Recap (3/01/09 - 3/07/09)

T.R.O.Y. is the blooming rose that grew from concrete smack dab in the middle of a blog meadow where the flowers are wilted. Catch up on what you missed this past week.

Spotlight

T.R.O.Y. 101: Our Favorite Posts - This is as meta and navel-gazing as it gets, but if you're a fan of our blog then this guide to our best links was manna from heaven. Or something like that.

Sounds Like The '90s (Volume 3) - Nike heads and aging b-boys unite! The third installment of our popular, generation gap bridging series.

Cella Dwellas Non-Album Tracks - Freestyles and rarities you didn't even know existed, from Brooklyn's illest RPG fans.

O.C. Focus

Bon Apetit

O.C.  Non-Album Tracks

Assorted Gems

King Koncepts: Project Ambershine

Still Shoveling Out The New York Crates

Les McCann Samples Volume 2

DJ PNS - Chicago Rocks Vol. 3

Saafir One Of The Hardest EP

Spellbound: K-Solo Vs. DMX

S-P-E-L-L-B-O-U-N-D: K-Solo vs DMX

Today, I will breakdown the beef between K-Solo & DMX over who originated the "Spellbound" style. It all started in the late 80's when K-Solo & DMX served their jail time. DMX & K-Solo supposedly were friends and battled each other one-time during a 60-minute break. I heard rumors that K-Solo was stunned by DMX style and talked to DMX after the battle. In 1990, K-Solo released his breakdown hit "Spellbound." About a year later, DMX appeared in the unsigned hype column of The Source which you can see above. He claimed that K-Solo had stole his style and that he was the real author of "Spellbound." Right after that, DMX decided to release his own basement version of "Spellbound." A trivia fact is that he is known to have won a few spelling bees when he was a kid.

I don't think K-Solo really cared about DMX's version as he never replied until 2001. For the second installment of the Beef DVD series, K-Solo took a lie detector test to prove that he was the original writer of "Spellbound." He passed the whole test except one question which was just doubtful when he was asked if DMX co-wrote "Spellbound." DMX never really used that style after he recorded his version of Spellbound but years later he became a multi-platinum selling artist while K-Solo never really made an impact after his second solo album "Time's Up". Did DMX try to gain fame by using the spellbound style? We will never know... I just suggest that you listen to both versions and decide for yourself

K-Solo - Spellbound (1990)

DMX The Great - Spellbound (The Original) (1991?)

DMX Unsigned Hype Article appears courtesy of THIMK

-- Thomas V

Saafir - One Of The Hardest (Vinyl EP & CD)

Click photo to download the mp3s off the vinyl EP

One of the hardest ... EPs to find information on? Absolutely. Recently, a denizen of the T.R.O.Y. Forum named Fak uploaded this seven track vinyl EP, which is for sale here and appears to have been released in 2005 on the equally elusive Drive-By Pimp Slap label (DBPS2-1). But confusion ensued in the thread - fellow blogger Markshot, among others, had come across an album of the same title but with eight tracks, two of which, "Back Up Off Me" and "Less Work," are similarly titled to songs on the vinyl version, but no exactly. Major WTF here.

Google Blog Search was not immediately helpful in this case, but with a little bit of sleuthing I was able to put the puzzle pieces together. A blog post from December 2006 that is now in 404 limbo proclaims that Saafir's One Of The Hardest EP is a limited edition: "saafir returns! 8 unreleased tracks (not on any other release) recorded between 1997-2002. hella limited. look out for a new album in the near forseeable future." This post apparently included a tracklist but the blurb visible in the search result only shows "1.less work 2.bad b*tch 3.touch somebody (feat. xzibit)," which matches the first three selections from Markshot's tracklist. That plus the "hella" suggested some pure west coast authenticity to me.

Further in the past, back in August 2005, SergDun from We Eat So Many Shrimp blogged about a Saafir concert he attended, in which the Saucee Nomad insisted on performing some brand new material which included songs called "Crispy" and "Cash Me Out." Now we're on to something! Afterwards, SergDun purchased a CD titled, you guessed it One Of The Hardest, which he described as "archived material from '97-'02." He then goes on to four of the songs that appear on his eight track CD, all of which appear on Markshot's playlist. Good then. Inspection of both files suggests that "Back Up" and "Back Up Off Me" are in fact the same songs with the same Ras Kass and Xzibit guest verses. Ditto for "Left Work" and "Less Work." Or at least the beats and lyrics are the same - they could be different takes for all I know, as the recording quality is much greater on the CD versions.

