PEEDI CRAKK - "Good Life"

Good vibes from the North Philly spitter who brings a little summer anthem over a smooth instrumental conjured up by the elusive 4th Disciple. Shout out to WTCFoLife Blog for linking the stream.

[EP] AYATOLLAH x HELL RAZAH - "Blaxploitation"

That Heaven Razah and Ayatollah release a full-on project together has been written in the stars for quite some time now. When Razah and Shabazz formed T.H.U.G. Angelz word was that Ayatollah would lace the entire project and was basically the third member of the group. Then we got "Welcome 2 Red Hook Houses" which featured no 'Tollah beats at all. A dope album but it lacked the signature soul of the man behind classics like "Ms. Fat Booty", "Hold U", "Lift Ya Glass", "The Life" and so man others. Shabazz and Razah had a falling out and the planned T.H.U.G. Angelz album was put on hold. Luckily Razah released it as a free download for the fans called "R.I.P. T.H.U.G. Angelz" and as promised it was a true trio collaboration. If you haven't peeped it yet, be sure to do so, it stayed in my phone for months and months (the first 13 tracks are the actual album and the majority of it is produced by 'Tollah).

The two worked again on Hell Razah's finest statement today, "Heaven Razah", where Ayatollah produced the single "Kids in the Street" (see above). Now the duo is back with more untouchable music, this time in the form of a 12-track release called "Blaxploitation: A Piece of the Action". I think this is the first time we hear Razah recording after beating his brain aneurysm and waking up from his coma so you can imagine the strength of this brother. Stream below but support these legends over @ iTunes.

[Article / Comp] Timbo King Pt. 1

I'm sure that the expanded amount of articles and posts related to Wu-Tang Clan and its affiliates haven't passed the avid The Lost Tapes reader by unnoticed. Since I don't get paid for maintaining this site and publishing articles I merely write about what captures my interest at the moment, and lately I've been on somewhat of a Wu-Tang trip so you can look forward (if that's how you see it) to a few more Wu related compilations and articles in the near future. However my intention is not to dwell on the A-list cast of the that mythical Clan but some of the unsung heroes within their circle. First out is a post and compilation dedicated to Timbo King, one of the original Killa Beez and leader of the superb Royal Fam which often acted as a one man army rather than a hip hop group on wax. Hailing from Bushwick, Brookltn, 'Bo King has a deep and commanding voice with well-researched lyrics put into street laguage that naturally grabs the listeners attention. A natural wordsmith with something to say - a breed of MC's that there's far to few of today. Hence, when he's placed on a solid beat on a posse cut (as he often was back in the late 1990s, early 2000s  alongside his Wu bretheren) he would not seldom come out the most domineering lyricist on the track, amid some some pretty damn steep competition. 

Just like Prince Rakeem and The Genius before him, Timbo King was one of only two future Killa Bee affiliates (the other being young Shyheim) who was able to secure a record contract and release projects on the strength of his own skills and charmisa alone rather than by association as many later affiliates would get on. This speaks much of Timbo's single-minded determination to break into the industry no matter what. As was often the case in 1992 and 1993 groups often produced themeselves with groups or duos almost always including a DJ/producer. This lead to 'Bo King hooking up with a neighborhood friend and produer/DJ who went by Spark 950 (M. Moore), and started recording whenever they had a chance. The result was a bunch of demo tapes, which they started shopping around to different labels. One such label was Uptown Records whose R&B/Rap department was run by André Harris and  the young Sean Puffy Commbs. At the time they were working on putting together the soundtrack to the Doctor Dre and Ed Lover comedy vehicle "Who's The Man?!" and was looking for a mixture of new and talented artists mixed with some better known ones. It was here BIG's first single "Party & Bullshit" made its first apperance, but it also featured a blazing Pete Rock & CL Smooth cut (with the impeccable Grover Washington Jr. on sax), new tracks by Erick Sermon, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, JuJu Banton, House Of Pain and 3rd Eye. So the lone Spark 950 and Timbo King track, "Who's The Man" was clearly in good company.

A move and placement like that a long with a solid demo tape generated some buzz in the industry, and the group's contract was eventually bought up and distributed by Street Life Records, a division of Scotti Bros Records who had at different points in times signed acts like James Brown, Weird "Al" Yankovic, pop star Leif Garrett and so on. All this was of course in the '70s and '80s. But no matter what, the duo of Timbo King and Spark 950 got a little budget, some studio time and a one record contract with chance for reneweal if the record did well. With hindsight it did not do well at all, and this can likely be chalked up to several reasons. Spark 950 was not a bad producer at all, but he was in no way groundbraking in any sense of the word. It was very typical 1993 standard Hip Hop flair. Add to that that Timbo King, while still having an ill voice and some neatly structured bars, had yet to find his own style and/or niche. I think it is quite comparable to Prince Rakeem's debut EP, "Ooh We Love You Rakeem", as you get the impression that the executives from Street Life Recocrds was in the guys ear teling them they needed a song with this theme or a song with that theme. Something that never works. Last but not least, it's a minor problem but the label kind of shadily passed this off as an 11-track album when there is infact only six songs - all good enough to nod your head to, but none of them good enough to remember. Check out the first Spark 950 & Timbo King, "Hello It's Me" as a bonus cut on the compilaion presented below.


You can draw some further parallels between The Genius and Prince Rakeem's defeat at the hand of record labels which led them to forming the Wu-Tang Clan to Timbo King's own pah. A true artist knows in his heart that he can and will make it, and never doubting himself he want back to his Brooklyn, Bushwick stomping grounds, assembled some of his rhyming and musical friends to form the Royal Fam - a group that he would be the defacto leader of. One of those members were Bushwick's Dreddy Kruger who had already appeared on Gravediggaz' first album and kept in contact with the Wu while also introudcing them to his crew of producer Y-Kim the Ill Figure, legendary reagger singer Mikey Jarrett's son of the same name, Stoneface and of course Timbo King. Togeher these artists would form the Royal Fam, one of the first Wu-Tang offshoots - this was back when the Wu wouldn't fuck with you unless you were really talented and could create albums of your own, at the same time RZA, Divine, Power and Ghost were also be on hand to help out their new under-regimes. Shyheim was already a factor before the Wu and as you can see by his first album, his main producer and guests on there were RNS and the GP Wu clique, so the real Wu-Tang Killa Beez to be introduced first was to be Sunz Of Man, Killarmy (hence the posse cut "Soldiers Of Darkness) and Royal Fam. Remember these were the days when anything with a Wu logo on meant BUYER BEWARE - HIGH QUALIYTY!

