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

Godfather Don vs. Tame One?

Just two more days to cast your votes. Who will meet in the finals? Right now it's a tie between Tame One and GFD but you could be the deciding factor. We also have MC Ren vs. Willie D. Who will advance to the finals? Real vs. Trill? Click here to go vote. --Philaflava




Download updated bracket.

The Source: February 1991 issue featuring EPMD

This issue is another T.R.O.Y. blog exclusive and is courtesy of philaflava forum member Pradadon from NYC. Please send him a ‘Thank You’ in the comment section.

Imagine. The year is 1990. Pre-breakup EPMD is still together. They have two hit albums under their belt and now they’re signed to Def Jam when Def Jam is still Def Jam. LL had just dropped a classic album (Mama Said Knock You Out) and he wanted to appear on EPMD's Def Jam debut (correct me if I’m wrong). And to top it off, some new artist named Redman, comes through and completely steals the show. I think Verge said it first but next to Big L’s debut on Lord Finesse’s ‘Yes You May’ remix, Redman’s debut on that album is probably the best new artist debut that I’ve ever heard. So it’s safe to say, I was amped when I bought that Business As Usual tape and it stands as one of my all time best ‘pump up the volume while I play video games’ albums. Something about that album has an upgraded, more polished but still funky and grimy sound that the first two albums lacked and it has hit after hit with ‘Manslaughter’, ‘Mr. Bozack’ and ‘Hardcore’ being my favorites. Anyway, I never got the chance to read this issue until Pradadon sent it to my house. Way back in ’91, I was too young, too broke, and too stressed the hell out in my freshman year of college to try and buy every Source issue at the record store. So this one and the issue in the pic below are the two that escaped my grasp at the time. If anyone has the issue March/April 1991 issue below, then please contact me ASAP.

Source February 1991 issue

If you're looking for something else, then head on over to THIMK.

And don’t forget, the pw = thimk.

~Vincent Lopez~

Scientifik “Non-Album Tracks”

Forum member Debonair_P recently blessed us with a dope compilation of Scientfik non-album tracks. As an added bonus, there is an exclusive remix done by Debonair_P himself.

Here's what D.J. Shame (of The Vinyl Reanimators) had to say when I asked him for some history on Scientifik:

When the Scientifik LP was done, his label decided that "Jungles" would be the 1st single. Just before the single dropped, Chemisty had changed to Definite. Chemistry had distribution through Mercury/Polygram but I don't think Definite had the same distribution deal. Mercury/Polygram picked up Diamond who was signed to Chemistry & I think that's all they signed over. I don't think the "Criminal" LP ever got an actual release. Although there were the copies that got around with just the sticker on the front which was what they sent me. It was too bad cause the LP was pretty dope in my opinion. There was of course the re-release that Traffic Entertainment put out a few years back. The "Most Blunted" release was also put out by Joe (of The Vinyl Reanimators) which was pretty much a bunch of demos that were done before Scientifik even got signed. The tracks that had samples that were already used (like the Nas "Memory Lane" joint) were not originally recorded like that. For whatever reason, Joe went back & changed some of the samples. I think the original samples were better... he shouldn't have changed them.

R.I.P. Scientifik

01 A Nigga You Can't Fuck With w Edo G, Herb & Smit
02 Freestyle (Sept 94)
03 All Around G
04 What's The Deal w Edo G & Big Shug
05 Lawtown '96 The Saga Continues (Original)
06 Lawtown '96 The Saga Continues (Wiz Remix)
07 Internal Affairs (Original)
08 Internal Affairs (Wiz Remix)
09 Official w Edo G & Big Shug
10 Hold The Key w God Wize, L Da Headtoucha & K-Slaughta
11 Jungles Of The East (Debonair P Remix)

DOWNLOAD

Thanks to Debonair_P for the music and D.J. Shame for the words.

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Mapping Out The Stretch And Bobbito Show (Demos: Juggaknots, Kool Keith, etc..)

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:

Juggaknots - Genuine (demo?)

MF Doom - Gas Drawls (demo)

Rampage - Mad Niggas (demo)

LL Cool J - ?? Unreleased Unknown demo

Organized Konfusion - Why (OG Buckwild demo version)

Showtime - I Walk The Line (demo)

Aiello Wilson - 80 Proof (demo)

Kool Keith - Time Is Now (unreleased demo)[best quality on the internet]

Nas - The Life We Chose (DJ Eli Remix)

[Download them all here.]

This is only a sampler of all the freshness that has surfaced so far.

Check the "Mapping Out The Stretch And Bobbito Show History" thread here for more treats.

