As If MC Shan Wasn't Hip-Hop Enough...

It's been a while, I think it's time we come back to another one of those subtle, but slightly improved Marley Marl 12" remixes. You know, not the kind of thing where a song's given a whole new instrumental, but just where all the same elements are tweaked and arranged slightly differently, and wind up making the version on the 12" single sound just a little iller than the album version. This was becoming a regular Marley M.O. with examples like "Ain't No Half Steppin'," "Arrest the President" and "Juice Crew Law."   This is MC Shan's "I Pioneered This" from 1988.

Like "Juice Crew Law," this is another single off Shan's second album, Born To Be Wild. But unlike "Juice Crew Law," this isn't a case where you have a main, commercial single without a remix, and then a second, promo version with it. In this case the remix is right there on the main, picture covered 12" single. It starts off with the regular Vocal version, which is the same as what's on the album. And there's a Dub and A Cappella mix on the B-side. But the stand-out track on this single is the one marked Hip Hop Vocal. Now, the vocals are the same on both versions... I guess they just mean to say this is the vocal version of the Hip-Hop Mix. And even the beat is kinda the same. A casual listener who didn't hear both versions back to back might not even realize he'd heard to different versions of the same song. But when you pay attention, the differences might be subtle, but they're still substantial.

One of the reasons it can be hard to catch, too, is that on the original version, the beat isn't constantly doing the same thing. It's not one simple loop repeated from the beginning to the end of the song, it's shifting and going through variations. So at any point when you're listening to the remix, it's easy to think "oh, I'm just not listening to that part of the song right now." But the remix is definitely different. I'd describe it as more "broken down," more fucked with than the original, which often lets the bassline repeat a full refrain.

Here, we never hear more than half at best, it's more choppy. Like a lot of these remixes, it's like Marley just went back in and played with it some more, making it more original and "hip-hop sounding." Hence the name of the mix, I suppose. I could see a lot of fans, especially more mainstream audiences, actually preferring the original because it stays truer to the original sample, sounding a little more "musical." The remix also changes, well, the mix (i.e. the traditional definition of a remix), so the drums and horn stabs are a little harsher, adding to the harder feel of this remix, which is a definite plus in my book.

"I Pioneered This" is a pretty cool song either way, though. It's kind of the sweet spot between Shan's more awkward, younger records (the extreme example being "Feed the World") and his more out-there, genre switching stuff when he stopped working with Marley. This is MC Shan in full Juice Crew soldier mode, that ideal end of the 80s era.

It's pretty 80s lyrically, too, with him declaring, "Puma's the brand cause the klan makes Troops" and "I transform just like a Decepti-gone." Yeah, that spelling's right, that's how he pronounces it. I don't think he was being clever, there; I think he just wasn't that into Transformers.  ha ha  Plus, he says "write a will for your family's conveniency. Rappers I serve without mercy or leniency," which is one of my favorite contrived hip-hop rhymes of all time. Conveniency!

But seriously, Shan sounds great over a hard but smooth Marley Marl production. The main sample is the same one Big Daddy Kane would later use for his killer remix of "Uncut Pure." It's great, especially the Hip Hop Mix. And because it's right there on the main, commercial 12", it's not rare or expensive to get a copy, like some of those others are. Crate staple.

80s Jersey Trilogy

(Uploading is finally fixed - yay! Oh, and the Youtube version is here.)

It's Dre Day and Everybody's Extending

(Youtube version is here.)

The D.O.C., Even Without a Voice

So, if you missed it, The D.O.C. just - finally - got his voice back! Or, actually, he apparently got it back a year ago, while he was locked up, which we won't ask about. But, still, the moment we fans have been waiting with baited breath for literally decades has come... I remember when this heads kept talking about when he'd return.  And when we pretty much gave up.  But before he makes whatever kind of comeback he winds up making, I thought I'd take a look back at when he returned without even needing his voice, in 1996 on Giant Records. This is "Return Of da Livin' Dead."

One cool thing about this 12", definitely, is that it harkens back to his earlier singles, where his album was amazing, but his singles still replaced them with even hyper, sicker remixes. In one sense, the two songs on this single were the best parts of his second album. But on the other hand, they were a little derivative, playing it safe, and needed a little kick in the butt, which this 12" mostly provided.

Let's start with the B-side first, 'cause that's the track that probably sold a lot of these copies. Like its title implies, "From Ruthless 2 Death Row" was going to dish all the dirt and answer all the questions fans had about his career and the whole Dr. Dre story up to that point. The album version and first version of the single sample the very often used "For the Love of Her" by The Isley Brothers, which has only been used a thousand million times before and since. A lot of people in '96 associated it with 2Pac's (technically Thug Life's) "Bury Me a G," but I think he might've used it because Slick Rick had recently used it on his last single. D.O.C. is really channeling Rick's style here, and even quotes his lyrics from "Children's Story" in the third verse, so it's a deliberate reference. But the point is, it sounded good, but it was pretty played out by this point. In a vacuum, the original version sounds better, especially complimenting D.O.C.'s Slick Rick homages, but during a time when we were getting pretty sick of hearing the same g-funky riffs on record after record, the fact that this 12" is an exclusive remix was a real plus.

Everything on this post, the original versions and the remixes, are produced by Erotic D. He was probably a new name to most heads at the time, but he actually came from The D.O.C.'s original group, The Fela Fresh Crew, although he didn't really get on board there until the D.O.C. had already left. He's kept producing over the years, even doing tracks for the Insane Clown Posse of all people; but he's still primarily associated with The D.O.C.

Anyway, the remix is still pretty unoriginal, too, basically just adding some gangsta rap sound effects over "Eric B Is President." I don't know if Erotic D's thing has ever really been digging and discovering breaks, but he makes it sound good and at least it wasn't a tune we'd heard a dozen times that year this time. So this was probably more exciting in 1996, but it still sounds pretty dope today. So back then the remix was easily my favorite, but now in 2015, I probably like both versions equally - they're both old school beats we've heard tons of times before, and they both sound cool as soundbeds for these Slick Rick-style one man dialogue exchanges. The scratch breakdown at the end of both mixes is really fresh.

But as much as everyone (including myself; I'm not gonna front) was into hearing the drama at the time - getting excited over lyrics like, "Eazy-E said, 'yeah oh yeah,' so I took it. Forgot the paperwork; the money made me overlook it." - we want to hear our favorite MCs make masterpieces, not dish dirt. And that brings us to our A-side. "Return Of da Livin' Dead." It takes its title from the Dan O'Bannon classic film Return Of the Living Dead, but otherwise there's no connection. And I don't just mean because there's no zombies in the song (lol), but the film is a classic blend of dark and light tones, horror and humor while this song is just very straight forward. It's a remake of his classic, pre-vocal damage "Funky Enough."

This was a bad idea. The idea was to show that he could rock as hard post-accident as he could pre-, but it's nigh impossible to make a knock off that's as compelling or better than an original masterpiece. So while this song is good, there was no way it wasn't going to pale in comparison. I guess it got him a little extra free publicity/ attention that he wasn't just coming back, but remaking this classic; but I don't think it really netted him that much more than just his comeback in general did. And it certainly wasn't worth the cost of an unflattering comparison being your first new impression.

