Filed under: Crates,Not Your Average,Promos & Exclusives,Steady Bootleggin'
Written by: Robbie Ettelson
With so many vaulted classics out there, you didn’t think I was gonna stop at just one drop, did you? Here’s another six burners that were condemned to promo/bootleg hell for all eternity.
Noreaga - ‘Married To Marijuana’
Along with ‘Calm Down’, this is the one of the best NORE songs that never made retail release. Guess Penalty didn’t have deep enough pockets for the loop – lucky for Brand Nubian that Elektra ponied-up a couple of years later when they flipped it for ‘Maybe One Day’ with Common.
Nas - ‘Streets Disciple’ (original)
G Rap turned this Billy Joel record into a classic with ‘Road To The Riches’, but the Piano Man wasn’t feeling the Lil’ Homey. Pity, it would have been the best track from that bullshit album if this version had made the cut.
Ghostface Killah - ‘The Watch’
Did Barry White hate rap or were Epic just a bunch of tight-wads with sample clearance money? I’d guess the latter. Also, a song about talking to your time piece > a song about talking to your “bozack”.
A Tribe Called Quest - ‘Mr. Incognito’
Recorded for the Low End Theory sessions, it was widely bootlegged and eventually released on some ATCQ compilations.
Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard feat. Biggie Smalls and Lord Tariq - ‘Think Big’
Although it was later re-made with a different beat and Sadat X replacing BIG, the fact that Pudgee called his second record King of NY was pure fail, considering his transformation from punchline-heavy Trackmasterz protege to a poor-man’s Big Poppa clone.
Souls of Mischief - ‘Cab Fare’ (original)
Legend has it that Bob James refused to approve the use of this because he didn’t like the way they pitched-up the sample. Recorded for the ’93 Till Infinty LP.
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Man that Billy Joel “Stiletto” is a classic break (Nas bites that Cold Crush routine in this song; I dont know what happened with this sample not being cleared. Maybe Billy was trying to recoup losses from his infamous shitty contract.
I think that Mr. Incognito is a sample of a jazz tune called “electric surfboard”?! Got it somewhere.
As for “cab fare”, my understanding of that eventually Bob James finally gave them the ok to use it, but Paramount (who owned half because of the Taxi tv show) denied the usage. Word to Latka.
wow mr incognito!!!!! havent heard that since summer school be4 sophmore year….very fuckin fresh
Comment by Mercilesz 08.14.09 @The sample on the married to marijuana joint was also used on the Memphis Bleek joint Straight Path, Just Blaze flipped it
Comment by Broadway Los 08.14.09 @the cold crush…the cold crush…
That’s my favorite Ghostface track (as attentive listeners can probably guess!)
Comment by Jay Smooth 08.14.09 @The Nore track was always one of my favorites, i’m pretty sure buckwild did the beat, Biggie’s verse on think big was just straight classic!!!
Comment by 456 08.14.09 @This post is great!!! You guys need to keep doing this. Thanks and GOD BLESS
Comment by SPank (Divided Souls Ent) 08.15.09 @Was ‘Mr Incognito’ due to sample clearence? its a very dope track, but I always thought a lot of its allure was cause it wasn’t on the lp…the og sample was called ‘The Hump’ it was on Muse…I just re call the artist, I got it at the crib…
Comment by BLADERUNNER7L 08.15.09 @To add on to keatso’s comment about “Cab Fare”… it was not exactly recorded for the 93 Til’ Infinity album.
Instead, it was originally a track they recorded for their demo tape, which they shopped around to get a deal. After getting the Jive deal, they did try to clear the sample to include it on 93 Til’ Infinity, as you guys mentioned, but it didn’t work out.
Comment by Genesis 08.15.09 @Buster Williams http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcIQjkoMI
Memory fail
Damn, what did Sould of Mischief use to record ’93 Til, a walkman. The quality of the entire album is an abomination.
Comment by lcabayo 08.16.09 @cosign Married To Marijuana being one of NORE’s best records, you never can go wrong with Hi Records samples
Comment by Krisch 08.17.09 @“that Nas song was on Streets Disciple”
its a different beat. from what i remember they replayed the sample and it sounds shit (although probably quite good if you didnt know the original)
Comment by step one 08.17.09 @when I interviewed Bob James he was very clear that has not feeling that Souls track…ha. I believe his exact quote was “They bastardized my song!”
Comment by kevin beacham 08.17.09 @I knew I’d heard Akinyele over that Funkmode beat before! This is an all time favourite for me!
Comment by don king 08.17.09 @Anyone have an mp3 link to the Nas Original Streets Disciple, the link on this page is dead for that song, thank u & much appreciation, one love yall
Comment by Justin Herschel 08.17.09 @Buster Williams, that’s right…also same album as ‘Vibrations’? Big L ‘Put it on Sample’? I forget now..
Comment by BLADERUNNER7L 08.17.09 @mos def’s “grown man business” uses that same beat from that nas “No Idea’s Original”
Comment by t-bone 08.20.09 @good shit Robbie. The Watch was a definite classic. Came on after Maxine’s House. Married to Marijuana is one of Nore best joint. Yo-T-bone do you have that original version of “No Ideas Original” i think it used a Barry White sample as well
Comment by daruffian 08.20.09 @Leave a comment
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