Some people were giving me shit on here because I crowned Souls' Of Mischief's album "There Is Only Now", an album entirely produced by Adrian Younge with a few co-production credits given to another one of my favorites in Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Few other producers makes as interesting and original hip hop music as Younge in 2014-2016, a long with Robert Glasper, Kanye West and some others. I feel that Hip Hop is in the risk of becoming too stagnant and we really need guys like this that aren't afraid of pushing the artform further. A while back there were some talk about a collaboration LP between Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge but what they (together with excellent arranger/producer Miguel Awood-Fergusson) have done here is score the entire soundtrack to Marvel's new comic turned Netflix-series "Luke Cage". If you happen to be in the LA area, you have a chance to hear the trio perform the entire score live to scenes projected of the movie together with a 40 piece orchesra. Tickets and more info here. Sounds like an event alright!
But at least we got a new single by Method Man and what it really comes down to is wehether or not the song is ill, and in my opinion this is a banger that really works in that all three artists put their egos aside and let each member of the trio bring his unique flavor to the joint. "Bulletproof Love" is the first single from the NetFlix / Marvel series "Luke Cage". I love how Marvel is really embracing that "W". Borrowed from the excellent WTforLife bog. Check it out!
It's about time we get a proper tribute to the legend known as Phife Dawg that passed over to the other side on March 22 due to his long struggle with diabetes. One thing's for sure his conrtribution to Hip Hop will always be remembered as something special. Over a soul laced production by Jim B. fellow Natives Tongues member Dres rounds up DJ Red Alert, Chi-Ali and Sadat X - all original friends and collegoues of The Five Footer - and they all do a commendable job in putting a worthy song on wax in celeberation of the life and times of this great artist and man. Please support by purchasing the song from Dres Bandcamp as all proceeds will go straight to Phife's family.
With the tragic passing of one of hip-hop's legendary punchline kings
and rhyming sports enthusiasts music fans all over the world has been grieving since the news of Malik Taylor's passing hit the internet last week. Taylor was a man of many names, but to most people he was known as Phife Dawg from the group that perhaps was THE epitome of '90s Hip Hop, A Tribe Called Quest. I can't think of
any other MC that elevated himself from a rather mediocre spitter (in my honest
opinon) on "People's Instinctive Travels..." to a quick, witted, well
flowing, and unique wordsmith in just a little over a year. But that is exactly what Phife did in time for
"The Low End Theory" (1991) where he played a significant role and would be the beginning of Tribe including stand-out tracks featuring Phife as the sole emcee (these include one of my all time favorite songs in "8 Million Stories"). For a jazz fanatic such myself I'd have to say that A Tribe Called Quest
probably came closer than any other hip-hop group or artist (including other worthy players such as GURU, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Digable Planets and Buckshot LeFonque) in actually chanelling
the esthetics and spirits of jazz and seemingly effortlessly transcribing it into a Hip Hop language. Phife and Q-Tip often used their distinct voices in
the same way an alto sax player like Cannonball and a tenor player like 'Trane
either built tension in "dueling" each other or built on each other solos/verses. Not to mention the
call-and-response nature of so many of their classic hooks, a main staple of american black music dating all the way back to the plantation field and becoming an important part of both jazz and blues ... And that's
just in speaking about the vocal part of the group's legacy. Tribe truly introduced the power of the low end to Hip Hop,
with their heavy use of the acoustic bass (or stand up bass if you will) to fantastic effect...
not to mention their heavy reliance on the Fender Rhodes electric piano which instantly recognizable sound had helped define jazz since the late '60s and been especially important in soul jazz and early jazz fusion - two subgenres that would become extremely important as sample sources in Hip Hop over the coming years. But it was Tribe (and a few others like Showbiz and DJ Premier) who really started that trend. Hell they even got Ron Carter to play on "The Low End Theory"!
While
some people unflinchingly give too much, sometimes all, credit to Q-Tip alone for Tribe's
success story I would go as far as call that straight up blasphemous. I don't buy that for a second. Q-Tip was of course the defacto
leader but his claim that he produced all of those records solely by himself I feel are
strongly revisionist history - check out a track like "La Schmoove" by Fu
Schnickens or the amazing remixes for BDP's "We In There" and that Ice
Cube joint that Ali Shaheed produced all by himself. Or why not go back to the HHC interview with the whole group that ran around the time of "Midnight Mauraders" where both Ali and Tip was asked and answered the question what they used when producing their music. And it's a safe bet that up and until "Beats, Rhymes & Life", Phife
had suggestions for additions to the music as well - that's just how it works within a group. The whole thing about Tribe could never have come from any single man of the crew, but was the result of thee great, yet different minds came together. In their 10 years as
a functioning, working unit this powerhouse trio released five
albums - four of them being extremely good, while their last album showed a group struggling to keep it together which is not to say that it doesn't have it's selection of bangers.
Although it probably never would have happened either way it is now
certain that that final Tribe reunion album will definitely never happen now, and that is a sad confirmation.
