I don't like you...

2006-11-08T12:59:00.000-05:00

I was digging for records this past Spetember and picked up a really nice find in the dollar bin by a DC rapper named Southpaw.

The songs on the record are called "Homicide" and "Sun Up to Sun Down."

What's really cool about this record is the drug-kingpin theme. While not new and bordering on hackneyed today, this shit came out in 2001 and comes off as genuine, almost like listening to a Mobstyle cassette or an Azie demo. The production, provided by Bear1, is light and almost airy; quite removed from the trap-hop soundscapes of today that employ the same lyrical theme.

Southpaw is a good writer and his laid-back flow is as soothing as the beats are. He does a good job switching up from his views as a drug dealer to that of a man trapped in his project frustratedly pointing out the hypocrassies of Jessie Jackson.

Oh, and as you'll hear, Southpaw really doesn't like whitey all that much.

As for where Southpaw is today, no one really knows. He did do some work with Lord Finesse just after this 12' dropped but nothing has come out from those sessions.

Producer Bear1 has moved to Philly and works at Def Jam. Word is that he has some beats on Jim Jones album. He is half of the production duo "The Control Freaks" with Kleph Dollaz and word is those guys have some serious heat. The work on the Southpaw record is really nice so I don't doubt it.

For your enjoyment:

Southpaw- Homicide

Southpaw- Sun Up to Sun Down

2006-11-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

Some more West Coast love...

After getting hit off with a link to Rappin 4tay's album Don't Fight The Feelin' and revisiting the music that helped define my pre-teen years I decided to revisit another West Coast album that I played the fuck out of: True Game by Mad CJ Mac.

Being located on the East Coast created a bit of a problem in getting ahold of this album. Unlike the 4tay album, which had two moderate hits, the Mad CJ Mac album didn't have the radio exposure to get a widespread release on the East Coast. The reason I even knew about it was because I was addicted to BET's Rap City. If I wasn't glued to the videos I was jerking my meat to Big Lez and let's face it, even though she was dumber than a box of turds (anyone remember when she hit the Stretch and Bob Show and asked "What moves are people like Puffy making in the underground" and they laughed in her face?) she was the black version of the dumb white blonde and her stupidity made her even sexier.

Anyway, what captivated me the most about this album was how mature the subject matter was. While Death Row artists were shooting up the strip and the Wu was bringing the motherfucking ruckus, Mad CJ Mac was telling the world about the harsh realities of the prison system and how it functions as a billion dollar business. To that end, a justifiably mad CJ Mac expounded on how laws were passed to oppress the poor and vulnerable to keep the prison business profitable. As a young white boy who would grow into a teen and later into a man who had too many run-ins with the law to accurately recount, my anger toward the police became better focused because of this album. If only my actions and behavior durring those years were as advanced as my mindstate...

Mad CJ Mac brought his own brand of thinking-man's rap to the table but don't think this album was a complete downer. There are a lot of enjoyable tracks suitable to ride to and of course their is also Mac's infamous dis to Spice One on the track "Powder Puff." For all of you people on the East who only bumped Dr. Dre and Tupac in your West Coast rotation, please do yourself a favor and download this album. It is really one of the best in the genre for its period.

Mad CJ Mac- True Game

2006-11-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

Underated like a motherfucker:

1.) Tha Dogg Pound's "What Would You Do" from Murder Was the Case.

Prolly the hardest beat I've ever heard from the West Coast. I'm glad that I've been revisiting old shit as of late. This bodies any thing out right now. Throw it on your next mix cd and bump this in your car.

There are so many classic songs on this soundtrack. Shit, Nate Dogg's song is even good.

2.) NYC indie rapper Naturel. If you're old enough to rememeber "Live People" and "Make It Or You Die" you'll know what's up. That was a great 12'. The artwork for it is great too.

These mp3s came straight from my vinyl.

Producer SPK deserves half of this spot because he produced those tracks for Naturel. He provided Akinyele some BANGERS for Aktapuss. Thugged Out Entertainment had beats for days.

Side note: WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO BI-COASTAL RECORDINGS? CAN ANYONE PROVIDE ME WITH A COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY?

I WANT AN MP3 OF "BIG DADDY ANTHEM."

HOOK IT UP OR DIE IN PAIN YOU FUCKING FAGGOTS.

3.) Joey Jihad. Yeah, I've praised him before but this guy is just getting sicker and sicker with each appearance.

Remember when rappers would come up to radio stations and tear the fucker down? Well, I think Jihad is the the only one doing it now. This little treat recently made it onto Gillie the Kid's new mixtape. Don't buy it, Gillie is trash. All that shit about Gillie writing for Lil Wayne has to be bullshit, but I don't think it's out of the question to think that Jihad was writing for Wanye. The have a lot of similarities in terms of content, speed, and flow. Jihad just does it a lot better.

Joey Jihad, Reed Dollaz, and Gillie the Kid on Cosmic Kev's "Come Up Show."

Shouts to Reed Dollaz too, homeboy bodied just as many beats a Jihad did.

4.) Rappin 4tay- Don't Fight the Feelin' (1995)

In the early 90s I was tansfixed by the revolution in hip hop that was being initiated by the new breed of West Coast artists.

As a young boy of 12 I remember hearing "Playaz Club" for the first time. When I stole the album I was disapointed because none of the songs on it sounded as rich as the two singles (the other being "I'll Be Around.") and you can blame that on my age, location, and bias for boom-bap shit. But, it didn't take long for me to develop an ear for the sparse production that was provided by Franky J, Black C, and J Mack. 4tay's buttery fow is what really made this a great album to me. The laid-back confidence that became a trademark of 4tay's rhymes and the verbal blueprints he provided for becoming a self-actualized hustler really kept this album close to my heart.

For years I only owned this on cassette and I lost that in 1999. I recently was provided with an mp3 link to the album and I've been playing it non-stop. I've already been to half.com to get a legit copy.

If you haven't heard this album and are intentionally putting it off you are doing yourself a great diservice.

