Been on a little bit of a nostalgic trip lately, checkin` out plenty of early `90's mixtapes & well this joint just happen to stand out amongst the ones that I had been listening to. The mixtape in question coomes from DJ Cocoa Chanelle titled "The Best Kept Secret". Honestly I wasn`t familiar with any of her work prior to this mixtape, but I truly enjoyed this one! Her selection of music, mixin` skills, as well as the 'Cocoa Mix' blends are all on point here! If you`re a fan of `90's Hip Hop & R&B I`m sure you won`t be disappointed. I grabbed the original files from DJ Step One`s blog so BiG uPs must go out to him! I simply boosted up the volume on a few of the tracks & separated the Side A & Side B files into individual tracks for easier listening. The original files are also included for those that care about that type of thing, enjoy...
Side A: 1. Intro {ft. Hurricane G}
2. Freestyle {KRS-One & Redman}
3. Never Seen Before b/w 10 Crack Commandments [Cocoa Mix] {EPMD}
4. Off The Books {Beatnuts}
5. Zhane b/w Off The Books & Ill Nana [Cocoa Mix]
6. Reach [Exclusive] {Mobb Deep}
7. Flipmode Squad [New] {Rampage}
8. Leschea b/w KRS-One [Cocoa Mix]
9. Put Your Hands Where Your Eyes Can See {Busta Rhymes}
10. Next Level b/w Tragedy - True Confessions [Cocoa Mix]
11. 1-2 Many [New] {Common Sense}
12. Victory {Puff Daddy}
13. Jagged Edge b/w Organized Konfusion [Cocoa Mix]
14. Legal Money [New] {Shaq ft. Mobb Deep}
15. Give It Up Baby [New] {Tracey Lee}
Side B: 1. Minnie The Moocher [Exclusive] {Ol` Dirty Bastard}
2. Love Is All We Need b/w Heavy D [Cocoa Mix] {Mary J. Blige}
3. Illa Noyz {Boot Camp}
4. SWV b/w Capone-N-Noreaga [Cocoa Mix]
5. Bubblin` [New] {CRU}
6. Mary J. Blige b/w Mobb Deep [Cocoa Mix]
7. Hoodlum {Mobb Deep ft. Rakim}
8. It`s On You {2 Individuals}
9. Likwidation [New] {Alkaholiks}
10. It`s Been A Long Time [New] {Rakim}
11. Some [New] {De La Soul}
12. I`m Not A Player [Exclusive] {Big Punisher}
13. Nobody Cares [New] {New Child}
14. Blackstreet b/w New Child [Cocoa Mix]
15. Soul In The Hole [Exclusive] {Wu All-Stars}
After playin` the hell outta my "Return Of The Boom Bap" tape back in the day, ya best believe that I was super stoked when KRS-One dropped his self titled second solo album 9 days before my 15th birthday in 1995. I still hadn`t quite upgraded to a CD player at the time so I eventually copped the cassette thru one of those mail order tape/CD clubs, either Columbia House or BMG Music. I can`t really remember which, it`s been a long while since I`ve seen the tape, it`s still at my parents` crib in storage somewhere. I also played the fuck out of that "KRS-One" cassette, it`s a great album!!!
My only gripe with it is all them DaMn interludes in between most of the songs. I understand why they are included; either he needed an ego stroke or just wanted to show the listeners how Hip Hop he is by gettin` shout outs from many of Hip Hop`s key players. It all depends on how ya want to look at it. Either way, after hearing it once or twice you really don`t need to hear it again & again. Unfortunately for me since I had the tape the only way to skip the interludes was to hit the ol` fast forward button on my stereo`s tape deck or walkman. So once I had enough money saved up I made the upgrade & bought the CD...
Unfortu-FuCKiN-Ly you still have to skip the interludes on the CD version of the album. However it`s a little easier to do this time around, hit the skip/next track button. The interludes should have been separate tracks, but for some odd reason KRS intended for us to hear these shout outs upon every listen. Maybe it was Jive Records` choice to format the album like that, who knows for sure? Either way it`s not something that I particularly enjoy about the album! I just want to dive into the head noddin` Boom Bapp`N sounds whenever I throw it on. FuCK all these interludes!....LoL, so it was only fitting for me to put my HeRBaN DeLuXe touch on this KRS classic!!!
