Good News Boppers...

The link (full) for the mixtape has been re-upped, so I will be sending out links to those that missed it and for those that are still after it please send an e-mail to

coldrockdaspot@hotmail.com

The response has flipped my wig kids...seriously thank you for making my week

and speaking of Good News...have you seen what just got released?

http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/detail.asp?UPC=WPK5001CD



Bee Why "The Lost Tapes" features 13 rare and unreleased recordings from the Queens Emcee who first popped on the scene with his now highly collectible 12” single "The Boros" back in 1997. He then released 2 more singles "Remember the Time" and "G.A.T.S". Bee Why has made his mark in the underground Hip Hop scene with a then unknown producer Gee The Nutty Professor who later changed his name to Ayatollah. Ayatollah later produced many classics records for Mos Def , Tragedy Khadafi, Rakim, Masta Ace, Inspectah Deck, Cormega and many more. With all 13 tracks produced by Gee, it gives you a rare look into Ayatollah’s first recorded production which would later shape his hip hop sound.

Oh man...you may have noticed that I have posted
Remember the Time and G.A.T.S on previous mixtapes, I can tell you this will be an essential purchase, the kid is dope and this is the first time I knew that it was Ayatollah, those sneaky MF'ers...

Peace

oh and I might be away for a week or so as I am re-locating...so enjoy the mixtape in the meantime.

Much Love




Jaz's Grab any tape thats near...Fat MixTape May 2007


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I have had a few requests (by the way it's mad good to see the coldrockdaspot e-mail getting used) to do another of these, so I did and I honestly went through over 200 tracks and I have no doubt you have these or have heard them before... if not...enjoy

Oh and I was also asked to to do the track listings in Capitals as it's easier for kids to tag them...it's all Kool Herc,D,G Rap,Rock Steady,Chip,Kim,EQ,Mike Ski,Akeim,Doobie, Moe Dee,Rock Jay,Key,Rockski, Ski,Red Alert Kieth and The Gang...:D and now the breakdown..







1-A Tribe Called Quest (ft Baby Bam)-If The Papes Come (Original Version)


Still one of the greatest uses of Lou Donaldson's infamous Pot Belly and Tip and Bam sound so ill over this, hard to believe it's 17 years old...will there ever be an ATCQ reunion?, I'm not really sure...maybe...but probably not.

2-Strugglin' Souls-Can't Find My Tribe (1992) of the Manic Depression LP



I can't even remember where I got this from but it was either last year or in 2005 and man am I glad I found it, talk about unheard of and completely forgotten...this track is just dope and so smooth, I love the rhymes, James Brown beats, smooth sample and bassline and a well chosen Queen Latifah vocal cut....

3-Mission-Soul Chips (2001)


I tried a lot of different tracks to follow the
Strugglin' Souls one and this Mission track produced by Hispanik (Molemen) with cuts by Vin Roc seemed to be the right one and is masterful to these ears,I can see this being appreciated in ten years time, everything is right about it, the slow drums, mood and tempo, there isn't a Mission anymore as they became the Crown City Rockers and now most have branched off into solo work, MC Rasheed Ahmad and Headnodic in particular.


4-Blak Forest-4th Quarter (1997) off the You Are Now Entering The...


Tell me how you could not dig this, what with the crispy bacon (scratchy sample) the reverb on the drums, and the laid back tone...it's a perfect song to play at night and get blazed too...or to just rock in the headphones...that Blak Forest LP was way to slept on in my opinion, it had the first appearance from Kazi and a lot of other talented MC's along with dope production.

5-Screwball-On Point (1998) off Hip Hop Independents Day Volume 2 (Nervous)
*Also the B-Side on the 12" to Cormega's "Fuck Nas" (limited)



Hooooooo Haaaaaa...that guitar loop, muffled bassline and solid drums always get me and those rowdy MF's from Queens will always hold a special place in my collection for me, they just had it....do you know what I mean?, each MC delivered to his fullest and they ripped shop over ill beats from the likes of oh...DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Mike Heron (who produced this track) check Unkut.com for a very interesting interview with him.
http://www.unkut.com/2007/05/hydra-special-mike-heron-interview

Also
The Beatnuts, Godfather Don and many others...



6-Finsta Bundy-
Payday Is Bliss (1992)-B-Side of Finsta Baby



Where to start here?, ill wah wah guitar loop (also used by 45 King) and the dope EPMD-Rampage drums
Evil Dee produced this and it was just as dope as Finsta Baby if you ask me...Finsta had a unique voice and I dig the way he rhymed Manage with Sandwich...

