Ice Cube "The Predator" (Press Kit, 1992)

"In all the controversy that's surrounded his career since he wrote a tune called "Boyz N The Hood" for his homeboy Eazy-E five years ago, there's one thing that journalists sometimes forget to mention about Ice Cube: he's one of the most mesmerizing MCs in hip-hop. Well, that's an issue quickly put to rest on "Wicked," the first single off his new album, The Predator. What's the song about? "I just wanted to get loose," he says, laughing. "I entertain, too. I make records and I can bust. That song describes the way I feel when I'm doing a show and the crowd's going crazy: I feel wicked." A bouncy, noisy jam, "Wicked" typifies Ice Cube's approach to music-making. "I don't stick to one producer. That's why my records sound so different," he explains. "Otherwise it'll sound stale." Cube hooked up with Torcha Chamber, who laid thee tracks for "Wicked," in an unconventional way." 

"In addition to longtime Lench Mob crew members Pooh and Jinx, Cube was joined in the studio by Mixmaster Muggs of Cypress Hill who injected his gangsta swagger in three tracks: "Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha," an ominous warning to cowards and punks, "We Had To Tear This M.F. Up," a look back at the Rodney King uprising which is full of horns and a furious acoustic bass, and "Check Yo Self," featuring back-up by Das EFX on its chorus. "Muggs is the kind of guy who'll work all night if he has to. The trip about him is that he'll create a whole song and will stop and say, 'Fuck it, I don't like it.' He'll erase the loop that he worked ten hours on and replace it with a better one. Most people can't criticize themselves enough to do that ... their ego is too big to start all over."

"The Predator differs from Death Certificate in that last year's flavor was more of a concept album, with it's "Death Side" and "Life Side." "I didn't want to go with a format on this record. I just wanted to do the tracks that I wanted to do." Did you find that is limiting in a way? "No, I didn't find it limiting. I just felt as if it's already been done and I'm not into doing records that's already been done or trying to recreate any old records..." Between the enthusiasm of newcomers like Torcha Chamber and the professionalism of vets like Muggs, Jinx and Pooh, The Predator's sound is anything but boring." - Press Kit. The Predator was released on November 17th, 1992. 

Debonair P "Debonair Blends 3" (Mixtape)

Debonair P is a Melbourne-based DJ, producer, engineer and label owner (Gentleman's Relief Records). He put together a nice blend of underground hip-hop tracks from the 90s, cycling through dozens of tracks in around 70 minutes. You'll hear joints from Scientifik, Jeru The Damaja, AZ, Lord Finesse, Juggaknots, Mic Geronimo, Chino XL, DJ Spinna, Method Man, Kool G Rap, Sauce Money, Grand Puba, T-Max, Nick Wiz, Guru, Buckshot, Show & AG, The Nonce, Bahamadia & more.

Cali Agents "How The West Was One" (CMJ, 2000)

These days, street marketing is a corporate-funded phenomenon. But back in the day, labels like Sugar Hill broke artists on a street level, pumping 'em through the clubs and the mom-and-pop stores. Emcees Rasco and Planet Asia of the Bay Area duo Cali Agents return to those old-school, DIY ethics on How The West Was One, which comes from Ground Control via Nu Gruv Alliance, a small California label that's recently been gaining notoriety in hip-hop circles. The enterprise is a matter of artistic and economic autonomy, principles not exactly high on a major label's priority list. "If we can sell 50,000 units, we're cool," Planet Asia says. "The advantage of being on an independent is being able to do what we want to do." The group's no nonsense musical style and estimable rhyming skills have already brought them much respect within hip-hop's inner circles, with The Source naming their 1997 breakthrough Time Waits For No Man one of the best independent albums that year. In the wake of their strong support in the indie world, both have heard the call of the major label world, as well. Planet Asia, who has also garnered notice for his work with the Lyricist Lounge, is working on a solo debut for Interscope. Ironic? Maybe. But with Cali Agents, he will no doubt stay true to the game. "I'm trying to play both sides," he explains. "But people are gonna know me from the underground." - CMJ New Music Monthly (August, 2000). Listen below...

Black Thought Interview (NPR, Video)

Black Thought's been basking in overdue props lately. The viral Hot 97 freestyle that sent the internet into a tizzy six months ago made him something of an anomaly – a hip-hop vet, 30 years into his career, finally recognized for being at the top of his game! We discussed that here briefly; it was clearly a moment that gave fans a collective pause to reflect on what an immense talent we have in Black Thought. Finally, the world caught on and in Black Thought's own words: "Well, it's about time..." NPR sat down for a conversation with Black Thought, and it's a must-see - watch it below...

