Though not being the biggest fan of Snowgoons despite everybody seeming to jump on their bandwagon they obviously produce some heat from time to time. "The Tunnel" with Cormega and Papoose from Onyx's 'Goons' laced "#WakeDaFuckUp!" was definitely such an instance. Now the album is being revisited with a few additional remixes tacked on to the end, perhaps in preparation for the rumoured M.O.P./Goons/Onyx collaboration and the illest of the bunch is the Big Kap Tribute remix to "The Tunnel" (both the song and the legendary club). Although it would have been cool to get new verses by 'Mega and Pap' as well, Sadat X, Nature, Steele and Ali Vegas represent well on this cut.
"#WakeDaFuckUp: Reloaded" is available via Bandcamp and features the original 14 songs along with four additional remixes, including "Dirty Chops" featuring Chris Rivers and 100 Mad's Remix of "TurnDaFuckUp" which is now a posse cut featuring SickFlo, Sicknature and Snake The Rapper. Enjoy Big Kap's Tunnel tribute below and pre-order your digital copy of the album @ Bandcamp
Brooklyn spitter V. Nova gets down with Smif-N-Wessun again for the video shoot of their collaborative new single "Abstract Art", a sick, mellow, summer vibe type of track that should have your head nodding in agreement. The Crack Factory produced joint is lifted from V.Nova's new mixtape "Hidden in Plain Sight III", which is out now and can be heard here. Peace to James Dunn for the heads up!
Das EFX's Krazy Day takes it back to his underrated 2012 album "Showtime" for a brand new video of one of its rawest cuts - the street Anthem "Rude Boy", featuring Smif-N-Wessun. The legendary Brooklyn duo is also credited as directors of the video.
My man James Dunn sent me over a promo for Poland based producer Soulpete's debut album "Soul Raw" that has just dropped, and it's absolutely rocking. Soulpete's production packs a heavy punch of East Coast boom bap influences with thumping beats, turntable wizardry, a touch of jazz samples, and a heavy guest list. Emcees spitting over these banging backdrops include Guilty Simpson (see video above), Oddisee, Smif-N-Wessun, Pacewon, Supastition, Journalist 103, Blu, Hezekiah (check the video for "Dead Or Alive"), and more. You can stream the entire album below, but be sure to support "Soul Raw" in your choice of CD, HQ digital or 2xLP vinyl @ Bandcamp.
The other day I was listening to Sonja Blade's DJ Premier produced classic 12" "Look For The Name" on Bodybag Entertainment which really peeked my interest in whatever happened to this hardspitting Brooklyn femcee. She also dropped another single on the same label, the Black Rob-assisted "One Thug", a solo on the "Romeo Must Die" soundtrack, a collaboration with P, Busta, L Boogie, and NORE on the first "Violators" LP. Add a few guest apperances on records for Rah Digga, DJ Kay Slay, Ice Cube, Monifah, Shaq, Fabolous, and Tracie Spencer; all music that was released between 1998 and 2001. These many guest apperances was a marketing strategy as Blade was preparing to release her debut album "Who Am I" in '01 through Virgin/Bodybags with manager Chris Lighty for Violators. At least the majority of the album seems to have been completed, as far as recording goes, and according to this MTV.com articlefrom April 2000, it reveals that production was to be handled by DJ Premier, DJ Scratch, Rockwilder, Clark Kent, Mario Winans of The Hitmen, DJ Clue and more. Artists set to appear included Busta Rhymes, Carl Thomas and Nate Dogg. Being the huge D.I.T.C. fanatic that I am, I came across info about a 2001 white label featuring a Blade/Busta collaboration called "So Gutta", produced by Buckwild, a few years back. This seemed pretty much impossible to find, in fact I was starting to wonder if it wasn't some shady blend or whatever, but then a radio- or mixtape rip of the song appeared on YT late last year. It's a fucking hardcore ass MONSTER of a track with Blade and Busta going back-and-forth over Buck's sinister boom bap anthem; flipping the same sample used by Dilated Peoples for "Triple Optics". With cuts like "So Gutta", "Look For The Name" and "One Thug" it could've been quite a sick LP though we'll never now, as it's definitely lost to the public forever. Check out "So Gutta" with Busta and Buckwild up top, it probably cuts off one minute too early but damn was I excited to find this at last (mad shouts to YT uploader zerominus for dropping this gem on us). Now if anyone have the full track, or at least a decent mixtape Mp3 please send me an e-mail or drop a commentl.
