Sounds Like The 90s Vol. 13 (2010)

Nope, you're reading the title right. If I'm being completely honest here, the real reason for the delay was I was just waiting on some good music in 2010. Being that most of the tracks I select for compilations are current I didn't just want to throw something together and label it SLT9s.

For the past two years I've taken ample time in creating this series. In selecting the right tracks, to sequencing them, to finding the best quality mp3s available. I still don't know if there has been an abundance of dope music in '10, but there is there plenty of time left. We're always open to suggestions so continue to leave comments or shoot us an email with the goodness.

Peace to my T.R.O.Y. fam for helping me gather some of these joints. Special shouts go to to Strategy, Blake Reznik, Meyhem Lauren, Ide, Skavenger,Verge, Open Mike Eagle and Dirt Dog for the ill cover. Enjoy Volume 13 and stay tuned for plenty more to come in 2010. --Philaflava

T.R.O.Y. Presents - Sounds Like The 90s Vol. 13

1. Freeway & Jake One – Throw Your Hands Up
2. Black Thought – Contract On The World feat. Dice Raw & Porn
3. The LOX – Slow Down (You’re Killin’ Em)
4. Smiley The Ghetto Child – I’m Legend (prod. DJ Premier)
5. Freddie Gibbs – The Ghetto
6. U.G. – Beat Yo Ass
7. Big Noyd – New York Lights
8. Meyhem Lauren – 7000 Thoughts
9. Roc Marciano - Snow
10. Mobb Deep – Whole Lotta Thug (prod. Alchemist)
11. Sadat X – Turn It Up feat. Pete Rock
12. Consequence – Let U Live feat. Pharoahe Monch
13. Ski Beatz – Prowler 2 ft. Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz & Mos Def
14. Wu-Massacre - Dangerous
15. U.G. – My Soldiers feat. Steele & Casual
16. Open Mike Eagle – Unapologetic feat. Nocando
17. Planet Asia & Goldchain Military – Organic Food (prod. Large Professor)
18. Tanya Morgan - Cheesesteak
19. Meyhem Lauren – Treat Her Like A Prostitute feat. Thristin Howl III
20. Brotha Lynch Hung - Meat

Download
Download #2

Related:
(Download) Sounds Like The 90s Volumes 1-12

Mark 563's Hip Hop Portrait Sketches - Wu-Tang Edition

Mark 563 is a DJ, a graphic designer, into amateur photography, and also dabbles in the dope illustrations.

He is also the proud owner of one of the greatest vinyl collections that I have ever seen.
Stay tuned because we will be showcasing more of his great work in the near future.
Enjoy and please leave some feedback. Thanks.

** Click on the image to see it in a bigger resolution.









-- Markshot

Raekwon The Chef “Latest & Greatest Hits [Promo Cassette]” (1995)

I had mentioned in the forum a few days ago that I stumbled across a box of old tapes in my basement. Some mixtapes, some promo samplers, some custom tapes from the days of trading. After posting a short list, it looks like the people have spoken and they want to hear just about all of them. So first up is Raekwon's 1995 promo cassette sampler for the upcoming release of "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx." Nothing mind blowing here, but an exclusive freestyle and (at the time) an advance opportunity to hear a couple album cuts. NOTE: all scans are included in the .rar file as well as a full scan of the sleeve.

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

J-Love “Nas' Finest” (Cassette)

CLASS-SICK!

This tape is one of those gems that never gets old (even with some J-Love drops on it). When I first got my hand on a copy of this tape, it really opened up my eyes to the possibility that a lot of artists had material that never made it on albums. And at the time, J-Love seemed to be the one with all the connections as every one of his tapes were covered in exclusives, remixes and unreleased tracks. See scans for track lists and the download contains a full scan of the j-card.
DOWNLOAD

Shouts to Ricky D for sending me a shoe box full of mixtapes many years ago. I'm finally getting around to ripping them.

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Nas & Ghostface “WR1 Remixes”

So this year I decided I was finally going to put a small dent in recording some of my vinyl. Some for the blog (see the Othorized F.A.M. & Cappadonna rips), others just for me. I should probably be saving this one for the next volume of Illegal Remixes with Step One, but I couldn't wait. I must have bought this one in 98 or 99 from HipHopSite or Sandbox. The labels were white with no writing, no nothing (I made these "fake" labels) and the only info was the etching in the runout said WR1. Sorry about any crackles and pops, I did everything I could to clean it up. If you have any info on this white label, please let me know.

a1 Nas - If I Ruled The World (WR1 Remix)
b1 Ghostface - Daytona 500 (WR1 Remix)

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
-dirt_dog

Ghostface, Jadakiss, Redman, U-God & Large Professor

I love shit like this! Myspace held a free Ghostface concert to promote the new album and awesomeness happened. --Philaflava

Peace to DigiWaxx for the video.

