What makes a good album cover? Well, obviously it’s subjective and everyone is going to have there own ideas of what makes good art.
Some of them are made good because of how much you like an artist and may not seem significant to non-fans. A simple picture of the group, or artist, can be special to a fan, but may seem plain to those that aren’t big fans, or even know who that group or artist is.
All of the above being said, here are some that I thought of, mostly off the top of my head, that are great and some that are not. I’m sure I’m missing some that I like or hate, but I had to cut myself short, because this had the potential to really get out of hand.
Great LP Covers
This is a small list of great album covers. I’ll explain a little about the artwork and a quick synopsis of the actual music. I also tried to keep it to one per artist, because some have consistently great artwork and I didn't want to post a 12 page article. Here are some (and I know I’m missing a lot, feel free to share your faves):
The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
Artwork: I like simple, uncluttered stuff. The album artwork is real simple and clean. I always loved this cover featuring a small child (maybe Big’s, maybe Puff’s, I was unable to find this info).
Music: Classic. This LP is an all-around great piece of music, including the intro, which may be one of the best intros ever.
Nas - Illmatic
Artwork: Nas as a child over his childhood home. Again, a pretty simple concept, but a great.
Music: Another classic. Sometimes I think the artwork, or cover, can be seen as even better than it is when the music is so good. I’m not saying that’s the case here, because I really do like the artwork, but great artwork can be seen as even better when the music is on point.
A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
Artwork: Man, this is one of my favorites ever. Just the fact that they had all those other dudes on their album was a cool idea to me. For some reason, I thought my CD was green, but all I could find was the above picture and I can’t find my CD right now.
Music: This is my favorite Tribe LP. I mean this is a great LP with some classic tracks (Electric Relaxation, Steve Biko, Award Tour, We Can Get Down, Clap Your Hands, Oh My God). All of those songs could easily be in my top 100 songs of all-time.
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
Artwork: It’s pretty simple. All their albums have had great artwork, but this is my favorite. This is one where being a huge fan really makes the artwork better. Black and white with the Beasties showing off their respective instruments, which they decided to pick up for this album.
Music: I’m a huge fan and this is my favorite album from them. Just like Tribe, there are a couple different albums that could be considered my favorite at any time. To me, this album is solid all the way through and the instrumentals work well in the flow of this LP. I didn’t quite feel the same way with Ill Communication, but it’s still a great piece of music.
Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night
Artwork: This is lame, but I don’t remember what this artwork is an interpolation of. I know the title is from the old movie of the same title, but I feel like the artwork was from something else, maybe Cooley high?
Music: This is definitely one of my favorite albums and I can just listen to it all the way through without skipping a track.
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Artwork: This is just an iconic image for hip-hop heads. If you’re a PE fan, you remember the video for Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos.
Music: “I got a letter from the government the other day, I opened and read it, it said they were suckers.” Great album and arguably the best from PE.
EPMD - Business As Usual
Artwork: I dig this artwork and EPMD is one of my favorite groups. This isn’t my favorite album from the duo, but it has the best art of all their albums.
Music: It’s a great album and I actually think I like it better than when I first got it, and I liked it then. EPMD was talking about the pitfalls of Gold Diggers before Mr. West and made some music with LL before he got bit by a shark.
Masta Ace - Disposable Arts
Artwork: Everything on this cover is cool. The angle and the lighting, just lounging’ in the street on a car seat. It’s just a real cool picture and Ace is my favorite emcee, so that helps I’m sure.
Music: DA was a triumphant return from MA. This album is what TNT would call a ‘new classic’ if they played music instead of Jason Bourne movies.
The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
Artwork: It’s a bit infantile when you view the entire thing, but the artwork is great.
Music: “I got a letter from the DMV the other day, I opened and read it, it said they were suckers.” This is one of those albums that just holds a special place in the pantheon of 90’s hip-hop. One of the few west coast artists that bucked the gangster trend and just had fun.
Tha Alkaholiks - 21 and Over
Artwork: There’s just something about the view from inside the fridge as the Liks partake in one of their favorite past times. It’s simple, but it fit’s the group perfectly.
Music: It’s a short album, but a classic. The entire album is perfect for that party that you’ve been wanting to throw, so just put this on repeat and get your drink on. Tha Liks are one of those groups that I’ve had numerous people (non-rap fans) comment on how much they like them when I play one of their CD’s. How they never just blew up, I don’t know.
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Artwork: This is one of those covers that just fit in with the Wu. It’s raw, like the Wu was one the first hit the seen. I imagine it looks even better in the form of a vinyl cover, where the title and W symbol would fit a little better.
Music: I remember not being into Wu-Tang the first time I heard Protect Ya Neck, but then I came to my senses. It’s a phenomenal piece of music and a great debut.
Bad LP Covers
There are a lot of albums that I could probably put in here, but I tried to relegate the list to stuff I own, or artists I like, with the exception of Lil’ Flip. Pretty much all of those LP’s from the south back in the late 90’s/early aught could go in here (No Limit, etc.).
