Thun & Verge's Winning Mix

Recently, Philaflava's T.R.O.Y forum held a contest, challenging the forum regulars to dig deep into their digital collections and put together a cohesive twelve track mix. A number of challenging stipulations were announced, including the mandatory inclusions of remixes, dis tracks, West Coast artists, etc.

Fellow blogger Verge and I used to host hiphop shows on WPRB out of Princeton, NJ until we were both unceremoniously taken out of rotation over politics and bullshit. Thus when the contest was announced we felt blessed to once again put our minds into playlist formation. The rules of the contest made the process quite difficult, and we had to scrap a good twenty or so worthy tracks before we finalized the mix.

Back on WPRB I tended to focus on overlooked deep album cuts while Verge was the master of obscure vinyl b-sides, and our mix reflects these tendencies. We tried our best to make a mix that was firstly dope, but also sonically cohesive and interesting. We both felt that the majority of the tracks were good left field choices - joints that are not typically thrown into a mix. The vibe throughout leans towards the mellow side of things, which is the way we like it. The T.R.O.Y. community gave us a lot of positive feedback, and we took the finals in a very close election. I cannot front though, every mix that was entered was good, and the four final mixes were downright stellar. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD THUN & VERGE'S MIX

1. Empty Pockets "All For Nothin"
2. Show & AG "Next Level"
3. Latee "Brainstorm"
4. The Future Sound "Star Struck"
5. Ill Breed "Act Up"
6. Gravediggaz "1-800 Suicide" (Prince Paul remix)
7. The Nonce "Hoods Like To Play"
8. Black Sheep "North South East West" (Buckwild remix)
9. Main Source ft. Tha Lox "Set It Off"
10. The Cenobites "That's How I"m Goin' Out"
11. Grand Puba "Black Family Day"
12. The Legion "New Niggas"

Fruits of Nature

The UMC's - Fruits of Nature LP

1. One To Grow On

2. Kraftworks

3. Morals

4. Blue Cheese

5. Swing It To The Area

6. Never Never Land

7. You Got My Back

8. Jive Talk

9. Feelings

10. Any Way The Wind Blows

11. Pass It On

12. Woman Be Out

13. Hey Here We Go

14. It's Gonna Last

Remixes:

UMC's Never Never Land (Remix)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1EX96QDJ

UMC's-Anyway The Wind Blows (Bass Interface Mix)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LNBZRKW7

UMC's-Blue Cheese (U-N-I-Verse All)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ODIYKM28

UMC's-Swing It To The Area (Sideshow Bob Recreation)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=29HPUT5V

Album links:

Fruits of Nature

http://rapidshare.com/files/92993766/The_U.M.C._s_-_Fruits_of_Nature.rar

Unleashed
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PBXFZZO5



01 - Time To Set It Straight
02 - We Go
03 - Evil Ways
04 - Hit The Track
05 - What's Up
06 - Staten Island Comes First
07 - ill demonic clique
08 - Some Speak Ill Thoughts
09 - Whoa Now
10 - Pleasure In The Dark
11 - Can You Feel It
12 - How It Gotta Be
13 - Gotta Be Sure
14 - My Thing

The UMC's were a group from Staten Island that had critical acclaim with their debut "Fruits of Nature" but never got the props they deserved for putting Shaolin on the Hip-Hop map despite doing it years prior to the Wu. Their follow-up took 3 years to happen and when it did, it just came and went.

Hass G and Kool Kim had the help of fellow Shaolin member and Wu affiliate RNS way before he was lacing the likes of Shyheim, G.P. Wu, King Just and The Gravediggaz. Since their '94 release "Unleashed" The UMC's broke up and went their own ways. Hass-G has went on to produce hits such as Lil Kim's "Magic Stick" featuring 50 Cent and Kool Kim now goes under the moniker NYOIL who has been making a name in the underground circuit as one of the better political rappers in the game.

Do yourself a favor and see what you've been missing...

-- Philaflava

brake fast records compilation (baltimore 1998)

I came across this compilation recently and was impressed with the consistency. Baltimore hip hop has been a source of fascination to me for years. Although house music predominates, the hip hop scene there is deep and varied. Most Baltimore artists are way below the radar but the output is on par with other east coast cities. This is filled with classic selections.


