Beats From The Bottom

Everyone knows how huge the hip hop scene is down south at the moment, and some ignorant toys might think they came out of nowhere and that they now have some of the biggest names in the biz. The fact is the Dirty South has been around since the beginning and have created their own styles of hip hop. There is alot more to the south than iced out grills, slabs and serp, there's bass, sex rhymes, conscious music and hard gangsta shit to name a few. This post isn't about Texas or Atlanta, its focus is on Miami. I've just picked out 5 different albums that showcase diffent styles that Miami has to offer rather than 5 bass tracks that the area is known for. If you want to know more about Miami hip hop you'd have to hit up Tommy at Miscreant Productions or Drop The Bass as these guys know their shit on this subject. I have chucked up a couple of articles from an old Source from March '94 that is dedicated to the Southern Bass scene.

It's no surprise that the 2 Live Crew found their way to this post even though they were an oldschool west coast duo consisting of Mr Mixx and Fresh Kid Ice before touring Miami and accidentally recruited the promoter of the show (Luke) in the group. Brother Marquis also joined and they released 'Is What We Are' with the huge hit 'We Want Some Pussy'. They went on to drop 'Move Somethin' before dropping probably the most controversial hip hop album to come out of the South, 'As Nasty as They Wanna Be' which caused huge drama and gave the 2 Live Crew more promotion than they could ever dream of. There's not too much you can say about this legendary group that hasn't already been said. I've chucked up an old 2 Live track from their '86 classic, 'Is what We Are' on 'Luke Skywalker Records' (He changed it to 'Luke Records' after George Lucas found out about the label).

This group is not what you'd expect from a Miami group. These guys are nothing like the 2 Live Crew, Freak Nasty, 69 Boys or DJ Smurf but like Dead Prez who coincidentally help put these guys out. They're an anti-government trio with some gangsta styled rhymes consisting of Nemesis, L-R Hoox and Louie Knuckles. Their album 'Connected' has a mix of crazy tracks to just alright tracks but some like 'Connected', 'End Of Da World' and the track I put up for download, 'Capital Punishment' are dope. The album came out in '99 on 'First String Entertainment' and is a must have for anyone who like Dead Prez. I'm actually surprized these guys didn't make more noise considering the quality of the album, maybe if Dead Prez stuck around Miami longer they could have helped bring these guys more attention?

1990 saw Debonaire and J.T. Money (Poison Clan) release their debut album '2 Low Life Muthas' on Luke Records with production by 2 Live's Mr Mixx. To me, this album is sick with tracks like 'The Bitch That I Hate' and 'Bad Influence' this is one of my favourite old Southern albums. They came back two years later with 'Poisoness Mentallity', 'Rufftown Behaviour' in '93 and 'Straight Zooism' in '95 but at this point it was just J.T. Money under the 'Poison Clan' banner so he went solo and later had financial troubles with Luke (don't they all) they made him leave Luke. Not too sure what's up with J.T. Money these days, last thing I saw him do was a live show on some wack Cindy Margolis show a couple of years ago but he wasn't sounding anything like the Low Life Mutha he was back in 90.

Have you ever heard an album that one track is a hard as fuck gangsta track and the next is some slow lovey track you have to skip. Well that's what the G-Squad's 'The Time Is Now' album is like all the way through. When they want to do a fast, hard track they do it with ease but for some fucked up reason they chose to ruin the flow of the album over and over again. As for the group themselves, I've never heard of them other than this album and know pretty much nothing about them. I wouldn't really recomend anyone hunt this down on ebay or amazon although tracks like 'Puppy Chow', 'Miami Nigs' and my favourite, 'If You Get Me Pissed' are mad. I put the latter for download.

This last one is a real weird one, I remember picking up the vinyl years ago in a secondhand record store for $8 and didn't know what to make of the cover. I saw the "featuring DJ Poison Ivy" on the cover and thought it might be the same Poison Ivy from KMC. I'm almost positive it's not, but the album is pretty dope. Not really like any other album I've ever heard but with tracks like 'Bass Line' and 'B Girls' it was worth every cent. They came out in 1989/90 on Pandisc and were a slightly comedic group but had skills and a funky flow. I grabbed their second album off ebay a few years ago but I was pretty disappointed in it. This is one of those few albums that's easier and cheaper to find on wax than on disc.

This post didn't even scratch the surface of what Miami has to offer but I wanted to get a few different styles rather than just the typical Miami bass sounds the area is most known for.



^^ Click To Enlarge ^^

MP3's:
2 Live Crew - Get It Girl
First Platoon - Capital Punishment
Poison Clan - Bad Influence
G Squad - If You Get Me Pissed
Young & Restless - B Girls
>>DOWNLOAD<<

R.I.P. Big Boss

Rest In Peace:
Big Boss
(of OG Style & 4 Deep)



Real Name: Unknown
Hailing From: Houston, TX
Date Of Birth: Unknown
Date Of Death: 2006
Cause Of Death: Kidney Failure (Big Boss was receiving treatment while working on the 4Deep reunion CD.)

Producer Big Boss along with Prince Ezzy-E started the Houston hip hop group OG Style and released the incredible 'I Know How To Play Em' album in 1991 on Rap A Lot Records. OG Style split up and Prince Ezzy-E changed his name to 'OG Style' to continue a solo career while Big Boss formed the group 4 Deep and released several group albums as well as a solo album. Big Boss started his own label called 'Power Move Music' and was a well respected producer, DJ and a pioneer of the Texas rap game. A DVD documenting his career has been made and below is a preview that has just been released in the last couple of weeks on youtube.




I'd like to thank Big Boss' brother, Koo Rod of 4 Deep, for getting back to me with the information on his brothers passing so this memorial post could be made. Koo Rod has now taken over running his brother's label and put out the memorial DVD.
R.I.P. Big Boss.