Again, I could have went nuts here, so here’s just a small list:
Nas - I Am…
Artwork: Okay, the It Was Written made sense, it seemed to complete the gap from child Nas to adult Nas, but here he’s a pharaoh from the future I guess. I don’t know, he pushed it.
Music: After Illmatic, I bought the next 2 albums and they both disappointed. This LP has the classic “Nas Is Like” and that’s about it from what I remember. It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to anything from here except “Nas Is Like“.
Goodie M.O.B. - World Party
Artwork: Goodie M.O.B. caves in to all the artwork from the south during the time that this LP came out. Nothing bothers me more than when people copy something that’s popular, especially when that something popular is lame (see Autotune).
Music: There was some alright stuff on here, but I really didn’t get into this album much.
Lil’ Flip - I Need Mine
Artwork: I don’t own this. I just think this is one of the most ridiculous covers I’ve ever seen, so I had to include it. Who does this appeal to? If I was living in the ghetto or the trailer park, I’d want to beat the holy living hell out of this guy, not run out and buy his album. I think he covers all the stereotypes here (grill, money, jewelry). The capper here is the giant wad of cash, which has always been lame as hell to me, whether it was Pac or lame ass Lil’ Flip.
Music: I’m sure it’s awesome. I mean, he has Lil’ in his name. That’s original.
Heltah Skeltah - D.I.R.T.
Artwork - This cover makes me laugh. I think that’s what they were going for, but it still looks goofy.
Music: I was really impressed with this album. It definitely was a surprise to me. It’s worth picking up.
Binary Star - Masters of the Universe
Artwork: I think my little cousin drew this. It’s a real goofy cover, but it’s an extremely indy album, so I guess I’ll let it go.
Music: Oh, and it’s a great album, so who cares about the artwork really. Buy it if you can find it.
If you're checking this blog out, you probably have most of these albums, but here's a download with a track from every album above, with the exception of Lil' Flip:
Download it Here
11/03/2009
Album Covers
4/16/2009
5x5 Day Four: The Best Sophomore "Slumps"
The dreaded Sophomore slump. Is it real, or something that is made up? I'm sure enough artists will tell you it's real, but when you start looking at the bigger picture, I'd almost be willing to go out on the limb and an artist's/group's second album is a finer piece of music. Once I started going through some of the classics out there, it's quickly noted that a lot of them are the second album of their career. They seem to have the right combination of hunger and knowledge to drop the classic. Not saying that first year wonders such as Nas, Snoop, and even arguably N.W.A. exist, but the list of solid second albums are rather impressive.
1. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
Of course, my personal favorite album of all-time is Slaughtahouse by Masta Ace, which could or could not be considered his second album (is INC a group?), so to keep it simple, I stuck with the universal greatest album of all-time, PE's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. What is arguably one of, if not the, greatest hip hop album of time, It Takes A Nation.... was an album that everyone came with their best. Chuck and Flava perfected their shtick and the Bomb Squad set off to make an album that broke all the laws of music, and succeeded.
2. A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
You either love or hate Tribe's debut album, but their second album is a certified classic. The music was more dense and in some cases, darker. They also incorporated more of a jazz sound to it, in places (don't call it a jazz rap album, I hate that), but it's sound was defined by more bottom on the beats. The bass on this album is really only something you notice on a nice system. Lyrically, I think Q-Tip being better and the night and day difference from the first album to Low End Theory in Phife is what really put's it over the top.
3. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
How do you comeback from an image that you are not all that happy with on your first album? You "kill" that image and reinvent yourself. That's exactly what De La Soul did. You thought they were fun loving hippies that were rapping over Turtles breaks about flowers? Think again. On De La Soul is Dead, they brought a more mature and even somewhat darker effort. The production once again was top notch in the form of Prince Paul, and it might even be considered his greatest achievement.
4. Ice Cube - Death Certificate
Do you count this as his sophomore release? He did after all have a release with NWA. For the sake of argument, I'm going to call Death Certificate his sophomore release, since it is just that as a solo artist. We've already had the debate between his first two albums as far as which was better, but Death Certificate is an album which packs so much emotion into the sixty plus minutes that it has you. There is anger, humor, fear, and they are all rolled into one in the form of Death Certificate.
5. Mobb Deep - The Infamous
No, really, it's their sophomore release. I know it's easy to forget about Juvenile Hell, and Havoc and Prodigy are almost like different artists by the time they got around to dropping The Infamous, but their second album was head and shoulders above their debut album. I think Havoc coming into his own really gave a defining sound of darkness for The Infamous that really sets this album apart from the rest.
Honorable Mentions
Redman - Dare Iz The Darkside
Common - Reminisce
Run DMC - Kings of Rock
6/09/2008
This Or That.....It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back Vs. Fear of a Black Planet
Last Week
What a battle we had last week between Midnight Marauders and Low End Theory! Both albums swapped spots numerous times throughout the week and neither album got down by more than seven votes or so. In the end, in a decision that was as close as it could be without a tie, Low End Theory won out by one vote 90-89. I honestly expected Midnight Marauders to win it, so it was somewhat of a surprise on my end. Lot's of votes, hopefully this week will be as exciting.
