Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf "Big Shots" (2003)

A budding lyrical kid named Charizma could have been much more than another poster child against senseless gun violence if only the hip hop community had ever been properly introduced. One spin through his long-awaited release, Big Shots, originally recorded with Peanut Butter Wolf between '91-'93, and it is painfully apparent that Charles Hicks, then a 19-year-old MC from San Jose, could have been among the ranks of early pioneers like the Fresh Prince, MC Lyte, De La Soul, Special Ed or perhaps even KRS-1 had his life not been tragically cut short. Ten years after Hicks' passing, Peanut Butter Wolf, released their bittersweet collaboration on his Stones Throw label to much belated praise. PB Wolf obviously holds Charizma in high esteem, as his single, "My World Premier,” was their first release in 1996. On it he rhymes, "In a b-boy stance, I'm in this smog all alone / When I didn't have a mic I rapped on headphones." Indeed, Charizma can't easily be compared to other old-school MC's. His nubile bravado does conjure a teenage Big Daddy Kane, who sips on Martinelli's apple juice and sucks on sweets not exclusive to the corner store. Review cont'd below...

The album is comprised of a vast array of solid tracks from both a lyrical and production standpoint, but only "Jack the Mack" and "Red Light Green Light" were released during Hicks’ lifetime. It wasn’t until PB Wolf started Stones Throw that these songs truly had an opportunity to shine. "Here's a Smirk,” the best single from the album, hits hard with Charizma eloquently balancing his intellect with his bad-boy playa side while PB cuts it up with fast-paced, jazzy snippets reminiscent of Tribe's Low End Theory sound. "Tell You Something" could induce dancefloor karaoke with the object of your evening's affections, especially the call and response anthem (Charizma: "I think I wanna tell ya something, His lady: Well go on, tell me something). There are also a handful of charming songs devoted to the ladies seduced by Charizma’s b-boy charm. Even as Hicks’ legacy hangs over the album, it must be known that Big Shots would not be nearly as memorable without PB Wolf's timeless production quality. "The style's deep even when we fall asleep / Dreaming of the usual...a rap beat," flows Hicks on "Methods,” a track so lovely and mellow that you would think it's sampled from DJ Shadow's Endtroducing, despite its creation almost four years prior. Big Shots offers a fresh glimpse of the early days of hip hop, where bitches were still honeys, the niggas were just brothas, and the MC battles knew their boundaries were onstage. Some might call Charizma's flow dated amidst the current haze of uzi-style rapping. Personally, I think this album brings the best of both worlds – an MC with class and a DJ/producer with sass who created music worthy of an urban time capsule. - Dusted Reviews. Rest In Peace, Charizma. Revisit the LP above.

Conway the Machine & Big Ghost Ltd "What Has Been Blessed..."

Conway The Machine is coming through with non-stop heat this year. The Griselda rapper is already three projects deep into 2022, including the release of his last effort, Organized Grime 2. However, he's back again alongside Big Ghost LTD for their latest collaborative effort, What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed. The 12-song project continues to strengthen their rapport with one another while enlisting many familiar faces from the Drumwork Music Group Imprint. Additionally, Conway and Big Ghost call on Method Man for an immediate highlight of the project, "Scared II Death." Conway The Machine already dropped off Greetings Earthlings (which I missed entirely, just being 100% honest) earlier this year before unveiling his Shady debut, God Don't Make Mistakes. - HotNewHipHop. Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine have both done some really dope work over fine beats by Big Ghost Ltd. Dig into the archives for more of their previous work together... 

