Superegular & The Stoupe Produced EPs of the '90s.

It’s time for some more literal Phila flava. Before Stoupe the Enemy of the Mankind began to work almost exclusively for members of Jedi Mind Tricks and Army of the Pharaohs (with exceptions for artists like Canibus, Guru and Reks) he was starting out with groups like Soulcraft, Doublespeek and Neso in the mid to late nineties.

“…I had a very brief career as an MC. Stoupe and I had a group called Doublespeek with another friend. We put out one 12” in 1996 just before the birth of Superegular. I think it went copper? I never saw the final SoundScan numbers on that one.” ~ Ryan Donahue (in a Baby Grande Interview)

This is that one 12”, which, if you can find, will now likely cost you a couple bills. But now thanks to the Illest EPs thread (among other places), you can hear it right here:



Doublespeek – Trial By Stone EP (192 CBR) (1996 on Onesoul Productions)





A1 - Trial By Stone ft. Arch Leon & Yan (Produced by Stoupe)

A2 - Trial By Stone (Remix) ft. Arch Leon & Yan (Produced by Stoupe)

A3 - Trial By Stone (Instrumental) (Produced by Stoupe)

B1 - Remind Body ft. Arch Leon & Yan (Produced by Stoupe)

B2 - Remind Body (Instrumental) (Produced by Stoupe)

B3 - Black China ft. Arch Leon, Jay Block & Yan (Produced by Stoupe)



As forum member kimani said: “...this EP is very good, give it a listen if you haven't, regardless of whether or not you like Stoupe or Jedi Mind Tricks.”



And (thanks to Kevin Beacham) this is yet another T.R.O.Y. exclusive, one of the earlier Superegular releases:



Neso – The Move / Mad Coolout / The Balance 12” / VLS (256 / 320 CBR) (1997 on Superegular Recordings)

(Picture courtesy of Kevin Beacham, click for big.)

A1 - The Move (Produced by Stoupe)

A2 - The Move (Instrumental) (Produced by Stoupe)

A3 - The Move (Remix) (Produced by Stoupe)

B1 - Mad Coolout ft. Teniweti, Arch Leon, Jack Block, Kaosm, Oddball & Qan (Produced by Stoupe)

B2 - Mad Coolout (Instrumental) (Produced by Stoupe)

B3 - The Move (Remix Instrumental) (Produced by Stoupe)

B4 - The Balance ft. Karesh (Produced by Stoupe)



Two other early Stoupe produced releases, a ’96 single / EP also by Neso called Subject to Change and ‘94’s Common Thread EP by Soulcraft still haven’t surfaced online (at least not yet).



But then of course there's the most well known Stoupe produced EP from the '90s and that's Jedi Mind Trick's first release, The Amber Probe EP:



Jedi Mind Tricks – The Amber Probe EP (192 CBR) (1996 on Superegular Recordings)





A1 - Neva Antiquated (Produced by Stoupe)

A2 - Neva Antiquated (Instrumental) (Produced by Stoupe)

A3 - Communion: The Crop Circle Thesis ft. The Lost Children of Babylon (Produced by Stoupe)

B1 - Neva Antiquated (Dark Jedi Remix) (Produced by Stoupe)

B2 - Neva Antiquated (Dark Jedi Remix Instrumental) (Produced by Stoupe)

B3 - Books of Blood: The Coming of Tan ft. El Eloh (Produced by Stoupe)



Thanks to both Ho1ogramz and kimani for posting / reupping Doublespeek links, to the Kaknado blog for providing a working link to the Amber Probe EP and as always, mad props to Kevin Beacham, this time around for scanning the one sheet and ripping / upping the original links to Neso's The Move 12" in this crazy thread, which contains a lot of freestyles, demos and assorted rarities (if you didn't already know).



-- The Big Sleep

Yo, which one o' y'all down wit' B.B.O.?

