Sounds Like The 90's (Volume 2)

[click image to download]

With the overwhelming feedback we received with the debut of Sounds Like The 90's, we realized we were on to something special. We definitely don't have intentions of changing our direction. It goes without saying we're currently own the 90's hip-hop on the blogosphere, so we ain't even trying to step on the toes of those focusing on current times. With respect to blogs such as Nahright, 2Dopeboyz & Rhymehouse, T.R.O.Y. is going to continue dropping the Sounds Like The 90's series each and every month as promised. Both our Philaflava and T.R.O.Y. in boxes become inundated with submissions and inquires from new artists. We appreciate all the responses we've received and encourage you to continue to send in those submissions because each month we'll be gathering tracks to showcase on our Sounds Like The 90's series.


Volume 2 brings back that ol' boom-bap. We got the brand new track from Raekwon's forthcoming Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, a DJ Premier montage from tracks 3-5 that ends (track 6) with 3 talented lyricsts paying homage to the greatest producer of all-time. Newcomer Nero hailing from East Elmhurst gives us a track that'll leave you in disbelief when you realize he is only 16 years old. We haven't heard a polished emcee this young in a long time.

J.U.I.C.E, Supasition and Kice which features production from Company Flow's Mr. Len all provide the harsh realities of of life, especially rap life.

The mix finishes with the late great James Yancey and one of his rougher tracks which incidentally is featured on the album Ruff Draft. Then a few Philly cats Truck North and Black Thought drops their swag that leads up to a G. Rap rendition done by Minnesota's finest, Atmopshere.

You know what to do--download this shit and let it bump! - Philaflava

T.R.O.Y. Presents - Sounds Like The 90's Vol. 2

01. Cormega - Who I Am feat. AZ & Nature
02. Raekwon - Criminology 2 feat. Ghostface Killah
03. Fat Joe - That White
04. Reks - Say Goodnight
05. Torae - Get It Done feat. Skyzoo
06. Focus - Homage To Premier feat. Royce Da 5'9", Phonte & Stat Quo
07. Johnson & Jonson - The Only Way
08. Nero - Alive & Vibrant
09. Elzhi - Talkin' In My Sleep
10. MF Grimm - Earth
11. J.U.I.C.E. - Sincerely
12. Supastition - Da Waiting Period
13. Kice - Miracles
14. J Dilla - Make 'Em NV
15. Truck North - Flyer Than The Rest feat. Wale
16. The Roots - 75 Bars
17. Atmosphere - Road To The Riches

Download Here

Back Up Link (Mediafire)

Last Emperor's Demos

The King of Da Crates also known as DJ Mike Nice recently laced us a demo tape by Philly native Last Emperor. This is the tape that Last Emperor submitted to Rawkus in '96. The demo tape would contain future classic track "Secret Wars". Last Emperor told Mike that it took him a year to write the song. Vincent Lopez(THIMK), a friend of Jamal Gray Aka Last Emperor, wrote about "Secret Wars" a few months ago on his blog. Last Emperor gained undergound popularity by appearing at the Lyricist Lounge as he always ripped the mic. Last Emperor is also considered one of the best lyrical emcee. Mos Def once said in a discussion about "the greatest emcee of all time": "Some Cats might say Jay-Z or Last Emperor".
Vincent Lopez recently dug in his Timberland's box full of cassettes and found demos & freestyles that he had of Last Emperor. You can check it here. (note: it includes some of the demos that Mike also had ripped, others are in next link)

Here's a second compilation of other rarities of Last Emperor that weren't included on Vince's incredible post. (consists of tracks upped by philosophic-robert42hjh, godmc, verge, mike nice, and me).
Click Here to Download

-- Thomas V

Figure Eight: Slavery

Public Enemy "Can't Truss It"

Showbiz & A.G. "Runaway Slave"

Shabazz The Disciple "Death Be The Penalty"

Gravediggaz "The Night The Earth Cried'

Danja Mowf "Strange Fruit"

Apani "A Million Eyes"

The Masterminds "Day One"

Reflection Eternal "Four Women"

