(Organized in Japan circa 1995, photo courtesy of D.I.T.C. affiliate Marquee.)
Roy Johnson has been trying to track down a complete copy of this ’91 / ’92 era O.C. demo called I Kick a Rhyme for the Record for years now. After aleph had posted these:
Page the Hand Grenade ft. O.C. – Untitled Demo (1994?)
Roy thought to ask aleph directly, who responded that he thought he had it “on a tape of a Riz / Eclipse show” and a couple days later a full version of the track was here:
On February 26, Fat Beats LA hosted a double In-Store for the releases of Planet Asia & Gold Chain Military - Chain Of Command and DJ Babu - The Beat Tape Vol.2. Led by Planet Asia(Fresno,CA), Killer Ben, Tristate(LA), and Sav Killz(Brooklyn,NY) of GCM performed tracks off their new album with DJ Babu on the turntables. The album features production from Alchemist, Large Professor, DJ Babu, Evidence, Masterkraftsmen, and more... GCM brings back real lyricism and style to hip-hop with the new album "Chain of Command". Go Cop It!
Tash of Tha Alkaholiks and Prince Po of Organized Konfusion dropped by Fat Beats to show some love and they freestyled with GCM over Babu's beat from The Beat Tape Vol.2.
Sway & King Tech's Wake Up Show Unreleased Project is a compilation of rare tracks by Noggin' Nodder, Chino XL, Steve Def, & The Bums and it has King Tech remixes of D'Angelo, Rakim, & The Pharcyde. The last track on the album is possibly the greatest radio promo of all-time, the 1994 Wake Up Show Anthem with Nas, Organized Konfusion, Ras Kass, Saafir, Shyheim, Dred Scott, & Lauryn Hill. Noggin' Nodder is now known as Motion Man.. the track Bounce is a real banger! That Ice Cube sample is crazy and so is the beat produced by Kut Masta Kurt! The rest is fully produced King Tech. I always thought this was a vinyl only release so I was really surprised when I found this cd! A great pickup!
We've finally decided to give this a go. It will be tough, no doubt. But if everybody who has any little bit of knowledge at all about the WKCR legacy, would add on and build with us, it is possible that we can map out the show's entire history.
We've got people who are willing to rip your tapes to mp3 and mail them back to you. The Big Sleep has set up a "Stretch And Bobbito" blog to archive and keep the list of shows, dates, and guests, all together in one place.
Here's a few treats that have surfaced since we started this mission:
Stretch may be coming through with a full, almost completely accurate, list of all the show dates and guests, soon. Hopefully some show rips, too. Stay tuned.
One of the greatest things about music is discovering new artists. Whether it's the case today, years ago hip-hop was always about helpin' others get on. There was a certain element in the music was more authentic. The chemistry was real and more importantly rappers were motivated by their competitive nature, not potential endorsements. There are tons of memorable debuts such as AZ on "Life's A Bitch," Jay-Z on "Hawaiian Sophie" or 2Pac on D.U.'s "Same Song." For some, careers were made on just one verse.
Below are 7 phenomenal debuts that some might argue contain the greatest ever. We're asking our T.R.O.Y. readers to let us know which debut you feel is the greatest of all-time. You can post your comments as well as vote on which debut from the videos below you feel is the best. --Philaflava Ultramagnetic MC's - Raise It Up feat. Godfather Don
A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario (Remix) feat. Kid Hood & L.O.N.S.
Gang Starr - I'm The Man feat. Lil Dap & Jeru The Damaja
Organized Konfusion - Fudge Pudge feat. O.C.
Main Source - Live From The BBQ feat. Joe Fatal, Akinyele & Nasty Nas
S.O.U.L. is an obscure early 70s funk group that released some of the absolute dopest tracks from that era. They recorded two albums in between the years of 1971 and 1973: "What Is It" and "Can You Feel It". From what I can gather, they disbanded shortly after the release of their second album, so unfortunately, their entire catalog contains less than 20 tracks. Producers that have sampled S.O.U.L. include Pete Rock, Marley Marl, The Large Professor, The Jungle Brothers, MF Doom, etc.
