DWG Massive

So, yesterday, I talked about the near historic bonus record that came only with a direct purchase of all three of DWG's latest records, released concurrently. So today it's time to talk about those three projects in their own right. They're thankfully available separately, too, so we cab pick and choose.  So let's see what's good.

Since I introduced the discussion off already with the one Jorun Bombay record, I guess I'll talk about the other Jorun Bombay record here: Remixes: Vol. 1.  Where Jorun dutifully applied himself to recreating the past as accurately as humanly possible, here he's gone back to classic hip-hop songs from the late 80s and early 90s, but allowed himself creative freedom. He's remixing eight of the greatest hip-hop hits, like "Ain't No Half Steppin'" and "The Symphony," but still in keeping with the production styles of their era.  In other words, his remix for "Mama Says Knock You Out" sounds like the kind of remix that would've been produced for it in 1990, not 2012. Some of the remixes give you practically entirely new instrumentals (though they'll still keep some elements, like the "Ain't No Half Steppin'" still retains the subtle "UFO" riffs in the background of this new groove), while others, like Run DMC's "Beats To the Rhyme," become a great excuse to just add to the fun and throw new scratches and sounds into the mix without taking so much away from the original. My favorite actually turned out to be his remake of The Beastie Boys' "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn," where he gives it a new, more traditionally hip-hop vibe, but still keeping it predominantly driven by grinding rock guitars. But different rock guitars, more mellow, grungy ones.  Really, it's fresh, and only 200 copies were made, so decide fast.

And speaking of remixes... You may remember their big TDS Mob release a couple years back. At that time, they also announced a remix competition, where producers could request the acapellas of any of the Mob's songs, either from their original singles or the unreleased tracks DWG was introducing to the world in 2010. The eight winners were chosen and given a pretty sweet vinyl release (limited to 300 copies), including a dope picture cover and press sheet with notes from each producer, giving details on how/why they did their mix.  It took ;em a long time to get this out, but in the end it was probably worth it, because it gave everyone the chance to twerk and rework their songs to fully professional-level mixes. This isn't a bunch of random myspace teens playing with Fruity Loops for the first time. You've got some pretty established artists contributing, including, yes, Jorun Bombay, and even a five piece band. My favorite is probably DJ Format's mix of "Bounce," which keeps all of the original elements, including "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" as the main thrust of the instrumental, but continually mixes in classic break after classic break into the track.  DJ Arok's "Dope For the Folks" is really hot, too; it wouldn't have sounded at all out of place on the original 12", while Will C's rocks and takes his song in entirely new directions.  People might write this EP off as a little vanity project, but they'll regret it years later when heads are asking, "that's a hot track, but wasn't there another version...?"

Finally, we have a more traditional style DWG release, in that it's a compilation of older, unreleased tracks by a single group. It's That Brown Underground EP (though with ten tracks, it's more like an LP) by Sputnik Brown, and it's kinda like their Damu or Cadence 7"s, in that they're relatively newer songs (the songs here were recorded between 2005 and 2011), that've gotten attention online as mp3s (and, in one case, a limited edition cassette), but never had a proper vinyl release until now. SB has a cool sound going, kind of an interesting blend between NY backpacker rap and a more soulful, almost Goodie Mob kinda vibe or something. Guests include Wyld Bunch and the magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff, who breathes fresh life into an earlier single of theirs.  This one's limited to 350 copies, 100 of which are pressed on appropriately brown vinyl, which you can see in my photo [above].

I'm not sure what's still available at this point. I'm pretty sure all three are still readily on hand as individual releases; but I don't know if it's still possible to get them as a set with the bonus record. DWG's already announced their next record, though (a 7" of DJ Format and The Good People), so they're clearly not gonna slow down and wait for anybody dragging their heels.

You've Been Waiting and Debating For Oh So Long

I just got a big, sweet package in the mail from DWG.  Three separate, completely unrelated records by different artists, all released at once.  And if you ordered all three from DWG direct, you got an awesome fourth, bonus record (not sold separately) that's possibly the most exciting of them all.  It's an instrumental release by Jorun Bombay.  You probably know him as the guy behind Haltown Projects and a lot important, early releases by some major Canadian artists like Buck 65 and Classified.

That sounds like a release that's very easy to write off, and I'm the first to say "instrumental equals 'who cares'?"  But just wait 'till you hear what this is... four words: lost Def Jam classics.

Back in the days, Def Jam released some serious, cornerstone of hip-hop records, without instrumental versions. LL Cool J's catalog specifically is missing some critical pieces.  "Rock the Bells," yeah there was a 12" - but it just had the two mixes, one on each side.  It's one of the most important hip-hop records of all time, used as heavily by DJs today as it was in 1985, and yet no instrumental has ever been released of "Rock the Bells."  Until now.

No, the original elements weren't just made available somehow.  Jorun actually went back and found all of the original samples (apparently with some assistance from Bobcat and 2 Live Crew's Mr. Mixx).  Then he hooked up two Technic 1200 turntables, an original 808 beat machine, and remade the instrumental from scratch, exactly the same way it would've been made  They're timed out so the cuts (freshly made but sounding exactly like the original record), drum rolls, etc all come in at exactly the same times as they did on the original record.  Finally, in 2012, "Rock the Bells" instrumental is available on vinyl for the very first time.  ...It's really hard to believe we've gone this long without it.

And it's not just "Rock the Bells" on here.  This is an EP of five of LL's most indisputable classics (well, okay, maybe four indisputable classics, and one good but largely forgotten album track from Bigger and Deffer).  There's no track-listing spelled out on the label, but you guys shouldn't need one.  This isn't just a really dope record, it's an important record.  Hip-hop, it's about time.  Thanks to Jorun.  And I couldn't help but notice the title is Instrumentals: Vol. 1  ...implying a Vol. 2.

Oh, and all those other records in the set?  That'll be tomorrow's post!  =)

Casanova Without The Super Lover

Back in the days, I used to go to the music stores each week and look for any new hip-hop cassingles (new tapes hit the shelves on Tuesdays). When I saw a hip-hop single but didn't recognize the artist, I'd always check out the credits to look for recognizable names. I'd still be doing that to this day, I'm sure, if music stores existed today like they did back then. It's what lead me to pick up these seemingly random cassette singles by artists who never released anything else... T-Roc and Pop Megga.

Both these tapes debuted the same week in 1996 on Profile Records. Again, I had no idea who either artists was (although I knew Miss Jones, who guest stars on the T-Roc single, because she was just blowing up as a solo R&B singer after leaving The New Get Fresh Crew). But I immediately recognized one of the names who appeared on the back credits of both singles, so out of curiosity, I had to pick 'em both up.

That name, of course, was Casanova Rud, famous for making some super dope records with Super Lover Cee in the late 80's. The pair of them had last appeared on the scene with a comeback EP on Wild Pitch in 1993; but here he was, three years later.  I'm guessing he scored some kind of producer deal with Profile and these were the artists he brought to the label; or maybe he was just brought on as an in-house producer, and the label found these guys. Either way, he was paired up with somebody named Spunk Khadafi, and together they produced these two singles, and apparently nothing else ever again.Neither single mentions a "forthcoming album" either, which is unusual.  ...So let's see what my haul yielded.

Pop Megga's A-side is "Ghetto News." Despite it's decidedly topical sounding title, it's all freestyle raps. He even assures us at the opening of the song that it's all off the top of the dome. And I believe him, because it's very free-form and natural sounding. To the point where it's not even terribly impressive. But the beat here is pretty cool. It's dark, with deep bass notes and a sparse piano loop with random-sounding notes (which was in vogue at the time, following hits like Jeru's "D Original").

Then he stops and the beat is completely replaced with an all new one. Suddenly it's a full, polished song. It's got a very Duck Down-type bass rhythm (actually, the exact bassline's been notably used before - I wanna say Mobb Deep? - but I can't think of which song it's from at the moment*), but the rest of the music's a little lighter.  I'm really impressed with the production here, in fact.  And this is the one with the message, with pop telling us the kind of ghetto news we can probably already imagine just from seeing the title: crooked cops, hookers, drug dealers... Not bad, but you've heard it before and better.

