As a life-long M.O.P fanatic, the prospect of two CD’s/four LP’s worth of new and unreleased Mash Out material had me chaffing at the bit. When they connect with Premier, Billy Danze and Lil’ Fame transform into Brownsville’s aggravated answer to Run-DMC, and without him they still attain EPMD status. Their records pump adrenaline into even the softest of sucker’s hearts. If you’ve ever been dealt a bad hand in life, betrayed by your peoples or just plain shitted on, but have kept struggling through it, than M.O.P is for you. Sure, they’re still championing the Shout Rap tactics laid down by Craig G and later perfected by Willie D, but the raw emotion and energy they bring to the table can’t be denied. This is Survival Rap right here, and Marxman Cinema reps that ideal to the fullest.
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In 1997, I wrote a small piece analyzing how these three had progressed. Seven years later, I thought I’d look at how things have changed since then, and do a quick update

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“Time’s Up”, “Half Time” and “Come Clean”. These three tracks defined street-level hip hop in the first half of the 90’s. They also share a common link – they were the debut singles from three very promising emcees. But the lyricists and producers behind these masterpieces all followed very different paths in the years that followed. Previously unknown beat conductor Buckwild made a name for himself with Biggie and Black Rob, Large Professor maintained his top-notch status but then took an extended “vacation”, and DJ Premier finally went from under-rated to “New York’s most wanted” status as a producer.
But it is the fate of these rappers that provides the most insight. In the years following their killer singles, O.C. delivered the lyrically incredible but commercially ignored Word…Life LP, Nas was hailed as the “Second Coming” and dropped a top album which didn’t sell nearly as well as expected, and Jeru The Damaja reminded us that The Sun Rises in the East on his rock-solid (but far too brief) Premier-produced debut. An analysis of these three artists, each skilled in their own right, reveals some interesting points. You be the judge. (more…)

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During those oh-so-mediocre days of the “indy revival” in the late 90’s, one of the few artists to actually put out records that still hold up today was Godfather Don. Although he was no stranger to the rap game, as he had dropped a great album on Select back in 1991 (“Hazardous”) which nobody heard, as well as becoming an honourary member of the legendary Ultramagnetic MC’s on “The Four Horsemen”, it was his involvement in the seminal Cenobites project that had lyric nerds pricking up their ears. As the opening salvo fired by Bobbitto’s Fondle ‘Em imprint, this collection of Kool Keith and God Don madness was never intended for commercial release, but after much pleading from Bob it hit the stores, and generated a significant buzz which resulted in a glut of Kool Keith records, each one less interesting than the previous, as well as a renewed interest in Don.
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