Grave Diggin In The Crates

GraveDigging in The Crates.

The time has come for the darkness to be set free on the Rap Nerds blog!

In honour of Halloween the originators of horrorcore are being acclaimed. 1994 was a great year for Hip Hop with countless classics coming out of New York in particular. The sound was booming and horrorcore didn't fit into any pigeon holes.

Really what the hell were these guys going on about, who wanted to hear twisted stories of suicide and mass murder? Well Prince Paul and the RZA together made a classic theme album and although at the time I remember liking it but thinking it was a bit weird and not really 'real' enough! Ha, the follies of youth.

Listening these days really does do credit to a very well crafted LP with a sound that was a bit too ahead of itself. Prince Paul was going from Daisy Age to Madman's Diaries seamlessly.

Gravediggaz - Diary Of A Madman 12''

Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep LP


Gravediggaz - 1-800-Suicide 12''


Gravediggaz - Mommy, What's A Gravedigga Remix 12''


Gravediggaz - Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide 12''


...and another re-up right here

Slick Rick Jewels

A few Slick Rick Jewels.

I noticed a few days ago a special on the bbc 1xtra radio website all about Slick Rick.
Now those who know me and have had to sit through a few of my Hip Hop rants will know I am a big Slick Rick fan.
The special was all about 'The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick' It seems it came out 20 years ago. 20 years ago is correct. Shit, I was 15 and well on my way to being a Hip Hop nerd.
Now my first Slick Rick discovery was 'La Di Da Di'. I used to rap the lyrics into the mirror, I mean who didn't at that time. Everyone at my school knew all the words to 'La Di Da Di'
much to the chagrin of my teachers who failed to see why their lessons were not so well memorised. Now at the time I didn't have 'fresh Bally shoes' or 'fly green socks' I didn't forget my Kangol I just didn't have one.
I got my first one about a year ago, a present from two Canadians who share my nerdy affections (Big up Cappy and That Guy). Slick rick was the man! He was from the UK, a real Londoner. OK, he left the UK for the BX aged 10 but hey, he's still the best UK export to the Hip Hop world, ever.
I can think of very few MC's I have the same kind of respect and admiration for. As a 15 year old with nothing to get in my way other than school, there was plenty of time to dedicate my life to learning all the lyrics to all my favorite Hip Hop songs.
Perhaps if I was 15 now I would do the same and I wouldn't hate on all this new shit that comes out these days. It's too easy to hate new Hip Hop because most of it is straight up marketing schemes like KRS said.
However, I think that the old school stuff really defines a great time of my life and hence the affection for it. Let's not fool ourselves some of the old stuff was wack, even Slick Rick had his questionable ones! No names! (Don't hurt me again, don't d- d- don't hurt me again)
So, here are a few of my favorite Slick Rick singles (Big up to The Drizzle coz he got them all for me).

Children's Story

I Shouldn't Have Done It

It's A Boy

Teenage Love b/w Treat Her Like A Prostitute

Enjoy as much as I still do.

"She said, great Scott! are you a thief?
Seems like you have a mouth full of gold teeth
Ha-ha, hah! had to find that funny
So I said, no child, I work hard for the money
And calling me a thief? please! don't even try it (right!)
Sit down eat your slice of pizza, and be quiet"

DJ Lessons

I have been teaching at Tainan Girls High School for a while now and I did a class with them about Hip Hop and rapping. In the class I tried to get the girls to write bragadocious lyrics and try to be boastful and to deliver their "raps" with verve. It was a relative success, some girls really went for it while others mumbled into their necks. The upshot of it was that the kids were keen to find out more about Hip Hop. Since I had told them I am a DJ they wanted to see how scratching worked.

A few weeks later I took my decks into the classroom and gave the girls a talk about how much I love my turntables and if anyone breaks them I would kill them and their families.

"Don't press down on the records too hard. Keep your hand away from the needle at ALL times!"

After I had gathered the courage, I let the girls come up in pairs and try some scratching on their own. All that is logical in my brain told me not to risk my precious little babies on these girls. Most of the students in my class had never seen a turntable before, those that had, saw one in their grandparents houses, big up the grandparents.

The results were quite amazing. Not from all the girls for sure. Some had little musical sense and sounded like cats being strangled. Others were too meek to really try and make any audible sound that their classmates might hear. However, some, just some, were like ducks to water. A few of the girls surprised me so much I was stunned to silence (those who know me will testify to the rarity of this event). After the class was over the girls asked me to show them some tricks. Never one to let an opportunity to show off pass me by, I did a bit of wheeling doubles. I had some ultimate breaks and beats doubles with me so I showed them how to make a loop with the same part of two identical records, the essence of Hip Hop as I told them. Three of the girls were transfixed and begged me to let them try! By this point I was so impressed with their keenness I let them have a go.......

Remember this is the first time these girls have touched a turntable and a mixer.

Real Live Shit

Yes, this is some real live shit and it's called 'real live shit'!

I listened to this one on rotation and just rediscovered it so I am sharing it with all my Hip Hop nerds.

01 Real Live Shit - Real Live (Original)
02 Real Live Shit - Real Live (Dirty)
03 Real Live Shit - Real Live (Instrumental)
04 Crime is Money - Real Live (Original)
05 Crime is Money - Real Live (Dirty)
06 Crime is Money - Real Live (Instrumental)

Live Shit!