[Comp] KEITH MURRAY - "Splitting Heads With Logs"

We all saw one of Def Squad's strongest artists and lyrical '90s sensation Keith Murray make 2013 Canibus look like a battle rap scientist when he got up to "battle" Fredro Starr of Onyx a couple of weeks ago. I can seriously say that it was an almost physically painful thing to watch as Murray went on to redefine words like cringeworthy and awkward. In interviews afterwards he has been saying that he got some complications from a medicine he was taking, but no matter what's the case the actual bars that he was saying (and rewinding and repeating at that) was straight up WACK! You don't talk about wearing gazoline drawers while walking through hell or threatening to beat your opponent with a log in 2015 battles. And you don't turn into fucking KRS-One, especially if you don't got anything clever to say while using that shtick. All in all it was a very confusing batltle but most importantly - it was absolutely HILARIOUS, some of that stuff in there is dangerously funny to watch and will be remembered as a classic clip from now on.

The thing is that no matter what went down in that battle, all of Keith Murray's previous achievements and sick ass back catalouge remains exactly the same. So while we clown on Keith for winning (at losing) perhaps the worst battle rap of all time, let us not forget "The Most Beautifullest Thing in the World" and "Enigma". Two terrific mid-'90s albums that gracefully married Murray's complex flows, spaced out concepts and commanding voice with the dark low down dirt funk of Erick Sermon. With that in mind I put together a little compilation of Keith's cameos, soundtrack apperances, B-sides and official remixes from the first part of his career, from his recording debut on "Hostile" (Erick Sermon: "No Pressure", 1993) to "Live Wires Connect" with UGK and Lord Jamar ("Don't Be A Menace" O.S.T., 1996). In trying to keep with the vibes of his LP:s of the time I have not included all available material from the era, instead I've tried to build something that holds up on its own and is based on the chemistry between an emcee and his producer. With very few exceptions all of the tracks here are produced by Mr. Sermon. So crank up the volume and just enjoy this funky set...

01. "This That Shit"

02. "Get Lifted" [Sermon Remix]

03. "Hostile" (Ft. Erick Sermon & Jeffrey Stewart)

04. ""What I'm After II" (Ft. Lords Of The Underground) [prod. by K-DEF]

05. "It's Goin' Down" 

06. "Cosmic Slop" (Ft. Redman & Erick Sermon)

07. "K. Murray Interlude" [prod. by Nashiem Myrick]

08. "Welcome" (Ft. Erick Sermon)

09. "Tell 'Em"

10. "Pay Per View"

11. "East Left"

12. "Breaker 1, Breaker 2" (Ft. Redman & Erick Sermon)

13. "Newark to C.I." (Ft. Shaquille O'Neal)

14. "Freestyle" (Ft. Redman) [beat by RZA - "Protect Ya Neck"]

15. "Swing It Over Here" (Ft. Erick Sermon & Redman)

16. "Dip Dip Di" [You Remix Me]

17. "Live Wires Connect" (Ft. UGK & Lord Jamar) [prod. by Lord Jamar]

KEITH MURRAY - "SPLITTING HEADS W. LOGS" 

[comp] ICE CUBE - "Another Lethal Injection" (1990-1994)

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)

04. "Check Yo'Self" [The Message Remix] [prod. Ice Cube] (1993)

05. "What Can I Do" [Westside Remix] [prod. Ali Shaheed] (1993)

06. "Can't You Play With Me" (w. Yo-Yo) [prod. by Sir Jinx] (1991)

07. "Hand Of The Dead Body" (w. Scarface) [prod. by NO Joe, Mike Dean & Scarface] (1994)

08. "All On My Nut Sac" (w. Da Lench Mob) [prod. by Ice Cube] (1992)

09. "24 With An L" [prod. by Ice Cube] (1993)

10. "The Ill Shit" (w. KAM) [prod. by Erick Sermon] (1993)

11. "Watts Riot" (w. KAM) [prod. by DJ Pooh] (1992)

12. "U Ain't Gonna Take My Life" [prod. by Mr. Woody] (1993)

13. "Tresspass" (w. Ice-T) [prod. by Sir Jinx] (1993)

14. "Played Like A Piano" (w. King Tee & Breeze) [prod. by DJ Pooh] (1990)

15. "Play Witcha Mama" (w. Willie D) [prod. by Grizz] (1994)

16. "Natural Born Killers" (w. Dr. Dre) [prod. by Dr. Dre & Sam Sneed] (1994)

17. "2 in the Morning" [prod. by LayLaw & Derrick McDowell] (1994)

18. "Last Wordz" (w. 2Pac & Ice-T) [prod. by Bobcat] (1993)

ICE CUBE - "ANOTHER LETHAL INJECTION" *

* I don't know why but you need to write in this password to download - qJvfsORrs3KSgqCs5-w73M_nqJy5h8FAkuyevJlEb30

[comp] ERICK SERMON - "A Platform of Brilliance"

People love and will always hold the early EPMD albums in the higest regards among other classic hip-hop albums, equally because of PMD and E's intricate front-to-back rhyming but also because of the duo's funky sample-heavy beats that solidified Erick Sermon as one of the best producers around (don't be completely fooled though, as PMD had a lot of production input as well - especially on their first album "Strictly Business" as revealed to Brian Coleman in his chapter on the album from his "Check The Technique"). Still The Green Eyed Bandit has proven time and time again that he's a super dope producer with or without EPMD, as he has produced at least two out of three classics for Redman (he was involved in "Dare Iz A Darkside" but the bulk of the beats was handled by Reggie himself). Reading Erick Sermon's name in the credits of a new hip-hop album was a true mark of quality However I do have to admit that past 2004 or something like that hes been more and more generic in his sound, though he ocassionally comes through with some real hardhitting shit that we all love.

