What`s good? What`s happenin`?? What`s lovely y`all??? Today I`m dustin` off another 12 inch single for y`all to enjoy. This one is from Cypress Hill & was released as a white label back in 1996 in the midst of the beef that Cypress Hill & Ice Cube had with each other. This is actually the second time that Cypress Hill went at Ice Cube, the first was on the song "No Rest For The Wicked" off of their "Temples Of Boom" album released in 1995.
I was going to go into the reason behind the beef, but I found this B-Real interview where he breaks it all down so why would I waste my time when you can get it from the horse`s mouth??? 😁
So anywways when I came across this White Label 12 inch, I knew it was missin` some Instrumentals & Acappellas/Vocals so that`s where this HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN comes into play. So I stripped the Vocals & Instrumentals using the usual AI, these are not legitimate so don't get it twisted. Oh yeah for those that didn`t figure it out the beat that Cypress Hill jacked for this tune it`s the Westside Connection`s "King Of The Hill" a tune that had Cube & Mack 10 dissin` Cypress Hill...
What`s good? What`s happenin`?? What`s lovely y`all??? I made it thru another work week thank God! `Cuz I won`t even lie, on my 'Friday' which is actually a Saturday night I truly wanted to choke the ish outta one of my supervisors because they were doing some real dumb ish, but I took a walk away from the situation used some PTO & clocked the fuck out & started my weekend early instead. 😉 I gotta keep my job, until I find another way to support myself & my son. 😁Anyway, now that all that Life ish`s out the way, let`s get to the music shall we...
What I`m dustin` off this time around to share with y`all is Saukrates` very first 12 inch single that pretty much introduced himself to the Hip Hop world. It was originally released way back in 1994 thru Steppin` Bigga Records. I don`t know much about that label aside from it being independent, but from what I can tell it was probably Toronto, Canada based. They also released 12 inches from other Toronto artists like Freaks Of Reality, Da Grass Roots, as well as Apple & Orange (their single was actually the label`s first release "Givin` Ya A Taste bw I Kick Da Flava")...
Unfortunately there`s somewhat of a disconnect when it comes to the tracklisting on the 12 inch itself versus what`s on the actual 12 inch record, nothing matches up. Unless there`s another 12 inch version that`s out there the label stickers are completely wrong. 😄I`m thinking that the label owners or perhaps those that pressed up the record made the mistakes, either way the sticker labels don`t match up. So with all this being discovered I figured 'Fuck It' I`m going to give this the ol` HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN treatment as well! 😉Basically the DJ in me said yo there`s some accapellas & instrumentals missin` on this joint so I used some AI to strip them out of the available tracks. Maaaaaaaan...I soooooo wish that I had access to this type of software 20 years ago! The mixes that could`ve been create back then... 😆
The single opens up with "Still Caught Up", a solid introduction for Saukirates. The "Why are you on the dick?" KRS-One sample scratched in on the chorus only adds to the beat that was also produced by Saukrates himself. The next track is the clean version, it`s ok but y`all know that I`m not a huge fan of them clean/radio versions anyway. The third joint`s the Instrumental, a chance for ya to nod ya` head or let your inner emcee flex & bust a freestyle if you so very well choose to do. 😉 The "Still Caught Up [Rmx]" is next once, again it`s produced by Big Sox himself. The beat`s a bit more on the mellower side than the original, but still DoPe nonetheless. I can`t even front, at first I thought that Kardinal Offishall was doing the hook but it`s actually this kat named Kool Aid. I`m not sure who he is, but he definitely sounded like Kardi` on there. 😁 "Skillz Ta Thrill" closes out the original version of the 12 inch single. It`s got a nice head noddin` underground vibe to it, again produced by Saukrates. It also features an appearance from LJ a.k.a. Lock Jaw, some of y`all may remember him from his appearance on Kardinal Offishall`s debut album "Eye & I" on the track "My Niah". Actually I believe that these are the only 2 songs that I`ve ever heard him on to be honest. Anyway "Skillz Ta Thrill" is a decent tune, but unfortunately the version on this 12 inch is the clean edit. So it`s got some of them edits thru~out which kind of sucks, but it`s still a good song nonetheless...
