I was checking out an old performance by Abstract Tribe Unique on YouTube when I came across this U.N.I.T.Y. Committee / Freestyle Fellowship cipher, at least part of which I remembered seeing in This is the Life: How the West Was One. (That excellent documentary is still streaming for free on hulu by the way.) Props to Cut Chemist (of U.N.I.T.Y. Committee and Jurassic 5) for sharing the above footage via his YouTube channel.
-Samuel Diamond
While t.r.o.y. focuses primarily on hip-hop music and culture, we know a thing or two about other genres and eras as well. After all, what kind of diggers would we be without at least a few crates full of jazz, funk and soul LPs? Early this month, the music world suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd. A masterful bandleader and prolific sideman, Dr. Byrd is survived by a gargantuan discography spanning five decades and perhaps as many styles and subgenres. The lasting impact of these recordings was and is especially evident within the annals of hip-hop, as Byrd’s music has been sampled literally hundreds of times, by everyone from the Bombsquad to the Beatnuts.
Shortly after Byrd’s death, DJ and record collector Gilles Peterson got to work on a comprehensive multi-volume tribute, appropriately broken down into two parts, “The Acoustic Years” and “The Electric Years.” These mixes can be streamed below, along with a video introduction by Peterson himself.
As I said earlier, Dr. Byrd’s music has been sampled and re-sampled numerous times over the years. This begs the question, what’s your favorite Donald Byrd flip? Hit us up in the comments section, and maybe we’ll get a poll going.
Last night I was driving to my girl’s house when I heard the sad news that Tim Dog had died at age 46 due to complications of diabetes. Today we commemorate the life of one of the Bronx’s most uncompromising MCs with a music video retrospective, starting of course with the song that launched his solo career, “Fuck Compton.” If only for the sake of bringing things full circle, we’ll finish up with another diss track, 2012′s “Hi-Jackin The Throne,” an attack on Jay-Z and Kanye West that went mostly unnoticed.
It was an eventful week in hip-hop. Between the new releases from Roc Marciano, Action Bronson and Captain Murphy, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Tuesday November 13 marked the eighth anniversary of ODB’s death or that yesterday would’ve been his 42nd birthday. Likewise, you’ll forgive us for not putting a memorial post together in time for either of these dates.
Apology accepted? Good, now let’s get on with the show.
In Loving Memory of Russell Jones is a double CD compilation arranged and sequenced by Dreddy Kruger. Released on Sandbox Automatic (and maybe a few other sites), it came packed with a t-shirt bearing the same artwork as the cover above. Comprised of everything from hit singles and Wu-Tang cuts to random guess spots, radio freestyles and of course classic skits, this out-of-print 45-track release is not to be missed. Disc 1 / Disc 2
When you’re done with that, be sure to check out G. Brown Presents Legend of the Drunken Master, a best-of mixtape that was also included in the deal mentioned above. Apart from the standard ODB fare, it features several DJ remixes (some banging acappella-instrumental blends) and two unreleased songs: “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” featuring Macy Grae, and an original version of the classic Wu-Tang Forever joint “Reunited,” on which ODB spits an entirely different verse than the one that made the album cut.
As the God said unto his hos, “YOU THINK WE DON’T LOVE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS?!”
-Samuel Diamond
By now we’ve all heard the story… In the midst of various label issues with Priority Records, Ras Kass gets pinched for this third D.U.I. Granted an extension, he goes back to work, however, just two weeks before he’s scheduled to begin his sentence, Priority recants on their previous agreement, informing him that they will not be releasing Goldyn Chyld at all. The album masters then “disappeared,” and Ras Kass did his time, came home and moved on with his life. Though a few of the songs included on Goldyn Chyld have been out for a decade — as they’d originally been recorded for Ras’ third album, Van Gogh, which was bootlegged before it could ever be officially released — nobody, with the possible exception of a few lucky fans and other confidants, has since heard or seen the completed album… that is, until 2012.
New Philaflava board member madstadik (presumably that’s ‘mad static’ and not, well, you know) was kind enough to bless the T.R.O.Y. forum with what by all accounts appears to be a legitimate rip of the actual album masters, “which means correct sequencing, skits and not pieced together from parts of Van Gogh and leaked Goldyn Chyld tracks,” as he said. This time we’re not the first to receive the long lost album, but regardless, we’re more than happy to pass it along and extend our gratitude to madstadik.
As for the music itself, if you’ve been following Ras’ career since the beginning, it’s probably not far from what you’re expecting. You’ve already heard the album’s title track, so you know that’s a certified banger with Ras Kass delivering his trademark lyricism over some classic Premo production… but of course, you also know that Ras’ catalog post-Rassassination has been less than stellar. While I’m personally a fan of Van Gogh, I usually find myself in the minority there and honestly haven’t been able to defend too much of his work since then. That being said, after a few listens, I’m willing to rank this album on the same level as Van Gogh, maybe even a little higher actually. Of the 17 songs on here, a few fall flat but several are straight-up incredible. Of those I hadn’t heard before, “Revelationz 22:22 (Intro)” and “Happiness” are my favorites. Aside from them, what makes me prefer this album over Van Gogh is what I consider far superior sequencing and overall sound quality. Tracklist and download link are below. (more…)
Snagged this mix from the good blokes over at Dephect Clothing. In their own words:
A chronological blend of over 60 De La Soul classics and the original breaks used to create them from their first four albums; ’3 Feet High & Rising’, ‘De La Soul Is Dead’, ‘Buhloon Mindstate’ & ‘Stakes Is High’ & coming in at around 1 hour 45 mins this is a must for anyone with a love of Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul & the art of sampling.