7-The Beatnuts ft Poet-Thinkin 'Bout Ca$h (1997)-off the Stone Crazy album


This was one of the ultimate Queens connections right here,"It be a screw to all ball and a beat to a nut" crazy beat digging heads The Nuts looped up the ill Lou Rawls Lifetime Monologue drums and sprinkled quirky
organs keyboards and a moody bassline, but Poet and Hostyle's cameos makes this track that much special, one of my faves off the Stone Crazy album.

8-Darc Mind-Dot Chu In The Eye (1996) off the Bi-Polar Mix Tape




I love this damn track, there is a certain mystique to it and I love the way X Ray used the Lou Rawls drums, the atmospheric bassline and Kev Roc's deep vocal tone just meshing with the track perfectly...I find listening to this in the dark can provide some awesome scenes in your head of a foggy night and a sinister atmosphere.

9-Diamond Shell-Back 'Em Up (ft Diamond J on the cut) (1991) off the The Grand Diamond Imperial Shell LP



There was something very distinctive about Diamond Shell, the Biz Mark,Biz Mark's younger brother and his only album recorded at the infamous Powerplay recording studio's...this track had a dope drums and an addictive bassline, Shell flowed liked good wine and this was pure 90's and having Diamond J (a former EPMD DJ) on the cuts was an added bonus

10-Kinetic Order-Deconstruct (1991)

Thanks to my man Roy Johnson for this, I feel envious that I wasn't able to hear what the Chicago underground was offering Hip Hop in the 90's, this ill track was released in 1991 and Roy also hooked me up with a lot of other rare Chicago underground material, it's just amazing and when I first heard this, I got that chill down my spine.

More on the next mix tape.

11-Godfather Don-Colors of Death (unreleased off
Slave of New York EP (Limited Edition)



Okay first up, I missed out on the Slave of New York EP and was sent a copy online, so a MASSIVE thank you to
http://www.diggerswithgratitude.com
for getting these jewels from the Don himself and releasing very limited copies on vinyl and for being a welcoming forum and information site, in a word this track is just nuts and I and a few others think the Jazz bassline Don samples here is from the same track used on the Arsonist's The Session, this is pretty much just classic Godfather Don and that's all that needs to be said.

12-Top Quality-Magnum Opus (Charlie Marotta Remix) (1993)


Another track, I only ever had on a mix tape and boy am I glad I found this online, the drums bang hard and you will notice that the piano sample is the same that the Gravediggaz's used for Constant Elevation (Biz used it too) but what I dig the most about this remix is how it sounds completely different from the original version, I don't really know why TQ was so slept on.

13-The Arsonists-Universal Skills (1999) off the Everything Is Nice: The Matador Records 10th Anniversary Anthology
CD

I don't even know why this crew broke up because they were all talented and this track was first featured on the record label they were signed to after Fondle 'Em...Matador's 10th year anniversary album on the third disc which contained all previously unreleased tracks, I really like this,the slow drums, the rhymes, the flow and the X-Clan and Big Daddy Kane samples are all dope.

I have no clue who produced this but it could have been D-Stroy,Freestyle,Swel or Q-Unique.


14-Icons-Fools With No Rhyme Skills (1998) off the What Legends Are Made Of LP


I am willing to bet that as soon as you saw that title you were thinking off the Guru line, right?...anyways they do cut that hook up over some dope fast drums and rapid yet concise flows from
Frosty da Know-Matic and Ech-U-Sketch you might also be asking who the f--k are the Icons?.

Good question, from memory they were a San Diego crew and sadly there is very little on the internet about them which sucks, because the LP was dope and I have it somewhere and will get it up here when I do.


15-Latee-Wake Up (1988)-off the No Tricks 12"



Even though No Tricks is one of the greatest tracks from the 80's, the b-side was just as dope, a very smooth and simple 45 King production (drums, bass and horns) that Latee dominated his vocals with, I know I keep it saying it but this will be 20 years old next year and it doesn't sound like it, It's a shame that Latee never had an album or that we didn't get a full Flavor Unit album.

NB: It's looking a lot like that DJ Mark The 45 King will be the next Producer I will document, I promise you that post will be off the meter...and it will be more than one, most likely more than 2 to be honest.




16-MC Lyte-Paper Thin (Audio 2 remix)


This remix is dope and sounds very little like the original, lots of familiar samples and a classic 80's looped up drum...it's not as good as the original but still a great remix and man MC Lyte has such a great voice and flow and was all about the rhymes as well. Family eh?...damn.

17-Ground Floor-One Two (1994) off the One Two/Dig On That (ft Lord Finesse) 12"

For some reason, this has ended up on my headphone playlist a lot lately, I guess it's the sheer illness of that distorted and slowed down piano and then that horn and hard knocking drums with the MC's passing the mic back and forth and running game like "Nike on a Basketball court".

