lot of those rhymes are pretty basic to also be so forced ("easy" and "pleasing?").  It shows that his heart's in the right place, and again, the instrumental will hook you in, so it's a funky little track, but not on the level of what we've heard before.  It's both dope (especially now that we're not getting any more music like this from that era) and easy to see why it's remained a demo.

The next track, however, is the one.  "Violated" comes hard and fast, using some of the same samples as Eric B and Rakim's "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em," but with its own unique flavor.  Sugar's at his most aggressive, there's a breakdown slicing up Kool G Rap's "Cold Cuts," and they mix in additional unique samples throughout the track.  And had this actually come out in 1988, it would've been first, beating them to the punch by about two years.  I'm not saying it's better than that all-time classic, Rakim is definitely the smoother MC, but it gives it a respectable run for its money.  And again, it's a precursor from the 80s.  It's a real shame this didn't come out at the time; it would've really made a mark.

"Cadence" and "Super Monster" are respectable runners up: two more high energy tracks where the Long Islander comes hard over some strong instrumentals.  I did find myself wishing he was just a little slicker with the wordplay, and it's a bit goofy on the latter track when they do an acapella of the Sugar Crisps theme song.  But overall these are some tight 80's tracks any Hip-Hopper would be delighted to have in their collection.  And "Chillin" is almost on the same level, it's just a little bit slower and looser, with more playful lyrics, a little more MC Rell than Rakim.

And finally there's the token love song, "My Girl" with its sung chorus and cheesy lyrics, "the moment that I laid/ my eyes on you/ for you to be my girl/ it can only be true/ you carry yourself/ with no suspicion/ the thought of you/ makes me wonder why I'm missin'/ you, my girl/ there can never be another/ the patter of my heart/ makes it sound like thunder."  It's a bit silly; but it's still fun to uncover a vintage track like that.

Those six demos are it, but he's also re-recorded a new 2024 version of "Get It Together."  It's the same lyrics and instrumental, just a fresh recording of it.  And comparing the two versions, you can appreciate that even though the remastered demos removed the hiss and any other possible issues, the new version definitely sounds deeper and warmer.  Bear's voice is also a little deeper now that he's older, but he does a good job matching his original delivery.  It sounds a little different, but he basically manages to recapture the magic, and it probably helps that none of us grew up with the originals, so we won't be put off by any slight variation.  I kinda wish he remade "Violated," too.

So that's the meat of the album, I guess you'd say EP.  But besides the demos, Never Lost is packed with bonus tracks, including both cuts from the 1988 12" that made him famous, his 1989 song from Richie Rich's album and some kind of Greek electro-dance remix of "Don't Scandalize Mine" from 2015, which they kindly put at the end of the album so you can just turn it off before that track starts.  The only things they didn't include are his 2018 single "I'm Hot" and some guest spots he recorded for a few R&B artists throughout the years.

The only bummer is it's CD only.  CD-R to be precise, which is how Spitslam releases most of their music.  On the one hand, it's cheap and absolutely 100% worth it.  But it would be sweet if they teamed up with another label, like Chopped Herring, Dope Folks or whoever's more experienced in pressing up this kind of stuff on wax.  I know they've done that once or twice before, like with Schoolly D's new album (which I'm also interested in picking up myself), so maybe there's still hope.  But if not, you can find a whole bunch of CD-R only projects from them that would come to the same price as one LP from a lot of other places.