Ras Kass - The Endangered Lyricist

Just today I received an email from Kris over at Ras Kass Central, where he has a Canibus-like online following and I noticed they're starting this campaign called "Save Ras Kass." Now, it's no secret that he is one of my favorite lyricists of all-time. It's no secret that T.R.O.Y. has showed Ras Kass more love than most rappers discussed here. In fact, I'm willing to bet there hasn't been a blog out there that has come close to what we have done as far as support goes.

Just check the record.

Ras Kass - What Could Have Been?

Ras Kass - Non-Album Tracks (1994-1996)

All The Ras Kass Singles That Really Matter
Help A Blogger Out: Won't Catch Me Runnin'
Ras Kass - On Earth As It Is...Remix?
Ras Kass - Soul On Ice Demo (Remastered)

So getting back to this viral marketing they're doing. What exactly does Ras Kass need saving from? He is no longer in prison. He is no longer signed to Priority Records (at least, I believe so). He is no longer beefing with established rappers (who aren't nearly as talented as he is) like Game. So basically Ras Kass needs saving from Ras Kass. Maybe it's the folks he surrounds himself with. Maybe it's his management? Maybe, just maybe Ras Kass needs go back to the basics and realize what made him the lyricist he is today.

Below we're sold on "15 of Ras Kass' classic songs to remind everyone why Ras Kass is one of the top 5 emcees. " yet we all can look at this track list and easily pick apart a handful of selections that are suppose to help remind us of his G.O.A.T. status. No Sonset? No Etc.? No Jack Frost? No Music Bizness? No Oral Sex (pause)? No Won't Catch Me Runnin"? No Remain Anonymous?

You know the saying you only get one chance for a first impression? Well he's had multiple chances and he still isn't getting it right. I'm not here to pick apart what Ras does, it's only because I have so much respect and expectation for him as an emcee that I feel this adamant about his career and his choices he has made over the years. So download this mixtape and hear glimpses of why Ras Kass was once not to be fucked with and hopefully he'll find his way back home. We've all been waiting. Hip-hop has been waiting. - Jason Gloss

Download Album

	1.	Save the Ras Kass Intro 00:13
	2.	Revelations 22:22 02:53
	3.	Goldyn Chyld (remix) 03:37
	4.	Soul on Ice (remix) 04:16
	5.	Home Sweet Home 03:47
	6.	Understandable Smooth 04:06
	7.	Live As I 04:27
	8.	Van Gogh 04:17
	9.	Bentleys & Bitches 03:17
	10.	I Know I'll Be Free 04:44
	11.	Write Where I Left Off 04:27
	12.	Interview With a Vampire 06:55
	13.	Rasassination 04:04
	14.	H20 Proof 04:21
	15.	Nature of the Threat 07:43
	16.	Ghetto Fabulous 04:33

Links:
http://raskass.bandcamp.com/album/the-endangered-lyricist
http://savetheraskass.com/

Roy's West Coast Underground Volume 1

What's up, TROY fans. I've been on hiatus for a couple months, but now I'm back in full effect. I got six volumes of my favorite early-to-mid 90s west coast underground tracks on tap, so check back regularly. You may have noticed that I have a severe east coast bias, but this is also reflected in the type of west coast hip hop that I enjoy. I'll be adhering to a strict time frame (1992-1996), with a focus on artists such as Aceyalone, Freestyle Fellowship, Ras Kass, The Pharcyde, Del, Casual, Pep Love, Souls Of Mischief, Blackalicious, Saafir, Homeliss Derilex, Mannish, Chali 2na, Charizma, The Dereliks, Ahmad, Motion Man, E-Rule, Lateef, The Atban Klann, Funkytown Pros, The Nonce, Madlib, Mystik Journeymen, Abstract Rude, etc.

Before you download these compilations, give this track a listen:

James Sumbi - Sunshine Men (1991)


And with that, I present to you: The Sunshine Men.

Side One
1. Mannish - The Impact Of My Insanity
2. Aceyalone - The Greatest Show On Earth
3. Ras Kass - Remain Anonymous
4. Mannish - Mannish (Instrumental)
5. Dereliks - Iz On Some Other....
6. Blackalicious - Count And Estimate
7. Motion Man - 93 Swing
8. Peanut Butter Wolf - The Chronicles (Instrumental)
9. The Nonce - Mix Tapes
10. Charizma - Methods
11. Chali 2na - Who's Gonna Be The Next Victim
12. Casual - Rock On (Instrumental)
13. Casual, Pep Love & Del - Who's It On
14. Saafir - Can U Feel Me
15. Freestyle Fellowship - Hot Potato
16. Freestyle Fellowship - Pure Thought (Instrumental)
http://www.mediafire.com/?1m5rty4hem0

