Laze, the man behind RawDealRadio (a site which comes highly recommended) has a great collection of rare gems from old radio shows and what not. Recently he dropped something that will have fans of the Wu-Tang Clan and early Naughty By Nature salivating. Recorded on June 27, 1991, for a collecge radio station the theme is a promo for Tommy Boy as it showcases some of the new talent on their roster. Remember that this is before either Treach (or Naughty By Nature) or RZA (who was still going by Prince Rakeem by this point).
Perhaps the most interesting thing here is Rakeem's revelation that he already has completed eight songs for his Tommy Boy debut which was supposed to be coming out soon. It's unclear whether or not the three songs from his original EP is included in that number, but my guess is that only the title track ("Oh We Love You Rakeem") would be considered an album cut. RZA has talked many times about how Tommy Boy tried to change his sound and image to have more crossover appeal so it's probably for the better that the album never happened. I can't say I wouldn't be tempted to listen to a bootleg of that unreleased material though. Either way this is a historic show, and a huge thank you goes out to Laze and Raw Deal Radio . I also want to give a shout out to Brandon of Crates Of Jr. for putting me on to this bomb and peace to Lost Tapes reader Daze for correcting me on where this show came from. The good stuff is on Side B and Side C of Laze's cassette recording, especially Side C has the real heat.
Check out the tracklist and a full stream of the three sides ripped by Laze from 103.3 WPRB Princeton.
Oh shit, it's not every day a brand "new" (or rather unheard) track from the hardcore hip-hop quartet The U.N. The group consisted of high school friends Roc Marciano, Dino Brave, Mic Raw and Laku and after being "discovered" by Pete Rock who helped to put them on and get them exposure by both featuring them on his "PeteStrumentals" album as well as releaseing their two joints "Cake" and "Nothin' Lesser". The Hip Hop world took notice and they were managed and backed up by legends like Q-Tip, Alchemist, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Oddisee and in 2004 they signed the first Hip Hop deal on Carson Daly's (of MTV fame's) new independent label - imagine that. Either way the record stands as one of the finest hardcore hip-hop albums of its era, and any unreleased music from it is highly appreciated.
Now Scott Free who used to be an intern at LOUD Records back in its heyday and worked on classics like "The Infamous..." and was also an exec on "U N Or U Out" has unleashed an unmixed and unmastered joint that didnd't make the album called "The Understanding". But we take what we can get right, and this is a dope joint so turn this mother up LOUD!! Produced by Rob "Reef" Twerlow.
More D.I.T.C. heat for us heads never sits wrong; Milano might have missed out on the recent D.I.T.C. Studios album but he has kept busy dropping heat rocks like the DJ Skizz produced digital single "Closer" / "Gotta Do It" that proved that the BX underground vet hasn't lost a step. Here he again hooks up with DJ Skizz a long with guest ecee J Bux for "Loyalty", utilizing samples and themes from the classic "Donnie Brasco" flick with Al Pacino and Johnny Deep. Milano we need a new album ASAP! Oh and in case you, like me missed it, check out Milano and Skizz take on one of the bangers from Adrian Younge's "Something About April II" called "38 Snub Nose Freesttyle". Word on the street is that Milano is about to put out an EP enitrely produced by DJ Skizz and Marco Polo so let's keep our fingers crossed!
Dilated Peoples and DJ Premier has been a combination to count on since at least 2000:s "Expansion Team" LP with the incredible "Clockwork", and since then everything this quartet has touched has been gold (including solo exursions like Preem's work on Evidence's "Cats & Dogs"). "1st" isn't strictly a new Dilated Peoples / DJ Premier collaboration though, but you get new verses from Ev and Rakaa over new brilliance by the Preemster. In fact "1st" is a single from Torii Wolf, a singer-songrwriter from Wantangh, New York. Not only is Wolf a unique character who defies musical boundaries, but she's also scheduled to be the first female artist to get her entire album produced by DJ Premier. Take that with a grain of salt though, because were are the NYG'z album? Where are the Nick Javas album? Where are that Nas album? Where are the Pete Rock / DJ Premier album? And so on... Well, let's just hope for the best, because it would be dope.
