Alright, again I am very grateful for the thoughtful comments about Wai and on the blog in general...respect all.
Here is my latest mix/compilation that I wanted to share because I have been rocking it hard all week...oh and a fat shout out to Dom (It's been a while brother, how's the garden looking? :P and Sjef...been a while for you as well friend, hope you are both good, and of course my long suffering flatties,Mike, Roy and Chrystyna...;D
Also a big hello to Nat and Ed, Apsara, Dani & Lola, Mikki D, Krystal, T Reign & Fame, Bex and Turks & Molly and my other good peoples.
1-A.D.O.R.-From The Concrete (1994)
From the ill album that never saw the light of day (stupid Atlantic records), Clark Kent and Ski lace A.D.O.R.,with the classic jazz drums from Young Holt Limited's Wah Wah Man ,some awesome horns, a humming bassline and piano while A.D.O.R breaks down what it's really like living in Mount Vernon and used the timeless Slick Rick "slammed the child on the hard concrete" line as the hook (not sampled, he said it) from Children's Story.
Easily one of my favourite tracks from The Concrete album and a fine example of true 90's Hip Hop.
2-Main Source-Time(1991) (off the 2006 Japanese re-issue of Breakin Atoms)
...And speaking of true 90's Hip Hop, Large Professor reigned supreme and this unreleased track is just as dope as anything they ever done, again the Wah Wah Man drums are used to great effect and Large Pro's little tinkle and sparse yet brilliant production makes you ask why in f---ks (kids read this blog yo) name was this NOT on the classic Breakin Atoms original release?
Extra super props to my good man fritz...
3-Big Daddy Kane-How U Get A Record Deal? (1993)
This has also been one of my favourite Kane records, simply because of the Melvin Bliss drums and the beautiful muffled Three Dog Night sample of the vocals from Old Fashioned Love Song ("and wrapped around the music is the sound..." Trackmasters perfection if you ask me...and Kane sounded raw and as hungry as ever as he teared into weak and fake M.C.'s and wondered out loud the ultimate question "how u get a record deal?".
From his fourth and very slept on album
4-Darc Mind-Smooth With The Roughness (199?) (original demo version) off the Soul Food EP
Is there honestly another emcee like Long Island's Kev Roc?, his style to me is mad unique and I have never heard anyone flow or have the presence he does and that is a good thing, Kev and producer X-Ray (a.k.a GM Web D) are a dynamic duo as X-Ray's beats often sound bare bones, unfinished and downright dope.
Smooth With The Roughness is one of the finest examples of this, as a familiar loop, fat drums and well placed vocal samples from Poor Righteous Teachers and Nas kick off on the hook, there is also a little snippet from Keni Burke's Keep on Rising To The Top in there as well...
For some odd reason this was not on the (finally!!!) released Symptomatic Of A Greater Ill (2006, Anticon) and it's a shame, so if you haven't heard it, you know what to do....(enjoy)
5-3rd Eye ft Lord Finesse, Zone 7,Nine & Top Quality-Trooperz Represent (1994)
Listening to this again you would ask yourself why on earth the album Planets never got a proper release?, Jesse West (aka) 3rd Eye had been doing great things since 1989 and here he teams with the legendary vet Lord Finesse, Nine and Top Quality (ex Hit Squad) for a workout in solid 90's Hip Hop production, deep NYC bass, fat drums and horns... 94 was indeed the season.
6-Native Nuttz-Rock Rock On (1994)
If anyone please has any info about these kids (I have read they were from Boston?), please let me know, I remember first seeing an ad for the Nativez Is Restless album in a Rap Sheet or Rap Pages, but I could never find it, I tried to import it, but no such luck.
I have never heard the full album until this year and we can all thank the super dope bust the facts for that, the album is so ill and classic 90's shit, I chose this one because I love how they used Funky Drummer but it didn't sound dated or played out and that main sample was ill and reminded me of E Bro's or something Easy Mo Bee would do.
http://bustthefacts.blogspot.com
7-Ill Breed-Act Up
Short lived group that had one of the illest production teams behind them, Da Beatminerz and as far as I know this was it for them, it never made any sense and I can only guess that one of them went to jail and the group was done, Act Up is an ill joint and has always been a favourite.
