Systa, Systa

Here's an obscure one most of ya'll will probably be glad to learn about… Systahood's "M.O. Money," from '97. I originally picked this up just for the Sakinah Britton (you may know her better as Sah-B) appearance, but it turns out to be rather nice as a whole.

Systahood is comprised of two women who grew up in East Orange, NJ: the MC, Kandi and the DJ, Twista (no relation to that Twista, naturally). This was their only release before they called it quits because, as Twista said in an interview with FAMDO.com (the interview's no longer up on their site, though unfortunately, so don't waste your time searching for it), "I had bills to pay and I was fortunate to have a career I could fall back on [a clinical operations coordinator in the pharmaceutical industry, apparently]." Even before putting out this single, though, she also co-founded Systas 4 Systas, an East Orange charitable organization, whose mission (according to the IRS) is to "combat juvenile delinquency." As Twista explained it, "this is a grass-roots organization in which five childhood friends and myself noticed that the external support organizations and community services we were once privileged to have, were slowly disappearing. We wanted to do what we could to deter the younger generation of women from teen pregnancy, drugs, alcohol and gangs."

One of those five friends, apparently, is Sah-B - an online charity database lists, M. Sakinah Britton as "(Community Representative) Vice President" for Systas 4 Systas Inc. So I'm guessing that first initial stands for Mawiyah, which solves the mystery from my old "Just a Summa Day" post. I think we can now safely assume Sakinah is using her middle name, and her full name is Mawiyah Sakinah Britton. You see? You dig around long enough, and you find out fun, obscure info. Here's another fact I found that way - Systas 4 Systas is also the name of a hair salon in East Orange… They have different mailing addresses, but since there's only two listings for "Systas 4 Systas" anywhere in the world, and they're both in East Orange, I decided to call them up and see. It's the same answering machine thanking you for calling Systas 4 Systas Inc. So that's them, too. 8)

Ok, so now you know who Systahood is; let's take a look at their work. "M.O. Money" starts off with Sah-B's guest verse (she also does the hook), and she comes off pretty nice… definitely still retaining some of that voice and flow that made her early work so enjoyable. Kandi takes the mic for the next two verses… she isn't as good (in terms of voice, lyrics, or flow), but certainly capable enough to keep an indie record like this afloat. Most impressively, the production, handled by Twista, is hot. Gripping horn samples and a fast, captivating bassline definitely pull you right into the song. The b-side, "Keep It In the Fam," is solid, too. It's more mellow, driven by a slower, deeper bassline (and yes, instrumentals are included for both). Kandi is a bit of a victim of her times here, filling her lyrics with lines like, "we stick together like stacks of new money," but hey, it was '97; who wasn't writing like that? Anyway. you can easily see why the A-side was picked to be the lead-off track, and this song is definitely the worse for not having another guest appearance by Sah-B, but you'll like both. And all in all, this rare, indie release (as far as I know, the only release on True Records) is definitely worth tracking down if you can.

It's been a long time since we've had a release from Sah-B - I was very disappointed to hear she wasn't featured on the new LOTUG album - and she doesn't seem to have much of an online presence (i.e. a myspace); but since they're working together, maybe there's still a chance Sah-B will come back, with some production from Twista and a guest verse from Kandi. …Come on, guys; make it happen.

Update 1/27/11: I just finally found the vinyl version of this release! The track-listing is the same for both, but we can glean some interesting tidbits of info from the label, including the fact that Kandi's full MCing name is actually Kandi Kain, and that this record was actually executive produced by Cool Vee!

I've also since learned some more about what Systahood is up to these days... Kandi Kain has written a book! It's called Hip Hop Holla-Backs, and apparently it's "the first of its’ kind to feature crossword puzzles, word searches and jumbles, trivia and artwork for coloring fostered around the theme of hip hop." She's published it herself through her own company, Tru Systa Books, which has a website at trusystabooks.com.

There's also a website for Systas 4 Systas over at s4sinc.org. It's got a heap of info on what they do over there, so I'll just let you go explore... By the way, I guess Sah-B got married, because there's a bio for one M. Sakinah Reed. So congrats, Sah! :)

Complimentary Egg Roll With Your Order

This 45 comes free with Percee-P's Perseverence album if you buy it from many online sources (accesshiphop, ughh, etc). Most places seem to offer it (with the CD or the LP), so if you're buying from someplace that doesn't carry the package deal, you may want to cancel that order. Because, yeah; you'll be wanting this.

The whole album is pretty good. Like I (and practically everybody else, to be honest) predicted in an earlier thread, Percee dependably kills it on the mic, and the production, entirely by Madlib, is decent, but not great. At its best there are some nice, dusty loops ("Ghetto Rhyme Stories" is a particular stand out), while at its worst, it sounds like the soundtrack to a Sega Genesis game. It's definitely a dope, very worth having album… but if he'd dropped a few weak guest MCs who can't keep up with Perc (like Vinnie Paz and Guilty Simpson… I mean, whose dumb idea was it to make THAT song the new single, anyway?) in favor of some obvious guest producer choices (Showbiz, Diamond, Buckwild, Premiere, Finesse)… this could've really been the album we'd been waiting for all these years. As it is, it's just a good, solid album - which you can easily quibble about, but you'd be missing out if you passed up on.

So, now getting to this 7": it's "The Hand That Leads You (Egg Roll Version)" b/w the instrumental. When this was still a pre-order, most sites just said, "free Stones Throw 45," so it was to discover we'd gotten a proper Percee-P non-album single, rather than just a label sampler of snippets or something.

