Terminator X Speaks With His Hands

Believe me, no introduction is needed to what Public Enemy has achieved in their long and illustrious career, both culturally and musically. The famous collective of talented, hardhitting and politically-charged hip-hoppers has had their music heard all over the world, from Radio Raheem's stereo to live shows in London.



But the members of Public Enemy have always been an odd, obscure bunch of artists with their own unique backgrounds, skills, and personalities that made them such an exciting group to listen to--and it was their strong personalities that beat us over the head for more than twenty years. We all know Chuck D., the group's frontman, primary vocalist, leader and poet, whose commanding, charismatic voice still resonates in our ears. To this day he has maintained an extremely straight edge life style, resisting meat, alcohol and drugs--the man hasn't even tasted coffee. Flavor Flav, the group's hype-man and arguably most famous member (sadly), has never shyed from showing off his wild and insane antics to the world, from yelling his ass off on stage, to picking up attempted murder and domestic violence charges, to starring on weird MTV reality shows. Professor Griff, once a soldier in the army, started out as a bodyguard of sorts, working for a private security service hired by local hip-hop acts for parties and shows, where he met an aspiring DJ-for-hire by the name of Chuck D. He was (and still is) a proficient martial artist, having studied Chinese Wushu and Japanese Karate among other forms. He was later kicked out of the group for controversy surrounding his ridiculous and odious anti-semitic comments to British media outlets, but later rejoined in the mid 90's.



But where the hell is Terminator X, you ask me? Why haven't you written about him yet? Well, since I'm here pretending like you haven't read the title, good question. Terminator X is and always will be the most overlooked member of Public Enemy. Period. Nevermind the track "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic," in which Chuck D. shouts him out repeatedly over a classic turntable hook that everyone who has or hasn't seen Friday Night Lights knows and loves. Simply put, the success, fame, and influence of Public Enemy will forever shadow the role of Terminator X as the group's DJ, as well as the solo masterpieces he put out during the nineties. His reticent and shy personality has put him at a disadvantage over his bandmates for media glory, and unfairly so. But there is no use to complain about this--every group needs a glue guy in the background doing his damn thing without attention. All the members can't be getting pinched and doing bids in Riker's Island; that wouldn't suffice, would it?



In 1991, Terminator X collaborated with various and mostly unknown artists to create his first solo album, the classic Terminator X & the Valley of the Jeep Beets. On this gem, X demonstrates not only his sublime turntabling skills--maybe the best ever through an entire album--but also his deft handling of production. The head-bobbing drums and heavy basslines on this album will simply kick your ass. Song lyrics are similar in style and theme to the politically-charged, black activism of Public Enemy, but with a wider range in artists and perspectives. Standout tracks include "Buck Whylin'" with Chuck D. and Sister Souljah (yes, that Sister Souljah--who also happens to be an author and contributor to The New Yorker), "Back to the Scene of the Bass" with The Interrogators, and "The Blues" with Andres 13, as well as my personal favorite, "Juvenile Delinquentz" by the Juvenile Delinquentz. Befitting of it's producer and DJ, the album stands as one of the most underrated works of the 90's.



Terminator X has carved out a place in hip-hop history as one of the greatest and most versatile DJ's to ever operate a turntable, up there with Eric B., Preme, Flash, and Jazzy Jeff among other legendary disc-jockeys.



So what weird, otherworldly endeavours could Terminator X possibly be involved in now? What is he up to that we haven't already seen from Public Enemy's other members? Well according to The Guardian, he currently owns an ostrich farm. Yes, I just said ostrich farm. Flavor Flav's bachelor show ain't got shit on that.

