Cold Rock Da Spot

Six2Six New Releases for 2012

2012-01-27T23:51:00.001+13:00

Superb label Six2Six Records are setting off 2012 right and continue to lace vinyl fiends and true Hip Hop heads with really dope unreleased releases, currently on the scene are...

Amp Boogie-"Bluntly Speaking" EP

Raw and dope unreleased music from the mid 90's from Baltimore artists Los Boogie, DJ Booman and Mudd (of "Murda Outcha Speaker" (1994) fame) aka Amp Boogie.

amp boogie-bluntly-speaking ep @six2six

amp boogie-bluntly speaking ep @bandcamp

Sparrow The Movement-"Physics Redux" EP

The 16th anniversary of the NYC outfit Sparrow The Movement's "Physics" EP from 1995, released as a redux in split colour vinyl (black and red), logo sticker and with 2 previously unreleased tracks..."Listen To The Rhyme" and "Complex".

sparrow the movement-physics redux 12 ep @six2six

sparrow the movement-physics-redux-16th-anniversary-edition ep @bandcamp

and last but not least the dope Constant Deviants-"Fulton Street" Limited Edition 7"

“This song started out as a freestyle that we put on YouTube,” explains M. I. when speaking on the inspiration behind the creation of the track. “Our audience fell in love with it, so we added a hook and a second verse to complete it.” Pulling the production from a “vault” of beats, the tracks pulls together a collage of ambient chops, mixed with the vocal samples and DJ cuts, create the perfect plateau for M.I.’s lyrics to shine through on a song that, in what is easily becoming the standard for Constant Deviants, “captured the feeling of 'The Golden Era' while keeping it fresh.”

constant deviants-fulton-street @bandcamp

constant-deviants-fulton-street-ltd-ed-7

Peep the video for "Can't Stop" from the Platinum-The Mixtape

constant deviants-platinum-the mixtape

thesix2sixshift.com
six2sixrecords@bandcamp.com

thesix2sixshift.com/six2sixrecords/blog

six2six records@facebook

R.I.P. Jimmy Castor, Etta James and Johnny Otis, Blanketman and Megaupload

2012-01-21T11:18:00.003+13:00

In the space of a week of this crazy year we know as 2012, music has lost three important and true legends, saxophonist, singer and funk and disco pioneer Jimmy Castor probably most famous for the timeless B-Boy anthem "It's Just Begun" and sampled numerous times in Hip Hop.

Singer, DJ, composer, record producer, musician, bandleader, talent scout and a Man of many talents and titles Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes aka Johhny Otis.

Winner of 6 Grammys and 17 Blues Music awards, legendary singer Jamesetta Hawkins aka Etta James sung a diverse and broad range of styles from blues, r & b, jazz to rock n roll and gospel throughout her career and was sampled a few times in Hip Hop and worked with rap artists (including Def Jef in1989) and other artists.

Wellington icon Ben Hana aka Blankentman who really was a part of the scenery in Wellington, also passed away after 11 hard years living on the streets, the story goes that he killed a good Friend drink driving and wanted to suffer for the rest of his life, I gave Ben things in the past and always acknowledged him and he was always grateful and I know that he wasn't perfect, but the truth is that when you mention Wellington and it's characters that make up the great city, you could not dismiss him....ever.

And the world famous file sharing site, Megaupload was shut down by the feds (with 4 arrests in my native country) CRDS had quite a lot of Megaupload links (now gone) for compilations, so if there is anything you really need uploaded again, please just leave a comment at the post.

To be honest others out there have said things I wanted to say and better, so let's just let the links do the talking...

R.I.P. Jimmy Castor

Village Voice obiturary

Jimmy Castor at Wikipedia

jimmycastor.com

Jimmy Castor Bunch at Who Sampled

R.I.P. Johnny Otis

Soulsides obiturary

Johnny Otis at Wikipedia

The Telegraph (UK) obituary

johnnyotisworld.com

R.I.P. Etta James

Tribute post at Soulsides

Etta James at Wikipedia

Guardian UK obiturary

Etta James at Who Sampled

R.I.P. Ben Hana aka Blanketman

Blanketman at Wikipedia

Blanketman at Facebook

R.I.P. Megaupload

Megaupload at Wikipedia
News item on the Feds shutting down Megaupload

Peace

1992 Hip Hop Special on the Radio Active Weds Nite Jam 18/01/2012

2012-01-15T10:42:00.002+13:00

In celebration of the 20th year anniversary of one of the greatest years ever in Hip Hop...1992, DJ's Art Official and Jaz will be on the Radio Active airwaves this Wednesday night 9-11 PM...cold rocking some crazy dope 92 classics off records and CD's...everything from Ragga, Underground, UK Hip Hop, New Zealand Hip Hop (if we can find some) and some of the biggest hits of the year, we are going to try and fit in as much as we can...hope you can tune in and join us...

You will be able to stream the show here

Active 88.6 FM

http://www.radioactive.co.nz

CRDS Radio...

2012-01-07T14:14:00.000+13:00

Enjoy and if you have any requests please don't hesitate to ask.

Peace

Jaz

Latest tracks by CRDS Radio:

Timeless Truth-Brugal & Presidentes EP

2012-01-04T23:30:00.003+13:00

Yes, Happy New Year all and Happy 5th Birthday CRDS (wow 5 years already?)...what a great start to 2012, I am just unwwinding after a hectic day back at work, check my e-mail and get a heads up that one of my fave artists in the past few years, the Flushing, Queens (what is in the water out there?) duo of Oprime and (Superbad EMCEE) Solace aka Timeless Truth.

If you know me or follow my blog then you know that I am a massive fan of the crazy dope "Memorex Massacre" released in 2011.

"Irene" and "True Grit" with Roc Marciano and "Priceless" with Sean Price

Just to mention a few, so while in the process of recording thier debut album, Rock'It Science Timeless Truth have laced listeners with a free new EP titled Brugal & Presidentes and it's as dope as expected.

I don't just love these kids as ill MC's but for the fact that everything about them just spells out golden age and the best of the 90's, from the kicks and gear (classic Polo, North Face etc) to the head nodding beats from the likes of R8DER, DJ Woof, Benny Ill, PF Cuttin, J-Love as well as working with other dope Queens MCs like Outdoorsmens members Meyhem Lauren, Action Bronson and others.

Timeless Truth have also recently been in the lab with the legendary Large Professor and hopefully that track makes the album or possibly the other album they are working titled Scene Of The Rhyme.

Get the EP here...

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=302CLGI0

1. “Cicra” (prod. by R8DER)

2. “Can’t Handle It’ (prod. by Benny Ill)

3. “Smoove” (prod. by DJ Woof)

4. “Leave It Alone (prod. by Roc Marciano)

5. “Memorex Massacre (prod. by R8DER)

6. “Based On A True Story” (prod. by R8DER)

7. “Irene” feat. Roc Marciano (prod. by R8DER)

8. “True Grit” feat. Sean Price (prod. by Roc Marciano)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/timelesstruth.music

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/timelesstruth

You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/timelesstruth718

My Space: http://www.myspace.com/timelesstruth

One

Jaz

Doc Singe-Kiss Of The Beast LP

2011-12-31T14:44:00.007+13:00

Kiss Of The Beast is the dope debut album from French producer Doc Singe and features Rob Swift, MF Grimm, Insight, Count Bass-D, Kool Keith, Finsta, John Robinson, Branesparker, Pacewon, 2 Mex and L.I.F.E. Long over hype production (fat dusty breaks, ill bass lines and interesting samples) that harks back to the golden age and suits each guest really well, sadly this album has been criminally slept on I wanted to give it some light.

Pick it up from these spots:

http://www.accesshiphop.com/store/?itemid=21559

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8637862

http://www.hhv.de/item_253726_neueBewertung.html

"Foreign Exchange" ft Insight

http://www.multiupload.com/Y9UXS91TLF

"Translation Of Love" ft MF Grimm
http://www.multiupload.com/2PY1N70TS3

http://fr-fr.facebook.com/people/Doc-Singe/756794336

http://www.myspace.com/docsinge

Lastly, I would like to wish all of my readers a really Happy New Year, thanks so much for your comments, feedback and for being a loyal reader in 2011...be safe and see you in 2012.

One

Jaz

Verse Essential-Like It Should Be music video

2011-12-28T10:11:00.002+13:00

"Like It Should Be" is the 6th music video from NYC's Verse Essential, this track can be found on his dope debut album Ingenious, which was released as deluxe version earlier in 2011...

http://coldrockdaspot.blogspot.com/2011/06/verse-essential.html

please check my interview with him from earlier in this year.

http://coldrockdaspot.blogspot.com/2010/10/interview-with-verse-essential-from-nyc.html

CRDS will be back soon with a second volume of 2011 illness and other posts...

Peace to Verse and T Atkins.

Exclusive interview with yU...

2011-12-24T11:28:00.007+13:00

Thanks to my good Friend Chris "SPanky" Moss of Divided Souls Entertainment and Michael Tolle of the great Mello Music Group label, I was mad fortunate enough to throw some questions to yU of Diamond District and The1978ers fame.

