R.I.P. - Cougnut

Rest In Peace:

Cougnut

Real Name: Ranald Fields, Jr.
Hailing From: San Francisco, Califronia
Date Of Birth: January 11 1968
Date Of Death: September 4 2001
Cause Of Death: Car Crash, passenger in a 2002 Chevy Impala that lost control and flipped before taking the Northern Cali rapper's life. Rapper D-Mac also died in the crash

Albums:

I.M.P. - Back In The Days (In-A-Minute) 1993
I.M.P. - Ill Mannered Playas (In-A-Minute) 1996

MP3:
I.M.P. - Public Execution

Review: C.O.D. - Cummin' Out Doggin'

Artist: C.O.D.
Album: Cummin' Out Doggin'
Year: 1990
Label: Radical Records


C.O.D. is a group out of South Park,Houston Texas consisting of underground legend K-Rino who previous to this released a 12" on Boomtown Stars records titled "Rocking It" under the group name "The Real Chill" that was the South Park Coalitions first ever release in 1986, and the other member of C.O.D. is Dope-E who a year later signed to Rap-A-Lot records and released the hard to find under $100 classic "Bizness Never Personal,Terror Strikes" album and the last member is the dj K.O. I love the cover, but I'm not sure about Dope-E's dress sense standing in the Timmy Chan car park with a cassette briefcase looking like the cover was shot inbetween slanging tapes to chicken wing fiends. Although Cummin' Out Doggin has only 4 tracks and an intro but the tracks are crazy.

After the intro is the track "Clever Word" is Dope-E and K-rino cutting in and out of each others verses with almost nonstop lyrics through the whole track only stopping a couple of brief times for some mad scratching by K.O. The next track "Black & Gold Strategy" isn't quite as good as the last track but I still never skip it. The next track "Fulla Dem Games" is def too although I'm not keen on the main sample through the track it's too sing songy for me but the rest of track has a flawless beat and lyrics and I love the scratching and use of samples.The last track is "Out There Bad" and is another dope track.

I'm not sure if this was for sale or promo release only as it was only released on cassette and vinyl and neither has a barcode,although if you go to the S.P.C. website (see link) you may be able to get a cdr copy from them yourself if they still have some left. This is a must have for any oldschool Texas fans. K-Rino has a new album titled "Worst Rapper Alive" that should be out by the end of September and Dope-E has a new Terrorists album coming out in the next few months.

MP3:
C.O.D. - Clever Word

Rating: 4 and 1/2 Daytons out of 5

The South Park Mexican Case

South Park,Houston,Texas drug dealer Carlos Coy decided to leave the dope game and enter the rap game and in 1995 (with the financial backing of his brother Arthur Coy) he started his own record label known as "Dope House Records" that become one of the fastest growing record labels in history, with artists such as Twin Beredaz, Rasheed, Low G, Grimm, Lucky Luciano, Juan Gotti and Baby Beesh. SPM himself released 8 albums and also features on dozens of other artists albums and compilations.

As most people who are in the know about down south hip hop would have heard, Texas rapper Carlos Coy better known as SPM (South Park Mexican) is currently serving a 45 year sentence in prison for allegedly sexually assaulting a 9 year old girl. Since his sentence on May 30 2002 I have heard a heap of people diss the absolute fuck out of him for being a child molester, although not many people who have dissed him really know anything about the case other than the the courts final decision.

In September of 2001 Carlos Coy had his daughters 9 year old friend who is the daughter of Carlos' ex girlfriend that he broke it off with a few years earlier sleep over his house watching horror movies.Carlos was arrested soon after on charges made by the girls parents for "touching her on the backside and private parts" that carlos obviously denies.

The jury selection did not start until May of 2003 at the Harris County court house in Houston and opening statements were heard soon after seven other girls came forward saying that Carlos had molested them, although keep in mind that these other girls were not all young innocent girls making these claims but teenagers who say that they used to go to motels with him and have sex. None of these girls ever brought anything up in the past but when it started making headlines with news crews showing up from all over the country they all rushed into Harris County to make their claims. One girl told police that she was 14 when she had sex with Carlos and then in court said she was only 12, when asked why she changed her age she said she changed her mind "after thinking about it".

Probably Carlos' biggest mistake was one that he made 8 years earlier when he was 23, he had a relationship with a 14 year old girl who gave birth to Carlos' son, After having the child Carlos asked her to marry him although the girls parents would not allow it. In court the girl said ever since their son was born "Carlos had always been there financially and emotionally" she also sued him two years earlier for child support backpay for $28 000.

The girl that he was being convicted of assaulting took the stand at court (10 years old at this time) and said that she did not know if he did touch her or if it was a dream after watching all those horror movies, she changed her mind later and said it did happen. Carlos' attorney Chip Lewis made the courts watch "Scream","Scream 2", "Scary Movie", "Scary Movie 2" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" saying that those were the movies the girl had watched that night and all the charges she was making were scenes out of the movies, "The principal is that a child who is not sure if (the alleged act) was a dream or reality has got to get the idea from somewhere" "It's fairly easy to draw an inference from the fact she was exposed to such violent, graphic sexual material" Carlos' attorney Chip Lewis said in court.

