Giving The P-Man His Props

For those that don't know, P-Man was sort of the third member of Young and Restless.  Like, if you looked at the back of their album, he seemed to be their DJ/ producer; though the conventional wisdom is that he was really just the money man, managing and financing the group while somebody else did all the music.  And he may not even really have been much of a money man if you heard what Dr. Ace and Prince P. said when they fired him after he got sent away for drug trafficking before their second album.  Well, that's all as may be, but P-Man was an actual DJ and he definitely did the music for his 1987 solo 12" from Bound Sound Records called "Rock it Baby."  And it's dope.

No, P-Man does not rap on this.  This is a DJ joint, in the tradition of "Touch of Jazz," "DJ Premier In Deep Concentration" and those other all-too rare songs where the DJ got to shine and his turntables were given the lead track rather than a rapper's vocals.  Admittedly, the scratching might sound a little rudimentary today compared to later examples guys like Magic Mike or DJ Aladdin would come up with just a year or two later.  This is more akin to, say, N.Y.C. Cutter (Marley Marl)'s "DJ Cuttin."  But that was an important record in its day.

One element that immediately makes "Rock It Baby" stand out is that it loops the same famous riff from Rick James' "Super Freak" years before MC Hammer's "U Can’t Touch This" blew it up.  The P-Man came first!  But this record doesn't rely as heavily on it, frequently flipping the script and changing the root samples and drum machine effects its instrumental is based on.  And then of course he's cutting up various soundbites like Kool Doobie saying "perpetrators praise me" from the Whistle classic "(Nothing Serious) Just Buggin'" on top of that.  Again, a lot of the scratches are fairly old school and basic, but if you pay attention, he lays in some trickier, more forward looking tricks in there, like some scribbles.

Oh, and it's worth noting that there are two versions, the Scratch Mix and The Other Mix.  Both actually feature full scratching and stuff; it's not like one is just a dub mix or something.  In fact, you might not notice the difference on a first, casual listen.  But they are different lengths with different edits throughout.  I guess you could say The Other Mix is an extended mix, lasting approximately two minutes longer and letting more of the beats ride unencumbered for a while.  As such, I'd say the Scratch Mix is the tighter and more energetic of the two, and it has a couple additional keyboard samples (it sounds like he's mixing in "Saturday Love" maybe, but it's hard to tell because he's juggling it so much), but The Other Mix is nice for when you want to just vibe out to a longer-lasting experience.

P-Man did return to music when he was released from prison sometime around 1993, including a group called If Looks Could Kill with his then wife, and the Polo Boyz/ Dynaztee.  He later changed his name to Sam Silvasteen and got into publishing Hip-Hop mags and websites, before he was tragically killed in 2009.  So his image has almost always been about his management, his various businesses (on both sides of the law), his beef with Rick Ross, etc.  But it's worth remembering he had this fresh little record with his own music to his name, too.

A Quick Nip Before the Show

"Sambuca" is a track from D's last album, Libra; but this is an all new Smoove Mix - that is to say, a remix by UK producer Smoove - for the vinyl single.  This isn't the first Smoove remix D's released on 7", following the "Labels" Smoove Mix in 2021.  The only other track they've done together is "Do It Now," the B-side to his "Lucky Number" single in 2022.  For whatever reason, he's become his exclusive 7" remix guy.

And like their last two collaborations, this one has a high energy, 70s vibe to it, almost like a foreign funk band recorded it live.  In my Libra review, I wrote that "'Sambuca' slows things down a little, but is still full of life, a light-hearted anthem for D's liqueur of choice."  It might've been a bit funny to say "slows things down," since it actually has a pretty high bpm; but it immediately followed "When It's Fast," and that whole side of the album was pretty hyper.  Anyway, this remix is basically the same speed, but this live party sound is quite distinct from the original, like a completely new song: a second ode to Sambuca, which just happens to have all the same lyrics.

The first two verses are about D preparing for a performance and stopping for two precious drinks first, "dashing through the town, clutching a wealth of wax and vinyl from many years gone by/ We arrive at the club about ten minutes shy/ Of the time to go on. What rhymes like 'bazooka?'/ You know what?  Just time for Sambuca!"  Finally, uh-oh, he's maybe a little too drunk to go on...  But sure enough, the show goes well, so to celebrate?  More Sambuca!  It ain't deep.  In 2Pac terms, "Sambuca" was an "I Get Around" moment, not a "Trapped;" and now Smoove's turned it into more of a full-blown "Doowhutchyalike."

The blaring horns are easily the first thing to grab your attention, but it's the groovy bassline that really locks you in.  To blow up the party element even further, Smoove adds a chorus of additional voices shouting out "SAMBUCA" on the hook.  More subtly, he also adds these little snippets of 90s R&B style vocalisms that sound really fresh.  The one drawback is just, in order to gain all of that, we have to lose Djar One's killer Premier-style scratch hooks from the original.  But that's alright; we still have the Libra version on the album, still perfectly viable.

So as you can see up top, this B-Line Records 7" comes in a sticker cover with a stamped label.  Oh, and the B-side is the instrumental; the vinyl is the only way to get that.  It's out now, and is apparently limited to just 100 copies, so if you're interested, act fast!  Because the only thing worse than FOMO is AMO (actually missing out).  I've been there plenty; it sucks.

