Mixmasta "D" Meets Big Daddy Kane

Mixmasta "D", of the Bizzie Boyz and that killer EP on Dope Folks Records last year made a record with Big Daddy Kane in 1996. Yup. And if you're like me when I first found out about it, the two thoughts running through your mind are, "why didn't I know about this?" and "I've gotta get it!" Well, it wasn't the easiest record to find, but I tracked it down and now I'm able to tell you guys about it and spread the word.

After dropping Turntable Scientist (the first iteration), Dana Mitchell changed his name from the 80's-style MixMasta "D" to the 90ish Dana Lucci. He and the MC from that EP, Flipsyde, (who also changed his name - in this case to Celinski), cliqued up with two other cats from NC: brother and sister O. Shabazz and Rasheedah. They called themselves Da Pit-Stalkaz (named after D's studio, Da Pit), and released this 12" single in '96.

It's hard to say which is the "A" side, since both sides of this record are labeled "Pit Side," but we'll start out with the most exciting one - the song featuring Kane. It's called "Pit-A-Strofik" (a play on the word catastrophic), and even if you didn't know the story behind it, you can tell it's descended from the same origins as Bizzie Boyz and Original Flavor. It's all about fun, lyric-flexing rhymes - think the NC version of Tha Supafriendz (who were dropping "Vowel Movement" the same year). The beat's kinda slow and atmospheric, with that very stripped-down sound of the indie hip-hop vinyl movement of the 90's - it's all about putting the attention on the MCs' rhymes, as each MC kicks a freestyle verse. Some punchlines are witty, some are corny, but they manage to make them all work by keeping the flows light-hearted and engaging.

So, Kane's not actually on "Pit-A-Strofik," but he is on the remix that follows. It uses exactly the same beat, but all the MCs kick new verses. And yeah, this time Kane gets on the mic to spit right along side them. Disappointingly, though, it turns out to be a verse we heard before. Well, not really. At the time it was new. This record dropped in '96, remember. But he brought this verse back in 1998 for his own single, "Hold It Down" (off of the underrated Veteranz Day). I guess he figured nobody'd heard of this North Carolina local record. And I guess I have to concede he was right - even I didn't find out about this until recently. But,. anyway, at least it's a really killer verse, and he sounds good over this beat.

So you get both versions of that song plus the Instrumental, which again, was the same for both versions. But flip this over and you get another dope song: "Represent." It's another, kinda smooth, atmospheric but raw beat, taking its hook from a choice Lost Boyz sample. Overall, this song sounds better - the sound is a little richer, the MCs come off better, and the hook is a big improvement. It just doesn't feature Kane. Essentially, "Pit-A-Strofik" felt more like a live, down-the-line freestyle recorded in the moment (which is, in a way, a plus to be sure), and "Represent" sounds more like a finished studio song. This is definitely the one that'll catch your ear if you do a quick in-store needle drop; but still... "Pit-A-Strofik" has Kane. haha

Fortunately, we don't have to choose; we get 'em both, making for a pretty nice little indie find. "Represent," by the way, comes in EP Mix, Radio and Instrumental versions. The only thing different about the EP Mix is that it doesn't have the curses edited out like the Radio version.

Since this record, Dana Lucci and co. have stayed busy... He and Celinski first put out a CD called Da Pitz: Greatest Hits, and then Dana dropped a vinyl EP in 2001 called Urban Legend. In 2009, he released an mp3 album called Klassic Truck Musik. And obviously, most recently of all, he's linked up with Dope Folks, who're releasing the best of his unreleased vintage material. Their next release has been announced to be some unreleased Bizzie Boyz songs from even before they were on Yo! Records. I seriously can't wait.

The Other Classical Jam

The Classical Two is one of those mid-80's hip-hop groups, like The Fresh 3 MCs or The Showboys, that are often written off as one0hit wonders, but in actuality they actually made... two good records. They're known for their debut single in 1987, "New Generation," largely because it's one of the earliest productions (though definitely not his first) of Teddy Riley, who was about to rule the latter half of the decade. It really makes distinct use of his signature funky percussion style and even a touch of the keyboard style from all his later #1 hits, and it features straight b-boy style rapping, so it's often a favorite amongst heads who appreciate Riley.

...And that's usually where the conversation stops when it comes to The Classical Two. But as I said, there's a continuation to their story. The Bronx duo, K-Born and LA Bru (R.I.P.) had originally come out on Rooftop Records through Brucie B, but the single was quickly scooped up and rereleased by Jive Records. And in 1988, Jive and Rooftop decided to put out another record from these guys even if they didn't have Teddy on the boards this time, and they dropped "The Classical Two Is Back."

Now, you can see from the black and white label and the "NOT FOR SALE" admonition (oops - somebody sold it to me!), that my copy is a promo version, but there's no difference in the track-listing. In either case you get two songs in vocal, Instrumental and Dub versions. And in my opinion this single does just what it set out to do: prove The Classical Two didn't need Teddy to carry them to be a viable rap act. Unfortunately, however, the increasingly commercialized industry took the opposite stance and opted to dead their careers rather than backing them for a full-length album. Oh well, even I have to acknowledge that while it probably would've been a fresh, quality album that I would still be enjoying to this day, it probably wouldn't've been a huge money maker if they didn't have at least some kind of gimmick and a new name.

"Classical Two Is Back" is just a fun, upbeat, funky record with just enough soul to keep it from sounding too pop. It's co-produced by Greg B of the Disco Four - a group I was always been a big fan of back in the day - and someone named Robert Wells, who worked on a lot of Kool Moe Dee's early Jive stuff. Possibly it got a little lost in the shuffle because the hook echoes their first single, saying, "we are rap's new generation" ...that shit confuses fans when you're only known for one song! They think, oh, I think I got that record already.

But this one is entirely different, with a completely dissimilar groove and rhythm. "New Generation" was great, too; don't get me wrong. But this is like the textbook definition of a head-nodder, and it does it without sounding half as poppy as Teddy's jam. The looped vocal samples, the subtle groove they don't bring in until the halfway mark, and the cuts by DJ Prince all come together, and the no-frills flows of the MCs just all come together to make one of those perfect rap songs that seem to only exist on old, overlooked 12" singles.

The B-side is interesting, too; but the magic isn't there like it was on the A-side. It's called "New York Is On Fire," and I appreciate their inclination to make a harder, street-oriented track, with rougher flows and a more atmospheric beat... but it just doesn't seem to be their area of expertise. The keyboard instrumentation sounds chintzy and cheap. The MCs go for a clearly Run-DMC-inspired style where they double-up each other's key words, that sounds like it's meant to be serious and intimidating, but they don't pull it off. I mean, it's okay; and the bassline is catchy; but unlike the A-side, this is one of those many 80's records that could slip comfortably into obscurity and not be missed.

But the A-side? That's some hip-hop definitely calling out to be revisited and appreciated. And if you're wondering whatever happened to K-Born, apparently he's been writing for mags like The Source and Hip-Hop Weekly and is/was working on a comeback album. I don't know if he checks in anymore (does anyone?), but he has a myspace page here.