With this VeRSioN I didn`t have to adjust any of the volume on the songs, they were all at a decent level. I simply separated the previously mentioned shout outs/interludes from the songs & made them individual tracks. I did boost the volume on some of the interludes because I found them to be a little on the low side, also I decided to separate the lil` 'taggin` intro' that starts before "Out For Fame" & made it it`s own track so we can get right into the song. The "Outro" was simply separated from the end of "Health, Wealth, Self". The 3 bonus tracks come from a variety of sources; the "Rappaz R. N. Dainja [Kenny Parker Mix]" comes from a 12 Inch single, "The Truth [Original Version]" comes from some untitled KRS-One compilation that I found on my hard~drive (so unfortunately I have no clue where it truly came from, see what I did there?...LoL) & the "1-2 Pass It [Stretch Armstrong Rmx]" came from one of the members on the Philaflava T.R.O.Y. forum. Essentially this is the way that the album should have been formatted, my opinion of course. Enjoy...
“Return Of The Boom Bap”……Ahhhhhhhh mannnnnn! What should I say
about this album? Aside from the fact that it’s still my favorite KRS-One album
to this day? Aside from the fact that I still have the cassette over at my
parents’ crib? Copped it thru one of those music clubs back in the day; you
know Columbia House, BMG music, etc. I actually gotta BiG uP those music clubs
because I was able to experience a whole lot of Hip Hop thru the memberships
that I had with ‘em when I was 13 & didn’t have a large grip of dough to
spend. Copped plenty of albums at reasonable prices, cassettes at first because
I hadn’t yet moved onto CDs until a bit later in the game. The only thing that
I wasn’t a fan of was when ya had to buy the required amount of CDs or tapes at
their full price because their prices were quite high especially with their
shipping costs, but that’s another story for another day. So anyway that’s how
I was able to get my hands on the “Return
Of The Boom Bap” tape amongst many others & once I slapped that tape
into my Sony Walkman I played the hell out of it thru~out my high school years!
I was feeling a little nostalgic a few weeks ago so I actually dug out the album
from one of my many boxes of CDs & decided to dust it off. While giving it
a listen thru that’s when I got to wondering why hasn’t this album been
re~released with some bonus cuts? It’s definitely worthy of such a release, so
I said fuck it & decided that I’d put together one of my web~famous HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioNs & this here
is what I came up with…
Originally this great gem of an album was released in 1993 thru Jive
& it included 14 tracks in total, with production handled by the likes of
DJ Premier (6 tracks), Norty Cotto (1 track), Kid Capri (2 tracks), Showbiz (1
track) & even KRS-One (5 tracks) himself. So at just under 56 minutes in
length, it left me enough room to add another 6 tracks to complete this HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN (I`m Old School so
I try to keep these H.D.V`s under 80
minutes so they can still fit onto a CD if one so chooses to burn it onto a
disc). The first song that I decided to add is “Hip Hop vs. Rap”, a tune that in all honesty should`ve been on
the retail release of “Return Of The
Boom Bap” anyway. The next selection was a no~brainer really, “Outta Here [Original Demo Version]”,
definitely worth the listen for the Mr. Magic DiSS alone. It was kind of hard
to find a track to follow that almost lost piece of Hip Hop history, but I
think I made the right choice with “Sound
Of Da Police [Rmx]”. After that I hit the 12 inch singles for “Return Of The Boom Bap [Iron Lion Rmx]”
& “Mortal Thought [Kenny Parker
Rmx]” respectively. “Hip Hop
vs. Rap [Spinbad Blend]” closes out the album very nicely. Now for some
reason unbeknownst to any true Hip Hop head you haven`t heard this album
before, let me break down exactly what you`re in for…
“KRS-One Attacks” opens up things & gives the
listeners a glimpse of what to expect. KRS doesn`t actually spit anything on
this, it serves as more of an intro. The way DJ Premier cuts the various
KRS-One samples to create it is simply awesome. “Outta Here”, which I believe was the album’s first single, was
produced by DJ Premier. Over the simplistic, but very hard beat KRS-One kicks
some tales of Hip Hop History as only the teacha could. What’s DoPe about it is
how he does it in such a way that it`s pretty much first~person perspective
because…well, he was a crucial part of the history & it`s kind of awesome
to see things from that side of the fence. The self~produced “Black Cop”, which was previously
released on the “CB4 Soundtrack”,
rocks a simple yet effective enough loop for KRS to get his points across. DJ
Premier shows up once again to handle the production on “Mortal Thought” & provides a nice jazzy backdrop for
KRS-One to flex his lyrical braggadocio mic rockin’ rhymes over…
The KRS/Premier collaborating continues, but this time they both handle
the production on “I Can’t Wake Up”.