Memory Man Presents: Raekwon - Cuban Revolution

T.R.O.Y. forum member Memory Man dropped one of the most enjoyable mixtapes of the summer. It so happens to be the ideal appetizer before OB4CLII drops September 8th. This mix has been making its rounds on other sites but I felt since T.R.O.Y. Blog caters to an older audience many might have missed this and we wouldn't that... --Philaflava

Memory Man Presents: Raekwon - Cuban Revolution

* 1.Cuban Revolution Intro
* 2.All That Money Is Us
* 3.Run Away (ft. Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man & GZA)
* 4.Better Shoot Something
* 5.Cipher Born (ft. Ghostface Killah & U-God)
* 6.Get Your Shit Beat In (ft. Polite, Chip Banks, Ghostface Killah & Trife Diesel)
* 7.Slang Copulation (ft. Nas, Cappadonna & Ghostface Killah)
* 8.Curiosity
* 9.Iron Chef (ft. Ghostface Killah, Polite & Inspectah Deck)
* 10.A Wise Man
* 11.Cuban Revolution Interlude
* 12.We Gettin' Knots (ft. Fat Joe, Armageddon & Big Pun)
* 13.Fearless Ninjas (ft. Ghostface Killah)
* 14.The All-Time Lineup (ft. American CREAM Team, Inspectah Deck & Method Man)
* 15.Live Kid (ft. Notorious BIG & Ghostface Killah)

Download Links

Sounds Like The 90's (Volume 8)

Better late than ever...

I was actually waiting on a few tracks before I finalized this but I won't continue to bore you with semantics. Let's get right in to the mix, it's definitely more east coast heavy this time around but I feel it complete that proper summer blend I was going for. Enjoy! --Philaflava

Sounds Like The 90's (Volume 8)

1. Statik Seletah - Critically Acclaimed feat. Lil Fame, Saigon & Sean Price
2. Nut-Ragous - NYC To LA feat. Jay Rock
3. Slaughterhouse - Microphone (prod. Alchemist)
4. Uncle Murder - Summertime Shootouts (prod. DJ Premier)
5. French Montana - New York Minute (Remix) feat. Jadakiss, Lil Cease, Mic Geronimo & Noreaga
6. Rakim - Holy Are You
7. DJ Honda - Magnetic Arts feat. Mos Def
8. Atmosphere - Feel Good Hit of The Summer 2
9. Luckyiam - Sumpthin 2 Say feat. Imani & Pep Love
10. Raekwon - Flying Daggers feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah & Method Man
11. J Dilla - Reality TV feat. Black Thought
12. Nino Bless - Boom Bap Shit feat. Skyzoo, Ras Kass, Rhymefest & Scram Jones (prod. Madlib)
13. Havoc - Always Have A Choice
14. Tame One - Freedom of Speech
15. Young Chris - Last Two feat. Freeway & Beanie Sigel
16. Freedie Gibbs - How We Do ('93 Til Freestyle)*
17. Ras Kass - Mike Jacks*

* Bonus Freestyles

Download Sounds Like The 90's (Volume 8)

Link #1 (Mediafire)

Link #2 (Deposit Files)
Link #3 (Zshare)
Link #4 (Rapidshare)

Catch up on all 8 volumes here.

Peace and props to Kalel for knocking out this cover last minute and incorporating my idol (Rickey) on it. Big shout out to Strategy for taggin' and bagging this mix properly so you all could have little pretty images and proper tags for each track. Peace to the T.R.O.Y. and Steady Bloggin' fam. We run this blogosphere rap shit!

Cell Block Z (Ghostface Killah) Contest

Click here to read an excerpt of the book

Contest: Cell Block Z (Ghostface Killah) Contest

Objective: Create your own Ghostface Killah mix

Rules:
- You can only use material pre 2001
- You can use GFK guest appearances
- You can only include 10 tracks
- You can create your own track (remix or verse highlights) but the material must be pre 2001
- Only MP3s will be accepted
- Only bitrates of 160 or higher will be accepted
- Providing cover art is option
- You must POST your mix, along with track list and download link on our forum here

The 4 best mixes will be determined by the T.R.O.Y. & Steady Bloggin' blog squad.
The public will determine the last place winner by voting on T.R.O.Y..

5 winners total.

*Only residents of the US and Canada are eligible to win; no PO boxes. This is by request of the publisher.