The drums are lifted from Fatback Band's-Let The Drums Speak (first used on Jungle Brother's Acknowledge Your Own History (1989) and a vibed out sample from Earth, Wind & Fire's Bad Tune, truthfully these kids should have had an album and if anyone knows what happened with them, please let me know.
8-Diamond-D_ft_Showbiz-Feel The Vibe (1992)
The Bronx and DITC legend released one of the dopest albums of 92 and this was one of the best cuts of it, what is to be said really?, those loud drums were insane (you can do your digging to find the original source and who else used them, :P) and you will see the reason this followed the Ill Breed track.
This track also makes me miss Showbiz as an M.C., I never understood why he gave up the mic because he was raw and had his own style, just like Diamond D, the De La Soul sample also added to making this such an incredible and classic joint.
9-Shorty Long-My Peoplez (1994)
More Bronx illness this is from the short lived career of Shorty Long and the B-Side to the crucial Shorty'z Doin' His Own Thang, produced by Plead The 5th (Not the one associated with Blueprint) and a perfect recipe of a dirty jazz sample, horns, a rumbling bass and drums that kick you in the head.
Another one of those artists that should have had an album and having DITC on his side it's a mystery as to why he didn't, Shorty dropped another single in 96/97 and then vanished.
http://www.discogs.com/release/914980
10-Splattahouse-Men of War(1996)
Thanks to the awesome rare joints and vinyl collectors of ral278 and "mirro at http://indie-cratez.blogspot.com
I finally got an mp3 of a track I have wanted since 1996 after hearing it on a Backspin mixtape, what I love about this track is the simplicity of it, a hypnotic dusty and short sample, slow drums and a mix down that sounds unfinished but still sounds dope, they only did one other 12" "Hell Hole" and then vanished.
11-All Natural-Hip Hop Is Back (1993)
Roy Johnson, remember that name, because he has been supplying www.philaflava.com with some of the most incredible and not often heard underground Chicago Hip Hop, including this the very first All Natural joint, it was only on a Wild Pitch records mixtape because they were originally signed to them and the mixtape is incredibly hard to track it down, I couldn't even get a dub back in the day.
Hip Hop Is Back is a classic, a jazz bass sample and the ill Lou Donaldson drums that Showbiz used for Catchin Wreck (it sounds like they sampled that use and chopped them up a bit).
What I really want to know is, is there other material they recorded at this time?.
12-PMD-Many Often Wonder (1997)
Parrish Smith proved he could still be relevant and dope in 1997, tens years after he and Erick first ventured onto the rap scene, this is a just a by numbers PMD joint but it bangs, using a familiar sample he used for K-Solo (I am not 100% but I think it was Speed Blocks off his first album).
Throw in a rumbling funk bassline, plus some vocal samples of himself from EPMD's Rampage and you have one of the dopest solo PMD joints in history.
13-Little Shawn-Why Ya Gotta Act That Way(1992)
Howie Tee (first worked with UTFO) did do some cheese (Color Me Badd...blerrggghhh) but he is best remembered for his incredible production work for Special Ed, Chubb Rock, The Real Roxanne and of course the smooth Little Shawn who only released the one album, 1992's Voice In The Mirror and went to jail and decided to rename himself Shawn Pen...(hmmmm) so the story goes.
Howie Tee flips the Mountain Long Red sample (and I mean he chops it up, listen closely) and the Sly & Family Stone-Sing A Simple Song drums over an awesome funk guitar loop and Little Shawn's flow was cool, although I think Chubb would have been better over this.
14-Action & Ace-Simon Says (1988)
Ace was none other Master Ace flexing incredible verbals over the Marley Marl produced concoction of Kool & The Gang's Chocolate Buttermilk drums and horns from James Brown's There It Is, very sparse and very dope or as Ace himself said "This Jam is fly and I'm the pilot".
