Since this is the only Ced Gee / Grandmaster Caz team-up not featured on the You Need Stiches LP (which I’ll review tommorrow), it warrants an appearence here. I suspect that it was left off last years compilation after being licensed to ego trip‘s The Big Playback album, and seeing as though Chairman Mao did a superb job with the linear notes, I’ll let him sum things up:

“A little guitar, some “Impeach The President” snares and a few choice turntable manipulations and this former Cold Crush Brother never sounded so jeep ready.”

(more…)

Don’t let label typo’s confuse you – “Cedge G” is still Ced Gee when he’s behind the boards in the Ultra Lab.”We’re Back Y’all” is usually forgotten in favor of the superior b-side, “Coolin’ On The Ave”, which – despite being credited to Tuff City‘s Aaron Fuchs’ – is now known to be another Paul McKasty creation. (more…)

Everyone knows that Special K is T La Rock‘s brother, but many of you may have missed their little-heard collaboration from 1994′s ill-fated Treacherous 3 album. With a title like Old School Flava, I wasn’t exactly expecting miracles from Moe, LA and K, but songs like “The Mic Wreckers” and “We Come Phat” were blatant attempts at imitating the trendy sounds of the time, resulting in some really bad songs from one of rap’s most lyrical groups. (more…)

When Philly’s Tuff Crew combined forces with New Jersey’s Krown Rulers for the P.H.A.N.J.A.M. (PHilly And New Jersey All-Star M.c.’s) album which included electro-jams such as “Techno Tuff” and the bizarre “Art of Love”, they wisely connected with Ced-Gee and Kool Keith for some much-needed production help. Apparently, Ced schooled them on how to use the SP-1200, which is apparent when you listen to Danger Zone‘s much-improved beats. (more…)

After a few false starts, I finally managed to get a recording of this track that didn’t skip every ten seconds. Did anyone ask for some Baby Salt ‘N Pepa? You’d be forgiven for mistaking this for Sandy and Cheryl or whatever the fuck Salt and Pepa’s government’s are, although the fact that they’re rocking over a tightly-programmed James Brown loop instead of those Herby Luv Bug shakers helps eliminate any possible confusion. (more…)

What happens when you combine Three Times Dope‘s squeeky-voiced weed carrier with a post-Furious Five Grandmaster Flash chorus (“Larry’s Theme”) and some cheesy keyboard noises? “Larry, That’s What They Call Me”, that’s what. (more…)

I had also planned to include Finesse & Synquis‘ “Soft But Deadly” as another example of Ced helping out some around the way broads, but I’ve only got it on 7″ and that shit kept skipping, so no dice. Nevertheless, Baby Doll and her brother deliver their own take on the classic battle of the sexes theme with “You Can’t Break A B-Boy’s Heart”, which is backed by an early Ced-Gee/Scott La Rock SP-1200 composition. (more…)

The release of the Ultimate Beats & Breaks series in the late ’80′s had a major impact on the sound of hip-hop production, as it gave producers with limited vinyl collections access to some of the beats that used to rock early block parties and rec-room jams. While Ced unearthed his fair share of beats himself, he also didn’t mind puting his own signature spin on classic breaks such as “The Mexican”, which he used on several tracks. (more…)