I wish I knew why these kids never had an album, they had their first 12" A-Side produced by the great Lord Finesse and a dope video as well...some things just don't have answers I guess.


18-Strict Flow-Radio (1999) off the People On Lock 12"


I think this is just one of those joints, it was released in 1999 and produced by George Sulmers, who did some beats for J-Live and had an awesome loop,a crying baby sample,hard drums, bass and some tight cuts about radio heads knocked to the future shock ...(I still can't think who that is though sorry)

What was disappointing was the album, it just didn't have any tracks compared to this and it was alright but sadly fairly forgettable.

19-Alphabet Soup-Sunny Day In Harlem (1991)


Someone with some money and good connections should get this re-released because it is pure quality and I have to send a mad shout to Digger D D for hooking me up with some goodies lately.

I could never get hold of this 12" and to hear this in headphones, will make you wonder how such talent went unrecognized, they are mos def in the De La Soul, Tribe, KMD, UMC's, mode but they were still their own group.

20-Top Quality-What (Scratch Mix-Jesse West)


Last but not least, Top Quality catching wreck over the Ode To Billy Joe drums and a deep rumbling bass-line, I think that is more than enough reason to listen...

1. a.t.c.q.ft baby bam - if the papes come (original version)
2. strugglin' souls - cant find my tribe
3. mission - soul chips
4. blak forest - the fourth quarter
5. screwball - on point
6. finsta bundy - payday is bliss
7.beatnuts ft poet_&_hostyle -thinkin bout cash
8-darc mind - dot-chu 'n the eye
9-diamond shell- back 'em up
10-kinetic order-deconstruct
11-godfather don-colors of death
12-top quality -magnum opus (remix)
13-arsonists- universal skills
14-icons-fools with no rhyme skills
15-latee - wake up
16-mc lyte-paper thin (audio two remix)
17-ground floor- one two
18-strict flow-radio
19-alphabet soup - sunny day in harlem
20-top quality-what (scratch version)









Thanks all, oh and if you want the link, please send an e-mail to:

coldrockdaspot@hotmail.com



Peace I'm...






























did you get it?...:D


















What's Next? and a new e-mail address...news...





Man, you don't realize how much I appreciate the ill feedback and comments from the other bloggers, dan, dart, ral, trav, eric,al, etc... and all of the heads that feel they have taken a nostalgia trip (that is the idea friends)...glad you are enjoying it.

It just makes me enjoy doing this blog stuff that much more...so I wanted to find out what under rated Producer/Emcee you would like me to profile next...

PMD (Parrish Smith) (of course I was going to document the other half of EPMD... I thought You Knew?..ha ha)
DJ Clark Kent
DJ Mark The 45 King


Let me know and I will get to work...all of others have been thought about and I just wanted to get some feedback on who would you prefer first...

This is one of my favourite roots-reggae tracks of all time, I just love this track and video...

Israel Vibration-Rudeboy Shufflin' (1995) (orginal mix produced by Doctor Dread)

http://www.zshare.net/audio/20006328274b97/
Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqQ-jCA8QbE




http://www.discogs.com/artist/Israel+Vibration

Special Dedications to O-Fish, DJ Lemon and DJ Rhys-B

and peace to 2 (more) real blogs that should be added to your links list...

http://herban-lyrix.blogspot.com
This spot pretty much explains itself; HeRB & LyRiCs..

and DJ Complecks

http://compleckshiphop.blogspot.com



Lastly, I am no longer going to put up links here in my posts, but below is coldrockdaspot's very own e-mail address, please contact me if you need re-ups and links to compilations ir if you have any questions.

coldrockdaspot@hotmail.com






Peace to Howie Tee...Good Looking Gee...


Yo Howie...Hit Me...!!!




The English born Howard Thompson is a DJ, keyboard player, drum programmer, arranger and production whiz... The infamous Hitman Howie Tee was first part of an electro crew called CDIII way back in 1983 and they released the single Get Tough, I remember taping this from an old Uncut Funk Show on Radio Active 89 FM in the 80’s but had no idea that Howie Tee was behind it.

CDIII also released the singles Summer Jam and Success in 1984, I am not sure what part Howie played in this group, but I know that he never rhymed so he was probably the DJ and played keyboards. Next up Howie was doing some cuts and scratches for a track titled Roxanne’s Back Side which was from some group named UTFO and the B-Side off some single called Roxanne, Roxanne in 1984 which of course in turn gave Hip Hop The Roxanne Wars.


Around this time Howie helped produce Old School pioneers The Crash Crew’s 2-4-6-8 Here We Are in 1985.

