Kenny Dope "Nervous Hip-Hop" + Billboard Magazine (1995)

Nervous backs such artists as Black Moon, a Brooklyn, NY, collective that came out before hard-edged heroes the Notorious B.I.G. and the Wu-Tang Clan. Its album "Enta Da Stage," sold 225,000 units, according to Soundscan, and stomped mudholes in the comeback trail for East Coast rap... The label also has Mad Lion, whose rap single, "Take It Easy" (205,000 copies sold), pre-dated the current trend toward dancehall over hip-hop beats.... Other acts on the Nervous roster with developing singles are... Funkmaster Flex ("Safe Sex, No Freaks"), ...  Kaotic Style ("Get In Where You Fit In") and Broadway ("Brothers Dyin' Everyday"). Viewing itself as a cutting-edge independent, Nervous runs on simple street knowledge... Sam Weiss, who owns the label with his son, Michael, started in the business "many years ago" and has functioned as a distributor, manufacturer and publisher... Besides having Flex on the label, Nervous regularly uses such studio deities as Beatminerz, the team responsible for Black Moon and Smif-N-Wessun, another best-selling rap act; KRS-One, who supervised Mad Lion's "Real Ting" album; Kenny "Dope" Gonzaels [and more] ... Nervous is actually an umbrella company for several specialty imprints... Weeded handles reggae. Wreck manages hip-hop. Strapped deals in break beats... All are represented by logos featuring variations of a lively cartoon figure, which are marketed on promotional t-shirts." - Billboard (8/26/95).

That same year, to promote the label and its various imprints, Kenny Dope blended sixteen of the hottest tracks to ever come from the Nervous Records sub-labels Wreck, Weeded, and Strapped - back when Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, and Mad Lion were all signed and dropping the most memorable records of their careers. Along with the classics like “I Gotcha Opin,” “Bucktown,” “How Many Emcees,” and “Who Got Da Props” are some rare break records by Funkmaster Flex, The Groove Asylum, and Wreck All-Stars. The retail mixtape/compilation was called Nervous Hip-Hop (A Continuous Mix by Kenny Dope). I cop'd this mix-CD at Tower Records in the Village in '95 & still listen to it today. You can stream the project above or officially via Spotify. Below is an original sticker and examples of their official logos. One of my prized possessions from that time were their logo-designed slipmats. Everyone DJ/fan had them on their tables at the time! Who got da props?

Rasheed Chappell "First Brick" (Album Stream)

"Nothing humbles you more or truly reveals where you stand in the music business like “downtime;” it truly reveals who is riding FOR you and who’s just riding along. It’s been almost 7 years since Rasheed Chappell and I (Kenny Dope) dropped "Future Before Nostalgia" & I want to thank everyone who’s been supporting us since then. This is for y’all; "First Brick" is a project that we put together to reintroduce ourselves." - via KD's FB. I can appreciate that, for sure, and as a fan of Rasheed Chappell, who has been waiting (more than 7) years for this project, I am glad that it's here now. "Franchise" is still one of my favorite tracks on the project, but plenty more to get into, check it out and be sure to support it below, featuring O.C., Daniel Son, Crimeapple, DJ Scratch, Recognize Ali, Hus Kingpin, Napoleon Da Legend, and the OG, Lil' Fame. Salute, DJ Eclipse, too. Dig in below...

Rasheed Chappell "Franchise" (2014)

It's been several years since Rasheed Chappell's debut studio release, 'Future Before Nostalgia,' but as a testament to the quality and replay value of the album, it's still in constant rotation. With dope features on projects by Apollo Brown, DJ Soko, and other guest verses sprinkled here and there, he's maintained my excitement for new music, but it reached a peak when I heard the first single off "Brick & Mortar," a teaser called "Franchise" in 2014. I recognized the sample immediately & his flow danced all over it - you can check that out below and I hope that "Brick & Mortar" drops sooner than later. Much respect to Kenny Dope, and the OG, DJ Eclipse. Hit the tags for more.

Rasheed Chappell "Future Before Nostalgia" (2011)

Another super talented MC that I've been following for several years, the homie, Rasheed Chappell. I was first introduced through my friend and co-worker at Fat Beats, DJ Dyllemma, when he and I were doing mixes together. He played me "Building 8," and my ears were wide open, then through the scene, Rasheed and I crossed paths at shows, PNC Studios, etc. I put Eternia on to the music, she became a fan and connections were built that are still strong to this day. An untold story: Rasheed was scheduled to do an interview with my homie, TCM, at PNC Studios years back and I was planning to check with him about possibly managing him. The music Gods had other plans - Rasheed was unable to make it in-studio for the interview, he had to do a phoner instead. Not long after, I was proud to hear that my OG, DJ Eclipse, was actually managing him, so it worked out better in the end, lol. Anyhow, check out Rasheed Chappell's phenomenal project, "Future Before Nostalgia," with Kenny Dope (released in 2011), and be sure to purchase a copy HERE! Listen below...