It's time for more "hard-to-find" goodies from my arsenal of tracks that I've managed to find in my visits to records stores, back of magazines, and of course the world wide internet. I honestly didn't intend to do more than 10-20 tracks for the "Bonus" tracks of my "Obscure" Philaflava post, but people seem to dig it plus I haven't had the time to move onto the next project I have in mind, at least not yet. So if you don't like them, tell everyone else to shut up, or if you do like them, keep the comments coming. Easy enough.
LINKS FOR ALL
Beastie Boys - Scenario (Grand Royal, on the "Drum Machine", "Scenario", "I'm Down" 12 inch, 2002)
At first you might see the Beastie Boys listed and think "Is anything the Beasties done actually "hard to find"? And my answer to that would be, actually, yeah....The Beasties have lots of b-sides, unreleased and remix joints out there. "Scenario" happens to be one such track. I don't know much about the origins of the cut. I'm sure some Beastie aficionados can probably fill in the history better than I can, but I'm venturing out on a limb here and will say it was probably done before "Licensed To Ill", so don't let the year fool you, that would be when it was released to wax by the Beasties. Movie buffs might remember it being in the Christian Slater movie "Pump Up The Volume" about a pirate radio DJ and this would be a track he would play. It was also that movie that sent me on a 15-year search for "Scenario", finally finding it when my man Tommy B from Miscreant Productions hooked it up. Needless to say, it was a great day. Song wise, it's pretty much a rip off of another personal favorite artist in Schoolly D and his classic "PSK". The drum effects are there along with the other sounds present on "PSK", but what the hell, I can look past that in this day in age. If you are fan of the Beasties such as I am, especially their earlier work, then you have to check this track out.
Da Bush Babees - Love Song Remix feat De La Soul & Mos Def (Warner Bros. from the "Love Song Remix" 12 inch, 1996)
Another example of a song that isn't horribly "obscure", but one that is need of mention just in case some kids are sleeping on it. The remix for the Bush Babee's "Love Song" track has long been one of my favorites, mainly because it contains De La Soul and Mos Def when he was still focused on making music. The remix is actually done by Da Bush Babee's Mr. Man, which is a nice twist on the original beatwise. Mos really does his thing on the hook, reminding us older heads why we thought he would be the next Chuck D or the first Kanye West. Of course since I would probably consider De La Soul my favorite hip hop group of all-time, I'm on this tracks proverbial jock because of their shining appearance that almost makes this song sound like a De La song. In fact when I first heard it, I thought it was a De La track (I didn't fuck with the Bush Babee's back in the day), it's got that De La flavor to it. Nothing wrong with that!
Constant Deviants - Can't Stop (Brooklyn Pipeline, from the "Can't Stop" b/w "Fed Up" 12 inch, 1998)A couple of weeks ago I kind of clowned the whole Indie boom that happened toward the end of the 90's decade. It made many kid go out and buy a Jansport back pack, some big ass Kross headphones and bitch about the mainstream. While they had a point about the mainstream around that time (shiny suits anyone?), the whole genre would soon grind down to boring, monotonous, and straight up garbage type of hip hop and these little hipster nerds would become just as condescending as their mainstream thug counterparts. BUT, some of the early Indie stuff was pretty tight. This is one such little gem that I know next to nothing about, but I LOVE this track. I can't even remember what caused me to download this track from the almighty Audiogalaxy (anyone remember that shit?) back in the day. I'm glad I did, but I've never been able to find much out about them. This track was released in '98 on some small label. The beat is some fly jazz shit with dope piano keys and a nice string rift, horns, shit it's got everything. I couldn't even tell you the name of the MC, but he does a nice job talking about the old days. The hook is nice as well, it's basic but sticks in your mind and it actually has one of those DJ fellas and he is making squiggy squiggy sounds....weird...don't hear those anymore. Anyone have any material by these cats, hit me up.
Alright, so I'm cheating a bit here, this was something I posted up a year ago when I first posted this track. Since then, I've managed to track down all their 12 inch singles and there was also someone close to M.I.C. and DJ Cutt (who produced this track) educated us as well:
"lead rapper M.I.C is now solo and DJ CUTT does remixes and produced
a gang of stuff for NORE (In House Production Team for Thugged Out Militainment), RICK ROSS, and he was a former producer for Crazy Cat Catalogue(Derik"D.Dot" Angelettie) - Notorious B.I.G, Black Rob, 50 Cent, Lil Kim..etc,
They still grind together with Impact Music Group a multimedia entertainment Co"
Eminem & Royce Da 5'9 - Renagades (Original Version) (Never officially released?)
As far as I'm concerned, this version shits all over the one with Jay that appeared on "The Blueprint", and I actually liked that version. Royce and Em share great chemistry on everything I've ever heard them on, so it's only natural that they killed this. Their work as "Bad Meets Evil" and the 12" they dropped made me hope they would release something back when they were both hungry.
I've heard multiple reasons for Jay ending up on the final version, all from Royce's label wouldn't allow it, to Jay paying more money for the beat, to it was part of the fall out with Dre and Royce. I'm not going to venture which one is true, although I would go with the label issues. I hope they can work together again in the future, maybe working with Royce will make Em hungry again. Excuse fuckin' Kay Slay screaming all over the damn track.
Ghostface feat Raekwon & Slick Rick - The Sun (Never officially released)
This is my favorite Ghostface track. I've seen this on some of those "unofficial" Ghostface releases, but I think it was left off of "Bulletproof Wallets" due to sample clearances. I looked up to see where he got the sample from, but no dice. Ghost is typical Ghost, while Rae comes off and adds to their obvious chemistry. Slick Rick bats cleanup and this sounds like this was made for him, even the chorus sounds like something rick would come up with. This is a great song to wake up to on an early spring morning...who said we didn't have feelings??
Kid Sensation - Ride The Rhythm Cruise Control Mix (Nastymix, from the "Ride The Rhythm" 12 inch, 1992)
I've always liked the remix for Kid Sensation's lead off single, "Ride The Rhythm", so much that I had to include in my "bonus" picks. I can remember picking up this bad boy on the cassette single back in the day. I was shocked that the remix was just as good as the original version. To this day, I'm still not sure which I prefer more, although I think this remix might have a slight edge over the original. I remember this track having a killer bassline in a decent car studio, with it's stuttering drum break laying underneath it, it was something for the trunk 'o funk for sure.
Lord Digga - My Flow Is Tight (Game Recordings, from the "My Flow Is Tight" b/w
"Sacks 5th Ave" 12 inch, 1998)
As big of a Masta Ace fan as I am, I was surprisingly never that big of a Digga fan. I thought he made for a decent hype man, but I always kind of cringed when he did full verses on the Inc albums. Yeah, I know, some of you will call me crazy, I just thought he was never that good of a lyricists. I still don't, but this solo single he dropped in '98 did prove to me he could at least carry a song on his own. Even if the track is almost a novelty in its approach. If you haven't heard this track before, Digga flips the "Price Is Right" theme from the legendary game show and makes it his own. I can never argue against the fact that Digga was a extremely talented producer and he does his thing with this track and keeps it from just being a corny disaster, which could have happened rather easily. On the mic, Digga is still Digga, but he is easier to handle in the smaller dose of one track. Also include the fact he is a little more mellow on the track, which also helps me enjoy the track more as well.
