Jaz's Grab any tape thats near...Fat MixTape May 2007


-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I have had a few requests (by the way it's mad good to see the coldrockdaspot e-mail getting used) to do another of these, so I did and I honestly went through over 200 tracks and I have no doubt you have these or have heard them before... if not...enjoy

Oh and I was also asked to to do the track listings in Capitals as it's easier for kids to tag them...it's all Kool Herc,D,G Rap,Rock Steady,Chip,Kim,EQ,Mike Ski,Akeim,Doobie, Moe Dee,Rock Jay,Key,Rockski, Ski,Red Alert Kieth and The Gang...:D and now the breakdown..







1-A Tribe Called Quest (ft Baby Bam)-If The Papes Come (Original Version)


Still one of the greatest uses of Lou Donaldson's infamous Pot Belly and Tip and Bam sound so ill over this, hard to believe it's 17 years old...will there ever be an ATCQ reunion?, I'm not really sure...maybe...but probably not.

2-Strugglin' Souls-Can't Find My Tribe (1992) of the Manic Depression LP



I can't even remember where I got this from but it was either last year or in 2005 and man am I glad I found it, talk about unheard of and completely forgotten...this track is just dope and so smooth, I love the rhymes, James Brown beats, smooth sample and bassline and a well chosen Queen Latifah vocal cut....

3-Mission-Soul Chips (2001)


I tried a lot of different tracks to follow the
Strugglin' Souls one and this Mission track produced by Hispanik (Molemen) with cuts by Vin Roc seemed to be the right one and is masterful to these ears,I can see this being appreciated in ten years time, everything is right about it, the slow drums, mood and tempo, there isn't a Mission anymore as they became the Crown City Rockers and now most have branched off into solo work, MC Rasheed Ahmad and Headnodic in particular.


4-Blak Forest-4th Quarter (1997) off the You Are Now Entering The...


Tell me how you could not dig this, what with the crispy bacon (scratchy sample) the reverb on the drums, and the laid back tone...it's a perfect song to play at night and get blazed too...or to just rock in the headphones...that Blak Forest LP was way to slept on in my opinion, it had the first appearance from Kazi and a lot of other talented MC's along with dope production.

5-Screwball-On Point (1998) off Hip Hop Independents Day Volume 2 (Nervous)
*Also the B-Side on the 12" to Cormega's "Fuck Nas" (limited)



Hooooooo Haaaaaa...that guitar loop, muffled bassline and solid drums always get me and those rowdy MF's from Queens will always hold a special place in my collection for me, they just had it....do you know what I mean?, each MC delivered to his fullest and they ripped shop over ill beats from the likes of oh...DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Mike Heron (who produced this track) check Unkut.com for a very interesting interview with him.
http://www.unkut.com/2007/05/hydra-special-mike-heron-interview

Also
The Beatnuts, Godfather Don and many others...



6-Finsta Bundy-
Payday Is Bliss (1992)-B-Side of Finsta Baby



Where to start here?, ill wah wah guitar loop (also used by 45 King) and the dope EPMD-Rampage drums
Evil Dee produced this and it was just as dope as Finsta Baby if you ask me...Finsta had a unique voice and I dig the way he rhymed Manage with Sandwich...

7-The Beatnuts ft Poet-Thinkin 'Bout Ca$h (1997)-off the Stone Crazy album


This was one of the ultimate Queens connections right here,"It be a screw to all ball and a beat to a nut" crazy beat digging heads The Nuts looped up the ill Lou Rawls Lifetime Monologue drums and sprinkled quirky
organs keyboards and a moody bassline, but Poet and Hostyle's cameos makes this track that much special, one of my faves off the Stone Crazy album.

8-Darc Mind-Dot Chu In The Eye (1996) off the Bi-Polar Mix Tape




I love this damn track, there is a certain mystique to it and I love the way X Ray used the Lou Rawls drums, the atmospheric bassline and Kev Roc's deep vocal tone just meshing with the track perfectly...I find listening to this in the dark can provide some awesome scenes in your head of a foggy night and a sinister atmosphere.