This song could be taken 2 ways; a lot of folks take it as an anti~Weed smokin’
tune, but I think that it should be interpreted as a dream that KRS-One
probably had after indulging in a few blunts himself. I mean c’mon, he’s a
blunt being passed around & smoked by a who’s~who of Hip Hop (at the time).
Either way you take it though, it’s a good concept record worth the listen so
don’t sleep! “Slap Them Up”
features a little uncredited intro by DJ Premier & some uncredited raps
from Ill Will. The beat was produced by Latin House producer Norty Cotto &
co-produced by Douglas Jones. To be honest I`m not really familiar with either
one of these producers, but they sure gave KRS a nice backin` for his rhyme
flexin`. Now the Showbiz produced “Sound
Of Da Police” should need no introduction, I mean c’mon it’s featured
in the 2016 animated “The Angry Birds
Movie” for cryin’ out loud. My son was singing the hook of this tune at
4 years old because of said movie….LoL, both Showbiz & KRS must`ve seen
some nice residuals off that song placement, anyway this was the album`s second
single. The head~nodding beat & catchy chorus will definitely hook your ear,
but it’s the lyrics that you really need to hear. I’d quote some, but honestly
you truly need to hear them over the beat to do `em justice. Trust me you won’t
be disappointed at all!!!
“Mad Crew” is a self-produced joint that’s sure to get ya`
head noddin’, Boom Bapp`N Hip Hop indeed. The simplistic beatboxin’ backdrop on
“Uh Oh” is almost the perfect backing
for KRS’s reggae~vibed storytelling, another self-produced joint. “Brown Skin Woman” is the
Blastmaster’s ode to well just that, Kid Capri provided the smooth production
on this one. “Return Of The Boom Bap”
is another joint that KRS-One produced himself. Some folks out there may
remember hearing the DJ Premier produced “P
Is Still Free” while they were listening to the “Menace II Society Soundtrack”, which was also released in
1993. Something interesting to note; if you actually take a look at that
tracklist the song’s credited to Boogie Down Productions. So does that make it
the last official BDP song? Or did someone at Jive just fuck up?? Someone out
there on the Internet knows, feel free to school me…
Kid Capri takes on double duties on the Jazzy~vibed “Stop Frontin`” as producer &
guest emcee, he handles both very well I`d have to say. “Higher Level” is some great funkdafied spiritual Hip Hop, produced
by DJ Premier. This song is the closer on the original album release &
honestly I have to say that it’s a great way to end such an awesome album.
Still as a KRS fan I can’t lie, I was always just a little disappointed in the
fact that “Hip Hop vs. Rap”,
the B-Side of the album`s first single, was never included as part of the album.
So naturally that was my first choice when it came to the songs that I chose to
add to this HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN.