Track listing:

1. “Vendetta...The Big Getback"

2. "Buck Whylin'" (with Chuck D & Sister Souljah)

3. "Homey Don't Play Dat" (with Bonnie 'N' Clyde]

4. "Juvenile Delinquintz" (with Juvenile Delinquentz]

5. "The Blues" (with Andreas 13)

6. "Back To The Scene Of The Bass" (with The Interrogators)

7. "Can't Take My Style"

8. "Wanna Be Dancin'" (with Celo of The Casino Brothers)

9. "DJ Is The Selector" (with Dubmaster)

10. "Run That Go-Power Thang" (with Spacey B. Experience)

11. "No Further" (with Section 8)

12. "High Priest Of Turbulence"

13. "Ain't Got Nuttin'" (with The Chief Groovy Loo)

DOWNLOAD

"Juvenile Delinquentz" is a particularly fascinating song, told from the perspective of three black teenagers condemning the biases shown in America's educational system. Although I don't agree with some of the anti-school messages present, much of what is said holds serious weight. Kids are taught everything in America's "glorious" past from American independence to the World Wars--which are important historical events--yet much of the facts behind slavery, colonialism, and African roots are missing to a people that had their roots taken from them long ago. The educational system has definitely improved, but the song is nonetheless an interesting description of what I'm sure many students must have felt not so long ago.



Yeaaaaa boiii--too much? Alright. But enjoy!



Peace,

—Teddy C.D.

Bobby Corridor “Substitution” (2009)

Here's a great new mix from Bobby Corridor using tracks that sampled "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss. Not sure about the video, but here's the original track.



OG Style- Catch ‘Em Slippin’
Great track from a great album, he even says “we’ve been waiting on this break for a long time”. Clever. I always hears “what about the doubters” as “what about the downloads”. Even before they invented them. Double clever.

De La Soul- Potholes in My Lawn
De La also use the drums in Stone Age and Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa (would have been seasonal) but here they use the piano yeah.

The Pharcyde- Ya Mama
Your mum.

Ghostface Killah- Mighty Healthy
Same break and some of the same lyrics as the next track.

Divine Force- Holy War
As interpolated by Ghostface (^this^). The best thing they did. Got this for 20p.

Ultramagnetic MCs- Ego Trippin’
The oldest track on this? Probably. One of the best? Yes.

Frankie Cutlass- Boriquas on the Set
Fat Joe and stuff.

Biz Markie- Cool V’s Tribute to Scratching
Biz is also on De La’s Substitution sampling Stone Age. SIX DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON. Big Daddy Kane’s Just Rhymin’ With Biz uses a bit of Substitution too. As does Looks Like a Job For.

Wu-Tang Clan- Clan in da Front
Rza and the Wu love this break. Because it’s good.

Gang Starr- Code of the Streets
Primo with the substitution break. Also using one of my favourite scratch sounds.

Naughty By Nature- OPP (inst)
As heard in the summer of whenever. Yeah, you know how I roll.

Tony D- Adam’s Nightmare
The beat that Naughty by Nature nicked. Another hip hop legend gone this year.

Public Enemy- Don’t Believe the Hype
Reminds me of a 6th form ice skating trip. Oh how we laughed. PE like the break too.

Gang Starr- Dwyck
Primo again. You know the one. The lemonade one.

Prince Rakeem- Deadly Venoms
Pre-Wu Rza. You disagree with me, fuck you mister.

Def Jef- Black to the Future
He’s Def and his name is Jef. He did some alright tracks.

Nice and Smooth- Skill Trade
Just the piano again. Just little bits though.

Supreme Nyborn- Versatile Extension
Let’s remix it. Booom

EMF- Rough Potential
Not that EMF but ^that^ EMF, Electro Motive Force. Incidentally I saw EMF (that EMF) supporting Boo Ya Tribe many years ago. Big boy riddims.

Schoolly D- Saturday Night
How the fluck did he get so cool. Could have also used Saturday Night Live by Masta Ace which uses large bits of the break, and has Premier on it. KEVIN BACON.

Choice MCs- This is the B-Side
Better than the A-side. Pianos and that.

Public Enemy- Brothers Gonna Work It Out (dub)
They did a track called The B-Side Wins again but this was an A-side. Weird. Could have included Miuzi Weighs a Ton too, if it would mix nice.

BTX- This Jam is Black
Super, a sprightly number from the great Select label.

DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince- Jazzy’s Groove
Final track and cut short before Grover Washington Jr comes in just in case it provoked a facebook group to try to post a mix of shouty rap metal instead.