My first introduction to the Cheverly, Maryland MC and Producer yU (PKA Michael Willingham Jnr) was on what I honestly feel is one of the greatest albums released in the 00's, 2009's In The Ruff from Diamond District (Oddisee, yU and XO)

In The Ruff was an album that captured the essence of pure Hip Hop, filled with classic breaks, dope samples and rhyming from 3 (Wise) Men whose lives depended on it, In The Ruff is an essential album and so is yU's material, his first solo album, Before Taxes (2010) was a continuation of the Diamond District sound and style but with yU's unique stamp on it and it was an album that contained great beats, well written rhymes and interesting samples (including soundbites from film) just like his second album The Earn does.

The Earn is easily one of the best releases of 2011 and an absolute pleasure to listen to front to back, so while you peruse these questions and answers, make sure that The Earn is rocking your speakers hardcore to get the full effect kid.

CRDS: Please break down the history of yU, your strongest influences and
history.

yU: For the most part, the title yU came from back in the days when I was
learning myself & all of the things that made me indifferent or unique in
comparison to the majority. I've been told by my moms that since a baby, It
was a regular thing for folks to question my motives & ask why'd you do it
like this or why don't you just do it like everybody else does. I guess
that stubborn nature has stuck with me thru the years. My strongest
influences in life would probably be my mother & father, or the things I've
actually seen & heard.

CRDS: Who are some of the Producers you would like to work with?

yU: At the moment, the producers I'd like to work with are pretty much myself,
Slimkat78, Oddisee, Kev Brown, Mr HU, Usef Dinero, Roddy Rod, Choppy
Choppe, Charlie Ross & Waajeed. After finishing up all we have in store for
2012 (which is A LOT), I would like to build with DJ Premier, Nottz, DJ
Khalil, Organized Noize, 14KT, Q-Tip, Portishead, No ID, MF Doom, Bibio,
'and a lot more.. But before I venture out, I'm solidifying things at home
base first..

CRDS:Please list your fave albums from 1988, 1992 and 1994?

yU:Though its hard to pick one...

CRDS: Who are your fave producers and why?

It's hard to name a favorite producer, when I respect so many for so many
different reasons.. But if I had to choose one, I'd say Jay Dee, because he
had so many styles & approaches.. and made very moody beats that
momentarily took you away from wherever you were when u pressed play. I
could only imagine where his sound would've been sonically at this point,
because he left the rest far behind years ago.

CRDS: What MC's do you most feel inspired by?

yU: The emcees I feel most inspired by are those who have a unique perspective
& who's voice demands your attention, like Guru, Rakim, Lord Finesse, Large
Pro, Casual, Big L, Andre3000, O.C., Pos & Trugoy from De La Soul, Devin the
Dude, Kaimbr, Roc Marciano & a lot more..

CRDS: What was your Fave album of 2011?

yU:

CRDS: What would you change about the state of Hip Hop in these days?

yU: If I were to change anything about the state of hip hop today, I would
replace the open mindedness that gave birth to decades of change &
evolution but now it seems as though we don't have too many options..
whatever angle is selling the most is the on that gets mimicked by most up
& coming. I would even the scales a bit more when it comes to the focus on
production & the power of the spoken word by putting lyrics back to the
forefront. The bond between hip hop & poetry was much stronger awhile ago,
but now that the general public knows how much more $ producers make, the
beats are the new focus and they're turned up so loud that i can't hear the
poetry.

Lastly, I'd like to see more album consistency.. Whether it be in
the lane of features, production, or the potency of the music being
released.. If this were juice we were talking about.. I like orange juice,
grape juice, & lemonade. Nowadays, I guess consistency is out of style because
everything is fruit punch.. You don't know what to expect, which can be a
good or a bad thing.

CRDS: What year did you write your first rhyme and can you remember it?

yU: I wrote my first rhyme in 1994, and I remember the first line was like
"as I stay in tune, the groove is smooth as a jazz song/ you wanna test me,
gimme a mic & a scantron" lol

CRDS: How did you learn the art of beat making?

yU: As far as making beats, i always had ideas.. At about 8/9 yrs old I played
the trumpet & french horn w/ the DC Youth Orchestra. I remember feeling
limited by having to just play what I was instructed to, so I left music
alone until I was about 16. At about then, I started to watch others put
their compositions together, thinking to myself.. That's tight, but if I
did it, I'd probably do it like this.. Slowly but surely, once I had my own
equipment my sound started to grow especially with the help of my triangle
of mentors MrHU, Slimkat78, & Blackberry Jones whom I'd constantly watch &
ask questions.

CRDS: Do you have a lot of unreleased material?

yU: Yes, I do have volumes of unreleased materials.

CRDS: What is your all time fave soul album yU?

yU: This is another difficult one, but at the moment my favorite soul album is
"InnerVisions" by Stevie Wonder

CRDS: Do you write rhymes and set them to beats or hear the beats and write
rhymes?

yU: I don't have a set way to put songs together. Sometimes the beat speaks to
me first or sometimes a concept or a line or two might just flash in my
head.. Or I might be in the process of putting a beat together & as it gets
close to completion a hook or verse might come from inspiration.

CRDS: Was it always the plan to drop a solo album after the great In The Ruff LP
> from Diamond District?

yU: It was a coincidence that both In The Ruff & Before Taxes were finished &
ready for release at the same time.. Although, I had been putting those
songs from "Before Taxes" & even a lot of "the EARN" together long before
we had started to work on "In The Ruff"

CRDS: What's next for yU?

yU: Right now, I have a lot of projects to be released in 2012. All of which I
can say I am amped & inspired to complete. Slimkat & I are putting our
focus towards turning in the 1978ers album "People of Today".

Diamond District is working on our 2nd album "March On Washington".. and I'm also
doing another solo project totally produced by Oddisee. Usef Dinero who
produced "Write On" on the EARN & I have an EP already under our belt
called "Flying High" which will be released as a free download before a
follow up project is released. "Killer" is a themed story-esque project
with 8 gory short stories with sounds to match, scheduled to be released
around mid October. And lastly, I'll be following up "A Garbage Beat Tape"
with another instrumental composition I'm pondering on calling "The Future
Was Overrated"

CRDS: Many thanks yU, keep up the great work

yU: Thank you Jaz

Non LP cut produced by Slimkat78 and featuring Eye-Q-"Can't Hide"

http://www.multiupload.com/EE61TTB4NH

yU's FREE A Garbage Beat Tape here...

http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/album/a-garbage-beat-tape

Places to purchase The Earn and other links...

http://www.mellomusicgroup.com/yu.html

http://www.facebook.com/yUthe78er

http://oddiseemusic.blogspot.com/2011/12/yu-discusses-his-new-album-earn.html

http://www.myspace.com/yuremainz

kevinnottingham.com/2011/12/05/yu-the-earn

http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/album/the-earn

http://passionweiss.com/2011/12/15/hard-to-earn-yus-grown-man-opus

http://coldrockdaspot.blogspot.com/2011/12/yus-superb-new-album-earn.html

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41855/yus-the-earn-reviewed-why-yu-is-dcs-best-humble

http://www.cmj.com/reviews/yu-the-earn

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Divided-Souls-Entertainment/161037076551

Free LP: Astonish-The AstonishinglyODD Project

2011-12-18T10:35:00.000+13:00

Chicago MC Astonish follows up his 2008 debut album, From Now Until Forever

with a smooth new 15 track album The AstonishinglyODD Project that Panik from the legendary production outfit Molemen has kindly offered as a free download, behind the boards are Panik, Oddissee, Jay Vega, CRZ Beatz, Odd Couple, Wes P,Taavi Haapala and O-Zone and the LP includes guests, label mate Scheme plus Lungz, Jay Vega, Reap, Myles J, Jessica Jasmin, J Dott Trife, E-Class Eppi and Decay.

The AstonishinglyODD Project has beats that will take you back to the 90's and early 00's rhymes that are thoughtful and mean something. plus diggers and sample fiends will know the sample used for the vibed out "Feel Good" right off the bat, the Oddissee produced tracks have previously been released, but Astonish does nice work on them...especially my highlight of the album "Saw Myself"

http://hulkshare.com/tof5do0z6vb2

1. All I Need (Intro) (Prod. by CRZ Beatz)
2. Summertime Chi feat. Myles J (Prod. by Jay Vega)
3. All That I Got (Prod. by Oddisee)
4. Feel Good feat (Prod. by Jay Vega)
5. Trees (Prod. by Odd Couple)
6. LSD feat. J Dott Trife & Lungz (Prod. by O-Zone)
7. Shine Like DIlla (Prod. by Taavi Haapala )
8. Hire feat. Reap & Jessica Jasmin (Prod. by CRZ Beatz)
9. Fill Up The Room (Prod. by Oddisee)
10. Full Room (Interlude) (Prod. by CRZ Beatz)
11. Samo feat. Scheme & E-Class Eppi (Prod. by Wes P)
12. Saw Myself feat. Jay Vega & Decay (Prod. by Oddisee)
13. Living Comfortable (Prod. by Panik)
14. Lord Forgive Me (Prod. by Jay Vega)
15. Hip Hop (Prod. by Jay Vega)

http://soundcloud.com/molemen/sets/astonish

astonish-the astonishnglyodd project at i-tunes

http://www.facebook.com/AstonishWho

twitter.com/AstonishWho

http://www.facebook.com/Molemen

http://molemen.com

http://www.discogs.com/label/Molemen

http://twitter.com/MolemenRecords

yU's superb new album The Earn

2011-12-10T22:51:00.003+13:00

If you are a regular reader of CRDS then you will know how much of a fan of and how much I admire the consistent and high quality output of the Mello Music Group label...well kids they have done it yet again, as if hitting us off with these dope albums wasn't enough...

