Grandgood Caz

Before Grandgood was one of tour leading hip-hop newsfeeds it's become today, they were putting out music on vinyl. And this is their debut release*: a 7" record, recorded in 2003 and released in 2004, by DJ Signify and Grandmaster Caz. That's a heck of a combination right there, so let's repeat it: that's DJ Signify of one of the greatest underground contemporary turntablist crews, the 12oo Hobos, and Grandmaster Caz, the old school master MC from the legendary Cold Crush Brothers.

And if Signify and Caz aren't enough star power for ya, just get a load of the credits: It features a spoken interlude by Waterbed Kev of The Fantastic Five, it's co-mixed and arranged (with Signify, of course) by Stenski and was mastered by SixToo of The Sebutones! That's a pretty damn auspicious (and ambitious) line-up for a debut single from an indie company.

There's no title, but it's just the one song (with the instrumental on the flip), with some almost dark, ominous samples over a funky old school-style congo drum break beat. The hook sings the praises of the four elements of hip-hop: "B-boys make some noise, and all the graf heads, let's tag it up. DJs get busy on the 1s and 2s, and MCs just do your stuff!" And Caz kicks two verses sharing his history:

"I was one of the first DJs to put in work,
After seeing Clark Kent, Coke la Rock and Herc.
I kept the name Casanova, before it was Caz,
And tried to battle Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash.
Me and Disco Wiz, my partner in crime;
He used to cut up the breaks, I used to mix and rhyme;
I used to practice 'till my cuts were right on time.
Then Theodore started scratchin'; that's when I said I'm
Gonna take it to another level. And I did, B:
First cat to cut and rhyme simultaneously!"

Then, just when you think the song's nearing its end, Kev gets on the mic and demands we give them some of that "old to the new school shit." The beat changes, kicking in some banging hard drums and DJ Signify provides a sick scratch interlude (you knew we had to get one of those at some point, right?). Then Caz comes back, kicking a high energy, hardcore verse (pretty much every line ends with "nigga" for one thing). And it ends with one more scratch session. Neither half of the song has that light, bounce, rock style to grab the casual, bouncy fans, and the last verse certainly wasn't opening any doors to radio play; this is strictly for the heads.

And it was marketed strictly for the heads, too - limited to 1000 copies (which was considered a little more "limited" back then), vinyl only. It came in a cool picture cover (above), and is relatively easy and inexpensive to find used today if you dig around a bit. Or, if you're not a vinyl head (what're you doing here, sir?), you can cop it digitally from Grandgood for just $2 ($1 if you don't care about the instrumental) here.


*More or less... apparently there was a DJ Signify mix-CD called Teach the Children released before this, if you count that. But this is catalog number GG 001. ;)

Come On, Motherfucker!

After The Notorious B.I.G.'s shocking death, a lot of projects were released, including everything from incomplete songs, shelved material, hordes of remixes and rejiggings of his old acapellas and even freestyles. One of the biggest of those releases was the Born Again album, released by Bad Boy Records in 1999. That it's a sub-par album goes without saying, but considering we were never going to get any new Biggie material, fans were happy to get what they could. It was consisted of scraps and bits of Biggie material mixed with new producers and guest MCs, meant to give us the sense that Biggie was... wait for it... born again.

One of the songs on that album was "Come On," featuring Sadat X. The rhymes were tight and not material we'd heard before. In fact, the boldly delivered line, "release the brainstorm to make your motherfuckin' brain warm," has even managed to enter the lexicon of unforgettable Biggie quotes, It's just too bad the production, by the certainly not untalented DJ Clark Kent, kinda sucked. I mean... it's okay; but it's definitely a case of the beat not living up to the MCs rhyming over it.

Now flash forward years later. In interviews like this one with UrbanSmarts, Lord Finesse lets the world know, "I did another joint for him that never came out, with him and Sadat X. It's called 'Come On Motherfuckers.' That was dope too, that was real dope."When asked if that would ever come out he simply replied, "I don't know. I got a copy."

Well, come to find out, "Come On Motherfuckers" was the same song as "Come On" off Born Again, but (like everything else on that album), remixed. In an article for The Fader, Sadat X tells us all about it: "Clark Kent did the remix to [the Notorious BIG collaboration] “Come On”, but the original was done by Lord Finesse. I had met Biggie prior to that. One day Bad Boy called me to come on in. Puff was there and it was me and Big—we had a box of Phillies, we just brainstormed and we did it. I found out it wasn’t going to be on the album when [Ready To Die] came out. It was probably out of Biggie’s control, so I wasn’t mad. It did make it to a couple mixtapes, it did get around the underground. They called and told me they were going to put it out [Clark Kent’s version] on [the posthumous] Born Again. I like the original beat, but I was in no position to contest. That was the one song on the album that was actually done with Biggie, most of them were recorded by other people later." So "Come On" was always intended for Ready To Die, and featured a beat that everybody seemed to prefer way more than the subsequent remix? This needed to drop!

Well, a Japanese label called Soundtable, named after the record store it was born out of, came to the rescue in 2008. They actually released it twice: they included it on the first volume of their limited (300 copies) Lord Finesse's Rare Selections series of vinyl EPs [update: according to DJ Mike Nice in the comments, this version is actually different; a first take]; and even better, they released it as its own 12" single, which included the instrumental and acapella! That's the release with the sticker cover shown above, and if it wasn't already obvious, that's the ideal way to have this track.

And the best news is that Finesse and Sadat were right: this track is better. Way better. Like, blow-the-Born-Again-version-completely-out-of-the-water, and-some-of-the-best-work-all-parties-have-ever-done better! This is classic DITC production at its finest; on the one hand jazzy and vintage-sounding, and on the other, ominous and hardcore. The bulk of the instrumental was recycled for Big L's "Da Graveyard," but I daresay it sounds even better here. The fact that this version was shelved is indicative of everything that was wack about Bad Boy. This easily would've been one of the best tracks even on Ready To Die.

Like the Finesse EP, this was also limited to 300 copies. So, expect to pay a bit for this one... There is also a European bootleg of this, which is super easy to tell apart from the legit 12" - it's just printed on a generic white label, in a plain sleeve, and the A-side apparently plays at 45rpm. I haven't heard it, so I can't vouch for the sound quality being the same; and, nowadays, the bootleg is rare enough that you'd probably wouldn't save any money getting that version anyway. So I'd hold out for the OG unless I found a really good deal on the boot. In either case, though, it's definitely worth the trouble of finding for your crates.

The Original Beat Diggin' Doc

I'm trying to get a little deeper with my hip-hop documentary coverage on here lately, if you haven't noticed. And you really can't keep covering these - especially on a site like this one with so much emphasis on underground and vinyl - without talking about the original Beat Diggin' documentary, pretty much the first ever documentary film on the art of diggin' in the crates, at least from a hip-hop perspective. There've been several since, but this is the first.

Directed by Jesper Jensen, this first hit the internet about 10 years ago. And unfortunately, to this day, this remains unavailable on DVD. Part of the reason for that is surely that it's a short film, only thirty minutes long. Finding distribution for a short film is next to impossible. But, fortunately for us, it is literally all over the internet. Just do a search for "beat diggin" and you'll find it on Youtube, Google Video, Vimeo, and a billion video hosting sites you've never even heard of. So I'm gonna go out on a limb and say don't feel guilty for streaming or downloading this one; there is no purchasable option.