References to the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the lynching of whites by blacks in the United States are pervasive in rap lyrics and yet easy to miss during casual listening. This is not to say that rappers are afraid or unwilling to posit that contemporary inequities stem from the social rupture of chattel slavery. However, most allusions to slavery fail to shed light on the plight of the people most directly impacted by this peculiar brand of institutional malice. The texts of the Nation of Islam and the Five Percenters introduced the concept of ghetto malaise as a crushing “mental slavery.” Out of this notion, articulated on songs like Lakim Shabazz’s “The Lost Tribe Of Shabazz” and Big Daddy Kane’s “Who Am I,” springs a tradition whereby every urban ill from mass incarceration to the supposed “horrors” of an exploitative music industry is likened to The Middle Passage.

Removing themselves even farther from the context of their references, rappers like MC Lyte, Lord Finesse, and Buckshot have re-appropriated Grace Jones’ “Slave To The Rhythm” meme as an empowered stance. Pharohe Monch’s clever reversal (“I’m no slave to the rhythm/ I whip it, then I take its name and change its religion/ Then chop the foot off the fucking beat/ for trying to escape the track, now it’s obsolete”) reminds listeners of the gross violence inflicted on the bodies of the enslaved but resounds more as an enhancement of bravado than an engagement with historical reality. The same is true for Nas’ inaugural claim that his cop-murdering badassness might see him “hanging niggas like the Ku Klux Klan.” Kool Moe Dee’s famous utterance “I never ever ran from the Ku-Klux/ and I shouldn’t have to run from a black man” kindles the memory of American-styled pogroms but draws attention to the immediate terror of urban internecine violence.

A number of rappers have instead approached these subjects with the pomp and gusto of rhetoricians. KRS-One’s tenuous but compelling linkage of the fall of the ancient Egyptian empire to the trauma of slavery on “You Must Learn” is respectfully revisited by Nas on “I Can” but in both instances the depravity of the slave trade is glossed over. The act of enslavement is depicted as a pivotal moment with far reaching consequences but the horrors simply melt into the chaotic pageantry of world history. In the final stretch of his epic "Nature Of the Threat" Rass Kass performs a lively paraphrase of Elijah Muhammad’s incendiary meditation on the slave trade in the West Indies, but this grisly account is meant to incite outrage over the current state of affairs.

Today’s compilation looks at rap songs that break the mold a bit. Talib Kweli’s “For Women” borrows the prototypical characters introduced to the world on Nina Simone's "Four Women," lavishing them with expanded, plausibly interconnected biographies. The narrative is a lot to digest in the course of a single song and Kweli is famously verbose but the listeners are treated to a incisive, less polemical take on slavery's impact across generations. Apani tackles the gendered aspects of plantation subjugation with a searing wit that constrasts beautifully with "A Million Eye's" sweetly somber chorus. Danja Mowf (reinterpeting "Strange Fruit") and The Masterminds capture the paralyzing fear experienced by lynching victims, which they relate through first person narratives that are neither melodramatic nor too detached.

On "The Night The Earth Cried" and "Can't Truss It" the usually heavy-handed sermonizing of PE and the Gravediggaz is delivered instead with an attentivess to the minute details of suffering aboard the slave ships. Shabazz the Disciple interpolates slavery-era "negro spirituals" to express vindictiveness; this is a strange move given his Five Percenter leanings and yetalso a sensible one given the liberation subtext of such spirituals. Finally, Showbiz & A.G.'s "Runaway Slave" connects the vagaries of inner city life to slavery more convincingly than anyone before or since, delving eloquently into the pathologies that ruin communities and the attempts of inspired individuals to overcome.

Download "Enslavement" In One Zipped Folder

-- Thun

The B-Side Wins Again

Here is a collection of my favorite b-sides from the early-to-mid 90s. I might put together a second volume at some point.

