Beastie Boys "Ill Communication" (May 31, 1994)

Guaranteed plan for success: Spend your formative teenage years in early '80s downtown NYC, following hip hop all-nighters with full afternoons of hardcore punk at CBGB and vice versa. Confound fans of your hardcore band by working full-on rap numbers into your repertoire, ultimately dropping instrumentation altogether. Release the first ever rap album to top the pop charts, spend a couple years as the biggest hip hop outfit ever, then go underground. Come out a few years and 180 degrees later, working live instrumental jams and straight-up punk rock back into the set. Record sales are back up past the million mark, shows selling out everywhere... and then what the f#ck do you do? Well, unless you're the Beastie Boys, you don't get this far in the first place. If you are the Beastie Boys, however, you once again release your most ambitious record to date, Ill Communication (Grand Royal/Capitol). Like its predecessor, 1992's Check Your Head, Ill Communication is a B-Boys/Mario Caldato Jr. - produced 20-song blend of genius lyrics and rhymes (John Woo/Rod Carew, Kojak/bozack, divorcee/Lee Dorsey... all by the end of the first verse of lead track/first single "Sure Shot"), soulful instrumental interludes (including the bass-overdriven "Futterman's Rule," the plaintive "Ricky's Theme," and closing cool-down "Transitions"), and the occasional blast of hardcore punk ("Tough Guy," "Heart Attack Man"). Unlike Check..., which was two years in the making, the bi-coastally recorded Ill Communication took barely seven months to complete--just over a year to the day from beginning of recording to release date--setting a precedent for a band whose fans have grown accustomed to three-year intervals between albums. "We finished the Check Your Head tour around Thanksgiving '92," Mike D recalls. "We were on tour for eight months, then we took five months off. Then we started on the new album in New York. We just got back together, set up all our equipment, and started playing right off. We then headed back to the world-famous G-Son studios in LA to sift through our collection of 'Space Truckin'-esque jams and begin working on the hip-hop tracks." - Press Kit, 1994. "Get It Together" with Q-Tip was absolutely my jam at that time. Revisit the Ill Communication album from the Beastie Boys below...

I hope history never forgets the unique impact the Beastie's had on music.

DJ MK "Best of Gang Starr" (Mixtape)

London's DJ MK is back once again with another phenomenal tribute tape. This time, DJ MK celebrates my favorite group of all time, Gang Starr. Only second to A Tribe Called Quest, which he honored in his last mix, MK pays homage to Guru (R.I.P.) and DJ Premier with over 90 minutes of classic joints, deep album cuts, snippets of interviews and more. There's little bit from everything from Gang Starr's debut album No More Mr. Nice Guy in 1989, all the up to 2019's One of the Best Yet. How could I not throw this on and share it with y'all? Go ahead and dig into DJ MK's mix below...

Mr. Lif "Because They Made It That Way" (Video, 2003)

While it's obvious that the marriage of Mr. Lif to my artist and longtime friend, Eternia, puts his music atop all my current playlists, I'm actually throwing it back to the early 2000s (2003, I believe?) to revisit one of his most popular records, "Because They Made It That Way." In Lif's own words, "Back in these days, Akrobatik and I used to make beats constantly on the EPS 16 Plus. One day he came up with this idea... I was to produce a track for him and give it a name. Whatever the name was, he had to write a song accordingly. The same rules applied to him as far as producing a track for me and naming it. The track I made for him was called "Aktivity." I'm not sure he ever wrote that song, and thus it never was released. The track he made for me was titled "Because They Made it That Way", and it became one of my most popular songs. It's pretty clear to see that he thoroughly kicked my ass in that challenge." I believe Ethan Lander was the director of the video: two takes of Mr. Lif walking through Post Office Square in Boston, MA with DJ Fakts One on the portable turntable. In the opening of the track Lif rhymes, "It started with two turn tables and a mic / Lightning strike, electricity / MC rip rhymes DJ cut the wax viciously / The combo, maliciously brought / ingenious and precise / Mad nice..." Stepping outside the Matrix, Lif targets the ills and conformity of the world, saying "The only place I can find justice is deep inside of these lines / That I designed to explain situations of the times / People in general are targets of big money markets / And are all disposable unless you come ready to work / Fully posable with suit and tie / Ready to buy into the bullshit images / Of people claiming that money is what there religion is..." Dig into it...

N.W.A. "EFIL4ZAGGIN" (May 28, 1991)

N.W.A. doesn't rap about life in the ghetto. N.W.A. is life in the ghetto. They're not reporters, interprets, or spokesmen. They're Real N!ggaz With Attitude, Compton's finest, and they don't give a you-know-what about nothin'. So shut up and listen closely, because N.W.A.'s second album, EFIL4ZAGGIN, is out, and it's gonna be the scariest ride of your life. After a two-year wait, MC Ren, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and DJ Yella have created nothing less than the world's most explosive album. EFIL4ZAGGIN is a descent into America's dirty backyard, where black males over the age of 30 are statistical miracles, where gangs are family, where guns and crack rule the streets, and where women are just things to f#ck. If you don't like it, guess what? It's reality, it's happening now in your town, and if the evening news doesn't make you care, maybe N.W.A. will. Still not sure how to feel? Then hold your breath and jump in feet first; EFIL4ZAGGIN, about an hour in length, has something terribly important to say... "Murder created by the streets of Compton/Now get it from an underground poet/I live it, I see it, and I write it because I know it." In keeping with N.W.A.'s style, the album not only seethes with anger, but ripples with sarcasm too. EFIL4ZAGGIN marks the band's singing debut with "Automobile" (perhaps the first-ever ghetto country song) and "I'd Rather F#ck You," a revamped version of Parliament's "I'd Rather Be With You." Since all pop love ballads are, in essence, about sex, N.W.A. simply brings it out front - way out front! - on these two utterly descriptive songs. Punctuated with real-life phone calls from fans, revealing in-studio chatter and dramatic vignettes about encounters with the police, EFIL4ZAGGIN covers a lot of ground. Cont'd...