This Week
For people in their thirties, such as my old ass self, Public Enemy probably commands more than one memory in our senile minds. Most definitely one of, if not the most important group in our generation, Public Enemy is responsible for the rise of Black pride among African-Americans and also brought racial awareness to the average white kid in the suburb as their music crossed over to the college radio stations, Yo! MTV Raps, and the mainstream music press of the era such as Rolling Stone and Spin magazines. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Terminator X & The S1W's were filling up stadiums and arenas everywhere. Their B-Boy in the cross hairs logo was a symbol of their fight against the very system that was adopting their music as the generations rebellion.
The group's first album, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, was a proper introduction to the masses of what P.E. would be bringing in the future. The album could easily have been any other groups greatest album as the crew brought everything from social-political jargon, to battle rhymes, to touching on the ills of society. But for P.E., Yo! would only be a small taste of what was to come. Coupled with the Bomb Squad's "throw it in a blender" type of production of swirling sounds and mashed up beats, the groups pinnacle of creative prowess was seen in their second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and their third album, Fear of a Black Planet. Which takes the title of most revered? We shall see.
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back Vs. Fear of a Black Planet
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
My introduction to Public Enemy came right at the time I dove head first into hip hop music. Up until the summer of 1988, I listened to a lot of hip hop, but I don't think I had "devoted" my musical tastes completely to hip hop. I've told the story a million times on here before, so I'll skip the details and just say in August of '88, Public Enemy's "Night of the Living Baseheads" video was played on the debut episode of "Yo! MTV Raps". After the show, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back would be the first album I would run out and purchase after witnessing this spectacle (if you have seen the video, you know what I mean).
I still border on getting the chills whenever I hear the intro on It Takes a Nation of Millions.... with the concert announcer announcing the group, then it jumps into Griff dropping a warning over a chilling air raid siren which then immediately jumps into "Bring The Noise". I can still remember the first time I heard that intro, sitting in my room with my walkman and my headphones over my ears, jamming to my newly purchased tape. What would ensue after that, was nothing but pure chaos, both sonically and lyrically. The music was like NOTHING I heard ever heard before in my young life. There were sounds upon sounds, weird sounds, loud sounds, high sounds, low sounds. Music shouldn't sound like this, yet I loved it. It was utter noise, but it was unlike anything out there. The album would be the reason that to this day I still consider The Bomb Squad my second favorite producers after DJ Premier. "Bring The Noise" is signature Bomb Squad. If you stop and concentrate on just one sound going on in the collage of noise, you get the feeling of "audio dizziness", if there is such a thing. Built upon layers of unrecognizable samples (I've heard that even Keith and Hank have forgotten what they've used on some of these songs), "Bring The Noise" is one of the more noisier tracks found on the album, but other tracks such as "Rebel Without a Pause" bring that apocalyptic soundtrack to the listeners ear drums. Armed with a siren like noise (which I fuckin' love), sledge hammer percussion, and a flurry of scratches (by Johnny Juice?), Rebel is up there as one of my all-time favorite P.E. songs. It should be the track that should be played in a hundred years when they ask, "What did the Bomb Squad's production sound like?" The cold feel of "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" is tame by Bomb Squad standards, but serves as a perfect backdrop to Chuck's tales of a prison breakout. The Issac Hayes piano keys give the track an eerie atmosphere that turns quite chilling (especially when witnessed with the video for the album) toward the ending. To this day, I don't think there is a more creative produced hip hop album in the history of genre.
Lyrically, Chuck D still possess one of the most powerful and recognizable voices in all of hip hop. On It Takes a Nation... Chuck stepped up his game and joined the level of Krs and Rakim as MC's who demanded your respect. He might not have been the most skilled MC but you can't argue that he didn't demand your attention to his lyrics, when they could have very easily been lost in the whirlwind of sounds collapsing on your ear drums. "Bring The Noise" is a great jump off track as Chuck also drops ill lines that demand your attention:
Bass! how low can you go?
Death row what a brother knows
Once again, back is the incredible
The rhyme animal
The incredible D. Public Enemy number one
Five-o said "freeze!" and I got numb
Can I tell 'em that I never really had a gun?
But it's the wax that the Terminator X spun
Now they got me in a cell 'cuz my records they sell
'Cuz a brother like me said "well?"
Farrakhan's a prophet and I think you outta listin to
What he can say to you what you otta do
Follow for now power of the people say.
"Make a miracle, D. pump the lyrical"
United we stand, all in all, we're gonna win.