The documentary is pretty straight-forward... it interviews a bunch of New York's most respected crate-digging producers, including Diamond D, Showbiz, Da Beatminerz and Godfather Don. We see them in the studio and out at record stores, talking us through their purchases. We talk to record store owners and even see some live performance footage by Common and Mos Def (which sorta doesn't quite fit in, but what the heck). For only being thirty minutes, it gets pretty in-depth... Diamond talks about how producers no longer loop drums, "everything's more programmable now," and that breaks are now all about grooves. Godfather Don talks about how to create new drum beats by using pieces of different familiar break beats, and also why perhaps you shouldn't do that. I'm not gonna spoil everything, though; just go watch it.

Since 2001, Jensen's has gone on to produce some other indie hip-hop docs for his production company, Busybody Films, including Tape Masters, Who's Next?, and his latest, Beats, Rhymes and Videotape. You can read up on all those on Jensen's myspace, here, and check out clips and trailers on his Youtube channel, here.

The Return Of Lord Digga... Sorta

(Youtube version is here.)

(And thesix2sixshift.blogspot.com is the blog url I mention in the video.)

The Bronx & Queens Unite On Freestyle Records

Da Gritty & da Grimey EP by Branesparker and Nut-Rageous is limited, but it's been released in a much larger run than the Freestyle Professors 7" I just reviewed yesterday - 750 copies, as opposed to 200. 750's probably a lot for an independent artist these days (which is a sad commentary on the state of things), so the pressure to act quickly on this EP isn't as strong. But it's no less dope for that fact.

This EP's entirely produced by Branesparker, and he and Nutso share lead vocal responsibilities, though Professors' extended family member Giff and Stanley Grimes each put in an appearance here. Grimes has also done an appearance or two with Lord Finesse, which follows since thhe FPs are essentially DITC associated artists...

In fact, here's the thing that's so good about the FPs in general and this EP in particular. While the artists of DITC have struggled to maintain the quality the quality they first brought to the table in spades (seriously, I'm nto sayi8ng they're all crap now or anything, but like OC or Diamond D's Huge Heffner Chronicles anyone? And let's not even think about Fat Joe), it's like the FPs were kept locked in a time capsule since their original EP in 1994. So their new music is following right where they left off fifteen years ago, uninfluenced by all the trends and crappy newer artists who've influenced the rest of the crew for the worse. ...Not that every song here is 100% on par with Runaway Slave or the very best DITC ever did; it's just this particular affiliate group has apparently been preserved and spared from the otherwise seemingly inevitable decline all their other satellite groups faced. I love it. =)

This EP has some nice, surprisingly upbeat moments. For example, "Haze" sounds like it uses the same break and bassline from Sir Menelik's underrated "Physical Jewels," but marries it with a cheery, old school vocal sample. Several of these songs, in fact the overall feel of this EP, come off as more light and feel-good than you'd think, considering the title of this EP. But that's okay, because it's good; and "good" trumps any expectation of style or theme.

Overall, you get six songs, plus two instrumentals in a sticker cover (shown). And despite being limited, it's only beiong sold for $18, which is pretty much the price of a standard new release. I mean, maybe it's a dollar or two more expensive, considering it's an EP rather than an LP; but we'd really splitting hairs at that point. Between the two, I have to say I slightly prefer the Freestyle Professors 7" over this one, but this one gets props for breaking formula a little (successfully); and I can't really say a bad word about either of them.

You can check out the video they shot for one of the EP tracks, "It's a Shame," here.

The New, Raw Gospel

The Freestyle Professors are back! Not that they ever went anyplace. Well... I mean, of course they did. After 1994. All the way up until their comeback in 2006 they were away. That's a long time. But... since then, they haven't gone anyplace. They've stayed busy, putting in work releasing a grip of great vintage and new material on Freestyle Records. And this is their latest single, which just arrived this weekend.

This latest single, "Ghetto Gospel," was originally intended to be a B-side bonus to a Gryme Tyme single, but it never wound up happening. So they've rescued it from oblivion and released it as its own single on 7". And I'm glad they did, 'cause it's one of their better tracks, even by the Professors' high standards.

The production's pretty simple... a sick percussion sample and some gritty bass that reminds me of vintage Hobo Junction. It's raw. And lyrically, The Professors come just as raw.

"Who the fuck am I?
The voice to fill the void.
Since Griff and Chuck split,
The movement's been destroyed.
Now niggas sell they soul
To the devil for a dollar.
A million kids follow
These faggots with the power,
Who have an impact
On the youth of tomorrow."

It's a "kicking knowledge"-type of song, but definitely on the edgier hardcore tip. Besides the rhymes, the vocal samples played on the hook will make sure this song will never get radio airplay in a million years. Good shit.

Then the B-side is "Stanley Grimes" by... Stanley Grimes. Who's Stanley Grimes? He's a.k.a. Page the Hand Grenade, kind of one of the Freestyle Professors' extended family, and has been on a couple of their projects over the years. This song, like the A-side, is produced by Freestyle Professors member Branesparker. The beat's another banger, and Grimes has more of a light-hearted, witty delivery than the grimier style the Professors kick on the A-side - in fact, he reminds me a lot of Mr. Voodoo - and he comes nice over this track. This song has been included as an introduction to his debut EP, which Freestyle Records is set to drop in 2011.

This 7" is limited to 200 copies, so if you're interested, you might wanna act quickly. It's selling for $20, but those of us who pre-ordered got it for just $5 in a package deal with Branesparker's new EP with Nut-Rageous that's just been released at the same time. What's that? A Branesparker/Nut-Rageous collaborative EP? Yup! It's too much to get into now, though, so look out for tomorrow's update; I'll have a complete write-up. =)

Once Again Back Is the Invincible

Invincible stays putting in work, and putting out vinyl in 2010. Her latest single, "Detroit Summer" with producer Waajeed, just arrived at my door today. It's a 7" single that's available through her own label/site emergencemedia.org.

"Detroit Summer" is a sequel to "Detroit Winter" from Waajeed's production duo The Platinum Pied Pipers' album Triple P, which she featured on - as the chorus goes, "summer in the city, wonder how he made it through the winter." Both songs are time capsules, describing the experience of life in Detroit, scenically and introspectively.

A taste from "Detroit Winter:"

"Ruins of a metropolis not a populous shrinkin',
Inkin' deals to build as if the town's vacant.
Every empty lot remainin' a profound statement;
Every empty bottle claimin' all the drowned pain and sorrow."

But while "Summer" is still set in the bleakest of landscapes, it has more of an eye towards a productive future:

"Politicians make a fortune by thievin';
The air quality since the Model T could shorten ya breathin'.
Follow me to a city where empty lots turn to garden plots,
Got alternatives in place so we can disregard the cops."

