Gang Starr "Hard To Earn" (Rap Pages, 12/94)

"We know who we are/But do you know who you are?" This is the final line off the new Gang Starr album's opening, "ALONGWAYTOGO," a track where Guru turns the tables on those naysayers and shit-kickers who felt and feared that his Jazzmatazz journey would lead to the demise of the duo known as Gang Starr. Well, there's no need to fear (you can trust me), Donald Byrd's tumpet-blowing and N'Dea Davenport's harmonizing have been put on creative hold, with DJ Premier's precise, innovative jazz samples back in effect. The only difference between Hard To Earn and the previous ones is that here Guru not only flips his pinpoint monotone style, but also steps up as a producer, creating three tracks: "Code of the Streets," "F.A.L.A." and "Suckas Need Bodyguards." "Code" is the best of the three, "Just To Get A Rep"-flavored with its crazy fat bass line. Vocally, Guru takes the time to drop a little science: "They might say that we're a menace to society/But at the same time I say, why is it me?/Am I the target for destruction?/What about the system and total corruption?" Later, on "Tonz o' Gunz," Guru continues his inner-city-life sermonizing by discussing the biggest problem facing youth today--the influx of automatic weapons into our communities. He laments on how some brothers need to feel steel in order to be a man. Of course, what would a Gang Starr album be without representation from their foundation of dope MCs. "Speak Ya Clout" is the mandatory posse cut, featuring Lil' Dap and everyone's favorite new rhymer, Jeru The Damaja. These ill kids run the mic in the reverse order of Daily Operation's "I'm the Man," with Preemo cutting up pieces of that same song for their individual introductions. Also, don't sleep on newcomer Nutcracker, a 16-year-old from the Bronx who rips a minute-and-a-half freestyle that's sure to get you open. Guru and Premier know that Gang Starr's vital role in the Hip-Hop world has been hard to earn, and they continue to stay true to their own sound. - Rap Pages (June, 1994). Listen below...

This is still a fan-favorite, but it's not their BEST album! Debate me. Art by QFetti.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth "The Main Ingredient" (30th Ann. Mix)

My excitement for this album was on par with A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders and Hard to Earn by Gang Starr; Keepers of the Funk by Lords of the Underground and even Wu-Tang Forever in '97. You just don't get that same feeling anymore, but enter Toronto's DJ Filthy Rich, who brings that classic nostalgia with his anniversary mixes that celebrate classic albums like this, The Main Ingredient by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Filthy Rich's 30th Anniversary mix includes original samples, LP cuts, original blends and unreleased gems. He adds, "Pete's production went from a harder/dusty sound on MATSB, to a warm/melodic vibe on TMI. The samples Pete chose hit your soul in that sweet spot: from Cannonball Adderley on 'In The House', to George Benson on 'I Get Physical' + 'In The Flesh', to Roy Ayers on 'Searching'....masterful. Pair that with CL's smooth voice and flow, and your soul starts to vibrate...." Dig in and celebrate over 30 years of this classic below...

Little Brother "The Listening" (Deluxe Edition, 2003)

You don't know your future if you don't know your past. North Carolina trio Little Brother puts its own twist on this oft heard truth. The group's first album brims with reverence for hip hop pioneers, especially on "So Fabulous," into which they weave smile-inducing tributes to artists as divergent as Kool G Rap and Digable Planets. But these cats aren't just back-in-the-day revivalists--they add their own distinctive spin. Structured like a daily radio broadcast, The Listening unfolds into one of the most addictive debut platters in recent memory. Down-to-earth MCs Phonte and Big Pooh have great chemistry and thematic breadth: They craft emotional verses to an infant son and an incarcerated brother on "Away From Me," but also offer comic relief, as when Phonte recalls quoting Trick Daddy at a pretentious poetry reading ("The Yo-Yo"). Balancing their wordplay, producer 9th Wonder meticulously builds soul-drenched grooves like the bouncy swing of "Shorty on the Lookout." Having learned their lessons well from hip hop innovators, Little Brother stakes claim to a promising future. They've definitely been listening. - Vibe Magazine (April, 2003). I noticed they released a Deluxe Edition which includes all the bonus tracks in one place and the original album's instrumentals. Listen to that deluxe edition of The Listening now on it's original release date.

