Mel's Message Week, Day 3 - The Sequel

Still 1982, Grandmaster Flash and the rest of The Furious Five have come around to "The Message" - it's a runaway hit, the title of their album. But now that it's time for the sequel, Melle Mel and Duke Bootee are still doing it on their own. Flash and the Five aren't even credited on the label this time, though Sylvia and Joey Robinson are still taking writing and production credits.

It's called "Message II (Survival)," and once again it's just Mel and Bootee rapping on this. But there's another MC who should have writing credit on this record. Check out these lyrics:

"In jail they got a game and they call it 'survival,'
They run it down to ya on your first arrival.
They tell ya what you can and can not do,
So if you ever go to jail, watch your (mm mm)."

Duke Bootee kicks that short verse near the beginning of the song. But now check out these lyrics to another rap classic, and see if you notice anything familiar:

"For you sucker sucker crews who commit the crime,
You wanna do bad but don't do the time.
I say you wanna be this but then you wanna be a crook,
You find and old lady and take her pocket book;
And then you steal your mother father's money on the sly;
You can run, but you can't hide.
When the cops grab you, your face turns pale;
And I'ma tell you a little story about the jail:
You see, in jail they got a game and it's called 'survival,'
And they run it down to ya on your first arrival.
They tell ya what you can and can not do,
But if you go to jail, watch your poo poo."

That's right. That's from Spoonie Gee's debut single "Spoonin' Rap" on Sound of New York (1979). Of course, Spoonie took it a little further...

"'Cause when you go in the shower, he's a-pullin' his meat,
And he's a-lookin' at you, and say you look real sweet.
And at first there was one, now ten walked in,
Now how in the hell do you expect to win?
I said you better look alive, not like you take dope,
And please, my brother, don't drop the soap.
And if you get out the bathroom and you're alive,
Just remember: only a man can survive."

For ages, I just assumed the lines were bitten. After all, Bootee is a musician first and foremost. He rhymed on these records, but he never really made any claims of being a serious MC. The original intention was for his vocals to be replaced on the original "The Message," and he was only rapping on this one because of the success of the last one (and the growing divisions within the group over the whole mess). So I assumed he had a little trouble coming up with some rhymes and figured he could sneak a lifted passage or two under the radar.

But, actually, in an interview with The Foundation (by the way, have I mentioned that The Foundation is fucking awesome, and if you haven't gone there and ready every single interview than you're really missing out?), Rahiem, explains that, "Spoonie G wrote that song to get out of his contract [with Sugarhill]."

The beat should be familiar, too. There's some new instrumentation by the usual players on top, but the basic track is Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's earlier hit, "Scorpio" with the fast, electronic sounding beats and sound effects.

Still, this is a pretty great song. Some of the added music, especially the super funky bassline, really elevates this above "Scorpio" IMHO, which gets kind of monotonous and dull. And it sure doesn't hurt that Mel's simple vocoder effects have been replaced by some great new lyrics by Spoonie, "you've got to lock all your windows, chain up all your doors, to protect what's inside of your houses, stores. Beware of the food - it might be no good, 'cause there's someone trying to poison the whole neighborhood! Today they found something in somebody's store they said, killed ten people, and hurt four more."

Mel also changes up his flow for majority of the song, and instead of giving his usual, ultra-aggressive delivery, gives a very earnest, softer, almost pleading delivery for most of his lines. You might almost think it was another member of the Five doing his parts, but no, that's Mel. He only really switches back to his traditional style for the ending, when he brings back a portion of his famous, "a child is born with no state of mind" verse for an encore performance.

Of course, this record didn't have quite the impact the original did. A lot of the recycled elements feel like quick cash-grabs, and you just can't have an important, musical and cultural First twice. The hook, while effective, didn't become the anthem that "The Message" or even "New York, New York" did. But it's still a really great record that stands up to the test of time a lot better than many other records from that era, even other hits by Flash and the gang. If this record had gotten formulaic, it was at least a terrific formula.

Mel's Message Week, Day 2 - The Actual Message

So, three years later, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five built a song around that famous verse from "Superrappin'." Or, rather, Melle Mel did, almost on his own. Apparently the rest of the group weren't convinced at all of this bold concept: to make a hip-hop record that was serious and political as opposed to light and bouncy. Little could they imagine the world of Public Enemy, NWA and Edutainment that hip-hop was about to define hip-hop - "the black CNN" as Chuck D famously described it - for the latter half of the decade.