The remaining tracks that I added to this HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN are just the previously mentioned vocals & instrumentals that I stripped from the tracks. I figured that it needed to be done, especially since the 12 inch sticker label says that it has the "Still Caught Up [Rmx]" instrumental on it when it`s not actually on there at all. 😂I had to do the single some justice & correct things. 😉So there you have it y`all, enjoy this debut from one of Canada`s iLLeST emcees/producers...
What`s good? What`s happenin`?? What`s lovely y`all??? Hopefully you`re in good health & takin` good take of y`all selves! I think I`m comin` down with a lil` Cold or something courtesy of my son & his DaMn school. 😠You know how it goes tho if you`re a parent, school`s just one BiG fuckin` germ factory unfortunately! It`s crazy `cuz he`s only been there for like a week. 😂 Anyway, I`ve been going thru a few of my HDD`s & decided to dust off a good ol` Canadian Hip Hop gem of a 12 inch from one of Canada`s Hip Hop forefathers Saukrates. If you`re not familiar with this kat`s music that`s alright, I`ll be sharing some more of his stuff in the next couple of posts. So eventually I`ll be doing a deep~dive on his contributions to this music we all love...
The original 12 inch single was released back in 1999 thru Capital Hill Music Inc. & got plenty of play when it was first released on the college Hip Hop radio shows. At least in my hometown Ottawa, Ontario -- I`m certain it was the same across Canada anyway. Sadly these joints off the 12 inch never made their way onto an actual album, which is a complete missed opportunity in my opinion. Anyway, like I said I had to dust these tunes off because they deserve to be heard by y`all Hip Hop heads. While I was listening to this 12 inch the DJ in me got to wondering why there`s no vocals/accapella tracks on this single. So I decided to put my HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN touches on this joint. The only thing that I figured was missing was the previously mentioned accapellas, so I used some AI ish & stripped the vocals from the tracks for y`all DJ`s out there that may want to do some remixes, blends or what have you. Obviously the accapellas aren`t legit studio joints, but they`re not too far off...
Now out of the 2 tracks on here, yeah-yeah you get the edited & instrumental joints as well, but out of the 2 joints on this single I really prefer the remix. I just feel that the lyrics & beat bang harder than the original. Both tunes are solid tho, don`t get it twisted yo! The original single only had 6 tracks so clearly the remaining joints are the ones that I`ve added as a bonus, enjoy...
What`s good? What`s happenin`?? What`s lovely y`all??? As usual I hope it`s going well for ya `cuz we all know that we ain`t likin` it when Life`s molestin` the fuck out of us! 😂With all of that being said I`ve been listening to a lot of Da Brat`s music this past week & I`ve gotta say she`s MaD underrated when it comes to mentions of iLL Women rockin` the mics in Hip Hop! This is clearly my opinion of course, if you don`t agree that`s fine but you should probably stop reading this before ya get 'triggered'... 😁
I was listening to her 2011 released mixtape titled "Life After Death" earlier today & was really digg`N it! Can`t even front, I`ve been a fan of hers ever since I heard her debut "Funkdafied" back in 1994. That joint`s a CLaSSiC to me y`all, I don`t care what ya say about it! Anyway, let me get back to this mixtape. I know that I`ve actually shared it here before back around 2012-ish, but all the links on that post are long Elvis`D out, so that`s one reason for this post. It needed a Re~uP, the other reason is of course because I`m a notoriously BiG fan of Da Brat`s & I feel that this joint is pretty much the last of her musical outputs that fans got to hear before she pretty much bowed out silently. Yeah-yeah, apparently she`s got a 2018 release titled "The Return" which may very well exist but until I get to hear it fuck all of that! 😄 From what Jermaine Dupri has said Shawntae Harris a.k.a. Da Brat was released from prison on February 28, 2011. So this previously mentioned mixtape was definitely put together shortly after Da Brat-Tat-Tat-Tat was inhaling that freedom oxygen. I was really glad that she had decided to get right back into the recording booth after being released from prison because it seemed to me like she was using those moments as a way to release some of the ish that she had heavy on her chest, some release~therapy if you will without the fake~ass doctor Phil. 😆
First thing`s first, I gotta mention how that lil` explosion sound & Jermaine Dupri "This is a So So Def World Premier" tag that`s used on this 'mixtape' is hella fuckin` annoying & track ruining! Soundin` like a Temu DJ Clue.😀 Honestly I`m thinkin` of flippin` an HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN of this joint so I can take it out especially since I have already adjusted the volume on a few of these tracks as well as fixed how the tracks ended without cuttin` off ish. It just didn`t sound right to me so I was cuttin` & pastin` like a ransom note writing mutha fucka so the tracks could flow smoothly listening~wise! J.D. says that he doesn`t smoke trees, but he was definitely on something thinking that folks wanted to hear that bullshit tag all over this 'mixtape' that`s for certain. From what I can find online this joint was actually released as a freebie back in 2011 thru the global14.com website which is apparently affiliated with So So Def Records somehow. Nowadays that site`s lookin` like MySpace or Detroit in a Robocop movie, but either way that ish is straight up Sid Justice...........R.I.P.! The DJ that`s hosting this so~called 'mixtape' is Greg Street some of y`all Hip Hop heads may recognize the name...