Anyway, Premier remixed Wolf's first single "1st" a while back and now they got Dilated Peoples to jump on it and the results are quite outstanding. Check it out for yourself; personally I absolutely love the somber piano keys, the trademark scratch and the chemistry between the three vocalists!
I admit I am not at all familiar with Discourse but he has both produced this new AG banger called "Testimony" as well as directed the music video. Just like with his many excellent verses on the new D.I.T.C. album, here The Giant once again proves why he's one of the illest emcees of all time. Album coming mid-summer 2016 so be on the lookout and keep an eye on Close Cartel.
Also check out the first single off the "Megalomaniac" proejct, once again featuring a heavy guitar driven beat, a thumping drum and bass combo and some well placed cuts. The rapper here is a UK emcee (or is he Australian) called Lazy Grey, who doesn't hold a candle to AG if we're being honest with ourselves.
Hell let's continue on this jazz trip here at The Lost Tapes with a very rare official Easy Mo Bee remix of "Blow" from Miles' final '91 album "Doo Bop". Throughout his entire career Miles never stood still, he always wanted to get involved with the stuff the young black kids listened to. Just listen to "On The Corner", "Big Fun''s "Ife" and tracks like "Calypso Frelimo" . But in early 1991 when Hip Hop was what all the hip urban radio stations was blazing Miles had a feeling he could do an excellent take on that by himself if he just had the right collaborators. He asked his friend Russel Simmons to gather up some contenders, one which was Easy Mo Bee whose work with The Genius and Big Daddy Kane really impressed him, one was Sid Reynolds, one was Public Enemy/The Bomb Squad.
Mo Bee's audition in Miles' Manhattan apartment was filled with producers, and in his own word he beat the competition through his perfectionism - "I'm a guy with an SP-1200 sampling drum machine and an Akai 950 rack sampler. What I do is I call it creative samping, not just plain looping like a lot of the guys do. I get really, really intense with my sampling. It has a lot to do with harmonics and everything has to be in tune". In other words Mo Bee came at it from a musician's point of view rather than the regular joe with a sampler and a bunch of records. "Blow" was originally a joint created for The Genius (he was also a huge fan of GZA's "True Fresh MC"), but whose gonna turn down one of the most prolific musican of the last five decades?
"Doo Bop" received mixed criticism when it was first released, the jazz purist saw it another case of selling out (which it certainly wasn't), while some hip-hop purist was dissapointed that Mo Bee had given him rather too smooth and soulful hip-hop beats instead of the hardhitting neckbreakers. I can't find the interview new, but Mo Bee's answer was firm in that that was the type of sound Miles wanted for his album - the type of beat his horn would mesh best with, and he was most certainly right. "Doo Bop" is in fact a very underrated album - the main thing that marrs it is the two or three songs featuring horrrendous rapping by Mo Bee and his group R.I.F. Why the hell wouldn't he ask Kane or GZA do the honors? Anyway the long out of print 12" single of "Blow" features a much rougher and harder version of the song which might give you an idea how Miles would have sounded if Easy had given him his hardcore beats. It's definitely a nice piece, so check it out up top and also peep the DJ Vlad interview where the legendary producer reveals that "Doo Bop" is the greatest feat of his career!
Following up on my review of Robert Glasper's dopeness that is "Everything's Beautiful" here's some more beautiful Jazz/Hip Hop fusion for your ears. DJ Skizz is one of the illest doing it on an underground level at the moment if you ask me, and here he hooks up with Your Old Droog over a jazzy beat to remind listeners of the greatness of the one and only music that's at least equally dope as the Hip Hop we all love. I must admit I used to have a bit of a problem with Your Old Droog considering the constant Nas comparisions, something that was very easy to make, but the more I hear from him the more convinced I am that he's actually a dope emcee that's partly very influenced by early Nas and partly born with a very similiar voice and vocal inflictions. Eith way with a track like this beautiful "Listen to Jazz" I definitly have no hard feelings!