Peace and thanks to everyone who has helped contribute so far, I hope I'm not forgetting anyone. Leave a comment if I forgot you:

The Big Sleep, aleph, Digital Stimulation, Andyman187, dj step one, RELM, jamo609, Howfresh, dirtywaters, serch4beatz, recogthereal, boogs, sen, sloppyseconds, Skeptic, Ho1ogramz, djkingflow, Dat_Triflin_Ass_Dude, megafresh, dubs, tuttsifruttsi, Kwestionmark, pradadon, Duddy, Roy Johnson

Most of those links are to really good cassette rip blogs you might want to check out.

Peace to Stretch and Bobbito.

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.

--Verge

The Villain In Black

What other MC can rap about;

religion;

Fallin' on your Jesus, comin' for the pork chop
Wake ya out your sleep, shit is deep, about to wreck shop
Bombs goin' down a mile deep, pushin' up a mile high
Nigga ain't allowed to cry while they disbelieve his God

the darkest streets;

Then every nigga had to get a turn
To make sure that this mothafucka learn
Niggaz kickin' him - hittin' him with bricks
Check it, and my homey lit his pitbull bite off his dick
And to top it off before my brother left the scene
He emptied off his clip with the whole 15

police brutality;

Now it's time for the camouflage
And all the niggaz I can fit in back of the Dodge
Bound to go to war but this ain't the Middle East
We're killin' motherfuckers for revenge, fuck peace
So if ya see us, this is what ya do
Grab your shit and come along, we're killin' cops in blue

and pussy;

Go back to the crib, we do that soopafly scene
Fuck your ass in the tub, rub my dick with vaseline
Make my shit stretch all down your throat
Quit tryna talk with that shit in your mouth just write a note
Or use sign language if you need some air

Only one does it with enough credibility for us to forgive his ex-group's ugliest FAILS.

This two volume compilation is just to give MC Ren the proper respect he has gained. Here's the rundown of the tracks I picked and why:

VOLUME 1 : MC REN

DOWNLOAD HERE

-from NWA's "Straight Outta Compton" (1988)

- Fuck the Police(MC Ren only version) - I put this together just because.
- If It Ain't Ruff
- Something Like That
- Quiet on the Set

-from NWA's "100 Miles and Runnin" (1990)

- 100 Miles and Runnin'

- from NWA's "Efil4Zaggin" (1991)

- Niggaz 4 Life

- The Dayz Of Wayback - so many tracks to pick from on this album, so I just picked two of my favorites, fuck it.

- from "Kizz MY Black Azz" (1992)

- Final Frontier - This promo track was burning radio's before the album dropped. THIS is the way to debut!! Bobcat produced a perfect East/West coast mesh utilizing Parliament funk and BDP's classic "Bridge is Over" piano.

- Right Up My Alley - Scariest rap track ever written. No one will imagine a Compton alley the same way after hearing this track.

- from "Shock of the Hour" (1993)

this album is divided in two. Ren started walking down his islam path while he working on the album. He could have not included his earlier songs, but he stated that it was important to show his growth as a person, so kept them as the first half of the album, while finishing the LP with more islam-compromised tracks

- Mayday on the Front Line - the first promo single for the album was the only track he would ever put out under the MCA label. This is probably why this track was included on the MCA soundtrack for that funny ass CB4 movie. Below is a funny video of Chris Rock confronting Eazy and MC Ren about the obvious mocking of NWA on his CB4 movie (also interesting is hearing Eazy claim that NWA was back but sucka-free without Dr.Dre).
- Shock of the Hour

- from "Villain in Black" (1996)

I would have happily put up the whole album. Just my opinion, but this is not only MC Ren's best album, but also, one of my top ten west coast albums.
- B**ch Made Ni**a Killa
- Live from Compton 'Saturday Night'
- Great Elephant

- from "Ruthless 4 Life" (1998)

-Voyage To Compton - This could have been a dope radio hit, and would have put Ren into a new limelight. But instead he rapped about "Fuck your ass in the tub, rub my dick with vaseline / Make my shit stretch all down your throat". NWA hadn't died in MC Ren.
- Must Be High - I had to put this track on, due to his impressive flow, and the beat is equally fresh.
- Who Got That Street Shit
-Pimpin' Is Free - More obsession with BDP? He recreates "The P Is Free" chorus for this track.

- from "Renincarnated (Advance)" (2003)
I got this album from the internets a while back and I haven't ever found much info about this album at all. Bigg Rocc and John Doe both appear on almost every track of the album.

