Fades 'Em All...

In 1995, Ex-Illegal member Jamal released his solo debut titled "Last Chance, No Breaks". The album featured production from hip-hop heavyweights such as Redman, Erick Sermon, Easy Mo Bee, Rockwilder, etc. The album is mainly known for cuts such as Fades 'Em All, Keep it Real, Unfuckwittable, and more... I feel that it's just a '95 classic album + Jamal always had a nice delivery with his raw Philly rhymes.

Now it's time to talk about Jamal's most successful single titled "Fades Em' All". Originally produced by Redman & Rockwilder, "Fades 'Em All" made it all the way to #9 on the Billboard's Hot Rap Singles. Redman used his "P-Funkadelic Devil" technique perfectly for the beat creating a funky head nodder. The remix is totally different though as it features a soulful production remixed by the "Soul Brother" Pete Rock. It is one of the greatest Pete Rock Remixes but it never really gets the props it deserves. Finally, here we have a sequel of Fades 'Em All. Still Fades 'Em featured Shyheim The Rugged Child with Jamal who were basically the illest juveniles in the rap game at the time. The track never came out officially but I believe that it was played as an exclusive in '95/'96 on Marley Marl & Pete Rock's legendary show "Future Flavas".

Jamal - Fades 'Em All (Produced by Redman & Rockwilder)


Jamal - Fades 'Em All (Pete Rock Remix)


Jamal - Still Fades 'Em (Featuring Shyheim)


Download (All 3 Tracks)

-- Thomas V

L.O.N.S. And The Crisis Of Time, Part 1

"Too Much On Mind"

"Transformers"

"Just When You Thought It Was Safe"

"Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense"

"Where Do We Go From Here"

1993 Interview on Max N' Dave radio show

In the past critics have reduced L.O.N.S.'s debut A Future Without A Past (Elektra, 1991) to the sum of Charlie Brown's shrieks, Busta's growls, and Dinco's non-sequiters. But are their exuberant Cold-Crush-like deliveries, which admittedly sustain a jovial mood, consistently matched with a carefree tone? Does showmanship soften the urgency of their message? Years later, I find it difficult to listen to Future and hear only frivolity. While some songs ("Feminine Fatt" springs to mind) celebrate youthful caprice, many defy this trend, even as raucous choruses and ad-libs give way to hilarity.

On Future, the interplay between song structure, vocal styling, and lyrical content is enticingly complex. "Case of the P.T.A." and "The International Zone Coaster" present the what of delinquency and truancy and mostly leave it at that. Yet the similarly rambunctious "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense," hints at the why behind rebellion. Namely, a festering resentment for miseducation coupled with a tangible anxiety for a future of rapidly disintegrating options.

But let's backtrack. The who and where are also important.

The group's families all emigrated from NYC to Long Island's "Black Belt." They settled in the hamlet of Uniondale where low-rise, single family dwellings rest on tree-lined streets. By many accounts, however, the Black Belt's idyll was quickly marred by soaring living expenses, declining wages, an influx of lower-income residents, white flight, housing segregation, and a gradual decline in the quality of government services, particularly in the area of education. While Busta credits the relative ease of life in this town as a catalyst for creativity and ambition the stage was set for the Leaders to address issues of concern to the larger black collectve.

Luckily, L.O.N.S. rested one town away from Public Enemy. After honing dance and rap routines in the schoolyard at their junior high school they became the unofficial studio apprentices of The Bomb Squad's Eric "Vietnam" Sadler. They sat in on sessions at the "Spectrum City" studio in neighboring Hempstead, learning recording and production techniques and receiving a strict but caring education in conceptualizing and structuring songs. The grueling in-studio baptism of fire that Busta recounts fondly as a formative experience may have included instruction in black power ideologies, or even just the incorporation of protest into music.

I feel such speculation is safe because the structure of their early music reflects an ethos of unity and progression. During their 1993 interview on British radio show “Max N’ Dave,” their vocal synchronicity (which they demonstrate on-air in the course of unscripted conversation) is explicitly linked to a program of communal uplift. Just as they were mentored and constructively critiqued by PE, they consciously viewed their ascent in the music industry as a means to provide mentorship and employment to their fellow Uniondale brethren.

