DJ Baby G "Bomb Ass Tape II" (Mixtape, 1994)

This is DJ Baby G's Bomb Ass Tape 2, from 1994. The tape was reviewed in Caught In The Middle magazine, where they shared: Cut after cut this tape has that live club feel to it. No overused edits or dubs here, only records spinnin' back to back. There needs to be more mix tapes like BA2 that display strictly skills and less multi-track usage. On Side A, Craig Mack's "Flava In Your Ear" is chopped, cutted, and switched around like this was a DMC battle. The tape represents with blends that sound like they were meant to be together. There's no prisoners on this tape, even Tribe's "Lyrics to Go" goes to surgery as you travel the first program. Baby G also shows Chicago some love by giving Common Sense that rotation he deserves. Big ups. The B Side begins with a storm of scratches, and then breaks down into a mellow delivery with Gravediggaz's "1-800-Suicide." It kinda reminds me of when it rains real hard with thunder and all, then there's only sprinkles leavin' ya relaxed. It's not long before the inches start pourin' down again as Baby G flips the script with Channel Live's "Cause & Effect." The accapella of KRS-One's "Hip Hop vs. Rap" is well applied complete with a nice blend and a series of scratches. Solid throughout both sides BA2 displays strong diversity. If you enjoy all the elements that define a DJ, this mixtape will stay in your deck. This tape is not narrow-minded or jailed to one coast as artists from everywhere are given their due. Anything mixed should show this kind of variety. Bein' Baby G is from the group Mad Flava, this cassette is an assorted fulfillment of pure different taste. Open your mouth, swallow, and digest, you won't be hungry after this entree. Dig into the archives for Bomb Ass Tape and listen below...

Here's the full review in Caught In The Middle Magazine...

Common "Resurrection" (October 4, 1994)

In Hip Hop geography, Resurrection, definitely belongs to Chicago. No played out West Coast funk or droning keyboards. No candidates for the next Rump Shaker/Tootsie Roll content theme song.... On first listen it might sound like an East Coast record, but in production and lyrical flow, Common sense fits solidly in the Chicago soul tradition of Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, Leroy Hutson, and the Chi-Lites. Most of the production was done by the Un-American Caravan's No I.D., who also worked on Common's first album. The music has the feel of an early 70's Curtin Mayfield or Donny Hathaway record. The samples are fresh with catchy piano, keyboard or sax loops up top and strong, looping, basslines underneath to keep the music moving forward. Hip Hop production has moved away from the frantic sound of P.E. and a thousand and one James Brown breakbeats to less hyped samples and live music. But unlike too many of the new Hip-Hop producers, No I.D., maintains the level of energy in the grooves and doesn't let the sound lapse into quiet storm territory. Cont'd

The album is a view of life in urban America today in the same way Curtis Mayfield or Donny Hathaway's songs were a view of the same place in the 60's and 70's. Like many of their songs, Common Sense's rhymes are about daily life, growing up, and even family. Not as just another victim, but as someone with a strong sense of himself. The rhymes are always political, and possibly more powerful for being less direct.... But not everything is serious. There's plenty of more freestyle rhymes, heavy on metaphors.... A lot of MC's start out dope and then lose direction or run out of ideas. But since the first time I saw Common perform at the New Music Seminar in 1989 with a group called "1212" every move has been in the right direction. He's learned a lot since the first album.... The ads for Resurrection say "No gimmicks, no guns, no b*tches, no bullsh*t, just Common Sense." It says a lot about Hip Hop today that [that] description would set the album apart from most other music out there. Just about everyone who cares about Hip Hop and has paid attention for more than a few years knows that something's been lost. On the first single, "I Used to Love H.E.R.," "H.E.R." is Hip Hop and Common Sense expresses better than anybody how much the music meant, and the sense of loss as rap has moved from an art to a commodity.... Common Sense's reality is more than enough entertainment for people into lyrics and beats everywhere and anyone else willing to put down their video gats for long enough to listen. - Caught In The Middle (ZINE, 1994). 

Biggie & Craig Mack "Caught In The Middle" Interview (1994)

We've all read the rumors and seen the documentary on how B.I.G. & Craig Mack weren't the closest of friends, but back in '94, they were both featured in Kevin Beachman & J-Bird's short-lived Rap Zine, 'Caught In The Middle.' The zine raised awareness for all things hip-hop in Chicago and the December issue was the first of 2 issues produced; it had Common (Sense) on the cover. In the interview, B.I.G. shouts-out Nas, KRS, Black Moon, Da Bush Babees and trashes the 69 Boyz & the late-Biggie Smallz, who if you don’t know, I’ll have to do a whole other post about him. A lot of people argue whether B.I.G.’s short catalog was enough to consider him for the G.O.A.T. and think about what could have been … and how the industry might be different had he survived. Well, it’s interesting to see what his thoughts were for the future when asked in the interview. “I got a 5 year album deal. Once I finish it I’m mostly gonna chill. Hopefully, I’ll have a lot of money and I can just spend it. I can’t do this for my whole life. Too many fake motherf#ckers smile in your face while you’re the shit. I fuck around and make ‘Walk With A Panther’ like LL or something and people don’t wanna fuck with me no more. Then come back with a ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ and everybody’s just smiling back in your face again. That shit is phony. I hate that shit.” In explaining his album, Biggie adds "It's my life; it's just my life y'know. No gimmicks, no extra shit. The same shit playing on the tape is basically how it was. I was born, my mom and pops was arguing. Then my pops left, I started robbing and stealin', I got locked up and then started the rap shit. It's all there. That's basically it." People respect brevity, lol. Solid interviews in a publication not talked about nearly as often as it should; Zines were an important part of the culture. Props to Kevin Beacham and J Bird, who continue to pioneer amazing things at Rhymesayers and throughout the music industry.

Rubberoom "Gothic Architecture" (1995)

As promised, let's take a deeper look into Rubberoom's "Gothic Architecture" project from 1995. The 10-track cassette was released in 1995 on Elastic Recordings. The Chicago crew of both eMCees & producers were celebrated (below) in the second issue of "Caught In The Middle" magazine. Caught In The Middle Magazine was the brainchild of Kevin Beacham (Creator/Co-Owner) and J-Bird (Owner/Co-Creator) and was produced out of Chicago in conjunction with graphic designers, Boom Design. J. Bird managed Rubberoom & if you check out the "Street Theme" post, you can read how J. Bird and Kevin Beacham connected Rubberoom & Atmosphere, as well as how they landed positions at RSE. The review says, "If making dope records is no guarantee of successful stage shows, the same is true the other way around. Fortunately, Rubberoom successfully translate their  live skills to vinyl with their single (promo only) "Synapse Gap" and EP - Gothic Architecture in stores now. The music lives up to the "Gothic" title, creating an eerie, foreboding atmosphere that other groups have aimed for but didn't reach." It further adds, "Weaving in and out of the beats are dissonant washes of sound from jazz and bugged out modern classical and film noir soundtrack type music. The samples are not the usual breakbeat fare. If I heard them in their original forms, I'd never guess it, but the samples are put to create a straight up Hip-Hop sound." Cont'd below...

Praising Rubberoom's live show, the overall review of the album is equally positive and is summed up by, "It's lovely, chaos, anarchy, music..." "Gotchic Architecture" is now available on Rubberoom's Bandcamp page, where the digital version is now 13 tracks, including bonus instrumentals. If you didn't grow up in the Chicago Hip-Hop scene, you may have missed this release, so I recommend you give it a listen below. As always, hit the archives for more and please do follow their breadcrumbs.