UTFO:
(Kangol Kid, The Educated Rapper,Doc Ice and Mixmaster Ice)

The Crash Crew:
(DJ Daryll C ( R.I.P ), G Man , La Shubee , Barry Bistro , EK Mike C and Reggie Reg)



The same year that he did the cuts on The Real Roxanne’s Romeo and helped in the writing process and played keyboards for Full Force’s debut album after great success with the single Alice, I Want You Just For Me.

This was also this year that The Kangol Kid (UTFO) decided to form a production company with Howie Tee and they produced the seminal Whistle (DJ Silver Spinner Jazzy Jazz, Kool Doobie (a.k.a. KD) and Kraze) and their timeless hit (Nothing Serious) Just Buggin, although it was first released in 1985 (on Select Records)

Whistle: (Jazzy Jazz, Kool Doobie, DJ Silver Spinner, Kraze)



It was in 1986 when it really took off as did The Real Roxanne’s Bang Zoom Let’s Go, a record responsible for hundreds and hundreds of cuts throughout DJ battles and rap records over the years.

The Real Roxanne:



http://www.discogs.com/artist/Real+Roxanne%2C+The

Howie was also heavily involved in the mixing and programming on the UTFO album Skeezer Pleezer and he did a remix for the track Split Personality and also scratched on Bad Self and The Rappin Lords from The Rappin Lords in 1986.

Howie and The Kangol Kid ended up producing the self titled Whistle LP together in 1986 and the Transformation album in 1988 to moderate success, Whistle tried to make it into the 90’s, but the Bad Habit 12” in 1990 didn’t sell too well and they tried again and had their 1992 track I Am remixed by The Trackmasterz.

During 1987 Howie and Chubb produced Seeborn and Puma’s They Call Me Puma, Little Shawn’s Heartbreak Hotel, E.S.P.’s Back Rappin, and Barbara’s Bedroom for Whistle.


Chubb Rock:



1987 was also the debut of The Jamaican born but Brooklyn raised Big Man himself the mighty Chubb Rock, who first gave us Rock N Roll Dude in 1987 and followed with his debut album, Chubb Rock-"Chubb Rock Featuring Hitman Howie" Tee released in 198.

It had a dedication song to Howie from his cousin Chubb in the form of DJ Innovator (which was also the first to sample Gwen Mcrae’s Rocking Chair)

The album also got a lot of recognition from Caught Up (and the remix) and soon Howie and Chubb were in the studio working on the follow up album.

1989’s …"And The Winner Is", which was produced mostly by Howie but Chubb had co-production duties on a few tracks…"And The Winner Is" gave the Chubbster fans the classic Ya Bad Chubbs.



 1988 saw Howie produce beats for The Real Roxanne (Respect, Look But Don't Touch  Early Early, Her Bad Self and Don’t Even Feel It) and Chubb Rock produced and featured on "Gear" and produced most of her 1992 "Go Down (But Don't Bite It)" album.

E.S.P. (Wild Thing and Get Up and Get Wid It, We Got It) and Izzy Ice and DJ Majesty’s SoulmanIzzy Ice and DJ Majesty later changed their name to Da King & I and released a dope album on Rowdy records in 1993.




After Chubb became a name people were talking about, Tee set about unleashing the kid that was "kinda young" but his "tongue spoke maturity" when he was only 16 and attending studio sessions after he would finish school at Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, of course I am talking about the one and only Edward Archer aka  


Special Ed:



Howie gave Ed some much deserved success and his name in Hip-Hop history books by producing his first album 1989’s classic "Youngest In Charge" which spawned the timeless singles I Got It Made, Think About It, I'm The Magnificent and The Bush however for some of 1990’s "Legal" album (the cover was to cash in on his mass appeal with the Ladies), Special Ed himself was actually behind the boards for.

I'm The Magnificent (The Magnificent Remix) -Ya Wish Ya Could -5 Men And A Mic (ft Little Shawn, 40 Love, Akshun and Coolie Man) -See It Ya (with his brother Drew)

With Howie Tee supplying the ill beats and loops on...

Come On, Let's Move It and the remix The Mission and the remix ,Ya Not So Hot,Ready 2 Attack Livin' Like A Star and I’m Special Ed (co-production)

After the "Legal" album, Ed bought himself a "brand new car", "every other month" (ha ha) and didn’t return to the scene until 1995 with the good but slept on "Revelations" album and sadly Howie only produced Neva Go Back which was the first single and showed the ill chemistry they still had together.

So did the not very easy to obtain underground 12” in 1997 Think Twice (The B-Side On Some Next Shit was produced by Special Ed and featured Ed’s new but short lived crew the A.R.A.B.S.)