Since their emergence with Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A.'s 1989 debut album, the group has carved a singular niche as the angriest and most forceful rap group on either coast. It all started in 1986 when Eazy-E decided to launch his own company, Ruthless Records. He and his friends recorded "Boyz-N-The-Hood," and it took off. A year later, N.W.A. was officially formed, and their 12" single "Dope Man" became a success. But N.W.A. blew off the roof with the release of their debut album, Straight Outta Compton, which took rap to a level never seen before. Songs like "Gangsta Gangsta" and "____ Tha Police" offered a searing portrait of life in the inner-city, told so realistically that some people weren't sure where real life ended and art began. N.W.A. met with immediate controversy. Several of their concerts were cancelled by fearful city councils, parents were terrified by the stark image of these strong young black men in Raiders caps, and even the FBI sent an ominous letter to Priority Records, stating the law enforcements "took exception" to the song, "___ Tha Police." The band was featured in scores of articles, some applauding N.W.A.'s brutal honesty, others decrying what they viewed as the band's musical mayhem. But fans don't listen to pundits. The group sold millions of albums, and became enormously popular around the world with whites as well as blacks. Meanwhile, every member of the band has been active with a variety of other projects, making them, collectively and individually, probably the most influential musicians in the hard-core hip-hop world. But for all four, the main event has always been N.W.A. Now, the long wait is over, and EFIL4ZAGGIN becomes an album for the ages. As the saga continues, so surely will the controversy, the protests, and the outrage. But as the band has tried to show all along, the outrage against them is misdirected. N.W.A. points to the appalling conditions in the cities of America and asks whether or not the focus should lie there. As they say in "Approach The Danger" on the new album: "No prison/Nobody makes bail/Everybody got to go, but you see it ain't no jail/I approach the danger/Cuz I don't give a f#ck if somebody got to get f#cked up/So you might as well kiss your ass goodbye/Cuz in the run/We all die." Have a nice day. - Press Kit, 1991. Still one of the most bone-chilling groups of all-time and a great record indeed.

Happy Born Day, Jadakiss! (Video, 2021)

Happy Born Day to one of the nicest MCs to ever breathe life into a microphone, Jadakiss. It's the nature of every lyricist and competitor to truly believe they are the best to ever do it. When Jadakiss released the album and campaign for #T5DOA, there was an arrogance to it that felt so New York. Then... Raspy became the undisputed King of Verzuz during this pandemic with his two wins against Fabolous -- as a solo artist -- and as the lead mic in The LOX, against Dipset. Against Fabolous his character and charisma stole the show - he utilized his catalog in a way that disrupted Fab's flow and his own drunk antic's made him a meme in the greatest use of the word lol. In the Dipset battle, the superior group won - the LOX proved that lyrics mattered, showmanship mattered, and that their legacy was their ability to play their respective roles. Jadakiss controlled that stage and put his name back in contention for Top 5, Dead or Alive. It was in the moment below that everything shifted, and even Fat Joe's "Yesterday's price is not today's price!" became legend. Remember it. "He's a dick, you pussy, y'all neighbors..." // Illustration above by the homie Toon Crew. 

KLIM Beats "My Favorite Vinyl, Part 3" (Mix)

NineToFive Records returns with the third installment in their My Favorite Vinyl mixes - with Kiev, Ukraine producer KLIM Beats. This journey through KLIM Beats' record collection touches over an hour of handpicked vinyl from records he loves and wanted to share with listeners this go around. Once again, a tracklist would take away from the true enjoyment of listening to the mix - it's as eclectic as his own production is... dig into it and enjoy! Hit up the archives for the two previous My Favorite Vinyl mixes, as well as many instrumental albums, beats tapes and more from KLIM Beats...

Mister Cee "Hip Hop According to Cee: Lesson One" (Mixtape, 1996)

This is 1996's Hip Hop According To Cee: Lesson One from Mister Cee via Tape Kingz. The mix tape includes joints in heavy rotation at the time from The Fugees, Busta Rhymes, KRS-One, MC Lyte, De La Soul, Capone-N-Noreaga, Lost Boyz, Frankie Cutlass, Dr. Dre, Nas, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Heltah Skeltah, Queen Latifah, Originoo Gun Clappaz, Onyx, Jeru The Damaja, Big Noyd, Mobb Deep, Mic Geronimo, Keith Murray, Da Bush Babees, Lil' Kim, and more! Hot 97's Mister Cee put out a bunch of solid tapes in the 90s (including three more in this series), lots of incredible tribute mixes that still stay in the deck, and more... so revisit a cassette rip of his Lesson One mixtape below...

