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!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
[Album] BIG L - "Harlem's Finest: A Freestyle History" (Vol. 1 & 2)
It's hard to believe it's already been fifteen long years since the young Lamont Coleman, better known to hip-hop heads as Big L - the definition of true lyricism, was ripped away from this earth and into the spiritual. L will always be remembered as one of the finest, funniest and illest rapper to ever hold a mic and continues to inspire emcees for generation to come. Yet he really only released one album during his lifetime, 1995:s "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous" which not only stands as a bonafide classic, but also holds personal affection for me as it was actually the first piece of vinyl that I ever bought. In the last couple of years of his life he had begun working on two new albums simultaneously - the follow up to "Lifestylez" on Rawkus as well as the debut LP from his group D.I.T.C. on Tommy Boy.
Due to his tragic death on February 15, 1999 he never managed to complete his Rawkus album "The Big Picture", but it's clear that he was almost there though we can be pretty certain that the LP would have sounded vastly different had L had the opportunity to complete it, rather than the posthumous work put in by Rawkus. His final official release was the "Ebonics"/"Size 'Em Up" 12" and I remember having it on constant rewind when it dropped and how especially the A-side literally had my jaw drop every time - and it still does! It's clear that L had the charisma, humor and mad skills that with a little commercial push could've put him up there with the likes of Jay-Z around 2001. What he recorded for "The Big Picture" was definitely more accessible to the average hip-hop fan than the dense, agressive, dark jazzy boom bap sounds that defined his first LP. I think had he lived on it would've only been a question of time before he truly would've made it HUGE. Sadly, we'll never know now.
What is also sad is that due to his short time on this earth he didn't leave that much material behind as he wasn't a musical machine like a 2Pac or a J Dilla. Still the occassion of the anniversary warrants some unreleased music to be listened to - and since I already posted all the "Lifestylez..." outtakes and demos, my version of "The Big Picture" and then some, I haven't got that many choices to hook y'all up with. Of course if you don't own his two retail solo albums and the first D.I.T.C. abum, then that should be priority #1 for you; all those are must haves in any respectable collection. However while there have been some horrendous posthumous cash-in albums of unreleased L material ("Return Of The Devil's Son" being the worst of the bunch), I remembered that the semi-official Corleone Records released a fat freestyle collection of Big L's hottest radio moments in 2003 entitled "Harlem's Finest: A Freestle History (Vol. 1 & 2)". Since it's long been out-of-print by now, I don't see any harm in posting it on here, and if anyone involed feels otherwise please send me an e-mail and I'll take it down ASAP. Ripped in 320 kbps this great sounding baby features 19 amazing L freestyles and verses ranging from early '92 stuff with Lord Finesse, to the infamous '95 one with Jigga, to '98 verses - basically covering Coleman's entire career as an emcee. Listening to nothing but freestyles for 45 minutes straight would get tiresome with almost anyone... but not with Big L, that's for damn sure! It also features two original, at the time previously unreleased, Big L songs near the end - "Nigga Please" and the beautiful Dramatics sampling "How Will I Make I". Grab this below, enjoy it and TURN IT THE FUCK UP!!! Rest in peace Lamont Coleman, you are not forgotten!
* Link to "Harlem's Finest", borrowed from the dope Urbanleakz.net - much props and all credit and thanks to them!
01. "Interview" [Intro]
02. "Rock N. Wills Audition"
03. "Stretch & Bobbito '92"
04. "Stretch & Bobbito '93"
05. "Stretch & Bobbito '94"
06. "Stretch & Bobbito '95 Part 1" (Ft. Jay-Z)
07. "Stretch & Bobbito '95 Part 2" (Ft. Jay-Z)
08. Tony Touch: "139"
09. "Universal Freestyle"
10. Doo Wop: "My Niggas"
11. "Stretch & Bobbito '98"
12. "Roc Raida Mixtape"
13. "Flamboyant I"
14. "Flamboyant II" (Ft. Royal Flush)
15. "Kay Slay Freestyle"
16. "Devil's Son '98" [Live in Amsterdam]
17. "Nigga Please" (Ft. McGruff & Stan Spit)
18. "How Will I Make It?"
