Nine - Cloud 9 (1996)
Get it Here Nine Cloud 9
1) Know Introduction w/ King Just
2) Every Man 4 Himself
3) We Play 4 Keeps
4) Tha Product w/ U-Neek
5) Uncivilized
6) No Part N Me
7) Lyin' King
8) Richman Poorman (Act One) w/ 3rd Eye
9) Jon Doe
10) Make or Take w/ Smoothe Da Hustler
11) Warriors w/ Bounty Killer
12) 4 Chicken Wings and Rice (1991)
I was listening to Nine last night and decided to dig out his second album. I remember listening to it with my buddy on the way to Smokin' Grooves in Weedsport, NY back in 1996. Sidebar: How's this for a lineup? The Fugees, ATCQ, Cypress Hill, Busta Rhymes and Ziggy Marley, among others.
When it first came out I was really into it, but it did have some holes after a few more listenings. However, I still enjoyed the album and there are some real good songs on here. The reviews weren't that good at the time, if I remember correctly. After this LP, I didn't hear much about him and figured he dropped out of the game. Unfortunately, the mid to late 90's was a time in which a lot of hip-hop artists were being signed and their albums shelved for the foreseeable future because of creative differences. A lot of established artists seemed to drop out of sight as well. It was a weird time for rappers and major labels.
Anyway, Uncivilized and Lyin' King are the 2 tracks that stick out for me, along with the 3rd Eye produced and guesting, Richman Poorman, if only because it has 3rd Eye. The last thing I heard about Nine was that he was releasing an LP on the same label as Juggaknots, and he was on their last album. I haven't heard anything since then (around 2006).
DJ Pooh - Bad Newz Travels Fast (1997)
DJ Pooh - Bad Newz Travels Fast
1) Intro
2) Bump Yo Speakers - Threat
3) No Idea - Kam, Charlie Wilson, Roger Troutman
4) Grow Room - Mista Grimm
5) Whoop! Whoop! - Kam
6) Get Money - Threat, Tray D
7) New World Order - Tha Low Life Gangstas & Bad Ass
8) Bad Newz Travels Fast - T-Lee from Tha LA Zuu
9) Ebonics - Mista Grimm
10) Get Off - Threat
11) Who Cares - Kam
12) MC's Must Come Down - Mista Grimm
13) Nowhere 2 Hide - Threat
14) You Ain't Sh*t - Mista Grimm
15) Gangsta Vocabulary - Threat
This one has a little bit of relevance based on some of the soundtrack posts and some Ice Cube references that I've made recently. I think I got this album based on the Kam featured song Whoop! Whoop! and the potential of Threat and Mista Grimm.
Just like Travis, in his great soundtrack post, I always liked Kam, but never had any of his albums. Not sure why, but sometimes, especially back in the day when money was tight, there were numerous albums released aroung the same time and those further down my list never got purchased.
This LP was put out not too long after DJ Pooh and Ice Cube ended their partnership, and not too soon after Friday's release. Kam wasn't too happy with Cube either. Whoop! Whoop! was basically a funky Ice Cube diss. I think there were some other random Cube disses mixed onto this album, but it's been awhile since I gave it a thorough listen. Kam's beef had something to do with him calling in gang connects to protect Cube and feeling slighted when he didn't receive proper backing from Cube for his own album, despite helping Cube out. There were some other reasons as well. I don't remember what the DJ Pooh/Cube beef was about, but I'm guessing it was over money.
Both Threat and Mista Grimm are featured on numerous tracks. I mentioned in an earlier post that I always associated these guys together because they came about around the same time and both were West coast artists, and this LP didn't do much in separating them in my mind. Mista Grimm seemed to kind of get lost in the mid-90's major label BS. I also seem to remember he was signed to John Singleton's label, whatever that was (not sure if that came to fruition).
Overall, this is a solid album and worth the download.
10/30/2009
Nine & DJ Pooh - BC's Random Album Post
3/05/2009
Rare/Obscure Single of the Week: Demastas - Feel No Guilt b/w Ain't No Sunshine
This week for our semi weekly "Rare/Obscure Single of the Week" series, we feature Demastas' "Feel No Guilt" b/w "Ain't No Sunshine (When I Bust Dat Ass Remix)." If you checked last month's volume of WYDU Classics, you will recognize the "Ain't No Sunshine" remix. I was somewhat reserved featuring the whole single so close after it was featured on that project, but I've always been a big fan of this single, so it's now or never.
Digging up any info on Demastas is rather difficult, there simply is not much to be found. What I know consists of what is common knowledge on Discogs and whoever did the write up for Philaflava's "100 Greatest Obscure Tracks", which also incorrectly credits Jesse West as the producer for both the A-side and the B-side. I could have written that for all I know. Both tracks were actually produced by Rob Lewis, who like Jesse West, was also associated with Nine. So my guess, without being able to confirm it, would be that the three man group was out of NYC, perhaps the Bronx. I'm sure some of the readers will have some more info to drop than I do on the group itself.
The single though, I can atest that it's simply banging. It was released in 1999 on London Records and was the crew's second and final (to my knowledge) release. Their first release was the original version of "Ain't No Sunshine" that was dropped a year earlier. The A-side consits of "Feel No Guilt", which features Nine. I've been a Nine fan since he first dropped with Funk Flex, so hearing him on anything not on his albums, I'm all for it. Nine's gruff voice is often proclaimed as gimmicky by some, but for me it is something different and unique. Nine trades verses with all three MCs and handles the ad-libs and chorus. The Demastas MCs aren't ground breaking, but hold their own. One kinda sounds like Phil Da Agony from The Barbershop MC's and Likwit Crew, which is some what interesting. For the beat, if you are familiar with Rob Lewis and his work, then you know what to expect from the track. If you are not familiar with Rob Lewis, all you have to do is go back and listen to Nine's debut album since he produced all but two or three tracks on it. Rob used a lot of strings in his sound and backed it by hard hitting drums and the beat for "Feel No Guilt" doesn't stray from that path. Throw some piano keys over the top of that mixture and you have yourself a nice little beat. He then brings it all together a nice Milk D vocal sample for the hook (you know which one I'm talking about) and this track is one that needs to be heard by the masses. The rest of the A-side contains the clean version and the instrumental version.