The B-Side Wins Again
1. EPMD - Brothers From Brentwood L.I.
2. Gangstarr - Credit Is Due
3. Masta Ace - Go Where I Send Thee
4. KMD - Gasface Refill
5. Black Sheep - Still In The Ghetto
6. Krs-One - Feel The Vibe, Feel The Beat
7. Krs-One - Hip Hop vs Rap
8. Diamond D, Sadat X & Lord Finesse - You Can't Front
9. Artifacts - Who I Am
10. De La Soul & Biz Markie - Lovely How I Let My Mind Float
11. Da King And I & Pudgee - The Kingpin
12. Gangstarr - The Question Remainz
13. Mad Skillz - Skillz In '95
14. Del, Souls Of Mischief & Casual - Burnt
15. Del, Pep Love & Q-Tip - Undisputed Champs
16. Souls Of Mischief - Good Feeling
17. Casual & A-Plus - That's How It Is Part II
18. Pharcyde - Pork
http://www.mediafire.com/?md4j2ytnmzx

Preview:

KMD - Gasface Refill


Black Sheep - Still In The Ghetto


Da King And I & Pudgee - The Kingpin


Mad Skillz - Skillz In '95


Souls Of Mischief - Good Feeling


--Roy Johnson

January Recap

The world is kinda cold and the rhythm is our blanket. If you were busy chopping fire wood or dreaming of a tropical escape this month, we understand. Take the time to get reacquainted with our blog and all that we have to offer. Don't let Jack Frost do you  in. 

Massive Undertakings - The biggest, most comprehensive, or most difficult projects we got ourselves mired in.

Easy Mo Bee Career Retrospective - He was left out of the Notorious flick but he produced some of your favorite hip hop songs of all time without you even knowing it.

The Best Links Since We Entered The Scene - We compiled and organized the best links the rest of the blogosphere had to offer in the last quarter of '08.

Fifty Remixes You Need To Hear, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 - We chose fifty incredible remixes, skipping over the blatantly obvious ones to bring you the gems you might've missed. Download all fifty of them together in one file here.

All-Time Favorites - Slug, Tame One, Opio, DJ Muggs, DJ Evil Dee, and others chime in on their favorite 12" singles, LPs, remixes, etc.

Sounds Like The 90s, Volume I - Compilation of contemporary songs that remind us of our favorite era, with songs from artists like MURS, Blu, Jay Electronica, Souls Of Mischief, Large Professor, Dela, Elzhi, and others.

Main Source "Lost Science" - You heard it here first, so show us 'nuff respecks.

DJ Premier's Underacknowledged Cuts - Ego Trip made it a hot list, we made it a hot compilation. 

Reader-Submitted Material - In the blogosphere's atomic structure, we are the nucleus. The center of the group - we, us, every site, every blog, every ripping crew. Join the TROY Movement today. 

Kimani's Digital Mix For The Whip - A harder-edged mix featuring the likes of Ak Skills, Blahzay Blahzay, etc. Split into two files suitable for burning onto CDs.

I'm Cormega, Raw Forever - The homie Truth King's sixty track Cormega compilation.

Jacking 4 Beats - Step One's compilation of tracks propelled by borrowed beats.

Kimani's Recent Playlist - Right off his iPod, and it's a great mix!

Nas Meets The Large Professor - Large Pro's recent instrumentals + Nas acapellas = another hit for Vaporized.

Samples & Grooves - Respect the architects.

A Tribute To Freddie Hubbard - The gifted and prolific trumpeter is no longer with us but his music lives on. 44 tracks including originals and songs that sampled them. 

Ultimate Breaks And Beats 16 -20 - The breaks that built hip hop, now in convenient mp3 form.

On The Starting Line ... Funk Marathon 2 - An eight hour obscure funk/soul compilation painstakingly designed for interstate travel. 

Kid Hum On Fossil Fuel Samples - Producer Kid Hum drops science on the samples flipped for his new instrumental album, Fossil Fuel.

Quincy Jones "Summer In The City" Samples - Classic tracks by The Pharcyde, The Roots, and Black Moon sample this song. So why haven't you heard it yet?

Monty Alexander "Love & Happiness" Samples - Beatnuts "Let Off A Couple" and Apache's "Gangsta Bitch" sample from the same song ... and you slept on it ... because ... why?

Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" Samples - The greatest song of the 20th Century lives on.

Kool And The Gang Samples Volume 2 - Do you cringe when you hear "Celebration" knowing well they had dozens of superior songs? Me too. Expect a dozen more volumes of this series at the least.

The Backwards Sample - Onyx and Pumpkinhead freaked the same sample in opposite ways. Who woulda thunk it?

Das Efx "What More Can I Say" Samples - The tiggity tongue twisters friggitty freaked some diggity dope samples.

Artist Spotlights - There's more than meets the ear to your favorite artists. You copped the official  tapes and CDs, now dig deeper.

Artifacts Spotlight - Their freestyles, b-sides, remixes, and rarities.

Shakespeare The One Man Army - Rare recordings from the underground legend, compiled by Kevin Beacham.

Leaders Of The New School Non-Album Tracks - B-sides and rarities from the inventors of the East Coast Stomp.

Mommy, What's A Gravedigga? - B-Sides, remixes, and assorted odds and ends. Submitted by readerFatFaceFreddy.

Black Sheep Non-Album Tracks - Dres in the mic + Mista Lawnge on the boards = better than most acts that are more appreciated.

Clear The Harbor - His moniker was Poops, and you probably haven't heard of him. But believe it or not, he was a legend in the making.

Resident Alien Discography - Prince Paul's conceptual project was shelved prematurely but the discography see the light of day in mp3 form.

Rare Vinyl - The pleasure's in the hunt but for those of you with day jobs, here's the end result of digging.

Beats From No I.D. & Dug Infinite - A rare vinly piece called "The Sampler Vol. I" featuring instrumentals from the two producers most famous for their work with Common.

PHD (Poet & Hot Day) - Poet bka Blaq Poet and producer Hot Day's discography as a duo, available for download. A must for fans of non-progressive Queensbridge dun rap.

Dollar Bin Gem Pieces, Pt 2 - Keith Murray "Pay Your Dues" and Kool Keith "Slide We Fly".

Masters Of The Zooniverse - The other Brooklyn Zoo.

Rare Tapes, Demos, CDs, Mixes, Compilations, etc. - This is where we'd like to believe our Stretch & Bobbito influence shines through, yo.

Top Secret It Ain't Over Yet - An underground tape from Canada, circa 1993.

Guage aka The Mental Murdereh - Six track demo from Brooklyn rapper of "Cranium" fame. Post includes image file of Kevin Beacham's review of the tape.

Dan-E-O "Dear Hip Hop EP" - The 1993-1997 output of a dope Canadian emcee.

DJ Mike Nice "Cracking The Surface" - Circa 1997 mixtape featuring freestyles from unsigned artsists. Featuring AL Skillz, Necro, Non Phixion, Main One, A Butta, and more.

Beatminerz "Unmarked Music Vol I." Mix CD - There are remixes here you haven't heard. Trust.

Shades Of Brooklyn/ Evil Dee Mixtapes - Everything you ever needed to know or hear from your favorite Black Moon affiliates.

Fades 'Em All - Jamal was iller than you remember.

IV Life - So was King Tee.

Forever Constipated - Excellent compilation celebrating the life and works of Kurios Jorge.

Ca$h Money Click - No, not Weezy and his pappy, the other Cash Money people. Ja-Rule prior to his R&B duet days.

Regional Compilations - It's not all about NYC and the Bay Area, dunny. 

Chicago Instrumentals: Soul-Jazz Edition - The late 90s beats emanating from The Windy City that were spiced up by soul-jazz samples, from artists like Common, No ID, All Natural, Grav, etc.

Mid-Atlantic Hip Hop Volume Three (1993-2002) - The part of the East Coast that is usually slept on - DC, Carolinas, Tidewater, Maryland, etc.

Philly Retrospective Volume 5 - More tracks from the City of Brotherly Love. Ram Squad, Aphillyation, The Roots, etc.

East Coast 12 Inch Rarities Volume 1 - Be on the lookout for volumes 2 through 108. You read that correctly.

