Some of my favorite rap sprung from Houston’s Rap-A-Lot Records, as the label incorporated organs, harmonicas and funk guitar with traditional breakbeats, creating a unique blend of east coast and southern hip-hop before everyone jumped on The Chronic bandwagon and started playing everything from scratch. Here’s a selection of my favorite moments from the early…
I kicked it with Devin The Dude about how he came up in the rap game while somehow neglecting any direct questions about getting high. With a discography that stretches back to 1994 and a discography that features an impressive roster of big names including Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Scarface and Nas, Devin has seen…
The Def IV Nice & Hard album was always something I went back to when it was released in 1988. As the fourth album released on the Rap-A-Lot label, this group of New York transplants, which consisted of two brothers – Vicious Lee and Jon B – beat maker and DJ Lonnie Mac and vocalist…
What with Brad Jordan releasing his biography, Diary of a Madman recently (which he discusses with ego trip’s Gabriel Alvarez here), it seemed like a good time to take another listen his first single, released on Lil’ Troy‘s Short Stop Records back when he was still calling himself DJ Akshun. The a-side would later be…
Kiddie rap. Great idea, huh? Almost as interesting as kiddie rap records is the beef between kiddie rappers. Chi-Ali and Illegal hated each other. Everyone hated ABC and Kriss Kross. Bow Wow and Romeo….who the eff cares. On with the round-up! 2 Low Mentor/Ghostwriter: Scarface. Naughty By Nature Wannabe? Nah, he was from the South,…
Yeah, I copped The Chronic tape when it dropped and liked most of it. If I’d been old enough to drive around with a ridiculously loud system I’m sure I would have appreciated it even more, but even on a Sony Megabass it sounded pretty good. The problem was, once everyone on the West Coast…
Just dug-out this blend tape that I put together around 2002 with the help of a DJ friend of mine – a tribute to the most offensive ignorant rap ever pressed to vinyl. Sure to upset anybody within earshot. Unkut Dot Com and DJ J-Red Present: The Tribute To Ignorance Blend Tape
Even though Rap-A-Lot Records is closely associated with Houston’s 5th Ward, most of the groups on the early roster were originally from New Jersey or New York, which resulted in some interesting blends of styles. The Def IV’s Nice & Hard album is a perfect example, as it introduced an upbeat, sample-heavy sound that was…