[Throwback Doc] BLACK MOON - "Behnínd The Moon" (2013)

Here's an official documentary put out by Duck Down music in 2013 on the making of Black Moon's classic '92 debut album "Enta Da Stage", celebrating it's 25 year anniversary. I had totally missed this when it first hit the net, and as I'm sure more people than me did just that I wanted to post it since I've been banging some Black Moon recently and yesterday I was watching the amazing Masta Ace doc on "Disposable Arts". Unlike the Ace documentary this actually features footage of recording sessions and live performances from the era along with recent talking heads interviews about the impact of the album. Featuring the entire Boot Camp Clik this is 75 minutes of pure bliss for any true hip fan. You can stream the entire thing via Duck Down's official YouTube channel since last year, but if you want to support the cause grab your DVD at The Duck Down Shop. Enjoy!

[Documentary] MASTA ACE - "Disposable Arts"

I must admit that I wasn't really that aware of Masta Ace and his work before his comeback in 2001 with the excellent "Disposable Arts" and then the equally impressive "A Long Hot Summer" - two albums that both stand as great examples of what a great Hip Hop album should and could be if treated right. Since then I've been a huge fan, collected his back catalouge, seen him live both solo and with eMC, but as I had missed my chance of picking up either of the above albums when they originally dropped I was glad to see HHV and M3 Entertainment get together to release High Quality 180 gram 2xLP sets of both albums a few years ago which I obviously picked up. I noticed that they also put out a CD version of the former album which came strapped with an additional 2 hour documentary on a bonus DVD that were not included on the vinyl edition. As I love this type of stuff I was really eager to see these but I wasn't going to buy a CD copy of an album I just bought on wax just for that (though the thought crossed my mind).

Luckily, the good people at Below The System Records (who handled the CD reissue) has decided to upload the entire thing on YouTube for our enjoynment. Almost all of the contributors to this modern classic chime in with interesting behind the scenes stories on its making, including producers like Domingo, Paul Nice, Deacon The Villain of CunninLinguists, Xplicit, Luis "Sabor" Tineo, Xplicit, Koolade, DJ JS-One and Ayatollah, guests like the eMC crew, Jean Grae, Young Zee, Tha Alkaholiks, Rah Digga, and of course Masta Ace himself and the executive producers. I just started watching but this is without a doubt a must see for any true fan of the album and creative Hip Hop in general, so just hit play whenever you have some time over because it will definitely make you want to throw on the album afterwards as well. Enjoy and order the CD/DVD package from Below System Records.

[Documentary] OUTKAST's "Stankonia"

2015 marks the fifteen years anniversary of OutKast's which still today stands as the last proper group album from the legendary ATL duo. Real hip hop heads often throw heaps of praise over "ATLiens" and "Aquemini" while those who fell in love with the more accesible sounds of the group swears on "Stankonia". The truth of course is that they are all classics as 'Kast is one of those rare groups who managed to put out classic LP after classic LP - and not only classic as in an extremely dope record but classic as in a truly groundbreaking game-changer. The following mini documentary was produced for the ocassion by MTV and takes us behind the scenes of "Stankonia" (using old footage) as Dre and Big Boi speaks on their production methods as Earthtone III, how they picked the singles and more. Check it out (and in related news - also check out Organized Noize get busy on the latest installment of "Rhythm Roulette" )!

As a little bonus for y'all I uploaded the sick OutKast / Goodie Mobb collaboration "Sole Sunday" which appeared as the B-side to some of the "Ms. Jackson" singles. It was however originally recorded for, and included in, "Any Given Sunday" the same year as "Stankonia" dropped. Produced by Mr. DJ for Earthtone III productions. Also in celebration of the anniversary is a limited edition re-release of "Stankonia" on multi-colour splattered 2xLP set. The reissue drops on November 27 and can be pre-ordered @ UGHH now.