The B-side features a remix for their first single, "Ain't No Sunshine", but in this case Rob Lewis comes with the "When I Bust That Ass Remix". If you've heard the original version, which was also produced by Rob Lewis, you will recognize a big difference. The original creeps along at a slow and somber pace, while the remix lives up to it's name and comes at a much more frenzied pace. The vocals are all new. On the original, they had just been dumped. On the remix though, they were on to the next stage and were all pissed off about being dumped. It happens to all of us. They are much more aggresive on the remix with the vocals. I'm a much bigger fan of the original than of this b-side remix, but it's still a decent attempt.
Demastas - Feel No Guilt feat Nine b/w Ain't No Sunshine (remix)
A1 Feel No Guilt (Radio) Featuring - Nine
A2 Feel No Guilt (Dirty) Rap Featuring - Nine
A3 Feel No Guilt (Instrumental)
B1 Ain't No Sunshine (When I Bust Dat Ass Remix) (Radio)
B2 Ain't No Sunshine (When I Bust Dat Ass Remix) (Dirty)
B3 Ain't No Sunshine (When I Bust Dat Ass Remix) (Instrumental)
12/08/2008
Sneak Preview: Hip Hop Labels
Running a little late with things. Between trying to keep up with everyday things and just enjoying everyday life (read watching the NFL on Sundays), the blog isn't always the main thing on my list to finish. So is life....I'll be having some time over the holidays to work and post up some of my bigger ideas, with two weeks off of work. Then after January, I'm looking at the same situation as a lot of folks in the States, unemployment, so there could be more time in the near future. Ah, gotta love it.
Until then, we'll toss up some albums from our next profile for our hip hop labels series we've been running. The actual post probably won't be up until Wednesday, that will give you a couple days to think about who the next label is....not that it's too hard (try to guess without looking)
Nemesis - Munchies For Your Bass, 1991
| 1 | Droppin' The Bass (1:32) | |
| 2 | Bitches And Money (3:15) | |
| 3 | Ali English And The 40 Oz. Thieves (3:02) | |
| 4 | I Want Your Sex (3:59) | |
| 5 | Let's Have A Good Time (3:23) | |
| 6 | Munchies For Your Bass (4:06) | |
| 7 | Settin' The Record Straight (3:33) | |
| 8 | On The One (3:00) | |
| 9 | S.O.U.L. (4:18) | |
| 10 | Grind (3:00) | |
| 11 | Nemesis To The Future (3:03) | |
| 12 | Life In The 90's (3:51) | |
| 13 | Dallas We Come From (3:02) | |
| 14 | Dis-N-Dat (1:45) |
If you've read this blog long enough, you know I have an affinity for bass music. Not the cookie cutter, computer bass crap, but actual bass music that has some resemblance of actual music. For that reason, I've always liked this Dallas, Texas group. Nemesis was kind of a cross of basic bass music and some Houston influenced southern funk. The group was made up of several different lineups, with Ron C probably being the most well known member of the group. Ron C also released several solo albums, most notably 1989's "C-Ya".
1 Brother Man (4:06)
2 I Don't Sleep (4:30)
3 Inner City Blues (4:32)
4 Friday Nite (4:07)
5 She's A..... (3:45)
6 Subtle Party (4:17)
7 Let Us Get Back (To What We Call Hip-Hop) (4:18)
8 Mr. Do (4:07)
9 Soul Power 1990 (4:18)
10 Life (Ain't It Funky) (4:00)
This album, although not particularly great, will always hold a special spot in my memory. The single was "She's A....." and I only remember seeing it once on Yo! MTV Raps back in the day. That one time was all it would take for me to try to hunt down the album. Since it was released on Profile, you'd think it would be fairly easy to track down. Well, it wasn't. In fact, it wasn't until 1993, while visiting my aunt and uncle in Salem, Oregon, that would finally track down a copy of the album, on tape. I found it some little used music store. They didn't have shit for hip hop music, in fact, I want to say I found it in the Jazz section or some shit. There is nothing really mind blowing on it, in fact about the only "claim to fame" is Tony D mixed it. Still, I tend to like the album, if for nothing else the hunt it gave me to find it. It's still real hard to find. I can't recall ever running into it again anywhere else. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm probably the only person to up this anywhere on the web, at least I've never seen it anywhere else. I finally broke down and bought it off of Amazon, so obviously it was out there. Regardless of it's eluding me throughout my life, it's still fairly cheap online.
DJ Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde - The Champagne of Rap, 1985| A1 | Yellow Panties (4:39) | |
| A2 | He's The Band (4:31) | |
| A3 | And You Thought That We Were Soft (4:54) | |
| A4 | Champagne Of Rap (4:38) | |
| A5 | Scratch On Galaxy (4:37) | |
| B1 | Freshest Rhymes In The World (5:03) | |
| B2 | Transformation (5:25) | |
| B3 | Butt Naked (4:47) | |
| B4 | A Rappers Love Song (5:20) |
I've never been a big fan of this group. I heard them fairly early in my hip hop listening days and thought they were mad corny, even for back then. I guess I can stomach them better in my older age, but I still don't go out of my way to listen to this duo. Let's just say, Andre Harrell, one half of this duo, made for a better record exec than artist.
And just to make it super easy in case you've had any doubts, some videos of pretty easy artists....
6/17/2008
Used CD Shopping Trip Part Two (June 7th & 8th): The Daughter On the Road in Salt Lake City
We jump back into part two of my used CD shopping trip that took place June 7th & 8th in the glorious and wondrous city of Salt Lake City (that's only slight bullshit). After my trip to the F.Y.E. on Redwood Rd, I struck out at the next few places. As I mentioned last week, I hadn't been around Salt Lake much after moving, only a few times over the past nine years. When I lived there in the late 90's, I had my places that I would hit up, but a lot can change in nine years, as I'd soon find out. The F.Y.E. and Graywhale stores that I hit up first were on the west side of the city. The next few stores that I remembered and that were on my list were on the east side of the city, mainly around Highland and 21st South and 9th East area. On my way over I started looking on my list and realized that I remembered Orion Records, it was a cool little shop in the Highlands shops, a little strip store type place that had quirky little stores in them. After getting lost, I eventually found where I was looking for. One problem though, the strip of stores it was located was no longer standing. It was no longer there. In the same area, just a couple blocks over was The Record Collector. It was a nice day, so I went for a stroll. The Record Collector is nothing but vinyl, which is great, but they also had a very limited hip hip selection. It's basically this little narrow room with rows of vinyl in the middle of them. I'm not much on the vinyl tip, especially if it's not to do with hip hop, so after browsing a bit, I figured I'd the professional crate diggers have at it and jumped back in the car to find one of my favorite stores in Denver, Second Spin.