Beanie Sigel "Batcave Freestyle" (Video, 2012)

I'm not sure why this was on my mind so heavy today, but I wanted to take it back to a freestyle Beanie Sigel spit some years back... I read a caption that shared, "Right before Beans got locked up he drove his Crown Vic, with the spotlight still on it, up to N. 3rd St. and spit some serious shit at Batcave Studio…..guns, pills, syrup, duckin’ cops, incarceration." Over a classic break instrumental, Beans did what he does best, raw street raps with an equal dose of real life and pain. Props to Gillie the Kid and all the real spitters out of Philly. This exclusive freestyle from Beanie Sigel was featured on Black Deniro's DVD/CD "Money Is The Mission," directed by Rick Dange. Around the time, Beans was locked up and the streets held this one close until his return. "Money Is The Mission" featured never before seen footage of all the hottest artist in Philadelphia including Cassidy, Freeway, Gillie Da Kid, and many more. You can find it on Amazon or other online retailers.

DJ Chong Wizard "American Ironman" (Mixtape, 2008)

This is a classic mixtape. It has all the elements I know I look for when I listen to mixtapes…especially blends. It’s not just the actual blends themselves either. We know Chong Wizard can blend and chef up some crazy shit but it’s the little things that make American Ironman a classic. The choice of beats off Ironman, being able to maintain some of that 70’s appeal on the Jay Z vocals while maintaining a stranglehold on the whole drug dealer come up. I’ve played this joint for young cats not familiar with Ironman to tough, I’ve played if for older cats that are very familiar with that Ghost album, and the reactions are the same…let me get a copy of that! That right there is how you know you did your thing in creating a masterpiece for the masses. - RapMullet. Revisit Chong Wizard's American Ironman below, an exceptional blend-tape that was reissued on cassette in 2018. 

Nas "It Was Written" (July 2, 1996) + Daily News Interview

Although it's only 20 minutes from midtown, most New Yorkers have probably never been to Queensbridge. But for hip-hop fans, the projects on the edge of Long Island City are a musical landmark. Queensbridge is where old-school stars Marley Marl and MC Shan (who immortalized it in 1986's classic "The Bridge") got their start. More recently, Queensbridge has been home to the critically acclaimed hard-core group Mobb Deep. But in 1996, the undisputed king of Queensbridge is a soft-spoken 22-year-old who was born Nasir Jones but who's known as Nas. Right now, he's also known as the rapper with the No. 1 album in the country for the past three weeks. Standing near an entrance to the projects, Nas remembers the many friends he lost to prison and random violence while he lived there. His younger brother was shot, but lived. "It was a survival game, growing up out here," he says. "Me just still being here (alive) is a blessing." Even though Nas left Queensbridge more than four years ago for the 'burbs in Nassau County, he's been making the 20-minute ride from Manhattan an awful lot these days, bringing with him camera crews and reporters. The media have come to the projects because Nas is the rapper of the moment. His sophomore CD, "It Was Written," hit stores July 2, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 after selling more than 60,000 copies in one day. Even more remarkable, Nas has stayed at No. 1 for three weeks, beating out more established acts like Metallica. Cont'd + revisit It Was Written by Nas while reading below....

Modesty is not a strong suit for most rappers, but Nas is amazed. "I never thought this would happen. I never cared about being No. 1 on the charts; I was just concerned about 'Was the street gonna like my music?' But when all this..." Nas exhales. "Man! That turned on a new light in my head. It was a good feeling." To some, Nas seems like an overnight sensation, but the hip-hop community anointed him a few years ago, when, as a teenager, he cameoed on Main Source's "Live at the BBQ." That guest spot led to his hooking up with yet another kid from Queens, 3rd Bass' MC Serch. Nas kicked rhymes on the "Zebrahead" soundtrack and then landed a solo deal. Filled with edgy, complex lyrics, 1994's "Illmatic" went gold after being hailed by both the rap and mainstream press as one of hip-hop's most important albums. Where that album dealt more with the violence of the streets, "It Was Written" deals more with the solutions. The LP is more mature lyrically and has a more commercially viable sound, thanks to the presence of guest musicians like Lauryn Hill of the Fugees and producers like Dr. Dre.  To some, the presence of the lead singer for one of '96 hottest acts may seem like a savvy career move, but in fact Nas was better known at the time "It Was Written" was being recorded. Still, in retrospect, it seems like Nas has had a flair for networking. Asked about his music-biz strategy, Nas says: "I want my career to look like something that gradually grew from rags to riches. I want my thing to look like a story. You have a lot of rappers that are here today, gone tomorrow..." ... "It Was Written" chronicles the struggles of young black men and the choices they make. Choices that Nas made, as well. "All the time," he says. "But I always knew that the ghetto world was small and that there was so much happening outside of it that I couldn't limit myself. I always wanted to be more than just a lowlife. I mean," he squints as the sun beams down on Queensbridge," life is what you make it. There's no excuses." - NY Daily News (July 25, 1996).