OUTKAST / GOODIE MOB - "Sole Sunday" (2000)

[Documentary] DUDLEY PERKINS - "Interplanetary Peace Talks" (2007)

If you're a fan of either the original Stones Throw sound that was dominated by the vibe of Madlib, Lootpack and Oh No or the more recent SomeOthaShip releases by Georgia Anne Muldrow and the roster you are well aware of the original artist Dudley Perkins. Having released several excellent EP:s and albums both under his birth name and as Declaime, often in full-length collaborations with Madlib, Oh No, Kan Kick or his life partner and musical soul mate Georgia Anne Muldrow, Perkins is responsible for laods of thought provoking yet hard hitting music that borders somewhere between filthy hip-hop, progressive funk and Soul music. Growing up in Oxnard and quickly finding a deep interest in music he soon became a member of the original C.D.P. Crew alongside Lootpack, Oh No and Kan Kick his evolution on record has been one hell of an interesting ride to follow. In 2003 he released what to me still stands as his finest LP, the Madlib produced "A Lil' Light", which is pretty much a front-to-back classic with outstanding songs like "Momma", "Fallin'", "Solitude" and "Flowers".

Somewhere around 2006 when he was gearing up for his second full-length collaboration with 'Lib ("Expressions 2012 A.D.") A.J. Callomay and Paul Dang directed this 50 minutes deep documentary on Declaime for Xylophone Films and SomeOthaShip productions. This interesting film gives us a look into Dudley Perkins, the man and the artist, as he discusses his views on life, spirituality, cooking healthy, as well as musical ancedotes, live clips and interview excerpts with artists in his immediate circle. If you're a fan of the man be sure to watch this excellent documentary as it is very different from your standard artist biography, and if you're not too familiar with the man and his music be sure to head over to the official SomeOthaShip Bandcamp where you can stream and purchase all releases from both Perkins and Georgia Anne Muldrow.

[Throwback] PETE ROCK - "Soul Survivor: The Documentary" (1998)

There's no denying that Pete Philips', better known as Pete Rock, is one of the major personage in hip-hop culture. Having released 12 albums that all range from classic to banging, as well as lacing immortal beats for the likes of EPMD, Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface, Public Enemy, Rakim, and so many more, his place in the annals of hip-hop is for ever sacred. With his second official instrumental full-length "PeteStrumentals 2" just around the corner (June 23 via Mello Music Group) I thought it was only right I'd bring back this incredible document of a classic album in the making courtesy of Loud Records '97-'98. I'm talking about the 45 minutes documentary that the label produced for the making of Pete Rock's solo debut "Soul Survivor" which landed in stores in November 1998. It took me some time to really get into the album when I first got it but after countless listens I can truly see just how incredibly dope this LP really is - just as good as "Center Of Attention" and "PeteStrumentals" and them classic gems. Unlike "Soul Survivor II" (2004) where Pete basically went with the one MC/one DJ formula, for this first installment Pete used his connections at Future Flavaz, LOUD Records and of course all of the artists whose respect he had earned throughout the years, to create an album with one of the illest tracklistings of all time.

When we see documentaries about the making of classic albums (like VH1's "Reasonable Doubt" episode on "The Making Of The Classic Album" or the new Nas "Illmatic" documentary) you usually have the people involved reminiscing about its creation. This doc right here is something else man, this is 45 minutes of fly on the wall documentary style as Pete and the many guests produce, record and oversees the creation of the record. Previously this has been up on YouTube in 6 parts but thanks to user MastaOne2K we can now enjoy the full thing without any breaks. As a little bonus I collected a few joints that didn't make the final cut or got changed. The video itself features some exclusive moments too, like an exclusive DOPE Cappadonna verse for example.

SOUL SURVIVOR SESSIONS
01. "Stay Away" (Ft. De La Soul)
02. "Verbal Murder Pt. 1" (Ft. Mekolicious, Pete Rock & Buddha Monk)
03. "Strange Fruit" (Ft. Tragedy Khadafi, Noreaga, Mekolicious & Pete Rock)
04. "Greenbacks" [Demo]

"SOUL SURVIVOR SESSIONS"

[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!