But
I do hope that Phife recorded enough material and was close enough to
finalizing his sophomore solo album which he constantly mentioned in interviews over the last years. The first single, the DJ Rasta Root produced "Dear Dilla"
was both a heartfelt dedication to a fallen comrade and an incredibly dope track that spoke to any true hip hop
conniseours. As most fans are likely to have whipped out their Tribe
albums during the past week, I have a feeling people are still sleeping
on Phife's original 1999 debut "Ventilation: Da LP". Released in the
same year as Q-Tip's "Amplified", it's easy to see why Tribe didnt have a
chance of continuinig post "The Love Movement" at the same time as the differences between the albums sheds light on why the latter album lacked a coherrent sound. While Q-Tip was obviously interested in going a
more commercial route, with a stripped down sound without the lush Fender Rhodes
sounds and sample heavy jazz esthetic mentioned above, Phife kept it as
real as his love for The Knicks for his project. Interestingly enough Jay Dee played a major role in the production of both LP:s (creating four songs for
"Ventilation" and its singles) but Phife would complement his work with slamming cuts by Pete Rock (including the
criminally overlooked "Melody Adonis", a boom bap manifesto which also featured a Beatminer on
the turntables), Hi-Tek, Supa Dave West, Fred Wreck and least succesfully
Rick Rock. While it's not a perfect album by far, it is still well worth several listens and was ample proof that Phife could do it on his own although it in a way did show that he sounded best in a grou setting. The same can be
said about Q-Tip and "Amplified", and Shaheed's subsequent Lucy Pearl LP
the following year. What all three projects truly proved was that each member of A
Tribe Called Quest were dope on their own but when they came together as a unit that they truly made miracles happen. Don't
forget that!
Though Phife Dawg was quiet the last few years,
barely even making guest appearnces (save for some excellent
contributions to Slum Village's last two albums and a banger for producer Oh No), he had already left
his mark on hip-hop as a culture, on hip-hop as a music form, and on hip-hop
as an art form. I hope more people will start to realize how integreal
he truly was to A Tribe Called Quest, a group that is often held in the highest of high esteem and often top countdowns of the genre's greatest groups of all time. So while we continue to bump Phife Dawg's music over
the coming weeks, let us bump "Ventilation: Da LP" and its B-sides,
let us bump Tribe's "People's Instinctive Travels...", "Low End Theory",
"Midnight Mauraders", "Beats, Rhymes & Life" and let us bump "The Love
Movement". But why should we stop there?!
For your listneing pleasure and
in honor of Malik Taylor, also known as The Funky Diabetic and The 5 Foot Assassin, I have put
together a compilation of some of his work not appearing on either of
the albums mentioned above. It also excludes remixes unless it feature a
unique verse by Tha Dawg, such as on the "Stressed Out" single version.
Included are tracks ranging from his breakout year, 1991, and up until
his final single - the previously mentioned "Dear Dilla", which takes on
another dimension of sadness now thaat he himself faced a somewhat
similiar fate at a way too early age. Included are production work and
additional vocals by musicians such as Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Q-Tip,
Consequence, Chi-Ali, Black Sheep, De La Soul, Diamond D, Pete Rock,
Chip Fu, Whitey Don, Oh No, J Dilla and Slum Village but there's no
question that this is Phife's show all the way. Included are also most
of the rare underground 12" EP:s he released throughout the years.
YOU'RE ON POINT PHIFE!! REST IN POWER!!
01. "Ya Heard Me"? [prod. by Dilla] [1998]
02. "If Men Are Dogs" (1997)
03. "Brooklyn / Queens AllStars" (1997)
04. "Pains & Strife" (w. Diamond D & Pete Rock) [1997]
05. "Scheming" (w. Slum Village & Posdnous) [prod. Dilla] (2010)
06. "Push It Along" (w. Slum Village) [prod. by Dilla] (2013)
07. "Miscallenous" [DJ Hi-Tek's Luv Boat Mix] (1999)
08. "La Schmoove" (w. Phife & Ali Shaheed) [1992]
09. "Let The Horns Blow" (w. Chi-Ali, Black Sheep & Dove)
10. "Artical" [Original Posse Mix] (w. Whitey Don & Chip-Fu) [1992]
11. "Game Day" (Ft. Rodney Hampton) [prod. by Dilla] (1996]
12. "Diggy Diaect" (w. Hawkeye) [prod. by DJ Rasta Root] [2003]
13. "U Know U Want It" (w. Charlie & Rose) [prod. DJ Rasta Root] (2003]
14. "Who Got The Funk" (w. Scientists Of Sound) [prod. by Q-Tip] (1995)
15. "Dues N Don'ts" (w. Jesse James) [prod. by Oh No] [2008]
16. "Thought U Wuz Nice" [prod. by J Dilla] [1996]
17. "Dear Dilla" (The Closing Statement) [prod. Rasta Root] [2012]
BONUS TRACK
18. "Stressed Out" [Baby Phife's Version] [prod. by The Ummah] [1996]
When I first posted the free album stream of the new Slum Village album I was a little stand-offish against it. Their last album "Evolution" was really weak to me and din't pack the SV sound at all, "Villa Manifesto" was good but it seemed to lack something and I've heard several singles "produced" by Jay Dee that I wouldn't imagine he wouldn't want to have released during his lifetime. Then there's the constant changing of the line-up of the group. So needless to say then, I want into SV's new album with a lot of precautions. That's really the best way to enter any album, because then you can only be pleasantly suprised. And that is exactly what I became with Slum Village's new "Yeeeah". In my opinion this is the most Slum Village sounding album the group has released in year, which is something of an oxymoron considering that they have embraced several styles during their long careers and member changes. But what I mean it is the closest they have come to the style that made me fall in love with their music from the jump, the "Fantastic Vol. 1" and "Fantastic Vol. 2" series. Sonically it's filled with that filtered basslines, smacking Dilla type drums, and sampled guitar and Rhodes samples. This is what I want to hear from Slum Village, and not suprisingly the album uses no less than 10 Jay Dee instrumentals that at least I never heard before. And the mistake many albums that uses posthumous lost-and-found beats for their albums, these have been co-produced by Young RJ in several cases making sure that they sound as complete songs presentable in 2015 - which is a great way to keep Dilla's musical legacy alive. I'm really fed up with the practice beats some artists, who never even worked with Yancey in his lifetime, get a hold of and boosts about having a Dilla beat on their album. But these aren't just any ol' Dilla beats either, they actually are in the same vein as the "Fantastic" stuff for the most part, really bringing back memories of when SV was the kings of Detroit.
