This Or That ..... Tha Alkaholiks

This week, we are back to the west coast and highlighting one of my all-time favorite groups, Tha Alkaholiks. Comprised of J-Ro, Tash, and E-Swift, the Liks would first appear on King Tee's Tha Trifflin' Ablum release. On that album, it was just E-Swift and J-Ro appearing on a few tracks since Tash was locked up for a DUI charge when the tracks were recorded. Being the large King Tee fan I was at the time (and still am), the Liks assisted tracks would soon become my favorite. I was soon on the lookout for more of their music. The summer of '93, right smack dab in my hardcore partying days, they would release the first of a string of three great albums, in the form of 21 & Over. We examine the three albums and try to decide, if possible, which of their first three albums deserves being called Tha Alakaholiks greatest piece of work.

21 & Over Vs. Coast II Coast

Tha Alkaholiks - 21 & Over

As any memorable album that I own, I remember the day I purchased 21 & Over. It was a Thursday, which was a couple days after the new releases dropped. Not sure why I didn't check it on the day it was released. I was at a girlfriend's place, chillin' with her, watching the VMA's on MTV. She was starting to annoy me, so I bounced out and stopped by the Hastings store that was right by her place. As I mentioned, I had been playing the King Tee album non stop since it dropped and quickly grew to like the vibe E-Swift and J-Ro were giving on the album. I was looking forward to the their own album. Then of course, "Make Room", had dropped a bit before the album to build the buzz. I remember picking it up and quickly threw it in the CD player on the way home. The party/drinking lyrics over funky tracks all just sucked me into their music. 21 & Over would soon be the soundtrack to any Friday night while I was getting ready to head out.

Coming in at a quick ten tracks, it follows that classic rule that more hip hop artists AND people in general should abide by, quality over quantity. Give me ten strong tracks anytime over ten strong tracks out of eighteen total. It just makes for a more enjoyable listening experience and a more complete album. That's exactly what Tha Liks intended to do on 21 & Over, with none of the ten tracks deserving of the fast forward button. As previously mentioned, "Make Room" was the first single. The single was successful enough to get airplay in New York City, which at that time wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish for a west coast group. Musically, they had that west coast style of deliveries and some of the beats are definitely left coasted influence, with they funk samples and the such. But they weren't rhyming about the typical things that west coast artists were rhyming about at the time. They were all about partying and having a good time, not to mention that Tash could lyrically hang with anyone coming from the east. This might have to do with the fact that both Tash and E-Swift are originally from Ohio, or as I've read in numerous interviews, they were influenced more by the east coast hip hop than than there gangsta rap influenced west coast compadres.



Their appeal to both segregated hip hop coasts is the main reason for the success of 21 & Over. Tracks like "Only When I'm Drunk", which uses the familiar "7 Minutes of Funk" sample, were able to be played on both coasts. Of course this track also demonstrates the vibe that made them so popular to hip hop heads. J-Ro, who is often overshadowed by the vastly superior MC, Tash, drops a drunken style that had me singing along many a drunken nights with it:

I get drunk and I stumble to the phone
And conjure up a bitch to bone when I'm alone
OHh shit, tow back, I need to take a piss
Only when I'm drunk I sing a song like this
My grandma and your grandma *urrp*
Sittin by the fire
Hold on, turn the beat off [nah, keep it goin
J-Ro can you make it?] I'm just not knowin
I get drunk and start talkin mo' shit
And when I got a gun in my hand you better get, out
Cause my brain just ain't what it used to be
Forget tryin to raionalize, cover your eyes
Ah d-*urrp*, damn I'm drunk
I need a chunk, no better yet a hunk of that funk
When I get drunk I might act uncouth
But when I get drunk I always tell the truth
Yeah I'm good, I'm bad, I'm dope, I'm freaky fresh
I make hip-hop fans say yes yes
The Liks comin through, you know we gonna blow upop
Hold up, hold up, I think I gotta...
*urrrrrrp* Damn, false alarm
Gettin all the ladies with my cool charm
When I get drunk I might even call my daddy a punk
Yeah, but only when I'm dr-*urp* drunk

Straight and precise but loaded with fun, it was tracks like this that made J-Ro one of my personal favorites on the mic, despite the fact he wasn't looked upon as the second coming of Rakim. Of course, they didn't need Ro to be a lyrical beast, they had that in Tash. Tash is a beast on the mic, some people don't realize that. He lead off "Last Call" with the wickedness:

It's time to roll my sleeves, fuck a few MC's up
Another rough cut, from the crew that won't ease up
The Alkaholik click, AKA the forty downers
Flips rhymes like Calvin flips fries and quarter pounders
I never drink and drive cuz I might spill my drink
I failed the breathalizer so they took me to the clink
Niggaz earlin in the sink cause they can't fade the Cisco
I'm from the old school but I never rocked a disco
Loops from the group that, likes to smack the bitches
Tha Liks is hittin hookers like a gangsta hittin switches
Front, to the back, to the side, to the side
And make you dance with these bitches but, no electric slidin
And I'm about to flip, but first I'm bout to sip
Off the forty ounce of brew that I was savin for the trip
Back to the lab cuz all I do is bang cuts
That's why I hang around my group like a dick hang with nuts

A true ode to drinking, and that's exactly why 21 & Over is the classic that no one mentions. "Turn The Party Out" is the worlds introduction to the Loot Pack and more specifically, Madlib. The credits say it's produced by the Loot Pack, but I'm willing to bet that means Madlib did it all himself. "Bullshit" is another old school sounding (meaning pre '84) track with it's Skull Snaps sample (you know which one)for the drum tracks and it's call and response style chorus.

Some niggaz rock like the Liks... BULLSHIT!
Uhh, I hate big tits... BULLSHIT!
We'll never make another hit... BULLSHIT!
I don't drink cause I quit... BULLSHIT!

If you had to pick a weak link, you probably would have to go with "Soda Pop", and even that is stretching it. The unheard of group, Field Trip, dominate the track, but it's fits into the grand scheme of things. The only west coast influenced song would be "Who Dem Niggas", which has Threat guest appearing. The track hipped me to Threat and put him on my radar. The track is great, but in some ways doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. Over all though 21 & Over is an album that I can still rap along with word for word. It's an album that I can put on at anytime and just vibe with it. If I'm in a shitty mood, this album will put me in a better mood. It's simply just fun music and a group not acting all hard and bad, something sorely missing in today's music.

Tha Alkaholiks - Coast II Coast

After the moderate success of 21 & Over found on both coasts, Tha Liks quickly figured out they were onto something. Much like that first album, Coast II Coast is very accessible to listeners in both locales. They even went as far as to bring on one of the dopest east coast producers at the time, Diamond D, for two tracks. The same vibe and the same flows along with some of the same topics were present for Coast II Coast and in some ways they were more precise. The album was another short one, coming in at 11 tracks this time. They did extend the songs as far as how long they went. On 21 & Over, every song except one was under the four minute mark, while only two tracks around under the four minute mark on Coast II Coast. Not that it was a significant change, it did make for a little longer album time wise, which gave you the feeling of more Liks music, which in this case isn't a bad thing.