His B-side is "Raw." Just from the title, you know what this is about. Megga sounds good here, though his lyrics aren't anything special. The instrumental is a little more disparate, but Megga's flow holds it together. He's got a good voice, too.  All in all, it's a nice single, but Pop Megga doesn't come off as a particularly compelling artist.  I'd've checked for a follow-up, though.

Next up is T-Roc. His A-side, "Citi Never Sleeps," almost feels like a Miss Jones song featuring T-Roc than the other way around. The music is very up and R&Bish, and Jones is all over this, stealing all the attention. Like Pop Megga, he has a nice (though higher) voice and engaging flow, but the lyrics are pretty simple and unimpressive. This is a pretty soft, radio-pandering joint. So maybe the B-side will be more compelling for us heads...

Well, "Mirages" is definitely more hip-hop and raw. Again, the beat is pretty nice and original, flipping samples and sounds I've never heard elsewhere. And despite the title, he's just spitting raw and angry. It's pretty nice; but neither MC here comes off as a noteworthy lyricist. And considering this was the time of Natural Elements, Wake Up Show freestyles, Chino XL and everyone's attention being devoted to the cleverness of the rhymes, these guys were destined to get lost in the wash.

That's kind of a shame, because these guys were sort of generic, but they also both proved they were capable of making worthwhile records. I'm glad to have both of these in my collection, and I recommend 'em if you see them around cheap. But the production is what really shines across all four very different songs, and the real shame is that Casanova Rud didn't get more momentum out of this. A compilation album of tracks like this would've been hot, or if he'd just gone on to produce for more artists. I'm sure he could've racked up a couple hit singles over time. But as it stands, it's an interesting little footnote in his career, that at least showed he had more in him than just his Paul C-assisted classics.


*Update 6/15/12: Yes, it was Mobb Deep (see the comments - thanks, step one).  Specifically, "Back At You" from the Sunset Park soundtrack, which also dropped in 1996.

Be Nice To Canibus Day

(Youtube version is back home.)

Rick Slicker Without Canibus

(Youtube version is back where it belongs.)

UK Hip-Hop for Adults

Previously, I've made a couple of posts about the early 90's UK hip-hop duo Solid 'N' Mind releasing top quality vinyl 12"s of their vaulted material from back in the day. Well SnM's MC, Whirlwind D, is back... this time with new material. But the quality's just as high.

The release is titled WD-40, as it embraces Whirlwind's new role as a representative of grown man rap. In other words, Whirlwind D is turning 40, and it's time to celebrate with a limited release of 300 slabs of wax in a smart picture cover.  WD-40 is a three song 12", plus instrumentals, so let's jump right in.

Regardless of which side you decide to start on, the first thing you'll notice is that the production is really vibrant. Solid 'N' Mind's Johnny F may not be along for this ride, but the relatively inexperienced Waxer (who, appropriately enough, is also turning 40) proves himself more than ready to take the wheel.  Music starts out sounding like a Phillip Glass film score, then explodes as crisp old school break drums drop like dynamite. Instrumental samples are rich and original, sometimes jazzy and sometimes cinematic; and they combine forces with instantly recognizable vocal samples for the choruses (from the opening to "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash On the Wheels of Steel" to Ferris Bueller), giving us an an epic sense of the old school returning without simply retreading old ground. It's the old school back on new terms.

"32 and Tea" is a nice, concise moment of reflection over some rich piano. But just in case that's too mature for you, "Stronger" takes it back to the rough, fast-paced battle delivery. Lyrically, however, it's an ode to UK hip-hop, including short (non-rhyming) appearances by MC Duke, Original One and Bandog of Killa Instinct. And "Hunter" has a nice PM Dawn vibe going for it.  That might not be a comparison anybody involved would embrace [there's an ocean between us, though, so I can say what I want  haha], but I'm talking about that all too brief period before Prince Be and Minute started lean towards house and pop music (much less that sappy, new age-y R&B stuff further down the road), and they were actually producing some nice, innovative hip-hop that made you chill and think.

Oh, and on "Stronger," they've enlisted a DJ named Theory 77 to provide the needle work. His work is really sharp and  precise; I could've done with a scratch mix, with just him cutting up over the beat. And I want to hear this guy on a lot more records in future.

If you're into UK hip-hop, this has gotta be one of the best new releases in a while. It's a limited, and the pre-orders have shipped, but you can still order copies (and listen to clips) from D's bandcamp page for a reasonable 6.99.  ...That's pounds, though, not dollars.

The Mysterious Rock On Crew Exposed

This post is unusually long, but I promise you it's worth it.  :)

In the early 90's, a lot of labels wanted a piece of The 2 Live Crew. They had mega-hit records like "Me So Horny" and "Banned In the USA," genre defining dance classics like "Trow the D" and "Move Somethin'," and they were possibly the most controversial rap acts of all controversial rap acts - their music was declared so obscene they were arrested for it, records were seized, and it went all the way up to the Supreme Court. Where they won.

And, at the same time, Luke's penchant for failing to pay his artists meant the group was fraying. Mr. Mixx put out solo albums, Brother Marquis formed a new group called II Nazty, and Luke formed a whole New 2 Live Crew. So, not only did every record label want a piece of the 2 Live Crew, but there were enough pieces to go around.

One such label to get lucky was the great, left coast monopoly, Macola Records. Pretty much every rap group to come out of the west in those days, from NWA to Digital Underground, put out records through Macola. And that included The 2 Live Crew... before they moved down South to Miami. Back before Brother Marquis joined and they hooked up with Luke, Mr. Mixx and Fresh Kid Ice put out two singles, for a total of three songs - "The Revelation," "2 Live" and "What I Like" - with another founding member, Amazing V.  All the hits The 2 Live Crew recorded with Luke were locked up with Luke Records, but Macola could capitalize on these early tracks and release them in the 90's to their hordes of new fans.  Perfect, except... three songs wasn't enough to fill up an album, even when they tacked on original 12" instrumentals.

And so The Rock On Crew was formed. Macola apparently enlisted the disenfranchised original 2 Live Crew members Fresh Kid Ice and Mr. Mixx to record new music under a non-contract-violating name. Thus the very unusual 2 Live Crew/ Rock On Crew featuring Fresh Kid Ice split album, Deal With This, was conceived. And just who is that on the cover? There's no way that's Ice and Mixx. They're just some mystery dudes. But that's not the half. This album would go on to have a long and fanciful journey, which only starts here, on Macola Records, in 1992.

Now, if you're familiar with the original 2 Live Crew stuff, you know it's nothing like you'd expect from the famous 2 Live Crew. It's not hyper, it's not dirty - it's the antithesis of As Nasty As They Wanna Be. "Revelations" is a slow, plodding message rap with Ice and Vee talking poverty and the bible over early electro rap beats (the cow bell and the whole bit):

"You see, the road to vanity
Is filled with flowers,
You'd better be careful
Of its hypnotic powers.
While the road to truth
Is long and full of distress;
But if you make it through,
You're truly the best!"

Granted, the other songs are a little closer to what you'd expect... both "2 Live" and "What I Like" are more upbeat, with Fresh Kid Ice kicking fast-ish raps over big TR-808 drums and a ton of cuts by Mr. Mixx. They're still far from what you'd expect as a kid raised on "We Want Some Pussy" and "Fuck Shop," but they effectively bridge the gap between "Revelations" and "Trow the D."

And the new music recorded by "The Rock On Crew?" Well, on first crack, it definitely sounds designed to be a throwback to that earliest material. It starts out with "Serious Conversation," which might as well be called "Revelations Part 2." It uses a lot of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" (used a lot in hip-hop, but most notably by Scarface for his single, "A Minute To Pray and a Second To Die"), and features the album's only guests, The New Born Clan. Whoever that is - it sounds like one of the members says his name is "Dice Spliff?' Anyway, they're pretty good... they have a much more natural flow than the original 2 Live Crew which is good because... they don't seem to be on this song at all. The liner notes may say, "Performed - Rock On Crew Featuring - New Born Clan," but this seems to be The New Born Clan all on their own.