So Melle Mel hooked up with one of the members of Sugarhill Records' house band, Duke Bootee, and they crafted this song on their own (note the billing on the label... Flash and the Five developed a long history of confusing and ever-changing billing on their records like pretty much no other group). Bootee didn't just work on the instrumental for song, he actually wrote and performs one of the verses - the only one not by Mel. In fact, it even goes further... according to an interview with Bootee at The Foundation, he wrote all of Mel's verses, too (except for that famous, final verse).

While "Superrappin'" may've had the famous verse first, and other rap records managed to make some social and political points, "The Message" turned out to be revolutionary. While the instrumental is still by The Sugarhill Band and contains your standard disco/ funk elements, it's much darker and atmospheric, and it's set to a drum machine instead of live percussion. Instrumentally and lyrically, it lead hip-hop into a whole new direction. Not that every rapper took it (care free party rap remains a staple of the genre to this day), but it opened the door to so much, from the post-Run DMC era of stripped down beats to pretty much the whole concept of serious and "hardcore" MCing.

I have a fun memory of this record. In high school, we had to do a presentation where we typed up the words to a song, played the song in class, and discussed the lyrics. Most of the kids were surprised I listened to stuff like this, considering it was so old school - I'm not so old that I went to high school in the 80's, guys. But one of my best friends had already called dibs on The Geto Boys' "Chucky," so I figured I had to go in a different direction.

Anyway, my English teacher was impressed I figured out Duke was saying "sacroiliac," but marked me wrong on another line of the song, where Mel tells the tale of the "Zircon princess" who, "seemed to lost her senses. Down at the peep show, watchin' all the creeps so she can tell her stories to the girls back home. She went to the city and got so, so siditty, she had to get a pimp; she couldn't make it on her own." She was convinced the song had to be saying she got "social security." So, since I'm looking back at this record, I decided to do a little research and see what the rest of the world thinks about this line.

The original hip-hop anthology, Rap: The Lyrics actually has it as "social security." But the later Anthology of Rap agrees with me. Being on the side of "the big book of plagiarism" was almost enough to make me rethink my stance on the subject, but it occurred to me that whatever they had must have originally come from the internet, so I checked The OHHLA, and they also have it as "siditty". Actually, they have it as "seditty." In fact, googling around, I've found literally over a dozen spellings of this word. But however you spell it, I'm convinced they meant the term found in this Urban Dictionary link. This is just one of those old school slang words everybody was using back in the days, and it hadn't even occurred to me that they could be saying anything else.

I mean, I can understand the logic of wanting to think it must be "social security." Rapgenius has it as "seditty," but then if you click the word, they say, "My guess, from listening to the song and given the context ('she couldn’t make it on her own'), is that what’s actually being said is 'Social Security' — which maybe is being used euphemism for welfare, or disability given that she’s a 'crazy lady'" - it makes sense. But I think that's just a case of us trying to re-edit the song afterwards. I mean, just listen to the song: there aren't enough syllables for it to be "social security." I can hear "so so" as "social," but "security" has a whole other, distinct syllable with a definite "your" sound in there. And Mel's not exactly a midwestern mumblemouth-type rapper. He comes from the old school tradition of enunciating the Hell out of whatever you're trying to say. Hell, Maya Angelou even uses the term in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: "St. Louis teachers, on the other hand, tended to act very 'siditty' and talked down to their students from the lofty heights of education and whitefolks' enunciation." ...I wish I had that Angelou quote back in English class; I think that would've gotten that incorrect mark off my paper! hehe

Anyway, I apologize for the long tangent. It's a powerful song, from Mel's dynamic opening, "broken glass everywhere!" to the mature and heartfelt lyrics of all the verses, including Bootee's, talking about, "the bill collectors that ring my phone and scare my wife when I'm not home." It works and holds up on every level. Even today, you're not going to find many rappers with metaphors and imagery like, "rows of eyes disguised as windows, looking down on the poor and needy." And, of course, it has one of the most famous and bitten hooks in hip-hop history: "don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge... I'm tryin' not to lose my head. It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under."

There are multiple pressings, of course, but pretty much only the one version of the song (not counting remixes made by other artists long after the fact), about seven minutes long with the instrumental on the B-side. Unlike songs like "Superrappin'" or "Rapper's Delight," no one really pares this one down. I mean, maybe a compilation or two will shave a bit of the extended instrumental at the beginning or the skit at the ending (that Newcleus famously imitated on their classic, "Jam On Revenge"), but you'd be hard pressed to find any versions that cut any of the verses, all of which are iconic and essential. This song is one of the few real game changers, even moreso than other songs that managed to set trends. And Grandmaster Flash and the rest of the Furious Five, who originally didn't want to get down with this song, wound up making it the title of their debut album.