A lot of emcees, and for some reason especially female spitters, have a good season only to then never be heard from again - i.e. Charlie Baltimore, Vita, Jane Doe (expect a real dope post on here very soon btw), Amil, and so on. This is not the case with Blade as she, over the years, slowly has been starting to make moves and rebuilding her brand again. Every now and then she's dropping a fresh single and/or video via her YouTube account, There's no question that she still's got the flow and the voice and though not every song is a masterpiece I really fell in love with the BK anthem "Brooklyn Keeps On Taking It" from 2012, produced by Ez-ELPEE and featuring both Tek-N-Steele all over the video and dropping a short but tuff verse near the end. Promising shit right here!
Few groups from the hardcore hip-hop side of things have embodied the roots rock reagge vibe like Boot Camp Clik forerunners Smif-N-Wessun. With that in mind it comes as no suprise that the duo goes all out with the ragga/dancehall sound with the help from superb production team Beatnick & K-Salaam on the just released "Born & Raised" EP. Over smokey bass melody grooves Tek and Steele spits thought provoking verses while guest toasters like Junior Reid, frequent collaborator Jahdan and Jr. Kelly provides extra flavor to the project. "Born & Raised" is out now on Duck Down in several cool packages, including a hoodie, a 7" vinyl, the album on CD, etc. If you got Spotify you can stream the entire project below a well, and make sure to check out the brand new video for "Born & Raised" (Ft. Jr. Kelly) which just dropped in promotion of the release. UPDATE - Unlike the Spotify version you see below, the Deluxe Version also includes a sick live rendition of "Sound Bwoy Burreil", two instrumental versions and the fat Tek / Ayatollah collaboration "All Massive" (originally released on Tek's 2006 street album "It Is What Is").
You know we're huge fans of Smif-N-Wessun here @ The Lost Tapes, and whenever they release a project is with all probability be certified heat. Their collaboration with Pete Rock on "Monumental" still gets semi-regular play at my place and was one of my favorites of that year, despite some fans feeling it wasn't up to par... Well, that's there loss. Now the Brooklyn duo of Tek N Steele is reunited once again with Duck Down for a new EP in collaboration with the talented producer duo of Beatnick & K-Salaam (who among other things produced the entirety of Murs & Fashawn's collaborative effort last year). The six-track Extended Play will fully focus on Smif-N-Wessun's love to incorporate reagge flavor into their music, something that has been a staple of their music since their debut album "Dah Shinin'" that carried powerful cuts like "Sound Bwoy Burreil" that was an homage to the sound system of the Jamican music scene. Since then they have collaborated with legends like Eek-A-Mouse and others, many times with underground toaster Jahdan who is the collaborator on the new single of the project. "Shots in the Dark" follows the magnificent Junior Reid meeting titled"Solid Ground"and is another sure-shot banger. The EP, "Born & Raised", will hit reatailers December 3 through Duck Down; read more andpre-order here.
As we know this month marks 20 years since Black Moon unleashed their uncompromised, dirty and agressive debut album "Enta Da Stage" to an unsuspected market. The flag bearers for East Coast hip-hop at the time, while all fantastic in their own rights, were either the positively minded Native Tongues movement with cats like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, and Queen Latifah in the forefront, or the revolutionaries like Brand Nubian, X-Clan or Public Enemy. Black Moon and their Boot Camp Clik crew, together with Wu-Tang Clan who debuted at the same time, didn't fit either camp neither lyrically nor sonically; showing agressive youths formed by their poor surroundings hungry to make it into the big game through rugged but honest rhymes about their lifes. Black Moon consisted of main emcee Buckshot (sometimes backed up by the 5 Ft. Assassin) whose violence infused lyrics and unmistakable voice was as exciting as Da Beatminerz's, the producers of The Boot Camp Clik and "Enta Da Stage", lo-fi sounding juxtapositions of booming basslines, pounding drum programming, and the way they chopped jazz and samples into complete unrecognizability. The album sounds as fresh today as it did the first time you heard it and stands as one of the definite hip-hop classics, and still it was only the very beginning of a movement that would continue throughout the entire decade and beyond.