In any event, the music on these EPs falls far short of the bar Saafir set on Boxcar Sessions, but you probably knew that already. Even if you're of the belief that Saafir's more accessible reinvention beginning with Trigonometry was a step in the right direction (and this argument admittedly  has some merit) these EPs are not essential unless you're a completist. Saafir has rhymed better over iller beats elsewhere, point blank. But this is Saafir, so the EPs are filled with those sublime moments where he just goes the fuck off and says something totally unexpected in his trademark anxious robotic freestyle way. For some this will be reason enough to collect these semi-rarities.

For others who are unconvinced, peep this article from 2007 which explains that the lyrics from the song "One Of The Hardest" comprise a true-to-life account of Saafir's near brush with death as a survivor of a plane crash: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/03/DDG2JNAD6O1.DTL

Click on cover art to download the mp3s from the CD version

-- Thun

Still Shoveling Out The New York Crates

Volume 3 of the New York ep samplers. This one has some super rare shit like the 1st two. The rules were the same. Ep material only, 1994-1996. Demo cuts include the tracks from Chase Phoenix, Gauge and Pete Rock/Cl Smooth.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3EP14XRA

01 (04:11) King Just - Proof Batter [100] 1994
02 (03:23) Timbo King And Spark 950 - United We Slam 1994
03 (03:47) Undadawgz - I Roc Dis 1995
04 (05:52) Caporegime - Lay Down 199?
05 (04:00) 12 O'clock & Raekwon - Nasty Immigrant 199?
06 (03:21) Natural Elements - Cock it Back 1994
07 (03:27) S.O.S. Aka 'Science Of Sound' - Untitled 1995
08 (03:12) Chase Phoenix - Rewind 1995
09 (03:46) Gauge - Past Tense 1995
10 (05:41) Godfather Don & Kool Keith - How The Fuck You Get A Deal 1995
11 (03:43) Da Phathedz Presents - For Rhe Year Ft. Tera Lo 1996
12 (04:24) Hollow Point - Clickz Like Gunz 1996
13 (04:14) Killa Kidz - 1 Way 1996
14 (04:38) PHD - Life on the Edge 1996
15 (03:40) 3 Man Riot - Products Of The World Gone Mad 1994
16 (04:22) Jaz B Latn - Set It Off 1994
17 (04:08) People Without Shoes - Nappyhead Assasin (Loud Mouth Dread) 1995
18 (05:20) Pete Rock and CL Smooth - They Reminisce Over You (Demo) 1994
19 (04:39) J-Live - School's In 199?

Can anyone identify the J-Live track for me ? I think the lp it came from is a test pressing because there aren't names for any of the other tracks either. Hope ya like the compilation!

--Schenectadyfan

Les McCann - Samples Volume 2

Les McCann - Samples Volume 2
1. Les McCann - Dunbar High School Marching Band
2. Ed OG - Streets Of The Ghetto (Instrumental)
3. Les McCann - North Carolina
4. Smif N Wessun - Let's Git It On (Instrumental)
5. Souls Of Mischief - What A Way To Go Out (Instrumental)
6. ATCQ - After Hours
7. ATCQ - The Infamous Date Rape
8. Les McCann - Anticipation
9. AZ - Rather Unique (Instrumental)
10. Les McCann - Sometimes I Cry
11. Slick Rick - Behind Bars
12. Les McCann - Go On And Cry
13. Erick Sermon - Funkmaster Flex Freestyle
14. Cella Dwellas - Good Dwellas (Instrumental)
15. Les McCann - The Generation Gap
16. Juggaknots - Loosifa
http://www.mediafire.com/?t4j0ipz3mnv

Preview:

Les McCann - Dunbar High School Marching Band


Les McCann - North Carolina


Les McCann - Anticipation


Les McCann - Sometimes I Cry


Les McCann - Go On And Cry


Les McCann - The Generation Gap


--Roy Johnson

O.C. - Non-Album Tracks (1991-1995)