By Ghostface Killah, Marlon Chapman, and Shauna Garr, Illustrated by Chris Walker

To his fans, Cole Dennis is a heavyweight contender with a devastating right hook. To a city being held hostage to chaos and terror, Dennis has a grit and charisma that make him the shining hope for justice--until he is arrested for a brutal murder. Framed for a crime he did not commit, he finds himself captive in a foreboding high-tech superprison whose masters secretly conspire to turn inmates into tomorrow's most terrifying bioweapons--with Cole Dennis as the intended prize specimen. But Dennis is nobody's lab rat. Reborn as a towering engine of destruction, Dennis will prepare for the fight of his life. He will rename himself Ghostface Killah. And his cry of righeous rage will echo beyond the cold steel walls of Cell Block Z.

For more information:

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780446699747.htm

To order:

http://www.amazon.com/Cell-Block-Z-Ghostface-Killah/dp/0446699748

Memory Man Presents Wu-Tang Clan Vs. D.I.T.C.

Memory Man Presents Wu-Tang Clan Vs. D.I.T.C.

"This virtual face-off pits two of New York's most respected and influential crews against each other in an all-out blend war. The focus is on battle rhymes and the groups' golden era material, but there's a few exceptions. Split into two continuous parts, the tracks alternate between Wu-Tang MC's rhyming over D.I.T.C. beats and vice versa. This mix is an attempt to illustrate how evenly matched the Wu-Tang Clan and D.I.T.C. really are/were."

Wu-Tang Clan Vs. DITC Part 1 (45:30)
Wu-Tang Clan Vs. DITC Part 2 (35:05)

Download

Hopefully, you will all enjoy this mix. Make sure to check out Memory Man here at his Myspace. Drop a comment! It def gets my vote for 'Mix of the Year'!!

-- Thomas V

DJ Mister Cee “The Best Of Method Man”

Originally I bought this one on cassette. But I couldn't resist buying it a second time, on cd. Nothing too fancy, nothing too special, a couple of nice freestyles, remixes and a classic live track, but overall it's a great mix of all those Johnny Blaze tracks that I used to know and love.

01 Wu-Tang Clan-Method Man (Live At The Palladium)

02 Wu-Tang Clan-Protect Ya Neck

03 Wu-Tang Clan-Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'

04 Wu-Tang Clan-Shame On A Nigga

05 Wu-Tang Clan-Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothing To F' Wit

06 Wu-Tang Clan-7th Chamber Part II

07 Wu-Tang Clan-Method Man (Remix)

08 SWV-Anything (Old Skool Remix) feat. Wu-Tang Clan

09 Method Man & Ghostface Killer-Freestyle Live On The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show

10 The Notorious B.I.G.-The What feat. Method Man

11 Method Man-Bring The Pain

12 Method Man-PLO Style

13 Method Man-Meth vs. Chef feat. Raekwon

14 Wu-Tang Clan-St. Ides Commercial

15 Method Man-Release Yo' Delf

16 Method Man-All I Need (Remix 1 & 2) feat. Mary J. Blige

17 Spice 1-Hard 2 Kill feat. Method Man

18 Shaquille O'Neal-No Hooks feat. Method Man & RZA

19 Ol' Dirty Bastard-Rawhide feat. Method Man & Raekwon

20 Boyz II Men-Vibin' (Remix) feat. Treach, Craig Mack, Busta Rhymes & Method Man

21 Ol' Dirty Bastard-Dirty Dancing feat. Method Man

22 Method Man & Redman-How High (Original & Remix)

23 Method Man & Raekwon-Freestyle

24 Raekwon-Ice Cream feat. Method Man, Ghostface & Cappachino

My cover was kind of badly beaten, so I scanned it in, cleaned it up and threw in all new type exactly the same as the original. Coming very soon will be “The Best Of Redman” and “The Best Of Notorious B.I.G.” in the series.

Download

enjoy,

dirt_dog

Tri-Pack Wafer: Ghostface, Xzibit, Royal Flush

Ghostface Killah "All That I Got Is You"

Royal Flush "Family Problems"

Xzibit "Carry The Weight"

"I hope one of his peoples could hook him up with a tri-pack/ That's three different flavors/ Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry wafers" -- MF Doom, "Kookies"

The above quote is taken out of context from a typically elaborate low-brow extended metaphor courtesy of MF Doom; "kookies" represent different "flavors" of porn stars but also slyly references web browser "cookies." For our purposes however, the tri-pack wafer is simply a convenience pack of three related but distinctly enjoyable songs. Today's selections are culled from the same era (1996-1997) and each one is claimed by its respective narrator to be an autobiographical account of an impoverished, unstable upbringing. 