19. "Final Four Interview"
Saturday, February 15, 2014
[DJ Mixes] J-ROCC - "Thank You Jay Dee"
Just the other day, one of the all-time greats producer/DJ:s in Pete Rock released his one hour mix of his favorite songs, beats and breaks from the equally ill, but tragically gone, Jay Dee a.k.a. J Dilla. As this is Dilla month, I wanted to take this opportunity to also post DJ J Rocc's brilliant four part mix series "Thank You Dilla", originally created and released shortly after Dilla's passing, these are without a doubt some four hours of absolutely timeless music. Not only was J Rocc a close friend to Yancey, but he's also a top class DJ and a good producer, so this a long with the recent Pete Rock mix most definitely need to find their way onto your phones or iPods. In fact, the great RappCats posted downloads and streams of all installments in the series, so head over there to download all four volumes, while you find Parts 1,2, and 4 for streaming below. Long live Dilla, your memory will never be forgotten!
DIAMOND D's Track-by-Track break down of "Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop" @ UNKUT.COM
Unkut.com is without a doubt one of my favorite sites on the net as they always have great interviews, and ofen post very sick music. Recently Robbie Etterson got the chance to build with one of the greatest of all times, producer Diamond D, for a track-by-track breakdown of Diam's timeless '92 debut "Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop". These type of articles is among the favorite hip-hop articles I like to read, so much that I have copied it here below, which I of course hope is Ok with Robbie. You should still visit the original link which includes an intro and a link to an additional interview with Diamond D about future projects and much more. To go straight to that interview you can also click directly here. Huge props goes out to both Robbie and Diamond D for this brilliant trip down memory lane.
Diamond D: I’mma keep it a hunned with you, I only wanted twelve songs on there. But you’ve gotta remember in the early 90′s it wasn’t uncommon for an album to have 18, 19 songs. You look at Pete Rock‘s album, Mecca and the Soul Brother. You look at De La Soul‘s first album. If it had been up to me it wouldn’t have been 21 songs on that album. But Chemistry was just like, “We gonna just roll the dice and throw all the shit on there.” I can’t say which ones I would have left off, but I can tell you I ain’t want all 21 on there! But it seems like it’s good that they did that, because I never put out an album with them again.
“Intro”
Mos Def said, “Hey, I wanna rhyme over that intro beat. I love it!” I went in the studio and I did it over for them.
“Best Kept Secret”
When I recorded “Best Kept Secret” I wanted it to go on the Ultimate Forcealbum. Then when I saw that Strong City were in the process of losing their distribution deal, I had to make a decision. Do I just wait, or do I try to explore some other avenues? I went to Chemistry Records initially to play beats for an artist they were looking to sign – his name was Joe Control. While there, I mentioned that I also rhymed and then I played them my stuff. It’s the same version [as used on the album], without Fat Joe going, “Come on! Come On!” [laughs]
“Sally Got a One Track Mind”
I made that beat using the Alesis HR-16 and the Akai S-950 in about twenty minutes. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it, then I went in the studio and I wrote “Sally.” I made it for my younger sister, who was a child at the time, so she would grow up and understand you don’t look for love in the wrong places.
“Step to Me”
Showbiz made that beat, soon as I heard it I fell in love with it. I added the horns in the chorus and I added the “Ready or not.” Everything else was Showbiz. “Holy mackerel!” was just me trippin’, having fun. I got that from being around my older uncle. He used to watch old Amos and Andy tapes, and there was a character on there called Kingfish. Every time some shit jumped off he would say, “Holy mackerel.” The shit was just funny as hell to me back then.
“Shut the Fuck Up” [skit]
I just had the mic on in the studio, recording everybody. I don’t even think they knew I was recording, because every session was like a party. I want to make a note also – Fatman Scoop was on all of those skits, snapping on people and telling jokes. He’s one of the people on my album, before he became Fatman Scoop. I know you didn’t realize cos I didn’t tell a lot of people! [laughs]
“Fuck What U Heard”
Lakim Shabazz gave me the record and I put the drums to it and I put the horns on it. The record he gave me was the bassline, and I built everything up on that. I always loved Sadat X‘s voice, so I sampled him. I always went in the studio with a basic idea of what I was going to do – at least musically.