When I first moved to Denver, I lived pretty much right downtown. Of course, I looked in the phone book for CD/Record stores the first week I was living there, but for the first couple months I was there, I basically ended up going to three stores on the norm, a Sam Goody's in the Temple Square mall (I can't STAND Sam Goody's these days and you couldn't drag me into one of them, over priced fuckers), a Blockbuster store that also had a music section, which would be the store that I bought Redman's Muddy Waters. The third place was right across the street from the Blockbuster, which was Second Spin. The Second Spin in Denver and I had a wonderful relationship while I lived there and the Second Spin in Salt Lake wasn't quite on the same level as the one in Denver, but it still treated me right back in the day. I roll up to the parking lot in the strip mall it was in and the building was still standing.....BUT, the store was empty. No more Second Spin. Going really well. I noticed that right across the street was the Blockbuster, but it also had an F.Y.E. right next to it. "Might as well", I thought to myself and proceed to go across the street.
FYE 21st South & 7th East
With the luck I had in the Redwood store, I figured I might as well check this one out. Right off the bat, it's noticeably smaller than the "super" store that I had been to earlier. The hip hop section is ALOT smaller than what I had seen at the other store. But it was cleaner, more organized, and the racks didn't kill your back while you went through the disks. But the selection was MUCH smaller in terms of used CDs. As I started thumbing through the stock, I had a couple important phone calls, so I kept having to go out and come back in (it was loud in the store) so my concentration and place lost numerous times. I only walked out with these two releases, and one of them was obviously a stretch.
First Star - My Grip is Like a Cobra (Ichiban/Wrap, 1991)
1. Explode
2. All I Want To Do
3. Ladies Night Out
4. Diss Is For The Suckas (Radio Version)
5. The Duce
6. My Grip Is Like A Cobra
7. Stop Jockin'
8. It's On You
9. Diss Is For The Suckas
10. Why You Want To Talk About Me
11. Calling Shouts
This album contains a track entitled "Diss Is For The Suckas", I guess that was aimed at anyone that bought this damn album. I didn't know anything about First Star, but two things made me buy it. One, it was on Ichiban/Wrap, and they usually had at least some entertaining releases. Second, I can't ever recall seeing this. It looked like something I'd run across on Bust The Facts, yet hadn't. Listening to this later, I didn't realize it was a solo female act. The cover makes it look like a group. I probably wouldn't have bought it if I would have known that (I've never been a big fan of early female MC's except MC Lyte and Monie Love, sue me). This album is kind of a cross between house, R&B, and some attempt at hardcore for good measure. For $4.99, since I've never seen it, I guess it's alright, but I doubt I'll be playing this again anytime in the near future.
Nine - Whutcha Want (Maxi Single) (Profile, 1995)
1. Whutcha Want? (Album Version)
2. Whutcha Want? (Instrumental)
3. Red Rum
4. Me, Myself And My Microphone (Demo Mix)
5. Whutcha Want? (Street Remix)
6. Whutcha Want? (Radio Remix)
You know when you haven't found anything for awhile when you are digging through a row of CD's or vinyl? You start flipping through them rather fast then you skip over something that catches your eye and for a brief second, you think you've found something and it's not what you think it is? That's what happened with this maxi single. I've been looking long and hard for either of the Nine releases and for a brief second thought this was one of those. At least until my brain registered what it really was. None the less, this single is one of my favorites, and while I already have this on mp3, it's always better to have the physical copy. For $3.99, what the hell, right?
CD Exchange
After hitting up the FYE and not finding anything all that good, I decided to head up on the hill to find the University Graywhale. This was the store that I used to go over to in between classes, if for nothing else to kill some time. It's located right across the street from University of Utah. I found it fine, but parking was a bitch around the store, which was strictly street parking. After going around the block three or four times, and almost getting hit by a truck, I said "Fuck it" and drove back down the hill and decided to check out the three stores located on State Street. I drove past Uprok Records, but again, parking was a problem, I was running short on time and patience, so I drove by it. After talking to one of the readers who is from SLC, I guess I should have stopped as he had good reviews of the place. Oh well, maybe next time. I drove on to The CD Exchange, which was up the street a little ways. I drove by it on the first past, that's how insignificant this place looks from the outside. I pull up right in front of the store on the street. If you have never been to Salt Lake City, State Street is the street every major city has. The one that has five pawn shops on every block, if you need some crack, you can probably find it on this street. A cheap hooker? You can also find one on State Street.
Walking into the store I wanted to immediately turn around and walk right back out. It just didn't look like a place that I would find any rare hip hop CD's. There were empty boxes, empty CD jewel cases, and DVDs stacked everywhere. There was a narrow bath around the CDs in the middle of the room (more like a tunnel) as well as some up against the wall. A guy was behind the counter and he looked up to say "hello", then went back to examining DVDs. I walked around in this cluttered store, not seeing any hip hop. I was on my way out the door when I looked over at one of the racks up against the wall. Jackpot. He didn't have the CDs in cases, but simply had the front booklet in a plastic cover. Now remember, this is a shady area, so I understand why he did this, and the good thing, there were LOTS of this plastic covers. Once again, it was on!
Little side note, while I was immersed in my CD digging, a dude came in with a friend, and his girl friend. The guy had a bunch of DVDs he was trying to sell to the owner. The two went back and forth before the guy behind the counter threatened to kick him out. You can tell this dude had to deal with this kind of thing often. The guy selling the DVDs smell liked cheap liquor and stale cigarettes. He would finally agree to the twenty bucks the dude was offering for the DVDs. The chick was off to my right side, just kind of staring at me. It was obvious she was on something, I would guess meth. She was your typical white trash tweaker. She was twitching and very nervous. Immediately I started to get out of my CD zone and started paying attention to my surroundings, something that I think you have to do in areas like this. I started trying to locate the third dude, who looked like he was Mexican and I saw him standing off to my left. He was eyeballing me as well. I'm starting feeling a little uneasy, when dude starts to approach me. I'm not really sure what to do, so I just kind of straighten up and face him. "Hey pal, hey pal, do you need a VCR?" I kind of just looked at him, "You need a VCR man? I got some good ones!" "Nah man, I don't need a VCR", as I kind of stare at him. "Twenty bucks man, this is a good one", about that time the guy behind the counter tells him to go outside because he is disrupting his customers. It was just kind of an odd exchange with everyone involved....not sure why I told that story, it sounded cooler when I went over it in my head after it happened....hahaha.