Side Two
1. Del - You're In Shambles
2. Homeliss Derilex - Survivin' The Game
3. Ras Kass, Saafir & Ahmad - Come Widdit
4. Alkaholiks - Mary Jane (Instrumental)
5. Atban Klann - No Sequel
6. Madlib - Get Down And Go For Mine '95
7. Funkytown Pros - The Remedy
8. The Nonce - Who Falls Apart (Instrumental)
9. E-Rule - My Synopsis
10. Lateef - The Wreckoning
11. Mystik Journeymen - Depths Of Survival
12. The Pharcyde - Otha Fish (Instrumental)
13. The Pharcyde - Bullshit
14. Aceyalone & Abstract Rude - Keep It True
15. Souls Of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity
16. Peanut Butter Wolf - Lunar Props (Instrumental)
http://www.mediafire.com/?gterkjmhnvn

Preview:

Mannish - The Impact Of My Insanity


Dereliks - Iz On Some Other....


Blackalicious - Count And Estimate


Motion Man - 93 Swing


Charizma - Methods


Chali 2na - Who's Gonna Be The Next Victim


Homeliss Derilex - Survivin' The Game


Madlib - Get Down And Go For Mine '95


Props to dirt dog for the ill cover.

--Roy Johnson

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

Before They Were Stars Part 2

before they were stars part 2




put ya handz up: the whooliganz
This is what you might call a super group but not cause they were at all super, more so cause both mc's went on to much greener pastures. Way before white rappers not in 3rd bass were even remotely respected, the whooliganz dropped with soul assassins stamp of approval. not only were they white, but they were also very young. the group consisted of two men (boys, actually) you may know. the first, is producer alchemist. nowadays he's every thug mc's favorite white boy on the beats and , without a doubt, one of the more respected producers in the game today. back then he was the curly haired little guy with the piercingly high voice. the other member you may know in a different way. scott caan is an actor best known for his parts in the "oceans 11" trilogy or as the wild guy in "varsity blues". rapping under the name "mad skillz" (yes, with a "z"), caan kicked that hardcore shit about snowboarding and being james caans son. just kidding but he did rap and that's funny enough in itself. on, by the way, the alchemists mc name was "mudfoot". yeah...pretty awesome.

grassroots LP:the atban klan
way before they were making the worst music on the planet, the group now known at the black eyed peas was on some other shit. back in the mid 90's, they were known as The Atban Klan. this was pre-fergie (your girl fergie was in failed pop group "Wild orchid" at the time). the group consisted of the three black eyed peas rappers (will.i.am, apl.de.ap and taboo). all things considered they were pretty much a souls of mischief rip off. the one thing they did have on their side was dope beats. highly under rated producers Epic and wolfe produced the whole "Grassroots" album. from beginning to end, the beats on this album are amazing. unfortunately, the rapping is pretty mediocre. anyway, this was supposed to drop on ruthless records, but due to the untimely death of Eazy-e, the album never came out. peep it.

hardcore nights: UTD
Mos def got his start with the group UTD (urban thermo dynamics). the group consisted of mos, his brother DCQ and his sister cee. the group was signed to payday records and released a few 12'' records but the full album never dropped (until it's eventual "re-release" in 2004). this song in particular has always been a favorite of mine. partially cause i like the beat but more so cause mos def raps like akinyele on it. it's just funny. "stay alert out here before your caps get peeled" is delivered with such growling intensity, it's hard to imagine that it's same dude who lit up college dorm rooms everywhere 5 years later with songs about his umi.

Fo sho: the odd squad
good news! devin the dude was always good. unlike alot of the artists i'm covering, devin has nothing to be ashamed about. prior to his solo career, devin was part of "the odd squad". a three man group that rap-a-lot records put out in 1994. a departure from their label mates , the Odd squad was on some more laid back, fun shit. it's no surprise considering Devin's steeze. also notable is that one of the odd squad's mc's , rob quest, was blind. i dunno what it was with rap-a-lot but they loved them some challenged people rapping. bushwick bill, rob quest, too much trouble and even too-low (he was a kid but kid rappers are basically retarded anyway). whatever the case, good for them.

that bullshit: casual (but really it was saafir)
when casual dropped his debut album"fear itself", he was kind enough to give his homeboy saafir a mini song of his own. now, i may be alone in this but i think saafir pretty much bodied the whole album with his one verse. saafir went on to release the slept on album "boxcar sessions" , as well as get his act on in "menace to society" and some r&b videos. unfortunately, the love did not last between casual and saafir , as they had a falling out rumored to be over a girl they both fucked. hey, shit happens. anyway, saafir recorded "pull ya card" as his diss to casual so i threw that in as a bonus.

