The Jaz - "The Originators"

It's funny that all of us take it for granted that Jay-Z is pretty much the Alpha Dog everywhere he goes. He's got the swagger of a young Apollo Creed, but the laid back essense of Lando Calrissian.

But true-heads will remember back in the early 1990s when HOVA was actually second fiddle to Big Jaz in the group, The Jaz. Before Chip Fu, Das EFX, Twista or Daddy Freddy, the Jaz had pretty much perfected the so-fast-you-can-barely-understand-it hip hop flow. How the words to this song can even be transcribed is a miracle.

In this video, it is pretty clear that Big Jaz is the B.M.O.C. Definite Treach and Vinnie vibe happening. Big Jaz is cool and seems to have confidence, and Jay-Z looks like a skinny little upstart. (Who knew back then that this little Doc Gooden-on-Crack lookalike would be nailing one of the top-five hottest women on the planet?) There's no question that even back then the kid had insane skills, and in a way all he probably had to do to modernize himself was take that incredible dexterity and just slow it down. Amazing how dumbing things down can get you more notoriety. And it should be noted that this song is so fast that Big Jaz actually says the words "You sucker, you f**ker, you p*ssy, you wussy, nobody can verse me" and it doesn't get bleeped out.

Two questions: 1) do you think that Jay-Z came up with his rap name trying to impress Big Jaz? Like a fondness for an older brother. 2) Do you think Jigga ever calls Big Jaz anymore?

Oh, and I forgot to mention. This song is definitely hot, even today.

Wreckin and wreckin in seconds less than speeds of light
So the miggeda-more that come, the miggeda-merrier, right, right
Excitin the mic much to the delight of millions of Nubians
And Amorites just can't understand the groove we're in
Cool, it might take a couple of takes for you to clarify
Don't lie, you coulda never got in on the first try
But never to worry, I'm not in a hurry, take your time
Cause it's my rhyme, I siggeda-said so, and I'm J-a-y-Z, y'all know me
I wish you could write, cause you'd pay me all the rhymes you stole from me

The Wu-Tang Lego Clan

Tip o' the cap to Steady Bloggin...

Wu-Tang Lego: Da Mystery of Chessboxin' from davo on Vimeo.

Wu-Tang Lego: Killer Tape from davo on Vimeo.

New Edition - "Word To The Mutha"

This isn't technically a hip-hop song, but I love it anyway. All original members of New Edition come through and put out a surprisingly hot (for its time) song. The BBD clothes (powder blue suspenders) are pretty atrocious, and the black-and-white-with-blue-tinge film style is a painful reminder of mistakes past. But the song is funky and the rapping is actually kind of awesome. And naturally, it included Bobby Brown going completely ape-shit, many years before it became customary.

Michael Bivins is really a trailblazer. Who else would be that ugly, and that unstylish, and still have the audicity to not only make out with a girl in the video, but wipe his lips right in front of her right before he starts rapping. And that is before he does a very obvious crotch-grab and yells "get the Bozack." He might as well be saying "F--k you, Erick Sermon!" How Biv-10 never became the dominant record label in America continues to mystify me. And they couldn't give Johnny Gill more to do than just sing the stupid opening? Come on, New Edition, you're better than that.

Funkmaster Flex feat. 9 Double M - "Six Million Ways to Die"

Before he dropped the unheralded mini-classic Nine Lives in 1995, Nine went by the name of "9 Double M." And on this forgotten 1993 underground jam, he dropped a pretty hot freestyle/battle verse on this track, with the then-little known Funkmaster Flex.

The song uses a familiar instrumental: it's basically the same instrumental as "Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down" (the original version), only with more hyped up drums and more amped up feel all around. It was memorable not because of the lyrics -- which are solid but don't quite stand the test of time -- but because of the ingenius chorus: "six million ways to die, choose one." It was released on the dearly defunct Wreck Records label. An alternate version also exists with Tragedy/Intelligent Hoodlum dropping a verse in the middle; that version is lyrically superior but did not have a vide.