Which is why this 12" is so good for having another exclusive remix. And this time there isn't any old school instrumental at all. It's more g-funky, and there's no question that Dre's original "Funky Enough" beat is better than this new Erotic D beat. But this new track allows "Return Of da Livin' Dead" to be a new, original song and stand on its own legs instead of remake that should never have happened.

And The D.O.C. sounds pretty good on the mic. His voice is super ripped, of course, and anyone looking for him to sound anywhere near his first album are going to be disappointed. But he showed he could still make a solid record; he just sounded like somebody completely different. It was a little strange, and you wouldn't want a lot of MCs rapping like that, but as the only guy with that sound, he made his own little niche. He could still work a mic better than most of the weed carriers these guys surrounded themselves with.

So I was surprised when Deuce came around and he barely rapped on it at all, using it as more of a compilation than a genuine D.O.C. album (especially considering how it was titled and marketed like the one, true follow-up to No One Can Do It Better. I guess that's largely because the Giant album stumbled, and people chalked up what sales it did get to the Death Row drama. But I think he showed he had the potential to make good, if not as good, records with his damaged voice. If anything, the switch from Dre's production to Erotic D's has held him back more than anything from the accident. So hopefully whenever D.O.C. does whatever he's going to do next with his fresh, old voice, he'll get Dre behind at least a couple of tracks. With all of that, and rhymes and delivery just as good as he's already doing on this record, it'll be a lock.

Chubb Rock & The G-Man

I hate to be cynical, but laying out the money to buy a guest verse from a better known rapper works. When I first saw G-Man's debut single in stores, I had no idea who he was. I didn't even realize he was a singer, not a rapper. But I saw "feat. Chubb Rock" written on the label, and I bought it, without even any idea of what it sounded like. It was a good time to have Rock, since it came out in 1996, when the buzz was just amping up for his fifth album, which was then going to be called Clear the Decks. So heads were aching to hear some Chubb Rock, and boom here was this in the store. Who was G-Man, who cares? Doesn't matter. And I doubt G-Man actually had to pay for this cameo, since they were labelmates on Select Records, and this was surely an early step in marketing Chubb Rock's return.

So yeah, I was a little disappointed to learn G-Man was a singer, and so this song was R&B with a guest verse rather than a full-out hip-hop song. But what the hell, I would've bought it anyway had I known. It's Chubb Rock. The song was called "Treat Me Right," and it's probably meant to reference Chubb Rock's biggest hit, "Treat 'Em Right," but they don't mention it at all in the actual content of the song. It starts out with the "Corsa Ave. Mix," a cool, moody hip-hop track produced by Chubb himself, and the vocals open with Chubb rapping. He comes pretty nice, definitely putting in the effort to be creative and original, though it veers dangerously close to corniness a couple of times. After his verse, things get kind of dull, with a long repetitive hook and neither G-Man nor the instrumental bothering to do anything to separate it from his verses. It's all alright, but G-Man doesn't have a powerful voice either, opting instead for kind of a hip, low-key delivery with a kind of nasally voice. As cool as the track is, it really drags, until Chubb Rock finally comes back for one more short verse at the end of the song. And as good as Rock sounds, it's not really his top shelf stuff lyrically. Still, if you were to edit out the sleepy middle of the song, this could be a pretty neat, very short Chubb Rock song with a sung hook.

Then there's a couple remixes, mostly also produced by Chubb and using the same basic beat. The Hip Piano Vocal version is almost identical, except it has an extra sample loop over the top of it that sounds more like a guitar than a piano. It was better without it. Then there's the G-Man Vocal mix, which is the same as the Corsa Ave. Mix minus Chubb Rock's vocals. And finally, besides a couple instrumentals, there's the Uptempo Vocal Mix, produced by somebody named James Dowe. Not bad, it is genuinely more uptempo which helps G-Man's performance, and features some extra instrumentation like a piano loop that actually sounds like a piano and multiple samples from "Treat 'Em Right." Chubb Rock also has a new verse on this one, where he very definitely does reference his own record. It's kinda cool, but still drags with G-Man's flat singing left to carry 90% of the song.

So, overall, it was just okay. Not mad at it, but mostly just happy for a little Chubb Rock fix, especially since his album was taking forever to come out. Release dates were announced and not met; there still wasn't even a single. Eventually, in 1997, I spotted G-Man's second single in stores and I thought, nah, I'm done with that guy. Unless you've got Chubb Rock on your record again, I don't even wanna know about it. Then I flipped it over, and oh, look who's on the B-side. Chubb Rock, and also guest verses by AG and some protege of Chubb's named Freeze A. Luv. Alright, fine; I bought it.

This single's called "Runnin' 2 U," and again, there are a couple versions. The main version just features AG, but is again produced by Chubb Rock. I kinda thought hey, maybe we'd already have Clear the Decks by now if he'd stop fooling around with these side projects. But whatever, let's hear what we've got. It's a little more traditional, in terms of R&B, with G-Man on more of a Jodeci tip. The beat has a lot of instrumental flourish, but it's backed by the beat for Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones pt II," which is quite cool. When we finally get to AG's part, hearing him over "Shook Ones" is dope; but his verse is too short, just there really to support G-Man, who admittedly sounds more engaging this second time around.

Like the last single, there's another mix, called Original Sauce, which is the same as the main vocal version but minus the guest rapper, and there's an instrumental. There's also a remix, simply called the Street Mix, which replaces the "Shook Ones" for the "DWYCK" beat. AG's verse is back on it, so it's kinda cool. Still basically an unexciting R&B song for the most part, though.

But finally there's the Secret Recipe Remix. This features all three of the MCs over a new instrumental with faux horns and some phat snare. AG switches his verse for harder hip-hop subject matter, and G-Man is relegated to the hook. Unfortunately, he doesn't change what he's singing, and his "Runnin' 2 U" chorus doesn't really fit this song. But still, it's a pretty tight song that's really a hip-hop track this time, with some good MCs, and Chubb Rock takes a pretty random shot at DJ Clue. I'd like it better without the hook, but it's still a dope track that's worth having overall if you're a fan of Chubb or AG.

And eventually, later that year, Rock's album, now titled The Mind, limped out to stores, with all of its marketing and promotion finished a year prior. Most people I talked to who had been fans of Chubb Rock and were waiting for the album didn't even know it had dropped. I had to bring in my copy to work one day to prove to one of the guys at The Source that it actually existed and I had it.

Ultimately, it wasn't his best but still pretty good and enough to keep me happy as a fan. I remember him giving an interview early on that he was going back to high energy dance tracks and hard vocals (like his biggest hits "Ya Bad Chubbs" and "Treat 'Em Right") for his new album, and ultimately there was really only one song like that on The Mind, which makes me think Select Records' vaults are full of Chubb Rock songs from 1995-1996 that we never got to hear. Oh well. I'm not mad at what we did get; it was dope, just too bad it wound up being his final album.