Some Unearthed Sah-B Shit

Whoa - we interrupt 'Mel's Message Week' to bring you a breaking post on Sah-B! Fifth Element Online has just posted an in-depth review (and a complete mp3 rip) of her unreleased '94 album for Reprise Records, Some Ol' Sah-B Shit! Go check it out. I'll wait here. Come back when you're done.

Okay, so here's the cover of the tape he posted (you already saw it there, but I'm re-posting it here for comparison's sake).


I've been on the hunt for this album ever since it was announced on the back of the "Summa Day" cassingle as coming soon. Of course, it never did. But I knew that promo tapes existed, and I've seen a few fly by on EBay. In fact, six or so went up relatively recently. I never got 'em because they wound up going for ridiculous money. But what's interesting is that they're not all the same.

First of all, there's this version:

It's not really too different from the one FE posted, except that it's four tracks shorter. Those missing tracks are just the skits, and otherwise the track-listing is identical, so no big deal.

Okay, but how about this:


If you look, it's dated about three months earlier than the one FE posted, and has an entirely different (and shorter) track-listing. This definitely looks like an unfinished version. "Funkmaster Flex" might just be a radio freestyle or a drop/skit. But some titles like "Tell Me Something Good" and "Don't Stop" seem to have gone missing from those later versions posted above.

The same could be said for this 3-song tape:

"Do You Love Him Enough To Do the Time" persists through all the versions we've seen, and ties it to the Reprise album; but the other two songs, again, seem unique to this tape. Somebody must have some pretty deep vaults of unreleased Sah-B shit.

Especially since it looks like Reprise was also considering releasing some singles that never saw their way out the gate... check these out!

...That last one, of course, did come out as the B-side to "Summa Day." I just included it because it includes an Acapella version that was never released.

But how about those other songs? "Merciless" (plus a possibly alternate "Final Mix"), "Sah-B Show" and "Can't Let Go?" And these look like singles, too - so there's a good chance they're hotter than many of the album filler songs. Apparently they made a lot of passes trying to please Reprise, and none of them succeeded.

Now, it's important to note, I don't actually have any of these tapes... Is it possible that one or two of these seemingly different songs are actually the same but alternately titled? Sure. Maybe the song on the single "Sah-B Show" is "Sah-B" on that eight-song tape.

But one thing's for sure. There is a crap-ton of unreleased Sah-B material - much of which we can now hear thanks to Fifth Element Online and much we cannot; but all of which needs to be given a proper, official release. Who can make this happen?

(By the way, I love it that there can be "breaking news" on Sah-B's album in 2011. hehe)

Mel's Message Week, Day 1 - A Verse Is Born With No State of Mind

Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's classic record, "The Message" is easily one of the most important rap records in hip-hop history. And that's why I'm dedicating a whole week to it - or, rather, its many iterations. And I'm not even talking about funky remix 12"s, like the one by Stunt Nuts, where they turn it into a trance/ Euro/ electro/ whatever/ dance record, or random covers by unrelated artists like Motiv or this guy. This week is dedicated solely and specifically to Melle's Mel's "Message." ...You'll see, by the end of the week, it'll all have made sense. ;)

Now, the primary reason "The Message" is held up as so important is because it's known as the first record to have, well... a message. It's regarded the single to take the hip-hop from hip-hoppin', show-stoppin', body-rockin', poppin' and lockin' party rhymes to rebellious street music with a serious bent. And it did. But to be fair, it's not really the first rap record to have any kind of socially conscious message in it. In fact, Melle Mel had already done it a few years before. In fact, he did it with many of the exact same lyrics before.

