Pharoahe Monch "Vinyl Saved My Life: A Tribute to Biz Markie"

Pharoahe Monch shared an incredible story of the late great Biz Markie in Spin Magazine. The title of the article is Vinyl Saved My Life: A Tribute to Biz Markie, where Pharoahe recounts a tale of a stop on the The Source Magazine Tour (around 1992 if memory serves me right) with Biz Markie, Lord Finesse, Cooley Live, The Almighty RSO, Red Hot Lover Tone, Roxanne Shante and of course, Organized Konfusion with O.C. In an attempt to shadow Biz Markie while diggin' for records, Pharoahe joins Biz on what would end up being the first part of a story that stretches the night, and ends in gunfire. A series of fortunate events trace back to earlier that day and ultimately, a piece of vinyl did in fact save his life. Hear all about the story and Pharoahe's affinity for his fallen friend in the article on Spin Magazine HERE. Not only is this an incredible story, but a behind the scenes glimpse at of one of the greatest personalities in hip-hop history. Pharoahe shares, "Ehwa, Ehwa, Rrer! Ecka, Ecka, Eeee . . ." He licked his fingers each time he swiped through the book.... When he talked, he sounded exactly like his records—extremely funky. His speaking voice made you want to put a beat under his sentences." Yes! I met Biz briefly in Myrtle Beach some years back, and he was everything I anticipated and much more. R.I.P., the Funky Biz Markie, and thank you, Pharaohe Monch for this full story that I'd only early heard snippets of in the past. Nobody Beats the Biz!

DJ Jazzy Jeff & J.Period "The Magnificent Live Mixtape"

According to J.Period, this is a Bandcamp exclusive! DJ Jazzy Jeff & J.PERIOD present The Magnificent Live Mixtape, an extended two hour live DJ set featuring exclusive remixes, live blends, unreleased outtakes and behind-the-scenes stories from DJ Jazzy Jeff and J.PERIOD on the history of the mixtape game and collaborating with artists including Q-Tip, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Black Thought, as well as tracks featuring Dave Chappelle, J Dilla, Big Pun, Rakim, Andre 3000, The Notorious B.I.G., Ol' Dirty Bastard, MC Lyte, Mary J. Blige, Big L, Shad, Common and more. J.Period's streak of droppin' these live mixtapes continues and does not disappoint. Listen to the mix below...

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony "The Art of War" (1997)

When Bone Thugs-N-Harmony first exploded on the rap scene in 1994 with their fast rhymes, harmonious choruses, ominous G-Funk, and gangsta attitude, no one knew whether the uncanny Cleveland group were for real or if they were a novelty success. After all, at this point in time, few rap groups outside of New York or California had been able to prove themselves on a commercial level. And Bone Thugs-N-Harmony leap-frogged cult success, instantly rising to the top of the charts with their summer 1994 anthem "Thuggish Ruggish Bone." By the time their first full-length album, E 1999 Eternal, dropped a year later, it not only debuted at number one but also proved to be one of the decade's most important and enduring albums. While other rap groups struggled to break away from the cliches first forged by NWA, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, 2 Live Crew, and LL Cool J in the late '80s, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony was one of the few groups able to carve out their own stylistic niche, an inimitable myriad of urban sounds with a strong ghetto attitude. Yet following the unprecedented success of E 1999 Eternal and, more so, the Grammy-winning success of "Tha Crossroads," Bone struggled to meet unreasonable expectations and also struggled with redundancy, having realized their apparent summit on their debut album. Yet even if the group was unable to repeat their success, they remained a vital group, as few were able to bite on their signature style. - All Music Guide. I agree with that, definitely an important group...

By the time Bone Thugs-N-Harmony released The Art of War in 1997, double-disc albums were met with an exhaustive sigh... Fans anticipated a ton of filler and the phrase, "this album would have been dope... if it was just a single album," was all too common. That said, the 2Pac feature on "Thug Luv was an insanely hard beat that I ironically remember driving around to when I moved to Miami that year. "Look Into My Eyes" and "7 Sign" were two other favorites from the project. The whole album is produced by DJ U-Neek who landed a platinum single with "Look Into My Eyes" and a gold single for "If I Could Teach The World." All told, the album went quadruple platinum by the summer of '98. I believe it's safe to say that -- critically -- the reviews were split down the middle, mostly feeling like the album didn't do much to add to their legacy, and was rather redundant by making itself a doube-disc. All in all, I still enjoyed it and I was probably the only New York cat in Miami, driving around without bass music in the whip. You revisit the 2xLP from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony below...