And just like "Fantastic Vol. II", the current members of Slum Village, which still includes their leader T3 who does a great job rhyming throughout, the members aims several joints at the girls over smooth instrumentals. A true stadout is the Young RJ produced "Push it Along", that uses a familiar breakbeat coupled with an infecitious piano melody and a brilliant bassline while Phife Dawg makes a welcome guest apperance. Then you got the triumphant "Windows", filled with strings and smacking drums giving it a cinematic feeling that's perfect for the songs themes of how we all see small parts of other persons life through "windows" just like on a screen. This is one of the beats Jay Dee begun and Young RJ completed, and this is when it works best. The same can be said about their collaboration on "Right Back at You" which features the legendary De La Soul which got that classic posse cut feeling with nothing but excellent verses from everyone involved over an infectious piano sample, hardcore drums courtesy of Dilla and slick cuts. Same goes for the Black Milk produced "We On The Go" which features Frank Nitty and a verse from Black Milk himself going head to head with the SV trio over an addictive banger with a lot of shit happening in the beat that together forms a unified whole. The only real misstep on a really good album is the halfbaked Jay Dee left-over beat that for some reason was released as a single and is even the title track. It got a disco influence and a horrible singing hook and doesn't even sound finished. Why Young RJ didn't go into this one and shape it up is beyond me because it just don't work, but I guess some people like it so whatever.
Lyrically the album doesn't say much, but SV really never did speak on very important topics, they got cool voices and just like on the "Fantastic" albums this one got a laid back feel with a lot of joints aimed at the ladies (like the beautiful "Too Much") when they are not making Detroit anthems ("Where We Come From") or going full throttle with the posse cuts. After roughly forty minutes, the album closes on track 12 with the excellent Jay Dee production "What We Have" featuring Illa J (I actually thought he was a member by now, but guess not) and Kam Corvet. A fantastic way to close the album, an experimental Jay Dee beat taking some notes from his love for jazz with Rhodes, percussion, trumpet and female vocals floating in and out over the heavy filtered bass line while T3 sends out his love to a woman he sees a future with but his homies don't see what's the big deal with. Something I guess many of us can relate to. As the album fades out, there's no question that you have listened to a new Slum Village album, unlike some of their more recent releases. And for once I'm actually glad they used leftover Dilla beats because they found a way to really make it work without sounding forced. When Baatin and Dilla died I counted out SV, but then when I realized what a dope emcee eLzhi is I noticed that they could still make some dope shit but since he left the group I have had zero interest in a new SV album. I'm glad they proved me wrong because they still got it! Motown stand up!
There's no question that I am first and foremost a East Coast fanatic, but that doesn't mean that there's not plenty of classic music from the West Coast and the South that I feel have done just as much for the culture as the biggest names in New York - guys like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, N.W.A., Ice Cube, Geto Boys, Scarface, DMG, OutKast, Ras Kass, Souls Of Mischief and the Hiero's, and newer guys like Fashawn to name a few. Lately I've been on a real early Gangsta trip, dusting off especially the classic Priority and Death Row records, a long with the Geto Boys and its solo members. One legend in particular that I might have listened a little more to the last few weeks are Ice Cube, and his four first albums which are all either classic or real straight up bangers. Having listened so much to "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted", "Kill At Will EP", "Death Certificate", The Predator" and "Lethal Injection" lately, I still feel that my thirst for classic Cube still wasn't quenched and his later albums, while having its moments, just don't match his original early-to-mid-'90s output.
Luckily for me and and fellow early Cube fans the many singles released promoting the four albums mentioned above came packed with a lot of hot B-sides, the ocassional remix, and Cube was spitting some hot guest spots on cuts by people like Yo-Yo, Da Lench Mob, Ice-T, 2Pac, King Tee, Willie D, Scarface, and KAM, I have put together the first Lost Tapes compilation since the hiatus for y'all. Representing the best the West ever had to offer, "Another Lethal Injection (1990-1994)" features 18 incredible cuts with Cube in the centrum, going over beats mostly as funky as the shit he grabbed for his own album - giving credence to the rumor that Cube wasn't only in it for the money, but always wanted to show his best side to the world. This compilation is a must hear, not only for the nostalgia but for music that are timeless and still hold up to this day. Press play and get your G on!
