New links Re~uPP`d as of 01.07.24, originally posted on 02.20.2012...
What`s good my peoples? I hope all is well with y`all! Today I have for y`all a lil` somethin` that I didn`t even know existed. Now it`s not really rare or anything, I just wasn`t aware of this release. What I`m talkin` about is the double EP album that Da Brat released back in 1996 titled "Anuthafunkdafiedtantrum". If you`re a fan of Da B-R-A-T then you quickly caught on to the fact that the title is just a combination of her first 2 album titles; "Funkdafied" & "Anuthatantrum". What you get with this joint is a few songs from both previously mentioned albums, however they`re edited for radio play, or "Rated PG" for the church folks as it states on the album`s cover art. You also get a few songs that weren`t included on either "Funkdafied" or "Anuthatantrum" & those tracks are; "Sittin` On Top Of The World Part II", "Funkdafied [DJ Club Mix]", "Fa All Y`all [Rmx]" & "Da B-Side" featuring Biggie. The Biggie & Brat collabo` is also featured on the "Bad Boys Soundtrack", both are the same Radio Versions...
One thing about this album is that they clearly didn`t need to make it double CDs, it all definitely could`ve fit onto one disc. I get that each CD is an EP, but it would`ve been a lot cheaper for the label......LoL, oh yeah this was released before Napster & music sharing blew up on the Interwebs so the label had more then a few extra dollar$ to spare. Anyway, the first disc contains clean versions of tracks from Da Brat`s "Anuthtantrum" album, while the second disc contains clean versions of tracks from her "Funkdafied" album. You would think that they would`ve had the order of the discs switched since "Funkdafied" dropped first, but that`s another story. The first disc sounds like this...."Sittin` On Top Of The World", "Just A Little Bit More" & "Keepin` It Live" are edited by simply muting the cusses, no BeePs here. "Let`s Get High" is edited by added record scratches over the cusses, while the hook is replaced with the sounds of someone takin` a hit of some Weed instead of "We can all get high". Da Brat reworks her lyrics for this version of "Ghetto Love" featuring T-Boz of TLC fame. "Sittin` On Top Of The World Part II" is more like a remix than a sequel. The beat`s decent while the cusses are muted, I wonder if there`s an unedited version of this track out there???
Disc 2 gives us "Funkdafied", "Fa All Y`all", "Mind Blowin`", "Give It 2 You" & "Da B-Side" edited with reworked lyrics. The "Funkdafied [DJ Club Mix]" is pretty good & the "Fa All Y`all [Rmx]" is nice & funky. Out of these 2 CD`s I gotta say that I dig the second one a lot more, mainly because Da Brat took some extra time to rewrite her lyrics so the tracks weren`t annoyingly edited. I wonder why they didn`t choose to do things the same way for the first disc? Anyway you`ve read my lil` thoughts on the album, go `head & check it out...
What`s goin` on y`all? Hope that your Friday`s gon` be good to you! Today I`m going to share with y`all an album that I`ve been listening to all morning since I decided to pull it out of my CD collection & take it back to 1994. The album is titled "Funkdafied" which is Da Brat`s debut album (she`s also the first solo female emcee to go platinum). I still remember bein` a young buck buyin` the cassette from the Music World store at the Billings Bridge mall back when it first dropped. Let`s just say that it got plenty of play in my Sony Walkman...
Now for whatever reason if you don`t happen to know who Da Brat is I will drop a lil` run~down so you get a lil` more familiar. Although you`d think she was reppin` Cali` Da Brat, born Shawntae Harris is actually from Chicago, Illinois. Story goes that she linked up with Jermaine Dupri & his So So Def record label back in 1992 after she had won a local Rap contest that was sponsored by Yo! MTV Raps. The prize was a chance to meet Kris Kross (who at the time were blowin` up with their hit single "Jump"), they in turn introduced her to J.D. who was so impressed by her talent that he signed her to his label. During an interview for the newspaper the Atlanta Journal - Constitution she told the reporter she received her rappin` moniker "Da Brat" because she`s, "a spoiled only child"...