Royal Fam had their own main producer in Y-Kim The Ill-Figure who was complemented by Q-Base (a.k.a. Arabian Knight) and Lynx #6; 4th Disciple was more or less a semi-official member of Killarmy and Sunz Of Man originally had Supreme (though their final album would be dominated by The Wu-Elementz). The same went for another cat that was signed at the time, called Darkim Be Allah (who produced "12 Jewelz" for Gravediggaz and had the single "Bronx War Stories" with AllahWise on "The Swarm"). But as they were all under the Wu-Tang umbrella they started to notice that they were not always first priority, remember this was the same time that "Wu-Tang Forever" was being recorded. RZA set up and signed them to Razor Sharp/Wu-Tang Records under Priority and there were even ads for Sunz Of Man's "Nothing New Under The Sun" 2xLP in 1996 in magazines like The Source, but nothing happened.

Royal Fam got to drop what I for years have considered to be one of the absolute best double-A side 12" single reelased in the mid-'90s (whcih is of course saying A LOT). The main track, "Something Gots To Give" (with a video directed by GZA, see above) is a direct response to the way he experienced the record industry and how easy they take advantage of you unless you are on your toes, something that 'Bo King definitely wouldn't repeat after his failed dealings with Spark 950. Over a truly rugged beat, that captures the harder and most minimalist Wu-Tang flavor nicely with thumping yet crisp drum beat, an omnipresent horns and atmospheric keyboards. But it's really Timbo's vocals that are the instrument that really sets this apart - the agression combined with the witty lines makes every single bar memorable or quotable. The B-side was once again produced by Y-Kim, and following its predecessors theme it bears the title "I Declare War", and its just as dope. The beat is a bit more on high-energy, with dark, brooding piano, horns and that way only Hip Hop producers can manipulate real hard, repetitive drums. Both of these songs were a war chant, without a dobut, and would set things up for the Fam's official debut album to be released in 1996 or at the very latest 1997. I you look at the single mentioned above, the sticker right at the top of it says "The legend born from "The Black Castle".

Sunz Of Man was able to release two singles on Wu-Tang/Priority ("Soldiers Of Darkness"/"No Love Without Hate" and "Bloody Choices" before things came to a halt, and despite the aforementioend ads and a more or less completed album that would turn heads in 1996 (check it out for yourself) they decided to take matters in to their own hands. Led by Razah the group felt enough was enough and took manners into their own hands, contacting businesswoman Cathy Jones and owner of Red Ant Entertainment. The material for what is basically their second album was of course tied up at Wu-Tang / Priority since they owned the masters but for a huge amount of money RZA and Jones came to an agreement that "The Last Shall Be First" could be released as a joint venture if Red Ant payed for all the Wu-Tang artists and producers as guest artists. As Razah puts it, "Wu-Tang Records was distributed by Priority then.  None of [the] other Wu groups or subsidiary groups that ever came out on their own like Sunz of Man and that’s because I pulled off that deal with Red Ant Records. I got [us] signed to Red Ant, got RZA paid back with all he spent to build up Sunz of Man’s career.  Then certain members got paid to be featured on that album" (source). It was a done deal, and so the album went out in stores to great reviews and sells. 

Out of the three original Killa Beez group it seems only Killarmy has really been treated fair, having released tree albums between 1997 and 2001, all overseen and executively producer The RZA (who often even appeared in their videos). But then again 9th Prince is RZA's lil' brother and I guess blood is thicker than water then.... Royal Fam and Timbo surely didn't have the same luck - though they were still working on their "Black Castle" in '98 or early '99 the final blow came when their masters (mostly finished or close to finished  songs but not mixed, etc.) was stolen from the studio they were using along with Darkim Be Allah's album "Truth Or Dare". Darkim's album did never turn up anywhere (I will be making a post on this extremely underrated emcee soon as well), but what looked like some type of semi-official label calling themeselves Wu-International released those masters to the public in at least Europe, under the title "Yesetrday, Today iz Tomorrow". Looking and soundingvery much like an official release, with producer credits and even thank yous if i remember right. Wu International also released identical versions to Shyheim's "Manchild", a vinyl version of "Golden Arms Redemption" (U-God), and RZA & Big Kap's Wu mixtape CD. Perhaps the strangest thing is that these (or at least the Royal Fam CD since that's the only one I have) was distributed by the well-established and official PIAS [Play It Again Sam]. Although it was only released in Europe, it was hardly your standard bootleg - I saw it in Tower Records in London and several legit record stores in Sweden at the time of its release and never suspected there was anything odd about it (rememember we didn't have the net like that back then).

Reading interviews with Timbo King on why he didn't like that being out there, other than the fact that of course it was stolen material, was that much of the material was not finished and definitely not mixed and he compained about how fans got inferior versions of what the Royal Fam actually can and intended to do. Still I got to give it up to Timbo and Royal Fam, since I first heard it as a kid I loved it and I still bump it and get goosebumps. To me that's the definition of an extremely dope album, damn near close to a masterpiece. It's excellently sequenced, it features the right amount of emcees with Timbo King, the most talented clearly taking center stage. The beats, the guest features and production from the likes of Y-Kim, Lynx #6, John The Baptist, RZA (albeit they reused "The Legacy", its such a good track I can live with that as the epic album opener it is). Every single song on here is marvelous; it is short - only 12 tracks, with one having already been out 18 months, but as far as Wu-Tang releases go it is a whole lot better than whatever Wu affiliates drop these days (and yes that include Bronze Nazareth and the Wisemen). The thing is that had they been able to complete it there probably would be more songs on there, maybe some crazy interludes and what not and as it stands now it's pretty close to a classic - so maybe it really would have been a classic.

