[Video] ICE CUBE - The Making of "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" Pt. 2

A couple of weeks back I posted Part 1 of this little documentary that Ice Cube and his team is putting together in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Cube's classic solo debut, "AmeriKKKA's Most Wanted" - definitely a favorite of mine! Check out Part 2 above.

[Documentary] ICE CUBE - "The Making of 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" (Part 1)

First and foremost, sorry for the huge lack of updates on The Lost Tapes the last two weeks or so but I've been super busy, plus lost both my computer, phone and my internet but don't give up hope on this much loved blog. While I haven't been updating the blog I've been heavily listening to a lot of classic hip hop that I haven't heard in years, especially the classic West Coast stuff like N.W.A.'s "efil4zaggiN", Ice Cube's 1990-1994 discography, the Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg albums, and so on. I got to say that "Niggaz 4 Life" is to me by far superior to "Straight Outta Compton" is pretty much just as good as "The Chronic", well at least almost, Ice Cube's solo debut that was made around the same was different but just as good with The Bomb Squad and Sir Jinx going in over the production hardcore while Ice Cube proved he could definitely hold down his one man show. It's a true classic hip-hop album and I'm a real sucker for documenatires about the making of these '90s masterpieces, so when I found that a real documentary on the making of the LP is just about finished you can bet I am hyped. It will be made available for free in segments via YouTube channel IceCube/CubeVision, and you can watch the first segment right now up top while the next. Watch out for the next installment coming soon!

Making Of ICE CUBE's "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" @ XXL

These days XXL is never a magazine I would spend money on; sure they have the occassional interesting article or reviews but the majority is spent on BS. Back in the day however, XXL had some extremely powerful articles and photoshots fot the true hip-hop heads. In one of their finest moves they gave several page spreads on the making of classic '90s allbums including "Illmatic", "Only Buit 4 Cuban Linx", "Ready to Die" and "Life After Death", "All Eyez On Me", "Capital Punishment" and of course Ice Cube's timeless solo debut "AmerikKka's Most Wanted". The latter was for me the final article I got my hands on. After I recently started revisiting this unbelivable classic a whole lot recenly, I was determined to find the XXL article - preferably with scans as XXL's own website only have a small excerpt of the article.

Together with "Death Certificate", "Amerikka's Most Wanted" is my favorite Cube album and stands as two of the finest West Coast albums of all time. And especially the 1990 debut this post is about really succeeded by juxtaposing the finest things from both the East and West sounds due to the project being overseen and produced by both The Bomb Squad and Sir Jinx. Luckily enough I was able to find scans of the entire XXL article via a Tumblr Acount a while back which truly made my day. I decided to share it with my trusted Lost Tapes readers, so I strongly suggest you press play on your CD or, cassette or LP, pump up the volume and start reading.

A huge thank you goes out The Martorialist Blog amd it's webadmin  Si Maine Price so be sure to visit his site for more gold. Until then, download all the 8 pages in good quality via Mega.co.nz! Very interesting reading which indeed comes highly recommended!

ICE CUBE / "Amerikka's Most Wanted" @ XXL

[EP] HYENAS in the DESERT - "Die Laughing"

Funky producer Gary G-Wiz was first introduced to the hip-hop buying public as part of Public Enemey's production team. For P.E.'s three first album, the wall of noise was primarily handled by The Shocklee brothers, Eric "Vietnam" Sadler" and Chuck D, as The Bomb Squad. For the group's fourth LP, "Apocalypse '91... The Enemy Strikes Black", G-Wiz distinct hardcore sound was introduced as part of the Grand Imperial Ministers of Funk team. From there he was part of classic records by Eric B. & Rakim ("Know the Ledge)", Big Daddy Kane ("Nuff' Respect") and even Janet Jackson. It didn't take long before he was knighted an official member of The Bomb Squad, and played a huge role on Chuck D's very underappreciated solo debut, '96s "Autobiography of Mistachuck". The album also featured Long Island rhymer Kendo on the standout track, "Pain".