Seein` how Snoop Dogg was blowin` up at the time in the West Coast, J.D. decided to mold Da Brat`s image as 'the female Snoop'. So when he cooked up the beats for her debut it`s no surprise that they are all heavily G-Funk influenced. Don`t get it twisted though, Da Brat is not a Snoop Dogg clone rappin` over some wannabe~Dre beats. Da B-R-A-T comes original & can flow like the winds in the city of Chi, while Jermaine Dupri provides her with some great Funky backdrops to drop her lyrical tornadoes. Production~wise if J.D. has ever cooked up anything DoPeR than these 9 tracks here, I just simply haven`t heard it yet!!!
"Da Shit Ya Can`t Fuc Wit`" has Da Brat flexin` her murderous lyrical skillz. "Fa All Y`all" features Kandi of Xscape fame & it reminds me of somethin` you`d hear at a block party with it`s bouncin` beat gettin` folks up dancin`. "Fire It Up" is a nice smokey~vibed ode to blazin` up some Buddah (it works trust me, smoke a joint to this one). "Funkdafied", which was a #1 Rap Single, is just well that, funkdafied....LoL, what`s not to like about this? "May Da Funk Be Wit` Cha" continues the funky vibe with some DoPe Cali~esque synthesizer work & features Xscape`s LaTocha Scott...
"Ain`t No Thang" features Y-Tee of Da Bush Babees, here Da Brat shows the doubters that she can`t spit with the best of `em. "Come & Get Some" has Da Brat teamin` up with Mac Daddy of Kriss Kross. "Mind Blowin`" has a good & funky beat packed with some G`d up synths (there`s even some organ in there). Da Brat closes things off nicely with the J.D. collabo` "Give It 2 You".It`s got probably one of the best beats on the entire album. So there ya have it, although it`s a tad bit short in length Da Brat`s debut is a banger so go on & check it out for ya`self & fire it up...
Today is a wonderful day y`all! Why`s that you ask? Well I have another joint to share with y`all that received the HeRBaN DeLuXe treatment! That album is Choclair`s debut album released thru Virgin Music back in 1999 titled "Ice Cold" (the American version of the album was released by Priority Records). The reason that I decided to 'enhance' the album by making it an HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN is really simple. "Suave Dirt Dogs", the collabo` with the late, great & unforgettable Ol` Dirty Bastard never made it to the album & the US version of the album actually has a song featuring Rahzel that`s not on the Canadian release; "First Thing". I always wanted that O.D.B. collabo` on there & why not have that joint with Rahzel as well to extend the listening experience? Finally, there`s the lil` interludes that I added...well I didn`t really add them, they were at the end of some songs. I just did a lil` editing & made `em their own tracks to make listening to the album a much smoother transition from track to track...
To make things a lil` more interesting I made this album a sort of choose your own adventure type thing....LoL, remember them books in grade school? Y`all `80's babies should anyway....LoL, you can listen to the album as it is with tracks 1-23 or you could remove track #22 "Rollin` [Radio]" & replace it with the Rahzel collabo` "First Thing". The reason I suggest the latter is simple really, it`s not the actual 'Radio version' of the track, it`s pretty much the same as the album version with all the cussin` & ish it just has a shorter intro on the track which makes it about a minute shorter in length. Guess they just meant that it was a shorter track so it would fit better into a radio station`s playlist or something, `cuz honestly there`s nothing edited about the track.....LoL
Now for those of you that may not be up on just who Choclair is I`ll make an attempt to school ya. Choclair, reps Scarborough, Ontario (East Toronto) & first stepped onto the Hip Hop scene in the early 1990`s. Eventually he released his first 12 inch single, the Day Productions produced "Twenty One Years" in 1995 thru his own independently run label Knee Deep Records. His track is actually on the B-Side of the single....another gem of a track is on the flip side & that track is none other than Saukrates` "Father Time". Two CLaSSiC Canadian Hip Hop songs, not too shabby at all for a label`s first release! The following year in 1996 the label would also go on to release another first, that first was from Kardinal Offishall. Knee Deep Records released his debut single "Naughty Dread" which earned him a Juno Award nomination, but that`s another story all together for another post....so let`s get back to Choclair...