Plus a few previously released albums that were offered as free downloads (Oddisee's 101 and Mental Liberation with exclusive bonus tracks and remixes) and Oddisee's collection of his season based EP's in the form of Odd Seasons and ill remixes from the likes of Def Dee, Gensu Dean and Dunc (DTMD) for various artists (Boog Brown, Roc Marciano etc).

We now get MC and producer and member of Diamond District and 1978rs, follow up album to 2010's dope Before Taxes..

The Earn is a superb album and a great listen from start to finish, you can tell (as with all MMG releases) that so much heart, passion and soul went into creating this album, the rhymes from yU are thoughtful and dope and the production handled by yU, Kev Brown, Slimkat78, DJ Roddy Rod (Maspyke), Usef Deniro, Unknown and others will definitely leave smiles on all kinds of faces as well.

I honestly don't know what is in the DMV's water, but to me they are the true home of Hip Hop in today's age, no gimmicks, no materialistic raps, no auto-tune, no cheesy synths, no wearing of stupid wigs or jeggings, no posing, no wannabes, no shock factor raps and best of all no lame attention seeking due to a lack of skill...nope MMG just offers the listener no frills, pure Hip Hop music, made by passionate and genuine artists that live and breathe Hip Hop and are carrying the torch to take Hip Hop to a right place into the future.

yU-Blind (Produced by Kev Brown)
http://www.multiupload.com/ZPSSC8UN1Z

Limited edition green colored vinyl here...
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-58848-yu-the-earn-limited-edition-money-green-colored-vinyl-2xlp.aspx

CD here
http://www.fatbeats.com/collections/store/products/yu-the-earn-cd

Other links
http://mellomusicgroup.com
http://mellomusicgroup.com/store.html
http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/album/the-earn
http://allindstrom.com/2011/11/interview-mellomusicgroup-yuthe78er-discuss-the-earn
kevinnottingham.com/2011/12/05/yu-the-earn

Massive props to Michael Tolle, Chris Moss and all of the artists on MMG.

One

Interview with DJ Chris Read....

2011-12-05T11:20:00.000+13:00

Peace Chris, could you please tell CRDS readers about your history, where are you from, what was your first Hip Hop memory, how did you become a DJ?

CR: I guess I first really got into hip hop around 1988. A friend lent me a couple of cassettes which had tracks by folk like Eric B & Rakim, Rob Base and what have you on there - pretty commercial stuff at the time. I wanted to hear more so I started checking out rap shows that aired late on some of the London radio networks - Capital, GLR and stuff like that. There were some pirate shows too. I'd tape them and then listen back and try and find out what the songs were called, write them all down and then eventually when I had money go and buy the records. By about 1993 I had acquired quite a lot of records and wanted to get involved so I bought turntables and a mixer from a kid I was at school with and started teaching myself... By 1995 I was starting to play clubs. It begins there really.

When crafting your legendary mixes, do you go through a ton of crates to find the right tracks or you do you just use the ones that had the biggest impact on you in those years?

CR: For the Classic Material mixes? Yeah, it's a process of many stages really. First pull out everything I have from the year in question, then go through them all quickly and pretty much end up with a pool of anything up to 300 tracks or so that might make the final mix. Then I arrange them roughly according to tempo and start working through the mix - start slow, finish fast(er) typically. Obviously the tracks I go for first are my personal favourites, but if stuff isn't working in the context of the mix then there are choices to be made. That's it really.

What are your personal favourite years for Hip Hop music and why?

CR: I have some fondness for all eras really but for different reasons. Around '88 / '89 is big for me because it's when I first really got into the sound. People were sampling great records then too - James Brown, Sly & Family Stone and what have you. A lot of it was kind of naive sounding but it was raw and energetic. Around '93 / '94 is good for me too - it's when I started DJing and also when production really advanced. People went heavy into sampling jazz and studio / sampler technology changed a lot so the records sounded much fuller and better produced. I like a lot of post-2000 stuff too because commercial hip hop had gone its own way and it was almost like it left a vacuum for people to do what they liked so there's a lot more experimentation going on.

How did Classic Material get started?

CR: It sort of stemmed from the Diary mixtape really. When I put that CD out, I did a few small low key nights at a local spot as a promo for the CD, playing music from a different era at each night. Then a few months later I went out to Berlin to play at a night called Rap History, where they played only music from a specific year at each night. I played the 1991 night and loved it. So a year or so later I came round to thinking that a similar thing could be done in London so I chatted to Rap History to make sure they were cool with us doing it and then Nick Armitage and I set about getting Classic Material set up over here. A year and half on and we're just about to wrap up the series. It's been a ton of work but a lot of fun.

What was the first record, first ever tape and the last album you purchased?

CR: Tricky one. I suppose I have to be honest - the first 12" I can recall buying was probably the Beverly Hills Cop (Axel F) theme as a kid, you know from the Eddy Murphy movie. It had this killer bass led track from the film on the B-Side called 'Stakeout' or something like that. First 'proper' record was a few years later - Eric B & Rakim, I think it was "As The Rhyme Goes On"

. First ever tape I'm not sure I remember to be honest but it would have been something pretty awful. As soon as I got into music properly though, I pretty much only bought vinyl. I still have a few classic rap cassettes though.

As for the last album I bought, I have to confess that it's mostly singles over albums that have been getting my money of late - Modeselektor 'Berlin' and SBTRKT 'Wildfire' were both recent purchases. I have had some really good albums sent to me recently that are getting a lot of play, the new Opolopo album and the Future Boogie album, both on Tokyo Dawn. Also the new Julien Dyne album on BBE is great.

Are there any records that you own that not many have, any super rare dub plates, test presses or anything in your collection?

CR: I've never been one for spending big money on records on ebay and stuff like that really - there's just so much good music you can pick up very cheaply if you know where to look and what to look for. But, I did radio for a while and was on a lot of mailing lists for a long time so I have a lot of promos and a few test presses. Some of them may have value I suppose but for me it's more what they're worth to me. Occasionally promoting clubs / events, producers travelling with acts would give you a white label of intrumentals or something like that - I'm sure some of those are worth money.

Whose record collection would you love to raid?

CR: Hmm. I think one of the great golden era producers - Pete Rock or Premo probably. I think people are naturally fascinated by their sampling habits so that would be an obvious choice for me.

Who are your most listened to artists these days?
CR: Another tricky one. My taste wanders quite a lot these days. For hip hop, Oddisee is one artist I check for regularly, also anything Phonte goes near. There are a few producers too - Apollo Brown, The ARE, folks like that. Albums I've really listened to a lot lately include Slakah's recent album on BBE and Julien Dyne that I mentioned before. I'm into a lot of the new-latin / new-afro stuff too - Public Opinion, Ariya Astrobeat and stuff like that.
Please list the top 10 records that you would want to introduce to your Children...

CR: Difficult but here goes (in no particular order):

Please list the top 5 records you are embarrassed to own (but loved at one stage)

CR: I honestly don't think I could name 5 that I'm embarrassed of. I certainly own some records that some would consider cheesy but I'm not really embarrassed of them as such. I like a lot of 80s boogie and synth sort of stuff and some of that is quite poppy. Pointer Sisters 'Automatic' for example is basically a pop record, but I still think it's a great record.

The records I suppose I would cringe if someone came to my house and pulled off the shelf are the more commercial hip hop from the early part of the last decade - 'Be Faithful' for example. The records it's made up from, Chic 'Chic Cheer', Black Sheep 'The Choice Is Yours', even Faith Evans are all solid records in my opinion but you'd be perfectly entitled to say the AV8 version is crap and it would be hard for me to defend.

What are your thoughts on the state of Hip Hop today and where do you see Hip Hop in the future?

CR: I think the thing is that 'Hip Hop' as a definition has lost all meaning. You say 'Hip Hop' to one person and they're thinking Akon, or possibly even Rihanna or something. Say it to another person and they're thinking Bambaataa and Wild Style and in between those two extremes are a thousand shades of grey. So it's impossible to say where it's going really because it's already gone in thousand different directions and each of those directions will go somewhere different. I actually think it's a good thing - if some guy in his bedroom wants to make a 'hip hop' record that doesn't have a rapper on it, is made partly of samples and partly of a load of electronics he's made himself and changes tempo and time signature 3 times in 2 minutes then that's great - there aren't any rules any more. These days my preference is for hip hop that owes something to its heritage but doesn't really play by the prescribed norms.

What do you think makes up a good DJ?

CR: First up passion for the music and knowledge of your records - more important than technical ability in my opinion. But the best DJs have broad taste, innovative technical ability, experience behind them, and a love of what they do and a desire to be the best at it. There aren't many out there that tick all the boxes.

What are your thoughts on DJ's that use laptops and have never touched a turntable?

CR: It's easy to get all misty eyed about vinyl - it's been a big part of my life and I still love it, but the truth is that technology is making DJing a more creative activity again. I love that a combination of turntable, computer, midi and effects allows me to play sections of a record out of sequence, to extend parts of tracks, to apply effects to an acapella and things like that - it's made DJing more like production and that's pushing me to do new things. BUT, I think younger DJs who have never used vinyl or turntables are missing a really important part of the skill set. It's all well and good to stand there pushing buttons on a midi controller but to me part of the showmanship and grass roots skills have been lost if that's all you've ever known.

Out of all the mixes you have done, which one are you the most proud of?

