JUNGLE MISSION

RAW AND UNKUT

2006-10-19T20:44:00.000+02:00

Unless you have been SLEEPING or STRUGGLING TO PAYING YOUR INTERNET BILL, you should have read parts one, two and three of Robbie of Unkut.com's epic interview with DJ Kenny Parker, brother and long-time collaborator of KRS-One. Seriously funking rope-a-dope, it's a great read on some classic moments in Hip-Hop kulture. Raspect.

And if you thought shit was over, Robbie hits us with another one, this time with the upcoming and image-less rapper NYOIL, who recently had his video, 'Y'all Should Get Lynched', banned by youTube. Read what he has to say, and feel some hope for today's rap music.

Certified Majestic

2006-09-25T12:10:00.000+02:00

In the mixtape game, Neil Armstrong stands alone. With a strong emphasis on mixing, the the 5th Platoon DJ is also a master of selection, ignoring the staples of other mixtapes and instead digs into the crates of hip-hop, funk, soul and dance music. The results are dope as fuck, and beyond your average mix 'n' blend.

On his latest offering, The Certified Majestic Mixtape, Armstrong teams up with LA's own DJ Steve 1-Der to create the perfect soundtrack for parties, the road, or just sitting in your room smoking spliffs (my personal favorite). Alongside other Armstrong creations, its by far the most eclectic thing you'll find on MIXUNIT.com, with cuts from the likes of Jaco Pastorius, the Native Tongues, Junior Senior, Willie DeVaughan and Led Zeppelin.

Like I Love You\It Takes Two\Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'
- Justin Timberlake\Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock\Wu-Tang Clan

And here's a slammin' three-track spread to give you an idea of the album's flow:

Kiss Me\Baby Dee - Konk\Digital Underground
Kiss Makes Me Happy - Digital Underground\Young & Co.
Strobelight Makes Me Happy - Young & Co.\Black Sheep

BONUS: The opener to the more Boom-Bap-oriented Filthy (2005) - this here's a classic in it's own right:

Who Got My Back?\New York Love - Trends Of Culture\Fat Joe, Jadakiss & Ja Rule\Nas\ Masta Ace\Indelible MC's

COP THAT SHIT!!! <<<

"..the jews, yes, the jews.."

2006-09-19T14:40:00.000+02:00

Hmmm, the cause of much of the wickedness in the world? I don't know about that, but unsurprisingly, the US media stirred up such a controversy over that remark that even the hard truth soldiers Public Enemy were forced to drop Professor Griff in attempts at damage control. Its hard to make a legitimate message when one of your members is apparently just another jew-hating Muslim. But yo, Americans are so hyper-sensitive to anti-Semitism they think 'jew' is a racial slur.

Where PE really fucked up was not lettin' Griff bust a verse once in a while. Dude is fire:

360 degrees, its a cricle
a 10% baby, i birth him
correct him, then i leave him speechless
caressin his ego, then i teach him this lesson
to the so called negro, the chosen people
that is to grow up
to a freer level, of independence
well let me tell you what its all about...

Professor Griff & The LAD - Pawns In The Game

[More to come]

LISTENNN

2006-08-25T13:19:00.000+02:00

I'm writing mondo essays right now, so here's a heat rock to tide you over...

DJ Khaled - Holla At Me (ft. Lil' Wayne, Paul Wall, Fat Joe, Rick Ross and Pitbull)

Slammin boom bammin.

UPDATE:
E-40 - Dumb Hyphy
The Federation - Stunna Glasses At Night (ft. E-40)

Get Mad Now

2006-08-18T15:18:00.000+02:00

I was kickin' it at We eat so many shrimp (I got iodine pois'nin..), reading a post by SergDun, and I nodding my head the whole time: "What Happened To Rappers Hating White People?" Now I love my 'conscious', mellowed-out hip-hop as much as the next white boy, but my favorite? That ol' Red, Black and Green, white devils never built no pyramids BOOM-BAP. Some Angry Black Man shit. It put me on a mission to put together a post of the angriest rap I had. But after the initial selections, It basically came down to a bunch of Ice Cube... but hey, Cube and Chuck D are arguably the angriest men in Hip-Hop, and O'Shea's musical contribution to the game is EXTREMELY over-looked....