After that fiasco (although it did put Royal Fam's name even more on the map as any European believed it be an official release), Timbo King spent a lot of time building up his brand further by appearing on loads of dope records as a guest artist; both with his Wu-Tang brethren like on GZA's "Beneath The Surace" and RZA's "In Stereo", but also by international artists like Soldafada and IAM (see above for the former while the latter is includedin in the comp). I have put together some of these gems here, trying to find a nice balance between songs that represent for those who are relatively new to Timbo but I also want to give those who are very well familiar with him some harder to find stuff as well. I obviously haven't included anything from "Yesterday, Today iz Tomorrow" or the second failed attempt to release "Black Castle" in 2005 via BabyGrande. But one thing is fore sure, an emcee this talented needs to be heard...

 So without further a due, here he is 'BO KING, ROYAL FAM in a huge amount of various settings! And I have to say, as much as I'm familiar with 'Bo King through "Yesterday, Today....", "Black Castle", and all of his apperances on Clan albums this compilation really came out in-fucking-credible. Proof that Timbo King will put his soul in whatver he jumps on, which is quite rare. Of course in 2010 Timbo King finally got his due, hooking up with Bronze Nazareth, Lil' Fame, RZA, Hell Razah, William Cooper, Killah Priest, Junior Reid, and more. With songs like "Bar Exam", "The Autobiography of Timothy Drayton" and "Thinking Cap" the proof was in the pudding that The King still gor his crown though I personally revisit "Yesterday, Today..." and the "Black Castle" advance more but either way there's no question that Timbo is one of the most talented Wu affiliates and it's a shame the trials and tribulations that he had to endure in the industry. Be sure to support the cause and purchase Timbo King's long-awaited solo debut album, "´From Babylon to Timbuk2" @ UGHH.

01. "Righteous Talk"

02. "Braveheart" (solo for United Kingdom)
03 "United Kings" (Ft. United Kingdom)

04. "La Saga" (w. IAM, Dreddy Kruger & Podigal Sunn)

05. "To All The Killas" (w. Krumb Snatcha)

06. "In Here" (w. GURU as Bald Head Slick, Killah Priest & Black Jesus)

07. "Armored Truck" (Ft. Masta Killa)

08. "Black & White" (w. RA The Rugged Man)

09. "FIRE" (w. Royal Fam)

10. "Walk The Dogs" (w. Royal Fam & LA The Darkman)

11. "Destroy The Scenery" (w. United Kingdom)

12. "So High (G-12)" (w. RZA)

13. "Digi-Electronics" (w. Bobby Digital, Timbo King, Doc Doom, FreeMurda & Shyheim)

14. "Revenge" (w. Cappadonna & Free Murda)

15. "To Be An Expert (Flame Throwerz)" (w. J-Love Ft. Sunz Of Man & Timbo King)

16. "Soul in the Hole" (w. Timbo King, Dreddy Kruger, Shyheim & Tekitha)

17. "Outro" (Ft. LA The Darkman) 

18, "Hello It's Me" (Timbo King & Spark 950) [Bonus] 

TIMBO KING - "STRAIGHT ROYALTY"

MATERIAL Ft. KILLAH PRIEST, KOOL KEITH & FLAVA FLAV - "Intonarumori"

Being that I'm a jazz fanatic and all around avant garde head I think I got something for you here that you might appreciate. Bill Laswell was originally a jazz bassist with some wicked ideas who in 1979 formed his group Material together with fellow free spirited musicians Michael Beinhorn (synthesizers), Fred Maher (drums) and Martin Bisi (co-prduction and engineering). Not too many years afterwards they hooked up with musical legend and genius Herbie Hancock who had found himself in a bit of a slump with is last few records such as the ill-fated "Feets Don't Fail Me Now". He needed something radical, something that could reach the youth, and Laswell and his band thought he knew the right ingredients. So they started to work on "Furure Schock" which also featured excellent turntablist Grandmixer D.XT and the equally impressive guest musican Pete Cosey; the psychadelic guitarist in Miles' last 70's outfit who could've easily gave Hendrix a run for his money. With it's single, filled with modern syntheiszers, Herbie Hancock's virtuosity and ear for sound and Laswell's production capabilies, not to mention Grandmixer DXT's excellent turntable wizardry - heard for the very first time on a commercial single, and on an MTV single nontheless; "Rockit" is a monumental achievement in Hip Hop music and it was also the fhe first Hip Hop music video ever played on MTV. Material and Herbie Hancock would continue collaborating for a couple of more years, delivering "Sound System" and "Perfect Machine" before calling it quits. But thanks to Laswell's help he had pretty much saved Hancock's at one point failing career.

The band Material kept churning out material however, both as asolo artists and as producers of other peoples records Bill Laswell also did controversial remixes of original master tapes of Miles Davis, Bob Marley and Carlos Santana album which are actually a lot better than some might have you believe. But while Material's final album as a group was released in 1999, Laswell has continued with different groups and solo acts, but it's this final Material album that I want to discuss here today considering the immense Hip Hop homage this album is filled with. Check this....

Grandmixer DST (at one point he changed from his original D.XT so no it's not a typo) is all over this eccentric LP, and so is guest emcee Rammellzee who released several singles back in the early '80s and in 1988 dropped the album "Missionaires Moving" as part of the band Ghetto Vets. Kool Keith and Kut Masta Kurt pop up on the headnodder. Flavor Flav and DST collaborates on "Burnin'". Something very strange however is that Juggaknots appears here with their song "This Morning", here with its production credited to Laswell and Material, yet it's the exact same version as the one that appeared on Mr. Len's album the very same year. Very strange, but it's an outstanding joint nontheless - but someone need to ask either Len, Laswell, Breeze or Lady Heroine to clear this up. Prince Paul right hand man Scotty Hard appear on a joint and Bernie Worrell has some killer keyboard lines on "All That Future" At least for me, the real treat, on an album full of treats is the ambient, almost psychadelic "Temple Of The Mental" featuring Killah Priest in full "Heavy Mental" mood. Matter of fact, Priest is rhyming over a sitar and some tabla drums in a fow very similiar to the hypnotic title track on the aforementioned debut. Don't sleep on this record, even hardcore Kilah Priest and Kool Keith fans doesn't even know of it's existence! You can buy the album from iTunes or Amazon but I uploaded a three track sampler for y'all which I'm sure will make you want to cop this rare gem.

