Some of my favorite moments in rap have been provided by crews who only ever managed to release one single (or spot on a compilation) before vanishing from the limelight. This collection of sixteen one shot winners are tracks that have stood the test of time, despite their creators never rising to the ranks of…
If you don’t enjoy the bombastic nonsense that is Greg Nice combined with the ultra relaxed musings of Smooth B then there isn’t much hope for you in life. I recommend drinking bleach, playing chicken with freight trains or challenging Just-Ice to a fist fight in order to hasten your ascent to the pearly gates/pits…
There was a brilliant period in hip-hop and electro records where the engineers seemed determined to warp and distort the original track to near unrecognizable forms, splattering echo and gated snares on the walls of some long-forgotten underground cavern. Let’s call it the Spelunker Period. The labels often provided not so subtle clues about what…
Slick Rick The Ruler was the go-to guy for late nineties R&B remixes for a while, but it’s been his work adding his unique vocal stylings to rap tracks that have shone the brightest. From over thirty official guest spots I’ve selected the best sixteen appearances of the Rickster for another Zippyshare Records and Tapes…
For a jam-packed four year stretch, The Sugar Hill Band was the most powerful force in recorded rap, providing the beats for The Furious Five, Funky 4+1, Treacherous Three, Crash Crew, Spoonie Gee, The Sequence and more. With it’s core membership consisting of guitarist Skip McDonald, bassist Doug Wimbish, drummer Keith LeBlanc, percussionist Ed ‘Duke…
Pumpkinhead and Sucio Smash [Photo by: Photo Rob] As most of you already know, long-time indy rap champion Pumpkinhead passed away this week at only 39 years old, tragically leaving behind his pregnant wife and two kids. I’m not really qualified to speak on the man’s numerous contributions, but Chaz Kangas has put together a…
Twelve non-LP Mobb Deep tracks that were officially released on someone else’s album, as opposed to the seemingly endless supply of stuff that never got a proper retail release. UPDATE: By popular demand, now available as a Zippyshare Records and Tapes download…
DJ Spinna and Kriminal provided the 1996 indy stand-out single, ‘Beyond Real’/’Dead Man Walking,’ which proved to be the one of the highlights of an extensive discography over the next six years. Spinna was in high demand during this period for his signature lush production style which combined restrained sampling and original riffs for an…
I had the good fortune of connecting with Paradise The Architect from X-Clan on the phone last week for an interview, which gave me cause to revisit the Blackwatch discography, since he was heavily involved of producing everything under the banner until Brother J started Dark Sun Riders in the mid 90’s. For extra good…
Eff a Fatman Scoop, the only old guy you need yelling on your records is Greg N-I-C-E. While recent years have seen king of the human echo chamber reduced to consorting with the likes of Jason Nevins and Talib Kweli, there was a time when having this man on your hook was money in the…
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…
Following up the the first Bob James Unkut compilation from 2008, here are 24 more sure-shots based around my all-time favorite sample source – ‘Nautilus’. Considering that Bob James’ masterpiece is so chock-full of ill sounds, every interpretation takes on a life of it’s own, from the mournful ‘Sincerity’, the melodic swing of ‘Once Upon…