They followed a lot of the same formulas that were successful for them on the first album, including making sure the first single was one that grabbed the listeners attention. For 21 & Over, it was "Make Room", for Coast II Coast, it was "Daaam". "Daaam!" was armed with an infectious bass line and the party anthem themed lyrics, it did it's job and got the masses ready for another Alkaholiks album. Myself, I was a HUGE Liks fan by this point in time. We all know what 1994-95 was like in terms of music, with classic albums dropping once a month if not more often, but in the spring of '95 I was eagerly awaiting the release of Coast II Coast after seeing ads in "The Source" magazine. I remember picking it up the day it dropped after getting out of class. My then girlfriend had to listen to this CD everyday for the next month (at least until Sittin On Chrome dropped). We would car pool to our college classes together and I pumped it every morning. For her, it was better than the Biggie and Wu-Tang Clan that I had been playing previously, but she still wasn't very fond of the whole hip hop thing.



After the Madlib produced "WLIX" which lead the album off, the Liks showed they were back with a vengence, concentrating more on the battle rhyme and quirky punchlines than the old style partying they displayed on the first album. "Read My Lips" is straight up beats and rhymes style as an improved J-Ro showcases his rhymes style over a funky E-Swift beat. Tash of course displays why after Kurupt, that he should be considered the best west coast MC:

Read my lips, my dick be makin bitches leave tips
Castin shadows over battles like a lunar eclipse
Cause the man that makes you jump like you the grand prize winner of a Lexus
I'm back again to test your reflexes
If you don't think I can flow then you can ask E-Swift
If you don't believe Swift then you can call Steve Griff
If you don't believe Griff then step up to fuck with I
Call you up and send you as a gift to hieroglyph
Cause the Liks got lyric tricks datin back to eighty-six
While my thousand dollar system still busts the pause mix
So my style be comin at you more deadlin than a cobra
With these niggaz on my mind like is he drunk or is he sober
Mind your biz while I rhymes like Biz to the tent
I slam like a fifth that stays hidden
Not to be fucked with, under any circumstances
And I don't have to sing to send these bitches into trances

The first of two Diamond D tracks is the next track in "Let It Out". The DITC style horn samples and dusty bass line make this track in the running for my favorite track off of the album. As I mentioned, J-Ro is a sharper lyricist on Coast II Coast. He's still not going to blow you away on the mic, but his 83 style makes for a perfect accompaniment on Tha Liks style of music:

I get in em when I sin em, the Alkaholik venom
I fold your clothes with your body still in em
The rhymes I got, hit like Ronnie Lott
The only way you take my spot is with a shot
I grab rappers by the hand and make sure they understand
That they can't scrape J-Ro the man
A nigga who stays, in the old school ways
And just like Subways, I can make your days
We got more soul than James Brown and platform Adidas
The Likwit crew, comin new like a fetus
So run tell your granny, your pops and your girl
Niggaz like me gonna rule the world
So all aboard the J-Ro train to FunkyTown
Express from the West so it's best that I clown

From there it's the three tracks that define the album and make it a separate piece of work than just being a 21 & Over Part II album. "21 & Under" jumps off into a story as Tash talks about running into some young kids in a convince store and tries to steer them away from being rappers. The chorus is one of those choruses that get stuck in your mind and was a common favorite of mine back in day. The beat is a sure sign that E-Swift matured as a producer. Truthfully, while I loved the music found on 21 & Over, the beats were really simple. They worked wonderfully, but they weren't that deep. On Coast II Coast, E-Swift comes into his own and "21 & Under" is a great example of that. The nearly flawless "All The Way Live" is a perfect track that demonstrates the bi-coastal appeal of the Liks, with both Q-Tip and King Tee grabbing the mic. The Abstract was on top his game in the mid 90's and most definitely is on point on "All The Way Live". King Tee busts his drunken style over a sparse piano loop that make this track sound like it could have been recorded in D&D Studios or something.

Some might say that Coast II Coast is most remembered for the second single, the Diamond produced "The Next Level". Again, the beat is something that classics are remembered for, with a sick bass line and some noisy background horns. Diamond even jumps on the mic for the second verse. He adds more east coast flavor to the already heavily influenced east side track. The track is a classic in my book as everyone rips the mic, from J-Ro to a sick, sick Tash verse. Even E-Swift, who was more than a producer, jumped on the mic. While he's not a great mic, he added his own brand of drunken flavor in the same way triple sec adds to a Long Island Ice Tea. You gotta have it.



The album appeased the Liks fans and gained them some critical acclaim from the same places that gave them props the first time around, but I think it failed to gain them any new fans, except for those that were Diamond D junkies. The album wasn't flawless this time around either. "2014" isn't a bad joint, but it was a track that after about a month I would skip over it when it came on. It's an interesting concept and the beat is nice, but it lacked replayablity (Yeah, I made that word up). "Flashback" was another track that I quickly grew tired of. The (true) old school influenced track was again alright the first few times, but I would quickly skip over it after a week or two. For all the Liks fans though, it was near classic. All in all, the group was more dialed in on Coast II Coast and might just be their career defining album.

The Final Verdict

In our past "This Or That" weeks during this series, I've been able to accurately predict the winners with very little trouble. This one though, I'm not really sure how it's going to end up. I came very close to including Likwidation as well, but after listening to it, it was just wasn't up to par as the other two. I do think if that album was trimmed down to 12 songs or so, we'd be discussing it as well. In some ways, I feel that musically, Coast II Coast is the better album. E-Swift, who is mad underrated, was on top of his game at this time and lyrically, the duo of J-Ro and Tash are at their best and even though E-Swift wasn't on Coast II Coast as much as he was on 21 & Over, he still did his part lyrically. In the end though, I'm going to go with the nostalgic reasons and go with all the fun times that 21 & Over conjure up in my mind.

Trav's Pick: 21 & Over

J-Zone:
"Coast To Coast all day. 21 & Over had all the singles and party anthems but Coast To Coast was more diverse. They had some drunk party anthems but they also had concepts like 2014, Hit & Run and the title cut. All 3 MC's killed it on this album, but Tash just went nuts. And E-Swift's beats on Coast To Coast were his best ever and mad slept on. The way he was choppin mad samples from all over the place and just doin the wall of sound shit...it was very uncommon to hear that style in the mid-90's. It was deceptively complex, cause you don't realize all the layers he got in the beats. Listen to "Read My Lips" and "Bottoms Up" and tell me E-Swift ain't one of the most underrated to do it. I tell him that to this day and its because of Coast To Coast. Even the beats on the skits were ill!"

J-Zone's pick: Coast II Coast

Has-Lo:
21 & Over. I like the beats better. On Coast II Coast, the vibe was much darker and they had some stellar moments, like 2014, but 21 & Over was more fun.

Has' pick: 21 & Over

CH Commish from "Slushy Gutter Summer"
When Tha Liks dropped their debut album, it was like they were talking to me. "Only When Im Drunk", "Last Call"- come on, who hasn't lived out real life versions of those songs? 10 tracks, no filler, no kitschsy skits, just precise lyrics and funny pop culture metaphors, and some of the banginest beats of the mid-90s. "Make Room" still gets the party going 16 years later.