Erick Sermon - Rock Da House (Rush Associated Labels, from the "Stay Real" 12 inch as a b-side, 1993)
Being a big fan of Erick Sermon during those early 90's days, with both his production on the first two Redman albums along with Keith Murray's debut and then combine both his production and mic duties on "No Pressure", I thought E Double could do no wrong. This track came from the "Stay Real" 12 inch which I once again bought as a cassingle back in the day. For some reason, I lost it fairly quick, so I wasn't able to enjoy "Rock Da House" as much as I would have liked back in the day. My man Jaz over at Cold Rock Da Spot went on a hunt to find this, which I think finally popped up at Dr. OK's blog about a year ago. The track is full of the funk, something that I love to this day. It's all about the dirty bottom and only E Double, Redman or Keith can do a track this sloppy justice. Great stuff.
Nice & Smooth - No Bones In Ice Cream Original Version (Fresh Records, on the "Funky For You" b/w "No Bones In Ice Cream" 12 inch, 1990)
This original version of "No Bones In Ice Cream" took awhile to track down. I've always thought the original version was head and shoulders above the "No Bones" (Remix) that is found on the Jewel of the Nile LP. Nice & Smooth excelled in making non sense rhymes, concepts and ideas sound dope as fuck, probably more so than anyone else. The beat takes a familiar piano loop and lays it over another familiar sample (I'm horrible with naming samples) all over a simple drum break, but in true Nice & Smooth fashion, the shit is nice. It's nothing new from the duo, but true fans of their work should appreciate hearing when they were on top of their game and a track that could have easily been on any of their albums and still been one of the better tracks.
Zhigge - Rakin' In The Dough Uptown Bounce Mix (PolyGram, from the "Rakin' In The Dough" 12 inch single, 1992)
There are always tracks that hold some special memory and this happens to be one of them for me. I bought a DJ Red Alert tape out of the back of the Source magazine back in the day. The Uptown Bounce Mix for Rakin' In The Dough happened to be one that Red played on that show. I never heard the version before and spent the next 15 plus years (yes, again) trying to track down the version. Thankfully for the internet, I once again have it in my collection. I wasn't big on Zhigge back in those days, but I've learned to like them since then. The beat and the bangin' drums, both supplied by Salaam Remi, or the true treat found on this album.
4/23/2008
Philaflava's 100 Greatest Obscure Tracks :The Bonus Tracks aka Trav's Picks Part III
3/06/2008
Xola Malik aka Kid Sensation: The Son of Promise aka Nat King Kizzle
When it comes to choosing a region to represent, I've always claimed the great Northwest. I might be on the outer edges of the region, but it has always felt "right". Since my own home town, the little "City of Trees" is kind of lacking in any kind of hip hop movement, we watch Portland and Seattle do their thing in the game (there is Salt Lake City to our south, but, really, c'mon now). Neither city will be confused with New York or L.A. as far as their contributions to the hip hop world goes, but both cities do have a rich history that goes back to the early 80's. Portland had mixtapes from the groups like Freshness at Work, the Dynamic Soundmachine, the Aladdin Two floating around in the early 80's. Cool Nutz and his Jus Family Records have done a lot for the culture in Portland and groups like Old Dominion
and Life Savas still holding down the region. Seattle jumped started things a little earlier. When someone asks me about the history of Seattle hip hop, two early names come to my mind immediately, one being Sir Mix-A-Lot. The second man, who I consider a LEGEND in the great Northwest, recently offered to sit down with us and talk about everything from the early Seattle scene, his roll in creating "Swass" and his own prolific career. The man who was originally known as Kid Sensation was instrumental in getting the Seattle hip hop scene out to the rest of the nation. He would team up with Sir Mix-A-Lot at a very young age and help create a Northwest Classic in the form of "Swass", which Kid appears all over in one form or the other. The classic single "Posse On Broadway" contained an opening line citing, "Me and Kid Sensation at home away from home...". Kid would also appear in the fan favorite track, "Rippin'", which he spits a dope verse and drops an ill beat box routine that really put his name out there.
Over time, Kid Sensation would start releasing his own solo albums. The regional classics "Rollin' With Number One" and "Power Of Rhyme" would make a name for him in the game. But a hard lesson in the industry rule #4080 would plague future releases and stall his career. Despite the negativity of the industry, the man now known as Xola Malik has avoided the negative energy and remained positive and is preparing to make some noise in the industry once again. Armed with a funky flow, immense creativity and the crucial positivity that is lacking in the music these days, Xola is poised to continue the momentum that has been built up in Seatwon with a rash of good releases over the past year. If anyone deserves to be heard, it's Xola Malik.
WYDU: What's up man? Would you mind giving us the low down on who you are?
Xola Malik: My name is Xola, I'm a recording artist from Seattle, Washington and I'm just here to present myself as a different piece of the music business, you know?
W: You have a long history in the hip hop game, you were first known to the world as Kid Sensation. How did you originally get into hip hop?
XM: It was the love of the music man. I just kind of grew up listening to hip, listening to a lot of the old school artists. It's such an infectious music, it was always telling such great stories back in the day, there was always something that drew me in. The main thing was just the message in the music. So I just started really listening to the music a lot in the terms of becoming a fan. What really started getting me into the music was hearing the greats do what they do and feeling like I could contribute to the music as well. I would buy a hot 12", flip it over to the instrumental side and make up my own rhymes to it and I thought "I can do this. I think I got a little something to say."
W: What were some of your early influences then? What did a young Xola used to spin back in the day?
X: More or less, I listened to a little bit of everything back then. I liked a lot of the old school artists, definitely Run DMC, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Ice-T, a little bit of everything man. Then more or less I started mixing in a little bit of that influence with the old school funk and R&B. Growing up with my mom, she was into the Motown stuff, stuff that came out before I was born, but it was classic. So I grew up on the classics, some Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Diana Ross and all kind of crazy stuff from the 60's and 70s It was real hot, I loved it. I grew up on 80's music as well, a mixture of different types of music.
W: People tend to overlook the whole Northwest region when it comes to hip hop. I know you are pretty instrumental in the history of hip hop in Seattle, how did Hip Hop come to be in Seattle?
X: I was definitely one of the ones to help put Seattle on the map and make that happen, but to be honest, Seattle always had a nice little hip hop scene bubbling on the underground. You know how Texas or Atlanta had their own defined sound, well Seattle didn't really have that. LA had a particular sound back in those days, you know with the bass and electro thing and New York had that gritty and uncut flavor. Seattle had just a variety of different sounds. You can tell we are influenced by a lot of different musical influences. Now some guys are starting to make some noise developing a unique 206 sound. Don't sleep on 253 either, Tacoma is really doing their thing as well. .
W: It seemed like some of the early Mix-A-Lot sounds and even your first album had that Bass influence and Mix had that Techno sound on one of his first singles he released with you.
X: Yeah, we had no choice but to follow certain trends. Let's face it, hip hop was created in New York, that's where everything was centered in those days. That wouldn't change until other regions started developing their own sounds. I think Seattle has kind of built it's name off of being a culturally diverse city and that shows in the music. From Jimi Hendrix coming out of here, to Kurt Cobain and that grunge sound, Sir Mix-A-Lot, myself. One of the dudes from Digable Planets went to Garfield High School and is from here. Digable is about as East Coast as it gets. It depends on who it is. Even now, you have a lot of cats makin' noise. I don't know if you heard of Blue Scholars....
W: Yeah, one of my favorite albums from last year...
X: Yeah, it's more on a conscious tip and an east coast sound.
W: You had a lot of early music with Sir Mix-A-Lot, how did you and Mix hook up?