Like its predecessor, the music of "Detroit Summer" does an effective job of evoking the season. Where "Winter" had darker beats and a somber tone, this one is livelier, brighter and features more change-ups throughout. On a more superficial level, "Summer" - with its sampled (I assume) children singing in the background and strident piano in the fore - is also just plain catchier, and something you'd probably be more inclined to turn to when you're just in the mood for some casual listening.

The B-side is "Emergence," a straight-up anthem for its label. With huge, old school drums and rockin' electric guitar riffs, sonically it comes off as an underground "Eye Of the Tiger" and vocally, it's a manifesto. "The type of feeling you can't codify, won't turn into a franchise, gotta customize and localize, deepenin' relationships, buildin' from the bottom -up."

So, it's a little disappointing this is just a 7", as opposed to a nice big ol' 12" full of bonus beats and remixes and stuff. But for a 7", you're probably not gonna find one presented better than this. It comes in a nice color-stamped picture sleeve (above), with a fun little manila envelope full of stickers, and best of all: a download card! I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is the way all vinyl releases should be packaged today, but unfortunately only a handful of labels have gotten around to picking up on this. Even cooler, in addition to the two songs, you're also able to download both instrumentals that didn't fit on the 7".

It's limited to 1000 copies, but let's face it - that's a full run in 2010. And it's not over-priced like those collectors' item limiteds; just a cool $5. There's not too many labels that consistently handle every single aspect of their releases right, but Emergence is one of them. And musically, Invincible and Waajeed are some of the best doing it today. So support; it's a great deal.

P.s. - you can check out the video, which blends the A- and B-side songs together, here.

Who Needs Premier Anyway?

It's easy, and not entirely unwarranted, to put this 12" down for what it's not. One thing it's not, for instance, is produced at all by DJ Premier. Of course, a lot of 12"s aren't produced by DJ Premiere. But the difference is, when this particular 12" was first announced, they said it would be.

See, this is one of the earlier examples of the recent "limited" game... a 12" of "Wut's Poppin'" by Nut-Rageous on Poor Pocket Music that dropped in 2008. The song is taken off of one of Nut's CDs (Raw Nuts), but the big selling point of this limited (to 200 copies) 12" was the new DJ Premier remix, with an additional verse by Blaq Poet of Screwball, signed by Nutso and pressed on red vinyl. Sounds pretty awesome, right?

Well, unfortunately, it was later announced that, "Also as for the Wat's Poppin 12" Dj Premier & Blaq Poet love the original so much!! that they wanna leave it the same except for the added Blaq Poet verse and Premier on the intro introducing the record." So, no more DJ Premier track; now he's just going to introduce an alternate version of the original track with the Blaq Poet verse. That's disappointing. - BUT!! - But, to make up for that, The Mighty V.I.C. of The Beatnuts will instead be providing a new remix. So... a let down for Premier enthusiasts, but still a pretty compelling 12". And hey, even though there's no Premo remix, "Primo will be recording blaq Poet vocals and doing an intro talking in the begining of the record as well." So that's pretty sweet. So orders were taken at $30, which at least compared to the other early limiteds by DWG and Freestyle Records, was pretty reasonable.

Except, uh... well, to cut right to the chase: the 12" doesn't have a version with an additional Blaq Poet verse. It doesn't have Premier introducing the track. It doesn't have a Mighty V.I.C. remix. It's not pressed on red vinyl. And a lot of the copies weren't signed. Oh, and also more than 200 copies wound up being pressed, so it wasn't as limited as they claimed. So yeah. Some people were understandably disappointed.

Okay, we just bagged on this 12" because it had it coming, and I think we can all sympathize with people who pre-ordered a 12" with a whole set of unmet expectations. - BUT!! - But, now that we've finished doing that, let's talk about what a dope 12" it is and why it should be in everybody's collection!

"Wut's Poppin'" is a pretty nice, mellow track (produced by Ron Mills) featuring KL (RIP) of Screwball. It's a cool, steady head-nodder with a surprisingly broad appeal. This definitely has that radio summer jam vibe, but the MCs (especially KL) keep a nice street edge to it that you won't find on most other summer joints. KL and Nut have a nice chemistry together, and KL's slightly scratchy voice sounds especially cool over the track. It comes in Main, Clean, Instrumental and Acapella versions.

Then, you've got an exclusive B-side, "Nuts & Screws" on the B-side. As the title suggests, this is another Nut-Rageous and Screwball collaboration, this time featuring Blaq Poet and KL. Where the last track was smooth, this one's a banger, with old school blaxploitation style samples, Premier-style scratching for the hook and harder drums. This could easily fit in on a Screwball 'Greatest Hits' collection... which, if you're familiar with their full catalog, is really saying something. It's produced by 12 Finger Dan, but if you told me it was by Alchemist, I'd not only believe it, I'd say it was one of his strongest tracks. This track also comes with Instrumental (yay!) and Acapella versions.

Then, finally, we do get a "Wut's Poppin'" remix. It's not by Premier, V.I.C. or anybody else I've ever heard of, though. It's by DJ Brans France. Or maybe his name is DJ Brans and he's from France; the credits on the back cover are a little confusing. But, anyway, it's pretty nice. It switches up the atmosphere to a faster, harder track driven by pounding piano notes; the kind of beat you'd expect Kool G Rap to spit on. It's surprisingly effective in giving the song a whole new feel without falling to pieces like most remixes that get that ambitious tend to do.

So, if you can get over the fact that this isn't the killer 12" you were expecting (and maybe you were taken for a bit of a ride by the label); I think you'll find it's still pretty damn nice and definitely worth a spot in your crates. And since this was later sold at a standard 12" price - that is to say, about $6, as opposed to the original $30 people who got in early paid (ouch again!) - you should still find this one nice and affordable. Plus, as you see, it comes in a cool picture cover, and apparently some of the proceeds went to help KL's family, which takes a little bit of the sting out of the whole debacle.

Battle Rhymes Unearthed

If hip-hop had a preservation society (and it should), this is the kind of release they could bring us: LIB003 1/2. This is the third and apparently final release from Solid 'N' Mind, who you may remember I covered last year with their limited "Centre Stage" 12". That one was a limited release of two of their unreleased tracks from 1991. We thought that was going to be their last release at the time, since that 12" included both of their only unreleased recordings. But a recent find has given us one last entry into their saga.

Whirlwind D, the MC of the duo, recently discovered an old tape of an instrumental their DJ/producer, Johnny F, created for another song they often performed but never recorded, along with a scrap of paper containing all the lyrics. So, all these years later, they finally constructed the song from its long-lost elements and just dropped their "Battle Tipped Rhyme" 12", of course once again on their Liberty Grooves label.

"Battle Tipped Rhyme" has the same quality I raved about on their last release: a mix of originality and the tried and true, by brilliantly combining several known break-beats and samples but turning them into something new, fresh and exciting. As the title suggests, this is a fast-paced battle rap (just like we like 'em), taking the killer drums and rolling bassline from Joeski Love's "Rock Wit Joeski." Well, that's where I recognize it from, anyway. What, you didn't know Joeski had some nice material in his catalog? Quick stabs of the horns used in Phase & Rhythm's "Hyperactive" and then another familiar horn sample (I think the ones Kool Moe Dee used on "Death Blow?") but sped up to almost double time. Anyway, all that plus some furious scratching on the hook makes for a hype, kinetic 90's battle record:

"Chained to the wall as you ponder your fate;
Step to the mic, you're lost in the quake.
Buildings crash and ground swallows whole;
Thought you were ready but D's on a roll.
Johnny F cuts with blaze of fury;
Your fate is sealed by the glare of the jewelery.
Uzis, AKs, what shall I choose?
Maybe just a rhyme that's guaranteed to bruise."