Jeru The Damaja "The Sun Rises In The East" (5/24/94)

The first time I heard Jeru The Damaja was in 1992, when he blew up Gang Starr's "I'm The Man" on Daily Operation. While every b-boy east of New York was trying to figure out who the man was, Jeru was touring with Gang Starr throughout Canada, England, Europe, West Bubblef#ck and the U.S. boondocks. After the Gang Starr movement parlayed, he showed you who the man really was with his unique, underground single, "Come Clean." With his single quickly approaching street-status gold, a fat recording and worldwide distribution deal, and a DJ Premier-produced album in the making, Jeru is well on his way to cleaning the music industry and ridding the stage of these snake-fake-wannabe-toy-emcees that misrepresent what the hip-hop culture is all about. Speaking on the album's title, The Sun Rises In The East, Jeru shared, "I chose that title 'cause that shit is on point as far as life is 'cause the sun always rises in the East. And I'm from East New York [in Brooklyn] and I represent the East Coast, you know what I'm sayin'? Plus, I'm the son of man and this son rises from the East. I try to make all my shit coincide with how shit is out here. Anything I kick is some kind of consistence 'cause that's just my thang. So even if it's just some old regular shit, still it's a message in there for somebody, 'cause it's a message in everything. You just have to take it." - The Source, April 1994. Art above by Torre Pentel. Revisit Jeru's The Sun Rises In The East below...

You won't find many albums that still bump front to back like this one...

Take It Personal Podcast "Summer Slams Episode"

Episode 107 of the Take It Personal podcast is a breather from their recent tributes. This all-new music episode is for those not sure where to look, listen or simply don't have the time. The T.I.P. crew has curated music over the last few months to help bring you up-to-date with bangers by Danger Mouse & Black Thought, Black Star, Pusha T, Kid Abstract, Daniel Son, The Good People, G.S. Advance, Ghettosocks x DK, Napoleon Da Legend, Elzhi, Crimeapple, Billy Essco, Copywrite, Action Bronson and the reunion of Army of the Pharoahs to name a few. Alright Alright... tap into it below...

Marco Polo "MP on the MP, Volume 3" (Beat Tape)

MP on the MP Volume 3 is the third and final volume in the MP On The MP trilogy, back with twelve more unreleased beats. Inspired by the "MP On The MP" Youtube series, Marco Polo has compiled 12 fire instrumentals and dozens spanning all 3 volumes. From his work with Torae, Masta Ace, Supastition, Ruste Juxx, Kardinal Offishal, O.C., Breeze Brewin and more of your favorite lyricists, it's dope to get these instrumentals to see some of the unreleased beats and joints that may have been left on the cutting room floor. The Canadian beatsmith has kept it nostalgic yet fresh since he stepped in the game over a decade ago, and remains one of the best producers to rep for our culture. Tap into MP on the MP Volume 3 below, and the archives for Marco's previous releases too...

The Life & Musical Legacy of Biggie Smalls (The Source, 5/97)

May 21, 1972: Christopher Wallace is born to Violetta Wallace in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. 1989: Arrested for weapons possession in Brooklyn. Sentenced to 5 years probation. At the age of 17, arrested in North Carolina for selling crack. While waiting to make bail, he is incarcerated for nine months. March '92: Appears in The Source's Unsigned Hype column. Subsequently signed by Sean "Puffy" Combs to Uptown/MCA. Unfortunately, he's unable to use his other stage name, Biggie Smalls, because some obscure white rapper copyrights the name first. Summer '92: Makes recording debut on Mary J. Blige's "Real Love" remix. Fall '92: Makes an acclaimed appearance on "A Buncha N!ggas," a posse cut from Heavy D's Blue Funk. April '93: First solo recording, "Party-N-Bullshit," is one of the standout tracks from the platinum-selling Who's The Man soundtrack. Another song with Onyx and Naughty By Nature is not released. Summer '93: "I love it when they call me Big Poppa..." Kicks an ear-catching verse on remix of Supercat's "Dolly My Baby." February '94: Appears on Mary J. Blige's "What's the 411" remix. Around the same time, promo-only copies of "I'm Just Playing," aka "Dreams," a raunchy salute to popular R&B singers, hits the streets. This underground favorite whets appetites for his upcoming solo album. Cont'd below...

Summer '94: Records "Da B-Side," a duet with Da Brat that appears on the soundtrack for the movie Bad Boys. July '94: "N!ggas is mad; I get more butt than ashtrays...." Shines on labelmate Craig Mack's all-star remixed version of "Flava In Ya Ear." August '94: Marries singer Faith Evans nine days after meeting her at the video shoot for "Juicy." August '94: Assists Red Hot Lover Tone's #1 Player by appearing on "For My N!ggaz," with Grand Puba and fellow Crooklynites M.O.P. September '94: "Let's Get It On." The title track off Eddie F & The Untouchables album is the first official recording of Biggie and Tupac together. It also featured Grand Puba and Heavy D. October '94: Releases the heavily anticipated Ready To Die. LP quickly goes on to platinum status, a rarity at the time for an East Coast rapper. Avid fans notice that there are several unreleased tracks that did not make the final cut. Most notable are the original, uncleared-sample version of "Me and My Bitch" and the Lord Finesse-produced "Cum on Muthaf#cka," which featured Sadat X. November '94: Records "Cunt Renaissance" with the bizarre Crustified Dibbs. Also appears on Red Bandit's "Nine Dog MCs," with Grand Puba and Grandaddy I.U., among others. December '94: In various interviews, Biggie says he fears for his life. He claims his newfound success will make jealous people try to prevent him from moving ahead. January '95: Releases the single "Big Poppa/Warning," which features the controversial "Who Shot Ya" on the B-Side. The songs reach the #1 spot 28 days after release. Cont'd below...