Commish's pick: 21 & Over

House from The Meaning of Dope

E-Swift and Tash are both from Ohio so I had a special interest in this group. Not only had they hooked up with King Tee one of the hardest and first pioneers of gangsta rap, but they had an entire album dedicated to guzzling brew. Oh My God these guys were speaking directly to me one on one! I rememeber being drunk, leaving the bar and hanging out the window with the radio bumping screaming "LAST CALL YA'LL!!". This was a standout album when everything was G-Funk. I believe it is one of the most unique albums of the early 90's, funny, witty, interesting rhymes, tight beats and impeccable production.

House's pick: 21 & Over

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Summary only...

WTR Meets WYDU Presents: I Love The 90's (1993 Part II)

Important Events

- Tupac is arrested for shooting two off duty Atlanta police in the ass. The charges are later dropped after the officers are to embarrassed to testify. A legend is born.

- Rev. Calvin Butts attempts to steam roll a pile of rap CDs to protest their violent content. In 2007, the good Reverend attempts to steam roll all the crappy myspace CDs, but cannot find a steamroller big enough.

- Snoop appears on November Newsweek with the headline: When Is Rap 2 Violent. Millions of white suburban kids, confused by the clever marketing strategy of using “2” instead of “to” buy the magazine, thinking it’s the reincarnation of “Word Up”.


Notable Deaths
- Subroc (KMD)


Looking back on '93 and I realize what a fuckin' year it really was. There are so many albums that I would call personal classics and genre classics. You had Wu-Tang, Souls of Mischief, The Pharcyde. You had the classic "Midnight Marauders" from A Tribe Called Quest, which I would personally classify as the greatest "first listen" I've ever had for an album as I listened to the album three times in a row while making out with a little hottie and getting some "stinky pinky". I'm not sure what I was more impressed with, finally getting in the chicks pants or the greatness that was "Midnight Marauders". I had a similar experience with Black Moon's "Enta Da Stage", but that chick was much less impressive than the album itself. Eric has already mentioned the classic of De La's "Buhloone Mindstate", an album which I'm ashamed to say was when I really got into De La Soul for the first time. I can remember picking up Del's "No Need For Alarm" and after the initial shock of it not sounding anything like "I Wish My Brother...." playing it over and over that night after work. I had personal classics such as "Slaughtahouse" that dropped that year. Ace and company released what would become my all-time favorite album to some fan fare, but 15 years later, people give it it's just due. Another personal classic in the form of "Tha Trifflin'" album was dropped by King Tee, which I will discuss in a little more detail in this post. The baldheads invaded when Onyx dropped their classic debut album. Tha Alkaholiks dropped their debut as well and made jams that can still turn any party out. It's years like '93 that I look back at and realize, damn, shit isn't bad now, but it'll never be like that again. It kind of sucks.......

Knucklehedz - Strictly Savage (1993)

Glad we are getting good feedback on the "I Love The 90's" series. Today we come with one of my favorite crews in the history of hip hop, the almighty Hit Squad (circa pre EPMD break-up). As even the most novice hip hop head knows, the Hit Squad consisted of : EPMD, Das EFX, Redman, and K Solo, but what a lot of people don't know there was a group of two white boys that repped the Hit Squad that never got their time in the spotlight, the Knucklehedz.

The Knucklehedz were from L.I. along with E Double and Pee and consisted of Tom J and Steve Austin. For some reason they didn't appear on a lot of the earlier Hit Squad stuff, although it was rumored they were life long friends with Sermon. They first appeared in a small part in EPMD's "Hit Squad Heist", while Tom J also had a small part on K-Solo's first album. They joined PMD's "Shuma Managment" and got signed by East/West recordings....see where this is going? Yeah, like Omniscience, Supernatural and others, they never got the album released, and were eventually dropped by the label that has dropped more balls than a Denver Broncos wide receiver.

Musically, it has a smorgas board of Hit Squad affiliates behind the boards, with Charilie Marotta doing the majority of the album. You might be familiar with Charlie on some of the Das Efx albums along with a couple PMD solo joints, one of the EPMD albums and some joints on Top Quality's "Magnum Opus" LP. Both Parrish and Erick did three tracks apiece with Erick Sermon's "All She Wanted" being the gem of the bunch. Think of the first two Redman albums and Keith Murray's first album and you'll know what I'm talking about. Some funk for the trunk that sounds funkier than three week old socks. Lyrically, they basically sound like EPMD. Slow, methodical rhymes. They fit the tracks good, but are by no means lyrical geniuses. The album jumps off with "Hed Rush" which to me is the best track on the album. Some lazy horn riding a deep bassline. Some songs come off as stuff you've heard one too many times. By no means is the album a lost classic (like say the "Resident Alien" or the "Omniscience") but if you were a fan of the early 90's hip hop scene or better yet, the HIT SQUAD, you should definately check this album out.

tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 & 8 produced by Charlie (MacGyver) Marotta
tracks 4, 9 & 11 produced by Parrish Smith
tracks 7, 10 & 12 produced by Erick Sermon
tracks 2, 6, 7, 9 & 12 co-produced by Knucklehedz
(thanks to Jaz for the production credits)

King Tee - Tha Trifflin' Album (Capitol)
Released: January 26th, 1993

Next up is one of my personal favorite west coast artists, King Tee. Hailing from Compton, California, Tee took the aspects of some of his favorite east coast music and applied them to his own brand of west coast funk. His early attempts were produced by DJ Unknown, who did a lot of Ice T's early stuff, and a young DJ Pooh, who would go on to become a legend in west coast circles. King Tee's first album, "Act A Fool" is a west coast classic in its own right. With tracks like "Bass (remix)" and "Payback's a Mutha", Tee perfected a "crazy drunken style" waaaay before ODB or any others. The video for "Bass" was an staple on early "Yo! MTV Raps" and featured many early west coast artists and exposed the nation to the art of hydraulics and "hittin' switches" way before it caught on in the early 90's. In 1990, King Tee would drop his sophomore LP, "At Your Own Risk", which would further cement him into the West hierarchy. It was that LP's remix of the title track that was produced by Marley Marl that would mark one of the first times the East and West collaborated in such a way. In 1993, Tee would jump back in the scene with his crew, The Likwit Crew, which would would introduce the world to the "Alkaholiks", consisting of J-Ro, E-Swift (who DJ'd on Tee's second album) and Tash, who was absent on "Tha Trifflin' Album", for serving a bid after a DUI arrest.

"Tha Trifflin' Album" features classical west coast production from legendary west coast producers such as DJ Pooh, DJ Alladin, and a relatively new comer at the time, Broadway. King Tee's subject matter on this, as well as his other efforts, is what sets him apart from the traditional "gangsta" artist. Tee dedicates a lot of his lyrics to the art of drinking, not drive-by's and and traditional west coast fare. The album does contain a lot of the funk samples that were found during the times, but Tee somehow makes it all sound fresh. "Got It Bad Y'all" is our first introduction to J-Ro & E-Swift that leaves the listener singing a long with the fly hook. Sex rhymes are also common subject matter, with the WYDU favorites "Bus Dat Ass", "Blow My Sox Off", and "Where'sa Hoe Sat I & II" dealing with jocking the females. Another sorely overlooked Cali MC, Threat (credited as Deadly Threat on this LP) shows up on another classic, "A Hoe B-4 Tha Homie" telling that pussy whipped homeboy to pull his head out of his ass and realize his bitch is a skeezer.