“I’m Outta Here”
Growing up around my block, there was a movie theater called The Prospect, and much more worse shit jumped off in that movie theater than I rhymed about. Even though I was telling a story, you would see shit like that all the time in the South Bronx in the early to mid 80′s. That’s just a fact! We’re talking about the Reganomic years. Ronald Regan‘s solution for low-income people was to give ‘em some blocks of cheese and some fuckin’ butter! They had the wolves out there starving, so I was just rhyming about shit I was seeing. In the early 80′s it was not uncommon for people to talk during the movie – I mean really sit there and talk to the movie screen like it’s a person! Sometimes it would be annoying and dudes would say something, “Shut the fuck up! I wanna watch the movie!” For the remix I added some extra drums – you can tell by the pattern, it’s a bit different.
“A Day in the Life”
That was recorded before “Punks Jump Up…” I got that record from my uncle Kevin’s record collection. I invited Sadat X and Jamar and Puba I believe, I think just Jamar and X showed up. We just vibed and we knocked it out. Shane Faber played accompanying keyboard on that track later in the process.
“Red Light, Green Light”
Just talking about relationships with different women, the pro’s and the con’s. That song is special to me because I went to the kindergarten center in my projects and I recorded the kids singing that, the class of ‘92 that was leaving kindergarten. I just like how it came together.
“I Went for Mine”
That was Jazzy Jay, my mentor. Jazzy Jay saved my life, on everything I love. When I met Jay I was already a DJ, but I was outside on the streets, fucking up, doing stupid shit. When I got around him it made me want to straighten up. Jazzy Jay put that together. I think I added the drums and Jay added the basic loops. A lot of people were unfamiliar with where that sample came from, so when they heard it [the flute part], they were like, “Oh shit!”
“Check One, Two”
45 King, good friend of mine, he gave me the record. I met The 45 King in 1989 at an Ultimate Force show, we were on the same bill as Queen Latifah. He was doing a DJ set and he played an old breakbeat by Melvin Sparks that only a b-boy would even know, so when I heard that shit I’m saying to myself, “Yo! Who the fuck is in here playing this shit?” This is an original Bronx park break! So I make my way over there and I’m like, “Yo! I feel you.” That’s how we met, at Hunter College in Manhattan. It was Slick Rick, Queen Latifah and the Ultimate Force.
“What You Seek”
Large Professor was hanging out in the studio with me when I recorded that song, not a lot of people know that. I met Large Professor through Lord Finesse, probably a year earlier, and we just developed our own relationship. I respected his work, he respected my work.
“Confused”
After Mercury’s investment in my album, they wanted a record that they could try to work on radio, which they didn’t end up doing any damn way!
“Pass Dat Shit”
That was my little posse cut, that was the first time anyone, anywhere heardFat Joe on wax. Also one of the Psychotic Neurotics was rhyming on there, my man Whiz One. Maestro was from the North Bronx, up by Murdoch Ave/Hill Ave area, and Mike G.Q. were from the west side of the Bronx. These were all people that I just hung out with around that time.
“Freestyle (Yo, That’s That Shit)”
[Large Professor] gave me the record, I said, “Yo, lemme hold it, I’ll give it back to you” and I gave it back to him. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album. I always went in the studio with a basic idea of what I was going to do – at least musically.
“K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid)”
Q-Tip gave me the bassline and I just added everything else. What’s interesting about that track is that, by coincidence, Premier used it for “DWYCK.” But if you listen closely, it’s the same bassline but in a different time sequence.
“Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop”
It was just a fun track, talking about females, talking about the history of hip-hop – the people that I shouted out on that record. Rest in peace to my man Nigel Sweetings, he was on that record with him, talking on the chorus.
“Wuffman Stressed Out” [skit]
One of the dudes was looking real wolfy that day. Beard all crazy, no line or nothin’! Straight Grizzly Adams!
“Feel the Vibe”
It was more a cautionary tale. Back then, as crazy as it sounds, it was taboo to want to make a pop record! [laughs] We were waving the underground flag heavy. That’s one of my favorite records on the album.