After alot of testimonies against Coy without a shred of evidence and a psychologist Jennifer Welch testified that Coy should get prison time after she interviewed a young relative of Carlos told her that at a family event he laid on her and kissed her arm and nose with beer breath and tickling and wrestled with her until the child's mother told Carlos to stop, Welch claimed that the girl would probably be his next victim. Coys attorney in cross-examination asked Welch if with all the evidence is there any proof that he assaulted the girl, her response was "There is no evidence,right" when he asked her if the way Carlos was wrestling and kissing his relative on the nose and arm was normal behavior of just playing with the child, Welch agreed. It makes me laugh how she could take the stand and say he should go to prison and then agree that there is no evidence.

After hearing all this shit Carlos decided against his attorney and took the stand himself telling the court that although he did have that relationship 8 years ago with the 14 year old that had his son, all these other girls are just here for money. The prosecuter in cross-examination said to Coy "You mean to tell me these girls are coming into court and committing perjury and lying about going to motels with you and having sexual relationships with you?" Coy testified "These girls are luring me. One of them and their mother are known as the lady and the tramp".

Coy's attorney said "As he's told the jury several times, he's not a saint and he's not a perfect person and he's made some decisions in life that he's learnt from. Like you said, it may be bad judgment, but he's explained exactly the situation from a truthful standpoint and I think the jury saw that". "South Park Mexican is not guilty of the crime that he's accused of. They've drug him through the dirt. They've drugged everything they can possibly bring in on him. We believe the motive is money". Carlos' sister Sylvia Coy said "These people lie, cheat and steal for a living. They live of the welfare system and they make money off the working man. I guess thats what they're teaching their children as well".

With protesters outside the court house calling for SPM to be locked up for life, friends and family of Coy protesting for his freedom and news crews from around the country outside waiting for the verdict Carlos Coy was found guilty on May 18 2002 of aggravated sexual assault of a minor. During the week after the verdict, while Carlos waiting to be sentenced which has a minimum sentence of 5 years probation to life in prison, prosecuting attorney Lisa Andrews said "He's a child molester who uses his rap music to attract young girls, he's a threat to children and thats what this higher range of punishment is designed for, to protect younger children from men like Carlos Coy". Coy's defense attorney Chip Lewis said his client was innoncent and that there was never any proof that Coy committed any of the crimes, just hearsay. "No punishment is appropriate for him, he didn't do this crime. But if the jury is called, they're going to have to let down a sentence and a verdict of some type. The least severe of that sentence would be probation, and thats the last thing that I have asked them to do at this stage".

Emotionless, South Park Mexican took the stand and was sentenced to 45 years in prison and a $10,000 fine by judge Mark Kent Ellis. Coy turned to his family and said "I'll be alright" before the judge called him to the stand to say "Mr Coy, I have spent 17 years in this courthouse, and in that time I have seen more sex offenders than I wish to remember, but one thing that I have found over time is that sex offenders in common, and that is that they are all liars, and you are no exception to that rule". "Well, the fact is that there is only one victim in this case, and it is a 9 year old girl, now that is reality, and you need to deal with it. It's time for you to face the music".

Since Carlos has been incarcerated, the girls parents have sued Carlos Coy for an undisclosed sum of money for damages in the attack. Not long after Carlos was sentenced for inappropriately touching the 9 year old girl another man who was found guilty of molesting a young girl was sentenced to only 18 years in prison in the very same courthouse. It just goes to show that the jury wanted to see a famous Mexican rapper behind bars.



Above is the outline of the case as it was reported on various news sites over the past couple of years and is pretty much up to each individual to decide what they think for themselves although none of us will ever know for sure what happened. In my opinion if it wasn't for the 14 year old girl that SPM had a relationship with 8 years earlier he may have been found not guilty, but you gotta think that the mother of the victim was his ex that he dumped and after the case she sued him for cash, that goes to show that she wasn't just satisfied with justice but wanted to cash in. As for the other 7 girls that came forward claiming all sorts of shit, I don't even think that the prosecutors believed those money grabbing story changing vultures. I also don't know how even if the courts felt he did do it, that he could get 45 years on a case with not one shred of evidence.

The South Park Mexican will be releasing a new album scheduled for November 2005 titled " When Devils Strike" the first single is coming out September 11 and is titled "In My Hood".


