2061 lines
99 KiB
Plaintext
2061 lines
99 KiB
Plaintext
--- --- --- ---- ---- CCCCC OOOOO RRRR EEEE
|
|
| H | / A \ | R | |D \ C O O R R E
|
|
|---| |---| |--/ | | C O O RRRR EEEE
|
|
| | | | | \ | / C O O R R E
|
|
--- --- --- --- -- -- ---- CCCCC. OOOOO. R R. EEEE.
|
|
|
|
Vol. 3, Issue 4 July, 1995
|
|
|
|
The electronic magazine of hip-hop music and culture
|
|
|
|
Brought to you as a service of the Committee of Rap Excellence
|
|
|
|
Section 1 -- ONE
|
|
|
|
***A***
|
|
|
|
Table of Contents
|
|
|
|
Sect. Contents Author
|
|
----- -------- ------
|
|
001 The introduction
|
|
|
|
A Da 411 - table of contents staff
|
|
B Da 411 - HardC.O.R.E. staff
|
|
C Yo! We Want Your Demos staff
|
|
D Note from the interim Editor rapotter@colby.edu
|
|
|
|
002 Monthly Articles
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Regional Report: Atlanta martay@america.net
|
|
B Regional Report: Europe helmut@cosy.sbg.ac.at
|
|
C The Inside Scoop r.macmichael@genie.geis.com
|
|
-- The English Reggae Connection:MACKA B, NOLAN IRIE
|
|
D Homeboy from Hell Monthly isbell@ai.mit.edu
|
|
-- Mobb Deep, _The Infamous_
|
|
E The Singles File 3JB3BAUERJ@VMS.CSD.MU.EDU
|
|
F Back to the Old School r.macmichael@genie.geis.com
|
|
G Roots-N-Rap rapotter@colby.edu
|
|
-- The Meters
|
|
|
|
|
|
003 HardC.O.R.E. Editorials
|
|
|
|
A The Source -- Straight Slippin' krs_one@iastate.edu
|
|
|
|
|
|
004 The Official HardC.O.R.E. Album Review Section
|
|
|
|
A Catalyst Entertainment krs_one@iastate.edu
|
|
B Channel Live/Mad Lion rapotter@colby.edu
|
|
C Collapsed Lung N.A.Smith@bradford.ac.uk
|
|
D East Coast Tribe krs_one@iastate.edu
|
|
E Fun^Da^Mental rapotter@colby.edu
|
|
F Herbie Hancock rapotter@colby.edu
|
|
G J. Bond and DJ Goldfinger r.macmichael@genie.geis.com
|
|
H Main Perspective krs_one@iastate.edu
|
|
I Masta Ase Inc. davidj@vnet.net
|
|
J MC Breed 3JB3BAUERJ@VMS.CSD.MU.EDU
|
|
K Prophets of Truth davidj@vnet.net
|
|
L Pump Ya Fist r.macmichael@genie.geis.com
|
|
M Urban Dance Squad r.macmichael@genie.geis.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
***B***
|
|
|
|
The C.O.R.E. creed
|
|
|
|
We at C.O.R.E. support underground hip-hop (none of that crossover
|
|
bullshucks). That means we also support the 1st Amendment and the
|
|
right to uncensored music.
|
|
|
|
The C.O.R.E. anthems
|
|
|
|
I Used To Love H.E.R. Common Sense
|
|
Crossover EPMD
|
|
Mass Appeal Gangstarr
|
|
True to the Game Ice Cube
|
|
Outta Here KRS-One
|
|
How About Some HardC.O.R.E. M.O.P.
|
|
Time's Up O.C.
|
|
Straighten It Out Pete Rock and CL Smooth
|
|
In the Trunk Too $hort
|
|
Remember Where You Came From Whodini
|
|
|
|
Access info:
|
|
FTP: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/HardCORE/
|
|
Gopher: gopher://gopher.etext.org:70/11/Zines/HardCORE
|
|
WWW: (Site is moving, more info to come.)
|
|
E-mail: to subscribe, e-mail listserv@vnet.net with this line of
|
|
text in body of your message:
|
|
subscribe hardcore-l <your name>
|
|
|
|
|
|
***C***
|
|
|
|
Aight, let's say you got a hip-hop demo that you've been trying
|
|
to shop around. A few people like it, but nobody with some clout is
|
|
buying. Or let's say you know someone who's got some skills, but you
|
|
don't know what you can do to help 'em get on. Suppose even further,
|
|
that you've got an internet account and want to give you and your
|
|
friends' efforts a little publicity. Well, have we got a deal for
|
|
you...
|
|
HardC.O.R.E.'s review section isn't just for the major labels.
|
|
In fact, some of us would much rather review what the independent folks
|
|
are making, since they aren't affected by the A&R and high level decisions
|
|
of major labels.
|
|
So we want to hear what you guys are making. A few groups are
|
|
getting their demos reviewed here among the likes of Gangstarr, Heavy D.
|
|
and the Boys, A Tribe Called Quest and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Who knows?
|
|
You might even hear bigger and better things from The Mo'Fessionals, DOA,
|
|
Raw Produce, and Union of Authority before you know it. With all the
|
|
people subscribing to or reading HardCORE, you never know who might
|
|
want to hear your music.
|
|
Give us a shout. You can e-mail me at davidj@vnet.net or Flash
|
|
at krs_one@iastate.edu, and we'll let you know where you can send your
|
|
tape. Keep in mind that we're pretty honest with our reviews (if we
|
|
think your shit is wack, we'll say so to your face), but if you think
|
|
you got what it takes, you'll see a review from us before you know it.
|
|
All you have to lose is a tape, right?
|
|
|
|
Peace... the HardC.O.R.E. Review Staff
|
|
|
|
|
|
***D***
|
|
Professa R.A.P.
|
|
---------------
|
|
|
|
NOTE FROM THE INTERIM EDITOR
|
|
|
|
This is a test of the HardC.O.R.E. prevention against Sucka Hip-
|
|
Hop Zines: in the event of a real emergency, you would have been
|
|
instructed on which magazines to read, and how hard to throw them into
|
|
the nearest (virtual) wastebasket.
|
|
Once again we're back, with another issue that's more solid than
|
|
Khallid Muhammad, while other publications just suck a little harder at
|
|
the big music industry tit. Now this issue may be a little slimmer than
|
|
usual -- but it still has just as much bounce to the ounce. And you
|
|
know ain't nobody gettin' paid for the work we put into this -- we only
|
|
do it out of love for the music.
|
|
It's been said before, but it's worth saying again: hip-hop will
|
|
never die! Despite the barrage of recent attacks by Bob Dole, William
|
|
Bennett, C. Delores Tucker -- and despite the corporate cowards over at
|
|
Time-Warner who are running every which way to satisfy them -- the music
|
|
goes on. It's true, I think, that there's been something of a slump
|
|
lately -- the same old same old in new packages. But this isn't the
|
|
doing of hip-hop artists so much as it is the work of a music industry
|
|
that can't tell which way the wind is blowing until someone else pisses
|
|
into it.
|
|
For those sucka MC's who can't come up with rhymes besides
|
|
blunt, front, and stunt, ease back muthafuckas, it's gonna go to a whole
|
|
new level. It's happened before, and it's gonna happen again; hip-hop
|
|
has always re-invented itself out of a mix of the old and the new --
|
|
Grandmaster Flash did it in '82, Run DMC in '83, LL in '85, PE in '87,
|
|
Tribe in '89 -- and the book on the 9-5 is still being written. For
|
|
those who think hip-hop comes in a factory-sealed package, skip it,
|
|
g'won home and take only those medications prescribed by your employer.
|
|
For the rest of y'all, 'ere's de real ting.
|
|
|
|
* * * *
|
|
|
|
[Before I sign off, I'd like to thank Flash, David J., and Laze for
|
|
helping me put this thing together -- it takes more work than you'd
|
|
think!]
|
|
|
|
//peace//
|
|
|
|
<---RAP--->
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section 2 -- TWO
|
|
|
|
|
|
***A***
|
|
Martay the Hip-Hop Wiz
|
|
----------------------
|
|
|
|
THE ATLANTA SCENE
|
|
|
|
Atlanta is about to heat up this summer, so get ready to sweat.
|
|
Too Short, who lives here more often than not these days
|
|
(supposedly he splits time between here and Oaktown, but he seems to be
|
|
here mostly), recently held a celebration for another Gold record at
|
|
Club Illusions. I guess "Short Dog" is hella used to these events by
|
|
now as many as he's had, but congratulations are due once again. Also
|
|
at Club Illusions (there's always somethin') was a record release party
|
|
for the Dayton Family from Po Broke records. American Rap Makers host
|
|
Arnell Starr was in the house taping for his weekly video show. Po
|
|
Broke (as you may have seen in the ads recently) has a deal with
|
|
Relativity (who doesn't these days) and they have relocated to Atlanta
|
|
from Flint, Michigan (following their homies Breed and Andre Rison?).
|
|
Local rapper DJ Wen was shooting a video for his single "Thank
|
|
you Mom (for being my Dad)" on Mother's Day. This is the 2nd single
|
|
from his LP "You Got to Give 'em What They Want" on A & A records.
|
|
Creep Dog (from the DOGS) is back on the scene solo with a new label
|
|
here in Atlanta (Uniroyal Records) and a new single "Bounce that Booty".
|
|
Freaknik rolled through Atlanta and mad kids came through
|
|
(though not quite as many as last year) and of course Midtown and
|
|
Downtown were on LockDown. The systems were bumpin' Montell, Adina and
|
|
that Meth & Mary joint along with massive amounts of Miami Bass. Tha
|
|
Bomb had a special Freaknik show that lasted from 8pm til 2am and that
|
|
was even a simulcast with WRFG's Saturday night Hip-Hop show, so
|
|
basically Freaknik was cool with the exception of a little bad weather
|
|
and a few incidents of ignorance by some knuckleheads representin' dumb
|
|
shit.
|
|
Finally, MC Lyte was just in town recording material for her new
|
|
LP and she's working with Jermaine Dupri, so I would expect something
|
|
interesting from that combination (So that's why she's hangin' with Da
|
|
Brat in that video).
|
|
Anyway, peace for now.
|
|
|
|
Martay
|
|
|
|
|
|
***B***
|
|
Helmut Mayer
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
THE EUROPEAN SCENE
|
|
"Graffitis: Same Art, Different Flavor"
|
|
|
|
In the wake the mysterious January 31st incident in Fernando
|
|
Valley, California, when William Masters shot at two young graffiti
|
|
sprayers, killing one 18-year-old with a bullet in the back of the head
|
|
and severely injuring the other (yet another case where it's rather
|
|
obvious that skin color plays an all-too-important role in people's
|
|
judgment), I'd like to take a look at the European, especially German,
|
|
graffiti scene.
|
|
It all started in the beginning of the '80s when the first waves
|
|
of graffiti swept over from the States and the first grafs could be seen
|
|
on walls in London and Paris. First, most grafs have been just tags of
|
|
the sprayer, his/her name written on walls in graf style. I wonder, if
|
|
this could be interpreted as marking territory in analogy to animal
|
|
behavior.
|
|
Now I could be trapped as labeling sprayers as animals, but this
|
|
trap should be easily passed by thinking of people who shoot at
|
|
sprayers. Why does Bob Marley's line "It's not the human race, it's just
|
|
a rat race" come to my mind? Anyway, the style of names was also adopted
|
|
from the US, some letters and a number at the end, for example KRS-1.
|
|
Right from the start the connection with rap music was loose.
|
|
Some sprayers are pure artists, some are DJs or MCs in a rap group. The
|
|
thing they had in common was the thrill of illegally spraying on walls
|
|
and articulating things their way. A main point of attraction for
|
|
sprayers are train stations and industrial zones due to the lowered
|
|
probability of running into people having problems with colors on grey
|
|
walls.
|
|
Stars quickly emerged inside the graf scene, and in the last
|
|
several years more and more sprayers have been invited to spray a public
|
|
building officially. The "illegal" art remains, however, and in Germany
|
|
special police task forces are employed to chase down sprayers.
|
|
Usually, the caught sprayers are fined as much as $70,000 (also
|
|
depending on the estimated value of the building they sprayed on). As
|
|
you might guess, many are unable to afford this, and they often go to
|
|
jail for a year on the average.
|
|
Some prominent names among insiders are Can2, Loomit, Gee1
|
|
(Germany) and Mode2 (France). And to all brothers and sisters in Great
|
|
Britain: don't hit me for not mentioning your scene. I hope to visit
|
|
London soon following up with some special pieces on HipHop culture over
|
|
there. "Hip-hop's all around, the members is growing." Digable
|
|
Planets' line applies very well to the graf scene in Germany where more
|
|
and more sprayers come together in posses and try to take their art form
|
|
to the next (hopefully peaceful) levels.
|
|
Is there a special sprayer's greeting and farewell? I don't
|
|
know, but this is always good...
|
|
|
|
PEACE -- Helmut
|
|
|
|
|
|
***C***
|
|
Ryan 'Laze' MacMichael
|
|
----------------------
|
|
|
|
INSIDE SCOOP
|
|
Macka B, Nolan Irie, and Mad Professor: The English Reggae Connection
|
|
|
|
Now, sure, Jamaica is known for it's reggae, but Britain?!?
|
|
Few realize the power of the strong UK reggae scene. Names like
|
|
Tippa Irie and Macka B lead off the DJ set while Mad Professor, an
|
|
absolute genius in the realm of dub (and beyond), takes credit for the
|
|
sweetest production that side of the Atlantic.