Then "What I Like" is properly attributed to the 2 Live Crew, but for reasons unknown they re-title it as "Fresh Kid Ice Is Back." Later on the album, they still call the instrumental "What I Like (Inst.)," so really, who knows?

The third song is "Tab Ski Cuttin' Up." Now, who the heck is Tab Ski? I thought Mr. Mixx was the DJ for both groups? Well, the liner notes say it's performed by the Rock On Crew, produced by Mixx and Ice and written by Ice. But now they've just gotta be straight up lying to us. Because this song is actually "Tad-Ski [note the spelling] Cuttin' It Up" from Balli and the Fat Daddy's 1990 album, The Master Plan on Miami Bass Records. That's right, Tad Ski was their DJ and this was his song on their album... Mixx and Ice didn't perform this as Rock On Crew or any other name; this is crazy! Interestingly, Fat Daddy was very associated with Fresh Kid Ice around this time, producing and rapping many songs on his 1992 album for Luke, The Chinaman, and is even credited as a featured guest on "2 Live Freestyle" by The New 2 Live Crew (though, for a final irony, he doesn't seem to actually appear on that song at all).  Confused yet?  Let's press on.

Next up is "Revelations" and then another Rock On Crew song called "Dead Ass Broke."  Wait a minute... That's a Balli and the Fat Daddy song, too! And let's just jump ahead... another Rock On Crew song called "Jack Boy Story?" Yup, another one from their Master Plan LP.

What's left? Well, there's a 2 Live Crew song called "It's Gotta Be Fresh." Never heard of it? That's because it's another random re-titling, this time of "2 Live." And there's a final Rock On cut called "Freestyle," No, there's no song called "Freestyle" from Balli and the Fat Daddy's album. ...But there is one called "Miami Bass," [Whoops! A little correction here; for an explanation, read the comments below] a song called "Before the Tape Is Over" on MC Smart (another of Fresh Kid Ice's artists signed to Miami Bass Records)'s album, Straight From the South, which just so happens to feature Balli and Fat Daddy... and that's what this is. All three MCs say their names an amazing number of times in this song (it's literally over 20), so it's a terrible choice to try to pass off as another group. What's more, they end the song by saying "Balli and Fat Daddy recording for Miami Bass Records." On this album, they reverse that line so you can't hear them name the label!

So where did we even get the idea that this Rock On Crew was Mixx and Ice? Let me show you the big notice they publish (in large text taking up the whole page; this is no obscure "small print") inside the tape sleeve: "This is a new release featuring Chris (The Chinaman) Wong Won AKA 'Fresh Kid Ice' and David (Mr. Mixx) Hobbs. They were the original "2 Live Crew", Fresh Kid Ice (Chris Wong Won) is still an integral part of 2 Live Crew, and both these artists are performing on this album as 'Rock On Crew' by special arrangement with Luke Records. This album contains 5 newly recorded songs (recorded in Miami) and 5 previously recorded songs (recorded in Los Angeles)" [.sic on all that funky punctuation]. What an incredible web of lies - practically none of that is true! Amazing.

Oh, but we're not done. That was just the first incarnation of this ridiculous album. Now let's jump ahead to 1995, when Blue Dolphin Entertainment and Hitman Music collaborated to bring us a self-titled album by The Original 2 Live Crew. Here's what their liner notes have to claim, "WHAT YOU'RE HOLDING IN YOUR HANDS IS A COLLECTORS ITEM! Carefully compiled for the first time ever on CD [yes, it says that on the liner notes for a cassette], 'The Original 2 Live Crew' contains fourteen rare recordings from that notoriously controversial rap group."

Wow. Neat. Let's look at some featured songs... "Jack Boy Story," "Dead Ass Broke," "Freestyle"... Excuse me, I lost consciousness for a second there. Yes, this album has picked up all the "Rock On Crew" songs (and the New Born Clan song) and now accredited them to The Original 2 Live Crew.  It's the entire Deal With This album all over again. My favorite part is when the liner notes explain, "contained within this collection are distinctly different styles of songs that bridge the gap of the group's early days to from a decade ago." Yeah, the new songs sure sound different than the old ones, don't they? Almost like they were written, produced and performed by entirely different people!

What separates this version is the bit about "fourteen rare recordings." Deal With This had ten, so what's new here? There's "Cuttin' it Up," "2 Live Nasty Mixx," "Nasty Mix" and "From the Vaultz Megga Mixx)." Plus there's a fifteenth track, "Intro." Interestingly, the credits for these songs include not just Mr. Mixx, but distinguished west coast producers DJ Unknown, Tony G, Julio G and DJ Flash. DJ Flash even raps on the intro - whoah! Granted, "Nasty Mix" and "2 Live Nasty Mixx" are essentially two different edits of the same track, but I'm still impressed. How did these guys all get tangled up in this mess?

"The Original 2 Live Crew," you might say if you're a fully blown rap nerd like me, "that name sounds familiar. Wasn't there a previous album credited to an Original 2 Live Crew?" Why yes, in 1994, 2 Live Bass by The Original 2 Live Crew came out on Boomin' Records (home of DJ Whiteboy and Sheep Doggy Dogg). This is... another weird album. I can't wait to read you what these liner notes have to say!

"Motherphuckers talk that shit about Luke and The 2 Live Crew, but if it wasn't for those 4 Niggers... Bass Music wouldn't be shit right now. 'Tryin' To Get Paid Like Luke' is a bad ass track that is showing that a Nigger from the Ghetto 'will get paid'. The original 2 Live Crew was some bad motherfuckers and that shit was dope. Then Luke came along and took that shit to another level: Special thanks to Luke, Brother Marquis, Fresh Kid Ice and Mr. Mixx!" No, that's not a Youtube comment; that's what's written in the J-card.

The tape starts out with an original remix of "2 Live" called the LSD Remix, where they basically just loop a very short, repetitive keyboard riff over the entire original song. It's kind of an awful, half-assed attempt to give it a g-funk flavor. They also include the original "2 Live," "Revelation" and "What I Like."

Then there's two original instrumental mixes by DJ LSD, which are admittedly a lot better than his "2 Live" remix. They're very derivative of the "Mega Mixxes" Mr. Mixx did on 2 Live Crew's Luke albums, only simpler and not nearly as good; but hey, at least they're listenable. And there's a new vocal track called "Jackin' 4 Bass," which is actually the best song on here despite it having absolutely no connection to any formation of the 2 Live Crew. But you want to hear about that last song, though, don't you? "Tryin' To Get Paid Like Luke" is also produced by DJ LSD, and features lead vocals by World Famous DJ Spankx. In it, he mostly just raps about having a lot of money and wanting more of it, with very little reference to our man Luke except for dropping his name on the chorus. The beat uses a lot of "Triggerman" with some other stuff scratched on top. It's actually kinda enjoyable in a shady, low-fi kinda way.

And, just in case this whole story wasn't convoluted, crooked and insane enough for you, the Deal With This album was released one more time, in 1998. Street Dance, a label that specializes in these kind of dodgy "before they were famous" rap compilations (they have about fifty by Dr. Dre) put this out as a Fresh Kid Ice solo album. They call it Fresh Kid Ice Is Back, after Macola's curious re-titling of "What I Like." And they do also name the 2 Live and Rock On Crews on the cover, just to perpetuate the confusion, I guess (the lies have been cited verbatim on every site from AllMusic to Wikipedia). The track-listing is 100% exactly the same as Deal With This, right down to the "Tab Ski" title.

Blue Dolphin released their version again in 2000, as one third of a 3 CD set called Legends of Hip-Hop, again crediting all those Balli and Fat Daddy (and New Born Clan) songs to the 2 Live Crew, and there are a bunch of overseas albums by labels like Dance Factory and Street Dance that feature some or all of these songs credited to 2 Live Crew, with nutty titles like Dr. Dre Presents Mega Big Gangsta Rap.  Balli and Fat Daddy, I hope you got paid for all these albums... but somehow I suspect you didn't.

Update 12/4/12: Found out The New Born Clan is a misspelling of The Nu Born Clan, a short-lived Miami group that was a part of - unsurprisingly - Fresh Kid Ice's Ice Cold Productions. They had one single called "The I.C.U."

