R.I.P. MC EZ aka Craig Mack

Kick that old robotic, futuristic, George Jetson, crazy joint!

Yet another Hip Hop entertainer has left us at a young age (46), I first saw a post on Instagram from the legendary Biz Markie that another great one has gone, RIP Craig Mack, the odd part is that there was a photo of Biz himself and he wasn't replying to any comments, it wasn't until DJ Scratch left a post on Instagram and it was confirmed that MC EZ aka Craig Mack had sadly passed away.

No one knew how or why he had passed but it eventually surfaced that Craig Mack died from heart failure and had been ill for some time, the saddest part is that the legendary Easy Mo Bee stated that he had finally convinced Mack to make new music but even Mo Bee was left in the dark about Mack's health.



Mack first made his way into Hip Hop recording "Get Retarded" (probably best known for it's zoom zoom zoom vocal refrain) b/w "Just Rhymin" for the Fresh records label in 1988 under the MC EZ alias, it made a little noise but enough to sustain a career so Mack became a roadie for DJ Scratch and often joined EPMD on their tours, where legend has it that him and Redman would battle anyone and anybody in Hotel lobbies.



It wasn't until 1993 when he appeared on Mary J Blige's remix of "You Don't Have To Worry" (sampled brilliantly by NYC crew Sourface in 1994 and also known as the joint that they didn't understand Mack on lol) that I went back to that MC EZ and Troup 12" and released that it was the same MC, see these were times way before Google and smart phones and there was never anything said that Craig Mack was in fact MC EZ that I could recall.

"Flava In Ya Ear" (produced by the legendary Easy Mo Bee) was immensely well received in clubs, bars, gigs, parties etc and on radio and still is to this day and set the precedent for Bad Boy Recordings, the All Star posse remix was huge and there were a couple of other remixes for the track as well and the 12" also contained the ill B-Side "Shinika" which didn't make the LP, this can also be found on the Non LP Cuts compilation.

His dope debut LP Project: Funk Da World was also released the same year (and it's no secret that snake Diddy (known as Puff Daddy back then) dropped Mack like a bad habit after the album only went Gold, I enjoyed his second album as well and the slew of singles he released over the years, I could be wrong but I think his last appearance was on Erick Sermon's "Come Thru" track) there was also The Mack World Sessions released in 2017.

There was a documentary being made about Mack's career and religious Life after his Rap career but it is not known if it was finished or will be finished yet, it is also not known when his unreleased music will be see the light of day but hopefully it will soon. 

Thanks for the great memories Craig Mack.

Get Down (Q-Tip Remix)

Flava In Ya Ear (Nashmack Club Mix)

Flava In Ya Ear (Easy Mo Mix)

Mack Come Thru (Produced by Easy Mo Bee)

Wooden Horse (Produced by The 45 King)

R.I.P. Craig Jamieson Mack

May 10, 1971 - March 12, 2018

RIP 2016...

Peace...you know in all honesty I still find it hard to take in at exactly how many celebrities we have lost this year alone and I for one will be very glad to see the back of 2016.

R.I.P. to all of these great artists that all made an impact on my Life in some way...

Prince

David Bowie

Glenn Frey

John Berry (Beastie Boys)

Phife Dawg

Leonard Cohen

Maurice White

Sharon Jones

Vanity

Ray Columbus

Bob Cranshaw

Colonel Abrams

Craig Gill (Inspiral Carpets)

Trisco Pearson (Force MD's)

3-2 (The Convicts)

DDTX (Lighter Shade of Brown)

Prince Buster

Steve Young (MAARS)

Alan Vega (Suicide)

Bernie Worrell

Prince Be (PM Dawn)

Tenor Fly

Billy Paul

Lonnie Mack

Keith Emerson

Dale Griffin (Mott The Hopple)

Nick Caldwell (The Whispers)

Otis Clay

Eddie Harsch (The Black Crowes)

Lewie Steinberg (Booker T & The MGs)

Gov Mattic

Smylez

Mic Gillette (Tower of Power)

Ice Cold Lils 3000 (B-Girl from New Zealand)

DJ Big Kap

Paul Kanter (Jefferson Airplane)

R.I.P. Case/Kase2 aka The King Of Styyyllleeeee...

 

Hip Hop has sadly lost another legendary graffiti writer and pioneer, the infamous Jeffrey Brown aka Case/Kase 2 lost his battle with cancer recently.

South Bronx native Kase 2 will be a name very familiar to anyone that has ever viewed the seminal and hugely infulential Hip Hop classic doco Style Wars from 1982 and will fondly remember this scene...the massively charismatic Kase 2 sketching an outline piece in his black book and telling the world he was the king of what?...the king of stttyyyllleee...and like the great Man said he could do more with one arm that most with two could ever

 

I am a bit late on a tribute post but better late than never...so please check these links for some of the many dope tributes and info... 