February '95: "Gimme all the chickenheads from Pasadena to Medina..." Big's opening line on Total's "Can't You See" single helps launch the career of Bad Boy's first female R&B group. March '95: Despite brewing Death Row/Bad Boy rivalry, "Runnin'," the 2nd collaboration between Biggie and Tupac, is recorded. Originally intended for 'Pac's Thug Life Vol.1, it's featured on a compilation, One Million Strong. Spring '95: Along with business partner Lance "Un" Rivera, Biggie forms Undeas Recording, which quickly secures a distribution deal with Big Beat Records, and will later unleash his group of proteges, Junior M.A.F.I.A. Spring '95: "Think Big," a track originally intended for Pudgee The Phat Bastard's album, makes the mix-tape rounds. It features B.I.G., Pudgee, and Lord Tariq. Although it is never released, its title would eventually become the marketing slogan for Biggie's Life After Death... May '95: "Best of Biggie" mix-tape is put together by Mister Cee. It includes various freestyles, many of Biggie's recorded appearances, and highlights unreleased gems like "Real N!ggas Do Real Things" parts 1 and 2, in which he ironically freestyles over a collection of Death Row's most successful beats. June '95: "One More Chance" reaches number #1, knocking Michael Jackson out of the top spot. Charged with robbery and aggravated assault in Camden, NJ, Biggie is later arrested in Pennsylvania. August '95: At The Source Awards 2nd Annual Show, Biggie snatches up four of the most coveted prizes: New Artist, Live Performer, Lyricist, and Album of the Year awards. September '95: The Notorious B.I.G.'s Brooklyn-based collective, Junior M.A.F.I.A., makes their album debut with Conspiracy. Biggie plays the background on this promising release, but is the verbal force behind the album's first hit single, "Player's Anthem." The Life of B.I.G. cont'd below...

Fall '95: Records a live version of "Me & My Bitch" for the soundtrack to The Show, a documentary about hip-hop music. The film utilizes footage of Biggie with his mother seated next to him, reflecting on his troubled beginnings. Makes a cameo appearance on an episode of "Martin." November '95: Appears on R.Kelly's self-titled third album on the track "(You To) Be Happy." December '95: Receives Billboard Award for #1 R&B single-sales, #1 Rap Single, and #1 Rap Artist. March '96: Freaks a raunchy duet with Luke on "Bust A Nut," off Luke's album, Uncle Luke. Police seal off the VIP area at the Soul Train Music Awards Show in LA after an argument breaks out between the Bad Boy and Death Row camps. Arrested near New York City's Palladium nightclub for smashing the windows of a taxicab and allegedly chasing two autograph seekers with a baseball bat. He pleads guilty to 2nd degree harassment and is sentenced to 100 hours of community service. Receives the award for "Best Rap Artist of the Year" at the Billboard Music Awards. "One More Chance" is named best rap single for 1995. June '96: "Guns, I bust 'em/Problems with my wife don't discuss 'em..." Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s "Get Money" remix reaches #1 a mere fourteen days after its release. Cont'd...

July '96: Biggie trades verbals with fellow Brooklyn power broker Jay-Z on "Brooklyn's Finest," from Jay's Reasonable Doubt. Biggie and seven members of Junior M.A.F.I.A. are arrested on drug and gun possession charges when cops find semi-automatic weapons and 50 grams of marijuana in his Teaneck, NJ home. Summer '96: Kicks the opening verse for the 112 single, "Only You," and once again helps jumpstart the career of a new Bad Boy R&B group. September '96: With Lil' Cease driving, Biggie breaks his leg in a car accident. Fall '96: Appears on "Young G's Perspective" off West Coast producer/rapper Blackjack's album. November '96: His protege, Lil' Kim, releases her solo debut, Hard Core. Adds the hooks to two of the album's strongest tracks: "Crush On You" and "Drugs." Duets with B-baller Shaquille O'Neal on the title track of Shaq's You Can't Stop the Reign album. January '97: Appears in Miramax's hip-hop documentary, Rhyme and Reason. February '97: Drops a freestyle on Funkmaster Flex's Mix Tape Volume 2 with Puffy's new group, The Lox. February 24, 1997: On BET's "Rap City," Biggie says he no longer wants to portray the image of a drug dealer/gangsta because he does not live that life anymore. He says it's up to him to stop the growing East Coast/West Coast animosity. March 9, 1997: After attending a party at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Biggie Smalls is shot seven times while waiting at a stop light in the passenger seat of a GMC Suburban. He dies shortly after at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. March 25, 1997: Biggie's 2nd album, Life After Death... 'Til Death Do Us Part, is released. - The Source (May, 1997). R.I.P., Biggie.

DJ DS "Sound Clash Vol.2: When Hip Hop & Reggae Collide"

With original samples used, DJ DS curates reggae remixes of classic Hip-Hop and some acapellas over various other reggae-infused tracks for Volume 2 of his Sound Clash: When Hip-Hop & Reggae Collide mix. The tracklist includes joints from Junior Reid, Buju Banton, Born Jamericans, Boogie Down Productions, Barrington Levy, Johnny Osbourne, GZA, Bob Marley, Da Bush Babees, Super Cat, Brother Ali, Fugees, Damian Marley, General Levy, Kenny Dope, Louie Rankin, Bob Marley, Black Moon, Mad Lion, Mega Banton, Cutty Ranks, Poor Righteous Teachers, and lots more. Check out Volume 1 and more mixes from DJ DS in the archives. Listen to his Sound Clash Volume 2 mix below...

