What`s up y`all? I hope that all it well with you! Yeah-yeah, I know that it`s been a long while & I bet ya thought I had given up on the ol` blog? Nope, just busy with Life you know the deal if you`re a dad! Anyway, I am back from the hiatus to share with y`all a lil` promo CD single that I dug out & dusted off from my personal collection. I haven`t really seen this online, it may be out there somewhere but I sure haven`t come across it in my searches anyway. This joint was released way back in 1996 thru MCA Records & it`s by Ruffa. Now to be straight up & honest I could not find any info` out there on this kat so I can`t really provide y`all with a BiG write up on him unfortunately. All I can really tell ya is that if you are familiar with the Ragga/Reggae HiP HoP artist Mad Lion & you DiG his tunes then you`ll more than likely appreciate this joint because they`re pretty much from the same lane with the style of music that they do. Ruffa has a voice that sounds like he could be a distant relative of Cookie Monster.....LoL, but not in a bad way, it just gives him a very distinct sound on the mic...
To my knowledge Ruffa has only released one album & a handful of singles in the mid `90's (1995-96). The title of his only album is "A Diamond In The Ruff" which was released in 1996 by MCA Records, once I get a chance to find it in my collection I`ll be sharing it with y`all. Anyway, let`s get back to the single at hand shall we? On this single you get 4 joints in total; the Clean & Dirty Versions, the Instrumental & the Acappella (which is the Dirty Version in case you were curious) of "Representin`". The song was produced by Ruffa himself & also features the always DoPe Kool G. Rap. Both kats spit some straight hardcore lyrics over the beat which doesn`t disappoint either. I have to say that "Representin`" is probably the best song from Ruffa`s debut & only album. So y`all should definitely check this single out & give it a listen...
Back again with another 213 single, this one`s a lil` more interesting than the previous "Groupie Luv" single that I shared with y`all. True this is another "Groupie Luv" single, but this one includes some G-Funk remixes that were produced by the 'G-Child' Warren G. He actually did 2 G-Funk remixes on this single; the G-Funk Club Remix & then the G-Funk Grown Folks Remix, I`m DiGG`n the latter of the 2 personally. Don`t get me wrong the Club Remix isn`t bad I just feel that the beat would`ve been better suited for another song altogether, this is just my opinion though. Now the Grown Folks Remix is bangin`, it may be almost better than the original. I definitely think that someone should jack that Instrumental for a mixtape that`s for sure!!!
On this single you get 7 tracks in total; the Album version, Album Instrumental, G-Funk Club Remix, G-Funk Club Remix Instrumental, G-Funk Grown Folks Remix, G-Funk Grown Folks Remix Instrumental & the Acappella. Something that`s kind of funny to note that I noticed with all 3 of the 213 singles that I`ve shared with y`all is that each one of them had a different spelling for acapella. So I decided that I`d get to the bottom of it since I have always wondered what the correct spelling of the word actually was, so according to this site here`s what they had to say about it;
"In referring to singing unaccompanied by instruments, the traditional spelling is the Italian one, a cappella: two words, two Ps, two Ls. The Latin spelling a capella
is learned, but in the realm of musical terminology, we usually stick
with Italian. The one-word spelling “acapella” is widely used by
Americans, including by some performing groups, but this is generally
regarded by musical experts as an error"...
So apparently I have been using the American variation all this time...LoL, but usually when it comes to tracklists I just copy it however it appears on the album, single or whatever. Anyway, now that I`ve just taken you to school go `head & take recess & listen to these tunes, enjoy...
Going to share with y`all another promo single from 213, this one`s a CD Single that also came out in 2004 thru TVT Records. It`s titled "Groupie Luv" & it was produced by DJ Pooh who sampled Herbie Hancock`s "Chameleon" for the beat. Overall it`s a funky entertaining joint, I mean c`mon who doesn`t like groupies?.....LoL, this is clearly not a super lyrical track, but if you`re lookin` to get the crowd up dancin` I`m sure this joint`ll help you out with that. You get 5 tracks on this single; the Radio version, Dirty version, Instrumental, Accapella & the Call Out Hook. Never truly understood why some singles include that Call Out Hook ish, but for whatever reason it`s on here too. 213 did a music video for this song, it`s got a somewhat corny but comical vibe to it. That`s all that I really have to say about this joint, check out the tunes & enjoy...
My apologies to the visitors of this blog, I realize that it`s been almost 2 months since I`ve posted any music I just needed to take a lil` break. Hopefully I can start posting up somethings before I head up to Canada for a few days to visit my parents, brothers & friends. I`m kind of excited to take the trip it`s been almost a year since my last visit & this time around I`m going with my wife & son. Anyway I`m going to kick things back into motion with a TVT Records released Promo 12 Inch single that was originally released in 2004 by the West Coast super trio 213. Now if you are not familiar with who 213 is you should have your West Coast pass revoked.....LoL, I`m jokin` y`all. 213 is a trio of West Coast rappers consisting of Snoop Dogg, 'Mr. Regulate' Warren G & the late great Nate Dogg who all rep` Long Beach, California. The group`s name 213 stood for the area code of Long Beach at the time they formed (the area code has since been switched to 526). That`s all I`m really going to say about `em for now, I don`t want to get into great detail because I want to save that story for when I share with y`all their one & only album...