X: Man, I was just a little kid hanging around that dude (laughs), just trying to find my way. It was great. Just a teenager hanging around the big boys back then, being in videos, being on record covers, making a little bit of name for myself. I was under Mix for a minute, but then I started branching out and trying to do my own thing. I really loved hip hop and thought I had a lot to offer and give. Earlier in my career, you could hear Mix's influence a lot more heavily on me, but a lot of people used to think, "He was just a clone of Mix-A-Lot, he was just one of Mix's followers", but more or less me and that dude created that style together. Mix-A-Lot had a lot of people around him who influenced who he became and I was certainly one of them.
W: Who exactly made up that crew in the early days? You always heard names being dropped on the albums and such.
X: It was myself, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Maharaji, and a cat named Attitude Adjuster. We were the main four. There were other dudes he mentioned on tracks, like PLB, DJ Punish, MC Fury, E-Dawg, Strange and a lot of cats that he had around him that were a part of the influence on how his sound developed and how it became. So yeah, there were a lot of cats that helped him become who he is.
W: You were pretty heavily involved with Mix's debut, "Swass", the videos, the tracks.....
X: Yeah I became a more active participant as it went on during the making of "Swass" and the shows that followed, but then I started to grow and doing my own things and I was less prevalent in his next album.
W: How did the experience with Mix-A-Lot help you become who you became?
X: The most important things I learned from that cat was how to be a recording artist and in some sense, a professional. I learned how to go handle business and how to handle different personalities in your group. You have certain responsibilities and you have to make sure everything is smooth.
W: You did some pretty some of the pretty major hip hop tours in those days....NWA, LL Cool J, Public Enemy.....
X: Man, we did a lot of shows with a lot of those cats. It was just so crazy. A lot of it seemed like it just happened over night, for both me and Mix-A-Lot. There were guys here that had a lot of talent as well, but we were just very fortunate and got that break. We got to tour and see a lot of things. We saw incredible parts of the world, met lots of people, saw places that I never dreamed of seeing. I mean here we were touring with dudes that I was watching on TV only a year before, all of a sudden there we were rubbing shoulders with these cats. I'm sure it's like a high school kid that ends up in the pros and playing with his idols. One day you're hanging out with your buddies watching Allen Iverson on TV, the next you are playing against him. We were sharing the stage with people I had admired and respected.
We had to go out there and hold our own too. When you are on tour, you are trying to shine. It's not like you want to be some under card on LL Cool J's show. You want people to remember who you are. You want to make a name, to give it your all and make sure the crowd remembers that 'cause when LL hits the stage, he's going to shut it down. I was really trying to go out there and make my name and make people remember me. I didn't leave the stage without kickin' and screamin (laughs). I'm going to make you hate me or love me, but you're definitely gonna remember me.
W: (laughing)....."Remember my name, dammit!"......Alright, after all that.....Let's talk about the first album you dropped, "Rollin' With Number One". It sounded like Mix had a lot of influence over that one. How much creative control did you have over that one?
X: Really, I had all of it. I bought myself some equipment. But, Mix did help me a little bit with production on a track or two and he guest appeared on two tracks. I had moved on, I was working on my own thing by that time. I don't know how excited or eager Mix was for that to happen, but I had to grow and do what I needed to do. I had to do my own studio time and produce my own record. Here I am, a 17 year old kid, trying to put together a major release. I didn't have the proper team around me, the proper people around me to help me. I was just a kid doing what I thought was the right thing to do at the time. It was cool though, it was a great experience. I learned a lot from doing all that. I ended up with a record that people respected which ended up being one of the Northwest's hip hop classics.
W: You had a wide variety of topics on that album, from straight up hip hop, to racism, even a jam for the ladies with "Skin to Skin". Was that intended or was that just kind of the way it all came out?
X: All I could really talk about was what I was living at that time. There was the song "Legal", and I used to get sweated by the police all the time. There wasn't too many young brothers rollin' in nice cars, so I used to get hassled a lot by the police. I wanted to "kick knowledge", if you will, so I had to drop a little social commentary with "Prisoner of Ignorance". I wanted to mix it up a little and make something for the ladies, so that's when "Skin to Skin" came in. I wanted to be seen as a rhymer, so I had "I S.P.I.T.", "Emergency" and "2 Minutes". "Back to Boom" was a little party joint. I was trying to mix it up and make what I thought people wanted to hear from me. The only thing I really feel like I missed out on was to be able to make the music that just came from the heart. A lot of times I would write thinking "how are people going to take this" or "Oh I have to put the song together in this structure and the song has to be 3 1/2 to 4 minutes long", rather than just letting music take place, see what I'm saying?
W: Yeah, definitely.....
X: Certainly you have to think about stuff when you are making a song you want to be commercially acceptable, but now I've learned that it's okay just to make music. If you listen to some of my music now,I don't always "follow the rules". I might let the song groove for a minute then I might start spitting some lyrics. Or I might let it play, then do the hook and then get into the track. Sometimes instead of three verses, I'll only do two, like this joint I have called "Diskotek", it's got two verses. I learned that it doesn't always have to be three sixteens and choruses. It's cool to break things up sometimes and not put so much emphasis on structure. Sometimes, you just got to let go and just make music.
W: Is that just growing as an artist then?
X: Definitely
W: The second album, "Power of Rhyme" seemed to be more you. It seemed like you had stepped out from Mix-A-Lot's shadow and the listener got to know you, as an artist better on that release. You had more of your own crew, the E.C.P. (Emerald City Posse) and it seemed like a more rounded album, do you mind discussing that a little bit, how did you feel about it?
X: At that point in time, I really felt like I wanted to let my dudes shine a little bit, that's why E.C.P. was on that album a lot. E.C.P. actually dropped their own CD a little later. It didn't make a whole lot of noise, but they were able to do something. It felt good being able to put someone else on. When I was coming up, it wasn't exactly mapped out for me. I think at that time (early 90's) a lot of dudes were trying to do what Sean Combs and Dre would do a little later. Learn how to put together a conglomerate, with different artists and different aspects of the business. I had my merchandising, my touring, I wanted to produce artists and have my own production company, my own recording studio and of course myself as an artist and then eventually get into acting and other forms of entertainment.
A lot things would take place right about this time. Nastymix, my label, would go bankrupt. So the album didn't really have the right team behind it, whether it was the legal tea or business managers and it didn't get promoted properly. The infrastructure at that time wasn't real good. I couldn't build on it. But you live and you learn and I'm still learning. But I have strong legs on the newer stuff versus what I had going on then.
W: How do you feel about that album?
X: Ahhhh, man, sorry I got a little sidetracked there...(laughs)....I really think it was some of my best work back then. There were some cuts on there that were really cuttin' edge. Some of it was really kind of revolutionary for the time. If you listen to some of the production, like "Ride The Rhythm", "Rollin' With The Posse", "Kid's Groove" "Comp Stompin" it wasn't typical music out at that time. The beats were really different, the vibes were just different from what was out there at the time. I felt like it represented me a lot more. I was out from under the influence of Mix. It was more "me" on that album.
W: I can't remember, did you do the beat for "Ride The Rhythm"? That beat was cool as hell.
X: My buddy Giovanni did the beat and I did the finer aspects of the track, so we kind of worked together on that one.
W: That was one of my favorite beats on that album, real cool. There was a remix too for that one, right?
X: Yes, the remix was put together by a cat named Al Eaton.