MP3's:
OG Style - Catch Em Slippin'
4 Deep - It's On
>> DOWNLOAD <<

Gangsta Rap is Hip Hop

Now usually I'm not one just to post up other peoples articles and what not without at least adding my own spin to the topic, but here I am making an exception. Today I logged on to on myspace to find that Harlem's underground hip hop icon Immortal Technique had posted a myspace bulletin about gangsta rap and its significance within the hip hop culture, and considering that a large portion of what is posted on this blog fits the category, I felt that at least some of the people who check out this blog would be interested in taking a look. The following piece is one of the best hip hop articles I've read in a long time and because Tech articulates his point of view towards the issue so well, I feel that paraphrasing it would be an injustice.



Gangsta Rap is Hip Hop.
by Immortal Technique

The connection between Revolution and Gangsta Rap is not only unquestionable in my mind but also historically speaking. So much so that I'm forced to begin to elaborate on it now as I go to more prisons, juvenile centers and schools to talk with young people with uncertain futures about the industry. They ask me about the messages and images in the music. They ask about the origins of this street sound that seems to define what they see as their life and destiny...


It is therefore my duty to remind them the way I must remind myself and all of you that even though I'm in my twenties, I am old enough to remember being in grade school and hearing the Ice Cube albums, Public Enemy, NWA, The Geto Boyz, Ice-T, and others. They, and those behind the scenes at the time, created projects that defined their prospective region for their hard-core sound but much more so for their rebellious nature, storytelling and political discourse. Just like most of our originators (RUN DMC didn't start Hip Hop) Schoolly D is often overlooked as the person who in the mid 1980's actually carved a niche and started to include these hardcore gangsta phrases into his music. But the expansion of the type of sound he made and the vivid imagery of the streets created by others such as Melle Mel helped the 80's and early 90's Hip Hop Artists take these building block concepts and become master masons of words. I personally always loved it-- curses, crazy concepts and all but I could see how some people who are not familiar with the culture of Hip hop could be apprehensive. They are filled with vulgarity, they're disrespectful to women, and they are horribly violent, but tell me isn't Revolution sometimes the same way? It's not what we would like it to be, because now more than ever it is romanticized and idealized. But even for the most just-cause there are innocent people that are killed or imprisoned and the theater of war always has a rape scene regardless of how beautiful the victory parade is weeks or year's later celebrating newfound freedom.


So please don't feed me Mythology and liberal bullshit about the nature of Revolution. It is often bloody and it's not always a surgical strike fueled by the political ego of a military coup. Many times it is done by the people themselves. Not "Professional Revolutionaries" rather, it's done by kids who are fed up with the world their parents and grandparents have left them. Sometimes these youth are manipulated altogether by other countries (ahem CIA) and special interest groups that see them as a way to gain economically and rise to power (ahem a correlation to Record labels)... But anger against the system and it's constant oppression is the cause of these words and actions. Gangsta Rap was originally another form of Revolutionary music-- it reached the unreachable, regardless of age, race, creed or gender. It taught the un-teachable. It made me (who at the time was hustlin', robbin' and stealing) truly listen because I felt like these people who were in the streets, who I could identify with, were talking about a world I could see but never had explained to me.


For example when I heard The Geto Boys album "We Can't be Stopped", Ice-T's "O.G.", Ice Cube's "Amerikkka'z Most Wanted" and KRS-1's "Criminal Minded" it made a strong impression of how the world really was. As I said before, it stated what I knew but could not articulate well yet. Also interesting is that "Criminal Minded" was considered Gangsta Rap (or as it was called then- "Reality Rap") at the time but now (like the rest of these albums should be) is classified as being Revolutionary. Similarly, Public Enemy is renowned for being Revolutionary but is not considered Gangsta even though they had a violent and extremely aggressive attitude towards dealing with the government and its hypocritical foreign policy and urban domestic failures. Albums and artists like these and the works of people such as the legendary Kool G Rap who redefined wordplay though are not the face of gangsta rap today. Even the social commentaries that were found hidden among the genius musical works of Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg are absent from the scene after the turn of the Millennium. And even though we always hear this theme repeated about the very nature of Hip Hop and how it has evolved or de-evolved some would say, if you look at Gangsta Rap now and then back then, the Revolutionary element is for the most part completely sanitized by the corporate structure.


Although I named mostly West Coast and Down South Artists, the East Coast had just as many Gangsta Rappers only we looked at them differently because they were not as openly affiliated with any noticeable gangs such as the Bloods and Crips. After all, New York's Urban Empire was built upon street crews and educated hood syndicates such as the 5% nation at the time much more than colored rags even though some had several ties to local organized crime. (i.e.: Just-Ice, Wu-Tang, DITC, Nas, Biggie, Mobb Deep Black Moon to name a few...) But just remember that all areas whether they were the East, West, South, or Mid-West that even their most brutal musical origin are inseparable from the ideological Revolution that spawned them in the minds of urban youth. A factoid of information probably purposely forgotten through the years is that before it was labeled "Gangsta Rap" by the industry itself it was called "Reality Rap" by those individuals that created it, therefore that being the point of origin there is no way it cannot return to that, it just has to be done correctly.


Reality Rap, or as we know it now Gangsta rap, can be very Revolutionary, although Revolution is very rarely a part of the BUSINESS side of any genre of music and more specifically Hip Hop. Revolutionaries work for the people. They take it upon themselves to dedicate their passion, love and hard work for the cause. But without the direction of a vision and those that would have grown any sort of true leadership skills they are essentially the horse from Animal Farm. While the average Gangsta is not motivated by the community, but rather capital gain and avarice, the average rapper reflects the survivalist attitude often overblown and exaggerated into greed rather than any proletariat example. But it is because these young soldiers have no self identification and no knowledge of their people and that's why they cling to the imagery of 3rd world warlords, drug kingpins, and well known members of the Italian and Jewish Mafia. They emulate characters written by script writers and not the heroes of their own people. The argument can be made that they don't know them, but many times though they are familiar with the names of our Revolutionary heroes and have some idea of their impact they don't see their example as relevant in our daily lives.


Think about it… we can even name a Black basketball player or a Latino Baseball player before coming close to naming a Doctor or a Scientist of the same ethnic background. Our youth and young adults see these gangstas and other ruthless men as powerful beyond the scope of a government that holds them prisoner. People emulate their oppressor and worship those that defy him openly. That's why they don't respect a college graduate as much as a gang leader in the street or someone who survives prison unfortunately. They don't see assimilation within the system as the type of achievement that could lead beyond the scope. And even though we may reach for the stars, the glass ceiling doesn't even let us see the country around us let alone the world from the roof of our projects. All we see is the immediate route (which is wrong) and it becomes viable but understandable so, as this is not a criticism of young people today or people of color but of all OUR people today.