With that being said, the title of this single is "Another Summer" which is quite fitting seeing as how this Summer is pretty much winding down & honestly I can`t say that I`m sad about that....LoL, now being a Canadian I never thought I`d be so glad to be done with Summer, but ever since I moved down to Charlotte, North Carolina it`s another story altogether. So far I`ve been here for 2 Summers & they`ve been hella hot! The first one wasn`t quite as bad because it rained a whole lot, like 3 out of every 7 days that went by it rained. This Summer however it`s been CRaZy hot!!! Severe drought like weather, not as bad as what Cali`s been dealing with though thank God, but still very much hot with a lot less rain. I mean when you`re standing in the shade & it still feels as though you`re melting like ice cream it`s just simply too hot for comfort & definitely not enjoyable at all. Who knows though, maybe I just haven`t adapted to the climate yet...
Anyway, this promo single contains 3 tracks in total; the Clean/Radio version, the Instrumental & the Acapella. The song`s produced by none other than Kanye West who samples Eddie Kendricks` "Intimate Friends" for the beat. Latoiya Williams is also featured on the track & delivers some sweet soundin` vocals. It`s a decent song, not super spectacular but also far from wack. I can definitely see it getting some play at a few family BBQ`s since it has that nice laid back Summer time vibe to it. What`s also great about this single is that you get the Acapella which gives you another way to enjoy Nate Dogg`s vocals. Without the beat you truly get to hear just how talented of a singer he was, I`m sure it`s that way for just about any of his Acapellas though. So there ya have it, check out the music & enjoy...
I`ve been a Too Short fan ever since I was about 14 or 15 years old, back when my dad`s nephew Jay gave me a whole bunch of his Rap cassettes. One of the albums that was in the box of tapes that he had given me amongst many other gems was Too $hort`s "Life Is....Too $hort". I`ve always thought that the album cover was pretty DoPe. The image is straight forward; Too $hort crouched down behind a gravestone really drives the point home about Life being too short. "Don`t Fight The Feelin`" & "Cuss Words" are probably my favorite tracks off the album. Anyways he`s released hella albums since this one & honestly I haven`t really been checkin` for his albums like I used to since about 2005 or so, but he`s still somewhat of a guilty pleasure so every now & then I will peep some of his newer stuff. While I was on youtube a few weeks ago I found this lil` video that had Too $hort talkin` about all his albums` covers & found it to be pretty interesting so I figured I`d share it with y`all here since there may be a few Too $hort fans out there, so check it out & enjoy...
What`s up y`all? I know it`s been a minute since my last post, but hey Life as a father has been keeping me pretty busy what can I say? Anyway, since I didn`t have anything to post up for the Tuesday Tape Rip Series this week I figured that I`d start another type of series. This one is goin` to be called MiLK BoX MiSS`n, basically a "Where Are They Now?" type of thing. There`s always some artist/artists out there that you`ve heard music from whether it was an album, a single or even just a feature on another artist`s track that you may have really liked, but for some reason or another they disappear & you never hear from them again. At least that`s how it is for myself anyway, so I figured that I`d try my shot at solving some of these mysteries....LoL, these type of posts may not always include music that you`ll be able to DL, sometimes they may just include videos from youtube or something...
So for the first post in this series I`d like to talk about Mally G a.k.a. Jamal of Illegal fame since he`s one of the kats that I had always wondered about seeing as how I didn`t hear too much from him after he released his solo album back in 1995 titled "Last Chance, No Breaks". I thought that album was pretty good, plus that "Fades `Em All [Pete Rock Rmx]" is hella DoPe! So how could ya not wonder about a guy that could make some music like that? Now I won`t be going into mad detail about who he is because I kind of want to save that for when I`m posting up his previously mentioned solo album, however I will give ya a really brief rundown. Mally G or Jamal, is a rapper & music
producer who started his career teaming up with another rapper named Malik. As a duo they went by the name Illegal & were signed to Rowdy Records who released their debut album titled "The Untold Truth" back in 1993...
Although the group only stayed together for a few years their album did have some minor success reaching #119 on the Billboard 200. Their singles "Head Or Gut", "We Getz Busy" & "Back In The Day" attracted some curiosity from Hip Hop heads because Illegal was a far cry from the other 'kiddy' Rap groups that were out at the time. They were much more hardcore & street than Kriss Kross or Da Youngstas & they actually took lyrical shots at both groups on songs like the previously mentioned "We Getz Busy" featuring Erick Sermon & "Head Or Gut"...
For whatever reasons (industry politics perhaps?) we didn`t hear from Illegal again until 1995 when they landed a feature on Too $hort`s album titled "Cocktales" on the song "Thangs Change" which also featured another 'kid rapper' named Baby D (who was only 9 years old at the time). After that the group pretty much broke up & they both went their separate ways to work on solo projects. Jamal worked with Erick Sermon, Redman, Easy Mo Bee & Rockwilder who helped produce the tracks for his solo album "Last
Chance, No Breaks" which was also released by Rowdy Records in 1995. The album`s two singles "Keep it Real" & "Fades `Em All" are still bangers to this day, my opinion of course...