S.O.U.L. - Samples 1. S.O.U.L. - Burning Spear 2. Organized Konfusion - Releasing Hypnotical Gases 3. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Go With The Flow 4. S.O.U.L. - Soul 5. Slick Rick - A Letter 6. Jungle Brothers - In Dayz 2 Come 7. Main Source - Fakin' The Funk 8. S.O.U.L. - Piece Of Mind 9. Craig G - What You're Used To 10. Main Source - Peace Is Not The Word To Play 11. S.O.U.L. - Message From A Black Man 12. MF Doom - Sarsaparilla (Instrumental) http://www.mediafire.com/?ztt5nmzzj31
I left these out: Dope Posse - Mind Over Matter T-Max - Mind Over Matter Grand Daddy IU - Mind Over Matter Ice T - Mind Over Matter (Remix) Grouch - Mind Over Matter DJ Faust - Mind Over Matter Zion I - Mind Over Matter Labtekwon - Mind Over Matter
This is a RAP NERD VOLTRON in full effect, duns amd dun-ettes. The entire T.R.O.Y. regular staff (Admiral, Blockhead, Philaflava, Roy Johnson, Schenactady Fan, Thun, ThomasV, Verge) put our heads together to come up with a list of Fifty Remixes that YOU need to hear as soon as humanly possible! Take note that this is not a list of the "best" remixes ever (though many are contenders) or even our very "favorites," (though some qualify) but simply a list of fifty great remixes (interpreted somewhat loosely to include songs that are essentially remakes or sequels) that we think you'll enjoy. We tried to leave out extremely obvious picks ("Scenario" 7 MCs Remix, "I Got'Cha Opin", and the like) but we also kept the list fairly accessible and mostly confined to crews that were signed and put out actual albums. We'll be bringing you ten picks every morning this week, so join the T.R.O.Y. Movement and spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, Digg, the message boards and blogs you frequent, text messages, and what have you. Enjoy, and be sure to leave some (hopefully not hateful) feedback.
1. Eric B. & Rakim "Microphone Fiend" (45 King Remix)
2. Leaders Of The New School "International Zone Coaster" (SD50s Remix)
This one is a pure adrenaline rush, and it's easily one of our favorite L.O.N.S. tracks. Produced by Dante Ross of the SD50s.
3. Slick Rick "It's A Boy" (Large Pro Remix)
Quite possibly the dopest remix that the Large Professor has ever produced, and that's saying something. Extra P utilized an incredible Cal Tjader sample for this one. Check out out 2CD set of Cal Tjader samples.
4. Artifacts "Ultimate" (Showbiz Remix)
5. De La Soul "Breakadawn" (De La Remix)
A slammin’ remix that doesn’t get mentioned too often. While it’s hard to outdo the original, this one definitely comes close. That “Dawn Brings Smoke” beat is outstanding.
6. 3rd Bass "Product Of The Environment" (Marley Marl Remix)
7. Organized Konfusion "Stress" (Extra P Remix)
8. Das Efx "Microphone Master" (Domecracker Remix)
Everybody wants to be Mick or Paul, but it doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes the group's core isn't always the lead-- take Lars Ulrich or Pete Townshend for example. And sometimes a group gains very little notoriety all together, but below are a few rap groups that we hold near and dear and their most prominent members.
Fu-Schnickens
Let's be real for a second: Fu-Schnickens had 3 members and most of us only recall one. While they had a few hits like "True-Fu-Schnick," "La Schmoove" and the Shaq laced "Whats Up Doc," Chip Fu was the only talent out the crew and arguably a better Das EFX impersonator than Skoob or Krazy Drayzy. Chip Fu is still trying to make a name for himself appearing on various projects and most recently the Nas' "Where Are They Now?" remix. Meanwhile somewhere at a Gray's Papaya you could probably find the other two members Moc Fu and Poc Fu sharing the grill duties.
Answer: Chip-Fu
Brand Nubian
We all know Puba was the best and there is no question "One For All" is their magnum opus, but the one guy who never quite got his props was Sadat X. Mr. Murphy is responsible for keeping this group relevant past 1990. He won't ever beincluded in discussions for the best rapper, though one could make a valid argument that he should be placed somewhere in the Top 40. Sadat X had more than just a voice, he also had a likeability factor that is extremely rare these days. He was witty and more importantly provided the much needed balance to the Nubians. Many people don't realize just how great "In God We Trust" or "Everything For Everything" are and on both albums Grand Puba is M.I.A.. Without those albums you wouldn't have Brand Nubian today and for that Derek X is the most important member of Brand Nubian. Because after all, aren't most of us trying to forget about Lord Jamar after we awkwardly saw his cock in HBO's Oz?
Answer: Sadat X
Ill Al Skratch
If you ask me both Ill and Al Skratch are the sample people because they both said the same shit. If it wasn't asking us "Where My Homiez?" it was telling us to creep with them or letting us know they were that Brooklyn/Uptown connection. Don't get me wrong, I fucking love "Creep With Me" as I think it's one of the better stupid simple summertime albums we had in the 90's, but neither of them are winning Rhyme of The Month anytime soon.
Answer: It's a wash!
The Artifacts
Do I even need to go into detail about this one? Tame One is the reason The Facts were great for two albums. In fact, I'd go ahead and say T-Ray deserves to be the 2nd most important member out the group. While El Da Sensei was a nice compliment to Tame, neither were able to duplicate success once the group split. El has dropped several solo albums that most people equate to lyrical NyQuil and Tame has dropped several albums/mixtapes that all have showed promised but lacked one or two things---production and El Da Sensei.
Answer: Tame One
Organized Konfusion
See "The Artifacts" with Pharoahe Monch playing the role of Tame One and Prince Poetry as El Da Sensei.
