Total Pack (Cestyle & Kamal B Wise) "Unsigned Hype" (12/92)

"Hollis, Queens is a legendary spot for hip-hop thanks, of course, to Run DMC, but there's a whole new generation out there waiting to blow up the spot. For about a year now, one new Hollis crew that has been catching wreck throughout the five boroughs of NYC is Total Package. The two MCs, Kamal B Wise, 21, and Cestyle, 22, got their start back in '88 battling each other in Jamaica Park, Hollis. From there they formed a group and began to represent with back-up from their people - Mark Premium, Rick B, and Tonka True Divine. Underground rap radio has been Total Pack's main vehicle for recognition. After performing at the King Fest '91 in Harlem, they met Lamel, host of CCNY's radio station, who "broke" them on New York's airwaves. Bobbito The Barber met Kamal in a downtown nightclub, heard a taste of the skills, and has had them on WKCR's Stretch Armstrong Show four times since. Bobbito then took the initiative to get them on Wildman Steve's show at WBAU. "We just like the kids next door who was real nice but never got on," claims Kamal. Their style is like hardcore hip-hop without the guns and the curses; strictly verbal assault. "We make music for kids that know and understand hip-hop," he adds, "just bringing the cipher to your living room." Cestyle, the one with the puffy afro and eyeglass frames, hooks up the "raw fruit loops" (i.e. beats) in the crib... With an exceptionally positive attitude, mad skills, and raw fruit loops, Kamal B Wise and Cestyle definitely deliver a Total Package." - Unsigned Hype (The Source), December 1992. For a more comprehensive breakdown of Total Pack's trials and tribulations in the industry, via Columbia Records and Wild Pitch Records, and even their dealings with MC Serch, check out this in-depth feature, "Survival of the Fittest" with Total Pack in Rap Pages in October, 1995. Some audio will follow soon.

T-Max "Live Wire" (EP, 2014)

T-Max's 6-track release, Live Wire EP, is the second installment from T-Max's archive of unreleased recordings. Released through Crooked Cat Records, the EP is limited to 350 physical copies with these 6 unreleased gems from the 90s. For those that are unfamiliar, T-Max represents out of Boston and had some really solid content out back in the mid-90s. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype section of The Source in June, 1995, so there was a solid buzz behind him (and for good reason). For those that have been following since my earlier (defunct) blogs, you're up on T-Max and his 12" releases, but I'll make sure to dig them up and share them again - as well as that Unsigned Hype article - for everyone else. Hit up the tags for more, and stream the Live Wire EP below...

KLIM Beats "Anteater" (Instrumental Album)

Here's a throwback release from KLIM Beats; another dope selection of instrumentals added to his catalog with his 2012 beat tape, "Anteater." 31 instrumentals to be exact, released as a beat tape and available for purchase for eMCees looking for some heat for their next record. Not surprisingly, a lot of these beats sold; it's one of my favorite beat tapes from him, along with "Warm Sounds." The Ukranian beatsmith came widdit, check it out below and much props to BROKS for the dope cover art too. Look out for more beat tapes from KLIM Beats on the site, for sure. Listen to it below...

The Fugees "The Score" (Classic Material, XXL)

"The Fugees, who exploded out of the then-burgeoning North Jersey scene - around Newark and The Oranges - were a trio of artists with vastly different experience and talent. Wyclef, the eldest, was Haitian-born and Brooklyn-bred. South Orange's Lauryn Hill, the youngest, was perhaps the most stunningly and undeniably talented. Pras had Brooklyn roots and an ear for the streets... The group's Bayyan-produced 1994 debut, Blunted On Reality, was far from satisfying... Even with mediocre sales of 275,000, Ruffhouse gave them the advance they needed for a second album. "We had $135,000, took a little advance and bought studio equipment with the rest," Pras recalls. The results: a top-of-the-line home studio downstairs in Wyclef's uncle's home in East Orange - the Booga Basement..." Peep the video to the classic lead single, "Fu-Gee La" + more continued below...