After Before I Let Go

Okay, so the song I want to talk about on this particular 12" is a B-side; but there are other more legit releases.  This is Maze featuring Frankie Beverly's classic "Before I Let Go," specifically the rarer version featuring MCing by Woody Wood.  1980's "Before I Let Go" is already one of my favorite non-Hip-Hop songs, and it's the basis for the Hip-Hop classic "Do You Want To Rock" by The Funky Four Plus One (and the equally delightful but lesser known "When You're Standing On the Top" by The Super Three).  And of course that killer bassline has been sampled a million times, on such classics as K-Solo's "Your Moms In My Business" (which was kinda my gateway drug into the original record when I was a kid), Steady B's "Use Me" and Keith Murray's "The Rhyme."  Mary J Blige did a remake of this, Eric B did a rap remake of it on his widely ignored solo album and I actually just heard a Beyonce cover of "Before I Let Go" in a documentary about prison inmates a couple weeks ago.

I first heard the Woody Wood version on a mixtape and drove myself nuts in the early 90s trying to track it down.  Remember, that was pre-internet.  I bought a white label on Moo Records thinking I'd found it, but it turned out to be something else, which I'll get back to.  Anyway, I eventually picked up this 12" which has it.  It's a pretty random collection of funk/ dance songs from artists like KC and the Sunshine Band, and I'm kinda surprised they went with the Woody Wood version, as the original would've fit in better with everything else on this EP, but it is a pretty random release.  I'm not sure how legit it is; the label says it's from Japan.  I've since realized there's a more fitting 12" release of this track, paired with the other Maze rap remix, which is also from Japan, and is what I'd get now if I didn't already have this.

Anyway, the deal with this song is that it was made in 1989 for Maze's Greatest Hits album in 1989.  It features their biggest songs, as you'd expect, and also two new remixes, by The Bomb Squad themselves.  The other remix is interesting, but not nearly as compelling.  It's "Joy and Pain" (you know, the one Rob Base made his rap version of) with sped up dance drums, zippy synthesizer riffs and stuff... it sounds very Euro club.  The fun part is that they got Kurtis Blow to come on and add a new verse at the end; but the whole thing is kinda chintzy.

But it's surprising the Bomb Squad went so old school.  Yeah, 1989 is super old school now, kids, I get it.  But at that time, Kurtis Blow was already ancient history.  I guess the Squad wanted an old school vibe to blend with the sound of Maze's early hits.  And that's what makes their remix of "Before I Let Go" fly.

First of all, they barely change anything from the original.  Unlike "Joy and Pain," nobody's putting the 80s pop spin on it.  They just pretty much let Woody Wood get busy over the old record, disco DJ style.  Like, if you've ever heard the tapes of DJ Hollywood performing in the 70s, this sounds exactly like that.  And Woody Wood was more ancient history than Blow.

Woody basically had one record in 1979 called "Willie Rap."  It's a pretty blatant "Rapper's Delight" knock-off, but he has a cool voice, with a bit of a Jimmy Spicer-style delivery, and the track has a slightly different groove - I'd definitely recommend it for any fan of disco-era Hip-Hop.  Then, in 1985, he made a bit of a comeback as one half of the (212) N.Y.C. Crew, along with Greg Gi (pronounced Gee) for a 12" single called "We Likes It."  That's a fun one, too, with some fun back & forth and a Transformers sample.

...And this is the point where I realized I already made a video about this record nine years ago.  Ha ha  Derp.  😜  Well, I guess I'll go ahead and share this anyway.  I've got a couple new, little details in here at least.  And now you can follow that link for a sound clip.

So I'll leave out the bit about how DJ Hollywood battled Woody Wood for biting his style and rhymes, since I talked about it in that video.  I will say, as much as I enjoyed this remix of "Before I Let Go," I do wish Woody did more proper rap verses and less "get the bone out your back, boy"-type call-outs.  again, I know they're going for an authentic "this is how it would've played in a 1981 club" vibe, but I also preferred it when Hollywood did more proper rap verses in his performances.

And since I'm out here being foolish, let me circle back to that Moo records 12" I said I'd get back to (watching the video, I mentioned this one in there, too lol).  I've owned it forever, but I was curious about it and looked it up on discogs, and apparently it's an uncredited DJ Gail Sky King edit?  That's interesting.  It really isn't much different from the standard album version everybody has, except at the very beginning they loop the break a little in a funky kind of way.  After the first fifteen seconds or so, though, they're just playing the same version everybody knows.  But at least that gives it a little bonus kick.

And after that, they also include a live version, which is surprisingly great.  I guess I should quickly clarify that the Maze album "Before I Let Go" was originally released on - Live In New Orleans - was a live album.  But the actual version of "Before I Let Go" they included on there was a studio recording.  That's the main one everyone has, and this is a different, actually live version, from their 1986 Live In Los Angeles album.  And it's more interesting than just a standard live performance with a little stadium echo and crowd noise.  They really have a lot of fun twisting and playing with the song throughout, giving you something that keeps pretty much all the same classic elements but turns it into something distinct and exciting if you're a long-time fan. 

They also throw Eddy Grant's "Time Warp" on the B-side, but I never really bother with that.  Maybe if I was actually DJing at an old school club.  And they add end with the instrumental, which discogs doesn't list; but I own the record, so trust me, it's om there.

And what was even more surprising than seeing that King did the edit on the Moo 12" is seeing that there is a 2024 repress?!  Who is behind that?  And why?  It's not like Moo Records is a legit, long-running label that's keeping their catalog in print.  This is like a weird white label one-off.  There was a 2002 reissue, too, which makes slightly more sense.  But surely if anybody was after a vinyl repress of "Before I Let Go," even a bootleg, they'd want the Capitol Records one with the picture cover and "Golden Time of Day?"  I mean, if people want it, hey why not?  But it just seems weird to me.  Oh well.

The Venomous Diss: Dishing It Up with Def Jam Blaster

I got to interview Def Jam Blaster for Dust & Dope twice: once for the NoDoz album, and again for last year's Lost & Found compilation album.  I recommend you check them both out, but you know, I'm biased.  And you know, those interviews are exclusive to those releases; I'm not gonna print 'em here.  But, while I had him on the line, I did ask him about Royal Flush and Raheem from The Geto Boys, who aren't on either of those aforementioned albums.  So the following didn't make it into those pieces.