[Documentary] VH1 Driven: OUTKAST (2004)

VH1's bioraphical "Driven" show have aired some absolutely great 45 minutes documentaries since the start of the show. One of my favorites was always the Big Daddy Kane one, but recently I came across a brilliant piece on Andre 3000 and Big Boi, better known as OutKast, which follows the duo from their upbringing in the deep South, hooking up with each other at a local talent show, to quitting school to work with Organized Noize and chilling out in the Dungeon with the rest of the crew. It follows the group from the recording of their debut to their hip-pop masterpiece "Stankonia" in 2000. OutKast has always been one of my favorite groups - a duo that not only have one of the best chemistries in the game, includes one of the best emcees of all time, are great producers in their own right, and have one of the best catalouges around. Each and every one of their albums are truly groundbreaking and can be called masterpieces (or classics) or at least very close (not counting "Idlewild", but that was a soundtrack so it doesn't really count - the film was pretty cool though). "Speakerboxxx/Love Below" is a very underrated album, especially Big Boi's disc is purely amazing Southern hip-hop that points the way towards his excellent official debut "Big Lucious Left Foot" (what the hell was up with his sophomore effort though?).

This documentary was ripped from an old VHS tape by YouTube uploader YouTube Video Channel (yes that's the real name), and while the quality and sound isn't always all that it doesn't take away from the viewing pleasure. I've been heavily on my 'Kast shit recently, pumping especially "ATLiens" and "Aquemini", so finding this was a real gem as it really goes deep in some aspects of the group's struggles and triumphs. As if that wasn't enough, I am currently working on an OutKast compilation featuring non-album cuts that I think Lost Tapes fans will really enjoy. So look out for that in the coming days or at least within a week, but untill then press play up top and let the story of Big Boi and Andre 3K wash over you via VH1's Driven and be sure to check back for some rare 'Kast. As a little bonus teaser I'm throwing readers a bone with a song that was cut from the "ATLiens" sessions called "Roaches & Rats" (unfortunately ripped from a mixtape, but better than nothing for sure; sick jam!)

OUKAST - "ROACHES AND RATS"

[EPK/Singles] BIZZ / 4TH DISCIPLE - "Prince Of New York LP"

Highly talented New Jesey lyricist Bizz The Prince has been working on his full-length album "Back to Basics" which has been in the works since late 2011 but is finally looking to be just about finished. The entire album is produced by the legendary producer 4th Disciple, the most underrated producer in the game based on the countless classics he has produced for Killarmy, Hell Razah and Killah Priest (which has showed that he's perfectly capable of crafting timeless sonical front-to-back masterpieces) as well as unbeliavable cuts for the Wu-Tang Clan, N-Tyce/Weldon Irvine, Method Man, LA The Darkman,  Shabazz The Disciple, Gravediggaz, Cappadonna, Sunz Of Man, Vinnie Paz, Tragedy Khadafi and countless others. 

As 4th Disciple is one of my favorite producers, as the guy who used to be the Wu-Tang Clan's hidden weapon back in the day, and packs a truly unique sound, the news that he and Bizz is actually going to release a full-length album together really made me HYPED. The first couple of street singles I heard a while back didn't do all that much for me, but they might not even turn up on the album as they were early tracks and years has passed, but recent singles like the mind blowing "Cold World" and the Inspectah Deck assisted BANGER "Break The Walls". No date has been set yet, but as the official singles has started dropping at a rapid rate and a proper EPK has been released I have a feeling we will see this very soon. You'll find the 6 minutes EPK up top of this post, "Cold World" video and the "Break The Walls" track right below it. The older 4th Disciple tracks that we're originally slated for the LP whcih also packs a slightly different sound, making me believe they won't appear on the album any more, are the two tracks passed to the bottom of this post. These two tracks are the Kinetic 9 collaboration "Realest Spittin'" and the Freeway assisted "We Shine". Enjoy, feel free to leave a comment about your thoughts on the forthcoming album and stay tuned for more info as the album progresses. In the meantime support Bizz and 4th by purchasing these bangers in HQ Mp3 rips directly from iTunes - it is appreciated!