Ice Cube - Endangered Species (ft. Chuck D)

2Pac - Last Wordz (ft. Ice Cube & Ice-T)

Kam - Watts Riot (ft. Ice Cube) <<<

But then I thought to myself - of COURSE there's still some Angry left in mainstream music! One of the reasons I've fallen in love with the South is their embracing of old skool hip-hop: the drum machines, the energy, rocking the crowd - and of course songs like this, with NY's GRIMIEST:
Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz - Heads Off (My Nigga) (ft. M.O.P.)

BONUS ANGRY RASTAMAN CUT: Sizzla - Pump Up Her Pum Pum

And It Don't Stop...

2006-08-15T14:15:00.000+02:00

Masta Killa - Iron God Chamber (ft. U-God, RZA & Method Man)
From 'Made In Brooklyn' >>> Cop that shit @ Nature Sounds

Too $hort - Keep Bouncin' (ft. Snoop Dogg & Will.I.Am*)

Keak Da Sneak - Soil Raps [prod. Jake One]

And if you like SLAMMIN' tunes, go to Palms Out Sounds and get Lil' Wayne's 'Pump That Bass' and Nump's 'I Got Grapes Remix' with E-40, The Federation and M.I.A.... while you still can.

*Hey, the dude was signed to Ruthless Records. More on that later...

Electro Explosion

2006-08-12T16:01:00.000+02:00

Fuck it, let's do this.

Afrika Bambaataa & The SoulSonic Force - Looking For The Perfect Beat
You know you like that LL song, but let's take it back to the source.... (well, kinda.)

Chaka Khan - I Feel For You (ft. Melle Mel & Stevie Wonder)
Slammin intro with the Grandmaster, Little Stevie Wonder on the harmonica, and lyrics by Prince. 'I Feel For You' like Chaka, Khan i'm the don...

Whodini - Freaks Come Out At Night
Freaks all over me like white on rice!!

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer [Live]

Rick James - Cold Blooded

All songs from 1983/84. Get familiar.

Cold Gettin' Dumb Like Just-Ice And Mantronix

2006-06-04T09:26:00.000+02:00

What can I say? I'm was born in NorCal. And hyphy is some of the freshest shit out right now, and I'm loving it. It's about time the Yay gets some mainstream exposure.

Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance
from Sex Packets, Tommy Boy 1990
E-40 - Tell Me When To Go (ft. Keak Da Sneak)
from My Ghetto Report Card, Reprise/BME 2006
E-40 - Tell Me When To Go [Trackademicks Remix] (ft. Keak Da Sneak)
from ?, 2006
DJ Shadow - 4 Freaks (ft. Keak Da Sneak, Turf Talk, Mistah FAB and Droop-E)
from ?, 2006

First off, let's give credit where it's due to a track that definitely captures the ethos of the hyphy movement: "the one who put the satin on yo panties" Shock G, debuting his irrepressible nerd persona, Humpty Hump. Once he gets stupid and starts dancing like MC Hammer on crack, there's no denying this is a pre-Hyphy classic. Next we have the song that started it all and a remix of it, both of which are positively insane. As for the DJ Shadow... the nerds are gonna be PISSED. Fuck em. It may take a few listens to get used to at first, but this shit is GOOD.

A big thanks goes out to Palms Out Sounds and Can I Bring My Gat? for turning me on to this. And that was Dirk Diggler AKA Marky Mark ghostriding the whip, ala Boogie Nights.

HYPHY MOVEMENT '06 <<<

Don't Take Your Guns To Town, Dun

2006-06-02T04:32:00.000+02:00

Gravy. A motherfucker I've never heard of, until he got banned from Hot 97 due to an altercation at the radio statio, where the generic NY thug rapper/retard got shot in the ass. The funny thing is, not only is Gravy being penalised for being shot, but the bullet came from one of his own homies.