Their commitment to this ethos is evident in their frequent inclusion of Geranimo (later of Rumpletilskinz fame) in early press appearances and performances but also throughout the lyrics of their first album. On “Too Much On My Mind” Charlie Brown laments “minimum wage in the age of the future” while Dinco D relates that $99.95 will not buy “fresh.” These grievances point to the looming possibility of downward mobility, a figurative castration for the children of hard-working immigrants. Such inner-ring suburban concerns are not petty. On “Teachers, Don’t Teach Us Nonsene” they rage against an educational system that fails to prepare them for a 21st century where retail employment will not cover one’s daily needs.

A Future Without A Past is the story of a collective, a culture, and a rap group struggling for recognition and inclusion while resisting assimilation as time advances unabated.“Transformers” insists that the failure to increase future earning potential through the pursuit of unerring perfection leaves one susceptible to peer pressure. “Just When You Thought You Were Safe” is a stern warning that real dangers are already steadily encroaching on their Long Island bubble, while “Where Do We Go From Here” see L.O.N.S. plotting the next steps to ensure longevity in a crassly profit-obsessed industry. The long-term effectiveness of the L.O.N.S. credo is questionable given the group's dissolution but the attempt to incorporate it into the music is apparent even where shouting and silly noises dominate.

TO BE CONTINUED

Don't forget to peep Roy's compilation of non-album L.O.N.S. cuts.

Clear The Harbor

Don't worry. It's not your fault if you never heard of the emcee named Poops. The only places he seemed to show up were on Stretch and Bobbito promos and rare limited mix tapes. He embodied the walking personification of legend. Most people that even heard of him have only heard less then ten verses. But every word in every verse was powerful. Kind of like a GZA type of cat where he can express so much illness in so few words.

The only known affiliations with Poops were Pumpkinhead, DJ Clear and producer/DJ F.Boom who also produced at least two of the four tracks we're bringing you here.

The heads at the T.R.O.Y. forum are selfless hip hop heads dedicated to digging up new old stuff just for the sake of keeping the culture alive. Blockhead uploaded the Pumpkinhead/Poops KCR promo. Thun was responsible for the revival of the DJ Clear joint. Digital Stimulation brought us the solo KCR promo and Kevin Beacham blessed us with "The Shit" off of an old F.Boom mix tape. Serious teamwork. 

"Poops is a gentleman, guess again

pure living hell is how I prevail

when I bested them

first to a frail skeleton

then to a single cell specimen"

Previews:

Poops and Pumpkinhead - The Laughing Syndrome(KCR promo)

Poops and OC - A Clear Day

Poops - It Doesn't Matter(KCR promo)

Poops - The Shit

Download all four tracks in one convenient mediafire folder here

-- Verge

Black Sheep - Non-Album Tracks

Today, we are presenting you with a 2CD set of Black Sheep Non-Album Tracks. I remastered quite a few of these, so y'all are in for a real treat. I also converted some of their live video clips to mp3 format. Stay tuned for similar compilations from Common Sense and Nice & Smooth!

Black Sheep - Non-Album Tracks Volume 1
1. Still In The Ghetto
2. Bounce Ta This w/ Showbiz & AG
3. On The Wall
4. Strobelite Honey (No We Didn't Mix)
5. Have U.N.E. Pull (Remix)
6. Fanatic Of The B Word w/ De La Soul
7. Scenario Demo w/ ATCQ, LONS & De La Soul
8. Let The Horns Blow w/ Chi Ali, De La Soul, ATCQ & The Beatnuts
9. Butt In The Meantime (Nostrand Ave Rastafarian Mix)
10. Bounce Ta This Remix w/ Showbiz & AG
11. Gimme The Finga (Remix)
12. Try Counting Sheep (Funky Caveman Organ 7" Mix)
13. Similak Child (Homogenized Mix)
14. State Of Yo w/ Brand New Heavies
15. What Yo Life Can Truly Be w/ De La Soul
16. Strobelite Honey (Maybe We Did Mix)
17. Strobelite Honey (Yes We Did Mix)
http://www.mediafire.com/?n4yjmm5mwyu