hiphopbattlefield.blogspot.com/2011/08/king-of-style.
http://whatyouwrite.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/kase-2
http://www.stylewars.com/blog
http://morrisparkcrew.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/bates-tnb-cod-on-kase2-tfphttp://24flinching.com/word/headline/rip-case-2-the-death-of-computer-rock
deztroy.tumblr.com/post/8947427041/kase-2-r-i-p
www.frank151.com/blog/2011/08/14/rip_kase_2
blog.ironlak.com/2011/08/rip-case-2.html
lifestylesdefined.com/r-i-p-graffiti-artist-legend-kase-2
besthiphopblog.com/2011/08/16/rip-graffiti-legend-kase-2
coolinoutworldwide.com/CO/2011/08/r-i-p-kase2
onefortyninth.blogspot.com/2011/08/rip-kase-2.html
http://senseslost.com/2011/08/15/rip-kase2-tribute-by-persue
ishineyoushine.net/2011/08/15/rip-kase-2-the-king-of-style
www.fatbeats.com/blogs/the-dj-jab-blog/3814162-r-i-p-kase-2
http://www.thewordisbond.com/archives/34119
besthiphopblog.com/2011/08/16/rip-graffiti-legend-kase-2
coolinoutworldwide.com/CO/2011/08/r-i-p-kase2
onefortyninth.blogspot.com/2011/08/rip-kase-2.html
http://senseslost.com/2011/08/15/rip-kase2-tribute-by-persue
www.olasunbekons.com/2011/08/rip-kase2.html
djplaturn.com/?p=1456
longknuckle.co.uk/blogs/2011/08/16/rip-kase-2
http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/08/14/king-of-style-kase-2-remembered
throwupthehorns.com/tag/kase-2
goldenwesttattoo.com/tag/kase-2
chrisstain.com/.../as-you-may-already-know-kase-2-passed-a-few-da
hurtyoubad.com/?p=11431
www.dope.cl/?p=179
panic39.com/blog/?p=209
www.bboyinsiders.com/.../r-i-p-kase-2-thank-you-for-the-inspiratio
cope2.net/blogzilla/?p=2051
www.thedistortedperception.com/uncategorized/rip-kase-2
http://www.12ozprophet.com
http://keepthefaithmagazine.com/blog/look-at-the-eye-worrrrrd
http://claybarton717.insanejournal.com/268.html
http://2017blackart.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/r-i-p-to-kase-2-case-king-of-what-king-of-style-style-master

some of his legendary pieces here...

www.fotolog.com/078terlijk/10354289
http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/kase2/Interesting

Super duty tough work

Also R.I.P. to High who was a pioneering Old School graf artist from Amsterdam.

R.I.P. Eugene McDaniels

The music World has suffered yet another great loss with the passing of 76 year old conscious and intelligent composer, singer and song-writer, producer and (sometime) actor Gene McDaniels who producers and Hip Hop heads will know has been sampled on some great Hip Hop records, Gene also had 40 top 40 hits including his first hits "A Hundred Pounds of Clay"  and "Tower of Strength".

and Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin Love" single, which he produced and also scooped up a Grammy award for it. and a BMI award after gaining over six million plays on radio.

Born Eugene Booker McDaniels in Kansas City, Missouri, USA on Feb 12th 1935, Eugene first started singing in a local Church choir in Omaha and eventually started out as a pop-soul singer in the 60s'.

 

His critically acclaimed 1971 album, Headless Heroes of The Apocalypse is the album that has been mined for and sampled the most, I remember back in 1990 when A Tribe Called Quest released their classic and highly influential debut album, The Paths of Rhythm...and wondered what that dope loping guitar sample and drums used as interludes on the album were and I later discovered that the samples were from "Jagger The Dagger" others that sampled from that great track were...

Non Phixion-The Full Monty (1999)

Organized Konfusion-Black Sunday (1994)

Gravediggaz-Nowhere To Run (1994)

Krispy 3-Pop Like Bubblegum (1993)

The Beatnuts-Third of The Trio (1993)

Down South-Tractors, Rakes and Hoes (1994)

Masta Ace-Jeep Ass Nigguh (1993) 




De La Soul-Just Havin' A Ball (2006)

 

While Pete Rock's solo joint on The Mecca and The Soul Brother LP, "Soul Brother #1", The Beastie Boys-"Get It Together" and Eric B & Rakim's "Pass The Hand Grenade" lifted parts from "Headless Heroes" and Pete Rock also sampled the track "Freedom Death Dance" as did UGK for "Pocket Full of Stones" (1993)

 

Madlib sampled the amusing (god dam)"Supermarket Blues" for his Quasimoto alter ego on "Return of The Loop Digga" (2000)

as did People Under The Stairs for "Stay Home" (2000)

 

and The Jungle Brothers used it in 1993 for "I'm In Love With Indica" 

 

DITC legend Diamond D cleverly made "clams" sound like "plans" when he sampled "Cherrystones" for the late, great Scientifik's "I Got Planz" track in 1994.

 Others that sampled Eugene's music were Lifers Group, Caesar Comanche and Jamalski.
and John Legend covered his classic "Compared To What" with The Roots in 2010.

peep these great tribute and other posts...

http://denisesullivan.wordpress.com/category/eugene-mcdaniels

fleamarketfunk.com/2011/07/30/r-i-p-gene-mcdaniels

soul-sides.com/2011/08/eugene-mcdaniels-dance-for-freedom

dubdotdash.blogspot.com/2011/07/rip-eugene-mcdaniels.html

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/08/eugene_mcdaniel.html

ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/61516261.html

www.versionsgalore.com/2011/.../eugene-mcdaniels-1935-2011-rip

http://larecord.com/news/2011/08/01/make-it-real-eugene-mcdaniels-1935-2011

http://thecahokian.blogspot.com/2011/07/left-rev-mc-d-eugene-mcdaniels-rip.html

His discography:

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Eugene+McDaniels
www.allmusic.com/artist/gene-mcdaniels-p24555


Eugene's website:


genemcdaniels.com




R.I.P. Eugene McDaniels

Feb 12 1935-July 29th 2011