Delivering Black, Rock and Ron To the Current Generation

Here's an album I didn't expect to get the big Sony re-release treatment: Stop the World, the first and only album by Queens trio Black Rock and Ron. Originally released on RCA/ BMG in 1989, the music was all produced by the group themselves, but has some noteworthy engineers, including Paul C., Jazzy Jay, Skeff Anslem and DJ Doc. I guess that's the big selling point over twenty years later - the sticker on the front boldly proclaims its, "Production by the Late, Great PAUL C",  which is dangerously close to the line of untruthfulness.  But, whatever the marketing reason, it's a dope album, and I'm glad to see it back on the market, giving younger audiences exposure to old school hip-hop beyond just the most famous, crossover hits.

All fifteen tracks are perfectly preserved here, but what I like like about these new versions is how they go the extra mile.  In this case, we're presented with a booklet which does a lot more than just carry over the track-listing, credits and dedications of the original booklet.  Most notably, it includes an all new interview with the group, the first with all three members in over twenty years. We're given some nice press photos and label scans, plus a full reprint of the Hip-Hop Connection cover story/ interview they did back in '89. And there's short quotes/ interview clips from various other hip-hop insiders about Black Rock and Ron, including Red Alert, Russell Simmons, Tragedy and even the guy who designed their logo! Basically, this will answer all your Black Rock and Ron questions and quell the lingering mysteries.

This CD - and yes, it's CD only... Sony always makes me sigh that way - mirrors the original CD release, thankfully including the two CD bonus tracks that weren't on the LP version, "My Hometown" and "Who's Got Next?" This is the really the best possible version of the US Stop the World on CD.

I specified "US" there, because the UK version of this album is wildly different, featuring many different songs and remixes (if you're wondering about the story behind that, you'll have to read the booklet's interview).* And here's another way Sony managed to make me sigh with this release... the second disc that almost was, but never got cleared. It would've included the songs from their debut 12" as The Vicious Four, and all the UK-only tracks.

I mean, just to illustrate how vast the differences between the two versions are, a rough CDR of the proposed bonus disc was sent to me, and it's 16 songs long.  Now granted, there's a little redundancy (two tracks seem to just be the bonus tracks on the official CD), and there's the two Vicious Four songs and an instrumental... but that's still over ten other songs and remixes - basically an entire second album!  There's remixes of songs like "Gettin' Large" and "I'm Tired," which interestingly are more street-oriented than the ones on the US album, which is geared more towards House tracks and stuff.  There's a track called "Cryin' the Blues," which turns out to be a remix of "Huffing and Buffing" from their Vicious Four 12", and remixes from their singles like "You Can't Do Me None" and "True Feelings." And there are all new songs like "We Be Wilin'/ Wild Thing" and "It's Raw." Even the UK-exclusive "Breaks" are here. Release both discs on vinyl, and you'd have the penultimate Stop the World experience any hip-hop head would have to add to their collection.

But let's not get too hung up on what could've been (though, if this sells like gangbusters, maybe an ultra-vinyl mega-set could still be in the cards down the line? Possibly? Extremely unlikely?). Even as a single disc set, this is a first-rate release that finds a deserving record that would normally be completely overlooked and gives it the first-class treatment. CD heads should be thrilled that this, of all albums, has been put back into print after twenty years. And even those of us with the original US LP in our crates should consider picking this up for the CD bonus tracks and the interviews, etc. Black Rock and Ron were some solid hip-hoppers from Queens who only occasionally veered too far into Run-DMC's lane, and the real disappointment is just that they never followed this up with a sophomore album.


*According to discogs, there's also a German version with an exclusive song called "Fresh" I wonder what the deal with that is...

Who's On the Payroll?

Roughly five years ago, a little label calling itself Madison Square Garage Recordings put out a nice, double CD set of Payroll Records' (almost) entire catalog of rare 12" singles and even a cassette-only promo tape.  All their great bangers from the late 80's and early 90's by guys like The Bizzie Boyz and Supreme DJ Nyborn are rounded up here, including the Instrumentals and Acapellas. I remember seeing another CD compilation by this label called Random Rap and thinking to myself, "there's no way they tracked down all those artists and rights holders and cleared all this stuff." And, yup, turns out I was right and despite the fact that they got their releases into some respectable outlets, these guys were straight bootlegging. And the real Payroll Records guys came in and put a stop to the shenanigans. So, it was a shame for a couple reasons... One, the right guys weren't getting paid for their music, and two - Payroll stopped MSGR before they could put out the vinyl EP that was supposed to accompany their CD set!

Well, thanks to Dope Folks, both of these injustices have been set to right. Here we have the vinyl EP, Rare Tracks '88-'91 (limited to 300 like all Dope Folks records), that contains the rarest tracks from the CD set (the ones that didn't wind up on the artists' full-length albums and stuff).  And unlike MSGR, Dope Folks' aren't bootlegging.

So we've got eight killer tracks.  Supreme DJ Nyborn is represented the hardest here, with three of his rarest cuts and remixes, including "The Smooveness," "Versatile Extension (Remix)" (a 12"-only remix of his single "Versatility") and "Breathless." Plus there's "It's Time To Get Paid," the Superb DJ K-Nyce 12" he's featured on that, interestingly, was absent from the MSGR CDs.

The Bizzie Boyz just have one song on here, but it's fresh. It's the remix to "Hype Time." Not to be confused with the Club Mix from their "Hype Time" 12" (which really isn't very different from the original mix), this is an even rarer remix, which adds a bunch of energetic scratching to the original instrumental. It's not a huge change - it's basically the same rhymes over the same track, just with some extra bits. But it's better with them than without them, effectively making it new definitive version.

Then you've got a song from The Original MC Spice called "Take It To the Stage," where she's dissing The Real Roxanne.  I'd never heard of this MC Spice (there are other "MC Spices" out there, which I guess is why this one decided to add "The Original") before the CD set; but it turns out this a rare early venture by N-Tyce, who would later sign with Wild Pitch and join the Wu-Tang Clan's girl group, Deadly Venoms!

There's also MC Capone, who only released one song on a split 12" with Nyborn, and this is it - "Smoove Style." And finally there's B.A.D. Rep, a.k.a. DJ Def and Dizzy Dee, with a rare song called "Uphill Peace of Mind." While most of the material here is about just flexing and sounding dope, this one's about kicking knowledge and uplifting.  It features another MC named KSB Fresh, who had a song on the highly sought-after Back To the Lab album on Overdue Records. And DJ Def, meanwhile, went on to greater fame under the name Mark Sparks, producing all kinds of big stuff, including Grand Puba's "I Like It" and Will Smith's Men In Black song.

But nothing here is anything like "Black Suits Comin'." It's all hip-hop in its purist form, which is why Payroll's original 12"s are so expensive and hard to find, making this a pretty handy compilation. Better still, several of the songs here are making their first ever appearance on vinyl, so even the hardcore collector who already has everything will be adding this to their collection.

The Misplaced A-Town Rushes

Kilo is an Atlanta pioneer; one of the first to ever do it, along with cats like Shy-D and Hitman Sammy Sam; and he started pretty young. He dropped his first album (America Has a Problem Cocaine) at the age of 15, and it was some seriously raw, hardcore shit. He had diss tracks for Shy-D and Sam. But he also had a kind of unique production sound... it just kind of mixed Miami bass with more traditional hip-hop in an interesting way, and he wound up signing to a major and releasing a whole grip of albums over the years.

But in between his debut and signing to a major to release his second album, A-Town Rush, on Wrap/ Ichiban, he put out a rare, indie version on his local label, Ariva.  Now, for the most part, it's the same album... it just came out indie first, and then Ichiban picked it up and gave it major distribution.  But, before making it nationwide, they made some changes.  Predictably, these were for the worse.  I guess there's the rare exception, like when Jive picked up E-40's Mail Man EP, and added two extra tracks without removing or ruining anything.  But 95% of the time, it's the same old story: label execs who don't know shit about hip-hop tinker around with an album when they shouldn't, and so the album most heads wind up owning isn't the good version, and they need to seek out the rare, original version.