Black Sheep - Non-Album Tracks Volume 2
1. Everyway Always
2. North South East West (Buckwild Remix)
3. Without A Doubt (Lawnge's Mix)
4. H.A.A. (Here's Another Asshole)
5. Jingle Jangle w/ The Legion
6. Jingle Jangle Remix w/ The Legion
7. Who's It On Pt. II w/ Chi Ali & The Legion
8. Only If You're Live w/ Chi Ali & IBP
9. North South East West (Remix)
10. Without A Doubt (Elm Street Mix)
11. Without A Doubt (Block Party Mix)
12. Roll With Tha Flava Remix w/ Various Artists
13. Check It Out w/ Fu-Schnickens
14. Shaky Grounds w/ Resident Alien
15. The Choice Is Yours (Arsenio Hall '92)
16. Strobelite Honey Remix (Arsenio Hall '92)
17. The Choice Is Yours (In Living Color '92)
18. Bounce Ta This w/ Showbiz & AG (In Living Color '93)
19. The Choice Is Yours (Xtendamix '94)
http://www.mediafire.com/?yjztjowmrmj

Preview:

Still In The Ghetto


On The Wall


Have U.N.E. Pull (Remix)


Butt In The Meantime (Remix)


Without A Doubt (Lawnge's Mix)


--Roy Johnson

Figure Eight: Transcendence

Big Daddy Kane "I'll Take You There" Remix

Del The Funkee Homosapien "Sunny Meadowz"

Digable Planets "Escapism (Gettin' Free)"

Keith Murray "Escapism"

Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Take You There"

The BUMS "Elevation (Free Your Mind)"

Siah & Yeshua "Cure For Stagnation"

All Natural "The Renaissance"

Hip Hop is a rewarding, welcoming genre. Contrary to the reductive logic of popular belief, rap teems with distinctive personalities. Endearing idiosyncrasies abound even if vapid conformity rules. Materialism and debauchery are counterbalanced by voices that emphasize authenticity or spirituality. The personal and competitive nature of emceeing allows a wide spectrum of perspectives and a veritable cast of characters to emerge.

As rap fans we never want for explicit expression. Even rappers that dabble in contemplative or surrealist poetics deliver their messages with conviction. Rakim’s deadpanned intergalactic voyages on 1988’s “Follow The Leader” foreshadow a generation of rappers who portray themselves as street level metaphysicians. It’s a peculiar, compelling performance exemplified by Nas’ impassioned declaration that he “represents the thinkers” with a stream of consciousness freestyle that’s “floating like I’m on the North 95 Interstate” on 1994’s “One Time 4 Ya Mind.”

Freely associative rapping has long been equated to a mental journey towards enlightenment, a move towards alterity, something beyond inner-city boundaries. Rap’s “visionary strand,” (identified by Robin Kelley in Freedom Dreams) embraces a “politics of escape” rooted in the spacey excursions of Sun Ra and Parliament/Funkadelic and is quite diverse. The “thinkers” have run the gamut from KRS-One’s no-nonsense prophet of rage to the Native Tongue’s Afrocentric partygoers. It is in this spirit that I present today’s Figure Eight compilation, titled Transcendence.

BDK’s “I’ll Take You There” upgrades The Staple Singers’ churchy utopianism into a package more palatable to youths attracted to Five Percenter and Zulu Nation ideologies. In his estimation, the temporary highs of vice cannot compare to the blissful state one enters by attaining wealth logically and responsibly. Escapism is an oddly realist agenda applicable in the here and now. We shouldn't need Scotty to "beam us up," via glass pipes when we already blessed with the capacity to build anything we can imagine, right?

Where BDK insists "I'm not playin' what I'm sayin' is reality," Del revels in psychadelic playfulness. Also disdainful of crime and disorder, he remedies apprehensiveness with a voyage to an enchanted verdant wonderland where tranquil open-mindedness cancels out the dreariness of ghetto life. Similarly, the ever-fanciful Keith Murray self-medicates misanthropic bouts with blunted trips to Mars that reaffirm his belief in the transcendent power of the human mind.