|
|
Recently, DJ Macka B, crooner Nolan Irie, and dub king Mad
|
|
Professor made a 5-city showcase tour in the United States that got an
|
|
extremely good response. Two shows in Honolulu, Hawaii (where "Squeeze
|
|
Me" was the #1 single for the *entire* summer) started the tour off, and
|
|
it ended at The Roxy in Washington, DC. I had the opportunity to make a
|
|
night-trip to The Roxy to catch the show, but due to transportation
|
|
problems (namely getting screwed by my ride there two days before the
|
|
show and being forced to take public transportation) I only got to see
|
|
the so-so opening act, local reggae band Blacki Locks. Either I need to
|
|
get a car or convince the Metro to run beyond midnight.
|
|
In any event, though I didn't get to catch the performance I had
|
|
been waiting to see for several months, I did get to speak with Macka B
|
|
and Nolan Irie -- the two vocalists on "Squeeze Me". Here's what came
|
|
down at the upstairs of the noisy Roxy, in a hallway, away from the
|
|
press party:
|
|
|
|
LAZE: I noticed over the last few albums... actually, the last 10 or 11
|
|
albums (laugh)... that you've covered just about the whole gamut of
|
|
political topics. Where are you planning to go from here since you've
|
|
already covered so much material?
|
|
|
|
MACKA B: Well, until we have a perfect world, I will still continue to
|
|
do what I'm doing. It's far from being a perfect world, you know? Even
|
|
though I've covered some things in the past, they got to be covered
|
|
again, 'cause the more the people hear things, not just from me but from
|
|
everybody, the more chance there is of changing things, you know? I'll
|
|
just continue to do what I do. I can't say whether I'm going to do this
|
|
or I'm going to do that -- I get an inspiration, and I just do it. It's
|
|
kept me in good standing up till now, so I'll just keeping doing it.
|
|
|
|
LAZE: Your first number one hit was using the "Invasion Dub" in about
|
|
1986, what got you working with Mad Professor?
|
|
|
|
MACKA B: At the time I was doing some TV work in England, and I was on
|
|
this show. Every week I had to do a topical lyric about something that
|
|
happened in the week. And Professor saw one of these shows and sent a
|
|
message to Birmingham, where I live, and asked if I would do some work
|
|
with him. So I took some of my lyrics down to him and played them to
|
|
him, and he said, "Yeah man,"... he wants to do something definitely.
|
|
So in the next week we got together and he gave me some of his riddims,
|
|
and I put some of my lyrics to his riddim and we came up with the piece
|
|
"Sign of the Times." On the reggae circuit it did very well, number one
|
|
on the reggae charts and those things. People in different countries
|
|
seemed to like it as well. From then, every year we've been doing LPs
|
|
and 45s.
|
|
|
|
LAZE: (to Nolan Irie) Have you worked with Macka B or Mad Professor
|
|
very much previous to this?
|
|
|
|
NOLAN IRIE: Well, I started in Ariwa four years ago where I met Macka
|
|
B. Around '90, '91, '92, '93 time I started to team up with Macka B to
|
|
do a few combinations and stuff. But prior to that I was working with
|
|
Professor for four years, so far, in the studio for my own album which I
|
|
have out called WORK SO HARD. I'm working on a second album right now.
|
|
But me and Macka B generally team up every now and again to do a tune
|
|
for the people. Stuff like "Squeeze Me" or "Here Comes Trouble,"
|
|
whatever vibes take us at the time.
|
|
|
|
LAZE: How have your shows been going so far?
|
|
|
|
MACKA B: They've been going very well. We started in Hawaii and it was
|
|
excellent. "Squeeze Me" was a big hit over there. The reaction was
|
|
great. We did two shows in one day in Hawaii and we went to L.A. and it
|
|
was good as well. And San Francisco and New York. And now Washington.
|
|
|
|
LAZE: Is this your last stop?
|
|
|
|
MACKA B: Yeah, yeah. Then back to England.
|
|
|
|
LAZE: (to Nolan Irie) Are you pleased with how it's been going?
|
|
|
|
NOLAN IRIE: Very pleased.
|
|
|
|
LAZE: (again, to Nolan Irie) Are you from England, too?
|
|
|
|
NOLAN IRIE: I'm from a town around 50 miles away from London. It takes
|
|
me about an hour to get to the studio. I'm quite near to where the
|
|
vibes is happening. But, yeah, I've been here in America. Touring
|
|
around is being excellent and the vibes is being great. And you guys
|
|
(points to me) are being great, too.
|
|
|
|
LAZE: Thanks... have a good show.
|
|
|
|
MACKA B: Alright... respect due.
|
|
|
|
NOLAN IRIE: Thanks a lot, man.
|
|
|
|
Both guys were very polite and wonderful to deal with. Later on
|
|
I accidentally stepped on Macka B's foot (he stands a full foot taller
|
|
than me -- a big, BIG man) and simply got a friendly smile in return.
|
|
And I spoke again shortly with Nolan Irie as he chilled himself out at
|
|
the bar. Respect due to both. I'm quite disappointed I didn't get to
|
|
see the rest of the show or catch up with Mad Professor.
|
|
In any event, the most recent of Macka B's releases,
|
|
DISCRIMINATION (ARI 098) is a very strong political statement, yet at
|
|
the same time fun and entertaining 'cause "the vibes is right." Also
|
|
notable are his other recent releases, HERE COMES TROUBLE (ARI 088)
|
|
which features the single "Squeeze Me" (on CD 5" at ARI 7048), JAMAICA,
|
|
NO PROBLEM? (ARI 078), and BUPPIE CULTURE (ARI 048). Macka B is an
|
|
often overlooked talent on the DJ scene even with his distinctive
|
|
English/Jamaican accent and powerful tracks.
|
|
Mad Professor owns the Ariwa label and has innumerable albums.
|
|
The most recent are his "greatest-hits" of sorts, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD,
|
|
MAD PROFESSOR (ARI 105), BLACK LIBERATION DUB PT. 1 (ARI 095), and THE
|
|
LOST SCROLLS OF MOSES (ARI 087). All are amazing examples of the Mad
|
|
Professor's unique dub ingenuity that have yet to be matched.
|
|
These guys are a very important part of the reggae scene and are
|
|
often overshadowed by dancehall killers like Buju, Mega, Shabba, or Mad
|
|
Cobra. But give them their due respect and check their albums and any
|
|
shows near you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
***D***
|
|
Charles Isbell
|
|
--------------
|
|
|
|
HOMEBOY FROM HELL MONTHLY
|
|
|
|
What? You mean you've already bought it?
|
|
|
|
This time: _The Infamous_ by Mobb Deep
|
|
Next time: _Hiphopera_ by Volume 10
|
|
_Boxcar Sessions_ by Saafir
|
|
_Black Business_ by Poor Righteous Teachers
|
|
Last time: _Holy Terror_ by The Last Poets
|
|
_Non-Fiction_ by Black Sheep
|
|
_Genocide and Juice_ by The Coup
|
|
_Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age_ by Public Enemy
|
|
_Illmatic_ by Nas
|
|
_Hard To Earn_ by Gang Starr
|
|
Catch Ups: _Tricks of The Shade_ by The Goats [Ed. note: Yeah, right.]
|
|
_Straight Outta Compton_ by N.W.A
|
|
_Enta Da Wu Tang (36 Chambers)_ by Wu Tang Clan
|
|
_Cypress Hill_ by Cypress Hill
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Distinctiveness: Shrug.
|
|
Dopeness Rating: In point of fact, this is a solid Phat. But despite
|
|
that I find myself thinking, "Well, so what?"
|
|
Shrug.
|
|
Rap Part: Something about the voices are a bit too, too,
|
|
something, but they *do* have solid skillz and
|
|
every once in a while they get off a strong lyric,
|
|
even if it's about the same ol' thing. Shrug.
|
|
Sounds: Usually phat, but way too familiar. Shrug.
|
|
Predictions: Well, they appear to have blown up.
|
|
Rotation Weight: Apparently, quite heavy... at least for a while.
|
|
Message: Gangsta is still in... even in NYC.
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Tracks: 16 at 67 minutes.
|
|
Label: RCA
|
|
Producers: Exec'd by Mobb Deep, Matt Life and Schott Free
|
|
Profanity: Yep, yep.
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
I get email from a lot of folks about my reviews. Usually, it's to say
|
|
something like "I like your reviews" or "I respect your opinions even
|
|
though I disagree with what you thought about MC so-and-so."
|
|
Sometimes, I actually get letters that border on threatening (usually
|
|
from relatively young men who tell me stuff like "you don't understand
|
|
true hip hop" and "you'd better hope that no one from SomeToughCity,
|
|
USA ever reads your stuff, 'cause you might get beat down").
|
|
|
|
But, like I say, by and large it's fairly positive and I don't seem to
|
|
be universally hated.
|
|
|
|
On the other hand, there are times when I *know* going in that I'm a
|
|
pretty much all alone. For example, I can't stand Nice & Smooth.
|
|
They just grate on me in a way that I can't describe. Since N&S get
|
|
props, I tend to be the only one spouting this opinion at any given
|
|
time.
|
|
|
|
I think this is about to happen again. As far as I can tell Mobb Deep
|
|
is thought to be the shiznit by a whole lot of folks. I think MD is
|
|
pretty good, but there's nothing about them that's spectacular or even
|
|
distinctive or interesting. After listening to them for awhile, all I
|
|
can do is shrug.
|
|
|
|
I mean, check it: I'm not saying that they're bad (not bad meaning
|
|
good, but bad meaning bad), I'm just saying that they're pretty much
|
|
in the middle of the pack in their subgenre. In a time when everybody
|
|
with some skillz has a record contract, it's not enough to be good and
|
|
solid. I want the folks who blow up to either bring something new to
|
|
the table or to do the old stuff pretty damn well. When I load up my
|
|
CD player with five CDs, I don't want to feel like I'm listening to
|
|
one long record by the interchangeable MCs.
|
|
|
|
The folks who make up Mobb Deep are solid, they got skillz, but that's
|
|
all I can say for them.
|
|
|
|
I mean, think about the NBA. Just about all of the players are better
|
|
than everybody else in the world at what they do (or close enough,
|
|
anyway); however, that's just not good enough. Once you make it to
|
|
the NBA, you'd better do *something* more than just be better than
|
|
the folks watching you on TV if you want to get special props.
|
|
|
|
See what I mean?
|
|
|
|
Hmmmm.
|
|
|
|
Let's get this review started.
|
|
|
|
"The Start of Your Ending (41st Side)" is not the obligatory
|
|
introduction. It's actually a song. Five points. Havoc is up
|
|
first.
|
|
|
|
"25? Nah, kid, you're gettin' life
|
|
Forever burnin' in hell
|
|
Niggas is trife
|
|
It's the... semi-auto
|
|
You can bring it on, yo
|
|
I'm pullin' down,
|
|
strippin' niggas just like a porno
|
|
flick, I'm sick"
|
|
|
|
Nice muzak. Prodigy steps up next.
|
|
|
|
"Where you been at?
|
|
You musta cut class
|
|
If it ain't me
|
|
another member of my crew
|
|
will kick your ass
|
|
We do damage to limbs
|
|
In 91 stompin' you out with black timbs"
|
|
|
|
This track is pretty representative of the whole CD. A nice, vaguely
|
|
WTC-like piece of muzak, some folks talking in the background, some
|
|
well-delivered, if straightforward, lyrics with one or two really good
|
|
lines.
|
|
|
|
Can't complain.
|
|
|
|
In "[The Infamous Prelude]", Prodigy takes some time out to explain a
|
|
few things to us, rapper-to-listeners.
|
|
|
|
"So don't ever in your life
|
|
get me confused with some of them other niggas
|
|
that you might see on TV or hear on the radio and such
|
|
Know what I'm sayin'?
|
|
I mean, this is me, P
|
|
I'm speakin' for my f*ckin' self
|
|
When you see me at the show,
|
|
on stage, or on the street
|
|
I definitely, got the gat on me,
|
|
know what I'm sayin'?
|
|
Know what I mean?
|
|
<Sniff>
|
|
It ain't like I'm tryin' to be a tough guy
|
|
Or tryin' to make people think I'm crazy
|
|
by sayin' all this sh*t"
|
|
|
|
"I ain't super nigga
|
|
I'm a little skinny motherf*cker
|
|
It's all about who gets who first, though"
|
|
|
|
I found it pretty ironic, actually, but I'm probably reading far too
|
|
much into it.
|
|
|
|
So, anyway, that brings us to "Survival of the Fittest," one of their
|
|
big hits. Not a bad track, all things considered. Nice muzak, if a
|
|
bit familar and repetitive. Lyrics said with authority.
|
|
|
|
"As long as fiends smoke crack
|
|
I'll be on the block hustling
|
|
countin' my stacks"
|
|
|
|
"But sh*t happens for a reason
|
|
You find who's your true peoples
|
|
when you upstate bleedin'"
|
|
|
|
But they're the same lyrics you heard before, aren't they? Or am I
|
|
just insane?
|
|
|
|
Anyway, this a good release in that it tells you a lot about the
|
|
album. If you really like this song, you'll probably be into the
|
|
whole CD.
|
|
|
|
That brings us to "Eye for an Eye (Your Beef is Mines)". This one
|
|
features Raekwon the Chef and, of course, Nas, last year's NY
|
|
wunderkind.