The video follows the rules of the time: jumpy camera movements, no more than 2.3 seconds on any one thing, a chain link fence, a thugged-out MC with a vest. What might not fly in 2009 is the collage of guns, knives and Chinese throwing stars.

"A" is for action, "B" is for burnin'
"C" I'm catchin' bodies like Erick gives a Sermon
And I'm waitin' for a sucker to get fly
I been around hip hop, and I-I-I-I...
Know how to catch wreck as a car lot
And the schoolyard, I get crazy like a retard
YOU KNOW I GOT CRAZY JUICE
I'm like Houdini in a straitjacket, brother I get loose
Boo yaa kah Boo yaa kah, let me tell ya somethin'
I get wicked like a Luther Vandross wedding singahh
Supahmaaan, Um uh, fly high
Uh way up in uh the sky
Oh whatever, never step to 9DoubleM the gat
With the ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chit chat
I'm just chillin', that's word to Chuck
Just till I get busy and come back with a HUH-HAW

BONUS!

One of the best tracks that Nine ever put out was not on his albums, but was a dark, brooding single called "Famaldahyde." You can listen to it below (no video attached).

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - "Ill Street Blues"

Here is another one from the man I consider to be the greatest rapper that ever lived.

When I first heard this song in 1992 I almost crapped my pants. It was on a college radio station at about 2AM, and I had been waiting for this album to come out for two years. As soon as I heard that lispy "Aww yeah," I knew who it was even before they said it.

The video itself is kinda cool, even if low budget. (This was after the Live and Let Die album got dropped by Warner Brothers after the "Cop Killer" fallout and had to be released by the smaller -- but seminal -- Cold Chillin' label.)

Suckas I clobber, because my town is full of cops 'n' robbers
You're not promised tomorrow in this little shop of horrors
So I got to get with the business and hit quick
Money-grip's pockets lookin' thick, so I stick slick
Hold it right there, hands in the air, I know you got the loot
Or better yet, face down on the ground, empty your pockets, troop
Hit the deck I got the tech right on your neck
And I inspect the megabucks, the heck with a traveler's check.

Funkmaster Flex feat. Akinyele & Sadat X - "Loud Hangover"

One of the great summer songs of 1996. Funkmaster Flex was trying to promote his mix CD 60 Minutes of Funk, and commissioned two really excellent MCs: Sadat X, best known from Brand Nubian, but arguably the best lyricist in the group, and Akinyele, before he turned into a Biggie/pimp wannabe with his "Put it in Your Mouth" bullcrap.

This song is just hot. Other than the annoying repeating of the first verse and re-doing the damn thing (including the MCs acting along with the scratching) there is so much to like about the song. The beat with the strumming string is awesome. The interplay between the rappers is great. The video is another "sewer" video, which empirically proves how hard these guys are.

Aiyyo, niggaz on my dick
Cause I stay dropping jewels like the incarcerated version of Slick Rick
There's no question I'll, damage a professional
Cause I'm a big child, in this profession
Scatchin and itchin to set it, like a yeast infection
Big up to agreement rappers, don't know the half
Movin like moonwalkers with your backwards ass
I'm too fast, for those who procrastinate
Goin bananas like gorillas from the Planet of the Apes
To play it safe, you punks better wear capes
You can't escape, when I'm on your fire escape
hangin your ass out the window like drapes
You want beef I bring steak bust your motherf**king chop
It's the Ak, straight up and down, like six o'clock
I'm amped like watts with a fo'-fo' that go
Hit that toe and shot, cause word to Sadat
X marks the spot when it's time to get hot

A.D.O.R. - Let it All Hang Out

This video was M.I.A. on YouTube for several years, which is a damn shame, because it is one of the hottest unsung songs of the 1990s. (The rest of the album is nothing special, FYI, so if you are downloading, you can stick to this track.)

A.D.O.R. supposedly stood for "Another Definition of Rhythm," and I never really knew whether I was supposed to call him "Adore" or "Ay Dee Oh Arr." It would have been super awkward if I ever met him.