For this compilation I decided to focus more on E-Dub's earlier material, past the early EPMD albums and up until about 2000 (and mostly earlier). These tracks to me represent stands as a good compliment together with the classic albums Sermon has produced as the reason why he is still to this day considered a living legend in the game. Erick Sermon has always been very good at killing beats for both R&B and hardcore hip-hop artists, and even the ocassional ragga artist like Super Cat, so I decided to make this compilation pretty diverse within those categories. Featured on the compilation are a couple of Sermon solo cuts, Def Squad, Keith Murray, Shaquille O'Neal, LL Cool J, Redman, K-Solo, D'Angelo, Bahamadia, AZ, Jodeci, and more. As usual the Def Squad tracks on here (Red, E-Dub, Keith Murray) is non album tracks/soundtrack joints and such, basically stuff that you won't find on either of these guys albums. If you're not up on them yet, be sure to check out Redman's entire catalouge, Keith Murray's first albums, large parts of Erick Sermon's catalouge, and of course all the EPMD albums (yeah even the last one is pretty ill if you ask me)... and whatever you do, TURN IT UP!!!

01. Erick Sermon - "Maintain"

02. Bahamadia - "I Confess" [Erick Sermon Remix]

03. AZ - "Gimme Yours" [Erick Sermon Remix]

04. Shaquille O'Neal - "My Style, My Steelo" (Ft. Redman & Erick Sermon)

05. Da 5 Footaz - "Candidates"

06. Heavy D & The Boyz - "Take Your Time"

07. D'Angelo - "Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes" [Remix] (Ft. Def Squad)

08. LL Cool J - "Hey Lover" [Remix] (Ft. 112)

09. Erick Sermon - "Battle" (Ft. Sy Scott)

10. Def Squad - "Breaker Breaker, 1,2"

11. Warren G - "I Shot The Sherrif" [Remix]

12. K-Solo - "Rock Bottom"

13. Doctor Dre & Ed Lover Ft. Keith Murray - "It's Goin' Down"

14. Questionmark Asylum - "Lookaway" [Remix]

15. Powerule - "Rock Ya Knot Quick"

16. Dilated Peoples - "The Platform" [Remix]

ERICK SERMON - "A PLATFORM OF BRILLIANCE"

[Album] TONY TOUCH - "PIECE MAKER 3"

"Piece Maker 3: Return Of The 50 MC's" works as an installment in two of Tony Touch's best and most memorable mixtape and/or album series. Released today via Soul Temple Records, Touch has choosen to premier the entire project through free streaming on always trustworthy DJBooth. Kicking things off with the DJ Premier produced collaboration with D-Stroy, you know you are in for a treat with this one.. Other highlights (at least on paper; just started listening myself) include tracks with Liknuts (Alkaholiks x Beatnuts), M.O.P., B-Real, Wu-Tang Clan, AG & Masta Ace, Rah Digga, KRS-One, Fat Joe & Sadat X, D-Block and many more; a good amount of the beats are produced by Beatnuts too, which is real exciting in its own right. Check out the tracklist for yourself if you're still not convinced to press that link, or head over to UGHH and order the CD.

1. Tony Touch / D Stroy – “Touch And D Stroy”
2. Rah Digga – “Freestyle”
3. A.G. & Masta Ace – “Double A”
4. Busta Rhymes, J. Doe, Reek da Villian & Roc Marciano – “Hold That”
5. M.O.P – “You Know You Love This”
6. Too Short, Kurupt & Xzibit – “V.I.P.”
7. B-Real – “Hit This (Freestyle)”
8. Papoose & Uncle Murda – “Brooklyn’s The Borough”
9. Sean Price & Guilty Simpson – “Random”
10. Black Thought – “Thought Process”
11. Styles P, Sheek Louch & Jadakiss – “B.A.R.S.”
12. Liknuts – “World Premier”
13. Raekwon, JD Era, Ghostface Killah & RZA – “Unorthodox”
14. Twista & Bun B – “Bounce”
15. Thirstin Howl III – ‘One Person Thirstin’
16. Willie The Kid – “Power Cypha”
17. Action Bronson & Kool G. Rap – “A Queen’s Thing”
18. KRS-One, Fat Joe & Sadat X – “Take It To The Bronx”
19. Termanology – “Aw Shux”
20. Joel Ortiz, Royce Da 5’9” & Crooked I – “Slaughter Session”
21. Eminem – “Untitled”
22. Redman, Method Man & Erick Sermon – “Let’s Go”
23. Prodigy – “Untitled”
24. N.O.R.E., Al Joseph & Reek da Villian – “Questions”
25. Gob Goblin, Starvin B & Spit Gemz – “Untitled”

"PIECE MAKER 3: RETURN OF 50 MC'S" 

[Out-Of-Print] Bo$$ - "Born Gangstaz"

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Erick Sermon Tells All @ Complex

Erick Sermon is the next super producer to take a trip down memory lane in Complex's "The Stories Behind the Classics" series. The interview is posted in two parts with the second part to be posted soon. Since these interviews are written out in chronological order, Part 1 features Sermon giving his take on a load of classic EPMD and Redman records. In case you missed that E. Sermon just dropped a brand new mixtape very recently, head over to the Def Squad site to check out "Breath Of Fresh Air".

ERICK SERMON INTERVIEW @ COMPLEX.COM