|
|
|
|
"Let me start at the beginning"
|
|
|
|
"Another war story from a thirsty young hustler
|
|
Won't trust ya, I'd rather bust ya
|
|
And leave ya cold for the cops to discover"
|
|
|
|
Anyway, another solid effort. Good choice o' beat. Nice lyrics.
|
|
Can't say anything bad about it.
|
|
|
|
"[Just Step Prelude]" comes up next. It's about a minute of a
|
|
capella...
|
|
|
|
|
|
"It's all strange
|
|
My niggas locked down
|
|
thinking long-range
|
|
And see they names
|
|
in the Daily News
|
|
third page"
|
|
|
|
...that presumably acts as somewhat of an intro for "Give Up The Goods
|
|
(Just Step)" featuring Noyd. This one's a bit less familar on the
|
|
muzak tip, a bit sparser with even more in-your-face lyrical stylin'.
|
|
|
|
"I can't cope
|
|
with these niggas
|
|
tryin' to shorten my rope"
|
|
|
|
"Know what I mean?
|
|
I'm a natural born hustler
|
|
Won't try to cut ya
|
|
Pull out my 44 and bust ya"
|
|
|
|
I like this one a little more than I do the other tracks so far, but
|
|
I'm not really sure why. It might be the combo of the faster tempo
|
|
behind the otherwise more relaxed muzak. Whatever it is, I kinda
|
|
like it.
|
|
|
|
Similary, "Temperature's Rising" does it for me, as well. Nice
|
|
sample, too (except that drum really gets on my nerves).
|
|
|
|
"Just say ya guilty"
|
|
|
|
It's more of a story that the other tracks and I appreciate the
|
|
effort.
|
|
|
|
"Years ago when we were younger
|
|
Seems the hood took us under"
|
|
|
|
Pretty good. This brings us to "Up North Trip."
|
|
|
|
"Chill for a while,
|
|
make them think the beef's stopped"
|
|
|
|
"Watch the cocaine boil
|
|
Keep my eye on it
|
|
so the sh*t won't spoil"
|
|
|
|
I don't like it. Plain muzak and so-so lyrics that don't go well
|
|
together.
|
|
|
|
"Trife Life" is better. Better sample, too.
|
|
|
|
"Check it out, son
|
|
So we take the gats for precautions
|
|
Plus this trick lives in Brooklyn,
|
|
home of the coffins
|
|
She might got a whole battalion of buck-downers
|
|
waitin' for us to get off the train and surround us.
|
|
Or maybe I'm blowin' the sh*t out of proportion
|
|
But the sh*T do happen to niggas very often
|
|
So f*ck it, a nigga gotta do what he meant to
|
|
'F*ck the world' is my mental"
|
|
|
|
Nothin' new story-wise, but it's told well, so that's fine.
|
|
|
|
"Q.U.-Hectic" has solid muzak. Solid flow. Solid delivery.
|
|
|
|
"Ain't nothin' soft or sweet
|
|
I lift ya off your feet
|
|
When I cock back the heat"
|
|
|
|
It's nothing special, really.
|
|
|
|
"Right Back At You" is a bit more original. I kinda like it. Big Noyd
|
|
and Raekwon return, joining Ghostface Killer (is there any album some
|
|
Wu-Tang Clan member isn't on? Anywhere?).
|
|
|
|
"Imma point the finger
|
|
at all you wannabe gun-slingers
|
|
You got a real ice grill
|
|
but are you really real?
|
|
Step to the hill and
|
|
Imma test your gun skillz
|
|
Cause real niggas don't try to profile
|
|
You just a chump who needs to get drunk to buck wild
|
|
But swing that bullsh*t this way
|
|
and Imma make your vist to the bridge
|
|
a motherf*ckin' short stay"
|
|
|
|
I like it anyway.
|
|
|
|
"[The Grave Prelude]" reminds me of the middle sequence from Cube's
|
|
"Alive on Arrival" off _Death Certificate_.
|
|
|
|
"Don't worry about me, man. Get Boyd."
|
|
|
|
It segues to "Cradle To the Grave"
|
|
|
|
"They locked me up for twelve days
|
|
I can't comprehend
|
|
Now I'm a free man on the streets again
|
|
chasin' St Ides down with some Segram's Gin
|
|
Life is like a dice game and I'm in it to win."
|
|
|
|
"Yo got my mind on a place to hide from police
|
|
sweatin' dogs as I'm runnin' cross 12th street"
|
|
|
|
This is another good one, muzak wise. Otherwise, same story,
|
|
different track.
|
|
|
|
Q-Tip is featured on "Drink Away The Pain (Situations)." It opens
|
|
with a nice little play on the UTFO candy-rhyme from way back when
|
|
with candies replaced by, well, you guess.
|
|
|
|
"You know she drive me crazy
|
|
She's my number one lady
|
|
Met her back in '89
|
|
actin' like she's forty"
|
|
|
|
Anyway, to no one's surprise, Q-Tip is on and the production is all
|
|
good. Muzak is top-notch and the lyrics are much better than usual.
|
|
|
|
"She started gettin' jealous
|
|
Steamed, cause I spent more green on the fellas
|
|
'F*ck them niggas, spend that cheese on me.
|
|
See if they be around when you need p*ssy.'"
|
|
|
|
This brings us to "Shook Ones Pt II". Like "Survival of the Fittest,"
|
|
it's done quite well on the radio/video circuit and has been played to
|
|
death.
|
|
|
|
"Cowards like you
|
|
just get they whole body laced up
|
|
with bullet holes and such
|
|
Speak the wrong words and you will be touched"
|
|
|
|
"And no such things as halfway crooks."
|
|
|
|
Anyway, you've heard the song before. It's pretty good at what it is
|
|
and it's fairly representative of the whole album.
|
|
|
|
Big Noyd returns for the last track, "Party Over." Damn good beat.
|
|
|
|
"My beeper kept beepin'
|
|
the other numbers startin' leakin'
|
|
Who was this on my mind I was thinkin'"
|
|
|
|
And Big Noyd drops serious lyrical bombs this time around.
|
|
|
|
"'But she's cryin' and she says has feelin's and sh*t'"
|
|
|
|
I really like that line.
|
|
|
|
Hmmmm. Well, that's it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bottom line?
|
|
|
|
Well, I like 'em. And if you like the songs you've heard from them so
|
|
far, you won't be disappointed with the CD. You'll listen to it for a
|
|
little while and bob your head when you hear a song on the radio or
|
|
see them on BET. If that makes you happy, then by all means pick up
|
|
the album and be happy. Go forth.
|
|
|
|
Ahhh, but will you grab this CD five years from now when you're
|
|
looking for a semi-classic? Or even a year from now?
|
|
|
|
My guess is: no and no. If you're in a gangsta mood, you'll probably
|
|
pick up _Straight Outta Compton_ or _Amerikkka's Most Wanted_ instead.
|
|
Or maybe _OG_.
|
|
|
|
On the other hand, it's not like every hip hop album you own has to be
|
|
a classic. This is a solid effort and, like I say, if you like the
|
|
releases so far, you won't be upset with the album (as opposed to,
|
|
say, Craig Mack, who had a great single and a compartively weak
|
|
album).
|
|
|
|
I guess I'm saying that they're good. Not great. Not weak-as-hell.
|
|
Good. It's a nice album and probably as good as most of the stuff you
|
|
own. It's not like you'd be buying Hammer or something.
|
|
|
|
There. Glad I could help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
But that's just one Black man's opinion--what's yours?
|
|
|
|
(C) Copyright 1995, Charles L Isbell, Jr.
|
|
|
|
All my Hip Hop reviews are available on the World Wide Web. Use the
|
|
URL: http://www.ai.mit.edu/~isbell/isbell.html and follow the
|
|
pointers....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
***E***
|
|
Jesse Bauer
|
|
-----------
|
|
|
|
THE SINGLES FILE
|
|
|
|
Sunz of Man: "Soldiers of Darkness" b/w "Five Arch Angels"
|
|
|
|
Wu-Tang Records is coming out hard with new group Sunz of Man.
|
|
The crew is very reminiscent of Gravediggaz; both tracks feature
|
|
undoubtedly shaolin beats with an especially eerie twist and horrorcore-
|
|
type rhymes. "Soldiers of Darkness" and the b-side, "Five Arch Angels,"
|
|
are both solid tracks produced by 4th Disciple. Sure, you may at first
|
|
want to say they are copies of other shaolin groups, but when you get
|
|
down to it, the shit is good as hell.
|
|
|
|
The Gza/Genius: "Labels"
|
|
|
|
Another solo bid out of the Wu (although not his first), the
|
|
Genius gives us "Labels" in which he illustrates his hate for record
|
|
companies and their structure. Currently its not available for retail
|
|
sale, but should be out on a B-side sometime in the near future. Check
|
|
out the clever lyrics as the Gza is "hittin' batters up with the Wild
|
|
Pitch style" (notice the reference to the now-extinct label -- RIP).
|
|
The Rza-produced song has both a Gza mix and a Rza mix with original,
|
|
clean, instrumental, and acapella versions included. Both mixes are
|
|
nice.
|
|
|
|
The B.U.M.S: "Take a Look Around" b/w "Rain"
|
|
|
|
Hella mixes are on this 12" for the A-side, but what you really
|
|
need to do is check out "Rain". The cut features Saafir and is produced
|
|
by Joe Quixx. Damn! With the B.U.M.S lyrics like "I bet your body
|
|
jiggle like gelatin / when I crack your vertabraes and extract ya
|
|
endoskeleton", the Saucee Nomad's ill style (my man comes off PHAT on
|
|
his verse) and Joe Quixx rippin it up "on the fader" you could "put 20
|
|
bitches in a circle and you still couldn't fuck around" with it!! A
|
|
must peep!!
|
|
|
|
Special Ed: "Neva Go Back" b/w "Just A Killa"
|
|
|
|
Special Ed finally gives us another one, after years and years
|
|
of waiting. The first single of the new LP is fairly promising. Ed is
|
|
"pumpin' like Donovan, plus a little vicious" on this one with a phat
|
|
sound. Plenty of versions (album, radio, instrumental, and acapella)
|
|
are included on the 12". The only real negative is the B-side featuring
|
|
Bounty Killer. Straight up, the song is BUTT. Still, "Neva Go Back"
|
|
and the fact that it is Special Ed makes it a must.
|
|
|
|
AZ: "Sugar Hill"
|
|
|
|
Phat, melodic beats with fine singing on the part of Miss Jones
|
|
accompany AZ's flow very well. The song definitely makes you think back
|
|
to Nas and "Life's a Bitch" which, of course, isn't too bad of a thing
|
|
to remember. Usually I'm not a fan of singing in my hiphop songs, but
|
|
"Sugar Hill" gets only better because of it...
|
|
|
|
Lin Que: "Let It Fall" b/w "Par Ley"
|
|
|
|
What the hell happened to Lin Que? She is back and she has some
|
|
rough beats and rough rhymes. "Let It Fall" proves she can rap with the
|
|
best of female MCs and after an abscence, is a very pleasant surprise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
***F***
|
|
Ryan "Laze" MacMichael
|
|
----------------------
|
|
|
|
BACK TO THE OLD SCHOOL
|
|
|
|
This month I'm going to take us back... way back...
|
|
Pre-Grandmaster Flash. Pre-Sugarhill Gang. Back to August
|
|
1969. That's when Miles Davis' style-changing BITCHES BREW was
|
|
recorded. Over 90 minutes of some of the weirdest jazz to ever be
|
|
recorded by one of the true masterminds of the music.
|
|
This is one of the hardest albums for old-school Miles' fans to
|
|
digest. It's such a drastic change from MILES SMILES, KIND OF BLUE, and
|
|
especially his earlier BIRTH OF THE COOL work. I had a very tough time
|
|
accepting it when I listened to it a year or so ago. I picked it up
|
|
from the library again, recently, though to give it another listen. I'm
|
|
glad I did. Because even though I love the classic Miles Davis more
|
|
than _anything_, this record changed music as a whole. Everything from
|
|
70's rock (this album eventually led to the TRIBUTE TO JACK JOHNSON
|
|
shortly after) to modern jazz was affected. And today, looking back,
|
|
hip-hop was also affected, even though it was still in it's embryonic
|
|
stages at that time.
|
|
The first cut, "Pharoah's Dance" has such an odd electric feel
|
|
to it that if you can't dig the first two minutes, the rest of the album
|
|
isn't worth the time for you. But at the same time, there are loops
|
|
galore in this first two minutes that have a frighteningly eerie feel to
|
|
them -- eerie enough to give the water samples in "Come Clean" a run for
|
|
their money. This cut is prophetic in the idea that it predicted the
|
|
down, dirty, scummy electric-sounding samples that would be used in hip-
|
|
hop 25 years later.
|
|
The second cut is the title track. This song has perhaps the
|
|
illest bassline one will ever hear -- why it hasn't been sampled I don't
|
|
know (or should I say, before I just sampled it). Then about three
|
|
minutes into the cut come the drums -- they are the backbone of this
|
|
piece of the 27 minute song. A drum roll leads in, and instead of
|
|
dropping a snare on the first down beat, the drummer pauses and hits on
|
|
the upbeat and then moves into a more conventional, yet hip-hoppish
|
|
stutter-style drum set. As I listened to this cut, I started to
|
|
freestyle... it seemed so right. This bit of the song is a break beat
|
|
gone berserk with sounds! Pure flavor.
