Straight from the borough of Brookyln, here is a look at key members of the Boot Camp Click collective who would eventually rise to form their own unique identities and career. Ruck, Rock, Tek, Steele and DJ Evil Dee take a break for an interview during recording studio sessions for their mid 90's hip hop classics, Heltah Skeltah's Nocturnal and Smif 'N Wessun's Dah Shinin'.
This is one studio session you should witness from a group of individuals who brought their own vibe of sound in using the raw elements of hip hop, which is very evident in listening to some of the earliest BCC albums. Check out Evil Dee at the control board and SP1200 while working with an engineer at D&D Studios on Smif N Wessun's "Stand Strong".
The Unsung Heroes of R&B and Soul
"The Skull Snaps are a legendary 3 piece funk band who formed in New York City. Erv Littleton Waters, Sam O. Culley, and George Bragg released their self titled, classic album in 1973 along with a handful of singles before disappearing as an act. Part of the mystique surrounding this group and their debut album is that their is very little known information about them in pictures or writing, but the influence left by their music is widespread. They originally recorded as The Diplomats, but once their music began to gain notoriety they renamed themselves The Skull Snaps, after getting the idea from a fan's description of his skull snapping reaction to their music. Their musical style and sound of this band is pure funk and soul, with powerful, gospel influenced vocals, heavy bass grooves and incredible horn, guitar sections.
At the present time, The Skull Snaps are still actively performing and recording music, preparing to release a new album along with previously unreleased music from their 70's recording sessions. Aztec Musics reissued the debut Skull Snaps album, the first release that has been officially sanctioned by the band. Check out the deluxe version of their debut album which contains digitally remastered music, extensive liner notes containing new interviews and rare photos
One of my favorite songs of '09, I've been bumping 3rd Degree for about a year since it's video dropped, and the feeling I got when I first became hooked on the song still hasn't worn off. This is a lyrical assault like I haven't heard in years, 4 MCs bringing bars of excellence in the tradition of competitive, jaw dropping lyricism over a monster track produced by Scram Jones. I appreciate this as a reminder of the groundbreaking ideas and vision laid down during the Golden Era, music which was entertaining, thought-provoking and an example of some talented street intellectuals ready to show their skills. The 3rd Degree sounds like an homage to the high standard of writing and creativity of past generations, a song crafted by hip hop fiends who will stop at nothing to hold the bar of MCing at a level which it truly belongs.
http://blogs.myspace.com/scramjonesmusic
www.myspace.com/saigonthayardfather
www.ninobless.com
www.westcoastdynasty.com
Great collaboration between talented female vocalist Melanie Fiona & Ghostface, this one stands out to me after the first listen, sounding like another level has been reached creatively in the area of R&B/hip hop fusion. I think with these type of collaborations, Ghost is really carving out a whole new niche of hip hop that works, bringing new ideas of sound in a way that traditional hip hop listeners like myself can still listen to and be happy. Enjoy this
Download/Stream Here
The Barrino Brothers - I Can't Believe You're Gone (1973)
In 2009, I'm happy to discover the lyrical effort brought by Raekwon and Joell Ortiz in their Crime Wave freestyles, they continue to provide high artistic standards in the true sense of the art form. I hope they continue to release standout freestyles to show future generations how to rhyme. Here you will witness the makings of the dark instrumental used in their freestyle, which is built from an great piece of 70's Soul music.
Raekwon - Crime Wave freestyle
The sample for this track comes from the 1973 album "Livin' Off The Goodness of Your Love" by The Barrino Brothers, a North Carolina-based quartet who released their one and only album under Invictus records. The sampled song entitled "I Can't Believe You're Gone", begins with a chilling guitar intro which leads into the vocal performance of the Brothers, who bring you raw emotion in the tradition of deep soul, from beginning to end. The drumming and percussion work which flows from soulful, upbeat measures into the darker chorus parts is one of my favorite elements next to the song's lyrics, for a Soul tune of this period, the level of detail in writing those specific parts is pretty outstanding to me.