Here's a link and the tracklist--

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G3APJZ7F



01. VA - Intro 00:51
02. Ed Bones, Kaoz, Inpsychlopedia Brown & A-Class - No 04:39
03. Ed Bones - Ted & Andi Make Good Music 02:38
04. Inpsychlopedia Brown & Flu - Crockpot 01:56
05. Dyrti - Happy Holidae 03:14
06. Inpsychlopedia Brown & A-Class - Lost In The Lining 03:43
07. Ed Bones & Inpsychlopedia Brown - Marbles 02:44
08. P. Moon & JG - Light In The Sky 03:32
09. Inpsychlopedia Brown & Flu - 24 For The Strong 03:37
10. VA - Interlude 00:37
11. Ed Bones & Kaoz - Nuts & Bolts 03:12
12. Inpsychlopedia Brown & Ed Bones - Grime 03:30
13. Flu The Newsense - Dungeon 02:18
14. Inpsychlopedia Brown - Best Western 02:59
15. Kaoz - The Into 03:22
16. Ed Bones & Inpsychlopedia Brown - Brones 03:39
17. VA - Interlude 00:46
18. Inpsychlopedia Brown, P. Moon, JG & A-Class - Offens 04:40
19. A-Class - A Classick 02:54
20. Ed Bones - Letter B 03:22
21. Inpsychlopedia Brown - No Face Motel 02:47
22. Ed Bones, Kaoz, Inpsychlopedia Brown & Flu - Stu-Art 04:02
23. Ed Bones & Inpsychlopedia Brown - Dragonfly 03:13
24. VA - Outro 00:25


Sit back, light one up and put this on. It'll have you nodding your head and checking the playlist again, asking 'who's this ?'.

Schenectadyfan

A Freestyle, A Sample, A Beat Reborn

The internet, specifically philaflava.com's T.R.O.Y. forum, is a miraculous place.

Recently, a poster named "True King" requested assistance identifying an instrumental that Nas rapped over on the renowned CM Famalam show (click here to listen). Several posters agreed that the instrumental was an original Stretch Armstrong production that never surfaced anywhere else. A poster named "Dirty Waters" identified the sample as coming from Bobby Hutcherson's Natural Illusions LP after "Yohan" suggested that a skilled producer attempt to recreate the beat. "thomas v" further specified that the sample in question appears on the cut "Rain Every Thursday." This prompted "Lyrical Gymnastics" to upload Natural Illusions and our fellow blogger Roy Johnson to upload a two volume collection of Hutcherson samples (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2). The most impressive turn came however, when "Charlie Manson" responded to Yohan's challenge and produced his version of the beat, which I have to say is DOPE AS FUCK, very close to Stretch's original, and most importantly, available for us to download.

Now if that isn't teamwork, then what is? --- Thun

Bonus : Part 2 Of The Nas freestyle

Updated 07/13/09: Re-up of CharlieManson's remake of the beat here.

Tony D - The Indy Years Vol. 1-2

Vol 1.

01. Cutmaster - Backbone Breaker
02. Sport G & Mastermind - Live
03. TL from Tuff Crew - Back To Yell
04. Justice Born - The Great Creator
05. Shadasious - Put My Thing Down
06. Suicide Posse - My Science Is Deep
07. Ron B - Stitch By Stitch
08. Live N Direct - Rock Bassline
09. D.B.A. - D.B.A. In Effect
10. Courageous Chief - Slam Bam
11. Shakespeare & The Last Empire - My Old Jams Still Slam
12. Loose J & The Master Of Wax - Hi-Lo
13. Nikki Rap N Scratch - Now You Know
14. The Rangers - I'm Hot
15. Mr. Melody - Funk Motor
16. Izzy Ice - Freestyle
17. 25 Ta Life - Gimmie Dat
18. MC Mike D & DJ Mazey Maze - Funky Stuff
19. Too Def Connection - Running With The Lyrics
20. T.Y.B. - Show 'Em How It's Done
21. Sir Fresh & DJ Critical - Sir-Vere
22. 360 Degrees - Pelon
23. Butchy B - Freaks Are Wild
24. Witchdoctor - Takin No Shorts
25. T.A.P. - We Want The Funk
26. Reel Deal - Drippin Dope
27. 3 The Hardway - Stupid Hype