And as a precursor, one thing we did talk about on the Lost & Found interview is the Billy D song "Bad To the Bone."  Billy D was one of the earliest MCs Blaster worked with, and on that song, he disses Raheem: "break out the shotgun 'cause I'ma destroy the Vigilante, 'cause I'm makin' it.  Raheem keeps on fakin' it.  'Cause you a duck, that's why you be hatin' it.  Rap title - Billy D's takin' it!"  He also disses OG Style on that one.  Again, we get into the whole story in the liner notes, but it's interesting they dropped a record dissing Raheem because Def Jam went on to produce his big diss track.

Well, you know what happened to me with Raheem?  Raheem had "Venom" on the first album, and the thing that I discovered with Venom was that it was a character name.  It wasn't really the actual DJ, who I became good friends with.  That was never his name.  Venom was a name Raheem came up with for just a guy named Sam.  I don't remember what his DJ name was; we always called him Venom.  But as we became friends, he told me, "you know, that's not really my name. That's a character name."

I'd heard Venom was Ready Red?

See, for Raheem's image, he felt that his DJ's name should be Venom no matter who that person may have been.  Because it's me on all the songs on the second album, at least the songs that I produced.  But he still says "Venom, my conductor," and it's me scratching while he's saying it.

Like Spinderella!

Yes, that's exactly what they did.  Like, "this is a very cool name, so whoever assumes that position gets that name."

And I wanted to ask you about Royal Flush's second album.  Were you considered like an official member, replacing Sergio Magnifico, or was that more like just some guest production work?

On Royal Flush, I think they just parted ways with Sergio way before they did the second album, so I don't think I ever even met him.  I didn't look at it so much as replacing him because I think he had been gone, but technically, I guess that was the case.

What was the line-up at that point?  Because in the Rap-A-Lot days, it was basically the two guys and Serg, but the back cover of 976-Dope shows like twenty people.

Well, that's the posse.  You know Hip-Hop, there's always the posse.  I think even the owner of the record label is in that photo.  There were just other people affiliated with Rap-A-Lot in the picture. The official group was the two of them.  I mean, you take the N.W.A and the Posse album, there's like eight people on there, but it's just Ice Cube and Ren or whatever rapping on those first albums.  That was just the thing.  The Scarface 12-inch?  There's eight or nine people on that cover with us.  You know, five of them had nothing to do with any of the music.  That was just a Hip-Hop thing at the time: take a cool group photo with whoever you want on there.

Are you in there?

No, I wouldn't have been in any of their photos with them.  I'm from Missouri City, which is a suburb of Houston, and they eventually bought a house in Missouri City.  So, anybody that came to Missouri City would know Crazy C and Def Jam Blaster.  These are the guys that make music, these are the guys DJing and everything, so you hook up with them.  And so that's how I kind of got introduced to them: they were out of Missouri City.  They're like, "Yeah, we heard about you, what do you have?"  And so that was how that happened.

But you know, at that point, I was more interested in doing the production.  As far as if a rap group approached me, I wanted to do the production; I didn't want to just DJ for them.  So that's how I ended up doing a couple of songs on the second album.  I was their DJ for a while, but I don't recall that we ever really did anything.  They just said that I was the DJ and gave me the Royal Flush medallion to wear, so it was official.  But I don't recall that we did anything as far as DJing any shows.  Just doing music together was the main thing.

I guess, had they done any shows during that era, then I would have DJed for them.  And, you know, you're dealing with... I mean, I just think the label probably didn't have a lot of pull, a lot of juice to make it do too much.  It's a dope album, but you know, the second Royal Flush album is not on Rap-A-Lot.  Rap-A-Lot had the juice.  They could have pushed whatever they wanted to push.  The second Royal Flush album was on Yo! Records or something, so I don't know too much about the label side of that.  But I just assumed they didn't really have the juice to push it as hard.

So that was '91, and in '92 you're back with Rap-A-Lot to be Venom on The Invincible...

Yeah, that title track is a diss record, partly against Royal Flush.  I didn’t know that when I was initially agreeing to do the work, so once I heard the lyrics, I had to call the guys up and say, "hey man, I’m neutral in all of this.  I’m just producing the record."  [Laughs]

And he's dissing OG Style on there, too, right?  But what was his issue with Royal Flush?

Yeah, it sounded like it was over a girl.  He was really just coming after Rick [Flush's King Ricardo, who he calls a "dick lickin', pussy suckin', dog breath MC... Rick get 'em up, 'cause I know you defend her. When I get 'em up, all niggas yell 'timber!' Snap of the neck to crack of the backbone. Impossible to step in the zone of the man they call invincible."].  And Raheem is so good, it was devastating at the time.

...And then we got into the production techniques he used for that track, and a connection it has to a NoDoz song, which is all in the CD booklets.  But yeah, I just thought this was an interesting bit of history that's never really been unveiled.  Fun Fact: Blaster is also the voice of "Finneas T. Farbottom of Channel Zero News" who announces that Raheem is back on the song's introduction.

All Night With the Sugarhill Gang

So I just saw the Sugarhill Gang last night!  I'm really not a concert guy; I've basically been to three shows before in my life: Partners In Kryme at Great Adventure, the SOHH show when we won an award (with performances by Naughty By Nature, The Arsonists, King Sun and others) and Dose One and Mr. Dibbs at the Chelsea Piers.  I'm just not one for spending all night standing in packed crowds to hear music in worse quality than I would at home on my record player.  But this was a free event, in my home town, when I wasn't doing anything else anyway, and the original Sugarhill Gang?  Even I'm not that much of a curmudgeon.