Rappin' 4tay- Don't Fight the Feelin'

2006-10-31T13:33:00.000-05:00

One of the most slept-on groups ever to do it.

My favorite group of the Philadelphia underground is Ill Advised. Comprised of rappers Baby Blak, Mr. Lish, and occasionally Rasheed (aka the Rebel Rasheed aka Maylay Sparks) the crew put out a number of 12s in the mid-to-late 1990s on Quake City and later Eastern Conference Records.

Basically the story is this: Quake City is a label out of Philly. Ill Advised recorded two albums for them that were only released in Japan under the "Blue Dolphin" imprint. In the States Quake City Records a released number of 12s from the Ill Advised crew, the first being obscure "Against the Grain/Kwestions/Through the Eye," the second being the college radio hit "N.A.M.E.S./Encore," and the last two the 1986/Internal Affairs joint and another pressing with a remix featuring The Roots. Ill Advised were also featured heavily on the first or second Eastern Conference Records 12 with the songs "Captivating Cultivating," "All In Together Now" which featured Pauly Yams, and "Know A Little Nigga." Baby Blak is also featured on the original version of "Open Mic Night."

The crew fell off the map in 1999 when Mr. Lish went on a "judicial vacation" somewhere "up north." There were a lot of problems with Quake City Records, I believe that they went under in 2000 the the two albums they released in Japan (Wasabi and Can U Smell Me) never made it to stores in America. The problems for the crew only magnified with Eastern Conference Records. Milo Berger, aka DJ Might Mi aka DJ Mighty Bi, never paid Ill Advised a dime for anything. Word on the street (and straight from Baby Blak's mouth in an interview with Elemtree) was that they took Mi by force to an ATM machine and um, uh, well... "intimidated" him into draining his account for them on the spot. Also, Ill Advised affiliate Rasheed is said to have thrown a stack of Eastern Conference 12s into the Delaware River in the video for his track (and first release on Quake City Records for all you vinyl geeks out there) "Industry Party Bumrusha." I've never seen this myself, just read about it one the internet. If someone can hook that video up for me though that'd be dope.

Ill Advised has gotten their shit together somewhat as of late. Baby Blak put out a nice album in 2003 called Blak Is Back. Blak has also put out a lot of 12s with DJ Revolution. He's also done a lot of work with hip hop legend DJ Jazzy Jeff. Lish is supposedly out of jail and the duo are currently preparing their American debut on BBE records.

For all of you vinyl collectors out there I want to let you know that there are some seriously rare Ill Advised joint floating around that have never made it to the internet. The first two are the crew's Japan-only releases Wasabi and Can U Smell Me?. The third is a version of 1.9.8.6. (I think, not sure which song it is from their catalog, but it's from one of their 12's) with Mr Eon on it and a different beat. It was played a few times on 89.1 and 89.9 in NYC. I'm not sure if it's test-pressing only or just an isolated acetate. If anyone remembers the "Neuman" skit on High and Mighty's debut album Home Field Advantage that's what that whole thing was about; Ill Advised thinking Eon was wack and Milo not paying them what they were owed so they pulled Eon's vocals off of all their new songs. The skit kinda backfired on High and Mighty in my opinion because everyone from Cage to Tame One to Necro has aired out Mighty Mi for his sloppy business dealings. Also a word of warning for the vinyl collectors (and maybe Ill Advised if they are reading this), there are two versions of the Through the Eye/Kwestions/Against the Grain 12' floatring around out there. I am not sure if one is a bootleg but I've seen pictures of a version with a faded rainbow-colored label being sold in Japan. I have a different version with an off-white-colored label. I am not too sure which one is the original or if the crew knows about the second pressing because when labels are running low on money, and this is especially true of smaller indie labels, they normally start bootlegging shit in Japan. Wild Pitch did it. Ask that Oasis-looking faggot Cage about Bobbito pressing up some of his shit (The Muppet Show) and releasing it in Japan behind his back. It happens all the time so I'm not sure of one of the pressings is legit.

And now the good part, the music. I've ripped a number of Ill Advised tracks from the original vinyl and uploaded them here for all of you. A few people have the N.A.M.E.S 12', it hardly comes up for sale, and fewer people even know about the 12' they released before that. Most rap fans missed the great shit they did on EC because it was never released on CD (and it's the best material EC ever put out in my opinion). A lot of people know about the shit they did with the Roots.

Here's the tracklisting, and remember that the quality of the actual vinyl for a lot of these records is dodgey and unmastered. Don't expect CD-quality sound, just good music.

1.9.8.6. Remix with the Roots
Against the Grain
All in Together Now
Captivating Cultivating
Encore
Internal Affairs
Know a Little Nigga
Kwestions
Names
Push
Renaisance
Through the Eye

Ill Advised- Collected Songs from 1996 to 2000 by Mustafa Goodprose

One of the things I always enjoyed about Ill Advised is their ear for beats. A lot of these beats are heavy as fuck. I'm sure you'll agreee. The fact that they are great MCs helps a lot too.

I have a little bonus for you cats today too, an obscure Baby Blak joint called "Dangerzone." It's actually a DJ Sat One joint which features Blak and Babygrande rappers Outerspace.

DJ Sat One ft. Baby Blak and Outerspace- Dangerzone

Someday I hope that I can track down original copies of Ill Advised's Japan-only releases. If they are anything like the shit they put out here in the States on vinyl I'm sure they're great records. If anyone has it in mp3, I'll settle for that. Chances are I have whatever it is you might want in return. If you're sensitive about the prospect of me handing that shit out to people have no fears, I'm sitting on a lot of stuff that will never leave the crates that they are sitting it.

For now though, enjoy the music.

2006-10-28T13:29:00.000-05:00

By now you should know that here at FuckYou's blog we support Cor-motherfucking-mega. Well, here is some new shit from QB's finest:

Vinnie Da Don ft. Cormega- Born Wit It

Now what else do we have today? Two things...

