T.R.O.Y.: April 2010

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Up North Trips

Somebody from the site just put me on to Up North Trips. I'm telling you that you could easily spend hours just checking out their archive.

Wait are you waiting for? U p North Trips

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Blood of Abraham - Future Profits (1993)

Obscure? Yes. Dollar bin purchase? More than likely. Worthy of listening? Most fucking definitely. Maybe it's me but I was always kinda a sucker for any release that Ruthless put out. Who would have ever expected Eazy-E to rip a track with Will.i.am? Future Profits has its hits such as Life, Southern Comfort, Devil Gets No Daps, Niggaz & Jews and my personal favorite Stabbed By The Steeple. Don't sleep on this. Yeah they weren't the best Jewish rappers we've heard of, but B.O.A. were pretty dope in their own right. The producer Epic later went to form Crazy Town and crafted their one-hit wonder "Butterfly." He is the herb in the D.A.R.E. t-shirt (peep the link). If anyone has the "Life (Remix)" please hit me up. --Philaflava

01 Future Profits (Intro)
02 This Great Land Devours (Feat. Junior P.)
03 Southern Comfort (Feat. Willonex)
04 Stick To Your Own Kind (Feat. Yomo)
05 That Ol' Dupree Shit
06 I'm Not The Man
07 Father Of Many Nations
08 Devils Get No Dap (Feat. Rafiki Cai)
09 3-2-1 Contact
10 Stabbed By The Steeple
11 Another Nail In The Coffin
12 Life
13 Niggaz and Jewz (Some Say Kikes) (Feat. Eazy-E and Willonex)
14 Loose Interpretation Of The End (Outro)

Download

Blood of Abraham was an American hip-hop duo composed of Benyad (Benjamin Mor) and Mazik (David Saevitz). They debuted in 1993 with the release of the LP Future Profits on Ruthless Records, the label of the late Eric "Eazy-E" Wright.

A key characteristic of the group was the novelty of their unapologetic Jewish identity. Their best-known track is "Niggaz and Jewz (Some Say Kikes)", an irreverent call for Black-Jewish unity in the face of shared struggle against bigotry. Made at the height of the strain on Black-Jewish relations in the United States. its opening sample was an actual recording^{[citation needed]} of the ravings of a Ku Klux Klansman, and it featured a spirited verse from Eazy-E as well as the first recorded appearance by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas known then as Will 1X (the group was then known as "Atban Klann".) Other tracks dealing with Jewish themes were "Father of Many Nations" (a song in praise of the Biblical patriarch Abraham) and "Stick To Your Own Kind".

A video was shot for the track "Stabbed by the Steeple," and print ads were centered around large text proclaiming "Jesus was a Black Jew," but the album did not receive much publicity beyond that. Blood of Abraham fell into anonymity; their status worsened in 1995 with the death of Eazy-E and the subsequent folding of the Ruthless and Relativity Records labels.

Mazik and Benyad then went on hiatus until 2000, which saw the unofficial release of the LP Eyedollartree on Mastergrip Records, which folded shortly thereafter. Eyedollartree featured guest appearances from maverick rappers Kool Keith and Divine Styler, as well as will.i.am. Basement Records oversaw the official release of Eyedollartree (with bonus DVD) in late 2005.

Peace to HQ Hip-Hop for the link.

Rakim “The R: The Best Of The Rest”

My God, the Philaflava Forum is such a great place! What started as a single person posting a link to 3 volumes of Rakim material has turned in to a monster project. So far I have finished 6 volumes on my own and probably have an additional 6 to come. Most of the tracks came from various rips I have collected over the years. Shouts to musiclover123 for compiling the initial 3 volumes and to truthaddict for posting about it. Special thanks to Roy Johnson, Step One and DJ Mike Nice for posting more tracks from the vaults and spending time to rips their vinyls.

There will be some remixes & mash-ups in here that people are going to hate, but there are also plenty of great surprises. If you don't like it, don't download it. This is my attempt to get EVERYTHING in one place. If you have something to add, please leave a comment or add on to the thread in the forum.

The original 3 volumes can be downloaded HERE.