W: Definitely one of my favorite songs on that album. Going back to Nastymix going bankrupt and you ended up on Ichiban.....
X: Nastymix, contrary to popular belief, was not owned by Mix-A-Lot. It was named after Nasty Nes, a hip hop promoter and radio DJ from Seattle. The name came from those two guys names put together. The label owner was Ed Locke and Nasty Nes worked for the label and Mix-A-Lot was an artist at the label, that's how that was. The situation that arose at the time was Mix was getting pretty big by that time and those dudes were trying to keep him reigned in and control him and dictate who he wanted to be. By this time, Mix along with myself had started seeing a few things. We didn't really know the business when we first started, like so many artists in those days just started out. We were just happy making music. We were just local at first, so we were happy to be making a name for ourselves. Mix, Nes, and Ed Locke decided to make a record and put it out. It started catching on in Seattle, then it caught on in the state of Washington, then Oregon, then it blew up in California. Before we knew it the whole west coast was suckin' it up and it was doin' good and we were going around the na
tion and started shooting videos and the record was really pickin' up.
When we got out there on the road and started meeting people, we began to then realize that things with our contracts weren't quite right. People were tellin' us "Man, this and that are missing… you should be getting publishing, ya know." So after the second Mix-A-Lot album, "Seminar" did well, Mix tried to leave the label and it ended up being a lawsuit. The lawsuit ended up driving the label bankrupt. My royalties that were supposed to be paid to me and all that, that never happened. That all went into the label fighting the lawsuit. It went into them having an office in the Tower building downtown and having $50,000 dollar rent and their view of the city. So the mis-management of funds and bad business practices caused Nastymix to really fall apart and they went bankrupt and Ichiban bought them out. During that whole process was when "Power of Rhyme" was supposed to be being promoted and all that, so it was just an overall crazy situation.
W: Why didn't you go with Mix to his Rhyme Cartel label at that time, or where you still contractually obligated to Ichiban still?
X: Actually I did go with Mix. I turned down the deal Ichiban offered me to renew my contract and went with Mix to Rhyme Cartel and signed with them. I was signed with them for almost two years and nothing happened. Dude never gave me a release date, never released a record, never explained why I wasn't coming out. I submitted maybe 35-40 songs and nothing happened. He'd tell me, "It's Rick Rubin, Rick Rubin said that this needs to happen and that needs to happen. Oh Rick Rubin said that this song need this". I never got to talk to Rick Rubin, my manager never got to talk to Rick Rubin. I was always promised I'd get to talk to Rick Rubin and it never happened. It was just one of those weird situations. I had to move on. I couldn't sit there stagnant and never put a record out. I had to move on.
W: So that's why it took so long for "Seatown Funk", your third LP, to drop then, right?
X: Yeah, man, part of that delay was that I didn't handle things right. While I was signed to Mix-a-Lot's label, I went and signed another deal to get back with Ichiban. It was a foul move, dude, but I did what I had to do. I was going broke with no sign of relief in sight. That landed me in some serious hot water, because Mix sued me and I had to settle with Mix and give him back the money he had given me. So, yeah, I had to go back to Ichiban. I felt like it was a label I could trust, it was a label I knew and a label I could depend on. They would drop "Seatown Funk"
W: You had the title track and I always thought that was on smooth, drop-top, summer time of music and while it did make some noise, it didn't seem like it was pushed right either....
X: To be honest with you, there were some very key errors made in the release of that album. They had actually put together a good marketing campaign and were going to do some good promotions. But there were a lot of technical errors made on the CD, the mastering, the mixing, all of that was messed up. That just cost us time and we had to go back and redo things. Then while they fixed everything, the marketing was already going on, so that was badly timed. The hype had passed by the time things had been fixed because the release had been pushed back so many times. So many things were just not done right. The craziest mistake that happened was the version of the single "Seatown Funk" was not the one that ended up on the album. It was wrong. When the single went out to radio, it was the wrong version, as crazy as that sounds. I didn't know, so that error wasn't fixed until it was already out there. All the radio stations got this bad mix of the track. It hurt things a lot. The song ended up, after things got fixed, going gold in Germany and got nationwide play here. It was just a trip how much turmoil went down and I think it really hurt what potentially could have been a really big record.
W: That's crazy, for real. You've been kind of quiet since your fourth album, "Aka Mister K-Sen", what have you been up to since then.
X: I've been doing a lot of production for for TV shows commercials, sports teams, corporate clients and websites. I've found ways to keep myself busy. I also recorded a CD for a Seattle Mariners baseball player, Ichiro. Me and him signed a deal with Virgin Records of Japan to release the CD and Upper Deck even supplied a limited edition baseball card in the first 20k CDs. Ya know, I'm keeping it movin' til the next solo CD drops.
W: That was actually my next question, you are a pretty big sports fan.....
X: Definitely, definitely. That's how I started getting into a lot of the sports anthems and things like that. I was friends with a lot of ball players, so that opened up some doors. I made the music for Shaun Alexander's weekly TV show. I made music for Fox Sports so it just kind of came together with knowing different athletes. It lead to some different endeavors, it's just a cool thing.
W: You know I gotta ask you about your joint with Ken Griffey Jr on "Power Of Rhyme", how did that come together.
X: (Laughing) Yeah me and Ken were really tight, we were like best friends when he was playing in Seattle. One night I got him to come into the studio and we were just having some fun. He did a pretty good job on that one, for someone who had never rapped before. I wrote his rhymes for him and we just had a good time. Then he took me down to spring training and put me into the batting cage with the balls coming at me 85-90 mph. Then I understood what he was going through behind the mic.
W: (Laughing) Yeah man, that was a good cut, I played that a lot back in the day. Let's talk about your charity work. You are big in the Boys and Girls Club in Seattle. Can you talk about what it means to you and what it means to the kids?
X: Honestly I couldn't live my life without giving to others. It's something super important to me. The Boys and Girls Club was a natural fit just because I grew up there as a kid. I give to kids because I was given to when I went there. My Pops wasn't around to be there and instill good values, but people at the Club were there to embrace me and make sure that I stayed straight. It was wonderful because it was part of who I became. I want to repay some of that back by helping some of the young cats by giving them some wisdom and give them positivity. Our little run down Boys Club is still a place kids can come after school and get help with homework. We serve them meals and there is a place to shoot some pool and play hoops. We talk to the kids and hopefully they can open up over a game of pool. It's really a great experience and really a good way to give back to the kids.
W: That's real cool man, real cool. What other kind of charitable events are you doing?
X: Personally, my family helps serve the homeless and less fortunate, especially around the holidays. We serve turkey dinners and help families during the holidays. We try to keep it unheralded and keep it hush hush, cause we are not in it for that. It's not about making a mockery of it and get free press out of it. I try to provide things for Christmas, give out stuff like shoes, some Jordans, give them some stuff they wouldn't be able to get otherwise. I'll give out some Xboxes so they can have some fun. Also give them stuff they need. I don't want to give them no junk. We meet with the parents and find out what they want and what the needed and give them dream gifts and hooking them up. Sometimes it's just about giving them hope and if something like that gives them hope and keeps them straight then it's worth it. We just try to help those families out with coats and such. If you have the resources to help someone else out then I think you should. It makes for a better world.
W: Positivity breeds positivity, absolutely. Let's talk about what you are doing currently musically. You are starting to work on new tunes now, right? What can we look for in the future from you, any plans for another album, anything you want to leak out to us?