Malik also worked on a solo album around the same time period as Jamal was workin` on his however Rowdy Records released only the one single from it titled "Malik Goes On", but his debut album was
shelved & never seen the day of light. He didn`t let that bother him though because he continued to put in work being featured on Monica`s "Miss Thang" album & later linkin` up with his cousin Snoop Dogg landing a feature on his "Doggystyle" album on the song titled "Pump Pump". It was around this time that he had also started to use another alias as well, Hershey Loc. Thru the affiliation with Snoop he also landed features on Warren G`s first two albums ("Regulate...G-Funk Era" & "Take A Look Over Your Shoulder") as well as Tha Dogg Pound`s debut album "Dogg Food". Then in 2005 Malik finally released his debut album titled "The Game Needs Me"...
As for Jamal a.k.a. Mally G he`s still making music & puttin` in his work you can contact him at Beats4mallyg@gmail.com. The interview below gives you an update on what he`s been up to. He also goes into a bit of his history & what had happened to him during the down times; drugs, bad business relationships & all that entertaining stuff. So if you were like me & wondered what he was up to check it out & solve that mystery...LoL, enjoy...
First off, let me just address this lil` issue so I can be done with it & move on. If you think that you`re going to get under my skin or waste my time by trolling me on this blog you`re completely mistaken! Not only that you`re wasting your time because that ish simply doesn`t phase me. I just find it fuckin` hilarious that there`s actually some people out there that would take to the time to visit my blog, download the FREE music & then complain about something as stupid as me calling the post a "Tuesday Tape Rip" when the post is actually posted Wednesday at say 12:05am....LoL, get the fuck out of here with that bullshit & suck a sandpaper~covered elephant dick! Not that I need to justify things to you, but here`s the deal fuck~head! Sometimes I have issues with the filehosts that I`m using so the links aren`t always ready even though I have the write up done (on Tuesday), so that is why the posts aren`t always technically posted on Tuesday...
Now that I was able to get the out of the way let`s get back to the business at hand shall we? Oh yeah this is another late post, so deal with it genius! Anyway, today`s Tuesday Tape Rip comes courtesy of the homie Dizz-E Go-Mack. So BiG uPs & a thank you go out to him. What he shared with me is something that I didn`t even know existed until he hooked me up with it, so my apologies for not knowing anything about it. Dizz-E did manage to tell me a very small amount of info` about it, but not a whole lot. So the tape at hand is by G-Pac & it`s a 6~track EP titled "Pac-N' Um Up" that was released back in 1995 by Geta Grip Records. G-Pac represents Oklahoma City, Oklahoma & that my friends is all that I know....LoL, again my apologies y`all. As always if you know anything else about this EP don`t hesitate to school me! The vibe of the EP is definitely more on the G-Funk side, lyrically G-Pac isn`t going to blow your mind with punchlines that`ll have you hittin` rewind, that`s alright though because they do deliver some decent raps. Standout joints for me are; "Droppin` Bombs", "Servin` Funk", "Ain`t No Fak-n" & "Genuine Playaz". So there ya have it y`all, go `head & check it out for ya`selves. Don`t let the fact that it may be unknown to you shy you away from it. Look at it as a potential treasure, a diamond in the rough if you will. Ya never know what you may find! I take this approach with everything that I haven`t heard before because I`ve not only found tunes that I had actually been searching for for years, but I`ve also found some hidden gems so enjoy...
Since I didn`t have any cassette rips to share for the Tuesday Tape Rip series this week I figured that I could at the very least share with y`all this mixtape that I`ve been listening to for the last few days. Lately there`s been quite a few 2Pac news articles being published on the various Hip Hop news sites, so naturally I`ve been checkin` `em out. I can only guess that all the media attention given to `Pac was due to
the fact that his birthday had just passed on June 16th. Anyway, all that reading that I was doing also led to me dustin` off this mixtape presented by Tapemasters Inc.
& Keyz titled "2Pac: Runnin` With An Outlaw" which they released
back in 2005, it`s a pretty solid effort overall. They definitely made some great selections when it came to the songs that they picked for this mixtape. Since it was the 12th edition of their Collabo series Tapemasters Inc. & Keyz decided to choose some of 2Pac`s better collaborations although some of them were created after his death like "Loyal To The Game" with 50 Cent & G-Unit or "N.I.G.G.A." with Jadakiss for example...
The only downside (it`s only minor) about this joint is that they chose to use the edited version of the `Pac & Scarface collabo` "Smile". Aside from that though this joint is almost a 5 star effort. I think had they used the original versions of "Loyal To The Game", "Runnin`", "One Day At A Time" & "Military Minds" then this mixtape would`ve been gold star sticker worthy....LoL, my opinion of course. I`ve never been a super huge fan of `Pac like say my cousin Dawson is, but I definitely am a fan of the man`s work! He had some great charisma on the mic & when he spit his lyrics you definitely felt them. Whether he was spittin` DiSSeS, some political ish or even some positive uplifting stuff for the women, whatever it was he made sure that you experienced some type of emotion. It really is a DaMn shame that he was taken away from us so early in his career! I`m sure he would`ve been doing some great things had he not been killed in Las Vegas. Hopefully someday soon in the near future they can figure out who was TRULY responsible for taking his Life so justice can be served & we no longer have to see the theories (here`s a nice lil` article about some of them). Wishful thinking, yes I know, but hey I had to put it out there. Anyway take a lil` trip while listening to this joint & enjoy some of `Pac's best collaboration songs spanning from early in his career all the way to after his death. I`m sure you`ll like it even if you aren`t a 2Pac fan...