So what exactly did Wrap do? Well, first the good news. They added two songs. Don't get too excited, though, as these are both lifted off of the first album.  They included "My Ding-A-Ling," which was the fun, party record off the original album (seriously, I don't think it's possible not to smile and bop along to the hook on this one), and "America Has a Problem," which was the single, but probably not one of the tracks serious Kilo fans hold closest to their hearts.  I have no complaints about bonus songs, but if you have the first album (and if you only have one Kilo album, that's the one to have), it's just redundant.

At least one song isn't completely redundant, because "America Has a Problem" has been remixed. They've added a jittery sample and generally made the song hyper, with the DJ busier on the breaks. It might actually be an improvement; and even if you don't think so, it's at least cool to have something a little different. Plus this newer version fits in better with the more modern production style of the rest of the second album.

But the problem is that, in order to get these additions, we trade away two songs!  And the remix is cool; but not that cool. When it comes at the cost of original material that actually belongs on this album? Fuck it, take it back!

So just what did we foolishly trade away? Well, first off, we lost one of the most important songs, "The Piz," where Kilo kicks a flow and slang that Atlanta heads revere as an innovator in the city's style.  On paper, the main conceit sounds pretty corny (and maybe this is what the label execs thought, too): he throws an "iz" syllable into all his key words, like Das EFX did with their "iggidy" stuff: "Cobay is my mizan; he's down for his crizown."  But, damn, his flow is so smooth, the story is so cold and sounds so right over the super cool beat.  It's one we've heard before, but I daresay we haven't heard it sound this good.  And when the DJ starts cutting up The Beasties' "It's the new style!" on the hook?  This is one of those songs I could play for a NY head who would look at a Kilo album like, "this looks corny as Hell; why would I want to check for this dude?" And immediately after, he'd be buying the album.

Then the other lost song is "Ain't Nothing Like Kilo." Kilo flips the instrumental for "Just the Two of Us" a decade before Will Smith or Eminem,and frankly his beat sounds better than either of theirs, because he gives it the Kilo treatment, adding new, minor but consequential elements to the instrumental. Horn samples, extra snare... it's fresh. Kilo's back on his smooth "Piz" flow again... it's not quite as impressive here as there, but it still sounds really good.  It's got some really nice scratches, and the sung hook is juvenile (like a lot of Kilo's stuff... he was a teenager, after all) but funny, and a cool follow-up to one of his earlier songs.

Finally, just to seal the deal, they've cut off the opening of "She's Got Me Eatin' (Pussy)." Now, it's one of the weakest songs on the album, so if they had to mess with one song, at least it's this one. But the intro is probably the coolest part; where they loop the same Anita Baker sample Ras Kass used for "Understandable Smooth" (the opening scatting of "Caught Up In the Rapture") but at the original pitch. Afterwards, the song's just an excuse to talk dirty and put his boys (Red Money and Cobay) on record; but that intro was cool.

Breaking it down, it seems like the label, for whatever reason, just wasn't comfortable with Kilo using his ultra-smooth flow.  He kicks several different styles on this album, but the two they cut are the only two he rhymes like that on.  Maybe they figured his fans would think he'd gone too soft (it would explain the removal of the Anita Baker bit, too)?  The album as a whole is definitely softer than his debut, which was legitimately a disappointment.  But these two songs are some of his best, and if anything go a long way towards selling Kilo as an MC who can rap in a way other than just like a young LL.  They make the whole album work, and taking them out is like removing key support beams from a bridge; they're holding the rest up and it collapses without them.

So, yeah, the original album is better. The second version might have a more "cohesive" sound or or something, but who gives a crap? Cohesion, if it's worth anything at all on an album, isn't worth two of its best tracks. Serious, dedicated fans might want to pick up both, just for the exclusive remix, but most heads only getting one should definitely pass on the Wrap version and put in the extra effort to secure the original.

One final note: looking on sites like discogs and Amazon, it looks like there are also versions of Wrap's A-Town Rush that are missing either "I Wish I Was Kilo" (just a skit anyway, so no great loss) or "Baby Take a DH." I'm not sure if either of those listings are possibly incorrect, but I own the cassette, and it features both of those, for a total of 13 tracks, not 12.

Master Fuol's Secret Samurai Clique

You remember Master Fuol, right? He's that guy from all of Thirstin Howl's releases with the crazy flow. Howl had a lot of guys on his record from his Lo-Life gang, but Fuol was the one guy who didn't fit in with the Ralph Lauren gimmick, and the one guy who could really hold his own against Howl, spitting wild, tongue-twisting, punch-line packed lines. "Frogstyle Meets Drunk Fist," "Keep Cluckin'," "Spit Boxers," etc. Then he started hanging around with ODB and became one of the many Wu-Tang Junior Affiliate Friend Associates.  The guy we always wanted to release his solo album, but for some reason never did. Eventually, in 2002, he put out a very indie solo album on Howl's label, but he never really came out like he should've; and he seemed to just completely fall off the map when ODB passed.

At least, I thought he did.  It turns out I totally slept on a 2010 comeback, where Master Fuol brought out a whole new crew called The Fortyseven and released a full-length album called The Day the Sun Bled. The name of the crew is a reference to a legend where leader of samurai was forced to commit seppuku (suicide), and his forty-seven samurai soldiers killed the politician who ordered their leader dead. Then they all committed seppuku themselves for the revenge murder they committed. It's one of those maybe true but probably greatly embellished stories told to illustrate how super loyal and dedicated to their code the samurai are. Supposedly, Keanu Reeves is going to star in a movie about it next year, because nobody screams "authentic historical, Japanese samurai" like Keanu Reeves. Anyway, for the most part the crew just rap as themselves, or some sort of generic "we're hardcore killer samurai tough guy" stuff; but they do actually have a song detailing the events of the tale, which is... actually, not one of the better songs, but it's something different anyway.

There's not a lot different about this album. It's quite long, and essentially unchanging. It's 15 songs and an intro (cut up by Jabba tha Kut). The only guest is a guy named Obtuse on the very last song. Every song pretty much consists of hardcore or clever punchline rhymes over rough, Wu-inspired beats. You can just imagine a major label A&R screaming for club tracks, a love song, a Southern song, variety, variety, variety! Even the Wu have adopted this policy, which is one of the appeals of their junior crews like Killarmy - at least their won't be any crossover stuff on these albums. This is nothing but the pure, rough stuff. And for the most part that's a good thing, though the songs do have a habit of all running together, especially considering the length. You'll hear a line or verse you really like, and then won't be able to find out which song it was on later. But, hey, as long as you keep hearing lines and verses you like, what's to complain?

Fuol is easily the strongest MC on here. Though most of them have also established themselves outside The FortySeven, I'm not really familiar with most of the others (Hochii, Monk Liverfish, DJ Illnaughty, and Swiss Precise, who I actually have heard on another project or two, as one of the HalfwayHouse MCees); so it's hard to say who's better between the rest - one guy seems a bit cornier than his mates - but they all carry their own weight, at least, until Fuol can return and steal the show. It's like Fuol needs an injection of self-confidence; he never comes out unless he's playing support for somebody else... Howl, ODB, FortySeven. The man is easily strong enough to carry his own series of albums and singles.

But regardless, this is a nice album. There's no big, stand-out singles or anything. Just a solid, hardcore hip-hop album, through and through. The kind of thing that's becoming increasingly rare these days. And it's really good to hear Master Fuol again.

Exhuming Latee

(Your Youtube version, sirs and madams. patiently awaits you here.)

JVC Force, Hot Damn!

Remember when The JVC Force returned, after their masterful run on B-Boy (and Idler) Records, with a new single called "Bix Trax" in 1992?  Remember how it was on Big Beat, with big ads in The Source, etc, and we all thought, now they're on a major, the new single is sick, and this album's going to be incredible? And then... nothing. Eventually Curt Cazal came out on the indie tip with his new partner Q-Ball, and they had a fruitful indie career; but the Force had just vanished from the map like they flew into the Bermuda Triangle.