The underground quickly caught on to the emcee`s debut track. All that attention eventually led to other folks taking notice & not just the folks up in Canada either. The legendary DJ Premier sampled the track for Gang Starr`s "You Know My Steez" (maybe that`s what led to Guru`s appearance on "Bare Witness" who knows?). Clearly Choclair was doin` something right, so he continued working on his music & in 1996 he released another 12 inch single "Just A Second b/w What It Takes". Both tracks continued to impress the heads, I`m still a fan of "What It Takes" which also features fellow Circle member Jully Black on the hook. The Circle; a combination of The Figurez Of Speech crew & the Paranormal crew, is basically a collective of artists & producers from Toronto. Members include; Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Frankenstein, YLook, Jully Black, Marvel, Solitair, Ro Ro Dolla, Thrust & Tara Chase...
With the success of his first two singles Choclair felt that it only made sense to take the next step. So he decided to test the waters & released an EP titled "What It Takes" in 1997 using his Knee Deep Records label once again. It contained 10 tracks in total; 4 songs, an Interlude & 5 Instrumentals. The EP did well, after all it did earn Choclair a Juno Award in 1997 for Best Rap Recording. The "What It Takes" music video & the 12 inch single for "What It Takes [Rmx]" helped Choclair`s project get more exposure..
After the EP he continued to
release music to keep his name buzzin`. One thing that he did that`s
cemented his name in the Canadian Hip Hop History Books is that he
landed a feature on the CLaSSiC collabo` "Northern Touch"
along with fellow Canadians the Rascalz, Kardinal Offishall, Checkmate
& Thrust. This Hip Hop anthem earned all the artists involved a gold
record (sales~wise)...
In 1998 he dropped another 12 inch single "Internal Affairs b/w Silver Surfer". The A-Side of the single "Internal Affairs" is a Choclair joint that also features fellow Circle members Frankenstein, Kardinal Offishall & Marvel, while the B-Side of the single is a Solitair solo joint titled "Silver Surfer". Following that single Knee Deep Records released the "Planet Mars EP"; a short compilation of sorts that features joints from Marvel, Solitair & Choclair, Kardinal Offishall (ft. YLook), Nefarious, Frankenstein, Thrust & K-OS. It wasn`t too long after releasing the "Planet Mars EP" that Choclair decided that it was time to expand his team so he joined with Virgin Music Canada & in 1999 he signed with Priority Records so he could release his debut album titled "Ice Cold"...
Once he signed with the major label of course that`s when a lot of heads started hatin` on Choclair claimin` that he had sold out. So he responded by releasing "Flagrant" as a single in 1999. The track was produced by Saukrates, it`s basically a very DoPe 'BiG Fuck You!' to the industry, his critics & everyone else that was doubting him at the time. He followed that single up with his debut album, "Ice Cold" which mostly featured production from members of The Circle (Saukrates, Kardinal Offishall, Frankenstein & Solitair), but Da Grassroots & K-Cut also had a helping hand with the beats. The album was certified Gold in Canada & the album`s hit single "Let`s Ride" featuring Saukrates has been a Summer anthem up in Canada since it`s release. With all that being said let`s get to the album shall we???
The album opens up with Manal ''Prima'' Hajj (not too sure who she is) babblin`. Eventually she warns us not to bootleg the album or "you`ll get bashed"...Ha~HaH! The album`s title track "Ice Cold" clues the listeners into what know what they`re in store for. Da Grassroots do a great job providing an iLL mellow but cool`D out beat for Choclair to flex his shit~talkin`, sexual & all around ice cold lyrics. The Kardinal Offishall produced "Let`s Ride" follows & it features Saukrates on the hook & intro of the track. It`s a great joint for the Summer & gets every BBQ movin`, Little X also did a good job directing the music video...