And guess who sang a hook on that album? Of course, G-Man, on a song called "The Man." It's good but very R&Bish, and not just because of the hook. The instrumental by Elliot Ness is pure late night BET R&B. Chubb Rock's voice and flow sounds great on it, but he's clearly not on the same page as G-Man. He's rapping about adulthood and serious social issues ("I heard black men, I mean boys, saying they beat their queens. That type rush can't paint the scene, dissipates the dream of black kings"), but G-Man's singing about romance ("whenever you need good lovin', you gotta understand, it takes a man, a man, to keep you satisfied"). Though I guess they're both on the general theme of men and women coming together and what-not. It's more a mismatch of tone than concept.

Our G-Man.

And that seems to be the end of G-Man's story. Chubb Rock came back with another single post-Select Records, and eventually did stuff online and for the Wet Hot American Summer soundtrack. But I haven't heard G-Man on any more of his stuff. discogs links another guy named G-Man*, a member of a South Central crew The Mobsters, to this G-Man's page like they're the same person, but they're not. The 1997 single "What Kinda Nigga Is U?" is by the one from The Mobsters, not our guy. But if Chubb Rock ever comes back for a sixth album, and I still hope he will, I wouldn't be mad at another hook by G-Man. He could sound good if utilized properly.


*In fact, there are over fifty artists named G-Man listed on discogs(!).

The Ultimate 100X Posse Collection

Ah, the limited game. Super expensive records that go out of print before pre-orders have a chance to turn into regular orders. Of course, it's hard for people to complain when they wouldn't even pay $5 for a brand new 12" anyway. But man, there's been some great stuff released through this model. You know what was awesome? Freestyle Records' epic 100X Posse package in 2009.

At $125, it was priced to hurt, but the contents were pretty awesome. The main element is a double LP called Whom Shall I Fear? It's a weighty collection of their unreleased material from their early period of 1993-1995. Yeah, 100X has stuff dating back even before then; but this was right about the time they were the full-sized crew and recording in earnest, and its the time of their debut collective 12", "Beyond the Door" (1994). It's right after the Greg Osby stint, when they went back to their rawest, hardest material, free of having to water down their style for Blue Note. It's when they even drifted into horrorcore, most notably with the song called "Horrorcore."

But they dipped into horrorcore the way the Geto Boys did. They didn't really go out to jump into horror movie style lyrics on wax so much as just take the hardcore, violent imagery of street and gangster rap to such an extreme that it crossed the line. "Floozies, I butt-fuck 'em with the uzis. I'm showin' no pity, bitches, I'm cuttin' off ya fuckin' titties." That's what this LP sounds like, combined with LE Square's rugged and stripped down sound. Like I mentioned in an older 100X post, I liked their the blend of the more commercial-style production on their "Thug Bowl" single merged with 100X's street styles; but I wouldn't want most of their records to sound like that. I'd want 'em to sound like this. It's basically what you want if you're in the market for seriously hardcore rap. It's also from the early 90s, though, and back when these guys were still pretty young, so it does get dip into the corny and even childish if you pay strict attention to all the lyrics (i.e. that example I just cited). And there are the trite, pop culture references and punchlines that all early 90s rap is laden with ("disassemble niggas like Johnny 5"). But with those caveats, really, if you're a 90s head, this is exactly what you're fiending for.

One thing you'll notice, though, is that two of their most famous members - Poison Ladd and Beats In General - aren't on the album. That's because, though they're often listed as members of the group, and they were unquestionably affiliated (Are Em even produced a couple tracks on Another 1 4 U 2 NV), I don't think they were ever really members proper. They aren't on this album at all and they're not on any of the other 100X 12"s that came out over the years. They do feature, however, on the other record in this package: Early X.

Early X is the crown jewel of this collection if you ask me. Like its title implies, it goes back even earlier than Whom Shall I Fear? to 1991, before 100X was fully formed. It features two tracks apiece by three groups that would pave the way to forming 100X, including Poison Ladd and Beats In General, Are Em (solo) and Bad Newz' earlier group Call Us Whatchu Want. This is more hype, classic late 80's sounding Another 1 4 U 2 NV-style material; I love it. Poison Ladd & BIG have a particularly politically incorrect jam called "Slanty Eyed Devil," which strongly echoes Ice Cube's "Black Korea" that came out the same year, with Poison adopting a very B-Real like affectation. Mind you, I'm not really pointing that out as a highlight. Calling the song "politically incorrect" was me being gentle. Despite its genuine message about rejecting outsiders who bring liquor and garbage into local communities (taken directly from Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, which is sampled in the song's opening), it's still overtly racist. And lord knows one B-Real is enough. But damn if the production doesn't make it sound hot regardless.

But the surprising break-out stars are C.U.W.W., whose two songs are fantastic. Hype production with big samples, like the best records DWG have released.  And they sound perfect over it, in the vein of a faster UBC. I could honestly just put their two cuts on repeat all day.

And that's all the wax in that package: the double LP in a picture cover and the single EP in a sticker cover. But there was one more thing: a mix-CD simply called Rare & Unreleased 1992-1996, mixed by DJ Nickybutters. He does a fine job and I'm not knocking his mixing skills, but I sure wish this was a proper compilation without all the material blended together, because there's some great songs on here that are still unavailable in their complete form. It brings in some of their rare 12" material, like three tracks from their "Beyond the Door" 12" and eight tracks from Whom Shall I Fear?, the latter of which is stupidly redundant. But there's still a bunch of strong stuff you can't hear anywhere else, full songs and freestyle "Commercials." The Roots even make a couple of appearances.

For years, this was still available on Freestyle Records' website, but in the last couple years it unfortunately went offline. But you can still buy this set from them directly through discogs, at the reduced price of $100 even. Practically free, right? Ha ha It is a pretty great set, though.

A Pair Of Wu-Tang Promos

You know a group's captured the popular imagination when even their snippet tapes sell for good money on the collectors' market. Of course, it helps immensely when they have ill exclusives or really cool art design. And to that end, I've dug two classic Wu-Tang cassettes from out of my box.

First up is the legendary "silver tape." That name's a little misleading, since the tape itself isn't actually silver, like the purple tape was genuinely made of purple plastic. I guess this name's more short-hand, referring to the shiny silver case it comes in, with nothing but the Wu logo on the front and back, no indication of what songs or what's on it. And that's true of the cassette itself, too, which is all solid black with just a silver "W" on it. It definitely makes you feel like you've got your hands on some super secret, mysterious Wu contraband; and this is from back in 1997, before there had been any lesser, lower tier material from the Clan, so anything you saw had to be amazing.

Unfortunately, the content doesn't quite live up to all of that. It's basically a Wu-Tang Forever promo, with snippets from their then yet to be released second album. But it's not just a collection of clips of songs you've already got in full on the album now, that actually makes up a small fraction of the tape. The majority consists of interview snippets with each of the various members talking about their history. They talk about how they came up with the title 36 Chambers, why they kept their faces covered on their earliest covers, how they slip serious content into their songs, etc. ODB starts out by saying, "give me a kiss" and talks about his drinking and adding "Ossirus" to his name. I wouldn't say it's something you should bust your kneecaps out running to track down, but its a pretty cool collectors item for the serious fans.