Donnie Propa "Straight From The Crate Cave" (Nasty Nas Edition)

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! The consistency from UK's Donnie Propa is clear as he continues to bless us with tape after tape honoring some of the greatest MCs and producers in our culture. His latest offering in the Straight To The Crate Cave series takes it to Queens NY, paying homage to Queensbridge's own, Nasty Nas. The 90-minute mix features classic records, deep album cuts and various features in Nas's extensive catalog. Thrown in are a few remixes and slept on gems, so take a trip down memory lane with Donnie Propa on the Nasty Nas edition, streaming below and available on limited cassette. Hit the archives for additional Straight From The Crate Cave mixes and more...

Crimeapple & DJ Skizz "Breakfast In Hradec" (Album Stream)

Hradec is a city in the Czech Republic. I hadn't heard of it until reading the title for Crimeapple and DJ Skizz's new tape Breakfast in Hradec, but a few Google image searches in, I could easily picture myself enjoying pastries I can't pronounce at a riverside cafe. Crimeapple has grown a cult following with this rare lyrical ability to paint visuals, and he's showcased it over an impressive number of projects. Breakfast In Hradec is his third in 2022, and it's a memorable one. Crimeapple brings back the vibrant and grin-inducing braggadocio to the project along with some deep introspection. Across the nine songs he reflects on the addicts he used to serve ("In Flight"), his humble beginnings (40 Days, 40 Nights"), and discovering his talents as a rapper ("Wonder Years"). The vibe is served well by Skizz's faithful boom-bap production, its vintage chops also sounding like transmissions from Crimeapple's memory of something foundational. Whatever Crimeapple's gassing himself up on, it's working: on "La Lluvia," he constructs an entire song using almost entirely nouns that begin with the letter "L." That's not easy to do, and it's even harder to make it sound as good as it does here. - The Fader. Listen to the whole project below; it's a dope collaborative project...

"Poetic Justice" (Soundtrack, June 29, 1993)

Poetic Justice is a '90's film that not only defined a generation but also put a spotlight on the power of language. As the movie highlighted the poetry of Maya Angelou, the John Singleton-directed-and-penned movie became a box office hit -- it grossed more than $27 million since its release in 1993. Sure, it's safe to say that the film had its fair share of big names including Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Q-Tip and Regina King, but it was also the soundtrack that helped solidify it as a piece of pop culture history. - DropFM. "One In A Million" by Pete Rock & CL Smooth, as well as "Cash In My Hands" by Nice & Smooth got a lot of love, but it was "Poor Man's Poetry" by Naughty By Nature that I ran back a lot at the time. You couldn't tell me Treach wasn't one of the nicest EVER on the microphone. Of course, it hasn't aged so well and would likely never get spins today because of the references to the World Trade Center. The most popular song from the film was Janet Jackson's classic, "Again," which was not included on the soundtrack due to contractual issues. Some other joints from the soundtrack include "Indo Smoke" by Mista Grimm, "Get It Up" from TLC and others from Tha Dogg Pound, 2Pac (R.I.P.) and more. Revisit the movie and OST today...

Rest In Peace, Tupac Shakur...