DMX "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot" (May 19, 1999)

Just as rap music was reaching its toughest, darkest, grimmest period yet, following the assassinations of 2Pac and Biggie in the late '90s, along came DMX and his fellow Ruff Ryders, who embodied the essence of inner-city machismo to a tee, as showcased throughout the tellingly titled It's Dark and Hell Is Hot. Unlike so many other hardcore rappers who are more rhetorical than physical, DMX commands an aggressive aura without even speaking a word. He showcases his chiseled physique on the arresting album cover and trumpets his animalistic nature with frequent barking, growling, and snarling throughout the album. He also collaborates with muscular producers Swizz Beatz and Dame Grease, who specialize in slamming synth-driven beats rather than sample-driven ones. Further unlike so many other hardcore rappers from the time, DMX is meaningful as well as symbolic. He professes an ideology that stresses the inner world -- characterized by such qualities as survival, wisdom, strength, respect, and faith -- rather than the material one that infatuates most rappers of his time. It helpes that his album includes a few mammoth highlights ("Ruff Ryders' Anthem," "Get at Me Dog," "Let Me Fly," and "I Can Feel It") as well as a light, mid-album diversion ("How's It Goin' Down"). The long running length of It's Dark and Hell Is Hot does wear you down after a while, since nearly every song here sans "How's It Goin' Down" hits hard and maintains the album's deadly serious attitude. Even so, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is a tremendous debut, laying out DMX's complex persona with candor, from his faith in God to his fixation with canine motifs, and doing so with dramatic flair. - AllMusic. Illustration above is by Torre Pentel. Dig into the original press kit for It's Dark and Hell Is Hot that I scanned HERE. Revisit the LP below...

Rest In Peace, DMX. Still a terrible loss...

Marlon Craft "While We're Here" (Album Stream)

While We're Here is the latest full-length offering from NYC's own Marlon Craft. The 13-track album boasts Craft's sharp lyricism and pointed narrative. With the release of the project, he kept it straight and focused on the music, sharing "I don't want to say much other than I worked extremely hard on this and I hope you give it a full spin and a chance to grow on you. I appreciate your time." Working in this industry for many years, I know for a fact that artists REALLY just want you to take your time and sit with the music, give it a FULL listen before you pass judgment. These aren't singles, it's a full body of work, come digest these bars and stream While We're Here below...

DJ Craig G "Summer Jamz" (Mixtape, 1997)

Released in 1997, this is DJ Craig G's Summer Jamz mixtape through Tape Kingz. It featured a grip of dope joints from The LOX, Notorious B.I.G., Mase, Cam'ron, Rampage, Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim, AZ, Smoothe The Hustler, Raekwon, Jay-Z, EPMD, Lauryn Hill, Camp Lo, Nas, Lost Boyz, DMX, Mic Geronimo, Method Man, and more. The Lady of Rage, Wu-Tang Clan, and more. There are several freestyles from classic MCs and even blasted off "I'll Be Missing You", the tribute to the late great Notorious B.I.G., which bumped out of car stereos all summer. Listen to '97's Summer Jamz below...

Kendrick Lamar "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers" (Album Stream)

Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is the fifth studio album by rapper Kendrick Lamar. The album features narration by Whitney Alford and Eckhart Tolle, and guest appearances from Blxst, Amanda Reifer, Sampha, Taylour Paige, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Baby Keem, Kodak Black, Sam Dew, Tanna Leone, and Beth Gibbons of Portishead. Kendrick Lamar reunited with frequent collaborators Sounwave, J. Lbs, DJ Dahi, and Bekon for the majority of the album's production. As with all of Kendrick's releases, it's a culture-shifter and meant to be sat with and enjoyed as a full body of work. Ignore the reviews/critics; the he said/she said; the comparisons to previous albums... experience it on your own and see what you get from Kendrick's Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers...

Original press release announcing the project...

Cannibal Ox "The Cold Vein" (May 15, 2001)

While it can be said that many underground crews have been floundering in the gray matter of indie hip-hop, Cannibal Ox filled that area in with 2001's The Cold Vein for El P's Def Jux imprint. The music press had been quick to point out that Vast Aire and Vordul Megilah's attack is at times highly derivative of the Wu Tang Clan, and the point is valid. Thankfully, El P (a serious candidate for producer of the year) lays out some of the most lushly intriguing sounds and beats that feel as herky-jerky as they sound gilded with silk. It's a bit misleading to harp on the Wu factor that The Cold Vein contains since this record's content is immensely original and the Wu references that seem present are in the enlightened gloomy flow and psychedelic backdrops -- not, (with all due respect) in the kitschy hooks and unfocused rhymes that Wu Tang are also known for. Aire and Megilah swirl around in b-boy posturing and obtuse nonsense as their innovation rears its head at every corner with scatter-shot lines like: "And I ain't dealin' with no minimum wage/I'd rather construct rhymes on a minimum page," and "You were a still-born baby, your mother didn't want you but you were still-born." While there's not a throwaway track per se, the album's length does run a bit long (at least they didn't make it into a double CD as a lot of rap acts have been known to do). To their immense credit, Cannibal Ox and El P have assembled one of the most listenable hip-hop albums in far too long. Headz be aware: Independent hip-hop has a new voice and this is your beat fix for 2001. - AllMusic. What an incredible album, revisit Cannibal Ox's The Cold Vein album below...

One of the greatest albums in all of hip-hop... don't sleep on this one!