DJ Mark The 45 King on producing "Hard Knock Life"

I remember back in 1998 I was all about underground hip-hop, no exception, and Jigga Man was kind of a no no. However hearing "Hard Knock Life" playing everywhere that year I could impossibly deny that it was a mad flavorful record that was impossible not to nod your head to. It was commercial but it was pure hip hop music. To this day it is one of my favorite Jay-Z records (I later came around and own all Jigga's LP:s up and until "American Gangster"), and Marcy's finest and the legendary DJ Mark The 45 King was for sure a match made in heaven. I love how the Flavor Unit veteran keeps a low profile only to once in a while pop up and deliver some of the best selling hip-hop records of its time (we all know the equally brilliant "Stan" by Eminem). Why the hell more major artists isn't contacting The 45 King is simply beyond me, but I guess they rather fuck with Lex Luger or Wundagirl. The clip is a segment that originally aired on Swedish Television and unfortunately lacks subtitles - but as the video is based around interview segments with Jay-Z, DJ Mark The 45 King and Kid Capri the majority of its length is in English, so press play and enjoy  y'all!

[Documentary] FASHAWN - "The Ecology" / Mass Appeal

I forgot to include this ill documentary that Mass Appeal Records released a few days prior to the official release of Fashawn's slamming sophomore release "The Ecology". The 16 minutes long clip put together by the label traces the artists transformation from Santiago Leyva to Fashawn, and offers a glimpse into the creation of the new album. An interesting note is that Nas found his inspiration to start writing rhymes again via Fash and "The Ecology", listening to "Golden State Of Mind" it ain't hard to tell!

[Music Film] JAY-Z - "Streets is Watching" (1998)

As I mentioned before Jay-Z posts on The Lost Tapes ocassionally get shut down quite nasty in the comments sections, which I can understand as I personally hate everything the Jiggaman stand for these days (with that being said, still to this day he at least have a few banging cuts on each album). However, Jigga's official debut and sophomore in 1996 and 1997, respectively, "Reasonable Doubt" and "In My Lifetime... Vol. 1" are straight up incredible albums. Although the 1998 documentary / extended music video for Roc-A-Fella Films "Streets is Watching" ties together a loose narrative connecting a large amount of videos, mostly previously previously unreleased; a large amount of the best songs from Jay-Z's best album a long with his two finest early videos - "I Can Get With Dat" and "In My Lfetime"; two excellent '95 tracks.

This was originally released in '98, proabbly slightly earlier than "Vol. 2... "Hard Knock Life" and features pretty much all the original Jay-Z videos from his two first abums, many of them never having reached the public before. Whether you're on of the guys who trapped in the mindstate that Jay-Z is not a truly gifted lyricist, before he dumbed down his flow, this is purely excellent hip-hop and makes for an interesting viewing, so if you haven't catched it before... Don't sleep!

[DVD RIP] GHOSTFACE KILLAH - "Live in NYC"

I saw Ghostface Killah perform live in Sweden back in 2008 and to this day it is one of the sickest, most energetic concerts I've attended. Backed up by his Theodore Unit mates he ripped through an unusally large chunk of his huge catalouge of classics, killing both Wu cuts as solo songs. A couple of years before I witnessed Starks mighty stage presence he released a concert from an undisclosed location in NYC on both CD, 2xLP and DVD through his own Stark Enterprises label. Recorded on October 9, 2005, the one hour set is a great watch and/or listen for any Ghostface fan - and if you're not into Ghost you're pretty damn suspect in my book. Ocassionally joined by GZA, Cappadonna, Killah Priest and his son Sun God, Ironman here works his way through classics such as "Holla", "Run", "Be This Way", "Mighty Healthy", "Criminology", "Nutmeg", "Apollo Kids", etc, etc. Many thanks goes out to BacoTV for making this available on YouTube for free streaming!

[DOCUMENTARY] TRAGEDY - "The Story Of Queensbridgde"

For my two first posts of 2015, as well as taking this time to wish all of my readers a terrific new year ahead of us all, you know I had to come with the big guns. First out is something that many of y'all have probably seen before although i know me myself has been looking for the full version of this for a long ass time, since the versions I constantly found always cut off after 68 minutes or something like that and had French subtitles. I'm talking about the excellent Brook Simms 2005 documentary on Tragedy Khadafi, who you should know by now is one of my all time favorites, "Tragedy: The Story of Queensbridge". YouTube user Hallvard Fauske Ekdahl has uploaded the, in my opinion, ever made on Queensbridge hip-hop as Tragedy pretty much inspired the major players of QB, from the Juice Crew, to Nas, to CNN, to Mobb Deep, to Cormega, Killa Sha, and so on. The narrative takes us through Trag's young days working as The Super Kids with DJ Hot Day, as the solo artist Intelligent Hoodlum, with the major underrated classics "Intelligent Hoodlum" and "Saga of a Hoodlum" under his belt, to his work with Capone-N-Noreaga creating "The War Report" and his long running solo career as Tragedy Khadafi, and much more. If you've never seen this before you are in for a REAL TREAT, a major shout out to Ekdahl again for the upload, and also be sure to support Trag's new street album "Pre-Magnum Opus" which is out now on iTunes. The video won't embed so head over to the playlist (which also includes two bonus footage), and has an all over running tme of about 85 minutes.