I've been a huge fan of Miles Davis for about 10 years now but for the last year or so I've been on a trip like crazy; almost exclusivey listenig to him (or at least jazz, but more Miles than any other jazz artist), which is why The Lost Tapes has been sort of lacking lately. I've been buying rare box sets, buying his regular albums and pretty much listening to everything he recorded between 1945 and 1991 until my collection now contains about 120 CD:s. Without a doubt Miles was the king of Jazz, but that word was also something he absoutely despised meaning that it was a white-man's word trying to box in black people and their music into. Sure at one time he played BeBop with Charlie Parker, Hardbop with Coltrane and his first great quintet before basically throwing out the rule book and abandoning chord changes in favor of modal transitions with his so called second great quintet (with Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter and Wayne Shorter). But it was from 1968 to 1975 that he discouraged his old school fans by leaving what people had come to expect from jazz artist when he started incorporating electronic instruments, playing top-notch jazz solos over heavy bass vamp more influencced by Sly Stone, George Clinton and Hendrix than by Dexter Gordon. The music from this period STILL sounds ahead of his time. Don't believe me? Pop in "Agharta" or "Pangaea" in your disc player, or "On the Corner" and "Get Up With It" and marvel how ahead of time this cat was already back then. This period (1968-1975) is mostly the era that Glasper has focused his sampling techniques on in building a new album from so it doesn't hurt to be aware of the original LP:s, although it does stand on its own legs as a legit album as well.
But first a word on jazz in the 2000s - is it dead, or does it just smell funny to quote Frank Zappa? As a hardcore jazz fanatic, Robert Glasper is one of the few artists I feel actually has something new to conribute to the genre and keeps it alive. From his accoustic trio piano recordngs on Blue Note to his fusion records with his Experiment band there has always been powerful and original music there (can't forget his excellent contributions to records by Q-Tip and Yasiin Bey amongst others either). There's a few others as well; I was extremely fond and proud of Kamasi Washington's "The Epic", an ablum that I feel can match the great explorative classics of the late '60s and early '70s. Of course both Glasper, Kamasi Washington, as well as bassist Thundercat, alternative producer Flying Lotus, saxophonist Terrence Martin, trumpet player Josef Leimberg, played a large part in the creation of 2015's best album, Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp A Butterfly". And also read this great article about the album and it's heavy jazz and hip-hop fusion and why it works so well. Again, huge props to Kendrick for daring to make a modern jazz/funk album in 2015.
So not with that out of the way, let's get back to "Everything's Beautiful", a phrase spoken by Miles during a previously unhead session chatter. Glasper was given access to Columbia's original unedited tapes from Miles' 50's, '60's and '70's session, but unlike the similiar deal Madlib received from Blue Note for his brilliant LP "Shades Of Blue" this is not a remix album per se at all. Instead Glasper has created an original album heavily built around Miles samples that might work best as an homage to one of his musical heroes. And as such it mostly does it's job really well. To be honest, I was slightly intimitated to listen to this project at firstconsidrering my enormous respect for Miles and his legacy, and though I'm a big fan of Glasper I must admit I was a bit worried how it all was going to work out. After all there's been a few shitty Davis remix EP:s over the years (and I'm not talking about Bill Laswell's joint). Luckily, I needed not to worry at all - for the most part this is an excellent homage that I think Miles, who was always with the new black/"hip" involvements in music, would truly like.