X: For sure man. The myspace page (www.myspace.com/xolamusic) gives a little bit of a sample of what we are working on. 
I'm going a musical direction that really has some depth to it. I'm trying to talk about different things. My manager, Anne McCloskey puts it the best way, "Xola, I think your goal is to make a difference and make a living". I obviously want to balance making music that is enjoyable, fun, marketable and people can have a good time while listening to it, but at the same time make a difference and put forth a message that uplifts. Maybe even provide some solutions to the problems we are facing or even just telling a story that can inspire someone. Sometimes if you just tell your story, it might not have a happy ending, but people can relate to it and it might help them cope with what they are dealing with. The music is going to be an interesting ride. Life covers everything and I want my music to be a reflection of real life.
W: So you are planning on dropping an album then?
X: Most definitely. A full solo project this year.
W: Very cool. Are you working with anyone or is there anyone in particular you want to work with?
X: Yes, there are some people I want to work with. There is my "dream list" of who I'd love to work with then are some people I'll likely work with. I'd certainly like to find a medium in between and get a lot of that going. I'll put it to you like this, the cats I want to work with probably aren't your typical "guest list" type of people. Everyone is like "oh I want T-Pain on a track", well okay, everyone has had T-Pain on a track. I'd love to work with Lenny Kravitz, I'd love to work with Maxwell, I'd love to work with Lauryn Hill. I think it'd be cool to work with Rev. Run from Run DMC. There are a lot of influences from hip hop to R&B to rock that I think would be completely magical. I mean Tony Bennett, how cool would that be.
(WYDU chuckles a bit)
Nah for real man. People are like "Whoa, Tony Bennett"? It would be ridicoulous...
W: If cats can use Frank Sinatra samples, then I'm sure Tony Bennett might work....
X: Yeah. For real though, I have a creative imagination. I think given the opportunity to work with those people I think we could end up creating some real incredible stuff.
W: You got any other projects on the burners at this time?
X: I'm producing a couple other acts. Some R&B and some hip hop. I'm trying to incorporate a band, we got the players already together. I've learned a few chords on the guitar, some I'm starting to incorporate into my set as well. It's becoming something. I want to be musically rounded, I don't want to just make a rap record.
W: Well rounded artist, nice. How do you feel about all the changes that have taken place in hip hop since you first started. The whole way music is promoted, the demise of the labels, the role internet plays into it all, it's all very different than what it used to be.
X: I think it's going to bring out some really creative ideas. With what I'm doing now, with Nascar, the NFL, the soundtrack that I'm working with, the movie I'm reading for, we as hip hop artists aren't just going to be doing the same thing anymore. We have to find ways to become creative to survive. The days of turning in a demo signing a record deal and going platinum are, I don't want to say over, but much more difficult. You have to find another way to make it happen and it's great. That's why I'm doing some of the different endeavors that I'm doing. Things change. Look at the record industry. These record execs have jacked up the prices to CD's when the price of the medium has gone done and the price to create the record went down, but there for awhile, CD's were going for as much as eighteen dollars. They were making record profits, but after awhile it got to point where cats can put together their own studios, cats can burn their own CD's, they make their own artwork and they can promote their work. It's makes me wonder why I would need a label. They are charging all this money against the artist, they are skimping on royalties and jackin' it up on the fans, they want all the creative control, they just want everything, but now it ain't gotta be like that. I think that dinosaur is lumbering to a slow halt. It's a new business model.
W: You mentioned the Seattle scene earlier. You brought up the Blue Scholars, a group I really enjoy then you have Common Market, the Boom Bap Project, how do you feel about the scene there now?
X: Yeah man, I think it's great. I got a lot of love for Common Market, those are my dudes. I did a guest spot at their '06 Bumbershoot show. There were about 8k people there, it was bananas. There is good diversity and a lot of cats are starting to make some noise coming out of Seattle. It's just as diverse as it was back in the day. There is no one particular sound coming out of Seattle. There is so much different stuff. It's bubblin', I've gone out to different shows and the cats are rockin.
W: How do you think your legacy is looked upon in the Seattle area?
X: A lot of people recognize that I was instrumental in putting Seattle on 
the map. I've heard people thank me on all different levels from CD's to on stage. To be honest though, the entire story isn't finished yet. It's a "to be continued" and I hope my legacy is a continuing legacy and I'm going to keep trying to make sure that is the case.
W: Nice. Any last words before we wrap this up?
X: More or less, I appreciate you and I appreciate your time and long live good hip hop and peace and God Bless my dude!
W: Thanks!
1/25/2008
WTR Meets WYDU Presents: I Love The 90's (1990 Part IV)
Catch Part III Here
The final chapter of covering our favorite albums for the year 1990. As I try to forgive E for trashing the album from which gave this blog it's name, I figured we'd give a quick look at the year's hottest videos for 1990. Video shows were a BIG thing back then, unlike now. There was no internet, so it's how artists got their name out of the respected locales. As I've mentioned numerous times in the past, Yo! MTV Raps and The Source were HUGE in exposing me to music that I would hear no other way. Again, I go to The Source issue of Jan '91 for:
Captain Video's Top 10 Rap Clips for 1990
1. Public Enemy - 911 Is A Joke
2. Ice Cube - Who's The Mack?
3. LL Cool J - Jingling Baby
4. Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance
5. A Tribe Called Quest - Bonita Applebum
6. Nice & Smooth - Funky For You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei2-4tKHcU4
7. Divine Styler - Ain't Say Nuthin' (Great to see this in the top 10...one of my all-time favorite beats and songs...great to see the video again as well)
8. Poor Righteous Teachers - Rock Dis Funky Joint
9. 3rd Bass - Gas Face
10. Above The Law - Murder Rap
Audio Two - I Don't Care: The Album (First Priority/Atlantic)
Released: April 18th, 1989
If you visited this blog enough, you should know by now that I'm somewhat of an Audio Two junkie. One of my personal highlights of last year was conducting an interview with Milk D, it was like a classical music fan talking to Beethoven. While they were not the most popular group in hip hop history, they have forever left their mark on hip hop history by recording one of the top singles of all-time in "Top Billin'". Audio Two was composed of Milk Dee on vocals and Giz as the DJ. They dropped a hip hop classic in "Top Billin" (my personal favorite all -time favorite hip hop single) in 87' and then their debut album "What More Can I Say" in 88'. It earned enough attention to put them up among top releases in what many describe as one of the best years ever for hip hop. In 1990 they dropped their somewhat underrated album "I Don't Care: The Album".
Despite being a personal favorite of mine, the album did not get much critical praise and the album would not match the success of their debut. I think it was actually to braggadocios for people. The album was slammed for being "to one dimensional" (go figure, now it's okay). Personally for myself, Milk was what MC's used to be all about in the world of hip hop. Milk was all about telling sucka MC's that he is the "baddest mamajamma" on the mic. Tracks like "Milk Does The Body Good", was all about him being the flyest brutha, just cruisin' in his Jetta. It's either party starters or Milk bragging how bad he is. To me hip hop is built on that though, people forget that. Yeah, it's fine to grow, but like the roots of a tree, the roots of hip hop also hold the art form into the ground firmly and thats what Audio Two did. It's in your face bragging rhymes.