The main thing I was curious about was what the actual Sugarhill line-up would be.  Big Bank Hank, of course, is no longer with us.  RIP.  But there had been those years of drama where the group split, and Joey Robinson Jr. was touring using the group name, and Wonder Mike and Master Gee had to tour under a new name.  There had been a whole documentary about the legal battle called I Want My Name Back.  So, who was actually going to show up at my town event?  How many original members?  Was Kory O - the guy who joined the group when Master Gee quit in 1985, but stuck with them through the 90s - still down?  Was some new guy going to be calling himself Big Bank Hank, like how The Three Stooges got a replacement Curly?

On top of that, C+C Music Factory was going to be opening for them, which raises an almost identical set of questions.  I was never a C+C fan, but aren't they like another KLF situation, where C and C were two British guys who'd disbanded the group in the 90s or something?  And it was just the one temporarily affiliated rapper (in that case Wanda Dee, or in this case Freedom Williams) touring as them in recent years?  I'm not gonna look it up.  But who would we see now - maybe him and some dancers?  Speaking of the Arsonists, I would've been excited if one-time C+C MC Q-Unique showed up, but obviously I wasn't holding out a lot of hope for that.

Well, the plaza was packed, with a big crowd of all ages; and to give you a sense of where I'm from, they were playing Bon Jovi over the speakers as I walked in.  The show started late, but eventually our mayor came out and introduced a DJ... didn't catch his name, but he was from Long Island.  And he was pretty good.  I was happy to see him actually scratching and not just starting his Apple Playlist and then nodding his head behind a laptop.  But he made some weird choices, like playing the theme song to The Golden Girls, a Backstreet Boys song and even an Elmo (from Sesame Street) acapella.

Then C+C came out, and yes, it was Freedom Williams and a singer.  I don't think she was one of the originals from the actual records, but she was talented, and she rapped a little, too.  I'm not hugely familiar with their catalog, but I certainly recognized "Things That Make You Go Hmm" and "Gonna Make You Sweat."  Surprisingly, they got the biggest reaction when they did a cover of "Here Comes the Hot Stepper."  I don't think they did any of Freedom's solo stuff; I certainly would've recognized that George Michael "Freeeeedom" chorus if I'd heard it.

Anyway, they played an introductory video before The Sugarhill Gang stepped on stage, with tributes from guys like Big Daddy Kane and Flavor Flav.  Then the answer to my big question was finally revealed: one original member.  It was Master Gee (that's him in the white t-shirt in the top photo), who told us Wonder Mike could no longer travel.  But he had two guys with him, including Hen Dogg, who basically did Hank's parts (in "Rapper's Delight," he spelled his own name, not Grandmaster Caz's).  He's the guy who stood in for Hank during the that split with the Robinsons and everything.  And the other guy is the one who's credited as a member on their Wikipedia and everything, The Ethiopian King, plus they had their own DJ, T-Dynasty.  They did their biggest hits, of course, including "8th Wonder," "The La La Song" and here's a little video I took of them doing "Apache:"

They closed out with a major rendition of "Rapper's Delight," of course, with the crowd rapping the "macaroni's soggy" verse ourselves.  But that was it for actual Sugarhill Gang songs.  Instead they a surprising amount of medley stuff, including the Furious Five's "The Message" (yes, they left in the "fag" lyric) & "White Lines," and a tribute to Prince.  Since Master Gee was the only original member, I thought it might've been a good opportunity to perform "Do It," but that didn't happen.  I have to say, though, Master Gee really went all out, getting off stage to rock with the audience, doing a James Brown impression and really giving 110%.

So yeah, that's what a Sugarhill Gang show is like in 2024.  Good times.

MF Grimm's American Hunger III, Volume 2

Well hey, here's a welcome surprise.  See, MF Grimm's American Hunger Rebirth Vol 2; Trials, Tribulations, Humiliation and Elevation is actually the third chapter in his series of American Hunger albums, following the original triple album in 2006, American Hunger Rebirth in 2017 and finally this one.  And it's like his fourteenth album overall, not even counting Monster Island.  It's surprising how deep this man's catalog is, especially when you consider that there was a life sentence mixed in there somewhere.  Anyway, this particular album was originally recorded and intended to be released in 2019; and I think there was maybe a brief digital version, or at least some of the songs were for sure sent out to the blogs and stuff individually at that time.  There was a limited 7" single ("Still My Love") and a very rare CD; it didn't even make discogs.  And it kind of looked like that was going to just fizzle out like that.  Grimm already moved on with album #15 in 2021; and this one would be a very deep cut for only the most hardcore fans.  But that's changing this summer, because the full LP is finally getting its proper, physical release on Vendetta Vinyl.

That said, part of the reason why it seemed like AHR2 might've been allowed to go overlooked at the time is because it wasn't exactly a whole new, original album.  These are remixes of tracks from the original American Hunger album.  So, to be clear, the "Still My Love" on here has the same vocals recorded in 2006 for the "Still My Love" on there, but with an entirely new instrumental.  This was also the case with 2017's American Hunger Rebirth, except that one was divided into three parts: one produced by Architect, one by Drasar Monumental, who also produced the Good Morning Vietnam EPs with Grimm, and one by DJ FDRZ.  Now, Vol 2 is entirely produced by Drasar.  Indeed, Vendetta Vinyl is his label.