The project came to fruition as director/producer of the "Miles Ahead" movie, Don Cheadle, asked for Glasper's services in laying down the score for the film which was soon to be released. The jazz pianist and producer, being a fan of the man for years, didn't hesitate but once the score was finished he felt unfulfilled - hence the concept for "Everything's Beautiful" was born. It's billed as a collaboration between Glasper and Miles, which is certainly is not. As I said before it's more of an homage; in an interview Glasper talked about his vision for the proejct was to sample various parts of Miles and build tracks around that - and we're not talking about his unmistakable trumpet sound, in fact there's only one or two songs that actually make use of that beautiful trumpet sound. Many tracks are simply jazzy hip-hop that might sample Miles voice from unreleased studio rehearsals, others might be built around a sample from one of his sidemen's performance on a classic Miles record as is the case of the beautiful "Violets" (featuring an amazing performance by Phonte) who makes use of a Bill Evan's piano sample from "Blue in Green" (1958). Still this is not a put down, because the album is actually very good although with it's multiple guest and little Miles it feels more like another "Black Radio" LP, which is not a bad thing as it's just as good as it's two predecessors. If not even slightly better - the spirit of Miles has that power.
To me, this is an album that you can play from front to back but my favorite joints is the introduction "Talking Shit" which goes into "Ghetto Walking". They are connected as the intro features the Miles part of the rehearsal of the excellent "Ghetto Walking" (recorded for "In A Silent Way"; considered for "On The Corner"; but ultimately not released until 2001 on "The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions"). One of the most revealing lines here is how Miles tell his drummer (Joe Chambers) to play “some kind of pulse that goes on all the time, that doesn’t sound like
‘ting-ta-ting’” — a disparaging nod to a swinging ride cymbal pattern —
in favor of a loop that “doesn’t break, and it doesn’t sound corny.” Already back then he was looking for a hip-hop type of beat, something he woul continue exploring on "On The Coner" (1972) and to full effect on "Doo Bop" with Easy Mo Bee right before his death. Therefore it sounds great when Glasper, who's acting much more like a producer than as a pianist on this LP, adds a banging hip-hop drum pattern to the original "Ghetto Walkin'" music and it sounds blazing hot - especially with an excellent performance by Bilal over the music. Speaking of singers, Miles always made instrumental music for 99% of his career but "Everything's Beautiful" features a wide array of singers and rappers like Illa J, Erykah Badu, Phonte (who I once again must give props for his amazing performance here), Georgia Anne Muldrow and even Stevie Wonder turns up to give his respect on the beautiful album closer "Right On Brotha". The only one who actually played in one of Miles' bands on both stage and is guitarist John Scofield thouh he is left with one of the weaker tracks which feels like a missed opportunity.
Without a doubt the best song on the album is "Mayisha", one of Miles' last songs before his semi-retirement in 1975. Glasper's production and sample library of the original master tapes captures the essence of the track without making a carbon-copy of the track in question. Add to that the beautiful vocals of Erykah Badu and most importantly she actually gets a chance to duet with Miles wah-wah infused trumpet, and it sounds like they were in the studio together laying it down together. I'm sure Miles would've loved Erykah and would be proud of this joint. Even Glasper comes out from his proudcer chair to lay down a little solo. This is terrific music and would work as a great introduction to any of the three artists for the uninitated. The Georgia Anne Muldrow / Glasper rendition of "Milestones" is pretty damn fly too to say the least.
It's not a perfect album by any means, but when you got the name Miles Davis in the title and marketing promotion you have uneccessary pressure on you. I might have loved it had been released a simply a Robert Glasper album because I have really liked his output so far and this is no exception. So buy it, but don't expect a Miles Davis album, but as a Robert Glasper it's probably a 4/5 album. But with the presentation as a joint collaboration I can't give it much more than 3/5; 3.5/5 absolute tops. But it's the music that counts, right, so I'd still recommend it but I stand by that it was a bad marketing move. You can stream the album via Spotify below to make up your own mind. If you dig it as much as I do - purchase a copy on iTunes or Amazon.