Check it out, yeah y'all, here we go again
Chuck grew in leaps and bound from Yo!... to It Takes a Nation.... on the lyrical tip. He sounded more comfortable, more in command, and was more daring. His voice will always be one that demands the respect of the listener, no matter who is doing the beats. That is such an important matter in what makes Public Enemy the force they were on this album. An average MC would be lost going against these types of beats. Chuck D also had the cadence down along with a forceful and powerful delivery. Chuck would attack the tracks head on and the combination of his voice and lyrics with the abrasive sound of the beats just makes the album that much better. The topics that Chuck takes on are important at the time and still important in today's age. The aforementioned, "Night of the Living Baseheads", Chuck tackles the crack epidemic that was running wild in the inner city ghetto's in every black city, USA. He takes you down a trip to that crack house:
Here it is
BAMMM
And you say, Goddamn
This is the dope jam
But lets define the term called dope
And you think it mean funky now, no
Here is a true tale
Of the ones that deal
Are the ones that fail
Yeah
You can move if you wanna move
What it prove
It's here like the groove
The problem is this - we gotta' fix it
Check out the justice - and how they run it
Sellin', smellin'
Sniffin', riffin'
And brothers try to get swift an'
Sell to their own, rob a home
While some shrivel to bone
Like comatose walkin' around
Please don't confuse this with the sound
I'm talking about...BASS
It was the late 80's "White Lines (Don't Do It)", as Chuck dropped vivid imagery of a night around a basshead. He would tackle the evils of the television on, "She Watch Channel Zero", and a brainwashed chick watching too much TV. This album would launch Chuck into the one of the most respected black leaders of the late 80's.
I've long considered It Takes a Nation of Millions.... one of the best hip hop albums EVER created. At one time, it would be my favorite hip hop album of all-time, and it would still probably be second or third on my list. The album was so cutting edge and ahead of it's time, that some people still don't get the genius of the album.
Fear of a Black Planet
While P.E. was on top of the world in '88, it wouldn't last long. With the group's brash criticisms of both society and race relations as well as the government, it wouldn't be long before it all boiled over in what is now the infamous Professor Griff interview in the Washington Times. In that interview, Griff was quoted as saying something to the fact that the Jews were responsible for the majority of the wickedness in the world. Needless to say, shit hit the fan, which at first would lead to the firing of Griff, then a few days later, an announcement from Chuck saying that Public Enemy was disbanding. They would soon get back together, and drop the summer anthem, "Fight The Power", for Spike Lee's original motion picture, "Do The Right Thing". It was clear P.E. was back, bigger, better, and more pissed off than ever. That fall, they would drop the unapologetic "Terrordome", in which Chuck has choice words for everyone and anyone:
Crucifixion ain't no fiction
So called chosen frozen
Apology made to who ever pleases
Still they got me like Jesus
I rather sing, bring, think reminisce
'Bout a brother while I'm in sync
Every brother ain't a brother cause a color
Just as well could be undercover
Backstabbed, grabbed a flag
From the back of the lab
Told a Rab get off the rag
Sad to say I got sold down the river
Still some quiver when I deliver
Never to say I never know or had a clue
Word was heard, plus hard on the boulevard
Lies, scandalizin', basin'
Traits of hate who's celebratin' wit satan?.....
If you know the detailed story about how things went down, those lyrics contain some deep meanings, as Chuck fires back at all those who were against him, the naysayers, the doubters and the ones that tried to hang him out to dry. On a personal level, like just about everyone that summer, "Fight The Power" more than got me excited for the next Public Enemy album, while "Terrordome" was the shotgun blast that got our attention. The track was just as angry as Chuck was and was classic Public Enemy lyrically, if not pissed off P.E. while sonically, the Bomb Squad brought the heat. Then over the winter, they dropped the Flav hosted "911 is a Joke" and the stage was more than set.
Immediately, we realize that Chuck and company aren't going to let what happened in '89 slide, as "Contract on the World Love Jam" serves as Fear of a Black Planet's introduction. Sound bites from the media coverage of the Griff and P.E. breakup litter the instrumental that serves as the "quiet before the storm". No time is wasted jumping into the first track, which is the Bomb Squad's sound in all it's finest aspects. A chopped vocal sample, scratches, more vocal samples, frenzied handclaps and drum tracks over pulsating synths just warms shit up as Chuck drops his lyrics over a electric guitar sound that just bombards the audio senses. Production wise, I think of it as the Bomb Squad's shining moment. Utter noise and chaos in all it's beautiful bliss.