"The Message" is a great song with many great verses from the Five, but certainly the signature, most memorable verse is the final one - hell, I don't even need to play the song now to type it out:

"A child is born with no state of mind,
Blind to the ways of mankind.
God is smilin' on you, but he's frownin', too,
Because only God knows what you'll go through.
You'll grow in the ghetto livin' second rate,
And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate;
And the places you play and where you stay
Look like one great big alleyway.
You'll admire all the number book takers,
Thugs, pimps and pushers and the big moneymakers,
Drivin' big cars, spendin' twenties and tens;
And you'll wanna grow up to be just like them.
Smugglers, scramblers, burglars, gamblers,
Pickpockets, peddlers, even panhandlers.
You'll say, 'I'm cool, huh, I'm no fool,'
But then you wind up droppin' outta high school.
Now you're unemployed, all non-void,
Walkin' round like you're Pretty Boy Floyd.
Turned stick-up kid, but look what you done did:
Got sent up state for an eight-year bid.
Now your manhood is took and you're a Maytag,
Spend the next two years as a undercover fag,
Bein' used and abused and served like hell,
'Till one day you was found hung dead in your cell.
It was plain to see that your life was lost,
You was cold and your body swung back and forth,
And your eyes sang that sad, sad song
Of how you lived so fast and died so young."

That's a hard verse. But another reason it might stand out as being particularly memorable is that we'd heard it before. Melle Mel kicked that exact same verse three years earlier on "Superrappin'."

"Superrappin'" dropped in 1979 on Enjoy Records, before they made their move to Sugarhill Records where they released the majority of their hits. It's often referred to as their first record, although strictly speaking, they released another single earlier: "We Rap More Mellow," under the alias of The Younger Generation. The version pictured here, by the way, is the second pressing Enjoy put out after their small initial run was such a success. I don't actually have this pressing but I stole the picture from discogs because I love the spelling error on this pressing - they title the song "Supperrappin'," ...as in the meal after lunch.

Now "Superrappin'" is one of those classic, marathon golden age rap records where the MCs just spit and spit for well over ten minutes to the accompaniment of a live band. Man, they don't really don't make records like that anymore. But I especially bring it up to point out that, because it's so long, many (most, in fact) hip-hop compilations over the years would edit this song and all the others like it to a more manageable 5-minute or so length. That way they could fit a lot more songs on the album and it'd be more marketable. But that means a whole lot of you may've grown up knowing "Superrappin'" in an abbreviated form without that final verse (and plenty of other parts).

Now, "Superrappin'" isn't a particularly message-y song for the most part. In fact, after this verse, Melle passes the mic right back to Rahiem who rhymes about how, "all the fly girls, you got to beware, because Rahiem will be in your hair!" But you can't deny that any song that has that verse in it has a serious (albeit homophobic) message in it... years before the actual "The Message." It also features tons of memorable lines, including the famous count up, count down hook that so many other rappers have borrowed over the years, "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, rappin' like Hell but make it sound like Heaven. Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, come on, _____, come and get some!"

I have one little anecdotal memory about this record... when I was working at The Source, I had to write a brief biography for Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five for their awards show. It was just a couple short sentences, like, "responsible for such influential songs as 'The Message,' 'White Lines' and 'Superrappin'." But the owner of the mag contacted me, indirectly through my supervisor, like, "what is this kid doing? Grandmaster Flash didn't do Superrappin'!" You couldn't contact this guy directly, his door was always locked and you couldn't call him... so I had to run out, buy a copy of this record that day, and fax him a label scan. I never heard back from him; but I saw "Superrappin'" was in the final copy of the bio when it came out.

Anyway, "Superrappin'" was followed up by "Super Rappin' No. 2" on Enjoy the following year. But it's really just an abbreviated version of "Supperappin'" that cuts about five minutes of (great) material out of the song and adds nothing except very minimal instrumental changes - the body of the music is the same. And no, it doesn't have the famous, "a child is born" verse.

Money Earnin' Mt. Vernon (R.I.P. Heavy D)

(Youtube version is here.)

Premier Commits Sewaside

I don't have any Das EFX posts yet, so I figured I should make one. I mean, I'm not a HUGE Das EFX fan, but I've always liked 'em enough to pick up their albums as they dropped back in the day, and they definitely had some nice singles. But it's just one of those things where I look at the increasingly long list of artists featured on this blog in the right-hand column and see all these crazy names like Dr. T and the Klinic, Bobby Jimmy, Sabado Gigante, MC Frontalot, two entries for Tricky Nicky and so on... and none for the artists who've been basic hip-hop staples of the genre. I feels like I gotta patch some of these guys in. So here we go: Das EFX.

So the obvious choice would probably be to grab something off of Hold It Down, or maybe go ultra-purist and take it all the way back to their first single or two. But I figure I'll shoot somewhere for their more neglected zone, a dope single from their second album, Straight Up Sewaside. Straight Up Sewaside is interesting, because it did much better overseas... here in the US, most heads were already sick of their "diggity riggidy" gimmick and had written them off as copied and played out, one album wonders, even the source of punchlines by other MCs.