I tend to be skeptical of criticism that suggests that rap lyrics, or any life-writings,  can ever exist in a form that is unsullied by fictive manipulation. It is a stance that belittles both critic and artist and flirts dangerously with the logical fallacies intrinsic to voyeuristic racial tourism. Who are these rappers to tell us that they are singularly impervious to the temptations of nostalgic revisionism or self-serving discretion? Conversely, who are we critics to presume that rappers are incapable of knowingly and creatively playing with the facts? With that said, I  love these songs precisely because their unwavering claims of authenticity are occasionally shaky, and I am loathe to debate the unknowable plausibility of such recollections. 

Today's songs are framed more as confessionals or psychotherapy sessions than rosy-hued remembrances, and mostly avoid the saccharine platitudes that plague most "back in the day" songs. They are not entirely free of melodrama, however. Ghostface's "All That I Got Is You" is an unapologetic R&B tearjerker filled with tales of roach-plucking and pissy mattress sharing so fucked up they practically redeem Ghost's now-trademark effusiveness. Royal Flush is nearly maudlin as a blatant if convincing Ghostface impersonator and comes across as rather desperate in his attempt to maintain a facade of stoic realness against a musical backdrop suited for his emotional, graphic account of domestic abuse. 

Xzibit's reminiscence steers clear of sentimentality in such an overdetermined manner that he actually sounds much like the angry, introverted adolescent he describes. While Ghostface and Royal Flush rhapsodize about their struggling mothers and hint at the eventual acquirement of a healthy adult perspective on pressing life matters, Xzibit just grumbles. He frames his past as an explanation of present behaviors, dysfunctional or otherwise. There's a detectable trace of self-effacement for its own sake in his suppressed emotiveness. In each of these cases, the narrator's central concern is the public's current perception of his legitimacy as a spokesperson for the impoverished collective. Childhood is merely a reel of stock footage edited for the purpose of propaganda. 

And it never sounded better.

 -- Thun

Ghostface Killah "The Sun"

LISTEN - Ghostface Killah ft. Raekwon, Slick Rick, RZA "The Sun"

Read The Lyrics

Circa 2001, Ghostface's output was dominated by inspired metaphorical whimsy. Excised from the U.S. retail version of Bulletproof Wallets, "The Sun," (featuring RZA, Raekwon, and Slick Rick) boasts happily insistent sampled horns (sometimes misattributed to The Stylistics or Sonny & Cher) that cleverly mirror the levity and profundity cohabiting in the verses. Ghost honors the life-giving, inspirational qualities of earth's closest star through secular ode (noting the sun's kiss as "scrumptious" and "nutritious"), religious incantation (citing "This Little Light of Mine," a gospel children's song turned Civil Rights anthem), and a hilariously botched science lesson.

The song takes a turn towards genius, however, when the self-described Muslim (with Five Percenter sympathies) personifies the sun as the truest street warrior who "could never be pussy," reliably coming out of hiding even at gunpoint. The normally stoic Rakewon then complicates this concept by cheerfully relating his nephew's enthusiasm for the sun, suggesting that sunshine is best enjoyed following study and refinement, but couching the advice in familiar fatherly terms that still hearken back to NOI/NGE street ministry ("probably if you clean up and read a little"). Ghost's sense that shining divinity is perceivable in "pictures and scriptures" but also within one's immutable self is bolstered by Raekwon's assertion that "you always see one in a building."

In these utterances, the mundane transforms into the heavenly, and the similarities between the Five Percenter conflation of "Sun" and "Son" (claimed by KRS-One and other to have its origins in a Christian subversion of ancient Egyptian Cosmology) and Protestant (as well as Islamic mystic) notions of an inner transcendent light are rendered momentarily apparent. Ghost and Rae deftly utilize a mixture of Christian and Five Percenter concept to describe a "mentor" figure who is "one in a million," and demands uplift ("makes me wanna climb, take a bite out of shine") but can also be associated with the promise and purity of childhood - the Son/Sun of man, the "understanding," the stars, the "best part," etc. A future messianic figure, for sure, but far from a vaporous angelic being, more like your brother or firstborn son.

Slick Rick and RZA continue in a similar manner, with the former theorizing the sun as a gateway to the heavens as well as a complement to domestic bliss and the latter paraphrasing (in a stupefying show of eclecticism I might add) both the Lost-Found Lessons and the lyrics to "The Candy Man" to illustrate his sense of the Sun/Son as the architect of a universal order (exemplified by the water cycle). Thus, while "The Sun" sits squarely within a tradition of rap artists (Sunz Of Man, King Sun, etc.) and rap songs that make reference to the word's symbolic associations (think the Roy Ayers sampling "Wake Up [Reprise In The Sunshine]" by Brand Nubian or Funkdoobiest's "Rock On"), as well as a broader Black musical legacy that makes use of celestial motifs, it is also notable for its strangeness and brilliance.

And it remains a worthwhile listen some years later. -- Thun