This album takes "Fuck You," a tight track that was buried somewhere deep on disc 2, and turns it into a flag-planting opener.  Grimm starts out rapping about his credentials, which honestly he doesn't need to do anymore in 2024, but it's still a strong declaration: "MF Grimm Reaper, one of the best.  I battled DMX, spit with KRS.  Rocked with 2Pac, rolled with Death Row.  KMD, Kool G Rap, Freddie Foxxx know.  Lord Finesse, Tragedy, Nas, Large Pro, King Sun, deeper I could go."  You kinda forget just how diverse some of his experience has been, what with the ghost writing and the collaborations.  But yeah, even taking into account taking into account this was recorded in 2019, we didn't need to be sold on Grimm's bona fides.  In 2006?  Yeah, maybe we needed a little reminding back then.

Regardless, by the time he gets to, "disrespectful to my race; your career didn't get started, now erased.  Nigga climb through your window, tie 'em up, burn 'em, kill master, carve in chest: 'Nat Turner.' That nigga that roll with you?  He's a traitor.  House nigga, kill the miniskirt and bounce, nigga.  Manhattan murderer, you bitch nigga, I'm a vet.  I'ma body you before I let you disrespect?"  It's a vicious tone setter that really lays down the law.  The vocals are slowed down to make sure you don't miss a syllable, as Drasar breathes fresh life into a killer that you now realize didn't get the attention it deserved in '06.

You may remember that the original American Hunger album had three "American Hunger" tracks: "American Hunger (Breakfast)," "American Hunger (Lunch)" and "American Hunger (The Last Supper)."  Well, here we've got "American Hunger (?)."  Well, it's "Breakfast;" I don't know why they titled it like that this time around.  The original was produced by DJ Craig Rip, who I can't say I'm too familiar with, but he hooked up a good sample and added some brief but effective cuts for the hook.  I wouldn't throw out that baby with the bathwater.  But Drasar has concocted a richer, far less loopy track with crashing cymbals and live sounding drum riffs, really elevating the song to a more absorbing experience.

And it's not all dark.  "A Simple Rhyme" has a suitably light jazz ambiance; the opening almost sounds like the theme to a daytime talk show from the 80s.  The woodwinds and string samples on the original were interesting, but didn't really capture the spirit.  I mean, yeah, the point of the song is that it's "way beyond a simple rhyme."  But the harps and whatever else were going on in 2006, give it too much of a self-serious, almost religious quality.  Here, the instrumental provides an ironic undercutting that sell what Grimm's shooting for better, especially as the music is allowed to switch up and get deeper once Grimm's pulled you in with what he's saying.  Now the song's a journey, where before it honestly felt a little corny.

Honestly, beats for tracks like "Children of Abel" just felt kind of boring and skippable before.  The music is vibrant and flowing now.  I'm not a big guitar guy, but they work here.  And that's really the story with this whole LP.  American Hunger was always a good album, but clearly straining itself to stretch across three CDs.  A lot of it felt kinda forgettable, especially when the production didn't completely grab you.  That's what AHR2 does; it really makes you appreciate what Grimm was doing eighteen years ago.  And of course it's more selective than just dumping sixty songs on you.

It helps that the sound quality of AHR2 on wax is great, too.  It comes in a full color picture cover with artwork apparently by the same guy who designed MF Doom's mask.  This is an album I'd recommend not just to a Grimm completist but even to someone who usually doesn't bother with most of his albums.  You know, if your attitude is like, yeah, I know he's a good legacy MC, but life's too short to throw myself into his whole catalog.  That's fine.  Just cop this one; you don't need 'em all.  And I bet it'll make you want to track down Rebirth Vol 1.

Time To Get Busy With the Captain Cassanova

You may remember I contributed to a couple projects on Dust & Dope Recordings - wow, has it been three years ago already?  I was about to say "about a year ago" - produced by DJ Cassanova, specifically the lost, original and probably superior Papa Chuk album and The Project Crew LP.  Oh, and the Landlords Of the Morgue EP, but I still haven't managed to get my hands on a finished copy of that myself.  😕  Well, after those came another DJ Cassanova project that I didn't have anything to do with but is still really dope: The Producer Project: The Texas Tapes 1992-1995 on Chopped Herring Records.

If I had been involved, I probably would've suggested they tighten up that title a little.  But it does tell you everything you need to know.  It's a compilation of tracks that Cassanova produced from '92-'95, presumably restored from tape.  Most of these are demos by artists who never really came out, but two songs find Cas reuniting with Teddy Lee from the Project Crew.  He comes harder and a lot grimier for the 90s.  "It's On Like This" has him calling out bullshit on the hook and spitting, "impossible to break my neck tryin' to put your ass in check; I call up Michael Myers and Freddy and Jason 'cause them niggas be bassin'.  Chase them niggas down the street then decapitate 'em so they souls feel complete.  Money grip, I bust lips.  Dun dada, I got the gift."  Then "Bullseye" is based on Black Moon's line from "How Many MC's."

The only other artist that's apt to ring any bells on here is Verbal Seed of the Third Eye Militia.  At least, that's how they're billed on the label.  But more specifically, it's a solo track from Focus of Verbal Seed.  But actually, some of the best stuff here is from the guys you don't know.

The EP opens with some tight, tough jazz loops: deep bass strings, the screechy horns from Kool G Rap's "Truly Yours" and a little ragtime piano sample make a killer track for a rapper named Ex-Cel to kick some freestyle verses over.  At points, this song's nineties origins reveal their weaknesses, whether he's dropping "chiggity-check"s or lame punchlines like "pockets stay fatter than Rush Limbaugh," but for the most part he's flexing a pretty tight, smartly written flow.  And Cassanova's cuts seal the deal.  Thankfully, he's adding nice to cuts to every song on here.

Necessary Roughness live up to their name on "Nothing But a Microphone."  "Verse two about to drop, check out the way I wreck shop.  I beat the fuck out a nigga like an LA cop.  I don't stop 'cause I rock with the rough shit.  I kick the flavor that you know you can't fuck with."  Again, yeah all that "kick the flavor" stuff really dates it, but that's also part of the fun uncovering these lost records.  Anyway, it all sounds great over Cassanova's collection of dusty horn samples, including the ones Special Ed sampled on "Living Like a Star."

