Why do I own the original press kit for Lord Finesse‘s Return of the Funkyman? As well as the CD, tape, original vinyl and 2xLP re-issue? No idea, really. I mean it’s a great album, but when is enough enough in terms of collecting? What I want to know is:
What is the weirdest/most obscure piece of hip-hop memorabilia in your collection?
Noo Trybe/Virgin Records gave me as a Christmas gift, a bottle of expensive “virgin olive oil” (get it?) as a token of thanks for writing features on their artists at the time (circa ’97): Scarface, Do or Die and I think D’Angelo (but I’m not sure).
I have not opened the bottle and for some reason I’m still holding on to it. I guess I’m waiting for a special occasion to use on a salad or something. Maybe use it to fry some chicken. Ha!
Oh shit! this just pop into my head.
Back around 1997, when I was an editor for a hip-hop mag called Beat-Down magazine, we did a couple of features on Master P and the No Limit family, including C-Murder.
In C-Murder’s press package was a pair of brand-new, clean boxer drawls. Yes, underwear. The drawls had C-Murder written on the waistband. And guess what? I wore them motherfuckers. And they were the best drawls I have ever worn that held my family jewelz in place. I love them so much, I actually called Master P’s publicist to send me some more. She sent me two more pairs.
I haven’t worn those pairs, but if I ever become homeless, I going to wear those C-Murder boxer drawls. Damn, right. Ha!
the 3rd Bass “VIDE/YO” on VHS – My friend picked it up at a used movie store solely because of the ridiculous name, and gave it to me after I was flipping about the vintage dopeness and the KMD appearance… however that was before a fire fucked up my stacks, destroying my tapes, cd’s, videos and books (luckily most of my vinyl survived).
I guess my oddest remaining hip hop memorabilia would have to be Meth & Red’s “How High Soundtrack” promotional popcorn bag.
Probably the bubble wrap envelope that my copy of Dom Pachino’s Tera Iz Him 2 came in.
Living in New Zealand, it is a bit of a novelty having a Staten Island stamp on something
DMX’s autograph on a blank restaurant check:
http://mattcohenphoto.com/dmx_autograph.jpg
Guru’s autograph on a MC LYTE Flyer for a party that never happened LMAO… I was helping Dj Premier store his crates in a safe place back in 1992 @ some club down in Miami South Beach fl and askd Guru for his autograph check my blog you can see for your self no lie. .
R.I.P-Guru
I don’t have much, maybe the Task Force/Pegasus 12″ Apostles 12″. There weren’t many runs of that..
I interviewed Kool Keith way back in 94′ who was living near the Beverly Center in LA back then. I met him, Kurt and Menalik … I remember ratting out some guy at Delicious Vinyl who had been dubbing copies of his demo (which had tracks from Sex Style on it) and giving it to die hard Ultra fans like me during my stay there. Sorry dude. Anyway, Keith and Kurt hit me off with a copy of Dr. Octagon … the title track from the album that eventually saw a release two years later. When I got back to London, I dubbed a copy of it for Max N Dave and it got a spin or two on the radio station. I was a complete Keith Stan back then … ! Sadly, not anymore.
an actual lucini 100 dollar bill from camp los 1st promo…used to have kurious headband from the cm album…have no idea where it is.
I got a “Come Clean” bar of black soap that was the promo item for Jeru’s Come Clean 12″
nellys hot in herre on 12 vinyl
Louis Logic Vomit Bag/ Big Pun condom
I have a autograph copy of LL’s “Radio”
Back in the day; I think it was WHBI who was running a promo contest for LL. The idea was to write in why you should win the the first prize (I don’t remember what the first prize was) using only words that start with the letter “L”
Man, Whatever the 1st prize was it must of been something good, because I was on a mission. I spent mad time crafting something dope. I mailed out my postcard and tuned in the next week to collect my deserves.
Anyway, LL acknowledges on air that I wrote some dope shit, but decided to give the 1st prize to some chick because she wrote in that she “would suck his didick”
WHAT!!! there are do “L’s” in “suck your didick!!!” She didn’t even follow the rules.
So as a consolation prize I got an autograph album
*dead*
Flavor Flav’s autograph circa 1992 telling me to keep doing good in school — G (I was probably 13), complete with PE crosshair.
It’s strange sometimes you find the guys who ‘blew up’ are more down to earth than the folks who sold a few thousand records in their *lifetime.*
@BKThoroughbred: Maybe the 1st prize was an evening out with Cool J … if so you probably never had a hope. Let’s hope she was busted!!!
I got some ish, but a friend has a pic of him wearing the Nore “Animal Thug” chain. Cant really beat that.
autograph of chuck d on my “yo bumrush the show lp inner sleave”.
A Biz Markie booger…….. autographed!!!
lol @ “nellys hot in herre on 12 vinyl”
I got one of them fitted “PPC” hats they wore in one of the Penthouse Players Clique videos.
I had an water bottle Everlast chucked out from a House of pain show. My mum got rid of it. Thought I was going to make a bong out of it.
i’m quite fond of me Lazy Grey Backyard BBQ Essentials Pack…bottle opener, ciggie lighter & stubby holder…
my EPMD Fan Club membership from 1989 with the post stamp date being my birthday
I got a porno mag signed by kool keith, kutmassta kurt and marc live. They were just throwing em into the crowd, so i guess its not really ‘rare’, but anyway.
also
Rob Nat: Night on the Tiles vinyl (does that count?)