One of the many gems posted in T.R.O.Y.'s Illest EPs Ever thread is from this little known group:

Best Ballers Out, or B.B.O., also known as The B.B.O. Crew, B.B.O. Enterprises or B.B.O. Niggas were a Harlem based group composed of (then Murda) Mase’s brother Blinky Blink (who would later be known from Harlem World), Napizm, White Bread, Beef Tha Thief, Futuristic and manager Chuck Black. (Real names according to the credits on their EP: T. Gilford, M. Foster, K. Leigh, G. Jones, G. Burgess and T. Saunders.) They had ties to DJ S&S, the Niggaz For Life crew and The Children of the Corn(er), first getting shout outs from the likes of Mase and Big L starting around ’93, their song from ’96 Get Rude may have been inspired by Mase’s ’93 track of the same name (V2 / VBR). Sometime starting around ’97, shortly before the group disappeared, they had ads up in The Source promoting what would have been their debut album: Across From 125^th St., which of course never dropped. By the end of ’98 they had basically all but vanished completely.

B.B.O – Get Rude / Dayz Lik This / Pose A Threat 12” / VLS - V2 / VBR - (1996)

A1 - Get Rude (Rude Version)

A2 - Get Rude (Nude Version)

A3 - Get Rude (Instrumental)

B1 - Dayz Lik This

B2 - Dayz Lik This (Instrumental)

B3 - Pose a Threat

DJ S&S – Beat of the Day (Throw Ya Hands Up) ft. B.B.O. 12” / VLS - V2 / VBR - (1998)

A1 - Beat of the Day ft. B.B.O. (Radio Version)

B1 - Beat of the Day ft. B.B.O. (125^th Street LP Mix)

B2 - Beat of the Day (Instrumental)

Thanks to Verge for reupping the ’97 DJ S&S track So Hot (V2 / VBR), to soopacee for originally ripping and posting the '97 DJ Capone freestyle (192 CBR) and to True King and Ed Catto (and badboy4life on the BigLOnline forums) for helpin’ out with some of the information.

-- The Big Sleep

Great EPs: E-40 - "The Mailman"

Fresh from the "Illest EPs Ever" thread over at the forum, here's a Bay Area classic from the legendary 40 Fonzarelli.

Originally released in 1994, The Mail Man follows the trends set on previous efforts such as Mr. Flamboyant and Federal; E-40 kicks rapid-fire, humorous tales thick with his trademark "slanguage" over slumping mobb-style beats produced by Studio Ton and 40-Water himself. However, what distinguishes this EP from those earlier releases is a more polished, consistent sound; this most likely stems from the major-label backing bestowed upon 40 by Jive Record, the imprint that would later re-release his earlier efforts. Along with this improved production, The Mail Man shows 40 really solidifying his now-trademark style, and it shows. So many solid tunes on this record, including the all-time classics "Captain Save-A-Ho" and "Practice Lookin' Hard."

Despite the transgressions made by E-40 over the past 6 years and numerous attempts to tarnish his legacy as a Bay legend, the grip of full-lengths and extended plays that he dropped from 1991 to 1996 more than make up for it. The Mail Man is no exception. So drop ya drawls and get some 40 Water in ya life, yadadibooboo?

1. "Neva Broke"

2. "Bring the Yellow Tape"

3. "Practice Lookin' Hard"

4. "Ballin' Out of Control" (featuring Levitti)

5. "Where the Party At" (featuring The Mossie)

6. "Captain Save a Hoe" (featuring The Click)

7. "Mailman"

8. "Captain Save a Hoe" (Remix) (featuring The Click)

E-40 - "The Mailman" EP

Great EPs: Digital Underground: "This Is An EP Release"

You really ain't know hip hop if you ain't know the legendary Digital Underground. Likewise, if you've never danced your ass off to this song at a house party while singing "I once got busy in a Burger King bathroom," then you should probably bounce and go listen to some Flo-Rida or something. These dudes are Oaktown legends, and are unfairly remembered more for the fact that they gave Tupac his start in the industry than the music that they made.

Digital Underground is a fantastic rap group, don't get me wrong. However, I've got to admit that they have their faults, at least musically. As the mighty ego trip Monkey Academy once said, D.U. has "one great album, one decent EP, and far too much bullshit after that." Whereas this may be perceived as a little harsh, there's a modicum of truth to it. Sex Packets is indeed a classic hip hop album; it's bawdy, rambunctious, and totally fun. Unfortunately, after releasing this seminal piece of music, something caused D.U. to fade away into the ether.