Milk and the album caught flack for some of the lyrics on "Whatcha' Lookin' At?" which contained some so called "bigotry" lyrics, with his "gay mutha's should get punched in the face" line along with a few other questionable lines. As a naive high school senior, I loved it. Not saying it was right, but it added to the albums attractiveness. As far as lyrics, there is nothing ground breaking. racks like "Milk Does The Body Good (remix)" are straight badass lyrics. While it's true Milks lyrics are not deep or politically correct, but to me, this is the stuff that drew me to hip hop in the first place. They are also of the first artists to dis MC Hammer on "Start It Up Y'all" with his "(Pos K & others) "So what's up with Hammer? Yo Hammer can't rhyme and 357 is a bunch of Ho's". Straight in your face lyrics and hard core beats. Don't expect to be blown away by lyrics.
Beat wise, it's all done by Milk. It's a bit more musical that "What More Can I Say", but that ain't sayin' much. Lot's of familiar breaks (familiar because of Milk and the other old school cats) and some hard drums. Milk seemed to still favor the 808 approach to things that had started to pass by NY by this time. There is nothing mind blowing as far as beats go, but for a simpler time, this music was great. I remember playing this a lot on the way to my senior year in high school and knowing just about all the words. This is a classic to me, fuck everyone else....
Many Styles (I NEVER knew there was a video for this)
Kid Sensation - Rollin' With Number One (Nastymix)
Released: July 2nd, 1990
Since the 1990 year was in the highlight of my high school years, sometimes I didn't necessarily choose music because it was "quality" music. I chose it because it sounded good in the audio system I had hooked up in my little black '82 Jetta. This was one such album that got play for the "big boom" it supplied. Don't get me wrong, Kid Sensation's debut album "Rollin' With Number" wasn't one of those talent devoid bass albums that were so popular with the white kids in those days. The Kid was more than adequate on the mic and the album's topics ranged from socially and politically conscious (Hype It Up), to mackin' to the females (Skin To Skin), to just straight up battle rhymes (I S.P.I.T.). Of course it didn't hurt that his music packed some wicked 808 to back up the lyrics.
Kid Sensation came up in the Seattle/Tacoma area in the late 80's with the Northwest's main man, Sir Mix-a-Lot. He would appear on Mix's "Swass" album, showing up as an early day Quasimoto, using an altered high pitched voice on tracks like "Square Dance Rap", "Buttermilk Biscuits" and "Rippin'" as he he became Mix-a-Lot's right hand man, "Kid Sensation dropped a 20 and didn't even miss it"..... In late '89/early 1990, Kid would drop his first single "Back To Boom" b/w "I S.P.I.T." (the original version), and since I was a big fan of Sir Mix-a-Lot and the Swass LP, I was all over this release. I quickly snatched up a cassette single of the song and it would be a prized possession of mine for the next six months or so while Nastymix got ready to release a full length project. Coming from an area loosely lumped in the geographical region of the Pacific Northwest, this was as close as I could get to calling an artist "local", so I was supporting mine when "Rollin' With Number One" dropped in the middle of the summer of 1990.
Musically, "Rollin...." sounds very close to the first two Sir Mix-a-Lot albums, Swass and Seminar. I'm sure Mix had a lot of influence on his young protege first release and his fingerprints can be heard all over the album. Mix would also produce four out of the twelve tracks found on the album while Kid did five tracks. Bass is the name of the game as 808 kick drums dominate the albums sound, which makes for some good "bump in the trunk". Lyrically, Kid Sensation was a notch above the average MC, although the lyrics will come off a little dated when listened to today just in flow and delivery (it is almost 18 years old after all). The lyrical flexing found on "Two Minutes" is a prime example that Kid was better on the mic than his rhyme boss, Mix-a-Lot, although you can tell a certain influence in Kids style from Mix's own lyrical style.
This album gets overlooked all the time and there are probably several reasons for that. West coast hip hop was having a problem being taken seriously by the east coast rap fans critics and something coming out of Seattle had it even more rough. The Northwest in general is a place that to this day still doesn't get much recognition for its hip hop artists and contributions. Being associated with Mix-a-Lot might have hindered his ability to be taken seriously as well, which I find rather sad. This was of course before Mix's popularity explosion with "Baby Got Back" (which I like), but it's tied to the whole location thing again. As I've said previously, this album had a lot going for it, variety, boomin' beats and good lyrics, I just wish it would have more of a chance to shine.
LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out (Def Jam)
Released: August 27th, 1990
LL Cool J is like my Kool Herc. It was Run DMC and LL Cool J that really got me into hip hop. While they both kind of fell off in their later years, their early material is stuff that will always be stamped deep in my thoughts and memories. I had "Bigger & Deffer" on constant play in my walkmen back in '86 and '87. I can still recite every lyric on that release. Then I would go back to "Radio" and learn that album as well. In 1989, LL would drop "Walking With A Panther", which got a lot of flack from the hip hop world. Hip Hop was evolving, no more was it just okay to spit battle rhymes about how dope you were, it was talking about Afrocentric in nature. Rhymes were more complex, while "Walking With A Panther" was just straight up braggin' and boastin' over fairly minimalistic beats. Despite all of that, I still loved the album (still do to this day), but LL was faced with his first "hurdle" in his musical career. It is at this point many an artist, whether it is in jazz, rock, or even country, slip up. Not Uncle L though, he came with possibly the greatest comeback in hip hop history with "Mama Said Knock You Out".
"Boomin' System" would be the first true single from the album, which dropped a little before the album would be released. Again, this was more bass for my trunk, although it had a different sound. It wasn't just the straight up 808 kicks that my system was set up to do. "Boomin' System" had some rolling, strung out basslines found on it. It was still an early favorite. When the album dropped right around the start of school, I would snatch it up the day it dropped. For most of that first semester of school, anytime it was my turn to drive to school with my car pooling friends, we would be listening to "Mama Said Knock You Out". The title track would quickly become my favorite track on the album, long before it would be released as a single later that fall. It would became my favorite saying for the year. Corny, but I was also wearing a stolen VW logo on my fake dookie gold rope.
Cool J didn't really change his blueprint for an album as far as topics and lyrics go with this. Of course the title track, "Mama Said Knock You Out", is a straight to ya face lyrical barrage. LL comes after everyone, "towering" over the comp, there was nothing pro-anything on this track, except maybe a pro-lyrical ass whoopin. He also had his jams for the ladies, something that he had been doing since "Radio". This was the part of LL that usually provoked my index finger to hit the "FF" button on the walkmen, but how do you argue with the greatness of "Around The Way Girl"? It's an anthem, plain and simple. Of course LL goes after the "sucka" MC's on "To Da Break Of Dawn", exemplifying why some consider him on of the best record battle rhymers to pick up the mic, as Ice T, MC Hammer and his favorite whippin' boy Kool Moe Dee all catch LL's wrath. Yup, lyrically, there wasn't really anything new here, so what made the "comeback" so successful? The beats.
The first Marley Marl appearance on an LL joint would be the remix for "Jingling Baby", a track found on the "Walking With A Panther" LP. The track was....eh so-so and the Panther LP, but a remix soon followed, done by the (by this time) legendary Marley Marl. The remix was a hit on Yo! and the rap charts. LL being the smart artist that he is, saw that he was on to something and had Marley do the entire "Mama Said Knock You Out" LP. It worked and it worked well. Marley added funky beats behind LL's ferocious rhymes. From the straight up jeep banger of "Boomin' System" where Marley would show early signs of his later sounds found on the Lords of the Underground albums to the almost New Jackish "Illegal Search, Marley made LL relevant again in the hip hop world.