What`s happenin` y`all? Hope all is well on your side of the tracks! Today I`m droppin` another post for the on~going Tuesday Tape Rip series. I know that I skipped out last week, my apologies I just simply didn`t have the time to post anything. Anyway this cassette rip comes courtesy of Captain Squid~LiD. So BiG uPs must go out to him, thanks for sharing the rip! All I did was adjust the volume of the file because it was kind of on the low side so I just raised it up a lil` bit. This cassette rip that I`m sharing with y`all today is a rip of an album sampler that Loud Records dropped as promo for dead prez`s "Let`s Get Free" album that was released in 2000. It contains snippets of tracks from their "Let`s Get Free" album (obviously....LoL), but it also contains a few interludes that aren`t on the album like "Army/Family" & "Martial Arts" as well as a few instrumentals. I was going to separate the snippets into their own tracks, but seeing as how the whole file is under 6 minutes in length I just decided to leave it as is. Now if you`re not familiar with dead prez, well you`ll just have to do some research on ya` own or wait until I drop another post for their debut album "Let`s Get Free". Until then peep this album sampler, get hyped up for their debut album & then go & cop it. Support some real Hip Hop, enjoy...
Had this tape ripped & ready to go for the next post in the Tuesday Tape Rip series, but unfortunately Time Warner had some problems with their services yesterday. So for about 8 hours or so I didn`t have any cable, home phone or internet! Oh y`all know the joys of having one company for all 3 services...LoL! It actually sucks like $2 hooker$ on pay~day!!!
Needless to say it was no fun trying to explain to my 2 year old son how he couldn`t go on the ABCMouse website because our internet wasn`t working. His reply was simply;
"`Puter, `puter daddy! I want `Mouse on the `puter daddy!!!"
Followed by a little disappointment once the site wouldn`t load up on the laptop....LoL, kids are priceless! Anyway, let me get back on topic.Gotta send a King Hippo SiZeD shout~out to C-Gull~E for hookin` me up with the tape so I could rip it to share with y`all, so BiG~uPs goes out to him!!!
Since I had this all ready to go, forget waitin` until next Tuesday to post it. There just won`t be a Tuesday Tape Rip this week that`s all, I know you`re sad about that....LoL! Now what am I sharing today? Well this joint is another cassette single, but this one is by the Memphis, Tennessee duo 8-Ball (8Ball, 8 Ball or Eightball) & MJG. It was released way back in the year 1991 by On The Strength Records & it`s titled "Listen To The Lyrics". It`s 3 tracks deep. I`ll be honest & say that I haven`t really heard any of their group albums, but I have listened to some of their solo work so I am somewhat familiar with each artist...
Eightball`s solo double album (3 CD`s if you count the bonus disc) "Lost", released in 1998 is a solid album. While MJG`s solo album titled "No More Glory" from 1997 is also another great effort. As for the duo I don`t know much about `em aside from them reppin` Memphis, Tennessee & first meeting each other back in 1984. From what I`ve been told "Listen To The Lyrics" is `Ball &`G's first single. They followed the single up with their debut album in 1993 titled "Comin` Out Hard" released by Suave House Records...
They`ve definitely built up a strong & loyal fan-base, releasing albums pretty consistently; "Comin` Out Hard" in 1993, "On The Outside Looking In" in 1994, "On Top Of The World" in 1995, "Lyrics Of A Pimp (Strictly For Da Underground)" in 1997, "In Our Lifetime Vol. 1" in 1999, "Space Age 4 Eva" in 2000, "Living Legends" in 2004, "Ridin` High" in 2007, "Ten Toes Down" in 2010 & "From The Bottom 2 The Top" also released in 2010. As you can see they`ve certainly put in some work! If you`re a fan of theirs & you haven`t heard these tunes you should check `em out for sure, so you can hear their beginnings & see just how far they have come. The songs aren`t mind blowingly awesome, but they`re not bad either. I like "Got To Be Real" & "Listen To The Lyrics" the most overall. So there ya have it, go `head & check `em out for ya`self...
Re~uPP`d, originally posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2008...
Been gettin` a lot of requests lately for a re~uP on this joint, I was meaning to get around to it but always ended up gettin` side~tracked. Tonight I finally follow thru with the task, so this one`s for all of you that were asking about it. Anyway when I first put this lil` mix together it was mainly newer joints, but now 8 years later it`s obviously older tunes. Standout songs for me are; "Chrome & Paint [Rmx]", "Ridin` Dirty [West Coast Rmx]", "Let It Fly", "Way Back (Pioneer Tribute)", "Jockin` Jay-Z", "It`s Nothin`", "Brooklyn Bullshit" & "Everything Is Good". So go `head check it out & enjoy the tunes...