This album has always been one of my favorite west coast LP's that doesn't nearly get the credit it should. King Tee has always been a fun listen that doesn't get to serious and just throws that classic west coast funk at your ears. This album is one of my prized collections. It's one of the few CD's that I haven't lost since originally buying it when it dropped. I don't see it much anymore in the stores, but it can still be found on some of the used music dealers online. While it's not as spendy as "Act A Fool", which is going for over $100, still expect to pay between $20-60 bucks for it. I don't generally condone spending that kind of money on any used CD, but if you can track one down on the low end, it's well worth the price.




Prime Minister Pete Nice & Daddy Rich - Dust To Dust (Def Jam)
Released: April 27th, 1993

If you have been reading this series all the way through, you will know that Pete Nice was my favorite out of the 3rd Bass trio. The dude was my idol as a white wanna be kid, in the way that he was cool, he was down, but he didn't try to be anything he wasn't. Sure, he probably didn't need a cane and that shit, but it just made him that much cooler. He had the "mad snap hats", the big ass cigar, the cool ass goatee (that I still can't grow if you paid me). The dude was the epitome of "cool". Serch was cool in my eyes, but he was a spaz. When 3rd Bass broke up, Serch would release his album first, and in all honesty, it was a let down to us 3rd Bass fans. It wasn't horrible, it just wasn't what we expected from the former 3rd Bass member. Pete and Rich were left to save the solo efforts of the once proud duo. Did he accomplish the feat? Yes and no.

While "Dust To Dust" is somewhat a disappointment when it originally dropped, I place some blame on Def Jam. The album was horribly delayed and in Source article, it mentioned Russell Simmons not being horribly impressed with the album. The lead single, "Kick The Bobo", was probably a poor choice as a first single. The video for "Rat Bastard" was banned from MTV for the violent intro to the video, which featured Pete playing "The Godfather" and beating down a man, who looked eerily familiar, with a baseball bat. With all that being said though, the album did have it's strong moments.

The production comes with some dusty loops provided by both the Prime Minister himself and the Beatnuts as well as a track from KMD and Sam Sever mixed in for good measure. The album version of "Rat Bastard" features a guest appearance from Pyscho Les and is produced by the Beatnuts. It's class 'Nuts as the dusty loop fuels the fury felt on the track from Pete and accompanies some nice scratched in chorus elements. Pete actually comes off stronger on the lyrical tip on this album than he did on the 3rd Bass albums. The album also features a nice track featuring the DJ, Daddy Rich, who does work on "The Lumberjack". It's something missing on today's hip hop albums, a track dedicated to letting the DJ get busy. Pete supplies a nice track for Rich to do his thing. "Outta My Way, Baby" is another classic Beatnuts production as it incorporates a familiar piano loop that has the Beatnuts fingerprints all over it. Other dope tracks include "The Verbal Message", "The Sleeper" and the title track "Dust To Dust".

The only thing really kept this album back aside from Def Jam not giving two squirts of piss about it, it really did lack that "banger", a track that just screamed "CLASSIC". Some people mention that it lacked a lot of diversity as well, which I guess in someways it does. To me though, it's more of a cohesive effort. Funny story goes with this album. The record shop I used to do all my shopping at, had a promo copy of this on tape. As I mentioned, the album was pushed back quite a bit. I saw the promo tape at a listening station they had by the counter. You popped in the tape into the little stereo system they had and let it play. I was DYING to hear the whole album, but I didn't want to sit at the record store to hear the whole damn thing. So I did something I didn't normally do, I swiped it. I'm sure some of you are saying "big fuckin' deal", but I just wasn't one of them dudes to steal shit. Sure, I lifted some candy bars in my days, and I had a hand in jacking some beer in my younger, dumber days (which were probably around this time as well), but I never took shit like tapes or clothes or anything like that. I stuffed the tape in my coat and went out the door. No alarms, nothing. I gave it some listens then started feeling guilty, so I decided I was going to take it back, karma is a bitch after all. So I go strolling through the door and the fuckin' alarm goes off. I have no clue how or why. All I had was the tape and I'm sure there wasn't any theft devices on it. They didn't think much about it, cause I was just coming in. I must have looked like I seen a ghost because as I was trying to put the tape back in the case, the owner of the store (whom I still now and talk to) came up to me and asked if I was alright. Regardless, I've never taken anything again and I kind of look at that as my "get out of jail free card".





Tha Alkholiks - 21 & Over (Loud Records)
Released: August 24th, 1993

Some albums are personal classics for certain people. Tha Alkaholiks debut album, "21 & Over", is a personal classic for me, although I'd argue it as a certifiable hip hop classic in general. Tha Liks were familiar, yet one of a kind. They had that fun type of old school flava, but incorporated that funky fresh old school flava with their own style that made the album relevant for the times.

Coming in at a short but sweet ten tracks, "21 & Over" was my "getting ready for a Friday/Saturday night" music for the next five years. I wasn't even 21 yet myself when this dropped, so it got mucho play at house parties and gatherings, especially if I had anything to say about what music got played. My interest in Tha Alkaholiks started with the aforementioned "Tha Trifflin' Album" from King Tee as they made cameos all over that album. I guess it was something about how J-Ro and E-Swift just seemed to have fun on the mic. Neither of them are the most lyrical of cats, but they were the type of MC's that I learned their lyrics and rapped along with them. It was memorable music and lyrics that would also be the main appeal to "21 & Over", making it a party anthem generator. "Make Room", can rock any party with it's horn sample and it's chorus "Make Room.....with tunes hard enough to dent your truck". "Only When I'm Drunk" is a track that any drunk b-boy can relate to. I think I've even done my own drunk performances to this track. J-Ro does his best drunk impersonation (or is it?) during the first verse and drops loads of memorable one liners. While J-Ro drops simplistic but memorable rhymes and E-Swift makes the familiar but party moving beats, such as the familiar sample used on "Only When I'm Drunk", it's Tash that really pushes the group into the mentions of "classic". Tash was absent on the "Tha Trifflin' Album" debut for Tha Liks because of a bid he was serving for, yup, you guessed it, a DUI. He made his name known on "21 & Over". Tash drops more shit than a pigeon with the runs through out the album as he demonstrates why he should be mentioned as one of the best left coast MC's.

Tha Liks bring along friends for the party, which on some albums with only 10 songs might be over doing it, but all the guest fit in nicely and bring their own lyrical fluid to kick. Of course King Tila comes in on a couple joints, such as "Bullshit". The King just seems like one of the members. All the Madlib lovers should know that this would be the debut of the Lootpack and Madlib, as he produces a track and Wildchild appears on "Turn Tha Party Out". Overlooked west coast MC, Deadly Threat shows up on the albums last cut, "Who Dem Niggas". You might think the gangsta MC would throw things off a little, but it adds something a little different to the mix.

Some albums, you just remember the day you bought them. This was one of those albums. It was a Thursday, I just dropped off the big titted blond chick that I had been trying to get on. She lived right by the Hastings store that was close by my place. So I swung in and started going through the albums and saw this album. I think it was somewhat of a surprise, I wasn't expecting to see this yet, but it was something I had be anticipating heavily since their performances on the King Tee joint. I snatched it up with the quickness and proceeded to drive around long enough to bump the whole thing in my Jimmy GMC with the two 12's in the back. Then I went home and played it more while watching the MTV Video awards with the sound muted. It's the personal classics such as this album that will always leave me with the memorable moments in hip hop.