CR: I suppose the Diary is the most epic, certainly the most time consuming and the one that provoked the biggest reaction, but I don't listen to it as often as some of the others. Sometimes it's the ones that were done without tons of planning that I'm most fond of. The Legacy was knocked together in a couple of days but when listen to it now it sounds way more crafted than I remember when I was doing it. I like the ones also that cover stuff a little bit outside my normal repertoire, like the 80s Electro Rap / Electro Funk thing I did for Spine TV.

When BBE gave you access to their entire catalogue for your 15th anniversary mix, how did you pick the records, did you spend hours listening to tons of records and creating different mixes?

CR: It was quite a journey really. There's something like 180 albums, a lot of them I knew well already, but ones I was less familiar with I sat and listened through. I narrowed it down to a pool of my favourite tracks and then constructed a bunch of 15-20 minute sections but the number of tempo and genre shifts was daunting so I had find creative ways of linking it all together. There were a few last minute changes thanks to licensing restrictions on some of the catalogue but I actually think the final take is the best of all the drafts. The reaction to it has been overwhelmingly good and I'm really pleased with it.

As for my own stuff, I have a mix / compilation of modern Latin stuff coming out on BBE in the Spring and a couple more releases for Breakin Bread too, which are yet to be finalized but more or less ready to go. I'm producing an album for a band called Maylight which is a sort of Jazz / Electronica style project with Lizzy Parks (Tru Thoughts) on vocals too but we don;t have a release date for that yet. We debuted our new material at Leftfoot last night and it sounds killer even it I do say so myself. I also have a bunch of remixes coming out over the next few months for a few different labels including Bastard Jazz out in NYC, Hope Street in Australia and a few others...

Thanks a lot Chris.

CR: My pleasure Jaz!

You can download all of Chris Read's The Diary and the Classic Material mixes etc here...

http://musicofsubstance.com/html/mp3-downloads.htm

http://www.classicmaterial.co.uk/mixes

or purchase some mixes, t-shirts or limited edition box sets here

http://store.classicmaterial.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/chrisreadsubstance

www.musicofsubstance.com

http://www.chrisreadsubstance.bandcamp.com

http://www.myspace.com/chrisreadsubstance

http://www.mixcloud.com/chrisreadsubstance

http://www.soundcloud.com/chrisreadsubstance

http://www.musicofsubstance.wordpress.com

http://www.bbemusic.com

One

Slim Kid Tre & DJ Nu Mark - Another Day Another Dollar: Free EP

2011-12-03T17:01:00.005+13:00

DJ Nu-Mark (Jurrasic 5) teamed up with Slimkid Tre (The Pharcyde, Almghty Mghty Pythons) for a Free EP containing three tracks that would sound great on the radio or at your next BBQ, party, session etc.

My highlight of the EP is The Eagles sampling "Friday Night" which is mad addictive and sounds like it was released in 1995 and has been an anthem for years, the title track is butter-smooth and sounds like something the late, great J-Dilla would have produced for The Pharcyde back in the Labcabin....days and "Baby Don't Take The Fun" is dope too...

do yourself a favour and check it here...

http://slimkid3.com

and who remembers this West Coast classic?

True Hip Hop Music in 2011...a purist's perspective (with compilation)

2011-11-26T12:26:00.021+13:00

Quick Note: I just wanted to extend my many thanks for all of the comments, really positive feedback and the overwhelming sharing this post and compilation has been getting, this post has been getting really good feedback from some of the artists involved as well and I just wanted to say that, this is what Hip Hop all is about, so if you have shared this on Tumbler, your blog, Facebook etc I just wanted to extend my gratitude.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What's good CRDS readers?...yes I know that it's a cliche, but what you hear on the radio is not Hip Hop music, Hip Hop music to me is hardcore and head nodding beats, clever samples, thoughtful rhymes that actually make sense and interesting rhyme patterns and schemes, rumbling bass lines, DJ cuts and authenticity, what you hear on the radio contains none of that...it's disposable, "junk food" Pop Rap and so much of of it is empty, gimmicky, stupid, devoid of soul, plastic "music" made by talentless "artists" and corporate chumps just to make money, however if you delve deeper into the underground and read a lot of blogs and you will see that true Hip Hop is alive and breathing in 2011...

Thankfully there are are dozens of artists that are staying true to what Hip Hop represents and keeping with the ethics, styles and sound production of the much missed 80's and 90's and a lot of kids that have been in the game for more than a few years have been releasing solid material and gaining new fans, while the old ones appreciate that they are still around, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Kurious, Diamond-D, Pharaoh Monch, Buckwild, Showbiz and A.G, Beastie Boys, J-Live, Celph Titled, various Wu Tang Clan members (especially Ghostface) Cyne, J-Rawls, K-Def, Marco Polo, EDO.G, Masta Ace, Constant Deviants, Madlib, Grap Luva (who has still not had a solo album yet haha) etc...that said there are some rap vets that have well to be frank...fallen the hell off and completely forgotten about their hardcore fans and are just chasing the mighty dollar, it's best not to mention them, but I am sure you all know who I am referring to.

Some of my personal fave relative newcomers these days are Action Bronson, Meyhem Lauren, Shaz Illyork and The Outdoorsmen, Evil Mule,Timeless Truth, Silent Knight, The Audible Doctor, Brown Bag Allstars, Oddisee, Diamond District, DTMD, Has-Lo and everyone on the Mello Music Group label, SPOX PHD, Roc Marciano, Damu The Fudgemunk, Apollo Brown & The Left, Black Milk, Steve Collosall, LCA, Leaf Erikson, Epsilon Project, DJ Cosm, Custodian Of Records, Rasheed Chappell, Arch Druids, Aarophat and Illastrate, Beneficence, Bamboo Bros, Dopplegangaz, The Incredible Funk League, Dela, Dues Paid, Kyo Itachi, M.D., Maxilla Blue, The Grimm Teachaz, Shinsight Trio, Intricate Dialect, Gangrene (Oh No and Alchemist), Hassan Mackey, The Black Opera, Malcolm and Martin, Fashawn, Maverick, Random Axe, Verse Essential, Lord Monsta, Proh Mic, Jazz Spastiks & Junclassic, Offsprings of The Native Tongue, Sick Team, Ras Beats, Statik Selektah, Gasoline Monk, DJ SMV, Willie Evans Jnr of Asamov) and more than a few others.

I thank every one of these dope artists for keeping an incredible art form and culture alive, I also want to say that is so dope that we didn't lose the legendary Erick Sermon after a heart attack scare recently, thank goodness you are still with us trooper, you are one of my MC's and Producers ever and it would have been really hard to deal with losing E-Double.

I hope you enjoy this compilation of some ill releases from 2011...

crds presents-some 2011 illness

01. Action Bronson & Statik Selektah - Not Enough Words (Produced by Statik Selektah)
02. Epsilon Project - KO (Produced by Nemak)
03. Add+ - Insomniac Dreaming (Produced by Black Milk)
04. DTMD ft Yu-Keep On (Produced by Dunc)
05. Oddisee feat. Diamond District - For Certain (Produced by Oddisee)
06. Bamboo Bros feat. Pete Rock & Mighty Buda - Beyond A Sensation (Produced by Dave Dar)
07. Cappadonna - Cuban Link Kings (Produced by Phantom of The Beats)
08. Bumpy Knuckles & DJ Premier - B.A.P. (Produced by DJ Premier)
09. Celph Titled & Buckwild feat. Lord Digga & Kwest - Get Stupid (Produced by Buckwild)
10. Global Platoon feat. Steve Colossal - Flash Kidnap (Produced by M.I.)
11. Has-Lo - Light Years (Produced by J-Zone)
12. J57 feat. Silent Knight - Craft Brewed (Produced by J57)
13. Metasyons-Villain (Produced by Crate Digga)
14. Roc Marciano - Emeralds (Produced by Arch Druids)
15. Timeless Truth - Memorex Massacre (Produced by R8der)
16. Large Professor - Key To The City (Produced by Large Professor)
17. J-Live - The Authentic (Produced by Marco Polo)
18. The Primeridian feat. ADaD - Live From The Belly (Tall Black Guy Remix)
19. Grap Luva - Rocking With Elegance (One For Damu) (Produced by Grap Luva)
20. Evidence feat. Fashawn - Same Folks (Produced by DJ Babu)

some dope vids of tracks on this compilation...

Lastly please check out NYC's Rock Mecca new single, "Runnin Runnin" which is the second single from his upcoming Pirate Radio Star LP, the first single "New York Noise" can be heard here...

http://rockmecca.bandcamp.com

'Runnin Runnin"

http://hulkshare.com/3j7ofjfvm29e

Peace

Has-Lo-Conversation B

2011-11-21T12:09:00.000+13:00

Mello Music Group have knocked it out of the park yet again, this time it is rising Philadelphia MC and Producer Has-Lo...

Conversation B is a complete re-imagining/reworking of Has-Lo's dope In Case I Don't Make It album that was released earlier in 2011 and has beat contributions from...

The Audible Doctor, Kev Brown, Exile, Oddisse, Apollo Brown, ST-MIC, Small Pro, Eric Lau, IMAKEMADBEATS, Has-Lo himself (the superb "Maxwell UR" that speaks on how he remembers Hip Hop growing up) and others including my highlight off the album, the incredible "Light Years" produced by the highly under-rated J-Zone...