But before the days of the internet, kids in other countries didn't know know about their declining rep and still ate it up. I remember a segment, I think it was on Video Music Box, about how kids in Europe still loved Das EFX and considered them the #1 rap group, and it was like "wha?" We'd all moved on to The Wu-Tang Clan and didn't pay Das anymore mind. But those kids held them down long enough for the duo to re-invent themselves with the Premier-laced "Real Hip-Hop," and their Hit Squad association during the Erick and Parrish rivalry; so they got some of their buzz back. But Straight Up Sewaside is one that's usually left to the hardcore fans.

More interesting than most of the stuff from that album, though, is this little single. See, after their bigger singles off that album, "Baknaffek" and "Freakit," they snuck out one last single, a little more underground and actually one of the best in their whole careers: "Kaught In da Ak." It was already one of the better album tracks, darker and more serious - even "BakNaffek," which showcased a deliberately harder instrumental, was still full of "diggity wiggity" lines and references to Chris Kringle and Beavis and Butthead. This is more on some street shit:

"I check this nigga that I used to snatch jewels wit' back in the day; but nevertheless the kid's ass' slingin' gas to pay bills to afford some pills that kill stress."

Compare that to "Freakit:"

"Hot damn! I got more props than that Fox, Samantha. The hickety-dick slickest nigga wit the raps that sound nifty. Weight around a pound sixty."

...and it's no competition. The only pop culture reference they make here (if you can even call it that), is a comment on the infamous Tawana Brawley case.

But the real selling aspect of this one is the remix - an unheralded production by Premier that pre-dates their celebrated single "Real Hip Hop" by two years. The main "bomp bomp" sample sounds just like the stuff Premier would overuse in years to come, but it was fresh and new in '93. Plus, anyway, the way he chops the drums and lays in the more subtle elements (is that the sound of a toy laser gun laid in there?) sound great in any decade. And the way he starts the song off with the infamous "Bum-stiggidadee bum, stiggadee" vocal sample suggests Premiere was already consciously trying to move these guys away from their limiting reputation, or at least playing with it.

On the B-side, you get another album track, "It'z Lik Dat," and another exclusive remix. Again, it's another one of their better joints, with a darker, atmospheric beat and some more straight-up battle-style rhymes. The remix isn't by Premier this time, however, but by Solid Scheme, who also produced the original versions of both tracks, and most of the rest of EFX's stuff. It's okay, and a nice bonus; but in this case, the album version's better.

But even just the album version makes a nice companion piece to "Kaught In da Ak," two highlights from an otherwise forgettable album that's usually left to the hardcore fans. So even if you dismiss the group as generally being too corny, this is a respectable piece for your crates. ...And I apologize for the stupid pun in the title - couldn't help it. lol

Rap Artifact On Wax

A self described "archival record label" by the name of Numero Group has released the latest (ninth) 12" in their disco series, "Practitioner Of Rhymes" by Doc Rhymin'. Their first release was in 2006, so apparently they don't rush these things. Anyway, only a handful of these releases (four, I believe) are actually hip-hop records. And of those, only this one has (probably) never been released before on wax. The label speculates on their site, "we're comfortable assuming this came out on maxi-cassette in 1987."

This single comes from the vaults of a tiny Cleveland label, essentially a one-man recording store set up in the back yard, of Boddie Recording Company. After years of trying, Numero was able to persuade the widow of BRC's founder, Thomas Boddie, to let them release music he'd recorded from the 60's to the 80's - there's a terrific article on the whole story of the BRC here - including this one rap single.

So, here we have three practically unreleased songs by one virtually unknown MC. How is it? It's pretty good. It sounds super dated, but so much so that it might almost add to its appeal. The Doc rhymes like a simpler version of T-La Rock, and the beats are all super sparse, drum machine creations with no samples and lots of snare, echoey handclaps and reverb. They're so similar and his flow is so unchanging, that the three songs might as well be one long song, really, with the drum patterns just slightly changing around the 33% mark.

But they've got a great non-stop rappin' quality. dude doesn't even have hooks on his songs. He just kicks brag/battle raps with a respectable, hardcore delivery. Lyrically, by 1987 standards, he's actually pretty good - "Dictionary Rap" is an effective exercise in alliteration. Two of the songs, "No Title Can Describe" and "Dictionary Rap," also feature an uncredited female MC, who adds some welcome diversity to the proceedings. This isn't a great record - even if a lot more heads heard it in '87, they probably would've just ignored it in favor of more dynamic and exciting mainstream records. But if you want some no frills, no gimmicks, pure old school rap, this is it in spades.