- America
- Deadly
- Radio

- from "Lost in the Game" (2004)

Another album that flew waaaay under the radar. This EP was done to accompany a DVD Documentary with the name.
- Lost in the Game

- from "Renincarnated" (2009)

Again, another album that I should have just uploaded the whole album.
- Villainist Tales
- Black Star Line

VOLUME 2 - MC REN GUEST SPOTS :

DOWNLOAD HERE

- 2 Hard Muthas - Eazy E w/MC Ren
- Tha Muthaphuckkin Real - Eeazy E w/MC Ren

- Wanna Ride - W.C. w/ MC Ren, Ice Cube
- Legend of Jimmy Bones - Snoop w/RBX, MC Ren
- Hard Truth Soldiers -Public Enemy w/Dead Prez, Paris, Concious Daughters & MC Ren
- Raw Shit -Public Enemy w/Paris & MC Ren
- Roll On 'Em - Crazy Toones w/W.C., Xzibit, MC Ren, Maylay
- Killaz in the Park - Above the Law w/MC Ren
- Process of Elimination - Above the Law w/MC Ren
- Ballad of a Menace - CPO w/MC Ren
- Gangsta Melody - CPO w/MC Ren
- The Shit -D.O.C. w/Ice Cube, Snoop, MC Ren, 6Two
- Set It Off - Snoop w/MC Ren, Nate, Lady of Rage, Ice Cube
- Chin Check - Ice Cube, MC Ren, Snoop
- Hello - Ice Cube, Dr.Dre, MC Ren
- Stallion - Yukmouth w/ MC Ren & Tech N9ne
- The Hardest - Kurupt w/ Xzibit, Nate Dogg, MC Ren
- Have Dat Money Rite - Chill MC w/MC Ren
- 2 G's From Compton - King Tee w/MC Ren)
- Down Fa Mine - Kam w/MC Ren, Dresta
- Southland Killers - Cypress Hill w/MC Ren
- Bangin - Ms. Toi w/MC Ren
- Still Aint Free - MC Ren produced by Paris

-- cenzi stiles

Connecticut Underground 1992-2005

Connecticut is fertile ground for hip hop, but it can be hard to find. Like many other regional scenes across the country the state hasn't gotten much attention nationally. This compilation will definitely give you a good look into the underground there. You'll hear from a few 'well known' names like Lonnie O, Stezo and Bas Blasta but pay attention to some of the others whose work is really obscure. For example 'The Apacalypse' by 'Seven Angels' is a rare banger with some serious replay value. Track 2 by Lonnie O has me hooked liked crack. His (1st ?) single from 1992 'Dream On' is probably more common, but I dig the '94 flavor better.

If you're a fan of the New Haven crew Hyperdermic Needlz, check out track 13. This is from a cassingle of mine. I believe it's a tape-only track. The vinyl 12" 'Always bw/Word Up' does not feature 'Almost Gone'. The cassette version is also put out by 'Cook Rock Records' but isn't listed on discogs. If anyone out there can provide some background on the tape release it'd be nice to find out more. In the meantime, here's a link and the tracklist to the 1st of several underground compilations representing Ct.

Download

01 (3:45) Spectrum Live - Fifty Grand 1997
02 (5:11) Lonnie O - It's Like That 1994
03 (3:51) Stezo - Tension Off The Chest 1995
04 (4:36) Dahru - My Home 1997
05 (4:27) Connecticut Kartel - C.k. State Of Mind 1997
06 (3:00) Millionz - 97 Mentality
07 (2:00) Mic Profit - Young James Bond 2005
08 (4:15) House of Reps - Grey Skies 2000
09 (5:10) Inna Citi - Project Shit 2000
10 (4:35) The Unit - Life Is Trouble 1998
11 (5:05) Foundation Clique - Things Ain't Easy 1996
12 (4:44) Russ Bee - Flavors From The Hill (Hill Remix) 1994
13 (2:40) Hyperdermic Needlez - Almost Gone (Bonus Jack Kevorkian Solo) 1994
14 (4:24) Chis Lowe - 1 Midnight Blue 1993
15 (3:41) The Ill Pedestrians - All Out Ta Bomb 1992
16 (4:13) Ack The Brother Grimm - Chaotic Dayz 1998
17 (4:09) Bas Blasta - Aint Whatcha Do (Radio) 1994
18 (5:52) Seven Angels - The Apacalypse 1997
19 (3:39) D Vine - Say Hi To The Bad Guy 1994

The 'The Ill Pedestrians' cut is from a compilation called 'The Basement Tapes'. The cd is absolutely worth picking up. Dooley O is a Connecticut producer who put out this collection of unreleased local hip hop circa 1988-1994. It should be on your cd shelf!

On another note, I wish I could detail the tracks down by city for you, but I am not 100% sure on all of them. The artists on tracks 10, 16 and 18 are from Bridgeport. Any Ct natives out there who can break down the local scenes for us by city would be cool to hear from! I hope everyone enjoys this hand-picked slice of the northeast. Leave some comments, drop some science if you've got that uncommon knowledge. Thanks for reading!

--Schenectadyfan