FuNKMaSTeR FLeX & The GHeTTo CeLeBs` "NuTTiN` BuT FLaVoR" [12 iNCH]...

What`s lovely my peoples? Hope Life`s treating ya fairly! Today we`re gon` take it back to 1995 & dust off a 12 inch single released thru Wreck Records by New York`s infamous DJ Funkmaster Flex & The Ghetto Celebs called "Nuttin` But Flavor". I`m not truly sure exactly who the 'Ghetto Celebs' are, but I`m just guessin` that it probably just consisted of whoever was featured on a Funkmaster record at the time of release. For any Hip Hop head this right here is a gem of a single for many reasons, but I`ll just state 2 of `em right now `cuz that`s all that`s needed! First off; you get to hear some early work from 3 great emcees who are no longer here BLeSS`n us with music right now; Ol` Dirty Bastard, Biggie & Craig Mack! So GoD BLeSS the dead, R.I.P.!!! You get to hear why Hip Hop truly loves Ol` Dirty`s standout style on "Nuttin` But Flavor". In my humble opinion he outshines both Charlie Brown & Biz Markie on the track, no DiSReSPeCT....but that`s just how I hear it! Secondly; the B-Side of this single features some live from the Palladium freestyles from none other than the late & great Biggie & Craig Mack which were recorded on August 5th, 1994 (Funkmaster`s birthday apparently). What`s interesting about the Craig Mack freestyle is that it also features Biggie kickin` some raps right along with him, which is kind of rare because there`s not very much recorded material of them working together. The Biggie 'freestyle' includes some rhymes that would later end up on "Unbelievable". So there ya have it y`all, enjoy...

 

Funkmaster Flex & The Ghetto Celebs - Nuttin` But Flavor [12 Inch]

Label: Wreck Records

Released: 1995

1. Nuttin` But Flavor {ft. Charlie Brown, Ol` Dirty Bastard & Biz Markie}

2. Nuttin` But Flavor [Instr.]

3. Live At The Palladium [August 5, 1994] {Craig Mack ft. Biggie}

4. Live At The Palladium [August 5, 1994] {Biggie ft. Puff Daddy}

BaCK~uP LiNK...

R.I.P. BiGGiE, CRaiG MaCK & OL` DiRTy BaSTaRD....

STeP x STeP`s "CoMiN` 2 GeTCHa"...

First off, BiG~uP BowdenCstyle! He`s the kat that originally shared this album over on the Bomb1st Formus, until then I had no idea that this even existed. So thank you very much kind sir, the move is truly appreciated. Anyways, what I can tell you about the album itself is unfortunately somewhat limited - however the info` is still very interesting nonetheless. So sit down, roll up, strap ya`selves in & get ready for the ride...

Step x Step (Step By Step) is a duo that reps L.A. consisting of members Doc Genisis (Vernon Jackson) from Watts & Funky Dreds (Jimmy Hamiliton) from South Central. While both attended State University at Norfolk, they perfected their dancing & rappin` skills. It was during this time of perfecting their crafts that the 2 friends decided to band together & form a group. Shortly after their union Step x Step auditioned to appear in a commercial for Coca-Cola & nailed it. In 1995 the duo was eventually able to put together an album, their debut titled "Comin` 2 Getcha". The album was released thru Lockdown Records, a label owned by Big Wes Crockett. In the early 1990's Big Wes was a music producer & promoter working with SOLAR Records until he branched out on his own with Lockdown Records. The label wasn`t around long with only a total of 4 releases under their belt; Life Afta Death`s (Erotic D & Jonezey Jay) debut album "The Death Penalty"  & their single "Date With Death" in 1993 & Step x Step`s "Comin` 2 Getcha" & their single "Stomp! It`s All The Way Live" released in 1995...