(10 April 2005, Carlos Coy at his prison facility located in Palestine, Texas)



SPM - 3rd Wish Review/mp3s

Review: Low G & Rasheed - WetBlack

Artist : Low G & Rasheed
Album : WetBlack
Year : 2002
Label : Shut Em Down Records

Low G and Rasheed are two of the rappers from South Park Mexican's label Dope House Records, although this album is on Shut Em Down Records (which is associated with DHR ). Rasheed has been in the rap game for quite a few years now and has a number of releases under his belt, both on Lil Troy's label Short Stop and Dope House Records. Honduran rapper Low G hasn't got any solo albums out that I am aware of although he's got quite a few verses on other rappers albums and he's always pretty sick.

Rasheed and Low G are two rappers with completely different styles. Rasheed is known as the lyrical chainsaw because of the way he tears through tracks with his 100 mile per hour raps where as Low G is far more laid back and he crosses over between rapping in Spanish and English all the time. Low G has the bi-lingual rhyming (that Mellow Man Ace and Kid Frost made famous) down pat, even though I can't speak Spanish I never get tired of hearing Spanish rap - the flow is incredible.

As for the album itself, this is predominantly a Rasheed album with Low G only appearing on half the tracks. I don't think either Rasheed or Low G are at their best on this album. Their verses on other artists tracks (especially SPM's) are a bit better although this album is still pretty good on the whole. The majority of the production on this album is done by Nathan "Happy P" Perez. Happy P is one of the most under-rated producers in hip hop and again on this album, all his beats sound sick. This album has very few artists making guest appearances which is always a good sign. Coast from fellow Dope House group Twin Beredaz features on the track "Hold Me Down" and the track is one of my favourites off the album. My other favourite tracks on this album are "The Letter", "Que Onda", "Street Gangsta", "Mi Vida", "Bang" and "Dirty Third". The album has no bad tracks although Low G fails to reach the high standard he sets for himself on tracks like SPM's "El Jugador" and Rasheed has done better as well.

All in all this album is well worth buying, especially if you're into the Dope House/Shut Em Down sound, the album has been re-released for a limited time on the "Rap Classics" label so if you want to get it I'd order it ASAP. Also be on the lookout for Rasheed's new albums (he has a few in the works).

MP3:
Wet Black - Street Gangsta

Rating: 3 and 1/2 Daytons out of 5

R.I.P. - The Mac

Rest In Peace:

The Mac

Real Name: Michael Robinson
Hailing From: Vallejo,California
Date Of Birth: 1971
Date Of Death: 1991
Cause Of Death: Shot Dead In A Case Of Mistaken Identity
(He Was In His Car In Vallejo With His Pregnant Girlfriend At The Time)

Albums:
The Mac - The Game Is Thick (Strictly Business Records/1989)
The Mac - Enough Of Tis Shit (Strictly Business Records/1990)

Review: Caz - Goin' Head Up

Artist : Caz
Album : Goin' Head Up
Year : 2002
Label : Glass House Recordings

Caz hails from the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, California and he's a Crip (Rolling 60's Crip's). Being a local gang banger he knew Ice T since he was a kid. One day when Caz got released from a stint in the penitentiary Ice T decided to pick him up and take Caz on tour with himself, Hen Gee and Evil E. For one of the concerts a rapper was unable to perform and Caz was asked to fill in, the crowd went nuts and from that point he knew that he wanted to be a rapper. Caz credits Ice T as being the reason he started rapping .

"Goin' Head Up" was released in 2002 and was his 2nd album ("Thundadome" being his first, released in 2000 on Warlock Records). "Goin' Head Up" features artists such as Ganxsta Ridd of the Boo Yaa T.R.I.B.E., Spice 1, Yukmouth, CJ Mac and Treach of Naughty By Nature. Caz has said in the past that he doesn't want to work with guys like Xzibit and Snoop, he wants to work with "everyday hood dudes" - he makes it pretty clear in his music and interviews that he hates fake-gangsta's with a passion.

The wole album is gangsta, but Caz ensures that the listeners know that he is not trying to glorify anything, he's just telling everyday hood stories. The track "Lessons" makes it pretty clear that he isn't trying to glorify the gangsta life with the hook "Stop, put away your glocks". The album has a raw feeling to it, it's production (by Simon Tocclo, Fingaz, Mystro, Damizza and Jimmy Turner) suits Caz's style down to a tee. The album has a couple tracks that I don't really like ("I Don't Know Why" and "Baby You Know") but the sick tracks definately make up for them. The stand out tracks for me are "N A Real Way" with Ganxsta Ridd, "Goin' Head Up", "N-Here", "City 2 City" featuring Kilo and "Big Bossin". On the whole this is a solid album and it is well worth picking up if you are into west coast gangsta rap.