North Vs. South (Carolina) - A friendly civil war from the slept on "Cakalak" region.

Southern Series Volume 1 - Why's everybody so mad at the south, for? They've been doing it right for years.

Baltimore & Washington DC Underground Volume 1 - Thought this area was all House and Go-Go music? Get wise.

Analysis & Commentary - Wee b reeding dem bookz u kno.

Figure Eight "Trancendence" - Eight songs that seek to elevate your mind and soul.

L.O.N.S. And The Crisis Of Time, Pt. 1 - Why LONS' first album isn't all fun and games like you thought.

An Infamous Genealogy, Pt. 1 - How Mobb Deep's musical predecessors helped shaped them into masters of their craft.

Security Blanket - Why Midnight Marauders never fails to disappoint even today.

Miscellaneous

Hip Hop Landmarks - Using Google Maps to take a look at a few places in NYC made famous by rap music.

Ego Trip Singles 1986 and 1987 - Where it all started to get really, really good. The beginning of the New School of rap. Drum loops. Futuristic rhymes. "Criminal Minded," "Eric B. Is President," "Rebel Without A Pause," etc.

D-Sturbed Words - Loki's parodic review of D-Stroy's slam poetry parody.

The Redefinition  Of Time Travel w/ Kevin Beacham - Kevin reminisces over his highly acclaimed radio show.

-- Thun

DJ Massacre - Back 4 More

Here's a mixtape from the Molemen Crew mixed by DJ Massacre. This tape came out in 1996 and features all the dope gems of the year. It also includes 3 one-verse intros by Molemen's affliates E.C Illa, Ang 13, Vakill and a full track by Path of Undaground Solution produced by Molemen producer Panik. As I figured that most of you all have the 96' songs on wax and might not like another mixtape, I decided , in addition to the full tape, to put out the Molemen exclusives tracks by themselves which you can find available for download right under Side B. Nevertheless I strongly suggest you to blast this great mix; DJ Massacre is on fire from beginning to end...

The quality of the sound on this is not the best though (that's what happens with a lot of old mixtapes) but I don't think that it's going to be a big problem.

Also if you're looking for old mixtapes, don't forget to check out Brandan E.'s Recognize The Real.

Side A

1. E.C intro 1996
2. Molemen intro
3. Ang 13 intro
4. Cella Dwellas - Line 4 Line
5. Group Home - Suspended In Time remix
6. Heltah Skeltah - Letha Brainz Blo
7. Erick Sermon - Tell Em
8. intermission
9. GZA - 4th Chamber
10. Heather B - Recognize
11. Passion w/ Erick Sermon - As the...
12. Mic Geronimo - Wherever You At
13. Saukrates - Father Time
14. Fugees - Ready or Not
15. Bahamadia - 3 the Hard Way
16. KRS One & Busta Rhymes - Build Ya Skills
17. Organized Konfusion - Bring It On remix
18. Shyheim & Trigga the Gambler - What Makes The World Go Round
19. Smooth the Hustler - Murder Fest
20. Wise Intelligent - Kingpins
21. Grand Daddy I.U. - Mass Destruction
22. Lord Finesse/Large Professor/Sadat X/Grand Puba - Actual Facts
23. Busta Rhymes - Do My Thing
24. Fat Joe/Raekwon - Firewater
25. Mobb Deep - Up North Trip
    

Side B

1. Vakill intro
2. Show AG - You Know Now Buckwild remix
3. Mic Geronimo - I'm Just A Man of My Own
4. Special Ed - Freaky Flow remix
5. Major Stress - A Day in the Stuy
6. Graffiti Interlude
   
7. KRS One - Out For Fame
8. Lost Boyz - Renee
9. Artifacts - Wrong Side of the Tracks
10. LA the Darkman - I Want It All/D'Angelo Brown Sugar
11. Ghostface Killah - Motherless Child
12. Fugees - Fu-Gee-La remix
13. Non Phixion - Legacy
14. Yvette Michelle - Crazy Mr DJ/Mad Skillz Head Nod acappellas
15. Frankie Cutlass/Redman - You & You & You
16. Greg Nice - Set It Off
17. Path of Underground Solution - On the Rise prod. by Panik
18. Sadat X - Wild Cowboys
19. Cypress Hill - Stoned Raiders
20. Big Noyd - Recognize & Realize
21. Large Professor - Mad Scientist
22. Paula Perry - Paula's Jam
23. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones I

Molemen Exclusives

Shoutout to serch4beatz...