The Bomb Squad would come a bit different on the production, providing a more "updated" sound that matched with the quickly changing hip hop scene in those days (funny how music changed more in those two years than it has changed in the last ten, that's TRULY my problem with today's music, but that's for another post). Gone were the loud sirens, the cut and paste layered samples, in their place were more grooves and uhhh melodies? Yeah, there are sounds close to what I would consider a "melody" of sorts, at least for the Bomb Squad. "Pollywanacracka" is almost bare bones in it's musical approach, something not seen since some of the early Yo! Bum Rush The Show days. The track would give a backdrop for something new in the form of Chuck coming with a different delivery, a different style, that to this day I've still only heard him do on this track. The Bomb Squad would also alter Chuck's vocals on "The B-Side Wins Again", showing that they were trying to be more daring and experimental on Fear of a Black Planet. A different vibe was also seen on "Power To The People", as they displayed almost a bouncy type of feel on the track. The track utlizes a simple scratch to be the tracks backbone and a jazzy horn sample over a bouncy drum track. Don't get me wrong though, the Bomb Squad was abandoning the musical form of anarchy just yet. "Who Stole the Soul" is a busy and noisy P.E. track in all it's beauty. The hook/bridge contains all sorts of interesting samples and sound effects, along with Flav leading the chaos.
Topic wise, there was a little bit of everything found on Fear of a Black Planet. Interracial relationships are covered on two songs, "Polly..." and the scathing title track, "Fear of a Black Planet":
Man calm your ass down, don't get mad
I don't your sistah (But supposin' she said she loved me)
Would you still love her
Or would you dismiss her
What is pure? Who is pure?
Is it European state of being, I'm not sure
If the whole world was to come
Thru peace and love
Then what would we made of?
Excuse us for the news
You might not be amused
But did you know white comes from Black
No need to be confused
Excuse us for the news
I question those accused
Why is this fear of Black from White Influence who you choose?
Man c'mon now, I don't want your wife
Stop screamin' it's not the end of your life (But supposin' she said she loved me)
What's wrong with some color in your family tree
I don't know I'm just a rhyme sayer
Skins protected 'gainst the ozone layer
Breakdown 2001 Might be best to be Black
Or just Brown countdown
Not even Hollywood was safe, as Chuck teamed up with Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane in the classic "Burn Hollywood Burn", ripping the bourgeois of the Hollywood movie scene and knocking them for their lack of positive black roles. Chuck let's fire at anyone he deems necessary, it's possibly P.E.'s most daring album topic wise that they ever did.
The Verdict:
I honestly believe the majority of the It Takes a Nation of Millions..... votes will come from heads that heard that album first, while people who heard Fear of a Black Planet first will be more inclined to give their vote to that album. When listening to It Takes a Nation of Millions... one has to realize that the album is sequenced with the audio cassette in mind, and the vinyl album as well, which were more prevalent at that time than CDs. It plays like it would on cassette, with two different sides in mind. A lot of albums from the eighties play like this, so it might not be the fluid (or at least that's the goal) product that some CD inspired albums tend to be. Side A would end "Caught, Can We Get a Witness", while the B-side would lead off with the instrumental "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" and then trip on into "She Watch Chanel Zero". Can the album maybe be arranged better? I'm not sure, the weaker tracks seem to reside at the end of each side, with "Party For Your Right To Fight" being more of history lesson for myself, as I would look up the names Chuck brought up on the track and learn more about African-American history, but does it hold up with the rest of the material found on the album? I'm not so sure.
While Fear of a Black Planet comes in at over 20 tracks, which is only four more than was contained on It Takes a Nation...., Fear.. has always seemed a lot longer. There are a lot more "breaks" in the action with tracks like "Anti-Ni--er Machine", "Incident at 66.6 FM", and "Leave This Off Your Fuckin' Charts", while add to the overall product and I find personally enjoyable, I've always thought they somewhat hindered the flow of the album. The tracks sometimes for more schizophrenic in nature, from the varied topics, to the varied beats. There are some classic tracks on Fear of a Black Planet. When I went to the record store (that's what we still called them back then) that Tuesday after school and picked up the tape, I was so excited and entranced by what I was hearing, that I forgot to get gas on the way home and ended up running out. That being said, there isn't many albums out there that can top It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, both quality wise or as my personal favorites.
The Winner:
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
10/24/2007
Rhymes Galore...
This post right here is for the party people and goes back to ’99, my second year being into hip hop, when I first started to buy those maxi singles…
Dj Skribbels Everybody Come On was the first one I bought (well ok the first one was Will Smith’ Men in Black in ’97 haha..), I bought it mainly because of the video which was dope as hell, I couldn’t find it anywhere so if anybody got that let me know, I think it was only puppets doing some wild ish can’t remember much of it.
I also found the original sample of that track which has been posted not long ago on Certified Banger. It features a now more established and known Consequence, Busta Rhymes in his good days, Rampage and Spliff from the Flipmode Squad and Ed Lover. It was released by Fila Records, never knew they had a record label, their internet site has been replaced by some Chinese site or something like that, well anyways..
…next would be a collaboration between Germany and the States by none other than Dj Tomekk and Grandmaster Flash featuring Afrob, Flavor Flav from Public Enemy and Mc Rene, it’s a banger, even if you can’t understand some German parts, hell just the instrumental version makes this worth checking out and don’t compare this with what Tomekk is doing those days, whatever that may be..
