Yesterday was a play on the interweb day and I was reminiscing about the early days, when downloading a song took literally hours, and you actually had to buy cds/records/cassettes to make mixes. Aaahh, the shitty old days.
Here's another mix, mostly stuff I hadn't heard until yesterday/newish stuff:
Ei8ht Is Enough - Ace & Edo I Wanna Rock (Remix) f/ Kardinal Offishall - Snoop Dogg Soul Amazin' (Steel Blazin') - Blu African Drums - Freeway & Jake One Gotta Bang f/ Kurupt & Billy Danze - Inspectah Deck Chintown Wars (Remix) - Ghostface Killah & MF Doom Be (Original) - Common Reality TV f/ Black Thought - Jay Dee Never Over f/ Foreign Beggars - Inja As Serious As Your Life (Jay Dee Remix) f/ Guilty Simpson & Jay Dee - Four Tet Transition Of Power f/ M.O.P. - Stoupe The Enemy Of Mankind Tamestyle - Tame One Let U Live f/ Pharoahe Monch - Consequence Flawless Crowns - Raekwon Buck Buck - Redman Wednesday - Saukrates Street Wars f/ Clipse - Vinnie Paz Prowler 2 f/ Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz & Mos Def - Ski Beatz Angel Dust - Sean Price Who Run It? - O.C. Delilah - Rakaa Bargain With The Devil f/ Vast Aire - Sadat X
Just watched a wicked documentary last night called Copyright Criminals, an entrant in the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, and it gets a big Rap Nerds thumbs up. I posted about it a year ago, then forgot about it til recently. You can get info about it and buy it here, but being the criminals you are you might want to get it here. (I mean, come on, it was on PBS!)
It features interviews with Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike, Chuck D, Mr. Len, George Clinton and the Funky Drummer himself Clyde Stubblefield, among others. You'll wish it was longer, but it's definitely a must-see.
"If ya'll really like to rock the funky beats, somebody in the house say 'hell yeah'!"
Public Enemy are perhaps one of the most listened to groups in the history of Hip Hop. I know it sounds a little over the top but it must be true. My homie agnew gave a great book called :Don't rhyme for the sake of riddlin' - Russell Myrie, it is all about PE. Reading it takes me back to my teen years. Some of the insights from the book are amazing for me. I have listened to PE's albums hundres of times and finding out these secrets/histories about the creation of the music and the situation surrounding it has caused me so much genuine joy.
I have been listening to PE steady since I opened page one, one, one........one. Thus, I decided to add some of my favorite insights and music from one of the greatest Hip Hop groups ever. This first post will be about PE's second and most well known album. 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back'. What a long and bold title. The title comes from a quote on one of the tracks on the first album, 'Yo! Bum Rush The Show' called - 'Raise the Roof'. The lyric goes: "and for real it's the deal and the actual fact/ It takes a nation of millions to hold us back". While reading a Canadian magazine article about their first album which was titled "It takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back" Chuck D and Hank Shocklee realised the power of the title and used it for their ground-breaking second album.
"You're blind baby, you're blind from the facts of who you are coz you're watching that garbage"
Flav was the comic relief to Chuck D's hard rhymin. However, he was a talented musician in his own right. Playing many keyboard parts and the drums. On 'Rebel without a Pause' perhaps their most famous song, and I quote "Flavor played the beat on the drum machine continuosly and perfectly for the whole five minutes and two seconds". This was quite the revelation for me. I had always though Flav was just the jester. It seems he made a big musical contribution to the Albums. Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaah Booooooooooyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeee!
At the begining of Flav's solo track, 'Cold Lampin With Flavor', there is a quote 'No more music by the suckers' Flav then goes on to say ' Yo! man what does he mean by suckers man? Yo, he only trying to put a black eye in the gang.' While this was funny for me all those years ago listening to the album, it now apears that there was quite an interestind story behind it. The quote is from DJ Mr Magic who had a very popular radio show in the late 80's in New York, he played Public Enenmy No 1 and then dissed the group due to some confussion about PE being down with KRS 1 and Scott La Rock who had been at war with the Mr Magic's homies, TheJuice Crew. Flavor listened to the radio hard and was always ready with the pause button on the tape. He recorded Mr Magic's quote live on the air and then proceeded to use it in his hit song.