An '88 classic from the great and often sought after album...
15-Lazy Laz-Mystery (1989)
Thanks to my man Fritz for this one, a great, rare and fat joint from the Top Billin Music/First Priority imprint in 1989 that kicked off with a James Brown vocal and The Commodore's Assembly Line, Bob James Nautilus and the infamous UFO sample, the Rakim vocal snippet makes the track as well as does the (I think) Jackson 5 sample at the end of the track.
Once you hear this you will know it's not surprising that Audio 2 co-produced this and the A-Side Smooth was just as dope.
16-King Sun-Comin Soon (1989)
Another jewel from 1989, this time from the great King Sun at his rawest, looping up the drums and guitar from Issac Hayes Breakthrough track and weaving a wicked tale about him and an episode with an older lady, yes Sun's voice was similar to Rakim's but not by much and he should be remembered more.
Taken from the 1989 LP
17-Stezo-Time To Blow Ya Mine (1996)
Yep, Stezo was around in 1996 (he was also around in 1994 but I can't find Bop Ya Headz/Shining Star...:( .)but I don't think anybody really noticed,produced Chris Cosby (Lowe) produced this sparse but effective joint, tight drums and a different but still good flow from the ex EPMD dancer, it was released on an independent label and he had one other joint with K-Solo that was pretty medicore to be honest and then he vanished only to appear later on Chris Lowe and Dooley-O records in the 00's. word
18-Homeliss Derelix-Operations-1996
It's an injustice that the H.D's got slept on because everything they have done is dope and well worth hearing, Grand The Vis (itor) is one the smoothest emcee's from the West Coast ever and Architect's production is just dirty, raw, underground funk.
For Operations Architect just looped some classic drums from Stanley Clarke and some very laid back bass, a few cuts and a great Parrish Smith vocal cut from EPMD from You A Customer,ahhhh perfection it doesn't come often enough.
19-Phat Mob-Wrong Number-1996 (from The Do The Math LP)
Who knew that Seattle could produce Hip Hop of this timeless quality?, almost every time I played this out (normally towards the end of the set) I would get asked who this was where could they get it, the same with radio as well...it's just so incredibly laid back and chill and those ...that you can't but help but love it.
20-Down South-Southern Comfort(1994) (from the Lost In Brooklyn LP)
Made up of breezy Roy Ayers and Charlie Parker samples, plus the timeless drums from the Shades of Brown record,made this one of Shawn J Period's best ever produced tracks along with his other emcee's Soda Pop & , man I remember this in old Wellington clubs and it made the floors full every time, a real cool out joint and one for a summer cruise mix as well.
Don't forget to check out some of my fave sites/blogs...
The Veteran himself Robbie E
www.unkut.com
Wake Your Daugher Up (WYDU)...
http://wakeyourdaughterup.blogspot.com
Crooklyn Classics Rare & Out Of Print Post
http://crooklyns.blogspot.com/2007/03/rare-out-of-print-cds.html
Dan Love's ill and updated blog site
http://fromdabricks.blogspot.com/2007/03/new-look-is-complete.html
I.R.A. Soldier's Irish Boombox
http://irishboombox.blogspot.com/index.html
Dart Adam's Poisonous Paragraph's.
http://poisonousparagraphs.blogspot.com
DR OK's And It Don't Stop
http://forrealheadz-anditdontstop.blogspot.com/index.html
Slurg's Press Rewind If I Haven't Blown Your Mind
http://pressrewind.wordpress.com
and I can't believe I had not seen this site before...(dude has all of the ill shit and mixtapes for days...)
Compleck's Blog site
http://compleckshiphop.blogspot.com
and of course everyone in my links...
peace all...
http://www.sendspace.com/file/1hu4ej
oh and it was ummmm 1991 or 92
Fat Shout to the infamous MVC Posse
swayze
until next time...