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 1

01 Eric B and Rakim - As The Rhyme Goes On (Radio Mix)

02 Eric B and Rakim - Bobby Corridor Short Mix

03 Eric B and Rakim - Casualties Of War (Extended Club Camouflage Version)

04 Eric B and Rakim - Casualties Of War (Militant Remix)

05 Eric B and Rakim - Casualties Of War (Soulpower Remix)

06 Eric B and Rakim - Complicatem (Pass The Handgrenade Pt. 2)

07 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Belief Summer '04 Remix)

08 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Dub)

09 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Funky Ginger Club Version)

10 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Funky Ginger Radio Edit)

11 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Funky Ginger Single Edit)

12 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (UK Flavor Club Version)

13 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (UK Flavor Radio Edit)

14 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (UK Flavor Single Edit)

15 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Xtended)

DOWNLOAD PART 1

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 2

01 Eric B and Rakim - Eric B. Is President (Dub)

02 Eric B and Rakim - Follow The Leader (Dub)

03 Eric B and Rakim - Follow The Leader (Gene Carbonells Less Equals More Mix)

04 Eric B and Rakim - Follow The Leader (Rjd2 Remix)

05 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Booty Camp Remix)

06 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Dub)

07 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (The Richie Rich Mega Mix)

08 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul 2002 (Illicit Remix)

09 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul bw Cru - Just Another Case

10 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Blockhead vs. Omega One Extended Remix)

11 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Cuts Mix)

12 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (DJ Revolution Remix)

13 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Drums Mix)

14 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Extended Mix)

15 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Freestyle Mix)

DOWNLOAD PART 2

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 3

01 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Omega One Remix)

02 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (45 King Club Mix)

03 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Brixton Bass Mix)

04 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Brixton Upso Mix)

05 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Chris Read Remix) (1990)

06 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Clean UPSO Mix)

07 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (DJ Shadow Remix)

08 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Mark 45 King Mix)

09 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Mashed Up Funk Remix)

10 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (The Riddin' Dub)

11 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Upso Dub)

12 Eric B and Rakim - Mahogany (Beat Bass and Rakim)

13 Eric B and Rakim - Mahogany (Extended Remix Version)

14 Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend (45 King Extended Remix)

15 Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend (DaBlenda Mix)

DOWNLOAD PART 3

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 4

01 Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend (Extended Remix)

02 Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend (Remix)

03 Eric B and Rakim - Move The Crowd (The Democratic 3 Remix)

04 Eric B and Rakim - Move The Crowd (The Wild Bunch Remix)

05 Eric B and Rakim - My Melody (Dub)

06 Eric B and Rakim - No Omega (Extended Remix)

07 Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full (Cold Cut Remix)

08 Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full (Derek B's Urban Respray)

09 Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full (Mini Madness) (The Coldcut Remix)

10 Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full (Seven Minutes Of Madness: The Coldcut Remix)

11 Eric B and Rakim - Put Your Hands Together (Fan Force Mix)

12 Eric B and Rakim - The R (Extended Remix)

13 Eric B and Rakim - The R (Remix Edit)

14 Eric B and Rakim - The R (Work Rest and Play Remix by Dave Dorrell and CJ Macintosh)

DOWNLOAD PART 4

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 5

01 Rakim - Acapella Freestyle One

02 Rakim - Acapella Freestyle Two

03 Rakim - Guess Who's Back (Alternative Mix)

04 Rakim - Guess Who's Back (Break Remix)

05 Rakim - Guess Who's Back (So So Def Remix)

06 Rakim - Guess Who's Back [G.C.'s Remix]

07 Rakim - It's Been A Long Time (Suave House Mix)

08 Rakim - Light It Up feat. Faith Evans

09 Rakim - Streets Of New York feat. Alicia Keys and Nas (DJ Easy Remix)

10 Rakim - The Saga Begins (DJ Easy Remix)

11 Rakim - The Saga Begins (S.T.T.R.E.S.S. Mix)

12 Rakim - When I B On The Mic (DJ G Sweet Mix)

13 Rakim and Truth Hurts - The Watcher 2 (Rakim Verse Mix)

14 Rakim feat. M.O.P. - It's Nothin (Remix)

15 Rakim vs. Black Grass - Heat It Up (Jayceeoh Remix)

DOWNLOAD PART 5

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 6

01 Rakim vs. Midnight Star - Got Me Curious

02 Rakim vs. Porno For Pyros - DJ Muggs and DJ Warrior Mash-Up

03 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Original Remix)