Unfortunately, the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. It's very flat and hissy. Fortunately, the music is simple and hard enough that it all comes through pretty okay, but it does rob the songs of a lot of their potential energy. I don't know if this problem roots back to how this material was originally recorded, if Numero Uno just did a poor job mastering this, or even if they just ripped this from a cassette. In any case, the music of Doc Rhymin' isn't likely to pop up a second time,s o get it while you can if you're interested.

Dracula A.D.

As any Hammer aficionado can tell you, Alucard is "Dracula" written backwards, the alias he uses when he returns in modern days - obvious, but still enough to defray suspicion from members of contemporary society who'd never suspect a centuries old vampire could in our modern times. The term comes up again and again in vampire lore, from anime to video games, and it always means the king of all vampires is not far behind. So, I'm just suggesting you might want to have a clove of garlic or two on hand before playing Alucard's debut album, Watch Them Fall.

Watch Them Fall dropped on Creative Juices in 2009. But many of you may've already been familiar with the album by then, as there was an earlier, "mixtape" version in 2008. Of course, it wasn't a real mixtape (or mixCD even), with a DJ expressing his artistry through blends, scratches, juggling, etc - it was one of those "we don't want to market it as a proper album" mixtapes all rappers put out these days, where they just cut out the 2 second gap between each song, stick it in a slimline case and declare it a mixtape so label politics, sample clearances, etc somehow won't apply. But I digress.

So, who is Alucard? Alucard is a Brooklyn MC who's been down with Creative Juices since the beginning, dropping guest verses or full-length songs to their compilations since the early 2000's. He also does most or all of their album covers, including, yes, this one. And Watch Them Fall isn't so much an all-new album, but a collection of his music from over the years, which could partially explain why the album's so uneven.

To be honest, he feels like a horrorcore MC who lacks the conviction to go full-fledged horrorcore, and instead hedges his bets by just acting thug whenever he's in danger of being ridiculed for breaking too far free of the generic rapper mold. So lots of horror references and samples, and lots of "I punch MCs in the face until I break my hands... I fuck your girl and let the rest of my boys molest her"-type lines. So he can wind up feeling like a budget Vinnie Paz (and let's face it, Vinnie Paz is already a budget Vinnie Paz). But also like Vinnie, he has some excellent, compelling production, so when Alucard gets it right, the combination can be a lot of fun. Plus, to be fair, Alucard's flow is a lot less clumsy than Paz's, and his rhyme schemes are more clever.

It's songs like "Hatchling" that make it all worth it. Producer Real 6 loops up the main theme to House By the Cemetery with a hook consisting of crazy quotes from the Werewolf TV series. And Alucard kicks a perfectly bugged out, creative rhyme:

"The metamorphosis mega-force exists
Complex transformation process
Fingers elongate, the song makes
Rivers split to form lakes
Inform hate, violence at high res
Creatures with hind legs
Develop inside eggs
Hatclings
With webbed toes and bat wings
That swoop down to the ground and catch things
Like grapplings
Swings back and forth with chains
From attached rings
And attack kings
Brooklyn-bound Stood on a cloud that floats five hundred feet above the ground
Lookin' down
???
Lick the MDA off the back of a slimy toad
And dread the windy road
Until the trail ends
Scorpion tail bends
You better have a strong stomach
When the storm cometh
My mouth opens and thousands of hornets'll swarm from it
Form current, leave patches
Heat rashes, deep gashes
I pull the arm from the shoulder until it detaches
And the bones snap like tree branches!"

So, it's a fun album. The lyrics are often engaging, and the production always is. There is one really annoying skit, that consists of a never ending George Carlin quote played over a beat for three minutes. But apart from that, it's good times, and there's plenty of good guest spots by Creative Juices regulars like IDe, Critical, UG (fittingly), Savage, Jise, etc.

So, the 2009 album is just the 2008 mixCD without the endings of all the songs clipped? No, actually not. The 2009 album adds five new songs, which is cool. But the album has 22 songs, and the mixCD had 23. Which means the mixCD has seven songs not on the final version - both versions have unique content. Now, I bet you're thinking, "if only there were a detailed breakdown of the differences between the two versions available online somewhere, so I knew which one was preferable." Man, what're you new to this blog? Sit down and read. ;)

Exclusive to the mixCD:

Oh No - This is a fun, upbeat freestyle produced by IDe. Nothing spectacular, I can see why it was considered expendable, but it's nice to have.

