There was a time when I was rocking as much, if not more, LA Rap than I was stuff from New York. This was a time when rapping about shotguns over old Zapp loops was all that was required to impress. So in the spirit of rap blogging from 2006, here’s an hour of great Californian rap music to drive by.
Download: LA Rap – The Good Old Days
Track listing:
1. CPO – “Gangsta Melody”
MC Ren produced and featured on this side project, and everything about it is great.
2. Breeze – “T.Y.S.O.N.”
Fresh off working with LL Cool J, the LA Posse brought out their own MC over this punishing track.
3. South Central Cartel – “Ya Getz Clowned”
Stereotypical LA Gang Story Rap at at it’s finest. These Roger Troutman beats never get old.
4. Bloods & Crips – “Bangin’ On Wax”
Sure, the truce didn’t last but at least we got this P-Funk banger out of the project.
5. WC & The MADD Circle – “Hood Rat”
Ignorant LA classic.
6. CMW – “Rhymes Too Funky”
The original version of MC Eiht and Chill MC‘s debut on wax. Effin’ awesome.
7. Eazy-E – “8 Ball (Remix)”
Thanks to Cube’s penmanship, Eazy almost sounds like he can rap on this. Also, anything with guitar stab is dope by default.
8. Above The Law – “Livin’ Like Hustlers”
Proving, once again, that sampling is better than synths.
9. Kam – “Every Single Weekend”
Best song about weekend warriors ever.
10. King Tee – “Just Clowning”
DJ Pooh, Breeze and Mixmaster Spade lend an assist for this ’88 banger.
11. Da Lench Mob – “Lost In the System”
J-Dee details getting locked-up in fine style over a rolling track. Bonus points for use of the term “serpent” in reference to white.
12. Low Profile – “No Mercy”
WC used to be quite the wordsmith in his younger days.
13. Threat – “Bust One Fa Me”
The last great LA Rap album as far as I’m concerned.
14. NWA – “Real Niggaz”
Dr. Dre absolutely kills shit with this track, while MC Ren steps up to compensate for Cube’s absence.
15. Ice Cube – “The Product”
The pinnacle of Ice Cube as a cutting-edge song writer.
Man, you couldn’t get your handz (“Z” in honour of the posting)on any of those CPO 12″ rarities?
^ I have the singles from the first album but that track is an all-time favorite.
DOWNLOAD: LA RAP – THE GOOD OLD DAYS http://t.co/M652k2meYi
That album by Threat, Siccinahead, was nice. I believe I may have to agree with you as far as that being the last great LA rap album.
^^ Threat’s record is an easy top 10 of all time album for me personally, as are the KAM and Lench Mob debut albums. Post-electro pre-g-funk west coast rap reigns supreme over nearly everything.
ps. Much respect for being the only rap blogger who isn’t too shook to post a download link.
No love for the D.O.C.? “Portrait of a Masterpiece” is like a west coast (by way of Dallas) answer to “Men At Work”. Co-sign Da Lench Mob, “Gueillas in the Mist” gets slept on real heavy…
Oh, I gots to have this!!! Yeah, that Threat album was a slept on gem.
K-Dee ‘Ass, Gas, or Cash’ was another classic.
Great post. Robbie, you should do another one with Rap-A-Lot classics. There’s a lot of lost dope material in that label’s glory days.
california livin (bay); paystyle (bay); ya betta bring a gun; killer daytons; pay ya dues; servin em heat;’so u wanna go to the liquor store (or is that ya betta bring a gun) . . . ghetto bird; dippin; streiht up menace; 8 ball. 7th deadly sin whole album. lot from the west in all eras.
tonite by quik. tash–lowlands. whole lot more.
Good looks on the mixtape.
This is just awesome Robbie! In lack of a time machine this is just what I need to hear to transport my old ass back to high school.