Things lighten up considerably when Trillogy spins a casual tale on "Nothing Better Than (20 Sack)" with his laid back vocals and heavy western drawl.  "Seven o'clock in the mornin', time to rise for school.  I can't sleep in, or my moms would act the fool.  Oh well, I might as well get to movin' around.  Put on my Karl Kani shoes and my Karl Kani suit that's brown.  Walk out into the day and smell the morning air.  Then I saw this shorty: light skin, green eyes and black hair.  Aw yeah, off I went, what's your name and hold up, though.  If sports were based on looks, girl, you would be a pro." I like Cassanova's catchy, smooth instrumental, and it's cool to to have it shake up the mood on this EP; but I'm glad there's only one song like it on here.  And they do get back to the hard stuff for the last track by Felony, "yes, you've entered the danger zone, the strangler's home, release ya from the chamber 'till my anger's gone.  Fuck what you represent; I'm heaven sent.  Niggas best repent or find that I be burnin' like incense.  Talk is cheap so I stalk and creep."  He's not the slickest MC, but it's a fun song.

So yeah, this EP's a good time.  And I checked.  As of this writing, it's still available on CH's site.  There's the 350 limited edition record, with 120 copies available on red and black mixed wax, and the remaining 230 on classic black, both in a sticker cover.  In fact, the red and black one is Chopped Herring's final colored release; they stopped their long tradition of pressing colored vinyl after that.  So it's kinda neat to have their last one.  [Edit: actually, looking at their latest announcements, they're back doing colored releases.  But they did announce at the time that this was their final one and they stopped for a while.]  Or there's the CD version, which includes two additional bonus tracks.  You can't go wrong.

Dreams of Druggin' an R&B Hoe

Ten years(!) ago, I made a video covering the extensive history of "Dreams" records, where everybody from Ill Bill to Thirstin Howl III created their own sequels to Biggie Smalls' infamous 1994 B-side "I'm Just Playin'" a.k.a. "Dreams of Fuckin' an R&B Bitch."  There was nine of 'em if you count The Game's "Dreams."  To commemorate the anniversary, let's make it an even ten.  And to make it more interesting, this one's by one of The Cosnarati, Bill Cosby's rap group from the 2000s.

Prior to signing with the Cos, Newark rapper JACE ("Jamal Always Causin' Evil") the Great had been self-releasing records on his own label, 48/35 Wrekords.  There's no date on "F**kin R&B Hoes (pt. 2)," but he dedicates the record to the memory of "the late B.I.G.," so this is at least post-1997.  Oh, and he has a line about Jada being married, so at least 1998.  But he has another line about giving Stella her groove back, so it's probably not too much later than that, or it would've been a pretty played out reference.  So you could honestly probably call this "Pt. 3," in the "Dreams" chronology, between Lil Kim and Ras Kass, making Jace a relatively early adopter.

The song is exactly what you'd expect: Jace spitting dirty couplets about famous female R&B singers and (other randomly famous black women) over the "Top Billin'" break like "I heard Toni Braxton likes it in the ass with a dildo, but I got somethin' real, though."  Instead of that famous James Brown funk guitar loop, though, he's got a much softer guitar sound, which sounds like it's live in the studio.  So it's okay, but definitely not as compellingly head nodding.  And it doesn't seem to be online, so I'll give you some more of what he says on here:

"I used to have a crush on Halle Berry, now she wants to fuck me, Tom and Jerry.  Monica, deep throat this whole dick.  Fuck it, while you at it, blow my whole clique.  Tyra Banks' pussy probably stank.  Had a whole train ran on her in a No Limit tank.  Mister Silk Shocker broke her off proper; she mastered P and C Murder got locked up.  Aaliyah, when I see her, I'ma tell her myself: it was wrong how she fucked R Kelly to get on."  He ends it all with, "I meant no disrespect to any of y'all hoes.  If I offended y'all, fuck it, that's how the game goes."  

The other tracks on here are mostly weighed down by some boring, low-fi production.  "Tell Em Niggas" is about how his whole crew is obsessed with making money.  "Gray Sky" is the best, albeit helped in no small part by a jacked beat.  Jace brings it back to Biggie by rhyming about his own struggles over the "Juicy" instrumental, asking "is your friend your friend when he sells coke to your mother, tricks your sister and sells dope to your brother?"  And "Paper Chase" is a short track dissing an ex-girlfriend who tried to take advantage of him.  "You want to travel the world at my expense, have a condo and want me pay the rent?  you's a big dreamin' bitch, money hungry schemin' bitch, conniving, lying, sneaky and freaky bitch.  I gotta admit, you's a slick bitch, 'cause I ain't give you shit, and you still a rich bitch."

Hey, all my female readers, how're you doing out there?  😬  Anyway, I think it's a safe bet Mr. Cosby never heard this record.  Not that he's known for treating women any better, obviously, but Bill Cosby Presents the Cosnarati: State Of Emergency was clearly meant to be a message-driven project.  It's completely clean and, as it used to say on billcosby,com, "an album of music with messages reflecting today’s most critical issues affecting young people. Created to engage listeners and lead them to take action... Two years in the making, 'State of Emergency' adds new meaning to the phrase 'message in the music.' Tackling such social issues as self-respect, peer pressure, abuse and education... The project’s 14 tracks integrate frank, positive messages with a progressive mix of hip-hop, R&B, jazz, pop, funk and rock. The result is a strong, cohesive narrative that doesn’t rely on profanity, misogyny, materialism or ego exercising to deliver its powerful impact."

