FLASHBACK EDITION
"bring it back, that ol' New York rap"
*It's not that NY has better record shopping than the West...after all, the Bay has Amoeba and frankly, no one else does...but when it becomes to filling in the gaps of my new school library (roughly '87 - '93), it's hard to beat New York for that. Well, maybe Japan or London would be just as good, but it's a little harder to get there and I'm low on pounds and yen. Anyways, the following isn't going to be "The Big Playback Pt. 2" or anything, but if there's anything I really love about looking for older hip-hop, it's discovering all the singles I SHOULD have been up on, but wasn't. With that said, I gotta start with...
THE DISMASTERS: Small Time Hustlers b/w You Must Be Crazy (Urban Rock 198?)
This came to my attention at A1 Records (the infamous) when one of their buyers, pulled off a $35 single off the wall and just told me, "listen to it." While the $35 gave me sticker shock, the single was even more stunning. Truly a lost banger from the late '80s, the Dismasters were well-named on this joint as they shove disrespect down your throat. Peep pain: "chumps be pulling up in caddies/knowing that car belongs to your daddy/pumping the volume up in speakers/when they blow, your pop's gonna beat your butt." And the track - smokin'. I want to say it's some sample from the "Superfly" soundtrack given the dark, rumbling bassline that powers the song, but I can't quite the horns, plus there's a whining whistle that runs along too. The flipside is a bit more conventional - mostly just drum machine pounds - but I'm quite ok with just riding the A. BTW - I didn't pay $35...managed to find some copies which I suspect to be reissues, but f--- it, they cost 1/6 of what A1 wanted.
MC SWAY & KING TECH: Follow 4 Now b/w 2 Turntables/Time 4 Peace (Giant 1991)
Ok, obviously, this isn't from NY but I haven't seen this one out West yet. Then again, I never knew to look for it. It's funny though, b/c for the longest time, I used to kick off my show with something I found off a mixtape. It begins with the strains of Idris Muhammed's "Loran's Dance" and a voice comes in, saying, "once again, it's that time of the day, when the station gets truly funky." I used that intro for years - until the damn cart broke - but at least, I finally figured out where it came from. Great intro, but the songs aren't that big of a deal. Sway and Tech always made better radio hosts than music-makers and between the whole lot, Joe Quixxx had better beats than both of 'em. I ain't mad at the 12" though - glad to finally have tracked it down.
NIKKI D: Lettin' Off Steam b/w Up the Ante For the Panties (Def Jam 1993)
In hip-hop's female pantheon, Nikki tends to get passed up for womyn who were 1) more influential (Queen Latifah), 2) more pioneering (MC Lyte) or 3) just straight more wicked on the mic (Roxanne Shante). F*ck it...I'm here to redeem Nikki D but frankly, she spit better than Rah Digga (though I luv my girl Digga) and was coming with hardcore sex lyrics long before the Notorious K.I.M. Case in point, this 12" which features a song off a Def Jam compilation...Sam Sever laces her with a rough beat that Professor Griff flipped for "Pawns in the Game." Here comes Daddy's little girl gettin' stoopid on the mic: "when I make a move/you better be at a standstill/I'm holding up the band for the annual mic drill/mistress of the rhyme style/I pick up the drum stick/and hit you with a rhythm/that only Nikki can deal with." Forgot Heather, Nikki's got all glocks down. The flipside is s'okay - one of the more mundane songs off her LP in both beat and rhyme, but that's ok - she's already left you dazed from "Lettin' Off Steam."
HISTORY OF HIP-HOP (RPM 19??)