04 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Breakz Mix)

05 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Caba Knoll Remix)

06 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Spacekid vs. Funkfried Remix)

07 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (JN Club Mix)

08 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Clap Your Hands Edit)

09 2Pac - Nothin' Like The Ol' Skool feat. Slick Rick Rakim and Big Daddy Kane (Cinema Remix)

10 2Pac and The Notorious BIG - Outlawz feat. Rakim

11 Art Of Noise feat. Rakim - Metaforce (Roni Size Mix)

12 DJ Break - KRS-1-My Philosophy bw Gang Starr-DWYCK bw Eric B and Rakim-Pump Up The Volume bw MC Humor bw Slick Rick-Children's Story - Ghetto Superstar (Break Remix)

13 Eightball and MJG - It's Been A Long Time feat. Rakim

14 Erykah Badu vs. Eric B and Rakim - On and On (Jayceeoh Remix)

15 Havoc, Jay-Z, Rakim, Jadakiss, Biggie, Prodigy and Nas - Seven MCs

DOWNLOAD PART 6

enjoy,

--dirt_dog

Friday, April 16, 2010

Exit Throught The Gift Shop (In Threaters Now)

OPENS IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES BEGINNING APRIL 16TH
For Exact Theaters And Showtimes Check The Official Website: http://www.banksyfilm.com

Exit Through the Gift Shop, the first film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, became the hottest ticket at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it made its world debut. Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post—hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results. The film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the worlds most infamous graffiti artists at work, on walls and in interview. As Banksy describes it, Its basically the story of how one man set out to film the un—filmable.

Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- Solid Goals (1985-1989)

Sir Fresh and DJ Critical were a rap duo from Brooklyn during the mid to late eighties, under the independent label Solid Goals. DJ Dee-Ville from Bust the Facts has assembled a wicked compilation that highlights the group's body of work over their short career. Much too short. Like DJ Dee-Ville, I had trouble finding almost any information about this crew online, which makes this collection all the more worthwhile.

The production on these songs is great, combining the best of both worlds from newer James Brown samples to older LinnDrum beats, with the loosely coiled snares, hollow "thump-thump" bass drums and sharp high-hats. DJ Critical handles the turntables with the best of them in the 80's, and Sir Fresh proves to be the best rapper you've never heard of. He switches up his flow multiple times, and his style, though distinctly his, is reminiscent of some of the more well-known artists of the era. Think of him as Schoolly D's voice matched with Rakim's and The D.O.C.'s flows. Ehh, maybe not the strongest comparison, but that's who he reminds me of.

My favorite cuts have to be "Sally & Dee," where Fresh describes a series of rap battles with the drama and suspense of a Western (not actually a Western); "Sir-Vere," the most well-known single by the group; and "Sit'em Down," the most impressive lyrical display on the album, with Fresh spitting out of his mind over a tight beat sampling Bobby Byrd's "I Know You Got Soul" (made famous by Eric B. & Rakim). "We Can't Have It" is a short little track that plays out like a poem, raising an interesting question on the cesspool of drugs in neglected inner-city neighborhoods: "The minority / is a majority of users of narcotics / But what authority / allows this to happen?" Sir Fresh is a natural lyricist.

Sir Fresh and DJ Critical are yet another indie rap group from the eighties that torments us with great singles and unreleased tracks, leaving us only to imagine what a full-length LP would have sounded like.

But for now, the comp will do them justice.

Major, major props to DJ Dee-Ville. For additional information be sure to visit Bust the Facts. There is also a great link on the site to Brooklyn photography--a nice complement to the music.

Previews:

Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "I'm Smooth"

Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "Sally & Dee"

Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "Sir-Vere"

Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "Sit'em Down"

Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "We Can't Have It"

DOWNLOAD

Enjoy!