The same cannot be said with Ed’s disappointing "Still Got It Made" LP released in 2004, there were zero Howie Tee beats and only a couple of tracks that were worth checking for, this disappointed a lot of Ed fans and he hasn’t been heard from since, but with all of the comebacks these days and a Marley Marl and KRS ONE album ...anything is possible and we may get another Howie and Ed album in the future.

When The Hitman first bought his production skills into the 90’s he produced the Physical remix for eighties crew Rockmaster Scott & The Dynamic 3 (famous for the classics Request Line and The Roof is on Fire).

Three of Special Ed’s dope joints from the Legal album were given the remix treatment, Come On Let’s, Move It, The Mission and Think About It and Howie also produced for Father MC (remember him?).

Groove B Chill (who the film House Party was based on) hauled him in for the remix of Hip Hop Music on the Starting From Zero album and Howie was amongst production royalty like Pete Rock and Prince Paul (It's best not to ask about the album cover...ha ha)

Groove B Chill:
(DJ Belal, Groove and Chill (Daryl Mitchell)

Chubb Rock also released his biggest single in 1990, Treat Em Right and later followed with his dopest album and one of the best of that year...1991's The One, and Treat Em Right ended up on the Freddy's Dead soundtrack.

In 1991 he did a remix for Redhead Kingpin's It's A Love Thang (Word) and produced Heavy D & The Boyz I Can Make You Go Oooh and 3 tracks for E.S.P's oddly titled but fairly good "Valoompadoom Pink! Or Something Else Off The Wall" album.

NB: E.S.P. stood for their stage names...Elliot Ness,
Mr Speed and Professor Paul
 



This was also the year when Color Me Badd's I Wanna Sex you Up became a Worldwide hit and was featured on the New Jack City soundtrack (*Howie didn't produce the track but he mixed it)

1992 saw Little Shawn release his debut album the smooth and fat "Voice In The Mirror", after the first single Hickeys On My Chest blew up and even had Biggie(RIP) quoting lyrics from it in Party and Bullshit (off Who's The Man soundtrack-1993)

Little Shawn


 

Howie also produced 2 tracks for an Old School vet making an averagely successful comeback on Hammer's Bust It label (I will let you guess who that was) and a track for smooth R&B favourite Al B Sure on his "Sexy Verses" album.

Between 1994 and 1999, Howie Tee produced and/or remixed for Emage, Quo, Color Me Badd, Madonna, Patra, Diana King, the awesome young Hip Hop-Reggae star Lil Vicious and he also produced the original version of the dope Little Indian-One Little Indian (1995).

The 00's have been very quiet for Howie though and I hope we get another Howie and Ed album and Chubb and Howie album.

Lil Vicious:





Respect Due Hitman Howie Tee

Jaz

Many, many thanks to Bottomlesspedro, Fritz and Bad Character for helping me track down some much wanted tracks and remixes and a special thanks to...

Jayquan
http://www.jayquan.com/chubbrock.htm

B-Boys.com

www.bboy.com

Werner Von Wallenrod's Humble, Little Hip Hop Site

CRDS Presents_The_Hitman_Howie_Tee_Files_Volume_1

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ncsfmt

1. special ed - come on lets move it (remix) (1990)
2. little shawn - clap ya hands (1992)
3. chubb rock - the night scene (1991)
4. special ed - the mission (remix) (1990)
5. seeborn and puma - they call me puma (1997)
6. vicious - the glock (1994)
7. special ed - think twice (1997)
8. chubb rock - treat 'em right (org 12" version) (1990)
9. little shawn-yes he did leave the stage (1991)
10. e.s.p. - one,two,an a (1991)
11.father mc - father's day (1990)
12.chubb rock featuring hitman howie tee - caught up (remix) (1988)
13-little shawn- hickeys on your chest (1992)
14-little indian-one little indian ft. the foreigner (1995)
15-vicious- him never do it (1994)
16-e.s.p.-we got it (1988)
17-the crash crew - 2-4-6-8 [here we are] (1985)
18-the real roxanne with hitman howie- tee bang zoom (let's go) (1986)
19-whistle- just buggin' (nothing serious) (1985)
20-the real roxanne
with hitman howie-tee romeo-pt. 1 (1985)
21-chubb rock-the empire strikes back (remix) (1989)



The reason for this this post:

I feel that there is hardly any info out there about Howie and that is an injustice, just look at what he has done and who he has worked with...It would be all too easy to do massive posts about
DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Diamond D, Large Professor, Showbiz etc...because most have already been done and kids know those names.

If you enjoy this post, then I will work on other slept on producers in the future.

Thanks All
 
Peace

Jaz


















Erick Sermon Got Funk for days... The Funklord Files Volume 2





Yes Yes Y'all...kick it E...