Then the other one dates back even farther. It's Raekwon the Chef's Latest and Greatest Hits from 1995, where he's boldly putting out a "greatest hits" even before his first album. It's essentially an expanded version of his "Criminology" single, I guess, as it has both the A- and B-sides to that, plus his previous, debut single "Heaven and Hell." It's also got some of his most famous moments from 36 Chambers, including "C.R.E.A.M." and the remix of "Can It Be All So Simple," which actually wound up being on Cuban Linx. And finally it's got his classic Mobb Deep appearance, "Eye For an Eye." And why am I getting excited and bothering to list out all of these snippets song by song? Because they're actually not snippets, but the full songs. So this was a pretty nice little pick-up back in the day.

But the best part, and the reason why you might continue to care about this in 2015, is that it also has an exclusive freestyle. It's pretty substantial, almost the length of a full song, and has him spitting over Channel Live's dark "Mad Izm" instrumental, constantly being rubbed and scratched by an uncredited DJ. And he gets pretty sick, though that's largely because he slips pretty quickly into his verse from "Guillotine." Of course, this came out before Cuban Linx, so it was brand new here, and either way he sounds great over Krs's killer beat.

So yeah, just a couple things to keep an eye out for next time you're shopping for the Wu fan who has everything. I think I'd rather get one of these than one of these Wu-Tang Clan American flag watches, anyway.  :/

Something Else By T-La Rock

(Youtube version is here.)

Back To the 6th Floor

Hey, the new Roots Forward record landed on my door today. It's been a little while since we heard from them; I think their last record was that Schoolly D repress a couple years ago. But they're back, and this new single's pretty cool. This time they're bringing us 6th Floor, one of those rugged mid 90s Wu-Tang affiliate groups from before anyone from that camp started doing corny stuff. They just dropped one single back in 1995 on the indie Brooklyn label Kick Live Records. It's one of those records that's hard to find and goes for a lot when you do find it, 'cause you know, Wu collectors are dogged, especially when the material's really dope.

So, the single's called "Project Logic," and Roots Forward's new 7" is a repress of that old Kick Live A-side. It's a great, subtle track with a perfect bassline and drum combo. Two MCs pass the mic back and forth for a little extra energy, but they sound pretty similar, so it's hard to always tell which one is rapping at any given moment. Although maybe part of that is just that we haven't had the chance to get to know them like we did other Wu groups who continued putting out albums until we were all intimately familiar with their styles and idiosyncrasies. At any rate, these dudes are pretty nice. It's all just your basic freestyle rhymes about their own flows, but I don't think we'd really want a crew like this getting too spacey or conceptual anyway. And they've got consistently smart, multiple rhymes that are a pleasure to listen to, putting them ahead of several other Wu affiliates. It is from '95, so there are some cheesy punchlines like "smoother than Ex-Lax," that we wouldn't suffer nowadays, but they at least kind of add to the nostalgic throw back vibe of this release.

The track's produced by Wu fam Supreme... I'm honestly not sure if he was actually a member of 6th Floor or just did this record for them. But either way, if he's behind it, you know it's sick. You remember that early EP by Shabazz the Disciple and Supreme Kourt? He's that guy; and he also did some of the earliest and best Sunz of Man material (alongside everything 4th Disciple produced). It's atmospheric, dark and minimalistic, with just a little quiet cutting of Grand Daddy IU's "Pick Up the Pace" for a hook. It's one of those joints I feel pretty confident any hip-hop head will like.

Now, the original 12" on Kick It Live had two songs. "Project Logic," the one featured here, is the stronger of the two; but both were good. This 7" only has the one song. It's the best one, but still... hardcore enthusiasts are going to still want to track down the original for both tracks. But that's not to say that this 7" is of no value to the serious collector who's already got the original 12". Why?

Well, the old 12" had the main versions and Radio Edits (which, pffft, goodbye. Nobody cares about radio edits except radio DJs. Won't be missing them). But the B-side to this 7" is the previously unreleased Instrumental version. That's not available anywhere else. Granted, instrumentals probably only really appeal to a select segment of the audience, too. But for them, this should be a real treat. And for the rest of us, hey, it's at least a little cool to have it as an exclusive.

And this is a pretty nice looking project, too. It's just a 7" and yeah we all prefer 12"s; but it's pressed on a really cool looking blue vinyl and has a stickered outer cover. Like most of their records, this one's limited to 300 copies. Oh, and lest I forget one of the most important aspects, the sound quality's excellent. I don't have the original 12" to compare it to, but it's definitely much better than what's been floating around online all this time. These have been remastered from the original recordings; you can tell they didn't just rip the old 12" or anything.

So I really recommend this one for anyone who doesn't want to spend months hunting down the OG and then paying triple digits for it. Don't get me wrong, I've been that guy and I will be again. Ha ha But for most of us, the chance to own a hot, slept on 90s Wu-banger on wax for less than $10 US (finally, an exchange rate we benefit from!) is a deal worth doin'. You can cop it direct from Roots Forward here. It's good to see 'em back.

Back To Beverly Hills

(Youtube version is here.)

The First Virginia Hip-Hop Record?

Is this the first Virginia hip-hop record? That's what I've read about it online, and it seems to check out. It certainly comes long before any of the famous VA Hip-Hop acts we all know like Tha Supafriendz or Missy Elliot, and even before the oldest ones I've heard of, like the Too Def Crew. But then again, I'm assuming that's true based on the dates on discogs. I'm not exactly sure where they got them from, as there's no date on the label, and no other records by the same company have dates on their labels either. But assuming these dates are correct, then yes, M.C. Rockwale's "Cooley Tee" from Style Records and Tapes seems to be Virginia's first hip-hop single, released in 1986.

Happily, it's also a pretty good record; so it's worth looking into whether it's the first or not. The Cooley-Tee of the title is Rockwale's DJ, and he does some nice, old school scratching on the record. It starts out with Rockwale doing a corny London accent acting as a Cooley-Tee fan who's come to America to find him, but once he starts actually rapping, he's pretty good. I mean, it's very old school, so if mid-80s rap isn't your bag, this won't convince you with lines like, "hip-hop is hot, Liberace's not, so when you're hot you're hot and when you're not you're not!" But vocally he comes off well, very LL-inspired, over some well-programmed percussion and a funky bassline. And honestly, for 1986 and somebody who's coming out of a state that never made any hip-hop records before, Tee's scratching is pretty impressive. It's nice that he changes the samples he's cutting throughout the song rather than just making a consistent hook. "Cooley-Tee" actually holds up pretty well, and I'm disappointed they didn't seem to follow it up with any more records.

The record is produced by Grandaddy, who released his own record on the same label under the amended spelling Grand'Daddy. Again, there's no date on the label, and the catalog numbers aren't a huge help... would Style 1001 have come out before or after Style 112? I mean, presumably after, or else Grand'Daddy actually released the first Virginian hip-hop record. And that would be a shame because this record sucks.