The video is standard, boilerplate early 1990s stuff. Lots of streets and alleyways. Slow motion, black and white shots of New York's urban denizens running from some unknown pursuer. A bunch of girls in bandanas and safety-orange bubblegoose jackets are like A.D.O.R.'s personal cheerleading squad.

And it wouldn't be a Pete Rock remix if it didn't have a) horns in the instrumental, and b) Pete Rock talking ("uh-huh, that's right") all the way through the song. [Note to P.Diddy, you didn't fucking invent that or the remix: Pete Rock did.]

Apparently A.D.O.R. only really had one hit in him, but damn if it wasn't a good one.

C'mon, feel the vibe from the rhythms to break the devil's ties
A feeling of good times, musical highs
Rhythm, harmony, soul skills and that
put together for the master plan is surely to attract
The people it take, the speakers to quake, the points to make
The A.D.O.R. posesses what it takes
To make it feel good, the way it should
Give me the mic and Pete Rock and you know I could
Straight up getcha all, UHH, all night long
It feels too right, too strong to be wrong
Let's turn it up, full blast, and make it last
Yo I'm thinkin bout the future, fuck the past
With the beat that's pumpin
To get the people jumpin but sayin somethin
Do you know what, I'm talkin about
When I tell you to express yourself
And let it all hang out

Quasimoto - Rappcats

There is something very powerful about nostalgia. There is also something about encountering people who know the same kind of obscure crap that you like. Quasimoto (aka Madlib) does both for me in this video.

The song itself is basically a braggart's anthem that "I know rap, my man." And the video is strictly a litany of half-second clips of old rap videos, picturs and clips, some recognizable (Fred Flintstone scratching is a trip), some completely obscure (Maestro Fresh Wes, Son of Bazerk, the Mr. T "Treat Your Mother Right" song, Freshco & Miz). It's a combination of highbrow and lowbrow that makes for sensory overload and a Pavlovian orgy of images that make me want to break out all my old tapes.

Tribe or Black Moon?

Interesting post going on over at The T.R.O.Y. Blog right now, about which is the better 1993 album:

Midnight Maruaders or Enta Da Stage?

Go on over and weigh in.

Fat Joe - S--t is Real

There was a very small window in the 1990s where Fat Joe was kind of awesome. This song is probably the apex of that window, and clearly his best song.

The man who would later call himself "Joey Crack" (lame...) had a couple of guest spots on a couple of DITC albums (notably Diamond D and Showbiz & AG in 1992) but really didn't add much. I always put him on par with the likes of Tim Dog and U-God, lyrically... which is to say, stiff, uninspired, kinda dull.

This song, though, has the perfect combination of a very solid FJ flow, along with one of the baddest beats DJ Premier ever made.

The lyrics and video are surprisingly violent. The black and white conceit of the video (of which I am usually very much anti-), actually works here because it fits with the cinematic feel. They actually don't make videos anything like this anymore, especially in modern hip-hop. I feel that even if I didn't like hip hop, I would be compelled by this video.

Of course eventually he would come up with the "Lean Back," the wackest dance craze of the last half-century.

Now I'm sixteen and there's a brand new scene
I'm makin' mad loot, gettin' paid off the dope-fiends
Keepin shit in checkin order,
And my main man Tone was fuckin everybody else's daughter
See everybody knew in town that Joe and Tone had shit locked down
And a nigga wouldn't test me
It seems like every other day the fucking cops arrest me
But the shit would never stick
I make one phone call and be out right quick
Cause uncle Dan had my back
And now niggaz gettin' jealous cause they know I'm livin' fat
Talkin shit around the way and on the block
But never in my face cause they knew I packed a glock
And my crew is mad deep
A buncha crazy Puerto Ricans, so hey yo don't sleep
And all you bitch ass niggaz know the deal, check it out
The fucking shit is real

Crooklyn/Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers

If you were into hip hop in 1994, there are a couple songs that you hear that transport you right back to that time. If you are the guy who wrote and directed The Wackness, those songs are "Around the Way Girl" by LL Cool J (1990), "Just a Friend," by Biz Markie (1989), "Can I Kick It" by ATCQ and "Summertime" by Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith (both 1991). Plus, you also used words like "wackness."