Ok, so for the first Interlude on this HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN I simply just took it & split if from the end of "Let`s Ride" & made it its own track. Saukrates produced "Rubbin`" & he also appears on the hook. This one has Choclair expressin` his love for the ladies, with it`s clubbish vibes it`s sure to get a few folks dancing. "Takin` It In" is another joint produced by Saukrates. Choclair targets the fakers & wannabe playas on this one, exposin` `em for what they are. On "Bare Witness" Choclair connected with the late & great Guru of Gang Starr over a thumpin` beat produced by Kardinal Offishall with cuts by DJ Tony Touch, most definitely a banger! For the second Interlude, I just split it from then end of "Bare Witness" & made its own track. Choclair just let`s the listeners know that he likes to party & have a good time just as much as the next kat...
"Jambone" is another party~vibed track for the ladies produced by Kardinal Offishall that also features Ro Ro Dolla. Fellow Circle member Solitair steps up to produce the next joint "Fresh". On here Choclair does what he does best, talks that shit!....LoL, straight braggadocios type flows here. After that Kardinal Offishall stops in & drops a quick P.S.A. for the ladies. Speakin` of ladies, Jully Black shows up & gives Choclair a hand on "Rollin`" a joint produced by former Main Source DJ K-Cut. Jay-Z`s protege Memphis Bleek makes a guest appearance on the Solitair produced "Young Gunz", it`s nothing spectacular but it`s far from wack. "Runnin` Wid Us" has Choclair flowin` over a beat produced by Kardinal Offishall who also lends a nice verse to the song. The previously released as a white label single "Flagrant" follows the Kardinal collabo` & as mentioned before it`s produced by Saukrates. In my opinion this track is the best on the album, definitely one to BuMP...
The third Interlude was just split from the end of "Flagrant" & made its own track. On "Die Hard", a solid West & East Coast collabo` Choclair reconnects with the Rascalz over a track produced by Solitair with Saukrates on the hook. "S.O.T." is another Circle collabo` with Choclair sharing the mic with Kardinal Offishall & Solitair, while the beat itself was produced by Solitair. The fourth Interlude was split from the end of "S.O.T." & made into its own track. K-Cut provides the bouncy backdrop for "Da Chiznock". Choclair decides to put the partying on pause long enough to drop an iLL storytelling track produced by Frankenstein a.k.a. Frank Fallico on "Situation 9". It`s a great song warning folks about what they`ll get caught up in if they don`t pay attention to who & what surrounds them. "Rollin` [Radio]" is pretty much the same as the previous version of the track on the album, it just has a shorter intro...
Now for the joints that I added to this version; I added them to improve the listener`s experience trust me! "Suave Dirt Dogs" features the late, great & always entertaining Ol` Dirty Bastard as well as fellow Canuck Saukrates. It was originally intended to be included on the retail release of "Ice Cold", but for whatever the reason.....it was more likely label politics that prevented it from happening. It was eventually released in 2000 however as a white label single, so I just decided to add it to the album like it was initially intended to be. "First Thing" is a collabo` with Rahzel that is only featured on the US release of "Ice Cold" for some reason. So there you have it y`all, an enhanced version of the album. Go `head & check out the music for ya`self & enjoy...
Dust`n off a nice Canadian HiP HoP gem for y`all today, it comes in the form of Toronto emcee Mathematik`s "No Division" released back in 2005. I was diggin` thru a few stacks of my CD`s & found this joint, hadn`t heard it in a while so I threw it in the stereo. It`s still a good listen today, if you`re a fan of some good ol` boom bap type HiP HoP then this album`s definitely for you! With production from his Down To Erf crew as well as some production from the likes of Mr. Attic, DJ Serious & Saukrates, Mathematik catches wreck all over the head~noddin` backdrops provided by these veteran Toronto beat merchants...
"If It Isn`t" opens the album up nicely, Mathematik spits lyrics about his devotion to being an emcee over a boom bapp`n beat seasoned by keys & a nice lil` play on New Edition`s "If It Isn`t Love". That joint right there should give you an idea of what you can expect on this album...pure HiP HoP; rhymes, breakin` & DJ`n. You can also hear Math`s growth as an emcee as he steps out of his comfort~zone tacklin` double~time rhyme patterns on "Who`s Wit` Me?", takin` charge of hypersonic soundscapes on "Attack" & he even takes a shot at sped~up samples on "The Righteous" all without sacrificing his lyrics or soundin` corny. If you`re lookin` to listen to some good ol` HiP HoP with a nice positive & spiritual vibe (no preachin` don`t worry....LoL) to it then look no further. Check it out & enjoy...