This is the second time I've found this red labelled 12" here in NY. From the outside, it's hard to tell what the hell it is, but a careful eye will note, "Produced and Arranged by DDS." Pull that out in your head and you get Double Dee and Steinski and when you drop the needle on the three songs on this 12", you realize that it's a bootleg of the infamous Lessons 1, 2 and 3 that Double Dee and Steinski did for Tommy Boy in the mid-80s as promos. Listening to these early documents of multi-tracking, breakbeat science, it's easy to see what inspired Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow alike to follow up on them with Lessons 4, and 6 (hey Cut, where is that Lesson 5 at?). Ironically, Tommy Boy re-released Lessons 1,2,3 about a year and a half ago, on a promo for their "Greatest Beats" compilation, but again, it was promo-only, thereby keeping the songs as rare now as they were then. Look for either this red bootleg or the legit Tommy Boy promo for your slice of DJ history. (Hint: Rock n' Soul in Manhattan has copies of the bootleg)
DJ JAZZY JEFF AND THE FRESH PRINCE: A Touch of Jazz (Jive 1987)
Speaking of breakbeat science, this old Jazzy Jeff/Fresh Prince 12" was another unsung classic of the genre. Just ignore the Will Smith's ineffectual rhymes on this one, it's really all about Jeff in the mix as he brings in breakbeat after breakbeat. Everyone from Donald Byrd, to Marvin Gaye, to Grover Washington, Jr. to Bob James gets tossed into the mix and besides just the "name the break" fun of the song, Jeff does a great job of mixing everything in with scratches and proto-juggles. Maybe this should have been Lesson 4...
BLACK MADDNESS: Wild Brooklyn Bandits (Select 1993)
Black Maddness is perhaps best known (and take that phrase with a grain of salt) for their gimmicky, "Igpay Atinlay", a song that did for pig Latin what K-Solo's "Spellbound" did for, well, spelling. Apart from an egregious inclusion of said swine speak at the intro, BM just keeps it crunchy for Brooknaw on this one, powering off a pretty simple riff that I think is Steely Dan's "Black Cow" (but it's not as obvious as "Uptown Baby"). The "Funkin' Jazz" remix is actually just as nice: hard hitting drums and some dusty basslines threaded by a couple of horn blares. For a BK-anthem, it's not a bad one, though the rhymes win more for flow than cleverness.
ICEY "J": It Takes a Real Man (BCM 1988?)
The single I found was printed in West Germany so I can't tell if it's a reprint or if the song originally appeared as an import. In any case, the song is a female answer rap to Rob Base and EZ Rock's club classic, "It Takes Two." Frankly, I don't remember the song as being disrespectful to women, but Icey "J" felt it necessary to come back at the duo with what's essentially a gimmick but at least it's funny. Seriously, peep: "I want to rock right now/your Rob Base and you tried to get down/your now internationally known/but you still can't rock the microphone/I mean your/stupid/I mean outrageous/stay away from me/you might be contagious." The joy and pain...
FUNKMASTER FLEX AND NINE DOUBLE M: F.A.L.L.I.N. b/w Bodies on the Nine/Talk About the Green (Warlock 1991)
Before Nine was Nine, he was Nine Double M and he was killin' the wax with Funkmaster Flex on the beats. As far as I can remember, there were at least three singles...the most well-known was on "6 Million Ways to Die" but the blazer was actually *****. This single, I believe, was the first one to drop b/t the two. You can skip "Fallin (and I can't get up")...pretty blase blah, but "Bodies on the Nine" was a dope turnout by an MC with one of the fiercest flows this side of Freddie Foxxx. Flex re-jacks the "I Know You Got Soul" loop and adds some fiercer drums and "oohs" from LL Cool J. Here comes Nine: "I'm like kryptonite/put a clip in the mic/and play the triggerman/shooting rappers on site." Bo bo bo!