KMC Kru - You Be The Judge (Curb Records, 1992)
1. Alphabet Rhyme
2. Nothin' But a Party
3. You Be the Judge
4. It'll Make You Dance
5. Back In the Day
6. Momma Had a Gangsta
7. No Money
8. Just Can't Live Without You
9. Life Is Up and Down
10. Will You Be There for Me
11. Talk Dirty To Me
12. The Butcher Goes To Basstown
13. The Devil Came Up To Michigan
When I walked out with this, I originally thought this was their 1990 release, but come to find out, I was confused. I actually haven't heard this one as of yet. I dug their sophomore release from 1990 (the one I thought this was) called "Gettin' Smooth With It", if for nothing else than the "Devil Came Up To Michigan" track. It was a remake of the Charlie Daniels "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", fiddle classic (don't ask me how I know about it, I just do). It had been a long while since I hadn't seen this CD, at least the mid 90's, so I grabbed it since it was only $2.99. I was talking to the guy when I was paying for my stash and he said he had this CD for a "a long ass time".
Daddy-O - You Can Be A Daddy, But Never Daddy-O (Island Records, 1993)
1. Intro Joint 2. Swung It, Blunted, Brung It 3. Brooklyn Bounce 4. Dat Vs DJ 5. Kid Capri 6. Come for Mine 7. Flowin in File 8. How to Beat a Bootleg/God Don't Like Ugly 9. Ihatefonies (The Truck Drivers Song) 10. You Can Be a Daddy, But Never Daddy-O - Daddy O, YZ 11. Fanfare 12. Buc Buc Buk 13. East Coast Funk 14. Bass Knotts (Sunbathing on the Roof) 15. Nobody Move 16. Funky Worm Outro Joint - Daddy O, Funky Worm
I've always viewed this CD as a disappointment. It's not really that good, but I've been on the look out for it for awhile now. It was fairly cheap, costing $3.99
Powerule - Volume 1 (Interscope, 1991)
1 Interview 2 Back 3 Ruff Neck Freestyle 4 5 Minutes 2 Showtime 5 Pass The Vibes 6 Interview 7 Premises 8 Rub Of The Wax Rap [Featuring] - Leaders Of The New School 9 When The Rhythm Calls 10 Que Pasa? (What's Going On) 11 Young Stars From Nowhere Featuring - Johnny Jay
Rap [Featuring] - Kurious Jorge* , Rebel (7) 12 Interview 13 That's The Way It Is 14 Smooth 15 Gots Ta Get This Co-producer - Large Professor
Rap [Featuring] - Large Professor 16 Interview 17 Urbs Inda Suburbs 18 Whassup?
This Powerule joint was one of my crowing jewels of the trip. I've been looking for this album since it dropped back in 1991. Never could find the damn thing. I remember even asking the local record store to order it for me and they could never get it for me. Finally I tracked it down. It's finds like this that get me excited looking for new CDs. The album is a good one and probably underrated. "Smooth" was the jam played on "Yo! MTV Raps" back in the day and the joint that got me searching for past seventeen years. It wasn't cheap, costing me $9.99. The guy that owned the place did his homework, the only bad part about the place. There were some solo Ren CDs going for $20 bucks, a Mellow Man Ace debut album for $20, a Kid Sensation solo debut going for $20 and a few others around the price of new CDs, which I just didn't want to pay for on this trip. I budgeted out $150 bucks, and I knew by the time I left the store, I was going to be right around that limit.
YZ - The Ghetto's Been Good To Me (Livin' Large
Records, 1993) 1. Second to Nobody 2. Return Remix 3. Barber Shop 4. Drink at the Bar 5. (So Far) The Ghetto's Been Good to Me 6. It's Got to Stop 7. Newborn 8. Life Under Pressure 9. Acid Rain 10. Dead Love [Live] 11. Return of the Holy One - Terminata, YZ
Yes, this was THE crowning jewel of this trip. I've long wanted YZ's "The Ghetto's Been Good To Me" as well, with not much luck. Amazon has two sellers selling copies for no cheaper than $46 bucks. I bought mine for $7.99, so yeah, I got a deal. I've loved this album since first hearing it back in 1993 at the local Record Exchange in my hometown, but by the time I went back to by the CD, they had sold it and I never saw it again. The mp3's have kept me satisfied for the past few years. This was the last CD I found, you know, "Y's" are toward the end and when I found, I knew it was worth more than he was asking, but I would have bought it if it was only selling for a penny on amazon. When I was up waiting for him to pull the actual disk from behind the counter, he even mentioned that I was getting a deal on this album, he just wasn't sure how much. He then mentioned he'd rather see a collector such as myself get than "one of those greedy record buyers". I went home and saw the prices it was going for and said "daaayum". This made the whole trip.
Other Purchases
Jesse Jaymes - Thirty Footer In Your Face (Delicious Vinyl, 1991) $3.99
Delicious Vinyls answer to Vanilla Ice. It sucks pretty bad, but I never have really seen it around much. I was trying to get the most for my $50 I had to spend here and chalk it up to nostalgia being a bitch once again.
Illegal - The Untold Truth (Rowdy Records, 1993) $6.99
I've always liked this album, which I had before it got jacked out of my SUV one time. I used to see this all the time in Denver at the Cheap-O Discs that I used to hit up all the time, but haven't been able to find it since then and was bound and determined not to let it pass me up this time.
Das EFX - Hold It Down (East/West, 1995) $5.99
This is probably my favorite Das album, although I'd agree the debut album is a better album. There was just a lot more flavor and variety and this album. I had this at one time as well, until the infamous "loan out" to a friend resulted in me never seeing it again.