The song’s produced by both KRS-One & Kenny Parker, definitely something
you just need to hear on your own, my words probably wouldn’t do it enough
justice…
Next in the added bonus joints is the “Outta Here [Original Demo Version]”. Unfortunately the sound
quality isn’t that great, sounds like a cassette rip & the song itself
sounds like it was dubbed from a radio show. So maybe it’s not actually a demo,
but an alternate radio version, because the song is censored, has the same beat
pretty much, but it also contains a few Mister Magic DiSSeS that don’t appear
on the retail album version of the same song. I’m not sure of the source of the
file so I couldn’t tell you, either way though it’s definitely something worth
listening to just for the historic value of it. The “Sound Of Da Police [Rmx]” comes with a nice thumpin` beat that
Kenny Parker produced, it’s DoPe but I’m still kind of partial to the way
Showbiz rocked the original album version myself. Regardless it’s a great song
& that’s why I added it…
The “Return Of The Boom Bap
[Iron Lion Rmx]” comes from the 12 inch single released in 1994 &
features Mad Lion. It has a nice Reggae vibe to it & I believe that Mad
Lion was the one to produce the track, couldn’t find any production credit on
the track so feel free to school me if I’m wrong. The “Mortal Thought [Kenny Parker Rmx]” is another joint off that “Return Of The Boom Bap” 12 inch
single. It’s ok, but doesn’t compare to the original version, Premier just
rocked it more, my opinion of course. Still plenty of heads dig the tune, I
think the reason that I don’t dig it as much is because it’s censored &
well Premier didn’t do it….LoL, anyway “Hip
Hop vs. Rap [Spinbad Blend]” closes out things here. DJ Spinbad does a
great job blending in various beats to match KRS’s lyrics. I think this was
featured on a mixtape or something, to be completely honest I’m not sure of its
source. So there ya have it, did I do the album some justice with the added
tracks? Is there something else that should have included? Feel free to leave
some comments…
I know that I haven`t posted anything in a while, but no this blog isn`t dead yet! I have just been busy with Life, it`s bound to happen once you become a parent....LoL, anyways I`m going to attempt to get a few posts up on here within the next few days. To start things off I have a Re~uP of a mix that I had originally put together back in 2009. Since I have had numerous requests to post up new links for it I decided to do so seeing as how I was able to grab a bunch of CD`s from my parents` crib in Canada when I visited them in November. This mix that I`m referring to is titled "BuDD@H BLe$$eD EnT. PReSeNTs: I`m TaLK`n ABouT CHiCKeN WiNGZ". At the time that I had originally put it together it was a nice combination of new & older tracks, but now obviously it`s just old & older joints....LoL, anyway the iNTRo says it all! Check it out & enjoy this lil` Christmas gift...
1.iNTRo 2. D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune) {Jay-Z} 3. Robot {KRS-One & Buckshot} 4. Hidden Scriptures {Krumb Snatcha} 5. Thru My Eyez {X-Clan ft. Tony Henry & Bun B} 6. Choose Your Side {La Coka Nostra ft. Bun B} 7.TaXeS [iNTeRLuDe]
8. Off The Books {The Beatnuts ft. Big Pun & Cuban Link} 9. You Ain`t A Killer {Big Pun} 10. Thug Paradise {Capone-N-Noreaga} 11. How Many Emcees (Must Get Dissed) {Black Moon} 12. Crooklyn Dodgers {Buckshot, Special Ed & Masta Ace} 13.iNTeRLuDe #2 14. Hate {DJ Haze ft. Young Buck & Game} 15. Fuck Y`all {DJ Quik & Kurupt} 16. Blaaow! {Hittman ft. Dr. Dre & Knoc`Turnal} 17. Trafficin` Green {Crooked I} 18. Only In California {Mack 10 ft. Ice Cube & Snoop Dogg} 19. Cali Kali {Kali} 20. Breathe Thru The Years {J. Cardim ft. Saigon} 21. Hustle In My Blood {AZ} 22. I`ma Go & Get My... {Busta Rhymes ft. Mike Epps} 23. My Job {Cam`Ron} 24. Mr. DJ {Warren G} 25.OuTRo
Yes~yes y`all today I`ve got another album for y`all that received the HeRBaN DeLuXe treatment! I reached all the way back to 1996 to give this under~appreciated female emcee`s debut album some much deserved ReSPeCT. The album I`m referring to is from New Jersey`s own Heather B. & is titled "Takin` Mine", originally released thru EMI/ Pendulum Records. At just over 40 minutes in length & only 10 tracks deep her debut offering is somewhat short, much like Da Brat`s "Funkdafied" album -- but for what both these albums lack in length they make up for in DoPe music! Just goes to show you that like the saying goes, sometimes less is more...
