Inspectah Deck - Let Me At Them (Demo Piano Version)

I first had this taped off the radio about 15 years ago, either from a WNWK or WKCR broadcast. I'm guessing around 1994

or 1995 was the time frame, being that the official soundtrack version on "Tales From The Hood" didn't drop until a good while after I first heard this. The one main difference on this demo is the piano sample that was curiously taken out of the soundtrack version. Hearing the demo first, every time I would hear the other version, it was like I was waiting for those pianos to drop in the mix. It got to be frustrating to even listen to this piano-less shell of a song. I can almost guarantee that after hearing this demo, you will not want to ever hear the official release again, well almost. The sound quality on the demo is much inferior to the other one. The reason for the pianos getting dissed would probably be due to sample clearance problems, but I guess only Deck knows for sure since he did the beat. All that is definite is that whether or not you found the version of this song you already knew to be memorable, it will be now. Sure the rest of the elements of the beat are all great on this but the pianos really are just that crucial to the illness of "Let Me At 'Em". They give it an added raw Wu sound, with the menacing darkness that would have fit right in a ghetto horror flick.

Let Me At Them (Demo Piano Version)

Let Me At Them (Soundtrack Version, No Pianos)

Download the demo and the other version both here.

Click on the cover to pick up the entire Tales From The Hood Soundtrack(at 320kbps) from our friends over at "Hq Hip Hop".

Thanks and peace to JR from the "Crates Of JR" blog for ripping this personally sought after demo from one of his old WBAI tapes, off the Underground Railroad. The show still broadcasts and even has a chat room/podcast thing going on every Saturday night at midnight. You can find that by clicking here at the broadcast time and then clicking the "Live Broadcast" button on the right. Also, the host for many years now, is this guy Jay Smooth from the Ill Doctrine hip hop video blog. Love it or hate it, you can't really dismiss it, the guy has valid points on many arguments.

--Verge

Random VLS Drops: Gang Starr - The ? Remainz

Fresh 320kbps vinyl rip

A1 Suckas Need Bodyguards (Clean)

A2 Suckas Need Bodyguards (Dirty)

A3 Suckas Need Bodyguards (Instrumental)

B1 The ? Remainz (Clean)

B2 The ? Remainz (Dirty)

B3 The ? Remainz (Instrumental)

[Download Full VLS Here] re-upped 4-15-10

Classic b-side winner. The dopest song from Hard To Earn, that wasn't on Hard To Earn.

What could be more fitting on a night like this?

Hope you pull through, Guru.

Peep the video in high quality.

Gang Starr - Suckas Need Bodyguards

Pics jacked from discogs, but the vinyl was ripped by me.

--verge

Touring The States: Portland, ME (with Echo Leader)

Maine is generally more known for producing lobsters and lumber than rap talent. Sure, we've got some great local MC's - Well's Spose and the mid-state duo Luch & Eliza come to mind - and a relatively well-known (at least regionally) record label called Flophouse, but past that the good rappers are few and far between, and often slip through the cracks of open mic nights and backwoods poolhall performances. It's been hard to put the Pine Tree State's hip-hop scene on the map.

Sole could have done it for us, man.

After a series of industry misadventures following the recording of his first demo - including an deal with EMI that fell through at the last second - Tim Holland (bka Sole) and his DJ Cuz Tha Highlander began recording together under the moniker "Northern Exposure." During it's brief existence, the crew only put out one album, 1994's "Madd Skills & Unpaid Bills." This cassette-only effort was put out on a now-defunct local imprint called 45 Below Records, and only sold around 300 copies. Needless to say, finding an original tape is damn near impossible.

Sadly for Northern Exposure, long-term success was not to be. Shortly after the tape's release and subsequent lack of success, Sole decided to keep it movin' and began recording with a new group, the Last Poets. Thier 1996 release "What's It All About?" quietly began making the dub rounds, eventually being traded as far as Los Angeles and arguably planting the seed for an entire future crew of milquetoast, "artsy" rappers in the Yay.