So with that being said, I don’t wanna bore you anymore, reminiscing on my “old” days (haha) , grab it here:
DJ Tomekk vs Grandmaster Flash feat. Afrob, Flavor Flav, Mc Rene:
1,2,3, Rhymes Galore (from new york to germany)
1.Radio Version
2.DJ Desue Remix
3.Bubblez Remix
4.DJ Sepalot Remix
5.Jeep Mix
6.Instrumental Version
Download here
DJ Skribble feat. Busta Rhymes, Rampage, Spliff, Consequence, Ed Lover
Everybody Come On
1.NMCB Radio Edit
2.Original Radio Edit
3.Stripe Remix Edit
4.NMCB 12’’
Download here
9/19/2007
Trav's Favorite Producers, Part One: The Bomb Squad
I'm back from lounging on the set of "Lifestyles Of The Rich and Famous" and partying it up like a rock star in the Vegas clubs, getting drunk off my new found fame....(it's a joke, relax, I'm still the same dude eating frozen burritos because I'm too damn broke to afford anything else). Time for another little series. Next few posts will be highlighting some of MY personal favorite producers. No Primo stuff, its been done to death and I doubt I'd be able to come up with anything that the rest of you already didn't know. I'll try to stick to the unheralded producers, underrated, if you may. I have some eccentric tastes when it comes to hip hop production, which is probably why some of my classic albums tend to raise some eye brows when I mention them. I just want to shine some light on some of my overlooked fav's...hope everyone enjoys.
The hip hop producer has made quiet a name for themselves over the past 15-20 years, from being a mere name on the liner notes, to quite often being bigger than the artist they are producing for. When I first started listening to hip-hop, I was all about learning the words that were being said. I still know all the words to "Raising Hell", "Licensed To Ill", and "Bigger & Deffer", the music was there to just better clarify the words being said. In most cases it was a drum machine, preferably an 808, a funky drum break, and some kind of loop. It was pretty simple time for the hip hop producer, you didn't have to do a whole lot. Then one album, one production team changed that forever. "It Takes A Nations Of Mill
ions To Hold Us Back" dropped in 1988 and the world of production was forever changed and the hip hop nation could thank The Bomb Squad for this revolution in beat making. Yes, the art of hip hop production had already been starting to change, with the likes of Ced Gee, Paul C, and Marley Marl, but the Bomb Squad blew the hinges off the mutha fuckin' door with the release of "It Takes A Nation.....".
The original Bomb Squad consisted of Chuck D (credited as Carl Ryder often), Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee and Eric "Vietnam" Sadler. As early as 1975, Hank Shocklee and brother Keith Shocklee started a mobile DJ Crew named "Spectrum City" in Long Island, New York. As the decade came to a close, Chuck would join the crew. In 1982, Spectrum City was ruling the air waves of Adelphi University as the DJ crew for the University's radio station, WBAU. It was here the early conception of both Public Enemy and The Bomb Squad came to being. Originally Hank Shocklee and Chuck were satisfied with being radio personalities. During those early days, they would record spots for the radio show. It was during these early times that they also met Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, who was a musician in his own right join the crew after being around for those early sessions.
In 1984, the crew would release their first 12 inch as Spectrum City, a track called "Lies" with a b-side being "Check Out The Radio", which would become the more popular track on the single. The beat which consisted of a stripped down drum beat with an 808 was clearly influential in the progression in Run DMC, Beastie Boys, and Rick Rubin, all who were regular listeners of the radio show. It would be Rick Rubin who would be courting the group, who along with long time friend Flavor Flav and Norman Rogers aka Terminator X made another single at the end of 1984 that would set things in motion and also change the name of the group. "Public Enemy #1" would be the signal to the rest of the world that a change was in the winds. According to the Brian Coleman's book "Check The Technique", Chuck himself put that track together on two tape decks and a Roland 8000. The tracks feature sample "Blow Your Head" by the JB's, required a quick loop that required a "pause button" approach to hooking the track up.
After chasing the group for two years, Rick Rubin finally signed the group to Def Jam and the group quickly went to work on their debut album with Keith and Hank Shocklee, Sadler and Chuck D doing the production. They were not officially called "The Bomb Squad" yet, but the ground rules were already being laid down. The crew would drop "Yo! Bum Rush The Show" and although the album came out almost a year later than it was supposed to, thus not getting the credit as being as ground breaking as say "Paid In Full", it was still creatively different than most things found at this time. The crew would quickly begin work on possibly the most important produced album of all times,"It takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back", which contained mass chaos and true organized confusion as its basis for the music.
It was this very chaos that led the group to meshing together as a true team. It was also during this time that they started using the moniker of "The Bomb Squad".