A few posts down I posted a short documentary of the group's early history and the impact their breakout had. As this is The Lost Tapes and I have put myself in the position where I advertise this site as having "the best compilations on the net", you know I ain't gonna stop at that. "Enta Da Stage" is one of my favorite albums, but so is the entirety of that first round of solo albums from the Boot Camp Clik (Black Moon's Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun, Heltah Skeltah, and Originoo Gun Clappaz). "Enta Da Stage" was released in late 1993, followed by S-N-W's "Da Shining" in '95, and Heltah Skeltah's "Nocturnal" and "Da Storm" in '96. The main producers of these four LP:s were Da Beatminerz, mainly consisting of brothers DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt but around the mid-'90s also added Baby Paul and Rich Blak to the ranks, and although every single emcee behind this album are truly exceptional talents, it was the sound of Da 'Minerz that gave them a coherrent sound as a series of LP:s. The team produced the entirety of "Enta..." and "Shinin'", while they settled for half of the music on both the latter two albums. The idea for this compilation, aside for doing something for the 20:th anniversary, came a couple of weeks back when me and my man were watching some classic videos, and we put on some of the tracks from "Dah Shinin'". Linkan made me aware of the videos for "Wrekonize" and "Sound Bwoy Burreil" making use of the 12" remixes rather than the actual LP versions; the same goes for Black Moon's "I Gotcha Opin" and Heltah Skeltah's "Therapy". Following this I started looking through all the 12" and single releases from those four albums and came across a whole lot of remixes and B-sides that in itself would make for a terrific Boot Camp Clik album; one a lot closer to what the original BCC fans had hoped "For My People" would have sounded like, and probably would have been the case had they not ditched Da Beatminerz; which to me Always was a very strange move. For me, that's like if Wu-Tang Clan would have decided to release "Wu-Tang Forever" without any RZA involvement whatsoever, as far as the beats go that is. But I'm getting off the topic here...
One small obstacle in doing this compilation was that some of the Black Moon material had already been collected on a semi-unofficial Nervous Records album called "Diggin' in Dah Vaults" back in '96. However, I am not using any of the songs found on there that had not previously appeared on any 12" or EP; I also ditched "Son Get Wreck" remix since it's a 5 Ft. solo and he was never an official part of the BCC. The single "Headz Ain't Redee" was my definite choice for album/comp opener, but instead of using the same version heard on the aforementioned compilation (which was produced by Buckshot), I am using the Beatminerz version from the 12" single. I also ditched "Fuck 'Em", the B-side to "Who Got The Props"; mainly due to time restraints but also to cut down on songs found on "Dah Vaults". Other than that it's pretty much all here - you got all the aforementioned video versions and other 12" remixes in HQ rips, you got B-sides like The Fab 5's "Blah", their sequel to "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka", Black Moon's "Murder MC's (The B-Side)" and "Reality (Killing Everything...)". Probably most excitedingly to some are the inclusions of two songs recorded and until last minutes intended for "Dah Shining" and "Da Storm" - "All About The Cash" and "Likkle Youth Man Dem" featuring Smif-N-Wessun, respectively. The latter is not the cheap remix on "For My People" but the actual Baby Paul produced original that most versions of "Da Storm" still list as track #16 on the back cover, despite there only being 15 actual tracks.
I don't really think I need to sell this any further - if you're into Boot Camp Clik or Da Beatminerz, and especially the early works of both then this compilation is definitely a Heavy hitter. Speaking for myself, it's what's been banging in my headphones the last couple of Days which has allowed the sequence and final tracklist shape up to perfection. In other words a lot of time, thought and headnodding has been invested into this one to assure my readers the strongest and most coherrent listen possible. So spark one up, step into your Timberlands, throw on a nice hoodie, spark one up and let the volume BANG!
Hell fucking yeah; Smif-N-Wessun is back at their A-game here with their new single which features an outstanding performance by the legendary Junior Reid. The Smif-N-Wessun duo has Always been fantastic at bringing a reagge vibe to their hardcore street hop, and "Solid Ground" is the illest track I've heard all day (and I listened to quite a lot of new and realtively new stuff today). In even greater news this is just the forecoming, because Duck Down is releasing a new Tek N Steele EP features six songs that will all have a reagge vibe to them. All of the music will be produced by the underrated duo Beatnick & K-Salaam (who recently did the Murs & Fashawn album), and guest features will be held down by talents such as Jahdan, Jr. Kelly and the aforementioned Junior Reid. The EP, "Born & Raised" hit streets and digital retailers on December 3rd so make sure to gear up for that one; I sure I am!