"TRAGEDY - THE STORY SAGA OF QUEENSBRIDGE"

[EPK Promo] ADRIAN YOUNGE - "The Black Dynamite Soundtrack"

Adrain Younge has quickly became one of the best producers in the game, constantly creating new masterpieces for artists such as Ghostface Killah, Adrian Younge, The Delphonics, Souls Of Mischief and his own italian-psych influenced Venice Dawn as well as loose tracks for Wu-Tang Clan and Prodigy.. Younge has worked on the low-key for many years bt it was with the soundtrack to the brilliant blaxploatation Giindhouse spoof "Black Dynamite", released in 2009 and featuring Michael Jaa White, Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davisson and Phillyis Applegate. 

A multi-talented instrumentalist in the tradition of D'Angelo, playing most of the instruments on the album eand putting it throughout to studio magic, xcept for drums by Younge, Waterson, Quentin Oden, electric guitars by Younge, E. Fratti,  Jeremy Jeffers, fuzz guitars by Michael Walt and Loren Oden on vibes. The Venice Dawn band in full effect, bringing a real early '70s cinematic blaxploatiation project. Now that sounds like Younge didn't do much, but he played plenty of instrumentals on each song, plus digging and recreating joints. He has also released several albums and EP:s, remixes and guest features and is quickly becoming one of the best producers of 2014, if not the best, period. But it all started with "Black Dynamite - The Soundtrack" and if you havenn't heard it's a real gem on every level.

"Black Dynamtie: The Sounstrack" was originally released in 2009 through Wax Poetics Records but has recenlty been reissued on beautiful 2xLP picture disc and CD by Younge's own Linear Labs (who also released that Souls Of Miscief album). You can order the album @ LinearLabsMusic.com, but be sure to check out the original EPK, behind-the-scenes of the album and the video for "Shot Me In The Heart" - fantastic stuff all around.

[Documentary] PUBLIC ENEMY - "Prophets Of Rage"

Although it might not offer that much new information for the hardcore fan, I found the BBC produced TV documentary "Prophets of Rage" to be quite an interesting look into the life and times of the band that in no small part helped redefine hip-hop music. The majority of the hour is spent discussing the years around the masterpiece trilogy that is "Yo! Bumrush the Show", "It Takes A Nation of Millions..." and "Fear of a Black Planet" though it does cover things like Flava Flav's foray into reality TV (very interesting to see Griff, Chuck and Flav separately discuss this). Interviews with Flava Flav, Chuck D, Griff, the Shocklee brothers, Bill Stephney, DJ Lord, and a host of other people important to the legacy of Public Enemy makes this a well worth watch. I would also like to recommend writer Cristopher R. Weingarten's musings on "It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back", for me the best volume in the often excellent 33 1/3rd book series. Many thanks goes out to 808SHIRTS for the upload to YouTube of the documentary.

LORD JAMAR - "The 5% Documentary"

Judging by forum posts and user comments on well visited hip-hop sites, Lord Jamar is today mostly seen by younger listeners as some old, angry commentator on the culture, making videos on non-entities like Macklemore and Iggy Azaela. While I agree that the amount of time and energy Jamar puts into raging about such issues doesn't put him in the best of light, but it hardly overshadows his musical career. He has of course been an important part of hip-hop culture since the late '80s as part of one of the best bands of all time - Brand Nubian. It was however first in 2006 that he debuted as a solo artist with the release of "The 5% Album"; an album that I get the impression a lot of people are still sleeping hard on. Striving to enlighten listeners on the spiritual beliefs and culture of the Nation of Islam, or the 5% Nation, as originally thought by Clarrence X, the project is a concept LP that's filled with heavy jewels and headbanging throwback beats. Fans of Brand Nubian's earlier work will definitely feel this one, and to me it's a lot stronger than their final LP, 2004:s "Fire in the Hole". Lord Jamar has a strong, deep voice with a lot of authority in it, and he delivers his lines with a crystal clarity that commands listeners to really take what he's saying into consideration. That is not to say that it's a perfect album by any stretch as there's some beats that just fall flat, and over close to 70 minutes things can get a bit repetitious on the lyrical side as well.