No descriptions necessary, here is the second volume of The Funklord Files because I made you kids wait so long for the first one and I really appreciate the comments and positive feedback about the blog and the comps...


enjoy

Jaz Presents-The Funklord Files Volume 2


http://www.sendspace.com/file/i2ynq5


1. jamal - situation (95)
2. def squad - say word (98)
3.
redman & method man - (95)
4. epmd - gold digger (e and p's remix) (90)
video (for og version) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNrF4zKCZVI
5. keith murray - this that shit!
(95)
6-kapone - get down to it (clean)
(95)
7-xross breed- the vibe (96)
8-
redman-rockafella remix (94)
9-boss-2 to da head (92)
10-keith murray feat. passion, lbm & kel vicious - pay per view
(95)
11-erick sermon (feat redman & keith murray) - hostility (00)
12-redman-time 4 sum aksion (erick sermon remix) (92)
video for og version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxjh4ufcUUY
13-the wixtons- up jump the boogie
(96)
14-erick sermon-reign
(96)
15-def-squad-check n me out (98)
16-illegal
ft.erick sermon-we getz buzy (93)
17-erick sermon
ft tommy gun-bomdigi remix (95)
18-roger ft epmd- (everybody) get up(epmd diesel low remix) (91)
19-keith murray - get lifted (erick sermon remix)
(95)
20-redman-cant wait remix 2 (95)
21-questionmark asylum-lookaway (erick sermon remix)
(95)

One...





Wicked Selector...NYC Badmen...and more riddim badness



I have actually have owned this really dope Hip Hop/Reggae compilation twice and both times they were stolen, only just 2 weeks ago I finally found it again and I'm so pleased about it that I wanted to share it and make like Ed OG & Da Bulldogs and Def Jef and Speak Up On It.





Produced by the legendary Bobby Konders
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Bobby+Konders

http://www.massiveb.com/biography

NYC Badmen represents the Golden Age of when Hip Hop and Reggae (sorry I never liked the term Ragga) were at it's best and NYC Badmen is one of the albums that goes down in history.

If you enjoyed the Don Dada Supercat's great Ghetto Red Hot and then you will know exactly what to expect with this album.
Bobby Konders enlisted some great reggae talent to chat over classic Hip Hop breaks and samples.


Jnr Demus
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Junior+Demus

You A Bad Boy is probably my favourite track on NYC Badmen, because of the intensity and gruffness in his voice and how ill he sounds riding over the fat and infamous Sly and The Family Stone's drums (you know the ones) and the Lou Donaldson bassline from the infamous Pot Belly track, a whole album from Junior Demus produced by Bobby Konders and Kenny Dope would have been crazy.

Jnr Demus was part of a group with Supercat, Nicodemus and Jnr Cat and they released the great
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly & the Crazy LP in 1994, IT was mostly a dancehall affair but there were two really dope Hip Hop remixes of Cabin Stabbin and the title track.


Shaggy
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Shaggy


A pre popstar Shaggy murders the hard hitting drums of Mattress Jockey and you will laugh hard when you hear his donkey impression, but man if this is not the best that has Shaggy has ever sounded then I don't what it is, it is an incredible performance where Shaggy gives his all, Kenny Dope knew this too and featured him on a Gunshot (remix)



Louie Rankin
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Louie+Rankin

released the really dope Trackmasterz produced Typewriter,incidentally Jnr Demus says the line
Typewriter...Louie Rankin keep it
on You A Bad Boy, which made me think that there was some definite competition in the Dancehall circles...or maybe not) in 1992 and blesses NYC Badmen with his No Move track that was first released in 1992 and uses the timeless Synthetic Substitution drums and other samples while




Buju Banton chats over a straight dancehall style track known as Bogle (I think) with Yardie.




Burro Banton (the original Banton)
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Burro+Banton

Boom Wa Dis is another killer track with classic samples from the late, great
James Brown and Baby Huey's Hard Times drums (Bobby Konders had a love affair with those drums I think) and Burro tells us he
wears diamond socks
...ha ha classic.

Reverend Baddo's
Bop Scuchie is dope too and we get the infamous Honeydrippers' Impeach The President drums but I am fairly certian that Bobby just looped them from the classic Do The James by Super Lover Cee and Cassanova Rud (and produced by the late, great Paul C).





Red Foxx
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Red+Foxx

is good on the sparse
Dem A Fight but not as good as he was on the massive Dem A Murderer and the DJ Premier produced Ya Can't Test Me Again from his A Matter of Fox LP (1993)

http://www.reggae-reviews.com/redfox.html




Nardo Ranks
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Nardo+Ranks

Gun Pon Cock uses Special Ed's I Got It Made as a loop and other familiar samples to great effect.