It's called the "Egg Roll Version" because the bulk of the instrumentation is sampled from "Egg Roll" by the late Philly-based 60's funk/jazz collective, The M&S Band, a rare/obscure release later popularized (well, as far as these things go) in the late 90's on the Funk 45 reissue label. And this mix (also done by Madlib) is hot… much better than the LP version; and that was one of the stronger album cuts itself. It's just a couple of massive horn loops, with some nice scratching on the hook, provided by J-Rocc of The Beat Junkies… these are hotterthan most of Madlib's scratches - which I'm guessing by the sound of 'em are done on Serato (Madlib provides the scratching on the LP version and most of the album tracks; though J-Rocc did two; including the aforementioned stand out, "Ghetto Rhyme Stories"). On this mix, the emphasis is more on the actual scratching and less on the amount of vocal samples that can be squeezed into sixty seconds. Stand out beats like this are definitely up to headnodding par with anything Showbiz would've provided, anyway.

So, yeah. Get the album; and make sure you get this 7" with it. And let's hope the success of this project will encourage Percee to keep putting out records on the regular.

Tags: Percee-P, Madlib, J-Rocc

Lazy Freak

With all his rare, sought-after indie 12"'s, there's one Stezo 12" with exclusive material that always gets overlooked: the UK-only "Freak the Funk" remix 12". And since I'm all about looking at the over-looked on this blog, let's have that look, shall we?

On this one, hip-hop house recording artist Doug Lazy tries his hand at remixing Stezo's hit single, "Freak the Funk" (one of the few album tracks not produced by Stezo himself*; this was done by Vicious V, and like all the tracks on this album, mixed by the great, late Paul C.). This was just as Doug Lazy was coming out with hit singles on Atlantic, so though this collaboration wasn't exactly huge, it was kind of a big deal. But, when you actually listen to it, it's kinda not.

Wisely, Mr. Lazy plays pretty close to the original with his version, keeping the wonderful sample during the hook that really makes the song. He just changes the basic beat a little bit and slightly speeds things up, I guess to make it more danceable… (though, notably, he doesn't turn it into a house song). He drops in some additional samples and layers that add a little spice to the proceedings… if you've listened to the album version so much over the years - like me - to the point that it's played out and you need an alternative mix to keep enjoying the song, then this is what you're after. Oh, and be sure to check the "Dub Mix" for another variation on the instrumental, that's a little less "noisy" and features a new, smooth bassline

Perhaps an even more compelling reason to pick up this 12" is actually the less heralded b-side, Stezo's own remix (or, as it's written here, "remax" - whatever the heck that means) of his "It's My Turn"... that song with memorable lines like, "ugly girls, please take the mask off," and where he turns "anthem" into a three-syllable word. Like the A-side remix, "It's My Turn" is fundamentally unchanged here: it's the same vocals played at the same speed over the same "Atomic Dog" samples and drum loop (The Skull Snaps' oft-used "It's a New Day" break). Except, this time the original beat semi-regularly stops and switches to another familiar bassline, then switches back; and more samples (including more elements of "Atomic Dog") are sprinkled throughout. It's not amazing, but it effectively breathes new life into an album cut that's otherwise a little dull and monotonous. The changes aren't radical, just definitive; as if he's finally finishing a song that shouldn't have made it onto his LP as-is.

*At least, that's what the album credits tell us. Producer Chris Lowe has since taken credit for most or all of these tracks, saying on his myspace, "Chris maybe[sic.] best known for his early, ground-breaking work with Stezo (the group's debut LP Crazy Life[sic.] spawned classics such as 'Its Your Turn[sic.],' 'To The Max' & 'Freak The Funk') and for working closely with EPMD in the late 80's on Sleeping Bag/Fresh Records, Chris and Dooley-O were also the first to discover the famed 'Skull Snaps' break beat, using it for Stezo's now fabled 'It's Your Turn'[sic.] (re-popularized by Gang Starr's 'Take It Personal') which was duly noted on Chris' debut LP, Black Life, on the skit 'Do Your History.'" Stezo's cousin Dooley O (who has a myspace here) has also claimed a crucial, uncredited hand in the production… I've heard the story told a couple different ways, but I guess essentially Chris and Dooley found the one break, however they had mixed it with some other samples for an unreleased demo. And then Stezo wound up using that break and turning it into his song; but do some googling and decide for yourselves. I'm not gonna get too deep into it; because this post is about the UK remixes. Speaking of which, while you're checking out myspaces, go ahead and check out Doug Lazy's as well - it's here. Unfortunately, Stezo doesn't appear to have one.

Tags: Stezo, Doug Lazy

LOTUG's Nas Bootleg

Ok, I covered all the other Undaground Butta releases, so I guess I might as do the final one. =) Although there's no artist credited on the label, this is Kamakazee's "On the Real," featuring Nas and Cormega. In an interview with Unkut.com, Blaq Poet of Screwball talked about how that song originally came about, "[w]ith that 'On The Real' shit, Marley had the DAT at his crib and Nas came up there one day and laid down shit first, to the beat. Then KL and Solo went up there and Marley was like 'Yo, I got some shit with Nas. Y'all cool with Nas, right?' 'Oh yeah, yeah. Nas is our man.' They jumped on the track, then Marley played it and motherfuckers was loving it." It was originally pressed up as the b-side to Kamakazee (the group Kamakazee was the duo of Screwball members KL and Solo, later known as Kyron)'s "The Bridge '95" 12". As an indie release from a then unknown group, it was a very small run; so when the B-side started turning up on mixtapes and playing on Marley Marl's Future Flavas show, a bootleg was inevitable.