Palestinian Hip-Hop

What do you know about the Palestinian hip-hop scene? Me either. Or at least I didn't before I decided to check out this recent documentary on the subject, Slingshot Hip Hop.

Slingshot Hip Hop spends most of its time with the first and most influential hip-hop acts to come out of Palestine, DAM (Da Arab MCs), but also manages to be a pretty definitive look at the entire movement there. We hear how they first discovered hip-hop and get to see some preserved footage of their awkward first attempts at recording an English language rap song in the 90's. And it follows their career as they meet Chuck D, perform illegal rap shows, freestyle, meet with and inspire new groups... it's really everything you could want in that regard.

But more important than just being the story of this crew who persevere in an unfriendly environment is the insight into what the hip-hop scene, and modern life in general is like in Palestine - both inside and out of the Israel controlled areas. Interviews are stopped by police because they're speaking Arabic in public, or because gunfire breaks out. One of the most moving moments is when a Palestinian rapper is being interviewed on the radio, and a caller asks if he'd met any international rap stars, and he says he's really just hoping to meet a fellow Palestinian rap group, who live just 15 miles away, but it's been impossible because they're not allowed to cross borders within their own country. At another point, DAM teach a couple aspiring rappers how to write a rhyme about a friend of theirs who was killed... after their performance, DAM hears that those kids were arrested and their trial won't be for at least a year.

How are they as rappers? It's a little hard to judge since they're not rhyming in English. Production doesn't seem to be their strong point, as they're mostly just rhyming over jacked beats. Their biggest single, "Meen Erhabi" ("Who's the Terrorist?") just uses the instrumental to Atmosphere's "If I Was Santa Claus." Though, to be fair, I checked out the end credits, and they do credit "Music by: Atmosphere" for that song.

But this isn't your typical hip-hop mini-doc that's really just a dressed up DAM showcase; it's a surprisingly deep exploration of these peoples' lives. The filmmakers must've spent a lot of time there, because they cover everything you could hope to see, from struggling artists showing you the very first hip-hop CDs they were able to purchase to putting on major concerts and television appearances. We talk to their families. And while the occupied people cannot cross borders (although we do follow a few people making illegal crosses and going through checkpoints), the filmmakers seemingly manage it, so we see everything from different sides including the outbreak of breaking and graf (especially poignant when you realize they're writing on the giant walls constructed to oppress and isolate them) movements in Gaza to the first female rap group. They must've spent years filming this, and it pays off - it's a surprisingly rich film.

This film's available on DVD - though unfortunately with no extras. A small update or what happened to the artists since the film finished, extra interviews, or even a music video might've been nice. It's not carried by many mainstream outlets (i.e. it's listed but unavailable from amazon), but you can order it direct from the film's official website, slingshothiphop.com or from Invincible's site, emergencemedia.org.

Screwball Week, P.S.: The Return of Rockwell Noel

(Youtube version is here.)

Screwball Week, Day 7: KL's Last Record

So, I really don't know how or precisely when Kamakaze stopped being KL and Kyron and became just KL, but at some point it did. It was always the two guys until it became just the one guy. And perhaps that change is largely responsible for this record's under-performance... people were like, "Kamakaze with no Kyron? On a new label with new producers? No thanks!" That's why you see this record on sale everywhere, $.99, $.69... But, hey, I'll take a KL solo record. Don't throw those out, give them to me!

This is "It's All Good" on Traffic Entertainment. It dropped in 2004, the same year as the Screwed Up compilation and Hostyle's solo record. It's the last year anything came out from Screwball as a group. Poet had already started coming out on Premier's label... Screwball may've already been tough for the guys at Hydra to wrangle together, but this is when they really just went off and did their own things.

So, you've got two tracks, with the full break-down: Dirty, Clean, Instrumental and Acapella. Both tracks are produced by E. Blaze, who may not be a name you recognize, but he produced "Underworld Operations" for Lord Finesse, "Fire Water" for Fat Joe, and just recently a track for Show and Krs One's new project; so he's actually a safe bet. It's a little smoother than your average Screwball track, but it thumps and has some hard samples. And similarly, while KL's flow is a little more relaxed, his scratchy voice still has that distinctive Screwball edge.

And speaking of that Screwball edge, the crew may've split, but it's still held down here. You've got the signature "Hu-haaa!" in both songs, and a guest appearance by Blaq Poet himself on the second one.

"Right Here" is the B-side, and the hook defiantly assures us, "Screwball, we ain't goin' nowhere; we're right here!" It's still a bit smoother than Screwball fans would expect maybe, but it's a lot closer to the traditional formula. The exploitation strings sound just like something Don would've hooked up for 'em two years earlier. The echoey, bongo-style percussion is a new element that E is bringing to the table, but it's funky, so it's impossible to complain. And just to seal the deal, there's some Premier-style scratches at the end, shouting out Queensbridge.

To boil it down to a real simple assessment, the A-side is good and the B-side is great. I guess I can see why people might've been reluctant to mess with this, since it seems like a new, less desirable direction for Screwball. And honestly, an entire album of KL somewhat smoothed out does sound disappointing - I didn't pick this one up right away myself for that reason. I waited until it became one of those records I saw everywhere I turned, super cheap. But if you forget about what it was supposedly foretelling (there never was an album follow-up to this single, anyway, so it's a moot point), and just take this record on its own merits - it's good shit! And the fact that even cheaper and easier to add to your collection than when it was new is just a bonus. Usually it works the other way: you hold off on buying a record because you're not sure about it, and then years later you realize how dope it was, and what an essential piece it is for your collection, and the only way to get it is to pay exorbitant prices on EBay. But for once, cynicism at least pays off a little bit.

And of course, now knowing that it's KL's last record... though not his last appearance. A graf crew he was down with at the time, The Grim Team (that's a Grim Team shirt he's wearing on the picture cover, above), featured him on their album in 2007. But knowing how that it's the last record in his sadly limited body of work, makes it all the more essential.

R.I.P. Kenneth Lewis, KL, a.k.a. Legacy.

Screwball Week, Day 6: H-O-S-T-Y-L-E

"We on the same page, same stage - same shine.
Feelings I've been holdin' back from speakin' my mind:
I helped feed ya kids, woulda bust my nine,
Protected ya life, woulda sacrificed mine.
Held you down on stage when you fucked up ya rhymes,
'Cause you was too bent up to remember your lines.
But you really hurt our hearts the most, 'cause you was close,
Stabbed us in the back over bullshit contracts.
Befriend me, befriend us, now you're disliked;
Caught up in your own hype, feelin' your own snake bite."

Most heads were understandably caught up in the drama of guest star Cormega taking on his former crew, The Firm, on the title cut to Screwball's second album, Loyalty. But within Screwball's camp, a much bigger controversy was brewing in that song, with KL directing his verse to fellow member Hostyle.