The album ends with Captain Nemo's Me No Fool (the bassline drives me crazy because I know it but I just can't think what it is (A Tribe Called Quest?)...and Nemo sounds very smooth over the rolling drums of BT Express and some Kool and The Gang horns and leaves you, well wanting more...

This online store has some of these records for sale:
www.deadlydragonsound.com

Also


Please check out my man O Fish's Nice Up blog
http://www.niceup.org.nz

for more styles like this and original dancehall, I and I send respect to each and every man saying...
enjoy the comp and the bonus joints...



Bobby Konders Presents NYC Badmen
(Stepsun Records 1993)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DEIJTRT2

1. Intro - MC Jabba
2. You A Bad Boy - Jr. Demus
3. Ghetto Red Hot - Supercat

4. Mattress Jockey - Shaggy

5. No Move - Louie Rankin
6. Yardie - Buju Banton
7. Boom Wa Dis - Burro Banton
8. Bop Scuchie -
Reverend Baddo
9. Dem A Fight - Red Foxx

10. Gun Pon Cock - Nardo Ranks

11. Me No Fool - Capt. Remo


review: http://www.reggae-reviews.com/nycbadmen.html

Bonus Hip Hop/Reggae Joints:

Louie Rankin ft Red Hot Lover Tone-Type Writer (Trackmasterz remix)-1992
http://www.sendspace.com/file/yheogm

Vicious-Nika (prod Clark Kent)-1994
http://www.sendspace.com/file/95ipag

Vicious ft Shyhiem
-Life of A Shortie (prod Saalam Remi)-1994
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ycx7xo

Supercat ft Method Man-Scalp Dem (RZA remix)-1994

http://www.sendspace.com/file/kyldge

Nardo Ranks-Burrup (Hip Hop Mix)-1990
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vuvtul



Thanks for reading and for all of your comments and props and links...word up.


























MC Kev Roc and X-Ray...and The Saga Continues...



The impeccable rhyme speaker Kev Roc and dusty loop and raw beat provider X-Ray are better known as the group Darc Mind.

Kev Roc was in the incarnation of the first group Darc Mind when they were called Legion of D.U.M.E.(X, Ray,Schott Free (Loud), Matt Life(Loud) who dropped a 2 track ep in 1994 Son of Sam/Darc Mind Inc...

Because this was released on Ruffhouse, there was a very familiar sound on Son of Sam and you would expect Son Doobie to jump on the track, which is interesting because a Cypress Hill sample from Insane In The Brain, (plus a dope EPMD sample) was used for the hook, of course it is Kev Roc that shows up every other MC

it was through a clothes designer friend Trace Levine (Down To Earth) that Kev got hooked up with X-Ray's beats way back in 1989, now here is the interesting thing and something I didn't know until recently, X-Ray(then known as)DJ GM Webb D was the producer of the classic Sugar Bear-Ready To Penetrate/Scandalize Mine and did a tour with Sugar Bear, EPMD and MC Shan in the late 80's, X-Ray also produced Public Enemy's Tie Goes To The Runner

Plus he produced for a very short lived 90's group Serious Lee-Fine (on the late, great Jam Master Jay's record label) in 1990 and in 1991 some obscure artist named
Militant Messenger and of course later his work with the ill madness that is MF Doom and the Monsta Island Czars.

1996 was the year that the first Darc Mind 12" Outside Looking In turned up on record shelves and on mixtapes all around the globe, then in 1997 on the dope Soul In The Hole soundtrack they had the ill Visions of Blur

Soon, Loud records folded and the duo were without a deal and a completed album, but Darc Mind are one of those groups that keep on because they have a sound and style all of their own that needed to be out there, enter the left field label Anticon Records to finally give the album Sympotmatic of A Greater Ill a release and more importantly a life, so the masses can finally hear what a full album would be like.(dope 8/10 for me)

To follow up the albums, they released a dope mixtape titled Bi-Polar which was a collection of earlier and unreleased tracks from 1991-99 and the two of them have thier own hype radio show as well, available for a free download


I was fortunate enough to get an interview with Kev Roc and X-Ray and this is what they had to say, my thanks to Kev, Ray and Mazz.

1.Why didn’t you release Symptomatic of a Greater Ill through your own Mindbenda recordings label, and are you happy with the response it has received through the Anticon release?

MINDBENDA RECORDINGS LLC IS STILL A GROWING COMPANY AND ANTICON HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE SO THEY HAD BETTER DISTRIBUTION THAN US ALSO WE NEVER PLANED ON RELEASING THAT ALBUM ANYWAY. THE RESPONSE WAS COOL I JUST THINK IT NEEDED MORE PROMOTIONS BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS.