The A-side is "Grand'Daddy's Party," and he doesn't quite rap on it. It's a dance record, for sure, with some rock & roll style saxophone and a girl singing the hook. Grand'Daddy just kinda talks for a while, without rhyming or a strict rhythm, about how great his party is. Then Grand'Daddy comes in for his part, just basically talking about how great his party is... he's kind of like Luke in that regard. He even leads a shout & call section, shouting, "New York, are you holdin'? (Yeah!), Chicago are you controllin'? (Yeah!)." I was going to say he definitely doesn't rap, but after a couple listens I realized his talking bit does actually rhyme. He also says everything twice, which is a little annoying.

But if you want to say that it's not rap-y enough to qualify as a hip-hop record to even be a contender for first if it does precede MC Rockwale, let me tell you about the B-side. It's called "Rap, Grand'Daddy, Rap," and he definitely does rap on this one. He's got presumably the same girls singing the chorus, and his rap is still pretty close to generic talking, but there is a more definite rap rhythm. His verses are as simple as, "Grand'Daddy is my name, rappin' is my claim to fame. You heard the rest, now listen to the best" with a flow like a clean Blowfly with a smoother voice. He tells a little story which makes it sound like he thinks Hollywood is in New York, because he flat out says, "I went to New York to make it good; gonna make my debut in Hollywood." This could almost be featured in my Wack Attack video series, but the B-side is actually listenable and kinda fun. The girls singing the hook are good, and once again there's a lot of saxophone. Maybe he's playing it himself and that sax is his real forte. Anyway, it sure is a strange reveal as the man behind MC Rockwale & Cooley-Tee.

I'd only recommend the Grand'Daddy record as a lark, but the Rockwale record's really pretty good. It's just the one song, with an Instrumental and shortened Radio Mix on the B-side, but it's worth picking up cheap, or if you're an aficionado of Virginian hip-hop history. This is Rockwale's only record, but apparently he's still in Virginia, now working as a dancer/ instructor under the name Pop-A-Dok. You can check out his website here, and he also does Michael Jackson impersonations. Pretty fun.

The Great Peso Is Back

Maybe you remember a couple years ago, I talked about a new record by an old school guy named Chain 3, which featured The Great Peso of The Fearless Four. Now, Peso had done a couple things since those disco-era Fearless Four records... he had that single with Mr. Nasty and a couple 12"s on Tuff City. But that stuff petered out by the late 80s. And he did come back for the Fearless reunion album in 1994 [note to self: blog about that one of these days, too], but it's basically been an awfully long time since we'd heard from the man musically. But thanks to a reader named Matt, I've just found out he's actually been pretty active on that front.

This is a self-titled album by Peso simply going under the initials TGP. There's no date on it, but I'm guessing just from the sound it might be a couple years old, and it's on a label called Lake City Records. There are no guests and it's entirely produced by TGP and Karon S. Graham, who I think has done some of Mobb Deep's recent songs.

And there's no doubt this TGP is the same guy, by the way; he has his real name in the writing credits and even refers to himself as The Great Peso on one or two songs. He's now coming out of the Lake Champlain area of New York, I gather, because one of his songs is "Lake Champlain Anthem." It's an interesting little album. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say, the interesting thing about the album is that it's uninteresting. If you didn't know TGP stood for The Great Peso, you'd probably write this album off as completely generic.

It's not terrible, Peso still sounds good on the mic, and there are a couple of attempts to add a little something extra to the production to be more creative. But with titles like "Hot Girl," "I Like the Way U Dance" and "It's Alright," everything just sort of feels like an attempt not to draw any attention to itself. Perhaps that explains the TGP thing, too; like he's flying under Hip-Hop's radar. I mean, I can't imagine why he or anyone would want to do that when releasing music, but nothing here stands out. At least it doesn't stand out as bad either; but it's probably mostly a case of the production really not suiting the MC. I'd really only recommend this for serious old school fans who feel they have to hear it when someone like Peso comes back with a new album. You know, like me.

Perhaps a little more interesting to a broader audience is his even newer, 2015 music. He's linked up with a local, up and coming hip-hop collective called The Plattsburgh Home Team. They've just released a new CD called the Summer Sampler 2015, which predictably features all their members on solo tracks and collaborative cuts. A couple of their songs are interesting... Two MCs named Zyon Soulsmyth and Phonix Dark have a cool, atmospheric KA-like joint, and there's a 21 MC posse cut where they loop up the soundtrack to Dario Argento's Deep Red.

But yeah, The Great Peso has a song on here called "My Universe." It's got a fun chipmunk soul loop, and admittedly half of the appeal is just hearing an old school legend back on the mic doing contemporary music; but it's pretty cool. And he turns up again towards the end of the album on "Weekend Cypher," which isn't really a proper song so much as a bunch of Home Team members live. It's a high energy performance, and Peso comes in with a great old school freestyle at the end that's the highlight of the whole CD.

You can cop the Sampler CD for just $5 here, or just casually listen to the tracks 'cause it's a bandcamp. I don't know where you could find the full TGP album without getting hooked up by someone who's met him personally. But now ya know it's out there, so if you're that hardcore Fearless Four fan, put it on your want list and happy huntin'.

Wack Attack #5! Louie Louie 4 with a Special, Surprise Guest!

(Youtube version is here.)

Outsidaz Restored, Au Naturale

Here's a bit of good news for Outsidaz fans. In 2001, they put out an album called All Natural almost none of y'all have. I mean, you probably have mp3s you downloaded from one of a million shady sources, but you probably don't have a real copy of it. That's because you could only order it direct from the label Slang Doe Record's website, which was only up for short time (at least in that incarnation). And this was years ago before everybody Paypal accounts and bandcamp pages. You had to mail them a check or money order. I don't even have an original CD of it, and I've put in some effort.

But the good news is it's back. It's in print. I mean, it's actually been starting to pop up digitally here and there for a while now... You could buy the mp3s from Amazon if you're into that; and I think now it's on ITunes. But I just stumbled across new, official CDs out in the wild. These are legit, properly pressed (not CD-Rs) CDs direct from Slang Doe.

Now, All Natural is often billed as an Az Izz solo album. Even the old covers[pictured right] had his name and photo right on the front. And for good reason; he produced the whole thing. He's been both an MC (with some sick lines on here) and a producer for the Outz, doing some of their better known songs like "Rush Ya Clique" and "Do It Wit a Passion." And there were actually two singles off the album, under Az Izz's name, which are easier to find, since they were pressed on vinyl and managed to circulate around the vinyl community. But the full-length CDs are much more scarce. And whether you consider it a proper Outsidaz album, or an Az Izz producer's album that just so happens to be 100% of Outsidaz appearances, it's a hot little album that any Outz fan will want.

It's definitely got a more low budget sound to it, raw and unpolished, which is either a pro or a con depending on your tastes. Either way, it makes a cool alternative to the more official studio album, The Bricks. The song "So Low" sounds like you're right in the studio with the guys while they take turns kicking verses. Hence the title All Natural, I suppose. And there are songs you'll recognize, since all four songs (the A- and B-sides) from both those aforementioned Az Izz 12"s are one here, and so is "Do It Wit a Passion," which originally came out on vinyl in 1999, and was included on the pre-release version of The Bricks, but ultimately got left off the retail version.