This was a good example of not judging a book by its cover. This store was easily the best one I went to in Salt Lake and one of the best ones I've ever been in to. I left plenty of rare things there, either because he wanted more than I wanted to spend or the simple fact I already owned it. The owner was a cool dude once we started talking while he was getting my CDs out for me. We talked about the business and my collecting. He even ended up giving me a sampler of Mark Ronson stuff, which I haven't listened to yet, but it was a nice gesture. I'd highly recommend this store to anyone going through Salt Lake, just leave the good stuff for me...haha.
June 8th, Back at FYE on Redwood Rd.
I had spent a lot of time in the CD Exchange the day before and was supposed to meet up with a friend at 5:30, I didn't get out of there until 5:30, then had to run to the other side of town. My day of shopping was done, but I was hoping to hit up a store or two before I left early Sunday afternoon. That didn't quite happen as I had a little too much fun Saturday night and slept in until 11 in the morning. I got my shit together and packed up my car and got ready to meet a friend for lunch at noon. I called her at noon to no answer, so while I was waiting, I figured I'd go back to FYE on Redwood. There were a couple things that I passed over that I wanted to grab, mainly an Asamov CD that you don't see around since they stopped printing them (sorry Therapy) and then my man CH Commish from the world famous Slushy Gutter Crew and my former Denver brethren had asked me while I lived in Denver to keep an eye out for Organized Konfusion's "Stress: The Extinction Agenda". I had for awhile, but never saw it much. Then I remember after seeing it, that CH wanted a copy of it. So I went back and grabbed those two copies, and figured I might as well find one more so I can get a freebie.
Poison Clan - Rufftown Behavior (Luke Records,
1993) $6.9901 Intro (2:11) 02 Afraid Of The Flavor (4:15) 03 Come A Surprise (0:19) 04 Put Shit Pass No Ho (4:09) 05 Some More Shit (3:28) 06 Work For Free (0:23) 07 Peepin (4:09) 08 Pause For The Cause (0:58) 09 Game Recognize Game (4:30) 10 City Boy (3:21) 11 Burne One (0:08) 12 Check Out The Ave. Pt. I (3:15) 13 Let's Get Serious (2:20) 14 Check Out The Ave. Pt. II (3:00) 15 Setting Up (0:30) 16 Sugarhill Style (4:23) 17 True Player Speaks (0:50) 18 Word From A Player (5:02) 19 Ho Stories Pt. II (3:03) 20 Madball Back (0:23) 21 Listen (5:19) 22 M.C. Sundance (1:35) 23 Ruff Town Behavior (4:03) 24 Comin Strap (1:14) 25 Goin' All Out (4:16)
After their second album, "Poisonous Mentality", I stopped paying attention or caring what Poison Clan released. The magic that was on the first album was gone when Debonaire left. The second album didn't posses the humor the debut album did, but it was still a decent effort. I've listened to this album since then and it's alright, but it was basically a fill in.
Other Purchases
Asamov - And Now.... (6Hole Records, 2005) $7.99
This one got shutdown after the whole Asamov/Issac Asamov ordeal that resulted them chaging their name to the AB's. I found out about the crew right about the time the album was pulled from the shelves, so I never did pick it up. It's a good album that I've always wanted a copy of, I was glad to find it.
Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda (Hollywood Basic, 1994) $5.99
I've always considered Stress my favorite OK release (potential This or That?) and I've had it for awhile. As I mentioned, CH Commish has asked me to look for this for him and I finally ran across it.
Born Jamericans - Kids From Foreign (Delicious Vinyl, 1994) Free (4th CD)
Eh, it was free...haha
3/29/2008
Philaflava.com's 100 Greatest Obscure Tracks: Part Seven
Link For All Tracks
Money Boss Players - What U Sayin
Nas - Street Dreams (K-Def Remix)
Naughty By Nature - It's On (Beatnuts Remix)
Nine - Me, Myself, and My Microphone
N-Tense – Raise The Levels of The Boom
Nubian Crackers – Do You Wanna Hear It? feat. The Artifacts
O.C. - Born To Live (DJ Eclipse Remix)
Omnisence - Touch Ya'll feat. Sadat X
ONYX - Purse Snatchaz Part 2 feat. Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigga Tha Gambler
Penthouse Players Clique - P.S. Phuk U 2 feat. DJ Quik & Eazy-E
Money Boss Players – What U Sayin’ (
Classic shit right here from one of the most overlooked groups in hip-hop history. I remember bumpin MBP shit off Doo Wop mixtapes all throughout the 90's, so I was waiting for an album for the longest time. After dropping various singles, their Cop N Go LP ended up getting shelved in '98 leaving MBP fans stuck. Then I heard about their 1994 release, Ghetto Chronicle Daily. I couldn't find much info on it at all til Spine Magazine reviewed it in their Rarities section in '03. I remember hearing this joint and being hooked instantly, so I emailed the writer of the review begging for the the full song in mp3 form, he ended up lacing me with some crazy ass file type that I converted to mp3 which I spreaded online and the rest is history. This is one of those songs that gives you that unexplainable feeling that can only be elicited by great music. Criminally slept-on producer, Minnesota laces a creative 1920’s-esque but still hard-hitting beat to compliment the “I’m a G, I’m getting bitches and I’m living lavish” type lyrics. Make no mistake; this subject matter isn’t anything new nowadays, but remember this was made in the early 90’s before B.I.G. and Puff started the Shiny Suit era and before Jay was “Feelin It”. Lord Tariq, Eddie Chebba, Big Ah, C-Dub, Tre Bags and the rest of the MBP crew were truly ahead of their time and didn’t give a fuck whether you liked it or not cause they were gonna do their own thing regardless. They used to run with the infamous Pistol Pete from Soundview Projects (Google it kids) so that should tell you that they were true street niggas foremost with music coming second. Any fans of raw, NY hip-hop need to check out the rest of the GCD EP ASAP cause that shit is the epitome of grimy. - Original Philaflava post
Nas - Street Dreams (K-Def Remix) (