The first order of business is warning everyone that the new Channel Live album is garbage. Why is my opinion on this so strong? Because I've been a fan since 1994 and have bought Station Identification three times on CD, once on vinyl, and once on cassette. I own almost all of their 12s as well. The new CD is two steps back lyrically and five steps back as far as the beats go, which are all contrived synth beats by the way.

Basically, the new Ron Artest album is better than the new Channel Live joint. This is no joke, and the Artest album isn't that good at all except for the Now and Laterz contributions on the production end of things.

The second order of business is to make up for that sad bit about Channel Live's new album. For your downloading pleasure I present to you an unreleased track from the mid-90s:

KRS One featuring Mo Money and Apocalypse- Gun Play

2006-10-23T13:15:00.000-05:00

Mindbender's Imaginary Roledex

OK, what is this?

Basically there was a little mixtape contest I entered called "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." Basically you start with group or artist and create a track list where the songs interconnect by way of the artist or producer. The goal was to start with any artist from 3rd Bass and end with any artist from 3rd Bass.

What I did was start with MC Serch when he was in Non Phixion and connect him to some of the most popular and underground artists at the same time. The title of the mix cd comes from my man Mindbender Futurama, an MC from Canada.

If you don't know by now, 2006 is the year of the Mindbender.

So, even though the tape was supposed to start and end with some form of 3rd Bass, I made this shit a Mindbender mixtape and connected Mindbender, an artist who isn't well known in America, to Jay Z, G Rap, RA the Rugged Man, Kanye West, Ill Bill, Mobb Deep, Nas, Papoose, and many others.

This tape is loaded with exclusives.

1.) Non Phixion, Serch, and DV Alais Khrist Freestyle [Full Version, you won't find this online anywhere else except here]
2.) Nizam, Retsam, Papoose, DV Alais Khrist, Pain, Smoothe da Hustler, and Trigger the Gamber- Past the Basic [From Pap's DR Period Demo]
3.) Papoose and G Rap- Thug Connection
4.) Kool G. Rap on Westwood in 1990 [Yeah, you read the year correctly.]
5.) Nas and Kool G. Rap- Fast Life
6.) Cormega and Nas- Goodfellas Demo [This was an exclusive until J Love put it on the new Cormega tape last week. Fuck that guy]
7.) Jay Z- Can't Knock the Hustle [Exclusive. Rough Draft with different 2nd verse and no Mary J. Blige]
8.) Kanye West ft Nas- We Major
9.) Grav featuring Al Tariq and Lil Ray- City to City [Kanye West's first production credit from 1995]
10.) The Beatnuts- Do You Believe [Vinyl Reanimators Remix- Vinyl Only Exclusive]
11.) The Beatnuts featuring Screwball- Thinking Bout Cash [Props to Y@k]
12.) PHD- Set It (Part Three) ft. Havoc (Mixtape-only remix)
13.) RA the Rugged Man- Don't Wanna Fuck With (Havoc Production, in case you didn't see the connection)
14.) RA the Rugged Man- Freestyle Over "Do You Believe" [Exclusive]
15.) Mobb Deep- Quiet Storm (Clem Remix) [Exclusive]
16.) Ill Bill featuring Big Noyd- Street Villian
17.) Chuggo- The People are Shit ft. Immortal Technique
18.) MINDBENDER FUTURAMA FT. 4TH PYRAMID, CHUGGO, AND LIKE 10 OTHER PEOPLE- BEAUTIFUL MUTANT
19.) Chuggo- Danger Us ft. Brooklyn Ak and Timmy TwoGats
20.) Non Phixion- Revoltionize [First demo from 1995 with MC Serch]

2006-10-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

Hip Hop is never going to die.

Fuck Nas, Fuck Skillz, fuck every Southern rapper who says otherwise.

Hip Hop is not dead and it's far from being on its last leg.

Hip hop is where is belongs, underground and hidden from trendy followers. If that doesn't make sense to you, just know that what you see on television isn't hip hop.

To prove my point I've made a little mix that makes a good case that hip hop is here to stay. It's got enough exclusives to make the most up-to-date listener happy and the tracklist is well balanced between establish veterans, "greatest of all time candidates," "where are the now" features, and newer acts that deserve your attention.

It even has some instrumentals and an R&B-ish type joint that would have made it on to one of Clue's mix tapes in the mid-90s.

01- Tony Tank Intro
02- Joey Jihad- Stand Up
03- King Just- Return of the Redi
04- Shakespare- Fresh
05- Sean Strange- Depressed Beat
06- Big Punisher and Fat Joe- Twinz (Evil Beats Remix)
07- Snagglepuss- It Won't Happen (EXCLUSIVE)
08- D Serious ft. Ill Bill- Untitled (EXCLUSIVE)
09- Joe Budden- Broken Wing Freestyle
10- Raekwon- Cocaine World
11- Rugged Intellect ft. Kool G. Rap- All Fair (EXCLUSIVE)
12- King Just- Outlaw
13- D Serious ft. RA the Rugged Man- Untitled (EXCLUSIVE)
14- Snagglepuss- Throwback (EXCLUSIVE)
15- Tony Tank- This is the End (EXCLUSIVE)
16- Sean Strange- Give It Up Bonus Beat

Hip Hop Isn't Dead

EDITED ON 10/23
Due to my negligence I uploaded some things that an artist on this mix didn't aprove of. The mix has since been takn down but will be re-upped later with different songs.

Early next week I'll be dropping another mix with a few more exclusives on it from G. Rap, Jay Z, and more.

-Mustafa

2006-10-16T18:20:00.000-05:00

Back in full motherfucking effect...

Yeah, I know it's been a while but I'm BACK!

What do we have for today?

The White Shadow of Norway Presents "Back to the True School"

This is a vinyl-only EP release from Norway featuring Grand Agent, D-Stroy, Gr8 Scott, Celph Titled, Majik Most, Guttah Mouf, and Milwaukee's own Strange Brew... who I beleive had PF's own Agent B design their cover art.