9th Wonder has been on my radar since his excellent work for Jay-Z ("Threat"), Sean Price ("Heartburn"), The Little Brothers and then some, and though he has dopped some hit and misses throughout the years he's definitely's producer you need to check out on his credentials alone. His latest project is called "Zion", and just like excellent instrumental hip-hop artists like K-DEF, Klaus Layer and Flying Lotus to name a few.
And good news for instrumental hip-hop heads like myself, the 36 track hefty "Zion" is just the first volume on a lot of upcoming 9th Wonder instros to come. ""I hope to release every beat I’ve ever made over the next few years, ... Some unfinished, some ideas, some of my favorites, etc. They can’t just sit around, so this ZION series will be used for that. I’m letting them all go." 9th wold Mass Appea Magazine recently. So what you're waiting for, press play below, close your eyes and start banging your head.
Last week I saw Freddie Gibbs perform a blazing 90 minutes set ar KB (Kulturbolaget), Malmö, Sweden. No hype-man, only a DJ at the back and his mic presence was nothing short of incredible. A true emcee if I ever saw one - with no bling and other stuff distracting from the music Gibbs gave his best performing in only jeans and a white Tee, and the setlist was absolutely terrific. The Gary gangster performed outsanding versions of some of his best tracks from "Pianta","ESGN", "Shadow Of A Doubt", "The Miseducation..." and some of his iller guest spots. Since I am, even in this day and age, an album guy, I didn't truly get into Gangsta Gibbs unti his modern day classic "Pinata" (2012) with Madlib. While Gibbs gruff voice and gangster mannerism and thuglife boasting isn't really nothing new, he does it with same conviction as 2Pac and legends of that stature and there's never a case in which you don't believe him. Then you enter his current muical partner Madlib which he did the entire "Pinata" album with and the marriage between 'Lib's sunny soulful, chopped up sample goodies has never been attacked by an emcee in such a manner before - making "Pianata" a truly original album that will be regarded as a classic a couple of years from now.
The night included material from his early mixtapes, his mini-albms, his two real LP:s and then some, and through the years Gangsta Gibbs has popped up everywhere as an impeccable guest features on some hard hitting beats by the likes of Alchemist, Just Blaze, Statik Selektah, Madlib (including the cherished B-sides from the "Pinata" LP) and more. There's no denying that Gangsta Gibbs is one of the more interesting and original artist to emerge out of this decade, having released an album with Madlib that's about as dope as "Madvillain"was in 2004. Gibbs is also one of the rare breeds who's at home with a multitude of different styles - he can get busy over soulful, obscure sampe chops, banging West Coast bangers, NY bom bap type beats, Trap beats and then some. I can't think of any other artists who can handle that entire range of modern hip-hop with that kind of authority - another aspect that makes him one of the greatest doing ir right now. And this live concert was ample proof that Gibbs is not only a great studio artist but an all-around great artist, both on and off stage.
Following the combination of "Pianata" and this outstanding concerts there was no doubt i my mind that there was time for a Freddie Gibbs compilation here at The Lost Tapes, something I've been meaning for a long time anyway. This 20 tracks compilation mainly focuses on Gibb's guest spots, a few B-sides and remixes from the Madlib sessions, as well as the single "Freddie Soprano" which is just too dope to sleep on. It's very likely you'll find a Volume 2 here @ The Tapes in a couple of week or so, but this is the real deal so turn out, tune in and DROP OUT.... and don't forget to TURN IT wUP!!
Laze, the man behind RawDealRadio (a site which comes highly recommended) has a great collection of rare gems from old radio shows and what not. Recently he dropped something that will have fans of the Wu-Tang Clan and early Naughty By Nature salivating. Recorded on June 27, 1991, for a collecge radio station the theme is a promo for Tommy Boy as it showcases some of the new talent on their roster. Remember that this is before either Treach (or Naughty By Nature) or RZA (who was still going by Prince Rakeem by this point). 
