Gang Starr "Hard To Earn" (Album Review, 5/94)

"As the title of their much-anticipated fourth album suggests, respect and credibility in hip-hop are hard to earn and even harder to hold on to. But looking back on their collective body of work, Gang Starr has always been right on point. Every since they let it off with songs like "Manifest" and "Deep Concentration" from their debut, Guru and Premier have grown and improved, consistently pushing the artform to its highest levels and proving themselves true ambassadors of the street. It's been a long time and winding road, but their commitment and hard work have finally put them at the top of their game." Check out the visuals to "Mass Appeal", The Source review continues below...

"Though their last set, Daily Operation, never quite got its just props, it's going to be tough to front on this one - especially when you consider hip-hop's recent return to Old School values and public demand for the real shit like Wu-Tang and Jeru The Damaja. Following his top-notch work behind the boards for KRS-One, Premier comes strapped with an arsenal of subliminal sounds and loops - not to mention neck-snapping beats - that will definitely f#ck some heads up. He does some especially nasty things with the piano on "Words From The Nutcracker" and "F.A.L.A." Cont'd below...

"Meanwhile, Guru, despite his mellower jazz excursions, invites us into his "darkest, deepest thoughts," which are delivered in the dead-on monotone that we have come to know so well. Whether getting abstract on "Brainstorm" or telling true tales of his exodus from Boston to Brooklyn ("The Planet") and the dues-paying that paved the way for his success, Guru proves that he is still at heart, the ill kid. Lyrically and musically, this album shies away from all of the proven formulas and ups the ante on creativity - the way it should be done. With the rest of the Gang Starr Foundation - Jeru, Lil' Dap, Melachi and Big Shug - riding shotgun and with Nice & Smooth guesting on last year's slammer, "Dwyck," this joint has more than its share of high points. Hard To Earn is definitely a welcome breath of fresh air during this otherwise stale period of rap." - (5/94).

Nine "Nine Livez" (The Source, 1995)

"The combination of hip-hop with reggae/dancehall has been responsible for some of the most original flavas in recent memory: Mad Lion, Shabba, KRS and Latifah are just a few examples that come to mind. Charging into this territory now comes Nine, an MC representing the Boogie Down Bronx who first licked shots on the remix to Funkmaster Flex's jam "Six Million Ways To Die." Nine's debut long-playa combines a raspy ruffneck rhyme flow with top-notch hip-hop production that will have both banjees and hardcore heads bobbin' alongside each other. "Redrum" is a sinister jam that mixes Nine's rude boy flow with a Premier-style piano-and-horn loop ("Everybody wan' Heaven / dem no want dead / redrum!"). On cuts like "Who U Won Test" and "Ta Rasss," Nine serves wannabe MC's with some battle-tested hardcore lyrics ripped over tight reggae grooves.... There are also some moments of deep lyrical intelligence: "Fo Ever Blunted" is not your obligatory tribute to the cheeba-cheeba, but a wisdom-dropper about the many reasons why young brothers nowadays feel the need hit the weed: "Mad stress / thank God for the buddha blessed / now it's off my chest / until tomorrow it'll happen again / I'll still be hunted / I'll still be wanted / so I'm so fo' ever blunted." Things do fall off a bit on side two: "Tha Cipha" ironically disaplys some of the tiredest lyrics on the LP. The "Redrum" remix, entitled "Everybody Whon Heaven," also starts to drag and reveals more lyrical deficiencies. But overall, Nine Livez is a strong debut by an MC with an original style who beats are 90% on  point." - The Source (April, 1995). Revisit Nine's debut LP below...

The Source's review of Nine's Nine Livez (4/95) is below...

Geto Boys "Till Death Do Us Part" (The Source, 5/93)

"...when the album actually starts, the real story is Big Mike. Formerly a member of the Convicts, his lyrical flow is right up there with Scarface's. And from the first taste of Mike on "G.E.T.O.," you realize that he is a welcome replacement after Willie D's departure... Bushwick's little, Black, Chuckie ass is just as bugged as he was on his solo album, Little Big Man ... Later on the album he eats somebody's eyeballs ... that's nasty. On the production tip, you can't say that they seem to have an LA or a New York influence. They always made music like this, with the low end and the gospel-sounding samples over a drum machine on every song. They must have found their niche because the sound hasn't really changed from album to album." Check out "Six Feet Deep," cont'd below...

"Once again Scarface's lyrical antics are some of Till Death's high points. And unless you've been  under a rock for the last five or six years you already know to expect dope shit from that rhyme-writing, gun-toting brother. "Attention motherf#ckers! About face / Salute the one that hit 'em up, quick to get 'em up / ... Quick to not give a f#ck / Never bringin' the false shit / I left the mic for a year and I still ain't lost it." One day on the phone, Face told me that he didn't think I liked his record, "New York don't like gangsta music." Shut up, brother! Your shit is dope." - The Source, 5/93

Mr. Wiggles "Rock Steady Break Beats" (Vol.1, Mixtape)

This mixtape is from Bronx, N.Y. DJ, and Rock Steady crew member, Mr Wiggles. Steffan “Mr. Wiggles” Clemente is one of the most dynamic and influential figures in Hip-Hop culture. He is a member of the world renown Rock Steady Crew and The Electric Boogaloos. He's been blessed with the ability to dance, act, choreograph, teach, produce music, and is a gifted Grafitti artist. “Mr. Wiggles is Hip-Hop’s jack-of-all-trades – skilled in Popping, Locking, Bboying, Graf-writing and MCing…” (Rap Pages). I just wanted to shine a quick light back on his classic "Rock Steady Breaks" mix... Volume 1 (there are a few others). Considered one of the holy grails of break-beat tapes, you'll wanna dig into this classic mix below. Anyone know exactly what year this tape hit the pavement? Dig in...