This kind of appeared out of nowhere; ruff, rugged, and raw, defining the boom bap just like i like it! Megadon is new to me, but the video is posted on Duck Down's YouTube channel and as it features two artists from that quality label I'm guessing he's one of their new artists - and the boy knows how to spit that's for sure. Second new joint I heard from Smif-N-Wessun today, and Tek N Steele still knows how to kill a hot beat, as does Ruste Juxx. The only thing dissapointing about "Canon" is that it bills Sadat X as a guest star, who I pretty much most look forward to hearing on here, yet he's limited to a effective, but very minor hook.
DJ Statik Selektah is releasing his fifth "solo" album "Extended Play" via Duck Down/ShowOff, and quite fittingly five singles have been released so far. Some of these cuts is among the most interesting things I've heard from the star producer in quite some time (especially when discussing the albums released under his name), such as the absolute minblowing collaboration between Raekwon, Black Thought and Joey Bada$$ on "Bird's Eye's View", and the sinister, stomping "Camoflauge Dons" which pairs up Tek N Steele with The Flatbush Zombies which you can check out up top. Other previously released tracks are the unlikely pairing of Sean Price and true school's most hated Mac Miller in "21 & Over", the beautiful piano driven "Game Break" which includes a stupid welcome performance by Posdnous, who's joined by Termanology and Lecrea. Just as mellow, dope and even haunting is "Funeral Season" which features outstanding performances by Styles P, Bun B, and Statik on the crossfader... Oh yeah, Hit Boy makes an apperannce too. After hearing these five cuts I can say that I have a strong feeling that "Extened Play" is gonna be the illest Statik Selektah release since his very debut. To be honest I have been dissapointed in the majority of releases made under his own name since they have felt rushed and like a collection of pretty bland posse cuts. These joints instead sound passionate, are very well produced and are filled with a superb mix of artists. If the remaining cuts follows these footsteps, this could very well end up being one of the top albums of the year... June 18 is the date!
As I announced recently, J. Period has teamed up with acclaimed author Adam Mansbach in putting together a mixtape companion to his latest book "Rage is Back". We've previously heard two impressive leaks from the project, the Common joint "The Next Chapter (Still Love H.E.R.)" and Black Thought's title track freestyle. Now the complete mixtape has been made available for free via J. Period's official site, which is filled to the limit with slamming exclusives from the likes of Kweli, Homeboy Sandman, Blu, unreleased remixes of classic tracks from Nas, Q-Tip, Biggie, and more; plus audiobook narration by GZA and Danny Hooch.