Does anyone remember the backlash that It Was Written received in 1996? I remember my local radio station DJ trying to be cute with his little "It Was Written wasn't hittin'" line. Nas went from describing the turmoil and harsh realities of his environment on Illmatic to writing fantasy rap about crimes he never commit and mafioso wet dreams on his sophomore LP. What many people saw as a lack of authenticity, hipster revisionists now see as Nas' own Kool G. Rap experiment- the master wordsmith penning artistically genius fiction over contemporary production. "Street Dreams" is a prime example of the jiggy-thug aesthetic that Nas apparently (to the critics) was not good at and as a single it received a lot of flack. I, for one, liked it but Cormega took issue with the pink suit. If the Eurhythmic’s sample wasn't already commercial enough to make purists puke bile, the even-more fluffy alternative with R. Kelly was worse and sadly more popular on radio and TV. K-Def, who is a legendary producer in his own right and could have had a spot on Illmatic now that we look back on it, saved the day with his remix, that for whatever reason I can only find being sold by the eBay nerds trying to run the price up. Equipped with better drums, the same dramatic pause around 45 seconds in, and a slew of classic breaks used by DJs on hooks of the early to mid 90s- the song comes off more hip hop than the 80s-rock sounding original. - Original Philaflav post
Naughty By Nature - It's On (Tommy Boy, found on the "It's On" 12 inch, which included the Kay Gee Remix, the Pete Rock remix for "Hip Hop Hooray" and this remix, 1993)
Once again my personal tastes force me to
remain relatively mum on this choice. I have a love/hate relationship with Naughty by Nature in the first place. I liked them, but they had such a "formula" for things that it seemed like every album was just a remake of their last album. The Beatnuts on the other hand, I loved, both their music and their production. So you'd think their remix of "It's On" (which I did like in it's original version) would be something special. Well, not quite, at least in my humble opinion. The beat sounds like it might have been one of the Beatnuts "blue light" specials, as it's not really one of the better beats. It's just kind of drab. I mean, it's funky, but just lacking something. Lyric wise, most of the older heads should be familiar with "It's On", for some of the younger pups out there, the single wasn't one of their smash hits, so unless you were familiar with more than just "OPP", "Ghetto Bastard" or "Hip Hop Hooray", this might have sneaked by. It does lack the blueprint the other hit singles had, but as I mentioned, I'm perfectly okay with that. Notice the Sir Mix A Lot dis by Vinnie in his first verse. If it was from anyone other than Vinnie, it might be worth talking about..... -Trav
Nine - Me, Myself and My Microphone (Profile, from the "Watcha Want" b/w "Redrum" & "Me, Myself & My Microphone" 12 inch, 1994)
If you read this blog much, you know I'm pretty
big on Nine's music and his two albums he released. Between his gruff voice (which yes, is probably gimmicky, but I've always found it dope) and his grimy, hardcore beats, he has just been that quintessential mid 90's hip hop for me. This joint popped up on the 12 inch of Nine's b-boy Jeep anthem "Whatcha Want" as a b-side and was listed as a "demo mix". That I can believe and I would be willing to bet it was recorded during his "9 Double M" phase as he refers to himself by that name often in the song and also mentions Funkmaster Flex, who he recorded with on at least two singles in the years leading up his debut release. The joint is typical Nine, meaning if you like him, you'll be down with this effort, if you don't, this won't change anything. Produced by longtime contributor, Rob Lewis (who produced "Whatcha Want"), it incorporates a piano sample that is sparse in nature over hard drums and employs a DMC vocal sample. Nine is Nine as far as the lyrical content. He uses his gruff voice and spits his hardrock rhymes, which is why you listen to Nine to begin with. - Trav
N-Tense - Raise The Levels of Da Boom (Phat Wax Records, on the 12 inch "Raise The Levels Of Da Boom", 1993)
I don't know much N-Tense or this joint. N-Tense did do a track on the first D&D All-Star album and would appear later in the 90's under the name Blu Warta and did a few tracks under that name. That said, this track is a great obscure joint that will give any old school head a woody, like some b-boy Viagra type of shit. I'm not sure who produced it and I'm not sure if I did that would mean anything, but this in the vein of some of the classic music coming out in '93 and '94. Crazy horn sample along with some dusty boom bap drums, toss in some scratching and put some crazy lyrics with a hard flow and you have yourself a song that should have been a classic during this era. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out that way. - Trav
Nubian Crackers - Do You Wanna Hear It feat The Artifacts (Big Beat, on the "Do You Wanna Hear It" 12 inch, 1993)
As much as I hate to admit it, someone is going to have to school me on the Nubian Crackers. I've heard of them a million times, but I think I confused them with another group that I didn't care for and never paid much attention. I'm doing my homework, as I've downloaded most of their "Cracker Beats" volumes they put out. I'm assuming they were a production crew? I didn't hear anyone else other than the Artifacts on this track. The production is fucking insane on "Do You Wanna Hear It?" It samples the same bassline that is in Professor Griff's "Pawns In The Game", and just comes off as the rugged rough shit that was so popular in the mid 90's and made it probably the best run in hip hop history. - Trav
O.C. - Born 2 Live (DJ Eclipse Remix) (Not sure if this was released or not, 12 inch single was released on Wild Pitch, 1994)
Not up on this release much either. Not sure if it's the same DJ Eclipse that was in Non Phixion or what. Regardless, a dope beat comes fully equipped on this version, with strings and keys providing a soothing melody that combines with the a little sampling of horns during the hook that just sets the mood lovely. I think I like this version more than the original. - Trav
Omniscience - Touch Y'all feat Sadat X (East/West Records, on the "Touch Y'all" single, 1995)
Omniscience sounds like (voice wise) a mix of buckshot, canibus, and someone else I'm still trying to put my finger on. Lyrically he's pretty nice with his. He drops lot's of one liners ("I'm not Denny's, I serve many brothers") guess thats why he calls himself the "Funky One Liner". Production wise, the track was produced by The Rhythm Fanatic and it was released as 12 inch that had a few remixes on it as well. This was the best of that batch. There is some nice smooth shit and there is some funky ass shit. It's very well produced. - Trav
ONYX - Purse Snatchaz Part 2 feat. Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigga Tha Gambler (Def Jam, on the "Evil Streets" b/w "Purse Snatchers Pt2" 12 inch promo, 1995)