Digable Planets embrace the language of psychadelica while locating liberation in music itself. Pete Rock & CL Smooth implore listeners to do the same over a loop of "Rising To The Top” that stays true to its dancefloor-tailored groove. The BUMS find refuge from an unfeeling industry in the very ethics of creative production. Siah & Yeshua consolidate these viewpoints with a Thoreauvian twist, inspired by the real beauty of their native Brighton Beach. Finally, All Natural’s Capital D, in awe of high-brow surroundings in Hyde Park, Chicago and its view of Lake Michigan, is reassured that he has a place in a continuum of cultural rebirth spanning back to at least 1920s Harlem.

Listen up, check it. -- Thun

Download "Figure 8 Transcendence" in one convenient file: http://www.mediafire.com/file/iyizmynqzmm/Figure Eight Transcendence.rar

Monty Alexander - Love & Happiness Samples

Monty Alexander's version of "Love & Happiness" has gotta be one of the dopest soul-jazz tracks ever recorded. It's been sampled by the likes of Pete Rock, The Beatnuts, The Large Professor, DJ Premier, Q-Tip, K-Def, etc. My personal favorite would have to be either "Let Off A Couple", or Pete Rock's "Rhyme Writer". Drop us a line in the comments section and let us know which version you're feeling the most.

Monty Alexander - Love & Happiness


Beatnuts - Let Off A Couple


Beatnuts - Hit Me With That (Instrumental)


Apache - Gangsta Bitch (Instrumental)


K-Def - Mont Man (Instrumental)


Pete Rock & Deda - Rhyme Writer


Large Professor - Ijuswannachill (Instrumental)


Gangstarr - Aiiight Chill


Download everything in one mediafire folder:
http://www.mediafire.com/?gma3njiyttg

--Roy Johnson

Shadez Of Brooklyn + Evil Dee Mixtapes

At T.R.O.Y. we still practically live in the '90s (we're trying to catch up, though!) so anything related in some way to the Boot Camp Clik or the Beatminerz naturally catches our attention. Today we bring you choice tracks from Shadez Of Brooklyn. Shadez of Brooklyn was the brainchild of producer Chocolate Tye, a close friend of the Beatminerz, and Mr. Walt. Along with rappers Rambo, Tee Black, and Rev.Al., Chocolate Tye put a single "Change / When It Rains It Pours" that is generally considered to be a classic by those in the know. "Change" rocked the world by storm when it was included on DJ Premier's famous Reality Check 101 mixtape and the crew's other recordings are sought-after commodities. Today we bring you the "Change" and "How It's Done" singles plus the Wanted Men (Bootleg) EP. Oh, and just because we care, we're including Evil Dee One mixtape series (it has some additional Shadez tracks). Download and proceed to rejoice.

Big up to Ho1ogramz, Kimani, and serch4beatz for putting in good work as usual.

Shadez of Brooklyn - Change vls (1996)

[Download Via Mediafire]

[Download Via Megaupload]

01. Change

02. Change (Instrumental)

03. When It Rains It Pours (Survival Warz !)

04. When It Rains It Pours (Survival Warz !) (Instrumental)

Shadez of Brooklyn - How It's Done vls (1998)

[Download Via Mediafire]

[Download Via Megaupload]

01. How It's Done (Radio)

02. Paradise (Radio)

03. Wanted Men (Radio)

04. Paradise (Instrumental)

05. How It's Done (Instrumental)

06. How It's Done (Dirty Version)

Shades Of Brooklyn - Wanted Men EP

[Download via Mediafire]

[Download via Megaupload]

01. Wanted Men (Radio)

02. When It Rains It Pours

03. Calm Under Pressure

04. Drama

05. Paradise

06. Hell Yeah, Oh Yeah

07. When It Rains It Pours

08. How It's Done

09. Change

10. Return Of The Mack

11. Paradise (Radio)

12. Hell Yeah, Oh Yeah

13. Drama

DJ Evil Dee "One"

One (disc 1)
http://sharebee.com/efac9775

One (disc 2)
http://sharebee.com/b208ff79

One (disc 3)
http://sharebee.com/7c84ace9

One (disc 4)
http://sharebee.com/5e498c72

One (disc 5)
http://sharebee.com/82bb3c69

One (disc 6)
http://sharebee.com/20e7b3d2