Well, hey, here ya go. Look what just dropped! The 1992-1993 Unreleased EP on Chopped Herring Records is five choice cuts that would've come out after on Big Beat/ Atlantic had the group not split up (AJ Rok cites "creative differences" in this interview for Platform8470) and gotten themselves dropped. We only had to wait twenty years. But I'll tell you what: it one hundred percent lives up to my expectations I had back in high school, expecting to see their album appear in stores any day now.

Let's start from the bottom up. The B-side isn't quite as compelling, in my opinion, though it's all good stuff. "Pump It Up" has some nice drums and subtle cuts, plus a few simple samples and an okay bassline. Actually the bassline's a little soft. But the Force just don't quite sound like themselves on this joint. In fact, one or two of the verses almost sound like an uncredited guest spot by some new kid who didn't come up in the JVC school. More likely, one of the original's just updating his style in a less than preferable way. But either way, it's a good song, but nothing to get excited about.

Then the other B-side track, "3 Ways To Rip It," is their reggae-influenced track. It's mostly to their credit that the JVC were always exploring different styles and sounds on their albums, but it did usually wind up leading them astray from their best work.  Plus, everybody had to have one in those days, and this is theirs. Not that they get all crazily raggamuffin on here, mind you. They pretty much stick to their standard, American flows; but the bassline and the little horn sample are pure reggae flavor, and B-Luv does some straight-up reggae chanting on the chorus. It's good, it works, and it could fit right in with the music on their past albums... it just wouldn't've been one of the stand-out cuts on those albums, like it isn't here.

Now we come to the A-side, which is the material we're really here for. First up is "3 the Hard Way" and NOW they sound like the JVC Force we know and love. They come with the voices and flows that made them great over a tight break beat and some scratchy jazz samples. When the bass notes come in, they dance with the drums and the MCs voices in that funky staccato style JVCs pioneered. There's some cool cuts on the hook, and once B-Luv gets on the mic for the second verse, it's over. We're in JVC heaven.  =)

And we don't come down for the next track. "Fun" actually uses the same I Dream of Jeanie sample Jazzy Jeff used for "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble," but they chop it shorter so it sounds more raw and purely hip-hop. If you didn't recognize it, you'd never guess it was from some campy 60's sitcom. Plus the big drums they lay it over, and the way JVC kick their signature flows, this is Greatest Hits material, dammit; I can't believe this has been sitting on a shelf gathering dust. I didn't even mention the points where the beat changes up to entirely different sample sets, which sound brilliant. This is even better than the last song.

Finally, "An Episode of My Favorite MC" isn't quite as great as the last two songs, but it comes close. Once again, they're really on a different tip here, definitely embracing some more modern 90's styles - at the beginning it struck me as being very Funkdoobiest inspired; and B-Luv has a Phife thing goin' on for his verse. And this track definitely DOES have an uncredited guest rapper on it - an early appearance by Q-Ball! In fact, I'm not so sure he isn't on one or two of the previous songs I mentioned (although this is the only one he has a writing credit on)... While all composition, arrangement and production here is solely credited to JVC Force, he's certainly shouted out as being "behind the boards" on "Pump It Up." But if his influence was a contaminant there, it isn't on this track. This is a different style song that completely works. It's an upbeat, catchy song with light-hearted rhymes, playful flows, and an addictive horn sample that sounds like it's been lifted off some serial or cartoon from the 1930's. But somehow that adds up to being kinda smooth at the same time.

Now, my understanding is that JVC's third album was completed before the split, so either Chopped Herring has just cherry-picked their favorite joints, or they're planning a volume 2 in the future. Either way, it's is an absolute must-have for any JVC fan.  And, really, isn't being a JVC fan an absolute must for being a hip-hop head? So this is an essential release. And one that makes me very happy - I'm smiling just holding it.

And, of course, Chopped Herring's consistently top quality presentation doesn't hurt. The sound quality is crisp and clear - it probably wouldn't have sounded as good on wax from Big Beat. It's limited to 300 copies, 75 of which are pressed on marbleized gold colored wax, 75 are platinum (platinum), and the remaining 150 are on classic black. It comes in a fresh sticker cover, and oh yeah - it also includes the Instrumental version of "Favorite MC" as a bonus.

The "limited labels" have been putting out many of the best hip-hop releases (in every way) in recent years, and this stands out as one of the best of those. Get on it.

It Takes Two

"It Takes Two" is a hell of a record. Over surprisingly street edged beats, it defined the concept of dopey but catchy lyrics, not just to rap audiences, but to the popular culture as a whole. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds were able to bond over it 20 years later in a major studio romcom, and the writers didn't even have to explain it. It not only predates similarly effective crossover mega-hits like "Bust a Move" or "Ice, Ice Baby;" Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock frankly did it better. This is a song that had one of the earliest bleeped out curse words in MTV's history, just so Rob could say, "I like the Whopper; fuck the Big Mac." Not even Greg Nice or The Beastie Boys could make meaningless non-sequiturs so memorable.

It was such a success, Rob & Rock wasted their entire careers trying to sequelize it. Whether it was a pretty flat-out sequel like "Get On the Dance Floor," or just an attempt to recycle the rhyme pattern (on "Outstanding" - listen to the bit about how he showers with "soap on a long rope" - it's total flow xerox) or the the famous "woo! yeah!" vocal sample* (the remix of their "Joy and Pain" single). Even "I Wanna Rock" on the Rocky V soundtrack was sampling his famous line from "It Takes Two" (well, one of many) for the hook. But this is hip-hop; we don't want knock-off sequel records. We want answer records.

And for some reason, girls always seem to make the best answer records. From The Symbolic Three to Super Nature (later known as Salt N Pepa) to Dimples D to Pebblee Poo to Evette Money to Ice Cream Tee to The Real Roxanne to Rappin' Roxy to Tricky Nicky to The Ghetto Girls to The Glamour Girls to PreC.I.S.E. to the queen herself, Roxanne Shanté (just to name a few).  There's just something purely hip-hop in the way that one gender rises to challenge of the other. Whenever the guys get too big and full of themselves, the girls come out to tell the other side of the story and take 'em down a few pegs.

And entering the to square off against "It Takes Two" is Florida's Icey "J" with her debut response, "It Takes a Real Man" on JBM Records. She uses the same "woo! yeah!' break as Rob and Rock, but subtly adds some faster, hyper, Miami-style beat elements to the mix. And lyrically, she answers and parodies Rob line for line. "I wanna rock right now; I'm Rob Base and I came to get down. I'm not internationally known, but I'm known to rock the microphone," becomes, "I wanna rock right now; you're Rob Base and you tried to get down. Now you're internationally known, but you still can't rock a microphone." And she keeps it up the whole way through, it's a constant, direct line-for-line response.

I mean, damn, look at this brief comparison. There are more words that are the same between the two songs than there are that're different!


"My name is Rob;
I got a real funky concept.
Listen up,
'Cause I'm gonna keep you in step.
I got an idea
That I wanna share.
You don't like it, so what?
I don't care."

vs.

"Your name is Rob,
You got a real weak concept.
Listen up,
I'm gonna put you in check.
You had an idea
That you wanna share?
I don't like it, so what?
You better care."

That bit might sound corny, but more often than the disses are cold enough to be genuinely amusing:

"You don't like Buddha?
That's okay,
But you can't stand sex;
You must be gay!"

"You're nothin'.
Yeah, that's what I say,
Rob Base,
You and your fat DJ!"

"I heard you flirt
With DJ Red Alert;
Took off your shirt
And laid you in the dirt."

She even opposes his bold fast food declaration: "I like the Bic Mac, fuck the Whopper!" Jeez. And just to seal the deal, Icey's brought along her own DJ to nimbly out-perform EZ Rock's closing cuts. Okay, admittedly, that wasn't tough to do... is he even using the turntable, or just repeatedly pressing the sample button? But Icey's DJ actually cuts it up really nice.