Ripped at 160 kbps:

1.) Plans to Blow- Grand Agent
2.) Check- D Stroy and Gr8 Scott
3.) Extra Thug Sauce- Majik Most, Guttamouf, and Celph Titled
4.) Nut and Graffiti- Strange Brew

What makes this record so dope is that the producer, DJ White Shadow, adds some serious cuts to these songs. He also manages to introduce some tallented unkonws to us, like Strange Brew, who come off a bit fratboyish but fresh none the less. I think they are everything that Boston's Porn Theatre Ushers tried to be. Also introduced here are Majik Most and Guttamouf, who aren't lyricaly amazing but quite brutal and humorous in the same vein as a Snagglepuss, MOP, or dusted Tame One, minus the syllabication of course.

I was always curious to hear more from Gr8 Scott, especially after the Lunch Room Take Out battle/skit on the Arsonist's As the World Burns LP. Homeboy comes correct on here.

Back to The True School

2006-08-15T08:17:00.000-05:00

Who wunts some rare shit?

There are some things that vinyl collectors are always looking for. One of the most infamous releases are a batch of white label remixes by the Vinyl Reanimators, a production duo who I think are out of Boston. They have 6-10 records out but they are all pretty limited pressings. Their work is incredible and they are most known for their work with Edo G.

Well, here is one of their remixes. This is thier rendition of "Do You Beleive" by the Beatnuts.

Beatnuts- Do You Beleive? (Vinyl Reanimators Remix)

That's not all. There are a few other remixes of theirs that are floating around out there. I'm not sure where I copped these. They are not nearly as rare as the Beatnuts remix but they are dope as hell.

Da La Soul- The Bizness (Vinyl Reanimators Remix)
Kool G. Rap ft. Nas- Fast Life (Vinyl Reanimators Remix)

Another VA gem is the joint "Big Daddy Anthem." It was a vicious cut featuring Wicked Will, Shabazz the Diciple, El Fudge, and odd-man-out Mr. Eon. While three out of four MCs shred the mic like it was nothing, the beat gleamed in the background, shining in simplicity. I don't have a copy of this any more but if you see that shit, pick it up. IF anyone reading this has a copy in mp3, get at the god.

2006-08-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

Just some random things I've found:

Did you know that a few artists from Death Row Records put out some songs dissing Dre and Aftermath that are actually good? I picked this little gem up yesterday and it's most definetly soem vintage West Coast shit. This is also one of the most scathing diss songs ever:

Fuck Dre

Anyone notice that Dr. Dre has been on the recieving end of two of the hardest diss songs ever? My personal favorite is "Real Muthaphukkin G's." This joint is up there as well.

Speaking of Death Row, they are making a comeback of sorts this time on the East Coast. They signed Cormega's friend and comrad at arms Lakey the Kid. I was able to post some Myspace streams a while ago but here are downloadable versions of Lakey's new Death Row work. Be sure to cop the joint album between Cormega and Lakey called My Brothers Keeper.

30-30, No DJ on this version

Aniversarry Death Row

And meanwhile, in keeping with the dis song that started this post off, Tone Space isn't happy with former Non Phixion member Goretex. Gore, in his cocaine-induced cloud of idiocy, recently called a girl a "nigger-lover." This is clearly a violation and because of it you won't see me ever support anything Goretex related again. Tone shares his feelings with us in his song "Dishes with Your Name on 'Em." The song title comes from an episode late last year when Ill Bill beat the shit out of Gortex and then pulled all of the dishes out of Gores kitchen and threw them at Gore as he lied helpless on the ground.

Tone Space- Dishes With Your Name on 'Em

2006-08-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

Short hiatus... got caught up in some hood shit. Now I'm yuppified. Shit changes.

Let's get back to some underground shit...

If anyone here buys obscure hip hop (known on the internet as "random rap") they'd be familiar with the output of Trenton, NJ. There are tons of indie records from 1988-1995 than came out of NJ's state capital, and in many ways that time in Jersey hip hop closely resembles the 1990-1995 era of indie rap music that came out of New Orleans (which is currently blowing up on the used CD markets).

Trenton as a whole as fallen off. The crime-rate has risen dramatically and the quality of life there has deteriorated exponentially. If it wasn't for the afluent suburbs around Trenton than insulate it, I'd say parts of the city are worse than Camden. I know, I've bought guns in both places.

Recently I've been put on to a Trenton artist named Kilogram. I was buying records in Philly and picked up a 12' by him called "B-eeze/I'm Walkin'." The A-side features Peddi Crakk and the B-Side features Journalist.

The 12' is sick to say the least. Beat pick-up I've had in a long time.

Two days ago I was rummaging through the crates of the Philadelphia Records Exchange and I came across another Kilogram 12', this time a test pressing called "Gossip/Get Your Money Up/Jersey." I don't feel the production as much on this joint as I do on the first 12', but lyrically Kilogram shuts shit down. This guy can rap his fucking ass off.

Here is some audio:

B-ezee ft. Peddi

Get Your Money Up

And here is the video for B-eeze ft. Peddi Krakk:

YouTube Link

It's nice to see that someone is trying to bring Trenton back to it's former glory. There was a time when the city was the movie-making capital of the world, now walking it's streets at night is closer akin to cheap horror flicks. For this reason, and many others I'm, Kilogram is keeping it positive. As Kilogram so aptly put it in an interview with hiphopgame.com:

"I feel like I can change the game because I'm bringing that reality back. You're not going to hear "my gun will do this." It's not all about selling drugs. You've got to be ready for the flip-side of that. If you sell drugs, you can go to jail and get killed. These rappers just glorify the beginning of selling drugs, the cars and the women. They don't tell you about when the cops come, you're going to be doing 40 years. We need to be pushing education onto our youth. Get out the hood. There are bigger things going on in the world than the hood. That's what I plan
to bring back to Hip Hop."

2006-06-28T07:22:00.000-05:00

Like it's 1996 again...