All We Got Iz Us is one of the darkest albums in all of hip hop. A rainy day in your cd player, shit is just that real. Depression and drug abuse, unpaid bills that stack up to heights that block the suns golden rays- what starts off as a fleeting bit of melancholy in your ears becomes very real to the rest of your senses when your listen to Onyx's sophomore album. We have friends that die violently every day, a police force that is killing us off into extinction, cold and damp living quarters cramped with us, lots of us. And you know what? It's all we got, so we stick together. Every storm breaks. The grays and blacks part ways and the streaks of light that make their way down to us in little slivers give us just enough hope to give the next day a chance. When it comes to Onyx and the depressive All We Got Iz Us era, that hope was "Purse Snatchaz Pt. Two." Angry at the world? Do you have bills need to be paid? It's time to go purse snatching! All of us, who stick together through this tempest of turmoil have found a way out, even for only the most brief of moments. When the chips are down, everyone waits for the day that their fortunes change, for the day that a well-deserved opportunity will arrive and to capitalize on it. A tiresome task in itself, anticipation can get the best of people and this track by Onyx has plenty of that in it's history. This song was a reality that began as a rumor. Lyrical content aside, "Purse Snatchaz Pt. 2" didn't quite fit in to the sonic vibe of the rest of the album. People wanted this song so badly that an incomplete and unmastered version was jacked from someone in the Onyx camp and released on a mixtape before Onyx’s own DJ had a copy. The production is jazzy, Trigger the Gambler loans his voice to the hook and the result is a vibe of upliftment and spirituality. If this made it's way onto the LP it would have made a fitting song to close out the album with. Sticky, Sonsee, Fredro Starr, Smoothe and Trigger- a disgruntled "us" who are fed up with their lot have an epiphany that reveals to them that the only way out of their misery is to blaze their own trail the Rob and Vic way. - Original Philaflava Post
Penthouse Players Clique - P.S. Phuck U 2 feat DJ Quik & Eazy E (Priority Records, on the "Paid The Cost" LP as well as a promo 12 inch "Trust No B-----" b/w "P.S. Phuck U 2", 1992)
"P.S. Phuck U 2" goes against my not including
tracks from full albums, but....I think this album is horribly underrated in today's scene and it's probably my favorite track on the album, so I guess I would let this one slide. PPC were down with Quik's 304 Posse and had that Pimp music down to a "T". As a youngster when this dropped, I was pretty infatuated with the fact that two of the biggest Compton players were on this album. This might be one of the only times that DJ Quik and Eazy worked together. It makes for an interesting collaboration. The music is funky, with a common sample used. DJ Quik comes of the best, mainly because someone pissed in his Cheerios that morning and he came to the studio a little pissed. "Yo! MTV Raps", "The Source", Tim Dog, and basically all of the East Coast catch Quik's wrath on his verse, which honestly is when I've always considered one of the first shots fired in the whole East/West war. Eazy is more of adlib person, introducing each MC before they spit their verse. Regardless, this will always be one of the west coast classics in my book. - Trav
3/22/2008
Philaflava.com's 100 Greatest Obscure Tracks: Part Four
Alright, back on the grind. Damn, here I am on a Saturday night workin' on the fuckin' site? Pathetic eh? I played basketball all afternoon, so my old, fat ass is tired as shit, so I'm chillin' have some rum & cokes and a few beers. Figured I'd better get some Philaflava joints up. Glad y'all enjoying the series.
Link for all 10 tracks
Erick Sermon - If You Don't Know Like I Know feat. Trigger, Heltah Skeltah & O.G.C.
Erick Sermon - The Ill Shit feat. Kam & Ice Cube
Fab 5 (Heltah Skeltah + O.G.C.) – Blah
Fesu – War With No Mercy
Fierce - Crab
Funkmaster Flex - Six Million Ways To Die feat. Nine & Tragedy
Godfather Don – Burn (Remix)
Gova Mattic – Family Day feat. Redman, Tame One, Pace Won, Young Zee, Roz Noble & Runt Dog
Grand Puba - Fat Rat
Hard 2 Obtain - Ism and Blues
Erick Sermon - If You Don't Know feat Heltah Skeltah, Trigga Tha Gambler, & OGC (???????)
I know NOTHING about this joint. I'd probably be better to let Jaz of Cold Rock The Spot talk on this one, because he is the local E Double expert. I can't even find anything on the net about it. That said, it's not bad, but probably nothing I'd go nuts over. The beat sounds like something I've heard before on a Craig Mack album. E Double handles his own behind the mic, but I've never had a problem with his rhyming skills. Rock is on the hook, which is always cool t
o hear. You also have Trigga, who is an extremely overlooked MC. He brings his style and flavor. It's not a bad song, just probably something I'd lump into the top 100. - Trav
Erick Sermon - The Ill Shit feat Kam & Ice Cube (Def Jam/RAL, from the "No Pressure" LP, 1993)
This is probably another joint I wouldn't consider "obscure", but it's a great cut regardless. E Double was always good with making east coast beats that could very easily be played over on the west coast. Full of funk and flava, E Double hooks up with Cube when he was at the pinnacle of his popularity and hip hop respect. Kam was also an overlooked west coast MC and does an admirable effort hanging with Cube. This track is full of great one liners, at least for me. It wasn't my favorite song from the album, but it might had the honor of having some of my favorite lyrics. - Trav
Fab 5 (Heltah Skeltah + O.G.C.) – Blah (Priority, from the 12 inch "Blah b/w Leflah", 1995)
Rockness Monster is the fucking man. I have to say it. With all the praise of Ruck (Sean P.), Rockness to me was always better. And this track from Heltah Skeltah and OGC sub-sets of the larger Boot Camp Click, explains why I feel that way. Not to take anything way from Starang, Top Dog, Louisville and Ruck who themselves are as proficient as anyone in that era in verbally murdering any beat, with their grandiloquently hardcore raps. With a striking chorus, and laced with a phenomenal beat, both groups trade verses giving their one dose of violence, while exhibiting their personal doctrine of what it is to be hardcore and daring any rivals to "come test" their credentials on or off the M.I.C. - Original Philaflava post
Fesu - War With No Mercy (Continuum Records, from the album "War With No Mercy", 1995)
In some ways this entry is kind of surprising, in other ways, it's not. Fesu never made a lot of noise when he was making albums, but his claim to fame would be when he made the Source's "Unsigned Hype" column back in '93 (I think). He dropped an EP, then a full length album, "War With No Mercy". Hailing from the south in those days, you didn't have much of a chance if you weren't on any label not named Rap-A-Lot, No Limit or Sauve House. The album didn't do all that much, but the title track was one of the better tracks from the album (I'd say the best track is "Goosebumps"), but it does have a nice soulful beat, with an ill guitar loop and a sample that I should know. The drums are the same as those used on "Nuthin' But A G Thang". Fesu himself is nice on the mic, recounting tales of the streets. - Trav