Fashawn "Ode To Illmatic" (Mixtape, 2010)

An 11-track mixtape from Fashawn - Hosted by DJ Green Lantern - that goes track-for-track through Nas' debut opus, "Illmatic" - with the inclusion of an original bonus remix to "Represent." Ironically, the first time I met Fashawn was back in 2010 (or... maybe it was '11?) at the A3C Festival. They booked Eternia for a few appearances, one of which was a Tribute to New York show. The concept was that artists would spit lyrics to classic tracks from New York, ahead of Big Daddy Kane's headlining performance. Eternia chose "Excursions" from A Tribe Called Quest and our brother Jarobi came out to perform with us, which was dope. Anyhow, earlier that day in the hotel lobby, I was sitting next to Fashawn who looked like he was writing a verse. At some point we introduced ourselves and I asked what he was working on ... he told me that he was going over the lyrics to a track from his "Ode To Illmatic" project; he was performing at the show, too. I told him he had it easy - at least he had a joint already, lol. I liked his energy; nice dude and obviously talented! He and Elzhi were working on this project around the same time, and it's possible that since Fashawn dropped first, Elzhi went back in the studio and came up with the idea of Will Sessions recreating the beats; a phenomenal idea and easily one of the greatest mixes of all-time! (Updated audio link.)

De La Soul "3 Feet High and Rising" (Spin Magazine, 2005)

"Hip-Hop never had a lawn. Despite a multitude of late-80s voices - from the gangland range of N.W.A. to the political theory of Public Enemy to the mystical modernism of Rakim to the booty mania of 2 Live Crew - it was a given that almost every MC was grounded in the tough-nut rituals of street life. "It's just a ghetto thang," echoed the enigmatic chorus on De La Soul's debut album, "3 Feet High and Rising." But not only did De La talk about having a lawn - the group's three teenage members grew up in the Long Island suburb of Amityville after their parents moved from the Bronx and Brooklyn - they were concerned about the potholes in it, which, in fact, was a metaphor for rival MCs stealing their rhyme style, which was the basis for a song ("Potholes In My Lawn") that featured a Jew's harp and a guy yodeling." Watch the visuals to the track, cont'd below...

"With its flowery Day-Glo graphics, game-show skits, lyrical anagrams, and oddball samples (Steely Dan, Hall and Oates), 3 Feet High and Rising was a vision of the unhinged fun that hip-hop could have if it got the fuck out of the city.... "It was more relaxed (on Long Island)," says Prince Paul, an Amityville DJ who had gained some local fame as a member of Brooklyn vets Stetsasonic but had never produced a record before 3 Feet High. "You had tensions, but it was more average, universal things. Rather than being focused on what was going down in the 'hood or with whatever gang, our thing was more like, 'Hey, we don't like popcorn.' De La Soul's MCs, Posdnous and David "Trugoy" Jolicoeur (along with DJ Vincent "Mase" Mason), didn't boast to boost their self-image; they teased and tweaked. Messages were delivered in twisty syntax (as on the anti drug song "Say No Go")."

"On "The Magic Number," Mercer rapped: "Difficult preaching is Posdnous' pleasure." Recalls Jolicoeur: "We wanted to have people desperate to figure things out, and listen over and over to try and understand." That in mind, he borrowed a Johnny Cash record ("Five Feet High and Rising") from his father, inspiring the album's cryptic title. Aided by the single "Me Myself and I" - with a brightly lit sample of P-Funk's "Knee Deep" - the album was an instant hit, crossing over to college and European audiences. Digs that the group were "hip-hop hippies" (occasioned by their playful "D.A.I.S.Y. Age" ethos) hurt, but now they look back fondly on those days of childlike abandon. "The beauty of that record was that we were so naive," says Prince Paul. "Unfortunately, you can't go back to being stupid, unless you take some bad mind-altering drugs." - Spin Magazine, 7/05 // 5/10. Today is not the anniversary of 3 Feet High and Rising's release, but revisit it nonetheless! A classic!

Jonwayne "Passing Fancies" (2013)

A rare loosie post, as I was sitting with Jonwayne's "Cassette 2" project via Stones Throw Records earlier today.... the track is called "Passing Fancies" and it is a great display of both his production and rhyming if you're not familiar with his music as of yet. Philip Morris smacked Stones Throw over Jonwayne's first Cassette release, click HERE to see the documentation over the use of the Marlboro logo on that release. Due to that fact, this project is released only on cassette - there are no CDs, MP3s or vinyl releases for Cassette 2. Thankfully, Stones Throw did upload the single for this track, so check it out below and I'm sure you can still find a copy of the cassette for re-sale on Discogs. Cassette 2 is 36 mins of raps and beats featuring Jeramiah Jae, Zeroh, and Quelle Chris. Shout outs to the old guy at the shell station for letting Jonwayne keep his pen so he could write these verses. Mental note: support more of Jonwayne's music on this blog/music journal.

Blu "Soul Amazing Part 2" (Mix)

The latest in Blu's official "Soul Amazing" mixtape series: Part 2 features Blu verses originally on tracks with Big Tone, MED, Co$$, Sene, Asher Roth, S1, Pac Div, Bilal, J. Period, Andy Allo, Hezekiah, Fashawn, J Dilla, The Roots, Lupe Fiasco, 9th Wonder, Exile & a dozen or two more! Please keep these mixes coming, I'm locked in on each and every one of them, in perpetuity. Stream it below...