MP3:
Caz ft. Gangsta Rid - N A Real way

Rating: 3 and 1/2 Daytons out of 5

Review: Criminal Nation - Release The Pressure

Artist : Criminal Nation
Album : Release The Pressure
Year : 1990
Label : Nastymix / Cold Rock

This is the debut album by the Tacoma duo MC Deff and DJ E (members of DCP) and it is their best album. It consists of 12 tracks, most of them are as crazy as your gonna get with mad beats and samples throughout. "Black Power Nation" is my least favourite track although is still pretty sick, Criminal Nation were formerly known as (AMW) America's Most Wanted although realising that there was a group from Oakland already called this (on Triad records) they changed their name to Criminal Nation. The hardest thing about reviewing this album is chosing my best tracks although "Insane", "I'm Rollin"," My Laboratory", "Release The Pressure", "Take No Prisoners" and "Criminal Hit" are all hardcore tracks. Besides the cover looking like a gangsta album and some of the track names looking the same it's definately not. If you don't own a copy of this yet I suggest you hit up ebay and get yourself one, surprisingly it goes pretty cheap.

MP3:
Criminal Nation - Release The Pressure

Rating: 5 Daytons out of 5

R.I.P. - Mr. Cee

Rest In Peace:
Mr. Cee (of RBL Posse)



Real Name: Hubert "Kyle" Church III
Hailing From: Hunters Point,San Francisco, California
Date Of Birth: 1974
Date Of Death: 1 January 1996
Cause Of Death: Shot 9 Times In The Chest On Harbor Road (Bayview/Hunters Point District)

Albums:
RBL Posse - A Lesson To Be Learned (1992/In-A-Minute)
RBL Posse - Ruthless By Law (1994/ In-A-Minute)

MP3:
RBL Posse - Bammer Weed

The Big Lurch Case

In April of 2002 Texas rapper and member of the LA group Cosmic Slop Antron "Big Lurch" Singleton was charged with murder and aggravated mayhem of his 21 year old room mate Tynisha Ysais. Big Lurch was found by police on Figueroa Street in South Central, naked and covered in blood just outside his apartment, staring at the sky with his room mate laying dead inside with her chest ripped open, a blade broken off stuck in her shoulder blade and teeth marks all over her face, she also had parts of her lung missing that were later found in Big Lurch's stomach.

Big Lurch was charged and refused bail. He pleaded not guilty due to insanity because he was under the influence of PCP although the judge refused the plea saying that that was not a reason for pleading insanity. On November 7 Big Lurch was sentenced to life in prison.

The mother of victim Tynisha Ysais later filed charges against Suge Knight for apparently signing Lurch to his label "Tha Row" and supplying him with drugs and telling him to do some news making crime. Suge Knight claimed he never has even met Big Lurch in his life.

Big Lurch was a member of Cosmic Slop who released the album "Cosmic Slop Shop" in 1998 on MCA Records which featured production from Rick Rock and Mike Mosely. He also appeared with artists such as RBL Posse, Luni Coleone, C-Bo and E-40. He has an album called "It's All Bad" which came out on "Black Market Records" after he was convicted.

Mix Master Mike (Concert Flix)

Mix Master Mike ,26/8/05 - St Pauls,Adelaide, Australia:

Mix Master Mike of the Invisable Scratch Picklz and the Beastie Boys played at St Pauls last night and put in a pretty long set that consisted of some mad old school breaks like Tuff Crew. The show was flawless other than I think artists owe it to the fans to sign some records after the show instead of jetting straight away but other than that it was a sick night. There isn't much more I can say about the show because with a dj set it's the sort of thing you have to see for yourself.

Here are a few flix of the show.....

Review: Mr. King George - Tru Player

Artist : Mr. King George
Album : Tru Player
Year : 1997
Label : Wrap/Me & Mine Entertainment

Most people would know King George from his work on Master P's No Limit Records and in particular from the original version of the group TRU . King George left No Limit on bad terms and went on to release "Life Of A Kingpin" on "Me & Mine Entertainment" in 1996 and a couple of "Playa's & Hustla's" compilations which featured artists such as Ice T and Klondike Kat. He also released other projects one of which was this album, "Tru Player".

On to the album its self, first of all it's disappointing that King George put 5 tracks from the album "Life Of A Kingpin" on this album, although there are 18 tracks on the album so it still leaves 13 new ones. King George has a distinctive voice, a typical rough southern flow, and in my opinion he was one of the best artists on the No Limit roster. This album however is a huge disappointment, too many shit choruses and even King George's rhymes are mediocre at times. Even the production leaves alot to be desired and on alot of the tracks the vocals are drowned out by the beats. There are some mad tracks on this album that are worth listening to if you're a fan of the old No Limit style. The highlight tracks for the album are "Jackin' Material", "One Day at a Time (Swoll Mix)" and "Drop The Bomb". As I've already said, all in all it is a disappointing release considering what King George is capable of but it's worth picking up if you see it cheap 2nd hand. On a final note, I reckon the cover is pretty sick, good job by the cover designers the "FPD Three".

