Ice-T’s Rhyme Syndicate was one of the more unusual extended rap crews, with a core membership that included everyone from old school veteran Donald D, ‘Caucasian Sensation’ Everlast, rapper/crooner dude Bronx Style Bob and acid casualty Divine Styler. According to the Syndicate Facebook page, which looks like it’s run by Donald D, the official role call is as follows:
Ice-T, Donald-D, Everlast, Afrika Islam, Darlene the Syndicate Queen, Bronx Style Bob, Divine Styler & the Scheme Team, Bilal Bashir, Low Profile (W.C. & Aladdin), Spinmasters (Hen-Gee & Evil-E), Hijack, Randy Mac, DJ Chilly Dee, MC Taste, Shaquel Shabazz, Nat the Cat, Domination, T.D.F., Mixmaster Quick, F.B.I. Crew, Lord Finesse, Nile Kings, Rhamel, Tre Kan, Bang-O, Toddy Tee, Monie Love, MC Trouble and Body Count.
Here’s a collection of my favorite Syndicate songs from that era, a reminder of when LA rappers were still trying to impress New York by rapping properly and when important issues such as how great it would be to have a sweet new Rolex watch were addressed with the seriousness they deserved. Sadly, despite having some great production from Aladdin and SLJ, Ice’s rapping had begun to fall into steep decline by the time he made Home Invasion, where he introduced some teenage chick rapper named Grip. I blame Body Count, obviously.
Download: A Salute To The Rhyme Syndicate [re-upped]
Track listing:
01. ‘The Syndicate’ – Ice-T feat. Donald D and Hen-G
02. ‘Hell Raiser’ – Donald D
03. ‘You Played Yourself’ [Remix] – Ice-T feat. Aladdin & King Tee
04. ‘No Mercy’ – Low Profile
05. ‘Mass Movement’ – Bango
06. ‘My Word is Bond’ – Ice-T feat. Donald D and Bronx Style Bob
07. ‘Tongue Of Labyrinth’ – Divine Styler
08. ‘Syndication’ [Remix] – Everlast
09. ‘Fly By’ – Ice-T feat. Nat The Cat and Donald D
10. ‘While You’ve Been Waiting’ – Nat The Cat
11. ‘Dropping Bombs’ – Nile Kings
12. ‘I Need A Rolex’ [Remix] – Toddy Tee
13. ‘3 Poets On A Mission’ – Donald D feat. Kid Jazz and Peter Gunz
14. ‘Brothers’ – The Spin Masters
15. ‘What Ya Wanna Do?’ – Ice-T feat. Bronx Style Bob, Divine Styler, Donald D, Everlast, Hen-Gee, M.C. Taste, Nat The Cat, Randy Mac, Shaquel Shabazz and Toddy Tee
appreciated cover rob
just reminded me of one of the oddest concepts for an album http://www.discogs.com/Ice-T-King-Tee-Having-A-T-Party/release/1512975
Having a T party, someone thought of a shit pun and then made an album off the back of it. Still a good listen
Much thanks…Rhyme Syndicate deserve more props….Ice T was smart enough to build a bridge with Cali and thorough Zulu dudes….
But no RS comp is complete without Domination ” You Haven’t Heard Nothing”……Peace..
Great comp Robbie. Agreed – Domination ‘You Haven’t Heard Nothing’ is amazing. And their other tune ‘Back At It Again’ is incredible, sounds like Sir Ibu on steroids. Whatever happened to Kid Jazz?
Thanks. I can’t believe it has taken me this long to twig to the fact that the dj Aladdin responsible for some of my favorite cuts of all time: https://youtu.be/aWbV8iufOwE is the same dude who worked with ice T on those albums.
Thats how Im livin off Home Invasion made the whole album though. Bonus beats, Brother Marquis later sued Ice-T for lending 99 problems to Jay-Z.
Oh and great comp(even though Hijack was omitted).
Yeah Kid Jazz from Domination was a motherfucking monster….I heard some of his newest material, he goes by the moniker J Swagg now ( Needless to say that he sounds NOTHING like he did back day)..
Many people do not know that he wrote ” High Rollers” and a couple other big records for Ice T……..In my opinion just off of ” Haven’t Heard Nothing” Kid Jazzill go down as one of the greats……
Salute
When did Monie Love get down with Rhyme Syndicate?
Hijack forever!
Yeah, maybe it’s a European thing, but I really thought Hijack was a great addition to the Syndicate. Their first album was incredible!
@Dr Z
Ice didn’t have to do aynthing with that, by 1991 he was in his “OG Original gangster”-era. this was a K-TEL compilation, who, just like Rhino, license previously released material and re-release it all over again.
Man seeing that Yo’MTV clip of the Rhyme Syndicate jive brought a tear to my Eye….ICE MOTHERFUCKING TEEE for life, one of the best to ever do it!!! You Unkut see if you can find the Episode where Yo MTV Raps coverd the Ill Secret Rhyme Syndicate Meeting…CLASSIC…. Nothing like that time I swear…
The posse cut on The Iceberg album was my shit!!! Can’t lie I copped the Everlast album as a kid. I thought I Got the Knack was flavor at the time.
Great collection, Ice-T made me the hip hop fan I am today. Loved everything Rhyme Syndicate connected. The Hijack album still is one of the best UK rap albums to date along with Ruthless Rap Assassins. Everlast joint was good enough, Fuck Everyone and Syndication were the shit. One of my favorites was Divine Styler Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’.
“Their (Hijack) first album.” Did Hijack have a second album?
Could’ve sworn The Rhyme Syndicate dropped a James Brown diss record (“Fuck james brown”) or did I imagine it?
Whatever happened to Gripp/Grippsta?
Is there any evidence (outside this comments thread) that Ice-T used ghostwriters?
I disagree Ice-T’s rap skills went into “steep decline” with “home Invasion.” I just think that, by that point, he’d exhausted his pool of ideas/stories and became a self parody. The opening few cuts of “Home Invasion” are dope (especially “Addicted to danger” and the title track) but it’s clear the Hollywood bubble isn’t a hotbed of streetlevel insight nor fuel for protest.”Return of The Real” largely came across as a desperate attempt to emulate Mobb Deep, Nas and basically play catch up with the paradigm shift.
I liked return of the real and 7th deadly sin, I dont think his rap declined, or he tried to emulate anyone, the scene changed and so did ice, he evolved and whilst his ryhmes weren’t the tightest, they were some of the wisest. The 7th with rass kass is hard as Fuck, I still bump that, valuable game, always want to be a ho + Twice the game & the games real on gangsta rap is dope too.
Not to mention his song with smooth da hustler on smg is also hard too.
I remember source listed return of the real as one of the top 10 albums of that year and whilst I think its good songs aren’t as good as the latter albums, I think source got it right. They need to make a song “ forgot about the og” a’’la “forgot about Dre”