Hip-Hop Nostalgia 'Playlist #1'

I know that playlists have grown in popularity, so I figured I'd go ahead and consider putting together some of my own. This is #1, the trial run - I tried to pick tracks I might not upload as separate 12" releases and also stuff I'd hope wouldn't trigger a takedown notice. We'll see on that, but for now - here's 25 tracks from the 90s, early 2000s. A combination of remixes, unreleased and non-album tracks + some stuff I'm just diggin' today ... if you have any questions about any of the tracks, just hit me in the comments. I left off the features in the tracklist, but obviously 'Calm Down' has Nas on it, '4 My Peeps' has Organized Konfusion, M.O.P. & Biggie; 'The Block' features Nature, and 'Wishful Thinking' is Fat Joe's track with Big Pun, B-Real and Kool G Rap.

The Alchemist "How The Stars Got Their Breaks"

How the stars got their breaks ... let's look at The Alchemist: "While he's made a trademark of his mastery of weaving a vocal sample into his music, his apprenticeship in DJ Muggs' Soul Assassins clique pointed to a different direction for him. Of course, he didn't provide the beats himself when he was one half of The Whooliganz, who were from the same aural palette as House Of Pain, Funkdoobiest and Cypress Hill. Along with his partner Scott Caan, Alchemist was the teenage white corner of the clique. Their debut single didn't just disappear, however, with the anthemic and stompy "Put Ya Hands Up" doing moderate business, despite its overwhelming corniness. The album, largely produced by T-Ray and Baka Boyz, never saw the light of day, however. Al's vocals are simplistic, obviously influenced by Grand Puba, but welded firmly to the rather inflexible musical progression, and not a shadow of his more reflective recent spitting on the sublime "Different Worlds." An occasional emcee, Al's work behind the boards has developed from mini-Muggs, through to moderate, identity-finding work for the likes of Buc Fifty, until he found himself honing his style with cinematic beats for Mobb Deep, Infamous Mobb and Dilated. There is a link between the squally Soul Assassins sound and Alchemist's modern day movie music, but one that is increasingly threadbare as he perfects his style." - Hip-Hop Connection, 2005. Dope bonus video below...

The Whooliganz "Put Your Handz Up" (1993)

The Whooliganz were a duo consisting of Mudfoot (Alchemist) and Mad Skillz (Scott Caan). They met as young kids in Beverly Hils, performing and making names for themselves when they were introduced to Quincy Jones III and created a demo that caught the ear of B-Real and the Soul Assassins. They were signed to Tommy Boy & recorded a debut album called "Make Way for The W," which featured the lead single, "Put Your Handz Up." The single was released on CD, Vinyl and Cassette in '93 with production from DJ Lethal; copies of which I bought in downtown Manhattan while visiting my mom working at the World Trades Center at the time ... I remember that day very well. The album was shelved soon after, but a second single was released by another label 2 years later. Mad Skillz moved on to acting & Mudfoot became the legendary producer, the Alchemist,; both seeing much success in their respective careers. The shelved album eventually leaked online as a cassette rip, unearthing a couple gems in the 15-track release that featured B-Real on 3 tracks as well as a feature from Everlast. I always liked their logo, their sound was on par for their time & I even recall the VHS tape The Wiz gave out as promo with The Whooliganz on it. Listen to "Put Your Handz Up below" and I'm sure I'll post more in future posts. (Updated: new video added)

Funkee Phlavaz: "Episodes 1-6" (1993)

Referring back to old posts, many of you should know that Alchemist & Scott Caan were once in a group called the Whooliganz. The tracks and project they've released has been discussed - hit the tags - but that's not where the story ends, not by a long shot! Thanks to the undefeated internet, Passion Of The Weiss has unearthed and premiered the first two (I added more) episodes of Funkee Phlavaz, undoubtedly the greatest show that most people never saw. There were allegedly 17 episodes back in 1993 or so, which ran on a station that handled programming from the students of Beverly Hills High School. PW goes on to say that Alchemist hosted the first few episodes, but eventually "Funkee Phlavaz" recruited guest hosts that included Guru, the Pharcyde, Masta Ace, KRS-One" & more. The program was produced by Adam Weissman, who is now an incredible art director at Stussy. You'll hear a diverse range of Hip-Hop & Dancehall on the episodes (you should be watching by now). Props all around, this is a baggy-clothed time capsule for an era not-so-forgotten, but a reminder we did weird shit, too... the soundtrack to our bad decisions was just better. It's ironic to see Alchemist introduce a young group by the name of Mobb Deep, when we now know what an integral he's played in their sound, and vice versa! Check that, King Tee, Trends of Culture, The Pharcyde and lots more below, will update as I can. I miss The Box & Yo! MTV Raps.