So of course, this 12" contains just the one song. But it comes fully loaded with the Vocal, Instrumental and Acapella versions. As an added bonus, they even include the OG, un-remastered instrumental from that original tape. This 12" is limited to 250 hand-numbered copies, and as you can see in the photo above, comes in a cool picture cover, along with a glossy 12" insert on the history of the Liberty Grooves label, and a press sheet. Pre-orders of this sold out just a couple of days after they were announced, but apparently a few copies will be available at vinylism and one or two other places. So you may need to do a little hunting, but if you're a fan of UK hip-hop at all, it's well worth it.

The First Rap Record Ever!

(Youtube version is here.)

'Cause We Comin' From Queens and Gets Down

Today's entry isn't an InstaRapFlix entry, 'cause this movie isn't available on Netflix, for stream or otherwise. In fact, the DVD never saw a proper release in the US. But where does all the good US hip-hop go when you it doesn't even come out in the US? You guess it - Japan! Tragedy: The Story of Queensbridge has a proper DVD release out there and can be easily secured by any fan able to negotiate Amazon.jp. 8)

This is a great, raw documentary of Tragedy and the whole QB scene. There's long and deep interviews with Tragedy, much of which were filmed while he's in prison. There are also interviews with practically everybody relevant in the QB scene: Havoc, Capone, Marley Marl, Blaq Poet, Killa Sha (RIP), NORE, plus a lot of the lesser known heads as well. Trag's step-parents are given a lot of time, too; and this was clearly shot over a lot of time and locations, giving us a tour of all QB and some great, candid moments that unfold in front of the camera. At 74 minutes, it's a little short (a little more time spent on The Super Kids records, his time at A&M and some other periods would have been nice), but it does keep things moving at a brisk, content-packed pace. The scene is really laid bare with one open, honest and often gun-toting moment after another.

There are a few flaws... the narration is melodramatic and corny. But thankfully, that's relegated to the slightly embarrassing precredits sequence and the conclusion; so the bulk of the film is narration-free. And the other issue is the cheesy reenactments. Having Trag's voice laid over some real childhood photos would have been a lot more effective than some questionable actors playing his heroin-shooting mother and childhood friends. But fortunately, those are kept to very short clips (the filmmakers must've seen how dubious these were in the editing stage)... but again, a few, real photos would have gone a long way.

But really, these complaints are small compared to everything that's good about this film. This is a must-see for fans of Trag and the Queensbridge scene, and a worthwhile watch even for those who aren't. The DVD has some nice but brief extras, including an excellent segment on Trag's best friend and inspiration, Killa Black (RIP), a great interview Trag on the making of "T.O.N.Y.," an amusing segment on the origin of the term "dunn," plus music videos for "LA, LA" and "T.O.N.Y." So if you want something a little more legit (and better, what with the extras) than a stream or torrent to watch, know that there is a proper DVD option. And, yes, the Japanese subtitles are optional (removable). :)

InstaRapFlix #28: Pick Up the Mic: The Evolution of Homohop

It's been a while since I've done an InstaRapFlix (since April, in fact); and since I have a lofty goal of building a database that refers, like, every obscure "random" hip-hop doc ever, I'd really better get on the ball. So here I am; and this one seems interesting: Pick Up the Mic: The Evolution of Homohop (Netflix rating: 3 stars). I mean, I'm disappointed that "Homohop" is even a word, let alone one somebody took seriously enough to use for the title of their DVD, but still... the premise seems interesting. And like the Nerdcore documentary I did before (which really turned out to be a glorified tour DVD for one guy), it's fun to learn about hip-hop scenes I really know next to nothing about.

So it's a full-length doc (regular readers will know a lot of these turn out to be ridiculously short) and opens up with a live performance of a song called "No Fags Allowed." Then we cut to rapper Deadlee, who wrote and performed that stage, explaining that he wrote that song - to I guess show that they're not offended by comments like "no fags allowed" because they'll proudly say it themselves. Or something. His logic didn't really seem that clear. But anyway, if you're thinking, "I've never heard of Deadlee," then you've already found the film's weak point. It's full of rappers who you've never heard of (and most of whom, frankly, you wouldn't be adding their records to your crates even if they had one). There ARE known homosexual rappers out there, like Afrika from the Jungle Brothers, Invincible, Madee... not to mention all of the rappers who are rumored to be or presumed to be gay, like Queen Latifah or Erick Sermon*. It would've been great, but you won't hear from any of them in this doc.

The other flaw is that, because it's so PC, half the things they say wind up being so obvious, you know what you're going to hear long before it comes out of their mouths. "Hip-hop wasn't made to exclude anyone," "we're here to challenge stereotypes," "sexual preference doesn't have anything to do with skills," etc. Surely you knew you'd be hearing all these sentiments as soon as you saw the title of the film... so spending the next forty minutes hearing them paraded out before you one by one just feels redundant and boring. And, perhaps more to the point, it's a big circle jerk. It's a group of 10 or 15 rappers you've never heard of - this doc happily plops down and spends all its focus on just a small scene based in San Francisco - all saying how great each other are.

But getting past the negatives, there are good aspects, too. One thing, because this is full-length and not padded with music video clips and other junk like so many hip-hop docs are; you get actually spend enough time with the subjects to delve into subjects and who they are. I'd certainly never heard of Tim'M before, but he gets a lot of time to talk, and the crew travels around with him, to the point where you actually feel like they're building. And if you ARE a fan of the artists presented here, you get to hear a lot from them so you won't feel ripped off (as opposed to Slip 'N' Slide docs I was covering, where artists dropped one sentence sound-bites saying nothing and were never heard from again). Several of the segments even include interviews with the artists' parents.

Towards the end, it finally breaks out of that San Francisco scene, and gets into an interesting look at gay hip-hop websites and all. So it basically starts out as a pretty bland, tiresome puff piece, but slowly builds into an interesting documentary. At the last 5 or so minutes, it gets into a pretty interesting talk on "homohop" penetrating the mainstream; just too bad it took so long to get there. So, it's not a great film; Errol Morris isn't gonna have to find a new line of work... but it's worth watching once, especially since it can be streamed for free on Netflix.

* Ok, that Erick Sermon rumor is old... but it would've been fun to just see an exasperated Erick grabbing the camera and exclaiming, "for the last time: I am NOT gay," right? lol

It Ain't His!

This is a really fun, slept-on record. Cli-N-Tel is the first member of The World Class Wreckin' Cru to step out and start making a name for himself outside of the Cru. Long before Dre and Yella became megastars, it looked for a minute like Cli-N-Tel was gonna be their break-out star. His first release was the better-known "2030" with DJ Unknown on TechnoHop, but later in 1988 he moved to Sutra Records (a label perhaps best known for being the home of The Fat Boys for many years) to release a couple of 12"s, including this one.