MP3:
King George - Jackin' Material

Rating: 2 Daytons out of 5

R.I.P. Jam Master Jay

Rest In Peace:
Jam Master Jay



Real Name: Jason Mizell
Hailing From: Hollis Queens, New York
Date Of Birth: 21 January 1970
Date Of Death: October 31 2002
Cause Of Death: Shot Dead In His Studio

Albums:
Run DMC - Run DMC (Profile) 1984
Run DMC - King Of Rock (Profile) 1985
Run DMC - Raising Hell (Profile) 1986
Run DMC - Tougher Than Leather (Profile) 1988
Run DMC - Back From Hell (Profile) 1990
Run DMC - Together Forever (Profile) 1991
Run DMC - Down With The King (Profile) 1993
Run DMC - Crown Royal (Arista) 1999
Run DMC - Greatest Hits (Arista) 2002

Jam Master Jay is also responsible for producing many other artists and also was in a couple of independent films such as Krush Groove and Tougher Than Leather.

MP3:
Run DMC - Jam Master Jay

Review: Parental Advisory - My Life, Your Entertainment

Artist : Parental Advisory
Album : My Life, Your Entertainment
Year : 2000
Label : Dream Works Records/ SKG Music

Parental Advisory are Big Reese, Mello and K.P., the trio come from one of the most diverse cities for hip hop - Atlanta, Georgia. Parental Advisory's debut album "Ghetto Street Funk " was released in 1993 and although it had little success they returned in 1998 and released the album "Straight No Chase" which featured the memorable "Dope Stories" track. "My Life, Your Entertainment" was released 2 years later and the album includes features from Eightball, Goodie Mob and Pimp C of UGK.

The beats on this album range from good to incredible and it is no surprise as P.A. are renowned for their quality production and they have produced a whole bunch of artists including Outkast and Goodie Mob. The rapping is impressive as well, apart from a couple of tracks that really aren't my style ("Sundown" and "Just Like That") the rest of the tracks are either good or better. Even the 2 tracks I don't like aren't that bad, I don't fault the rapping I just don't like the hooks. The best tracks are "U Got We Got", "Somethin' 2 Ride 2", "Problems", "My Time 2 Go" and my personal favourite - a remix of "Dope Stories" featuring Noreaga, Pimp C and Big Gipp.

Overall this is a quality album but a part from the tracks I mentioned the other tracks don't really grab my attention. Also, I've never been a fan of useless skits that ruin the flow of an album and on this album I always make sure I skip "Handcuffin'" and "Entertainment". That said, the album is well worth picking up if you like southern hip hop. Once again Atlanta comes through with another diverse group and another good album.

MP3:
Parental Advisory ft.Noreaga, Pimp C & Big Gipp - Dope Stories (Remix)

Rating: 3 Daytons out of 5

Nastymix Records

In 1970 Nasty-Nes Rodriguez moved from the Philippines to the U.S. "While my sister was attending New York University, I would spend my summer vacations in the big apple back in the late 70's peeping out radio stations WKTU & Mr Magic's Rap Attack show on WBLS.""That gave me the incentive to be a radio deejay and a mix deejay after seeing Grandmaster Flash live in New York". In 1980 Nasty Nes started Seattles first hip hop show called "Freshtracks"on 1250 KFOX. In 1985 Nasty Nes started an independant record label with Sir Mix A Lot called Nastymix Records. Sir Mix A Lot was the first artist signed, he released a 12" ("I Just Love My Beat/Square Dance Rap") that year. His style was a bit of a bite of the Egyptian Lover but the track "Square Dance Rap" was a huge underground success.



In 1986 Sir Mix A Lot released an EP titled "I'm A Trip" and this was followed by the Swass and Seminar albums, both went platinum. Nastymix also signed Mix A Lot prodeje` Kid Sensation who earlier appeared on a couple of Mix A Lot's tracks like "Rippn'". Kid Sensation released his first album "Rollin' With Number 1" followed by "Power Of Rhyme" in '92 which featured a mad track "The Way I Swing" with baseball star Ken Griffey Jr who he met in a Seattle electrical store buying a stereo. They made an agreement with each other that Kid Sensation would teach Griffey how to rap in exchange of hitting lessons.

Other Nastymix signings were a bunch of mediocre groups like Cause & Effect, Side Fx,Whiz Kid, 4 Way and High Performance. Although they also signed three of the best groups I have ever heard, Insane Poetry who released possibly my favorite album of all time "Grim Reality" in '92 (formerly "His Majesti" and signed to Egyptian Lovers label Egyptian Empire), Rodney O & Joe Cooley who released "Get Ready To Roll" (also signed from Egyptian Empire) and one of the most under rated groups in hip hop, Criminal Nation who released the incredible album "Release The Pressure" in '90 and the dissapointing "Trouble In The Hood" in '92 which is when Nastymix records came to an end unfortunately before releasing a few of their last titles on vinyl including Insane Poetry's "Grim Reality".