"Yeah, except for Eric who was a musician, Eric was the only, he was a bass, sorr
y, guitar player. And he was the only one of us that had like a cultured musical trade. He didn’t read music or anything but he played it, you know? So he would kind of like frown upon some of the stuff that we were putting together like: ”I would put no music together that created dissident chords.“ And he would frown upon that because he would say: ”Hey, that bassline is not in key with the other guitar or the main loop or the main sample part that’s in there.“ And with me it’s not about lining everything up so that the keys matter. It’s about what kind of vibration that you want to achieve from it because there is a certain amount of tension that happens when something is slightly out of key because the ear and the body picks that up and you notice that something is not right with it. But at the same time it’s giving you a certain kind of energy, a certain kind of charge. Well, that’s what I want to get across. And keeping in mind, you know, because I’m big into frequencies and things of that nature." -- Hank Shocklee, Red Bull Music Academy
According to that same lecture he did at the Red Bull Music Academy, each member of The Bomb Squad had their specific function with in the team and it was truly a team concept. Eric Sadler was the musician. He would help the production in certain spots, pointing out a guitar lick that wasn't in tune with the rest of the loop or changing a snare hit to match up right. Hank Shocklee was the "anti-musician", going against traditional musical styles, "destroying" music in a sense. Hank would also say in interviews that in the art of record digging, that the team approach aided the art of finding samples as well, since "The Bomb Squad" production method was one that included layers upon layers of samples in some cases. It was these array of sounds that gave the music its chaotic texture.
When "It Takes A Nation...." was released, the world was turned on their ear and not just the hip hop world. The album was a big hit in the traditional college radio stations as well in an alternative sense of music. The whole production on the album was seen as "experimental", things that had never been heard before. There are probably samples on that album that will never be identified. It was a beautiful hodge podge of sounds. Sampling laws would make this album very difficult to make in the present day enviroment
The year 1990 would be a big year for the crew. With the critical and somewhat commercial
success that "It Takes A Nation...." had (pretty sure the album went platinum), The Bomb Squad was a hot commodity. Even on the R&B circuit, they would remixes for Jody Whatley, Bell Biv Devoe, Sinead O'Connor and even a remix of "Cold Hearted" for Paula Abdul. They would then go back in the lab and put together an arguably classic "Fear Of A Black Planet", which pushed sampling laws even further. "Steppin' To The AM" by Third Bass was a Bomb Squad banger as well. The west coast would soon jump on the nuts of the Bomb Squad as Ice Cube headed out to NY to have the crew produce his debut solo album, "Ammerikkka's Most Wanted". They adapted well to the west coast sound that would later influence other west coast "ryda's" such as Sir Jinx and the Boogiemen (Bobcat, Rashad, and DJ Pooh).
Hank Shocklee would combine with long time Bomb Squad contributor, Bill Stehphany and create S.O.U.L records (Sound Of Urban Listeners) which would feature two Bomb Squad produced album in Young Black Teenagers self titled debut disk and one of MY personal all-time favorites, Son Of Bazerk's "Bazerk, Bazerk, Bazerk". The Bazerk album is probably on of the Bomb Squads greatest opus' of crazy beats that are highly overlooked in the states, but SOB was revered in the international hip-hop community, headlining their own European tour. The group was highly original, using a James Brown type steez and consisting of four other memebers, Cassandra (aka MC Halfpint), Almighty Jahwell, Daddy Rawe, and Sandman, collectively dubbed No Self Control. He is a previous written post about my love of Son Of Bazerk:
We jump into part two of my own personal favorite albums today. The album we have today is quite possibly one of the most overlooked albums ever in my opinion. Son Of Bazerk was a "group" of sorts coming straight outta Strong Island, backed in it's sonic soundscape by the almighty Bomb Squad. Bazerk was the lead MC, backed by No Self Control & The Band, which according to the inner liner notes, consisted of MC Halfpint, Almighty Jahwell, Daddy Rawe, and Sandman, all which pop up through all the album. As much as the group dynamic is strong and adds to the album, the main reason this album grabbed my attention was the crazy, crazy noise, provided by The Bomb Squad.
It was 1991, another number, another summer, and The Bomb Squad was THE Squad on the production tip. They made music out of noise and as much as PE's It Takes A Nation Of Millions... was created out of chaos, Bazerk, Bazerk, Bazerk took that just a step further. Pure, unadultrated noise and it was beautiful. The Bomb Squad was known for it's twisting of samples and making them almost unrecognizable, and this album was no different. Driving basslines dominate tracks, heavy scratching, driving synths and looped guitar riffs that help add to the absolute craziness of the album. It's as if someone had a bucket full of musical concepts and threw it at a canvas and this is what came out of it. I love albums like this, and there is a reason The Bomb Squad is my second favorite, this album just adds to the legacy.
As far as the lyrics, SOB has enough style and vocal presence to not detract from the flurry of sounds coming at the listener. On some tracks such as What Could Be Better Bitch Bazerk actually is the main focus of the track, which doesn't happen much on the album. On other tracks such as the single Change The Style, he even adds to the chaos on the track. His half shouted/half sang flow suites the tracks fine. With his crew splattered through out the album, it comes off as kind of a 60's funk/soul album half the time. Sure, some concepts on the album fall short to keep it from being a bonafied classic, but the tracks that standout are more than enough to make up for any short commings.
