Photo: Joe Conzo
Back before rap magazines and the internet, I heard a rumor that Grandmaster Caz and Ced-Gee were working on an album together. Needless to say, my young mind was blown at the possibility of these two rap geniuses teaming-up. While we only got a couple of Tuff City singles from this meeting of minds, it turns out that they did in fact record an entire album of material together in 1992 before Aaron Fuch‘s decided that the material ‘wasn’t commercial enough,’ according to a piece that Dave Tompkins did on the ‘You Need Stitches’ single. Tuff City eventually released the vaulted material on a couple of compilations, so I thought I’d assemble it all together to paint a picture of how Caz’s 1992 LP, The Grandest Of Them All was originally intended to sound before The Mighty Maestro was recruited to remake it. ‘I’m Gonna Freak You’ deserves a special mention as being one of the most amusing sex raps ever recorded, while ‘I’m Rich’ is flossing at it’s finest. I’ve also included the earlier records they did together, just on the general principle that everything Ced touched during that period was amazing and Caz still had some gas in the tank despite being part of the old guard by this point. Bronx brilliance at it’s finest, albeit in poorly mixed, unpolished form.
Download: Grandmaster Caz – The Grandest Of Them All [Ced-Gee Version]
Too “Street”? GMC? CED GEE? Man, listen! “STREET” is GMC’s middle name!
Aaron Fuchs needs to get his head examined since he is the one who re-issued the HoneyDrippers single which has zero commercial value and is 100% Street.
Thanks for this one. GM Caz and many others would still have been able to outshine a lot of modern rappers in the 90s but the press only paid attention to production. Some producers only seemed to work with newer artists and it’s all messed up.
This may be the best thing to have been posted on here- which is saying something- salute
I can only imagine what it must have been like at that time in hip hop. Caz is nice. His story needs to go on the big screen!!!!
This is dope as fuck. Thanks for putting it together Robbie.
Another winner Robbie.
Big Thanks for this Robbie. A quote sticks in my mind from Dave Tompkins piece in Grand Slam. Tompkins asks Caz “You ever had stiches?” – Caz replies “Never, I’m stitchless!”