The label for "It Ain't Mine" specifies that this is by Cli-N-Tel featuring Marquette Hawkins, Joe Cooley and The Amazing Artis. That's an odd way to put it, since Marquette Hawkins is Cli-N-Tel's real name. Anyway, along with writing and performing the song, apparently he also produced this with a guy named Cliff Zellman, who for some reason doesn't get to share above-title credit - I guess because he isn't a "name." Joe Cooley is of course the great world champion DJ and long-term partner of Rodney O. And I really don't know who the heck The Amazing Artis is, nor can I figure out what he contributed to the record.

Anyway, this is can be considered at least halfway as a response record to T-La Rock's classic, "It's Yours." It's a fun song about denying paternity to a girl's baby. Joe Cooley cuts up Rock's hook ("It's Yours!") to which Cli-N-Tel protests, "it's not mine!" Joe Cooley provides a lot of nice scratching here, and is definitely one of the key selling points for the song. The fact that this is a "topic" song (as opposed to a freestyle rap) doesn't seem to stop Cooley from displaying his top-notch abilities throughout the song. He cuts up the hook, behind the verses, he scratches in a few fun key words into the raps in the style of "Say It Loud," and gets extra busy on the breakdown.

Besides all the scratching, the track is upbeat and engaging, with a very catchy bassline and some funky percussion (a la Grandmaster Flash's and Kool Moe Dee's "Do U Know What Time It Is" records). The rhymes are fun and clever, too... he sounds influenced by The Fresh Prince, but remains himself enough not to come off as a cheap imitation. He starts by telling off his girl ("you ain't pregnant, and even if you was, I'd still deny it!") but things get pretty zany as he starts daydreaming about getting plastic surgery to change his identity or talking about how it infiltrates his dreams:

"Later on that night,
When I went to bed,
Boxes of pampers
danced in my head.
I said to myself,
'Aw, this is wack!'
Then I started being chased
By cans of Similac!
All at once,
I knew I was doomed!
I looked up and saw her mother
Flyin' on a broom!
You know I tried to get away
But I couldn't do that,
'Cause at the corner was her father
With a baseball bat!"

If you like fun 80's rap, this is really an overlooked gem that shines in all departments: smart & humorous song-writing, a quality, enjoyable instrumental and for the more serious-minded heads, scratching that shows some serious skills. You've got the vocal version on the A-side, then the instrumental and a shorter dub/bonus beats-type mix on the B-side. So I'd definitely go out of my way to pick this 12"; it's a rewarding little single.

Pickin' Banjo On Buck's Porch

This is a limited CD I passed on for a long time, 'cause it looked just to be a handful of previously released songs slapped onto a cheap tour CD. But I finally picked this up,and I'm glad I did. Because, though the songs are all pretty much ones you've heard, they're all new versions, and compelling ones at that. It's Buck 65's Porch, which was sort of quietly released in 2007.

First a note about its discogs listing, I guess. I notice they make a point of correcting the track-listing as its written on the CD's liner notes, re-ordering the songs "as they appear on the CD here." This is confusing to me... unless there are actually two pressings of this (which seems unlikely, as it's a very limited run, tour CD)? Because I've got this, and the songs on mine play in the correct order as they're written out. Also, the discogs separates the last track into two songs, when it's clearly a single song mash-up (more on that later) and correctly listed in the notes as one song. So I don't know if whoever's uploading this info is just using some dubious, mislabeled set of mp3s downloaded form the 'net, or if there's actually two versions of this CD; but mine matches the official track-listing.

So, that out of the way, this is a short, five song collaborative EP between Buck 65 and a guy named John Zytaruk, a musician who also worked with Buck on several of his Dirtbike songs. This is essentially Buck 65 unplugged... there's no programmed beats or scratches or any sound by any device that needs to be plugged in. These are acoustic versions of the songs. In fact, I'll write you the credits as they're written in the liner notes:

"John Zytaruk - guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin, percussion

Buck 65 - vocals, glockenspiel, foot stomps

Produced by John Zytaruk"

Yeah, so banjos, foot stompin' and Buck playing the glockenspiel. This is Buck taking the Talkin' Honky Blues angle to an even further extreme. The credits mention percussion, but there's barely any to be heard... You can hear a bit, keeping rhythm, if you put your ear to speaker, but that's it. And I can see why that may sound like a huge turn-off, but by and large, it's really pretty good.

So, this EP features some unreleased music: "Heather Nights" and a song that Buck only otherwise released on mp3 through his site, "Indestructible Sam" from the mp3-only EP Dirty Work. It features "Blood of a Young Wolf" from Secret House Against the World and "Craftsmanship" from Talkin' Honky Blues. But again, even these previously released songs are new versions, so it's really all-new.

Not every version is an improvement, mind you. "Blood Of a Young Wolf," sounds cool and mellower in this stripped down version, so it's a nice alternative. But at the end of the day, if I had to pick only one, I definitely prefer the original album version and its additional instrumentation. "Indestructible Sam" copies the same banjo rhythm but ditches the driving percussion rhythm, making this sound like an old civil war standard. But the EP has a great consistency that has a merit you can't account for when you just take every song individually. It's an impressive and engaging listen as a whole, almost like one giant song with change-ups.

The last track is "Wicked and Weird/Coo Coo Bird." "Wicked and Weird," of course, was the anthemic first single from Talkin' Honky Blues. And "Coo Coo Bird" is an old American folk song by Clarence Ashley. To be honest, this one doesn't work so well for me. It's the "mash-up" I mentioned earlier, with Buck alternating between the lyrics of his own "Wicked and Weird" and the old "Coo Coo Bird" song. I reckon this is meant to show how effectively he's managed to gel these two seemingly disparate genres, seamlessly blending rap and folk. But the problem is it's not seamless at all. "Wicked and Weird" is a totally different tempo and style and the two just don't mix. As a whole, it's not a bad idea, and probably something Buck could've pulled off if he used another - slower, more laid back - song from his catalog. But "Wicked and Weird" is too pop rockish - it's a great song, but a really bad choice for this medley. So... it's interesting. But after you've checked it out, you'll probably wind up only playing this EP through the first four songs when you go to revisit it.

But it's an EP that's worth revisiting, which frankly, is more than you can say for most albums these days. So if you passed over it like me, I recommend backtracking and seeing if you can find a copy.

Raekwon, Wherever You Want Him

(Youtube version is here.)

The Other Giancana Story

Early last year, I made a post called The Lost Giancana Story, talking about all of the unreleased tracks that didn't find its way onto Kool G Rap's final, official retail release of his Rawkus/Koch album, The Giancana Story, in 2002. That album had fourteen songs on it, and I talked about another fifteen that were recorded for Rawkus and leaked or otherwise let out into the wild, but didn't make it onto the album. Some were b-sides that seemed like they were meant for the album, one or two were perhaps intended for other projects... but the bulk of them came from two album leaks that'd been floating around the internet since the late 90's.