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Tuesday Lite

I hope everyone had a great and safe holiday weekend that consisted of no DUI’s or any run-ins with Po-Po, no accidents, but plenty of memories and hot bitches (or women for those easily offended). Memorial Day is made for BBQ’s and lot’s of drinking for those of you overseas. Some of my most fond memories occur on Memorial Day’s of the past. This one won’t be in any scrapbooks for me, if I did that type of shit, but it was pretty “ho-hum”. Saturday consisted of a 14-hour day doing catering. The morning blew ass, sitting up tables for a 250 people person party all by myself and taking it down pretty much all by myself. The afternoon was a bit better since we did a private party with a filthy rich doctor who liked his booze. The good doctor ended up doing shots with us and it was even rumored he was taking a few tokes of the Mary Jane, although I didn’t witness that. By the time I got home and took a shower it was late enough that I blew off the BBQ I was supposed to be at. It was already late and I was beat and didn’t want to deal with the massive operation of playing catch up with the rest of the drunken assholes. So I just sat down with a 12-pack of cold CL’s and watched “Beerfest” until I could no longer keep my eyes open.

Sunday was spent recovering from basically moving 50 tables and 500 chairs from the day before. My old ass isn’t in the shape it once was. It wasn’t a bad day to go storm chasing here, but I didn’t want to do anything but sit on my ass, which is what I did. There was a few video games, sleeping on the couch watching the resurgent Rockies beat the Giants in extra innings and I caught up on some music I’ve been meaning to sit down and listen to. It was basically a lazy fucking day, which was fine by me. Today, I’m writing this on Monday, was more of the same although I swore to do something productive. I justified it in my mind by telling myself I worked 64 hours in the last seven days. Add that to the fact I told a female (it’s always tougher moving females because you know they aren’t going to help much, no offense) friend I’d help her move tomorrow after work and dammit, I deserve some R&R.

I’ve decided to “loosely” track my beer intake this summer to see how close I get to my fellow Denver blogger Commish’s “Slushy Gutter Summer” adventure of last year. He has yet to decide to pursue the mark this year and judging by his wife’s message on his blog, it looks like he might be in for a divorce if he does it this year. What this basically consists of is drinking 528 (the height of Denver, knock off the zero at the end) beers from Memorial Day to Labor Day, which roughly equals out to almost six beers a day or 42 beers a week. I’m just going to keep track and if I seem to be on pace, I might try to take a shot at the mark. The thing that worries me is that I work at 6 a.m. weekdays, so that kind of kills any monster drinking during the week, but I’ve been known to take down 30-40 beers in a good weekend, so it’s possible. Depending on when he starts “Memorial Day”, as in weekend or the actual day itself, and if “weekend” includes Friday night, I’m anywhere from 16 beers (anything containing a serving is a beer for all intended purposes) to one, depending on the actual start date. All I got to say is, if I’m going to attempt this, no more of those fucking 40oz’s. I do have a BBQ next Friday night with a 6:30 start time which gives me a good chance to hit around the 20 beers mark as long was I stay away from the hard stuff. Also, since I’m helping that friend move tomorrow, I never move sober and I don’t have to work until noon on Wednesday, so there is a chance to make-up some ground. A couple good weekend getaways/camping trips/parties over the summer and I might have a shot. I’m sure Commish himself will be along to clarify the rules for me. Who knows, we might have to get together for a WYDU vs. SGS drink off sometime over the summer ala Beerfest or some shit. Aww fuck yeah, it’s summer time.

MUSIC

Well since this is a music blog, I best be for tossing up some music for the peoples consumption. Again, no real rhyme or reason behind these particular tracks except it’s shit I like. Some I might actually be in or over my heading explaining a couple of them, but what the hell, I never said I knew everything. First off....

Some Shameless Promotion

If you've been around this blog since the beginning, and I doubt many of you have, one of our firsts posts was a review for an MC who I have a lot of respect for, my man Lex. I agree that it's easier to like someones music when you actually have some sort of connection with them, whether it be friends in the "real world" or just through message boards and that way, but while Lex is a cool dude who have had the pleasure to deal with in the past, his music speaks for itself. I hate using labels such as this, but it's "Grown Folks" music, dealing with real life issues that us 30 somethings with kids and bills deal with. I highly suggest giving this a listen. I have yet to listen to it (I just got the link for it 5 minutes ago), but if this is half the album the "Vague Clarity" is, it's well worth the listen.

Here is Lex in his own words:

Peace y'all. I've just released my second CD entitled "forward movement." This is to serve as a Street Album/Mixtape style album. My main objective with this project is to show my talent and versatility on the mic as well as generate a buzz for my upcoming projects. There are 21 songs on this project and it is being released for free d/l as well as tangible purchase. If you would like to purchase a CD, you can visit my myspace page here. Domestic sales are $5 (shipping & handling included) & foreign sales are $8 (s & h included). Paypal is my preferred method of payment.

I encourage anyone with a blog or website that enjoys the CD to post a link to the album on their page. I also encourage you to post this link, or your own on any messageboards and online communities that you may frequent. Again, my mission is to spread the word on my music and the best way to make that happen is thru word of mouth. If you support the music, please help me push it forward. Anyone who wishes to review the CD please feel free to do so and post it on your page. I ask that if you do decide to write a review that you send it over to me once it's posted. All feedback is welcome.

http://myspace.com/lexsinistahcircle
Lexicon718@gmail.com

Lex - Forward Movement http://www.diabloarcher.com/LEX_-_forward_movement.zip

1. LEX (Say The Name) prod. by Jah Freedom
2. Strut prod. by Duke Entertainment
3. Let Em Know prod. by LR Hook
4. The Fight prod. by C-Royal

5. We Here Now ft. Rich prod. by Origimoz
6. Bobby prod. by Bluntmosphere
7. Everybody prod. by Eska Hines
8. Our Day Will Come prod. by DJ Wallsauce
9. The Spotlight prod. & cuts by C-Royal
10. I Found You prod. by DJ SoulClap
11. Manage Your Fate ft. Laif & Crash prod. by Absoul85
12. Schemin prod. by Maurice Marotte
13. The Raw Deal prod. by Rashid Hadee
14. Sins (Remix) ft. Laif prod. by N1Illa
15. Enterprising (Acapella)
16. HARDCORE prod. by Mercury Waters
17. Step Up Your Game prod. by RaRa Aguilar
18. Nice Guys ft. Amen Almighty prod. by E-Noids
19. Politickin prod. by ND
20. For The Kids prod. by E-Noids

21. It’s Nothing (Remix) prod. by Suede Jury

Give it a listen, leave feedback, post it on your blogs if you like it....

Sweet N’ Lo feat Tha Alkaholiks – Excuse Me As I Rip It

Since we are discussing beer and binge drinking, we might as well post up a track from the ultimate hip-hop drinkers, Tha Alkaholiks. This was from the Sweet N’ Lo album from . I don’t know much about them, after all I was never big on female MC’s or groups for the most part, but in my quest to track down most of Tha Liks material, I ran across this and had to have it. I believe they say in the track that it’s produced by E Swift, which I can totally see, it sounds like some E Swift beats. Swift used to be one of the most slept on producers around. As of late, he seems more focused on trying to fit in with the mainstream instead of sticking to his own signature dope sound, but it’s all good. All I know this track gets me amped for the J-Ro and Tash solo albums that are reportedly supposed to drop this summer.