AbcntMnded "MF DOOM Tribute" (Mix)

LA's AbcntMnded pays tribute to the late great MF DOOM with his latest mix. At roughly an hour, he digs into the stacks and pulls out some deeper cuts, samples and more to honor the uniqueness of one of our culture's most impressive MCs. Inspiring to many, imitated by some, and bested by nobody.... dig through a mix done by someone with intimate knowledge of MF DOOM's catalog, where even the dope artwork is done by AbcntMnded himself, which proves this is truly a labor of love. To provide context, ABCNT is a Los Angeles based, sociopolitical activist/anarchist, the product of mid-nineties expressionism and new-millennium activism, who describes himself as “[a] real west coast hip-hop fanatic, with a kind of militant attitude towards consciousness.” And how does he execute his expression and voice? Through avenues in politically charged street art and music. Listen below...

Mystic "Behind the Journey" (Podcast Series)

I am very excited to share the new podcast mini-series from Mystic titled Behind the Journey. The 6-part series is an exploration of the journey behind the development of the Oakland artist Mystic, and the making of her Grammy-nominated 2001 debut album, Cuts For Luck And Scars For Freedom. An audible look into how she developed as an artist and member of Digital Underground, got her deal, recorded and released her debut album, and the healing journey that was part of it all. This short series is an inside look at the past, present, and future of Mystic's journey for new and old fans alike. It can be listened to as an accompaniment to the 20th anniversary of her debut album. It is shared with love and a unique perspective that has made Mystic one of my favorite artists for two decades. Updated: this trip down memory lane is also inspired by the fact that her debut album is now available to stream on all DSPs so I highly recommend that you revisit her beautiful cult classic, Cuts For Luck And Scars For Freedom before (or after) you peep the podcast series below. I've said a lot about the impact her project had on me at the time, and it's still as impactful today!

Take It Personal Podcast "Ode to 1993" (Part 2)

Episode 91 is the 2nd installment of Take It Personal's 1993 Tribute. The podcast/mix features 3 hours of Take It Personal to remind you of when hip-hop was fun. They've got joints by A Tribe Called Quest, Biz Markie, De La Soul, Akinyele, The Beatnuts, Wu-Tang Clan, Black Moon, Now Born Click, Lords of the Underground, Tragedy Khadafi, Da Youngsta's, Digable Planets, KRS-One, Naughty By Nature, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Fat Joe, Erick Sermon, Illegal, Da King & I, Big L, Das EFX, Run DMC, Snoop Dogg, Masta Ace, and much more! RIP Biz Markie. Props to Philaflava, DJ 360, and Kevlar. Dig in the archives below for part 1, and all the past episodes of this world-class podcast...

Scarface "Drink Champs Episode" (Video)

Your favorite rapper's favorite rapper... the famed MC (Scarface) shares his journey in hip hop! Face receives his flowers when his peers like Bun B, LL Cool J, DJ Khaled, Ice- T, Big Daddy Kane, E-40, T.I., Gillie Da Kid and more call in to give him his well-deserved props. He also tells stories about 2Pac, DMX, the Nas and Jay-Z beef; his time as president of Def Jam South, and creating some of hip hop’s most iconic music. Face even gives insight into his political career in the future. One of the most important MCs and creatives in our culture, Scarface is an exceptional artist, and like DJ EFN, I'd also include him in my top 5, especially of artists to appear on Drink Champs. Props to NORE and EFN for sitting down with the legend, and giving that man his flowers. We came close to losing him (more than once), so it's more important than ever that we hear his story and dig deeper. If you haven't had a chance, pick up a copy of his book, Diary of a Madman, which is available in my online store. From the Geto Boys to today, enjoy this dope episode of Drink Champs ... make some noise!!!

Cormega "The Realness" (20th Anniversary)

With a fresh batch of new material, Cormega's "official" debut, The Realness, manifests under stealth-like conditions. Yet, it successfully conveys what his aborted Def Jam debut, The Testament, implied three years previously -- that Mega is one of the most promising thug poets to emerge in quite sometime. Though the usual live-guy repertoire and topic matter is recycled, Cormega paints with a broader lyrical brush then most hood aficionados, as his articulate verses far surpass the limitations of what the typical halfway crook is capable of expressing. Displaying a gripping range of vocal gifts, "The Saga" and "Fallen Soldiers" offer vivid street mathematics with Kool G. Rap-like narrative abilities. Likewise, Mega's ode to hip-hop, "American Beauty," is a continuation of Common's "I Used to Love Her," where his love for the art is evident: "Primo treated her good, made her the queen of my hood." Though the sonic landscape of The Realness is headlined by the Infamous Family members Havoc and Alchemist, it is a handful of upstarts (Jay Love, Big Ty, Sha Self) who carve out the LP's sound identity. This cast of rising and unknown names turns in a yeoman's job behind the boards, meshing a diverse assortment of ominous synth and keyboard arrangements around Mega's deep lyricism. While Mega has had to weather Def Jam's businessman ways, and his own inner demons (jail time) to get here, he may never taste redemption this sweet again. - AllMusic. Listen....

Happy 20th anniversary to this gem on an LP...