Peace,
— Teddy C.D.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

DJ Enuff - My Definition of Hip Hop Vol. 2 (1997) 50 Cent's First Appearance

DJ Enuff was known for being Notorious BIG's road DJ. He also had a show on KISS FM from 1993-1994. DJ Enuff was part of the Flip Squad All-Star DJs, comprised of eight of New York City's most respected DJs -- Funkmaster Flex, Biz Markie, Doo Wop, Big Kap, DJ Enuff, Mister Cee, Cipha Sounds and Mark Ronson.

DJ Enuff released two volumes of mix cds in 1997 titled "My Definition of Hip Hop". People might not know these obscure releases as they were released only in France. The first volume was all French Hip Hop but the second volume was pure NY Hip Hop(except two freestyles in French). It features freestyles and mixes of tracks kind of like those Funk Flex mixtapes. It also features two of the rarest early 50 Cent recordings. There's a 50 Cent freestyle and an exclusive bonus track at the end. The credits reads "50 Cent appears courtesy of JMJ". I've never seen anyone online talk about this release or people mentioning these 50 Cent tracks...they're not even on those bootleg compilations! I almost forgot, there's also two freestyles from MC Supernatural!

Download

-- Thomas V

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Source: March/April 1991

Here’s another T.R.O.Y. blog exclusive for everyone. And I definitely kicked myself for not buying and reading this back in ’91. I remember the main article’s topic was heavily debated, on a daily basis, when I was back in college. I had friends that were members of the Five Percent Nation, Nation of Islam, Orthodox Islam, Christianity, and a few atheists and agnostics as well. And when you mix hip-hop, women, weed and alcohol at midnight with guys trying to debate religious ideologies, it’s not a pretty sight. Let’s suffice it to say that I was present for quite a few heated arguments and fights regarding this. That’s why I’m upset that I never had this issue to bring to the table. It’s not only an informative article (that should have been printed in its entirety) but it puts hip-hop into a broader perspective. What I’ve always loved about the music is that everyone has a chance to be exactly who they are and present themselves to the world regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender, etc. And The Source never missed a beat in its earlier days and was always on the cutting edge of discussing hip-hop in politics, society and religion.

On another note, I truly missed another gem in this magazine; the Large Professor article. Back in ’90, I accidentally found a couple of Main Source vinyl singles at Funk-O Mart and it was on from there. But I didn’t find out until later that he was producing for Kool G Rap’s Wanted: Dead or Alive and Eric B and Rakim’s Let the Rhythm Hit Em albums and that he wasn’t being properly credited for his work.

Also, you can watch a recent interview with Large Pro here:

http://vimeo.com/10621706

To see him with all that gray hair is really getting to me since we’re the same age and I have gray hairs popping up all over my head as well!

Source March/April 1991 issue

If you're looking for something else, then head on over to THIMK.

And don’t forget, the pw = thimk.

~Vincent Lopez~

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Sounds Like The 90s Vol. 13 (2010)

Nope, you're reading the title right. If I'm being completely honest here, the real reason for the delay was I was just waiting on some good music in 2010. Being that most of the tracks I select for compilations are current I didn't just want to throw something together and label it SLT9s.

For the past two years I've taken ample time in creating this series. In selecting the right tracks, to sequencing them, to finding the best quality mp3s available. I still don't know if there has been an abundance of dope music in '10, but there is there plenty of time left. We're always open to suggestions so continue to leave comments or shoot us an email with the goodness.

Peace to my T.R.O.Y. fam for helping me gather some of these joints. Special shouts go to to Strategy, Blake Reznik, Meyhem Lauren, Ide, Skavenger,Verge, Open Mike Eagle and Dirt Dog for the ill cover. Enjoy Volume 13 and stay tuned for plenty more to come in 2010. --Philaflava