The music contained on "Madd Skills..." is certainly indicative of the time during which it was recorded. Hardcore b-boy posturing. Black Moon samples all over the place. Extensive graffiti references. Gritty boom-bap beats, courtesy of Tim & Cuz. And check out the intentional misspelling of "madd" in the title! I mean, misspelling stuff worked for Redman, right?

In conclusion, Sole's contemporary fans would positively shudder to hear these grimy examples of life on the harsh, unforgiving streets of Portland, throwing off their headphones and quivering behind their scarves. I can only imagine what would have happened if Tim/Sole had stayed in Maine and kept to the course; he might have influenced a generation or more of Jedi Mind Tricks-lite kids dressed up in wheat Timbos, baggy jeans, and North Face bubble gooses. Hoods from the woods, if you will.

In short: don't sweat moving to Cali, Tim. We've been ok.

In case you're wondering what anticon's wunderkind sounded like before he grew out his facial hair, peep game. It's actually pretty interesting to hear the approach Sole started out with, considering his current sonic pedigree. (Thanks to schenectadyfan for providing a rip of this incredibly rare tape.)


Northern Exposure - Madd Skills & Unpaid Bills

1.) Intro (Real MCs)

2.) Busta

3.) Ex To Tha Next Shit

4.) Madd Skills & Unpaid Bills

5.) Wreck On Tha Regular

6.) Hoods From Tha Woods

7.) Last Minute

8.) To The East (Bonus Track)

Mediafire

Enjoy.

-Echo Leader

Big Scoob - Suckaz Can't Hang

2 months ago, T.R.O.Y. Member Soopacee ripped his cassette single of Big Scoob(Big Daddy Kane) titled "Suckaz Can't Hang". While the track samples the Ohio Players's "Funky Worm", It actually sounds different that most of the tracks that sampled it. Suckaz Can't Hang was released on Cold Chillin' in 1994 and is co-produced by Easy Moe Bee. You might also remember scoob's verse as he performed it along with Kane, Big, Pac, & Shyheim in 1995 at the Madison Square Garden.

Here's the Track


Download Full Release

--thomasv

Shadz Of Lingo - A View To A Kill

Atlanta’s Shadz Of Lingo first debuted on Erick Sermon’s debut solo album No Pressure on the track "Lil Crazy" back in 1993,DJ Rocco and MC’s Kolorado and Lingo first met in 1986 at a Richmond, VA, High School.

In 1991 they all moved to Atlanta and began recording, A View To A Kill, released in 1994 was their only album that had a line up of dope producers behind the boards, Erick Sermon produced and appeared on "Mad Flavaz" (also released as a single) while Diamond D laced the Shadz with four ill tracks, “Ill & Get Clowned” which featured a lovely jazz horn sample, deep bassline and the infamous Skull Snaps drums, “Different Stylez” sampled Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam” which was made famous by Large Professor for Main Source’s “Just Hanging Out”, “Think I Give A Fuck” with it’s ill Eddie Harris sample and Lou Donaldson drums and “Don’t Test Da Skillz” which sampled ESG’s “UFO” and Jack Bruce’s "Sam Enchanted Dick”,(also used by Showbiz) Diamond D was definitely the production highlight on the album but Madness 4 Real’s “View To A Kill” was dope and had a Cypress Hill vibe and his funk laced "I Step 2 U Den” was good as well.

Dallas Austin produces the hard “Wherez Da Steel?”, which is not bad but his later effort “Always Stylin” is better,
A View To A Kill is not a classic or a lost album, but it’s a great golden age Hip Hop album, that will keep the head nodding and make the listener smile.

A View To A Kill



1 Different Stylez (4:09)
2 Mad Flavaz (4:27)
3 Ill & Get Clowned (3:43)
4 Wherez Da Steel (4:25)
5 Psychopathic Interlude (2:05)
6 View To A Kill (4:07)
7 Think I Give A F--K (3:35)
8 Don't Test Da Skillz (3:45)
9 Crossfade Flow (1:05)
10 1 Step 2 U Den (4:11)
11 Alwayz Stylin' (4:18)

-- Jaz