-- Thomas V

Thirty & Good Vol. 1 (90s R&B)

Face it, man - you're not getting any younger. Seasons change; mad things rearrange. You wince when you hear the word "motherfucker" spoken in the vicinity of children or old ladies. You secretly wonder if metal things are appropriate tools for settling things. You spend more time in pursuit of commitment and equity than blunts and forties. You keep your eyes open for sales on porkpie hats and fancy socks, you relish your after-dinner cognac, and you're saving up the loot to take wifey on a surprise getaway to a cozily romantic B&B for some well-deserved R&R. But for that you'll need some R&B.

Fortunately for you, while you frittered away your youth by obsessing over authenticity, R&B artists continued to collaborate with hip hop producers and rappers to make joints and jams that your older self would eventually grow to appreciate. Tekitha's rousing "Walking Through The Darkness" was later reincarnated as a Ghostface song that banished her to the hook but you need this original version in your life. Joi's first single "Sunshine & Rain" is brooding yet sultry, somber and yet impassioned like all memorable soul music. Leschea's "3 to 5" flips a Wu-Tang classic justly, while D'Angelo sounds right at home crooning alongside AZ's refined flows over a punchy head-nodder of a beat.

The usually saccharine Boyz II Men are play their position in a cipher featuring Treach, Craig Mack, and Busta, reminding us that rap owes a debt to doo-wop. Rae and Ghost rip Jodeci's bawdy "Freekin U" like it was just another cut off the purple tape. Rae shines again on Davina's similarly styled "So Good." Jay-Z adapts himself to whatever track is thrown at him, coming off smooth but not slick on remixes of The Braxtons "So Many Ways" and SWV's "You're The One." Yvette Michelle combines Mary J. Blige's unexpectedly sexy Noo Yawk accent and combines it with the cool yet determined sensibility of Sade on the stalkerish "Everyday Everynight." Lord Jamar and Sadat X lend their flows to a funkier version of Groove Theory's acid-jazz anthem "Tell Me," and Zhane's annoying party-starter is given a much needed harder-edged facelift.

You can't go wrong with this compilation - it works too well for mixed company and diverse occasions. Which is good because you'll probably still front about your reasons for including it in your iPod. No need for that, though, this shit bangs. Expect many, many more volumes - the thread is on and poppin' at the T.R.O.Y. Forum so add your requests and recommendations. Oh and thanks to Lyrical Gymnastics, Spartan, Drizzle, Mark 563, thebridgeisover, kevin beacham, vaporized, and Dred Scott for contributing tracks to this volume, as well as everyone else who uploaded songs and suggested titles.

Click To Download "Thirty & Good Volume 1"

Back-Up Link

Tekitha "Walking Through The Darkness"
Joi "Sunshine & Rain"
Leschea "3 To 5"
Adriana Evans "Seein' Is Believing" (Remix)
D'Angelo ft. AZ "Lady" (Remix)
Neneh Cherry ft. Notorious B.I.G. "Buddy X" (Remix)
Boyz II Men ft. Treach, Craig Mack, Busta Rhymes "Vibin'" (Remix)
Jodeci ft. Ghostface & Raekwon "Freekin U" (Wu Tang Clan Remix)
Davina ft. Raekwon "So Good"
The Braxtons ft. Jay-Z "So Many Way Ways"
Yvette Michelle "Everyday Everynight" (Cross Bronx Expressway
SWV ft. Jay-z "You Are The One" (Clark Kent Remix)
Groove Theory ft. Brand Nubian "Tell Me" (Karat Hip Hop Mix)
Zhane "Hey DJ" (Remix)