The track's produced by Marley Marl, where he essentially just loops the very opening of The Soul Children's "Move Over" (listen to it; the first six seconds are pretty much the entire instrumental of "On the Real"). Well, Marley's name is on it, anyway. As to who actually produced it, K-Def had something to say, in his interview with Unkut, "I was on the radio one day, cause I used to the radio with Marley on pirate, I played that break for the first time and Marley had recorded that radio show and looped it up and then put Nas' vocals on it, and then claimed the fame for that track."

Now, a few of you reading this might be thinking, "hey; wait a second; I've got Nas's 'On the Real,' but it doesn't have KL and Solo on it." Yeah, there's actually been a couple versions of this song, though the beat never changes on any of 'em. First you have the original mix featured on this 12". But then, in 2000, Screwball included it as the final track on their Tommy Boy album, Y2K. But since Nas, as Hydra Records co-founder Jerry Famolari explained in his Unkut interview, "wanted a certain amount of money, so they took him off and they put Havoc and Mega on there." So, that's mix #2, with a new, alternate verse from Cormega and one from Mobb Deep's Havoc. Then there's mix #3 that came out in 2004. Nas included an "On the Real (Remix)" on his Illmatic 10th Anniversary reissue on Columbia, featuring his original verse from the first mix, and replacing any other MC's verses with two new ones of his own. Columbia and Ill WIll (Nas's imprint label) also put this version out on 12" that same year with clean, explicit and instrumental versions; b/w the other "unreleased" song from the reissue, the Large Professor produced, "Star Wars." According to The Record Inspector, however, some copies of this record (or at least one) are misprinted, featuring only the "Star Wars" b-side on both sides of the record. So listen to it in the store before you take it home. ;)

So, the Marley Marl/ Future Flavas connection sort of explains why this wound up being booted on The Lords Of the Underground's indie label, which otherwise stuck to putting out legit releases of their own music. DJ Mike Nice clarified on the DWG boards that the "[s]tory behind it was someone from the group left with a dat after a Marly session, their was some Real Live and Kamakazie joints on it as well." So, this was the second release on their label, and they gave the b-side over to Jac Swinga, DoItAll's little brother, to make his debut with his only released solo cut to date, "Coast II Coast."

Well, I say "solo," but actually the second verse is shared by two uncredited MCs Jac apparently met on the West coast. Anyway, they keep it short, and the weight of this song is all on Jac Swinga's shoulders, who carries it well. The production - which doesn't sound like Lord Jazz's more low-key approach during this era… could it be Marley? bounces along, with a nice little horn loop for the hook, as Jac Swinga, sounding kind of like UG using Masta Ace's Slaughtahouse flow, shines, narrating his trip "to LA, around the time of OJ." This song alone more than makes this 12" worth nabbing. Really, it's a shame those cats didn't use him a bit more.

All in all, a nice little 12", even if it is 50% boot.

Tags: Kamakazee, Nas, Screwball, Cormega, Jac Swinga, LOTUG, Lords Of the Underground

Werner Interviews Grand Daddy IU! (Part 2)

...continued from the previous post.

And then, in the late ‘90’s, you came out on Universal Records as a part of the Juice Crew 3rd Millennium. What was the deal with that project?|

I don’t know. That was Fly Ty and Mr. Magic; that was their shit. They called me up like, “yo. We need you to produce a track. We’re gonna do this, um, Juice Crew shit and whatever whatever.” I was like, “I-ight.”

And was there, at one time, ever going to be a whole Juice Crew 3rd Millennium album or something?

Nah… (Laughs) Fly Ty and Mr. Magic were some funny cats. They were wheelin’ and dealin’, you know what I’m saying? They had somehow got up in somebody’s ear in Universal and got them to give them a budget. But they ain’t had no artists, no acts! So they just threw some shit together and were like, “yo, this is gonna be the… Juice Crew 3rd Millennium or whatever. Let’s just put some shit together and let’s get these checks.”

Yeah, because on the label, it mentions a Mr. Magic sampler album called Mr. Magic's Greatest Flavors, that never came out.

Yeah, it never came out. They ain’t pushed that single! And the single was hot. They could’ve done something, but they just was in it for the check. Niggas was just tryin’ to get their checks, that’s all.

And Oz who was on that track… was he the same Oz from your independent 12”, “Oz’s Track?”

Yeah, from Hempstead, Terrace Ave. Me, him, and my other cat who’s locked up now… we was gonna do something, but they couldn’t get along. So that shit never panned out.

But he wasn’t ever actually considered part of Steady Flow, was he?

Yeah…

Who exactly was? And who is now?

Big Snow, Chapelle, Oz, my brother… like, a lot of motherfuckers. DuQuan. But now everybody just went their fuckin’ separate ways. Now, it’s just a few niggas left holdin’ it down.

And are any of them involved with the music, really, now? Like, are any of them going to turn up on the next Grand Daddy IU project, or…?

Nah, they just roll with me.

‘Cause I saw Big Snow had, like, a track or two up on his myspace…

Yeah, he’s still doin’ it. A little something.