01. This Is the Story of… (Intro)
02. Rage Is Back (J.PERIOD Exclusive) f. Black Thought
03. New York State of Mind (Interlude) f. Alicia Keys & Nas
04. Run New York (J.PERIOD ReFix) f. Nas & Angel Haze
05. Hard (J.Period Monumental ReFix) f. Styles P, Sean Price & General Steele
06. Borough Check f. Biz Markie
07. Style Was DNA (Audiobook) f. Danny Hoch
08. Wrong Side (J.PERIOD Exclusive) f. The Kid Daytona
09. Invocate Freestyle (J.PERIOD Exclusive) f. Blu
10. Herb Man Trafficking f. Welton Irie
11. Police In Helicopter Dub
12. Billy Rage Is Back (Audiobook) f. Danny Hoch
13. Sound Boy Killing (Remix) f. Mega Banton
14. Killing a Soundboy (J.PERIOD ReFix) f. The Notorious B.I.G.
15. Toolz of the Trade f. Smif’N’Wessun
16. Teach the Youth (Interlude) f. GURU
17. Hip Hop (Interlude) f. Common
18. The Next Chapter (Still Love H.E.R.) f. Common [Produced by J.PERIOD]
19, The Traveller f. Talib Kweli [Produced by J.PERIOD]
20. What Makes An MC (Interlude) f. Q-Tip
21. 1Nce Again (J.PERIOD ReFix) f. A Tribe Called Quest
22. Street Dreams (J.PERIOD ReFix) f. Nas
23. One Love (J.PERIOD ReFix) f. Nas
24. The Lord Giveth (Audiobook) f. GZA
25. Wu-Banger (Mathematics Mix) f. Wu-Tang Clan
26. It’s Working (Interlude)
27. Raw Freestyle (J.PERIOD Exclusive) f. Shad
28. Coral Reefs (Exclusive) f. Homeboy Sandman
29. Trust the DJ (Audiobook) f. Danny Hoch
30. The Pizza Box Bandit (Interlude) f. KEO
31. Survival of the Fittest (J.PERIOD ReFix) f. Mobb Deep
32. Empire State (Interlude) f. Jay-Z
33. Epilogue: Hard Knock f. Joey Bada$$
34. Epilogue: Jay Reed f. A$AP Mob
45. Bonus: Sound Boy Burial (J.PERIOD Monumental ReFix) f. Smif’N’Wessun
Observant readers should be aware that you already have been warned of this monster a few times, and now it's here; what is most likely the hottest mixtape of the year! M-Phatik Sounds & Illegal Promo presents "On The Verge", mixed and hosted by the seasoned DJ veteran that is J-Love. Featuring 31 tracks, the tape features a large host of the absolute best underground rappers on the scene right now. If you think that hip-hop is dead in 2012, with the possible exception of the already well established lyricists who's still putting out hot shit, prepare to get your mind completely changed about that (together with the just released "Formula=99" by Soundsci). "On the Verge" is chock full of true school esthetics, gritty, analog sounding sample based HIP-HOP beats, crazy turntable work, and headnod material. In other words, to sleep on this would be a big disfavor to yourself.
Artists featured on the tape include Super N.E.S., Rasheed Chappell, Rashad & Confidence, Smif-N-Wessun, J-Quest, Tragic Allies, Relentless, The Audible Doctor, Chino XL, J-Love, ASN, G.Dot & Born, Edo G, Ace & Hustle, Price Stylez, J-Love, Bambinoo, Crucial, T-Max, Tony Moreaue, Red Eye, Singapore Kane, Born Unique, Agallah, Hell Razah and Tokyo Cigar as Heavenly Cartel, and many more. And we haven't even got to the producers yet, so here goes... The main lacers are Tokyo Cigar, Confidence, Nick Wiz, Purpose, M-Credible and Cyrus The Great, but additional contributed bangers comes courtesy of the great ThoroTracks, Tha Audible Doctor, P-Solid Connection, DJ Grazzhoppa, The Breaks, Crucial G and Cuzzo Sosay. 31 tracks, including both slamming posse cuts and outstanding solo tracks, all expertly mixed and cut up by J-Love with virtually no DJ shouts for those of y'all who strongly dislikes that. "On The Verge" is basically a 90 minutes smorgasbord of gripping, authentic hip-hop of today's illest up-and-coming US rappers and producers - many of who might become the legends of tomorrow - mixed with a few cameos from some of the already well-established greats for good measure.
But don't take my word for it, the mixtape is totally free and if you like the content of this site, I can guarantee you will love this as much as me. Check out the back cover with tracklist and producers below, if you can't get a full size even when you click on it, try this instead. Much props to everybody involved for making this incredible project happen, it will make a lot of haters shut up about the state of hip-hop in 2012. There's only one rule though once you hit that play button...TURN IT THE FUCK UP!!!!
North Philly Hustlers' Jakk Frost and Freeway have been making music for quite some time now, guest apperances, mixtapes, you name it, and the chemistry has always been there. Word is that they will, eventually, release an actual album together in a near future. And maybe we don't have to wait much longer now; The reason? Well, the first single just hit the waves, "Six Degrees of Separation" - a dope posse cut, where the duo is joined by a gag of talented emcees like Smif-N-Wessun, Reed The Lost Cauze and even Malik B (!). Don't know who produced it or where it eventually will end up but it's a cool cut nontheless.
2K Sports released their new compilation "NBA 2K12" today which can be ordered from the leading video game retailers. The comp features a mix of previously released material as well as a few exclusive songs which the most interesting might very well be Duck Down's contribution. The crazy line-up of Pharoahe Monch, Skyzoo and Smif-N-Wessun jumps on an !llMind production as Duck Down All-Stars 2 which luckily has been made available by the label in a HQ stream. Head over to Soundcloud below and check out this banger!
