Respect to the great Diamond D, but he has to shoulder some of the responsibility for the glut of Producer On The Mic artists that seem to be clogging up the game. Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop worked because because the beats were incredible and the lyrics were straight-forward and amusing, but it also seems to have given every second beat-maker having trouble finding a great MC the idea that they can – and should – rap. Actually, let’s keep it 100 – Kanye West is the guy who really blew-up the whole idea. Now we have talented producers like Nottz, Black Milk, 88-Keys and Timbaland dropping bars all over the place, which is fine for a verse or two but it’s gotten outta control. (more…)
DJ Johnny Juice may not have slept for the past six months, based on the amount of work he seems to be putting in. Here’s something new that he produced for Leaders of the New School graduate Dinco D. And no, B The Hard Way is his not an alias for Charlie Brown.
Dinco D feat. B The Hard Way - ‘ Dinc to The Dinc’
Before I wind-up the Perfect Remix polls with The 45 King edition, I thought I’d give all the remixes that missed out a chance to make the final cut. Whether it was a favorite of yours that didn’t make the original eight per artist (Large Pro‘s Resurrection remixes, for example), or something from a producer or crew that didn’t have enough classics re-workings to get a round of their own, here’s your chance to nominate for the Wild Card Round. What needs to make the cut?
According to DJ Phantom, The Shepard (the second solo LP from the late, great Killa Sha) will be released January 18, 2011 to mark the first anniversary of his passing.
When this was first announced, I thought, ‘Sure, this might be decent’. I mean a new album of Buckwild beats from the 90′s sounded good on paper, but these things have a habit of failing to deliver more often than not, so I kinda forgot about the whole thing after hearing the initial leak. The link to the advance version arrived in my inbox a couple of days ago, but it wasn’t until I needed something new to rock in the ride on Saturday night that I gave it a shot. As it turns out, this is actually one of the most enjoyable records I’ve listened to all year. (more…)
Once upon a time, around 1985 at Unique recording studio in New York city, Marley Marl accidentally sampled a snare drum. It was a mistake, initially, as he’d instructed the engineer to grab a vocal snippet for the Captain Rock song he was remixing at the time. When he played the sound on the keyboard and heard that snare come through, it dawned on him – no more shitty DMX and Linn Drum sounds! Once he realized that he could program drums using real drum sounds, he loaded up the kick, snare and hat from ‘Impeach The President’ and started making history. ‘Eric B. For President’, ‘The Bridge’, ‘Make The Music With Your Mouth, and ‘Stunt of The Block’ were all produced using that drum kit. (more…)
Musical dedications to Brooklyn never seem to get old, as this self-produced smasher from Q.U demonstarates. Apparently his Between Heaven & Hell CD has already sold-out at a few spots, but you can try over at UGHH to reserve a copy from the next delivery.
For many Donny Brasco fans, the Hydra singles that didn’t make the Diabolique album stand as some of his finest work. Even if you have all of these on vinyl, having proper CD versions always beats ripping it from the wax. You can order it here.
The late, great Sha Lumi over an Xtra-P production, taken the forthcoming Killa Sha & Large Professor project. Also be on the look-out for Killa Sha’s The Shepard to drop in January 2011 to mark the first anniversary of his passing.
Engineer All-Star Marley Marl came from the era when a remix often meant turning-up the drums, dropping out the main loop occasionally and adding a horn blast and some echo, but even when the additions were relatively minor, they proved to be incredibly effective. The remixed versions of ‘Vapors’ and ‘Shootin’ The Gift’ both maintain their original loops, but manage to sound ten times better with the addition of some extra horns and vocal samples, while the additional sounds added to the 12″ versions of ‘Droppin’ Science’ and ‘The Symphony’ take already great songs to another level. The King Tee and 3rd Bass remakes add completely new bases to the tracks, giving them a much-needed face-lift, while the ‘Jingling Baby’ remix is the perfect example of how to build upon a solid foundation and turn into a timeless classic. (more…)