Now, who was that on your first album, talking on like “Sugar Free” and…

Ah! Easy Rick the playa! (laughs) He’s alright… He’s sick now. Got cancer; all kinds of wild shit… in the kidney…

Damn. …Well, then you had… when the Marco Polo LP came out on Rawkus, he had a song with you on the promo CD, called “Veteran?” But it never came out on the album.

Yeah, ‘cause the album was already done by the time we linked up. He was just doin’ a mix-tape for his shit.

Oh, ok. So is there a chance that’ll wind up on the B-side to his next 12” or something?

“Veteran?” That shit’s gonna be on my joint that’s coming out.

Ok, yeah, I was gonna ask that. You got an album coming out? What’s the go with that?

Yeah, it’s on Steady Flow… through Red Line Distribution. It’s called Stick To the Script, and I believe it’s… October 23rd, or some shit like that? October twenty-something, I don’t even know, but shit is hot. Strictly hip-hop, you know what I’m sayin’? The “Veteran” track is gonna be on there, one or two of the tracks that’s on my myspace are probably gonna be on there… “Take Off Your Clothes” and “Regrets.” It’s nineteen joints, mostly done by me; I did thirteen or fourteen.

And who did the other ones?

DJ Doom did one: “Regrets.” Freedom did “Take Off Your Clothes;” he’s some piano cat from out here in Queens. Chucky Madness did “Fuck With I.U.” Blunt did “Double Remy” and, damn… somebody else did one more. Oh, I’m buggin’. Marco Polo! And I also can’t forget: Large Professor did “Mack Of the Year.”

Oh, I thought I read an interview with you saying the tracks from that 12” were gonna be, like, that 12” only.

It was. But the cat from the distributor, Jameson, he wanted that motherfucker put on there. So I was like, “whatever.”

So is he putting on both of the tracks, or just the B-side?

Just “Mack Of the Year.”

So, you had an online only EP, Long Island’s Finest. Are any of those tracks… I think you sort of mentioned… will any of those songs be on the new album?

Nah. I ain’t putting any of that shit on that.

Ok, so is there any chance of that material getting any kind of a physical release? A CD or vinyl?

Nah. Or... nah; I don’t believe so. I don’t know anything about that shit. I’m trying to move on. Keep it movin’.

I heard some of it, though; and there was some good stuff. Like that track with Pudgee…

Oh shit! That was on there? “Back In the Days?” Damn, I be buggin’. Well, that’s gonna be on the album, though. I ain’t know that shit was on there. Damn…

Yeah, I thought it was cool you hooked up with Pudgee again, because he was another really talented rapper, who had a great first album but then really didn’t have the push from his label for his later stuff. But he’s stayed in the game, putting out material.

Yeah, he be floatin’ around, here and there. He be writin’ R&B songs and all kinds of shit.

And you had one other - pretty rare, actually – album. I just found one online site that’s been selling it, just called I.U. Volume 1.

Huh?

I.U. Volume 1? It would’ve been, like, 2003 or something like that maybe?

Wow. I don’t know nothing about that.

It’s like a full album, not like a mix-CD or anything. Nineteen tracks, including one with 2Pac, and yeah… none of them were previously released anywhere else.

And they were selling that shit online? Get the fuck out of town!

Yeah, I think it’s still available. I can send you the link…

Yeah, please do that. Oh shit! Oh shit! Wow. Yeah, definitely send that shit tonight, because I gotta find out who this is, because they’re definitely getting’ their ass robbed.

Damn, I thought you just put that out yourself, because it’s even got “Steady Flow” written on the CD like it came out on the Steady Flow label…

Wow… Who in the fuck did that? That’s crazy. Somebody dipped in my stash. Wow… Holy shit.

So, that’s about it for my questions… Is there anything you want to add, say to the people reading this?

Just cop that shit. October 23rd, that Tuesday, Stick To the Script. Cop that. Hot shit, nah’ mean?

Is there any chance we’re gonna get a vinyl of that?

Well, that’s what the distributor wanna do, but I don’t know. That vinyl shit ain’t really worth it nowadays. You know what I’m saying? Maybe. Maybe a vinyl EP.

Well, it probably works better for a more old school MC with a little roots, you know? Like, kids will just be like, “let me download whatever the latest G-Unit track is to my I-Pod,” but us older heads are still buying the vinyl.

Yeah, I might do that. Do a vinyl EP and add an extra track that’s not on the album. We’ll see.

Tags: Grand Daddy I.U.

Werner Interviews Grand Daddy IU! (Part 1)

I had a chance to speak with Grand Daddy I.U. on the strength of some of the posts I made about his records here and on Youtube, and I had a lot of questions I was dying to ask him. He was really cool, open, and we got right into it, so let's do the same:

Ok, I guess we’ll start with some of your earlier material… On the production of your first LP, of course there’s production credits, but I’ve read interviews where you talk about how you came in with some of the tracks already essentially done and all… so I was just wondering if you could say, between yourself, DJ Kay Cee, Cool V, etc; just who produced what?

Well, basically, me and my brother did everything besides “Soul Touch.” Biz did that. And that’s about it, really.

And did Kay Cee do much production work, then, or just the scratching?

Yeah… me and him formulated all the tracks before we went to the studio. So, when we went in, we knew what we wanted to sample, what drums we wanted to put in, you know? And Doc was the engineer; he just made it happen. And Cool V was there; he was like the overseer. Biz was like never even there in the studio, really.