1. iNTRo 2. Chrome & Paint [Rmx] {Ice Cube ft. W.C. & Money Grip} 3. This Ain`t A Game {Lil` Eazy-E ft. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony} 4. Streets {Bone Thugs-N-Harmony ft. Game & Will-I-Am} 5. Dope Boys {Game ft. Travis Barker} 6. Cruisin` In My `64 {Dogg Pound} 7. Ridin` Dirty [West Coast Rmx] {Chamillionaire ft. DJ Quik, Game & Crooked I} 8. Criminal [Rmx] {Chamillionaire ft. Snoop Dogg & Busta Rhymes} 9. Trap Be Jumpin` [Rmx] {Ghetto Mafia ft. Shawty Lo} 10. Let It Fly {Trick Trick ft. Ice Cube} 11. Pressure {Killer Mike ft. Ice Cube} 12. Hard 2 Smile {Trae ft. Styles P} 13. Keep Pushin` {Sheek Louch ft. Mike Smith} 14. Cocaine Music {Jadakiss & Sheek Louch} 15. Toney Sigel a.k.a. Barrel Brothers {Ghostface ft. Beanie Sigel} 16. Jockin` Jay-Z {Jay-Z} 17. Way Back (Pioneer Tribute) {Smoothe Da Hustler} 18. It`s Nothing {Rakim} 19. Don`t Act Like You Don`t Know {Skillz ft. Freeway} 20. Brooklyn Bullshit {Joell Ortiz} 21. Everything Is Good {Bruce Hathcock ft. Eazy-E}
What`s happenin` y`all? I figured that I`d try something new with the blog & hopefully I can keep it going. The idea that I had was to rip some random cassettes from out of my collection & share `em with y`all every Tuesday, hence the "Tuesday Tape Rip" title of this post. Now I don`t have an endless supply of tapes since I lost most of `em however I do have a box or 2. Some rips may come from a few of my homies others from folks that just hooked me up with `em, credit will be given to those that hooked me up with `em. Anyway, if this is something that you`d like to see feel free to drop some feedback/comments & let me know...
So for the first entry in this Tuesday Tape Rip series I reached into my box o` tapes & grabbed this cassette single by Indo G & Lil` Blunt titled "Blame It On The Funk", it was released thru Luke Records back in 1994. I`m gon` be transparent with y`all because I have really just started getting into Southern Hip Hop in the last 3-4 years so there`s plenty that I am still learning, so it shouldn`t be too much of a surprise that I don`t know much about these two kats -- aside from them reppin` Memphis, Tennessee. If any of y`all know more about `em, feel free to school me! Now "Blame It On The Funk" is a single from their 1995 released album titled "The Antidote" which also dropped on Luke Records. The song itself is a flip of The Jacksons` "Blame It On The Boogie" a Disco/Funk song that was released way back in 1978...
You get 4 tracks in total on the cassette single; "Blame It On The Funk" & its Instrumental on the A-side, then "We Got Da Weed" & "Where Dem Doggs At?" are on the B-side. All the tracks were produced by SMK, again forgive me but I`m not at all familiar with this kat either. He reps Tennessee as well & I`ve heard that he also raps, but other than that I got nothing else info` wise. Luther "Luke"Campbell of 2 Live Crew fame is listed as the executive producer of the single. I have to say that "Blame It On The Funk" is probably the better song on this cassette single, followed by "We Got Da Weed". Neither track is mind blowin`, but their beats are good enough to hold your attention. "Where Dem Doggs At?" sounds like it could have been the inspiration for the Baha Men`s "Who Let The Dogs Out?" released in 2000. It`s not a bad song, just not my cup of Rum...I mean tea...LoL, so there ya have it feel free to check it out for yourselves...
I know, I know...it`s been a minute since my last post & I do apologize for that but hey what can I say Life as a father of a 2 year old keeps ya pretty busy...LoL, if I just wanted to be like every other music blog out there that just posts up albums, mixtapes or whatever without a write up I could have weekly posts, but that`s just not how I like to do things. I want to bring a little something extra to the table, maybe educate ya on a little something about the music that you`re going to listen to. I treat this blog like something that I would enjoy so that is why I take the extra time to do the write ups/ reviews. I want a little more substance with my music & since we are all in the digi[tal] days now folks are missing out on the linear notes (you don`t get that with your i-Tunes purchases) I figured that I`d give you something like the equivalent with my write ups. Anyway, I`m done rambling let`s get into the music now shall we???
What I have dug out to share with y`all this time around was released back in 2002 thru Full Clip Records by 50 Cent & it`s titled "Guess Who`s Back?". Most of my homies call this joint a mixtape, but I think that it`s more of a street album compilation type of joint because it doesn`t have all of its tracks blended into each other & well there`s also no DJ shouting all over the tracks either....LoL, anyways if ya don`t know who 50 Cent is well then you probably should just leave this blog right now. However if you still don`t know about him & you want to stay I`ll try & give ya the quick~fast story so we can get to the music...
Born in South Jamaica, Queens (New York) Curtis Jackson III (50 Cent to the Hip Hop world) was raised by his mother Sabrina. Unfortunately she chose the Life of a Cocaine dealer & when Curtis was only 12 years old in 1988 she was murdered. Apparently she was having drinks with someone, they spiked her drink with something & she blacked out. While she was unconscious whoever drugged her closed up all the windows in the apartment & turned on the gas stove closing the door behind them leaving her there in the apartment to die. Without anyone else to care for him he moved in with his grandparents. Not too long after that he took on the role of a drug dealer, this was during the late 1980`s at the height of the Crack epidemic. Just like his mother he was out for the quick cash...