Now, I love violent, hardcore rap just as much as the next whiteboy, but shit is getting ridiculous these days. Kids getting paralysed at G-Unit barbeques; Cassidy shooting the man who took the fall for him; motherfuckers thinking they're too hard... I have no problem with rappers having legitimate street cred (actually I prefer it), but too many of these kids are getting advances and using the money to fulfill their little crack fantasies.

Gravy turned up at Hot97 with "about 30 to 40 indiviuals(!?)" Lame. Now for some reason everyone gets into a panic, and Gravy's boy Homey The Clown starts to fire as he runs away, hitting his sugar daddy in the ass. I just wish the stray hit the MF in the head; it could only help stem the tide of stupidity.

Someone needs to read these kids a bedtime story.......

Slick Rick - Children's Story
from The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Def Jam 1988

African History Month - Hosted by Barbara Bush ...that cripple bitch

2005-09-11T06:50:00.000+02:00

Yoh, I'm sorry I'm coming through so late with this post. Alot has happened throughout the audioblogosphere and even the world, and I've been busy with all kinds of bullshit.

No doubt the main things on people's minds has been Katrina, and Kanye's slander of our great leader. (Just kidding.) Self-promoting or not, I'm happy to see Kon pull shit like this. It harkens back to an era long ago when rap was controversial for its politics and not its preference for investing in diamonds and platinum. Sadly, the message has dumbed down a bit since then: 1989 - Public Enemy; 1999 - dead prez.

My disagreement isn't Kanye's questioning of our president (I was born in Sacramento), it's the way he slighted the extent of this power structure's indifference.

The Bushes always loved Negro music.

I was never under the impression that George Bush cared about black people. I'm sure their are a few black billionaire at some of those fundraisers... except when it comes to certain special interest groups. Bush is a Repubican for fuck's sake, and the Republican Party upholds the interest of the mega-rich and big business. The fact is, the majority of blacks in America are poor, and the politicians (democrats too) owned by special interests don't really care about poor people who can't give them funds.

George Bush doesn't care about poor people. Neither did his dad. Doesn't anyone remember the late 80s/early 90s? Even if you didn't follow the news, didn't you listen to hip-hop?

Ice Cube - A Bird In The Hand
From 'Death Certificate', 1991

>>>Now for an African point of view. Yes, send aid as fast as you can. What does the American government have all those resources for if not to aid its own citizens. But if this happened anywhere in the world, it would take weeks for shit to happen. And don't even think of asking for outside monetary aid.

A way that the Bush Administration is responsible for this is in their denial of the greenhouse effect and ending funding to related studies. You can't control the weather, but you can fuck with it. Weather is getting crazier and crazier each year.... we (Earthlings) just had the fuckin tsunami! We need to come correct, or things could get worse my friends.

Cell Block 8: The Lyrical Murderer

2005-08-28T12:30:00.000+02:00

Black music executives are an endangered species. Check out these articles on two of our favorites:

Jay-Z seems to be off to a good start with his corporate role at Def Jam. Read this article to find out about his new management stylee.

Suge Knight got shot (in the leg). This can't be good...

UPDATE: Immortal Technique interview. If this guy isn't one of your favotites, I'm disappointed in you...

Now onto another endgangered species: hardcore female MCs.

There have been a few since the days of MC Lyte, Queen Latifah and Roxanne Shanté, but most have stuck to the Lil' Kim/Foxxy Brown template of trying to outsex the brothers. A few are entertaing enough to remain respectable (Missy Elloitt, Jackie-O), some can hold their own with their male counterparts (Shawnna, Eve), but then there are those that transcend the label of 'female MC' because they are so damn hard they'll outrap most of the heavyweights in this male-dominated rap game (Rah Digga and, of course, Jean Grae). But one of the HARDEST spitting EVER comes from an unlikely place, a label synonymous with 'Bitches Ain't Shit', Death Row Records.