Has-Lo-Light Years (Produced by J-Zone)

who currently has a book on release...Root For The Villian: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure which you can read hilarious excerpts and order the book from here...

http://www.govillaingo.com

Pick up the Conversation B album here, it is also available on a limited run of 500 vinyl copies as well...
http://www.fatbeats.com/collections/frontpage/products/has-lo-conversation-b-2xlp
http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/has-lo-conversation-b/MMG016BCD

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/conversation-b/id467919603

mellomusicgroup.com/has-lo.html

www.facebook.com/pages/Has-Lo/187251367967381

Has-Lo also released a dope free EP "Illegally Yours with Mello Music Group and Portuguese website Illegalpromo.com and features production from DJ SoulClap, Odin Smith and Danny Diggs and a guest appearance from (Icon)The Mic King.

Has-Lo-Illegally Yours EP

www.illegal-promo.com
www.facebook.com/Illegal.Promo.Page

R.I.P. Heavy-D aka The Overweight Lover aka The Heavster

2011-11-12T13:10:00.003+13:00

Heavy-D was born Dwight Errington Myers, May 24th 1967 in Mandeville, Jamaica in and moved to (Money earnin') Mount Vernon in the early 70's.

Heavy-D was a charismatic and very positive character that could both rhyme and dance his ass off...Hev was first and foremost but also a song writer, producer and actor in short he was a pure entertainer and an MC that always had multitudes of personality in his rhymes and he could make smooth jams for the Ladies, catchy Pop-Rap (that had a soul and a pulse) and he could bring it hardcore too not to mention the reggae and ragga and R & B tracks he appeared on, during his lifetime he also worked with greats Quincy Jones and BB King, Levert, Janet Jackson, Frankie Paul, Buju Banton and a multitude of other artists.

Hev was also the first cousin of the legendary Pete Rock who produced many tracks for Hev including some just recently this year that are still yet to be released.

I was first introduced to Heavy-D's music via the old school Wellington, New Zealand radio show The Uncut Funk Show (Radio Active 89 FM), to be honest I cannot remember it if was the legendary DJ Tee Pee or DJ Rhys-B that played Heavy-D & The Boyz (DJ Eddie-F, Trouble T Roy and G-Whiz -"Mr Big Stuff" released on Andre Harell's Uptown Records as the first signing way back in 1986 but I fondly remember having it on tape and it receiving much run in my walk-man player (wow that seems so long ago) just like the time an old High School friend that had the Heavy D & The Boyz debut album, Livin' Large on tape.

I loved the whole album and played the late, great James Brown sampling, Marley Marl produced classic "The Overweight Lover's In The House" jam a lot...around 1988 my old Friend Kory H from Maryland invited me to his place and showed me his crazy impressive tape collection and a whole bunch of videos (not to mention some beers and fennel seeds to cover up our breath, because his Dad would have got mad as hell and was seriously like Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air...even the beard was the same lol)...ahhh where was I? oh yes...one of the vids was a few of Heavy-D and The Boyz and I was in awe at the way Hev and his crew moved, especially Hev because he was a big fella..."We Write The Songs", the classic duet with the Juice Crew's Biz Markie D and Heavy-D was released the same year and appeared on the classic Marley Marl-In Control Volume 1.

By the time 1989 came around, I remember picking up their second album Big Tyme on tape, along with some cassingles (remember those?) and playing them over in my walk-man and at home on my stereo, I am pretty sure this was the first time I saw the name Pete Rock (he produced "Mood For Love", "A Better Land","Big Tyme" and "Let It Flow" on the album and I thought his beats were dope and had a feeling that would be name that I would be seeing and hearing a lot more of.

"Grylz They Love Me", "Ez Duz It and Do It Ez", "Let It Flow""You Aint Heard Nuthin' Yet" and "More Bounce" which sampled the classic Zapp "More Bounce To The Ounce" were my faves from that album, the same year Hev was invited to join the Boogie Down Productions crew alongside the late, great Fruitkwan, MC Delight, Wise and Daddy-O (Stetsasonic), MC Lyte, Chuck D & Flava Flav (Public Enemy), Miss Melodie, Just Ice, Doug E Fresh, Kool Moe Dee on the seminal "Stop The Violence" record collectively as the Stop The Violence Movement (overseen by Scott La Rock despite what others may think).

During the years 1989 and 1990 Heavy-D & The Boyz were touring extensively and in July 1990 Trouble T Roy's life was cut short after an accidental fall at a show in Indianapolis, you could tell that this affected Hev and the rest of the Boyz as their third album released in 1991 was titled Peaceful Journey...

Peaceful Journey went platinum and gave the crew a massive chart hit with their take on The O'Jays "Now That We Found Love" produced by Teddy Riley.

Peaceful Journey also had the classic posse cut "Don't Curse" with Kool G Rap, Grand Puba and Big Daddy Kane, CL Smooth, Pete Rock and Q-Tip and was produced by Pete Rock and number of other dope tracks produced by Pete, Marley Marl, Howie Tee and others.

Hev also wrote and performed the theme for In Living Color the same year and guested on Michael Jackson's "The Jam" off his Dangerous album.

In 1992 Pete Rock and CL Smooth released the timeless track "T.R.O.Y" which was a dedication track to Trouble T Roy (and others) and is quite simply one of the most beautiful, moving and incredible tracks Hip Hop has ever produced, Hev also released one of my all time faves in 1992 and a track showed that Heavy-D could tear the frame out of the mic on a hardcore track, "You Can't See What I Can See" produced by Chad Elliot and sampled by EDO.G & Da Bulldogs for "Check It Out" (1993)

During 1992 and 1993 Hev guested on records from the likes of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Supercat, Queen Latifah...

Hev was also a member of the Flava Unit MC's who released "Roll Wit Tha Flava" in '93...

He also appeared on records by Mary J Blige, Naughty By Nature and others and he also had a cameo role in the comedy film Whos The Man? (1993) and released a single with the same title.

In late 1992 the groups' third album, Blue Funk was released and featured stellar production from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Skeff Anslem, Tony Dofat, Steely and Cleevie and Jesse West who produced one of my all time favourite posse cuts in Hip Hop

The same year Heavy-D landed a recurring role on the TV sitcom Roc and later Living Single and in 1994 Heavy-D & The Boyz once again became steady chart favourites with the release of their fourth and final album Nuttin But Love.

The album featured the hits "Nuttin' But Love" (Produced by Kid Capri) "Black Coffee" (Produced by Easy Mo Bee) and "Got Me Waiting" (Produced by Pete Rock) other production came from the likes of Teddy Riley, Erick Sermon, Marley Marl and K-Def and Poke (Trackmasters), also in 1994 Eddie F released the Eddie F & The Untouchables album and featured the hit "Let's Get It On" which featured the late, great Notorious B.I.G, 2-Pac, Grand Puba and Spunk Bigga and Hev had more chart success with the R & B group Soul For Real...

After that album Hev went on to act in the film New Jersey Drive and contributed this dope Easy Mo Bee produced track to the soundtrack...

Hev was the president for a brief stint at Uptown Records, signed Herb McGruff and in 1997 dropped his first solo LP, Waterbed Hev which spawned the hit "Big Daddy" and was a commercial success, he followed that album with 2 other solo albums...

Heavy (1999) (my fave of his solo album releases) that featured the track "Listen" (with Q-Tip) produced by the late, great J-Dilla.

Other tracks on Heavy were produced by Tony Dofat, Erick Sermon and The Ummah and guests on the album included Cee-Lo, Chico Debarge, the late, great Big Pun and Eightball.

Hev released Vibes a catchy Pop-Reggae album in 2008 that also had a number of tracks produced byTony Dofat.

D got serious about his acting and starred in the Oscar nominated film The Cider House Rules, Life, and the short lived but great TV show Boston Public.

Before his untimely passing, Hev had been losing a great deal of weight, released an EP titled the Love Opus and performed on The BET music awards.

We lost a great one in Heavy-D...and yes Hev you were rough in your day :)

R.I.P.Heavy-D

Check these links and tributes.

claaa7.blogspot.com/2011/11/rest-in-peace-heavy-d.html

http://ratheruggedman.net/2011/11/heavy-d

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674040/heavy-d-dead-pete-rock.jhtml
http://4eentertainment.com/index.php/2011/11/08/heavy-d-passes-at-44

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/clarionledger/obituary.aspx?n=heavy-d&pid=154533261
http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/heavy-d-1967-2011

Marley Marl's tribute mix (big thanks to Nes at Dirty Waters)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=21X50WQ7

Jaz

"A diddley-diddley-diddley-diddely-diddely-deee"

SPOX-PHD (DJ Spinna & Oxygen)

2011-11-08T20:10:00.006+13:00

Uh-Oh here comes the true illness kids...Oxygen aka Ox The Architect (Sputnik Brown) flexes classic bars over more strictly head nodding dope DJ Spinna beats on "Brilliance" and with the NYC legends Diamond-D, Sadat-X and Kurious (who in my humble opinion would form a super group) on the classic break filled b-side "Four Times Raw" you know this is just an essential piece of music for the collection

Available on a limited edition 7" on Correct Technique Records and from the upcoming SPOX-"Sound Pieces of X-Perience" album, which Ox tells me will be limited to 300 pieces and the version of "Brilliance" found on the 45 won't be on the album, a version with a Jazz ensemble will appear on the album instead.

Details about where to pick up a copy of the 7"inch soon, Ox has said that the advances have all been snapped up.