And is Kay Cee still down with you now?

Yeah.

Is he still working with you on the new stuff?

Nah, nah, nah. He ain’t been working on the new stuff, but he’s still around.

So, at that time, you had the single “Something New,” and that beat was kinda going around a little bit… Like Hi-C used it on “I’m Not Your Puppet…”

Who?

Hi-C, a west coast rapper... was down with DJ Quik.

Oh, I don’t know about him. I know Nice & Smooth had used it…

Right; they chopped it a little differently, though…

They chopped it in half. They didn’t use the whole shit. That’s why I was like, “You played yourself. Why the fuck? That shit’s hot to death! Why didn’t you use the whole shit?” So, they didn’t use thewhole thing, so I was like, “fuck that shit.” But then I heard that Marley Marl had did it for somebody…

Yeah, Tragedy and Craig G.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, that shit ain’t hit! My shit was better than that shit, obviously.

Yeah, yours was a successful single. But when you were doing it, then, you didn’t know that anybody else was using it?

No. I knew that Nice & Smooth had used it, but they ain’t used the whole thing. I was like, “fuck it. I’ma just go ahead and use the whole shit.” And I know that nigga Marley Marl was on the radio and he said something slick, some slick little comment…

Yeah, he even says it on the song. He says, “Now you know this is the first place you heard this beat right here… let’s see how many jump on the dick.”

Some shit, I don’t know. Whatever.

I wasn’t sure if he was talking about you, or Hi-C, or anyone specific…

I don’t know who he was talkin’ about, but I don’t give a fuck! What’s he gonna do, nigga? Can’t do nothing to me, so I don’t give a fuck. I did it, and I came off with it. Whoever don’t like it, I don’t give a fuck. If you’re mad, you’re mad. Swallow it.

(Laughs)

Word up.

Ok; and then, more recently, you put out an EP…. Smooth Assassin – the Classics. And there was a track on there that was never released, with Biz Markie. What was that recorded for; when was it recorded?

Yeah… That was like… ’92?

So that was originally gonna be for the second album?

Yeah, but the sample. They couldn’t clear the sample. Like, mad shit was supposed to be on that album, but they couldn’t clear the samples.

Oh ok, yeah. ‘Cause when I heard it, I thought that was a really good song; I was surprised it never got released.

Yeah, they couldn’t clear the sample because Biz fucked that all up because he didn’t clear that umm, what’s the name? I forgot.

On the third album, for “Alone Again?”

“Alone Again,” yeah. He didn’t clear that shit. Then, after that, they was getting on everybody. They were crackin’ down on sampled shit. And then they had NWA and Ice-T and all them motherfuckers talking all that shit – that gangster rap shit – “Fuck the Police,” “Kill the Cops” and all that shit, and Warner Bros started crackin’ down on all the lyrics. Then a lot of old school artists that you would get the samples from, like Bobby Womack and James Brown and these motherfuckers didn’t wanna clear no samples if you were saying certain shit in your lyrics. And back then, you know, I was saying all kinds of wild shit.

So, does that mean there are other tracks like that that didn’t make the album?

Yeah, a whole damn bunch! A whole bunch of shit…

So does that mean there’s a chance we’ll get a release of some of that, like on The Classics EP?

Nah, fuck that shit. Leave that old shit where it’s at.

Yeah, but that one track was really good and your first two albums were like classics, so…

I’m on some new shit now.

Right. So let me ask you now, coming up to the second album… with “Represent,” the single had some different lyrics than what wound up on the album ["Word to father, hot just like lava. Blow up the spot like the Japs did Pearl Harbor" became "Word to father, hot just like lava. Step to the U? Yo, kid, don't even bother!" And "refuse to pay dues; I use the uz and kill off whole crews like Hitler did Jews" became "refuse to pay dues; I use the uz, kill off whole crew, and lay back and sip brews."].

Yeah.

So, was that a label decision?

Of course.

Yeah, ‘cause obviously I can see on the one hand how it’s potentially offensive…

Uh-huh…

But I don’t know if it’s really any more offensive than a lot of what was coming out on that label at the time, with like Kool G Rap and all. Or even other tracks you did.

Well, the thing is… It wasn’t even supposed to be offensive; I was just… That was just a fact, something that happened, you know what I’m saying? So I don’t see why it could’ve been offensive. If some guy gets run over with a car, and I say in my rhyme, “I’ll run you over like he just got run over,” that’s not offensive – he just got run over by a car!

So, was it that they’d gotten complaints when the single came out, or…?

No, they got no complaints! Just… as soon as they heard it… The main boss up there was Lenny Fitzberg[sp? sic?]. Soon as he heard it, he was like, “nah. Can’t say that.”

So, ok, then in ’94 you came out on an Atlanta-based label, Z Records?

Yeah, that was my man, Tony P. He used to be the engineer at Libra Digital; it was Tony A. and Tony P. When the studio shut down, he moved to Atlanta. He got with some African cat, who owned some oil fields, who gave him some dough to start a little label and shit. He ain’t know how to run no label! Know what I’m saying? He just had the opportunity because the cat gave him some fucking bread. So we just went ahead and did whatever. I just got my bread from that shit and bounced.

So, was it just the one 12”?

Yeah, that was just a one-shot deal; we knew that shit wasn’t goin’ nowhere! But the African cat had dough, so we were like, “fuck it…”

And who was that the MC on the B-Side? X-Filez?