Remember also that the average Gangsta in the streets is not a boss he/she is a mid level manager of a criminal industry in which they own no stocks. They would be more like a little piglet or a dog in Animal farm, not a big hog like the people who embezzle billions out of Iraq, War profiteers, Stock scammers, Corrupt CEO's, Renegade Lawyers, Publishing Giants, Record Label Monopolies, Global Conglomerate executives, Senators, Congressman, and local politicians. These are not just real gangsters, they are the realest in the world, the most powerful, the ones who don't need to step to you in front of a Bodega or write a song about you because they ruin lives, crush families and whole sections of society with an ink stroke from the top of a huge building. In other countries like Colombia and Brazil there is such a division between this class of people and the average citizen that the economic aristocracy has to travel from rooftop to secured rooftop on a helicopter rather than go out in the street!!!


You can see that as good or bad, pathetic, indicative of society... but that's gangsta.


And Hip Hop is a reflection of that.


Because it's our culture where we are now, and though it may not be where we want to be, especially not the people who read this... but if we do not acknowledge where we are then there is no point of reference or origin as I stated before to get where we need to go. (I had an old movie on bootleg called Stargate and the beginning of it explains this concept simply.) If we have to change the petty image of a crack dealer being held in the highest esteem then you must have a replacement for our youngest adolescents, not just Malcolm and Che, because they don't have any movies out right now. And this society is built on fast moving, split screen, ADD causing imagery and sound. Our true heroes don't have too many DVD's out and they aren't being blasted into the airwaves, why do you think Tupac is still canonized in the hood?!?!?!? Even though he's been dead for 10 years he still sells more records than most other artists because he was a Gangsta Rapper in the truest sense of the Revolutionary doctrine. He made Reality Rap and put forth the example of a people's legacy that went back beyond slavery and colonization where our history starts to get fuzzy. Our children should have heroes back home where we originate from, and ones that are prisoners of the system and fighting against it today. We should have people that are not glorified on T-shirts as often but who fought for independence celebrated more and studied, not just to examine their success but to learn from their failures.


But the real reason we do not have them as an example is that those predecessors of Revolution today are not on the corner of our neighborhoods being marketed to us, that's why the average artist today no matter how manufactured their corporate bought thug image may be, are seen as legitimate by the youth.


After all you cannot just ask us to read a book, first we need to learn to read. I see that now.


Sometimes a Revolutionary has to do things that resemble a gangsta's behavior. I myself have done things of that nature, not to call that a positive thing but we cannot ignore the fact that a closed mouth doesn't get fed. And most of the people that talk about Hip Hop for the love and just for music are usually getting paid while they want you to do things for free for exposure. We need to protect our people and sometimes we confront people who mistake us for ignorant hoodrats so my soldiers and warriors are strong and their resolve steadfast. I have often heard Frank Sinatra and others from that time criticized for having mob ties, but tell me who didn't back then? Whether the music industry likes to admit it or not, Gangsters did not come into play when Black and Brown people started talking about Violence the mafia has always played a role in the music business. Not to excuse his tactics but when people focus on Suge Knight all the time (the quintessential criminal involved in music) that's laughable considering he wasn't half as connected, ruthless or well paid as some of his predecessors who were not Black or as high profile. That's not playing the race card son, that's real talk. The business of this music after all was not built for the faint of heart, the weak minded or those who lack the ability to make decisions that have consequences. For the latter is the true definition of power.


Therefore a Gangsta can become a Revolutionary. It is a progressive step and a life changing process that forever restructures an individual such as Malcolm-X- and founding members of the Zulu Nation. However, a Revolutionary that becomes a gangsta is usually one that has become corrupted by power. A gangsta is in the business of extortion, gambling, murder, and prostituting our greatest resource and the soul of our people, our women. This is often achieved through glorified violence rather than fighting bitterly against an opponent that keeps them locked in their petri dish of a life. So tell me; how could that not corrupt anyone? If the strategy of using our position to fight a real enemy with violent tactics is driven by capital gain it is even more dangerous with the focus of accomplishing altruistic goals. But even in failure and that fall from grace there is the inspiration from others to continue the work. After the warriors of old have past there must be the young among us that rise to become greater than we could ever imagine in the 21st Century. For true greatness revolves much more around being consistently good rather and take personal responsibility as a people. Power without that perception is meaningless.


Fight hard my people. And learn your true history.


I look forward to seeing many more of my young soldiers rise to mature and become Warriors of all kinds, those move past their egos of being famous for being rappers and singers and control aspects of the hardworking industry, distribution, radio work, printers, engineers, CD manufacturing, graphics, independent media published and especially on the web!!!, IF we embedded ourselves in all these things to favor the Hip Hop we see as addressing real issues HALF as much as these industry roaches suck dick for some fake shit to make a dollar, we would push our agendas much further and to carry forth the true meaning of Reality Rap that became known as Gangsta Rap which can never forsake its Revolutionary origin.

And so, to my Revolutionaries of all walks of life…


Peace & Respect in the New Year...


Immortal
Technique

Dot Com

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2006

Now I know many people post their 'Best Albums Of The Year' lists, but to me I'd rather call this my favourite albums of the year post because, as with most people, I only get a chance of hearing a portion of the albums that get dropped each 12 months, so it's impossible to post a definite list. A lot of people will probably look at my selections and wonder why this album or that album isn't there. This, more than likely, is because I either didn't get around (or bother) checking it out, or maybe because I didn't see in it what a lot of other people did, honestly, a lot of the albums that draw raving reviews are ones that I don't even bother listening to twice. Here is the list of the 10 albums that I was fortunate enough to hear, and loved the most in 2006.