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I had to cut about ten seconds off of the "Outro" because it was a scratched, pops & clicks galore, so I just faded it out...
Here`s a nice lil` previously unreleased album from around 1995 that Prince Paul released thru his Twitter account. Here`s what Prince Paul had to say about it...
Words from Prince Paul about the album:
"This was a project that I wanted to put together with Amityville MC legend Superstar . as I thought about it more I wanted to recruit more Mcs we knew to make it diverse . Superstar already had the name "Horror City" so wen recorded under that name . This project was recorded right after the first Gravedigga album " 6ft deep"in 1995 . I shopped the demo but unfortunately it got looked over and never got signed . I sat on this project for a while but it always had a dear place in my heart because I thought it was really good and the talent was there . I stripped some of the music from the demo and put it on " a prince among thieves" and actually had a few of the guys perform on the " Thieves " album as well but to be honest I always liked these originals better . So now I have decided share these songs with all of you because holding on to them made no sense .. why not share great music . Hopefully you the listener will enjoy this project as much as I do . please share it , thats why I made this for free download . For more group info please log on to http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000981527022 for a proper bio of "Horror City"...
1. War Party [Intro] 2. Play It Close 3. Pain 4. You Got Flow [Original] 5. Take It How You Want It 6. Big Sha 7. Tattles Tale 8. Horror City Terrorists [Freestyle] 9. MC Hustler [Original] 10. Headbounty 11. War Party Outro
I first posted up this Slick Rick joint up over 3 years ago with not much info`. Some time has passed, but I did learn a lil` more about it so with that being said I`ll shall share with y`all the very little info` gained. Spoiler, just as I suspectedthe "Ricky D EP" is a bootleg released in 2002 on vinyl thru Archives Inc.. I`m still unsure of the production credits for this, but the obvious one is clearly that the last track "World Renown" was produced by Pete Rock. Anyway that`s all I have for y`all, enjoy the tunes. My favorite joint on here is "Get A Job"...
This album right here is really for the die~hard Mac (of No Limit Records fame) fans, or for the folks that just like to collect the some~what rare albums. This joint is Mac`s very first album, dropped on Yo! Records way back in 1989 hilariously titled "The Lyrical Midget". That`s right y`all before Mac was known as 'Da Camouflage Assassin' Lil` Mac was 'The Lyrical Midget'. He was 11 years old (possibly 12) spittin` flows mainly written with the help of DJ Mannie Fresh (of Cash Money Records fame), Gregory "D" also helped write the first & last tracks on the album. The beats are credited to 2 Hype Producers, which I think is the duo of both DJ Mannie Fresh & Gregory "D". I could be wrong on that, so if that`s the case don`t hesitate to school me!!!
The album itself isn`t anything ground breaking, c`mon what do ya expect from an 11 or 12 year old anyway?
Regardless, I wanted to share it with y`all anyway to shed some light on an artist that I find hasn`t received the props that he should have. It probably has something to do with the fact that he was down with Master P`s No Limit Records, no DiSReSPeCT but that stable really wasn`t known for their lyricists at the time. Or maybe it`s the fact that on September 21, 2001 Mac (born, McKinley J. Phipps Jr.) was convicted of manslaughter charges for the death of 22-year-old Barron C. Victor Jr. That would definitely snuff your lime~light out, actually it would blow the bulb right out on most folks...
Even though he is serving a 30 year prison bid, maintaining his claim of innocence he has dropped an album titled "Mac Presents: The Lost Tapes" which used to be available athttp://www.myspace.com/macphipps. From what I heard it consists of tracks that were unreleased from his days at No Limit Records, but that`s another story for another post. So go `head & check out Mac`s debut if you`re interested in hearing the beginnings of his career. He may only be a kid on this album, but it shows ya that Mac was a talented individual even at such a young age. It`s a DaMn shame that homie got caught up in that fucked up situation that landed him in prison...