01. "King Tee's Bar Stand: Intro" [prod. by DJ Pooh] (1992)
02. "The Wrong Nigga to Fuck With" [prod. by Sir Jinx] (1992)
03. "My Skin is My Skin" (w. W.C.) [prod. Dr. Jam] (1993)
Slum Village grabs Phife Dawg for a revamp of the classic A Tribe Called Quest "Push It Along" joint. Produced by Young RJ and another single from SV's upcoming album "YES". Produced by Young RJ, who I ain't always crazy about, but I gotta say that I love absolutely everything about it!
Ali Shaheed Muhammad more or less never dissapoints, from his days in A Tribe Called Quest, to his outside remixes and his productions, and his soul days in Lucy Pearl he's easily one of the most interesting DJ:s and producers in al of hip-hop. I'm not sure if he's working on a new project or if this is just a loose single but his new single "CPR" is a real ill hip-hop song both from a lyrical and musical standpoint. Ali himself opens the song while Tenesee's JaPoet, Georgia's David Luke and beautiful voiced singer Merna (previously known as Ayah) whose album "The Calling" (don't sleep on this great soul/R&B album) was entirely produced by Ali Shaheed. The track is not only a strong piece of music but is also a response to the bubling tension between the black young americans and the police.
My homie Mal Moe a.k.a. M-Credible came to me with a great idea of me doing a compilation of Skeff Anselm's material, and though he's definitely very dope I knew much of his material was hard to come by but I also know that Mal has been helping me out a lot and have a great ear for these sort of things so I was at least gonna try. It took me some time tracking down everything but in the end I managed to find pretty much everything he ever did, which isn't much but pretty much all very dope. The end result is a 15 track compilation I hope y'all enjoy as much as I do and help fans understand just how dope Anselm was at one point.
Younger readers might not have a clue about Skeff Anselm is because he held such a low profile, but he was an engineer, mixer, producer and remix artist from the Boogie Down Bronx, originally working under Jazzy Jay on his UNI label. Among his earliest recording work for the label as an engineer was for Grand Puba's original group Masters Of Ceremony on the single "Sexy", the entirety of Don Barron's debut album and the single "I'm Not Playing" and parts of the unreleased album by The Ultimate Force (Diamond D/MC Rob) which was supposed to follow but was eventually shelved (until it finally saw the release a couple of years ago: and thank god for that!. As a producer his first project was the full-length album for hip-hop trio Nu-Sounds "Mackin'". It was in its entirety produced by Anslem in conjunction with group member DJ Fashion (credited as Rohan Robotham) while emcees Craig Burrus and RMR handled vocals. Without Burns and Anslem the group reformed, adding rapper Broadway, as Strictly Roots a few years later and released "Begs No Friends" to little noise, but that's another story. Check the YouTube video below to stream the complete album!
Anslem undoubtedly is most known for his excellent work on A Tribe Called Quest's most classic albums "The Low End Theory" and "Midnight Mauraders", where he laced such timeless pieces as "Showbusiness" and "8 Million Stories". He also worked with Brand Nubian on their equally classic debut album "One For All" where he was credited for the Lord Jamar solo "Ragtime" and some engineering, mixing. However I have a feeling that he did some uncredited co-production work on there as the 12" single for "All For One / Concerto in X Minor" clearly states him as co-producer of all songs on the release, including the remixes (check it out for yourself). After production on D-Nice's second album (including two versions of the Naughty By Nature collaboration), MC Serch's solo debut, and a joint on Heavy D. & The Boyz popular "Blue Funk" album, he started remixing and producing more low-key records for what was more or less one hit wonders (Yall So Stupid, Blakkheart, Akiko, B'Zar Behavior. Jamalski). In 1996 he produced his final high-profile record in the form of the De La Soul/Mos Def collaboration "Big Brother Beat". Two years later he reappeared for the final time (to my knowledge) co-producing a joint called "The Street Mix" by some no name kid group called Mag 7 - I have not included it on the compilation but you can check out the video for it right here.
So what really happened with Skeff Anselm and why did he leave the music biz behind. He definitely had a slamming sound and much of what he produced or remixes is considered classic today. One reason that he might have been quite hard to work with, something that I learned from two interviews (although remember that there's of course two sides of every story). First Diamond D said the following in an interview when answering the question how it was working with Skeff (who's credited for engineering work on both "I'm Not Playing" and "Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop") - "Working with Skeff was cool, but he kinda always looked down on me" (Platform 8470 Magazine: Interview with Diamond). Then there's an interview Lord Jamar about the making of their second Puba-less album "In God We Trust" and the decision to record it themeselves. This is what Lord Jamar had to say on the topic - "This guy did some production on the first album. He's still my man so I don't want to bring his name up. He did a song on the first album and was always cool with us. He thought that he was going to be the producer and he was going to try to exploit us. He did a beat and the price was crazy higher than it should have been. For that price of one beat, we could buy equipment and make all our beats at home... I know for a fact that my beats are hotter than this dude" (MVRemix: Lord Jamar). Now remember that the only outside producers on "One For All" was Stimulated Dummies, who of course includes Dante Ross who in fact worked on both "In God We Trust" and "Everything is Everything". Beside Skeff and Dante Ross the only other producer is Dave "Jam" Hall and I think we can all be assured that's not who he's talking about. This is not to spread gossip, and if you know anything please let me know and I'll be glad to fix it, I'm just interested in how it come that a talented producer and engineer basically dissapears from a promising career. With that said, let's get on with the compilation, some classic, and some quite rare or at least obscure, early to mid-'90s bangers to please your ears. TURN IT UP, ENJOY and NOD YOUR HEAD!