Sir Mix A Lot started his own label after releasing Seminar, he named the label "Rhyme Cartel". Kid Sensation brought out "Seatown Funk" on Ichiban in '95 then changed his name to Mr K-Sen and released a self titled album in '96 and "From The Cradle" in 2000. Insane poetry has released a few albums since (see the interview below for more info) and MC Deff from Criminal Nation moved to Canada before being held at the border, he then escaped back to the U.S. and changed his name to Wojack and released 3 albums ("Where Ya Going Wo?", "Guerrilla Music" and "Black OP's"). Criminal Nation released "Ressurection" although the members are actually not the OG Criminal Nation members but the members from the DCP (Def City Posse) Clee Bone, D-Rob etc. MC deff was a member of the D.C.P. and they featured on the b-side of the 1990 12" of "Black Power Nation" on a track titled "Niggaz From The Ghetto". The D.C.P also released an album in 1993 called "The D.C.P. Organization"



Over all if you you take out the average shit that Nastmix released you are left with some of the best shit ever released albums, 12"s with b-side tracks not on the albums and some of the most incredible videos I've seen. Nasty Nes is still on the airwaves doing what he loves most.


MP3:
Sir Mix A Lot - You Cant Slip

Review: C-Major - Batteries Not Included

Artist : C-Major

Album : Batteries Not Included
Year : 2001
Label : Affiliated Entertainment

C-Major represents Houston,Texas and is one quarter of the hip hop group 'Gang Society' (with N-Sane/E-Sharp/Red Amp). This album has 18 tracks and this album features artists such as H.A.W.K. from the Screwed Up Click, Gang Society's E-Sharp and the self proclaimed "Nate Dogg of the South" Billy Cook. None of the 18 tracks are terrible but there are a few tracks I skip when I put the album on, tracks like "Bad Azz Habits" and "At Tha Bar" aren't really my style, mainly because of the irritating hooks. Apart from the couple of skippers the rest of the tracks on the album are good or better and C-Major is a respectable rapper with a unique voice that complements the albums production. For me, the stand out tracks are the car tracks "64 Hoppin'" (with Big Kirk & Bus) and "Pull Up" (with H.A.W.K.) as well as the more gangster tracks "Shoot Em Up" and "Scream 4 War" (with Endo). Over all this is a solid album but by no means a classic, if you're not into southern hip hop then the chances are you won't like C-Major's style.

MP3:
C Major ft. H.A.W.K. - Pull Up

Rating: 3 Daytons out of 5

R.I.P. - Seagram

Rest In Peace:
Seagram



Real Name: Seagram Miller
Hailing From: East Oakland 69 Village Housing Projects
Date Of Birth: 1970
Date Of Death: July 31 1996 (Twamps)
Cause Of Death: Jumped In Front Of Bullets Aimed At Friend Gangsta P & Died Instantly

Albums:
The Dark Roads (Rap-A-Lot) 1992
Reality Check (Rap-A-Lot) 1994
Souls On Ice (Rap-A-Lot) 1997 (Released After Death)

MP3:
Seagram - The Ville

The C.E.B. Case

In 1993, Hilltop Hustlers Cool C, Steady B along with Ultimate Eaze from Philadelphia formed a group named C.E.B (Countin' Endless Bank) and released the self titled album on Ruff House.Three years later, after not making much cash from the album and their careers hitting a wall Cool C, Steady B and Snuka a local graf artist decided to make a bit of instant cash.

Article From: "On The Go" Magazine, April/May 1996:
(Click Images To Enlarge)

After they pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty Cool C and Steady B are still serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. A huge shame for anyone who remembers Steady's 'Let The Hustlers Play' or Cool C's 'Juice Crew Diss' .........Countin' Endless Years.

MP3:
C.E.B. - Pass The Ammo

Review: Gangsta Pat - #1 Suspect

Artist : Gangsta Pat
Album : #1 Suspect
Year : 1991
Label : Atlantic (also released on "ON TOP")

This is Memphis rapper Gangsta Pats first album and in my opinion his best. It contains 10 tracks,9 of them range from excellent to incredible although the remaining track "Gangsta's Need Love 2" is as wack as your gonna get. The only other flaw of this album is the title track is a bit of a bite of N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton" track although tracks like "Homicide" and "Incarcerated" or any of the other tracks for that matter are so crazy that you cant go wrong if your into hard underground gangsta rap. To sum this album up this is one of the best gangsta albums I've ever heard. If your not into gangsta rap save yourself from something to whinge about and pick up something else.

