Wake Your Daughter Up - Hip Hop and Audio Blog ::WYDUblog.com

6/25/2009

So Corny It's Good Part Five: The K-9 Posse

Today, we go to part five of the longest running series on WYDU, the "So Corny It's Good," post, which everyone except Redhead Kingpin's daughter loves. Once again, I'm not calling any of these corny (or in the case of Hammer, not at that time). They are all artists that I bumped quite religiously back in the day, yet they didn't get the respect that they deserved and for one reason or the other bordered the "corny" line by the majority of "hard rocks" back in the day.

Part One: Kwame
Part Two: Redhead Kingpin
Part Three: Bobby Jimmy & The Critters
Part Four: MC Hammer

Once again, I'll post my original introduction that came over three years ago one afternoon while I was sitting at my computer in my Denver apartment......

"Have you ever heard a song that first time you heard it, it sounded corny as shit, but there is just something about it........something that makes you want to sing along with it. You know you shouldn't like it, you shouldn't play it, but sooner or later you find yourself sneaking around your boys, playing a certain song, or a CD that you know you would get clowned on if anyone ever found out. Hip hop is very into peer pressure. In a sense, there are too many sheep and not enough wolves. If something is corny, at least in the "old days", it usually was talking about things not typically found in hip hop. Stuff like Kid N Play, or DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The subject matter wasn't about how "hard on the boulevard" you are, or bustin' yo gat. It was about other things that fell into the realm of "corniness". If just given a chance, it wasn't all that bad. Some of the music was actually pretty good. I'm not saying all corny music can be good. There is a lot of corny music out there that is horrible no matter how you look at it. But there is some that people look down on for one reason or another. It's this music that I'm going to kind of spotlight from time to time. There were alot of artists from the late 80's to the mid 90's that fell into that "corny" category. You have been "trained" that you probably shouldn't like it, but dammit, some of it isn't all that bad. True, some people will see some of the music I'm going to highlight and laugh their asses off. I don't care, I'm comfortable enough to say "hey, I like this!" Some of it, yes, I did hide from my friends back in the day. Some of it has been forgotten, some of it still wears the "corny badge" to this day. Well, I'm bringing the fiber with some healthy corny choices."

Today's choice for the dubious honor of appearing in this series is none other than K-9 Posse. There is not a lot out there as far as info goes for the group, which was comprised of Vernon "VAS" Lynch Jr. and Wardell "Dubip" Mahone, both MCs. The crew's main claim to fame wasn't even really their music, but the fact that Lynch has half brother of Eddie Murphy and were also managed by Charlie Murphy was a full brother of Eddie. Charlie is also listed with writing credits with two songs on the duo's debut self-titled album.

The group first appeared on the scene in 1988, which was probably a bad year to drop your album unless you were truly amazing. The self-titled album was a good album that wound up getting a lot of play from me that year, despite the plethora of classics that also dropped. The album had three rather successful singles from it. The first single was the infectious record, "Ain't Nothin' To It." Produced by Bobby "Bobcat" Earvin, who also did the whole album, the track featured a looped bass line and then threw all the makings of a great track with a dashes of horns, drum tracks and other missed matched sounds that came out like gumbo, or even like a Bomb Squad track.

The second single from K9 Posse received the remix condition, also by Bobcat. "This Beat Is Military" was the lead track from the album and in it's original creation was definitely a good track, although a bit darker than the remix. The "left, left, right, left" military chant is found on both, but the sinister synths and heavier bass lines make it a more denser version. The remix on the other hand was lighter, with more bouncy horn samples that take a more center stage on the remix. Even the delivery is more light hearted. Of course, after you see the video, you understand why. It's more of a "gomer pyle" type of comedy video. It some ways I was disappointed that they "ruined" a perfectly dark and harder song from the album back in those days, but I have to say I prefer the remix these days. One has to wonder how much the Eddie Murphy factor come into affect with the creation of the video

The third single, "It Gets No Deeper," wasn't as successful as the previous two singles (I can't even remember if there was a video for it), but it's dope in it's own right. There are several other tracks that I thought would have made for a better single. "Tough Cookie," was one such candidate. To be honest, just about every track found on the ten track album was jamable. They were all the raw, in-your-face hip hop that could be found during the era. My next door neighbor was a bigger fan of this album than I was. It was him that really kept this tape in full-time rotation on our rides to school in my sophomore year of high school.