"The Fugees' masterpiece was released in February 1996, eventually blown up by a song that wasn't even a single. Mixing Caribbean flavor with Hill's R&B power-pipes while beating about a hip-hop heart, the album appealed to music fans of all stripes, eventually selling nearly six million units in the US and, according to Pras, 18 million worldwide. "Clef brought the musicality, Lauryn brought the soulfulness and I brought the ruffneck," he explains. "And when it meshed together it was perfect." Enjoy Wyclef & Pras breakdown several classics from the album below. Peace to Brian Coleman.

The Combat Jack Show "LL Cool J Episode"

From Combat Jack: "We couldn't end this year right without having the G.O.A.T. on. How he survived an abusive upbringing, studied his craft with early rap pioneers in the same rap dojo with Kool G. Rap, becoming the foundation stone that became Def Jam, building with Queens' street legends, battling this rapper, that rapper and Jay Z, why he didn't sign management with Diddy, the "Accidental Racist" thing, flipping burglars in his castle and the victory of seeing his wife survive Cancer, its all here and more. From Hollis to Hollywood, this episode is most certainly blowticious. LL Cool J will forever remain hard as hell. Pause." lol ... Listen below to the latest Combat Jack episode!

Killer Mike "Sunday Morning Massacres" (Mixtape)

In 2008, Killer Mike let loose a series of tracks under the title of "Sunday Morning Massacres" when blogs were generating a lot of buzz for artists. I met Killer Mike in New York at Fat Beats for his "I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II" album in-store that same year. I believe it was just before he started releasing these tracks originally, but from my limited time with him, this was a man with a message, a higher purpose and an agenda to push people to build networks so we could truly support one another. With the evolution in his career and the success he's finally achieving on a level on par with his abilities, I suspect his role in the industry and grassroots politics will only increase with time. Back to the mix, it's about 18 tracks long, several of them being skits and lots of lyrical content and messages, in his signature ferocious style of rapping. Update link, listen below...

Lords of the Underground "Keepers of the Funk" (12/94)

"On their follow up to a gold-selling debut, The Lords of the Underground unveil crisper, more disciplined voices and flows. Last time around, on Here Come The Lords, they seemed to be trying to appease the 'grimy' or Das EFX contingent, and got over on the strength of a collection of solid Marley Marl tracks. For Keepers..., they delete some of their more non-accessible attributes and concentrate on streamlining their image. Some of the songs sound like album filler, but ... are in the minority. "Ready Or Not" combines a gritty Old School feel with a seductive jazz piano that's just right for a night ride. "Tic Toc," with three-chord vibes, a relaxed swing beat and a nifty Slick Rick sample, swings like a pendulum. For platinum-selling poseurs, adequate disses; for impetuous newjacks, a short pre-deal biography that emphasizes the hardships of their hungry demo-tape days." Check out the video to Lords Of The Underground's gem, "What I'm After," cont'd below...

"The superior "Steam From Da Knot" and "What I'm After" both offer relentless beats, atmospheric jazz fusions and surgically-precise scratches. For "Special Guest," they dust off James Brown grunts, add reverb and bounce them all over instantly enjoyable "Top Billin"-like beats. The album's surprise, "Faith," is as gospel as any hardcore group maintaining street credibility can be. Over the smooth riff used on Mic Geronimo's "Real," the Lords offer praise to their deity: "I place all my faith in God cause God'll never leave me... believe me" ... While a bit uneven on side two, and more than a little trendy, Keepers Of The Funk does manage to avoid the sophomore jinx. It brings a handful of addictive grooves..." - The Source, December 1994 ... You can save a full copy of the review below...

Flatpocket "Geldfundphantasyen" (Instrumental Album, 2012)

I've had the pleasure to travel to Cologne, Germany (on tour) and work closely with some of the local talent (ie: Croup), so I'm pleased to dig back to 2012 and share an instrumental project from the production duo from Cologne, Twit One and Lazy Jones, b.k.a. Flatpocket. Their bio exclaims, "Like Showbiz and AG, Twit One and Lazy Jones like their pockets fat, not flat. But as fate would have it, this is not always the case with these two young musicians from Cologne. That's why they call their new band Flatpocket and have recorded a concept album based on this topic, titled 'Geldfundphantasyen,' which is German for 'Finding Money Fantasies'." It's a truly dope set of instrumentals that slaps from start to finish (minus skits); it was released 2 years ago today! Dig in...