He continued down this path for a few years until 1994 when he was arrested for selling 4 vials of Cocaine to an undercover cop. A few weeks later he was arrested again when police searched his residence & found 10 ounces of Crack, a starter pistol & some Heroin. Originally sentenced to a 3-to-9 [years] in prison he got off lucky & only had to serve 6 months in a boot camp type of program where he was also able to earn his GED. A few years later he began rappin` at a friend`s home where they had some turntables set up in the basement. There he`d record his raps over various instrumentals played on his friend`s turntable set up. Curtis chose the moniker 50 Cent because he said that it was a metaphor for change. It was also inspired by a infamous 1980`s Brooklyn stick-up kid, Kelvin "50 Cent" Martin. He chose it "because it says everything I want it to say. I`m the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means"...
In 1996 one of 50`s homies introduced him to the late great Jam Master Jay of Run DMC fame who was just trying to get his Jam Master Jay Records label off the ground at the time. Jay seen the potential that 50 Cent had so he decided to take him in under his wing schooling him on how to write hooks, count bars, structure songs & overall make records. This apprenticeship eventually led to 50`s first appearance on a record in 1998 on the song titled "React". The song was off of the album "Shut `Em Down" by Onyx another Hip Hop group from Queens that Jay was mentoring. 50 continued to work with Jay & during this period of time it`s been rumored that Jam Master Jay did the production for an album of 50`s that never got released. I guess that may be the reason why 50 Cent eventually left Jay & linked up with the production duo Tone & Poke a.k.a. the Trackmasters who helped get him signed to Columbia Records. Once signed the Trackmasters set him up in an upstate New York recording studio where he finished off 36 songs in a 2 week span. Out of the 3 dozen completed tracks 18 of them were used for his debut album titled "Power Of A Dollar" which was set for a 1999 release in October...
Fan made video...
With the release of the underground single titled "How To Rob..." 50 Cent really started to garner a buzz although most of it was controversy. You see "How To Rob..." was basically a flip of Biggie`s "Dreams", but instead of rappin` about all the R&B singers that he was goin` to have sexual escapades with 50 raps in a comical way about goin` on a robbin` spree stickin` up a lot of famous artists without worrying about who`s name he drops. Naturally some of the artists mentioned didn`t see the humor in it, got salty & decided to respond to the track with some DiSSeS of their own; DMX, Wyclef, Wu-Tang Clan, Kurupt, Jay-Z, Big Pun & Sticky Fingaz to name a few. Regardless of the hate 50 Cent was getting a huge buzz so the label was set to film a music video for "Thug Love", another single from "Power Of A Dollar" that featured Destiny`s Child. Unfortunately for 50 a few days before the scheduled filming took place he was shot 9 times at close range just outside his grandparents` home in South Jamaica, Queens...
While in the hospital recovering from the shots to his arm, chest, left cheek, hip, hand & both legs he was notified by Columbia Records that they were dropping him from the label. Some people say that he was dropped because the "Power Of A Dollar" album was heavily bootlegged, but I honestly think that it was more about the fact that the label was certain that he wasn`t going to truly be able to recover from his wounds & they just wanted to wash their hands of him. Either way he was dropped & blacklisted by the industry. Rumors have it that his shooting came as the result of his lyrics in the song "Ghetto Qua`ran" where he mentions & names the actions of Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff & other members of his Supreme Team (a South Jamaica, Queens based Crack distribution organization that operated in the 1980`s) as well as other street kats. Apparently he had exposed too much with the lyrics & that`s one of the reasons that he was shot in the face, they wanted to shut him up for good...
The shooting however did little to keep him quiet, it actually had the reverse effect. Once he fully recovered he decided to hit the mixtape circuit which at the time was a huge market used to help artists get noticed by labels. Seeing as how he was apparently blacklisted from the industry he felt that if he was able to flood the market & get on every DJ`s mixtape eventually the labels wouldn`t be able to deny the talent any longer & they`d cave & sign him to another contract. One trick that he had up his sleeves when it came to the mixtape game was that he`d take whatever artist`s song was hot at the moment & flip it in his own way giving them better hooks & honestly most of the time he did the songs better than the original artists did. It`s pretty much the norm` for mixtapes now~a~days, but I`m almost certain that up until 50 Cent started doing it no one else was. After working the mixtape circuit for a while 50 put together a street compilation album of sorts titled "Guess Who`s Back?" which featured tracks from his shelved "Power Of A Dollar" album, some undergrounds classics as well as a few mixtape freestyles & he released it in 2002...
Not to long after its release a copy of "Guess Who`s Back?" finds its way into Eminem`s hands. Liking what he had heard on the CD he flies 50 Cent out to L.A. & introduces him to his mentor Dr. Dre. Shortly after the meeting both Eminem & Dr. Dre sign him to a 1 million dollar recording contract. In 2003 50 Cent is finally able to release his official debut album "Get Rich Or Die Tryin`" & it goes on to sell a gang of records. It sold 872,000 copies in the first 4 days after its release & debuted at the Number 1 spot on the Billboard 200. The rest, my friends as they say is history & I`ll be leaving that for another post.....LoL, so much for the quick~fast story. Oh well, I wanted to give y`all the history on how this compilation album came to be so you could have somewhat of a better appreciation for it...