Yeah, that was some Atlanta cat that Tony P. was working with. I ain’t know that nigga from nowhere.

Yeah, when I first found that 12”, I wasn’t even sure it was you… But then I saw “Steady Flow” in the credits, so I picked it up…

Yeah, that was some ol’… Strictly for the bread.

To be continued immediately...

More Rare Percee Material

Here's another rare Percee-P joint for your want lists... in fact, it's the one I mentioned in my recent Weekend post. Now you've probably heard this on mp3, or have it on the 2001 compilation album, Now and Then; but here's the real thing.

"Skills Mastered" came out in 1999; and the only label given is G-Smooth's own name. Like the title implies, it's a pure skills-flexing cut with G-Smooth, Infinite, who you may remember from Tragedy's "'98 Thug Paradise," and of course Percee (here credited as "Percy P") each taking turns kicking a freestyle verse. The production is handled by D-Moet. Yeah, as in King Sun & _______. In fact, this was Percee's crew for a short time... he says as much on an old DJ Avee tape. The track is a bit corny, what with the gong and church bell sounds and what-not, but ultimately effective Lyrically, of course, Percee kills it; while the other MCs at least manage to keep up.

The B-side is a G-Smooth solo cut, again produced by D-Moet, entitled "These Waters." The production here kinda cleverly uses familiar sample elements from other rap songs and creates something pretty new. It showcases Smooth's deep voice, while he essentially just kicks some more, nice freestyle rhymes. Yeah, it's not as tight as a Percee verse, but it's a pretty solid track.

Right after, Percee was supposed to come out with his own 12", "Bang In the Clubs" b/w that posse cut with T-La Rock, who was announcing a comeback of his own at the time, and an up-and-coming MC at the time, Rhyma the Massacarist, who makes it sound like he's saying he's a masochist. Both tracks were pretty nice, but I guess he had a falling out with the producers who were putting out the record... I think they called themselves The Vinyl Dogs. Really a shame, though there seem to be a fair amount of mp3s of the b-side floating around. Is it possible there were test-pressings or anything of this, maybe given to mix-tape DJs? I'd love to hear from anyone who might know. 8)

Tags: Percee-P, G-Smooth, Infinite, D-Moet

The Ignorant Three Plus None

Attention, Chubb Rock completists (and if you're not a Chubb Rock completist, you should be; so get on it). Here's one you probably missed. "Summer In America" by The Ignorant Three Plus None, which consists of Chubbs, Mr. Blue (who produced "I Will Survive" on the Chubbster's The Mind LP) and A-Love (I'm guessing on the spelling of this last one... his name isn't printed anywhere, he just says it in the song).

Unfortunately, this isn't available on vinyl (Japanese bootleggers, your mission has just been laid before you) or even CD... it's only available on the DVD of the film, Wet, Hot American Summer. It plays during the closing credits of the film in a truncated form, and better still, it's available to be heard complete and separately as an extra, under "Songs With Production Stills." Here are the full credits of the song, as written out in the credits of the film:

"Summer In America"
Written by A. Morenoff and R. Simpson
Performed by Mr. Blue & Chubb Rock
Courtesy of Race Music
Contains sampled copyrighted material under license from Tappan Zee Records, Inc.

It's really a crazy, fun song, using the basic drums and bells of Run DMC's "It's Tricky" but with extra horn stabs and what-not. And the lyrics go from 80's nostalgia ("Ice cream cone, it's gonna run... all over my Pumas, suede, it's '81, y'all. Who? It's A-Love and I'm on the scene. I got three Big Wheels and a Green Machine. I got Slip 'n' Slide and Sit 'n' Spin; and now it's time for my mellow; Chubb Rock begin!") to "Ya Bad Chubbs" references ("I'm Chubb Rock risin', and I'll break your leg. And I'm more than a 40oz.; I'm more like a keg. So just sip this, rip this, before you miss this. And get hemmed up if you land on my shit list.") to parodying "The Message" and "Rapper's Delight" ("Did you ever sneak to your girlfriend's momma's house 'cause the moms is lookin' good? Then you slide off the panties and lick on the fanny, but the pussy tastes like wood. So you leave, drink water, go find the daughter, 'cause she definitely ain't the wack. She got a pink bra and a g-string and a see-through in the back"). The three MC's constantly pass the mic back and forth (i.e. "Crooklyn Dodgers" style, as opposed to each MC rocking one whole verse each: "Return Of the Crooklyn Dodgers" style), making for a really fun song. And this came out in 2001, when Chubb Rock had all but stopped putting out new records (though he did have that one 12", also with Mr. Blue, on Fully Blown that year).

Well, I say he's all all but stopped putting out new music, but he puts up new songs every so often on his myspace page, and talks of putting out a new album (fingers crossed). He had a song up called "Da Ting" before, an ode to his phallus; and as of this writing has a song up called, "Ol' Skool Flava," which unfortunately is just another of the hundreds of name-dropping songs, where he lists old school rappers. Seriously, we all know the list. None of need to hear another song naming them... so f'ing boring. If you're gonna rap about old school hip-hop, guys, say something about it. Don't just name the same names. We stopped handing out bonus credibility for that years ago.

Tags: Chubb Rock

Because Weekends Are Made For Fun

Back when I first was making my Percee-P discography page, I showed him my rough draft and asked him if there was anything missing. One was a joint that was just coming out, which he gave me a copy of (fans probably already have heard this, but if you didn't know, Percee's a really nice, cool dude); and the other was a record I'd never heard of: "The Weekend" by Champagne. Eventually, I tracked myself down a copy.