The album has long been a favorite of mine and I would dare to go as far as to say this would still rank as one of the best albums of the 90's. At one time or another, just about every song has been considered my favorite. Even the typically targeted "weak links" such as "Farmer's BLVD", "Six Minutes To Pleasure" (although the remix is MUCH better) or "Cheesy Rat Blues" have things I like about them. LL has long been considered an icon in the hip hop game and this album only cemented his legacy in the hip hop game.
C.P.O. - To Hell & Black (Capitol)
Released: August 7th, 1990
MC Ren always was kind of the redheaded step child when it came to NWA. You had Eazy doing his thing with the label, Dre obviously was the musical brains behind the crew, Ice Cube was seen as the lead vocalist, DJ Yella....yeah, well there was Yella. I've always thought lyrically, Ren was a notch above Cube when it came to spitting straight up lyrics. Ren would also get outshined on the business side of things as well. Ren would get his own label through Capitol records and the first release wouldn't garner much attention. C.P.O. was a southern LA group made up of the large and in charge Lil Nation, Young D, Chip and DJ Train. Nation would be the MC and of course the late DJ Train was the DJ, Young D did most of the production on their "To Hell & Black" release in 1990. Ren though, would be all over the release, from guest appearing on the lead single "Ballad of a Menace" to also showing up on that single's horrible video. He would also drop a verse on the album's closing song, Gangsta Melody, ala Grand Finale type of thing and have a song named after him, with "Ren's Rhythm". 1990 was still before the west coast gangsta phase really took over. Yes, you had NWA and Eazy blowing up along with Ice T doing his thing, but it was still a early in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, while this group definitely had the gangsta culture ties, it wasn't a hardcore "gangster rap" album.
Lil Nation was strong with the rhymes, commanding a booming voice and a tight, Nation was able to hang with Ren on both of the tracks he appeared on. The album almost contains a bi-coastal feel both on the mic and the beats. Tracks like "Flow To The Rhythm" and "Somethin' Like Dis" both use commonly used break beats and samples for it's basis. While not overly creative or original, it's comes off as some party starting jams that the poppers and breakers (the west coast b-boys) could get into. MC Ren is listed as co-producer. One might question just how much production he did on the project, but the production does sound like some of Ren's previous production attempts, "We Want Eazy" remix and "Ruthless Villain", which he is rumored to have produced. Lil Nation just concentrates on rippin' the mic and flexin' his lyrical muscle.
The track "Homicide" is probably the most gangsterish and also Lil Nation's strongest lyrical performance. It is also probably my favorite cut off an album that did get a lot of play from me. As I mentioned, Ren was my favorite member out of NWA, even back in those days. When I first saw the video for "Ballad Of A Menace" on "Yo!", I was all over this release. It's not classic material in the least, but it's a strong release from the west coast that got over looked in those days.
4/11/2007
WYDU Classics: Season 2 Vol 4 - The Posse Cuts
1. Eastern Conference All Stars (Tame 1/Copywrite/J-Zone/Cage/Mr. Eon/Skillz/Camu Tao) - Eastern Conference All Stars (J-Zone drops a hilarious verse on this joint)
http://sharebee.com/8237b68c
2. Ain't A Damned Thing Changed
3. Who Can Get As Lyrical
4. Comp Stompin'
5. Bass Test
6. The Weekend
7. Rollin' With The Posse
8. The Way I Swing
9. A Word From J-Bass
10. Kid's Groove
11. The Power Of Rhyme
12. Rap To You
13. The Emerald City
14. She's Fake
15. Ride The Rhythm
16. Dollars & Sense
17. Unstoppable
18. Stan's Groove
3/31/2007
Sunday Lite: Opening Day.
The smell of the grass, the crack of the bat, the aroma of hot dogs and brats, the taste of a cold beer on a hot day, these are things I love about baseball. I know football 
(American style) is the more popular sport these days here in the states, but call me old fashioned, but there is just something about baseball that I love. I'm not sure what drew me to the sport at an early age. I don't know if it was crawling up in my old man's lap and watching a Braves or Cubs game on TV when I was barely old enough to understand the sport, or the fact that I started playing baseball when I was 6 and continued all the way through High School, when my bad attitude (I once told a coach to fuck himself, not good), grades (I was a snot nosed punk my Freshman and Sophomore years) and arm injuries finally caught up to me and kept me from going on to college on a scholarship.
I know a lot of people don't care for it, but to me it's a game of immense skill (ever try hitting a fastball coming at you at 85 mph, let alone the 90's most MLB's see with a stick?) and a game of logic. You have to try to out think the pitcher, is he brave enough to throw you a curve on a 3-1 count? Watching all the little match ups within the game is incredibly exciting to me. For me, there is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than at the ball park with a buddy or two, tossing back a few cold ones and scarfing down on some of the most expensive hot dogs you will ever find.
I would be lying if I said one of the reasons I chose to move to Denver to finish my degree wasn't the fact that they had a MLB team. Growing up where I did, there wasn't any close MLB teams. We did have a short season Rookie League team, which is great as well, but growing up, I desperately wanted to see an real MLB 
game. It wouldn't be until '97 that I would get my chance. My then g/f (and future baby's mother) and a couple buddies drove from Salt Lake to Denver to catch a Pirates (my favorite team) and Rockies game. The Pirates would lose and ironically what I didn't know at the time, I would be going to Rockies game on the regular in about 8 years, but it was an incredible moment for me. The second game I caught was with my current g/f in Los Angeles for a Dodgers and Cubs game. Funny thing about that, we didn't get to the game until the second inning because we were.....uhhh....doing things that caused us to be late and the only run scored that game was a Sammy Sosa solo shot in the first inning.
I moved to Denver in Jan of '04 so I was PUMPED to hit up opening day for the first time in my life. For those of you who don't live in a baseball town, opening day might as well be a holiday. People go crazy. That first year, I had only lived here a few months and didn't really know anyone and I'm not so self conscious that I won't go do something by myself, so that's what I did, went by myself. I had a good time and yes, it would have been more fun going with someone I knew, but I busted my Opening
Day cherry and that's all that mattered. The next year, I had a test on opening day, so I couldn't make it, but a buddy and I headed over to an Old Chicago across from the Auraria Campus and catch the game in the fourth inning. That was the year the Rocks came back in the 9th inning against my "second favorite team", the San Diego Padres (my g/f is from San Diego, so by default, I have to yell for them to keep the peace, except when they play the Pirates). My friend and I got so trashed while watching the game, then attempted to ride his Vespa home after the game....NEVER put two drunk people on a Vespa, you are asking for trouble. We went home and drank a case (24 beers) while watching the NCAA championship game.
completely. I ended the day by calling another friend to come get me at around 7pm. The only problem, I had NO CLUE where I was at. I could barely read the street sign on the corner and could only tell my buddy (who I am going with this year and watched the game with the year before) I was one a street that started with a "W", I'd would later figure out it was Wykoop that I was on, for all the Denver readers.This year, I meeting up with L-Cruz, my "hispanic causing panic" buddy, who luckily lives with in walking distance of the staduim. I'm looking forward to it. I'm supposed to be at work at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning, but I'm trying to switch it to the afternoon shift, cause Tuesday morning has the chance of being a little rough, but I'm only going with a couple Peter Gammons errrr Andrew Jacksons in my wallet, so it's going to be a little more difficult to over indulge.
Hip Hop is not really on the baseball thing. I was going to try to wrestle up some baseball related hip hop tracks, but only really three tracks came to mind, so I'll share those with you and throw a couple other "grand slam" tracks (yeah, corny, I know).