It's a 2009 "available exclusively at amazon.com" CD-only release (and digital, natch), and yes, I actually copped it.  Why, you might ask?  Well, obviously I got it cheap used, and I thought one day I'd cover it on this site, because... would you believe?  This album is produced by Ultramagnetic MC himself, Ced Gee, along with his usual collaborator Billy "Spaceman" Patterson?

So how is it?  Unfortunately, it's pretty bland.  I mean, you'd've been a fool to expect another Critical Beatdown in '07, but still.  Cosby doesn't rap or otherwise add his voice to this project.  Although he's credited with the "song story concepts," I'm guessing he left it to the MCs to write their own raps.  It's neither bad enough to be enjoyed like a silly "Superbowl Shuffle" style novelty record, or good enough that you'd actually choose to put it in your deck instead of some other CD.  It's kinda just slow and plodding.  The production is okay - for instance a song called "Runnin" actually sounds kinda cool and atmospheric - but it all sacrifices energy for live instrumentation.  The title track uses blaring horns to sound like an emergency siren, which at least echoes superior work by Public Enemy.  Cosby himself is credited with a few of those instruments himself on a couple of songs, but I don't know if he's actually playing anything on these tracks or if it's just because all the credited samples come from old Cosby records.  And just like the Jace 12" above, the MCing is okay, but there's never a point you'd say anyone killed it.  I think this was just a highlight in their resumes... you know, before the drugging and sexual assault trials.

But yeah, Jace is the main rapper here, appearing on all but one song.  He even has a solo track at the end called "I Wish," about regrets, which is a stand-out track lyrically because his tales of personal tragedy feel authentic.  Meanwhile, Brother Hahz, a.k.a. Hahz the Rippa is on almost every other song with him, specifically eleven tracks.  Hahz also put out a couple indie 12"s in the 90s and eventually became a part of celebrity boxer Roy Jones Jr.'s Hip-Hop side hustle, Body Head Entertainment.  And one other guy, Supernova Slom, appears on a couple of songs.  His website describes him as "a multifaceted artist, musician, holistic healer, and wellness coach" who co-founded Supa Mega Foods, a plant-based supplement company.

Anyway, there's a new auto-tune kid who's been kinda usurping the name Jace nowadays, but Jace the Great is still out there.  He's active on Twitter and did a solid song for the Black Lives Matter movement.  He's also on a dope Gee Rock track with Percee-P and Lakim Shabazz, and comes off pretty nice on it.  "F**kin R&B Hoes" features uncut versions of all four tracks, plus clean edits of 'Hoes" and "Tell Em," an unfortunately clean Acapella version of "Hoes" and the instrumental for "Tell Em."  As you can see, it comes in a sticker cover, which artfully includes an incomplete list of his targets.  Oh, and I'm being a little snarky with the title of this post, but just to be clear: I'm absolutely not conflating some dirty old sex raps with what Cosby keeps getting accused of doing.  I wouldn't exactly call this record tasteful, but if you have the other nine "Dreams," how can you not want this 12" in your crates, too?

Brandon Brown the Third

I remember Brandon B rapping on Sacred Hoop's 2007 record "Hog Wild" that "my albums never come out, but I'm still holding underground clout." Well, those days are finally over, because he's just released his third solo album in the last few years, Serious Callers Only.  Like the last two, Brandon self-produces with his Bootleg Friday partner Elliott Lanam on Gurp City Digital.  Yeah, it says that on the inside cover; but as you can surmise by my covering it here, there are physical copies available as well.

I described his last album as, "bridg[ing] the gap from early Electro-Hop to the classic 90's 4-track era," and he's absolutely continuing in that direction here.  It's like if the music started out in mid 80s LA rap, but then evolved into a fresh, different branch than the actual genre grew to become.

The album starts off with "Let's Go Intro," which despite its title is actually a fully produced song with three verses and a chorus.  But it's an intro in the sense that it's Brandon going off on his own, introducing us to his production style and who he is as an MC.  Its immediately followed by the super dynamic "Letting You Know," a harder duet with TOPR, but with a hype, fast-paced track and a killer scratch finale by DJ Pause.  "Let's Go" eases us in a bit gently, but if you're not on board by the track 2, I don't know what to tell ya.

You could probably guess the best song is the one with Z-Man, but that's not because B's getting carried here.  It's almost a coincidence that he's on the song with the strongest concept track, so they're both killing it lyrically, an ode to their starving artist lifestyle, "I'm buying out the bar every show we play, staying fit only eating one meal a day.  'Ey, one time for the weight loss plan; two times for the shortened life span.  Three times for the SoFi loan that I fucked off on hookers and blow."  Instrumentally, it's another hyper, bumping track that even opens up with a classic vocoder announcing, "we're starving on purpose."

"In a Major Way" smooths things out for a head nodding collab with QM and Trunk Drank cohort Eddie K.  Yeah, most of the regulars you'd expect are here and as welcome as ever.  Equipto sounds great on the title track that makes great use of a classic Steady B sample, and actually, surprisingly, Luke Sick isn't on this one.  But he's not needed.  With these recent albums, Brandon has proven himself to be much more than just a Sacred Hoop weed carrier.  And there are one or two unexpected guests, too, particularly Sick Wid' It recording artist Cousin Fik.  It's got a slow bump tailor made for the pair, and if you didn't know better, you'd think Fik was another Gurp City family member comfortably flowing at home with his crew.