Anyways, for those that aren`t familiar with Heather B. let me drop a quick lil` introduction for ya. From what I know she first stepped onto the Hip Hop scene in the early 1990`s thru her connection with Boogie Down Productions, appearing on BDP`s 1990 album "Edutainment" on the long~ass track titled "7 Dee Jays" (it`s just over 9 minutes in length) along with KRS-One, D-Nice, Jamal-Ski, Harmony & Ms.Melodie. She followed that up with an appearance on KRS-One`s H.E.A.L. (Human Education Against Lies) project on the 1991 compilation album "Civilization vs. Technology" on the solo track "Don`t Hold Us Back"...
Then in 1992 thru Elektra she released her first 12 inch single "I Get Wreck" b/w "Get A Job" with production handled by Kenny Parker. It was also around this time that she was cast for the first season of MTV`s Real World (New York), a 'reality' show that focuses on the lives of a group of strangers all living together in a SoHo loft for a few months while cameras film their ups & downs. While on the show Heather B. is shown in the studio working on her debut album which at the time was going to be titled "The System Sucks". I`m not sure if that album ended up being renamed "Takin` Mine" or if there`s some unreleased tracks from those sessions, either way "The System Sucks" never seen a release date...
Fast forward a few years to 1995, Heather B. releases another 12 inch single thru Front Page Entertainment under the moniker Misunderstood titled "The Real Ruff & Rugged" b/w "One To One" produced by KRS-One. She followed up that single with 2 more 12 inches this time released under Heather B. & they were the anti~gun anthem "All Glocks Down" & the grimy & hard "No Doubt (Get Hardcore)" with it`s iLL Biggie sample on the hook, both singles were produced by Kenny Parker. After generating a solid buzz on the mixtape circuit with "All Glocks Down" she released another 12 inch in 1996 produced by Kenny Parker titled "If Headz Only Knew" which eventually became the lead single for her debut album "Takin` Mine"...
I`m guessing that since Heather & Kenny Parker had such good chemistry while working in the studio together that`s the main reason behind Kenny producing 9 of the albums 10 tracks, "Real Niggaz Up" was produced by Da Beatminerz. They do make great music together so I`m not complaining, Kenny provides her with some great backdrops to mesh perfectly with her rugged & raw lyrics. Don`t expect any X~rated sex rhymes on this album `cuz Heather B. presents herself as more of a tomboy flexing a hardcore street style kind of similar to that of the Lady Of Rage, a good example is on the M.O.P. collabo` "My Kinda Nigga"...
Overall out of the 10 joints that are on the album, I can`t really say that any of them are weak. Now obviously some stand out a bit more than others like "All Glocks Down", the heart~felt Hip Hop dedication joint "If Headz Only Knew", the rowdy M.O.P. collabo` joint "My Kinda Nigga" & "No Doubt (Get Hardcore)", but with that being said there`s not one filler track on here. "Takin` Mine" is most definitely a solid debut at least to my ears anyway. Like I mentioned before though I found it to be a lil` on the short side so I decided to make it an HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN by adding a few tracks to it. The bonus joints if you will consist of "Don`t Hold Us Back" from the H.E.A.L. compilation, "7 Dee Jays" off BDP`s "Edutainment" -- I did cut roughly a minute off this joint to make room for the "Tony Touch Freestyle", but y`all don`t really miss out on much anyway. I also included her Misunderstood joint "One To One", my apologies on the sound quality though `cuz it`s ripped from a cassette...
"I Get Wreck" & "Get A Job" from her 1992 12 inch single also make the cut along with the "All Glocks Down [Extended Mix Tape Version]" from the "All Glocks Down" 12 inch. The sequel to her M.O.P. collabo` "My Kinda Nigga Pt. 2" was added which is originally off of M.O.P.`s "First Family 4 Life" album. The last track that I need to mention is "Cloud 9" featuring Ajax which is from a 1997 12 inch single. So there ya have it y`all, all these joints will fit on an 80 minute CD so you shouldn`t have any trouble BuMP`n it in ya ride, enjoy...