10. Thirstin Howl III - La Cura (Spanglish LP)
From the moment I first heard a Thirstin Howl III track I was addicted to his music, his voice is distinctive and his style is distinguishingly original. This Brownsville (Brooklyn) emcee is the most notable artist on the Lo Life roster, as well as the most prolific. Thirstin Howl alternates between spitting in Spanish and English throughout the album, and although a huge portion of it is in Spanish (a language that I can’t speak), it still ranks as one of my favourite releases I’ve heard this year. ‘La Cura’ boasts a combination of dope hard hitters and some more lighthearted tracks with a fiesta feel as well as quality production care of Anger Bangers. Although this isn’t my favourite Thirstin Howl III release to date, it showcases him bringing something different to the table and I look forward to hearing more from him in the near future.

9. Grimm - Suckerpunch
Although this album, ‘Suckerpunch’, is marked as a 2005 drop on the back of the cover, it was actually released within the first few months of 2006. Grimm, a pioneer in the Texas rap scene and a member of the legendary South Park Coalition, has already dropped a host of solo and group albums, although for whatever reason he doesn’t get nearly the respect he deserves. It has to be said that this was a rather low key release, but that doesn’t take anything away from it’s quality. Grimm’s impeccable flow technique enables him to ride beats with ease, and when you combine this with impressive lyrics and a voice that is easy on the ears, the chances are anything this guy does is going to be sick. My personal highlights on this album are ‘Our Show’ and ‘The Sounds of Death’ (part 1 and 2), this is greatly owing to the dope production work by Filero and Slip respectively.

8. Army Of The Pharaohs - The Torture Papers
It’s no secret who AOTP are, the super-group put together by Philadelphia’s Jedi Mind Tricks and featuring Apathy, Chief Kamachi, Crypt The Warchild, Faez One, Des Devious, Esoteric, Planetary, Reef The Lost Cauze, King Syze, 7L, Celph Titled and Vinnie Paz. Admittedly, I’d never heard of a bunch of the aforementioned artists before I got this album, but each and everyone of them left a positive impression on me. Although most of the highlights on this album come when Celph Titled is in control, the track that sticks in my mind the most is the highly emotional ‘Into The Arms Of Angels’ where Faez One, Crypt and Vinnie P each supply moving verses on different personal topics. When you bring together as many artists as JMT have done on this project, you’d imagine cohesion would be minimal, however this is far from the case.

7. The Funkoars - The Greatest Hits
Honestly, the majority of Australian releases I listen to don’t even register on my radar, however there are a few that can hold their own to anything else out there in the hip hop world, this is the case for the Funkoars’ sophomore release ‘The Greatest Hits’. The Adelaide outfit consists of rappers Trials, Hons and Sesta along with DJ Reflux on the turntables and it has to be said that they sound like no other group I’ve come across. Without being caught up with trying to push any significant messages, the Funkoars deliver dope high-octane humorous hip hop. The production on this album is also a level above most Aussie stuff I’ve heard and when it comes to lyrics all three emcees drop numerous crazy quotables. If you’re not in Australia then chances are you haven’t come across this release, if that is the case then I strongly recommend you check it out, although going by past experiences, a lot of American’s can’t look past the Australian accent.

6. KB Da Kidnappa - Spitting Venom
Hailing from Trinity Garden (Houston), KB Da Kidnappa represents Street Military, Tha Killa Klan and the South Park Coalition. 2006 was a highly productive year for the Texan veteran who came down to do shows in Australia and subsequently released a freestyle album as well as featuring on a BattleHoggs Mixtape, KB then returned to the U.S. and dropped his highly anticipated ‘Spitting Venom’ album. On this album, as with all his previous material, KB’s bellowing voice commands the listener’s attention and allows him to drive his ghetto and gangster lyrics home with overwhelming effect. The beats on this album are distinctively southern and the hooks fit the tracks to perfection. Adding to the positive aspects I’ve already highlighted, the selection of guest appearances on this album, such as Street Military K Rino and Z-Ro, further enhance the quality of this release and make it one of the best albums I checked out in 2006.

5. T Kash - Turf War Syndrome
Coming straight out of the bay area under the watchful guidance of Paris, T Kash arose at the start of 2006 with his debut album, ‘Turf War Syndrome’, on Guerrilla Funk Recordings. Prior to this release I had only heard Tommy Kash’s work on The Coup’s album and his submission to the ‘Straight Outta Hunters Point’ soundtrack, both of which were quality efforts. With an incredibly powerful voice reminiscent of his mentor, T Kash also exhibits similar messages in his music as P-Dog the Bush Killa. T Kash’s socially and politically conscious lyrics serve as education as well as entertainment, and with a range of diverse deliveries displayed throughout the album, this has to go down as one of the most surprisingly under-appreciated albums to come out in the past 12 months. ‘Turf War Syndrome’ was entirely produced by Paris, and as a huge fan of Paris’ production this is another reason as to why I rate this album so highly.

4. Ice T - Gangsta Rap
A lot of people diss Ice T nowadays, claiming that he’s past it, he shouldn’t be a gangsta rapper and play a cop on TV etc. To me his music speaks for itself, he’s been in the game longer than most and hasn’t dropped a substandard release yet. After a seven-year break between solo albums, Ice T came back in 06 with ‘Gangsta Rap’ on Melee Records, an album that may not be the best in his discography, although it clearly illustrates that Ice T is still one of the best in the game. Aside from Ice T’s own attributes, the superior standard of this album also has to be put down to the fact that features were kept to a minimum and reserved only for his tight knit circle. With impressive production from underground figures such as Rhyme Poetic Mafia’s DJ Ace, GrandDaddy IU and Marc Live, this album shows what we all know already, Ice T has no intention of selling out musically for mainstream appeal.

3. Tech N9ne - Everready (The Religion)
The self proclaimed Kansas City King, Tech N9ne, finally got around to dropping the long awaited ‘Everready’ release at the end of 2006 on his own label, ‘Strange Music’, and although the wait was long, it was well worth it. As you’d expect from a Tecca Nina release, this album didn’t lack in originality or quality, with incredible production throughout that is utilized to perfection by Tech N9ne and the guest appearances, this is an album I could have on repeat all day long. With an assortment of up-tempo gems such as ‘Bout Ta Bubble’ and ‘Jellysickle’ featuring Vallejo legend E-40, combined with the serious and reflective ‘The Rain’, Tech N9ne shows off his ability to record a diverse range of tracks while still managing to ensure they are all of top shelf standard. There are things that Tech N9ne does on this album (and his others), that, for most rappers, would end up in embarrassment, but somehow Tech not only makes them work, but he turns his bizarre ideas into incredible music.