T.R.O.Y. Presents - Sounds Like The 90s Vol. 13

1. Freeway & Jake One – Throw Your Hands Up
2. Black Thought – Contract On The World feat. Dice Raw & Porn
3. The LOX – Slow Down (You’re Killin’ Em)
4. Smiley The Ghetto Child – I’m Legend (prod. DJ Premier)
5. Freddie Gibbs – The Ghetto
6. U.G. – Beat Yo Ass
7. Big Noyd – New York Lights
8. Meyhem Lauren – 7000 Thoughts
9. Roc Marciano - Snow
10. Mobb Deep – Whole Lotta Thug (prod. Alchemist)
11. Sadat X – Turn It Up feat. Pete Rock
12. Consequence – Let U Live feat. Pharoahe Monch
13. Ski Beatz – Prowler 2 ft. Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz & Mos Def
14. Wu-Massacre - Dangerous
15. U.G. – My Soldiers feat. Steele & Casual
16. Open Mike Eagle – Unapologetic feat. Nocando
17. Planet Asia & Goldchain Military – Organic Food (prod. Large Professor)
18. Tanya Morgan - Cheesesteak
19. Meyhem Lauren – Treat Her Like A Prostitute feat. Thristin Howl III
20. Brotha Lynch Hung - Meat

Download
Download #2

Monday, April 12, 2010

Organized Konfusion & O.C. Promos & Demos

(Organized in Japan circa 1995, photo courtesy of D.I.T.C. affiliate Marquee.)

Roy Johnson has been trying to track down a complete copy of this ’91 / ’92 era O.C. demo called I Kick a Rhyme for the Record for years now. After aleph had posted these:

Organized Konfusion – Why [Buckwild Original Mix] (1994?)

“Premiered on KCR sometime before Stress dropped.”

O.C. & MC Serch – WKCR & Awesome 2 Promos (1994)

Page the Hand Grenade ft. O.C. – Untitled Demo (1994?)

Roy thought to ask aleph directly, who responded that he thought he had it “on a tape of a Riz / Eclipse show” and a couple days later a full version of the track was here:

O.C. – I Kick a Rhyme for the Record (1992?)

Props to aleph, Marquee and Roy Johnson.

-- The Big Sleep

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Geto Boys - The Geto Boys (Orginal Version)

Just a little Sunday treat for you. This is the O.G. version and for those that don't know what I'm talking about... --Philaflava

This is the Geto Boys 1990 self-titled album, the original version, before it was shelved by the record company. You see, the Geto Boys used a sample from the Steve Miller Band song "The Joker," on track #4, Gangster of Love. This however, was an unlicensed sample, and Steve Miller sued the record company over its use, to which the record company decided to shelve this album. This album was the Geto Boys first album available nationally, while all their previous releases as the Ghetto Boys were on a more local/regional level. This sample was also used on their earlier version of this album as the Ghetto Boys called Grip It On That Other Level. However, it was also a different recording session and so it was a completely different take and did not sound the same lyrically/vocally.

After a couple years, the Geto Boys had released more albums and gained in considerable popularity. The record company decided to re-release this album, but with an altered backing track for Gangster of Love. The altered version utilized a sample of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama and a "Gangsta Boogie" sample for the chorus. For those who purchased the re-release of the Geto Boys self-titled album, they got this new version of the song which if you think about it, doesn't make as much sense as the original version which samples Steve Miller saying "call me...call me...yeah, call me the gangster of love." Anyhow, it seems that everyone who has ripped this album and put it online, has put the re-release version online. Well I have come to save the day and give you all the original out-of-print version that came out in 1990.

1. F#@* 'Em

2. Size Ain't s**t
3. Mind Of A Lunatic
4. Gangster Of Love
5. Trigga Happy Nigga
6. Life In The Fast Lane
7. Assassins
8. Do It Like A G.O.
9. Read These Nikes
0. Talkin' Loud Ain't Saying Nothin'
11. Scarface
12. Let A Ho Be A Ho
13. City Under Siege

Download

Peace to KingSkullie for the rip and GUCCI C for the link.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Lady of Rage - Lyrical Gangbang & Afro Puffs (Live @ Paid Dues 2010)

Last weekend, Kurupt & Daz from Tha Dogg Pound brought Lady Of Rage during their set at the 5th Annual Paid Dues 2010 Festival. She performed her verse from "Lyrical Gangbang" off Dr. Dre's classic album "The Chronic". She then followed with her classic '94 hit single "Afro Puffs".