I own the promotional Percy Miracles “Ladies Champ” EP for the Little Brother Album “The Minstrel Show”. It’s basically Phonte using the Percy Miracles characters, having some hilarious tracks on the EP. As far as I know, that shit is rare.
Not really a fan item, but more a funny story. Some years ago I bought a CD package off eBay and it included Public Enemy’s “Fear Of A Black Planet”. I already owned a copy but was like “Whatever”. One day I inspected the CD, took off the inlay that is holding the CD and wow…I found an old ass love letter from the dude I bought the CD from. It was kinda weird to read it but hey….>_>
I got a Bizzare Ride 2 the Pharcyde promo poster. My uncle used to have a troop sneaker box with Eazy -E on it.
Speaking of Kool Keith. I went 2 see him at the Key Club in Hollywood. Around the time of Black Elvis( he had the elvis wig on). I remember he was throwing out capri suns & fried chicken in plastic bags.So the crowd starts throwing em back. I got hit smack in the face with a capri sun.Got in a fight & thrown out.
i have an unopened box of yo! mtv rap cards,that i found at the flea market for 5 bucks………dont know what i’ll ever do with em
An autographed McDonald’s napkin from Run, from 1988 (Run’s House tour).
-D!
I have one of those “Flashformer” scratching devices made by Gemini and Grandmaster Flash. One of the only other ones I know of is at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Hip Hop museum.
A Mr. Cee 3-litre fruit punch soda called ‘The Finisher’
I got a twist on this one… Chuck D was giving a lecture at the city campus and I got in and it wasn’t even halfway packed?!? So it was real teacher/small class like… I brought a copy of my book (self published) to give to him; I thought I was gonna have to toss it on stage like @ a rock show… I don’t know what got into me but Chuck gave the open and I was able to interrupt the lecture shake that dudes hand and pass him the copy of the book; so as far as I know Chuck D has a fucking copy of my 1st published book!!
Got a Rumpletilskinz presskit with autographed photo by all members.
Showbiz & A.G – Soul Clap EP in sealed cd/longbox.
I used to have ODBs sweaty towel which he tossed out at a wu show back in 97 here in sweden but it got lost.
a roots signed setlist
I can’t believe I actually have so much memorobilia, but here goes:
My sister has an autograph of R Kelly and Aaliyah from when the former was boning the latter when Aaliyah was still like 16 or something. Ironic.
My sister also has an autograph of lil’ cease and lil’ kim from a biggie concert. She saw biggie and told me the reason he wore sunglasses all the time is because he was cross-eyed than a muhfucka.
I have an autographed flyer of Chuck D. that my moms got for me at a lecture he was giving at my mom’s university and it says on it “listen to your mom.”
I have an autographed Kool Keith trading card which I got Keith to sign at one of his shows. The card I got out of the Mic Planet Sessions cd mixtape.
At a different Kool Keith show I got him to sign his flyer which was supposed to have tash from the liks as an opening act, Tash never showed.
I got a pic stashed somewhere of me and DJ Qbert.
I’ve got pictures of me with snoop, eminem, kurupt, nate dogg, and wc from being backstage at the up in smoke tour.
I’ve got a picture with me and alchemist from the methodman, redman, ev, alchemist and termanology show.
I also have a picture of me in Vegas with Grandmaster B aka Bud Bundy aka David Faustino after mackin it to his gf and then realizing what sacrilege I had just committed. This is rather loosely hip hop memorobilia related, but I thought it would be worth the mention.
I have a Rock Steady Crew ABA-like basketball which was thrown from the stage by The Beatnuts at the 25th RSC Anniversary in NYC in 1997. They threw just a couple of them and I was lucky enough to jump and catch one Dennis Rodman style. I had to fly back to my hometown in Italy and I carried my ball all the way in the cabin as it didn’t fit in no luggage. It still stands high in my old room at my parents’house and that shit takes me back to when Hip-Hop was about good times
FlashFormer- Wow I always thought that was a myth. Never realised they actually made them!!! Nice
2 copies of Blu & Exile’s Below the Heavens on CD.
It’s neither rare
nor obscure
or even memorabilia.
But how many yoo got?
Oops, I meant it’s not weird or obscure.
^^still kickin myself for missin out on that joint
Do labels still send out these kinda promotional items these days?
It seems I can only dream of rapper-branded underwear.
Buried somewhere in my house:
A flyer for a hip hop show in Long Island ca. 1984 with the Disco Three (aka Fat Boys) headlining. I wasn’t from there so I didn’t attend. The flyer itself looks like it was made in 5 minutes; it wasn’t a classic design a la Buddy Esquire. It had little drawings of rabbits doing electric boogie.
An article out of some old street press paper , before Beat I think of when Triple J played NWA fuck the police on air and then got banned and played the Express Yourself track over and over all day in protest, circa 87/88 or so from memory.
I have an autographed test pressing of X Clan’s Fire and Earth 12″. I got it at a X Clan and Gang Starr show at Boston college right before their album was about to drop in 1992.