01. Killah Priest - "Temple Of The Mental"
02. Flava Flav & Grandmixer DST - "Burnin'"
03. Kool Keith & Kut Masta Kurt - "Conspiracies"

 MATERIAL - "INTONARUMORI SAMPLER"

[Comp] LA THE DARKMAN - "Darkman Sightings Volume One"

Back in the mid- to late '90s Wu-Tang was pretty much the epitome of dope and original East Coast Hip-Hop which is hardly suprising considering that everything that carried that powerful "W"-emblem at that time promised of the highest musical standards this genre has to offer. One of the most cherished discs to come out of the camp from someone not in the immediate circle (as in the 9 generals) around this time was the 1998 debut album of LA The Darkman. Already back in '96 dedicated underground followers and DJs had been introduced to the very young Grand Rapids, MI to Crown Heights, BK verbal spitter through his outstanding apperance on the first "Soul Assassins" compilation and his own 12" single "I Want It All" / "As The World Turns". With an immediately recognizable voice, a whole lot of attitutde, cinematic street stories for days and musical co-signings by some of the heaviest names around at the time (including DJ Muggs, Carlos Broady of The Hitmen, 4th Disciple, Raekwon, RZA, Ghost and Masta Killa) it was clear from the get go that LAD had a whole lot of potential and was not only street smart, but also business smart like a MF. With the aforementioned debut album this potential was more than realized and with songs like "Lucci", "Shine", "Street Life", "Love", "Polluted Wisdom" and so on it's hard to deny that "Heist Of The Century" to this day still holds up as a somewhat overlooked street classic. It is extremely well crafted from both a production, writing, performance and sequencing standpoint and still sound as fresh as when it first dropped - always inviting a front-to-back listen despite it's 70 minutes duration.

Since then fans have been holding their breath for a proper second LP from the MC who at times has been called "the 11th member of Wu-Tang Clan" by official sources... and kept holding it. Though there's been rumors of LAD working on a project called "Darkman II" throughout the years it seems that The Darkman's heart is not in making an album as such anymore. Despite his talents it seems that LA is more interested in the business aspect of the hip-hop game than making another full-length LP as I guess he feels he has already proven his point - which was that he can make a dope album enough which will let him live on this hip-hop shit through the doors that album opened for him. Through his Wu connection and business savy he was able to make more money of his debut than a lot of artists on a major label would do by going two times platinum. Instead he has kept his name alive through the ocassional guest spot and a bunch of mixtapes - including a stint with DJ Drama and The Aphilliates. Musically he largely seems to have passed the baton to his younger brother Willie The Kid who is a very dope rapper in his own right (though for my money, he is no LA The Darkman).

I've been a fan of LA since the first time I heard him and I like many, many others have eagerly waited for a proper follow up to that incredible album that hit us all so hard back in '98. I have never been crazy about the type of non-turntablist DJ driven mixtapes that are so popular these days and has thus missed a lot of crazy material from the man throughout the years. Thanks to a discussion with constant Lost Tapes supporter and homie Antoine, who was nice enough to shoot me through a folder of his personal favorites of the deep LAD mixtape catalouge, I decided it was time for myself to fine comb that very catalouge for myself. As a result I am going to present to you with two different compilations of LA The Darkman entitled "Darkman Sightings". This first volume focuses on his illest guest apperances, spanning from the very earliest LAD sighting on "Devil in a Blue Dress" to more recent lore like the excellent "Fuck That Man Up" with Sean Price, J-Love and Willie The Kid and his contribution to Bronze Nazareth and Willie The Kid LP. Volume Two will be a compilation of the best from his many mixtapes so stay tuned but don't forget to blast this one LOUD AS FUCK!

01. "I Want It All" [Cents Mix] [Clean]

02. "Devil in a Blue Dress" [prod. by DJ Muggs]
03. "Pain in Many Forms" (w. Bowtie & Kool G Rap)
04. "Fire Implanters" (w. Bronze Nazareth)
05. "War Zone" (w. Division, Prodigal Sunn, Timbo King & 60 Sec.)
06. "Rap Scholar" (w. Deadly Venoms) [prod. by RZA]
07. "Hav Mercy" (w. Killa Sin) [prod. by Mathematics]
08. "The Glide" (w. Wu-Tang Clan) [prod. by RZA]
09. "Lovin' You" (w. Inspectah Deck)
10. "So Good" (w. Davina & Ol' Dirty Bastard)
11. "Freestyle Intermission" (as told to Tony Touch)
12. "How It Goes" (as told to Popa Wu)
13. "Unbreakable" (w. The Homie Vanilla Ice)
14. "Fuck That Man Up" (w. Sean Price, Willie The Kid & J-Love)
15. "Fucking Blades" (w. Willie The Kid & Bronze Nazareth)
16. "Gettin' High" (w. Brooklyn Zu as told to Ol' Dirty Bastard)
17. "All We Got is Us" (w. Sunz Of Man)
18. "Verses" (w. GZA, Ras Kass & Scaramanga)
19. "Outro" (w. Timbo King as told to GZA)

LAD - "DARKMAN SIGHTINGS VOL. ONE" 

[Stream] BUGSY DA GOD - "Camoflauge Discipline"

Hip-hop has always been a movement for the underdog which explains why many of the all time best projects in the genre has been created on a real underground movement. Bugsy Da God might not be the most recognized name in this industry, that's for sure, but he heavily endorsed by Killarmy's Dom Pachino and by extension many of the extended Wu-Tang family (the dope ones at that like Shyheim, Falling Down, 4th Disciple and Bronze Nazareth). In 2011 he released "Terrorist Advocate" his solo debut, again presented by Dom Pachino, and featuring production by 4th and Bronze and received acclaim from dedicated Wu-Tang and Killarmy fans all over the globe. With his second album which was just released the other day his gritty reality raps has been sharpened a lot more as his flow, delivery, writing and performance has been severely improved. And with strong production by Havoc, 4th Disciple, UK's Endemic, Falling Down, Bronze Nazareth and guest verses from Dom Pachino, Timbo King, Tragedy Khadafi, Lethafase, Trife Diesel, Afu-Ra, Masta Killa, Progial Sunn, Big Noyd, Killah Priest, Polite, and Islord you can count on this being one of those albums people will rediscover ten years from now, wondering why the hell people totally overlooked this gem on release. So don't be that guy and be sure to peep this shit ASAP, you can stream the entire project below and order the limited CD for $15.00 so don't wait because this will not be repressed.