Joell Ortiz - Crime Wave freestyle
For hip hop, I miss a period where there was one or a few select beats that an MC just had to freestyle over because they have the potential to be classic, like the beginning circulation of Come Clean, Protect Ya Neck, DWYCK, Shook Ones, Ain't No Nigga etc. I guess for two top-notch lyricists to choose this instrumental, it may be one of those stand out beats. I look forward to more aggressive production and classic sample choices from producers to come.
I think Big Daddy Kane's 5th album "Looks Like A Job For" has aged well over time, I can still listen today and be impressed by the writing and ideas from song to song. It seemed like he took chances on this one, attacking the mic lyrically to express his unbiased feelings on society and the music industry on songs like "Stop Shammin'", "How You Get A Record Deal?", while still finding time to kick it to the ladies on "Very Special". I remember overlooking the album a little due to a slew of other classic releases of the time, but I feel this album definitely held it's own weight back in 1993.
In this interview Kane sits in the studio with Crazy Sam of Video Music Box to discuss his transition from first album to fifth, and preview music off the latest album. Sidenote: If you've never known Crazy Sam before this interview, he was the co-host of Ralph McDaniels Video Music Box show in the 90's and provided good comic relief. He reminds me of some outrageous, older black guy I might see occasionally while walking around my neighborhood of Harlem, NY or overhear cracking jokes at the local barbershop.
I included the video for Da Lench Mob's "Guerilla's In The Mist" which was played in between the interview on this show episode, in case you're wondering what that colorful image is up in the preview (heat sensory vision © The Predator). Enjoy this moment of Big Daddy Kane recording history.
Marva Whitney is a very outstanding female voice and contributor of 70's soul music, as a woman of soul she personified the raw energy and character in song which defined the sound of that era. Her vocal performance in songs such as Got To Get A Job, It's My Thing and Unwind Yourself is instantly recognizable and reminiscent of a female version of her mentor, James Brown who named her "Soul Sister #1". In this 2006 interview with soul singer Marva Whitney on WeFunk radio, she reveals stories behind her career in performing and recording classics with the JB's.
click to stream in Quicktime, or right/click and save mp3s of the interview:
First memories of singing (3:22)
Growing up singing gospel / Family friction / Reaching the soul through music (4:10)
Opening up for the greats (2:12)
Auditioning for James Brown (3:53)
Making the decision to join JB and sign with King Records (2:29)
Jumping in the deep end / Studio surprises (2:59)
Touring with mixed emotions / Being under James Brown's wing (3:26)
High expectations from James Brown / Recording "It's My Thing" (2:01)
Challenges of being in the JBs / Fred Wesley flips out / Punishment rehearsals (5:15)
Soul Sister #1 (1:10)
"Why would I leave?" (1:18)
Coffee, Cream & Sugar (3:41)
JB Allstars (1:36)
Discovering Osaka Monaurail / "No novelty act"
The upcoming album
Marva's upcoming book / Thanks to her fans / Closing words
You will be hard pressed to find an MC nowadays with anywhere near the talent and creative writing ability of Pharoahe Monch, he is one of the true artists who will ultimately reap the benefits of their skills and hard work over time, as one of the great leaders of hip hop lyricism. I'm glad to see him out doing his thing and gaining the respect he deserves from the classics he's put out over the years. Here he performs a song that gave him an amazing level of exposure, during an era where many lyrical MCs like him were going independent due to the separation caused by corporate interests between a fabricated hip "pop" sound and the traditional, classic sound. I remember feeling good to hear this song on mainstream radio at a time when I felt so many talented artists were getting overshadowed in media.
You can read more about Pharoahe's 2009 Australian tour here at his Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pharoahemonch
If there was any producer who I could say the music of this compilation feels the most like, or pays homage to their technical achievements without imitating, it is Jay Dee. I admire each producers ability to take the reach Jay did in storytelling, layering and orchestration in sample manipulation, constructing the music in a way that reflects personality, provokes thoughts and visions with each listen. If these guys never put out a record commercially, I hope they continue to create on their own just for the love of it, like many other hip hop practitioners of the world.
Always take a look to how other world regions practice the art form of hip hop, you'll never know what great music you may find! Check the myspace links below to hear more music from each artist.