And, except for the Detroit guys, every Outsida you know is on here: Young Zee, Pace Won, D.U., Axe, Yah Yah, Loon One, Nawshis, Denz One, S.A.S.S.... Yes, Slang Ton is on here; he's on four songs(!). Even Rah Digga comes through. There's one or two Az Izz solo songs (although even those have background vocals by other members), but it's definitely an Outsidaz family affair. Most songs are posse cuts with multiple members spitting bars. And there's also a couple outsider (see what I did there? That's why I make the big bucks) appearances by some guy with a bugged style from Newark named Nom, and Artifacts' OG Tame One.

A pleasant surprise, too: this new pressing features an all-new bonus track. Now, don't get too excited. It's not an unheard, vintage Outsidaz posse cut. It might be vintage, I guess; but it sounds new. And it's not a big Outsidaz posse cut. It's just a short freestyle by BSkills.

Wait, who's BSkills? I'm glad you asked. He's an Outsidaz affiliate from Brazil (hence the B in his name), who linked up with the crew when he was living in New Jersey. I used to think Az Izz ran Slang Doe Records, since all they put out back in the day was his stuff. In more recent years, they put out a couple other guys, but strictly online stuff, no CDs or vinyl. But, yeah, apparently it's actually Skills not Az Izz. And he's the one making the new CDs happen now... which explains why they're shipping from Brazil.

Whoops. Yeah. But if you're not in Brazil, you can get them normally priced on EBay. He's selling them direct on there, and thankfully you don't have to pay crazy overseas shipping that way. I think you can get it from some Brazillian stores if you're actually over there; but for most of us, that's the way to go. Just search for "All Natural Outsidaz" or "Slangdoe" and you'll find it. Maybe it's not quite as exciting as the big Musical Meltdown revival, but I was pretty happy when I found this.

Ah, the Halcyon Days Of Anticon

Man, remember the great days of Anticon Records? When they were hip-hop and ingenious and releasing great records and CDs as fast as you could collect them? It seemed like you never had to worry about them running out of material, and even if some of their hand-made, limited CDRs were sub-par, you could be confident it would still be full of compelling moments and great samples. But man, I just had to check anticon.com right now to make sure they were still in existence. I don't even know who's on the label anymore - just a bunch of folk singers and Alias making techno beats I guess. But all you guys who spent the early 2000s hating on them missed a Hell of little thunderstorm in Hip-Hop, at a time when the rest of the genre was going through a slow drought.

What about the time they all came together to do a track for DJ Krush's album called "Song for John Walker?" That was his 2002 album, The Message At the Depth; but you can just do what I did and get this sweet little 12" single of it. There are a couple other non-rap album tracks on the 12", too, but who cares? I sure don't. I only listen to "Song for John Walker."

In case you've forgotten, or just aren't a big news follower in the first place, John Walker Lindh is the white kid from California who got shot and captured while fighting against the United States during our invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. What was he doing there? Well, some kids join the school marching band and some kids lean towards something a little edgier, like the taliban. He shot some Red Cross workers while he was over there, plead guilty when he was brought back, and President Bush (the first one) got in trouble for calling him "some misguided Marin County hot-tubber."

The song surely shares inspiration with the piece Black Like Me that The Pedestrian had published in the East Bay Express a little while after the song was released. That article uncovers the surprising and under-reported fact that John Walker was, prior to leaving the country, a huge hip-hop fan who wrote battle raps on newsgroups and pretended to be a black man named Mr. Mujahid, calling out rappers who didn't live up to his ideals of blackness, i.e. calling Dr. Dre a "sellout house nigga living honkey dory," and "a disgrace selling out to the talcum. He'll be left dead and naked in the outcome; word to brother Malcolm." Yeah, you won't learn about all that in many other sources; you should totally go read the whole article.

Ironically, the song focuses less on Walker as a hip-hop figure, though; and more as a political icon. Like all of their best work, it's both directly sardonic and perplexing abstract at the same time. At one point, Dose One is chiding, "he wanted Hammer pants. He joined the tali-hey-ban. He sought an absolute truth, the alpha cliché; But he got the omega and fucked," at another you'll be struggling to decipher what he means as he repeatedly sings, "again we use the magnets poorly; again we use the magnets poorly." While Why? comes in, getting at least close to rap (longtime Why? listeners will know what I mean) to represent the non-voting, slacker generation:

"Well, I heard the two parties split platforms at the turn of the century;
But. I. Know. I'm. A. Mer. I. Can. By the coins I carry.
And that's fuckin' scary.
Bla-bla-bla-bla-blah blah blah.
And even the worn-wigged hard news anchors are un-affected;
And every psychic and small-time prophet is aloof.
We've been injected to the point of immunity;
It takes an F load of S to stimulate the desensitized taste buds of the sugar expecting community,
'Till we can barely detect... the weather man's insincerity."

Passage and Sole team up, reminiscent of their classic duet, "Isn't It Sad How Sad We Are?" ("Become a smart happy healthy pet rock if you can eat like us; you'll make great soup and hot new imports for domesticated devils. Don't worry, in thirty years we'll all be Johns and Sarahs"), while Alias provides a more omniscient perspective a la his great "Divine Inspiration." The Pedestrian only really chimes in for the song's opening lines, but I'm sure he was deeply involved with the writing of the whole thing, which has often been his role. The whole gang really pulls together, often with quite divergent styles, into a cohesive whole, thanks in no small part to DJ Krush. At the time, I know Krush's production for the Anticon collective received a lukewarm welcome by fans; but I actually think he does an excellent job capturing the dark, bitter joke; and subtly shifts the music to fit the different segments of the song, rapped or sung in styles you'd otherwise think could never be parts of the same song.

Krush remixed this song on an album called Stepping Stones years later, but it really doesn't retain the energy or effect of the original at all. It's kinda cool once or twice as a variant - he adds some slick scratching during one of the breakdowns. But the newer, earnest instrumentation takes things too seriously, losing the feeling that these are courtroom jesters singing a coded message of our extinction. Stick with the original, which is conveniently available on 12" already. The idea that Anticon has been moving on without Sole for years feels like some kind of a morbid joke. But that's the great thing about records, they last even as the times change. We can plop 'em on the turntable and go back whenever we want.

Who Is the Queen of Ghetto Madness?

The Queen of Ghetto Madness has to be one of the best rapper names in Hip-Hop history. And fortunately, she lives up to it. Plus, she's from Jersey, so bonus. And If you're just causally searching, it may seem like she only had the one 12", but there's actually more to her story. But let's start with the obvious 12".

Released in 1990 on Scorpio Music with a great picture cover, The Queen's single (also released on cassette without the alternate mixes) is a two-song 12" produced by I.Q. You probably don't realize who that is, especially since there are a number of people who use some variant of "I.Q." as their rap name, but once I tell you... You know how Tony D produced the Poor Righteous Teachers' early albums? Well, he produced most of them. Actually a couple of their early tracks, right down to their debut "Time To Say Peace" 12", are produced and/or co-produced by I.Q. He was also a member of Northside Productions and did their tracks, and has stayed in the industry as a producer and artist over the years. So seeing his name on a record, especially a 1990 Jersey street rap record, is a good thing.