Props to Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh and 9th Wonder.

Prince Paul "Prince Among Thieves" (Press Kit, 1999)

While still just a Long Island high school student, Prince Paul Huston began his recording career in 1986 when he joined rap music's original hip hop band, Stetsasonic, as its resident "surgeon on the mix." In addition to DJing for the six-man group, Paul seized his internship with Stet to flex his fledgling production skills on cuts like the driving title song to 1988's much-heralded In Full Gear LP. However, it wasn't until a trio of eccentric and hugely talented hip hop-bred teens from Paul's Amityville, L.I. neighborhood enlisted his production guidance that Paul would emerge as the eclectic visionary that he remains known as today. De La Soul's platinum-certified 1989 masterpiece, 3 Feet High And Rising, established Prince Paul's signature sound; a collage of funky soul loops, old school club tracks and breakbeats, samples from childrens' records and virtually anything else in reach all woven together by ingeniously choreographed audio skits. Having risen to hip hop's upper echelon of console controllers, Paul's wizardry left its mark on 3rd Bass' "The Gas Face" and "Brooklyn-Queens" (both from the gold-certified The Cactus Album), Cypress Hill's "Latin Lingo"-remix and the title cut from Big Daddy Kane's gold-certified 1989 LP, It's A Big Daddy Thing among many others. Paul and De La Soul would also refine 3 Feet's creative peaks with 1991's equally outstanding, gold-certified De La Soul Is Dead and 1993's superb, but commercially neglected Buhloone Mindstate.

Around this time, De La's commercial struggles, coupled with the dissolution of Stetasonic and Paul's aborted deal for his own label, Dew Dew Man Records, sent the musical brainiac into a period of introspection that would greatly shape his future recordings. Teaming with Wu-Tang Clan's sound architect, RZA, former Stet bandmate, Fruitkwan, and former Tommy Boy soloist, Too Poetic, in 1994, Paul blazed another trail  for hip hop when he formed one of the music's first supergroups -- the faux "horror-core" quartet, Gravediggaz. If the group's image played up the campy side of ghostly games, its debut LP, 6 Feet Deep, reflected a smart-aleck intelligence that reveled in the mockery of the music industry and all its trappings. In his most recent work, Paul's disillusionment with the record industry has driven him to sagely seek collaborations and projects that are compatible with his own creative visions. 1996's Psychoanalysis LP rejuvenated Paul by providing him an unbound forum with which to express his mental musings. His remix to the Kool Keith-helmed Dr. Octagon project's "Blue Flowers" of the same year drew kudos from hip hop's critical cognoscenti. And his contributions to Chris Rock's Roll With The New spawned the hilarious Puff Daddy hit single spoof, "Champagne," and received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album of 1997. His latest project, "A Prince Among Thieves," synergizes the varied talents at Prince Paul's hands for a cinematic and musical opus of unprecedented scope for hip hop music. - Press Kit (Tommy Boy Records, 1999). 

The Alchemist "The Chemistry Files" (The Uncut Version, 2006)

Originally released in 2006, this is the official ALC documentary: The Chemistry Files (The Uncut Version, DVD). Produced, edited, and slapped together by the man himself. Put together from old footage and edited entirely on an Apple G4 laptop with iMovie, this never-before-seen documentary captures the life of the ALC in a rugged yet personal, rough-around-the-edges fashion. "I have absolutely NO knowledge of film making, editing, or anything associated with movies, but one day I was messing around on the laptop and I realized that editing footage was a lot like beat making! So, on the spot, I said fuckit, I'm gonna make a DVD, right here, in my living room, on my laptop, out of all this footage I got laying around. And I sat up for one week straight, got into creative mode, and went berserk! Shit was fun." Of course we'd all rather that Al spends those hours doing what he does best, making those classic productions. But we're quite glad he took a week out and put together this truly motivating DVD. Originally edited, shortened to 25 minutes and used for the re-release of Alchemist's debut album 1st Infantry, this is the full 1 hour unedited and uncut version, exactly as he intended it. "I felt like the edited version didn't tell the story well. So I wanted fans to see it the right way." Go inside the smoke-filled laboratories and studios and watch as Alchemist and The Mobb create their signature sound. Sit in on mix sessions. Watch as, for the first time ever, ALC puts together a beat live on camera. Witness magic as Alchemist and Mobb Deep zone out and the making of the classic, "Hold You Down," miraculously captured on camera, is revealed for the first time. Then watch as the song metamorphasizes from a spontaneous vibe in a little home studio to a live concert in front of 30,000 fans. The Chemistry Files: The Uncut Version...