I'm sure some people will think I'm crazy mentioning this in the greatness of so many classic albums, but this album got constant play from me for a year or two (at least until Masta Ace INC's Slaughtahouse dropped in 93') and the production makes it one of my top 10 favorite produced albums of all-time. Standout tracks: The Band Gets Swivey On The Wheels, Part One, Change The Style, One Time For The Rebal, What Could Be Better Bitch, Trapped Inside The Rage Of Jahwell, Are You With Me, J Dubs Theme (TIGHT FUCKING SONG)
Four and Half panties out of Five
8/11/06
True Mathematics - Greatest Hits (Champion Records, 1988) http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7LUBLI98
Reportedly, this is a colaboration between Carl Ryder & Hank Shocklee on the music, and Eric Sadler on the vocals. Sounds kind of Bomb Squadish as well. It's not as great as I would have hoped for, but its still kind of difficult to come across. I remember as a kid, I always read people thanking True Mathematics in their liner notes and I was on a mission to find out who and what "True Mathematics" was. I never did find a tape and I don't think I've ever seen a CD for it anywhere either. Made an appearance on PE's "Get The Fuck Outta Dodge" as well.
A1 For The Money
A2 K.A.O.S. (Greeks In Effect Part 2)
A3 After Dark
A4 For The Lover In You
A5 Get Funky Everybody
B1 I Don't Love You Anymore
B2 Be My Girl
B3 Portrait Of A Rap Star
B4 Greeks In The House
B5 True Mathematics
7/23/2007
All The Way Live....
I really need to hit up more live shows. In my older age, I guess I just don't really want to deal with all the goofy ass people and such. In my younger years, I was one of those goofy ass people. I didn't go to a show unless I had at least a six pack in my system and was always trying to run around acting like a moron. As I've grown older, I still don't mind an occasional drink or two, but I'd much rather just kick back and enjoy the music. Maybe it's my intolerance of morons in my old age, but I don't care if you go to a Atmosphere concert or a Masta Ace concert, there are always some idiot that just doesn't get it. Some idiot doing some hyro gyro bullshit, or some dumb chick dancing some bullshit dance.
When I went to see Ace last December in Denver, for the most part it was just real hip hop heads enjoying real hip hop music. But of course there were a group of white kids doing this rave dance bullshit....At an Ace concert??? To to top it off, they are getting all pissed cause they don't have room to dance in the front row like a moron with eplispy. I was getting ready to mash someone in the mouth if they bumped into me one more time, but didn't want to ruin a great concert. But YOU'RE IN THE FRONT ROW! Give me a break, of course your not at some tribal drum circle, you idiot, so of course we are not all going to form a circle around you so you can do your tree hugging dance...jackass. Going to shows up in Boulder is always an experience in of itself. Boulder is kind of a liberal tree hugging place to begin with. I saw Little Brother there last year or the year before and the mix of people was amazing. You had your traditional hip-hop people, you had the hippies, you had the neo-soul junkies, you had your normal run of the mill college kids. I had a good time just watching all the different people
Then the girls, we've all seen it, but you have some some tree hugging, hairy, smelly chick doing some wind walking whispering water dance. You've probably all seen it at a show at least a couple times in your life, the beat is rocking, and she is dancing like she is a sloth on an acid trip. This particular chick wasn't at the Ace concert, but I've seen them at Cypress Hill and the Roots before. Then you have the groupies. At the Ace, two chicks were pretty much standing on stage, grabbing either Punch or Ace everytime the got close enough....DURING THE CONCERT....they gave them both some bracelet....those yellow ones (don't get me started on those)...Punch actually put his on, but Ace looked at it and shoved it in his pocket. But every time they walked by, they would grab on them. Fuck, I didn't pay to see you grab on the performer on stage, or see your ugly ass trying to dance on stage....
I bring this up because I'm planning on hitting up the "Rock The Bells" tour that is coming through Denver in August. With groups like Wu, Cypress, Talib Kweli, Nas and Immortal Technique, I'm expecting a little bit of everything. I've seen Cypress back in '97 on the "Smoking Grooves" tour with Parliment and that was an interesting group of people. I'm sure this will be even more strange. Maybe I'll smoke some weed so I'll be a good and mellow mood.
Here is some live shows. One, the KRS I'm pretty sure I've posted up before, but it's been probably over a year
KRS-One - Live at SOB's
Next is an old school joint straight from the Golden Age. I got goose bumps the first time I listened to it. It is LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim and Public Enemy live in Amsterdam. It's almost two hours of golden age goodness.
Public Enemy, LL Cool J, & Eric B & Rakim Live In Amsterdam
Last but not least, a straight up albumbase jack, but just in case I've offended any of the "Sloth on Acid" dancers out there, here is a rip of a Atmosphere/Eyedea show in Souix Falls South Dakota of all places....consider it a peace offering.
Atmosphere and Eyedea & Abilities Live in Souix Falls