MP3:
Gangsta Pat - Shootin' On Narcs
Gangsta Pat - Homicide

Rating: 4 and 1/2 Daytons out of 5

R.I.P. - Buffy The Human Beat Box

Rest In Peace:

Buffy the Human Beat Box (of the Fat Boys)

Real Name: Darren Robinson
Hailing From: Brooklyn, New York
Date Of Birth: June 10 1967
Date Of Death: December 10 1995 (Queens,New York)
Cause Of Death: Cardiac Arrest

Albums:
Fat Boys (Sutra)
The Fat Boys Are Back! (Sutra)
Krush Groove (Original Soundtrack) (Warner Bros. )
Big & Beautiful (Sutra)
Crushin' (Tin Pan Apple/Polydor)
Disorderlies (Original Soundtrack) (Tin Pan Apple/Polydor)
The Best Part Of The Fat Boys (Sutra)
Coming Back Hard Again (Tin Pan Apple)
On And On (Tin Pan Apple/Mercury)
Mack Daddy (Emperor)
Best Of The Fat Boys: All Meat, No Filler (Rhino Records)

MP3:
Fat Boys - Powerlord

Interview with Cyco of Insane Poetry

Below in an interview I did with Cyco of Insane Poetry earlier this year for Ganxstaizm.com

Ganxstaizm.com:
Hello Cyco, Could we start this interview by you giving the readers a rundown on yourself?


Cyco:
Well pretty much, I'm one solid person to work with, I really love hip hop, I hate the state that it's in, in some ways, but in others it's good. As you know I dwell with the darker state of mentality. That is my forte, whether it's grimy, dark, or manic, or just the struggle. I'm one of the few artists I know that is still a student of the game. I try to stay lyrically sharp as well as craft cinematic portraits of my mentality.


Ganxstaizm.com:
What hip hop artists did you listen to when you were growing up and who influenced you to start rapping?

Cyco: I started with of course the Sugar Hill Gang, but I got heavily influenced by the aggressiveness of LL Cool J (the Radio days).

Ganxstaizm.com: In 1988 you released an EP, what label was this on and who produced it?


Cyco:
It never was on a label, it's was actually a EP we put together-Shakespear, Emdee, Dj Streek and myself. Shakespear and I actually produced the EP, then of course we did a single release on Egyptian Empire Records, the single was "Armed and Dangerous" which had "Slow and Ill" and "M.M.O.B (Mobstyle Chronicles) and "Nine Millameter w/a 13 clip. The idea was Shakespear's due to he and Emdee are from North Chicago/Wakegan area. Back then we were called "His Majesti".

Ganxstaizm.com: In 1992 you released "Grim Reality" on Nasty Nes' Nastymix Records, how did you get hooked up with Nastymix?

Cyco: Rodney O and I were already connected through Egyptian Empire Records and I was living and working with him on his projects that were on Nastymix Records, so it was only natural to go there. They signed me based on the single "How ya gonna reason with a psycho".


Ganxstaizm.com:
How did "The Nitebreed" come about and do you still have contact with any of the members?

Cyco:
The Nightbreed was just a group of different mc's that was down with me but the only REAL original members were "Boogeyman, D.A.L. (who is my brother), Pope and Emdee, everybody else were the homies who could bust.

Ganxstaizm.com: In 1996 you released the "Blacc Plague" album on React Records without Emdee but with a mc named Pope, where did he come from?

Cyco: Pope had always been down, He was my dog. Emdee introduceed me to him when I came back from Chicago for a brief stint. Pope isn't a mc or business partner, that is my other shade, Two shades of a killa, my dude is family, We have been thru thick and thin. We are fam b4 he even began to rap.


Ganxstaizm.com:
On the track "You Better Ask Somebody 96" you dissed Rodney O, was this for business reasons or personal reasons and have you since squashed the beef?

Cyco:
It was personal reasons and I was young following someone who didn't know his business well at the time. There's always 2 sides to a story, but Rodney will always get me respect due to I got to travel and see different shit, I was always in a box, NO ESCAPE, But dude recognized my talent and put me on, shit is definitely squashed now, but it was mad personal, cuz I was getting offers to sign with other labels and that is some snake shit anyway when they know you're down with a certain team, but that is the industry anyway, but I found out that Rodney was trying to set up deals thru me (indirectly), stating if you want Cyco you gotta take us also, which fucked up some deals for me, but I still road with him cuz he put me on.


Ganxstaizm.com:
In 1998 you got signed to M Boogie's label Black Berry (Ill Boogie) and released the "On Deadly Ground" battle record against Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, the "Let Em Know" EP and appeared on the "Laid In Full" and "DJ Revolution" compilations, how did you get involved with M Boogie and why did you leave the label?

Cyco:
M-Boogie is a personal friend, he used to dj, he's from Irvine, Ca., He finally broke thru and started a label and all I was doing was putting out some singles, getting the name out there. He's still my dude but he don't fuck with the game no more because the shit is mad trife. A whole lot of backstabbin and shit. He and Pope were cool, but my dude Pope is a killa, He straight outta Compton and was still gang bangin at the time so he was not gonna let ANY bullshit come my way. So he kinda scared off people and that stemmed from an altercation with Rodney O and Our manager at the time Michael Mavroles.