The interesting historical Hip Hop connections continue, check it out! Step x Step recorded "Comin` 2 Getcha" in Galaxy Sound Studio, the same famed studio that Dick Griffey allowed Dr. Dre & Suge Knight to use when they were in the beginning stages of forming Death Row Records. Wait there`s more...The D.O.C. & Big Wes Crockett were executive producers on the project. While production was handled by Clever who did 5 tracks & J-Stank (think Dangerous Records, Tweedy Bird Loc, NiNi X, Bloods & Crips) also did 5 joints. Another interesting fact about this album is that Blaqthoven contributes one of his first productions on the track "Friendz". That`s quite a bit of historical Hip Hop connections right there, especially for an album that I`m sure many haven`t heard yet, that`s why I`m sharing it with y`all. The album`s only single "Stomp! It`s All The Way Live",  which samples the classic Lakeside tune, actually features Mark Wood & Stephen Shockley from Lakeside singing on the hook. Something else that I noticed, but can only assume is that the Homegirl Shello was cool with Step x Step because she`s featured 4 times on the album. Anyways there ya have it y`all a little background info` on an album that you should hear at least once. Stand out joints for me are; "Wake Up", "Stomp! It`s...", "Step x Step Be Rockin`" & "D.M.S.". Something to note, the volume on a lot of these tracks was lower than I liked so I boosted it up a few notches. Check it out for ya`selves & feel free to drop some comments...

Step x Step - Comin` 2 Getcha

Label: Lockdown Records

Released: 1995

1. Wake Up {ft. Aaron & Shello}

2. Hee Haw [Skit]

3. Letter 2 Da Banger

4. Brother To Brother

5. Stomp! It`s All The Way Live {ft. Mark Wood & Stephen Shockley of Lakeside}

6. Pledge Story

7. Friendz

8. Step x Step Be Rockin`

9. Between 2 Cutz

10. Blow Your Wig {ft. The Bro`s & Shello}

11. What If? {ft. Cream}

12. Out To Get Minez {ft. Shello}

13. Dinner, Movies, Sex {ft. Shello}

MeGa LiNK...

N`JoY...

TueSDaY TaPe RiP...G-PaC`s "PaC-N` Um uP [CaSSeTTe EP]"...

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...

G-Pac - Pac-N' Um Up [Cassette EP]
Record Label: Geta Grip Records
Released: 1995



A1. Droppin` Bombs
A2. Servin` Funk
A3. Pac-N-Um Up
B1. 24-7
B2. Ain`t No Fak-n
B3. Genuine Playaz

SoLiDFiLeS LiNK...

MeGa LiNK...

N`JoY...

STRaiGHT uP`s "LoUiSViLLe`S OwN STRaiGHT uP EP"...

What`s goin` on y`all? Hope all is well & Life has been treating you good. Today I have a lil` somethin` that comes courtesy of my homie SNiCKLe FRiTZ, so BiG uPs goes out to him! What I have to share with y`all is a lil` EP from a group called Straight Up who reps Louisville, Kentucky. Now to be honest when I tried lookin` `em up online I found that they were also called Louisville`s Own, so I could be wrong about their name. The EP`s cover is not all that clear when it comes to the group`s name, so if I`m wrong & someone out there knows what`s up feel free to school me...


As for Straight Up the group consists of 2 members (brothers perhaps?) Darrin & Terrance Lee (a.k.a. Gangsta T). They both handle the EP`s production as well as the rhyme writing. They released this EP on their own label back in 1995 & I believe that this is their first release. Anyways let`s get to the EP shall we? At 4 tracks deep it`s a pretty short EP, but seeing as how it`s an independently released project it`s totally understandable. When you first glance at all the titles of the songs on this EP you can surely notice that Death or Murder seems to be the main theme of the project, but that doesn`t make it a stale of boring listen...


Now something that you should note before you get to listening to the EP, it was ripped from a cassette tape (not sure if it was ever released on CD) so the sound quality is far from HD but it`s not totally terrible either. I found the original files that SNiCKLe FRiTZ hooked me up with were a bit on the low side volume~wise so I made some small adjustments to make them a lil` louder. Anyways the EP opens up with "Dyin` Is So Easy", a joint that has gloomy & dreary vibe to it. The hook is a lil` simplistic, but their verses make up for it in turn making the song a lot more entertaining. "Death Zide" follows the EP`s opener, it`s got somewhat of a West Coast vibe to it. The hook has more of a harmonized feel to it while Straight Up delivers some aggressive lyrics. It`s my second favorite joint on the EP, definitely one to check out...