Inspired by ALC's announcement that 1st Infantry coming (back) 2025!

Smif-N-Wessun "Infinity" (Album Stream)

Smif-N-Wessun's new album, Infinity, is a cumulative reflection of their life experiences. Executive produced by college professor and world-renowned producer 9th Wonder and the Soul Council, 9th explains the thought process with the album. “I wanted to make sure that it didn't sound dated. It sounds like them (Smif-N-Wessun), but it's also new. They are our generation's version of Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Donald Byrd.” Illustrious MCs featured on the album include Buckshot, Pharoahe Monch, Conway the Machine, legendary artists Sean Price and Prodigy, multi-platinum RnB legend Ralph Tresvant, along with rising stars Sweta and Jalisa. Infinity cements Smif-N-Wessun's status as creators of nothing but classics. This is their eighth album and the second collaboration with 9th Wonder and the Soul Council. Showcasing buttery beats from Council members, 9th Wonder himself, Khrysis, SND*TRK, Kash, Mu'aath, and Nottz, the album delivers a sonic smash that will satisfy everyone from the rap purist to new school connoisseurs. Listen to it below...

Lord Finesse "The Awakening" (Hip-Hop Connection, 1996)

Lord Finesse's classic 'The Funky Technician' helped establish the now-famed DITC clique, introducing Show & AG and featuring productions by DJ Premier and Diamond D. The 'Return Of The Funky Man' set continued in a similar vein, but had little success. Three years later, and now on his fourth label, Finesse returns with 'The Awakening'. Although much was recorded during his period at Bandoola Records, it still sounds fresh in '96. The recent 'Hip 2 The Game' single was a good indicator -- Fineese's well constructed lyrics over self-produced beats, which while more mellow than previously, are hard enough to satisfy. 'No Gimmicks' (featuring KRS-One), the omitted B-Side, doesn't appear here either, but its replacement, 'Brainstorm' -- again featuring KRS but also OC -- isn't likely to disappoint. Elsewhere AG successfully collaborates with Finesse on the posse cut "Speak Ya Peace'; while other efforts like 'Food For Thought' and 'Flip Da Script' are admirably solid. Although technically an EP, 'The Awakening' is another consistent effort by Finesse, and unlike some full-length efforts, contains no filler material. - HHC, 96. Finesse is still one of the best out of D.I.T.C!

The full review and an OG sticker from The Awakening are below...

Brother Ali "Satisfied Soul" (Album Stream)

Brother Ali’s “Satisfied Soul” (his debut Mello Music Group album) is a thunderclap, a 17-track sermon where truth and vulnerability collide with legendary producer Ant's signature production. Ali wields his pen like a blade, slicing through the smoke of political despair and personal revelation, delivering wisdom with a preacher’s cadence and a rebel’s fire. Ant crafts a sonic mosaic of dusty drums, warm vinyl crackle, and ghostly rhythms that feel like they’ve been pulled from the deep pockets of America’s forgotten record shops. This is thought provoking, spiritual rap, full of jagged self-reflection and unflinching critique, rooted in hope and defiance. Ali's voice weaves stories that feel more like conversations with an old friend than mere tracks. This isn't just an album—it’s a movement wrapped in the spirit of resilience. One of my favorite artists and people. Listen below...