9-Diamond Shell-Back 'Em Up (ft Diamond J on the cut) (1991) off the The Grand Diamond Imperial Shell LP



There was something very distinctive about Diamond Shell, the Biz Mark,Biz Mark's younger brother and his only album recorded at the infamous Powerplay recording studio's...this track had a dope drums and an addictive bassline, Shell flowed liked good wine and this was pure 90's and having Diamond J (a former EPMD DJ) on the cuts was an added bonus

10-Kinetic Order-Deconstruct (1991)

Thanks to my man Roy Johnson for this, I feel envious that I wasn't able to hear what the Chicago underground was offering Hip Hop in the 90's, this ill track was released in 1991 and Roy also hooked me up with a lot of other rare Chicago underground material, it's just amazing and when I first heard this, I got that chill down my spine.

More on the next mix tape.

11-Godfather Don-Colors of Death (unreleased off
Slave of New York EP (Limited Edition)



Okay first up, I missed out on the Slave of New York EP and was sent a copy online, so a MASSIVE thank you to
http://www.diggerswithgratitude.com
for getting these jewels from the Don himself and releasing very limited copies on vinyl and for being a welcoming forum and information site, in a word this track is just nuts and I and a few others think the Jazz bassline Don samples here is from the same track used on the Arsonist's The Session, this is pretty much just classic Godfather Don and that's all that needs to be said.

12-Top Quality-Magnum Opus (Charlie Marotta Remix) (1993)


Another track, I only ever had on a mix tape and boy am I glad I found this online, the drums bang hard and you will notice that the piano sample is the same that the Gravediggaz's used for Constant Elevation (Biz used it too) but what I dig the most about this remix is how it sounds completely different from the original version, I don't really know why TQ was so slept on.

13-The Arsonists-Universal Skills (1999) off the Everything Is Nice: The Matador Records 10th Anniversary Anthology
CD

I don't even know why this crew broke up because they were all talented and this track was first featured on the record label they were signed to after Fondle 'Em...Matador's 10th year anniversary album on the third disc which contained all previously unreleased tracks, I really like this,the slow drums, the rhymes, the flow and the X-Clan and Big Daddy Kane samples are all dope.

I have no clue who produced this but it could have been D-Stroy,Freestyle,Swel or Q-Unique.


14-Icons-Fools With No Rhyme Skills (1998) off the What Legends Are Made Of LP


I am willing to bet that as soon as you saw that title you were thinking off the Guru line, right?...anyways they do cut that hook up over some dope fast drums and rapid yet concise flows from
Frosty da Know-Matic and Ech-U-Sketch you might also be asking who the f--k are the Icons?.

Good question, from memory they were a San Diego crew and sadly there is very little on the internet about them which sucks, because the LP was dope and I have it somewhere and will get it up here when I do.


15-Latee-Wake Up (1988)-off the No Tricks 12"



Even though No Tricks is one of the greatest tracks from the 80's, the b-side was just as dope, a very smooth and simple 45 King production (drums, bass and horns) that Latee dominated his vocals with, I know I keep it saying it but this will be 20 years old next year and it doesn't sound like it, It's a shame that Latee never had an album or that we didn't get a full Flavor Unit album.

NB: It's looking a lot like that DJ Mark The 45 King will be the next Producer I will document, I promise you that post will be off the meter...and it will be more than one, most likely more than 2 to be honest.




16-MC Lyte-Paper Thin (Audio 2 remix)


This remix is dope and sounds very little like the original, lots of familiar samples and a classic 80's looped up drum...it's not as good as the original but still a great remix and man MC Lyte has such a great voice and flow and was all about the rhymes as well. Family eh?...damn.

17-Ground Floor-One Two (1994) off the One Two/Dig On That (ft Lord Finesse) 12"

For some reason, this has ended up on my headphone playlist a lot lately, I guess it's the sheer illness of that distorted and slowed down piano and then that horn and hard knocking drums with the MC's passing the mic back and forth and running game like "Nike on a Basketball court".

I wish I knew why these kids never had an album, they had their first 12" A-Side produced by the great Lord Finesse and a dope video as well...some things just don't have answers I guess.


18-Strict Flow-Radio (1999) off the People On Lock 12"


I think this is just one of those joints, it was released in 1999 and produced by George Sulmers, who did some beats for J-Live and had an awesome loop,a crying baby sample,hard drums, bass and some tight cuts about radio heads knocked to the future shock ...(I still can't think who that is though sorry)

What was disappointing was the album, it just didn't have any tracks compared to this and it was alright but sadly fairly forgettable.