Winner: Pharoahe Monch
Souls of Mischief
A-Plus, Opio, Phesto & Tajai make up the group. They've dropped 4 albums to date. One being a must-own and the others being a must-download at your own risk. When you think about it SOM were rather vanilla. But if you had to pick one as the best it has to be A-Plus simply because he produced most of their hits, including "'93 Til Infinity." I still wouldn't be able to pick one out in a police line-up.
Winner: A-Plus
Lords of The Underground
The L.O.T.U.G. were pretty big for a minute with the help of Marley Marl, K-Def and Pete Rock. "Here Come The Lords" may have not aged well but there is no denying that it was afavorite among many of us. I just wish they stopped making music after "Keepers of The Funk" in '94 because their last few albums made it extremely difficult for me to enjoy "Funky Child" or "Chief Rocka." Was I the only one who was duped into buying "Resurrection" in '99 featuring a cameo by Da Brat? No thank you guys. Stay the fuck retired please.
Winner: DoItAll if only for his cameo appearance in the series finale of The Sopranos.
The point of these Sample Compilations I'm doing here is to bring you dope hip hop joints that sampled equally or, in some cases, even doper old records. I hope you all give these a thorough listen and enjoy.
We're gonna spark this one off with a 70's soundtrack cut by Herbie Hancock that is a great suspenseful, evil, dark alley sounding cut that has more samples than an Isaac Hayes record. You'll hear the rugged as all hell bass line sample for J-Force's Bullseye come in at one point and the smooth, happier sounding Edo. G 304's sample come in a little later. Then, we move right in to one of my favorite covers of "Light My Fire", by Brian Augers, The Trinity and Julie Driscoll. On this, you will notice two classic samples that this song will lead into. Somewhere towards the beginning to middle, you'll hear both parts of the classic Organized cut about females cheating with females, "Why". Then, near the very end of the song, the sample for the infamous Ice Cube dis track by Common, "The Bitch In Yoo". Great stuff already. Well, it only gets better.
Next up, we have a song that took me years to track down. Easy Moe Bee played it in a couple of his sample sets live on the radio in the mid 90's, but I could never figure out what it was. Well, I finally accidentally discovered it when copping the original break record for the Artifacts,"Wrong Side Of The Tracks". It was 9th Creation's "Rule Of Mind", which is just a dope funk soul track in it's own right. This track contains the samples for Black Moon's "Slave" and Ill Advised's "Kwestions". Two more bangers, without a doubt.
This was also sampled by ATCQ, but I went with Smiff N Wessun's "Nothing Move But The Money" for this. This was recorded right after the Da Shinin' sessions or maybe even during, and I consider this the last real Smiff N Wessun track. We close this out with an ill jazz track by the extremely ill organization called Catalyst. You'll hear the samples for the last two underground classics, "Leflaur Leflaur Eshkoshka" and the Triflict's "Don't Make Me Try".
1. Herbie Hancock - Party People
2. J-Force - Bullseye
3. Showbiz & Ag - Ain't No Fun
4. Edo.G - 304's
5. Brian Auger,The Trinity And Julie Driscoll - Light My Fire
6. Organized Konfusion - Why
7. Common - The Bitch In Yoo (version with 3rd verse)
Welcome to the official blog of Philaflava.com's T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You) forum. "T.R.O.Y." is of course a reference to Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's ode to their fallen friend (Trouble T-Roy of Heavy D. and The Boyz). If the previous sentence reads like a foreign language to you, don't fret. The purpose of this blog is to explore and celebrate rap music (especially the overlooked and obscure recordings and artists) from about 1987 to 1997, give or take a few years on either end. We are not purists or elitists, just a bunch of proud rap nerds who revel in sharing our discoveries with anyone willing to listen.
Over at the T.R.O.Y. forum we spend most of our work week discussing artists like Scientifik, Godfather Don, K.M.D, Brand Nubian, Mobb Deep, Souls Of Mischief, Avatar the Articulate, Juggaknots, and the like. This daily effort results in the uploading of songs and albums previously unavailable in formats other than dusty vinyl, some of which are long out of print. We frequently take the time to compile songs that share similar themes or moods. Just as the rap culture of the '90s (think Stretch and Bobbito, Sway & Tech and countless college and mixtapeDJs) demanded that a class of obsessed aficionados isolate and organize the rawest tracks floating below the radar for our listening pleasure, the Internet age demands similar vigilance.
Stay tuned - in addition to providing you with a steady stream of links straight outta T.R.O.Y. we will also be posting mixes and analyses exclusive to this blog, as well as keeping an eye out for the best of what the throwback rap blogosphere has to offer. Consider this your one stop shop for "The Rap Of Yore" - just don't ever call it that.
Because we're so glad you found us - below you'll find a little introductory gift I call "Demo Listen Derby." Happy downloading and welcome aboard. --- Thun