|
|
"Spanish Key" kicks off with drums and bass that make it sound
|
|
like Curtis Mayfield's going to break out with "Superfly", but then the
|
|
odd Scooby-Dooish wavering keys come in along with seemingly random
|
|
electric piano shots by none other than Chick Corea. Miles' trumpet
|
|
seem a lot more deliberate and on beat than the previous two cuts, which
|
|
helps the organized confusion of this song. About three minutes into
|
|
this one, the flavor drops to strict head-bobbing with a moving bass,
|
|
active drums and noise all over!
|
|
Following is "John McLaughlin", a much shorter cut than any of
|
|
the others on this album. It's a pretty hard cut to dig, to tell the
|
|
truth. There seems to be very little structure to this song except for
|
|
the guitar which knows exactly where it's going (sounds like Eric
|
|
Clapton) -- a totally different direction from the rest of the
|
|
instruments.
|
|
From the get-go "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" sounds like a
|
|
slowed-down, funked-up version of a track that Cypress Hill would be
|
|
rhyming on. This 14-minute groove is fluid. Just jump on the wave and
|
|
ride it. Period.
|
|
Closing out the set is "Sanctuary". Though not especially hip-
|
|
hop sounding, the overpowering Davis trumpet solo has some good sampling
|
|
opportunities.
|
|
So the question I'm asking myself now is: "Where were my
|
|
producer's ears last year?" I guess certain things grow on you as your
|
|
mind expands and you begin to notice early influences in works like
|
|
BITCHES BREW. To tell the truth, maybe Miles should have left Easy Mo
|
|
Bee alone during the Doo-Bop recording and called Wayne Shorter and crew
|
|
back in.
|
|
|
|
|
|
***G***
|
|
Professa R.A.P.
|
|
---------------
|
|
|
|
ROOTS 'N' RAP
|
|
Diggin' in the Crates, part 2: The Meters / Josie Records
|
|
|
|
There's no mistaking Hip-hop's distinctive beat -- boom-bap,
|
|
original rap -- whether it's backing up Heavy D and his Boyz or Sinead
|
|
O'Connor. And when you start to search for the roots of this beat, the
|
|
telltale trail takes you to one of two places -- Memphis, where Booker
|
|
T. and the MG's Al Jackson Jr. sent out a whiff of those funky onions,
|
|
or else a bit further down south -- N'Awlins to be precise -- where
|
|
Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste put sticks to skins and plugged in the original
|
|
live wire of fatback funk with the Meters.
|
|
Modeliste's driving, funk-hop beats are without peer, and have
|
|
made the Meters' Josie Records singles among the most sought after by
|
|
DJ's for years. But the ultimate history of the Meters is as old as
|
|
Crescent City itself, and is tangled up with that first family of funky
|
|
southern soul, the Nevilles. So let's take it on back:
|
|
The Neville brothers had been making music since the mid-50's,
|
|
when Art Neville's vocals on "Mardi Gras Mambo" kicked off his career
|
|
with Hawketts. By the mid-60's, though, he was looking for new avenues
|
|
of creativity, forming a band fronted by brothers Aaron and Cyril that
|
|
was then known as the Neville Sounds. It was this band which brought
|
|
aboard Modeliste, along with George Porter Jr. on bass -- and which
|
|
inspired Art to switch to a Hammond B-3 organ. Guitarist Leo Nocentelli
|
|
filled out the instrumental sound with his combination of well-timed
|
|
solos and burning bits of rhythm.
|
|
While the Neville Sounds honed their skills with regular live
|
|
gigs, it was the instrumental backbone that caught the ears of producer
|
|
Allen Toussaint, who brought them to his Sansu label, where they became
|
|
the in-house band, much as Booker T. and the MG's had up at Stax. At
|
|
Sansu, they backed up artists such as Lee Dorsey, Betty Harris, Irma
|
|
Thomas, and brother Aaron. In 1969, they signed a contract with Josie
|
|
Records and became The Meters, turning out more classics that year than
|
|
most artists do in a decade, among them "Sophisticated Cissy" (Josie
|
|
1001), "Cissy Strut" (Josie 1005), "Ease Back" (Josie 1008), and "Look a
|
|
Py-Py" (Josie 1015). Another standout cut from this period is 1970's
|
|
"Chicken Strut" (Josie 1018), which was picked up by DJ Mark the 45 King
|
|
for Queen Latifah's "Wrath of My Madness."
|
|
What was it that made these tracks so potent, so suggestive, so
|
|
effortlessly funky? Modeliste's drum style is part of the answer, but
|
|
the true reason is deeper than that: everyone in the Meters played
|
|
rhythm. Unlike many other bands of the time, who played all over the
|
|
beat, the Meters accented the drums and built their sounds within
|
|
Modeliste's percussive parsing. The result was something wholly new,
|
|
and though they couldn't have known it at the time, it was a hip-hop
|
|
DJ's dream come true. Any Meters album is a breakbeat album; as Porter
|
|
describes it:
|
|
|
|
"I guess the reason why our tracks are used so much in the hip-
|
|
hop thing is that they were serious rhythm tracks waiting for a
|
|
melody. It was like having a window without the curtains
|
|
because we had nice big, gaping holes in the music."
|
|
|
|
(qtd. in the _Funkify Your Life_ booklet)
|
|
|
|
Seeing the Meters live around 1970 must have been something like
|
|
seeing hip-hop _in utero_; many of these classic tracks (such as "Cissy
|
|
Strut") started out as "break songs" -- that is, instrumentals played
|
|
just before the band took a break, during which Art Neville would tell
|
|
the crowd to stick around, they'd be right back. It had all the
|
|
ingredients of hip-hop except a turntable.
|
|
Within the next couple of years the Meters branched out further,
|
|
filling out a new prescription for funk that was so far ahead of its
|
|
time that no other pharmacy could dispense it. In 1970, way back before
|
|
Bootsy Collins, the Meters were already exhorting their audiences to
|
|
"Stretch Your Rubber Band" over a dense conjunction of pumping drums,
|
|
thumping bass, and alternating keyboards and guitar riffs. "A Message
|
|
from the Meters," recorded that same year, brought social commentary
|
|
together with funky backup in a way that foreshadowed everyone from
|
|
George Clinton to Grandmaster Flash.
|
|
The mid-70's saw more expansion for the Meters, and a major-
|
|
label contract with Warner Brothers/Reprise. For better or worse, this
|
|
contract meant what it still means for all too many groups: less control
|
|
of the final product. Nocentelli, putting it politely, notes in
|
|
retrospect that "at that time, Warner Brothers was very, very
|
|
inexperienced in terms of R&B." The group put in long hours in the
|
|
studio, only to see the results rejected by Warners' staff (check out
|
|
the Rounder records compilation _Good Old Funky Music_ to hear some of
|
|
the "outtakes" from these sessions -- some of the funkiest grooves ever
|
|
committed to tape).
|
|
Eventually, under pressure from all sides, the members of the
|
|
group went their separate ways, though they have reunited on occasion,
|
|
and a version of the group tours today with Art Neville as "The Funky
|
|
Meters," (George Porter is the only other original group member to
|
|
remain in this new configuration). Nocentelli and Modeliste have
|
|
gravitated to Los Angeles, where Nocentelli bases his own namesake band;
|
|
the two have also joined to provide backup for artists such as Earl King
|
|
and Maceo Parker. Modeliste took a turn on drums on Nicky Skopelitis's
|
|
Laswell-produced _Ekstasis_ album, besides his regular gig with the
|
|
Nervis Brothers band. If you listen to his drumming on _Ekstasis_, you
|
|
can hear that it still packs every ounce of funk that it did twenty-six
|
|
years ago, even when buried under new-agey funk-rock guitar.
|
|
In part on account of their relative obscurity, the Meters are
|
|
in the odd position of having samples that are more recognizable than
|
|
the originals. Besides the "Funky Chicken" loop on "Wrath of my
|
|
Madness" mentioned earlier, the Meters have turned up in all kinds of
|
|
surprising places. As far back as 1970, "Look-ka Py Py" generated a
|
|
Jamaican cover version (by the Hippy Boys), and the cross-currents
|
|
between the islands and the Meters remains strong (check out 1972's
|
|
"Soul Island" for the other half of the call-and-response). Del tha
|
|
Funkyhomosapien took a slowed-down loop of "Same Old Thing" for his diss
|
|
track "Same Ol' Thing" (on 1991's "I Wish my Brother George was Here").
|
|
Jam Master Jay cut a snippet of the same track on Run-DMC's "For the
|
|
Maker" on their "Down with the King" album. And K-Cut picked up "Ease
|
|
Back" (along with a snippet from Wilmer and the Dukes, another Sansu
|
|
records act) to help Queen Latifah demonstrate "The Way We Flow."
|
|
In fact, the more you start listening for them, the more Meters
|
|
loops you start to hear -- Salt'n'Pepa, Heavy D & the Boyz, Das EFX, Ice
|
|
Cube, and Big Daddy Kane have all wrapped their rhymes around a Meters
|
|
track or two.
|
|
|
|
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|
|
|
|
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
|
|
|
|
Luckily for all of us, Rhino Records earlier this year issued
|
|
the first anthology to cover the Meters' recordings for both Josie
|
|
Records and Reprise in real depth. The title is "Funkify Your Life: The
|
|
Meters Anthology" (R2 71869), and it fills 2 cd's to the brim with uncut
|
|
N'Awlins funk.
|
|
For those interested in searching out more, the various Charly
|
|
Records releases include most of the Meters' early recordings, as well
|
|
as other configurations of the Neville Brothers; you could start with
|
|
"Legacy: A History of the Nevilles" (CD NEV 001-2), which includes a
|
|
generous helping of the Meters. Rounder Records has also done its
|
|
share, both by re-releasing the Look-ka-Py-Py album (Rounder CD 2103)
|
|
and by issuing the studio tapes that form "Good Old Funky Music"
|
|
(Rounder CD 2104).
|
|
Those interested in a sample of what the Meters sounded like
|
|
live can also check out "Uptown Rulers! Live on the Queen Mary" (Rhino
|
|
R2 70376), a sonic treat recorded in 1975 at an industry party for Paul
|
|
McCartney and Wings (with whom the Meters had recorded on "Venus and
|
|
Mars").
|
|
I'm indebted in this article to Don Snowden for his extensive
|
|
liner notes to "Funkify Your Life," as well as to Gilles Bacon and Clive
|
|
Anderson for discographical and historical information.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section 3 -- THREE
|
|
|
|
|
|
***A***
|
|
Steve 'Flash' Juon
|
|
------------------
|
|
|
|
THE SOURCE -- STRAIGHT SLIPPIN'
|
|
|
|
Here's a quiz for all the hip-hop heads in the internet who
|
|
digest music periodicals the way I snack on Pringles Right Crisps: who
|
|
remembers the following in The Source magazine --
|
|
|
|
1. Regional Reports?
|
|
2. A Top 15 instead of a "Heavy Rotation?"
|
|
3. No fashion spreads?
|
|
4. Record ratings you could actually trust?
|
|
5. Singles got reviewed alongside the albums instead of "Sure Shot
|
|
Singles?"
|
|
6. When Havoc and Prodigy won "Unsigned Hype" before they were Mobb
|
|
Deep?
|
|
7. On the tip of #6, remember when Biggie Smallz won? The Artifacts?
|
|
8. When James Bernard used to "Do the Knowledge?"
|
|
9. When Reginald C. Dennis was in any way involved?
|
|
|
|
Ponder six and seven for a moment. Why have none of the recent
|
|
Unsigned Hype winners gotten large? Back in the days, KRS-ONE and I
|
|
both knew rap would never die, and the hip-hop nation knew The Source
|
|
was truly THE SOURCE for hip-hop music and culture, coast to coast. One
|
|
minute you had an Islamic Summit, the next minute Public Enemy was on
|
|
the cover, and you could find full-length interviews with Heavy D, KMD,
|
|
and 3rd Bass between the same sheets. Those were the days...
|
|
Nowadays, however, The Source can't seem to get anything right.
|
|
In fact, they look and read more like an 8th grade suburban hip-hop
|
|
wannabe. This magazine, once the bible of hip-hop, now seems unable to
|
|
keep the difference between tracks on an NWA LP and on their EP straight
|
|
(just check their Eazy-E post mortem).
|
|
Speaking of Eazy, how many times did they put him or Luke on the
|
|
cover in the past 18 months? And what about somebody a little more
|
|
deserving like Pharcyde or Brand Nubian? GOOD LUCK. I should have
|
|
known better the first time TLC graced an issue.
|
|
And since when did I care about what gear the most upwardly
|
|
mobile hip-hop head could afford to wear? My perspective is that I'd
|
|
rather wear torn jeans, a ratty hat, and some ass-out faded dungy gray
|
|
Nike's than sport all the shit they show in the magazine and have NO
|
|
money for my hip-hop music. Who's with me on this? Did you really want
|
|
to look at some Michael Jackson impersonator giving Karl Kani another
|
|
free ad? I don't give a FUCK about that shit (and that's word to Vibe
|
|
magazine too).
|
|
We've all known it ever since the staff walked because Almighty
|
|
RSO threatened their way into an issue. Still, the words need to be
|
|
said, and to those hip-hop journalists, personalities, and fans
|
|
everywhere who read HardC.O.R.E., I'm putting it out there for everyone
|
|
to see: The Source is STRAIGHT SLIPPIN'.