This 12" includes the full version, a shorter Radio Edit and the Instrumental. Better still, it features the all-original B-side cut "Icey 'J' Is On Wax," which really showcases Icey's skills, flexing her really impressive fast rap delivery over a banging beat and more nice cuts by her DJ. It shows she wasn't just a one-trick novelty rapper with an answer record; she and her DJ were the better artists (and Icey did go on to release a couple more records under the modified moniker, Icey Jaye). That's probably the hardest diss of all, and it also serves to make this record a lot more desirable even after the novelty of the A-side has worn off. ...Not that it's worn off for me yet, after 24 years. lol


*Not that Rob and Rock were the first to use it, mind you. It's part of a classic Lyn Collins break they borrowed from Shanté and Marley Marl's "Go On Girl."

A Nightmare On Elm Street rap, part 6

(Youtube version is here.)

Dualing Mountain Brothers

(Youtube version is here.)

The Thor Rap

You kids are all excited about your Avengers movie this weekend, are you? Well, how about a rap song to go with it? No, this isn't from the official soundtrack - in fact, there are two: the proper soundtrack by the composer, and a collection of pop rock songs that's actually intended to succeed commercially. And neither have any rap on it. So instead I've dipped into the vaults to find a suitable hip-hop companion, and decided upon this: "God of Thunder" by Virtuoso.

Now, this isn't the first or only rap record to reference a Marvel super hero, or even an Avenger specifically. When Ghostface Killah adopted the alias Tony Starks, he even titled his debut solo album Ironman, just in case we didn't get the reference. But despite using the Ironman cartoon theme song (and getting sued for it), he doesn't ever really rap about being a superhero in a giant robot suit, a la the famous Avenger. I wanted a song that was actually about an Avenger, not just borrowing some names, or slipping a reference or two into a punchline.

And this song fits the bill. Thor, of course, is the god of thunder. But this song doesn't ask the listener connect the dots. The hook consists of the phrase "I'm the mighty Thor" taken from The Beatnuts' "Off the Books," being cut up by producer Panik of The Molemen. And Virtuoso keeps it going with his verses, explicitly rapping about himself being Thor, "Virtuoso and The Molemen, lurking in the Trojan horse bringing the force of the Norse king Odin." I mean, granted, he seems to be confusing the Trojan horse, which is from Greek mythology, with Thor and the Nordic stuff; but he clearly means to be rapping about our Thor when hr refers to himself as the son of Odin and such. He even mentions, "when I swing Mjolnir" (that's his famous hammer).

And before you say it, let me respond. You might argue that Virt's rhyming about the original character from Norse mythology and not the comic book character. But first of all, the comic book is explicitly about the Norse god, from Asgard and the ancient mythology and all the trappings that brings with it. The comic just puts him in modern times,a nd so does this song, as he brags about "shifting the sands of California." Plus, in the song, he raps about "battling prehistoric dinosaurs" and shit that never happened in the old myths, but probably happened in the comics. Hell, maybe Thor even rode around in the Trojan horse at some point in the comics - a lot of randoms hit happened in the many decades Thor has been a super hero, especially in the 60's.

Anyway, let's not get too hung up on the tenuous connection I'm drawing between this record and the Avengers movie. This is a pretty cool, vinyl-only song that I've been meaning to blog about for a while anyway.  I've always felt that Virt never recovered from the time he changed his voice and flow between his Brick Records and Omnipotent Records releases. That's not to say all his later stuff is bunk - I still check for his newer material; but compare anything from the 2000s forward to "Incinerator," "Orion's Belt," "Omnipotence," etc and there's just no comparison.  Like he was replaced by a different guy. But this single is some of the best "second era" Virtuoso, and comes closest to capturing the lightning of his early work.

And The Molemen aren't really one of my favorite production teams. Part of my issue with them is that they seem to have one production sound for whoever they're producing. In other words they make beats that fit EC, but feel flat when it's, say, Grand Daddy IU. But here they've produced a track that's not only pretty good and energetic, but that really firs with the vibe Virtuoso was going for with this more dramatic, epic subject matter. These are the last guys I would've asked to produce this song, but it turns out they had it locked.

"God of Thunder" is the third and final single off his World War One: The Voice of Reason album, following "All We Know" and "Beatdown." But, interestingly, the song itself isn't on the album. The B-side, "Smashtapiece Theater" is, however - it's also one of the strongest album cuts, despite the cringe-worthy pun. So, what we have here is the rare "A-side exclusive."

"God of Thunder" in the full set of Clean, Evil (dirty), Beats (instrumental) and Words (Acapella) versions, and "Smashtapiece Theater" comes in Clean, Beats and Words - you'll have to buy the album if you want to hear the proper, unedited version, which is a bit lame. It also comes in a pretty wicked picture cover with some amusing "crazy credits" on the back.

Lean Invincible

Grand Invincible are back. And if that cover looks familiar, it should - it's the same image as their last single, "Winter 365." That was the limited single off of this, their just-released and even more limited CD EP, also titled Winter 365. "Even more limited?" Yup, the vinyl was limited to 300 copies, and this EP is limited to just 100 hand-numbered copies (mine's #19). It's not often the CD is more limited than the wax!

But the compelling aspect of this disc isn't its rarity; it's the fact that the vinyl was a 2-song single, and this is a 9-song CD. It includes both songs from the single, so 7 songs are all new. You might say 9 songs is a lot to be labeling this an EP as opposed to an album; but a lot of the songs are pretty short (five, more than half, are under two minutes long), and two of them are just instrumental. But the brevity works in its favor. It's lean, no filler - a tight, compelling listen straight through, which you'll want to start over again as soon as it ends.

A couple guests are on hand here. Besides the posse cut from the 7", there's "Gigantic," a fun duet between Luke and an MC named M.D. who seems determined to steal the spotlight with clever line after clever line. Then you've got "Eric Isley" by... Eric Isley, given a whole song to himself. I'd never heard of him before, but I felt compelled to check him out - here's his myspace - and he's pretty dope.

But the real stars are Grand Invincible themselves. Eons One's production just seems to be getting better and better with each release. And Luke Sick feels very at home over,, his style blending with Eons' production more naturally than ever. Tracks like "Undertaker of Mics" and "Detachable Hood" are at least as good as the two songs we already heard on the single.

Winter 365 comes in a stickered gatefold sleeve and includes some bonus stickers, a fold-out booklet and a "freight outline mini-zine" (uhh... just google "mini-zine"). They're only $8, including shipping, so I'd definitely move to score one while you can.

Caged Heat: Rappers In Prison

Rhyme and Punishment isn't really a good documentary film. If somebody came up to me asking for a good documentary recommendation, I wouldn't show them this. But, if a hip-hop fan specifically was looking for a quick rap doc to watch, then I might point them in this direction.

Rhyme and Punishment is about rappers who've committed crimes and been sent to jail. Strictly speaking, it may just be about rappers who've been to jail; but while many said they were unfairly prosecuted or excessively sentenced, I don't think anyone said they were strictly innocent. So it winds up being about both. So it's a series of interviews where each rapper - including some big names, so the documentary doesn't come up short in that department - tell their stories of getting locked up.

It's directed by the guy who did the Beef documentaries, and it is very similar in style and presentation to those. Except, where each story of beef usually involved a group (or at least two) artists telling their stories; most of these are solo stories, which make the proceedings less fun and engaging. The piece on Prodigy near the beginning is a little richer than the others... they interview him on more than one occasion, and also interview his wife and 40 Glocc. But most of the rest are quick, single interviews - some just recorded over the phone from the inside, which tend to wind up being the most interesting - propped up by a lot of narration (by Krs-One). A LOT of narration. One entire segment, on the Prison Industrial Complex, consists of nothing but Krs explaining the film's theories on the concept. Not that what he's saying is stupid or anything... but no interviews, no figures or research or footage or experts... the narrator just talks us through the whole chapter, like a lecture except we don't even get to see Krs talking. That's not really the way to do a riveting documentary.