K-9 Posse would release a second album three years later. At the time, I considered it one of the worse albums I had ever heard. I haven't listened to it in probably 15 years plus, but I remember it being full of house and swing hip hop that I despised back in the day. The lead single (and only single that I remember) "Get Wild, Get Crazy" was straight up wack. Apparently, they decided they could produce themselves. Gone was the hardcore grooves of Bobcat, replaced by the plastic mainstream attempt plastic beats. After the rather monumental flop of On A Different Tip (a worse tip), Arista would drop the group. I don't think you had to worry about Lynch and Charlie Murphy as I think their rather famous brother wouldn't let them drop to far and I heard both Lynch and Charlie are writing movies. The other member of K-9 hasn't been seen since and could be a prime candidate for a side of a milk carton.

As far as rarity, I've only seen their debut album out in the "field" a few times in the past few years. I picked it up in Denver a few years ago on CD, but that's the last time I've seen it. It's fairly common online though, with Discogs having 22 of them for sale, anywhere from a few bucks to twenty plus. On A Different Tip has been a long time penny CD on Amazon and I've seen it out in stores for as little as fifty cents (which I still didn't buy). I did however just pick it up last weekend in Denver on vinyl for a couple bucks, which is probably a couple bucks too much.

K-9 Posse - Ain't Nothin' To It 12" (Arista, 1988)

A1		Ain't Nothin To It (Album Version) (3:16)
A2		Ain't Nothin To It (Vocal Version) (3:07)
B1		Ain't Nothin To It (Dance Version) (6:27)

K-9 Posse - It Gets No Deeper 12" (Arista, 1989)

A1 It Gets No Deeper (Extended Remix) (4:53)
Producer - Hank Shocklee , Keith Shocklee , Paul Shabazz

A2 It Gets No Deeper (Instrumental) (4:30)
Producer - Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin

B1 It Gets No Deeper (Edited Remix) (3:46)
Producer - Hank Shocklee , Keith Shocklee , Paul Shabazz

B2 Ain't Nothin' To It (Dance Version) (6:27)
Producer - Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin

K-9 Posse - K-9 Posse (Arista, 1988)

1 This Beat Is Military (4:54)
2 Ain't Nothin To It (3:16)
3 Somebody's Brother (5:11)
Co-producer - Nile Rodgers
4 It Gets No Deeper (4:09)
5 No Stoppin Or Standin Between The Rhyme (4:15)
6 Tough Cookie (3:42)
7 Say Who Say What (4:38)
8 This Is The Way The Quick Cut Goes (3:20)
9 No Sell Out (3:35)
10 Turn That Down (3:40)

K-9 Posse - On A Different Tip (Arista, 1991)

01		Intro (1:47)
02		Never Underestimate The Power (4:52)
03		Get Wild Go Crazy (4:35)
04		Apartheid (5:13)
05		I Got It (3:33)
06		Unbeatable (4:40)
07		Prime Time (4:08)
08		Fed Up (2:47)
09		We're Not Hounds (4:36)
10		Black Eyes And Chalk White Lips (4:26)
11		If My Heart Could Speak (5:09)
12		A Steady Flow (3:40)
13		Believe In Yourself (4:18)
14		Jazzy's Story (4:46)
15		Bump This (3:52)
16		On The Road Again (4:46

So Corny It's Good: Part Four (aka What The F@$K is Trav Thinking)

It's time again for THE longest running series on WYDU. It doesn't have the most posts, since we are only on part four, but it's been going since April of 2006. For those of you who might have missed the first three, take a dip back in time:

Part One: Kwame
Part Two: Redhead Kingpin
Part Three: Bobby Jimmy & The Critters

This is what I wrote way back on that April day about the whole subject and I still stand by my observation of the artists that will be covered in this series:

"Have you ever heard a song that first time you heard it, it sounded corny as shit, but there is just something about it........something that makes you want to sing along with it. You know you shouldn't like it, you shouldn't play it, but sooner or later you find yourself sneaking around your boys, playing a certain song, or a CD that you know you would get clowned on if anyone ever found out. Hip hop is very into peer pressure. In a sense, there are too many sheep and not enough wolves. If something is corny, at least in the "old days", it usually was talking about things not typically found in hip hop. Stuff like Kid N Play, or DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The subject matter wasn't about how "hard on the boulevard" you are, or bustin' yo gat. It was about other things that fell into the realm of "corniness". If just given a chance, it wasn't all that bad. Some of the music was actually pretty good. I'm not saying all corny music can be good. There is alot of corny music out there that is horrible no matter how you look at it. But there is some that people look down on for one reason or another. It's this music that I'm going to kind of spotlight from time to time. There were alot of artists from the late 80's to the mid 90's that fell into that "corny" category. You have been "trained" that you probably shouldn't like it, but dammit, some of it isn't all that bad. True, some people will see some of the music I'm going to highlight and laugh their asses off. I don't care, I'm comfortable enough to say "hey, I like this!" Some of it, yes, I did hide from my friends back in the day. Some of it has been forgotten, some of it still wears the "corny badge" to this day. Well, I'm bringing the fiber with some healthy corny choices."