2. K Rino - Time Traveler
In recent times there hasn’t been a year go by without a K Rino release featuring in my list of favourite albums, and 2006 was no different. The South Park Coalition’s leader and founder unleashed another extraordinary release into the hip hop world, this time in the form of ‘Time Traveler’. When it comes to lyricism people often laugh at the south, but K Rino is amongst the best in the game, on this album alone K Rino spits more jaw dropping lines than most rappers have written in their entire careers. Aside from being the king of quotables, K Rino also nails it when it comes to thought provoking tracks, and he is also a master storyteller. ‘Valley of Decision’ sees his story telling abilities employed to tell the story of his own spiritual battle with Satan and God, playing the roles of both contrasting spiritual figures as well as himself, this track is not only incredibly well conceived but also executed to perfection. For anyone not familiar with K Rino then you’re missing out big time, if you already know the deal then I’m sure you’re as anxious as me for his upcoming projects.

1. South Park Mexican - When Devils Strike
My favourite album of the year is one that I’ve been fiending on for over three years, after being pushed back on numerous occasions, the Dope House finally were able to release South Park Mexican’s ‘When Devils Strike’ in October 2006. After being sentenced to 45 years in a Texas penitentiary, where recording is strictly prohibited, many thought SPM would never be heard from again, but against all odds Carlos did the unthinkable. Due to his current circumstances, it is no surprise that ‘When Devils Strike’ is SPM’s most intimate and honest release to date. Although his last few albums have also seen ‘Los take a more mature approach to life, it is notable that now he is incarcerated his music has become even more sincere. With SPM’s emotive lyricism rapped over top draw production by Pain and with guest appearances on this album reserved for the highly talented members of the Dope House family, this album is a flawless release and my highlight of the year gone by. Free SPM!

Honorable Mentions:
Filero - Million Dollar Mexican
CWB - The South-West Connection
Paris Presents: Hard Truth Soldiers (Vol. 1)
Murder One Presents: Southern Foundation (Vol.2)
The Dayton Family - Back On Dayton Ave

Now, like I said at the start, the albums mentioned above are the albums I heard from 2006 that I liked best, the list would probably look a bit different if I had heard ever release that came out, however obviously that wasn’t possible. There have been a few albums that were released in the past year that I wanted to check out and heard good things about but didn’t get around to such as: Def Wish Cast ‘The Legacy Continues’, Jedi Mind Tricks ‘Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell’, Suga Free ‘Just Add Water’, Too Short ‘Blow The Whistle’, Mellow Man Ace & Sen Dog 'The Reyes Brothers’, Motion Man 'Pablito's Way', Equipto ‘Behind the Rhyme’ and Rhyme Poetic Mafia finally dropped an album recently.

In a time when it is cool to claim hip hop is dead, I have to strongly disagree, it isn’t in the best state it has been in, but the number of underground artists around the world dropping quality products is extensive. If you think hip hop’s dead, you ain’t diggin’ deep enough. Although 2006 won’t go down as one of the most memorable years for the culture, it did see some quality albums hit the shelves. Aside from the albums, I will remember 2006 for Three Six Mafia winning an Oscar, the release of one of my favourite hip hop movies of all time ‘Hustle & Flow’, and being able to watch the likes of KB Da Kidnappa, Boo Yaa Tribe, Cage, Yak Ballz, Mr Lif, Yukmouth, Pretty Black, Supernatural, Q Bert, Roc Raida, Lord Finesse, Q Unique, DJ Eclipse and Tha Alkaholiks perform live in my city.

R.I.P. to all the hip hop figures/ inspirations that lost their lives in 2006:
Big H.A.W.K. (S.U.C.)
Big Boss (OG Style / 4 Deep)
Professor X (X Clan)
Bone Skanless (Skanbino Mob)
Young Kee (Skanbino Mob)
Proof (D12)
J Dilla
James Brown

R.I.P. James Brown

Rest In Peace:
"Godfather Of Soul"

Name: James Brown
Hailing From: Southern Carolina
Born: 1933
Died: December 25 2006
Cause Of Death: Admitted to Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta on December 24 to be treated for pneumonia, but as yet the cause of death hasn't been determined.

No one can doubt the impact James Brown has had on hip hop, from the godfathers of the game spinning his breaks at block parties to countless artists throughout the years using his unpaid samples, James Browns music will always be around. The Two Live Crew even released their own version of 'Living In America' for the Jerry Springer 'Ring Master' movie in about '98.

Happy Holidays

This time of the year it's hard to find the time doing shit on here, especially after the hectic couple of months I've just had. I'm sure that alot less people check out the net around the holiday time due to either being busy doing the Christmas thing or just not being at work therefore unable to gank quality internet time on the bosses expense. For those of you that do have internet access during the holidays and have some spare time to check us out, I've put up 5 dope tracks that I've had in my stereo lately, I think I've put a couple of them on here a year ago or so but they're all pretty crazy. Thanks for hitting our shit and have a happy and safe Christmas. PEACE.

MP3's:
Watts Gangstas - Watts Riders
Untold Chapters - The Book Of Sin
LOWC - Layin In Tha Cut
Jake The Flake - F.A.N.G.
Grimm, Ricsta,SPM, Lucky Luciano - Game Untold 2 (Walk On Toes)
>>DOWNLOAD<<

Sick Wid It

In the mid 90's few hip hop labels were as dope as Sick Wid It, a label started by E-40 who after years of mixtape hustling on the streets of Vallejo similar to Too Short's Oakland hustle. Like Too Short, Jive were taking note and signed 40 and the Sick Wid It roster in a 3.5 million dollar deal and re-released 40's 'Federal', 'Mail Man' and The Click's 'Down And Dirty' before releasing all new material and albums by the label, although the O.G. versions are different and go for big bucks on the net. 'Sick Wid It' itself was formed after E-40 and his brother D-Shot, along with their cousin B-Legit, were in a group called Most Valuable Players. They then added Suga T (E-40 and D-Shot's sister) to the group and changed their name to 'The Click'.