While this isn’t quite the monumental feat of sample source remixing that A Tribute to the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique was, it is a nice mix to enjoy over the weekend. Click here to download.
-Samuel Diamond
Strong Island’s own doo-wopping hip-hop crew is back again. Apparently this is off of their upcoming album, RaWaLiTy.
http://www.divshare.com/download/19670218-7c0
For those unfamiliar with S.O.B. or anyone else who missed their 2010 resurgence, Fifth Element sat the guys down for a five-part interview that’s definitely worth your time.
-Samuel Diamond
Alright yo, sit the fuck down, class is in session, bitch!
Widely acknowledged as the original gangsta rapper, Schoolly D is best known for his wildly humorous, pornographically sexual and wantonly violent lyrics. Still, despite all the attention his words have received over the years, few people recognize just how great of a musician he truly is. In exploring Schoolly’s catalogue and researching his place in hip-hop history, I’ve found that his rhymes have almost always overshadowed his beats (all of which he either produced or co-produced). I understand why they’re overlooked, but it’s ironic for several reasons:
1) His first single included a five and a half minute song that wasn’t an instrumental version of another cut but was still almost entirely rap-less. 2) As I said before and please correct me if I’m wrong, but aside from remixes and maybe a few DJ-showcase tracks, he produced or co-produced every song that ever appeared on one of his albums, which is basically unheard of for anyone, let alone someone who’s been making music for nearly 30 years. 3) To put it bluntly, his beats are fucking dope… I mean all of them… incredibly so… and while his rhymes could conceivably be dismissed as overly simple (especially if you’re a dumb motherfucker), his beats are often pretty damn complex.
Usually danceable, sometimes cinematic, always uniquely funky, Schoolly D’s production has evolved over time, setting trends and adapting to changes in the hip-hop soundscape. Even between his first two singles, Gangster Boogie / Maniac and P.S.K. What Does it Mean? / Gucci Time, there is a huge difference in styles. While the first is very much indebted to the whole Bambaataa electro-funk sound of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the second — though released only a year later, in 1985 — is already looking ahead to the boom-bap sound typically associated with the so-called golden era of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Jump ahead another year to 1986’s Saturday Night and Schoolly’s experimenting with polyrhythmic syncopation. Fast-forward to 1989’s Living In The Jungle / Gucci Again and 1990’s King of New York, and although he’s still within the lane he’d built for himself years earlier, he’s now beginning to foreshadow the dusty minimalism that would rise to popularity around 93/94.
One could argue that Schoolly D’s production was simply ahead of its time. I’m willing to take that a step further and say that by being simultaneously ahead of its time and of its time, his production represents an unacknowledged link in the chain connecting hip-hop’s various eras. I put this compilation together in hopes of bringing listeners to a better appreciation and understanding of Schoolly D, the producer; because though I’m not one for making lists, as far as I’m concerned, he’s definitely one of the Top 10 hip-hop producers of all time… Top 3 when it comes to rapper/producers.
Now go do your homework. (Bump this motherfucker, read all that shit if you haven’t already, and leave a comment letting us know what you think, ho.)
1. Maniac
2. Parkside 5-2
3. Saturday Night
4. Housing the Joint
5. Smoke Some Kill
6. Mr. Big Dick
7. No More Rock N’ Roll
8. Treacherous
9. Pussy Ain’t Nothin’
10. Livin’ in the Jungle
11. Gucci Again
12. King of New York
13. Original Gangster
14. Where’d You Get That Funk From?
15. Another Sign
16. Nigger Entertainment
17. Can You Feel It
18. Do It, Do It
Download Schoolly D Instrumentals 101
-Samuel Diamond
“I Don’t Like Rock N’ Roll” from Schoolly D (1986)
“No More Rock N’ Roll” from Smoke Some Kill (1988)
Seven more after the jump.
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http://totalorgasm.bandcamp.com/track/total-orgasm-mixtape
Yet another example of an old rapper aging gracefully, Kool Keith will be turning 49 in October. This tape, mixed by DJ Junkaz Lou, dropped in January of 2012, but has gone mostly unnoticed until now. (At least, I hadn’t seen it until recently.) It’s 16 tracks combined into one 52-minute mix, which can be streamed for free or purchased for $1. The nine songs produced by Keith himself are some of the best on here, with my personal favorites being tracks 8 and 9, “Slam Dunk” and “Total Orgasm.”
Since this tape came out, Keith has also released his umpteenth solo album Love & Danger and spit some show-stopping verses on Red Apples 45‘s LUV NY project. He’s definitely had a few missteps over the course of his career, but you have to admit, a guy who’s almost 50 putting out this many dope tracks in one year really belies the notion that rap is only a young man’s game. It’s also comforting to know that Mr. Thornton hasn’t become any less eccentric in his old age. Quite the opposite in fact.
One last note: back in April, Keith claimed that Love & Danger would probably be his last album. On the other hand, as unclebengi pointed out to me, a recent interview with Red Apples 45 co-owner Ray West, the producer behind LUV NY, revealed that he and Keith “recorded maybe like thirty songs.” Here’s hoping those see the light of day.
-Samuel Diamond