So the first song is "Run the Rhythm," which is pretty decent, our Queen certainly comes off nicely; but it's her prerequisite hip-house song, so probably not the song that's going to get anybody excited today. Her flow here reminds me of Queen Latifah's first album, though, and that's definitely not a bad thing, and I.Q. lays in some funky, danceable samples. There's a Dance Mix here, too; but that turns out to just be a fancy/ misleading name for the instrumental. She's got an acappella, too, which is always nice.

It's the B-side that will draw most heads, though. If "Run the Rhythm" was her "Come Into My House," this is her "Ladies First" (she's even got a higher pitched friend who jumps in on the hook), but with a darker, tougher beat. Hard drums, tortured horns and a funky bassline. It's classic hip-hop and the Queen kills it. There's also an Acappella and Instrumental for this one. But what isn't on here, is this mix. Where did this come from? It's hot! It's nowhere on the vinyl, and I can't find any alternate, promo or remix 12" out there. Of course, the 12" had an acapella on there, and all the mix I just linked to, dope as it is, does just use familiar elements we've heard on other hip-hop tracks. So maybe it's just something a DJ put together for a mixtape? But if it is, it's well done, because it sounds pretty legit. Maybe there is a remix single out there somewhere? I don't know, but like I said, there was more to this story. And that's just the tip.

The credits on this single aren't too detailed - they don't even say who that other girl on "Time For Me To Ruin" is - but there is one interesting detail: "Lyrics by Gladys Graham - A.K.A. MC DRASTIC." Well, hey, I bought a single by an MC Drastic once... I didn't know who it was, just saw they were from New Jersey so I picked it up on a whim for cheap. She turned out to be a female MC, could it be... Yup. 1990, also on Scorpio Music, so there's no question of it just being a coincidence. This is the same person.

It's another two-song 12", and checking the catalog numbers, this one came out after "Run the Rhythm." "Men Will Say Anything To Get Over" is the a-side, a fun relationship song; and "Grab a Hold Of Yourself" is the b-side, another hip-house song. Again, it's another better than average house joint. It starts out sounding super club-oriented, with a "Pump Up the Jam" sample. But once she starts rapping she comes off real hard over a darker, ominous sound. Both tracks are produced by Troy Wonder, and if that name sounds familiar, he was Tony D's DJ back when he was signed as a rapper to 4th & Broadway. It's another pretty nice single. And the Tony D connections don't end there, because the year before these two records, Tony produced one called by "Competition Is None" by A-O-K Productions featuring MC Drastic.

So there's more to the Queen of Ghetto Madness than meets the eye. And what met the eye was already an ill, slept on female MC who's tighter than a lot of those who got deals in her era. I'm definitely a fan.

Blowing the Dust Off Mr. Voodoo's Long-Lost Demos

Woohoo! Chopped Herring is back with their, umm... fourth?  Wait, let me count. One, two, three and now four. Yup, their fourth Natural Elements EP release! This time around, though, it's focused on just one member. They've uncovered, cleaned up and pressed Mr. Voodoo's 1994-1995 demos on wax.

Now, any NE fans how've been in this for the long haul probably thought to themselves, well, I'm familiar with some great, unreleased Mr. Voodoo demo songs - are these them? And the answer is yep, pretty much!  =)  As the emoticon there suggests, though, that's a very good thing. This is some seriously long-awaited material that's been floating around the tape trading fringes for a long time. Most of these songs are online in terrible, low quality and have been for years. And I mean really low quality, where the hiss is actually louder than the song itself, the kind of Xth generation dub of a radio broadcast of a cheap cassette that literally hurts you to listen to it, but you did anyway, because Mr. Voo was blowing your mind as a lyricist.

So do we want to get into this song by individual song? Well, I don't know if we really need to get into every tiny little detail of - are you kidding? Of course we're going to break this down song by song! Let's go!

"New York Straight Talk" - I don't really remember this one, but it has been around in those junky rips. The track has a really cool, interesting sound that's a little richer and more musically layered than you'd expect from an old Voodoo track, and a nice EPMD vocal sample for a hook. It's a great foundation for a calmer, more introspective flow than we're used to from this man. The drums are pure traditional NE-style, though; and the old sleigh bells are in full effect.

"G.L.O.C.K." - This is the one I really remember. This is the one, when I first heard Chopped Herring was releasing Mr. Voodoo's demos, I immediately checked if this was on there. Spoilers: it is. He kicks a tight "Lyrical Tactics"-style flow over a dark, grumbling bassline. There's a g-funk inspired whistle sound over the hook; but otherwise this is very gritty NY-style that couldn't be further from Warren G or those kinda guys. Heavy sleigh bells again, too. Ha ha

"Runnin From My Magic" - This is the obvious chorus, sampled from the classic Brother J vocal sample you know nobody named Voodoo could resist using. I definitely remember this one, too, and I'm really happy to see it restored here. It's got an almost eerie, ominous vibe, not even any sleigh bells.

"New York Straight Talk (Remix)" - An alternate version of the A-side opener, also produced by Charlemagne. This is a more smoothed out version, with very early 90s vibes that a ton of artists were using for a very brief period of time. I prefer the original, but this is a nice alternative, and 90s heads will probably get an extra nostalgic kick from the sample selection.

"Pen Hits the Paper" - Yeah, I remember this one, too. It's got the slightly jazzy vibes of the last track, but couples it with a more boom bap sound and Voodoo just spitting freestyle rhymes. Listening to this pressing for the first time, I just thought yeah, this is exactly what us fans are here for. This EP is 100% delivering. ...Or maybe 90% in this case, because this version is only two verses long, and past versions have had three. But 90 is still great!

"I Come With Skills" - This is the only one not produced by Charlemagne. DJ LDR provides a good backing for Voodoo, too; but it does stand out from the rest, lacking that signature NE sound the rest of this EP has; so it's good that they saved it for the end. Last but not left off, because it's still a dope Wu or "Tried By 12" inspired track with Mr Voodoo killing it.

"Betta Duck" - Okay, technically THIS is last; and it's back to Charlemagne production again. But this is labeled as a bonus track, and that's because it's not a '94-'95 demo track like everything else on here. It's a 2001 recording, and isn't as good as the rest; but it's still a nice little cut with some cool scratching on the chorus.

Like all the previous EPs, this record is limited to 350 copies. 75 copies were pressed on white (white) vinyl, 75 on gold, and the remaining 250 on standard black. They all come in the sticker cover, pictured above, and sound great. I mean, there is a little bit of a limited range, muffled feel to the audio which suggests these tracks were taken from a cassette. I noticed it most on "G.L.O.C.K." It's not a perfect, crystal high fidelity sound, but it's clearly been mastered to sound the best it possibly can and is a huuuuge, huge, huge improvement on the terrible recordings we've heard before. We're talking about the difference between a little imperfect vs. awful; fans will be very pleased with this vinyl.