So now let`s get to the music shall we? As previously mentioned this album features 4 tracks from his shelved album; "Your Life`s On The Line", "Corner Bodega", "As The World Turns" & "Ghetto Qua`ran". It also includes some of his underground classics as well as some freestyles. At the time of its release "Guess Who`s Back?" was a way for 50 Cent to introduce himself to those listeners that may not have had the chance to hear him on the mixtapes that he was doing. Today lookin` back on this joint I think that overall it`s a great chance to hear 50 Cent at his best, you can definitely hear his hunger for success on here. The "Killa Tape Intro" starts things off on the braggadocio tip, but it`s definitely entertaining while "Rotten Apple" follows & continues the braggadocio style with a New York twist. The "Skit/Drop" isn`t anything special, 50 just mentions chillin` with the pre-Young Buck G-Unit (that`s Lloyd Banks & Tony Yayo for those that don`t know). "That`s What`s Up" features the previously mentioned Lloyd Banks & Tony Yayo delivering more of that braggin` style. It`s my least favorite track on this album, probably due to the beat on the track. I just find it too simplistic & boring, it doesn`t really make the lyrics stand out & grab your attention...
"U Not Like Me" is one of my favorite joints on here, the Red Spyda produced beat backin` it is awesome (I`ve always dug Red Spyda`s production)! Again 50 comes with the braggadocio style but hey that`s what homie is known for, shit talkin` at its finest. Just peep the lyrics from his first verse;
"Niggas wanna shine like me, rhyme like me Then walk around with a 9[mm] like me
They don`t wanna do a 3-to-9 like me And they ain`t strong enough to take 9 [shots] like me
Ay yo, you think about shittin` on 50? Save it! My songs belong in the Bible with King David
I teach niggas Sign Language, that ain`t def son
**CLiCK-CLiCK** You heard that? That mean RUN!
Ask around, I ain`t the one you wanna stunt on pa! Pull through, I`ll throw a fuckin` cocktail at ya` car
From the last shootout I got a dimple on my face It`s nothin` I could go after Ma$e[`s] fanbase
Shell hit my jaw, I ain`t wait for doc` to get it out
Hit my wisdom tooth **HuCK-Teww** spit it out
I don`t smile a lot `cuz ain`t nothin` pretty Got a Purple Heart for war & I ain`t never left the city
Hoes be like,"Fiddy you so witty!" On the dick like they heard I ghostwrite for P. Diddy
You got fat while we starve, it`s my turn
I done felt how the shells burn, I still won`t learn (won`t learn)..."
How can ya not like this joint? It actually made its way onto "Get Rich Or Die Tryin`" as a bonus track (which was a good decision in my books anyway). "50 Bars" brings a new vibe to the table, some storytelling (something that I`ve always been a fan of when it`s done well). Staying true to the song`s title 50 Cent does spit 50 bars, but it`s far from the average emcee rhymes. 50 takes the time to spit a well crafted story while droppin` some infamous street hustlers` names like Alpo, Rich Porter & Nicky Barnes to name a few. The beat on the track provides a nice backdrop for the story to take place. Next up is the Terence Dudley produced "Life`s On The Line", most kats know this track as the braggadocio Ja Rule/ Murder Inc. DiSS. Although 50 never mentions any specific names once he gets to the hook you can pretty much figure it out on your own; "Scream MURDA! I don`t believe you MURDA! Fuck around & leave you MURDA! I don`t believe you MURDA-MURDA! Your Life`s on the line"...