Anyone that knows the Sick Wid It catalogue knows that you could put up at least a dozen tracks to showcase the skills this crew had. However, I'm only putting up 7 due to lazyness of not wanting to spend half a day waiting for the tracks to upload to zshare. Anyway, first up I put E-40 'Nuttin Ass Nigga' from 'Federal'. I could have put just about any track from the album on. but I think that's probably the best track on the album. Personally I think 40 has slightly lost it now he's with Lil' Jon, not saying he's sold out or he's wack, it's just he's not the same E-40 that came out with the 'Mail Man'. Maybe he's just matured as an artist and I can't let go of the memories of his early shit, who knows?

I put up a track by B-Legit (The Savage) off of his solo 'Tryin' To Get A Buck' called 'Way Too Vicious' which features E-40, the track is dope and so is the album cover of him and I think 40 bandanna'd up with a gat outside of a convenience store at night, simple but dope. I had to put a Celly Cel track up and although all his albums are crazy, I went straight for track 1 from 'Heat 4 Yo Azz' and upped the title track, fuckin' crazy.

One of SickWid It's best albums would have to be 'Have Heart, Have Money' by The Mossie. This album, like all the Sick-Wid It albums has excellent production and good features, such as 187 Fac on the closing track. It's hard to find a bad track on the Mossie's album, I put up 'This And That' featuring Mr Malik. In 1996 Sick Wid It dropped the Mac Shawn led Funk Mobb album 'It Aint 4-Play', a funky album from start to finish that consists of G-Note, KI and of coarse Mac Shawn but also features B Legit and Little Bruce. I put up the closing track 'Mr Bubble'.

To end this post I've got Little Bruce's 'Fuck Little Bruce' from his Xxxtra Manish album and 'Land Of Fonk' from Playaz Tryna Strive (P.T.S.) from '96. All in all, SickWid It is an impossible label to diss if you're into that 90's funky bay gangsta sound, I personally love that shit, There are so many more dope tracks that could have been put up but thats all for now, I hope you enjoy these ones.

MP3's:
E-40 - Nuttin Ass Nigga
B Legit ft E-40 - Way Too Vicious
Celly Cel - Heat 4 Yo Azz
The Mossie - This And That
Funk Mobb - Mr Bubble
Little Bruce - Fuck Little Bruce
Playaz Tryna Strive- Land Of Fonk
>>DOWNLOAD<<

Get Buck!

Memphis, Tennessee. A city rich in musical history and (at least in part) responsible for the careers of such respected artists as Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, B. B. King, Aretha Franklin, Muddy Waters, Al Green, Tina Turner, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker and various other iconic artists that blessed the world with their music. In more modern times the city has been striving when it comes to hip hop. Memphis spawned a unique gangsta sound that even managed to land arguably the city's most reknowned hip hop artists, Three Six Mafia, an Oscar for their work on 'Hustle & Flow', a 2005 film about a Memphis pimp coming up in the rap game. With both the likes of 8 Ball & MJG and the aforementioned Three 6 Mafia putting the city on the map for even the casual hip hop listener, and with artists such as Gangsta Pat, Tommy Wright III, Ska Face Al Kapone, Tela and Gangsta Blac reppin the city on a more underground level, it is clear that Memphis' rich musical history continues.

In 1995, the Three Six Mafia (formerly Triple Six Mafia), dropped 'Mystic Stylez' on Prophet Entertainment, an album that soon became an underground classic and paved the way for the outfit to become figureheads of the Memphis rap scene. Since the group's creation, the line-up has continued to change, artists that have flown the flag are as follows: DJ Paul, Juicy J, Lord Infamous, Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo, Koopsta Knicca and now Project Pat. The 'Mystic Stylez' release, along with other early Three Six material, has a uniquely sinister sound that unfortunately has been lost over the years with the group choosing to shift to a more commercially viable sound, although I still like their newer stuff it is nothing on their earlier efforts. The track I've uploaded for this post is their notorious 'Tear Da Club Up', a track the group later reworked and released on their 'Chapter 2: World Domination' album that achieved Gold status.

Gangsta Pat has been a mainstay in the Memphis scene from the very early stages, however unfortunately he often gets overlooked for whatever reason. In 1991 Pat dropped the classic "#1 Suspect" release on Atlantic Records however the album didn't achieve as much success as it deserved. Pat then dropped a couple of albums of a lesser quality on Wrap/Ichiban before moving to Power records to drop what many regard as his best album, "Deadly Verses", in 1995. Although, personally I believe nothing can touch his debut album, this album has its fair share of dope tracks including 'O.J. Murder Story' where Pat raps about what really happened. After this album Pat dropped a host of other albums including 'Tear Yo Club Down', an album where on the title track Gangsta Pat directs a brutal diss to the Three Six Mafia after Three Six labeled Pat "a fake ass rapper with no skills" in an interview with The Source magazine.

Ska Face Al Kapone is another pioneer of the Memphis scene, and unfortunately I have to admit that I slept on his music until I picked up a copy of the 'SouthWest Riders' compilation that came out on Sic Wid It Records in 1997. After I heard his work on that, I soon ordered myself a copy of his 'Memphis To Tha Bombed Out Bay' album that he dropped on his own imprint 'Alkatraz Dope Muzik' in 1998 and its safe to say that I wasn't disappointed. I've bid on a couple of Kapone's earlier releases on ebay but as with alot of underground gangsta rap the prices they go for are ridiculous.Recently Al Kapone worked on the soundtrack for Hustle & Flow, most notably on the 'Whoop That Trick' track that he wrote and that DJay raps in the movie, Al Kapone later remixed the track and you can check out the video on youtube. I've ripped 'I Ain't A Killa', which typical of Memphis rap, has a repetitive but sick hook and an eery beat that suits the rhyme style perfectly.

