Continuing on from Part 1, Todd discusses being a white guy in rap when Public Enemy blew up, working with Big Beat Records, producing Percee-P, skateboard connections and “Lost Tapes” tragedy…. T-Ray: I’ll never forget walking down the streets of New York City with a fuckin’ red bomber jacket that had a big logo on…
Category: Steady Bootleggin’
Holding it down for angry loners & the unemployable
T-Ray – The Unkut Interview, Part 1
This one’s been sitting in the stash for a long time. I actually got into contact with Todd Ray after he dropped a comment in defense of DJ Ivory of the P Brothers, who had upset a few Outkast fans during my interview with him way back in December of 2004. By the time I…
AZ – Memphis Sessions: The Remixtape Album Review
While A.W.O.L. was the shit, The Format was musically underwhelming in many spots, which was disappointing considering the quality of AZ‘s bars. I guess he realized this himself – hence this official remix album which follows in the recent tradition of “themed” blend projects, except that instead of being some bootleg internet crap it’s actually…
KRS-One – The Unkut Interview Part 2
Note: This wasn’t included in the first version since it was meant to be used for a print mag. Turns out they didn’t run it anyway! You know how there’s always a guy you know who just never stops talking when you’re trying to enjoy a beer and annoy some dames? KRS-One is sort of…
The 45 King – The Unkut Interview
As one of the most influential beat-makers of the late 80’s, The 45 King brought horns up front like no one had thought to do before him, setting the stage for Pete Rock to flip them for his own signature style during his ’93-’94 takeover. But where he really made his mark was on full-length…
The Underdog’s Manifesto – Book Review
In a bizarre twist of fate, I was recently sent a couple of books to check out from an indy publisher, and the first one I tackled appeared to be one of those corny “rap business guides” at first glance, but actually turned out to have a major connection to my on-going series looking at…
Run-DMC? Not so much.
There’s no denying the importance of the Kings from Queens in the development of this here rap shit, but truth be told, when I first started copping TDK D-90 dubs of Kool & Deadly and Criminal Minded that whole shout-rap style was sounding real primitive. Not only that, but the fact that headbangers were sporting…
KRS-One – The Unkut Interview
One of the all-time highlights in my Unkut Dot Com experience would have to be speaking to DJ Kenny Parker last year, and when I recently had the chance to speak to his younger brother Kris a week or so ago, it was on like Donkey Kong. The problem was, unlike the three hours I…
Hydra Special – Mike Heron Interview
A little while after I posted an article on Hydra Entertainment on this site, I received an email from Mike Heron, who as it turns out started the label with Jerry Famolari in 1997. Their debut release, “Screwed Up/They Wanna Know Why” was also the first of many dope records from Queens super-group Screwball, in…
Hydra Special – Jerry Famolari Interview
The next couple of weeks here at Unkut Dot Com are dedicated to the mighty Hydra Entertainment label, the Queens-based indy that brought us Screwball, Godfather Don and Gab Gotcha – street-loved underground records that delivered everything that Rawkus wanted to be but never really achieved (but more on that later). To set it off,…
Swigga aka L-Swift Interview (Natural Elements)
Following-up Keir‘s interview with A-Butta, here’s a piece contributed by Idris “Intifada” Robinson from Vexed Perspectives: During the ’90s, Swigga went by L-Swift and composed a third of the explosive rhyme trio Natural Elements. As L-Swift, Swigga released a string of underground classics both as a solo artist and with Natural Elements. Natural Elements eventually…
Feelin’ It – TR Love Interview
When I first started this site, one of my earliest unpublished interviews was with TR Love, the most low profile member of the legendary Ultramagnetic MC’s. Towards the end of 2005, I was put into contact with Ced Gee, Moe Love and TR Love thanks to their man Marc Davis, but after several phone calls…