Ganxstaizm.com:
You returned in 2003 with your "Faith In Chaos" album on your own label Grim Reality Entertainment. This album reflected strongly on modern society and talked about issues such as the September 11 attack, school shootings, the Washington sniper etc. Did these events inspire you to make "Faith In Chaos"?

Cyco:
Oh yes of course man, I live this shit, no doubt, I wanted to make an updated Grim Reality but now and the world provided me with the imagery.


Ganxstaizm.com:
How many tracks have you made for your upcoming album "Fallen From Grace" and do you have an expected release date?

Cyco:
We're taking our time with this cd due to a numerous of reasons, Its gotta be HOT, also its my most personal cd I've ever made, Nothing on it is dark, Its a reflection of pain, struggle, life, mic skills, going at mc's and just plain survival, my survival thru life and the music game. I make cd's for myself first and stay true to myself that way and my real fans understand that. I can write songs about anything that is real to me and they dig it cuz its not fabricated b.s. I try to put my heart into everything I write whether is battle shit, wicked shit, or just survival shit.


Ganxstaizm.com:
What is behind the name "Fallen From Grace"?

Cyco:
My life and Hip Hop, I fell from grace the moment i exited the birth canal. Hip hop fell from grace the moment corporate America got a hold of it. Hip-Hop is not Rap, there is a difference. Its not the beats you choose to spit over, its how your represent the culture, for instance how could KRS ONE lose a battle to Nelly, plain and simple..The industry machine, Its cool that they pump Nelly, nothing wrong with that, but you could pump KRS ONE the same way. But $$ is the main thing crackin, payolla, all sorts of shit.


Ganxstaizm.com:
On your website (http://www.insanepoetry.com/) you said this will not be a dark cd but a more personal album, what does this mean?

Cyco:
I was mad all the time, a pessimist when I wrote the prior albums, this one I'm a grown man with grown man issues, real issues, job issues, car issues, baby momma issues. 100% unfabricated truth.


Ganxstaizm.com:
What other rappers will appear on this album and could you tell us a little something about producer/rapper Jason "JP" Pearl, how did you hook up with him?

Cyco:
I got Tre Dizzle on the cd, I got Jp, my cousin Spark, Lowdown-this cat is a beast. Not too many tho, I wanted the focus to be about my personal experiences. My mixtape though will have a variety of different people on it. I met Jp like 3yrs ago at a mall at Sam Goodys, he did some production for a down south artist by the name of "Po White Trash". He just got back from Texas fuckin with that dude and had a bad experience, i.e. They were jerkin dude and everybody gets the dick sooner or later, so he experienced that early, Now he know what the fuck is crackin. Jp got mad skills on the production and is only getting better with every track.


Ganxstaizm.com:
What other projects do you have in the works?

Cyco:
Creative Destruction (The race against Death mixtape). Jp's "Hustle and Grind", Tre Dizzle's "Racin' Life Backwards" and I'm on the Messiaz mixtape messiaz.com, features K-Rino, Necro, Dope E, and a assortment of talents, its a blessing to be on that project, I'm also releasing Unreleased material, re-releasing "Blacc Plague" and "Ain't got no Brain Cells" featuring Boogeyman and a possible "GRIM REALITY" again.


Ganxstaizm.com:
What rap albums do you have in your collection and who are your favourite artists?

Cyco:
I have an assortment from Non Phixion to the Game, underground to overground, Royce da 5'9 is one of my favorites along with Ill Bill cuz I think we think in similar fashion, the whole Psyhological squad, their business frame of mind and the serious in your face shit. That's Insane Poetry. Of course Em is one talented dude, but there's alot out there, I like Young Buck cuz the shit he speaks is real as death, Jada, and Redman is my nigga. West Coast cats like Brotha Lynch, E-40 a gang of west coast artist too many to name, Michael Myers, Rass Kass, X to the Z..The Liks, I wish they would put another cd out, they personified west coast b-boy shit.


Ganxstaizm.com:
What do you think of the current state of hip hop?

Cyco:
It sux ass, but its still music and it helped me learn how to craft songs instead of just bustin 50 to 100 bar verses, that shit gets old to, so I mix it up.


Ganxstaizm.com:
I noticed on your website you have members from all around the world in countries such as Australia, Germany, Norway, Finland etc. Why do you think people from all around the world from all walks of life can all associate with your music?

Cyco:
Because the struggle is universal we're against the grain, a lot of people can relate to that shit, around my way, I didn't see a Bentley till I started workin in a rich area. We live on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, which will be my next Insane Poetry cd after the FFG cd.


Ganxstaizm.com:
Is there anything you want to say to any one reading this that has never heard any INSANE POETRY album?

Cyco:
Cop the cd's, blow some purple, turn off the lights and take a different type of ride, My music is not for everybody, but for people who have that hunger for the morbid truth.

Ganxstaizm.com:
Thanks for the interview and good luck with the new album "Fallen From Grace".


INTERVIEW BY EMVEE.

MP3:
Insane Poetry - Concrete Vietnam