Short update today. I came across a track by a Brooklyn MC named "meyhem." I think he is a former Lo Life. The beat reminds me of a dusty night in the mid-ninties, the writing and flow are sick to boot.

meyhem- The Pledge

And a leak from the Lakey the Kid and Cormega album called "30-30". Dopest West Coast-styled beat in a minute and it's a monster. Lakey keeps it gutter on here too.

Shakespeare update tomorrow...

2006-06-21T08:46:00.000-05:00

Yes we wicked, we wicked...

The early 1990s saw the rise of a number of trends in hip hop. One of horrorcore's distant cousins is the island influence of Reggae-styled rap music.

While Expedia and travel commercials on television will lead one to believe that Caribbean hot-spots are little mountains of heaven rising triumphantly from the clear waters of the Atlantic, the image could not be further from the truth. Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica and a number of other islands were at one point hostile lands of rampant murder and violent confrontation. The compulsive "death culture" that this way of life birthed can be unearthed in the music of its sons and daughters. While the Bob Marleys of the world tried to move in a positive direction and call for peace, the next generation called for attention and cast light onto the problem itself by manifesting the horrors of their realities in their era's music. As gangsta rap rose to imminence in America, so to did violently-themed reggae and dance hall in the islands.

In 1992 the world first heard the remarkably distinct voice of Don Jagwarr on Ice Cube's single "Wicked" from his Predator LP. The ferocity of his voice, high pitched and fast moving over a chaotic track, was reminiscent of a pack of cunning jackals. The LA Riots-themed beat was a freshly-killed animal that was now being feasted on. Indeed, a handsome meal had been provided to our ears.

Two years later Don Jagwarr was set to put out his first and only album on Priority Records. Ice Cube was the Executive Producer. I am not sure if it was ever commercially released, as every copy I've ever seen has been a promo, but there was a video for the terrific single "Who Do U Fear." While the album stayed contemporary with tales of LA gang life, the production is indeed hit or miss. Regardless, this is a rare album with quite a few gems on it that shouldn't be overlooked. If you are a fan of the Boot Camp Clik and the Jamaican styling they employed early in their career, look no further. This album will surly cure whatever ails you.

One small bit of irony can be found on this album. In 1994 the friction between the right and left coasts had not yet escalated to full-scale beef but the seeds were clearly being sown. This was the year that Bad Boy Records would splash on the scene and make a lot of noise and idle chatter quickly turned into loud proclamations that the East was taking its crown back courtesy of Biggie and his crew at Bad Boy Records. Track two of this album, titled "Bad Boy," may or may not be a subliminal shot at the camp. The tone is set early by Ice Cube, who states "I don't give a FUCK about no mother fuckin'... BAD BOY. This is Bad Bay K-O all muthafuckin' day. You know what I'm sayin'... we comin' from the West Side with this." While Don Jagwaar's lyrics concentrate on an enemy who tries to kill him, Cube's words can clearly be taken to mean a number of things. I can't recall Cube ever calling stick-up kids and gang bangers "bad boys" on any of his previous material. Cube would later go on to set beef with an irrational interpretation of a Common Sense line and fire ill-conceived warning shots at Common and the East on tracks like "Westside Slaughter House." Let's face it, he hasn't been the same since.

In the end I can't tell you what ever became of Don Jagwarr, but we know what happened to Ice Cube. He melted under the heat of cooking beef and all that was left was a watery mess, perfect for wishy-washy Diseny movies and half-assed Aftermath releases. Jagwarr's album was solid. There is a lot of good writing on this album and some classic West Coast production as well. It's short and sweet. While some tracks are hit or miss the album as a whole is cohesive and enjoyable.

Don Jagwarr- Faded LP (1994)

2006-06-14T08:59:00.000-05:00

Uncle Christopher

A lot of people feel the need to hate on one of my favorite rappers, Mr. Hyde.

If you think Hyde is too gory or too violent, fine. Plain and simple the man can rhyme his ass off. What sets Hyde apart from his counterparts is how intricate his rhyme structure is. At times "complex" is not strong enough a word to describe Mr. Hyde's rhyme paterns. He syllabicates better than just about anyone out there. Take a look at this shit:

Enter my gladiator games where I have to hate the sane/
You kid is in my basement, to the radiator, chained/
Bubble in their flesh, makin' trouble plus a mess/
I give 'em clean clothes so their underwear is fresh/
Spring-Morning scented, I'm more than demented/
Like the horror flick from the gore I just rented/
My flow stops hearts, son your just givin' light thrills/
One glimpse of my ice-grille convinces you I kill/
Menacing looks, good like venison cooked/
Droppin' biblical gems like in the Genesis book/
Yo you feminine shook, I caught you runnin' from puppies/
When I don't break a sweat for niggas comin' to bug me/
Learn from the bold, give 'em burners to hold/
Those concerned with their gold, I rather turn you to mold/
Dust and debris, put all your trust into me/
I'm using rulers to see how deep my cuts have to be/
Yo, you bustin' at me? I'll take the gat from you kid/
Split your hat to your wig, you family might have to dig/
To find your remains, how about I dine on your brains?/
You forget how hot hell is?/
How about I remind you with flames/

-Mr. Hyde on the Halftime Show on May 10th,2000.

(Peace to O.L.... I didn't give out the whole thing... only this verse and in poor quality as well!)

What I like about Hyde is how funny and demanted his is. Sure, others have raped about rape and child molestation, but no one ever made listening to it as enjoyable as Hyde.

Hyde did not get his start with Necro. He used to rhyme under the alias "Uncle Christopher" as a part of the Mad Choppers Crew, MCC. He also was a member of Catch 22 with Ex-Lib. Just so you know, Ex-Lib is not a rapper in the same mold as Hyde or Necro. He does a lot of battle shit but he also does a lot of conceptual shit too. In MCC, Uncle Christopher rapped about child molestation, having butt-sex with nuns, and other topics that purists normally find too taboo for traditional hip hop. In Catch 22 the themes were more battle-oriented and believe it or not, Hyde can battle rap with the best of them.