K.M.D. "Mr. Hood" (May 14, 1991)

According to Zevlove X lead rapper for K.M.D., the group's message is "to uplift." His partner-in-rhyme, Onyx ("The Birthstone Kid") extends the sentiment saying, "the main message of K.M.D. is to uplift the conscience of all Nubian people." To K.M.D., Nubian doesn't only refer to the Muslim slaves stolen from Africa in the 1600s, it's a scattered nation of oppressed peoples including "Latinos, Japanese, Sicilians, Indians and American Blacks." K.M.D. lay down the tenets of their manifest on Mr. Hood, their debut album on Elektra Entertainment. The raps and rants and rhymes of K.M.D. rattle the roots of cultural stereotypes. Like the parable of the Bible or the fables of Aesop, K.M.D. use a disarming simplicity as a way of communicating high spiritual truths. Amidst the brutally eclectic sampling, cutting, and beatbox prowess of DJ Subroc, one hears echoes of childhood: strains of playground music and deconstructions of whitebread educational narration. "The way we relay the messages," says Onyx, "makes people want to strain the brain as a mental exercise to figure out what we're talking about." Songs like "Crackpot," "Who Me?", "The Humrush" and "Banana Peel Blues" hit back hard at the disinformational barrage washing over post-war America. Bio continues below...

K.M.D. hail from Long Beach, New York, where Long Island has been dubbed Strong Island by the rap community. Zevlove X was technically born in Brighton, England, and moved to New York when he was a year old. His brother, Subroc, was born two years later. "We're real close, he's my best friend type of thing," says Zevlove X. "Anything a kid did, we did together." In 1986, while still in their teens, Zevlove X and Subroc began to make the first cassette demos that would become the cornerstone of the K.M.D. sound. While Zev was writing and rapping his first rhymes, Subroc would cut hair for people in the neighborhood. He used a barter system and would often let his customers pay him in old albums, a practice which resulted in Subroc's extraordinary record collection. "The records were worthless to them," he says, "but valuable to me." Subroc has immortalized this experience on "The Barber's Mission," his solo track on the K.M.D. album. Zev and Subroc were introduced to the Five Pillars of Faith of Islam by their mother. Onyx, a Long Beach native, had been raised Baptist and "used to sing in church choirs until my conversion to Islam." He'd known Zev and Subroc but didn't really start hanging around with them until 1987. Zev had a developing rep producing demos for other artists and surfaced as a rapper on 3rd Bass's hit "Gas Face." By the time KMD recorded their rebuttal track, "Gas Face Refill," Onyx was a solid part of the crew. Cont'd...

Produced by K.M.D., Mr. Hood raises the consciousness of a Rap Nation by several notches. "Crackpot' finds the roots of drug abuse in the crabgrass of middle class suburbia, "Figure of Speech" and "Bumrush" are tour-de-forces of Zevlove X's tongue-twisting lyrical intricacies and Subroc's sonic wizardry, "Who Me?" and "Banana Peel Blues" smash racist cliches with shards of vinyl. "Hard With No Hoe" is a double-helix of interconnected puns and tricky meanings. "If you're a farmer," says Zevlove X "and you don't have the proper tools to run the farm, life is hard." Life may be hard but on Mr. Hood K.M.D. access the proper tools. "It's a Kauz in a Much Damaged... fill-in-the-blank," says Zevlove X. "Wherever we are, wherever there's negativity, we are positive kauz in that place." - Press Kit. Rest in Peace, Subroc and Zevlove X (MF DOOM). Revisit the Mr. Hood LP today.

DJ Clue "Spring Pt. 2 The Payback" (Mixtape, 1996)

There's a decent amount of confusion about this tape on the net, discrepancies about the tape's title and the actual tracklist. Unfortunately, I don't have all the original tapes to compare artwork and tracklists, so I'll leave that argument to someone else. Ultimately, this '96 banger right here features a blend of hip-hop and RNB from the likes of LL Cool J, Nas, RZA, Heather B, Jay-Z, McGruff, Erick Sermon, Mobb Deep, Raekwon, Smoothe Da Hustler, Busta Rhymes, Foxy Brown, Artifacts, 112, Skin Deep, SWV, Toni Braxton, A Tribe Called Quest, Gina Thompson, Pete Rock, Darkside, Blahzay Blahzay and the Fugees, amongst others. This is another tape I probably had a bootleg cassette rip of and ran all summer in '96. Once again, I took it with me off to Hofstra for my freshman year of college. That Side B was in heavy rotation as it had a lot of crossover records that seemed to play well for the ladies, too. Tony Touch had a similar tape at the time, I honestly can't remember which was better but they both had joints! Listen to this throwback mixtape below...

Take It Personal Podcast "Head Bangers Episode"

Episode 106 of the Take It Personal podcast is going to leave most of you in neck braces. After spending the last few episodes on Kanye West (I admittedly didn't tape into those - one day I will), the T.I.P. crew is taking it back to the essence of Take It Personal Radio. They've got head bangers from M.O.P., Ghostface Killah, Gang Starr, The Beatnuts, Xzibit, Dilated Peoples, Mobb Deep, Big Pun, Non Phixion and Onyx to name a few. At the break, they discuss the classic indie record The Future Is Now by Non Phixion. They also discuss Black Star's No Fear of Time and Kweli gets annihilated, ain't no love lost there. Other topics include David Chappelle, Onyx, Supreme and they ask where do the biggest supporters of hip-hop reside? This episode is what TIP is all about - plenty of laughs, good discussion and even better music! Tap into another fine edit of the Take It Personal podcast...