I'm talkin about The Lady Of Rage.

Coming out of Farmville, Virginia before there was a Timbaland or Neptunes, Robin Allen had been rapping since 15 and wanted to make it a career. Realizing that up north is where the industry's at, she moved to New York City, hooking up with the L.A. Posse (yes, based in NY) and Chubb Rock, who took pity on her after finding her living in Chun King Studios. 'Rockin' Robin' made her debut on 'Bring 'Em Home Safely' from Chubb's 1991 album The One, an anti-war track with Red Hot Lover Tone and 3rd Bass.

Somehow Rage caught the attention of Dr. Dre, and she was invited to come out to LA to became one of the original Death Row Inmates. This led to her appearances on The Cronic and Doggystyle, which she ripped 100% everytime. Even if your some backpack lamer, you should have these albums in some form.

After releasing her 1994 debut single 'Afro Puffs' off the Above The Rim Soundtrack, Suge waited until 1997 when Tupac was dead and everyone else had left to drop her debut, Necessary Roughness. If only this had been done in 1993/94 with Dre on the beat, I'm sure they would've had another G-Funk masterpiece. Still, the album turned out cool, thanks to a little help from Easy Mo Bee and DJ Premier.

As Death Row turned into the heaping pile of shit that it is today, Rage was locked out of the offices (which was probably a good thing for her), and she turned back to the East. Rage began to tour with GangStarr, which resulted in the 'You Know My Steez Remix', but besides for another Premo track on the DoggyStyle AllStars comp, Our Lady has been quiet (aside from appearing as that bos chick in Next Friday)... quiet, until now.

The Lady Of Rage has just dropped a mixtape, VA 2 L.A., through Boss Lady Entertaiment and Dogg House Records (good lookin, Big Snoop), and of course its dope. Looks like she's got some moves planned for the future... we can only wait and hope.

Imagine what their kids would rap like...

Jesus, that's alot of writing up there... I'm really sorry I put you through all of that. Now for what you've been patiently waiting for... unless you scrolled down, you cunt.

Dr. Dre - Puffin On Blunts And Drankin Tanqueray (ft. The Lady Of Rage & Tha Dogg Pound)
From 'Fuck Wit Dre Day' 12", Death Row Records 1992
The Lady Of Rage - Afro Puffs (ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg)
From 'Above The Rim - The Soundtrack', Death Row Records 1994
The Lady Of Rage - Microphone Pon Cock (ft. Madd 1)
From 'Necessary Roughness', Death Row Records 1997
GangStarr - You Know My Steez [Three Men And A Lady Remix] (ft. The Lady Of Rage and Kurupt The Kingpin)
From 'Full Clip: A Decade Of Gang Starr', Virgin 1999
The Lady Of Rage - UNFUCWITABLE
From 'Doggy Style Allstars - Welcome To Tha House Vol. 1', MCA 2002

The Lady Of Rage - Bow Down
The Lady Of Rage - The West Needs Me
From 'VA 2 L.A.', Boss Lady Ent./Dogg House Records 2005

I know these are a fuckload of tracks for an audioblog, but this woman is fire.

Oh yeah, and one last thing: Dre and Daz (he always needs some hel, doesn't he?) produced 'Puffin On Blunts' and 'Afro Puffs', and Premo's on 'Microphone Pon Cock', 'You Know My Steez Remix' and 'UNFUKWITABLE'. No info about the mixtape

BONUS: Check out this Rage interview for her thoughts on the Chubbster, Pac and BEEF.

Deeper Than The Pussy Of A Bitch 6 Feet

2005-08-26T20:46:00.000+02:00

Ugh.. my mind has been under attack this week, from common colds and shitty weed (bejut), so don't expect any in-depth discourse right now. I'm just tryna keep you fiends comin back for more, so hopefully this'll hold your attention until my next p3 post on Sunday...