The Mighty Maestro – One Man Band & Stop Selling Me Dreams

These are from a Tuff City single from ’89 that I’ve always enjoyed. I can’t remember where I originally heard them, I’m guessing I heard “One Man Band” on “Yo!” back in the day, that’s where I heard most of those obscure tracks or maybe it was a mixtape I bought back in the day. Regardless I completely forgot about “One Man Band” until Idiot Proof from Cocaine Blunts tossed them up one day. “Stop Selling Me Dreams”, which was the b-side to the single, starts off sounding almost Go-Go-ish in nature but it mellows out and follows the previous tracks formula. I don’t have much to say about the artist, I really don’t know much about him other than a few things I've read here and there. According to his Myspace page, he did some remix work for YZ and I must say, judging by the beats on his myspace, dude was nice behind the boards.

Positive K – Quarter Gram Pam

I’ve always liked Pos K, even before his “I Got A Man” which is the reasoning behind his one hit wonder label applied to him by the mainstream. I can’t remember if I first heard him on the “Nightshift” 12 inch or “I Ain’t Havin’ It” track with him and MC Lyte, but I liked both, especially the “Nightshift” single that contained both the album version and the remix version with Big Daddy Kane. Despite all of that, this track dropped way back in ’87 a good five years before the “Nightshift” single. He definitely improved from this track, which he sounds a bit uncomfortable on the mic and doesn’t have that cocky arrogance found on his only LP he released. I won’t even venture to guess who produced this joint either, but it’s nothing remarkable. He had been known to work with Big Daddy Kane, who I greatly doubt produced this since he himself was just starting out at this time. He also did some work with Jazzy Jay of the Zulu Nation fame, which is possible or maybe even one of the First Priority Family members such as Milk D or King of Chill. It sort of reminds me of LL Cool J’s “Dear Evette” or “Bristol Hotel”, which kind of deals with the same fast woman as the subject matter. The main reason I put it up is it’s early introduction to Positive K, who will always been known as “that guy who did that song “I Got A Man”. (Note: It was produced by Daddy-O, I was way off)

The Tribezmen – Who Got The Vibe

Some typical Boom-Bap Jeep music from the mid 90’s, which fine by me. I know next to nothing about this group. I think it was one of those tracks I picked up off of Vinyl Addicts during they’re heyday. It’s nothing out of the ordinary from the music that came out during this time. It sounds like something that Da King & I, Das Efx, Lords Of The Underground or any of those groups from that time could have made. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing because that’s the reason I love that era of hip-hop and if you were down with that era of hip hop, you’ll probably more than likely love this track. I wouldn’t mind hearing an album from these cats though. Good luck finding much info about them.

King Bee w/ Ultramagnetic MC’s – Cold Slammin’ (Hydro Mix)

Why the hell I haven’t put this on a WYDU Classics Volume already I have no clue, but it should have been on one of the first ones. This shit is fucking incredible. Although, I’m not a big fan of Kool Keith on his post Ultra days, I was a big Kool Keith fan from the Ultra days and this track shows why. Again, it’s not totally different from other stuff that was coming out during this time, but it just does it so well. There is a version that appears on King Bee’s “Royal Jelly” LP that was released ’90 that isn’t as good as this one,but it’s not bad either. One of the King Bee MC's sounds like the dude from “Urban Dance Squad” which isn’t a good thing. The album, which I think a lot was done by Ced Gee isn’t all that bad and I think can be found on Bust The Facts. The track is produced by the King Bee members, All Star Fresh and BC Boy. I don't know much about them though.

Trav’s Top Spins For The Week

After not really downloading anything for almost two weeks, I finally took a day and caught up on some of the stuff I wanted to listen to. This past weekend was a good way to sit down and listen to some albums I’ve been meaning to listen to and a few things got more than one listen and here’s the list.

1. KRS-One & Marley Marl – Hip Hop Lives

I didn’t know what to expect from this when I started listening to it. I’m not going to say it’s classic or anything, because it’s not. That being said, it’s the best thing I’ve heard from KRS since “I Got Next” and that’s coming from someone who considers KRS as one of the top 3 most important figures in modern Hip Hop history. It does get a little tiring listening to Kris say the same thing over and over and over again, but he has a right to say what he’s saying. The beats aren’t as good as I was hoping, but Marley hasn’t really made anything “mind blowing” in my opinion since the Lords and one could argue that K-Def did most of that album. I found it mildly annoying that he uses the same horn lope for the third time Musika. With all that being said, I can see this growing on me. I listened to it once then for some reason I wanted to listen to it again about three hours later, which is always a good sign.

2. Big City – The City Never Sleeps
I have to admit this kind of snuck up on me. I heard about this a few months ago, but completely spaced it off, so when I saw it, I thought it was another one of those run of the mill crap albums that show their ugly faces for a few weeks only to be never seen again. I’m not sure how I finally put two and two together and got giggly as a little girl, but I had to check it out when I finally figured it out. For those of you who were living in the same bubble as I was, this is Psycho Les, Al Tariq and Problemz. Being the big Beatnuts fan that I am, I expected a lot in one way, but in another way, I was deeply disappointed in Pyscho Les’ solo offering from last year. Well, it’s better than that effort, but still not up to par with the usually consistent Beatnut releases either. It did leave me wanting to listen to it again, which in this day in age is a good thing. My favorite joint is “I Hear Ya”, which is typical Beatnuts flavor and Problemz is probably a better MC than any Beatnut, past or present. This one could really grow on me.
3. Blue Scholars – Bayani
It’s been a long time since I’ve had so many people tell me I have to hear a particular album. This album was getting a lot of buzz on the blog circuit and I’ve had some others tell me that I needed to hear it. In a way I hate hearing that, because I usually end up expecting the album to be more than it usually it is and when I first sat down to listen to this album, I had pretty high expectations. While it did disappoint me originally, it was good enough to gather a few more listens over the weekend. It’s on some mellow, smooth shit, which admittedly, I wasn’t really in the mood for when I first listened to it. The second listen I was in a mellower mood, so it meshed with me better. It seemed to get a little preachy toward the end, but it does require you to use your mind while listening, which I have no problem doing. My favorite beat was unfortunately on the “Second Chapter” which is essentially an intro. That beat is freaking amazing. Again, it’s something that I’m going to listen to some more, which is all I really ask for anymore. (Note: This is all I've been listening to this morning, I think it just took off for me)
4. Marco Polo – Port Authority

Still getting play and I’ve found a new song that I love on it. “Marquee” by OC was played about 10 times in a row the other night (I just played it five times in a row while writing this). That beat is sooooo nice. It’s a good sign if I move onto a second song on an album, it means there more reason to listen to it than just the original song that I like, which on this album was…of course…”Nostalgia”. This album has moved up into the realms of being worthy enough to purchase.
5. DJ Jazzy Jeff – The Return Of The Magnificent

Yet another producer album, but for some reason, they seem to be better than regular albums the past year or so. I was a big fan of the Oh No, Exile and Jay Dee albums last year and so far this year, two of the better albums this year are also producer albums as well. I could probably give reasons behind that, such as peoples attention spans are shorter in the digital age and are better suited to the producer albums, which are not as fluid in nature as the a traditional album is, but we’ll save that for another time. I haven’t quite gotten over the hump by declaring this worthy of purchase, but it’s getting close.