Now, there's no credited record label or year printed on this 12", but the info I got from Percee was that this came out in 1998 from Luckee Champagne Music. It's a posse cut by a bunch of people I've never heard of: Champagne, Eclipse (well... it's possible I might've heard of Eclipse. A quick search of discogs brings up 30 listings, so yeah... who knows? But here's a tip to any up & coming MCs named Eclipse: change it. Or spell it funny or something), Brother-Mello, a girl named Ebony singing the hook, and of course Percee P wrapping it up on the last verse.

You've got three versions of the song on this 12": the "Champagne Mix," the "Mr. Luckee Mix" and the "Scorch Prod. Mix." I prefer the Champagne mix, if only because it feels the most like the track the artists originally recorded their vocals to. It also has a slightly more upbeat touch, which matches the theme of the record. But all three versions are reasonably comparable, and everybody will probably have their own fave.

Whichever your preference, though, this is a cool record. On the one hand, with it's topic and the fact that it's got a sung chorus, you'd think this was a bid for commercial radio (and it probably was), and therefore not worth your time, a la "Summa Day" as opposed to "Some Ol' Sah-B Shit" or "On Earth As It Is..." compared to "Anything Goes." But really, the beats are all understated and "underground" sounding; and the flows are definitely all of the dope, emphasis-on-skills variety that we all ate up on indie 12" after indie 12" in the late 90's. This belongs on a mix-tape right between, like, The Dutchmin and Natural Elements. Check it out. Here's a sample of Percee's verse... now, if you can imagine these lines ripped to the tune of his verse on "You're Late" or "Pray To da East," then you get how nice this sounds:

"Job's stressed ya mind?
Here, go buy a new dress to dine in,
The best, divine.
Since I'm pressed for time:
Screw ya plans.
Let's walk through the sands,
And cruise the land.
If you can dance and like to eat,
It's my treat - to Houlihan's.
No help from ya ex;
When he's around, he comes for sex.
Leave ya heated like a pot cookin',
Lookin' dumb and vexed.
Everyday he's ripped;
Checks docked,
Like a navy ship.
...
Daily, you passed on fakes
With no cash to make.
That's the breaks;
But now you don't have to wait
Or mastur -
At my show, smile.
I know how the ladies go wild
And wanna get laid like a flo' tile;
That's not my profile.
When the dough pile, boo,
It's you I'm seekin';
It's why I'm speakin'
From deep in my heart.
I'm reachin' out to you."

Nine years later, Percee-P has a myspace page and a new album just out on Stones Throw Records called Perseverance. I haven't got it yet, but (even though I'm a little underwhelmed by the choice of producers) it's a given that I will. ;)

Tags: Percee-P, Champagne

Excuse Me, Do It All

Today we have another of The Lords Of the Underground's Undaground Butta 12"s, this time a Do It All solo joint... well, sort of. The first song, "Dangerous" is clearly labelled as being by just Do It All, but there's unquestionably another MC kicking the first verse. No, it's not Mr. Funky... maybe it's one of the Lunatic Asylum? Anyway, it's a pretty cool, understated little song, which picks up a bit more when Do It All takes the mic. The production is low-key but good... consistent with DJ Lord Jazz's production on the other Undaground Butta 12"'s; a cool, slightly sinister NYC crime-type record.

Next up is Do It All and Jac Swinga's duet, "Which Side Iz Which." Now, you may be wondering just who this Jac Swinga character is... The only material he put out before this was a song on the b-side of the only non-LOTUG-related (well.... not entirely non-LOTUG-related, as you'll see) Undaground Butta 12" "On the Real" by Nas. Here, just to clarify by catalog #s, the Undaground Buttas label went like this:

UBLMT11 - L.O.T.U.G. "M.O.N.E.Y." b/w Lunatic Asylum "Lunatic Asylum" (already blogged about here)
UBLMT12 - Nas "On the Real" b/w Jac Swinga "Coast II Coast"
UBLMT13 - L.O.T.U.G. "Bring It" b/w The Infamous Backspin "Sing My Song" (blogged about here)
UBLMT14 - Do It All "Dangerous" b/w Do It All & Jack Swing "Which Side Iz Which" & The Infamous Backspin "Ready To Party" (the blog entry you're reading now)

...So, his appearance here kind of ties UBLMT12 in with the rest of the series. And when you actually listen to the song, he explains explicitly who he is and his connection: he's Do It All's little brother, who he thanks for introducing him to the scene. On top of that, he's actually pretty good... he sounds like a mix between UG and RA The Rugged Man, but a little less over the top. He and Do It All really compliment each other with their styles and voices as they trade verses back and forth, line for line, over a simple, bassline-heavy instrumental that pulls you right into their flows. This song is a definite winner. The instrumental is included for this one, though they make the odd choice of not just including hte ad-libs, but the "conversation" at the end, where Jac thanks his big bro.