If you don't believe me, here are the infamous Hyde basement tapes with MCC. The MCC team is no joke either, especially Raida and Ex Lib (who is no longer down).

The Hyde Basement Tapes with MCC, Courtessy of DJ Mike Nice

Why am I giving these out? Well, thanks to a fuck face in the UK it's already out there. You know who you are, you're a faggot and a disgrace. Now that I've come across 50+ people who have this I feel it's not fair to keep it to myself. Enjoy. I'm not happy about this, but I see it as a chance for Hyde to get the props that he deserves.

And of course I have another Hyde rarity for you all... Necro and Hyde freestyling at WKCR dissing Ras Kass and threatening him. This isn't too rare, really, but the fact that it's two minutes longer than the other one floating around out there with some extra verses makes this a treat.

Fuck Ras Kass, he's a bitch... a little midget with a wart for a head and it's going to get popped

But wait, there is more. How about Hyde and Ex-Lib doing it battle-rap steez? You ain't ready for this. This is my favorite Hyde verse ever and Ex-Lib destroys this track:

For all you catfish with dicks in your asses... you suck on big, fat, floppy donkey dick!

Oh and beware, I'm doing an update on Ex-Lib and Shakespeare later this week.

Whether it's getting stabbed by five guys at a bar and taking the knives from the guys and putting them on life support and goping to jail for it, or threatening Ras Kass and James Earl Jones, or shreading Necro's masterful beats Hyde is a force to admired on the mic. Nothing he says about killing you is a joke, maybe it isn't out of the question that he is touching your children in their most intimate places either.

2006-06-09T08:08:00.000-05:00

Continuing a post from Vinyl Addicts...

Recently someone asked me about Half Pit Half Dead. Some of you might remember them from a post at Vinyl Addicts. It was there that crate-digger supreme Smoov reviewed this 12':

Well, he also mentioned that one song from this 12' (Better Off Dead) was included on a soundtrack called "The Fear," which I believe is some kind of horror flick. Well, what Smoov may not have known at the time is that the crew Half Pit Half Dead consisted of the members Half Pit, Half Dead, Machette, and Infared.

Now take a look at the tracklist for the soundtrack:

01. Esham - The Fear (Morty's Theme)
02. Half Pit & Machete - Black Peter
03. Gravediggaz - Here Come The Gravediggaz
04. Headless Horsemen - Necrophobia
05. Half Pit Half Dead - Better Off Dead
06. Natas - Life After Death
07. Machete - Fear, Flesh & Blood
08. Terror - Graveyard Tales
09. Insane Clown Posse - Dead Body Man
10. Esham - Rocks Off
11. Infared - Infared's Terror
12. Flatlinerz - Run
13. Kim Waters - Sweet & Saxy (A Moment Of Calm Before You Die)

It appears that there are more Half Pit Healf Dead songs out there that people didn't notice.

If you were interested in hearing more material from the Half Pit Half Dead crew now is your chance. Here is a link to the soundtrack, and please excuse the ICP/Esham/Natas garbage, courtessy of Poizon.

The Fear Soundtrack

Now, there seems do be a lot of confusion about the geographical origin of the Half Pit Half Dead crew. One of the crew members references being out of NYC, but their 12' came out on Motor Jam Records- which is out of Detroit- and there are a lot of Detroit artists on this soundtrack. But, there also happen to be a handful of NY artists too. If anyone reading this can clarify where this crew is from and what other material they might have out, please hit me up and elaborate so that I can recount it for everyone else.

2006-06-07T11:10:00.000-05:00

A video from my favorite rapper out of Canada.

Great dis to Bishop as well.

Chuggo- C'Mon Fucking Guy

2006-06-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

Cormega gives a history lesson:

"I didnt get in Trag DVD cause it was some white dude
who NEVER beeen to QB tellin the story!
As far as Trag on some real shit before me????
(...)If it was streets I disagree though Trag did grow up
going threw shit and if its rap
then I dont even have to respond
go back to PHD album (1991)
listen to my verse I was rapping about guns" My device has
a long clip with infra red light" (Goodfellas had the mac 11 with infra)
I was rappin bout drugs "Hotday supplys the base like a drug dealer"
"Dont front on me shorty ya mans workin for me" "I leave the fuckin
mic smokin like base pipes" "Kick down doors like TNT in a drug bust" (cause I was the ONLY rapper sellin
at that time) I was rappin about jail "I set it off like a soldier in
4 main" and actually I sent Trag a subliminal "Cormega can never
be imitated Motivators fear the poetry I generated" (we had a rivalry
back then but we never batted) and we always had respect for
each others skill thats why today me and Trag are so close
I can honestly say hes one of my best friends out of all the rappers.
Anyway like I said I was the 1st hard street rapper in QB In 91
Trag was a positive pro black rapper and Mobb Deep were
called "The Poetical Prophets" and Nas was lyrical. Actually Poet from
Screwball was rappin street before them too! I was a pioneer
I was just rappin what I was living!"

It's not rare, I my have grabbed this from another blog actually (though I own an original as well on wax) but here is what Cormega is talking about:

PHD ft. Cormega- Set It (1991)

And fuck whoever here likes club rap music... this is that hard shit from QB for your whip... not that new Mobb Deep garbage.

2006-06-02T16:52:00.000-05:00

Remember that little radio kick I was on a minute ago... well it continues.

Radio is where hip hop lives and unfolds, the internet shouldn't make its archaic means irrelavent.

MF Grimm Interview and Album Preview on the Halftime Show

This just happened a few weeks ago. Every night ill shit gets played but how many of us tune in for it?

By the way, this shit sounds super nice. I'm up for a 3LP from Grimm any day.

MAD RESPECT TO VEGA!

(and to think I'm paying one of the HHH.org gang respect...)

but on the real, peace... god. you're definetly holding shit down right now.

2006-06-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

Just a few things I want to say:

1.) I want to give props and respect to my man J.F.B. who just came home last night from prison. It's been eight long years, WELCOME HOME N*GGA!