YG'Z: Street N*gga EP (Reprise 1993)
I've probably seen this one in crates a bunch of times and always passed it by but for whatever reason, I stopped and actuall read the label. "Produced by Pete Rock". Hmm... In some ways, this EP reminds me a lot of the Roughhouse Survivors LP...mostly b/c both featured Pete Rock on production, at the early zenith of his work output (perhaps over-output) but neither really made much of an impression, largely b/c Pete's beats simply weren't as good as they wre for CL and the YG'Z and Roughhouse Survivors just weren't that nice on the mic. That's not to say there aren't some decent songs, especially both versions of "Do or Die". I actually like the LP version better, with its jangling bells and background vocal sample that runs over the filtered basslines. Pete does a lot of filtering on the EP's tracks and sounds a bit lazy at times, especially on "Sumthin' 4 Da Head" which sounds like practically every OTHER remix he did in 1992/93 with its horns and keys. My rec would be to check for the "Do or Die" 12" (which I saw but passed up for fiscal reasons).
LATIFAH: Wrath of My Madness b/w Princess of The Posse (Tommy Boy 1988)
I could be wrong, but was this Latifah's first 12"? I speculate b/c of the year and the fact that she hasn't adopted the Queen prefix yet. In either case, 12 years later, it still ranks as my favorite Latifah joint of all time. Like the young MC Lyte, Latifah was all confidence, taking control of the mic with spark and a healthy bit of ego. The Meters track was a simple loop, but it was fly enough to let Dana do her thing: "now you should want to plex/cause I'm full effect/Queen Latifah is 5-0 on this set." Oooooh...ladies first. By the way, Tommy Boy released a pretty fly DJ Premier remix of this song last year on a CD-only promo. Check for it.
TOO DEF: I Am Who I Am b/w I'm Bad (Rockin' Hard 1987)
How can you front on any song that samples "The Beverly Hillbillies"? That's what Y-Z and G-Rock-Tink flip for "I Am Who I Am" and god bless them. Of course, Y-Z is seriously biting LL Cool J on the rhyme style (I mean...who are you kidding with a song called "I'm Bad"?) but listening to Jeff Mills and Woody Woods put together the Hillbillies sample plus the guitar licks from "Impeach the President", I was feeling mighty forgiving. And plus, how can you be mad at YZ's self-affirmation: "I am who I am/and that's fact/I couldn't be somebody else/I wasn't born to act/I wear what I want/eat what I want/walk how I walk/and talk how I talk." Can he get an amen?
POSITIVE K: Quarter Gram Pam b/w Ain't No Stoppin' Me (First Priority 1987)
I've always liked Pos K...never thought he really got the due he deserved, especiall considering how many years he put in before finally getting his album deal in the early '90s with "Skills to Pay Da Bills". But before he even got around to working the nightshift, Pos was dropping a mess of singles for First Priority (home to MC Lyte and Audio 2) in their early years too. His team-up with LG on "A Good Combination" (a B-side to one of MC Lyte's many singles) is a classic and Ego Trip validated him further by including his second single, "Step Up Front" on their "The Big Playback". This 12" was his very first effort but alas, his freshmen impression was more sophomoric than anything else. Over the bassline loop from "Thank You For Lettin' Me Be Mice Elf", Pos drops some lame lyrics about the scandalous "Quarter Gram Pam". And "Ain't No Stoppin Me" wasn't much better - run of the mill braggadoccio, bland scratching and boring beats.
ILL SQUAD PRODUCTION: Making a Killing b/w On a Roll (Idlers 198?)
Appearing on the same label that the Jungle Brothers made famous, the ISP (not the turntablist squad) join up with dark horse producer Tony D (one of hip-hop's more unsung trackmasters). Both songs are decent - production is so-so...the uptempo, bassline on "Making a Killing" beats out the midtempo drone of "On a Roll" but neither side was blazing b/c the MCs were far too laconic with their rhyme scheme to get anything started.