However when it is good, it's usually great, especially when the production is handled by Preservation or Lord Jamar himself who both provides the album with a majestic feel through deep, dark soul samples and thumping boom bap beats. The guest emcees are all members of the 5% nation, and includes Wu-Tang members such as RZA, Raekwon, Prodigal Sunn, Popa Wu, and both remaining Brand Nubian members Grand Puba and Sadat X. Stand-outs include the hypnotic "Deep Space" with RZA, the deeply soulful ghetto story "The Corner, The Streets" with Puba, the Shaolin soul of "Same Ol' Girl", and the LP closer "Greatest Story Never Told" where Jamar truly gets to shine as a lyrical storyteller. Another interesting joint is "Young Godz", where Jamar passes the torch to the next generation as the sons of GZA, Jamar and Ol' Dirty Bastard gets busy on the mic (a similiar track appeared on Masta Killa's second album); even the production is handled by Young Justice (GZA's son) and it ain't no joke. A nice touch is that the CD edition comes packaged with a 90 page book documenting the history of The NOI and Clarrence X / The Father Allah. If you want to learn about the meaning of the 5% nation while hearing some heavy hip-hop music, definitely check out "The 5% Album" if you're not familiar with it already. Made as a promotional documentary about the making and meaning of the album, Babygrande released "The 5% Documentary" which you can view above split into two parts. You can purchase the 2xLP set, CD and stream the entire album officially here.

[Video/Documentary] "The Diary of PRINCE PAUL"

There's no question that Prince Paul is one of the most unique and best producers to emerge from the hip-hop scene, his illustrious career speaks for itself. The way in which he masters so many different styles and concepts is just something else. Therefore I was quite suprised by how initially dissapointed I was with the purchase of his 2003 album "Politics of the Business", the follow-up to his all-time classic concept LP "A Prince Among Theives". I didn't listen to it more than probably a couple of times before putting it on the shelf where it stayed until a few days ago, when I decided to give it another chance. Without the preconceived notions of the original play, the album banged a whole lot better than I remembered. The whole project is of course a tounge-in-cheek concept album about Prince Paul creating an album that will truly please his label and reach the record buying mainstream. With that in mind Paul leaves his past behind, as well as his instinct for always striving after originality, and channels the then current sounds of Neptunes, Timbaland and Dr. Dre. It's a weird ass idea, but Paul is of course a weird ass guy, and through his eminent talent he actually pulls off the sound pretty damn well. "Politics of the Business" is truly a daring move (or a very stupid one, depending on how you look at it) as it's not really designed to go platinum, which we can see by the way it was promoted and the clever skits that's weaved into the narrative of the project, but rather a musical attack on how similiar all commercial hip-hop sounded in the early 2000s. What's funny is that the commercial hip-hop of 2003 sounds dope and progressive as hell, compared to the stuff that's getting major radio play today. While the concept hinders it from becoming a masterpiece or even truly great, songs like "So What", "Drama Queen", "Chryme Pays", "Peoples, Places & Things" and "My Life" should definitely satisfy fans of the once-De La Soul mentor. Another plus is that the list of guest emcees to make an apperance here is almost as impressive as on its predecessor. Amongst others this include Masta Ace, Dave of De La, Truth Enola, GURU, Planet Asia, Kokane, Erick Sermon, Keith Murray, Jean Grae, Ice-T, DJ Premier, Chuck D, MF DOOM, Wordsworth, Chubb Rock, Beatnuts, Tash, The Pharcyde and of course Dave Chappelle. I would imagine a lot of fans had a similiar reaction as mine when this was originally released, so I would like to recommend you all giving it another spin.