|
|
And do me a favor -- somebody tell that wack-ass samlove@aol.com
|
|
that you do NOT subscribe to HardC.O.R.E. by e-mailing the guys in
|
|
charge at their old, cancelled e-mail addresses. Why didn't he come to
|
|
THE MAN with the facts instead of reprinting facts from a year-old
|
|
subscription drive? These guys check facts about as well as Biggie
|
|
checks his figure.
|
|
When my subscription runs out, I'm letting it. If your
|
|
subscription is running out, do yourself a favor and do the same.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section 4 -- FOUR
|
|
|
|
****************************************************************************
|
|
|
|
THE OFFICIAL HARDC.O.R.E. REVIEW SECTION
|
|
|
|
The pH scale
|
|
|
|
6/pHat -- EE-YOW!! A hip-hop classic!
|
|
5/pHunky -- Definitely worth the price of admission.
|
|
4/pHine -- Pretty good, give it a listen.
|
|
3/pHair -- Some potential here, but it's not fully realized.
|
|
2/pHlat -- Falls far short of a quality product.
|
|
1/pHlat -- Get that Vanilla Lice shit outta here!
|
|
|
|
****************************************************************************
|
|
|
|
|
|
***A***
|
|
Steve 'Flash' Juon
|
|
------------------
|
|
CATALYST ENTERTAINMENT 12's
|
|
|
|
Things have kind of been on slow and low lately from my man
|
|
Marc, but I still gotta give my props where props is due for the free
|
|
shit and the good shit he keeps hooking me up with. That said, the
|
|
remix 12" of Funkdoobiest's "Dedicated" is *all* that.
|
|
Both remixes are on the money, my favorite being the Funkmaster
|
|
Flex version, although Jazzy Jeff's slice will probably get the most
|
|
radio play, and it's the only remix that also includes an instrumental.
|
|
If you haven't heard the original version of this track, it uses the
|
|
familiar Roy Ayers loop from "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" and speaks
|
|
of the homies who have fallen, gone, or moved on. The lyrics haven't
|
|
changed for these new versions, but the music is as good if not better.
|
|
Funkdoobiest remixes are never a dissapointment, which is one of the
|
|
best things the group had to their credit despite a somewhat mediocre
|
|
debut LP.
|
|
However, I think I can wholeheartedly recommend their new LP
|
|
"Brotha's Doobie" despite the fact it probably won't have the cool
|
|
remixes, and I look forward to Marc sending me a copy to review. Peace.
|
|
|
|
pH rating - 5/pHunky
|
|
|
|
|
|
***B***
|
|
Professa R.A.P.
|
|
---------------
|
|
CHANNEL LIVE, "Station Identification"
|
|
(Capitol)
|
|
|
|
MAD LION, "Real Ting"
|
|
(Weeded/Nervous)
|
|
|
|
Without question, KRS-ONE is one of the most formidable MC's on
|
|
the planet. From "Criminal Minded" to "Return of the Boom Bap," the
|
|
Blastmaster has ruled non-stop, and while other rappers from the mid-
|
|
80's are all "Outta Here," Kris just keeps getting stronger, as his mind-
|
|
bending freestyle "Ah Yeah" (on the "Pump Ya Fist" compilation) proves.
|
|
A few months ago, I read about someone who called a bunch of rappers on
|
|
the telephone and asked them to drop a freestyle on the spot -- it came
|
|
as no surprise that KRS-ONE was the only one who met the challenge.
|
|
Kris's production skills, however, are another story. His
|
|
efforts for former members of the BDP posse, such as Ms. Melodie and
|
|
Sista Harmony, were lackluster at best, and parts of the H.E.A.L. album
|
|
were downright embarrassing (no disrespect, Kris -- but hearing you and
|
|
Michael Stipe bouncing off each other along with Harmony's tuneless
|
|
vocals has gotta be one of the all-time low-marks of music in general,
|
|
never mind hip-hop). With dancehall tracks, KRS -- one of the first
|
|
rappers to drop some ragga flavor -- has fared better. He seems to be
|
|
at his best when he finds a collaborator -- like Shabba Ranks -- who has
|
|
enough lyrical prowess to fill out the raw ghetto sound he favors.
|
|
So it was with some trepidation that I picked up two recent
|
|
releases -- Channel Live's "Station Identification" and Mad Lion's "Real
|
|
Ting" -- both produced by KRS-One. Sure, "Mad Izm" was the bomb, and
|
|
Mad Lion's "Take It Easy" had been ringin' in my ears for months -- but
|
|
I wasn't sure what whole KRS-produced albums would sound like in the
|
|
'95...
|
|
I have to say I am impressed. Where others looking to blend hip-
|
|
hop and dancehall sounds have failed, Kris has prevailed, while at the
|
|
same time droppping an incredible variety of unheard-of beats with
|
|
Channel Live. I think it's safe to say that he'll be a candidate for
|
|
best producer in next year's New Jack Hip-Hop Awards. In a time of
|
|
faceless funk and production-line junk, Kris's new sound offers everyone
|
|
else a free tutorial on how to do it right.
|
|
|
|
I'll start with Mad Lion, since it's been in the works the
|
|
longest. I'll never know what it is with the recording industry, that
|
|
it takes over a year to follow up chart-busting singles with an album,
|
|
and this disc was delayed over and over in the shifting sands of the
|
|
spring lineup. I was almost beginning to forget what I was waiting for,
|
|
but hearing the new single "Own Destiny" on the "New Jersey Drive"
|
|
soundtrack reminded me. With gunshots ricocheting like Prince Buster in
|
|
Dallas, Texas ("This is a hold up!"), the Lion got lyrics in gear and
|
|
bounced off everything from Tenor Saw to I-Roy, a tour-de-force few
|
|
dancehall artists could muster. So when "Real Ting" dropped, I was
|
|
waiting in line.
|
|
Kris kicks it right off with the old boom bap: "Betcha didn't
|
|
know we was comin' like this!" "'Ow does it feel?" Not bad, for starts.
|
|
Then the Lion runs into "Double Trouble":
|
|
|
|
Double Trouble
|
|
That's what ya get when my blood pressure bubble
|
|
Dis ting'll get ya body turned into rubble
|
|
Ya never were cool, ya never were humble
|
|
Now its time fe de bad boys, dem rumble
|
|
|
|
The Lion's voice flows over #1 brother Kenny Parker's bass-heavy
|
|
riddim like boiling coffee on a hot stovetop; unlike some dancehall
|
|
rhymers (who sound as though they gargle with Drano to try to crawl down
|
|
into Buju Banton's vocal range), Mad Lion has a lot of tune in his
|
|
grumble, and uses it to full effect. He throws down challenge after
|
|
challenge, from the gangsta rhymes of "See a Man Face" to "Shoot to
|
|
Kill." The only sour note is a pointless paean to the 9mm, "Nine on my
|
|
Mind," in which the Lion flexes his "singing" skills a bit too far.
|
|
More to my liking is "That's All We Need," which opens with a
|
|
snippet of Tenor Saw stylee, followed by some madd lyrics wrapped around
|
|
a chanted chorus like fingers around a blunt:
|
|
|
|
Mad hip-hop
|
|
Reggae and weed
|
|
That is all the real niggaz dem need
|
|
|
|
It flows perfectly into the fast-paced ricochets of "Own
|
|
Destiny," which melds with equal ease into the similarly flavored
|
|
"Crazy." Hearing the singles in the context of the whole album, you
|
|
have to give Mad Lion major props for versatility in a form where it's
|
|
hard to tell one growler from another. KRS brings it all to another
|
|
level with his production skills, making "Big Box of Blunts," into a
|
|
perfect blend of hip-hop and dancehall sound, and comes to front with
|
|
"Bad Luck"
|
|
|
|
Yes, without a fraction of a doubt
|
|
Chillin'
|
|
Know what I'm sayin'?
|
|
Big respect, Bronx in the house
|
|
Know what I'm sayin'?
|
|
Brooklyn, 'nuff respect
|
|
Uptown!
|
|
You know what time it is!
|
|
This is that hard, hard hard CORE!
|
|
|
|
Word. The raw ghetto sound is in full effect here, and Mad Lion
|
|
takes the occasion to toss out his resume:
|
|
|
|
I 'member back in the days when Mad Lion wasn't paid
|
|
Bad boy from Brooklyn with the flat-top fade
|
|
Reggae artists go through all the same shit
|
|
If you ain't got no name, people cyan't get wid it
|
|
Everyone's a music critic, tellin' you the way to go
|
|
Now it's Mad Lion rippin' live show and radio
|
|
On the radio, just like a jam comedy hour
|
|
If ya say ya wack, well ya gotta go
|
|
Ya know, I'm weeded, I'm definitely heated
|
|
The chorus you'll repeat it, repeat it, repeat it!
|
|
|
|
Hip-hip glock glock, you're inna bad luck
|
|
Test my line and get fucked!
|
|
|
|
It's the kind of track that gets under your skin bit by bit,
|
|
'till you don't even need a tape to hear it -- your head will be noddin'
|
|
in your sleep.
|
|
Then the title track rolls up with its catchy counterpoint
|
|
between Lion's roars and Marlon Steward's smooth vocals, which should
|
|
give groups like the Born Jamericans a run for their money. In fact,
|
|
thinking of the Jamericans, you start to realize how deeply Lion is
|
|
steeped in Jamaican sound; I kept having to remind myself that he's from
|
|
Brooklyn. Hearing the creeping grooves of "Take It Easy" once again,
|
|
it's clear that KRS-One's production and the Lion's non-stop flow are
|
|
both part of the equation; together, they take both hip-hop and
|
|
dancehall to the next plateau. Kris's funky boom-bap minimalism draws
|
|
on the best of the current crop of Jamaican sounds, even as it remains
|
|
totally New York, and if the Lion stalks closer to the city than the
|
|
Yard, it doesn't show in his high-decibel growls. The whole tape is
|
|
butter from start to finish, and though you've probably heard a few of
|
|
these tracks before, you won't mind hearing them again.
|
|
|
|
Channel Live is one of those straight-outta-nowhere success
|
|
stories that shows that, at least some of the time, skills alone *will*
|
|
prevail. The story is that Hakim and Tuffy met KRS-ONE at one of his
|
|
H.E.A.L. lectures and gave him a copy of their tape. Ya gotta admit, it
|
|
takes nerve to do, but it worked; KRS himself sat down with these
|
|
brothers and produced a new demo, which landed them a contract with
|
|
Capitol Records. Remaining on as producer -- and lyrical counterpoint
|
|
on "Mad Izm" and "What! (Cause and Effect)," Kris lent Channel Live the
|
|
kind of doctor-assisted sucka-cide not too many young rappers get.
|
|
After hearing them trade rhymes with him, the only question is whether
|
|
they can kick it on their own -- and the rest of the tracks they prove
|
|
that they can.
|
|
That's not to say that it's all even. "Station Identification"
|
|
and "Sex for the Sport" feature Rheji Burrell's smooth-with-a-creepy
|
|
edge production, and the rhymes are up to the task -- though nothing too
|
|
special. "Lock It Up," "Alpha and Omega," and "Homicide Ride" showcase
|
|
Fugees backup man Salaam Remi, who digs a bit deeper in the crates; his
|
|
jazzy loops on "Lock It Up" have a 'Midnight Marauders' kinda feel, and
|
|
his spooky piano on "Alpha and Omega" evokes a horrorcore landscape that
|
|
matches the lyrics perfectly.
|
|
Ultimately, though, the production on this album suffers from
|
|
the smorgasbord effect, and it's the Blastmaster's back-to-basics sound
|
|
that gives the album its underlying unity. For instance, on "What!
|
|
(Cause and Effect)," Hakim drops the message over one of the funkiest
|
|
beats on the disc (listen for the samples from the Meters' "Handclapping
|
|
Song"):
|
|
|
|
Modern day slaves makin' the trade for the riches
|
|
Our bruthas ain't niggaz and our sistas ain't bitches
|
|
Mental psychosis, negative osmosis,
|
|
Yo, I be a pimp with some new type hoe shit
|
|
|
|
Which leads right into "Mad Izm," which has already blown up,
|
|
and "Reprogram," which is about to. It's some strong stuff:
|
|
|
|
I and me, don't try me, G
|
|
I rip tha beef off ya back
|
|
Ya fuckin' with the Lion and me
|
|
I got juice, for suits or groups
|
|
That wanna stoop to get slowed down like parachutes
|
|
Rippin' shit, my flavor kicks like En Vogue hits
|
|
So hold on, ya never ever fuckin' get it
|
|
|
|
Damn. After these tracks, you start to think these guys can do
|
|
anything. "Sex for the Sport" keeps the flow going, and "Down Goes the
|
|
Devil" provides the best fuck-tha-police drama since Ice Cube went
|
|
fishing for cops with donuts in "Say Hi to the Bad Guy":
|
|
|
|
I walk around maintaining, not to be a rebel
|
|
But everywhere I look or go, there's another devil
|
|
He plays a role, like ya down, faker than an actor
|
|
Before he gets to me, I'm trackin' down the damn cracker
|
|
I got madd stress, I can't take it no more
|
|
Day after day, devils follow me through the stores
|
|
Like my pores, it's sweatin' me and upsettin' me
|
|
I don't steal, but I'll wet cha G, just for testin' me
|
|
I always be looking in the mirror of my Land Rover
|
|
See-uh, the Oversee-uh, pulls me ovah
|
|
Just 'cos I got a Jeep with a fat system
|
|
Put down ya gun, we'll go toe to toe mista!