What They Gone Say, featuring L.I.F.E. Long - The beat by IDe is kind of head nodder, but apart from that, this one's kinda boring, complaining about the typical underground rap gripes (what plays on the radio, NY police, etc). Not sorry to see this one go.

Full Of Hate -Another one produced by IDe, the lyrics and instrumental really fit the theme, so I was surprised to see this one go, but some of the rhymes are a bit corny ("church I never go, heterosexual dressed in black from head to toe. Fuck, I let 'em know so fast.")

Octane, featuring IDe, L.I.F.E. Long & Sav Killz - This is an okay posse cut, produced by Alucard himself; but nothing better. It's been replaced by a much better posse cut.

Altitude, featuring Savage Messiah - The track by Ide is cool, but they're trying a more playful delivery that comes off as a cheesy attempt to follow some bad trend, and the lyrics are lame ("I fuck a broad without the bra like Ron Jeremy"). A good choice to remove.

Order Of the Dragon, featuring Deep, IDe, L.I.F.E. Long & Relz - This is a better posse cut, produced by Felony (I don't know who he is, really, but he's done a couple other tracks for CJM). I was sorry to see this one go.

Daisy Cutters - I liked this one, too. Dope beat (by Benefit), good flow. Should've kept this one, I think.

Exclusive to the proper album:

Haunted Cathedrals, featuring IDe - I really like this track, with some tight scratches by DJ Bonus1 on the hook. This really has the more polished, finished song quality that something like "Oh No" lacks; so the change makes perfect sense. Good addition.

Voice Of Reason - The beat, by 2 Hungry Bros, is perfect for this project, and Alucard comes harder than usual. It's kind of short, but adds a lot.

Hatchling - This is the one I singled out above as one of the stand-out songs. This being an exclusive makes a big difference.

Loose Screw - CJM regular DJ Connect provides a perfect beat for one of Alucard's best vocal performances. Clearly influenced by UG, but I'm happy with that.

Cyclone, featuring IDe - The upbeat, old school organ track provided by somebody named White Shadow is fitting, but lyrically it's disappointing, at times even downright stupid ("music's postal. I ship priority, tracking preferred. A hierarchy of words, binary codes. We're all bare beanth our clothes"). Could've done without this one, frankly.

Boom, featuring Critical, IDe, Jise & UG - This is the much better posse cut I mentioned earlier. And of course, you have to get UG on an album like this if you can!

So, final tally? The final album is predictably better. Ideally, I would've swapped around a few different songs and made some different choices ("Cyclone" out, "Order Of the Dragons" in), but it's clearly the more consistent of the two. So I'd say just get the 2009 edition - it's not worth getting both unless you're seriously Alucard's #1 fan - if you want something appropriate for the Halloween season.

Nick Wiz - UGHH Exclusive?

Nick Wiz is back, with another double CD - 43 full-length tracks - of unreleased goodness from his vaults. Interestingly, Cellar Sounds volume 2: 1992-1998 is a ughh.com exclusive. That's fine with me, because they're a good, reliable store, and if more places carried it, I'd've still probably ordered mine from them. But it does make me worry about the future of this series... if only one website is carrying Volume 3, can we be secure in the hopes for a Volume 4?

But enough gray skies for now, let's just enjoy what we've got - another excellent collection of 100% previously unreleased songs. All your old favorites are back: Cella Dwellas, Shadowz In da Dark, Ran Reed, Pudgee, N-Tyce, Milkbone. And, like last time, Nick hits us off with brief notes explaining every single song in this comp. One small disappointment is no Lord Have Mercy. I was enjoying the idea of him having one show-stopper at the end of every disc #1. Also, artists we'd only been first introduced to in previous volumes of this series, like The Native Assassins and Tross, are back with more lost demos.

Highlights this go around? Well, UG comes pretty nice on a couple tracks, including the album's opener... It's titled "Intro," but it's a full song. N-Tyce brings a different style than we've heard from her before on "Bet You Didn't Know." Pudgee comes with a tight, but politically incorrect, sex track called "Sex Ghetto Styles." A group called Pure Sinister from North Carolina recorded a fresh, hardcore demo track called "You Know My Style." And my personal favorite is an oldie from Madhouse - Shabaam Sahdeeq/s first group from even before Shadowz In da Dark, called "The Boom Bip" that has the MCs and the producer both going outside of their normal lanes for a really funky, aggressively upbeat track.