If I don't update this blog for a few days, just know that JFB, MGP, and the whole crew will be hitting up every stip club and crack den from AC to Philly.

JFB: "Yo, my cellmate told me them AK's be like, 150 dollars in Michigan yo. Let's go rob a cabbie, take his car, buy some weed, and go for a ride?!?!?!?!"

Uh, no. Not this time.

JFB: "Sellout."

For those of you in the dark about this, well just know that JFB will be contributing to this blog from time to time with all kinds of jail stories, tips on how to conceal your crimes, and how to sleep well at night when questionable actions burden your conscious.

2.) Some early 90's flavor for you all today: Justin Warfield- Season of the Vick

I've had this for a minute, very smooth track.

3.) Another gem. Anyone remember the first installment of The Swarm, a compilation RZA put out in 1998? Most of the attention this album got was due to Holocaust, who made his first appearances via The Black Knights. Anyway, my favorite song on that entire album was from The Beggaz and it was called "On the Strength." I know little about the group other than the fact that one member, I believe Father Lord, died. Some cats were from Virginia and the crew split up. Some quit rap entirely, the others recorded under the name Black Lotus (and I think there is another group recording under than name doing Southern-style crunk shit or g-shit... don't know for sure).

Anyway, the Beggaz had a 12' out a year before their Swarm cameo and though I never got a copy of it (I am still searching and I will pay a lot of money for a copy of it, so if you have it and are willing to part with it let me know), the only other song I could track down by them is called "Iron Wire." If you liked "On the Strength" as much as I did I am sure you'll dig this too.

4.) Anyone still care about turntablism? If so, here is something from the Halftime Show 5th Aniversarry in 2003. DJ A-Trak came by and destroyed the set with his skills on the 1's and 2's. I heard this guy DJs for Kanye West right now too. I'm not big on Kanye (but I do think Diamonds are Forever is one of the best songs I've heard in many years), but if this is true about A-Trak being his DJ... then Kanye just earned a bit more respect from me. The only other thing I ever liked by Kanye was that shit about George Bush not caring about black people, because I feel he's right and that needed to be said for everyone to hear.

Anyway: A-Trak on the Halftime Show

5.) Sadly, I've recieved word that one of my favorite digging spots will cease to be in the near future. The Sound Library and A1 Records have been NYC staples for years. While I was more inclined to dig at Upstairs Records, I loved TSL. Every few months I like to grab a thousand-stack and just go buy records and the first place I go is TSL because I know that whatever I need they have, no matter how rare. Now don't get me wrong, the prices are steep there but it's only steep for the trendy faggots. If you can stay ahead of the trends of collectors, many good deals could be had at TSL. Before Company Flow's second pressing of the Funcrusher EP (pre-Rawkus) on clear vinyl began going for in upwards of 100 dollars I bought five copies from TSL for ten dollars each. If you're wondering, they've since made me a lot of money. Same thing goes for my Cormega test pressings, my G. Rap shit, and my Ill Advised collection. A lot of things can be had there for really cheap if youre open-minded to different styles of hip hop.

From what I understand TSL will not be renewing it's lease at the end of the summer. I hope that gives me time to run up there another time and drop a grand.
----------

Tomorrow I am going to Philly to pick up some more vinyl. Treats abound in the coming updates.

And no, I didn't forget that rare Peddi shit I promised. Shit's just been hectic between babies being born and friends coming home from the pen.

-MGP

2006-05-28T10:33:00.000-05:00

Turn on the radio... nah... fuck it... turn it off!

I'm no Intellicon, but Zach de la Rocha had a point. Why turn on the radio when it's so bad these days?

If you're sick of the bullshit programing you hear on the radio, this should cure whatever ails you.

First Wake Up Show?

That's right. 1994 shit. I don't know much about the Wake Up Show aside from the legendary freestyle sessions and battles that Sway and Tech sponsored, but a few years ago someone sent me a CD with what he claims to be the first episode of the Wake Up Show. It's 45 minutes long and has plenty of quality songs on it.

Whether this is the first episode or not, it's dope.

Enjoy, obscure Peddi Crakk shit cumming soon.

-MGP

2006-05-23T14:27:00.000-05:00

Brooklyn Ak!

Most people haven't heard about one of the most tallented crews to come from Brooklyn: Brooklyn Akademy. Those who do know about them know them from their "Plan A" single on 3-2-1 Records, which is now defunct. Their song "Con Artists" was featured on the A-Side of the "Plan A" 12'. The crew, consisting of Block McLoud, Pumpkinhead, Icon, Mr. Metaphor, and Jean Grae, has put out a number of CD-Rs through online distributors like Sandbox and UGHH.com and has been featured on almost every Will Tell compilation.

The most obscure of their releases is a tape-only EP called "Plan B: The Hijackers." The theme is simple, Brooklyn Ak is hijacking hip hop and holding it for ransom. As a matter of fact, Block McLoud makes the crew's intentions quite clear on the first track of the tape before tearing into one of the best syllabic rhymes I've heard in recent memory:

"We want one million dollars or we'll blow this train of this hot track/ HIP HOP HAS BEEN HIJACKED!/ We'll kill one hostage per minute if our demands aren't met, honest/ this ain't a threat it's a promise!/"

When Brooklyn Ak put this tape out they used it as a vehicle to launch the careers of their freinds and affiliates- in this case Block's side crew "The Back-Stabbers" and Jean Grae, who would join the crew in full in 2000. Jean Grae gets emotional and sentimental with her appearance on the tape but if you're looking for that grimey, "home-invasion and rape anything with a vagina rap" you need to peep out the Back-Stabbers. I think this is the only release they've ever been on. Very raw, very rugged. If you've ever been to jail or prison (the prior in my case) you will be able to recognize real. This is how every rapper I ever met in jail sounded, except the vocals are over studio beats and not hand-claps and thumps on the wooden board you can find under the bed mattress.