O.C. - Non-Album Tracks V1 (1991-1995)
1. Ozone (Demo)
2. Visual Picture (Demo)
3. Brothers Are Fake (Demo)
4. Stay Alive (Demo)
5. I Kick A Rhyme For The Record (Partial Demo)
6. Time's Up (Original)
7. Word...Life (Remix)
8. Born 2 Live (Remix)
9. Time's Up (Remix)
10. Oh Lord w/ Lord Finesse
11. Brainstorm w/ Lord Finesse & KRS-One
12. Let's Organize w/ Organized Konfusion
13. Fudge Pudge w/ Organized Konfusion
14. You Won't Go Far w/ Organized Konfusion
15. Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers w/ Jeru & Chubb Rock
16. Back To The Grill Remix w/ Serch, Nas, Chubb Rock, etc
17. Men Vs. Many w/ Mic Geronimo
18. A Clear Day w/ DJ Clear
http://www.mediafire.com/?ouat5gyqgbh

O.C. - Non-Album Tracks V2 (1991-1995)
1. Time's Up (Spinbad Blend)
2. Born 2 Live (Jay Dee Blend)
3. Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle #1
4. Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle #2
5. Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle #3
6. Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle w/ Organized Konfusion
7. Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle w/ Mr. Complex
8. Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle w/ MC Serch
9. Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle w/ Large Professor
10. Stretch & Bobbito Promo w/ MC Serch
11. Wake Up Show Freestyle
12. DJ IROC Freestyle
http://www.mediafire.com/?nvzdduyjfdw

Preview:

Brothers Are Fake! (Demo)


I Kick A Rhyme For The Record (Partial Demo)


Time's Up (Spinbad Blend)


Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle #1


DJ IROC Freestyle


If you have the full version of "I Kick A Rhyme For The Record", please hit us up in the comments. Thanks!

--Roy Johnson

Bon Appetit

video courtesy of GrandGood.

O.C was one of the most respected lyricists of the 90's despite being under the hip-hop radar most of his career. Brooklyn born Omar Credle made his rap debut in 1991 on Organized Konfusion's "Fudge Pudge" and one year later he made a featuring on the remix of MC Serch's "Back to the Grill." By 1994, he had signed with Wild Pitch Records and recorded the classic Word...Life.

In 1997, O.C. signed to the now defunct Pay Day Records, where he made his second album Jewelz and was also a prominent member of the super group know as Diggin' in The Crates.

The 2001 release of Bon Appetit came with mixed reviews while most of his core audience did not appreciate the album, O.C. considers it to be the "blueprint" that both Jay and Kanye built on when they made this.

I know this because we asked O.C. in our interview (click to read).

PF: Do you regret making Bon Appetit?

OC: Hell no.

PF: No?

OC: Nah. I think I laid a blueprint with that record. And you know, I think a lot of people followed suit. I think that... I think Jay, I think Kanye, I think a few people took that album and took it to the next level. Plus they was on the stage, so you know, it was a better platform for them, doing what I did.

O.C. disappeared from the scene until 2005, when he released his fourth album with Grit Records; Starchild which only dropped as an very limited Japanese/European import and was met with great acclaim. Later that year, he signed with Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings and teamed up with Bronx-native producer Mike Loe, and dropped Smoke and Mirrors.

We're still waiting for Crooklyn Dodger #2 to drop his forthcoming album "My Soul To Keep" but until then... --Philaflava

DOWNLOAD

Re - Upped

1 Action Guaranteed
2 Burn Me Slow
3 Dangerous Sequel
4 Dignified Soldiers
5 Dignified Soldiers (remix)
6 DJ 279 freestyle
7 Droppin Gramma ( tic mix street)
8 Droppin Gramma (nick wiz original)
9 Freestyle at the Wake Up
10 Full Scale
11 Get Yours (remix)
12 Internationally Known
13 King of NY
14 Lake of Fire
15 Love Child
16 Lyrical Tyrant from loca to global
17 Metal Thangz
18 Metal Thangz (remix)
19 Tony Touch Freestyle
20 O.C.'s Coneects
21 Respect Mine
22 Return to It
23 Rollin
24 Rollin (remix)
25 Stronjay ( unreleased original version)
26 The Club
27 The Triboro
28 Themes,Schemes & Dreams
29 U-N-I
30 Watch Ya Step
31 What I Represent
32 Wordplay
33 Ya Better recognize
34 Your Life
35 Lyrical Tyrants
36 Lyrical Tyrants ( new government remix)

DOWNLOAD

1 Marquee
2 Emotions (remix)
3 Chase game (original)
4 Yes Sir
5 Worst Nightmare
6 Beyond
7 O.C. Interlude
8 If Worlds Could Kill

Peace to Kimani & Hashashin for the hook-up.