Earlier this week we heard the return of Phife Dawg with his incredible dedication to Jay Dee called "Dear Dilla". This one's got everything going for it, and now it got a real slick video to go along with it... Enjoy!
Damn, it's good to hear Phife Dawg back in the studio again, it's really been a while. During his career he worked a lot with the late legend J Dilla, both as part of Tribe Called Quest and as a solo artist ("Ben Dova", "Game Day", "Ya Heard Me", "4 Horsemen", "Thought U Wuz Nice"). In that sense it is fitting that he breaks his musical silence with a tribute to his fallen comrade which he does with the heartfelt "Dear Dilla", written as a letter adressed to Yancey. To get a real Dilla sound, producer and DJ Rasta Root blends a funky KC & The Sunshine Band groove with the drum loop from Slum Village's "Hold Tight" a long with several samples of Jay Dee ad-libs and small parts of classic Dilla productions. Live bass is provided by DETOXXX and V. Rich does a great job performing the melodic keys... All in all, a very ill track that apparantly is the first single from Phife Diggy's upcoming solo album "MUTTYMorphosis". It's about time "Ventilation: Da LP", which definitely was an underrated collection of good music, finally get a follow up. Be sure to head over to Okayplayer (who premiered the song) to read Phife's own thoughts about the making of the song and peep the complete credits!
"The greatest producer on the mic" will forever be linked with Diamond D and his verse on The Fugees' "The Score", and while both Diamond and Q-Tip would make my top 10 of best producers of all time my personal choice for best producer on the mic would quite undoubtedly fall upon The Abstract. The way that he both was responsible for the timeless musical arrangements and most of the equally timeless verses on his Tribe crew's three first albums (as well as a large chunk of the two final records as well), not to mention his many outstanding works as a producer-for-hire which included productions for artists such as Nas, Craig Mack, Mobb Deep, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Run-DMC, and many others (including co-producing the entirety of jazz guitarist and close friend Kurt Rosenwinkel's 2003 album "Heartcore"). Together all this amounts to an extremely impressive production portfolio. Last year I collected 16 of my favorite non-Tribe 'Tip productions on my compilation "Abstractions of Funk", so be sure check that out if you haven't.
Yet, Q-Tip is most likely even more known as an emcee, and a truly legendary one at that. Since he bursted on to the scene as a focused youngin' in '89 with classics such as "Bonita Applebum" and "Can I Kick It?", his unmistakable nasal flow, clever wordplay, and humorous but often very personal lyrics has been a true staple of hip-hop forever since. As first evident by how each Tribe album took a new musical direction, he's one who's surely never been afraid of change and trying out new things. These qualities are the makings of a true artist - from his first solo album, the often misunderstood "Amplified" (1999) to the experimental but often brilliant "Kamaal/The Abstract" (2002), 'Tip now made it clear that he would dissapoint those fans not willing to let their favorite artist break free of what was expected from him rather than put any artistic restraints on himself. The label however didn't share Fareed's enthusiasm for the experimental and the eclectic; both his albums "Kamaal/The Abstract" was passed over by the label and shelved, until 2011 when Q-Tip finally got the masters back, and what would become his Motown debut "Open" in 2005 (I will post this album in a minute). A few of the standouts from the latter would be remade and remixed for what at the moment is 'Tip's latest album, the critically acclaimed "The Renaissance" that took a more back-to-basics approach. Entirely produced by the artist himself (save for two tracks handled by the late, great J Dilla), and with very little guest artists, the result was one of the absolute strongest LP:s of 2008, as well as a celebration of the true best producer of the microphone.
Next up in the Q-Tip saga is an album ("The Last Zulu") on the more commercially oriented Kanye West operated G.O.O.D. Music imprint. Undoubtedly, it will be very interesting to see how this will turn out, but as Kamaal never have been one to compromise his musical integrity, I sure ain't worried. Add to that, Q-Tip's recent productions (Kanye West, Jay-Z/Kanye, Roc Marciano, John Legend, etc) and the few new tracks on his new mixtape with Busta Rhymes "The Abstract & The Dragon" (especially check the 'Tip produced "Thank You" and the title track). While we're waiting for the new album that should be out sometime during the first half of 2014, I've put together a little treat for y'all my intelligent readers.
Consisting of 16 classic Q-Tip collaborations, "Tippin' The Scale", features a plethora of some of the Tribe leaders most outstanding cameos. Aside from making sure everything flows together extremely well and features nothing but good music, the compilation is based around three themes - staying clear of Q-Tip solo tracks, songs simultaneously produced by and featuring 'Tip, and showing off the diversity of musical styles the man once named Josh Davis can handle with ease. For that reason I have not only included bangers like the Buckwild produced Beastie Boys joint, the Dilla laced Heavy D track, Statik Selektah's joint with Q-Tip, Term and Styles P, the legendary Mad Skillz/Large Pro/Q-Tip collaboration, and so on. In addition to this we got collabos with DJ Shadow, Chemical Brothers, Lucy Pearl, and legendary jazz/fusion bass god Stanley Clarke. The latter which also happens to be the only song on here co-produced by Kamaal. All in all, this makes for an extremely interesting 65 minutes journey into the rhymes of life courtesy of Mr. Fareed, and as mentioned above to check out his beats to the rhyme of life make sure you also peep "Abstractions of Funk". Without further due, here's another dope The Lost Tapes presentation.. Enjoy and TURN IT UP!!