The album starts with an introduction the a PE concert in London. This always struck me as a youth. Why did they use their London concert? American MC's very rarly mentioned London, my city, so when London was name checked at the beginning of the album and throughout I was very excited. Chuck, at their UK concert at the Brixton Academy went on to say "Yo, fuck Thatcher, fuck that dog faced bitch" further endearing him to the British Hip Hop fans, myself included.
One of the moist amazing facts I found was that 'Don't believe the Hype' was not supposed to even get on the album. It took Run DMC's, DMC to persuade the group that the track was dope. He used to rock it in his car all time. I have included that single so you can see what a tragedy it might have been had we not been warned 'Don't believe the Hype'.
I could go on. I won't. Instead here is some of the music.
"From a rebel it's final on black vinyl Soul, rock and roll comin' like a rhino"
The Album
Tracklist: 01. Countdown To Armageddon (1:40) 02. Bring The Noise (3:45) 03. Don't Believe The Hype (5:19) 04. Cold Lampin With Flavor (4:17) 05. Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic (4:31) 06. Mind Terrorist (1:20) 07. Louder Than A Bomb (3:38) 08. Caught, Can We Get A Witness? (4:53) 09. Show 'Em Whatcha Got (1:56) 10. She Watch Channel Zero?! (3:49) 11. Night Of The Living Baseheads (3:14) 12. Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos (6:23) 13. Security Of The First World (1:20) 14. Rebel Without A Pause (5:02) 15. Prophets Of Rage (3:18) 16. Party For Your Right To Fight (3:25)
Bubbs, or Bubbles, one of the few to make it all the way to the end of season 5 in one piece. The struggles he goes through with his addiction to 'that white' run through the different seasons. One of the few characters from the Wire to have something of a happy conclusion.
This mix is also the first combined effort by myself and agnew. A true rapnerds production.
Enjoy.
DJ Twohands - Got Them Tees.
01 - I'm Dope Nigga - Method Man & Redman
02 - Eyeball - Saigon
03 - Big Game - Diverse Ft Vast Aire
04 - Coded Rhythm Talk - Foreign Beggars Ft Chester P
05 - Twilite Speedball - Mos Def
06 - Tremendous - Mama Mystique Ft Q-ball & Curt Cazel
07 - Pick Up Ya Flow - Dyme Def Ft Saigon
09 - Pusshhhhhh - Murs & 9th Wonder
10 - Like This - DJ JS-1 Ft Large Professor & PMD
11 - The Frustrated Nigga - Jeru The Damaja
12 - I Wanna Rock (remix) - Snoop Dogg Ft Fat Joe
13 - The Formula Song - Juggaknots
14 - Word Play - O.C
15 - Windows Of The World - R.A The Rugged Man Ft Aytollah & Dynasty
16 - New Wu - Reakwon Ft Method Man & Ghostface Killah
17 - The Professional - Black Thought
18 - Pack Up - Lyrics Born Ft KRS One & Evidence
19 - Hold Up - Marco Polo and Torae Ft Masta Ace & Sean Price
Been laid up since my knee surgery & decided I should do something productive with the time off...this time I took some sage advice & cranked it out in one day, hopefully it's not too bumpy for yas
Shouts to Dan & his bro who graciously hosted us on my recent trip to NYC - unfortunately I finally got a haircut & am no longer rocking the same style as your 3-year old nephew
In This World - Reflection Eternal Exhibit C - Jay Electronica School f/ Planet Asia - DJ Revolution G.U.O.M.D. - Hieroglyphics Walk On f/ Redman - Method Man Put Your Quarter Up f/ Slug, Aesop Rock & MF Doom - The Molemen My Occupation - Devin The Dude The Shakedown - Casual Freedom Train - De La Soul Ill Figures f/ Billy Danzini, Raekwon & Kool G. Rap - Lil' Fame Whomp 2000 - Saafir Get Me Outta Here - Reef The Lost Cauze Vs. Guns N Butter Star Destroyers f/ Sean Price - The High & Mighty Blood Sport f/ Lil' Fame - J Dilla Soul On Ice (Diamond D Remix) - Ras Kass Philly Boy f/ Black Thought - BK-One Taxin' (Instrumental) - Whoridas Another Weed Song - Agent & Raynge Nuthin' f/ CL Smooth - Sadat X For The D (Harmonic 313 Remix) - Guilty Simpson One Thing f/ Raekwon - Freeway & Jake One Smashmouth f/ K Hill & Edgar Allen Floe - Jean Grae & 9th Wonder Bells Of Doom - MF Doom Broken Logos f/ Breezly Brewin - Big Tone Sound Of The Underground - Digital Underground
The most recent of the wire mixes features Bodie 'I ain't goin nowhere, this is MY corner' Broades. Bodie has so many good lines in the series it was hard to find the right ones for the mix. He was one smart ass pawn for sure but it was a great shame that he never made it to be the king.