Well, one of those leaked versions actually exists on vinyl. It's a UK pressing ...or so I assume, trusting the "made in England" sticker on the back is not a bold-faced lie. And it looks to essentially be what Rawkus intended to release back in the 90's before it got shelved and later rescued and retooled by Koch. And considering it's at best debatable whether Koch's retooling was for the better rather than the worse, this is a pretty neat set to have on vinyl. And even if you do prefer the Koch version, this is still ten G Rap songs you didn't have on any other album.

That's right: ten. It may look like even more, but remember in my last post how I explained some songs have simply been retitled: "She's Dressed To Kill" became "Black Widow," etc. So a couple songs are the same between the two... well, for shorthand's sake, let's call this the Rawkus version and the one that actually got commercially released the Koch version. I can't be certain if this is actually a semi-legit Rawkus promo (it does have Rawkus labels), a shady bootleg (though the sound quality's excellent) or what. But we've gotta call them something, 'ey?

It's just as surprising now as it was when I wrote my other post last January that Premier's version of "First Nigga" wasn't included on the Koch album (neither was the older one), but things start to feel like they're making sense when you see it on here. The Rawkus version also includes the superior version of "Holla Back" that features an amazing Nas verse instead of Tito's from BGF. It features the Scarface-inspired "This Is My Life" featuring CNN (not to be confused with "My Life," which also features CNN on the remix - this is a totally different song), "How It Feel" with Havoc and the west coast crossover track "Keep Goin'" with Snoop Dogg and Devin the Dude. It's hard to imagine why any label wouldn't keep these on the album, if only for the draw of all the big names.

It also includes other unique songs discussed in my last post like, "Rap Is a Villain," "This Means War," and "Why You Gotta Do That." And it has the original mix of "Spill Blood," here titled as "Thug Out." It's really a flat-out entirely different album. Plus, the back cover gives us some (albeit incomplete) production credits, so we know who did many of the unreleased songs. For example, "This Means War" is produced by The Beatnuts, "Why You Gotta Do That" is a Premier track, and "Rap Is a Villain" was written by Tupac! Word?

So, I don't know how rare this is. I got mine pretty cheap when I stumbled upon it randomly, and it's now listed on discogs ...though no copies are available as of this writing, and searching the 'Bay just brings up a bunch of the Koch CDs. I know it's hip to dismiss all of G Rap's post-Cold Chillin' material (Unkut, I'm lookin' at you), but he recorded a lot of great material for The Giancana Story. And it's worth noting that now - with this double LP, the Koch album and a deep collection of all the disparate 12"s and stuff - every song I mentioned in The Lost Giancana Story post is now genuinely accessible, save one ("Ordinary Love" featuring Ma Barker). And the Rawkus version also includes "Y'all Niggas," so you no longer have to track down that Japanese import CD to be a completist. ;)

The Notorious Cabrini Green

Remember the movie Candyman? Remember how the horror of a killer ghost with a hook for a hand and bees in his mouth was amplified by the scary, urban location: "a notorious housing project" (that's how they refer to it on the box)? Well, interestingly, they didn't just make up a generic "ghetto" set in some LA back-lot... They filmed in the very real Cabrini Green, and referred to the place by its real name throughout the film. Even the plot-point that the medicine cabinets led directly into peoples' neighbors' apartments was real, which led to a real series of murders.



Well, almost a decade before Clive Barker and co. turned Cabrini Green into a horror landmark, Chicago rapper Sugar Ray Dinke did his part to put the place on the map with his only 12" single on I Am Records. Produced and co-written by Darryl Thompson, "Cabrini Green Rap" dropped in 1986 and, while it naturally sounds dated, it doesn't sound as dated as you'd expect for an otherwise unknown local rap single from 1986. It's certainly got all the 80's trappings: big beatbox drums, electro sounds, metalish guitars in the vein of the trends Run DMC and Statesasonic were setting (though not so extreme or "rockish" as those), and a boatload of hand-claps. Oh, and the MC's vocals are echoed to make it sound like there's two rappers saying everything in unison. But it all holds up surprisingly well, a testament to the talents of Mr. Thompson evidently.



Lyrically, it might start out a bit corny - before the music kicks in, the listener is warned that walking through Cabrini Green "you might get hit with an egg or a jar." Personally, I'd've been a lot more concerned about the infamous sniper-fire from their rooftops or the rampant gangs that dubbed the area "Death Corner" than any unsecured eggs being bandied about, but that's just me.

But as it goes on, the lyrics get more serious and compelling. He doesn't quite reach the song-writing heights of Melle Mel's "The Message;" his skills are a bit more rudimentary. But he winds up covering a lot of ground, from the origins of Cabrini Green as a peaceful, optimistic development to some very personal parts where he details his own experiences and names names:



"One of my best friends got shot in the back
While trying to get out of Cabrini Green shack.
Sang lead vocals for Electric Force Band;
He never gang banged; he only grabbed mic stands.
And danced around, sometimes act the fool,
But the man had a job and he finished High School.
I never will forget my man Larry Potts
Or the terrifying night that he got shot."



It's unfortunate that Sugar Ray Dinke never followed this up with another record. But I suspect, even if he released several, this is the one that would go down as his quintessential masterpiece anyway. It's certainly an important piece of Chicago's cultural history. And meanwhile, the actual housing development of Cabrini Green remained notorious, being used as the everything from the establishing shots of the projects in the hit series Good Times to the backdrop of He Got Game. Remained, that is, until it was all demolished and gentrified in the early 2000's. I read on the Candyman forums that only two of the original buildings still stand, surrounded by empty lots and Starbucks. I guess that's why Candyman moved to New Orleans for their dopey sequels. But when you want to remember the real shit, play this record.



Update 12/1/10 - MSN reports that the last remaining building of Cabrini Green is now coming down.

Ice Mike's Game

(Youtube version is here. By the way, I learned a bunch with this iphone edit and the next one will be better.)

Back When the Earth Cried

I've been meaning to do a Gravediggaz post for a while now - especially after someone asked me to on Twitter and I said I would... but for whatever reason, I kept putting it off. I guess part of it is that first you have to decide essentially what "era" Gravediggaz you want to tackle. You've got your classic, semi-parodic horrorcore era, led by producer Prince Paul, where they did their most wild material, like "1-800-Suicide" and "Freak the Sorceress." Then you've got your post-Paul era, where he lost interest in the venture, but the other members kept it alive and basically turned themselves into another generic Wu-Tang Clan offshoot group. And finally you've got their rocky independent era, where more than half their releases may've been bootlegs, and it wasn't even clear who was joining or leaving the group. Well, I've settled on era #2.

"The Night the Earth Cried" is the second and biggest single off their second album, The Pick, The Sickle And The Shovel. Interestingly, like most of the album, this isn't produced by Prince Paul (who was basically already out of the picture by this point) or The RZA, but by Wu affiliate The 4th Disciple. It's a pretty mellow, even smooth track, dominated by a long piano loop, occasionally interspersed with harp or string samples. Again, the humor and crazy horrorcore aspects from album #1 are completely gone here... instead each MC just kicks a pretty simple verse about overcoming strife between a mellow hook:

"I want a queen on every continent,
So I can escape the government;
Flee my residence, settle in.
I'm a militant-minded, brilliant rhyme whiz;
The time is now for me to shine. Kids are innocent,
Blinded; society got to be reminded."