W0javelli "Just Murda" (Mase Tribute Mix)

Props to Wojavelli for another dope tribute tape... this time honoring the career of Harlem World's Mase Murda. The mixtape boasts 50 minutes of early rarities, features, freestyles and exclusive blends. From Children of the Corn to the shiny suit era -- where Bad Boy was on top of the world -- to pastor and back to rapper, Mase has had quite an interesting career. In recent years, you've heard artists like Eminem and Pusha T speak highly of the MC, and if you truly dig into the bars and look at his pen, there's a case to be made he was certainly one of the best lyricists on Bad Boy. Questionable choices aside. The battle with Cam'ron a few years back was interesting too, Mase threw his hat in the ring... and didn't disappoint. Am I wrong? Anyhow, dig into Just Murda below...

Clipse "Exclusive Audio Footage" (1999)

While most people know of Lord Willin’, the 2002 formal major label debut of Clipse, what some may not know is that it wasn’t supposed to be Pusha T and Malice‘s first album; that would actually be 1999’s Exclusive Audio Footage. Like its successor the album was produced in its entirety by The Neptunes, and spawned just one single and music video, “The Funeral,” which failed to catch a buzz and ultimately led to the album being shelved. While bootlegs of the album have existed for years (many people, including this quasi-former writer, own a copy), Exclusive Audio Footage has now debuted on the streaming platforms for the very first time (and, seemingly, legitimately!), likely thanks in part to Push’s It’s Almost Dry debuting atop the Billboard 200 in its first week. The project remains mostly in its original format, save for “The Funeral” (which was, interestingly enough, released on the DSPs back in 2020), with features from Kelis, N.O.R.E., Kurupt, and others. The album is also notable for the second track “Hear Me Out,” whose production was reworked and ultimately became the backdrop for Jadakiss’ 2001 hit single “Knock Yourself Out.” Revisit the album, or get introduced to it, below. - via 2DBZ. Props to Meka for the heads-up on this project being released!

The world could definitely use new music from the Clipse.

Happy Born Day, Ghostface Killah! (Playlist)

Ghostface Killah, born Dennis Coles, is a Staten Island rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan, known for both his work with Wu-Tang and his extensive solo career. Ghostface is known for his dense flow style, his stream-of-consciousness storytelling, and his emotive delivery. Ghostface was also the co-star of Raekwon’s critically acclaimed 1995 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… album, and followed it soon with his own 1996 solo debut, Ironman. His 2000 sophomore album Supreme Clientele is widely regarded as one of the best Wu-Tang solo projects. Since then, he’s continued to evolve, from his gambino-themed 2006 album Fishscale, to his collaboration with BADBADNOTGOOD, 2015’s Sour Soul. Additional collaborative projects include Twelve Reasons to Die with Adrian Younge and the remixed Brown Tape with Apollo Brown, as well as The Lost Tapes with Big Ghost Ltd, Czarface Meets Ghostface and more. GFK's name is taken from the villain in the 1979 martial arts film The Mystery of Chessboxing. I've seen a resurgence from Method Man as of late, but it'd still be hard to argue that Ghostface had remained the most consistent and undeniably has the best ear for beats in the entire Wu-Tang Clan (why it's no surprise he was executive producer on 36 Chambers). The idea of doing a playlist of my favorite Ghostface verses and tracks gave me a panic attack; it's just too much music to (re)consider, so here's the next best option... and Happy Born Day, Ghostface!

Snor Kaos & Illastrate "Kings of Vice 2" (Album Stream)

Kings of Vice Volume 2 is the follow up from Atlanta emcee Señor Kaos and producer Illastrate. A barrage of raw beats and bars: no added fillers or preservatives! Released on Ultra Beast United / Working Class Music, Kings of Vice Volume 2 is digital-only... for now. Kings of Vice was released in 2020 and was a really solid project, so while I haven't tapped into Volume 2 YET, I'm sharing it with full knowledge that it's gonna be a solid album too. Let's dig into the LP together, stream it below...

DJ Clue "The Ruler's Back, Part 1" (Mixtape, 1999)

DJ Clue was on top of the world in the mixtape game at the time, this is 1999's The Ruler's Back, Part One. Clue dropped the tape through Tape Kingz and it features tracks from The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Lil' Kim, Ja Rule, Lil' Cease, Mobb Deep, Half-A-Mil, Cam'ron, 50 Cent, The Lox, Nature, Noreaga, Ali Vegas, Eminem and more. This tape had 50's How To Rob on it and it went bonkers at the time. It was also basically a marketing tool for Puff and Bad Boy Records, you'll hear half the tape is Bad Boy artists. Lowkey, I still remember thinking people slept on that Lil' Cease album at the time, although I haven't really revisited it in forever. Listen to The Ruler's Back below...

Method Man "Meth Lab Season 3" (Album Stream)

Nearly four years after the release of his last full-length offering, Method Man returns with his new project Meth Lab Season 3: The Rehab. The Rehab is the third installment in the Wu-Tang Clan MC’s Meth Lab collaborative album series, following 2018’s Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium, and 2015’s The Meth Lab. The 12-track project features the previously released singles “The Last Two Minutes,” “Butterfly Effect,” and “Live From The Meth Lab,” as well as guest appearances from Redman, Jadakiss, KRS-One, Cappadonna, JoJo Pelligrino, RJ Payne, and more. Recorded in Meth Lab Studios on Staten Island, Season 3: The Rehab was curated by Method Man and his close collaborator Hanz On, who appears on a pair of tracks ("Black Ops” and “K.A.S.E.”). “This installation of the ‘Meth Lab’ is shaping up to be a good one,” the 51-year-old rapper said in a statement leading up to Season 3’s release. “We’ve had a lot of setbacks with this album, one being a pandemic and a lockdown. Amongst all the delays my team stayed solid and the album developed into a respectful body of work.”  - Complex. Stream Method Man’s new album Meth Lab Season 3 below...

