Welcome to the official blog of
Philaflava.com's T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You) forum. "T.R.O.Y." is of course a reference to
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's ode to their fallen friend (Trouble T-Roy of Heavy D. and The
Boyz). If the previous sentence reads like a foreign language to you, don't fret. The purpose of this blog is to explore and celebrate rap music (especially the overlooked and obscure recordings and artists) from about 1987 to 1997, give or take a few years on either end. We are not purists or elitists, just a bunch of proud rap nerds who revel in sharing our discoveries with anyone willing to listen.
Over at the
T.R.O.Y. forum we spend most of our work week discussing artists like
Scientifik, Godfather Don, K.M.D, Brand Nubian,
Mobb Deep, Souls Of Mischief, Avatar the Articulate,
Juggaknots, and the like. This daily effort results in the uploading of songs and albums previously unavailable in formats other than dusty vinyl, some of which are long out of print. We frequently take the time to compile songs that share similar themes or moods. Just as the rap culture of the '90s (think Stretch and
Bobbito, Sway & Tech and countless college and
mixtape DJs) demanded that a class of obsessed aficionados isolate and organize the rawest tracks floating below the radar for our listening pleasure, the Internet age demands similar vigilance.
Stay tuned - in addition to providing you with a steady stream of links straight outta T.R.O.Y. we will also be posting mixes and analyses exclusive to this blog, as well as keeping an eye out for the best of what the throwback rap blogosphere has to offer. Consider this your one stop shop for "The Rap Of Yore" - just don't ever call it that.
Because we're so glad you found us - below you'll find a little introductory gift I call "Demo Listen Derby." Happy downloading and welcome aboard. --- Thun
And finally, here is "Rare & Remixed Volume 3." This last volume is made up of tracks that I found after 2000 and up to the present. Most are random, unofficial remixes or mash-ups. Some good, some decent and a couple whatevers. But the first two tracks are from the advance copy of Prince Paul's "Hip-Hop Gold Dust." When the retail came out, "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" was mysteriously missing. And yes, about 30 seconds in to "Constant Elevation" there is some kind of hiss sounds. That's how it was on the DAT and Prince Paul apologized for it in the liner notes. As an added bonus, I have included the scene rip of the Gravediggaz "Demo Tape" and a very nice 8 track "Halloween Mashup EP" by DJ Cheekyboy. There are also a good assortment of unofficial Gravediggaz remixes on YouTube if you get some free time.