Fierce - Crab ****FIXED*****(Hot Wax, found on the 12 inch release "Crab b/w Come Close"
Fierce is a very talented MC who has one 12' to his credit and one appearance on a major label release that includes 50 Cent, Puffy, Mase, and all kinds of representatives of the jiggy-faggot era that was 1997-1999. Fierce gain such notoriety at one point that he was on Rap City with only a 12' to his name and no video to show for it. The 12' in question is "Come Close/Crab" and it's really remarkable. He displays a verbal dexterity unseen in many of the greatest rappers and this is evidenced by amount of rhymes he can pack into the bars without sounding rushed, contrived, or anything less than quite polished. As dope as he comes on "Crab," "Come Close" is even more vicious on the mic. "Crab" is the better song because the lyrics fit the mood of the dark, haunting piano loop better than "Come Close" does on the B-Side. "Crab" is the A-Side to his 1996 Hot Wax 12' release. If you like what you hear you can check for more of Fierce's rhymes on Tha Madd Rapper's 1999 album "Tell 'Em Why You Mad" on "Whateva" and the promo only "For The Love" 12' which is also a Madd Rapper release that is tough to find. - Orginal Philaflava post
Funkmaster Flex feat 9 Double M & Tragedy - Six Million Ways (Wreck Records, found on the "Sad & Blue" b/w Six Million Ways", 1993)
We all hit this one on the head getting this on the list as it's one of my personal favorite joints and I believe it was included on the first ever volume of WYDU Classics. For those of you not in the know, 9 Double M would later release two albums as Nine, the gruff voice NY MC that I've always liked. This track is credited as being produced by Funkmaster Flex, but somehow I doubt that claim. The "co-producer" is Salaam Remi, which I'd be more inclined to believe, although it really sounds like some early Buckwild shit. Nine is the main focus on this track, as he drops two ill verses, while already using that "love it or hate it" vocal style that you automatically know who it is. Trag drops an quick little sixteen that you almost miss if you aren't paying attention. He is still sounding more Intelligent Hoodlum that Tragedy Khadafi, which I always thought was better. - Trav
Godfather Don - Burn (Remix) (Hydra Entertainment, from the "Diabolique" LP, 1998)
While I really like this song, the sheer amount of Godfather Don 12 inch sing
les out there, I think there would be something better than this joint to put up for him. Don is one of those MC's loved by the real heads, but has always remained below the radar fro the average hip hop fan. He has a shitload of single only releases out there that should be track down by any fan of the mid 90's sound. It's well worth your time. This joint is a banger, complete with an ill string sample that gives that back alley feel right before a shootout. It's produced by Godfather Don himself, who is even more overlooked as a producer than an MC. Ill joint, if you haven't heard the Diabolique album, this is just a taste of what can be found on it. - Trav
Govna Mattic – Family Day feat. Redman, Tame One, Pace Won, Young Zee, Roz Noble & Runt Dog (Unreleased?1997)
Ok, ok, ok- I know it sounds oxymoronic or even impossible but this song came out in 1997 and still remains obscure and elusive to collectors. I mean, how can a song with a feature by a platinum-selling rapper (Redman), a member of a highly acclaimed group with video play on Rap City and Yo! MTV Raps (Tame One, formerly of The Artifacts), and the hottest underground group of the era (Young Zee and Pacewon of the Outsidaz, who were featured on The Fugees 10-times platinum album The Score) ever be obscure? Well, it remained obscure because it was released by Govna Mattic, a relative of Redman and by proxy Tame One. Govna Mattic himself is a Newark legend and was in a group with Dizzle Don. Much like Redman, these guys love to smoke weed. Red is actually on the cover of the Govna Mattic/Diezzle Don 12'"Ghetto Red Hot" breaking up a brick of weed in front of a map of the world- which they obviously sought to take over via their vinyl sales. Anyway, "Family Day" is basically a laid-back song that reminds me of a mid-summer bar-b-que and to that end a family reunion gets underway over the sweet, melodic beat provided by Govna Mattic himself. Redman, Tame, and I think Govna Mattic are all cousins. Roz Noble, that's likely Reggie Noble's sister. Young Zee and Pace are related as well and Pace I think is related to Tame. This was supposed to be released on Govna's 1998 LP Hell Up In Newark and the album even got great reviews in Rap Pages and The Source but it never got a distribution worthy of the reviews it received. - Original Philaflava post
Trav's Note: ILLLLLLL fuckin' song and it was new to me....Download THIS song
Grand Puba - Fat Rat (MCA, on the "Strictly Business" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1991)
Grand Puba was my dude back in the early 90's. I thought anything he touched was gold. But listening to this track that appeared on a shitty soundtrack isn't really my thing these days. Puba still rips it, but the track is just straight up booty in my opinion. It's almsot New Jack Swing-ish sounding, which isn't automatically bad, but I just wasn't feeling this, even then. The soundtrack itself was rather crappy, and this was back when soundtracks were usually halfway decent. - Trav
Hard 2 Obtain – Ism & Blues (Atlantic, found on the "Ghetto Diamond" b/w "Local Hero" & "Ism & Blues, 1994)
It's hard to believe that a "title track" wouldn't be included on the album its named after, but that's the case with Hard 2 Obtain's "Ism & Blues" track that was included as a b-side to "Ghetto Diamond". Produced by the production crew, the Stimulated Dummies, the track would have fit in perfectly on a Black Moon album, with the SD's doing their best Beatminerz imitation. The tight bass line grabs the listener right off the bat then on the chorus the horns come with the smoothness that reminds one of smoking the ism in a dark club. MC's Taste and DL aren't the best lyricists by any means, but fit nicely on the track and remind ones self why you didn't need to be a incredible lyricist to make a great album. The posse chorus that ran prevalent throughout hip hop during the early 90's is found here as well, but as I said, everything just works perfectly with this track. It's unfortunate that this track didn't make the album, not sure if it was sample issues or what the reasoning was, but it would have been one of the best songs on an already good album. - Original Philaflava Post