That;s right, he was expressing his feelings about the crew slowly splitting apart after the stint at Tommy Boy, where that label expressed interest in working with Hostyle if he'd split from the crew. They'd already pressured the crew into using his solo joint, "H-O-S-T-Y-L-E" for the lead single to their album, but that was just the beginning. Hydra Records founder Jerry Famolari explains the situation in his Unkut interview, "[Hostyle] went and did some management deal with some girl, and KL and the group and I went crazy, and that’s where that song came about." So if Loyalty sounds a bit disjointed compared to Y2K, that's because the group was already breaking apart. Famolari explains, "I was kind of holding it together. A lot of that stuff was flown-in as well. A lot of verses were flown-in, and I convinced the guys to come in and do certain things, but it was tough. That album was like pulling teeth."

And explanation pretty much goes for Hostyle's solo album, One-Eyed Maniac, too. "It was certain old songs and a lot of stuff I flew in. I created 75 percent of that. Same thing with the Screwed Up. There was a lot of songs that would not have ever come out. I just took pieces from different things and cuts, whatever I could do to make the album as strong as possible. We had so much money already invested and so much stuff sitting there, I’m like, 'Before I sit on it and have to put out a song here, a song there, a song here, a song there, I might as well just get rid of it.' There was no marketing behind it because there was no group. I don’t even know where Hostyle is. I haven’t spoken to Hostyle in a good eight months." So when you see a record like today's record, we may know when it was released; but we really can't say for sure when it was recorded or for what project.

In this case, Hostyle's "Live From New York" was released on Hydra Records in 2000. It may've been recorded for his Tommy Boy project, or just something he recorded later for Hydra. Who knows? But in any case, it's a cool, obscure little record.

The beat's produced by A Kid Called Roots, and it features one of those "randomly banging on a piano" style loops like Premier used on "D. Original." But that's one of those styles where you've really gotta get it just right, and A Kid Called Roots doesn't quite get it to Premier-level perfection. But it's nice and hardcore, and it sounds pretty good.

More essential to the song than the instrumental is the duo of Hostyle and his guest, Quik. No, thankfully, that's not DJ Quik from Compton - not that I dislike DJ Quik, but those kinds of East/ West collaborations never wind up working out, so I'd just as soon never see him appear on a Screwball record. No, this is actually the debut of Joell Ortiz ...as in Slaughterhouse. After this record, he changed his name to Jo-Ell Quikman for his first single on Rawkus, and then it eventually became just Joel Ortiz. And the pair of 'em just keep passing the mic back and forth kicking freestyle rhymes. It's just one of those rugged joints with zero radio potential that only a serious head can appreciate.

And if this record isn't random enough, instead of having another Hostyle track on the B-side, it was a Godfather Don joint, featuring Prince Po and RA the Rugged Man. Also produced by Don, it's one of those tracks that make you wonder what the Hell he sampled. It also shows that maybe RA should hire Don as a regular producer, because he better here than he usually does. Po comes slick, too; but it's Don himself who comes the tightest. You might have Ill Funk Freaker and The Nineties Selections, but your Godfather Don collection isn't complete if you don't have this one.

And what of Hostyle today? Last I read, he'd changed his name to Ken Kade and had an album in the works called Under the Influence, and he also has some music online where he's partnered with a guy named Rap P. And as for his part of the group? The beef is supposedly squashed, but he's obviously still not part of Screwball today. In an interview this time last year, Poet simply said, "Hostyle, I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s going through a couple of personal issues. He’s out there and he’s still doing his thing, but I’m not really in touch with him right now." Of course, even back in "Loyalty," KL said, "I don't plan on dissin' you in interviews," so I'm not sure if anything's really progressed since then. But I certainly hope so. Though of course it's nobody's fault, it's already a tragedy we have to accept a Screwball without KL; so I know there's not a Screwball fan in the world who doesn't hope the rest of the guys can pull it together. It just ain't the same without Hostyle.

Screwball Week, Day 5: Who Shot Rudy?

Screwball's second record, again on a pre-Hydra white label, this is their most famous song; and interestingly, it's a solo song. I mean, some of the other members might be adding their voices to the chorus, but the rap verses are all Kyron. He wrote the song while he was in jail, and the controversy it generated nearly bought him back. A DVD I reviewed last year, Legends Of the Hip Hop Cop, talk about how the police targeted him after the song came out. Of course, it was his own damn fault that he already had an open warrant; but according to the documentary, they specifically went out to arrest him and the police even went so far as to go into the label and take all of their songs.

Just in case you didn't already know, the "Rudy" of the song's title is the then mayor of New York City, Rudy Guilliani. He had a very controversial term, because he took a very strong-arm approach to cleaning up the city. He was largely successful, in that he made a lot of notoriously crime-ridden areas safe and tourist-friendly, and had most of the porn, etc removed from Times Square. But he accomplished this by using very brash and ethically questionable methods that seemed to persecute many of the city's poor. The nation got much more unified behind him after 9/11, but at the time of this record - 1999 - he was definitely one of those, you loved him or you hated him-type political figures.

And this song lets you know what Screwball's attitude is towards the man right out the gate with the opening vocal sample of Esther Rolle's "If You See a Devil Smash Him" from Don't Play Us Cheap. Then the strings kick in, and it's another perfect Screwball track by Mike Heron. Screwball worked with a bunch of producers - and some quite regularly, like Godfather Don, who was another great match. but Heron was so plugged into Screwball's sound that he should probably be considered Screwball's fifth member.

According to Blaq Poet, Tommy Boy's nervousness about this song was also responsible for delaying the album, Y2K... in fact, he says in his interview with Unkut, Guilliani had ties to Time Warner (who actually owns Tommy Boy), "Yeah, they held-up the album. Coulda dropped that shit and went platinum if they woulda dropped it at the right time, when we had all that free publicity off the 'Who Shot Rudy?' shit. We was all on the news, in the newspapers and all of that, but they don’t roll with it ’cause they were scared of Time-Warner, and Rudy Guilliani at the time had ties with Time-Warner, who were the distributor for Tommy Boy, so they slowed down with dropping that." On the other hand, the big buzz off this tiny, independent release, may've been instrumental in getting Tommy Boy to mess with Screwball in the first place.

According to the infamous article in The New York Daily News, Kyron came up with the song in a dream: "The taxi drivers were protesting, the frank vendors were protesting, and I just vibed off that... some things are for the better [in the city under Giuliani] but there's a lot of people who are being wrongly picked up and arrested." And there is a somewhat dreamlike quality in how the story is narrated - rather than coming off an angry incitement to violence or the bitter tale of a victim, it's told by a nearly impartial third party:

"Ay-yo, who shot Rudy in broad daylight for cash?
I woke up this morning and heard the newsflash:
They said it happened down at City Hall;
He had his wife with him. Five shots from the crowd made him fall.
It was chaos and pandemonium, blood covered up the podium,
Covered his face, and wouldn't show me him.
I had to see if it was true;
Secret service was mad nervous. So was the boys in blue."