Ghostface Killah "Supreme Clientele" (25th Ann. Mix by DJ Filthy Rich)

Toronto's DJ Filthy Rich blesses us yet again with an anniversary mix. Ghostface Killah's classic Supreme Clientele turns 25 and Filthy Rich celebrates it in proper style, breaking down its original soulful samples and crafting dope blends for this fine mix. Supreme Clientele was arguably the best album (or most acclaimed) in the second round of Wu-Tang Clan solo releases, and featured the most contributions from RZA at the time. AllMusic shares, "Ghostface Killah had avoided the sophomore slump experienced by other Wu-Tang Clan members' second solo releases with Supreme Clientele, which "proves Ghost's worthiness of the Ironman moniker by deftly overcoming trendiness to produce an authentic sound in hip-hop's age of bland parity" and "is a step toward the Wu-Tang's ascent from the ashes of their fallen kingdom." Tap into Filthy Rich paying tribute to a classic below...

J.Period Presents "Dilla Soul" (EP Stream)

A Dilla Day exclusive! J.Period Presents… Dilla Soul [Remixes], a re-imagining of De La Soul classics over re-mastered J Dilla gems, featuring Native Tongue icons: De La Soul, J Dilla, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Common, MF DOOM and more!! Of course, the exclusive artwork is once again handled by the talented Dan Lish. Rest In Peace, J Dilla; a nice way to honor J Dilla on his Born Day. Also, Rest In Peace to Trugoy the Dove of De La Soul, Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest, and MF DOOM. Enjoy Dilla Soul, the 7-track Remix EP from J.Period + hit the tags for more...

Donnie Propa "Straight From The Crate Cave: Valentine's Day" (Mix)

Here we go... a Valentine's Day mix from UK's Donnie Propa. The hour long joint is available on cassette and features tracks from Method Man & Mary J. Blige, Large Professor, Masta Ace, Biz Markie, The Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, Da King & I, Kurious, Big Pun, Biggie Smalls, LL Cool J, Gang Starr, Pharoahe Monch, Jeru The Damaja, Raekwon, Lost Boyz, Common, Fat Joe, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Slick Rick and so much more. Donnie Propa has released several mixes in his Straight From The Crate Cave series, but this is the first of this kind. Donnie Propa has stated that the mix was done with 100% vinyl, so enjoy the snaps and pops on this fantastic mix. Hit the tags for more. 

Camp Lo "Uptown Saturday Night" (33 1/3)

"This is it, what!" The utterance of those four words with the proper articulation and rhythm can prompt many hip hop enthusiasts into a united chorus. Camp Lo's 1997 debut Uptown Saturday Night is one of the most beloved albums in 1990s hip hop. That anthemic call, "Luchini pourin' from the sky, let's get rich, what!" still emanates from nightclubs and car speakers alike. From the outset, the group's sound was distinct, filled with secretive slang and intense nostalgia. Camp Lo's language and style set them apart from other rappers, which was no simple feat considering the incredible diversity of 1990s hip hop. While other rappers were making noise, bragging about bling and bringing ruckus, Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba were on the "Lo," whispering and rapping with an argot all their own. The album wove a tapestry of retro culture that combined uniquely Camp Lo elements: the youthful memories of Cooley High characters and the late-night crime world of Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby's film trilogy. While Wu-Tang were drawing inspiration from kung fu films and Chinese martial arts aesthetics, Camp Lo were bringing 1970s black culture back to public consciousness. Sure, other rappers' music sampled that era too, but Camp Lo re-envisioned it on their own terms, both acknowledging the ways in which the present pays homage to the past and reinterpreting the past to offer something fresh to the present. The songs on Uptown Saturday Night are aural films that fluidly juxtapose late-night diamond heist narratives with free association rhymes of exotic locales and luxury cars, creating a world that was both gritty and glamorous. It was fantastic and fantasy: music that reintroduced an unfiltered '80s black masculine cool--a cool all the more complex in that it had already been absorbed and exploited by mainstream pop culture.