Today's artist is somewhat different in that it's not the actual artist, but more like his first two projects. I'm sure a lot of you are going to say "WHAT THE FUCK IS HE THINKING?!?!", when I declare MC Hammer as being anywhere close to good. Before you get out the tar and feathers and forever banish me from the hip hop kingdom, just hear me out. And before we go any further, I'm COMPLETELY SOBER, no wacky weed, no alcoholic beverages have been consumed when writing this......

MC Hammer wasn't a great MC, far from it actually. I wouldn't even call him an MC, but we'll avoid that argument for the time being. His delivery was basically wack, his flow was non existent, his rhyme structure was basic and amateurish at best. So why in the hell do I enjoy his independently released debut Feel My Power (Oaktown Records)? Well.......The man was a showman, but unfortunately for him, that didn't translate into talent as an MC. But the energy he possessed that we saw during his stage show in those days, did come out in his music.

Top 10 Reasons To Like MC Hammer

1. The fool could DANCE! He made his closest nemesis, Vanilla Ice, look like he was having an epileptic seizure. And as much as I liked Serch, dude couldn't dance.

2. His stage show was a SHOW, there was shit going on all over that stage, more than a Macey's on the day after Thanksgiving

3. His glasses were cooler than MC Serch's

4. He introduced the world to the 2 Bigg MC AND Oaktown's 357, what's not to like about them?

5. Did you really want Gerardo to sell 10 million copies?

6. The Hammer Dolls were much better for kids than the perverted Pee Wee Herman dolls.

7. He inspired Dres and Mista Lawnge to make "H.A.A. (Here's Another Asshole)", which is possibly the most underrated dis track in the history of hip hop.

8. If he was "In the Same Gang" with NWA, Cube, DU, and the rest of the West Coast All-Stars, shouldn't he be cool enough to bump at a party?

9. He took his name after the TRUE all-time home run leader, Hammerin' Hank Aaron.

10. Who else would artists from the 90's have to take cheap shots at back in the day?

Hammer got his start in the Bay Area, recording Feel My Power in the 86-87 and dropping the album independently. It would move a reported 60K on the independent route. Radio stations would play "Let's Get It Started", in which he declared he was, ".....second to none" and named LL, Run DMC and Doug E Fresh, a clear swipe to the east coast giants of the time. The track became a local hit and caught the attention of several major labels. It would be Capitol that would win the services of Hammer. He would then turn around and repackage Feel My Power and add a few new songs to it and release as his major label debut as Let's Get It Started. The album did pretty well, and honestly, at least out here in the west, wasn't really seen as part of the mainstream music that was starting to become prevalent in those days (ie Tone Loc, Young MC). The video for "Turn This Mutha Out" got constant Yo! MTV Raps Play at the time.

In today's atmosphere, everyone is to damn scared to dance, to have a good time. The days of the hip hop dancer are looooong gone, but this shit will get you up out of your chair and tear a rug up. The man's energy was incredible on those first two projects. You need to look no further than the track "Feel My Power", to feel the vibe I'm speaking on. Yes, he almost kills it when he says "You're nothing but a fish, a smelt, and not a trout", which is...wow...horrible, I won't argue that, but I've heard better MC's that lacked any kind of energy on the mic, and it just doesn't grab. "Ring 'Em" was another jam that got the party started. The beats of course are nothing mind blowing, with the hand claps, and the chicky background vocals, but the shit gets ya going. On "Let's Get it Started", hammer becomes even more brave with the video for "Pump It Up" as his disses Run DMC. While Run DMC had started their fall in 1988, they were still ballsy targets to tackle. "Turn This Mutha Out", is truly an ill song, with its hard beat and Hammer acting like a badass, but once again, it's a perfect example of why these first two albums are so ill.

Anyone has the video version of "Turn This Mutha Out" (the album version is missing the last verse or two), hit me up, I've been looking for that for awhile.

Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's my shitty taste in hip hop.... nah, couldn't be that. I'm not saying that either album are unheralded classics, because there are way too many things wrong with them. They are definitely a "mood" albums, they are something you play when you are in a particular mood. You want to get your dance on, this here shit will get ya movin'. Feel My Power and Let's Get it Started are both decent albums that only get shit on because of what Hammer would become. If there was no 10 Jillion Bazillion "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em", I doubt a lot of you cats would be getting ready to email for the contact info of my drug dealer that I got these wonderful drugs to write such a piece. Without his later career, I think both pieces of work would be respected albums.

Feel My Power
http://sharebee.com/a9939407