MIDAZ The BEAST - "Head Shots"
[Artwork] DIAMOND D - "The Diam Piece LP"
The Lost Tapes sure is no site that usually post artworks of forthcoming albums, but since Diamond D has been one of my favorites (as long-time readers of this site certainly will be aware of), I'll make an exception as the front cover to "The Diam Piece" has just been revelaed @ Unkut. As Diamond revealed in my interview with him, this is his first producer album, meaning that he's producing everything on it but lets the rhyming be taken care of by various legends such as AG, Chino XL, Pharoahe Monch, Sadat X, Talib Kweli, eLzhi, Black Rob, and many more. This LP has been in the works for quite some time, and though no definite tracklist is out yet, there's no question that this album will probably be one of the year's best - maybe even the best. You can listen to several snippets of joints from the LP @ Diamond's Official Soundcloud.
There's definitely gonna be a lot of Diamond D out this year; he is also producing the entirety of ATL emcees BIGREC's debut album "DoomsDay" which drops . Check out the HARD BODY lead single "Bullseye", while you can also check out the tracklist and artwork here.
Friday, February 14, 2014
ONYX Ft. Dope D.O.D. - "WakeDaFuckUp"
Onyx is back! And though I had kinda lost faith in the group after pretty much every album since 1999:s "Shut 'Em Down", recent solo releases from Fredro Starr has really reinstated my faith in this early hardcore group. Their first single as a group in quite some time is a boom banger entitled "#WakeDaFuckUp" and is produced by German production team The Snowgoons (a group that to me is very hit or miss; for example I dug their stuff with M.O.P. but their recent LP with PMD was a real dissapointment). This is pretty slamming though, and The Goons and Onyx distinctly rugged styles goes well together... Stay tuned for more info on a forthcoming Onyx album!
[Album] WILLIE THE KID x BRONZE NAZARETH - "The Living Daylights"
Willie The Kid and Bronze Nazareth has definitely been on their respective grinds these past few years, so the news that they were working on a full-length collaboration came as a real pleasant suprise to many. The resulting "The Living Daylights" is now available, and is something you without question will want to hear ASAP as it features Willie's typical hustle and grind lyrics over Bronze's Shaolin Soul chops, with guest spots from heavy hitters such as Roc Marciano, Sean Price, LA The Darkman, Sha Stimuli and Boldy James. Luckily, Noisey.com has got the go-ahead to premier the entire album as a free stream throught their Audiomack account, though the project of course is available for purchase @ iTunes as well. SICK!!
COMMON - "Made In Black America" [prod. No I.D.]
It's great to have Common, one of my favorite emcees by the way, returning to Chicago and his original roots in working with super producer No I.D. In 2012 they released their first collaboration album in 15 years with "The Dreamer/The Believer" which featured pllenty of hot music, and now they are at it again, preparing a new LP to be called "Nobody Smiling". The first single, "War", was a real banger and now the second single is here and sounds just as promising! "Made in Black" also features a stellar performance by young talent Ab-Soul.
Download entire DE LA SOUL catalouge for free
That's right! De La Soul has always been innovators in the game, and as they changed the game with their all-time classic "Three Feet High & Rising" back in '89, it's not too suprising that they have decided to celebrate its 25 year anniversary in a rather unheard of manner. Starting today at 11 A.M. EST time and running til' Saturday at noon they are giving heads the opportunity to download their entire catalouge via their official website. Shouts to the homie M-Phatik for informing me about this ill news.
Since I already have all their retail albums in the collection I am not personally that excited, but what I AM excited about is the news that just dropped that there's a lot of new music coming from the legendary trio very soon. Starting with a six-track EP called "Preemium Soul on the Rocks", featuring nothing but original Pete Rock and DJ Premier beats, to be released sometime this March. This will be followed by several new singles, including a possible visit to Detroit to record a new track over a previously unreleased Dilla beat, which ultimately will lead up to the group's first official album since 2004:s "The Grind Date" this summer - "Your Welcome" (which might or might not include the brilliance that is "Get Away", seen n heard above). Amazing news! Keep your eyes on
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