Eightball and MJG are legends of Memphis hip hop in their own right and pioneers of the southern sound, they are two rappers who really need no introduction. The duo who were once the jewel of the Suave House Records family have released a host of albums, both together as well as solo side projects. One of the things that I've always loved about their music is the fact that they often sample other quality underground gangsta rap artists. For example, on the track up for download with this post, 'Got's To Be Real', Gangsta Pat's "Who's that knockin on my door- narcotics, break out artillery hide the mothafuckin product" line from his classic debut album is sampled throughout the track. As with many hip hop artists their best works were their earlier releases, although that's not to diss their newer stuff. In 2004, Eightball and MJG signed with Bad Boy Records and dropped 'Living Legends' which achieved Platinum status.

Courtney Harris, better known as Gangsta Blac, hails from South Parkway, and was once hooked up with Three Six Mafia and even had his 1996 album 'Can It Be?' produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J. After moving on from his Three Six stint and releasing a string of albums on different labels, Blac decided to create his own in 2002 which he called 'Taylor Made Records'. My introduction to Gangsta Blac's music came by chance when I ordered one of his albums off of Ebay on an impulse bid just to cheapen overall postage costs. Although the cover is laughable, his music, thankfully, is far better. The album I have, '74 Minutes of Bump', is not a timeless classic but it is still pretty sick, for example his dedication to his hood 'S.O.U.T.H. Parkway' is one of those tracks, that if I was from the area, would be my anthem. The track you can download here, 'Weed N White', features Lil Gain and is another album highlight.

MP3's:
Three Six Mafia - Tear Da Club Up
Gangsta Pat - O.J. Murder Story
Ska Face Al Kapone Ft Big Vince - I Ain't A Killa
Eightball and MJG - Got's To Be Real
Gangsta Blac Ft Lil Gain - Weed N White
>> DOWNLOAD <<

SPM - In My Hood (Video)

..:: SPM - In My Hood ::..




FREE SPM !!!

Ruthless

I'm gonna save all the bullshit on this post, everyone knows how and who started this label. Everyone knows the shit that went on with Cube, Dre and the D.O.C. and everyone knows that Eazy's right hand man was Jerry Heller who has been continuously dissed for being a white Jew. Well, Jerry has recently wrote a book called 'Ruthless' where apparently he talks alotta shit about what happened back in the early Ruthless days or at least what he wants people to believe happened. After Eazy passed away in '95 he left his label to his widdow Tomica Wright who has pretty much driven the label down the drain. Ruthless was running solid for two or three years after Eazy's death but since then relied pretty much solely on Bone Thugs N' Harmony with allmost no new blood signing to the label. In 2002 Ruthless released the 'Impact Of A Legend' Eazy E album which was flawless with nice features and crazy production, mainly due to Rhythm D. Anyway, this post is about the music itself and not the political shit that went on. In Ruthless' golden era they released some of the dopest albums ever like the D.O.C.'s 'No One Can Do It Better', Penthouse Players Clique's 'Paid The Cost' the Above The Law classics and obviously the N.W.A.'s etc.

Ruthless also had a bunch of lesser known artists signed like Pistol, Tab & Da Villon, H.W.A., Menajahtwa, Yomo & Maulkie, Jimmy Z, Brownside, Blood Of Abraham as well as some more known artists like JJ Fad, Kokane, Frost and Atban Klan who were unknown at the time but are now a huge pop group known as the Black Eyed Peas, infact on Eazy's '92 E.P. '5150 Home 4 Tha Sick', Black Eyed Peas Will I Am has a dope verse on 'Merry Muthafuckin X-Mas'.

Out of those groups some are pretty wack while others are heavily under rated, Penthouse Players for example released 'Paid The Cost' in '92, every single track has crazy production and and skilled flows. They were only signed by Eazy because he didn't sign their friend DJ Quik when he had the chance, something Eazy always regreted so he took the Clique, Quik did some work on the album and also features on a track with Eazy. The Penthouse Players who consisted of Playa Hamm and Tweed Cadillac also featured on the Tresspass soundtrack with 'Im A Playa'. Tweed Cadilac later joined the Mackadelics and released 'Exposed To The Game' in '96 while Playa Hamm released his solo 'Layin Hands' in 2001. Disapointing considering the quality of 'Paid The Cost'.

I always thought that Sureno Chicano rappers Brownside released a couple of twelves on Ruthless, although apparently Toker from the group went to high school with Eazy so I guess it's not that strange. The other two members of the group are Wicked and the late Danger who was killed in a drive by in South Central in 1997. Toker as well as having a group member pass away also lost his brother and sister and is currently serving a 25 to life sentence. The group only released the tracks 'Gang Related' and 'Eastside Drama' on Ruthless but did drop a couple of albums later. One of my favourite tracks is 'Vatos In The Varrio' which is a 'Boyz N Tha Hood' cover.

I Don't know how Frost found himself on Ruthless but he did drop two pretty dope albums on the label, the first being 'Smile Now, Die Later' and the second being 'When Hell A Freezes Over'. Frost has had a real diverse all over the place career, starting out in the early 80's in a crew with Ice T dropping the classic 'Terminator' to releasing an album on Virgin, joining Latin Alliance with Mellow Man Ace and A.L.T. to going back solo, Ruthless, Thump and just the other month he was named Vice President of the Music Division of Goldmark Industries. No one can deny he's been in the game for a while.


Pamona's Above The Law were one of the first groups signed to Eazy's label and released 'Livin Like Hustlers' in 1990 consisting of KMG the Illustrator, Go Mack, DJ Total K-Oss and Cold 187um l.k.a. Big Hutch. They then released the 'Vocally Pimpin' EP which was pretty much just remixes before Go Mack and Lay Law left the group. This left the rest to release 'Black Mafia Life' in '92 that pretty much started off G Funk although Dr Dre got the credit for it because his 'Chronic' album that came out later that year got way more hype, this was why the 'Dont Bite The Phunk' Dre diss track was made on Kokanes 'Fumk Upon A Rhyme' album. A.T.L. also released 'Uncle Sams Curse' on Ruthless but after Eazy's death they left and released 'Time Will Reveal' on Tommy Boy, Legends and Forever. Cold 187um has also released a couple of solo albums under the name of Big Hutch as well as production for Ruthless and then Death Row. Big Hutch and DJ K-Oss were both released from prison this year on two seperate drug sentences.

