YO! Dunno why but, I am posting a GANG of old videos today…all old school stuff 90’s and such (yeah, yeah I know it’s been done a million times) and it’s not to say that I wish the rap that came out now was like this, but more that these tracks remind me of goods times and days past…and frankly that’s ok to do as long as you are moving forward in your musical tastes as well. I always was suspicious of kids my age who said they only listen to ‘Classic Rock’, by the same token I am equally suspicious of cats who say they only rock ‘Golden Era’ hip-hop. Not to say the music isn’t great and all that but, the scope is a bit limited…Naw Mean, Naw’m Saying, Naw Mean, Nahh, Nahh. So let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember the good times, but keep moving into the future, there’s a whole wide world of music yet to be discovered…
Funkmaster Flex ft. NINE – 6Million Ways to Die
CLASSIC Funk Flex joint…YAAA HEARRRDDDD!!! All kidding aside about his farcical behavior on NY’s #1 for Hip-Hop and R&B, Flex paid his dues and was part of the beginnings of NY Hip-Hop so you can’t really knock him too much no matter how silly he gets these days on air (which when he is on, dude is EN FUEGO…still). This was the first time I had ever heard NINE on a record as well and was blown away by him, then obviously I heard “My name up in lights N-I-N-E…” and it was a wrap, a fan was made. Heard he’s actually recording new stuff, I’ll keep you posted on that…
Dr. Doom (not Kool Keith), Aceyalone & Lady Blue – What Means Something
Another straight thrilla from the crates…off the Massmen album …Estuary and it was a banger, whew there’s a bunch of dope jams on this one! Early west coast underground flavors, I first heard this track when I showed up back at my crib in college drunk as hell and my roommate at the time (also a DJ and much more skilled than me, curse you) had just come back from record shopping with his homie and had copped this. The minute I heard the beat…instant classic in my mind.
Awol One – Sleeping All Day
Yeah, this song rules…reminds me of 6-8 hours cutting sessions back on Carman Ave (if you know, you know). Probably the most creative song I had ever heard at that time, with the Kool Keith & 2Mex guest spot on the same 12″ (NME), which I heard from Awol 2Mex wasn’t the original guest on the track. Ohh music industry, when will you cease to amaze me?
GZA ft. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, RZA & Killah Priest – Shadowboxing/4th Chamber
I cannot stress how classic these songs are…many a sketchy winter graff mission this was the soundtrack to. I would consider this the APEX of Wu Tang Clan before they broke my heart with ‘Wu Tang Forever’ (and I have never really been a fan since, it hurt that bad). Have an original copy of the Geffen 12″ of this song that I will probably be buried or cremated with; it’s like that!
Atmosphere – Woman With The Tattooed Hands
I am presently working (failing) on a remix of this song and it reminded me of just how powerful some songs are and how they might never be able to be done differently. This was, along with ‘Nothing But Sunshine’, the first round of tracks that caught my ear from Atmosphere and it was a wrap from then. Classic EMO rap from the beginnings…
Don’t ask me why I randomly got all nostalgialated (I make up words alot, sue me) for no damn reason, even gave you a little history on me with ref to the tracks above. I guess it all came from going through som records recently and just thinking about when rap was sooooo…exciting to me. Sadly it is not that way anymore (mostly) and the last genre that excited me this way was the new style of Electro House (ala Fool’s Gold Recs, Ed Banger, Basserk), which I still consider to be the illest dance format ever. But now, even that is not new and shiny to me and I just hope that I can look forward to being excited again about music like these songs made me feel. I am pretty sure I will be…
halodoesntsuck 