Downloads:

grassroots Lp :the Atban klan
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GVYEJUHA

the rest of the songs:
hardcore nights: UTD
fo sho: The odd squad
put your handz up: the Whooliganz
that bullshit: casual (really saafir)
pull ya card: saafir
http://rapidshare.com/files/160499436/before_they_were_stars_part_2.zip.html

T.R.O.Y. Guest Blogger w/Superstar Quamallah

Top 10 Cali 90's Joints That You Probably Can't Find
by Superstar Quamallah



1. "To Whom It May Concern" (compilation)/ Freestyle Fellowship:
Microphone Myke as i knew him was doing shit on this album that cats ain't never been able to even bite! i saw him freestyle over "mo' better blues"at the good life cafe doing a style that was so ahead of it's time, it would take a worm hole for mcs to check it! this album, which they put out themselves in 1991, was a catalyst and a much have for any true collector of the music. find it!

2. The '93 til Infinity DEMO/ Souls of Mischief:
I got this joint on a cassette tape and i remember when they were putting the joint together to catch their deal. i rolled up to del's (the funky homosapien) house with andre (the emperor) and adam (A-plus) was laying scratches for the last song. they got some joints on this cassette that never came out or were different versions like "never no more" is different and crazy fresh yo!
maybe somebody got this on ebay but i doubt it!

3. Barber Shop MC's DEMO/ Barber Shop MCS:
not sure if this was a demo but i remember defari letting me hear these cats and i was like this cat phil tha agony is sick to def!!! i can't find that cassette i had, but these joints were so ahead of their time as well.

4. "Change and Switch"/ Defari:
this joint is a personal fav because i remember heru asked me to lay the scratches on this cut and we did it at kutmaster kurt's crib and a young evidence, who made the beat i believe, was there chillin and i thought damn these some cool dudes. i told heru that that song was the joint and a few months later it was the b-side as one of the first records to launch abb records in 1997.

5. Planet Asia EP/ Planet Asia:
man what can i say about my man asia that ain't already been said. this was one of the hungriest mcs i've ever met and he still gets it in! this joint was released on heratik records in 1998 and if you can find a copy, you done came up!

6. "People's Choice"/Defari:
gotta mention this joint cause it's one of my favorite underground singles man that really set off that classic evidence heru connection and heru's offbeat on flow on this was classic and spawned
a lot of imitators whether people recognize or not. i remember when beni played the acetate for me at kalx, i was like - "wheeeeeeew weeeeee....classic!"

7. "The Hiero vs. Hobo Junction (Saafir) Battle"/:
this is one of the greatest and most enjoyable mc battles ever done on the radio and i know
copies are floating around! this was easily one of saafir and casual's greatest off the head lyrical drudge matches and nobody from both sides on the mic was a disappointment! it went down around 1994 and you can't say nothing about cali mcs if you never heard this battle! a historical moment fo' sho'!!!

8. Del tha Funky Homosapien DEMO:
i met del in 1988/89 in berkeley. he'soriginally from new york and he had the mc skills to pay the bills way back then as a shorty! but his music production was through the roof. his
sampling abilities were ahead of his time and when he got his deal, i believe his cousin ice cube had a major influence on the style and sound of his first album. but his shit i got on some cassette tapes would be compared to current shit mf doom is doing. del is definitely from another
planet and cats ain't getting copies of the shit i got with him on it! lol

9. RIP Government/ Stevie Jay, Velvet B, Adam (Buck), and more:
these cats put a record out and my joint is in storage so i don't remember the name
but they were all from nyc and living in south central los angeles back in the late 80's. they was doing shit to break beats before cats was on that out in cali and had hooked up with whipple whip, the original. these cats had a major influence on cats within jurassic five as well as many others whom they shared rhyme cyphers wit. if you can find this record (rip government is the name of the crew) then i salute you!

10. "JazzHopSoul"/ Clever Jeff:
this is actually my favorite hiphop album by a cali artist and one of the most underrated or slept on joints for anyone who digs pete rock& cl smooth or gang starr! this cat was one of
the first to perfect the jazz soul hiphop fusion and was working with quincy jones' label but they didn't know how to promote the project back in 1994. clever is at his best on this lyrically with smooth knowledge and those 90's jazzy joints i can never get enough of! a must have for anyone
serious about the music!

-Quamallah



If you don't have you can cop it here!