New information has finally come to light regarding the never-released TJ Swan album. Over the past four years I’ve asked a number of people if they’ve ever heard the Swan album that Marley Marl always used to mention in interviews. Here’s the story so far:
DJ Ivory (P Brothers): “They made it. There are master tapes of it, I know that for a fact.”
Mike Heron: “I should’ve got TJ Swan on Screwball’s album. He was the first Nate Dog!”
Big Daddy Kane: “Man, I haven’t talked to Swan in a very long time. I guess, in a manner of speaking, he pretty much was the first Nate Dog! The first hip-hop singer.”
Other than amusing a couple of people, I hadn’t found out anything new on the subject, other than the fact that the album exists. But when I spoke to Masta Ace last year, he responded with this gem:
Masta Ace: “I heard it – it’s a great album! If that album woulda come out, he woulda been double platinum, household name. I don’t know what he woulda done from there, but this was a brilliant album. In that same spirit of the Biz Mark records – his singing style. The beats were hot! It was the beginning of that kinda New Jack Swing – hadn’t really takin’ off yet. A few of those TJ Swan tracks, Marley submitted to Bel Biv Devoe later. It was like on that cusp, yo, of that next R&B sound. If that record would come out? He woulda killed!”
Fact remains that hate just about every rap song with singing on the hook after 1987, but TJ Swan was able to make rap ballads less painful – “Left Me Lonely” is one of the only decent love jams ever (Craig G’s isn’t though). TJ’s combination with Kid Capri is the definition of some smooth operator shit, while Swan’s work with Biz is all classic. The search continues….
Previously: The Search For TJ Swan
id like to thank olympic winner for makin my money mercilesz hat!!! la la la la
You know what I want? A version of that Cut Master Cool V joint where he mixes the Michael Jackson records, but in decent quality. The one I have, which I think came from Unkut, sounds like a 10th generation tape dub. And that’s a hot track.
Maybe I’ll just have to do my own?
good luck kid…thats rare…..
“go shoppin…go shoppin” TJ Swan is Juice Crew royalty!!!
“This Is What You Came Here For” >>>>>
Somebody needs to tell Marley to give the tapes to Traffic.
Yo if Albee Square dropped in this materialism-is-our-celebrity era… rich cunts would lose their mind! I could just see Paris Hilton, “Me and Biz go Shaw-aw-awping!” 10 years before flat-brims claimed to be “tearing down the mall,” TJ Swan and Biz had it locked. Love that track. keep doin’ that Dr. Jones shit, Robbie, I know you’ll get that grail, it’s mandatory. oh and that live tape with BDK is bonkers.thanks
I know TJ Swann is Juice Crew and all, and sang on some classic tracks. But…dude could not sing. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard when I really listen to him. I don’t see how a TJ Swann record oculda went wood, though I’d love to hear the Marley beats from it.
According to his myspace, “Fast foward to 2007 the hiphop ghost has returned Tha boy is a dropping… Have No Fear Swan Is Here the 1988 CD).”
TJ Swan didn’t sing as much as whine.
Classic…shoulda went triple.
These songs are great in spite of TJ, not because of him. I’d make a Mo B. Dick comparison right now but you folks might not know who that is… fun fact though, Large Professor sampled Biz Markie’s voice saying “recognized” and made it sound like ‘Nas’ on It Ain’t Hard To Tell.
omg he did? wow….lol its 2008 bro
robbie, i cosign on that r&b in hip hop shit, those two genres need to stay separate, t-pain needs to get shot in the face, nate dogg is cool, tj swann is chill, shit i even like aloe blacc from emanon, when hes either singing or rapping, but together, nah man that shit is terrible
They gotta release the TJ Swan album! Shit sounds tight.
I have this album. I can’t ever disrespect anyone involved by upping it, but beat-wise it never fails to push the wig back.
Please up that in Memory of Swann…R.I.P.