And as I've been on a hiatus from posting, the sister or brother album to this excellent release which was also released on Napalm Recordings earlier this year is Dom Pachino's new, and without a doubt finest solo release yet, "War Poetry" fully produced by Bronze Nazareth (save for a bonus cut laced by 4th) - check it out here while you bump this crazy Bugsy Da God LP below. Trust me that you won't see this on many years ends best of list beside The Lost Tapes, which's why you coming back to this banger right!

[Stream] DOM PACHINO / BRONZE NAZ - "War Poetry"

Bronze Nazareth can be quite hit or miss to me, I know he's considered the second coming of RZA which I Think is just nuts but there's definitely no denying that he often can Cook up very dope beats and when the emcee is right magic can happen - especially as he is steadily getting better. His full-length collaborations with Willie The Kid ("Living Daylights"), Canibus ("Time Flies...Life Dies") and now Killarmy's Dom Pachino with "War Poetry".

 

Killarmy has always been a very interesting group to me, but to be honest I never cared at all for them lyrically save for Killa Sin, Dom Pachino a.k.a. PR Terrorist and the ocassional Shogun Assasson verse but those members apperances together with the immaculate 4th Disciple productions have allowed them to come out with several classic tracks and even incredible front-to-back albums. And as I stated Dom Pachino is one of the few emcees out the crew that I Think can hold down a solo album by himself so you can bet I was hyped for this when the first singles and info broke. Now the album is here and it does not dissapoint - what with guest apperances from Killa Sin (possibly the last we'll ever hear from him), Prodigal Sunn, Leatha Fase, Shyheim, Timbo King, Sav Killz, Pop Da Brown Hornet, Shogun Assasson, C-Rayz Walz, Termanology and even a bonus production by 4th Disciple himself... And a scorching Cilvaringz diss track in "Haunted Dreams". For any fans of Wu-Tang, Bronze Nazareth, Killarmy, this is an obvious must hear. Unfortunately the small amount of limited CD runs is already gone so the album is only available in digital format, which you can stream in its entirety over at Dom's Bandcamp so be sure to give it a go and support the real! BANG BANG!

 

Napoleon Ft. Ghostface Killah - "Game"

 Virginia spitter Napoleon, of Wu-Syndicate fame, joins up with Tony Starks The Ghostface Killah for the powerful single "Game" from his solo album "Ring Of Power" which also features cameos by Pusha T, Crooked I, Killah Priest, Jim Jones, Joe Mafia, and many more. It seems like a digital album only, you can purchase it @ iTunes.

[Comp] SHYHEIM - "The Lost Files Of A Rugged Child"

 Shyheim is one of those guys you eiher love or hate it seems, and me personally I always liked him though there's no denying that his drug abuse fucked up his ability t make a coherrent classic album again unfortunately. And now he's sitting on Rikers Island again, doing a fourteen year bid for manslaughter due o an accidental killing of a person on New Years Eve 2013, high on benzodiazepines. Listening back to his early albums it kind of gives me a lump in my throat at times, here is this young kid, so talented, clearly living the street life with no parental guidance and even though he made semi-classic records, was affiliated with one of the biggest hip-hop acts of all time, and starred in several movies he still got caught up. And his best records were always the one were he bore his soul on record for the world to hear, like "Manchild" and "Dear God", it was quite evident he wasn't a very happy young man but as we all know pain makes great music.

His first album "Shyheim A.K.A. The Rugged Child" is suprisingly dope, entirely produced by RNS, a Staten Island beat head who showed The RZA a lot of production techniques and equipent, filled with bass heavy, jazz sampling boom bap type beats with call and response hooks made popular by the likes of Black Moon and Onyx. And for anyone thinking little Shy was just some kid getting on because he knew the right people were left silenced after hearing his performances on here. This was no Kris Kross or Another Bad Creation with their cute cookie cutter raps. Shyheim, and later Illegal, proved that even at a young age you could be a credible hardcore rapper as long as you got skills and a tight crew. Shy's crew was made up of The Gladiator Posse, formerly known as G.P. Wu, which also included Pop The Brown Hornet (who RZA once has been qouted saying was one of the guys he definitely wanted in the Clan but couldn't get), Down Low Recka, June Luva, and Rubbabandz. These guys appear on a lot of songs from the debut and the B-sides of its 12" singles and it's a shame they didn't blow up more, because they are definitely talented. The GP crew definitely helped out Shy with some of his writing, but it was not like he used a full-blown ghostwriter on anything except perhaps one song on the album. That track is one of my personal favorites - "Little Rascals", produced and written solely by Prince Rakeem, and if you listen to it it sounds a hell of a lot more like RZArector than Shyheim, even the cadence is more Gravediggaz RZA than Shy. The fact that R. Diggs is the sole writer of the song. An interesting fact is that Shyheim was repping both Wu-Tang and GP The Grain but in an interview with HHC RZA made the outlandish statement of "Shy was already a little Wu-Tang soldier, then my producer RNS stole him from me". This seems to be revisionist history considering that Shy always repped RNS and the GP clique harder than the Clan.

By the time Shyhei Franklin recorded his second album he had more life experiences to build on, a deeper voice and the production of RNS, while still very much prevalent, this time he invited D/R Period, L.E.S., The RZA and King Of Chill which made a somewhat more well-rounded album (though not necessarily better). Unfortunately Noo Trybe Records fucked up distribution and the album was never properly released on vinyl, though various promo copies made the rounds back though missing several essential cuts. Once he signed to Wu-Tang Management in 1999 and released his third album "Manchild" - this is the final Shy album I truly gave a chance and while it does has is moments (the title track is still one of my favorite autobiographical hip-hop songs of all time; "Furius Anger" featuring the last apperance by Big L is a bonafide classic; and a few others) but compared to his two youth LP:s it doesn't hold a candle though it has it's moments. Suprisingly absent from the credits is also RNS - I really wonder if he and RZA had a falling out at some point considering RZA was the exec. of "Manchild" and given the fact that they were real close as far back as '92 it strange RZA didn't give him more shine. Since then Shy has started his own label, Bottom Up Records, released several albums that at least I haven't heard and done a lot of differet business ventures.