It was funny to me when I was reading the reviews by the online folks for this joint, they were so butt~hurt claimin` some ish like "How can she use this title for her mixtape when it's Biggie`s last recorded album`s title?" That`s where y`all fools that know nothing about what you`re talkin` about come in naturally. What you fucks failed to observe is the fact that it was actually about a flip of words regarding her music career after being recently released from prison. It had nothing to do with Biggie at all, but some of y`all fuckin` clowns really felt she was trying to capitalize off of Biggie. Never mind the fact that both artists have worked together on a track & it was never ever pimp`D out for clout... 😉
Greg Street`s on the Intro, it`s nothing special. The Brat~Tat~Tat~Tat opens things up with & rips "It`s Brat", her flip of Meek Mill & Rick Ross` "2Pac`s Back". Da Brat mellows things out with "West Side", it`s best to smoke one to this because it`s got a smooth`D out G-Funk vibe on it. "Get It, Get It" has a good street vibe to it thanks to the Lox`s Jadakiss with an R&B twist courtesy of Brandon Hines. Da Brat`s remix flip of YC`s "Racks" is far iLLeR than the original, perhaps it`s my 80`s Baby Ignorance but it sounds waaaaaay better than this one~hit wonder`s track -- my opinion of course! Her remix flip of Miguel`s "Sure Thing" with J.D. is something pleasant with the Biggie "Dead Wrong" vibes on it...
Following that is perhaps the most realest joint on this 'mixtape', "Second Chance" a deep emotional release that has Da Brat speakin` on her trials & tribulations at the time; you know all the ish that she had to experience while locked down. "Fab 5 Freddy" is some clever word~play regarding some raw Hip Hop, more so her style & flow makin` it seem like she talkin` about some dope....you know that ish that would have the cops grinning upon discovery. "Dumb, Stupid, Crazy" has Da Brat & fellow Chi~Town`R Twista flexin` them rapid flows, definitely a treat. Her remix flip of Kelly Rowland`s "Motivation" is spectacular & if you don`t think so we can`t be friends. 😂Never mind that Chris Brown`s not on here & definitely forget what J.D. spits on the "Look At Me Now [Rmx]" Da Brat flexes her skills all over that beeyatch & owns it!!!
What`s good? What`s happenin`?? What`s lovely y`all??? I was going thru one of my hard~drives a few days ago & stumbled upon this EP from one of Toronto`s underappreciated emcees Infinite titled "360°". This joint holds a special spot in my Hip Hop heart because it`s actually one of those CD`s that I could have copped back when it first dropped, but sadly I didn`t. At the time my justification for not buying it was the fact that they wanted $18.99 for it & I was a teenager ballin` on a budget, trying to get as much bang for my buck$ as possible! I mean there were full albums selling for $12.99 so why would I cop an EP for almost $20? It wasn`t even an import release. So yeah, I never did find myself a physical copy which kind of sucks now because it`s somewhat of a rarity nowadays & goes for a pretty penny. I remember seeing it on eBay in 2008 for $150...😒
I figured since it`s been 26 years this release should be celebrated by giving it somewhat of an HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN treatment, so that`s exactly what I did! Unfortunately I didn`t have any rare tracks or B-sides to add, but I did add some accapellas & instrumentals that I had extracted using some AI software. So this version is now 20 tracks in length which includes the original 11 tracks & 7 extracted accapellas as well as 2 extracted instrumentals. I always wondered why they didn`t include any accapellas on the original release, I mean it already had some instrumentals on it. Oh well, that was the choice that Lockdown Entertainment made when they released it back in 1998. However in 2024 tho it`s now 20 tracks deep for y`all's listening pleasure...