You wouldn't expect it going into a Gravediggaz record, especially with subject matter delving into topics like slavery, but this song is actually pretty relaxing. The only real flaw here is that, despite having a well-written verse, Rza sounds a bit clunky on this one (he came off much better on their last single, for example); but Poetic is reliable as ever and Frukwan sounds especially good over this beat.

So you can see both why this single (or anything else off album #2) wasn't a break-out success; but you can also see why fans hold it in high regard. There's no B-side or anything to this single, but it comes fully-loaded with the Album Mix, Radio Edit, Instrumental and Acappella; and it comes in a cool sticker cover [shown above].

But if you're really not satisfied with a B-side, if you feel like they've left you hanging, then they made up for it a few months later with this promo-only follow-up 12". This one features two exclusive remixes of "The Night the Earth Cried" and their instrumentals, plus the album version and Acappella again for good measure.

First up is the Diamond J remix. Diamond J is a UK DJ from a group called The Cavemen (who, if you're interested in UK hip-hop, I recommend checking out), and he later went on to become The Gravediggaz official DJ in their later years. This mix is more atmospheric, relying more on the big beat drums. The samples sound like they could've come from an old, 60's horror film or something. it's a cool variation, but not as addictive as the original version. "Atmospheric" doesn't typically translate to "catchy."

Then we've the remix I prefer, the DJ I-Cue Remix. I-Cue is, I believe, a Swedish DJ, who was part of a couple groups and labels (like Digital Konfusion) I'm not at all familiar with. But I-Cue does a great job of capturing the Wu vibe (better than a lot of genuine Wu-Tang members have managed over the years - heh). It's fairly atmospheric, too, with eerie vocal samples, deep bass and ascending notes that again sound like they could be taken from a horror flick (maybe more 80's though, this time). But this one's definitely more of a straight head-nodder, too. It's hard to top the original (4th Disciple is a seriously underrated producer), but I'd put this mix right along side it.

So I can't blame anybody who heard the Gravediggaz' second album and were immediately disappointed - this was not the group they fell in love with. And of course Prince Paul fans were really short-changed. But if you appreciate some good, second-tier Wu affiliate music (a la Sunz of Man, Royal Fam, etc); this is some of the best.

The Intriguing Life of The Prince of Darkness

Why do rap artists from Miami always have the most interesting stories? I mean, it's not always the right kind of interesting (see: the tragic and awful story of Ant D); but I swear, every local rapper who's graced The Miami Herald could have their careers turned into the most fascinating, wild movies. And The P.O.D. (Prince of Darkness) is certainly no exception.

This is not my first time blogging about P.O.D., and I don't think it's gonna be the last. For those who need a reminder, P.O.D. is the artist formerly known as The Prince of Power, one half of the infamous and beloved Young & Restless. But I'm not going to get all into their crazy drama with their former producer/manager, The P-Man (I'll save that for another blog)... instead I'm just focussing on one of the most obscure twists and turns in their subsequent solo careers: "Life" on B.U.M. Records.

"Life" dropped in 1996, and it's distributed by Ichiban. Yes, it's another one of those releases with the red spines and white letters... surely he was one more artist on Ichiban's underrated comeback roster in the mid 90's, where they signed a plethora of established artists who were at the time unsigned, from Kool Moe Dee and The Treacherous Three to MC Madness to Kwamé to Doctor Ice, and so on. Some of the material was disappointing, but it was still a nice time for a fan, getting albums from so many artists you thought you'd never hear again. In fact, if you read the liner notes of the single, it claims to be "from the upcoming LP The Renegade." But The Renegade was not to be... only this rare single exists from P.O.D.'s Ichiban signing.

Now, if you're wondering if P.O.D. was still on good terms with his partner in Y&R Dr. Ace, I can assure you the answer is yes, because he produced this song (under his real name, C. Trahan). But despite that, this is nothing like a Young & Restless record. Not only does this not have the humor of their past collaborations, it's not even a fast-paced club song like P.O.D.'s other solo single. This is a slow (think: Scarface speed) and serious record. I suppose that's why The Prince changed his name from Power to Darkness - to show that he was going in a new direction.

It's a reflective, autobiographical song about growing up... talking about putting away the weed to take care of his kids:

"Did God put me here to be miserable and high,

Then not tell me why?

I'ma a fill in what I'm feelin': no father or mother,

Separated from my brothers at one age or another.

My head started to swell. When will good prevail?

Tormented by my sins, and I feel like I'm in Hell.

I feel like my life's a total mess."

Musically? Well, it's not sample-based, so that's a disappointment right off the bat. It's largely all studio sounds... you can almost picture them making this beat like that scene in Hustle & Flow. But one element raises it above that level and makes it more compelling... there's a lot of live guitar (lead and rhythm) played on this song. So it's got a real genuine appeal, with sincere lyrics and well-guided musical vibes.

And who plays those guitars you ask? Gary King of the Kendall Toyota Show. He's even credited exactly that way in the notes: "of the Kendall Toyota Show." So what is the Kendall Toyota Show, you ask? It was a surprisingly successful celebrity talk show/infomercial (which later became known as the Miami Tonight Show) that aired on Miami television, produced by a local car dealership and hosted by their general manager. The Miami New Times described it as, "so provocative, so unremittingly, uh, bad, that one feels almost obligated to watch -- the same way that, upon passing a nasty car wreck, one slows unconsciously to assess the carnage. The carnage, in this case, consists of Hollywood has-beens who have been reduced to guest stints on a fake chat show hosted by two large, impossibly caffeinated men in cummerbunds." ...See? Only Miami artists have such fun details spring out of even the tiniest of liner note credits.

But there's more! There aren't any instrumentals (just as well) or radio edits or anything, but there is a B-side (labelled as a "Bonus Track"), entitled "Mortal Combat." It's not quite the battle rap massacre you might expect from the title, but it's certainly faster and harder than "Life." It's sort of a low-fi, gangsta rap freestyle cut produced by P.O.D. himself, but with some unmistakeable writing touches of the original Prince of Power:

"Fuckin' with the P.O.D.'ll be a no-no.

Pull a strap on your dad and treat your mom like a dog-ass ho;

Through this process of feelin' no remorse;

And if she fine? Sexual intercourse!

I gotta say this kinda shit 'cause it's that kinda jam,

And besides, that's the kinda nigga I am."

I can see how this single wouldn't appeal to all of my usual readers... I can see how it wouldn't appeal to most people, period. But if you loved all that low budget, Ichiban come-back material like I did, and if you've got a warm pace in your heart for Young & Restless, then you don't need to hear my opinion before you start tracking this down for yourself. And the rest of you guys, at least it was an interesting one to read about, right?

Summertime with Ill, Al and the Boys

The sun just melted the rear-view mirror off of my windshield the other day, so I reckon it's time for this year's summer jam. I've chosen "Summertime" by Ill Al Skratch on Mercury/Polygram Records. This is a promo only single, so there's no date on the label. But it definitely came after their big single debut ("Where My Homies") and it pre-dates their second album, so I'd guess 1995 or 1996 at the latest.