If you were me, "Crooklyn," by Special Ed, Masta Ace and Buckshot, is the quintessential 1994 East Coast hip hop song.

What is great about this song and video? What ISN'T great about it? First of all, Mike Tyson and Michael Jordan both represent the BK. (Never mind that MJ moved to N.Carolina when he was a toddler.) I'm not sure if this video was directed by Spike Lee or not, but it sure looks like it. Everything about the look of the video is cool: the "Soul Train" footage, the tours of the best parts of Brooklyn -- which make you want to visit -- and the fact that the black and white scenes don't look like some kind of pseudo artsy crap, like most of the B&W footage in rap videos of that era.

Crooklyn - Special Ed, Masta Ace, Buckshot


The coolest part of this is the way they combined three different eras of hip-hop and made it all sound current. Special Ed hadn't had a hit in five years when this came out, and here he flows better than ever as the grizzled veteran. Masta Ace had been building a solid career since "The Symphony," and was kind of the established journeyman. And Buckshot, coming off his succes with Black Moon, is the new-jack at this point.

The interweaving of the lyrics and references to the '70s and childhood and all that made this one a constant spin in my boombox in the nine-four.

Just one year later, when the guy who wrote and directed The Wackness was just discovering N.W.A for the first time, Spike Lee came out with ANOTHER movie and commissioned yet ANOTHER song, this time with three completely different guys who would bring the "Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers."

This time around, the grizzled vet was Chubb Rock, the established journeyman was the cone-headed Jeru the Damaja and the rookie was O.C. This time they called themselves Crooklyn Dodgers '95. This song/video was decidedly grittier than the original -- as Clockers is a decidedly more violent movie than Crooklyn -- but they did interpolate the "we did it like that and now we do it like this" element from the original song. Chubb mentions areas like Flatbush, Bushwick and Bed-Stuy, all neighborhoods that make white people roll up their windows. He also mentions taking back Ebbets field; don't tell the Chubbster (worrrrd up) that Ebbets was torn down back in '60.



Both Jeru and O.C. put out two very very good albums in the 1990s: Jeru had The Sun Rises in the East and The Wrath of the Math, and O.C. made Word...Life and Jewelz.

The lyrics don't have the same nostalgic resonance, but they are still pretty gritty. Jeru says "Chips that power nuclear bombs power my Sega." Christ I hope our bombs are better than that. But 'Ru does end the song with "Peace to the East New York, Perverted Monks and Mike Tyson," which reminds me every time why I love/miss him so much.

I was hoping that a new generation of Crooklyn Dodgers would be spawned every year. (In 2009 we could have Lil Fame, Vast Aire and Skyzoo!) But 'twas not to be.

However...

By the looks of this this concert from June 2008, they still got it!

Jel - Sweet Cream In It

I'm not sure why Jel decided to give this song such a gay name as "Sweet Cream In It" but the beat is hot as hell, and although the sound is a little off, it looks like he is doing most of it live off the sampler. Shit is off the hook like "not guilty."

Xzibit feat. Ras Kass & Saafir - "Plastic Surgery"

The best song of many good songs on Xzibit's 1996 sleeper hit At the Speed of Life is what we used to call a "posse-cut." This one features two of the best lyricists of the day: Ras Kass and Saafir. Although neither of these two has put out a good album in their entire careers.

But for the purposes of this song, their punch-ups were just what the doctor ordered. (Pun intended!)

I'm like Dougie Howser MD with a desert eagle
Criminal Genius
Operation Seperatin' them siamese twins hangin' beneath a nigga's penis
Take it to your face like a skin graft
Rappers, I specialize in talent transplants
You want fat lips? Nurse get the colagen
And ten tons of stomach pumps
From all the c*m you and Richard Gere be swallowin'
Now followin' aks Vanna to buy you vowels
So you can C, I, A, E-Swift, O
U know Y
We remain uncontested to the contender,
We can Million Man March all the way to December
January, Feburary 28th

Big L - 1998 Freestyle

Here is why Big L was one of the best ever...