Now this EP doesn't represent ALL of Mr. Voodoo's vintage demos. I've heard stuff like "Magic," an alternate version of "Hemlock" with different lyrics, and "Chryme Life" comes to mind. [Oh, and if you're thinking, waitaminute, didn't he release that in 2000, Werner? That's right, but there's an older demo version that's even better.] And there's like a whole unofficial Mr. Voodoo album that's been floating around that's a little bit newer (end of the 90s, early 2000s) that never got an official release. One thing I've learned about following these guys is they recorded an incredible amount of killer material, even though they didn't release so much back in the days. So Chopped Herring's work isn't done; there's still more for them to track down, polish off and get out into the world. And I'm here rooting for them to pull it off. But this was just a great big step forward, that's for sure.

Young Zee's Musical Meltdown Pt 3, Finale!

(Youtube version is here.)

Poison Armageddon

(Youtube version is here. Solid Ground's site is here.)

Back On the Battle Tip

Whirlwind D is back once again, with a new vinyl single (his last one was just a few months ago) of contemporary Classic Hip-Hop. And yes, once again he's got some fantastic scratching and strong production along with him. It's another 7", but it comes in a high quality picture cover; and it's always great to see the b-boy vinyl game marching on.

This one's called "B-Line Business," referring to his label, B-Line Records, even though Tru-Tone Records is the name printed in giant text on the actual record. It's pretty much an anthem for the roster, where everybody's name-checked and mission statements are codified. It's the style that really brings you in, though: quick and high energy with tough cracking beats and rhymes mixed with a instrumental produced by Specifik. Specifik's been making records in the UK for a while now, but you guys will probably remember him mostly from having contributed to Whirlwind D's last couple records. It's got a bumping, head-nodding bassline; but once again it's the ill, dynamic turntable choruses that really steal the show, this time vigorously provided by JabbaThaKut, who uses at least a dozen different records for a single hook. Those scratch breaks just make you want to listen to the song over and over again, but it wouldn't work if all the elements weren't coming together and firing on all cylinders as they are here.

The B-side is "Battle Tip 2015," a follow-up to his killer Solid 'N' Mind single that was pretty much lost in 1991 and remastered and re-released in 2010. When I first heard it, I assumed it was a sequel song, with with D spitting similarly themed rhymes over a new but reminiscent track. But as it played on, some of the more creative, colorful imagery started sounding awfully familiar, and I realized it's all the same lyrics as the original. So this is basically just a remix, produced by Waxer this time instead of Johnny F (interestingly, the back cover specifically adds "based on an original Liberty Grooves production" to his production credit).

I feel a bit funny dismissing it as "just a remix," though; 'cause it's pretty great. It naturally retains the rapid-fire drum style of the original, since that's key to the song; but it's otherwise quite different, giving it a dark and freshly atmospheric tone with dark, ominous bass notes straight out of a horror movie. And Waxer's name is dubbed in over Johnny's name during the line that originally went, "Johnny F cuts with blaze of fury," but not, curiously, the line "Johnny F drops an original break." I wonder what the motivation was to redo this in 2015? On the one hand, I feel like the original knocks just a little bit harder, and if I had to choose which one to take on the lifeboat with me, that's the one I'd choose. But on the other hand, this is really fresh. Where the original was comprised of samples we'd heard on other rap classics already, this is unique and unfamiliar, made with sounds I've never heard before. After his impressive work on Whirlwind's previous projects, I'm always up for another Waxer original, and when it's for a fast, hardcore rap track like this, all's the better. But why "Battle Tip" instead of an all new song? Oh well, both versions are different and good enough to be worth owning anyway, and since Whirlwind D's records are always so reasonably priced, there's no reason to make a Sophie's Choice scenario out of it.

Yeah, it's only £6.00, which I guess is still standard for a 7", but it feels like a bargain now that we've gotten used to paying "limited" prices for our wax in recent years. It's a small-hole 45 (the preferable option, unless you're that dude with a jukebox in his man-cave), and like I said it comes in an impressive picture cover. Fans of D's previous work will definitely be pleased with this release, and probably already had it on pre-order since it was first announced on forums anyway. But even if you haven't been following his work, this wouldn't be a bad one to cut your teeth on: maybe not his ultimate masterpiece, but an engaging, slick little record.

Before There Was Raw Produce, There Was... Eddie Bone

Raw Produce released their debut 12", "Cycles," in 1995. And we've already looked at the very first record they worked on, 1993's New England Massive EP which they produced on. But there's a record in between those two, and it's actually on a fairly major record label: Tommy Boy Records. Pitch, on his own, produced the first and last single by Eddie Bone in 1994, the self-titled "Eddie Bone."

Now, looking at the name, picture cover and title, you might expect this to be a pretty terrible pop rap song best left forgotten. That's probably why, even though he came out on Tommy Boy, pretty much nobody's ever heard of him. But it's actually pretty interesting.

Eddie Bone is actually from Texas, and he's on some smooth shit, sort of a cross between Q-Tip and the Penthouse Players Clique. This is a two-song 12", and Pitch only produced the first song. The B-side, "Check the Game," is a more traditional gangsta rap track. The girl singing the hook on the A-side is credited, but the Nate Dogg-lite guy who sings this chorus is uncredited. Could it be Eddie Bone himself? I don't think so; but I'm not ruling it out. It's not brilliant, but it's got a pretty cool, light gangsta rap vibe; that'll at least having you nodding along to it.

But of course, we're all here for the A-side, "Eddie Bone." Eddie doesn't come off as well here as he did on the B-side, but Pitch has cooked up a really interesting instrumental for him. It's jazzy and pretty unusual, not exactly like the stuff Raw Produce would later make for themselves, but it hints at it for sure. And I get the logic behind naming an early record after yourself to market yourself. If all the kids are singing "Eddie Bonnne" after having listened to the radio, they know what CD to buy. Makes sense. Ultramagnetic did it, Stetsasonic did it, Public Enemy did it... The problem is it just comes off so silly and corny. Eddie sounds like an executive-crafted rap act (which he probably was) when he says lines like, "this is something for you G's to ride to," but it's the chorus that really kills it. Ramona DeBreaux is the girl unfortunately taxed with the duty to sing "Eddie Bone, ya loves ta' bone" over and over on the chorus. And she freestyles it a bit at the end, but her singing on the main chorus is really flat, like she's just saying it rather than singing it. There's no way heads were going to take this seriously in '94 and give Bone a career.

So, sorry Eddie Bone, that's the breaks. That hook was a real shot to his own foot. But again, the instrumental is pretty lush and groovy. It's got kind of a g-funk slide whistle thing in it, which is a little heavy-handed and I could live without; but it's a pretty great track. And fortunately both instrumentals are provided on this 12", so you can buy this just for Pitch's quality work, sort of like how all the Large Professor collectors still buy that Kid 'N Play 12" about not doing drugs. Pitch's production is really on that level. And if you're in the mood for a light-hearted guilty pleasure, you can play the vocal versions.