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.