An affiliate of Pumpkinhead, who is a rapper with a few releases in his own right but I feel is wack (and in my opinion jerked me on a deal) and don't want my good name associated with, told me that this was a very limited release. Not only is it out of print, the print run was quite small (100-200, maybe?). I was told that Pumpkinhead doesn't even have an original copy of this, so who knows.

I'll say this, if anyone reading this has an original copy they are willing to part with I am willing to pay a high price for it. I lost my copy in a house fire but luckily I put this on CD in 1999, only a few months before I lost a lot of my music collection in that fire (I lost 500 tapes and 300 peices of wax).

And now for your listening enjoyment, Plan B: The Hijackers.

2006-05-18T14:37:00.000-05:00

It's been a week, how about some underground shit?

Dope underground shit from Montreal, very Wu-Tang'ish:
Euphrates ft. Rugged Intellect- Shalom Alaikum

New Ill Bill featuring Big Noyd:
Ill Bill and Big Noyd- Street Villain

^Bill rips this something fierce.

Oh, you ain't heard? Killa Sin is home from jail. The man hasn't lost a step:
Bronze Nazareth ft. Killah Sin- Bronzemen (Promo)

This shit has been in rotation for a week. I think you all will enjoy this shit.

Back later this weekend with more updates.

2006-05-10T13:19:00.000-05:00

The Stretch and Bobitto Show.

89.9, you should know this and where it sits on the radio dial. From 1 to 5 am every Thursday night you could hear two tallented DJs spin the latest in hip hop music. No R&B, no hooks, nothing but dope shit, new artists, and the most legendary freestyle sessions to ever be transmitted over the airwaves. Cutting, blending, interviews, and all sorts of craziness.

I could call the show legendary, but it would certainly not be enough. Beef would start on air (Craig G. calling out Necro, Necro showing up to a Craig G. show and Craig leaving the show before it started out of fear of maybe losing his life), the dopest unsigned MCs would call in and rhyme (this is actually how the legendary Natural Elements crew broke onto the airwaves... A-Butta used to rhyme over the phone), and random crazies would just show up in the studio. When you tuned into the Stretch and Bobitto shit was always poppin' off.

What happened to the show is very sad. By 1996 Stretch was focusing on being an "industry n*gga," and he wasn't cutting and mixing the way he used to. Then there were the gay rumors the followed him to Hot97. He left the show in 1999 and it morphed into the CM Famalam show, which was cool but the rappers they focused on were not nearly as cutting edge as they were in the past. From 1998 to the end of the show it seemed to me like the show's focus migrated from hardcore hip hop to hip hop that was a bit... um... nerdier. Now there are plenty of gay rumors surrounding the other host of the Stretch and Bob show, Cucumber Slice and founder of Fruit Meat records Roberto Garcia...

What happened?

Courtessy of Rick O'Shea I obtained five Stretch and Bobitto shows from 1995 to 1999. Today I want to share with you an episode from 1995 feauting a live session with Non Phixion.

Big respect to Rick O'Shea.
1995 Episode of Stretch and Bobitto

But wait, we have some more...

Percee P and Sick Lyrical Damager Freestyle Session 2.26.96 on WKCR

Company Flow Freestyle in 1997 on Stretch Armstrongs Hot97 Show

The Percee P joint is sick. It's ill because it's from 1996 and he is kicking parts of rhymes that ended up on his track "No Time For Jokes" that came out in snippet form in 1999 and in full in 2004. SLD rips shit, his perfomance here is better than anything that you'll find on his overpriced 12'.

The Company Flow freestyle is nice too. It has parts of the "It is live?" infamous pseudo-subliminal that Sole took offence to. Big Juss shreads this mic and both spend some time going off the top of the head on some rediculousness.

Since we just ended a little mixtape kick here at Mustafa's blog, we're going to go on a bit of a radio kick for the next couple of updates. I'll be featuring recordings of LA's Wake Up Show from the mid-90s, demos from WKCR, and some of the most infamous radio freestyle sessions that ever worked their way over the airwaves.

The magic you hear on this old Stretch and Bob show can still be found on the WNYU's Halftime Show. You can tune in every Wednesday Night at 1 am on www.wnyu.edu. DJ Eclipse of Non Phixion brings you the latest in that hardcore hip hop shit.

2006-05-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

Cluemanatti tape and The Spinbad/JS One's remix tape from 1997...

Just uploading two more mixtapes today...

DJ Clue- Scarecrow's Birthday (1995)

Clue tapes were crack back in the mid and early 1990s. This need absolutly no explantion... if you need a clue go fuck yourself.

Spinbad/JS One Remix Tape Side A

Spinbad/JS One Remix Tape Side B

Now this is something else entirely. If anyone is looking to hear KRS One at his most arrogant check out how he shouts out the DJs on this jawn.

"This is Hip Hop manifesting itself as the Blastmaster KRS One..."

Honestly, even when I first got this joint in 1997 or 1998 I just shook my head like "What the fuck?"

Anyway, great mixing, scratching, and blending on this.

If hope you cats have had your 90s mixtape fix... ya'll got blessed this week.

2006-05-08T08:43:00.000-05:00

More mixtape madness from Kelly Kel...

Peace to my main main Kelly Kel, an MC repping Ireland, for hooking up two more early 90s mixtapes. If you dug the Clue shit from the last update I have a feeling you'll like this just as much.

DJ Funkmaster Flex “Live At The Supper Club” featuring breaks, a Biggie medley, Biz Markie, Soul 2 Soul, Special Ed, LL Cool J, and more.

Funk Master Flex Live at the Supper Club Side A

Funk Master Flex Live at the Supper Club Side B

DJ I Roc Mixmaster # 5 feauting blends, 90s R&B, Gravediggaz, Wu, Crooklyn Dodgers, and more.

DJ Iroc Mixmaster #5 Side A

DJ Iroc Mixmaster #5 Side B

I'll be uploading some stoopid fresh shit from my own collection tomorrow afternoon.

Peace to Kelly Kel and for more mixtape madness be sure to check out www.rapmullet.com