1. I Need Wheels 2. Young & Embarrassed 3. You Gets Nothin` {ft. T. Wiz & Gregory "D"} 4. Cleo 5. The Mind 6. Groove Mellow 7. Lyrical Midget 8. Your Days Are Over 9. You Can`t Receive Me 10. Gangsta Groove 11. Disco Jam 12. Lil` Mac Be Clubbin`
What`s the deal y`all? I hope that the week has been good to you so far. Today I`m gon` share with y`all another HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN of an album originally released back in 1997 by The Beatnuts. It`s actually my favorite album from the crew & that album`s titled "Stone Crazy". What`s different about this version of "Stone Crazy" is pretty simple; I added the "Off The Books [Rmx]" from their 1998 Remix EP titled "The Spot" & then I also added some instrumentals & acapellas which came mostly from 12 inch singles. I just felt that the album itself is viciously slept on so I figured that it would be kind of iLL to give it a lil` more interest by including a few extra joints; the instrumentals because well it`s really where The `Nuts truly shine. The acapellas were included because I think that it`s kind of interesting to hear the lil` things in the vocals that you may have missed out on `cuz you were noddin` ya` head to the bangin` beats. The "Off The Books [Rmx]" was included because I figured maybe a few folks may not have heard it, even if it`s not as iLL as the original...
Sure Psycho Les & Ju Ju may not have the iLLeST lyrics, but that doesn`t really matter all that much when you allow your eardrums to take in the amazingly DoPe beats that these kats create. Each track & even the Interludes have their own unique sound, nothing on the album sounds alike yet the tracks still manage to mesh will together to make one awesome piece of work. The Soul, Funk & even Ragtime samples that the Beatnuts chose to use help birth some pretty original & funky vibes. I don`t really have the time to go over each track individually like I would really like to do so you will just have to trust me when I say that this entire album is a great listen! If you are a fan of head noddin` funky beats you need to listen to this...
The standout joints for me are; "Bless The M.I.C." with its grindin` guitars & catchiness, "Here`s A Drink" with its staggering drums, "Off The Books" (probably the best track on the album) with the guest stealin` verse from the late great Big Pun & its uptempo drums & Sesame Street flute sample, "Do You Believe?" is my favorite track on the album with its unmistakably DoPe beat & its serious but iLL hook, "Find That" is another DoPe track with its infectious beat even if it`s a lil` on the short side, then there`s "Give Me Tha Ass" a comical X-rated track that flips the same sample that was later used for Will Smith`s "Men In Black" track (you can read a lil` something about how the `Nuts felt about that track using the same sample here). So there ya have it folks now go `head & give it a listen, you`ll be glad that ya did...
What`s happenin` y`all? I hope that all my American visitors are set to have a great Independence Day, this`ll be the first one that I`m celebrating as a Camerican (Canadian livin` in America :). Anyways I figured that I would share with y`all a documentary that I had originally uploaded while I was still living in Canada back in 2012. The documentary that I`m referring to is titled "Wu: The Story Of The Wu-Tang Clan" & it was released back in 2008. It was directed by Gerald Barclay, what`s interesting to note is that he actually grew up with some of the Wu-Tang Clan members & also worked with the Clan early on in their career directing music videos ("Protect Ya` Neck" for example) so that makes this doc` a lil` more interesting because he takes the viewers on more of a behind the scenes type trip...
Gerald takes the viewers on a brief tour of Shaolin a.k.a. Staten Island to show us the birth place of the Clan & also covers the classic martial arts flicks that helped inspire the Wu`s ideology. You learn that Wu-Tang actually stands for 'Wise
Universal Truth Allah Now God' & that they were originally founded back in 1991 with members; RZA, GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Raekwon the Chef, RZA, Inspectah Deck, U-God & the late great (& so very missed in Hip Hop) Ol`
Dirty Bastard. Speaking with DJ`s, friends, business associates & even A&R Bon Malone the director documents the Wu-Tang Clan`s rise,
fall & rebirth...
I want y`all to actually enjoy the documentary without any spoilers so I won`t give away any more because this joint`s definitely worth watching! So check it out, trust me you`ll be glad that ya did...
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