Here's the footage that I recorded:

-- Thomas V

Bonus: Dr. Dre - "Puffin' On Blunts And Drankin" Feat. Lady Of Rage & Tha Dogg Pound

DJ Stretch Armstrong “Volume Four” Mixtape (1996)

As I continue on through the box of tapes that I located in my basement, here is a semi mysterious DJ Stretch Armstrong "Volume Four" tape. I could find zero info on this one, so I turned to (the mixtape master of the Philaflava forum) Andyman187 for some help. He determined that this tape is a recording from a Stretch & Bobbito show on Hot97 that aired Sundays from 12pm-2pm sometime in 1996. Andyman187 was also kind enough to study the audio and put together a tracklist for me. If anyone out there can help by filling in the blanks or correcting any mistakes, please leave a comment. And the .rar files contain all the scans plus the full j-card.

Side A
01 KRS-One & Lord Finesse - SP-1200 Freestyle
02 Jay-Z - I Shot Ya (Remix) Freestyle
03 Busta Rhymes - Freestyle
04 Capone-N-Noreaga - Freestyle
05 Beatnuts - Find That
06 Bahamadia - Three The Hard Way
07 Pete Rock & The Large Professor - The Rap World
08 Capone-N-Noreaga - Illegal Life
09 Artifacts - Art Of Facts
10 M.O.P. - World Famous
11 McGruff feat. LOX - Reppin Uptown
12 Sun Dullah (aka King Sun) feat. Doo Wop - NY Love (2Pac Diss)

Side B
01 Heltah Skeltah - Intro (Here We Come)
02 Heltah Skeltah - Freestyle
03 Heltah Skeltah - Sean Price (Exclusive)
04 Heltah Skeltah - Soldiers Gone Psycho
05 Akinyele feat. CJ Moore - Freaky
06 Mobb Deep - Street Life
07 Shadez Of Brooklyn - Change
08 De La Soul - Itzsoeezze
09 Shabaam Shadeeq - Freestyle
10 Shabaam Shadeeq - On A Mission
11 Stretch & Bobbito - Shout Outs

DOWNLOAD SIDE A

DOWNLOAD SIDE B

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Timeline of the T.R.O.Y. Weekly Request Threads

Part of the mass appeal of the T.R.O.Y. blog and forum is that we constantly put in work.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Spring Break

It's about that time here on TROY. No worries, we will be back in full effect shortly. We'll even be posting sporadically for the next week while we enjoy our break. Take the time to catch-up on all of our greatest hits, misses and '10 darts. Remember about our ever-growing forum, which is hands down the BEST FORUM on the internet dedicated to the Golden Era where we drop knowledge, share music and relive the best of times. We're still all up on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook so don't forget to add us too!

Lastly, our sister blog, Steady Bloggin' is still grinding so feel free to check them out and lend your support. Enjoy the spring back and see you soon.

Important Links:
Philaflava Forums
Steady Bloggin'
T.R.O.Y. Facebook
Actual Facts
Cold Rock Da Spot
Scratch Reaction

Monday, April 5, 2010

Touring The States: Chicago, IL

This is just a meagre text off the M-Doc wikipedia page:

"M-Doc is a rap artist and producer who was signed to RCA Records in the 1990s. He scored minor chart success with the singles "Free" and "It's a Summer Thang" featuring Chantay Savage.
In the late 90s he produced remixes for Madonna, Janet Jackson and Keith Sweat. Billboard called him "one of the R&B worlds top remixers".

If anyone have any of his other releases and is willing to share with us, please do it, it will be mad appreciated and we will make sure you'll get your deserved props on The T.R.O.Y. Blog community.

M-Doc - It's A Summer Thang (1994)

01. It's A Summer Thang (M-Doc Remix)
02. It's A Summer Thang (Underground Gangsta Remix)
03. It's A Summer Thang (Doc Strumental)
04. It's A Summer Thang (Gangsta Mental)
05. It's A Summer Thang (Silk's Old Skool)
06. It's A Summer Thang (Gangsta Remix Clean Version)
07. It's A Summer Thang (M-Doc Remix Clean Version)
08. It's A Summer Thang (Accapella)

DOWNLOAD

-- Markshot

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Inspectah Deck - Let Me At Them (Demo Piano Version)