WHY?????

Why does Pharaoh Monch sound completely out of place on that “Rehab” remix by Amy Wino errr Winehouse. Don’t get me wrong, I love anything Pharaoh Monch usually puts out, but listening to him rhyme about Nicole Ritchie and Lindsey Lohan on a song that might as well be their theme song, it just all seemed a little…hmmm…contradictory?

Why couldn’t I put down the book written entirely about the making of the Beastie Boys “Paul’s Boutique”? It’s no secret that I love that album and think it’s one of the most creative albums of any genre, so reading about how it came about in a 123 page book was good enough for me to knock out 76 pages in one sitting last week. I haven’t read it since, but I’ve been busy.

Why is being a professional football player hazardous to your health? Another NFL player, Marquis Hill, passed this weekend. At least it wasn’t a Denver Bronco this time.

Why can the Tennessee Titans kiss their hopes of a good season goodbye next year? See the Madden ’08 cover. To me, they are still the Houston Oilers, so fine by me.

Why do I hate that “Throw Some D’s On It” joint so fucking much?

Why do I have no clue who this Mims dude is? Am I really that old?

Why am I really getting amped for that Royce and DJ Premier album after listening to “Hit ‘Em” over and over? (someone hook me up with a non mixtape version)

Why aren’t more people doing remixes like they did in the old days, like “Flava In Your Ear”, with a bunch of guest artists…I kind of miss that.

Why does there seem to be more quality songs this year than last year? So far this year, I could argue that “Nostalgia”, “Can’t Forget About You” and “Mr. Slow Flow” are all worthy of the top spot so far, at least in my book and all could have easily been the best last year.

Why do I just want to punch the TV screen everytime I see that fat pig Rosie O’Fat aka Rosie O’Donnell. That fat bitch just annoys the fuck out of me and shouldn’t be allowed on public TV anytime between the hours of 6 a.m. and midnight. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fairly liberal, but she’s just a fucking quack.

Why is the Hip Hop magazine an endangered species? Will they ever come back? Probably not.

Why did Miss Brazil get screwed out of the Miss Universe last night (don’t ask me why I was watching it). She could be my Miss Universe anytime.

Why are Latina’s (Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Ricans) the hottest women in the world. Don’t let my Greek girlfriend hear that.

Why do I HATE all the reality bullshit shows. Age of Love? The Bachelor? Give me a break.

Why do I feel guilty then to say I kind of like that “The Lot” show about movie directors. I originally stopped on the channel because of the hot Latina announcer it had then laughed at one of the movies and started watching it I’m not sure it’ll rope me totally, but summer TV is pretty shitty usually.

Why did I want to go Phil Helumuth on the bitch who went chasing for a flush against me last week while playing poker and why did I just get up and walk away when she caught it on the river? I flopped a set and bet it hard, this was already after raising my pockets pre-flop. This lady had nothing on the flop and had to catch runner runner anyway you looked at it when she called my bet, but still made the call. Heart on the turn and heart on the river….good night now.

Why after listening to “Hip Hop Lives” did I have a dream that KRS stole money from me?

Why would Domingo have that same dream?

Why am I just now enjoying Pack FM’s “Whutduzfmstand4?”

Why is my uhhh cracked copy of Fruity Loops not working now? Not that I’m trying to be the next Primo, but it’s fun to play around with.

Why can’t even a Primo beat on “Get It Done” save Skyzoo? He just makes me want to fall asleep.

Why did I think since I kind of liked the El-P that I should give the new Sage Francis a chance? It still sucked balls.

Why do parents let their unsupervised children play on the internet when all they really want is a hug?

And finally…..

Why can women get away with blowing off their significant other all day, but if a guy does that we are in deep shit?

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Sunday Lite & The Week That Was

The fact I'm even attempting a post is amazing in itself since I have ZERO motivation. I swear I'm going to stop drinking for good one of these days. Until then, hopefully its nothing 4 glasses of water and a liter of Gatorade won't fix. We'll kick this post off with a few tracks. I just started this Sunday Lite thing (thanks to Stag for the name) and already I'm doing re-ups. Of course I originally posted these tracks when we weren't even topping a 100 visitors a day, so I don't feel too bad putting them back up.

Tha Alkaholiks have always been one of my favorite groups. The music was always fun, the vibe was that of a party of each of their albums and the production was always on point. Most of you probably remember when they made their debut (sans Tash, who was locked up on a DUI charge) on King Tee's "Tha Trifflin' Album" back in '93. But what most of you don't know, at least I didn't until I saw these tracks on the net almost two years ago (the blog I found them on escapes me, or I'd give credit for them) is that they came up as the "Everyday Street Poets" or E.S.P in the early 90's when King Tila hooked up J-Ro, Tash, and E-Swift together. They released a demo of sorts, although I can't find much on that.

The sound quality is kind of lacking, but what do you expect, they are demo's. The music though, is in vein of that found on their "21 and Over" debut, kind of fun and carefree, in a good way of course. Not sure if there is a full demo out there floating around or if this is it. If anyone knows anything about it, kick the knowledge.

Everyday Street Poets (E.S.P.) aka Tha Alkaholiks
Groove Yard - http://www.zshare.net/audio/esp-aka-alkaholiks-groove-yard-mp3.html

Everyday Street Poets (E.S.P.)
Getz Funky - http://www.zshare.net/audio/esp-aka-tha-alkaholiks-getz-funky-mp3.html

Everyday Street Poets (E.S.P.)
LA Law - http://www.zshare.net/audio/esp-aka-tha-alkoholiks-la-law-mp3.html


Craig Mack is known as the first artist to come out on Puffy's (sorry I refuse to call him P.Diddy) "Bad Boy" label and the one that got dicked out said label in the mid 90's. Mack didn't fit into Bad Boy's image or the direction the label was going, which is probably all for the better for everyone involved, although I haven't heard much out of Mack since then. Every once in a while, he'll pop back up on the scene with a track. He dropped a joint called "Wooden Horse (?)" in the late 90's/turn of the century that was dope as fuck. It sampled a Sinatra tune and it actually worked good. I have it on a disk somewhere in this mess I have strung around my apartment. Back on track, before he was Craig Mack, he was "MC EZ" and his DJ, "DJ Troupe". I want to say it was '88 that he released a single "Get Retarded b/w Just Rhymin'", but I'm entirely too lazy to verify that right now. "Get Retarded" is kind of a underground classic of sorts, not because the quality of the album, but because it's not easily found and because of Mack's place in Hip Hop history. It can also be found on "Ego Trip's Big Playback" that was released in 2002.....I think. Regardless here is "Get Retarded" and I think I have "Just Rhymin" somewhere on my computer if someone wants it.