01. "B.I.G. Dedication @ Lyricist Lounge"
02. "Extra Abstract Skillz" (Ft. Mad Skillz & Large Professor)
03. "Come On Down" (Ft. Big Daddy Kane & Busta Rhymes)
04. "Lightworks" (Ft. Talib Kweli)
05. "All The Way Live" (Ft. Tha Alkaholiks & King Tee)
06. "Get It Together: Buckwild Remix" (Ft. Beastie Boys)
07. "Enuff" (Ft. DJ Shadow & Lateef The Truth Speaker)
08. "Keep It Moving" (Ft. Hi-Tek, Kurupt & Dion)
09. "We Can Make It Better" (Ft. Kanye West, Rhymefest & Talib Kweli)
10. "To The Beat" (Ft. Rahzel)
11. "1, 2 To The Bass" (Ft. Stanley Clarke)
12. "You" (Ft. Lucy Peal & Snoop Doog)
13. "Birds Of A Feaher" (Ft. Black Sheep, Dave & Mike Gee)
Some of the most interesting part of being a hip-hop fanatic these days is to be able to attend Red Bull Music Academy's musical seminars, whether you do it from home or as part of the audience. Last year we got extensive interviews with Wu-Tang Clan, MF DOOM, Mobb Deep and Black Moon to name a few, and in 2013 there's no shortage of dope artists. The most interesting, if you ask me however, is The Abstract himself, Joan Davis or Kamaal Ibn Fareed, best known as Q-Tip who sat down with Chariman Mao for a two hour must hear session where the former Tribe leader speaks on some of his finest production work, sharing secrets and trivia, and shares about his working relationship with KanYe West and G.O.O.D. Music.
One of the most interesting part of the two hour set is that Q-Tip loads up the MPC with a 1:30 snippet of the original "Mama's Boyfriend", the Billy Joel sampling cut that he created for West's impeccable "My Dark Twisted Fantasy". The song was said to be included on the LP almost until the CD/2xLP hit stores, but due to sample clearances KanYe was even considering using a Souljah Boy remix (a horrible mix that wouldleak to the net not too long after the LP release). I really hope we get to hear a full CDQ version of Q-Tip's original mix in a near future, as it sounds like it sounds right at home with tracks like "That's My Bitch", "Lif Off", and "Chain Heavy". I suggest you listen to the complete set, but if you're too eager to just hear the extended "Mama's Boyfriend" snippet (being that we've been wanting to hear this one for a couple of years), just press play below.
The monumental meeting between Masta Ace, Black Moon, Special Ed, A Tribe Called Quest and Spike Lee that resulted in "Crooklyn", a track that'll go down in history as one of the finest 12" singles of all time. The song was of course a one-shot deal, made for Spike Lee's beautiful film of the same name, but there's a lot more to the story that you may not know... Now Red Bull Music Academy, who's really been blessing hip-hop heads with fantastic music seminars over the last couple of years, have put together a brilliant interview based around the making and aftermath of the original "Crooklyn". Pretty much everyone who was involved with the joint except for Ali Shaheed Muhammad is interviewed; did you know that ODB was originally supposed to be on it?; did you know that the trio first recorded all completely different verses over the beat?; did you know that Evil Dee was involved in the production?; etc, etc. In other words, an absolute must read for any serious hip-hop connoisseur - CHECK IT OUT!
I I just saw this posted on Who's Gunna Take The Weight and thought it should definitely get posted. This was put together with DJ Red Alert and The Jungle Brothers' back in 1989 for an ATCQ demo that would later turn into the quartet's first long player, the classic "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm". These are just snippets of the six songs found on the tape ("Description of a Fool" / "Public Enemy" / "Native Tongue" [Unreleased cut] / "Left My Wallet in El Segundo" / "Dust (My Pal)" [unreleased]) but hopefully this gem will appear in full form sooner or later.
Producer Amerigo Gazaway of Gummy Soul is back with an exclusive Pharcyde joint, set over the same type of A Tribe Called Quest sample based production that created the crazy mash-up "Bizzare Tribe (A Quest to The Pharcyde)". From what I understand this is actually exclusive vocals provided by The Pharcyde crew so this is of course a must hear.
Bus-A-Bus and The Abstract have been a memorale combination ever since Busta first laid his memorable performances on 1990's "Scenario". The song is lifted from the 2012 mixtape "The Conglomerate" Here the duo goes in over Drake's "Poetic Justice", produced by Scoop DeVille. What do you think, should I make a Busta/'Tip compilation?
Scritti Politti is an experimenta british band that got their break with the late '70s New Vave/post-punk era, who has tried their hands on most any genre you could imagine. One thing they are NOT, however, are a hip-hop group in any way, shape or form; which is exactly what's make their "Tinseltown to Boogiedown" so brilliant; in fact, it's one of the best singles of '99. Luckily, they don't themeselves try their hand at rapping, instead settling for the chorus and production while inviting The Mighty Mso Def to do the session and performs a lot more than just a simple 16 bars verse; add to this that his verses were recorded around the time as his lyrical masterpiece "Black On Both Sides". The other emcee on the song is a Lee Majors. But the most interesting part of this late '90s 12" is the high-profile remixes; Psycho Les, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Pete Rock, and Rob Swift! If you're striving to get your hands on this, this is the definite version and features all versions and its instrumentals besides the original mix which can be heard above.