So what happened? Too ambitious, indulgent? The constant revolving-door cycle of artists coming in and out of the D.U. camp? The actual bloatation (is that even a word?) of the group into near-Funkadelic status, with dozens of musicians, graphic artists, dancers shuffled into the collective? Who knows. I suppose that's a question for another day and another blog post. For now, we'll be focusing on just one of the other high-quality releases by Digital Underground: 1991's This Is An EP Release.

Essentially a continuation of the Sex Packets sound and themes, This Is An EP Release rides the Parliament vibe, eschewing the sample-driven sound and embracing live instrumentation; this is some of the funkiest organ work you'll ever hear on a rap record. 6 songs deep, all killer and no filler. It might not be the perfect EP but it's pretty damn close. Do yourself a favor: scoop this up and play it next Saturday night. I guarantee it will not disappoint.

1. Same Song

2. Tie the Knot

3. Way We Swing

4. Nuttin' Nis Funky

5. Packet Man (Worth a Packet Remix)

6. Arguin' on the Funk

Grab it!

- Echo Leader

LMNO - This EP Reminds Me Of '93

You all know LMNO from Visionaries. Well this is one of his solo works. A dope EP, released on Up Above Records, an EP which not only reminds the artist of '93, it does to the listeners as well. Agree?

LMNO - This EP Reminds Me Of '93 (2004)


01. Ears Hear
02. One Small Fry
03. All That Mess Feat. Urbanites
04. Looking For A Way Out
05. Impressionism
06. Dust Off Your Saddles Feat. Circle Of Power

Preview:


DOWNLOAD

-- Markshot

Bloquera EP

This EP was a result when Giant Panda's (Maanumental, Newman, Sir Kado, Superbrush 427) and Thes One (People Under The Stairs) went to the road trip to Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Their experiences of this road trip are packed in this comical 5 track EP.
You will find more info on here.

Bloquera EP (2005)

01. Shine On
02. Taller Gomez
03. Tricky Trakes
04. Fiesta
05. Back To The Grind Again

DOWNLOAD

Bloquera - Shine On


Bloquera - Fiesta

-- Markshot

Great EPs: King Sun x Cold Chillin' - "Strictly Ghetto"

For those of you that frequent the forum, you will undoubtedly have noticed the "Illest EPs Ever" thread that's been ongoing for the past month or so. Too many dope EPs to name have been uploaded by numerous forum members.

One of the best EPs to be uploaded, in my humble opinion, is King Sun's "Strictly Ghetto" EP. Released in 1994 on Cold Chillin' Records, one look at the cover tells you this is a different King Sun than the one you remember from "Righteous But Ruthless." Sun-D Moet traded in his kufi for a Carhartt jacket, and forging a harder-edged street-level experience for the listener. If you are a fan of the TROY blog, I guarantee you will love this record. The beats are top notch (I'm not sure who helmed the boards, as a Google search proves fruitless) and Sun definitely stepped up his lyrical game.

Unfortunately, the EP seemed to get lost in the decline and eventual demise of Cold Chillin' Records shortly after it's release. It's currently out of print, but you can get a CD copy on Amazon for under $100...you know, if paying exorbitant prices for obscure early 90's rap records is your thing.

Enjoy this dope little slice of '94, courtesy of Echo Leader & the TROY blog.

1. Humm Deez Nuts
2. Street Corner
3. BNS Sex
4. Once Upon A Time
5. Suck No Dick
6. Robbin' Of Da Hood
7. Get Down With Da Get Down

Mediafire

- Echo Leader

Example - Impulses EP (Houston 1997)

Here's an extremely dope EP out of Houston, Texas. DJ Cipher and Dekay(who would later become known as the rhyming half of the BBE duo Nicolay and Kay) formed the group Example and in 1997 dropped only limited copies of this gem of a record. I first heard the track "Slow Motion" on DJ Eli's Night Train radio program on WKCR. I had no idea who this group was or what this record was until about a year ago. Thank you internets, T.R.O.Y. forum, and Crates Of Ag for making me aware of this ill piece of work.

We've already introduced you to "Slow Motion" with the sample for it here and The Moaning comp and mix here. Other stand out cuts on this are "Recollect", "7-26-96", and "Strive". But really, there's nothing wack on here at all. "Recollect" is on some serious summer time, feel good, anthem status, so don't sleep on that one.