The way he drifts from being at home, watching the events on news, to right there on the scene asking to see the mayor's face on the scene is certainly straight out of a dream. But the incident really just serves as a set-up for the meat of the song: the details of the shooting's aftermath and, of course the final statement that there's an awful lot of potential suspects due to the way the mayor ran the city:

"Sharp lawyer suit-breasted, double-breasted; reporters
Was mobbin' daughters and other mourners,
Pushin' cameras away, blockin' the sights.
Had the riot squad at Washington Heights.
Kennedy Airport stoppin' flights. Niggas was tight,
'Cause they couldn't sell a dime all night; but that was ahright.
The devil died and nobody cried,
They was real like some Jews celebratin' when the pharaoh got killed.
Glasses of Henny were spilled and we got twisted,
Smokin' blunts on the corner like we used to 'cause we missed it.
Knowin' he was gone for good, dead and stinkin', it got me thinkin',
Ay-yo, where the fuck Dinkins?
And Harlem World, Shaolin to Brownsville,
Did Sharpton and Farrakhan make the shit real?
Was it Khalel? You know he keep mad steel.
Did the Bloods or the Crips smoke Rudy on the hill?
Who shot Rudy?"

The B-side... Or rather, the A-side, if you look at the actual record label, is another Screwball hit that's sure to be familiar, "You Love To Hear the Stories." Here they pay tribute to the original ode to Queensbridge, "The Bridge" by MC Shan, and it even features him reprising one of his classic verses from that record. But this isn't the version most heads know from the Y2K album. This is the rare, original version, produced by the aforementioned Godfather Don. I don't know if I can say this is better than Pete Rock, because that's damn good. It's more lush and musical - basically just what you'd expect Pete Rock to bring to the table but this version is harder and a more natural fit into Screwball's catalog. Certainly, it's a good enough song, and the production styles are hot and different enough, that a serious Screwball fan will want to have both.

This is a little bit rarer than most Screwball singles, since Tommy Boy opted not to press a version of this as one of their own singles, which Screwball probably initially expected them to. So you've just got however many copies Screwball pressed up themselves promotionally. Still, none of Screwball's records are really that hard to find, and there's a couple of relatively inexpensive copies sitting on discogs as of this writing. Dirty, Clean and Instrumental versions are provided for both tracks.

Screwball Week, Day 4.5: Screw Nuts

So, here it is, Screwball's underground debut single: 1996's "Screwed Up" on Screwball and Hydra Records. The debut of their trademark screwball logo, and their signature "Hu-haaa!" call. The four members artists finally united as a group.

And they come with some surprisingly big-shot guest producers for their first release, The Beatnuts. The 'Nuts come with a sound not too far removed from their usual production style, but it also manages to anticipate Screwball's hardcore sound that would be provided by their future regular producers. Maybe part of that, though, is just that Screwball bring their signature, hardcore flows to the track and make what would've sounded different in another MC's hands unmistakably their own.

You've got a funky little guitar riff sample, which on its own is quite soft. But married with a single deep bass note, hard drums and these strange, atmospheric wailings, it becomes pure, rugged hip-hop. As great as the material Marley's fam was coming with on Warner Bros., this record made it clear that Screwball was the real street shit, but with no loss in musical richness. Everything that makes Screwball Screwball is right here.

"Screwed Up" eventually turned up on Screwball's compilation album of the same title. But the B-side, "They Wanna Know Why," has never been released anywhere else but here.

This one's produced by Screwball regular Mike Heron, who's a pro at complimenting their style. This track's a little unusual for them, though, with a slower, smoother vibe. It's dark and still hard, especially with Screwball's angry flows on top of it - they almost sound like Onyx at times on this. But it's a real cool, head-nodder at the same time, and you don't find a lot of that in Screwball's catalog. There's also a fuckton of nice scratching by an uncredited DJ (unless it's Heron himself?), just to take the song up one final notch. All elements together, this is a monster of a track - a brooding dragon in a cave that you don't want to piss off.

This 12" is a little rarer than most of theirs, but not much, and it's damn sure worth it. Dirty, Clean and Instrumental versions are provided for both tracks. Apparently some were sold in sticker covers and some in plain covers. Unfortunately, mine was one of the later - d'oh! - so if you're after this, make sure to get one with a sticker.

Screwball Week, Day 4: The Origin Story

So, yesterday we looked at the the roots of Screwball's origins, the earliest releases by any of its members, specifically Poet. But there's an eight year gap between those records and the debut of Screwball itself. What happened during all that time? After all, the exact make-up of Screwball can be a bit confusing for more casual fan... I remember back in the days, myself, wondering, "wait, are KL and Kyron the same guy, or is that Solo? Which one's Kamakaze, and didn't someone leave the group?" And I'd feel pretty remiss in my Screwball Week duties if I still left anybody with an unclear idea of just who they are or how the group came about. I was going to just jump into a look at one of their 12" singles today; but instead I figure I'd better do something a little more explicitly biographical first.

So, after those singles with Noel Rockwell, Poet hooked up with a new DJ and producer, Hot Day, and formed PHD (Poet and Hot Day). Hot Day was already down with Marley Marl and The Super Kids, putting out records on Tuff City; so when PHD formed, that was their natural home. Their big album was Without Warning in 1991, but they actually kept putting out records on Tuff City all the way up until 1996.

It's some of these later PHD records that really tie it all together... 1995's "Set It Off Part 3" is a posse cut featuring Havoc (yes, of Mobb Deep - pretty much right before "Shook Ones" blew up), Hostyle and Legacy of Kamikaze[sic]. This was the debut of Hostyle, who would go to be a core member of Screwball. And Legacy also became a core member after changing his name to what he's better known as now, KL. In 1996, PHD put out their final single, which featured another collaboration with both Hostyle and Legacy, "The Grand P.O." It's also worth noting that, by this time in their career, Marley Marl had taken production duties over on PHD's records. And its these singles that transitioned directly to the debut single of Screwball later that year.

But what about the fourth member? Okay, we have to back up a bit. You notice Legacy was credited as being "of Kamikaze." So who were Kamakaze? They were a two man team that Marley was working with, consisting of KL and Solo. Kamakaze was going to come out with an album called Head On on Warner Brothers, along with other acts Marley was working with at the time. But this is right at the time all of that ended - Warner Bros shut down Cold Chillin' in '96, and Marley's acts who were going to come out on through different divisions of Warner, including Sah-B, World Renown and De'1, all got cancelled, including Head On. A few indie 12"s leaked, but basically the group Kamakaze were killed before they came out. And so Solo changed his name to Kyron (his real first name) and became the fourth and final official member of Screwball.

There's more reason why people and rap magazines often confuse Kamakaze with a specific single member of Screwball - because they're not wrong. In the 2000's, KL put out two singles - one through Hydra and then a later one on Traffic - both under the name Kamakaze, just using it as a personal alias. So if you bought "It's All Good," it tells you right on the cover that Kamakaze is one guy: KL of Screwball. So, sometimes Kamakaze means the group, and sometimes it just means KL. ::shrug::

Anyway, it's hard not to notice the similarity of their story with The Wu-Tang Clan's and Gravediggaz': dope disenfranchised artists who'd all had it rough coming up in the music business in the past coming together to form a stronger super group. In that sense (and possibly in others), Screwball is the Queensbridge Wu.