Rah Digga "Everything Is A Story" (Unreleased Album)

Last year a fan remastered Rah Digga's leaked vocals from her unreleased album, Everything Is A Story. Rah Digga allegedly owns those masters, and called the remastered version a "bootleg of a bootleg," but still proclaimed that she was here for it ... lol. Rah Digga released her debut album Dirty Harriet in 2000, then returned in 2010 for a collaborative album with Nottz titled Classic. I was in the studio with Rah Digga in 2009 for a track with Eternia ("The BBQ"), what some fans don't know is that while she was in the studio that night, her house burned to the ground and all she had left was her laptop with her music. That scenario somehow unlocked a chamber within her to get back to music, thus eventually releasing Classic the following year. Anyhow, back to her unreleased album Everything Is A Story, which she'd originally recorded in 2004... the album was released in pieces over the years, but is now available on her Bandcamp and features production from J Dilla, Just Blaze, Hi-Tek, Large Professor, DJ Scratch, No I.D., Scott Stortch, Jake One and guests like Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Fabolous, Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks, Joe Budden and more! Exhale ... that's a lot to leave on a shelf. J Records absorbed Flipmode Ent when Busta was crossing over to work with Aftermath and the album was delayed to the point of being shelved. Listen to it below...

Pawz One "Sell Me A Dream: Flowstalgia" (Album Stream)

Los Angeles emcee Pawz One teams up with Dutch producer Robin Da Landlord to release their new album “Sell Me A Dream: Flowstalgia”. With a collaborative mix of sharp rhymes schemes and gritty drums, Pawz One and Robin Da Landlord are here to counter the trends on "Sell Me A Dream". The album is entirely produced by Robin Da Landlord and includes guest features by Prince Po of Organized Konfusion, MED and VegaMonster. Pawz One worked with seasoned artists and producers such as Ras Kass, Termanology, Masta Ace, Domingo, DJ Rhettmatic, Madchild, Talib Kweli and more. With a magnetic stage presence cultivated through hundreds of live performances, Pawz One has been able to tour nationally and overseas with Sean Price, Necro, El Da Sensei & AG, as well various independent tours. Also Pawz has performed at such events and festivals as Hip-Hop Kemp, SXSW, Vans Warped Tour, A3C Festival and more. Listen to their Sell Me A Dream LP below...

Ice-T "Cop Killer" Controversy (Spin Magazine, 1992)

"Die, Pig, Die," go the lyrics in "Cop Killer," the song that enraged police officers across America last summer. Ice-T said Body Count's song "Cop Killer" does not tell people to go out and shoot cops, but his original intent -- to portray a demented soul seeking revenge on a murderous group -- got lost in the din. Law enforcement groups jumped all over Time Warner, whose subsidiary Sire Records released "Cop Killer," and within weeks they had enlisted the support of 60 members of Congress, Oliver North, Dan Quayle, and President Bush. Alabama Governor Guy Hunt sent out an urgent Father's Day message to the nation's governors, asking them to join in a campaign against the Body Count album. By August, over 1,400 record stores nationwide had dropped the album. Very few Americans actually heard the song, but most had something to say about it. Sixty-six percent of nonblack Americans tended to support the protestors who urged that the song be pulled from public circulation... Only 37 percent of blacks did. A half-dozen cops can get blasted in an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie without music fanfare, but a different standard is applied to rap or speed-metal bands such as Ice-T's Body Count. "There's an assumption that inner-city blacks are more likely to be influenced than the rest of us," ... "There's an assumption of black inferiority in all of this." In September, Quayle blamed a rap album from Tupac Shakur for the shooting death of a state trooper in Texas. And Cummings says it's no coincidence that the controversy over "Cop Killer" erupted a couple of months after the L.A. riots. Time Warner execs backed Ice-T during the two months of controversy... but Ice-T finally decided to pull the song, ostensibly to protect Time Warner from the heat. Lesser-known rappers are worried about the fallout. Warner Bros. is said to be discouraging songs about alleged police brutality: A Warner Bros. spokesman said Juvenile Committee was asked to tone down "Justice in the Hood," and Boston crew Almighty RSO says it was dropped by Tommy Boy Records because its rap antagonized police groups. "Ice-T should have stuck to his guns," says Almighty RSO member Jeffrey "Def Jeff" Neal. "If they got him to back down, they're going to wipe out the little guy." - Spin Magazine (December, 1992). Ice-T appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show to discuss the "Cop Killer" controversy in greater detail. Full article is below. The dope illustration up above is by Warren Drummond in The Source Magazine (No. 40, January 1993).

Nas x DJ Green Lantern "The N Tape" (Mixtape, 2008)

"While Nasir Jones' revised untitled album strives for somber profundity - sketchy essays on Farrakhan, Fox News, and yes, friend chicken - this mix tape puts the N-word on blast like a grad-school gangsta soundclash. Pissed, self-aggrandizing, earnest, surrounded by pop-culture samples blowing like air horns, Nas nods to pioneering race wits Richard Pryor, Paul Mooney, N.W.A., et al. And here, "Black President" - his moving hesitant Obama tribute - is the vibrant centerpiece, not an obligatory coda." - Spin Magazine. Released 10 years ago today, listen to the mixtape below...