And a lot of the stories are frankly pretty similar. Spoiler alert: a lot of them broke parole, possessed guns they shouldn't've had, felt the judge was unfair, liked getting letters from the outside and hated the food. By the fifth guy making the same observations, it feels a bit redundant. So what winds up happening is whatever rappers you're a bigger fan of probably wind up feeling more interesting. But one or two do wind up being more interesting on their own terms, specifically Shorty and J-Dee of Da Lench Mob, one of whom apparently had a cheerful, fun time in prison, and the other who's mad at his crew for not holding him down (you'll have to watch the doc to find out who is which). And Big Lurch and his mom steal the show simply on virtue of how insane his story is - he ate his girlfriend's lungs while wacked out on PCP. Yeah, that's the bit that sticks with you long after seeing this film.

This isn't completist; in fact, some of the most famously imprisoned MCs aren't featured (Cool C & Steady B, X-Raided, Lifer's Group, etc; and Slick Rick's just here briefly in footage from some old interview seemingly taken from another source)... I suspect the filmmaker is thinking he'll get them in R&P 2, just like with the Beef films. But unlike Beef 2, I'm not sure I'm looking forward to a sequel to this. The stories just aren't as interesting. And in the Beefs, the stories of the battles are the glorious and historic stories of hip-hop art. Here, it's the crap they get into on their off time when they're not representing hip-hop. Like some celebrity gossip junk. So... I don't know. If you're a rap fan, it's worth a quick watch. But it's not worth adding the DVD to your collection or anything.

Mikah's Lost Love

In 1999, Freestyle Fellowship's Mikah Nine released his solo debut, It's All Love, on Pure Hip Hop, Inc. Like PEACE's debut, it's a very home-made release: a CD-R with Mikah's name sharpie'd on it, and artwork printed on color paper for the case. It was pretty limited, and even marked "ROUGH MIXES FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY." But these Fellowship cats were once major label artists, so again, like with PEACE's album, you know this had to get re-released, right?

And re-released it was! In 2001, Mary Joy Recordings (a Japanese label that specialized in lyrical, underground US artists) finally picked it up and put it out a professional version with a newly subtitled name, It's All Love: American Nightmare.  But Mary Joy albums could be tough to find in the states (most of us just ordered 'em off the internet), so The Goodlife collective's label decided to give it another release in 2002. And since all of these releases were CD-only, Twentyfour Seven Records selected seven choice cuts and pressed them on vinyl in 2003. That's a lot of It's All Loves.

But the Pure Hip Hop version had something none of the others had: a different track-listing and some unique songs.  Again, like PEACE's album, songs got switched around, making the original pretty essential.  Actually, wait... both versions (the Mary Joy and Afterlife versions are identical, content-wise) have 19 tracks.  So that means both versions have unique songs and are essential.  Clever marketing, record labels.

So let's look at what the later, more accessible versions have first.  Most of the songs on are the same across the board, naturally, albeit in a different order.  But two differ (and no, the vinyl EP doesn't feature any of the exclusives from either previous release... it does have an exclusive Bonus Beat, though).  On the American Nightmare version we have:

18. On the Line - This is a pretty fresh song, that's never been released anywhere else, with Mikah kicking a pretty non-stop flow over a really fresh beat by Joseph Leimberg, who produced all of the American Nightmare version, and most of the original version. You may know Leimberg better by another name, Dr. Soose. Yeah, he was the trumped player in Mad Kap! Well, apparently, his talents weren't limited to just that one instrument, because he laid down something nice and perfect for Mikah to flow over.

19. Outro - Yeah, this is a bit of a "who cares?" one. It's essentially a reprise of one of the album tracks, "Come Up Off My Love." Nice to have as a bonus if you're getting both versions, but "On the Line" is the only real reason to score hunt down the a later version.

Okay, so now let's look at the original's two exclusives.

4. Come Up Off My Love (FJ) - There are actually two mixes of this song on the original album, one subtitled "FJ" and on subtitled "JL." The initials stand for the producers - so "JL" is Joseph Leimberg, of course, and "FJ" is for Fat Jack. To be honest, both versions sound a bit different than what we hear on the later versions (remember, after all, these are rough mixes), and none of them stand out. They're all very low-key productions with Mikah doing some not-too-impressive singing.  Still, if you dug the later ones, you'll probably enjoy the Fat Jack one, too; as it captures the same feel.

14. Homegirl - An exclusive song, never released anywhere else. The beat has a really deep, soulful feel - I don't know if any of the music is live instrumentation, or if Joseph just did an excellent job of making it sound that way; but either way it works. Unfortunately, Mikah's singing isn't up to the track (his singing was a problem with a lot of his material at this phase in his career), but the beat manages to carry him.

So, in the end, it's pretty much all good news. Both versions give you some exclusives, so you can be happy owning either or both versions. But the exclusives on the original aren't so great that, if you're not a huge Mikah fan, you'll have to drive yourself crazy trying to hunt down an OG mix. In fact, the newer one easily has the best exclusive.  So casual fans can just pick up the later one and feel satisfied. But for the hardcore, there is more out there to be found; you can even pick apart the variances between the rough and later mixes, and maybe find a new preference among the other album tracks  And Mikah got to sell his album multiple times to many of the same people. Everybody basically wins.

The Viper and the Doctor

A couple weeks ago, I got a nice e-mail and a request for a blog post on Vandy C. Then I got distracted by other posts I wanted to make and forgot about it... but look, I've remembered! Yayy, me!

- Now, before I start, I'll point out that Fifth Element has recently gotten through with a terrific series of posts on Vandy C, including a pretty definitive video interview.  Some of the best hip-hop blogging of the year, so be sure and check that out, starting here. - 

So I decided to take a look at Vandy's very first record, "'V' the Viper."  I found out about this record pretty early.  By "early" I mean early for a kid in the suburbs who didn't have access to old school, underground vinyl and was just buying the latest rap tapes at the local Sam Goody's. But word of this record stood out because of one of the featured guests, Doctor Ice.  I was big into that whole Select Records scene, including UTFO and of course Whodini, too - so I was really curious about this obscure, old school record that featured an early appearance by the Doc.

And, not having heard it... I wasn't even sure if it was the same Doctor Ice. After all, there was a Doctor Ice who put out a record on Enjoy Records all the way back in 1981.  In fact, I'd bought that record thinking it was the Doc Ice I became a big fan of by the time he dropped his solo album, The Mic Stalker. So I was pretty disappointed when it turned out to be some other Doctor Ice. I didn't want to get burned again. Over the years, I started to see Vandy C's name come up as a producer on some pretty random projects (Kid Flash, The Don)...

So fast forward a bunch of years when I became older and more learned, and started picking up classic vinyl, etc. I finally got this, and was happy to discover two things. Yes, it was the "real" Doctor Ice like I was hoping it would be, and also this Vandy C had the talent and sensibilities to make a good rest of the record.

This is a two-song 12" from 1986 on Whop Records (and yes, we will be doing the whop before this review is out).  The first song is the song without Doctor Ice on it: "'V' the Viper."  It's an interesting blend of hardcore street and an upbeat dance record.  It's all about rocking the club, but with hardcore horn stabs, rough deliveries ...well, by 1986 standards.  It's not quite "It's Yours," but they were definitely one of the early groups ushering in the new, post-disco rap era. The rhymes are tight, and as super old school and low-tech as the instrumental is, unlike many records of that era, every element of the track holds up today - when you listen to it now, it works just the way it was supposed to back then. And it's not every record you get to here the MC brag about his Centipede score.  =)

So then track two is "Do the Whop." This was the era when everybody had a smurf or whop record, from Jalil to Blaq Poet. And so this is their perfunctory dance track. But they make it more than just another generic entry in a long line by A) just having some tight production chops with a big, infectious beat and some really catchy vocodering and B) turning it into a minor posse cut. You've got Vandy and his partner Bill Blast, plus fun guest verses by none other than the original Doctor Ice (I think I may've mentioned already him already?) - he brings all of his charisma and a sense of fun to the table, even kicking a little chorus of Dr. Pepper commercial.  And lastly T-Funk, who's got a funky deep voice - Vandy C went on to produce his record the following year.

Vandy C was a dope producer, and I can safely recommend pretty much every hip-hop record he laid his hands on (with the possible exception of The Don); and this, their first outing, is definitely right up there. It's a fun, old school party record, but considerably more street than you'd expect... and that's definitely a good thing.

The Devil and Dr. Butcher

(Youtube version is here.)