Click the links in this post to see what these cats are up to now and click the highlighted tracks for previews.

01. i.e. intro

02. 7 - 26 - 96

03. The Strive

04. Slow Motion

05. Endless

06. Recollect

07. E.T.A.

08. i.e. outro

Freshly ripped from vinyl at 320kbps:

[mediafire link]

[megaupload link]

--Verge

Godfather Don - The Ill Funk Freaker EP (One Leg Up Records)

Editor's Note: We did not get this from anybody named "FTD." No digging crew egoes were injured during the uploading of this EP. 

Godfather Don "The Ill Funk Freaker EP" (One Leg Up Records OLU-LTD1)

Download Link 

Back Up Link

Info:

The “Ill Funk Freaker” EP consists of EIGHT unreleased songs found on Godfather Don’s original half-inch studio reels. Stored away for years, OLU and Don transported, baked, and dumped these last few remnants of his early 90’s home studio to find these treasures. What was uncovered was truly special! The highly coveted and sought after, “8 Million Stories”, an alternate version of “Slaves” with Kool Keith and six other Don masterpieces. All extracted off of the reels in perfect original quality! Turns out that “Where’z The Skillz?” and “Ain’t None Left” were actually originally vocal versions of two stripped down instrumentals that Don later used on his first installment of Hydra Beats. The hard and fast paced “Shoot The Two” features an early verse from Don collaborator Mic L (in a group called Da Funky Orphanz) and sadly, I don’t know why all of these songs were never released??? The bulk of this EP stands toe to toe with “Status”, “Piece Of The Action” and “Properties Of Steel”, which is why this is THE moment Godfather Don fans have been waiting for. Further cementing Don’s legacy as both a top notch lyricist AND beatsmith, this EP will undoubtedly continue the call for more early-to mid 90’s GD archives.

Don't forget to download The Beatnuts "Intoxicated Demos"

Hit up the "Rarity" tag to get more treats, including Rakim "The Cellar" EP.

And don't skip over Markshot's King Tee VLS post just because we had to get this post up ASAP.

Saafir - One Of The Hardest (Vinyl EP & CD)

Click photo to download the mp3s off the vinyl EP

One of the hardest ... EPs to find information on? Absolutely. Recently, a denizen of the T.R.O.Y. Forum named Fak uploaded this seven track vinyl EP, which is for sale here and appears to have been released in 2005 on the equally elusive Drive-By Pimp Slap label (DBPS2-1). But confusion ensued in the thread - fellow blogger Markshot, among others, had come across an album of the same title but with eight tracks, two of which, "Back Up Off Me" and "Less Work," are similarly titled to songs on the vinyl version, but no exactly. Major WTF here.

Google Blog Search was not immediately helpful in this case, but with a little bit of sleuthing I was able to put the puzzle pieces together. A blog post from December 2006 that is now in 404 limbo proclaims that Saafir's One Of The Hardest EP is a limited edition: "saafir returns! 8 unreleased tracks (not on any other release) recorded between 1997-2002. hella limited. look out for a new album in the near forseeable future." This post apparently included a tracklist but the blurb visible in the search result only shows "1.less work 2.bad b*tch 3.touch somebody (feat. xzibit)," which matches the first three selections from Markshot's tracklist. That plus the "hella" suggested some pure west coast authenticity to me.

Further in the past, back in August 2005, SergDun from We Eat So Many Shrimp blogged about a Saafir concert he attended, in which the Saucee Nomad insisted on performing some brand new material which included songs called "Crispy" and "Cash Me Out." Now we're on to something! Afterwards, SergDun purchased a CD titled, you guessed it One Of The Hardest, which he described as "archived material from '97-'02." He then goes on to four of the songs that appear on his eight track CD, all of which appear on Markshot's playlist. Good then. Inspection of both files suggests that "Back Up" and "Back Up Off Me" are in fact the same songs with the same Ras Kass and Xzibit guest verses. Ditto for "Left Work" and "Less Work." Or at least the beats and lyrics are the same - they could be different takes for all I know, as the recording quality is much greater on the CD versions.