If you haven't heard of Long Island's Ox The Architect before then you really need to get educated my boy (haha) because this cat is by no means a new jack, in fact he has been in the game for more than a few years...

check the resume...

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Oxygen+%2816%29

http://soundcloud.com/oxthearchitect

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ox-The-Architect-Oxygen/177517055613957
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sputnik-Brown/46903891995

Gensu Dean...

2011-11-03T20:31:00.004+13:00

Gensu Dean hails from Dallas, Texas is a dope producer that is dedicated to his SP-1200 and is a fanatical and true digger...he is also a recent signee to one of the greatest Hip Hop labels out these days and in my humble opinion, one of the dopest labels in Hip Hop history...Mello Music Group and is set to unleash his debut LP Standard Life in Feburary 2011, he has worked and produced with and for the likes of, the legendary Large Professor, Lord Jamar, Sadat-X, Nomadic Poet, The Planets, Melalton, Truth Universal, CL Smooth (check his remix album of American Me on his Bandcamp page below) and some of his first production credits were on the Crooked Letterz-"Caught Up In The Game" back in 1998.

"Forever" ft Large Professor (2010)

http://hulkshare.com/wo5jvionqqu3

and one of my fave tracks of the 00's, which was released as a limited edition 45" the mad dope "Gone Diggin" by Oxygen (what's good fam? :)

Gensu recenlty remixed one of the illest tracks of the 2010 Marcberg album.

Roc Marciano-"Scarface N----s" (Gensu Dean Remix)

http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/track/roc-marciano-scarface-n-gga-gensu-dean-remix

Check this informative interview at Beat The Brakes Off Yo Ass

http://beatthebrakesoffyoass.blogspot.com/2010/09/interview-with-digger-gensu-dean.html

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Gensu+Dean

www.facebook.com/pages/Gensu-Dean/228107953916733

http://www.mellomusicgroup.com

http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com

Make sure you keep an eye out for Standard Life in 2012 and I would like to give a special shout out to Chris "SPanky" Moss for all his hard work, comments, feeback and hook ups.

Fave Hieroglyphics release from the 90s'?

2011-10-22T11:49:00.003+13:00

The legendary Oakland, California Hip Hop collective were founded in the early 1990's by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Pep Love and consisted of Souls Of Mischief (Tajai, Phesto, Opio, A-Plus), Casual, Extra Prolific (Mike G & Snupe) Pep Love & Jay-Biz (The Prose), DJ Toure and producer and manager Domino and Kwam (Del's ex manager).

Their first official recording as the group was 1991's "Burnt" found on the B-Side of Dels "Mistadobalina"... the crew were listed as The Hyrogliphics..."Burnt" was later sampled by NYC Hip Hop group Babbletron.

Throughout the 90's the crew released a series of classic singles (including SOM's timeless Billy Cobham sampling "93' Til Infinity") and essential albums, but which album in your opinion was the best one?*

*I am just including the officially released albums in this poll and not the unreleased (Casual-Meanwhile, The Prose, Extra Prolific-Masterpiece, Del-Future Development etc) or compilation albums (Heiro Oldies etc).

Dope Domino compilation and write up here...

www.thetroyblog.com/2009/05/11/hiero-producer-series-domino

http://www.hieroglyphics.com
http://www.urbanumpires.com/
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Hieroglyphics

The CRDS Fat Tape Volume 21-1993 Underground Special

2011-10-15T13:19:00.011+13:00

Peace C.R.D.S. readers

first of all thanks for your feedback on the Ice-T and NWA post (and previous posts) my flu is pretty much dead and done, so I appreciate the well wishes...word is born family I haven't posted a compilation in a long time, so I hope this collection of Golden Age and Underground Hip Hop joints from 1993 suffices for the lack of compilation posting.

So turn off the radio (or smash it to bits would be a better idea lol) and TV, stay away from all that "swag" and gimmicky trash and listen to what Hip Hop was all about once and still should be, raw rhymes, head nodding fat beats, rumbling bass-lines and dope samples

Enjoy and mad respect to Grimee Rappuh, aREAL,The Human Jukebox, Dat Supa Dee Jay Mark G, Renee, Kat1, Lord Monsta, Breadcrumbs, Mickey Redvenom, Airan (aka bestie haha), SPank Moss, Tobias, The Mashup, Leary, Ridge Jaggers, Art Official, Da Mules, Manky Chops fam, Sean L, Sean B.D, Lars, Rita, Andrew B, Hans No Go, Dom Nyce, Rickster, Tyshawn, Trav, Drasar M, C7, DJ Matt Nyce, Verge the T.R.O.Y. crew and all posters there and to all the real heads keeping this incredible art form and culture alive...this compilation has ill tracks not just from from New York but from the The Bay Area, Baltimore, Oakland, Chicago and Texas so make like the late, great Dilla and turn it up :D

The CRDS Fat Tape Volume 21*-1993 Underground Special

http://www.multiupload.com/6VAAC90Y1E

1-Lord Aaqil-Kick It Like Dis (Produced by Darrin Ross)

2-Figure Uv Speech-Ready To Wreck (Club Version)

3-Controversey-Trunka Funk (Produced by E. Lindsey & Lou Ballentine)

4-Moe Crazy ft Chi Ali & Tony Tone-Knock 'Em Out Da Frame (Main Mix) (Produced by Tony Tone)

5-Culture Productions-Rough Necks

6-Masta Ace Inc-Jeep Ass Niguh (Dusted Mix) (Produced by Latief and Ace One)

7-Madstyle ft Evil Twins-Redrum (Produced by Frankie Cutlass)

8-O.C.M.-Joint Yo (Produced by O.C.M.)

9-Knucklehedz-Uglee Pictures (Produced by Charlie Marotta)

10-Young Lord-Represent (Produced by Young Lord)

11-Ghetto Philharmonic-Don't Bite The Concept (Underground Mix) (Produced by G-Clef)

12-Capital Tax-The Masha (Remix) (Produced by DJ Smooth)

13-Labtekwon-Quiet Storm (Produced by Labtekwon)

14-Hard 2 Obtain-L.I. Groove (Remix) (Produced by Stimulated Dummies)

15-3 Steps From Nowhere ft Trugoy-Pass It On (Remix) (Produced by Doug Lazy)

and speaking of T.R.O.Y...check this madness...

http://www.thetroyblog.com/2011/10/13/the-troy-blog-presents-100-forgotten-favorites-part-i-of-iv

1991-Ice-T vs NWA

2011-10-13T12:26:00.000+13:00

While I am sitting at home recovering from the flu, I have been listening to some of my favourite albums that were released in 1991 and it is hard to believe that these two West Coast classics are now 20 years old, but that is the reality and both albums are essential in any true Hip Hop heads collection.

Both Original Gangster and Efilrofzaggin did really well in the Billboard charts back in 1991 with Efil4zaggin placing at the top spot for a number of weeks and both albums contained great production and were steeped in controversy, particularly the NWA album as it had quite a few misogynistic and violent themes running through out the album, Ice-T's album did as well but not nearly as much as NWA's album did.

So the question is...which album was the better album in your opinion?...

Pete Nice vintage pics/R.I.P. Sylvia Robinson

2011-10-01T10:07:00.001+13:00

Peace CRDS readers...I just wanted to share some links that I know you will appreciate and should check out.

Vintage pics from the great Prime Minister Pete Nice's personal collection...

http://deadspin.com/5843406/when-rap-ruled-the-world-a-white-boy-mcs-photo-album-1986+1991

*Mad props to Mark 563 for the Yo!MTV Raps Card scan.

http://wordtothemother.tumblr.com/post/10838587903

R.I.P. to the Mother of Hip Hop Sylvia Robinson

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/arts/music/sylvia-robinson-pioneering-producer-of-hip-hop-dies-at-75.html

Sylvia Robinson, a singer, songwriter and record producer who formed the pioneering hip-hop group Sugarhill Gang and made the first commercially successful rap recording with them, died on Thursday in Edison, N.J. She was 75.

Sylvia Robinson receiving an award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 2000.

She had been in a coma at the New Jersey Institute of Neuroscience and died there of congestive heart failure, a family spokeswoman said. Ms. Robinson lived in Englewood, N.J.
Ms. Robinson had a successful career as a rhythm and blues singer long before she and her husband, Joe Robinson, formed Sugar Hill Records in the 1970s and went on to serve as the midwives for a musical genre that came to dominate pop music.

She sang with Mickey Baker as part of the duo Mickey & Sylvia in the 1950s and had several hits, including “Love Is Strange,” a No. 1 R&B song in 1957. She also had a solo hit, under the name Sylvia, in the spring of 1973 with her sultry and sexually charged song “Pillow Talk.”
In the late 1960s, Ms. Robinson became one of the few women to produce records in any genre when she and her husband founded All Platinum Records. She played an important role in the career of The Moments, producing their 1970 hit single “Love on a Two-Way Street.”

But she achieved her greatest renown for her decision in 1979 to record the nascent art form known as rapping, which had developed at clubs and dance parties in New York City in the 1970s. She was the mastermind behind the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” the first hip-hop single to become a commercial hit. Some called her “the mother of hip-hop.”
“Back in the days when you couldn’t find females behind the mixing board, Sylvia was there,” said Dan Charnas, the author of “The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop” (2010). “It was Sylvia’s genius that made ‘Rapper’s Delight’ a hit.”