I first had this taped off the radio about 15 years ago, either from a WNWK or WKCR broadcast. I'm guessing around 1994

or 1995 was the time frame, being that the official soundtrack version on "Tales From The Hood" didn't drop until a good while after I first heard this. The one main difference on this demo is the piano sample that was curiously taken out of the soundtrack version. Hearing the demo first, every time I would hear the other version, it was like I was waiting for those pianos to drop in the mix. It got to be frustrating to even listen to this piano-less shell of a song. I can almost guarantee that after hearing this demo, you will not want to ever hear the official release again, well almost. The sound quality on the demo is much inferior to the other one. The reason for the pianos getting dissed would probably be due to sample clearance problems, but I guess only Deck knows for sure since he did the beat. All that is definite is that whether or not you found the version of this song you already knew to be memorable, it will be now. Sure the rest of the elements of the beat are all great on this but the pianos really are just that crucial to the illness of "Let Me At 'Em". They give it an added raw Wu sound, with the menacing darkness that would have fit right in a ghetto horror flick.

Let Me At Them (Demo Piano Version)

Let Me At Them (Soundtrack Version, No Pianos)

Download the demo and the other version both here.

Click on the cover to pick up the entire Tales From The Hood Soundtrack(at 320kbps) from our friends over at "Hq Hip Hop".

Thanks and peace to JR from the "Crates Of JR" blog for ripping this personally sought after demo from one of his old WBAI tapes, off the Underground Railroad. The show still broadcasts and even has a chat room/podcast thing going on every Saturday night at midnight. You can find that by clicking here at the broadcast time and then clicking the "Live Broadcast" button on the right. Also, the host for many years now, is this guy Jay Smooth from the Ill Doctrine hip hop video blog. Love it or hate it, you can't really dismiss it, the guy has valid points on many arguments.

--Verge

My Tapes by Basta aka KYOZAI Pt. 5

You might know Basta (aka Kyozai) as being the owner of the rare cassette blog, Music-Thingz. Recently, he blessed us with a nice portion of his tape collection at philaflava T.R.O.Y. forum.

Here at The T.R.O.Y. blog, we wanted to give these tapes their deserved shine and Basta the proper recognition he's earned, to the people outside of the philaflava forum.

I will split his tapes in several posts, giving you enough time to digest this massive work.

There will be no previews, but c'mon, the hilariously awesome covers alone warrant a download.

Enjoy!

Underground Impact - Trapped in da Hood (1993, Philadelphia)

DOWNLOAD UNDERGROUND IMPACT

Sakoo - Tricks Pon Me (1992) (Brooklyn)

DOWNLOAD SAKOO

Warlord - It Ain't Easy bw Nothing to Lose (199x Queens)

DOWNLOAD WARLORD

Posse Deep - Candy (1991)

DOWNLOAD POSSE DEEP

Succes -N- Effect - Ultimate Drive-By (1992)

DOWNLOAD SUCCESS-N-EFFECT

-- Markshot

Rick Rubin

Not much to say about this man, other than he is a fucking GOD. Peep Robbie's piece on Ricky Rubin @ Unkut. Props to him and his site for always delivering the freshness. --Philaflava

When Rick Rubin is written about in the media, he is either portrayed as “the most important producer of the last 20 years” or as the shaggy ‘Wolfboy’ guru who carries lapis lazuli Buddhist prayer beads and dislikes footwear. While many of the startlingly broad range of musicians that have worked with Rick gush his praises, there seem to be just as many who were left disappointed by the experience. For every successful creative rebirth that Rubin has been involved in – such as reviving the careers of Metallica, Johnny Cash and The Dixie Chicks – there are also the aborted projects with groups like U2 and Muse.

Rubin’s approach seems to be all about making a connection with the artist he’s working with: “I have no training, no technical skill — it’s only this ability to listen and try to coach the artist to be the best they can from the perspective of a fan”. This approach doesn’t sit well with everyone, as bands such as Slipknot have complained that they didn’t enjoy working with him since he was barely present during the project he produced (but they were happy with the album), while shots were fired by British rockers Muse earlier this year when they thanked Rick for “showing us how not to produce” during an acceptance speech at the Music Producers Guild (amusingly, it turns out that Rubin won ‘International Producer of the Year’ that same evening).