Other highlights include "Woodstock '23," a celebratory party anthem touting Gurp City's trademark hedonism, "It's like Woodstock '99 combined with Gutfest '89's killer line-up.  (We're gonna cut your set short!)  If that's the case, I'll just send the word and we'll trash the place.  I got a gash on my face, don't know how it happened; bleedin' all over the stage and still rappin'."  With DJ Pause getting busy on the turntables over some Beverly Hills Cop-style synths, it's impossible not to have fun.  Another track slows things down for a classic 80's girl story with a demented twist, "she sized me up with her eyes and said, 'I can't stay long.  I left my kid at Chuck E. Cheese and he's all alone.'  I asked how old is he, she said, 'he's almost six;' and I'm thinkin' to myself, man, this chick is sick."  And I'd never accuse this album of getting serious, but there are a few hints at sincere political stances with lines like, "if you're talking like Nick Fuentes?  Go and try some of that bullshit in the East Bay" and "I slam a Bud Light right in front of Kid Rock's face, and keep starin' at him while I finish the sixer."

In fact, there's a seemingly endless supply of deep cut references in Brandon's rhymes, from "I keep it obscure like 12ManRambo" to some I'd never get.  I found myself googling a few, asking myself, who the heck is Ted Dibiase?  Turns out he's a wrestler... and he doesn't spell his name the way I'd guessed.  Noel Gallagher's the lead singer of the rock band Oasis, and one can only imagine what beef B would have with that seemingly random pull ("Noel Gallagher's a bitch; when I see him I'ma choke his ass out, same with his brother Liam" ... Okay??).  That potentially gives this album a slightly alienating esoteric streak.  And a few, like a Lizzo fat joke, feel like low hanging fruit.  Starting to get some Chino XL vibes there.  But Hip-Hop's been packing in obscure, local references for decades, who am I to randomly put my foot down now?  Well, I just feel a few less references for their own sake might yield more cohesive songs in future.

But really, any criticisms I have amount to nitpicks of an overall killer album.  Things do run low on steam in the closing tracks.  The last song has Timex Social Club's Michael Marshall return for another blow-out hook.  But unlike his impressive appearance on B's first album, this one has a softer, almost easy listening vibe I can't really get into.  It's kind of like Craig G's first album, with all the Marley Marl bangers you'd play over and over, but you usually wind up turning it off before the last couple songs.

In fact, this album has kind of the modern vibes of Craig G's second album, too.  Master Ace could've stopped by and dropped his "Give It To Me" verse on any number of these songs.  Not that Serious Callers Only sounds that much like Now That's More Like It, but it evokes the same feelings.  And, albeit for different reasons, it's best owned on CD.  There's a limited edition available directly from his bandcamp along with his first album.  His first album's sold out there, but it's still available on Gurp City's bigcartel.  That gives me the feeling all three are down to straggling copies, so act fast, or else you'll be stuck streaming like a chump.

A Thousand Degrees Make It Hotter Than Your Tenement

Hey, it's a new record by Godfather Don!  Admittedly, it may be starting to feel like they're piling up.  After all, he has made kind of a whole career out of unearthing his various unreleased projects from the past through different labels, including DWG, One Leg Up, Chopped Herring, 90's Tapes, No Sleep and HHV.  And I'm not saying that with any kind of snark - the music's fantastic and I've been thrilled to get it.  But now this is new music from the Godfather.  Not that this is his first foray into coming back - remember his Osmosis album in 2020.  But this is only his second, so it's still pretty exciting.  Especially since, you know, it's good.

Osmosis was a collaboration between Don and French producer Parental, with scratches by Debonair P.  This time Debonair's producing the whole thing (and still doing the scratches, natch) on his own label, Gentleman's Relief Records.  GRR had released they were closing their doors in 2020, so it's almost as exciting to see them back after four years as Don.  And I have it on good authority that they're cooking up some more killer releases that regular readers here will surely be interested.  But I can't say anymore than that.  ;)

Anyway, both Osmosis and now The Ill Tone Generator have a jazzier feel than Don's own production is known for, a nod probably to the kind of music he makes when he's not on the Hip-Hop tip.  But as an MC, Don is still coming hard with clever and complex rhyme schemes.  If you've been missing his 90s lyrics, you'll be relieved to hear he hasn't lost a step.

While Osmosis was a full LP, this is an EP, with just four songs, although it's nicely fleshed out with an alternate remix for each song, effectively bringing us up to eight tracks.  And when I say jazzy, I'm not kidding.  It's all loops; Don's not performing with a combo Las Supper style.  But with the opening track, "Tip Of the Spear," the samples have you feeling like you just stepped into a smokey lounge.  Lyrically, though, Don still sounds as ill as he did on Hydra Records:

"The one true preeminent
Character assassinator,
This oratory style nicknamed 'The Bastard Maker.'
It's a literary suicide
Steppin' to the Edgar Allen Poe of this rap shit.
I kill scholastics, stop nuts as soon as they come
Like prophylactics.  Drastic tactics
For any over-active protagonists
Tryin' to make a name off of mine like he's taggin' it.
He got it all wrong; I flow fabulous."

If anything, he's enunciating even clearer now, which really just allows you to appreciate every twisted syllable as they land.  All four songs have slick Premier-style scratch hooks, which are consistently carried over to the B-side remixes.  And those remixes are just as good as the A-sides.  In fact, in a couple of cases (especially the super smooth "Lights Camera Action" remix) I prefer them.  admittedly, I kind of miss Don doing his own production, but he's found an ideal substitute in Debonair, who can carry the weight without feeling obligated to imitate.  And as an MC, it's like Don never took a day off.

The Ill Tone Generator is available on wax in a full color picture cover.  There's also a small run of CDs, limited to 250 copies pressed, which also includes all eight instrumentals as bonus tracks.  Both are already out now from the usual spots (though I think the CD may only be available direct from GRR), and they're priced like regular new releases, so don't sleep.

Countin' Endless Demos

 (Taking a look at the 1993 (1994?) C.E.B. demos. Youtube version is here.)