Often referred to as the king of the remix, Pete Rock's interpretation of "Tinseltown" is filled with all of the typical qualities of "another Pete Rock remix"; it's soulful but with an hard edge, and sounds very close to perfection when coupled with Mos' parts..Equally stunning is the darkerm, sinister variation provided by Psycho LES, who incorporates a violin sounding synthesizer effect which becomes the songs theme, while amplifies the drum beat several notches to give the joint a real booming vibe. This might actually be my favorite out of the five versions of the song! Not unexpectedly, Tribe DJ and producer Ali Shaheed goes for a smoother sax-driven feeling by emphasizing the soul elements of the original, giving it that vintage The Ummah sound. Few versions of the single included all four versions, and the one most often left out from pressings was The Rob Swift variation, which is real heavy on the low end and percussion, and is guarantee to have your head bopping.throughout the entire record. .. On the suject Speaking on Swift, if you have yet to hear "The Architect", the time is now!
I'ma let the music speak for itself now, I just find it amazing how well worth the price a 12" single like this is. Too often, artists release a single featuring the main song that also appears on his/her album, backed by instrumental, clean and acapella versions of the main track. An exclusive B-side or two such as a remix or a previously unreleased song/s shouldn't just be an option, but a law! With that being said here's Scritti Politti, Mos Def, Lee Morgan, Pete Rock, Psycho LES, Rob Swift and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. TURN IT UP!!
01. "Tinseltown to Boogiedown" [Psycho Les Variation]
02. "Tinseltown to Boogiedown" [Ali Shaheed Muhammad Variaion]
03. "Tinseltown to Boogiedown" [Pete Rock Variation]
04. "Tinseltown to Boogiedown" [Rob Swift Variation]
05. "Tinseltown to Boogiedown" [Psycho Les Instrumental]
06. "Tinseltown to Boogiedown" [Ali Shaheed Instrumental]
07. "Tinseltown to Boogiedown" [Pete Rock Instrumenal] SCRITTI POLITTI x MOS DEF - "TINSELTOWN TO BOOGIEDOWN: Variations"
There's absolutely no argument that A Tribe Called Quest with its huge impact on the hip-hop scene isn't one of the most influential and greatest hip-hop grops of all time. From the heavily jazz-influenced soundscapes, to the innovative turntble work, to the positive and often hilarious lyrical concepts; all three members contributed something unique to the table. All the elements came together to form like voltron and created one of the most unique musical styles the world has ever witnessed. The chemistry beween its two vocalists, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg still holds up as one of the ultimate tag teams of rap music, and 'Tip and Ali's unmistakable mixture of boom bap tinged jazz with its heavy low end and fequent use of the Rhodes pianio was certainly a new vibe that would inspire generations to come.
The production of the three first classics, before Jay Dee was added to the fold of The Ummah, has been somewhat controversial. The Abstract, beter known as Q-Tip, was responsible for much of the beats and arrangements; it's hard not to recognize his drum patterns and innovative use of jazz samples. 'Tip has many times stated that he was the sole producer of all Tribe's music (the stuff not hadled by DiLLA of course), which I personally believe is far from the whole truth. Many of the classics gives writing or co-writing credit to Ali Shaheed, including a song like "Crooklyn" that is generally thought to be a 'Tip production, when in fact they both collaborated on the beat as anyone in´possession of the actual single can attest to. Last, but definitely not least, if Shaheed was only contributing the scratches on those records he hardly would've gotten publishing and writing credits. The Ummah, which of coures consisted of Q-Tip, Ali and Jay Dee, was one hell of a power trio which is often overlooked as to what they each contributed to the music, as they all had quite different styles, yet were all clearly very influenced by eachother whcih gave the trio a coherrent sound. Ali was probably the most soulful, R&B fusing producer out of the three, easily being able to undercut a regular R&B jam with some vintage hip-hop aesthetics without ever coming off as forced. D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" and Jon B's "Cool Relax"are both perfect examples of this.
Although he mainly produced under The Ummah or A Tribe Called Quest banner, we can not overlook the magnitude of the plenty of songs credited only to Ali Shaheed Muhammad (something you often have to read the actual credits to gain knowledge of); and that's where this compilation comes in. Kicking things off with Sha's masterful and energetic remix of Boogie Down Production's classic single "We In Here", which is a perfect example of Ali's style as he totally flips the original, giving it a totally new sound without losing any of the rawness of the original mix. This is followed up by another ceritifed hip-hop classic in the form of the first Crooklyn Dodgers joint (Masta Ace, Buckshot & Special Ed) that was released in '94 on the "Crooklyn" soundtrack (it should be noted that both Q-Tip and Mummad are credited for this one). Now, it wouldn't be right to at least include one Tribe joint, but as is usuaul with my compilations I won't add any album material. Instead I have opted with the Mr. Muahammad remix of "Check The Rime" which beauifully flips the sonic concepts of the OG. After the '94 cut "We Run Things" from Mr. Khalyl, Lee Stone and Y-Tee. Following that we're moving into the jazz and soul realm which the producer handles with excellence; a reinivsion of the Curtis Fuller classic "Five Spot After Dark", remixed for a jazz remix compilation from 2006. Another sick departure from the traditional hip-hop bangers to the jazz realm comes in the form of legendary sax-player Greg Osby's "Rise" and Shaheed's remix where he enlists a rare guest apperance by none other than CL Smooh. The heat simply don't stop and this is in fact one of my personal favorite compilations in quite some time... In fact, I like it so much that I went back and added 320 kbps rip of many of the songs to add to our listening experience. Oh and for some good measure, check out my previous compilation of Q-Tip's prouction work, titled "Abstractions of Funk" - now that would've made a slamming double C D don't you think? TURN IT UP!!!