So Screwball took the name of a mutual friend of theirs who'd tragically passed on well before his time (R.I.P.), and and put their debut out themselves, "Screwed Up" on Screwball Records. Yeah, it was in affiliation with Hydra and their parent label, Sneak-Tip Records; but Screwball Records was its own thing which put out a couple other Screwball singles down the line... note the catalog number: SC-001.

After generating some serious buzz with Hydra Records, they signed to Tommy Boy's Black Label, where they released their debut album, Y2K and a bunch of hot singles. When The Black Label shut down shortly thereafter, they didn't skip a beat and went back to Hydra, releasing a ton of material, both collectively and individually with solo projects. It was a flurry of great music until 2004, when they all stopped rather suddenly. Only Poet kept putting out solo material.

Tragically, in 2008, KL passed away due to long-term health issues with asthma. R.I.P. A great MC from one of hip-hop's rawest underground crews; it's a great loss for us all.

So that's the key Screwball line-up. Those four men, pictured above, are the MCs who made up Screwball from their first record to their most recent in 2004. Buuuuut... That's not the very end of the story.

In 2008, an mp3-only album called Screwball Classics* was released. It was a largely just a collection of their past hits, but it also featured new music from a Screwball with an updated line-up. Hostyle is disappointingly out, leaving original members Blaq Poet and Kyron plus new members Scape Scrilla, Ty Nitty of The Infamous Mob (brother of the original man known as Screwball), and Versatile a.k.a. VS (she was that female MC on the NYG'z album). Since then, mp3s and Youtube videos have been popping up here and there, promising a new Screwball album. So we'll see what the future holds, but the Screwball MCs have a long legacy of coming back every time heads counted them out.


*Yes, since day 1 it's been referred to as a CD... and every place from Unkut to Screwball's own myspace page refers to a CD, but I do not believe such a thing exists. I have never been able to track one down, and believe me, I have looked. Even CDBaby, who have CD in their frikkin' name, only carry the mp3s. I mean, maybe if you met Blaq Poet after a show, he would burn you a CD of it... But I'm pretty convinced Screwball Classics was never actually released in any physical format.

Screwball Week, Day 3: Blaq Poet Beats Krs Down

(Youtube version is here.)

Screwball Week, Day 2: Screwed Up Set Straight, part 2

...And we're back! We're continuing directly from yesterday's post, in case you missed it, so you'll want to read that one first. And now let's not waste any time and jump right into CD #2:

Like a Gangster [CD exclusive] - Except for the fact that they spelled "Gangsta" as "Gangster" here, this is a direct life from Loyalty.

The Operation [CD exclusive] - Taken from Y2K.

Gorillas [CD exclusive] - Taken from Loyalty.

F.A.Y.B.A.N. [CD exclusive] - Taken from Y2K.

What the Deal? - This features Cormega and was previously released as a 12" single in 2002.

Where You At? [CD exclusive] - Taken from Loyalty.

On Point (RMX) - The original release came out back in the 90's, and this remix - by Godfather Don - was also included on the "I Ain't Saying Nothing" single.

Heat Is On (RMX) - Okay, the original "The Heat Is On" was on Y2K, and this isn't that version. Both versions feature Prodigy and are produced by Mike Heron, but this is distinctly different remix with a new instrumental. It's not unique to this album; though, it was originally released as a 12" single, b/w "Suck My Dick."

I Ain't Saying Nothing - This was released as a single in 2004 with a remix and a couple other dope B-sides.

Somethings Gotta Give [CD exclusive] - Taken from Hostyle's One-Eyed Maniac LP.

Crime Unit - A hot exclusive produced by Godfather Don quintessential Screwball, high energy and crazy hardcore at the same time.

Ride For Free - Another cool exclusive, produced by someone calling himself FBEE.

Who Shot Rudy? [CD exclusive] - Of course this isn't an exclusive; this is pretty much their most famous song. It was first released as a 12" single, and then featured on Y2K.

Taking All Bets - This was released as a 12" single in 2002, but not under the name Screwball. It's Kamakaze featuring Offdamental, and has a Royal Flush song on the B-side.

Screwed Up [CD exclusive] - You might think this is an exclusive, considering it's the title track and not featured on Y2K or Loyalty. But actually, it's their very first 12" single from 1996, and produced by The Beatnuts.

On the Real [CD exclusive] - This is an infamous song, known for existing in a couple of different versions. However, disappointingly, this is the least rare of the bunch: the version from Y2K, where they replaced Nas with Cormega and Havoc. Check out this post I wrote in 2007 for the full story of the different "On the Real"s.

Shouts [CD exclusive] - This is an exclusive; but it's just 45 seconds of shout-outs over the "On the Real" instrumental.

And thus ends the 2CD set of Screwed Up. But what about the 2LP? There are three tracks on there that aren't on the LP. Let's look at those:

You Love To Hear the Stories (Godfather Don Mix) - This is that original version I mentioned yesterday, from their infamous "Who Shot Rudy?" single.

Return Of the Hu-Haa - Taken from Hostyle's One-Eyed Maniac LP.

Be Careful What You Wish For - This is also taken from Hostyle's One-Eyed Maniac LP.

So, after all that, where are we? Well, there's a total of 5 new songs/ remixes that are only available on Screwed Up. The CD definitely has the better track-listing (boo!), with twenty-one songs not on the LP. Both versions have some of the exclusive songs, but only the CD has them all. The only unique stuff the LP has is the old, previously released mix of "You Love To Hear the Stories" and two more Hostyle tracks. Hostyle's album was released right around the same time as Screwed Up, by the way, which is why I think so many songs from that album are featured here - they were trying to sell us on his solo album.

I could see buying the vinyl version just to have some of these exclusive songs on wax, of course. But even though it's padded with way too many songs from Y2K and Loyalty, ultimately the CD remains essential for the exclusives that aren't even on the LP. And they're good, too; you'd be missing something to just ignore them because they're CD only. I know Poet and Solo were putting together a new Screwball group; but we'll never have another album by the original line-up (R.I.P. KL). So we can't afford to let material like this fall through the cracks.

Screwball Week, Day 1: Screwed Up Set Straight, part 1

It's been ages since I've done a "Week," huh? Well, here's one I've been intending to do for a while now: Screwball Week. Now, with all the vinyl Screwball managed to put out, collectively and separately, I could easily do Screwball Month, and with just a bit of stretching, I bet I could pull off Screwball Year. But I'll try to control myself, and keep this to just Screwball Week. heh heh

In 2004, Screwball had two albums in their pocket (not counting all their variant solo and side projects) and were working on their third, the unreleased (and never completed?) Return Of the Hu-Haaa. And since it had been a while since that second album, 2001's Loyalty, Hydra Records put out this interesting, and somewhat confusing, compilation album of their material: Screwed Up.

