Here's a look at some great artists in hip hop history just chillin on some down time, all who were on the verge of dropping some serious heat for our eardrums. You'll get a brief look at Biggie before he became a star, and was enjoying moderate success + recognition, Tek & Steele kicking a blunted freestyle and Large Professor messing with a beat on his drum machine in the studio. I sometimes imagine what the atmosphere is like behind some of my favorite artists as they take a chance in their lives with little-to-no resources to create these classics, I think this clip is a good example of that vision.
The albums Ready To Die by Biggie, Dah Shinin' by Smif N Wessun and The LP by Large Professor are important parts of my collection and at the top of my memories of loving hip hop in the mid 90's. Some albums just have a certain sound that always bring the feeling and visions of NY life, aside from just being great creative works of hip hop in general. These 3 stand as the some of the greatest examples of NY sound to me, it also marks a period where I felt very proud of NY hip hop overall, with excellent releases comin at me from all directions on the underground and mainstream.
http://www.zshare.net/audio/645718961c645f6d/
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UIRDSRQG
http://www.myspace.com/niyat
Del featuring Souls of Mischief - Burnt: Had to take it back to the early 90's with this great posse cut, it's one from the Hiero catalog that is overlooked due to it's rareness. Every now and then I miss the sound of full, layered drum breaks and jazz loops as hip hop, plus rhymes that come of as real poetic and clever as these guys displayed on this track. It's a nice look back at the style and standard of writing/creativity MCs were on back then, such as UMCs, Zhigge, ATCQ, Fu Schnickens, Black Sheep etc.
http://www.mediafire.com/?nym30minqmn
Cal Tjader - Solar Heat (1968): One of my feel-good, summer jazz songs of the week. I love the uplifting, mellow vibraphone sound heard in Cal Tjader's music and many other jazz artists who released work in the 70's, this is a large element of the jazz-fusion sound found in Solar Heat. There is a little Latin influence when I hear this due to the rhythm and percussion work used by Ray Barreto, this sets a nice vibe and energetic pace for the song which balances well with the other traditional jazz elements presented. Bump this one on a nice summer day, that's the image I get from listening to the song and the title is also an example of this feeling.
Personnel: Cal Tjader, Gary McFarland (vibraphone); Joao Donato (organ); Mike Abene (electric piano, harpsichord); Bobby Rodriguez, Chuck Rainey (bass); Grady Tate (drums); Ray Barreto, Orestes Vilato (percussion).
Inspectah Deck shows great visuals of New York streetlife told through lyrics on this new one over a nice 80's R&B music sample of Anita Baker. This is one of those great matches of vivid poetry by a street lyricist to a smooth musical backdrop that I miss, in the tradition of Rakim (What's On Your Mind), Kane (The Day Your Mine) and Slick Rick (Teenage Love).
I grew up on many female vocalists of 80's R&B, this song is reminiscent of those days and fits nicely with his stories told. I expect the amount of musical depth presented and departure from current trends to be too much for many new hip hop listeners, but all my fans of 80's hip hop up 'til now will already know what time it is. I appreciate Deck using this type of sound today, I wish I knew who produced it! It sounds like a mix of live instrument replaying and sampled parts, especially the intro.
In receiving many new songs to my inbox off the net daily, this song by Inspectah Deck is a great and refreshing separation from current trends, a good example in carrying on traditions of sound and writing standards of great Golden Era lyricists through creativity, originality and skill.
http://www.zshare.net/audio/640925704e7421e4/
Funny interview where Deck gives his straight up, unbiased opinions on today's standards of lyricism, saying all it takes is for someone to come out combin' their sh_t to the side to be the next hottest rapper
This is a short list of some songs and other media I've had on rotation this past week. Although there is alot of hip hop on this blog, my listening varies between different genres, hopefully I can present a nice discovery and variety of something you end up playing heavily too.
Inverse: Beautiful City and Rise & Shine off the So True EP. I was very impressed by the feel good vibe of this album, it is refreshing to hear talented MCs Tunji and Toby put a strong effort like this into songs that can make you feel good about life. Great production by Cook Classics, I like songs like these which have good live instrumentation used that I can listen to and get more emotional depth in the listening experience, and at the same time as all the feel of what I know as a dope hip hop beat.
They have more music I'm still going through aside from the EP. Between the EP and other songs they've done, they show a diverse array of sound as a group but their root seems to be in the traditional hip hop sound. Listen to more Inverse here at http://www.imeem.com/inverse
Beanie Sigel featuring Freeway & Young Chris: Ready For War. New music from the Broad Street Bully album. This is one of those songs that is a displays the standard of excellence in lyrics and production in the form of street representation that is the Rocafella sound. After hearing this and knowing Bean's past work, I look forward to the new album. http://www.zshare.net/audio/637791303daa1f48/
Roy Porter: Panama. This is one of my favorite jazz songs by this great drummer from his 1975 LP called Inner Feelings. I like the sound of horns layered with a flute for the chorus, it's something I recognize instantly whenever the song comes on and adds a great feel to the rest of the song unlike anything I've heard in 70's jazz fusion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVNPALW4314
Jay-Z & Marvin Gaye: Brooklyn Soul (American Gangster LP remixed by Shuko & Gunna). This is the my favorite out of the few A.G. remix LPs so far, I think it's an outstanding effort by Shuko and Gunna using all samples by Marvin Gaye combined with instrumentation to create a very polished and compelling sound. They provide the backdrop to Jay's lyrics very well with each song while keeping some of the feel of soul music that you heard in the original album.