But for this Lost Tapes presentation, I wanted to focus on my favorite preiod of Shyhem's career, namely 1993 to 1998 - the "Rugged Child" to "Lost Generation" era. And while Shy didn't apear on too many records by other artists (save for the classic posse cut ("Show & Prove" with Jay-Z, ODB, Big Daddy Kane and Schoob). Luckily back in the early- to- mid-'90s, record labels realized the key to selling singles was to fill them with previously unreleased B-sides and sick ass remixes. And there's plenty of 12" sngles from the "Rugged Child" album, all colected here. So enjoy this shit right here, and send your thoughts to Shy at Riker's Island or send him a letter to Shyheim Franklin,

01. "C.R.E.A.M. Freestyle - Intro" (Ft. RZA & GZA)

I would guess this is from 1994 as Shyheim sound kind of like on "Rugged Child" and of course the "C.R.E.A.M. beat was THE beat to freestyle to. This is really ill and a perfect album opener, solidifing the Wu-Tang connection to the fullest. I was originally gonna use the Madison Square Garden freestyle but everyone and their mother heard that.

02. "On & On" [DJ Premier Remix]

This remix is to me iller than the original which I absolutely loved, and it got a nice flavor that makes it a perfect song to bang early in the selections. The sampled jazz base under Shy's vocals gives this joint a whole diffent flavor - found on the first pressing of the 12" in 1993. Some rumours claimed that DJ Premier actually produced the original version, which is bullshit so if you don't know know you know!

03."Pass It Off" [Underground Remix] (Ft. GP Wu & Big Daddy Kane)

Produced by RNS, this joint features a completely different beat from the album version and more than that it features Shy, the entire GP Wu and Big Daddy Kane go head to head. Kane's verse is short but sweet, showing how much love he had for young Shy. Released in 1994 on the "Pass It Off" single".

04. "Show & Prove" (w. Big Daddy Kane, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Jay-Z & Scoob Lover)

This is the posse cut that everybody knows and its truly one of the great posse cuts of the mid '90s. Released in '94 on Big Daddy Kane's underrated "Daddy's Home" LP, on which along with his previous "Looks Like A Job...", Kane wanted to bring back his street rep. For this particular cut BDK enlisted DJ Premier for a jazzy boom bap cut and invited a bunch of up-and-coming talents - Shyheim, Scoob, Ol' Dirty Bastard and even a young Jay-Z. There even was a video for this gem, see above!

05. "The B-Side: Bring The Drama" (Ft. Down Low Recka, K-Tez & Rubbabandz)

This caused me scraching my head when searching for the B-sides of the various 12" singles. Apparantly they thought it was a good idea to name two completely different songs as "The B-Side" with a parantheses after. This joint is really called "Bring The Drama" and is another dark RNS production featuring Shy holding his own against his GP brethren. This joint first appeared on the first pressing of the "On & On" 12" in '93 that also had the Premier remix.

06. "The B-Side: Lick A Shot"

The second B-side "Lick A Shot" is classic Shyheim/RNS with no guests and would fit right in on the "Rugged Child". But at the same time I love how they not just give fans throwaways on the 12" singles. Originally appeared on the 1994 single for "Pass It Off".

07. "Get Down" (Ft. Rubbabandz,, Snagglepuss, & Leatherface)

This one really caught my attention based on the guest features, Leathaface was part of U-God's team later in the '90s and he definitely knows how to rhyme and Snagglepuss obscure style has always fascinated me since I first heard him on Brand Nubian's "Step Into Da Cipher". This appeared on the "One 4 Da Money" 12" in 1994 that also included three exclusive RNS remixes of the title cut sa well as West Coast remix created by DJ Slip. The RNS remxes are included as bonus tracks at the end of the compilation.

08. "Life of a Shorty" (Ft. Lil' Vicious)

I would guess that  this was something that the label put together as both Shy and Lil' Vicious was on Virgin/Chrysalis in '94. Lil' Vicious was about the same age as Shyheim, and had the backing and co-production of Doug E. Fresh. Vicious was doing his lil' ragga thing and Shy was invited to kick a verse dealing with life as a shorty in the ghetto. It was both an album track and a single, and while it's not weak it's kind of forgettable. Released in 1994.

09. "´Shaolin Style" [L.E.S. Remix] (Ft. Pop The Brown Hornet, Squiq, Nefskilove & Illgod)

We now enter Part 2 of this compilation as we leave the early years of Shyheim The Rugged Child behind and enter his second phase, "The Lost Generation" era. "Shaolin Style", the Queensbridge producer L.E.S.' contribution to the album, gets the remix treatment by its original producers and not only is the beat different but it is transformed into a posse cut featuring the alnighty Brown Hornet and a bunch of no names. This would actually have been a good fit for the album as a bonus track or whatever; instead it was released on the "Shaolin Stye" 12" / CDS in 1996.

10. "All Out On My Own" (Ft. Squigg)
Thanks to Lost Tapes reader John's observation in the comments section that I had forgot to add one of the more rare B-sides to the compilation made me revise the "album". The track "All Out On My Own" was included on only one or two out of the several releases of the "Shit Iz Real" single, and is a track as strong as most of what made "The Lost Generation". Just like on the L.E.S. remix up top, it's interesting that the guest of honor is Squigg - not a known name but one of few people from Mr. Franklin's clique that actually followed him through his Bottom Down ventures. No production credit given but probably an RNS production, and released in 1996.

11. "Worldwide" (w. Raphael & Loucha)

This '96 jam sees Shyheim crossing borders, collaborating with two French emcees named Raphael and Loucha. The former is part of the huge crew La Cliqua and the song was produced by Yvan Jaqueent in time for its 12" release in 1996. I also believe this appeared on a French / US compilation around the same time. Slamming cut!