Screwed Up (mostly) avoids delving into any of the members' solo material, but still manages to be a double album's worth of stuff. It consists of tracks from the past two albums, sort of a Greatest Hits. But two albums can't make up a double album's worth of Greatest Hits on their own (you'd have to include every single song, basically, and then you'd just have a reissue on your hands), so in addition to being a Greatest Hits, it's also a B-sides and rarities collection, where they feature a lot of remixes and songs originally released only as the B-sides to their 12" singles. But, Screwball are still pretty underground, so their market was just heads who probably already had most of those 12" singles, so a necessity for the hardcore fans, they also threw in some unreleased mixes and stuff.

...None of which is distinguished between in the album's liner notes. And what I've read about this album online over the years shows that a lot of people are confused over just what's what on this album, beyond it being "just a bunch of Screwball songs." So, me being me, I've decided to break it down track-by-track, and see what came from where, and what's actually exclusive to Screwed Up. And finally, to answer the question: for the Screwball fan who has everything, is this worth picking up? So, get ready, it's gonna be a long list...

Oh shit, wait, there's an extra complication! The vinyl version of Screwed Up isn't the same as the CD version. The vinyl version is a double LP with sixteen tracks, and the CD is a double disc set with a whopping thirty-four tracks. And even though that means there's eighteen extra tracks on the CD set (trust me, I just took a math course), there's still stuff on the 2LP that isn't on the 2CD! I'm starting to see why people are confused.

Ok, the CD has the most tracks, so let's start there:

Stretch Armstrong / Poet (Intro) - This is new, presumably recorded for this compilation.

Urban Warfare (RMX) - Okay, "Urban Warfare" was on the Y2K album, produced by Mike Heron. This version is also produced by Mike Heron; in fact it's the same beat. So what's so "RMX"'d? It's a vocal remix, with entirely new verses. This is pretty kick-ass; the beat was one of the best on Y2k and it's just as awesome here. And they come just as tight on this version as the other.

Dirt Thugs - From the title, this seems like a brand new song. But it's really "First Blood," their collaboration with Godfather Don from the B-side of "H-O-S-T-Y-L-E" mistitled.

Torture [CD exclusive] - Featuring M.O.P.; this was taken from Loyalty.

Who? - An exclusive song produced by Ayatollah - fire!

That Shit [CD exclusive] - A banger taken from Y2K.

Take It There [CD exclusive] - Also from Y2K.

Guilty - This is from Hostyle's One-Eyed Maniac album. In fact, it was the single.

Seen It All [CD exclusive] - Taken from Y2K.

Loyalty [CD exclusive] - Taken from Loyalty... obviously.

The Blocks [CD exclusive] - Taken from Y2K.

HOSTYLE [CD exclusive] - Taken from Y2K.

Real Niggaz [CD exclusive] - Taken from Loyalty.

Greatest On Earth - This was the B-side to their 2002 single, "What the Deal."

Attn A&R Dept [CD exclusive] - Taken from Y2K.

You Love To Hear the Stories (Pete Rock RMX) [CD exclusive] - Ooh, a new remix of that dope track with MC Shan from Y2K! wait a minute... wasn't that version also produced by Pete Rock? So, I guess he did both versions? No, actually, the original version was produced by Godfather Don and was a 12" only release, but they remixed it for the (Y2K) album. So, really, this is just another direct lift from Y2K.

Be On Your Way [CD exclusive] - Produced by Mike Heron and featuring Fred Fowler from Shango (remember them? From Beat Street?) singing the hook, this is a Screwed Up exclusive.

And that's the end... of CD #1. There's still a-whole-nother CD to go. This is exhausting... I'm sitting here with the CD in my computer and a huge pile of 12"s and LPs over by the record player, running back and forth, figuring out which mixes are exclusive or taken from which release. So I'll take a break here, and return on Day 2 with the second disc, plus the LP's exclusive tracks, and my summation. (Continuation here.)

Wall Street Rappin'

There's a lot of competition in today's hip-hop blogosphere, and in order to stay ahead, one of the things you've really got to be is "relevant." The internet moves fast, and you've got to really be on your game to stay alive out here. And Werner von Wallenrod's Humble, Little Hip-Hop Blog is all about being relevant. Like, what's the biggest, hippest, underground edgy news story going on in this country right now? The #OccupyWallStreet movement. Protestors, riot cops, the end of capitalism... Some news organizations aren't even up on the whole unfolding story yet, but I see it happening and I act fast. I bust out my copy of a rare 80's rap record about Wall Street that nobody's ever heard of before! Brace yourselves, Huffington Post, you're being scooped.

"Wall Street Rap" by Dr. T. and the Klinic dropped in 1988 (not long after Oliver Stone's movie, which I'm sure is no coincidence) on Prescription Record Inc. It's the label's only release, though not Dr. T's, who in fact dropped a couple other records on different labels. And considering the thematic ties between their names, I'd assume Prescription is the Dr.'s own label, and this is a self release. This wasn't done on the cheap, though. It comes in a cool picture cover where they're dressed in full medical regalia, they've got a full band providing the music (though I'm not sure if they're considered The Klinic - judging by the cover, I'd guess the Klinic are his dancers and back-up singers), and they even had an elaborate music video for this.

It's super corny, of course - this is bordering right on the edge of novelty rap. He rhymes like a cross between Hurt 'Em Bad and MC Hammer, and the music by the band - which consists of a keyboardist, horn player, guitarist, three people credited with drum programming/ percussion, and bass played by Dr. T himself - sounds very much like outsider musicians taking a stab at making some rap music without being familiar with classical styles of hip-hop production. But in a light-hearted, old school kinda way, it all sorta works. All the live instrumentation gives this record an old Sugar Hill Band feel, the hook gets stuck in your head, and the lyrics are actually pretty smart. It almost plays like an education record for kids - think Kurtis Blow's "Basketball" for the financial district.

Now, the track-listing on this single is a little odd... The cover suggests you've got the T.V. Mix on one side, and the Club Mix on the other. But the actual label on the record says you've got the the Radio and Instrumental versions on side A and the Dub Version on side B. Listening to it, I think the truth might be somewhere in the middle... I think it's the Radio and Instrumental versions on side A and the Club version on side B, and there are no T.V. or Dub mixes... but you get into the shady area of what specifically constitutes a dub versus a TV mix and all, for which there really aren't constant and concrete definitions. But somebody, somewhere involved with the making of this record definitely got confused.

If that isn't enough Wall Street rapping for you, luckily, there's one more record out there: "Wall Street Rapper" by Awesome D. Now, while Dr. T.'s single rode the fence, Awesome D's falls squarely on the side of novelty rap. Awesome D is David Lawrence, and on this record he plays the character of a big-shot CEO. When an investor calls, his secretary informs him, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lawrence now wants to be referred to as Awesome D." The CEO has decided to become a rapper and cut his first rap record - and this is it.

It's all about business on Wall Street, of course, and the similarities to "Wall Street Rap" don't stop there. This one's a bit newer, 1992, but still features a lot of live instrumentation - most notably a very prevalent saxophone. It's also got a simple hook sung by two girls and big guitar solos. Plus, it's another self-released, record label one-off (Awesome Records), and comes in another glossy black & white picture cover. This one's got wonky (but listenable) scratches, and a really stilted flow... Dr. T's flow, again, was pretty simple and old school; but Awesome D has a serious, "I honestly don't know how to rap" thing going on... think Barney and Fred Flintstone rapping in that old Fruity Pebbles commercial and you get the idea.