Go HERE to download the mix. SendSpace link at the bottom.

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

dirt_dog Remix Pack 3

Here we go again with round 3 of the dirt_dog Remix Pack. For this set of 5 songs I decided to go with the Pete Rock and DJ Premier remixes that I used to bump from my cd single collection. Whenever a discussion about great remixes comes up, everyone praises the Pete Rock "Shut Em Down" remix. Personally I love it too, but I've always felt that his version of "Nighttrain" was completely overlooked. If you missed Remix Pack 1 or 2, go HERE or HERE.

Remix Pack 3

01 Public Enemy-Nighttrain (Pete Rock Strong Island Mt. Vernon Meltdown)

02 Shyheim-On & On (Premier Remix)

03 Das EFX-Real Hip Hop (Pete Rock Remix)

04 Blahzay Blahzay-Danger (DJ Premier Remix Street Mix)

05 EPMD-Rampage (Hardcore To The Head Mix) feat. L.L. Cool J

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,

--dirt_dog

dirt_dog Remix Pack 1

Before my vinyl obsession began, I used to be crazy madd about cd singles. It would usually go like this: I'd go to my local shop, see a cd single, buy it. Then a couple weeks later I'd spot the same looking cd single in a slim line case. Sure, why not get that one too? It has 1 or 2 extra tracks on it. It came to the point where I'd buy just about anything I could in hopes of finding some dope remix, live track or a non-album track. So here I'm going to give you little 5-track packs of my favorite remixes and other rarities that I've pulled from my own cd single collection over the years. I'm also going to do my best not to repeat any track from the 50 Remixes You Need To Hear series that was done earlier on the blog.

Remix Pack 1

01 Public Enemy-Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man (Bass In Your Face 12" Mix)

02 Naughty By Nature-O.P.P. (Fairplay Remix)

03 The Pharcyde-Passin' Me By (Brixton Flavour 12")

04 Fugees-Vocab (Refugees Hip Hop Mix)

05 De La Soul-Keepin' The Faith (12" UK Mix)

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,

--dirt_dog

Public Enemy "Night Of The Living Baseheads"

"I wanted to write a song about how crack was affecting us. It was all around us, 360 degrees." -- Chuck D ^[1]

Public Enemy "Night Of The Living Basheads"

Download Song

Public Enemy's "Night Of The Living Baseheads" is a period piece with enduring appeal. On PE's debut Yo! Bumrush The Show, Chuck D's rhetorical sophistication is nascent but morphs into a new beast by 1988. It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back sees Chuck blast the media's defamation of outspoken "race men" and by his strategic estimate, the black collective. A permissible lie in the closing bars of "Bring The Noise" ("a magazine or two is dissing me and dissing you") turns the media's sophistry on its head, segueing nicely into "Don't Believe The Hype," a deconstruction of the machinery that churns racial animosity out of misinformation. 

Chuck's anxiety over his entanglement in the hated system informs his most fiery works. A topic as germane and polarizing as the crack epidemic must have signalled an irresistible challenge for him. But "Baseheads" is not aimed at crack so much as the discourse that surrounds the rapidly evolving, multivalent crack meme. The groundwork for this discussion was already set, as  '86/'87 rap was knee-deep in the subject.

On "Paid In Full" Rakim documents the socioeconomic nightmare of the corner trade. Boogie Down Productions' "The P Is Free" attests to the rise of drug-related violence. Street thugs turned overnight playboy drug lords populate Ice-T's Goines-ian vignettes on Rhyme Pays. These narratives are occasionally moralizing but accompanied by the freshest beats out. The intrigue of the uptown crack dealer supplants the mystique of the downtown coke sniffer as the swagger to emulate. 

This transforms "the terrain of how you can rap." Vocal and production techniques are mutually influential. The freedoms and limitations of existing technologies shape diverse responses to the scourge. Afrika Islam's lack of sampling experience leaves him reliant on the preset sounds of the Sp1200. He replays classic breaks in a manner tailor-made for Ice-T's intentionally variegated drugstore paperback influenced raps.² Ced Gee masters the sampling abilities of the same machine to creates a different canvas for KRS-One. The respective physical, technical, sonic, and narrative terrains are incidentally different, if only slightly.  