12."Soul in the Hole" (w. Timbo King, Dreddy Kruger, Killa Sin & Tekitha)

This is a true anthem that any Wu fanatic are wel aware of and has been a Killa Bee favorite since it dropped on the soundtrack of the sae name in 1997. Billed as the Wu AllStars, these guys could have formed a succesful group at the time - Killa Sin, Shyheim, Timbo King, Tekitha. This one goes right into the soul!

13. "Co-Defendants" (Ft. Hell Razah)

Recorded in late '97 but released first in March '98, this was the first time hearing Shy and Hell Razah on wax together, two cats with quite different styles to say the least, but with RZA's pumping instrumental and extended vocal samples you hardly can go wrong. There's even a very rare video for this that I just found out about a couple of weeks ago. This was released as one of the A-side 12" singles from the Killa Beez "The Swarm" LP too!

14. "One's 4 Da Money" [Mad Dollaz Remix]

I'm closing this out with another RNS remix of "One's 4 Da Money", probably Shy's biggest song ever. Once again only available on one or two of the many versions of the single, this one from 1994. Very different from the RNS original remix, a little more of a West Coast flavor.

15."Pass It Off" [D-Side Remix] (Ft. GP Wu)

This is basicalltý the same as the Underground Remix, as far as lyrics goes, except it doesn't have Big Daddy Kane on it. RNS kills it with a classic early '90s production here! Was released on the "Pass It Off" 12" in 1994.

16. "One 4 Da Money" [RNS Original Remix]

 This was rare remix only appeared on a promo 12" of the "One & One" single and it's fucking slamming with a totally different sound. It drives me crazy that I cant figure out who else messed with this sample, but the piano melody is beautiful and really does the sound justice. Released in 1994.... So there you have it, Shyheim used to be the MAN so TURN THIS THE FUCK UP!

SHYHEIM - "LIFE OF A RUGGED CHILD"

[Mixtape] WU-TANG Presents "Parental Advisory Volume One"

This mixtape was announced quite a while back on Wu-Tang Clan's official Facebook page with very little information attached, making me and others to believe that this might be a new Clan mixtape. It has now been released for free through Wu Music Group, and while it does features the ocassional apperance from Cappadonna and a very welcome joint by the god Killa Sin the vast majority of the tape features new, unknown emcees so I guess this "Parental Advisory Volume One" works as an introduction to new artists on the roster. I've only listened to a few cuts but it actually sound pretty dope, so be sure to  check it out below!

ILL KNOB (of K.G.B.) - "Paper, Paper, Paper" / "Hip Hop" / "Beautiful Day"

Ill Knob is some only real die hard Wu heads would be even aware of, and I sure as hell wouldn't have even recognized this guy without the help of the homie Jammin over at Wu Corp. Ill Knob was a part of the trio KGB back in the early- to- mid-'90s who released a slew of dope underground 12":s, most famously their 4th Disciple produced classic "Bless Ya Life". This is the track that plays during the background of that classic Wallabee skit on "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...", After five singles released between 1990 and 1995 the group disbandened, member Ill Knob continued his Wu affiliate slightly with apperances on GZA's "Beneath The Surface" (1999) and Wu-Syndicate's remix of "Bust A Slug" (1999) which also featured Ghost and Lord Superb. Since then its been kind of quiet as far as I know but recently some dope videos have been starting to pop up on YouTube so check them out and feel free to drop a comment with some thoughts y'all.

CANIBUS / BRONZE NAZARETH - "Bronze Horses"

Canibus is back with another single from his upcoming album produced by Bronze Nazareth. Following the banger that was "Seismoluminescence" the duo is now back with a new track called "Bronze Horses". This also sees half a reunion of the Four Horsemen as Killah Priest stops by to drop a guest verse. Check it out below, I know it's been out a while, but I really haven't fel tlike updating the blog for some time, hopefully this will change now - song link provided by MacMedriaPromo, so peace to them.

SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE x HELL RAZAH - "R.I.P. T.H.U.G. Angelz"

Back in 2008 original Sunz Of Man members and Red Hook, BK residents Shabazz The Disciple and Heaven Razah formed The T.H.U.G. Angelz. An acronym for Those Humble Under God, the duo bonded over spiritual music that exposed the tough life in the ruff neighborhoods around them without gloryfing the horrors. The powerful chemistry of this duo had already been showcased on a handful early underground bangers as part of the Sunz (including "5 Arch Angels", "Deep in the Water" and "Writin' Rhymes With A Liquid Pen"), it was first during the late 2000s that fans would be able to experience just how incredible these two sounded together. Since hearing him on "Diary Of A Madman", I've personally held Shabazz The Disciple to be one of the illest and most underrated emcees of all time. Few, if any, other emcee can conjure up such deep spiritualism within his lyrics while also coming strapped with a real raw, hardcore street edge. Add to that the fact that Shabazz is an extremely strong storyteller, as he has proven time and time again and you pretty much got an artist with the whole package. Hell Razah is a perfect compliment to 'Bazz aggressive rawness as he's more soft spoken, with a lot of knowledge built into any which verse, often presented in a reflective, almost nostalgic pretext.

In 2008 they hooked up with BabyGrande and released "Welcome 2 Red Hook Houses", an overlooked thirteen track set featuring some absolutely outstanding records such as "The Orbituary", "Audiobiography Remix" and "Welcome to Red Hook". Prior to the release of that album word on the T.H.U.G. Angelz project was that they were working exclusively with super producer Ayatollah, who suprisingly didn't have a single credit on the aforementioned CD. The chances of getting to hear the mysterious Ayatollah collaboration that the duo obviously had worked hard on seemed to die when 'Bazz and Razah had a public falling out and vowed to never work with each other again. A true shame! Luckily the story doesn't end there as Hell Razah has decided to release the entire project as a free download for the fans. Featuring 13 songs plus some additional bonus tracks, this is some pretty damn dope shit right here. Ayatollah (who I think is responsible for the vast majority of production on tracks 1-13) does a good job with the soul samples, and like true street poets The T.H.U.G. Angelz builds true Soul music by injecting their lyrics with pure emotion and pain, sprinkled with wealth, health and knowledge of Self. WINGZ UP!!