At the time, the label the Robinson's had founded was awash in lawsuits and losing money. Facing financial ruin, Ms. Robinson got an inspiration when she heard Lovebug Starski rapping over the instrumental breaks in disco songs at the Harlem World nightclub.

“She saw where a D.J. was talking and the crowd was responding to what he was saying, and this was the first time she ever saw this before,” her son, Joey Robinson, recalled in a 2000 interview with NPR. “And she said, ‘Joey, wouldn’t this be a great idea to make a rap record?’ ”
Using Joey Robinson as a talent scout, she found three young, unknown rappers in Englewood — Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike and Master Gee — and persuaded them to record improvised rhymes as the Sugarhill Gang (sometimes rendered as Sugar Hill Gang) over a nearly 15-minute rhythm track adapted from Chic’s “Good Times.”

The song was “Rapper’s Delight,” and the Robinson's chartered a new label, Sugar Hill Records, to produce it. It sold more than 8 million copies, reached No. 4 on the R&B charts and No. 36 on Billboard’s Hot 100, opening the gates for other hip-hop artists.
Ms. Robinson later signed Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and in 1982 she was a producer of their seminal song, “The Message.” It was groundbreaking rap about ghetto life that became one of the most powerful social commentaries of its time, laying the groundwork for the gangsta rap of the late 1980s.

Born Sylvia Vanderpool in New York City in 1936, Ms. Robinson made her recording debut at 14 singing blues with the trumpet player Hot Lips Page on Columbia Records while she was still a student at Washington Irving High School in lower Manhattan. She went on to make several other blues recordings for the label, including “Chocolate Candy Blues,” before joining forces with Mr. Baker in 1956.

After several hits, Mickey & Sylvia broke up in 1962 when Mr. Baker moved to Paris. Two years later, Ms. Robinson married Joseph Robinson, a musician, and settled in Englewood, where the couple opened an eight-track recording studio, Soul Sound, and established the All Platinum label.

Ms. Robinson’s survivors include her sons Joey, Leland and Rhondo and 10 grandchildren. Mr. Robinson died of cancer in 2000.

A version of this article appeared in print on September 30, 2011, on page B15 of the New York edition with the headline: Sylvia Robinson, Pioneering Producer of Hip-Hop, Is Dead at 75.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Hill_Records_%28rap%29

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/30/sylvia-robinson

http://djmonsterbeatrecords.blogspot.com/2011/08/vvaa-sugar-hill-records-story-5-cds1997.html

Peace

Justo and J-Live...

2011-09-28T21:43:00.005+13:00

...Brooklyn's Justo knocks it out of the park hardcore, nothing but the true Hip Hop right here kids and nothing short of ridiculous...those hard drums (produced by DJ Vic Black), the def (wait a minute did he just say def?...errrrraaaahhh) rhymes...the late, great Guru would have been proud...pure illness....this had been around since earlier this year, but the video has just been released and there is not ONE gimmick in sight.

check it here...

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/its-our-year-single/id447849836

http://www.facebook.com/J.U.da.Ish

and speaking of true and quality Hip Hop, the triple threat (MC, DJ and Producer) known as J-Live has just dropped his fifth album S.P.T.A. (Said Person Of That Ability) that features production from Diamond, D, Audible Doctor, Illastrate, Marco Polo, J-Live, Nicolay, Floyd The Locsmif and features John Robinson, Marq Spekt, YC The Cynic, Boog Brown, Oddy Gato, Lyric Jones and others...

Listen to and buy the MP3s here...

http://j-live.bandcamp.com/album/s-p-t-a-said-person-of-that-ability

Listen and Purchase the album and Undivided Attention CD Digipack here

http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/j-live-spta-said-person-of-that-ability/3TP004CD

www.discogs.com/artist/J-Live

www.facebook.com/jlivemusic

j-livemusic.com

Peace

20 Years later...1991-Main Source-Breaking Atoms LP...what is your fave track?

2011-09-25T03:13:00.007+13:00

"I move swift and uplift
your mind shoot the gift when I riff in rhyme
Rappin sniper, speakin real words
My thoughts react, like Steven Spielberg's
Poetry attacks, paragraphs punch hard
My brain is insane, I'm out to lunch God"

Easily one of the dopest albums in Hip Hop history (and in my personal top 10 of all time Hip Hop albums...

Breaking Atoms*, the debut album from Queens legend Producer/MC Large Professor

Alongside Toronto, Canada's DJ/Producers of K-Kut and Sir Scratch as Main Source was released on July 23rd in the year 1991 on the infamous Wild Pitch label...their debut 12" "Think"/"Atom" was released on Actual records in 1989.

http://www.discogs.com/label/Wild%20Pitch%20Records

It's an album full of classic breaks and samples from the likes of Melvin Bliss, Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm, Bob James, Skull Snaps, Lou Donaldson, Jesse Anderson, James Brown, The Mohawks, MFSB, The Meters, Detroit Emeralds, Kool & The Gang, Funkadelic and many others, dope rhymes, co-production from Pete Rock on one track and it also made people pay attention to a track stealing and debut from Nas on the anthem "Live At The BBQ" (along with Akinyele and Joe Fatal).

Breaking Atoms also included the hit singles "Looking At The Front Door" (which was huge in 1990) "Just Hangin' Out" (that sampled Sister Nancy's classic "Bam Bam") and "Peace Is Not The Word To Play"... a remix of that track was on the Boyz N The Hood soundtrack.

After they dropped the classic "Fakin The Funk" (featuring Neek The Exotic) off the White Men Can't Jump soundtrack) in 1992 Large Pro left the group and the group disbanded before thier second unreleased LP The Science was due for release, only to reform in 1994 with another legendary Queens MC as their frontman MC Mikey-D a Man who once had battled the vet Grandmaster Melle Mel and won and whom interestingly enough had records produced by the late great Paul C, Large Pro was taught a lot of his beat making skills by him... and while 1994's (unreleased due to a number of industry b.s. and other reasons) "F--k What You Heard" was nowhere near as great as Breaking Atoms but it was still a solid album that is still worth a listen.

*Breaking Atoms was later re-issued in 1997, 2006 (Japan) and 2008 and featured bonus tracks and DWG released a limited edition 7" inch titled Lost Science that featured the unreleased tracks "Bootlegging", "Time (Alternative Mix)" and "Raise Up".

http://www.discogs.com/Main-Source-Lost-Science/release/1539029

I know this will not be an easy decision but I am interested in seeing your answers...and another question...what format(s) do you have this album on?

1. Snake Eyes
2. Just Hangin' Out
3. Looking At The Front Door
4. Large Professor
5. Just A Friendly Game of Baseball
6. Scratch & Kut
7. Peace Is Not The Word To Play
8. Vamos A Rapiar
9. He Got So Much Soul (He Don't Need No Music)
10. Live At The Barbeque
11. Watch Roger Do His Thing
12. Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball (Bonus Version)

Kenny Dope Presents Rasheed Chappell -Future Before Nostalgia...

2011-09-11T20:49:00.000+12:00

Ahhhh Yes there still is hope for Hip Hop after all, how would you feel about a really dope album that sounds like it could have come out in the mid 90's has intelligent rhymes, head nodding beats and great samples and ill cuts from DJ Scratch on some tracks?...An album that has ZERO auto-tune, wack rhymes that make no sense, no retarded put on voices, no brand names being dropped and no lame gimmicks?

Then honestly look no further than the debut LP from New Jersey's Rasheed Chappell an MC (who reminds me a little bit of Roc Marciano at times) that Kenny Dope is quoted as saying that "Rasheed is an MC I have been waiting my whole career to work with"

Rasheed has been recording music for years and has had a couple of mix-tapes, appeared on the dope remix of Slient Knight's "Staying Busy"

http://audibledoctor.com/2011/07/the-audible-doctor-stayin-busy-remix-feat-silent-knight-kon-rasheed-chappell-yc-the-cynic-soul-khan

http://audibledoctor.com/AudibleDoctorStayinBusyRemix.zip

and he has contributed to books of poetry...but Future Before Nostalgia is his 2 years in the making debut album and easily one of 2011's best, boasting sole production from the legendary producer and DJ Kenny Dope...someone who really needs no introduction...

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Kenny+%22Dope%22+Gonzalez?anv=Kenny+Dope

Check or buy the album here...

http://rasheedchappell.bandcamp.com/album/future-before-nostalgia

www.kaydeerecords.com

and his mixtapes here

http://kevinnottingham.com/2009/07/10/rasheed-chappell-the-chappell-show-the-lost-episodes-vol-1/?q

http://rasheedchappell.bandcamp.com/album/the-chappell-show-the-lost-episodes-v2

I certainly expect to see this LP on a lot of Best of 2011 lists...

http://hiphopbattlefield.blogspot.com/2011/06/rasheed-chappelle.html

http://claaa7.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-rasheed-chappells-future.html

http://kevinnottingham.com/2011/07/07/rasheed-chappell-kenny-dope-interview

http://purehip-hop.blogspot.com/2011/07/top-11-best-albums-halfway-through-2011.html

CRDS Presents-Piles and Piles of Demo Tapes By Da Miles...

2011-09-05T20:30:00.003+12:00

One of the greatest things about Golden Age and Underground Hip Hop is...thanks to the beauty of the internet and MP3's...a great deal of lost demos that were only ever recorded on tape (you remember those plastic things with 2 holes, that you used to put sellotape over bought tapes you had already (high speed) dubbed or heard enough of, just so you could record your favourite tracks off the radio?) and original versions have been in listeners headphones...I know I am not the first to do a post dedicated to demos...but I don't think you can have enough posts on them.