"I do it much better with twohands" - Bodie Brodaus
The Game Is Rigged
01 - Prove It (Feat. Guilty Simpson) - Foreign Beggars
Slim Charles was a reletively small part in 'The Wire' but he was there from start to finnish unlike most of my other favorite characters. A man who knew to move with the times. This was called 'Sewing MAchine' due to the quote I found for the beginning. Now it's called 'Jus Got Mo Fierce'.
The second in my series of 'The Wire' mixes sees the finest of Baltimores natural police, The Bunk. The Bunk is strictly a suit n tie mutha fucka but he can mix it with the best of em.
MVP - Ludacris
Dearly Departed - DJ Babu Feat - M.O.P
M.U.G - O.C - Feat Freddie Foxx
A Million And 1 Budda Spots - Redman
It's Getting Hot - Artifacts
Down For The Kaz - Kazi
Violatin - Count Bass D
Yeah - Keith Murry Feat Busta Rhymes, Redman, Erick Sermon and Jamal
Hurricane - The Roots Feat Common and Mos Def
Me-O-Mi_o (Remix) - Casual
The Return Of Iron Man - Ghostface Killah
Get Er Done - Jake One Feat MF Doom
Dope Boy Fresh - Jay Z
Dumb Girl - Run DMC
Red Pill - Vast Aire Feat Karniege
Step Off - A Trak Feat Little Brother
The Matrix - Black Milk Feat Pharoahe Monch Sean Price DJ Premier
It's a time for giving and at Christmas we all love to try to give away things that we have tried to give away before. So here are The Wire mixes from the last year or so. Yes, I am slow at doing them. I wish I could blame it on being a perfectionist but a few listens to the mixes will put paid to that theory. So, I have had a few requests to re them up and I am a generous soul.
Not only are they reed up but they are re mastered and they come with fresh new covers. What could be better.
I will add one mix every day till Christmas, kinna like an advent calender with Lil Fame and MF Doom behind the windows screaming at you about glocks and vats of urine.
The first mix is "Best Not Miss" The famous advice our main character, Omar, gave to Weebay about what happens when you come at the king. This was called 'Slow Flow' but we all listened to Stringer Bell's advice and are renaming our product. This was the first Wire mix. Part II tomorrow.
Best Not Miss
Track List
1 Mr.Slow Flow - Evidence
2 Snap Yo Fingaz (Instra) - Lil Jon
3 Fuck The Law - Dead Prez
4 Roc-A-Fella Billionaires - Freeway feat Jay Z
5 Gold Chain Music - Bumrush Brothers
6 At Your Door - Clipse Feat Roscoe P, Coldchain and Pharrell.
7 The Riddler - Methodman.
8 Beef - Mos Def
9 Come On Baby - Saigon
10 Hustle On - Keith Murray
11 Badman - Murs
12 Greenery - Quasimoto
13 Good Clothes - Little Brother
14 State Of Grace - Raekwon