But this isn't strictly a throwback review, we are here for "The Diary of Prince Paul", a bonus DVD that came with some editions of the album. The 30 minutes long film is a mockumentary/spoof of the MTV Show "The Diary Of...", and does this concept very well. The show focuses on the struggle of Prince Paul and his crew in recording and promoting the the new album. It's absolutely ridiciolous, and weird as hell, so I'd imagine you'll either love it or hate it but to me it's a quite hilarious little film. It's filled with lots of little cameos in there too, such as Bushwick Bill, Mr. Dead, Lord Sear, Mr. Len, Mr. Eon, and more. While watching I kept thinking about how I would've loved to see this with my man Kaddu (R.I.P.), 'cause I know we would have had a blast viewing this. Funny thing is that the very same day as I first dusted off "The Politics of the Business", GrandGood uploaded the entire "documentary" to YouTube (my copy of the album came without the bonus DVD). So a huge thanks to the guys over @ GrandGood for this ill upload!

I'm thinking of doing a series of articles focusing on some of the more slept-on or missed out Prince Paul projects, but we'll see. Anyways, as a little bonus I'm also re-posting the two outtakes/alternative versions of songs from "...the Business" that Prince Paul posted on his Soundcloud page a year or two ago. The version of "My Life" especially is just an amazing song all around, and features Buckshot instead of the Fatlip, SlimKid3 and Black Ice-assisted version heard on the album. The other track is an early demo of "Beautifully Absurd", a stong track though not exactly a hip-hop joint per se.

[Documentary] NAS - "Time is Illmatic"

For me there is three absolute perfect hip-hop albums ever created and released, one being Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...", one being Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow The Leader" and the last one of course being the debut album of the young Nasir Jones - "Illmatic". The latter was released exactly 20 years ago on April 19 and it's definitely nothing strange about how well this record has stood the test of time. Still to this day, maybe only Rakim's vocal performance on "Follow The Leader" is as well-rounded, from the song writing, to the advanced lyrical genius, the clever metaphors and the immaculate flow all perfectly married to the music which in the case of "Illmatic" set a new standard that lives on to this day as Nas gathered a plethora of the hottest hip-hop producers around rather than having one beat head work on the entire album. DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Pro and Q-Tip all came from succesfull New York groups of their own but came together based on the unbelivable talent they heard this 19 year old display on the microphone. The song that stood out in a respect was "Life's A Bitch" as it was not only the other track featuring an unknown Queens producer (L.E.S.) but also featured the only guest apperance on the album with AZ. Fortunately both of these debutants suprised everyone by supplying guest verses and beats, respectively, that were just as good as the others and have definitely stood the test of the time. If you're looking for a perfect album, "Illmatic" is the one and maybe only example of what an absolutely flawless hip-hop LP is supposed to sound. But you know all this already, so why I dwell on it....

As previously reported on April 19, Nas and Colombia/Sony is releasing the 20:th anniversary of "Illmatic" (called the XX Edition). Beside the original ten track set, remastered to sound as good as possible, the release include a second disc that includes remasters of every single one of the original 1994 remixes by producers like Large Pro, Groove Merchantz, Joe The Butcher, LG Experience, Q-Tip, Def Jef, and the UK:s The Creators and Dave Scratch - all originally available on the original 12" singles. The remaining bonus tracks are remastered versions of a 8 minutes Stretch & Bobbito Show freestyle circa early '94 as well as the previously unreleased (in any official capacity) "I'm A Villain. In other words a much better reissue than the 10 anniversary 2xCD from 2004 - what would be the dot over the i would be to have one of the CD:s enhanced and include the 20 minute documentary "Time is Illmatic" which you can see above.

[Documentary] PUBLIC ENEMY - "Prophets Of Rage"

Courtesy of BBC, this special one hour documentary focuses on one of the true kings and pioneers of the culture. Entitled "Prophets Of Rage" this fascinating show intercuts rare live footage (including clips from the London concert that was sampled for "It Takes A Nation...") with interviews and commentary from the entire Public Enemy crew and The Bomb Squad as well as Def Jam publicist Bill Adler, DMC and many more. This is a must watch for any serious hip-hop, no question... Sit back and enjoy the show y'all!