Download the full compilation here: http://www.mediafire.com/?stgy1e4lxmp
Snoop has been a regular visitor of Conan over the past 5, 6 years or so and whenever they come together before a live audience like this it's usually hella funny. I think he should have some sort of reoccurring comedy role on the show. In this episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Snoop stops by to promote his album Malice In Wonderland, and reveal some funny stuff about his life you may be unaware of.
Here's a dope verse from Elzhi's next offering, a taste of his trademark visual delivery and intelligent, slick metaphors over the soulful production of Black Milk. If you're a fan of Elzhi and high level lyricism in general, you'll know one verse from him is enough to stand out amongst most current hip hop internet releases, so check this out. I'll be sure to review and post the full mixtape upon it's release for you.
The great remix version of Jay's American Gangster album by Germany's Shuko and Gunna is now available for download in instrumental format over at http://www.jayandmarvin.com/! The musical effort by these two producers makes this remix project a treat to have in instrumental form, you most likely will be able to appreciate this as much as the vocal version. I recommend downloading both if you haven't already.
I always look back on such albums as Like Water For Chocolate, Welcome To Detroit, Fantastic and remember these two guys as leaders who helped change the sound of hip hop. The body of work produced through the collaboration of Common and Jay Dee is an example of the powerful inspiration which can come from the union of like minded individuals who have a genuine appreciation of expressing their love of life through music. In this interview, Common remembers the relationship he had with Jay Dee throughout his career of collaborating and crafting numerous classics together.
Tight new song by U.G. from the Cella Dwellas and IDE, produced by Haze Attacks. Listening to this takes me back to the days of Realms and Reality, reminding me of the dark, raw sound that caught my attention, back when groups strived to bring a deeper level of originality in their musical identity through enchanting verbal imagery. In this song U.G. and IDE bring an original style of writing by merging influences of traditional storybook fantasy, scripts, scrolls and fairy tales into hip hop, carving their own lane of intellectual presentation and thoughtful storytelling as MCs. I believe it is this sort of originality of a lyricist which makes for an interesting and outstanding song, from the ability to take influences gathered from life and provide a unique character of hip hop to stimulate our imagination.
Check the images in the video, you'll get the feeling of the basic hip hop elements by seeing live stage footage and shots of them recording in front of the MPC and SP1200. This is basically what I look for in a traditional hip hop listening experience.
I couldn't imagine anyone better to honor the life and music of Michael Jackson than the great Stevie Wonder and talented new comer John Legend, who pay tribute in this emotional cover performance of "The Way You Make Me Feel", from 1987's Bad. With Stevie providing the lead vocals and collaborating with John on the keys, I believe this performance will be looked upon as a historic moment of music for years to come, showing love and appreciation from one talented artist to another, from generation to next. The most touching moment is when Stevie almost loses his composure halfway through the performance, I would have felt sad myself had I been there to witness it live and re-live the great memories of Michael's music, I can't imagine how he must have felt remembering his friend who recently passed.
This is one to share with your children and younger relatives, as I'm sure your older relatives might have shared music and videos of Michael and Stevie from the 70's and 80's when you were a child.
In this short clip, the great Queensbridge duo sit down for an interview, before 1995's The Infamous and fresh off a hiatus from their slept-on 4th & Broadway records debut. I remember this was before the heavy buzz of Shook Ones II started in New York and they were just beginning to re-identify themselves as artists. Havoc & Prodigy have always projected a serious and determined persona in their interviews, at this point of their career I feel it is most evident due to their position as artists trying to make a name for themselves in hip hop.
In addition to the Mobb interview, you will get an old anti-violence TV commercial featuring Sticky Fingaz, an intense alleyway chase where he's attacking his own conscience! Enjoy the classic material.
Nice new song from Dres, his second single off new EP, From The Black Pool of Genius: The Prelude. It's great to hear all the grown, inspirational content and life experiences he's giving back in his recent songs, as opposed the younger, cocky person you heard on 1991's A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing. To balance out the calm, thought provoking songs, I'm waiting to hear him come with another high energy cut in the traditional The Choice Is Yours, sorta like the feel of B-Boys Theme off 8WM Novakane. Enjoy this one:
Download Here (link courtesy of Spine Magazine)
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