MC Ren after a start in NWA then doing a side project with the late DJ Train on CPO had a successful solo career and signed to Paris' Guerilla Funk Records a couple of years ago. He was set to record a new album under the name Darth Ren but has decided to quit rapping for some reason and had the very little matterial he did record for Guerilla Funk released on the G.F.R. compilation 'Hard Truth Soldiers' that came out earlier this year.
N.W.A. was obviously the main brand name behind Ruthless Records, The group that started out with a line up that didn't include MC Ren but the D.O.C. and the Arabian Prince who was one of the critters in the comedy group Bobby Jimmy And The Critters, he got replaced in the group and started a solo career releasing 'Brother Arab' and 'Wheres My Bythches'. Macola that was the distributor for Ruthless got bought out by Priority and N.W.A. and Ruthless Records pretty much took over west coast hip hop for a couple of years. This post could go on forever and in about six different directions but thats about all I could be bothered touching on. Rest In Peace Eazy.

MP3's:
Eazy E - 24 Hours To Live
MC Ren - Final Frontier
Above The Law - Black Superman
Kokane - Shit, Goddamm
Penthouse Players Clique ft DJ Quik, Eazy E, AMG - Trust No Bitch
>>DOWNLOAD<<

Review: Blaze - Colton Grundy: Tha Undying

Artist: Blaze
Album: Colton Grundy: Tha Undying
Year: 2004
Label: Psychopathic Records

Blaze Ya Dead Homie comes straight out of Detroit, Michigan, and is a member of Insane Clown Posse's Psychopathic Records camp. Now, I'm well aware that the ICP and their whole label aren't viewed with alot of respect by a large portion of people in the hip hop world, but I'm not one to base my judgements on popular opinion. To me, once you get past all their marketing gimmicks, Psychopathic Records have released some quality albums in the past, 'Colton Grundy' being another one to add to the list. Blaze started out in the hip hop game by being one half of the '2 Krazy Devils' along with Skrapz, they later changed their name to 'The Sleepwalkaz' however neither project was a huge success. After these attempts, Blaze then hooked up with Twiztid and were working on a project, but this was cut short due to Twiztid gaining the attention of Violent J who then decided to sign them to Psychopathic. This move also turned out beneficial for Blaze, as it opened the door for he himself to get a contract with the label. After dropping a self titled EP and the '1 Less G N Da Hood' album, Blaze unleashed 'Colton Grundy: Tha Undying' onto the world. Before you listen to this album it is important to understand that 'Blaze Ya Dead Homie' is like a character in a movie, and although this gets rid of any realism, it is original and you have to take it for what it is.

The album starts off with a short and fairly repetetive track, 'Bump This Shhh', before Blaze launches into 'The Touch of Death'. The beat, produced by R.O.C., hits hard and with Blaze's booming delivery, it ensures that although this track is short it is still sick. Next up comes the track which was chosen to feature on soundtrack for the Eidos Interactive video game '25 to Life', 'Shotgun', which features ABK and the creator of Acid Rap, Esham. This track was well produced by Lavel and has a simple but effective hook, and although each of the rappers hold their own in this track, I personally think Esham dominates. 'Etched Out' is another short track that is worthy of repeated listens, by this point you would be well aware the Blaze isn't a lyrical genius, but his original flow combined with some quality production is enough to earn my respect.

'If I Fall' which features Madrox, above all it is a track about struggling and perceverence, but it also features Blaze dropping some gangsta rhymes, which is typical of rappers out of the murder mitten. This is followed by Blaze showing his romantic side on 'Hey You', with lines such as "The bitch kinda smelt like fish'n'chips, but boy did she have a set of dick suckin' lips " you can tell that this guy has a way with words. 'Out Tha Gate' fails to grab me but it is followed by the straight gangsta 'Stick Ya Hands Up', which features ABK and is one of the album's more impressive tracks, especially because of the quality hook. This is followed by 'Further From The Truth', which is a slower paced track on the horror rap tip that has both an eery hook and beat.



In 'Dayz In My Neighborhood' Blaze offers some of his observations about the modern hip hop game, dissing studio gangstas, along with people gaining fame for getting shot and rappers who get bitches singing on all of their hooks. Blaze looks back in retrospect at a time when the industry was in a far better state than it is now, long before every rapper thought he could act and before commercialization became such a major issue in hip hop. 'Roll It Up' is a short track about Blaze going to the club and to be honest I don't rate it very highly at all, but thankfully the quality goes up a few notches with 'Mr Dead Folx'. Blaze begins by returning to his fake gangsta dissing ways, Violent J then drops by to drop some horror raps in his distinctive tone.

Blaze is again joined by ABK on 'Too Many Bitches', with the funky hook being care of Flint's legendary MC Breed. Although Blaze is lacking a bit in this track, ABK drops what is probably the best verse I've heard him rip. 'Time Line' is the chronological story of Blaze's fictional character, you can't knock the creativity behind the track and Blaze holds down the rapping side of things well, although I can definitely see people being disillusioned about listening to a fictional story about a former gangsta turned zombie. The final track on this album, 'Climbing', features Violent J, Madrox, Monoxide and Esham, and is rapped over a soothing beat produced by Fritz The Cat that escalates in intensity around the hook. Although it is probably has alot to do with me being a big Esham fan, but I think he steals the show again in this track with his smoothe delivery.

All in all this album is worth checking out if you have an open mind, but I would stay well away from it if you don't like thinking outside of the square. Personally, the gimmick of a dead rapper isn't really that easy to take, but this is made up for with Blaze's distinctive delivery and some great production and features, and to be fair a great number of the tracks don't have gimmicks attached to them at all. More people will hate this album than love it, but people who respect diversity and originality will find a great deal of positives to draw from it.



MP3's:
Blaze Ft ABK, Esham - Shotgun
Blaze Ft Violent J - Mr Dead Folx
>> DOWNLOAD <<

Rating: 3 Daytons out of 5