Definitely check out ear fuzz for part one of a clip from Yo! MTV Raps' final episode in 1995, featuring a freestyle by Rakim, KRS-One, Erick Sermon, Chubb Rock and MC Serch (!!!).... part two comin up next week. Treat Maru right, he'll treat you good...

Tracks from Late Registration are all over the Net, so hit up Spine Magazine to get some import-only Kanye and feel different.

While your there, check out 'Push, Kick' by the latest hot shit Lupe Fiasco... I liked this dude the first time I heard em; he had me once he compared himself to Lupin The Third.

Is this the death of the LP? If the problem is people cherry-picking songs off the Internet, I don't see how selling them over the Net in 'clusters' of four tracks is gonna work... Opinions?

And while i'm leaching stuff off of Spine, here's an mp3 link they posted a few weeks back. The song in question is 'Tradewinds' (mp3 link), a collabo between the Natti's Main Flow and Cape Town's own Tumi. This track is pretty dope, with it's Premo style chorus, and it's nice to hear a South African cat on a track that holds up to American standards. Expect some posts on SA's growing Hip-Hop scene in the future....

As for my weekly mp3 post, you'll have to wait until Sunday, cause i'll be busy tomorrow... at the African Hip-Hop Indaba! Gyeah!

The Grand Opening

2005-08-20T17:54:00.000+02:00

I've been caught slipping this past week, so let's just recap on a few things that stand out (from my skewed point of view):

First up, a shoutout goes to my man Ekko at berkleyplace for giving me a bit of promotion this past week. Ass-kissing aside, I always hit his site up to get that Real Hip-Hop and good music of other genres that my narrow tastes would've ignored. Thanks homey.

Have you heard the new Kanye West and Nas track?? Get it at We Eat So Many Shrimp... there's nothing I can really say without repeating Icarus. (Except wtf is up with the Angel wings on Kanye?)

Also, definitely check out The Broke BBoys for some tracks by Ugly Duckling and my man, Planet Asia. I'ma take a cue from Audio1 now and move on to MY post... on Planet Asia!!

Now Planet Asia is no rookie in the game. I've been aware of him since 1999, but I'll admit I was sleeping on him because now I am an eager fan. One half of the Cali Agents, Planet Asia has been paying dues with cameo appearances all over the place.. and we all know the collabo is one of the best things in Hip-Hop, right? Right.

Peanut Butter Wolf - Definition Of Ill [Remix] (ft. Planet Asia)
from Definition Of Ill 12", Stones Throw Records 1999
Planet Asia - Real Niggaz (ft. Ghostface Killah)
from Grand Opening, Avatar 2004
Talib Kweli - Thiefs' Theme (ft. J-Hood and Planet Asia)
from The Beautiful Mix Tape, Vol. 2, okayplayer 2005
Zion-I - Critical [Madlib Remix] (ft. Planet Asia)
from Critical 12", Ground Control 2000

First off we have a stone-cold Stones Throw classic, with Peanut Butter Wolf on the cut, Madlib on the beat, and Planet Asia dropping science on the mic. Moving on.

The next track features an emcee that has firmly established himself as one of my favorites recently: the Ghostface Killah. 'Real Niggaz' is a Supa Dave West production that fits right in with the sound of 'The Pretty Toney Album'. Music for the Gods.

Nas' 'Thief's Theme' was one of my favorite singles over the past year, a large part of that due to Salaam Remi's sampling of Iron Butterfly's 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'. Badass. Talib sounds hard as fuck over this, but Planet Asia straight KILLS this freestyle, easily outshining the over-hyped J-Hood from D-Block.

Lastly, we have an example of Hip-Hop brilliance. I've heard the original of 'Critical' and its tight: a nice beat and great lyrics from two of Northern California's finest, but it has nothing on this remix. Madlib makes sure you're paying attention to every development as he creates a beat for each verse plus interludes, and throws in shit like bird calls just to freak you out. Smoking a blunt can only enhance the experience.