And for part 2, click here. This motherfu**ker was the truth.

In Loving Memory

The Best Rapper Alive?

The steaming pile of crap known as Vibe Magazine has created a "bracket" for Best Rapper Alive. You can download the printable bracket here.

Let's take a look at the list of some of the MCs on the list:

First of all, the four #1 seeds are Jay-Z, Eminem, Andre 3000 and Li'l Wayne. Um, okay. They have the regular list of characters that go into these discussions, such as Nas, Method Man, Common, Ice Cube, Black Thought, Redman, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, et al.

There are some interesting choices of people that I like but wouldn't consider in the Greatest Rapper Ever category, such as Q-Tip, Raekwon, Scarface, etc.

And then they have some MCs on the list that defy all logic. First of all, the "play-in" matchup is Jim Jones and Diddy. DIDDY? F**king DIDDY???!?!?! You are telling me that Diddy is one of the 65 best MCs alive?

Let's look at some of the other MCs on the list: Soulja Boy Tell'em, Nelly, Twista, Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss, Joe Budden, Li'l Kim, Flo Rida? Let's remember this is the BEST RAPPER ALIVE. Whether the songs that these MCs make are good is a matter of taste; I don't think that there is a person alive that would contend that these people are even very good rappers, let alone the best alive.

Most infuriating, however, is the list of MCs that are omitted. Just take a quick peek at this and try to keep yourself from vomiting.

• KRS-ONE
  
• Rakim
  
• Kool G Rap
  
• Lord Finesse
  
• MF Doom
  
• Aesop Rock
  
• El-P
  
• PMD
  
• Big Daddy Kane???
  
• Pharaohe Monch

I'm sure you can come up with a lot more. Feel free to contact Vibe and tell them how you feel.

Kwest the Madd Ladd - 101 Things to Do While I'm With Your Girl

Kwest the Madd Ladd was a very unique and skilled MC of the early 1990s who had a bit of a speech impedement and lots of filthy things on his mind. He had a song called "Skin Care" that began with someone singing "I love p***yyyyyyyy" and then going into a torrent of filthy sexcapades. What made this song fascinating was that Kwest actually censored himself with a Family Feud-style "Buzz" whenever a dirty word would come up.

Forget for a moment that Kwest's voice was identical to fellow obscure early '90s rapper Diamond Shell, and deal with the fact that this guy had some serious lyrics, but he was just a little too out there, and I don't know that this video helped.

There are some interesting elements to the video that make it as timeless as it is moralistic. The pink backgrounds were included in the video, we can assume, because they are pleasing to the female eye, and therefore even more seductive than Kwest's gold fronts. The nose ring adds to his already rugged handsomeness.

Kwest also is interested in helping the children read, which is why he adds so many Batman-like graphics to key lines of the song. But instead of "POW!" or "BIFF" you get "I'll Bag Your Lady." Additionally, the cutaway shots looking up at Kwest as he is standing on glass brings to mind the glass ceiling that so many people in urban areas have encountered. It's a political statement!

I think the one thing we learn from this video is that Kwest tha Madd Ladd is not the kind of person to bring your girlfriend, fiancee or wife around. He will not only try to have sex with her, but he will then tell you, "don't take it personal."

Of course not, Kwest, how could I?