MC EZ & DJ Troupe aka Craig Mack - Get Retarded
http://www.zshare.net/audio/04-get-retarded-produced-by-craig-mack-mp3.html

Amazingly enough, I'm going to post one more track despite all my laziness. I've been chatting back and forth with another Hip Hop head this week and the topic of one James Todd Smith came up. While L.L. might have tarnished his legacy with some of the crap he has released recently, I doubt anyone can deny his greatness when he still had "it". L.L. was THE B-Boy when came up. Yeah, he may have ducked Kool Moe Dee on occasion, but he's go after just about anyone on wax. The dude was a beast on the mic. You just don't see that kind of flair, ego, or ability anymore.

Here is a clip of him freestyling over "It's Yours" beat, which I'm sure didn't go over to well with T La Rock, who wasn't exactly a fan of L.L.'s either. I'm not sure if this was on a radio show, which I think it is, or at a performance. It also has edits, so that lends me to believe that it was on a radio show. It's labeled as 1985, which would mean he was just coming out, I don't remember where I got this, probably Cocaine Blunts. The dude is a beast on this. Enjoy!

LL Cool J Freestyle over "It's Yours" 1985
http://www.zshare.net/audio/l-l-cool-j-live-freestyle-over-its-yours-1985-mp3.html

Link Love

I've added quite a few new links over the past few weeks. I have no rhyme or reason where I put stuff on that list, but be sure to give it a look over. Despite what some moron said a couple of weeks ago, I try to remember everyone I told I would link up. If I missed someone, all you have to do is simply remind me. I'm not perfect and forget things, but I don't mean any disrespect. I don't ask for people to link me in return, I could careless if they do or not. I appreciate any link love, but I'm not doing this as some sort of popularity contest, hell I did this for months when we were only getting 50 hits a day. I don't bomb people's cboxs (I don't care if someone does post a link to their site, it's a good way for me to check your site out) asking for link exchanges, which is probably why no one heard of us for the first six months. I put links up to things I like, hell it's my bookmark list.

With that said, I do have my favorites lately, From Da Bricks, Posionous Paragraphs, Cold Rock Da Spot, Souled On, ...And You Don't Stop, and Schooklyn Zoo. Of course there are my old reliables that are ran by people who I have the up most respect for and they will always have my support, Bust The Facts, Crooklyn's Classics, Streets On Beats, and Miscreant Productions (holla at your boy, Tommy!) . Then there are my Colorado Comrades, To The Break of Dawn & Back In The Day. A new site that has popped up on my radar, Boomers Hot Shit, despite the, ummm, questionable name, it's been, ummm, dropping hot shit lately, make sure you check it out.

Trav's Top 5 Spins of the Week

1. Juggaknots - Use Your Confusion
Yup, I'm still on the Jugg's dick. Might have to go back and change my Top 20 of 2006, or fuck it, it's my list, they might just make the Top 20 of 2007, since I didn't really listen to this album until then. I did the same thing with the Cunninlynguists last year. I had the promo version for a good 3-4 months until I sat down to review it for a site I was writing for and realized what a great piece of work it was.

2. (TIE) Masta Ace Discography & Jay Dee aka J Dilla assorted stuff
No change again. I guess you can argue that this could always be in the top 5, since I listen to Ace on the regular, but with those new Hits U Missed, I'm listening to him more than usual (Nawledge, if you are reading this, email me, contact info on the side bar). There was a lot of stuff on J Dilla this week with his birthday and the anniversary of his death just recently passed. I've been zeroed in on a lot of his material this week, even some of his sample sources, which shows why he was even more of a genius. You'll be missed Jay Dee!

3. De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate & Stakes Is High
So I broke down and joined that Last FM thing, I'm always into things like that anyway. Well it tracks your listening habits and all that, and this week De La was my leading artist plays, which kind of surprised me. I definitely listen to music other ways than just on my computer, but still, I didn't realize that I had played De La that much this week. Well it started with someone reminded me of Buhloone Mindstate, maybe it was Scholar posting up "I Am I Be" last week on "Souled On". I'm a HUGE De La fan, but when Buhloone Mindstate dropped, I was like a lot of people, it just went over my head. I eventually corrected my ways but I still find some mind blowing thing about that album every time I listen to it. And naturally when I think De La, I have to pull out my favorite De La album, "Stakes Is High".

4. Atmosphere Discography
Yeah, I know it's not always "cool" to like Atmosphere, but I've always liked their music. I'm an emotionally wacked out person anyway, so the Emo stuff fits me pretty good when I need it and this was one of those weeks where I put my mp3 disk of Atmosphere stuff in my headphones and bitch about drinking too much and women.

5. Brother Ali - Undisputed Truth
The advance of this has leaked. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest Ali fan in the world, but I'm starting to like the sound of this album. In the past, Ali's voice just graded on me after a few songs, and it still does kind of, but DAYUUM, Ant came correct with the beats again....which leads us into another episode of......

WHY??????
Why is Ant so highly underrated as far as a producer?
Why does Football end so soon and baseball can't start soon enough?
Why do I have a bad feeling about the Steelers new coach?
Why don't I have tomorrow off....fuck!
Why doesn't "Paul's Boutique" get the credit for one of the best produced albums that it is?
Why did no one ever use the Dust Brothers again in hip hop?
Why did I laugh so uncontrollably at the movie "Beerfest"? I guess it's so stupid it's funny.
Why do the first few months of every new year suck so much for new music releases.
Why do I hate Redman's new album cover?
Why are there so few women bloggers?
Why does free releases via the internet seem like the new rave, ie Talib & Madlib and the new Little Brother? (not that I'm arguing)
Why does the RIAA continue to shoot themselves in the foot ie the DJ Drama arrest?
Why haven't I listened to Nas' or Jay's new albums all the way through in months?
Why is this site so disturbing, yet so incredibly funny?
Why does the NBA Slam Dunk contest suck so much compared to what it used to be?

In Closing......Questions about the Site...forums?
It seems that we have some hosting space to use up. Chris, who created Bombfirst.com, has some bandwidth which he has offered to let us use in some capacity. Chris has been extremely helpful in the behind the scenes of this blog, coming up with the design and the such and might even be able to post some stuff up in the future, which I'll never argue with the others posting and taking some of the weight off of me. Anyway, we have been kind of brainstorming on how to use this space to our advantage. We thought about maybe doing some type of a forum. My question would be, would anyone use it? I don't want to try to do something like that if no one used the thing. I know I'm not the most active forum person in the world, I'm only really active on one forum (mastaace.com), but if done right, it can be a nice place to exchange music, discuss, learn and build on hip hop. Or do any of you have any other ideas on how to use this free space. I don't want to use it for hosting files, for legality reasons, but I would hate to see this go to waste.

Last thing, I've toyed with the idea of changing the design of the site. Maybe I should talk to Chris before I go doing this, cause I have no fuckin' clue what I'm doing when it comes to that. But it's been brought to my attention from someone I have a great amount of respect for (thanks Mr. O-Dub) that sometimes having white lettering on a dark back ground isn't always the best way to go about things. I personally never thought about it, but he has a point. Plus, since I'm a person that can never stay in one place for more than 3 years, I like change from time to time. Anyone have any thoughts on the design of the site? I mean, I like it the way it is, but I want to hear other peoples thoughts.

That's it, that's all, I'm going to lay on the couch and wish I had something other than fucking NASCAR to watch.....

Trav-O

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