|
|
|
|
Hakim and Tuffy share KRS-One's revolutionary ethic, and their
|
|
channels transmit more reality than most "reality" rappers can handle;
|
|
it's not about packin' a gun, it's about knowing the real enemy: the
|
|
capitalistic bourgeois system.
|
|
On other cuts, though, this political awareness seems to slip a
|
|
bit; "Alpha and Omega," with Remi's catchy but predictable horrorcore
|
|
loops and its twilight-zone lyrics, comes off like a rerun on Nick at
|
|
Nite, and "Homicide Ride" (another Remi track), despite its vivid brain-
|
|
splattering imagery, goes past the point of pointlessness in an effort
|
|
to drop showy metaphors.
|
|
Ultimately, though, you have to acknowledge that these are two
|
|
talented kids who can really bust some knowledge, even in a time when
|
|
it's almost going out of style. They should watch out, though, that
|
|
they don't stray too far from their Teacha -- consciousness can
|
|
evaporate all too quickly on the music-industry hot plate.
|
|
|
|
pH level (for both albums) -- 5/pHunky
|
|
|
|
|
|
***C***
|
|
N.A.Smith@bradford.ac.uk
|
|
------------------------
|
|
COLLAPSED LUNG, "Jackpot Goalie"
|
|
(Decepetive Records)
|
|
|
|
"Who the HELL is Collapsed Lung?" you may well be asking
|
|
yourselves. God only knows, but they've got an excellent band name.
|
|
The band Collapsed Lung is a mixture of rap and rock. The only
|
|
similar type of band to compare them with is Senser, although Collapsed
|
|
Lung is perhaps not as hardcore. They previously dropped one 12 inch
|
|
("Chainsaw Wedgie") and an EP ("Thunderslyinvacar") before this album,
|
|
which was released on April 4th in the U.K. and met with lukewarm
|
|
reviews from this country's reviewers. This is a mixture of styles.
|
|
Some songs have excellent funky bass lines whilst others are straight
|
|
out mosh pit anthems.
|
|
Interested?? Read on...
|
|
The first tune is called "Maclife intro", and indeed is just
|
|
that. Loads of samples overlaying a loud bass line. Then kicks in
|
|
"Maclife". This is perhaps the most hip-hop oriented track, with the
|
|
rapper's (can't remember his name, sorry) smooth raps complementing the
|
|
drums and guitars. The Lyrics are a bit questionable in the sense that
|
|
they make no sense (e.g. "Gotta hand it to the bandits/It's a gambit but
|
|
their skin is all the thicker/Nicely into a Cherrypicker"). I suppose
|
|
if you like the Pharcyde then you'll dig this.
|
|
The following two tracks "Down with the plaid fad" and "East my
|
|
goal" have both been labeled by the Melody Maker as "dead cert singles"
|
|
and will go down well with the British indie seen (currently obsessed
|
|
with bands such as Blur and Blur). They are hardcore with thrashing
|
|
guitars and smashed up drums and have excellent chanting capabilities
|
|
(like "Jump Around" by House of Pain). It's hard to keep your feet on
|
|
the ground while listening to these two!
|
|
The fifth track is called "Interactive" and is about the
|
|
Internet. It was made for a Channel 4 television program called
|
|
Equinox) and features the talents of Anne Anxiety Bandex. The rapper's
|
|
smooth lyrics put together with the female's well-sung chorus makes this
|
|
a laid back number which is reminiscent of the Stereo MC's.
|
|
The album from here on in gets a little played with the same
|
|
styles appearing again repeatedly. Two tracks worthy of a mention are
|
|
"Burn Rubber Burn" and "Dis MX" which are both brilliant jump-up-and-
|
|
down-lots-and-get-very-sweaty songs.
|
|
Overall, I liked the album, even though I thought it wasn't as
|
|
good as their first releases. I imagine it will be one that grows on me
|
|
(such as Ill Communication by the Beastie Boys). It's not exactly
|
|
relaxing music but would be good at a party of the "Come-Up" or when
|
|
your on the way out to get pissed. Oh, and the lyrics are funny as
|
|
fuck!: "The only gangsters I know sit outside the Baptist Church and
|
|
drink Tango."
|
|
|
|
pH Level -- 4/pHine
|
|
|
|
|
|
***D***
|
|
Steve 'Flash' Juon
|
|
------------------
|
|
EAST COAST TRIBE, "Bassment Tape '95"
|
|
(Bahari Records)
|
|
|
|
Why hasn't this label gotten large yet? They've got to be
|
|
getting pretty massive in Atlanta by now. I remember when they put out
|
|
"33 1/3 First Day of School" and their roster consisted of two or three
|
|
artists. Now their roster has fairly well known small hip-hop artists
|
|
like Natural, Reign of Terror, J. Bond and DJ Goldfinger, and MUCH more.
|
|
After a short intro, B-Right (yeah, that same brotha who wrote
|
|
about Bob Marley for HardC.O.R.E.'s Feb/Mar issue) drops some serious
|
|
science on "Fight 4 Watcha Stand 4." Tossing up a nice mix of serious
|
|
MC mind development with a little reggae toasting, he comes off with KRS-
|
|
ONE flavor over a piano type loop. Yeah, I can dig it...
|
|
I think we all remember Martay talking about Natural from his
|
|
monthly column on Atlanta, well here she drops much flavor on two cuts --
|
|
"True Indeed" and "Just Don't Get It", one per side. For my money, this
|
|
girl could take on Hurricane G in a one on one and come out on the top.
|
|
Better yet, I'd like to see them in a duet together -- could be SMOOVE.
|
|
She could use some better beats though. Calling DJ Premier?
|
|
"No One is Safe" from the Reign of Terror, as they put the
|
|
horror into hip-hop the way it *should* be done. Keep an eye out for
|
|
their full length LP, coming to a record store near you soon -- should
|
|
be Halloween meets the Crypt Keeper meets Onyx meets Atlanta.
|
|
Yeah, Martay's cut is aight, but I sweat the beat more than his
|
|
flow (sorry bro). J Bond and DJ Goldfinger have got some smooth flavors
|
|
going in "J on my Mind." I've been told their album is Bass type shit
|
|
but this cut is one to groove to, real slow-like, not bump and grind
|
|
with. If their album was like this they'd give Big Daddy Kane a run for
|
|
hip-hop dons of the slow dance song.
|
|
To be honest their are weak points to this sampler. I'm not
|
|
checking for 'jerome' (damn Boyz II Men wanna-be mark), Rhythmlord, or
|
|
the Warridue Kids. None of their shit on the first or the second side
|
|
of this Bahari Sampler impresses me, but I suppose it's a good sign that
|
|
this label can afford to sign some great acts and have a few mediocre
|
|
ones as filler.
|
|
All in all, though, the future of this label is bright. If
|
|
somebody offers you a copy of this tape, it's worth the time -- as are
|
|
most of their artists.
|
|
|
|
pH rating - 5/pHunky
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
***E***
|
|
Professa R.A.P.
|
|
---------------
|
|
FUN^DA^MENTAL, "Seize The Time"
|
|
(Beggars Banquet/Mammoth/Atlantic)
|
|
|
|
[Editor's note: An earlier, 2-CD import version of these recordings was
|
|
reviewed a while back in Vol. 2 of HardC.O.R.E., but since these
|
|
brothers have now released their work in the U.S. on a 1-disc version on
|
|
Mammoth, it seemed like a good time to remind everyone that missed them
|
|
the first time that they're still in full effect.]
|
|
|
|
Fun^da^mental has been called the UK's answer to Public Enemy,
|
|
and with good reason. Their uncompromising assaults on racism, their
|
|
militant Islamic rhymes, and even their dense wall-of-noize mix brings
|
|
to mind the glory days of "It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us
|
|
Back." Yet something is very different too; instead of the funky
|
|
drummer, the beats are a blend of bhangra and hip-hop, with tablas
|
|
joining the cymbals, and the mix includes Islamic quwaali chants along
|
|
with flutes, digerdoos, and something called the Vox Daraaboca. It's a
|
|
unique blend, born of the UK's intersecting diasporas of Pakistan,
|
|
India, Africa, and the Caribbean that has recently given birth to such
|
|
artists as Apache Indian, Transglobal Underground, and Marxman.
|
|
Yet despite the intensity of the music and lyrics, the fusion
|
|
doesn't always work, which can make listening to the album all the way
|
|
through a frustrating experience. I can't quite put my finger on it --
|
|
but let's take it track by track, and have a look at the what works and
|
|
what doesn't.
|
|
"Dog-Tribe" opens with a threatening answering-machine message
|
|
from a British skinhead: "You communist nigger-loving Paki thumps, you
|
|
fucking dickers, we're gonna 'ang you for burning the British flag!" In
|
|
response, Fun^da^mental kicks some potent rhymes over a supercharged
|
|
bhangra beat:
|
|
|
|
The dog tribe seeks the skin and puts them in a pound
|
|
Retaliate and you'll be six feet underground
|
|
Pushin' up daisies, 'cause the devil sent you to tame me
|
|
But you can't face me
|
|
|
|
Ya see, I grips mics, wrecks mics,
|
|
Condition my mind to finally come to terms
|
|
Anyway, wake up, wake up, 'cos I'm on a self-defense vibe
|
|
Never down, but always with the tribe
|
|
|
|
It's a lyrical toe-to-toe, and Fun^da^mental pulls no punches.
|
|
Picking up on the momentum, "Seize the Time" loops a Malcolm X speech
|
|
and builds itself within the phase-shifted rhythm of its words: "You
|
|
ain't never never never never NEVER seen the wrath of the black man!":
|
|
|
|
They don't like anybody like me
|
|
X was in the X, Luther King was next
|
|
But they're only two from millions
|
|
My people been treated like aliens
|
|
Los Angeles was just a rehearsal
|
|
First we come looting, next we'll be shooting
|
|
Here comes another Huey P. Newton ...
|
|
|
|
This could easily be Paris or Chuck D here, except for the
|
|
British accent and the tablas and flutes in the background. Veteran
|
|
mixmaster Aki Nawaz (who, with Ian Astbury, founded The Cult back in the
|
|
early '80's) brings it all together in one massive wall of noise, and
|
|
when it works, it WORKS.
|
|
The next track, "Mera Mazab" takes an eerier, dub-like beat and
|
|
lays down some serious Islamic shit:
|
|
|
|
The devil operating through the media
|
|
Morality replaced with hysteria
|
|
You say money is everything and money makes the world go
|
|
Down, down, down, Quilh uallahu shadh
|
|
You go for yours, 'cos I'm in Jihad
|
|
|
|
As this song reaches its climax, the impassioned voice of a
|
|
Quwaali singer -- it sounds as though it could be Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
|
|
himself -- enters into the mix, and adds another level of intensity.
|
|
Unlike American groups whose "Allah U Akbar" is all too often just a
|
|
slogan in the mix, these guys are serious about their religion.
|
|
Still, as you listen on to the later tracks, the knowledge gets
|
|
buried deeper and deeper under a dense soup of vocal samples, multi-
|
|
layered drums, sirens, tablas, and noise. It works, but it starts to
|
|
grate on your nerves after a while. After all, even Public Enemy didn't
|
|
mix *every* cut as dense as "Terrordome."
|
|
There are some other standout tracks, though -- "No More Fear,"
|
|
which is about as close to a New York hip-hop beat as Fun^da^mental
|
|
gets, "New World Order," with its funky dub bassline, and "Mother
|
|
India," which works hard to be a womanist manifesto (though too many of
|
|
the women it praises seem to be famous mainly for their selfless
|
|
sacrifices to lovers or spouses). It's a different kind of groove, but
|
|
once you get deep enough into it, it can take you to some low down
|
|
interior planes you didn't even know existed. Fans of African Head
|
|
Charge, transglobal underground, or Marxman will feel right at home, and
|
|
even if the beats are unfamiliar the message is as strong and
|
|
uncompromising as they come. As hip-hop increasingly becomes an
|
|
international music, the kinds of fusions accomplished by Fun^Da^Mental
|
|
may well hold the future of rap music as the rhythm of resistance:
|
|
|
|
The white man fights for his so-called land
|
|
But that so-called land belongs to us
|
|
The original people of the land
|
|
So rise, rise, Aborigine, rise
|
|
Rise up, rise native tribes of America, rise
|
|
Rise, South America, rise Kayappa
|
|
Take what is rightfully yours
|
|
Rise against materialism, capitalism
|
|
Take what is yours by any means necessary ...
|
|
|
|
As the album ends, a the sound of a clock ticking drifts up
|
|
through the layers of the mix, finally standing alone, a reminder that,
|
|
as the Last Poets say, "Time is Running Out." So seize it.
|
|
|
|
pH Level -- 4/pHine
|
|
|
|
|
|
***F***
|
|
Professa R.A.P.
|
|
---------------
|
|
HERBIE HANCOCK, "Dis Is Da Drum"
|
|
(Mercury)
|
|
|
|
Back in the day, Herbie Hancock earned his place in the history-
|
|
books of Jazz with his work with the Miles Davis Quartet, as well as a
|
|
series of solo albums that pushed the sonic envelope of jazz. Over the
|
|
latter part of his career, he's charted his own course, often offending
|
|
highbrow Jazz aficionados who thought anything too funky could threaten
|
|
Jazz's status as serious music.