2.Kev Roc, how do you feel about some reviewers comparing you to Charlie Tuna from Jurassic 5?, personally I don’t hear it all, and I think it’s just because you have a deep baritone style that people feel they have to compare you.

YEAH I FEEL THE SAME MY STYLE IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN HIS BUT OUR VOCAL TONES ARE VERY CLOSE.

3.X-Ray, did you produce the Sugar Bear record or were you just his DJ?

ALL THE PRODUCING ON THE SUGARBEAR RECORD WAS DONE BY ME AT MY LAB IN LONG BEACH N.Y. WHEN WE WENT IN THE STUDIO THE GUYS PUTTING UP THE MONEY WANTED THE LABEL OF PRODUCER SO THEY PAID ME FOR MY BEATS AND GAVE ME CO PROD AND WRITERS CREDIT. IT WAS MY FIRST JOINT I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET ON.

4.X-Ray I see your name listed on some discographies for Public Enemy’s Tie Goes to the Runner, were you a producer on that track and not credited?

YEP IT ALSO WENT THROUGH THE SAME GUYS (SHABAZZ) FROM THE SUGARBEAR RECORD. GOT PAID UP FRONT BUT THIS TIME NO CREDIT IT’S THE SAME BEAT FROM THE READY TO PENETRATE.

5.When Matt Life and Schott Free when onto work for Loud records did you ever get the urge to do the same?

NO I JUST WANTED TO BE A ARTIST/PRODUCER AT THAT TIME I WAS RUNNING AROUND WITH MF DOOM AND DARC MIND TRYING TO JUMP START OUR CAREERS

6.X-Ray when you first met MC Kev Roc rhyme, did you have a thought that your beats would be perfectly suited to his unique flow and what was the very first Darc Mind as Darc Mind track?

NOT REALLY I JUST KNEW I HAD TO GIVE HIM SOME I’LL SHIT THOUGH .OUR FIRST SONG WAS “SMOKE FROM THE LYRICAL BLUNT “

7.Who are you listening to these days and what are your views on Hip Hop in 2007?

WE LISTEN TO ALL INDIE ARTIST FIRST AND FOREMOST AND WE HAVE A RADIO SHOW THAT WE DO ONCE A MONTH(X-TACY RADIO) YOU CAN FIND IT HERE >>> WWW.MINDBENDA.COM

IT NEEDS BALANCE ON THE RADIO AND ON T.V. SUPPORT MORE LOCAL ARTISTS.


8.Kev Roc who were your MC influences growing up and who would say influenced your style the most?

THAT WOULD BE KK ROCKWELL AND KOOL MOE D

9.X-Ray, could you please break down what is going with Monsta Island Czars these days, are they still together and will there be another album?

NOT SURE, I AM NO LONGER A MEMBER OF M.I.C. BY CHOICE BUT I STILL HAVE A STRONG FRIENDSHIP WITH SOME OF THE MEMBERS. LOOK OUT FOR TOMMY GUNNS NEW PROJECT “THE NICKEL BAG” COMING SOON ON MINDBENDA RECORDINGS.

10.Who else are you working with these days and are Uppa Notch planning another album?

RIGHT NOW I’M WORKING WITH ROC MARCY, DARC MIND, STEVEN KING, TOMMY GUNN, AND KWITE DEF AND TRYING TO GET MY LABEL OFF AND POPPING.

UPPA NOTCH IS LIKE HALF WAY DONE ON THE NEXT L.P.

11. I want to list some of my favorite Darc Mind tracks and if it’s cool ask you the actual year they were recorded please?

Dot Chu In The Eye (1996 ) Smooth With The Roughness (1996) I.R.S.( 1997) Vivid 1994) Give Me Time (1997) Seize the Phenom(1997)


Legion of Dume-Darc Mind Inc...
http://www.sendspace.com/file/wkepqf


Darc Mind-Outside Looking In (prod Nick Wiz)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/1m3zb4

Darc Mind-The Saga (demo version)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/h526iv

Darc Mind-The Saga
http://www.sendspace.com/file/zcprtx

Darc Mind-Visions of Blur
http://www.sendspace.com/file/hlkujo



http://www.anticon.com/?js=yes

www.myspace.com/darcmind

peace

EDit: Slurg and his ill Press Rewind...blog has posted the Legion of Dume in the Unsigned Hype section of The Source from 1992.

check it here:
http://pressrewind.wordpress.com/2007/05/04/unsigned-hype-legion-of-dume-in-the-source-1992

































Update

Peace The JMS blog is officially closed and I won't be returning to it, it definitely had a good 11 years or so run but it just s...