I mean, don't get me wrong - I don't want to oversell this album. Sometimes the formula here can wear a little thin. A lot of the MCs here are good, but wouldn't particularly stand out in a crowded cypher; and they're often hampered by the need to kick a few too many corny 90's punchlines. Plus some of Wiz's lesser tracks can feel a little formulaic, especially if you're listening to this double disc set end-to-end. And while these compilations have taught me to appreciate a couple of these MCs a little more than I did when they were first coming out - cats like Milkbone or N-Tyce, they still fall more than a little short of genius.

But everything here is good, some of it's really good, and there's a lot of stuff here heads have been waiting to get their hands and ears on since the 90's. Plus, two CDs packed with over twenty full-length songs each is a hell of a lot of material for $14.97. I think you'd be really be cheating yourself to pass it up.

So, whither Volume 4? Man, I hope so! I'm still dying to hear those original Cella Dwellas tracks when Lord Have Mercy was a member, and the fact that Wiz keeps hitting us off with tons of material we've never even heard of means you just know he's got a lot more to go from almost these artists. So I'm sitting here with my fingers crossed that "ughh exclusive" isn't a bad sign. And, in the meantime, the liner notes of this set tells us what's on deck from Nick Wiz and No Sleep Records: Nick Wiz Presents Ran Reed "Respect the ARchitect."

Give Extra P the Key To the City

(Youtube version is here.)

New Masta Ace Wax

With "Nostalgia" by Marco Polo and that killer song on Top Shelf 8/8/88, Masta Ace is exciting again. I mean a lot of MCs who were great at one time keep putting out records or guest appearances that are OK. But they're nothing like their heydays, and you can't help thinking somebody needs to give these guys a serious shot in the arm or put them out of their misery, because this endless succession of half-ass material where they're just cashing in on the last few remnants of their name are depressing. Well, either somebody gave Ace that shot in the arm, or being a master of constantly re-inventing himself and staying well ahead of the curve, he never needed it. Whichever way, Ace has still got it, and this is his new 12" single.

"Let It Be" comes to us from producer Ras Beats, a Danish producer who lives in Queens. He's put out several other releases like this one - that is, on his own label, Worldwyde; but this is his first release with big name MCs.

And while Ace has clearly taken the time to craft lyrics more substantial than just the quick throwaway guest spot freestyle - this is a proper song with a concept that matches the chorus - one of the biggest reasons Ace stays exciting this time around is that he's got production worthy of him. I'd love to know what's being sampled hear, ha ha. It's got a deep, slow, bassy feel crisp drums and a sung/ sampled hook. I love the decision to reverse the vocals on the last go 'round of each hook.

And this 12" would be impressive enough if it was left as just that; but it's also got a dope B-side, by Ras and Sadat X. It's called "Survive" and it's pretty interesting, because at first it sounds like just a lot of thoughtful but typical, non sequitur stream of consciousness-type rhymes. But it all ties back to the theme/hook - "how you can survive this year?" - of it getting harder and harder to stay in the game.

Both songs come in Vocal, Clean Vocal and Instrumental versions. And both sides also have a Bonus Beat. These aren't your typical Bonus Beats entry on a 12"; they're actually completely different breakbeats Ras also produced. I actually thought the Bonus Beat on side B might've been a more suitable beat for Sadat to spit over than the one they use for the song; but it's all solid production all around.

This is limited to 300 hand-numbered copies... plus, apparently, a couple extra for promo purposes; because in my case, I won my copy in a contest (see, kids, it pays to pay attention to those things), and my copy is numbered "COMP." It comes in a sticker cover, pictured above, and if you were lucky/quick enough to score one of the first 25 copies, you got it signed by Ace and Beats.

"Let It Be" also comes with a colored promo sheet, a la DWG, with a few notes on each song from Ras. More impressively, it also features a download code and password, so everyone who purchases the vinyl gets a free digital copy. I really appreciate it when labels do this... it's not so important for CDs, but for vinyl it's really handy. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the link no longer seems to be working - I guess it was more a bonus for pre-orderers **UPDATE 10/26/11 - it's back! Worldwyde hit me up and said they re-activated the link, so if you get the vinyl now, you can still get the free download. :) ** Regardless, it's a first class release suitable for anyone who wants to get their grown man rap on. It's not available too widely, but you can still order it directly from his website, rasbeats.com. There's also a digital-only release for the kids.

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.