But sour grapes seem to be the exception rather than the rule, as groups like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers can attest to after five albums with Rick’s involvement. “He basically goes into the engineer’s booth, removes everything in the room and has his people bring in the most comfortable couch-bed-type object that you’ll ever see. Then he’ll cover it with pillows and blankets, and that becomes his station.” Through this process, he often becomes ‘the fifth Beatle’, dating back to his stint as DJ Double R for the Beastie Boys first national exposure on Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’ tour. Even though Jazzy Jay and Ad Rock did some the programming for some of Rick’s early Def Jam records, there’s no denying that he was able to bring a sorely-needed, stripped-down aesthetic to the rap records of the era.

“I was going to NYU [New York University] and I was into rap music at the time, but there weren’t a lot of rap records coming out; and the rap records that were coming out weren’t representative of what the rap scene really was. I used to go to the rap clubs in New York—I’d be the only white guy there—and they’d be playing rock ‘n roll records with guys rapping over them. Like ‘Walk This Way’. ‘Walk This Way’ was an original record that every rap DJ would have and use. Billy Squire’s ‘Big Beat’ was another one. And the rap records that were coming out at the time were like Sugar Hill Records, which were essentially disco records with people rapping over them. Kids who liked rap bought them because there weren’t any records representative of their rap scene. So, I saw this void and starting making those records, just because I was a fan and wanted them to exist.”

The result? Radio, Licensed to Ill and Raising Hell – three of the most influential hip-hop albums of the 80’s – all of which combined abrasive, speaker-smashing drums with hard guitar stabs and traditional song structures. The last point being the most significant in terms of getting the music to a wider (read: white) audience who’d been raised on rock. He also championed the cause of Public Enemy: “I remember my old partner Russell Simmons, when I signed Public Enemy – I’d just made the Less Than Zero soundtrack and it was really good and The Bangles’ record was a hit – and Russell said, ‘You’re wasting your time. This is black punk rock. This is garbage. You could make pop records, why are you wasting your time on Public Enemy?’ I said, ‘Because they’re the greatest group in the world. Because the pop records are the ones that aren’t important. This is what’s important, you’ll see.’ And two years later, he saw”.

Rick directed his attention to heavy metal following his departure from Def Jam, but when he started the Def American label he proved that he still had an ear for great rap by re-recording the best of the Geto Boys for their self-titled third LP, as well as an under-appreciated EP from former Audio Two MC Milk D. It wasn’t until Jay-Z reached out to Rick that he would produced another rap track, but the result was another prime example of minimalist beat science at it’s best. Since being appointed as co-head of Columbia records in 2007, Rubin has only signed one rap act – The Clipse. Last year it was announced that the crew would be working with Rick on their new album, but Till The Casket Drops was eventually released without any Rubin beats. “We went out to Malibu man, busted out with him. He gave us a lot of insight on the album and gave us some gems man. We came back, sorta re-vamped a few things and uh, you know, made the album a lot better due to that talk, for real. Definitely, it’s the reason he’s sitting in that [executive] seat”.

Something that came as a shock to me was the discovery that Rubin doesn’t drink booze or get high. It seems that even in his college days, White Castle burgers and porn were his only vices. “I’m just not interested. I need to be in control” he told German magazine Shark, while in a USA Today profile, Rick explained, “It’s the combination of meditating and always being deeply into something. When I was young, I was into magic. Kids I knew did drugs or got drunk out of boredom. I didn’t want to give up my time.” Some of the projects that he’s chosen to take on board might also have fans scratching their heads. Linkin Park? Mars Volta? Mel C from the Spice Girls? I guess that trying to challenge yourself musically requires sacrificing good taste on occasion. But when you’re able to convince Johnny Cash to record a version of a Nine Inch Nails track – and in the process create one of the greatest cover songs ever made – it’s hard to complain. I think this 2007 piece in TIME sum him up best: “Rick Rubin enjoys long walks on the beach, sushi dinners and hugs that warm the corners of the soul. Behind the ZZ Top exterior lurks the soul of a Playmate”.

http://www.unkut.com/2010/04/rick-rubin-the-man-the-myth