Following on from last year’s interview with former Beatnut Al’ Tariq, I finally got a chance to speak with Psycho Les about the ups and downs of one of rap’s greatest groups. Turns out that Les’ history foes back even further than I thought, as he revealed he worked at Music Factory during high school…
Category: The 90’s Files
Gettin’ Kinda Hectic: Snap! and Chill Rob G’s Epic ‘Power’ Struggle
Newest latest for the good people at Cuepoint is an in-depth look at the story behind Snap! and ‘The Power,’ covering Chill Rob G‘s response, how Penny Ford was recruited to add new vocals and an unfortunate incident involving Turbo B and some drag queens in Boston. Gettin’ Kinda Hectic: Snap! and Chill Rob G’s…
Download: A Salute To The Rhyme Syndicate
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…
Download – The CJ Moore Collection
As a member of The Chosen Few, Trio Connection and Black By Demand, CJ Moore did his thing as a rapper in the 80’s while honing his skills as an engineer and mixer. Here are some examples of CJ in action on the mic and behind the boards. Download – The CJ Moore Collection [Zippyshare…
Magazine Vaults: 1991 Rap Rumor Round-Up
Click image for larger version. Prior to his reign as The Rap Bandit, Danny Ozark went by the pen name Pistol Pete. For this column in the January 1991 issue of The Source, Pete invents ten rap rumors as an excuse to drop some hip-hop punchlines. Just think, before Twitter rappers had to listen to…
Remember that time that Brand Nubian brought Mount Rushmore to the projects?
File under ‘Attempted Club Bangers That May Never Have Actually Been Played In A Club’, much like Rockwilder‘s remix of ‘Thick’ for D.I.T.C. It appears that Puba wasn’t trying to hear that rapping-on-top-of-a-building shit and filmed his part in a bar, although it’s more likely that he just slept-in on the day of the shoot….
Rap Mysteries: The Lost Track From the Liquid Swords Advance Cassette
Just saw this advertised on Facebook. Does anybody know what the final track titled ‘Unexplained’ is? I’ve read elsewhere that this was the alternative name for ‘Swordsman,’ but since that’s listed as well it must be a totally different song…
KRS-One – Late Night [Unreleased 1993 Practice Session]
DJ Kenny Parker sez: Off the Practice Tapes album. Krs-One free styling & practicing an early draft of a song meant for the Return Of The Boom Bap LP.
No Country For Old (Rap) Men – DJ Premier Closes The Doors of D&D Studios: An End Of An Era
Where I get all misty eyed for my long-forgotten youth… No Country For Old (Rap) Men – DJ Premier Closes The Doors of D&D Studios: An End Of An Era
Ten Rap Remixes That Are Barely Remixes But Still Win
The following are a collection of remixes that where perhaps only an extra horn, new drums or a rearrangement of the samples differentiates them from the original version, but they’re still significantly better. You could add most of the 80’s Cold Chillin’ 12: mixes to this list, natch. Brand Nubian – Slow Down [Pete Rock…
Bowing Out On Top
If Ice Cube had been able to stand by his claim in this August 1990 interview with Andy Cowan of Hip-Hop Connection, he would have been able to retire with a perfect battling average. Straight Outta Compton, AmeiKKKa’s Most Wanted, Kill At Will and Death Certificate.
The Awful Truth About Rap Shelf Life
The limited shelf life of most rap groups is a an unfortunate reality. For some MC’s, the window of opportunity is so small that getting stuck in record label limbo for two or three years can spell career ruin, while even some of the genre’s greatest groups such as Run-DMC and Public Enemy suffered album…