THE BIZZIE BOYZ: Droppin' It b/w Hold The Lafta (Payroll 1989)
THE BIZZIE BOYZ: Droppin' It b/w If You Want It (Yo! 1990)
This song was easily my favorite song off of Ego Trip's "Big Playback" LP and even if I have a copy of it off that comp, it was so f*cking fresh, I just wanted a copy for self and ended up finding two diferent versions in New York. Definitely an unsung classic that should have been up there with Stezo's "To the Max" and "Do the James" by Super Cassanova Cee. How can you step to lyrics like: how can you do this/when you're spanking brand new to this" and "knowledge on the loose/and there's no stoppin it'/you want true enlightenment?/well I'm droppin' it." What's weird though is that the same song appeared on two 12"s a year apart, with different backing sides. I thought one of them might have been a bootleg, but frankly, I just think the Boyz switched labels somewhere b/t 1989-90 and decided to drop their breakout 12" again. B/t the two, I prefer the earlier version for two reasons: 1) it includes a no-drum-track acapella and 2) the B-side "Hold the Lafta" is a sh*tload tighter than "If You Want It". "Hold the Lafta" is on some uptempo Big Daddy Kane tip (nothing too memorable but still rather fly). The 1990 12" features a "Funky Dope Remix" but apart from a nice, longer intro, the original mix is the hotter one.
DR. DRE: Dre Day b/w Puffin' On Blunts and Drankin' Tanqueray/One Eight Seven (Interscope 1992)
Yeah, this one OBVIOUSLY is not from NY, but frankly, I would have been surprised if I could have found it out in Cali. I don't know what the hell inspired Dre (apart from his serious disdain for folks like Luke and Eazy E) to drop "Puffin' on Blunts..." but it's one helluva non-LP exclusive. I mean, six minutes of listening to Dre talking sh*t, joined by Rage, Daz, Kurupt over one of the best beats from Dre's repetoire. But my sh*t is "One Eight Seven", the re-recording of "Deep Cover" with new lyrics by Snoop and Dre, making an ill song even sicker. Yeah, and you don't stop...
MC LYTE: Lyte as a Rock b/w Shut the Eff Up! (First Priority 1988)
Hot damn ho, here we go again... The title track gets the remix treatment but frankly, none of them can hold a votive to "Shut the Eff Up!", a follow-up to "10% Dis" that isn't quite as fiery as its predecessor but Lyte still kills you softly with her song. One of the nicest braggaodocio MCs to ever emerge in the late '80s, Lyte makes her naysayers talk to her verbal backhand. Was this latest volley still meant for Antoinette? Either way, major ouchies are handed out...check it: "bodily and vivacious?/don't make me laugh/weight watchers is waiting/here's a free pass" and "you will get nowhere/the Lyte is too blinding/tell me/why must I keep reminding/you to step back/let the Lyte shine/you can't talk sh*t/until you write your own rhymes."
ISIDORE AKA IZZY ICE: Soul Man (Jive 1989)
Holy sh*t, it's the unknown father to the Dream Warriors style! Seriously, Izzy Ice (stick with Isidore...sounds classier) sort of flips the same quick-lyric style and the production is as bright and cheery as the Canadian duo's. Not a bad song at all, but it wears its age in the grooves if you know what I mean.
MOLECULAR BEATS SQUADRON: Coming by Storm b/w Transmit Power (Raw 1989)
Speaking of which, these guys kind of sound like the Dream Warriors too though the lead MC is more like a Special Ed clone. A fun, uptempo song that doesn't linger on the brain but just listening them try to working "Molecular Beats Squadron" into their rhymes is already half the entertainment. "Transmit Power" is more mid-tempo and just as undistinguished.
*And finally...
GRAND DADDY I.U.: Smooth Assassin LP (Cold Chillin 1990)
Ok, another one of those - how the f*ck did I sleep on this the first time kind of albums. Like Big Daddy Kane at half speed, Grand Daddy came with some slick rhymes and a bounty of beats by the Biz. A virtual road map of classic samples (this is obviously before Biz got his ass sued off), the album fits easily into Marley Marl's Cold Chillin' catalog. Grand Daddy doesn't have Big Daddy's lyrical finesse, which probably explains why the average BPM on this LP feels like the mid-80s (he was flipping mid-tempo before Mobb Deep though). A beauty of an album that could have been the beginning of a bright career had Grand Daddy not pissed it all away with 1994's *Lead Pipe*.