The b-side, labeled "Party Joints," on the other hand, is an entirely different kettle of flounder. Backspin (who, after this record, has indeed earned the title of Infamous in my book) returns, this time without the safety net of a familiar, classic instrumental to ride on (read my post on his "Sing My Song"). Instead of being the "Uptown Anthem" instrumental with a few added vocal samples, this is a dull, plodding bassline and drumtrack with a few vocal samples just looped over and over. It's painfully monotonous and it's sooo slow... I was genuinely beginning to question if I was meant to be playing this side at 45bpm. I don't know who Backspin thought would be partying to this... ground sloths celebrating a retirement? Ridiculously, they then include an instrumental version of this song - yes, the main mix is already an instrumental - where they just remove the vocal samples from it. ...Except for some of them, which they leave. So it's not even like you just get the beat and bassline if (for some reason) you wanted it... it's still got vocal samples ("Say 'oh yeah'" and "ha ha" looped) stuck on it. It's just like the main mix, but... even more boring.

Now, I've already linked to their myspaces and stuff in the previous posts, but I should point out that LOTUG has a new full-length album that just came out now called House Of the Lords. I can't say anything about it, because I haven't heard it yet. But it's available from ughh.com and places like that.

Tags: Lords of the Underground, LOTUG, Do It All, DoItAll, Du Kelly, Jac Swing, The Infamous Backspin, L.O.T.U.G.

Before There Was Anticon, There Was...

"Sole" is the first 12" release by Live Poets, Sole's old group with JD Walker and DJ CUZ on 45 Below Records (it's not credited on the label, but "45 Below" is etched into the run-out groove), the label that became Anticon. According to his online bio, "flush with savings from his after-school job at McDonalds, sole pressed up his first 12" and freely gave it away at the 1995 Gavin Convention to little effect." So I guess it's kinda rare... but I've seen it pop up on EBay once or twice.

There is even earlier material to be tracked down... a full-length cassette by him and his crew going under the name Northern Exposure, called Madd Skills and Unpaid Bills (and, I guess if you have the right connections, there's the demo he recorded as a young teen). But this is really the first release worth checking for above and beyond the novelty of "hey, this is a semi-established artist's earlier material I can collect!"

The bulk of the production is handled by a guy named Randy Nkonoki... Now, unless there are two Randy Nkonokis in the 90's hip-hop world (which seems unlikely), then this is the guy who would go on to be president of 88hiphop.com ...which is an online radio show or something, I guess, with a little video and some video game tips. I don't know. I checked it out just now, and got bored pretty quick, but apparently it was a pretty big deal at one time, at least in terms of money spent behind the scenes. Anyway, this is pretty much his only known production work, and it's not bad at all. The mix of piano, bassline, drums and little jingly bells makes for a definite head nodder on the first track, "Sole (Basement Mix)" - which later turned up on Sole's 2000 compilation, Learning To Walk. Sole's delivery here and the production both sound very inspired by early Black Moon (as he says in the intro, "Live Poets Society representin' Portland, Maine with some of that Brooklyn flavor, yo"); but that's not really a bad thing. In fact, it might be the selling point for a lot of people who pick this up. His lyrics? A bit corny (or maybe a lot corny... but, hey, it was 1995 and everybody's lines were corny) and there's nothing special in the content; but his flow is expert enough to keep you riding the rhythm. Here, I'll let you give you a sample:

"Sucker MCs
Be corrupt like a senator.
Rhymes hit ya mind,
And soothe like a sedative.
Props you better give,
Or become a statistic
From MC Jeffrey Dahm',
Eatin' mics, sadistic.
Blastin' MCs
Like that old dog, Yeller.
I never drop my pen;
I wanna be a best seller.
Tim Holland is the win,
Tougher than Helen Keller;
And when the beat runs out,
I rock my rhymes acappella."

Next up: "Sole (Sole Searcher Remix)" is a total lyrical and instrumental remix... It also turned up on Learning To Walk, but curiously retitled as "Give Me My Medal." This mix is credited to Sample, who I'm guessing is Sample 208 Of the Butterfingers Crew, who produced a bunch of tracks on the Whats It All About and "Respect" 12". He recently produced two of the songs on Exile, the bonus CD that came with Sole's instrumental album Poly.Sci.187 if you ordered it direct from his website, which were pretty tight. So hopefully they'll do more together in the future. But I'm off on a tangent. Sole's switched his style on this one; forgoing the Buckshot sound in favor of what is essentially his own. Which is fine, because really one track like that was enough. Sample's beat, and the hook performed by JD Walker, pull you right into the song, even if you can't quite follow Sole's lyrics for more than two lines at a stretch. ...The accapella included on the 12" is for this version, by the way.

"Ain't No Thing" on the B-side finally gets JD Walker in on verse 2, and then he and Sole trade lines back and forth for verse #3. The basic track is a kind of repetitive, clonking piano loop over a plodding drum track. But the hook totally changes the mood, swapping out the piano for another, more pleasant loop and adding a short sax break. All of a sudden, it's engaging. And then it's plodding again until the next hook. A-side wins again.

The final track is the only one produced by Live Poets' own producer, Cuz the Highlander, who'd later become better known as Moodswing9. It's kinda short and features Sole and JD Walker going back and forth over a subtle beat. It's cool if you're a fan; but entirely forgettable otherwise. Finally, there's a brief, uncredited "shout outs" track.

Today, yes, Sole has a myspace, and his own website at soleone.org (look for me on the forums!). Sole has an album due out next month with The Skyrider Band, called appropriately enough, Sole & The Skyrider Band. JD Walker also has a myspace, and just recently put out his latest album, Them Get You Them Got You, which I haven't heard yet. But you can order it, along with a bunch of his older releases, right off his myspace on a Paypal shopping cart, which is handy.

Tags: Live Poets, Sole, JD Walker