Slum Village "Trinity" (Vibe Magazine, 1/03)

"Many hip hop fans are still mourning the dissolution of A Tribe Called Quest. But Detroit's Slum Village brought the formula of relaxed funk and playful lyricism back to the airwaves in 2002 with its second album. Trinity (Past, Present and Future). "Tainted," the first single from that disc, is a melodic love joint about keepin' it real in both romance and art. With Baatin, 28, T3, 28, and newcomer Elzhi, 24, spitting lines like "Would you fix me green tea if I'm feelin' ill?" over a smoothed-out, keys 'n' bass groove. "Tainted" is the antidote to the steady dose of hook-friendly club tracks and who-can-outshine-whom diatribes so prevalent on urban radio." Watch "Tainted" below...

"Slum Village came together in the Conant Gardens section of the Motor City. Its indie-label debut album, Fantastic Vol.2, sold 150,000 copies and garnered underground props, mostly thanks to producer Jay Dee's syncopated bass lines, funky organ loops, and nasty percussion. Jay Dee has taken on a lesser role with Trinity, producing only a handful of tracks, while boardsmen Hi-Tek, Scott Storch, and Karriem Riggins (who produced "Tainted") incorporate soulful hooks and swirling keyboards. Lyrically dynamic, Baatin's nasal meditations and T3's witty wordplay about the females of the species blend perfectly with Elzhi's easy flow. Whether they get romantic, reflective, or ridiculous, the trio of MCs always stays locked into the track. Let's hope they don't dissolve into the same ether as the boys from the Boulevard of Linden." - Vibe Magazine, January 2003.

Nicky D's 'The Grey Area' (2013)

I remember Nicky D’s project, ‘The Grey Area,’ hitting my inbox 3-4 years ago - my first thought was, is that a Diamond D ‘Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop’ cover? Say word. With a co-sign from DJ Booth, I listened to the project and really enjoyed it, even with peaking audio levels on a few tracks. Nicky D’s and the producer, Rick Hughes, kept the production and flows tight and reminiscent of the golden era. There were a handful of familiar samples, which come off as odes to the originals, and even some work on the boards from Mista Lawnge of Black Sheep. As far as the content, well Nicky D’s was 18 at the time of recording, so you hear that in some of the lyrics, but I can remember myself at 18, too lol. The project from the LA spitter is still available for free download from DJ Booth, consider revisiting it, then follow the breadcrumbs to discover his more recent releases too.

Cru "Da Dirty 30" (The Source, June 1997)

"Someone call the New York Post. There's a scandal from the rough streets of the Bronx to report and it involves three vatos who will never be mistaken for being shook ones. In fact, judging from their headline-grabbing first album, they got the biggest huevos this side of an elephant's trunks. You may wonder just what makes these cats - Yogi, Chadio and Mighty Ha - so damn fresh? Easy. Good ol' fashion creativity... The collective known simply as Cru have returned from rap 'Nam with hip-hop's most prominent POW, and it's time to celebrate. Flexin' more imagination than John Lennon, Cru's debut, Dirty 30, is likely to make you nod your noggin and say stuff like, "Yo, Yogi's production and rhymin' is hot on a lot of these joints..." Check out the track "Bubblin" below...

"Also pulling their weight are his charismatic partners: check the oddball stylings of "Lisa Lipps," a surreal solo shot from Mighty Ha that cross-references the Beatles and other unlikely sources; and then enjoy "Goines Tale," a song dedicated to famed writer Donald Goines... Although somewhat overbearing in length (30 tracks), Cru's biggest appeal rests on their knack for injecting a sly and raunchy sense of humor into their songs. Props due to Cru who were able to stare into the face of rap banality and come back alive with an accessible sound that at any given second might go completely loco. You got a grew, you'd better tell'em." - The Source, June 1997. Full review is below.