|
|
Starting in 1973 with "Headhunters," Hancock broke out into a
|
|
whole new aural world of possibilities, leaving aside the piano for an
|
|
ever-widening array of electronic keyboards and giving purists heart
|
|
attacks left and right. Hip-hop heads will remember 1983's "Rockit,"
|
|
which brought Hancock together with Grandmaster DST by way of producer
|
|
Bill Laswell, and in the intervening years Hancock has continued his
|
|
eclectic course; most recently he was heard on the "Red, Hot and Blue"
|
|
compilation providing funky backup for the smoky vocals of MeShell
|
|
Ndege'Ocelllo on "Nocturnal Sunshine."
|
|
Yet in the meantime, hip-hop-jazz collaborations have multiplied
|
|
like tribbles, ranging from the serious shit of Guru's "Jazzmatazz" and
|
|
Greg Osby's "3-D Lifestyles" to the cut-and-paste hip-jazz readymades of
|
|
US3's "Cantaloop" and the elegant but too often sleep-inducing tracks of
|
|
DJ Premier & Branford Marsalis's "Buckshot LeFonque."
|
|
Hancock, though, is not one to be daunted by anything that could
|
|
be called a trend. It's clear from the outset of "Dis is da Drum" that
|
|
he's been doing this shit for years, and is taking it just where *he*
|
|
wants to take it. The result is not a rap record (the only rap on this
|
|
disc, Boo-Yaa rhymer "Roc" Griffin's effort on "The Melody," is earnest
|
|
but clunky), but it has hip-hop sound and hip-hop attitude, and on a
|
|
musical level outpaces almost anything done so far in this genre
|
|
(exception: the Roots, who make live jazz and live rap come together).
|
|
As Griffin asks:
|
|
|
|
Now tell me How many individuals would take a chance
|
|
on the sound of the streets? Let the funky beat enhance,
|
|
makin' music with the hip-hop script,
|
|
so take a sip...
|
|
|
|
It's a sip, though -- not a big gulp. While the combination of
|
|
acoustic piano and funky bass and samples on the kickoff track "Call it
|
|
'95" is definitely phat, and the Afrocentric beats of the title track
|
|
raise the ante again, the rest of the record falls short of expectations --
|
|
mine, at least. Griffin -- who besides his turn as a rapper does much
|
|
of the sampling and sequencing here, is an innovative producer, but he's
|
|
no live DJ. The absence of someone who could really cut things up
|
|
street-style, like Grandmaster DST, is felt throughout, and it would
|
|
have added something to invite some more current rappers down to flex
|
|
their skills with Hancock and his funky jazz crew. Can you imagine
|
|
Redman whopping it up over Hancock's funky piano? How about Q-Tip?
|
|
As it is, the feel is more studio than street, though the sounds
|
|
are funky the flow is a bit too laid-back to make many heads nod. For
|
|
sheer lushness and musical virtuosity, though, it's an aural treat for
|
|
your headphones, and it's much closer to the pulse of Afrocentricity in
|
|
the '90's than most of the desicated hemming and hawing of so much
|
|
contemporary jazz. There are moments, at least -- like the lowdown bass
|
|
and African polyrhythms of "Juju" -- that pump a funk as deep as
|
|
anything out there today -- it's only too bad we'll have to wait for
|
|
someone else to sample them to find out their true hip-hop potential.
|
|
|
|
pH Level -- 4/pHine
|
|
|
|
|
|
***G***
|
|
Ryan "Laze" MacMichael
|
|
----------------------
|
|
J. BOND AND DJ GOLDFINGER, "Bass Booty Mission"
|
|
(Bahari)
|
|
|
|
It's always bad news when the best cut on an album is the Intro.
|
|
It's also bad of me to judge an album so harshly without some back up.
|
|
And no, it's not *that* bad. It's just that "Bass Booty
|
|
Mission" suffers from what every bass album since 1988 has: they all
|
|
sound the same! "Bass Booty Mission" starts off with a positive-
|
|
sounding intro, there's a nice Marvin Gaye loop with a couple emcees
|
|
just coming off. But then we go into the first full cut, the title
|
|
track. Even though it has an alright sample hooked up, it begins what
|
|
is a long, tedious set of Cool Rock and Chaszy Chess drum loops and
|
|
samples and those monotonous "pop that coochie" and "tootsie roll"
|
|
chants.
|
|
But that's from a hip-hop perspective. And from that
|
|
perspective I was severely disappointed and bored in general (with the
|
|
exceptions of a couple of samples, which I have a feeling that Cue
|
|
hooked up, and not DJ Trans). However, to be fair, I should also look
|
|
at this with a bass-music eye. So let me slip on my down-south shades
|
|
and check out what I see.
|
|
"Bass Booty Mission" follows other bass albums sporting a cover
|
|
with much ass as well as using the words "bass" *and* "booty" in the
|
|
title. Fortunately, it is a good party album with some chants that I
|
|
see as working well in the clubs in the deep south, much like the 69
|
|
Boyz or 95 South (though I give J. Bond and crew a slight one-up on
|
|
them). Though it is far from the originality of a Magic Mike album
|
|
here, the more hip-hop flavored cuts stir up the mix of styles a little
|
|
bit making for something that is at least a minimal deviation from the
|
|
norm.
|
|
So, to close it out -- if you're looking for the knowledge of
|
|
Guru, the skills of Ras Kass, and the production of Premiere, you won't
|
|
find it here. But, if you are looking for a party-flavor album that
|
|
will have the fellas chanting, "Hell yeah, that'll work, / Y'all look
|
|
real good in them tennis skirts", then you have a hit formula.
|
|
|
|
pH Level - 3/pHair
|
|
|
|
|
|
***H***
|
|
Steve "Flash" Juon
|
|
------------------
|
|
MAIN PERSPECTIVE, "In Thru the Eyes"
|
|
(Brute Force)
|
|
|
|
Coming straight from Dover, NH on the Brute Force label, the
|
|
"PLAYhahd joint for rap" is the crew of TMP, Prophet G, and DJ
|
|
Diggemsmack.
|
|
I know you're sitting there thinking to yourself, "What the
|
|
fuck??!!?!", but just chill a'ight? This ain't some ol' bullshit. I
|
|
ain't saying these guys are nice on a major contender level, but this is
|
|
a quality tape which should at least make some noise in their own local.
|
|
|
|
"Paying fucked up dues, it's just a way of life
|
|
When you live by the word and die by the knife" - Prophet G
|
|
|
|
"It was my hand, that rocked the cradle..." - TMP
|
|
|
|
Those lines come straight from the first chumpie on the album,
|
|
"Not For You." The theme they kick is basically what Treach said in
|
|
"Ghetto Bastard" -- if you never lived in the ghetto, you wouldn't
|
|
understand. The beat is kind of a mellow grit funk that sounds original --
|
|
I can't say it's any played loop or beat. G has an Akineyle-style voice
|
|
but is perhaps a little too hyper with his delivery. Sometimes he flows
|
|
but sometimes he just seems to be shouting off words. TMP (I'm guessing
|
|
that means The Main Perspective) seems to be the more able mic
|
|
controller, although G sometimes kicks the better metaphors.
|
|
"Do the Dirt" has a nice theme and lyric approach, about staying
|
|
true to the hip-hop aesthetic and kicking out fake gangsta MC's. True,
|
|
it's been said better before by MC's like Del and Q-Tip, but this ain't
|
|
bad. The line "I got my East coast pride wherever I go" should make
|
|
them a lot of points with their obvious target audience.
|
|
"Back and Forth" walks the line between really good or really
|
|
strange, depending on the mood that I am in. The spoken part of the
|
|
chorus is annoying, but the scratching of Run-D.M.C.'s "Rock Box" makes
|
|
points with me. The "East coast pride" is mentioned again; it seems to
|
|
be one of their main themes.
|
|
The rest of the album reflects the same basic hip-hop/militant
|
|
political viewpoint. With song titles like "Final Call" and "Death of a
|
|
Nation," what else would you expect? "Final Call" gets the most props
|
|
of all of the side B cuts, for good lyrics and excellent scratching of
|
|
"Come Clean." It's probably my favorite cut on this short EP. I'd say
|
|
we can be looking for more interesting work from both this group and
|
|
their label.
|
|
|
|
pH rating - 4/pHine
|
|
|
|
|
|
***I***
|
|
David J.
|
|
--------
|
|
MASTA ACE INCORPORATED, "Sittin' on Chrome"
|
|
(Delicious Vinyl)
|
|
|
|
In 1993, Masta Ace and his new crew released one of the best
|
|
hip-hop albums of the year in "Slaughtahouse." Contrary to popular
|
|
belief, nobody really slept on this phat LP -- it's just that nobody
|
|
bought it, either. It showed up on more Maxell tapes than dubbed mix
|
|
tapes, prompting Ace and the I.N.C. to change their style a bit.
|
|
This resulted in the bomb remix to an already bomb hit "Jeep
|
|
Ass Niguh," which was renamed "Born To Roll" and featured the
|
|
beginnings of the crew's new sound, which they dubbed Brooklyn Bass
|
|
Music. "Keep your Daisy Duks on, just dance a little slower..."
|
|
This is the idea behind their new album, "Sittin' On Chrome."
|
|
Make no mistake about it, the I.N.C. put together something made
|
|
specifically for the jeeps and the landcruisers. If you're the type
|
|
who likes to slide a tape in the deck and boost the subwoofers so high
|
|
that the rear-view mirror vibrates, this tape is definitely for you.
|
|
But what about the rest of us, especially those of us that
|
|
actually *bought* "Slaughtahouse?" What do we get?
|
|
While we do get a good album in general, we don't quite get
|
|
the same quality material that we got from the Masta and his crew
|
|
before. In fact, most of the material presented here seems aimed more
|
|
directly at a commercial target. You'll find lots of catchy phrases
|
|
and choruses, as well as a slightly different delivery from Ace
|
|
himself. He's on a similar style he used on the "Crooklyn" single, as
|
|
opposed to the off-beat, on-beat style he hit us with last time. This
|
|
time, he just hits us with the boom and almost coasts through the
|
|
lyrics.
|
|
Not that these lyrics are *bad*, mind you -- Ace still has
|
|
plenty of skills, Digga sounds a little better than last time, and
|
|
Paula Perry is on point as always (she oughta do a solo joint). It's
|
|
just that something's missing here, something that made "Slaughtahouse"
|
|
as phat as it was.
|
|
Where there was no fast-forward material last time around,
|
|
there is here. "What's Going On" went on a little too long, "U Can't
|
|
Find Me" doesn't quite freak that Kool & The Gang sample like it
|
|
should, and "Turn It Up" is filler material -- and straight R&B filler
|
|
at that. Yeah, Shea has a good voice, but I'm not sure if I want to
|
|
hear that on an I.N.C. album, especially with that played-out Roy
|
|
Ayers' "Sunshine" sample in the background.
|
|
There's plenty to like about this album. Rhymes are solid,
|
|
some of the music is straight butter, and the bass just booms out the
|
|
ride, but it seems the I.N.C. pointed this one directly at the
|
|
commercial market to boost their sales. You can't really blame them,
|
|
after what happened with "Slaughtahouse," but IMHO, that was all the
|
|
more reason to stick with it, or at least incorporate more of that
|
|
into this album. It's sad that the commercialism of the market has
|
|
forced Masta Ace to change up like this. He deserves better than to
|
|
fall into a niche just to boost his sales.
|
|
Oh, and I gotta call out Digga for that dig at Common Sense in
|
|
"Ain't No Game," an otherwise phat cut. Point penalty, Ock -- he's not
|
|
the one to be messin' with, LD. "Resurrection" was too phat.
|
|
|
|
pH Level - 4/pHine
|
|
|
|
|
|
***J***
|
|
Jesse Bauer
|
|
-----------
|
|
MC BREED, "Big Baller"
|
|
(WRAP)
|
|
|
|
Veteran Eric Breed has been a personal favorite since dropping
|
|
the single "Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'" out of Flint five years
|
|
ago. Since the first LP, Breed has been putting out a release every
|
|
year. His third album, "The New Breed", featured 2pac and on a phat
|
|
track called "Gotta Get Mine", produced by Warren G. and Colin Wolfe.
|
|
Breed snuck out of the public eye for a while, but this track renewed
|
|
interest in the Michigan rapper.
|
|
The Big Baller is back with number five. He now records where
|
|
the playas play -- Atlanta, GA. And, like his last LP "Funkafied", the
|
|
Dangerous Crew helps out on production.
|
|
I've always had a liking for his voice, but the lyrics sometimes
|
|
come up short. This happens too much on this release. You can think
|
|
back to other songs such as "The Great Depression," "Black For Black,"
|
|
or "Teach My Kids" that actually have some serious subject matter, but I
|
|
have yet to find it here.
|
|
As always we start off with an AVI. That is, an Annoying Voice
|
|
Intro. Why the past three LPs he has put this synthesized voice in, I
|
|
have no clue, but BAM! "SFNU" comes on: "lutes and flutes", an ILL
|
|
guitar lick, laidback bumpin beats, and even some scratching on the
|
|
turntables. By the way, the name of the song is an acronym for Still
|
|
Fuckin' Niggas Up. It's on hit. Another interesting side-note: the
|
|
song is written by D.O.C. (look for a solo from him in the coming
|
|
months).