It can't be too much later than that, after all, 'cause "Summertime" is an album track off their Creep Wit Me LP. There it had the more expansive title, "Summertime (It's All Good) (Al's Solo)." There are no production credits on this 12", but the album credits everything to The LG Experience and Lo Rider, so one of them must've done the "Summertime," and quite possibly the B-side as well (more on that when we get there).

Anyway, a summer jam is right up these guys' alley... they were always more on the laid back, not particularly lyrical or hardcore tip, so this follows in the footsteps of their strongest material. Like the expanded title suggests, Al takes this one solo, except for an R&B hook by an uncredited singer... Well, the album credits the singers, but it doesn't say who's singing on which songs. So, discounting the females and assuming it's not Brian McKnight again, that leaves either Kenneth Staten or Jerry Elcock. Take your pick. Anyway, the hook is pretty simple and calm... the bulk of the song is about Al kicking your typical, relaxing narratives (seeing some girls, getting a lift from his partner and of course having a barbecue).

So it's definitely one of their better songs, and this 12" gives us Clean, Dirty, Instrumental and Acapella versions. But much more compelling, frankly, is the B-side. Exclusive to this 12" is "Dr Feelgood," a posse cut featuring Nine, Greg Nice and M.O.P. DJs Red Alert and Kid Capri are also on hand to say a few words for the intro and outro. Now, to be honest, Ill and Al Skratch have always been just okay to me. I can't say I've felt very compelled to go back and revisit their album since I got it in 1994. But thanks to the B-side, this 12" is the one to own; it's easily the best thing they've ever done, IMHO.

...Of course, that's largely because they're overshadowed by their guests. The beat is sort of in the low-key, mellow territory of their other work, but much harder, driven by a rugged bassline. M.O.P. and Greg Nice of course quadruple the energy level, and Nine's voice is always a welcome guest. The hook is provided by an uncredited DJ cutting up Big Daddy Kane's "Smooth Operator" line, "I make it real good, like Dr. Feelgood." This is the kind of joint I imagine Ill and Al would've made all the time if they weren't taken over by a major, commercial record label. And this mix also comes with instrumental and acapella versions, for those of you itching to take it apart.

So yeah, if you only pick up one Ill Al Skratch joint (and frankly, one's enough), your first impulse might be "Where My Homies," but nah, I would say this one. It's got a cool, easy-going summer jam on the A-side that reflects the best of what they were normally about, and then their best, atypical work on the flip. It's a nice, breezy pick-up for a stultifyingly hot summer day.

Tony MF Rock Vs. LL Cool J

(Youtube version is here.)

Don't Let Good Music Rot On the Vine!

This 7" has been apparently collecting dust for a while. It's just being marketed now, but according to the label, the songs were recorded in 2006 and there's blogs hyping this 7" dating back to 2008. So it's been a long time in the making. But worth it.

It's "¡Hermano! (Keep On)," a two-song 7" by The Cookers on New Medina Records. Don't be put off that you haven't heard of The Cookers; it's actually a collective pseudonym for some dope, indie artists you surely have heard of. The MC is Sach from Global Phlowtations and, of course, The Nonce. And on the cuts is none other than Mista Sinista of NY's DJing super-group, The X-Men. And it's produced by Lyn Ness, who also owns the label.

Man, all I can say is check this out! The production is up-beat, incredibly jazzy and instantly catchy. The main sample is a fresh rolling piano loop, with a dusty horn sample on the hook. Sinista keeps it moving with constant, top notch scratches and Sach's laid-back flow sounds the best he ever has since "Mix Tapes" back in 1994.

Then the B-side is "The Brakes," which features a guest spot by Aloe Blacc. Aloe Blacc is of course part of Emanon, but may be better known as a solo artist. I haven't checked for much of his stuff since his early IPO Wax days, but he's put out a lot of material with Stones Throw since. This one's everything the A-side was, but hits a little harder with more rugged drums and a deeper bassline. And the MCs flex a little more aggressively. Two flat-out great hip-hop tracks for sure.

Now, this 7" is limited to 150 hand-numbered copies (though mine seems to be an unnumbered promo copy). But it's reasonably priced (opposed to those $100 collectors' releases) and is only available direct from the label. Click here for their site with mp3 snippets (seriously, go listen!), label scan and ordering info. Don't let this 7" sit unsold in their offices - it's too damn good!

Newark Represent

(Youtube version is here.)

The Frontier Is Over

Here's what I like about how MC Ren struck out as a solo artist. Eazy E focused a lot on drama and other novelty-value type gimmicks (high profile disses, silly videos, a Christmas song... even a lottery ticket-style scratch-off album cover), Dr. Dre obviously went the g-funk route, and Yella did, uh, whatever it was he was trying to accomplish with his solo album, Ren just came with no frills hardcore beats and rhymes. Everybody was waiting to hear what The Ruthless Villain would do, and when "Final Frontier" dropped in 1992, it was just what we were all hoping he would do.

This is a pretty straight-forward single. Still on Ruthless Records, "Final Frontier" just features the Clean Edit (which I of course never listen to) on the A-side and the Uncensored version on the flip. Ren's not saying much here... no shots disses or break-up talk as you might've been expecting, just straight-forward hardcore raps ("DJ Train'll grab the gauge, just in case the motherfucker talk shit - he's the victim of the front page. He's on his way to the morgue to kick it with the rest of them motherfuckers that I gave free room and board"). He occasionally flips a little tongue rolling style, which is cool; but would've been more impressive if he ran with it a little harder. But he's not really out to impress with his lyrics or delivery, so much as kick the basic hardcore fundamentals; no frills: "I hit a nigga off in the head with a chair. The reason for that? The motherfucker, he was standing there!"

Actually, to go back to the Clean Edit real quick. One thing that makes it interesting and possibly worth owning is that the lyrics are altered and re-rapped. They don't just bleep or reverse the curses. So the lines I quoted above become, "DJ Train'll grab the gauge, just in case somebody pisses me off - he's the victim of the front page. They're on the way to the morgue to kick it with the rest of them suckers, yo, that I gave free room and board," and "I hit somebody off in the head with a chair. The reason for that? Because the sucker, he was standing there!" Even the hook is changed to say "the black brother that they call Ren" (which, amusingly, still manages to be as redundant as the O.G.). So it's a fun alternate version at least for the serious fans and collectors.

Anyway, the label doesn't say so, but the track's produced by Bobcat, and it's pretty rugged and simple. It's got some cool vocal samples cut in (though don't expect any fancy scratching) and a little horn sample. But basically it's just "The Bridge Is Over"'s beat and infamous piano riff.

...And that's actually why I guess I don't really revisit this record much anymore. Once the popular NWA fever has calmed down, we're left with the fact that I'd rather listen to the "The Bridge Is Over." Ren comes off well, and it was the right statement for its time; but Krs-One's version is still the definitive use of this track. Listening to this, you want to hear Kris skat "a de de da da, de de da da, da da day - hey!" and take shots Roxanne Shanté. Listening to it today, it'll still get your head-nodding and you can appreciate everything you liked about Ren; but unless you're going on an NWA nostalgia kick like I happen to be today, it's not the winner. And life is too short to be spinning the runner-ups much.