Again, though, the instrumentation isn't bad in a studio musician/outsider kind of way - the bassline's effective - and this one uses a lot of vocal samples of Michael Douglas from the film Wall Street. And while D could never pass as a legit rapper, even in market that gives kids with flows like Kreayshawn a pass, the concept and lyrics are genuinely amusing for a one-off gag single like this. It's not a dope rap record, but then I don't think their aspirations were ever that big, and it accomplishes what it sets out to do.

So, there you have it, hip-hop's two Wall Street rap records. You won't find these covered on many other blogs, I bet. And CNN, if you'd like to invite me to speak on the air as a leading Wall Street rap authority, just remember: hip, young bloggers with our fingers on the pulse of America's youth like us don't come cheap. So, uh, "serious offers only," dig? ;)

Almighty Trenton

(Youtube version is here.)

Hip-Hop: Beyond Violence, Misogyny & Homophobia

So, the InstaRapFlix series is now dead. It had a good run of 35 entries. But now that Netflix's streaming movies are no longer free to watch, the fun and concept of the series has been defeated. But that doesn't mean I won't be reviewing any more hip-hop docs! I've always done non-Insta reviews alongside that little series, and they will be continuing as of... right now.
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes is a short (approximately 1 hour), 2006 documentary by independent filmmaker Byron Hurt. As far as I know, he hasn't done anything else, but I bring him up first because he brings himself up first. This film is ostensibly about the issues of violence, misogyny and homophobia in hip-hop; but it's really about Byron dealing with hip-hop's issues with violence, misogyny and homophobia.

On the one hand, this is effective because it personalizes the subject matter: how does this imagery affect a listener on an individual basis? But on the other hand, it feels pretty self-indulgent - for instance, while he does attach it to his themes of masculinity, I can't help feeling like we're shown footage of him playing college football because he wants to show people he played college football. There are points in the film where I just couldn't help feeling, "who cares about you?" He just seems to spend more time - in an already short film - giving us his own back-story and feelings than delving into the more universal aspects, artist interviews, etc. Until the end, where he surprisingly drops that angle, leaving the film feeling a bit unresolved... except fortunately, we don't care anyway, so it's not a disappointment.

But it also manages to come with some surprising insight - how many treatises on misogyny and homophobia in hip-hop are insightful enough to draw its roots back all the way to the 1946-1963* construction of the Cross-Bronx expressway? One particularly compelling segment at BET's summer festival, starts with J-Hood pointing out some nearby, under-dressed women and calling them "bitches." Then Hurt calls those women right over and asks them how they felt about being called bitches. At that point, I really feel like the filmmaker's getting stuck deep into the topic.

And there are a few other compelling moments like that, where you get the sense, okay, now the we're dealing with a substantive film here, that's touching on some real issues. There's a scene where he interviews three transsexual women who confess that misogyny in hip-hop turns them on "because it's so aggressive." There's another where Busta Rhymes seems genuinely afraid to discuss homophobia and high-tails it out of the room when asked about the possibility of a gay rapper being accepted in the hip-hop community. And hearing a Def Jam executive speak with disdain and disappointment about Public Enemy's producers going over to produce Ice Cube's album was certainly eyebrow raising.

But these moments are few and far between, accomplishing a unique feat of making this film feel both way too short and way too long at the same time. Too short because we feel like he's just beginning to get to the heart of some deep matters when he moves on, ending the interview or just changing the subject. And too long because this film feels padded out with a lot generic interviews repetitively stating the obvious or expressing the most bland and common opinions.

It's really a shame that InstaRapFlix is dead, because this would have been perfect for it - a 60 minute movie with about fifteen to twenty minutes of meat, and the rest filler. Worth watching for free, but hard to justify paying $20-$25 to purchase on DVD. But if you have got that extra dough to spend, it has been released through PBS' Independent Lens documentary series and is available here.


*Well, those are the dates this film gives.

Rock La Flow Is Back!

Rock La Flow is back - in spades! You may remember me gushing about the virtually unknown Milwaukee MC back in January, when Dope Folks Records put out his killer EP, The Flowgram Pt. 1. Well, I opened my front door today to find awaiting me Pt 2 - it's here! And that's not the half. A full-length Rock la Flow LP, The Ultimate, dropped the same day.

Flowgram Pt. 2 finishes up the collection of songs he recorded in '94 and '95 with his producer (who definitely deserves 50% of the credit for how great La Flow's material is) Tory Tee. I don't think I like it quite as much as the first volume, but it's definitely a worthy follow-up. There's a remix of a cut from the original EP ("Partytime") which is just as good, if not better, than the original. And the track that easily stands out as my favorite, "Illwaukee," which showcases a couple of his local brethren, Spoon and Kerse One along with Flow, and they all kill it over a nice beat perfect for passing the mic. Fans of the first entry will definitely be happy with this one, too.

But still... I'm not 100% sure of the story behind these EPs, but they sort of feel like large chunks of a not quite finished album. A kick-ass album, mind you, but still sort of incomplete in how the pieces would've all assembled together.

That's not the case at all with The Ultimate, which actually pre-dates the Flowgram EPs. These songs were recorded in 1992-93, and again are entirely produced by Tory Tee. This album was recently discovered by Dope Folks and feels like a finished album. More importantly, Rock La Flow is amazing on this, and the beats are hype. Sometimes you'll hear familiar loops or breakbeats, but they're all flipped differently or merged with other samples and turned into something fresh you've never heard before.

Man, heads would have loved this album if it came out back when it was recorded! This is one of those albums where, I've got the record spinning while I'm typing up work on the computer, and I just have to stop what I'm doing to pay close attention to the perfect blend of beats and rhymes coming from across the room. These releases are just the perfect match of an MC and producer who were each completely on top of their game at the same time. You know, one of those pairings that artists seem to manage to hit for one brief period and then spend the rest of their careers trying to recapture, like - to re-use an apt comparison - Nas when he made Illmatic.

Getting these right on the heels of Natural Elements' EP on Chopped Herring is a bit of a mind-blower. If anyone was thinking the limited game was winding down, think again. It should be pointed out, though, that Dope Folks' records don't cost the infamous "limited" prices. They're $20 each, which, for full-length LPs, is right in-line with the cost of standard new releases.

Oh, and The Ultimate comes with a phat, glossy art piece as a little bonus. I won't post a scan, so it can still be a surprise when your copies arrive in the mail. They're both limited to 300 as usual, so don't sleep.

Western HemisFear Classics

(Youtube version is here.)

Natural Elements - NOW We're Talking!!

Man, I have been waiting at the door for this one to arrive...!! As you may recall, I've been documenting and pining for Natural Elements' brilliant yet unreleased demo tracks (see here, mainly, but also here and here)... And now, thanks to Chopped Herring Records, six of those vintage tracks are no longer unreleased!