http://www.zshare.net/download/19791670d59ba4a8/

01. [Intro]
02. Finsta - Payday Is Bliss
03. Legion Of Doom - Live Bait
04. V.I.C.E. - Talk That Talk
05. T.D.S. Mob - T.D.S. Scratch Reaction
06. Unique - Pure Dynamite
07. Deuces Wild - Five Times The Rhymer
08. Divine Force - My Uptown Beat
09. Kev-E-Kev - Listen To The Man
10. DJ Duquan & The Wonderluv Dan - Let The Music Play
11. Main Source - Think
12. [DJ Lord Jazz Interlude]
13. Too Def Connection - Take A Fall
14. 360 Pelon - Years To Build
15. Velore & Double-O - We're Gonna Get'Em (Rock The Beat)
16. Prince Eze & Big Fran to the 3rd - Time To Get Funky!
17. Phill Most Chill - On Tempo Jack
18. Kickin' Live Posse - Bad Boy
19. Raw Corp. - I'm Real Def
20. Peter Gunn Diamond & Mr. Itill - My Mic & My Handle
21. Willie Feaster & The Mighty Magnificents - Take A Lesson
22. MC Paradise - Go For What You Know
23. [Outro]

http://www.sendspace.com/file/7wqndz

If you want to cop the OG's from Tony himself hit him up at http://theindyyearscd.freewebspace.com/ or http://www.myspace.com/prttonyd



Trenton's finest producer along with Q-Tip and DJ Red Alert in '89.




Peace to William Buckley and Ho1ogramz for assist.

--Philaflava

The Hill That’s Real...

Various Artists-The Hill That’s Real (1992)

1992 was easily one of the dopest years in Hip Hop history, it was a time of Timberlands, polos, hoodies, and vast amounts of creativity, lyrical skills and fat beats as far as rap music was concerned, it was also the year the infamous Lil Fame (aka Fizzy Womack) of the Mash Out Posse, first recorded to wax on the The Hill That’s Real compilation, an album that celebrated the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York.

Lil Fame kicked the album off with the raw ‘Bring The Ruckus’ and also supplied his vocal talents to ’Neighborhood Hood’ and ‘The Hill That’s Real’, as well as appearing on the ‘Crew Full Of Shorties’ cut and overseeing the whole album.

Other key tracks were the ASAP tracks ‘Wrek The Art’ and ‘It’s On You’ with both tracks displaying hardcore jazz loops and fat drums, in fact most of the album is full of deep basslines, hard drums and dope loops supplied by producer Silver D.

Big Ken is a hardcore chick going for hers on ‘4 Star Bitch’ and the sharp tongued ‘All About The Pussy‘, both are dope cuts, but why is she called Big Ken?.

411 (another female) wrecks ‘Exit 21 South’ with adlibs from what sounds like Positive K (I’m not sure if it’s him though) and the album ends with Big Posse’s New York City Drive By’, so in essence, this is a dope album and worth checking for early Lil’ Fame recordings and for those that enjoy rugged Brooklyn Hip Hop. Brrrrrraaaaaappppp

http://www.zshare.net/download/5021583dc22645

The Hill That’s Real (1992)

01. Li'l Fame - Bring The Ruckus
02. ASAP - Wrek The Art
03. Smuve-Ruff, Big Ken, Sean Mic & Li'l Fame - Crew Full Of Shorties
04. Li'l Fame - The Hill That's Real
05. Big Ken - All About The Pussy
06. ASAP - It's On You
07. Big Ken - 4 Star Bitch
08. Li'l Fame - Neighborhood Hood
09. 411 - Exit 21 South
10. The Big Posse - New York Drive By

Jaz

YouTubin'

One of the dopest Youtube contributors has to be my man Dan from VintageHipHopSeattle. Below are some of my favorite videos he has posted on his page. But do yourself a favor and check it out yourself because you'll be entertained for hours.

I can't tell you how much joy this brings me. Talk about reminiscing, I remember staying up late to watch Pump It Up or YO! with a St. Ides in one hand and a pen in the other to write down all the names of the videos. My boys and I would just watch from beginning to end before we took our blunted asses to Denny's. Of course while riding out we'd play the very tracks you'll see below. God bless the internet and God bless VintageHipHopSeattle!

















--Philaflava