http://sharebee.com/69463380
Visit Shuko at www.myspace.com/shuko
In a pre-Enta Da Stage moment, Black Moon and Smif 'N Wessun unveil a new and mysterious vision of music. Buckshot, 5 ft and Evil Dee see in the dark like an owl as they perform the b-side cut "Reality". You are about to bear witness as The MC and DJ become one with the nighttime as Boot Camp Clik demonstrate the nocturnal side of Hip Hop.
I have learned about more record stores I need to visit in recent years by discovering an address or through word of mouth online, but one new interesting source for me of stores on the internet has been from video documentaries. From watching a tour of some little-known shops that carry a vast treasure is a convenient look at the extent of the inventory in size and style of music they carry before I leave my house. If the video is well-produced enough (like those on Vimeo) I find it also to be a nice look at that part of society where the store is located. I don't just like to travel to buy vinyl, I like to come away from the trip with a new experience of life and memories, having seen a different place and people from where I live. These videos give me an idea of the type of place I'll be traveling to, so I hope to help others by me posting them here.
Q-Tip Afternoon Beat Digging from joseph monish on Vimeo.
Here is Q-Tip in a short documentary of one of my favorite stores in New York: Big City records. They carry so many rare hip hop releases I've wanted over the years it's hard to leave the store without a good stack. Such a nice mix of that and jazz, funk soul and rock in a little space. There are some nice places to eat nearby and other good vinyl shops within walking distance like A-1, Gimmie Gimmie, Good Records and Turntable Lab.
http://www.bigcityrecordsnyc.com/ Map
Groove Store Record Shop / Disquaire Paris France
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and here's Groove Store Records Shop Disquaire Paris, it looks like a nice, comfortable spot similar to Big City with a nice selection. I've checked their blog and they have good stuff, 70's jazz fusion and soul. Visit them at http://www.groove-store.com/
29 rue des Dames 75017 PARIS
M° Place de Clichy - Rome
Tel. +33 1/44 90 09 46
Mardi au Samedi 12h-19h30
(Tuesday To Saturday 12-7.30pm)
This is a short piece from a show called The Box which aired in NY in the early 90's, this was when Erick was about to release his first solo album No Pressure, and Dare Iz A Darkside hadn't come out yet. I remember at this point being uncertain what was to come from individual members of the Hit Squad after the breakup of EPMD, years later I can look back and say these two have done a good, consistent job in releasing quality work on their own.
Erick Sermon speaks about his production company he had with Redman (E.A.R., Erick & Reggie) and goes in depth behind the meaning of "Crossover" as it relates to artists in the hip hop industry. I like to go back and hear artists predict truths about the industry that are still relevant today, back then.
This is one of many great appearances by Ol' Dirty during his promotional run months before his crazy first solo album release, Return To The 36 Chambers. It was a period I remember where he was most entertaining: straight off the streets and hungry for success without fear of expressing himself through comedy or wild inner frustration. Be sure to check YouTube for a number of videos of him from this era, his features on MTV News were hilarious.
http://www.zshare.net/audio/636261467925a84a/
Visit brooklynzu.com for information on their 2008 album produced by RZA and others, bios, and more music
Of all hip hop releases in 96, The Awakening EP by Lord Finesse was by far one of my favorites, he took his time with this one and I think it shows in the final outcome of the music, collaborations & ideas. The b-sides, unreleased songs, remixes and instrumental vinyl that accompanied this project was a nice treat as I searched for this album back in the mid 90's, making it feel more like an album instead of an EP to me. From the artwork, 12" releases to the videos, its a great example of how to produce an EP on an independent label.
The Awakening is a great work of lyrical skill, mastery of sample-based hip hop production and inspirational songs that remains a fresh listening experience to this day. I appreciate the path Finesse and other members of D.I.T.C. took in creating albums such as these on an indie label in a time where a rise of commercial gimmicks and ideas threatened the voice of true artists. It seems like there was a good mix of everything I felt about life at the time, and still feel: from rebel songs which represent the foundations of hip hop like Brainstorm and No Gimmicks, to more inspirational ones like True & Livin', and Hip 2 Da Game.
I consider this period a height of D.I.T.C. production skill and creative output. I couldn't go to Fat Beats in NY and find something I didn't like of them up on the wall. There is some pretty amazing things done with samples on this album that I think still hold weight today, it sounds like the progression was created within the songs all by smart and meticulous sample usage, digging and layering without ever having to reach for a keyboard, except for The Kid Himself interlude and the intro Time Ta Bounce featuring Doo Wop which had live keys.
I've been having trouble with some of my video uploads, so I'm giving this one away as a download mp4 file. Enjoy:
"Brainstorm" Live Performance @ SOB's featuring O.C. at YouTube
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