01. Boogie Down Productions - "We In There" [A Tribe Called Quest Remix]
02. Crooklyn Dodgers - "Crooklyn'"
03. A Tribe Called Quest - "Check The Remix" [Mr. Muahmmad's Remix]
04. Da Bush Babees - "We Run Things (It's Like That)"
05. Curtis Fuller - "Five Spot After Dark" [Remix]
06. D'Angelo - "Brown Sugar"
07. Fu-Schnickens - "La Smoove" (Ft. Phife Dawg)
08. Ice Cube - "What Can I Do?" [Eastside Remix]
09.Scriti Politti / Mos Def - "Tingseltown to Boogiedown" [Shaheed Variation]
10, Gil Scott Heron - "Don't Give Up"
11. Mos Def - "Got"
12. Shaquille O'Neal / Phife Dawg - "Where Ya At?"
13. Greg Osby / CL Smooth - "Raise" [Shaheed Remix]
14. Shola Ama - "Lovely Affair"
15. Jon B. - "Cool Relax" [Ummah Remix] (Ft. GURU)
16. Fu-Schnickens - "True Fuschnicks" [Shaheed's Fix]
I'm generally not interested in mash-up mixtapes as I feel that the original works should stand on their own and not be tampered with. That's certainly true for both The Pharcyde's "Bizzare Ride to Pharcyde" and A Tribe Called Quest's catalouge, which is what Gummy Soul uses for his latest free release "Bizzare Tribe: A Quest to Pharcyde". His last drop, the jazzy mix of the music of De La Soul and Fela Kut called "Fela Soul", was such a cool project that this obviously got a listen too. And guess what, it's another winneer so make sure to get it ASAP!
So what really happened with Skeff Anselm and why did he leave the music biz behind. He definitely had a slamming sound and much of what he produced or remixes is considered classic today. One reason that he might have been quite hard to work with, something that I learned from two interviews (although remember that there's of course two sides of every story). First Diamond D said the following in an interview when answering the question how it was working with Skeff (who's credited for engineering work on both "I'm Not Playing" and "Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop") - "Working with Skeff was cool, but he kinda always looked down on me" (Platform 8470 Magazine: Interview with Diamond). Then there's an interview Lord Jamar about the making of their second Puba-less album "In God We Trust" and the decision to record it themeselves. This is what Lord Jamar had to say on the topic - "This guy did some production on the first album. He's still my man so I don't want to bring his name up. He did a song on the first album and was always cool with us. He thought that he was going to be the producer and he was going to try to exploit us. He did a beat and the price was crazy higher than it should have been. For that price of one beat, we could buy equipment and make all our beats at home... I know for a fact that my beats are hotter than this dude" (MVRemix: Lord Jamar). Now remember that the only outside producers on "One For All" was Stimulated Dummies, who of course includes Dante Ross who in fact worked on both "In God We Trust" and "Everything is Everything". Beside Skeff and Dante Ross the only other producer is Dave "Jam" Hall and I think we can all be assured that's not who he's talking about. This is not to spread gossip, and if you know anything please let me know and I'll be glad to fix it, I'm just interested in how it come that a talented producer and engineer basically dissapears from a promising career. With that said, let's get on with the compilation, some classic, and some quite rare or at least obscure, early to mid-'90s bangers to please your ears. TURN IT UP, ENJOY and NOD YOUR HEAD!
Yet, Q-Tip is most likely even more known as an emcee, and a truly legendary one at that. Since he bursted on to the scene as a focused youngin' in '89 with classics such as "Bonita Applebum" and "Can I Kick It?", his unmistakable nasal flow, clever wordplay, and humorous but often very personal lyrics has been a true staple of hip-hop forever since. As first evident by how each Tribe album took a new musical direction, he's one who's surely never been afraid of change and trying out new things. These qualities are the makings of a true artist - from his first solo album, the often misunderstood "Amplified" (1999) to the experimental but often brilliant "Kamaal/The Abstract" (2002), 'Tip now made it clear that he would dissapoint those fans not willing to let their favorite artist break free of what was expected from him rather than put any artistic restraints on himself. The label however didn't share Fareed's enthusiasm for the experimental and the eclectic; both his albums "Kamaal/The Abstract" was passed over by the label and shelved, until 2011 when Q-Tip finally got the masters back, and what would become his Motown debut "Open" in 2005 (I will post this album in a minute). A few of the standouts from the latter would be remade and remixed for what at the moment is 'Tip's latest album, the critically acclaimed "The Renaissance" that took a more back-to-basics approach. Entirely produced by the artist himself (save for two tracks handled by the late, great J Dilla), and with very little guest artists, the result was one of the absolute strongest LP:s of 2008, as well as a celebration of the true best producer of the microphone..jpg)