Now money grip peep it you think you so fly
But on the real I'd like to deck you in the motherf**kin' eye
You think that you so flavor, but if I roll on you kid, huh
Nothing can save you, cause you know I never did like you
Everytime you came around I didn't wanted to fight you
Talkin' bout you get p***y, huh, that's dead
The last time you were in some ass the doctor screamed "I see the head!"
You too busy planning scams with your piece
To realize the wife you have is mad sweet, freaky, tight and naaaasty
So now I guess you gots to know, this here bone is sticking your hoe
On the down low, I did it kind of to get you back
To prove that no one can master the hottie snatcher, punany catcher
And that shit is good like a motherf**ker
Now who's the sucker, ran your girl, go get another
Bet she made you choose a bag evertime you did her
Guess what? I raw dog the first time I did her
While you on the block slangin' rocks, bustin' shots with your glock
Your wifey is playin' with my c**k
So I suggest you go get another b***h, cause this one is made to switch
Cause like the Pepsi challenge she chose me
And last night, guess what? Your girl rode me
UP and down, down and down, south and north, north and south
I even got to put this dick in her mouth
So if you wanna try to play me
Come on kid don't even try to be a baby

Masta Ace Inc - Jeep Ass Nigguh

Tell you what, this video is awful hard to find on YouTube. (Eventually I will begin making a list of videos I can't find anywhere and offer cold hard handshakes for anyone who can find them for me.)

Masta Ace Inc's 1993 opus Slaughtahouse is one of the most underrated and underappreciated albums of the '90s. It was really the first hip hop album that I can think of that dared to actually criticize the state of rap music -- particularly West Coast and "gangsta rap" -- at that time. The songs do a great job of taking artists to task.

So naturally, the best song on the album is the one about how awesome his car stereo is.

But it's a hell of a song, and it's one of the songs that gets me pumped up whenever I hear it. If there is a cooler three-word line in hip hop than Ace saying "Hey Mutha-f**kaaaas!" I don't know what it is. (Is "mutha-f**kas" one word or two?)

There are three basic movements to the song: First Ace speaks eloquently about how much bass his jeep has. Secondly, he gets into a cross-cultural confrontation with a man of Latino origin; the racial tension is simmering, with Ace calling him a "Puerto Rican Latin Chico Rico Suave." [Note: in the video, the man looks nothing like Gerardo. If he did, Ace should have just shot him.] The third verse is a reference to how white people -- police in general -- hate his music, and would probably be just fine with it were Elvis Presley. He does have a point: I always get annoyed when I am walking downtown and hear loud Dem Franchise Boyz songs, I get upset, but when someone is pumping "Hound Dog" out of their Escalade, I start dancing in spasmodic glee.

Also, his follow-up, Born to Roll, is a steaming pile of bass music that is all about his love of cars. Whither Masta Ace, Inc.

Drivin down the block like what else should a brother do
It's Saturday, it's Saturday, the heat might smother you
Rollin down my windows yeah I have a air-conditioner
But I got the sound I want the whole world to listen ta
Waitin at a red light, Kentucky Fried Chicken in
Low End Theory tape in, bass crazy kickin in
See this Puerto Rican Latin Chico Rico Suave
In a red Corolla eh yo does he wanna play
Pullin up beside me, lookin like he want it
Show me what ya got then watch me get up on it
Holdin up traffic but we can't hear they horns
Cause he music a grande yeah he got it goin on
Bit I think I better school him cause he don't know the time
So I'm turnin up the boom cause he cannot f**k with mine
Brothers hear me hittin from like 50 blocks away I
Wanna turn they heads so you know I gotta play
High decibels passin through a residential district
See a few cuties and I turn it up like this quick
Mira, mira man don't sleep, I got tha, I got tha, I got tha woofers in my Jeep

Yo! MTV Raps 20th Anniversary

Looks like someone at MTV got an interesting idea to show old rap videos. Am I the inspiration? Who am I to say? But yes....

They are showing a bunch of videos from 1992, which I think it can be safely declared was the single greatest year of hip hop music. Give it a look. (Although the vids on this site, though seldom is it updated, are far superior.

It's been a while since I dropped a new post, so what better way to get back on the horse than post this video of 20 Hip Hop songs you "need to hear." By and large it's a very solid list, highlighting album tracks and more obscure songs rather than the trite-and-true knee-jerk playbook that most mainstream rap fans will throw out there.

Here is Part 1


And here is Part 2


What do you think?