For those of y`all not familiar with Infinite I`ll give ya a little breakdown. This extremely talented storytelling emcee is from Toronto & reps Rexdale, one of the many `hoods most tourists would be advised not to visit when visiting the T~Dot. That`s where he grew up with his 2 older brothers & single mother. He first stepped on the Hip Hop scene around 1993-94 as a member of Ghetto Concept, alongside founding members Kwajo Cinqo & Dolo. Originally he joined their group as the DJ because they had just recently fired their DJ, but that only lasted for about a month before he was rappin` alongside them. Being a member of the group helped him do something that he loved while also helping him escape the clutches of Street Life & all of its negativity. Sadly tho the escapism was short lived when one of his brothers was murdered in 1995. Not long after his brother`s murder he left Ghetto Concept because he was pissed off at the World, on some 'fuck this Rap shit' & rightfully so! However that mindset was short lived because of the words from his murdered brother that wouldn`t stop playing over & over in the back of his mind. These words were something along the lines of; "If you ever go solo I`ll put some of my money behind your career" because that`s what he had been sayin` when he was alive. So that`s when Infinite truly decided to focus on his solo career & started up his own label titled Lockdown Entertainment along with his remaining brother Cain...
The label's first release was of course Infinite`s "360 Degrees EP" which dropped in 1998, it may actually be the label's sole release. Regardless Lockdown Entertainment really did it BiG with this project & upp`D the ante on the music video tip. They released a music video for each song on the EP, that`s 5 videos in total. At the time that was completely unheard of for an artist, especially on the Canadian Hip Hop scene! They all performed well, receiving plenty of rotation on Much Music (the Canadian equivalent to MTV). Some of them were so well received that they eventually won some awards & nominations. The video for "Gotta Get Mine" helped Infinite win Much Music`s Best Hip Hop Video award in 1997, Mic Check Magazine`s Best Rap Video award in 1997, the Canadian Urban Music Awards` Best Hip Hop Video award as well their Best Director award in 1997. The "Take A Look" music video received nominations for the Canadian Urban Music Awards` Best Music Video in 1999...
"360 Degrees" opens up the EP, it`s produced by K-Cut (of Main Source fame) & features Jully Black who blessed the track`s hook with some of her always enjoyable singing. Some of y`all listeners may notice the Guy "I Like" sample used on the beat. It`s here on this opening track that you as a listener get introduced to the iLL storytelling abilities that Infinite possess. "Take A Look" follows with some more storytelling over another sinister soundin` beat produced by K-Cut. I like the way he sampled Mercy's "The Mornings Come" for the track`s soundscape, it definitely meshes well with the emcee`s narratives. The fully animated music video that was released for this song was DoPe & did Infinite`s lyrics justice...
"Wise Guys" has a nice grimy sounding beat to support the crime tales that are spit over top of it, produced by both Infinite & his brother Cain. "One Day" has a nice relaxed type of vibe to, probably due to its "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" by Roy Ayers sample that was used by Cain & his brother Infinite when they produced the beat. "Gotta Get Mine" follows & features Divine Earth Essence singing heavenly on the hook while K-Cut provided the beat. Gotta dig that Diana Ross "Missing You" sample...
The only differences between the Original & the Extended Version of "Gotta Get Mine" is that there`s a little intro on the Extended Version & they draw the chorus out a bit longer on the end of the tune. It`s pretty much the same thing when it comes to the differences between the "360 Degrees [Radio Mix]" & its Extended Version, just in case some of y`all kats were wondering. Tracks 12-20 are the ones that I`ve extracted using AI software, they`re not legit studio created accapellas & instrumentals. Just wanted to ensure that it was clear so no one gets it twisted. The only thing after all these years that truly sucks aside from not buying the EP when I had the chance is that all these tunes are essentially Radio Versions because they`re cuss~free/edited so it really didn`t matter that it was labelled a Radio Mix or not...