Schooly D knows the resonant symbolic power of crack. "It's Krack" (from his 1986 debut Saturday Night! The Album) takes its name from fans who would say of his music " 'Ahh that shit is crack.' Meaning it was hype like crack.³ "It's Krack" is all Roland TR-909 drums, eerie keyboard sounds, unintelligible muttering. Chaos. It may not crack as hard as Marley Marl's contemporaneous loops, but it hints at the future. Hype is precisely the feel that PE and the Bomb Squad seek for Nation after Eric B & Rakim and BDP's innovations in "the phrasing of rap, which allowed you to be able to rhyme on a faster tempo, a faster groove" render prior styles obsolete.⁴

The allure of the faster music and its concomitant signifier is not lost on Chuck. To hook the dancers at the LQ he becomes the duplicitous journalist. "Baseheads" is the marriage of the colloquial brilliance that allows "bass" and "dope" to serve as simultaneous descriptors of music and drugs with the tricksterism that allows the contrived legal distinction between "crack" and "cocaine" to sway public perception. The video accurately depicts the group as an investigative media powerhouse, an extension of Spectrum City, wary of the pitfalls of utilizing the tactics of propaganda to find a fix.

Chuck reveres and loathes the sleazy hustle of the media, drug dealers, dope fiends and rappers. He is cognizant that the musical tradition he venerates is stained by illicit drug use. A return to the "funky" definition of "dope" is a dubious undertaking if once considers the publicized habits of Sly Stone, George Clinton, Marvin Gaye, and others. The alternative that Chuck envisions is a nation of conscientious zombies addicted to his "different bass," differentiated only by an unseen letter. His hope is that dense sample collages and revolutionary rhetoric will encourage critical thought. This idealism is burdened by the knowledge that he must serve the fiends the baddest product around to get the good message across; "Baseheads" gives them exactly what they crave and throws in an alarming, yet alluring siren to drive the point home.

[1] Brian Coleman, Check The Technique (New York: Villard, 2007) 358.

[2] Coleman 238-239.

[3] Coleman 415.

[4] Coleman 352.

-- Thun

Fifty Remixes You Need To Hear (41-50)

Today we present the final installment of the series. We hope that you were introduced to music that is new and beautiful to your ears. Be sure to check out Selections 1-10, Selections 11-20, Selections 21-30, and Selections 31-40 as well.

41. Lord Finesse "Hip 2 Da Game" (Buckwild Remix)

The original was a near-perfect quintessential Lord Finesse production. Somehow, some way Buckwild managed to improve upon it, matching the grandiosity of Finesse's boasts with lush, sweeping music.

42. Tragedy "Funk Mode" (Large Pro Remix)

43. Brand Nubian "Concerto In X Minor" (Remix)

"On the real-tip let's take a field trip from the ghetto / You pick the time and we'll meet in the meadow/ To discuss racial issues and tension/ New York's a violent keg did I forget to mention..."

44. Lord Finesse ft. Big L "Yes You May" (Remix)

AG and Percee-P are replaced by Big L and a drum heavy beat. L spits non-stop quotables and Finesse displays his mastery of similes and unabashed shit talking.

45a. Common Sense "Resurrection" (Extra P Remix)

45b. Common Sense "Resurrection (Large Pro Remix)

46. Chino XL "Kreep" (Video Mix)

47. Beatnuts "No Equal" (Remix)

The original was the greatest vibraphone-laced death threat aimed at Das Efx ever. This remix makes the original sound like the fucking Barney The Dinosaur theme song in comparison.