|
|
"Sea of Bud" features Jibri rapping and Too $hort talking about
|
|
the joints he's smoking up in the studio. With a laidback blues-feel,
|
|
this song is nice. L.A. Dre makes an appearance on the piano. I can
|
|
assure you it's not a lie when the singy chorus comes on, "I got high
|
|
one time / now I'm getting high all the time / wish I was drownin' /
|
|
drownin' in a Sea of Bud" -- I've seen the man in concert with DFC
|
|
(hella blunts up on stage).
|
|
"Real MC" features Hurricane, and Beastie Boy beats can be heard
|
|
throughout. Also, listen close for the beat from BDP's "Love's Gonna
|
|
Get Cha (Material Love)" waaay in the background.
|
|
The second half of the LP suffers from poor lyrics and fairly
|
|
boring beats throughout much of it. Mighty Joe Riz, who makes a guest
|
|
appearance on "You Slippin'," has a certain likeness to the Wu's Genius.
|
|
Check it out.
|
|
"Nightlife" offers us something interesting with some straight
|
|
up weird sounds. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were all in the
|
|
studio all messed up and started screwing around with sounds to come up
|
|
with the combo they did. You don't hear this kind of mix on the other
|
|
tracks.
|
|
Other than "SFNU" and "Sea of Bud", there isn't a whole lot that
|
|
is incredibly appealing. The sound is on some ol' funk shit and can be
|
|
very good at times, but not consistently. Breed's voice is still dope,
|
|
but the lyrics are still lacking. Definitely not his best work, but he
|
|
still has a ton of respect from me.
|
|
|
|
pH level - 3/pHair
|
|
|
|
|
|
***K***
|
|
David J.
|
|
--------
|
|
PROPHETS OF TRUTH, "Funkee Revelations"
|
|
(P.O.T. Records)
|
|
|
|
Prophets of Truth are a Seattle-based hip-hop group that's
|
|
starting to catch a buzz in Atlanta and Houston for their indie
|
|
release single, "I'm Outs Ta Get Mines!" Despite having no real
|
|
distribution set up for this single, they've already sold 10,000
|
|
copies of it. At the moment, they're talking with a bunch of record
|
|
labels about a contract in the near future.
|
|
They wouldn't be a bad gamble for a major label. They are a
|
|
gamble, though, because chances are a large number of hip-hop fans
|
|
aren't quite ready for their style.
|
|
Production-wise, they keep it pretty simple. They add some
|
|
slow, solid beats with a little Dre-funk, West Coast flavor, which is
|
|
sometimes on and sometimes off. We'll just say if you like the West
|
|
Coast sound, it's on. (See my review of Warren G.'s album in hc204).
|
|
It's the rhyme style that will have people either nodding their heads
|
|
or shaking them.
|
|
It's hard to put how they rhyme into words. The best way to
|
|
say it is that it sounds intentionally forced and jumps up and down
|
|
quite a bit. It's as if you took Saafir, put him on beat (most of the
|
|
time), turned his monotone around 180-degrees, and tightened up his
|
|
face so that he sounded almost like a pouty toddler.
|
|
This may sound like a dis, but it really isn't. It's just how
|
|
P.O.T. MC's Rasheed and Tas sound on the mic. You either like it or
|
|
you don't. Sometimes it works fine ("Playa Hayta"), and other times
|
|
it just doesn't work at all ("Psyche Fucked" -- *none* of this track
|
|
works at all for me). After about four cuts on this demo, it started
|
|
to grate on me personally.
|
|
Then came "Flavaz Phluxueight." On this freestyle cut, they
|
|
relaxed their voices a bit and simply brought on the skills they have
|
|
on the mic, which aren't bad at all. In fact, on this cut and "I'm
|
|
Out Ta Get Mines," they showed off better form and delivery than when
|
|
they forced their voices. Unfortunately, the beats on these two cuts
|
|
didn't strike me as hard as the others. In addition, while P.O.T.
|
|
hypes up "instilling positivity through reality-based music" and
|
|
"making its audience realize the need to contribute productively to
|
|
society" in its press releases, I really didn't hear any deep messages
|
|
in their lyrics. It may have been because of the way they said them,
|
|
though.
|
|
All in all, I'd say Prophets of Truth have some potential.
|
|
What they need to do is work a little more on their production -- make
|
|
more clean beats like the first part of their demo -- and relax their
|
|
voices a little and just let it flow, like they did on the second part
|
|
of their demo. If they can combine those two things and throw them
|
|
down on one album, you'll be hearing a lot from P.O.T. in the years to
|
|
come.
|
|
|
|
pH Level - 4/pHine
|
|
|
|
(For more information on Prophets of Truth, call the P.O.T. hotline at
|
|
206-672-3523, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST
|
|
|
|
|
|
***L***
|
|
Ryan "Laze" MacMichael
|
|
----------------------
|
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS, "Pump Ya Fist: Hip-Hop Inspired by the Black Panthers"
|
|
(Avatar/Polygram)
|
|
|
|
With the barely mediocre PANTHER soundtrack, it's only fitting
|
|
that the best of today's hip-hop generation put out an album inspired by
|
|
the Black Panther movement. And to put it on the real, I think Huey
|
|
Newton would be pumping this in his jeep if he were still around.
|
|
The album kicks off with a song currently making it's run on the
|
|
airwaves and video circuit, "Ah Yeah" by KRS-ONE. This self-produced
|
|
track has a very simple, but yet thick and powerful bassline/drum
|
|
pattern combination. And lyrically, this is Kris at his best: "Every
|
|
president we ever had lied / Ya know, I'm kinda glad Nixon died." He
|
|
takes a trip through black history, coming as Isis, Moses, Solomon,
|
|
Jesus, Harriet Tubman, Truth Sojourner, Nat Turner, Marcus Garvey, Bob
|
|
Marley, and Malcom X, stressing that as a black man, he *has* been here
|
|
before, but misunderstood. "What ya say when ya see a devil down (ah
|
|
yeah), / What ya say when ya take a devil's crown (ah yeah)."
|
|
Track number two has Kam dropping science the way only he can.
|
|
Despite the disappointing G-Funk/synth-dominated beat that seems to be
|
|
pulling Paris as well as Kam down on the production tip, he still
|
|
manages to come off with a nice, smooth cut that bumps trunks but still
|
|
kicks knowledge. The vocal hook is the highlight of the cut:
|
|
|
|
If living in America got you pissed,
|
|
then pump ya fist!
|
|
If you ever had handcuffs on your wrists,
|
|
then pump ya fist!
|
|
If you hate seeing black people get dissed,
|
|
then pump ya fist!
|
|
And If you're tired of being caught up in that twist,
|
|
then pump ya fist!"
|
|
|
|
Following Kam is the welcome return of Grand Puba with the
|
|
typical slurred, laid-back flow as he kicked on "Reel to Reel." Ain't a
|
|
damn thing changed, Puba still comes off. Vocal samples of Minister
|
|
Louis Farrakhan and a funky-ass guitar top this lyrical sundae off like
|
|
hot fudge. Puba drops: "Gunshots ringing in the heat of the night, /
|
|
Mothers sitting home worrying if their seed's alright."
|
|
Fourth up is Rakim, showing us he's obviously better off without
|
|
Eric B. (speaking of which, what's up with the solo joint on Eric's
|
|
part?!?). Easy Mo Bee, on the production, has proven he's come a *long*
|
|
way since DOO-BOP. A sweet, jazz-flavored bass and what sounds like an
|
|
organ twang provide a butter backup for Rakim's trademark flow. Yet
|
|
another direct hit for "Pump Ya Fist." "I don't need a military, / I'm
|
|
ill already."
|
|
As if this first side lineup wasn't enough, Jeru the Damaja
|
|
comes off with another nicely produced Premier track. Sure, it's pretty
|
|
much the same ol' cop story, but his unique delivery makes even the most
|
|
tired storyline well worth the listen.
|
|
Tupac's decent showing on "Throw Ya Hands Up" and Speech's too-
|
|
soft-for-this-soundtrack "Positive Vibe" close out the first side.
|
|
The Fugees lead off the second side with "Recognition", a good
|
|
overall track on which the kids recall many classic tunes from back in
|
|
the day. That is followed by an energetic "It's the Pride" by Chuck D.
|
|
which is bound to get the adrenaline flowing and the head nodding. Hats
|
|
off to Chuck, who in his mid-30's, can still kick that shit (on the mic
|
|
and on the boards).
|
|
Ahmad hits the middle of the second side with "Only If You Want
|
|
It" and damn it, I do. This 19-year-old still impresses the hell out of
|
|
me with a more deeply set rhyme scheme than I've ever witnessed and
|
|
knowledge well beyond his years. As first the "It's like a jungle
|
|
sometimes" sample didn't seem quite right, but the "Time Bomb" sample
|
|
brought this piece together to work beautifully. Ahhhhh... there *are*
|
|
some dope emcees' on Warner Brothers!
|
|
Sandwiched between the very mediocre Yo-Yo ("Crazay") and 5ive-O
|
|
("Out for Just Us") tracks is the above average, but far from mind-
|
|
blowing Dred Scott cut, "I Gotta Get Mine". Someday he will: he's very
|
|
close here, but just not quite cutting-edge. He does make a nice
|
|
contribution, nonetheless.
|
|
So to tie it all up, this 55-minute album catches a 11/14 hit
|
|
ratio (meaning only three throw-away tracks), which is extremely good.
|
|
"Pump Ya Fist" is one album that you should definitely plop the ducats
|
|
down for.
|
|
"It's better to die on your feet than to live your knees."
|
|
|
|
pH Level - 5/pHunky
|
|
|
|
|
|
***M***
|
|
Ryan "Laze" MacMichael
|
|
----------------------
|
|
URBAN DANCE SQUAD, "Persona Non Grata"
|
|
(Virgin Records)
|
|
|
|
Two full albums and one live EP under their belt, Urban Dance
|
|
Squad have developed a sort of cult following. You either dig 'em or
|
|
you don't, there really is no in between.
|
|
Their first release, "Mental Floss for the Globe," had several
|
|
very original live music/hip-hop vocal cuts, among them, "Fast Lane,"
|
|
"Deeper Shade of Soul," and "Prayer for My Demo." Their second release,
|
|
"Life 'N Perspectives of a Genuine Crossover," got a little different
|
|
with stranger guitars, but kept focus lyrically. The cuts on this one
|
|
were less memorable as individuals, but strong as a whole.
|
|
Their 1995 release, "Persona Non Grata" brings us a very hard-
|
|
edged sound, musically and vocally. In some cases it works especially
|
|
well, like "Demagogue," the first single off of the album. "Demagogue"
|
|
is hard, yet has the classic UDS sound. The second cut, "Good Grief!,"
|
|
also works nicely with hard drums, powerful guitars, and loud vocals
|
|
with "flavor like Snapple." In general, this album has a sound to it
|
|
that will appeal to the die-hard fans and those looking for something
|
|
different in this year of Notorious B.I.G. monotony.
|
|
However, there are points in the album where the vocals come
|
|
across a little too loud -- almost as if they're being forced to sound
|
|
harder than they actually are. Does this come from the fact that they
|
|
are trying to grab a new audience with false bravado? No, I really
|
|
don't think so. These kids have an energy that is so raw, true, and
|
|
rare that it's really refreshing to hear something new from them. I'm
|
|
just sorry I missed the live show when it hit Philly at the beginning of
|
|
April!
|
|
The copy I have is an advance cassette and has two bonus
|
|
versions of "Demagogue" that are listed as "CD ONLY." But if I remember
|
|
correctly, the CD is actually without these two versions. I'm not sure.
|
|
Nonetheless, the "Dust Mix" is straight up butter.
|
|
|
|
pH Level - 4/pHine
|
|
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
You're probably sittin' there readin' this joint and thinking, "Damn,
|
|
it's about time they got a new issue out. What's up with these guys?"
|
|
|
|
Too much has been up, to be honest, and we're hoping to get it settled
|
|
real soon. Flash has been busy transferring to Iowa State and making
|
|
sure he can pay the bills. Sleepy's somewhere in Europe bein' Sleepy
|
|
(Where ya at, kid?), and as a result, we've had to move HardCORE's Web
|
|
site out of UNC-Charlotte. We'll be announcing the new site on the
|
|
listserv and on Usenet News soon, and we promise to hook up that "Guess
|
|
That Sample" contest like we said we would before. We'll even have
|
|
RealAudio soundbites for your computer. (Check that shit out --
|
|
http://www.realaudio.com)
|
|
|
|
As for me, I'm gettin' kicked out the house next month and may or may
|
|
not be settled in my own place soon. Parents just don't understand.
|
|
|
|
So as you can see, we all have had our own shit to deal with outside of
|
|
HardCORE. Naturally, if we got paid for this, this wouldn't be an
|
|
excuse, but we do this strictly out of love, and even a love of hip-hop
|
|
has to take a back seat to making sure you've paid the bills -- unless,
|
|
of course, that IS how you're paying the bills.
|
|
|
|
In the meantime, everyone on the HardCORE staff owes much respect and
|
|
gratitude to Professa R.A.P. for taking charge and helping us all put
|
|
this issue together. We all hope he can add more of those phat
|
|
contributions of his for years to come. Thank, Prof.
|
|
|
|
As for the months to come, all hip-hop heads hold tight -- HardCORE
|
|
ain't goin' nowhere. Until next time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
L8A...
|
|
|
|
David J.
|
|
Director of Network Distribution
|
|
|
|
"Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die."
|
|
- Joe Louis
|
|
|