This track hits hard, the drums in the beat help 50`s lines pack that extra punch. The song was originally released as the third single from his shelved "Power Of A Dollar" album, but later found its way onto his official debut album "Get Rich Or Die Tryin`" as a bonus track. "Get Out The Club" follows, once again it has 50 flexin` that 'I don`t give a fuck shit talkin` style' but this time around it`s directed towards the lyin` ass gold diggin` chicks that hang out in the clubs giving out fakes names & numbers to the fellas. There`s some good lines in there, some are pretty comical but it`s really how 50 spits the lyrics that`ll hold your attention the most. 50 gets right back to the DiSS`n on "Be A Gentleman", unfortunately I can`t tell ya who produced the beat for this one because there`s no linear notes with the CD. Anyway this time around he takes some shots at Jay-Z, again he doesn`t outright say his name but after hearing the first verse you exactly who it`s aimed at -- just take a look; "Yo, no more freestyles & verses killin` Sticky [Fingaz] & Ja [Rule] I`m movin` on now, I got bigger fish to fry Since "How To Rob..." a lot of niggas been naming names Monkey see, monkey do -- I done changed the game Still niggas actin` like I don`t get down or somethin` Like I ain`t the next nigga to wear the crown or somethin` You gonna talk about your chips `til we run in your crib And you gon` ask dumb questions like, "Can I Live?" Look, if I shoot you I`m famous If you shoot me you`re brainless, you said it yourself I`m slick enough to twist your lines & send `em back at you Swift enough to snatch the Mac & pop that at you Take it personal, see if I won`t send you to Hell I done told Tone & Poke they better have my bail But if it`s over a mill` don`t put the crib up dunn `Cuz if 50 get free, nigga 50 gonna run..." As you can see 50 came slick & witty with the DiSSeS, definitely one to peep. The next joint titled "Fuck You" is another one of my favorites on this album. Although I can`t tell you for sure I believe that DJ Clark Kent is the one responsible for producing this banger. Some folks claim that it`s a DJ Premier beat because of the way the hook is all scratched up with various vocal samples, but I still don`t agree. Either way this song has all the ingredients for an underground classic; DoPe beat, wicked hook & some iLL lyrics. You can`t really ask for more than that! Just peep his second verse; "Maaaaaaan, I told niggas not to fuck with me they still push me Figured they`d get away with it `cuz Tone & Poke pussy I been goin` through static, shot at with automatics Since `90, when Nas came out with "Illmatic" If Suge [Knight] was home, Death Row [Records] would be good for me `Cuz Tommy Mattola ain`t shootin` out in the `hood wit` me I`ve been shot 9 times my nigga, that`s why I walk funny Hit in the jaw once, that`s why I talk funny With a Rugger on my hip I walk the street with no cares Thinkin` my grandma`s prayers the only reason I`m here My wrist icy, keep my ears icy Keep my neck icy, that`s why your bitch like me Son I`m a heavyweight, how dare these niggas take me lightly?! I ain`t come to make friends & niggas ain`t got ta` like me My own homie sayin`, "50 you done lost yo` mind!" `Cuz I shoot out in broad day, run & toss my 9[mm]..."
The gems on the album continue with the Nas & Nature collabo` titled "Too Hot". The track delivers just what you`d expect from emcees of this caliber, they definitely don`t disappoint with the lyrics. As for the beat, again I can`t tell you did it because there`s no linear notes included with the CD, but it`s nice. If you happen to know who did it, by all means please school me `cuz I really like it. "Who U Rep With" is another Nas collabo`, but this time around he also brought along the Bravehearts as well. It`s a decent track, Nas & 50 Cent do their thang with the first 2 verses & 50 also does a decent job handling the hook. The third verse by the Bravehearts however is a little on the hit & miss side. The first part handled by Millennium Thug is a bit on the weak side. Then Horse comes in with 4 bars & revives ish, it`s too bad his part was so short. I think he should have had more time on the mic than Millennium Thug, but hey that`s just my opinion. Anyway back to the verse....LoL, Jungle follows up Horse`s bars with a short burst of his own that isn`t really all that impressive. I mean c`mon son you used "back" to end your bars 3 times in a row, not too much skill involved there. Thankfully Wiz comes in towards the end of the verse to finish things up on a better note, sure his lyrics aren`t mind blowin` but his delivery is quite nice...
"Corner Bodega" is a song that first appeared on 50`s shelved album "Power Of A Dollar". It`s a real short joint, just over a minute & a half in length. 50 kicks a short lil` rhyme about hittin` up the Coke spot so he can cop a pack & sell it out of town, L.E.S. handled the production on this one. I kind of wish that it was a little bit longer, but whatever it`s still a good track. The controversial "Ghetto Qua`ran" follows, just like the previously mentioned track this song was originally on the "Power Of A Dollar" album. The Trackmasters handled the production for this joint & provide 50 with a nice backdrop for his `hood tales. Now I won`t take any more time to discuss this song because I have already mentioned it a few paragraphs above this one, feel free to re~read it if ya like. "As The World Turns" is the fourth & final track taken from the "Power Of A Dollar" album. Red Spyda produced the beat & U.G.K.`s Bun B is also featured on this one. The tracklisting on the back of this CD lists the song featuring U.G.K., but Pimp C is nowhere to be found on this joint which is too bad. Although the beat`s got more of a Southern vibe to it, 50`s still comfortable ridin` it while Bun B delivers a good verse as well... The CD closes out with 3 freestyles from various mixtapes that he had previously been on. The first is a short "Whoo Kid Freestyle", it`s nothing super spectacular but 50 ends it on a comical note saying, "Yeah that`s it, it`s a freestyle. The fuck you want for free? Fuckin` A-rabs just ran the planes into the fuckin` building. Coke price went up 10 grand this fuckin` week"...LoL, one can only assume that the mixtape this was from dropped shortly after the whole 9.11 thing happened. The "Stretch Armstrong Freestyle" is a lot iLLeR than the Whoo Kid one in my opinion, again it`s pretty short but DoPe nonetheless. The "Doo Wop Freestyle" closes out the CD & I can see why 50 chose to leave it as the closer, it`s fuckin` DoPe! I think that it`s a freestyle that 50 did for a Doo Wop tape that dropped in 1999. He sounds real hungry here spittin` some iLL lines, no question! So there ya have it y`all, peep the tunes for ya`self. It`s definitely worth it, especially if you`re a fan of 50`s earlier work. My apologies for the long write up, but hey I just wanted to ensure that you thoroughly enjoy the music with a little back~story. So go `head & dig into it...