In any event, the music on these EPs falls far short of the bar Saafir set on Boxcar Sessions, but you probably knew that already. Even if you're of the belief that Saafir's more accessible reinvention beginning with Trigonometry was a step in the right direction (and this argument admittedly  has some merit) these EPs are not essential unless you're a completist. Saafir has rhymed better over iller beats elsewhere, point blank. But this is Saafir, so the EPs are filled with those sublime moments where he just goes the fuck off and says something totally unexpected in his trademark anxious robotic freestyle way. For some this will be reason enough to collect these semi-rarities.

For others who are unconvinced, peep this article from 2007 which explains that the lyrics from the song "One Of The Hardest" comprise a true-to-life account of Saafir's near brush with death as a survivor of a plane crash: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/03/DDG2JNAD6O1.DTL

Click on cover art to download the mp3s from the CD version

-- Thun

Rakim "The Cellar" EP

Peace to our readers from every corner of the world. I'm going to keep this short and simple. Tweet this: T.R.O.Y. has Rakim The Cellar EP for you to download. 'Nuff respeck to DJ Mike Nice for the generous hook up.

The facts as they are reported at Soundtable (who collaborated with LA-based Tres Records and NY-based No Sleep Records on this):

Rakim: The Cellar EP

The Cellar EP is a collection of three unheard Rakim sessions and instrumentals; previously unreleased and limited only to this 300 pressed vinyl.

“Man With A Gun”.

Recorded by Rakim in 2002, this song was done strictly for an underground buzz 12” that was never released.

“Once Upon A Rhyme” (Original Version).

Recorded by Rakim in 1995, this song/version was a last minute deletion from the “18th Letter” LP.

BONUS TRACK “Show Me Love” (Rugged Version).

Recorded by Rakim in 1996, this version had to be remixed for the “18th Letter” LP, due to sample clearance issues.

All songs are produced by Nick Wiz.

All scratches are provided by D.J. Slyce.

My take: this shit is really dope. It's Rakim. "Once Upon A Rhyme" shares some lyrics with "Various Shades Of Black." It's a damned shame Rakim didn't release an album in 1995.

Download Link @ Mediafire

Backup Link @ Megaupload

Note: The instrumentals are not included. Cry me a river.

-- Thun

Don't forget to grab today's other exclusive: Illmatic 15 Years Later (pdf scan from XXL magazine)

DAN-E-O : Dear Hip Hop EP

DEAR HIP HOP EP (1994-1997)

01. Constipated
02. Mental Mirage
03. Son Daze
04. Mic Surgery
05. Incarceration
06. So Deep
07. Dear Hip Hop
08. Dear Hip Hop (the 2nd letter) feat. Grimace Love
09. Danish (performed by Monolith's Dan-e-o & Nish Raawks)
10. Bye D'Plenty (performed by Monolith)
11. Plan Eh (performed by Monolith)
12. Jackin'4 Beatz T.O. (performed by Monolith's Dan-e-o & Nish Raawks)

Download

Props to Ho1ogramz!

-- Thomas V

Black Rob - White Label EP

Forum regular Step One was kind enough to bless us with mp3s of this seemingly rare Black Rob EP. It should be noted that these songs are not merely freestyles over classic beats, but skilled remakes of the original. Here's what Step One has to say:

This a 4 track white label BR dropped before his first album.

Its got him spitting over Lookin At The Front Door, Childrens Story and Who Got The Props, plus a jackin for beats type thing over some Juice Crew beats and Punks Jump Up....

I've labelled that track 'The Heist' but I have a feeling it was called something else on the vinyl so if anyone can put me up on that go ahead.

There you have it. If anyone has more information, let us know the deal. Enjoy.

[Click To Download]

Harleckinz - From The Levels Below (1995)

This EP was released in 95 by this German group called Harleckinz. It was released independently and was produced by themselves. This EP was released in 95, and you can clearly hear that the New York Influence in the scratches and samples used by DJ Jester. The three emcees are Double Phase Shysta, The Boogieman and Salikh The Beastman, who rap exclusively in English. This is for those who like that mid 90's east coast hip hop sound.

Here's a track so you know how it sounds

Download The EP

-- Thomas V