“On behalf of Hell Razah Music, Inc. & GGO Chapters across the globe we invite you to enjoy the music and continue to support & pray for our founder and President Heaven Razah as he continues in his recovery  and music endeavors.” - Queen the Prophet (Ghetto Govt Officialz 1st Lady)



ALSO COP HELL RAZAH - "EL RAZIEL" LP @ iTUNES

PRODIGAL SUNN - "Summer '88"

Based on his many apperances and cameos on classic Wu records, Sunz of Man member Prodigal Sunn used to always be one of my favorite Killa Beez. Impeccable voice, rhymes filled with knowledge, and appearing on some of the best Sunz and even Wu solo album posse cuts. In 2005 he released his debut solo album "Return of the Prodigal Sunn" which wasn't all that, despite having some mindblowing RZA tracks (mainly "Brutality (The Grindz)" but also the reagge tinged "Lovely Ladies") and a few other gems. A couple of years ago he also released his sophomore album "Hood Chronicles", another LP that was good but hardly up to the lyrical standard he set for hismelf, save for the sole 4th Disciple / Hell Razah collaboration "Rising", mainly because the vast majority of the beats were handled by unknown Salvee One. Don't sleep on his 2012 mixtape "Prodgal Sunn Meets DJ Premier" featuring all new P. Sunn verses over classic Preemo beats.

If you follow the Sunz of Man member on Facebook you are well aware that the talented lyricist is prepping his third solo album to be released sometime this year - "Determination & Perserverance". Before that, if everything goes as planned, Sunn is about to release the free prequel tape "The Spark". That aforementioend mixtape will feature the new single "Summer '88", a nostalgic look back at the late '80s, what many consider the middle of the first great era of hip-hop, and so on. Both the beats and the lyrics/flow makes the concept justice. The song features singers Stevey Sounds and The MDC Dancers with a video directed by P.Sunn himself together with DOP Danny "Swess" Carrillo.

[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!

[Tracklist] KILLAH PRIEST - "Planet Of The Gods"

Killah Priest is without a doubt one of the most underrated rappers out there, though at least a lot of people are starting to recognize how dope he really is. Since "The Offering" some of his finest tracks has been produced by Dutch production team Godz Wrath, and for his latest album "Power Of The Godz" will be entirely produced by the crew and feature 20 tracks with no guest verses. Check out the tracklist below, a long with the single "Color Of Ideas" and the new non-album cut "Medication".

01. "Intro"
02. "Citrin" [prod. Black Marvel & Jordan River Banks]
03. "Gods of E.Din" [prod. Ciph Barker]
04. "Golden Pineapple Of The Sun" [prod. by Jordan River Banks]
05. "Starship Planets" (Shi'ur Qoomah" [prod. Ciph Barker]
06. "Creation of a Super God" [prod. Black Marvel]
07. "The Vast Bottomles Sleep (Cosmos)" [prod. Jordan River Banks]
08. "PWOWR Glove" [prod. Ciph Barker]
09. "L. Gigi (People Of The Land & The Node)" [prod. Jordan River Banks]
10. "Earth to Walter Reed, Come in Please" [prod. Jordan River Banks]
11. "Mul.Alpin Tablets" [prod. Ciph Barker]
12. "Centrality Of Our Mythic Imagination" [prod. Jordan River Banks]
13. "Rouge Visionz" [prod. Black Marvel]
14. "Color Of Ideas" [prod. Jordan River Banks]
15. "Quantum Spirit of Creations" [prod. by Jordan River Banks]
16. "Alien Stars" [prod. by Ciph Barker]
17. "I Destroyed You In Front Of Your Leaders" [prod. by Black Marvel]
18. "Body of Light" [prod. by Jordan River Banks"]
19. "Gallery of the Gods" [prod. Black Marvel]
20. "Walt's Day Out" (Bonus Track) [prod. Black Marvel]

[Sampler] KILLAH PRIEST - "Planets Of The Gods"

It's sometimes hilarious how the WuTang-Corp site and it's members often are months ahead of Wu news before they actually catches on to the bigger sites. Following up on the 41 track lyrical zeitgeist known as "The Psychic World Of Walter Reed" for sure is no easy task but the murderous Priest's got plenth of wild cards in his pockets. Rarely one to repeat himself twice, for his new LP "Planet Of The Gods" will be entirely produced by the Dutch production team Godz Wrath who have supplied KP with some of his finest moments of wax for the last five years or so. The crew consists of Jordan River Banks, MOD The Black Marvel, Ciph Barker, Dirty Needlz and at one point Beat Butcha. No tracklist has been released as of yet, but the sampler heard below sounds very promising, as does the confirmed single/video "Body Of The Light", proudced by Jordan River Banks. To order your $20 copy head over to PayPayl

[Video] WILLIE THE KID - "Sweet Sorrow"

7 years ago who would have thought that Willie The Kid would be the more prolific artist of the emcee brothers that also includes LA The Darkman (responsible for the low-key classic "Heist Of The Century" and not much more). In early 2014 WTK teamed up with Wu Elementz producer and one time Apollo Brown teacher Bronze Nazareth for the mindblowingly booming "The Living Daylights". Hurry up and get a scoop of the flavor @ iTunes.

P.R. TERRORIST - "Mental Calisthetics"

Another new banger from one of the earliest and most talented Wu-Tang Killa Beez comes from P.R. Terrorist a.k.a. Dom Pachino from Killarmy. The single is called "Mental Calisthetics" and is the lead single from The Terrorist's upcoming new album, entirely produced by Bronze Nazareth, with an additional bonus track supplied by the almighty 4th Disciple. Sounds very interesting indeed!

LONE NINJA Ft. 9th PRINCE - "Hostile Territory"

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This goes HARD. Emcee The Lone Ninja hooks up with RZA's younger brother 9th Prince and producer Mir The Bloody for this booming Wu-esque sound. The track is called "Hostile Territory" and goes harder than hard. TURN IT UP!