Classic demos from the actual demo tapes that were only ever heard on legendary late night Hip Hop radio shows like Stretch "Boogie" Armstrong and "Kool Bob Love" Bobbito, Lord Sear* etc, have been cleaned up by fans and up for download at various forums and blogs...which saves them from just collecting dust in shoe boxes.

The demo tape was like a badge of honour back in the days (I made a few, that were destroyed years ago, lol) sadly though so many ended up in garbage bins by A & R's that were looking for a quick buck would sign fly by night bubble gum rappers, the demo tape would showcase lyric and mic and DJ and production making skills and were the MC and groups way of making labels pay attention...before most realized that labels would only jerk them...

Kool G Rap and DJ Polo composed a classic track about making a demo with the Marley Marl produced "It's A Demo" back in 1986.

EPMD asked the world to please listen their demo and broke down how they got to where they are at the time through their demo tape in '89.

Later covered (sort of) by the seriously under rated West Coast's E-Rule...

and De La Soul spoke on the virtues of having fans constantly offer demo tapes to them (hence the title of this blog post) on the classic "Ring Ring Ring" (1991).

Listening to this collection, makes you realize, how (sorry it's a cliched word I know, but it's true) real and from the soul Hip Hop in those days really was and why some of these were never released or signed is head scratching...I hope you enjoy these selections...I have tried my best to include decent quality versions, I really wanted to have some Wu-Tang Clan 36 Chamber demos, but they sound like they were recorded through a speaker phone lol.

I cannot express enough to gratitude to the following, who without any of them this post would not be possible....Kevin Beacham,Verge, Nobs, Aleph, Nes, Steve Brock, Traffic Entertainment, Six2Six Records, One Leg Up Records, No Sleep Recordings & DWG.

For more dope demos...check the T.R.O.Y. "Demo's..." Thread at

http://www.philaflava.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=104383

The Nobs lost demos thread here...

http://www.philaflava.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=104383

and his blog here

http://fileunderdope.blogspot.com
http://fileunderdope.blogspot.com

Comprehensive Stretch and Bobbito thread here

http://www.philaflava.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=104383

dope demo posts here...

http://onetwann.blogspot.com/2010/05/its-demo.html

and my Man Robbie C at Unkut

http://www.unkut.com/2008/05/its-a-demo-pt-1/#more-533

CRDS Presents-Piles and Piles of Demo Tapes By Da Miles Volume 1

http://www.multiupload.com/LULQIWA0MF

1-A.L.F.(Always Livin' Foul)-High and Bent
2-Constant Deviants-Problem Child(Produced by Constant Deviants)
3-Big-L-Principle of The New School (Produced by Showbiz)

4-B.I.G. ft Sadat-X-Come On ...(Produced by Lord Finesse)

5-Herb McGruff-East and Police (Produced by Godfather Don)
6-King Sun-Mr Policeman (Produced by Jazzy Jay)
7-Rakim-You Don't Fool Me
8-Elite Bomb Squad-Voodoo
9-Poetical Prophets (Mobb Deep)-Flavor For The Non Believes (Produced by Paul Shabazz)
10-Mack A Damien Thorne-It Looks Like Reign
11-Almighty Arrogant-Mindstate Hades
12-Gauge-Miss You Man
13-Emskee-No Props (Produced by DJ Slyce)
14-Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth-The Midnight Wrecka (Produced by Pete Rock)
15-Nas-Represent (Original) (Produced DJ Premier)
16-The Raptholigist-Quick Fast In A Hurry
17-Souls of Mischief-Step To My Girl (Produced by A-Plus)
18-*Unknown Artist ft Lord Sear-Peanut Butter* (possibly not the right title)
19-PMD ft LL Cool J-Rampage (Demo)

20-.E.S.P. (Educated Street Poets aka Tha Alkaholiks)-We Gets Funky (Produced by E-Swift)

* Lord Sear appears on the dope "Peanut Butter" track...does anyone know who else is on this?...all I know is the Charlie Mingus bass sample is the same as Gang Starr's-"I'm The Man" and I keep expecting Jeru to pop and say "I'll tap your jaw" lol

Volume 2 sooner than you think

and also R.I.P. to the legendary singer and song writer/composer Nick Ashford of Ashford and Simpson

Nick Ashford sadly lost a battle with throat cancer (we lose way to many to this awful disease), Nick and his wife and singing partner Valerie Simpson were most famous for writing the Motown classics "Aint No Mountain High Enough", "Aint Nothing Like The Real Thing" and "Your All I Need To Get By" and of course their World chart topping single "Solid (As A Rock)" in 1984 read more about him here...

http://www.jazzfm.com/2011/08/nick-ashford-1942-2011

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2011/08/22/2011-08-22_nick_ashford_motown_great_who_cowrote_aint_no_mountain_high_enough_dies_at_69.htm

I loved this song back in the days...

R.I.P.

Oddisee-Rock Creek Park

2011-08-27T12:41:00.000+12:00

One of my most admired artists for the past few years, the consistently hard working, super dope producer and MC that hails from Washington D.C. Oddisee has just released his new instrumental album, Rock Creek Park that he recorded mostly in his new relocated home of New York.

Check the smooth and soulful first single from the album here...

The album was inspired by the place in Washington D.C. and the Black Byrd's classic track and B-Boy anthem "Rock Creek Park"

Hear and buy the album...

http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/album/rock-creek-park

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rock-creek-park/id445420111

and stay up to date with all of Oddisee's productions, events, albums and dope photos etc here..

oddiseemusic.blogspot.com

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

2011-08-20T15:41:00.003+12:00

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-tfp http://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.

This Friday Night!-Evil Mule, Illuminartistry, DJ Art Official and DJ Jaz-R.O.A.L.S/ fundraiser gig/party

2011-08-18T23:05:00.001+12:00

Ay yo please come on down and support Da Mules to finish off and release their 2nd album, Remnants of a Lost Science by joining us for an off the hook party at Bar Medusa on Friday, August 19th...strictly raw, classic and underground Hip Hop joints from DJ's Art Official and DJ Jaz plus ruckus, rowdy and mad live performances from Evil Mule, Illuminartistry and MHB...it's only $5...it's on a Friday night and it's going to be wild...we hope to see you there, bundle up warm though.

R.I.P. Eugene McDaniels

2011-08-07T01:01:00.004+12:00

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

Apollo Brown vs Black Milk...

2011-07-31T18:46:00.002+12:00

Apollo Brown:

Apollo Brown and Black Milk are two of my fave producers these days, I have been a fan of both for a number of years, I first heard Black Milk beats in the early 00's and Apollo Brown's beats around about 2008.

Both producers hail from Detroit (stand up) and picked up the torch from the late, great J-Dilla after he sadly passed away in 2006.

http://www.discogs.com/artist/J+Dilla?anv=Dilla

both are really dope, craft some great head nodding beats and both are quite prolific in their output, but my question is...who is the doper producer to you and why?

Apollo Brown who is signed to the great Mello Music Group label first emerged on the scene with his dope instrumental LP Skilled Trade in 2007 and then went on to work with and produce and/or remix for the likes of...

Finale
Magestik Legend
Supastition
Elzhi
Past Due
Ro Spit
Rozewood
Paradime
Verbal Kent
Buff 1
Danny Brown
Kenn Starr
Boog Brown
5 Ela (aka 5 Elementz)
Flow 'Etic
Grap Luva
Rapper Pooh (Little Brother)
Oddisee
Diamond District
Stik Figa
Declaime
John Robinson
Tranquill
Prince Po
The Regiment

Apollo has since released a slew of dope albums with his trademark soul and blues drenched chops and drums and warm basslines in the past few years...


Make Do (2009)


The Reset (2010)


Boog Brown & Apollo Brown (UPS)-Brown Study (2010)


Clouds (2011)

and his group The Left with Journalist 103 and DJ Soko who released the ill Gas Mask LP in 2010.

and the awesome new LP with Hasaan Mackey titled Daily Bread

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Apollo+Brown

Black Milk:

Black Milk also gets busy on the mic and produces and first made his impact in 2002 with Ten Speed and Brown Shoe (Milk, Name Tag and Ahk) they appered on Slum Village's Dirty District mixtape LP, Black Milk was also a part of BR Gunna (Black Milk, Young RJ and Fat Ray) and is also part of super group Random Axe with Sean Price and Guilty Simpson.

Black Milk has gone to produce and/or remix for the likes of...

Buckshot and KRS One

Starang Wondah

Phat Kat

Elzhi

Pharoahoe Monch

Wildchild

Baatin

Strange Fruit Project

GZA

Skyzoo

Guilty Simspon

Torae

Buff 1

Invincible

Finale

Royce Da 5 9

Pumpkinhead

Brookyln Academy

5 Ela

Rustee Jux

Marv Won

aDaD

14KT

Blame One

Slaughterhouse

Now On
MC Breed (R.I.P.)
Jack White

from 2005 onwards Black Milk has released the following...


Album Of The Year (2010)

Tronic (2008)


By Popular Demand (2007)


Calitroit (2008)


The Set Up (2009)


Sound of The City (2005) http://www.discogs.com/artist/Black+Milk

You have seen the impressive resumes of both, so who in your opinion is the dopest of the two?

Peace

Jaz