The third song on the EP is the title track "Straight Up", this joint without question is the EP`s best song. The beat`s quick tempo & killer loops will get ya` head noddin` while you get into Straight Up`s verses, it`s no doubt the show stealer! The EP  comes to a close with "Victim Of A Murder". It`s another joint that has more of a West Coast vibe to it, I think that most folks will enjoy it. Overall the EP`s not too bad of a listen, 3 of the 4 tracks are pretty solid. The first song on the EP is probably my least favorite of the 4, but it`s not a wack track. I just couldn`t really get into it all that much. You can definitely tell that the group was heavily influenced by the West Coast, at least when it comes to their beats anyway. Lyrically & vocally they carry themselves pretty well over the instrumentals. So there you have it y`all, go `head & give this EP a listen I`m sure you`ll enjoy it...

Straight Up - Louisville`s Own Straight Up EP [Cassette]

Label: Terrance & Darrin Lee Records

Released: 1995

Side A

01. Dyin` Is So Easy

02. Death Zide

Side B

03. Straight Up

04. Victim Of A Murder

N`JoY...

SMG`s "STRaWBeRRy MaNoR GaNGSTaS"...

Once again Re-uPP`d, originally posted on 5/17/2009...

After a few re~ups I have since learn`D a little bit more about this joint, so I figured that I`d share it with y`all. These KaTs are RePP`n Sacramento, California & the entire album was recorded & mixed by One Man & DJ Studio. While Bumpin` T was the man behind the beats producing the entire project. It was originally a cassette release back in 1995 thru Manor Records titled "Mentally Disturbed"...

 

 Eventually it got a CD release in 2009 titled "Strawberry Manor Gangstas". It had a different cover, but it`s the exact same as the cassette released back in `95. It`s definitely G-Funk influenced on the production side of things, Bumpin` T definitely provided SMG with some bangers! I`ve noticed that upon listening to the song "Mentally Disturbed" around the 4:09-4:16 mark (pretty much the end of the song) it sounds like the cassette it was ripped from has a slight "BeeN EaT`n" effect to it for a few seconds anyway. Now for those folks out there that aren`r pre~digi, meaning you`ve never used a cassette tape, let me try to simplify this "Been Eaten" effect. Before streaming, music was contained on vinyl, cassettes & eventually CDs. Cassettes, tapes or cassette~tapes consist of magnetic tape, that`s where the data/music is stored which sadly degrades easily if you chose to play it back in some inferior or non~well~maintained taped decks. They had a tendency to jack up the magnetic tape ribbon, which could end wrinkling & creasing said ribbon & that ends up degrading the playback. If that doesn`t help here`s the wikipedia explanation...

"A common mechanical problem occurs when a defective player or resistance in the tape path causes insufficient tension on the take-up spool. This would cause the magnetic tape to be fed out through the bottom of the cassette and become tangled in the mechanism of the player. In these cases, the player was said to have "eaten" or "chewed" the tape, often destroying the playability of the cassette."

 

 

 Also at the 1:53 mark on "Mob Niggas" it kind of skips a bit as well as towards the end of the track. Could just be the scratched disc that the it was ripped from perhaps, I couldn`t tell ya.

 Sorry y`all that`s all I know....LoL, anyways if any of y`all know something else ya better school me! Check out the tunes & enjoy...

SMG - Strawberry Manor Gangstas

Label: Manor Records
Released: 1995



1. You Can`t Fuck With These
2. Niggas Better Back Up
3. Mentally Disturbed
4. Another Day On The Block
5. Mob Niggas
6. I`m A G







BaCK-uP LiNK...






N`JoY...