The Smooth Assassin delivers a little self-produced somethin’-somethin’ for the day when you’re either declaring ‘I Luh Her’ or ‘Eff You, Pay Me!’ depending on your situation.
Hardknocks delivered something unique when they dropped the School of Hard Knocks album in 1992. It stood-out both musically and lyrically as a sophisticated blend of hardcore rhymes and groove-heavy beats that sounded nothing like any other record of the era. Then they promptly vanished…leaving a lot of unanswered questions for rap fanatics who knew little about the crew itself, save for their earlier incarnation as 3 Da Hard Way. While I’d always assumed that The Spearchuckas, who were credited as the producers, were in fact Hardhead and Stoneface, it turns out I was wrong. When I had the chance to speak to J-1, who was half of the Spearchucka team, I jumped at the opportunity to fill in some of the blanks regarding this outstanding album.
Robbie: How did you start out?
J-1: I’ve been involved in music ever since I was 9 or 10. I played drums, my father played drums, played bass guitar…my family was musically involved. As far as hip-hop is concerned, I was in New York deejaying from 1978 all the way until about five years ago. I grew-up in Long Island. We did all those block parties. The C.B.S. crew. I moved to Atlanta in 1984. I started meeting people and this guy Mike California knew Henry Lee, who was from Noon Time Music. He helped us get started. Now he does Jazzy Pha and Ciara and that kind of stuff. (more…)
There was only one rap album that mattered in 2010 – and it wasn’t by anyone who felt the need to show their dark twisted appendage to the world. That project, Roc Marciano‘s Marcberg, was critically untouchable, the most unadulterated example of the potency of New York rap in a good half decade, and even ended with a good old fashioned shout-out track. More importantly, it contained the most comprehensive batch of food references since an Ironman-era Ghostface was found being seduced by a temptress’s baked macaroni and turkey wings and lauding the virtues of a fish and salad-based diet. Whether used figuratively, literally or descriptively, there’s not a track on the album where Roc Marcy doesn’t get gastronomical. So in the grand tradition of the Dean & Deluca Cookbook’s Master List of Dried Legumes, here’s the complete guide to the food references liberally sprinkled throughout Marcberg’s grand grooves. Enjoy shrimp! (more…)
The second bonus track from the 2xLP re-issue of Marcberg, due 1st Feb. 2011. Not to be confused with Marcberg: Reloaded, which is still without a release date but seems to evolved from a free mixtape to a street album of all-new material.
Here’s the clip for the sequel to ‘Change The Style’. Gotta love Half-Pint‘s ear-shattering vocals. If her and Milk D made an album it would smash both speakers and ear-drums across the planet. Cop the Well Thawed Out album here.
This could almost be put in the Weirdo Rap category, but fuck it. I haven’t checked the rest of the tape yet, but you can download it below if you’re so inclined.
Das Racist feat. Roc Marciano - ‘Roc Marciano Joint’