DJ Skarface "Shadow The Jewels" (Mixtape)

There’s likely no better fitting pair of boundary-pushing acts in hip-hop than Run The Jewels and DJ Shadow. It was proven beyond reasonable doubt on The Mountain Will Fall with “Nobody Speak,” and today we have even more concrete evidence with the arrival of Shadow The Jewels, a 20-minute mash-up project from DJ Skarface (of MadDILLAiny and Deltron 1983 fame.) And just in case you were wondering, it goes! Stream the new mash-up project below... - Yes, well said... via OKP.

Venomous2000 x Trilian "Sounds Of The Great Ones"

New Jersey's Venomous2000 has a new album with Serbian producer, Trilian, called 'Sounds Of The Great Ones.' It features The Artifacts, Cella Dwellas, Reks, Inspectah Deck, Tiye Phoenix, 9th Prince, C-Rayz Walz, DJ TMB, and more. They're also running a campaign to press up a limited edition vinyl release, so vinyl heads: you'll want this in your collection, support it HERE. I've given this project a lot of burn, and I've updated the link below, so you can now listen to the full LP. Don't sleep on it!

Great Rapperths With Lithps (Ego Trip Magazine)

Back in the Ego Trip Mag days, they published an article about rappers with lisps: "Although great, Mase isn't the only rapper with speech-challenged chatter. Can't nobody hold down these other great rappers who can't hold down vowels either. 1) Kool G Rap: The OG lisp rapper. Professor of the hardest lisp in hip-hop history. Corona, Queens' rhyme wrecker supreme continues to transcend speech impediments with the most violent and sexist lyrics known to man. Sylvester the Cat never talked sex like this. Best lyrical lisp reference: "Well equipped with a hip hop lip / My memory bank is like a microchip," from "Jive Talk." 2) Erick Sermon: The Green-Eyed Bandit's engaging lisp, molasses-thick flow and tendency to break out into song provided just the right sugar to partner Parrish Smith's spice on early EPMD records. With E and P happily back together again, broken mics covered in saliva are again business as usual: "I can't forget how they used to dis / Sayin' 'He can't rap cuz he talks with a lisp," from "It Wasn't Me, It Was The Fame." 3) Biz Markie: For years, the diabolical one has made the music with his mouth as only he can. Hope you weren't in the front row: "Listen to the way and what I'm displayin' / A different type of rap language that I am sayin'," from "Nobody Beats The Biz." 4) Lil' Dap: The pride of East New York represents the future of the lisp in hip hop. As both frequent Gang Starr guest and one half of the Group Home's low-budget environment, Dap's mouth sprays more than Jeru's mind: "Check it out party people as I speak with a lisp / People say we couldn't do it cuz they can't feel it," from "Inna City Life." // I had audio with this post, but it got taken down. Oh well, f#ck it. Artwork by Nelson Dedos Garcia. 

Instrumental Vibes (Soundcloud Playlist)

I was in an instrumental mood earlier, so I put together a quick playlist of some instrumental vibes. I chose to go with some (mostly) mellow production for this playlist - a pattern I'm noticing more in the underground these days. It may be the case that some artists have found a lane that'll reach a larger market of casual fans who enjoy hip-hop. Certainly, I could argue that projects with more mellow production tend to focus on being album-based over single driven, and more content than braggadocio. There are plenty of exceptions, of course, but I'd sit with more albums if they were cohesive (sonically). The days of picking varied sounds to reach all the markets is hopefully dead, because those albums may reach many, but are liked by very few. Enjoy 20 tracks below.

Mobb Deep "Beats, Songs & Rhymes" (Vol.1, Mixtape)

This is volume 1 of Dope As Funk "Beats, Songs & Rhyme" series, where they mix songs sampled by the artist, instrumentals and all classics. They featured Mobb Deep, the Queensbridge duo of Prodigy and Havoc, whose dark sinister beats and rhymes epitomized the sound of New York in the mid-to-late 90s. From the original samples to the classic cuts and some slept-on gems, this mix is a dope run through The Infamous Mobb Deep's classic catalog. It was originally released some years back, but check it out below! Images above are from Queensbridge in 1995 via Delphine Fawundu.