Kid Sensation feat Ken Griffey Jr. - The Way I Swing
No shit, THAT Ken Griffey Jr. Kid Sensation was down with Mix-a-Lots ECP (Emerald City
Posse for ya SUCKAS!) posse back in the day and recorded this song for Kid Sensation's "The Power Of Rhyme" back in '92, well being from Seattle it was only natural that "The Kid" Griffey, who was playing for the Seattle Mariners and a self professed hip hop head would collaborate with the other "Kid".While it is what it is, which is another athlete playing rapper, it has a little something to it. The violin sample that Kid Sensation used on the beat is rather ill in my mind. As far as Ken Griffey Jr as an MC, I've heard worse in both the terms of athletes on the mic (Shaq anybody?) and MC's (Paul Wall anyone?). It's still basically a novelty act, but it's kind of cool to hear a baseball player embrace the Hip Hop culture. Not many baseball players promote the hip hop culture. The only one I can think of is Royce Clayton who once got in a fight with a teammate for turning off his hip hop in the dug out once. I think he also might have a label of his own.
Pete Nice & DJ Daddy Rich - Rap Prime Minister (original version of "Rat Bastard" from the "Dust To Dust" LP).
Why am I putting this track in a collection of baseball tracks? Well for those of you who don't know, my man Peter Nash aka Prime Minister Peeeeete NIIIIIIIIICE nice nice nice (KICK 'Em THE GRILL PETE! Sorry couldn't help myself) is a rather famous baseball historian these days. Pete was a jock before his rap career in the first place, playing basketball for Columbia U back in the day as a point guard, which is also where he got his start in hip hop, hosting a radio show with Clark Kent.After Pete put down the microphone, he would move to Cooperstown, New York, where the baseball Hall Of Fame is located and opened a baseball memorabilia store that is rumored to be the second largest in the world. Pete Nice also became Peter Nash, author, as he would write three baseball based books.
Main Source - A Friendly Game Of Baseball (Remix 1)
Not necessarily a traditional
baseball song, but hey it incorporates baseball termanology, so we'll go ahead and use it. I first really got into this song from it's appearance on the "Boyz N The Hood" soundtrack.This is the alternate version found on "Breaking Atoms". Large Pro equates the treatment of blacks by the police departments around the nation as a game of "baseball". Not exactly "Fuck The Police", but one of the more powerful anti police songs that are out there.
Ultramagnetic MC's - Saga of Dandy, The Devil, & Dandy
This song is actually one of my favorite Ultra tracks basically
because it covers a topic in baseball that not many touch on, the black baseball leagues of the past. Before Jackie Robinson and the whole civil rights ear, blacks were not allowed to play baseball, so they had their own leagues. It was both a travesty and an injustice that this happened. I'm sure if blacks were allowed to play, the MLB record books would be totally different.Ultra covers the black league heroes, such as Josh Gibson, who might have been one of the best players in the history of the sport, Satchell Paige and others. It's a history league that needs to be kept alive so as people don't forget the importance of these players.
Some Free Stuff
Yeah, it's ironic that I'm offering free music, when, well basically thats what most of us bloggers do anyway, but there are some legitimate "free music" being dropped around this week and I thought I'd help you all out with finding it.
JJ Brown presents Re-Release Therapy
We know by now that I am a fan of Louis Logic and part of that reason is the production of JJ Brown. Unbeknown to me, Ludacris released the accapellas for his Release Therapy LP, which I don't know enough about to comment on really. Since I had an unhealthy obsession with the Jay-Z black album remixes, I thought I'd check this out.I haven't had the chance to really go through it, but my initial impressions were pretty good. Brown uses Jackson Five samples through out the whole project and it seems to work pretty good. None the less you can download it for free without having a guilty conscience (yeah right).
http://www.sendspace.com/file/743mvh
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DZT34X4A
http://ww8.sharebigfile.com/file/124891/Re-Release-Therapy-zip.html
http://www.sendspace.com/file/p2aofw
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=25AI0U4Y
http://ww8.sharebigfile.com/file/124941/Re-Release-Therapy-rar.html
DJ Illipse Presents Uncommon Mixes: A Blends Collection
As far as I'm concerned, DJ Illipse is one of the better dudes in the game when it comes to
mixtapes. I always try to check anything dude drops because he always comes correct. Well he has a free blends collection out for free download and I'll always help this guy promote his shit and get his hustle on, so be sure to check out, it's worth the time to download. Some nice stuff so check it out.01. Ludacris - The Red Light District Intro
02. Clipse - Cot' Damn
03. Big L, Jay-Z & Obie Trice - 3V
04. Nas ft. Ludacris - Virgo
05. 2Pac - Me Against The World
06. Obie Trice - Shit Hits The Fan
07. AZ & Genetics - Never Change
08. Clipse - Mr. Me Too
09. Mos Def & Black Genius - Ms
Fat Booty10. Big L - Flamboyant
11. Clipse Ft. Slim Thug - Wamp Wamp (What It Do)
12. Common - The 6th Sense
13. Nas - Nas Is Like
14. Lil Wayne - Hustler Musik
15. AZ & K. Slack - The Come Up
16. Eminem - Without Me
17. Outkast - Wheelz of Steel
18. Nas - Hope
http://www.sendspace.com/file/2ybt70
Bestshare Link
Rapidshare Link
If you like it, be sure to drop him a line on myspace
01-rashid_hadee-duck_duck_duck_feat_augustine_02-chapter_13-no_stoppin_(prod_rashid_hadee)
03-pete_rock-appreciate_feat_cl_smooth_(rashid_hadee_remix)
04-rashid_hadee-smile_baby_smile_(prod_rashid_hadee)
05-abstract_mindstate-like_this_yall_feat_rashid_hadee_
06-augustine-we_got_that_feat_rashid_hadee_and_sho_
07-rashid_hadee-been_so_long_(prod_rashid_hadee)
08-abstract_mindstate-flyin_high_(prod_rashid_hadee)
Neblina Records is one of the hardest working and most generous labels in the game today. Jerry Juliano puts in a lot of work promoting the likes of Abstract Mindstate, Chapter 13 and this artist, who I believe is also part of Chapter 13, Rashid Hadee. The music is on some smooth soul shit, which is perfect to throw in the box, sit back with your favorite mind altering substance and listen to the mellow cool vibes.
Be sure to check out Neblina's website for some more free music in the same vein.
Trav's Top Spins Of The Week
My fascination with this release continues. I'm still not completely sure if it was El-P that changed or my own personal tastes or maybe both. I'm still not fond of his lyrics, but his style fits the beats well, so it's great to me. You might want to watch falling asleep with it playing, because you get some weird ass dreams, I found that out this afternoon.
2. Evidence - The Weatherman
This release is starting to sound better and better all the time. Alchemist really does a better job on this release than what he did on the Prodigy album, but thats all good. This shit is really starting to grow on me
3. Prodigy - Return Of The Mac
I'm still listening to it, and, eh, it's growing on me.....
4. Native Nuttz - The Nuttz Are Restless
I was looking for this release for so long, I forgot I was looking for it. My man Dread came through once again with this shit. Shit is fucking great well worth the download. And remember, the password for it is: bustthefackts, for all you suckas!
5. Ultimate Force - I'm Not Playing
Another lost classic. Diamond D, Master Rob and even some apperance from Fat Joe make this album a great listen. One has to wonder what it would have been if it was released when it was intended to.
That is all......
Peace, Trav