Accessible and appealing as Uptown Saturday Night and "Luchini" were, they were lyrically crafted to speak to a small number of friends in the Bronx. It was insider slang, a hyperlocal regionalism that challenged listeners. Their distinct terminology (money was "Luchini," girls' posteriors were "Ox," guns were "istols," and "Hollywood" meant fly) was fascinating to listeners in that it presented a mysterious world entirely of its own. Even within the hip hop community, no one outside of the Lo could truly decipher the complexities of their secretive language--not even in one-on-one conversations. To Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba of Camp Lo, however, they represented a profound aesthetic concept of cool and a nostalgic vision of an outmoded black cultural look and identity. At a time when hip hop fashion was dominated by Timberlands, hockey jerseys, and designer labels like Tommy Hilfiger, Karl Kani, and Polo, Camp Lo donned satin and polyester, flat caps, and brown leather coats: vintage clothes ("vines") to match their personas ("diamond crooks"). But while their slang and vines were "nostaljack" (nostalgic), their flows were far from derivative retrospectives. Although the jazzy flows of Digable Planets and the earthy vibes of the late '80/'90s Native Tongues collective certainly provided inspiration, Camp Lo occupied a vanguard lyrical space of their own. Arriving at a time when lyrical innovation and vocal charisma were of the utmost importance for MCs even in the mainstream, they showed/proved with staggering wordplay.

The music on Uptown Saturday Night stems from a complex tapestry of black popular culture. The album owes its title to the 1973 film directed by Sidney Poitier, but the phrase "Uptown Saturday Night" also represented an ideal: a place, time, and culturally black space in which good times and hijinks prevailed, the (black) hero wins, gets the diamonds, and speeds off with the shapely heroine. Of course, adopted personas had long been prevalent in hip hop culture, yet the personas created by Camp Lo and the way in which they combined 1970s imagery and "good times" ethos with hip hop hardness was undeniably out of step with the growing mid-1990s commerciality of hip hop culture and mainstreamed gangsta. Their money was "Luchini," not "Benjamins," and coveted diamonds were, well... diamonds, to steal and unload for cash, not to wear as "bling." As hip hop grew more successful (and more lucrative), raps became increasingly about buying, not heisting, and the new trope of hip hop became an ostentatious display of real money or wealth, rather than wild stories about fantastic capers. In many ways, under the influence of commercialism, practical street tales and consumer fantasies had begun to overshadow imagination in hip hop. Camp Lo intended to be out of step with this (real) world, and preferred a flyer place. - 33 1/3 Uptown Saturday Night by Patrick Rivers and Will Fulton. Lego art by Adnan Lotia. Props to Geechi and Sonny, they made a classic!

Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin" (One Nut Magazine, 1995)

Smif-N-Wessun exist in that opaque state of high where the smallest action has the deepest meaning; where words are part of some lost subtext. Their connection to ganja provides them with insight into the war around them. "The struggle is always on," states Steele. "It's a war of survival and elevation. We're doing battle with snakes, police, and fake motherf#ckers." In a world where brothers are "too leery to live and them nah want die" the representatives of the Boot Camp Clik know that the impending Armageddon will come. They rely upon each other in order to combat the uneasy peril of one's own life, forming a brotherhood of mutual respect. "We've been through mad obstacles," asserts Steele. "It's our ability to communicate. [It's] a bond we wrekonize and embrace. When you shine people will know that you know something." Indeed, there is a continuation of thought between the two, a shinin' which allows Tek to jump in where Steele leaves off.... "My family knows his family. We go back to when we was robbing motherf#ckers. We gotta show and prove." 

Tek expresses the struggle to come up as 'basic training', providing insight into the metaphorealical existence of the Boot Camp Clik -- a battalion including Black Moon, Heltah Skeltah, OGC and Champagne. Steele explains that they are 10 strong, "knowledging our circumference and coming to a circle. There wasn't no confrontation, no destruction." Adding that, "Each way we go it's construction. We shine a light." The unabashed connection that Tek and Steele express and the force of their words is not so much gun talk but a warning, an understanding that without pride and force (Mass acceleration intelligence), there will be no progress in life. Their bond is an example for brothers who consider their situation to be critical. In "Stand Strong" Steele rhymes: "Individuals who choose to use life for granted/What you gonna do when it's demanded?" When n!ggas see us forming they'll think, 'Damn. Maybe we should link up.'" When people really look at Smif-N-Wessun, they'll find that there's a much deeper meaning beyond their words. - OneNut '95. Art: Torre Pentel.