The aforementioned producer and emcee impressed the Public Enemey frontman so much, that he signed them as a duo to his then newly started Slam Jamz imprint (a sub-label under Columbia). The first act to get signed by the label was Hyenas in the Desert, the duo consisting of Gary "G-Wiz" and Kendo. After releasing two 12" singles on the label, "Concubinez", and "Can You Feel It?""Wild Dogs", Hyenas in the Desert released their debut EP on both wax and CD; "Die Laughing". The nine tracks presented on the disc was hardcore, dark and moody music with Kendo's ruff reality raps; matter of fact, Kendo was at one point thought to be Large Pro's replacement in Main Source before MC Mikey D took that place.

Due to lack of hype, Hyenas in the Desert never released anything after their impeccable debut EP, and it's a rather unknown release despite how dope it is. Neither G-Wiz or Kendo has done much worth mentioning after the split of the duo, although G-Wiz has reunited with Public Enemey and produced their latest album "How to Sell Soul to a Soulless People". Aight, 'nuff talk, check out this heatrock and let the hardcore beats and rhymes take over your mind for the coming 30 minutes.

01. "Elephant Graveyard"
02. "Can You Feel It?"
03. "Wild Dogs"
04. "The Longest Night (Journal #1)
05. "Concubinez"
06. "Why Me"
07. "Fresh Meat"
08. "Hyenas in the Desert"
09. "Other Side Of Midnight"

HYENAS IN THE DESERT - "DIE LAUGHING EP"

The one and only BOMB SQUAD

The Bomb Squad was of course the sonic geniuses behind Public Enemey's three first classic and groundbreaking albums, "Yo! Bumrush The Show" (1987), "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" (1988) and "Fear Of A Black Planet" (1990). The crews sound was something out of the ordinary, layer on layer on layer of samples to create music full of NOISE; as Chuck D said, if Phil Spector invented the wall of sound then Hank Schocklee's style was the wall of noise - and he definitely had a very valid point.

The Bomb Squad consisted mainly of Hank and Keith Schocklee, Eric "Vietnam" Sadler and Chuck D himself (at least for the P.E. records). Later on producers Gary "G-Wiz" and Kerwin Sleek Young was added to the production team but for this compilation I wanted to focus on their older material, the real Bomb Squad sound with the Shocklee brothers and Eric "Vietnam" Sadler. So the music on here are almost exclusively from 1988 to 1993 and is filled to the limits with 19 tracks, and almost 80 minutes of dope golden era hip-hop. I don't know what the hell happened to The Bomb Squad, between those years I mentioned they were really big and everybody loved their sound but from 1995 and onwards it's like they stopped music, with a very few exceptions such as a small number of remixes.

While they were active they produced a gang of albums in full; the three Public Enemey's album mentioned above, Ice Cube's "Amerikkka's Most Wanted", Young Black Teenagers '91 LP and "Bazerk, Bazerk, Bazerk" by Sonz Of Bazerk & No Self Control. I didn't want to include anything from those albums obviously, but I think this is a good representation of The Bomb Squad's non album tracks, remixes, soundtrack joints and what not. The only thing I wanted on there that I didn't have room for was a track from Slick Rick's debut but you should have heard that anyways. Oh well, TURN IT UP!!!!!!

01. Public Enemey - "Intro (The 13th Message)" / "Livin' In A Zoo"
02. 3rd Bass - "Steppin' to the A.M."
03. Doug E. Fresh - "On The Strength" [Bomb Squad Remix]
04. Aaron Hall - "Don't Be Afraid" [125th Gangster Posse Remix]
05. Eric B. & Rakim - "Juice (Know The Ledge)" (Soundtrack Version)
06. Bell Biv Devoe - "Poison [Bomb Squad Remix]"
07. The 7A3 - "Coolin' In Cali"
08. Big Daddy Kane - "Nuff Respect"
09. LL Cool J - "It Gets No Rougher"
10. Leaders Of The New School - "Trains, Planes & Automobiles"
11. Silver Bullet - "20 Seconds to Comply" [Bomb Squad Remix]
12. Son Of Bazerk & No Self Control - "Change This Style"
13. K9 Posse - "It Gets No Deeper" [Bomb Squad Remix]
14. Juvenile Commitee - "Juvenile Rules"
15. Run DMC - "Three in the Head"
16. Public Enemey - "Get Off My Back"
17. Jody Watley Ft. Eric B. & Rakim - "Friends" [Extended Remix]
18. Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers - "Have You Ever Been to Hell"

THE BOMB SQUAD - "WALL OF NOISE!"