48. Nice N' Smooth "Cash In My Hands" (Remix)

49. Pharcyde "Passin' Me By" (Remix)

50. Public Enemy "How To Kill A Radio Consultant" (Chuck Chillout Remix)

Download all of today's remixes here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?y40zwlztdnt

Drug Music (w/new links)

while to topic of weed has been thoroughly covered in hip hop, the other drugs often get looked over. be it a positive view of them or a negative take, drugs like mushrooms, acid, coke , pcp, ecstasy, and of course alcohol have all had their shine in hip hop . so here are two mixes. one shows the good side and the other shows the bad side. admittedly, the line does get blurry on a few of these but you get the idea.

oh, and on a side note, i was searching for songs about heroin use but , apparently, rappers not named B.G. don't do it...or at least they don't discuss it. any one who knows of hip hop songs regaling in heroin use, please point me in the right direction.

Drugs are bad:
1)40 0z. for breakfast: blackalicious
2)I need drugs: necro
3)defective trip: gravediggaz
4)ever so clear: bushwick bill
5)Livin' in da bottle: brothers uv da blackmarket
6)1 million bottle bags: public enemy
7)shroomz: xzibit
8)smokin amp: gangsta nip
9)my fault: eminem
10)stay out of bars: the genius
11)drink away the pain: mobb deep
12)ballad of worms:cage
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?kjkyyqkmnxj

Drugs are good:
1)alcoholic vibes: lord seer
2)puffin on blunts and drinkin on tanqueray: dr. dre and friends
3)drink at the bar: YZ
4)B-boys on acid: justin warfield
5)ride the white horse: dub-l featuring jemini the gifted one
6)mushroom talk: rumpletilskinz
7)hip hop drunkies: the alkaholiks feat. ODB
8)sunny meadowz: del the funkee homosapian
9)crazy drunken style: masta ace inc.
10)hennessy & xtc: big tymers
11)fuck drink bear and smoke some shit: the beatnuts
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zjzjggtinij

Bonus fun: all the old st. ides ads...featuring, king tee, ice cube, rakim, kool g rap and tons of others. (special shout out to Jaz for the link to this):
http://rapidshare.com/files/164452937/St._Ides_-_Greatest_Malt_Liquor_Hits.zip.html

shout outs to thun, zodiak illa, verge, ho1ogramz and vinyl pops for the ideas....

--blockhead

Big Daddy Kane - Non-Album Tracks (1986-1990)

Big Daddy Kane - Non-Album Tracks Volume 1
1. Get Into It
2. Somethin' Funky
3. For Your Own Concern
4. Raw w/ Kool G Rap (Alternate Version)
5. Raw (Original)
6. Raw Attitude w/ Antoinette
7. The Symphony w/ The Juice Crew
8. The Symphony Remix w/ The Juice Crew
9. Ain't No Half Steppin' (Remix)
10. Set It Off (Extended Version)
11. Wrath Of Kane
12. I'll Take You There (Remix)
13. Rap Summary (Original)
14. It's Hard Being The Kane (Remix)
15. Erase Racism w/ Kool G Rap & Biz Markie
16. Burn Hollywood Burn w/ Public Enemy & Ice Cube
http://www.mediafire.com/?i4hynymn2jt

Big Daddy Kane - Non-Album Tracks Volume 2
1. Live In NY w/ Biz Markie (1986)
2. 1987 Freestyle
3. Live In The UK 1988 Pt. I
4. Live In The UK 1988 Pt. II
5. Freestyle Session w/ Kool G Rap, MC Shan & Roxanne Shante
6. Freestyle Session w/ Biz, Kool G Rap, MC Shan & Roxanne Shante
7. Just Rhymin' With Biz (Marley Marl Radio Show 1987)
8. Ain't No Half Steppin' (Sammy B Radio Show 1988)
9. Set It Off (Sammy B Radio Show 1988)
10. Ain't No Half Steppin' (DJ Cash Money Mix)
11. Just Rhymin' With Biz (DJ Cash Money Mix)
12. Raw (Scratch Perverts Mix)
http://www.mediafire.com/?0ldmvjg1m14

Big Daddy Kane - Non-Album Tracks Volume 3
1. Big Daddy Kane vs Jazz Fresh (14 Minutes)
2. Freestyle B-Day w/ Various Artists (22 Minutes)
3. Ain't No Half Steppin' (Instrumental)
4. Young, Gifted And Black (Instrumental)
http://www.mediafire.com/?wbnmunkmnvm

--Roy Johnson