If you were hanging out at clubs in 1992, there was no way you could miss the impact of the SWV’s ‘Right Here’ [Human Nature Mix], which was also the second and final modern R&B tape I bought after the What’s The 411? album. Who could forget that video with ya gals suited up for some polo and fishing down the beach? A true CRC Punk Smoove Shit classic.
So when Nasty Nas started dropping rhymes over ‘Human Nature’ in 1993, you best believe I was all over that shit. It turns out that was just the tip of Queensbridge Rap iceberg, as the passing of the years has revealed all types of alternative versions, demos, official remixes and white label remakes. Please join me as we take a trip down the rap wormhole that is ‘It Ain’t Hard To Tell… (more…)
Billed as ‘The World’s First Ever Live Rap Album’, this is taken from a showcase put together by the Music of Life label, recorded at Cafe de’Paris London March 14th 1989, featuring Tim Westwood and a bunch of UK performers such as Demon Boyz, MC Duke, Merlin and Daddy Freddy, as well as The 45 King and Queen Latifah, who must have been on tour at the time I guess? An admittedly drunken 45 King performs his verse from Latee’s ‘Puttin’ On The Hits’ over the ‘Court Is Now In Session’ beat, while elsewhere on the album Latifah scolds a couple of dudes in the crowd for fighting in front of the devil.
Listen to those snare crack! ‘On My Father’ and ‘Gin Rummy’ are two other stand-outs, but you know that all eight songs are on the money when it comes to these two rap veterans.
After a two-month hiatus it’s time to go ‘Back to School’ and to my 5th year, 1990! This was the first half of my final school year and the penultimate mix in this series.
No idea what happened here as these mixes have averaged one hour and twenty minutes. This one clocks in at nearly an hour longer!
This time around, I’m messing more with the original breaks and samples, alongside the usual doubles, samples, movie quotes from that year and all that good stuff!
Thanks again to both of my daughters, DJ Jimmy Green, DJ Repo, Rob Pursey & the legendary Percee P for the vocal drops!
Hope you enjoy! If you do, please favorite, share, re-post and leave me a comment. I’ll always reply and will be good to connect with you all.
On a way more important note:
Please see below how you can support Hip Hop legend Del SoulCondor who’s currently battling cancer. If you can help out in any way, please do. GoFundMe Save the Wax
Back in 2015, I was lucky enough to get to interview the legendary Pretty Tone Capone, known for his work with Mob Style and his solo singles on Def American offshoot Ill Labels. At the end of that classic conversation he mentioned that he had some new music ready to drop, but I didn’t hear from him again until today, when this track appeared in my Gmail inbox. The track will be dropping ‘All Platforms Friday Midnight’, but in the meantime…let’s go!
This one is from years back, when Pete Rock and CL Smooth bootlegs were the popping up every other day. I’m assuming the title is an attempt at some cheap humour, since three of these songs had very much ‘come out’ on movie soundtracks, and ‘In The House’ is just a regular old song from The Main Ingredient album. But never fear, because our mystery bootlegger has decided to throw the proverbial monkey wrench into the mix and ‘jazz’ a few of these tracks up. (more…)
I can’t seem to leave the house these days without tripping over a crate of rap bootlegs with 300 Yen price tags on the sleeve. Apparently Japanese record dealers have decided to unload all of the nineties rap white labels they bought by the container-load from Beat Street Records, and as a result the place is positively lousy with these things. Over this past month I’ve stumbled onto more copies of Smif ‘N Wessuns ‘Nothing Move But The Money’ and Nas’ ‘Talk Of New York’ than I know what to do with, which is hardly the worst thing that’s ever happened (except that I keep forgetting I already have a copy and buy them again), and as a result it’s re-awakened my rap record addiction and thirst to find weird and wonderful white labels.
It’s not so much the $1,000 acetates of alternative mixes of old Dana Dane songs that piques my interest, the real sport is trying to decode the track list of some PHAT GROOVES #36 compilation. Mislabeled track listings are a real joy – did the bootlegger just guess the name of each track based on the first two bars of the rhyme? Or were they trying to throw off the scent of music publishing lawyers? This seems extremely unlikely, but who knows? The other classic trick was just to throw a ‘MADE IN THE UK’ sticker on the back, as if music copyright laws are someone more progressive across the Atlantic?
Earlier this week I was enjoying a few beers at a bar (set to the soothing sounds of a four-hour Japanese jazz and soul set courtesy of CRC representative Callum), and was soon joined by my old mate Debonaire, who proceeded to drop a bomb on me when he announced that he’s decided to shut-up shop over at GRR.
Originally started out in 2006 to release music by his crew Low Budget, the label soon expanded into reissues, remixes and original projects (produced by Debonaire) with nineties rap stalwarts such as O.C., Omniscence and Mathematik. Not confined to only vinyl releases, GRR also partnered with Dope Folks to provide CD and tape versions of previously vaulted material from Young Zee, Trendz of Culture and Stezo. (more…)
Exciting news in CRC Land, as 2021 finds a new EP featuring the talents of Bronx punchline wizard Snaggapuss (who fortunately decided to use this handle rather than his Snaggadon alias) with Melbourne’s own Ramzee. You can grab the digital or a limited-edition pink tape version over here.
I like this because:
a) It doesn’t wear out it’s welcome (every track is under three minutes);
b) It has drums;
c) There are no guests;
d) I still have a working tape deck in my car.
See also: My favourite 90’s guest spot from Snaggapuss, who steals the show from Pudgee The Phat Bastard in fine style on ‘Doin’ MC’s Sum’n Terrible’
Issue #62 of The Source (with a cover date of November 1994) marked the point that co-founder Dave Mays said ‘fuck it’ and threw-in a four page special on the group he was managing at the time just before the issue went to press. As a result, Jon ‘J. The Sultan’ Shecter, James Bernard, Reginald C. Dennis, Robert Marriott and five other staffers walked out in protest. If you’re not familiar with the story, HipHopDX ran a very detailed interview, three-part with Reggie Dennis back in 2005 (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3).
For reasons that were never entirely clear, there were also two versions of #62’s cover – one with a piece of tissue jammed into Redman’s nostril, and one without – one of which may be considered more collectable if you’re into that sort of thing. Anyways, you might assume that the magazine turned into an absolute shit-show immediately, but looking back at these post Original Source Mind Squad issues, I can still recall some quality articles in later issues so it was still worth picking up from time to time. (more…)