Gang Starr "Daily Operation" (May 5, 1992)

Much as they do on their previous album, the Guru (the MC aka Keith E) and DJ Premier unload 18 of the smoothest cuts on the planet. DJ Premier, once again, proves why he might be one of the best turntable wizards around. No one cuts and scratches as well as he does, and no one else can match his production or his ability to influence the listener with a piece of plastic. Hints of his greatness are evident on the tracks "Flip The Script," "No Shame In My Game," "B.Y.S. (Bust Your Shit)" and especially "I'm The Man," in which Premier creates three different tracks for the Guru and two others, Little Dap and Jeru The Damaja. Oh, by the way, Keith E can hold his own as well. Complementing his unique rhyming style and his distinct voice, the Guru drops more "science" than the chemistry department does in a year. He very well may be the most perceptive, intriguing and intelligent rapper today. Although I was disappointed that they left off "DWYCK" (a track featuring Nice & Smooth), I was thoroughly impressed by Gang Starr's third effort. Maybe not quite as good as Step In The Arena (Sav disagrees!), but this one was a definite four-star album. This summer is already not looking so bad. With new albums by Kool G Rap and DJ Polo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth (mark my words, these two will be classics), EPMD, Eric B & Rakim, MC Ren and others coming out, it looks like I'll finally have something to play in my car. But before you go out and buy those albums, go grab Daily Operation, because, as the saying goes, this record is ALL THAT. Have a great summer, and I'm outta here. - California Aggie (June 10, 1992). Revisit Gang Starr's Daily Operation LP below...

More from this college write-up in the summer of 1992...

Ill Bill "What's Wrong With Bill" (May 4, 2004)

The de facto leader of underground luminaries Non-Phixion, Ill Bill has steadily gained notoriety over the span of the last decade, and with this release, is the first of his crew to unleash a solo record. Produced entirely by shock rap magnate Necro, What's Wrong with Bill? is expectedly unflinching in its portrayal of the white ghetto experience with the feel of a dirty, limited run, behind-the-counter comic book. But does it really take to new ground or is it the same routine that the Uncle Howie label seems to be running ragged? Ill Bill seems to have two major precursors: Nas, and early Eminem, the latter of which is evident in his gruesome subject matter and aggressive, multi-syllabic lyrical style -- even his punchlines are macabre ("hotter than a crematorium"). Here, Ill Bill portrays a character that sees in monochrome, struggles in Technicolor, and speaks with blood scarlet letters, rapping about serial killers, drug dealing and illicit sexual encounters. Nas' influence, meanwhile, shows in Ill Bill's housing project observations -- though he goes a step further and commits as many of the crimes as he witnesses. Either way you cut it, Ill Bill raps like a Tarantino film: verbose and violent, with opinionated societal overtones.... Considering the negative stigma that the music community holds for Necro as a sinister whoremonger, few will deny his ability as a producer. Distilling DJ Premier's processed drums, Pete Rock's seamless sample chops and the Automator's clean mixdowns, Necro amalgamates several pivotal elements in production to create a unique backdrop for Ill Bill to play across. Whether he's juxtaposing G-funk synth lasers with 70s bass grooves on "Glenwood Projects", crisscrossing suspended strings and shitkicking snares for "The Final Scene" or incorporating pedal-stomping guitar funk, hockey organ and barbershop choruses on "Unstoppable", Necro seems to have a delicate feel for the production that best suits his artist. Still, Ill Bill's got a few issue to overcome: His heavy dependence on adlibs, for one, tends to turn every verse into its own chorus. His songs also tend to settle for only two verses, which limits the album's length and conceptual development, and his disproportionate number of guest emcees can prove troublesome, depending on your taste.... That said, the production on What's Wrong with Bill? manages a surprising consistently across the span of the album, Bill's performances are always raw and tightly spun, and overall, his combination of intelligent gangster and masochistic serial killer is more effective here than ever before. Ill Bill closes a song, stating, "Fuck who's on top, 'cause I'm a lot hungrier than them." I'm inclined to agree. - Pitchfork, 2004. Revisit the LP below...

RUN-DMC "Down With The King" (May 4, 1993)

RUN DMC are the ultimate pioneers of Rap, and on this day in 1993, they released their final good album, 'Down With The King,' through Profile Records. I remember coppin' the 12" for 'Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do?' at J&R near my mother's job at the World Trade Center; an unlikely place to cop a 12". Of course, the title track features one of Pete Rock's classic beats, and its amazing it wasn't the lead single. For those in graffiti culture, 'King' was a term for writers and most of us were heavy into bombing - especially at that time. I also grew up in the section of Queens nearest to 'Christ The King' High School, which made the song all the more popular in my area. In reality, the title was arguably more of a reference to their past title 'King of Rock,' finding God between their last album 'Back From Hell' in 1990 and a little braggadocio. With the strength of the previously mentioned singles and the EPMD-assisted 'Can I Get It, Yo,' the album was definitely looked at more favorably than 'Back From Hell,' which was a hot mess. 'Down With The King' had production from Q-Tip, Pete Rock, Kay Gee, The Bomb Squad, Jermaine Dupri, etc. Of course, Rest in Peace to Jam Master Jay! 

Rev Run & DMC discuss some of their inspirations in Spin, 1993...