19-Alphabet Soup-Sunny Day In Harlem (1991)


Someone with some money and good connections should get this re-released because it is pure quality and I have to send a mad shout to Digger D D for hooking me up with some goodies lately.

I could never get hold of this 12" and to hear this in headphones, will make you wonder how such talent went unrecognized, they are mos def in the De La Soul, Tribe, KMD, UMC's, mode but they were still their own group.

20-Top Quality-What (Scratch Mix-Jesse West)


Last but not least, Top Quality catching wreck over the Ode To Billy Joe drums and a deep rumbling bass-line, I think that is more than enough reason to listen...

1. a.t.c.q.ft baby bam - if the papes come (original version)
2. strugglin' souls - cant find my tribe
3. mission - soul chips
4. blak forest - the fourth quarter
5. screwball - on point
6. finsta bundy - payday is bliss
7.beatnuts ft poet_&_hostyle -thinkin bout cash
8-darc mind - dot-chu 'n the eye
9-diamond shell- back 'em up
10-kinetic order-deconstruct
11-godfather don-colors of death
12-top quality -magnum opus (remix)
13-arsonists- universal skills
14-icons-fools with no rhyme skills
15-latee - wake up
16-mc lyte-paper thin (audio two remix)
17-ground floor- one two
18-strict flow-radio
19-alphabet soup - sunny day in harlem
20-top quality-what (scratch version)









Thanks all, oh and if you want the link, please send an e-mail to:

coldrockdaspot@hotmail.com



Peace I'm...






























did you get it?...:D


















10 comments:

Dart Adams said...

Dammit, Jaz, You need to get out of my brain right this minute! As for your selection of the Top Quality joints especially the Charlie Marotta remix, I had that song on a mixtape for years and played it to death. I couldn't find the cassingle or vinyl ANYWHERE.

As for Ground Floor, they were on the short lived Bandoola label with Lord Finesse, not did their album never get completed but the Lord Finesse EP they were supposed to drop a few months later never materialized (and from what I heard Finesse had finished all of those tracks before even getting down with the label).

They were supposed to do management as well and I guess the label lost it's distribution or the parent label just folded so that's all of the material they made...just that one 12". I could write about this for a full page...keep it up, Jaz. One.

Renato Pagnani said...

I'm far too lazy to e-mail you, so you should get at me on AIM, Jaz. Sounds like a cool mixtape.

Anonymous said...

please give us the tape ! i need ythe link to download this good ol selecta ! greetings from france, thanks for that dope work of yours !

Anonymous said...

dope mix

Chris said...

thanks again for the tape, just downloaded it, unfortunately i wasn't able to find anything you've requested, i was searching on the usual spots, but i'll keep it on my mind, anyways keep hitting us with those quality posts..

Anonymous said...

hey man this ish is some of the best. I saved almost all of these songs. but for me its about the beat and flow, so you basically had that consistent through the songs, good picks, imma sleep on this for a while

Anonymous said...

Jaz!!! I've been BUMPING "Can't Find My Tribe" ALL week long! Then I come here and see it on May's Fat Tape!!!!! What do you know about collective consciousness?!?!?

Unknown said...

^ha ha...word up....what do I know about it notes?...It looks like quite a bit...such a dope song, great album too.

I am pleased I found it.

Peace

BULLANT said...

Hey, Just noticed that Diamond Shell on here, majorly underrated gem. Good stuff.

Olskool4real said...

fat Tape lived up to the hype 4real! I was banging this joint and was suprised at some of the lyrical skills displayed from some of these cats that I've seen the names around but haven't given a play.The Tribe joint was smooth as usul,strugglin souls was nice, beatnuts ft poet and hostyle was cool another one of those Beatnut productions not getting recognigtion hgh!! Latee another artist from the middle school who's name isn't brought up amongst the elite of that era he didn't have a lot out but the material he did put out was money!!There was wo many others that made this a very nice listen that I've already played twice and believe me these days for me that's good!!Thanks

Update

Peace The JMS blog is officially closed and I won't be returning to it, it definitely had a good 11 years or so run but it just s...