Everyone knows that Special K is T La Rock‘s brother, but many of you may have missed their little-heard collaboration from 1994’s ill-fated Treacherous 3 album. With a title like Old School Flava, I wasn’t exactly expecting miracles from Moe, LA and K, but songs like “The Mic Wreckers” and “We Come Phat” were blatant…
Author: Robbie Ettelson
T La Rock – Live In ’85
Throwing big words around has become a trend in recent years, as new jack rappers – lacking in flow, breath control and any kind of style in general – attempt to distract listeners. It wasn’t always that way though. There was a time when T La Rock and the Treacherous Three made a name for…
MF Grimm – “Scars and Memories” Review
Having performed under a number of handles, from Build and Destroy to Grimm Reaper, which then evolved to MF Grimm and eventually GM Grimm (the full story can be heard in the interview snippets throughout the album), Percy Carey has endured a near-fatal shooting that left him in a wheelchair, extended jail time and major…
Jus Allah – “All Fates Have Changed” Review
You’ve no doubt caught wind of Jus Allah being welcomed back into the fold of underground powerhouse Jedi Mind Tricks, where he made a name for himself after joining Vinnie Paz on vocal duties for the groups break-through Violent By Design album.
On The Road Again – Ced Gee Special Part 10
When Philly’s Tuff Crew combined forces with New Jersey’s Krown Rulers for the P.H.A.N.J.A.M. (PHilly And New Jersey All-Star M.c.’s) album which included electro-jams such as “Techno Tuff” and the bizarre “Art of Love”, they wisely connected with Ced-Gee and Kool Keith for some much-needed production help. Apparently, Ced schooled them on how to use…
Nah, the other Finesse – Ced Gee Part 9
After a few false starts, I finally managed to get a recording of this track that didn’t skip every ten seconds. Did anyone ask for some Baby Salt ‘N Pepa? You’d be forgiven for mistaking this for Sandy and Cheryl or whatever the fuck Salt and Pepa’s government’s are, although the fact that they’re rocking…
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop – Book Review
Not so long ago, the only books on hip-hop I had bothered to read were David Toop‘s Rap Attack 2 and the Book of Rap Lists. This can primarily be attributed to the fact that many tomes covering rap don’t amount to much more than a chapter on Public Enemy, a chapter on NWA, the…
Classic Ignorance – Convicts
Many of you can no doubt recall Big Mike’s one-album stint as a Geto Boy, as he replaced Willie D on ‘Till Death Do Us Part. It proved to be enjoyable enough but lacked the abrasive Shout-Rap stylings we’ve grown to love from the "Clean Up Man". Mike later went on to a well-received solo…
A Remix Can Only Help So Much – Part 8
What happens when you combine Three Times Dope‘s squeeky-voiced weed carrier with a post-Furious Five Grandmaster Flash chorus (“Larry’s Theme”) and some cheesy keyboard noises? “Larry, That’s What They Call Me”, that’s what.
Ced Hearts B-Girls – Part 7
I had also planned to include Finesse & Synquis‘ “Soft But Deadly” as another example of Ced helping out some around the way broads, but I’ve only got it on 7″ and that shit kept skipping, so no dice. Nevertheless, Baby Doll and her brother deliver their own take on the classic battle of the…
The Other Bridge Wars – Rap Remakes Part 1
I was recently thinking about rap remakes, and the fact that – unlike almost every other form of popular music – hip-hop remakes and cover versions almost never work. Answer records and songs sharing the same loop could be viewed as “covers” in a way, but remakes in the more traditional sense usually spell disaster.