The Lost Demos EP Vol. 1 ("Vol. 1?" "VOLUME 1?!" That implies there will be a "Vol. 2!" Woohoo!) is just shipping now on "very limited vinyl." Specifically, that breaks down into three unique pressings: 75 copies on gold vinyl, 75 copies on white (white) vinyl, and 150 on traditional black, for a grand total of 300 EPs. And they all come in a phat sticker cover.

So what have we got here?! Let's look at it track by track:

1) I Got Your Heart - I wrote about this one in my HHC article. It's also known as "What My Crew Do To You" and features the early line-up of Voodoo, KA (instead of A-Butta) and L-Swift. Thanks to the record label, we now this was produced in 1995 by (just like you'd expect) Charlemagne.

2) Triple Team - Another one I wrote about in the HHC article, another one featuring KA instead of A-Butta, and another one produced by Charlemagne in 1995.

3) Every Day - Now here's one I've never even heard of before! According to the label, it's again from 1995 and produced by Charlemagne. Fucking nice.

4) Life Ain't Fair (Original) - Another '95 one produced by Charlemagne that I wrote about in my article. It's interesting that this specifies "Original." That's because it's completely different from the version I have a snippet of. There's no R&B chorus, and this beat is much harder, giving the song an entirely different feel.

5) Machine Gun Prayer - This one's a Mr. Voodoo solo song, produced by LDR Louie Ortiz - the same guy who produced Voodoo's later EP, Let the World Know. The year of production is said to be unknown on this one, but if it's by Mr. Ortiz, it might be a little more recent than the other material on here.

6) Puttin' In Work (Demo Tape Version) - Another song that specifies this as a specific version, implying that there are others... This one is an L-Swift solo track, and the oldest one on the EP, dating all the way back to 1993; and it's again produced by Charlemagne.

Poor A-Butta isn't on here at all. The first four tracks are so old they feature the KA version of the line-up, and then he doesn't get a solo joint. I can't complain, though, everything here is great, and KA brings a unique element - if you'll forgive the pun - to the crew that works great. A-Butta and L-Swift, after all, sorta rode in the same lane. Voodoo was complex, L made it smooth and KA came with the ruggedness. Butta and Swift were both smooth. They were also both fantastic at it, so it was all good, but it's cool to experience more of the original line-up.

You may've noticed, I haven't really addressed how good the songs are... that's because this is from Natural Elements at their prime - it goes without saying that everything on here is must-have level material. And the sound quality ranks an A+, too. You may've heard shoddy radio rips of a couple of these songs before, but you can throw them shits out now! These are the clean, clear and unabridged original recordings sounding perfect (except the L-Swift song seems like it may've been sourced from an actual cassette; but it still sounds surprisingly good) on brand new vinyl.

Now Chopped Herring as already begun taking pre-orders on their next release, and it's not Natural Elements Vol. 2. It's Grimm Teachaz, an interesting group with some dope production that got jammed up in Jive Records back in '93. But if Vol. 2 isn't their current release or even their next release, we can hopefully expect it relatively soon. So, what might we have to look forward to?

Well, my HHC article covered the nine (total) known NE tracks that have yet to be recorded; and that didn't cover solo material, which Chopped Herring is clearly open to including. So, that means 5 of the tracks I wrote about there are still pending, plus the version of "Life Ain't Fair" with Bridge. Now "Survive" was released, albeit unofficially, on the Word of Mouth EP, so we're not worried about that one. And "Supreme Domination" was on the 10 Year Anniversary album - BUT that was a CD only release, so it would still be a very welcome inclusion on any vinyl Chopped Herring was willing to put out.

And that also leaves us with the great demo tracks "Knick Knack," "Freak Freak Y'All," "My Nature." Plus we know Mr. Voodoo, at least, has a bunch more killer solo joints that haven't been released (he could have a solo EP all to himself, which would be awesome), and there's always the non-Demo Tape Version of "Puttin' In Work." And of course, there's no telling what jewels might be in their vaults that nobody at all has heard of, but could still come out and blow us away. After all, "Every Day" was certainly a new one on us. Who knows? Maybe there's even going to be a Vol. 3. I'm giddy.

Fresh BusDriver For the End of Summer

BusDriver's back with a new 7" single, released this past Record Store Day. It's a two track single from the Polyvinyl Record Co, a sort of indie hipster label that's taking it's first dip into hip-hop. The title is tastefully abbreviated on the cover as "ATM," but the actual full-length title is revealed on the inside record label: "Ass To Mouth."

Of course, this is BusDriver, so youths expecting a 2 Live Crew-style ditty about their favorite porn move* to shock everyone within hearing range of their school parking lot will be disappointed. But then again, it's still vulgar enough to have the phrase "ass to mouth" be the chorus, so assuming nobody's paying strict attention to the lyrics, it may be close enough.

It's actually a first-person narrative about a celebrity's fickle and ignorant fan-base who never give him a break, with the final twist being that he's as shallow and rotten as anybody in his audience. In other words, the vapid celebrity culture (the mouth) can't stop going on about the stupid shit their dumb stars (the ass) does. At least, that's how I took it.

It's a little harder to pin down the B-side, "Colour Wheel," because he sings on this one (it's as dubious as it sounds), and you can't decipher much of anything he's saying.

Both songs here are produced by Loden, a Belgium producer who 's been putting out spacey electronic music for a while now, and who probably connected with BusDriver through signing with Mush Records. Apparently, Loden will be producing the entirety of Bus's upcoming album (for which this is the opening single), which... after hearing this, I can't say I'm too against. It's all about synths, keyboards and spacey computer sounds - so I definitely suggest heads try before they buy - but I like it. It may not be a preferred style, but I don't think anyone could say that Loden isn't quite expert at playing it. Plus BusDriver's all-over-the-place vocal stylings are able to complement the crazy, rising and falling rhythms like nobody's business. I imagine the catchy chorus (is he doing all the back-up vocals, too? I bet he is) will manage to hook a lot of listeners who don't even generally give hip-hop their ear.

Now, this is limited to 1000 copies, but really... calling any hip-hop vinyl run of 1000 "limited" is a bit of a stretch. I'm sure even the producers behind a Kanye/Outkast split LP wouldn't expect to sell more than a thousand copies of wax to today's audiences. Bit I digress. "ATM" is pressed on a marbleized blue vinyl which matches nicely with the abstract imagery of the picture cover. Polyvinyl must also be commended for the inclusion of a download slip, which allows purchasers to download mp3 versions of both tracks and the cover art from their website when you enter your unique code.

So this is a nice little package, but still pretty much strictly for hardcore collectors rather than general music enthusiasts. For one, because it's a 7" after all; and they just scream novelty collectors' toys - proper releases are 12", damn it. And two, because both of these songs are slated to be on the upcoming album that any fan who's serious enough to consider buying this single will surely be picking up in a month or so when it drops anyway. So hardly essential, but a it's fun, high quality and can be had cheap. Oh, and the actual music's pretty good... at least the A-side.


*Don't bother denying it; I've seen your download history!