Now go buy one of his albums. 'Still In Training' is solid from start (and almost) to finish. Download 'The Massacre' and shit you can't find in stores. These are the type of cats to support.

UPDATE: Check out this cool Planet Asia interview over at ThaFormula.com.

It's Tha Liks Baby

2005-08-13T03:25:00.000+02:00

Tash, J-Ro and E-Swift are back with a new album, Firewater, and after a brief hiatus under the shortened moniker Tha Liks, they're back to being Tha Alkaholiks. Like it ever made a difference. Check out their website to listen to two new songs ('Flute Song' is tight as hell). No news on when the release date is or under which label (they used to be on the now-defunct Loud Records), but good things come to those who wait. This is a seriously underated group, from a crew that includes King Tee, Xzibit and Madlib, and Tash is one of my all-time favorite emcees. Real recognize real.

While I'm at it, here's a few of their tracks, all with production by (DJ) E-Swift:

Tha Alkaholiks - Coast II Coast
from Friday: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Priority 1995
Tha Alkaholiks - All The Way Live (ft. Q-Tip and King Tee)
from 'Coast II Coast', Loud 1995
Tash - Only When I'm Drunker (ft. E-Swift, J-Ro and Phillip Johnson)
from 'Rap Life', Loud 1999

Thieves In The Night

2005-08-11T07:28:00.000+02:00

I create my first post in the note of tragedy. In the early hours of this morning, our house was burgled. My roomate woke up to two shadowy figures in his room, who he proceeded to chase (naked) down the street.

Anyway, I was just happy it wasn't me. I didn't leave the door unlocked, and I didn't have my bag, keys, new shoes, clothes and professional camera stolen. But it seemed I emerged unscathed.

No. When I woke up two hours later, I couldn't find my backpack. Now for the tragic part: my bag had my CD wallet, which contained *sob* :

Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions...
Raekwon The Chef - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Mobb Deep - The Infamous
Xzibit - At The Speed Of Light
Paris - Sleeping With The Enemy (which wasn't even mine...)

The body count is still climbing, as I can't remember what exactly was in there. I'm sure I'll be pleasantly surprised in the coming days with more missing CDs. I just pray the Gravediggaz are safe.

You see, this is why I turn all my music into mp3s. In that way if a CD gets fuct or stolen, you always have the music. Anti-pirating is really pro-materialism. So maybe having my shit stolen was a good thing, morally. Redistribution of the wealth and all that. This is post-post-colonial Africa.

But with the thievery of some of my favorite albums, it gives me an opportunity to give you the first peek into my taste of hip-hop. So in tribute to my fallen CDs, I have posted my favorite tracks from them. It was nice while it lasted.

Xzibit - Plastic Surgery (ft. Saafir and Ras Kass)
from 'At The Speed Of Life', Loud 1996
Mobb Deep - Give Up The Goods (Just Step) (ft. Big Noyd)
from 'The Infamous', Loud 1995
Public Enemy - Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic
from 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back', Def Jam 1988
Raekwon - Guillotine (Swordz) (ft. Inspectah Deck, Ghost Face Killer and The GZA)
from 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...', Loud 1995

First let me address my man Xzibit, The Big Bad Insane Black John McClain. Every time I hear Talib Kweli say “the real emcee that your favourite rapper used to be”, I think of this dude. Xzibit has a great hard voice, the problem is that many people think that’s all there is to him. But go buy '40 Dayz & 40 Nightz' and you'll see this cat was on point with his lyrics and making that 'real Hip-Hop'. Anyway, motherfucker has basically forgotten the Liwit Crew and now just plays the role of unrepentant thug MC. This song is with his Golden State Warriors supergroup, and has X, Ras Kassy and the Saucee Nomad rhyming about slicing up wack emcees over one slinky-ass bassline. A Left Coast classic.

Prodigy and Havoc are some dark fucking dunns, and I'm a bit scarred of diving into the rest of the Mobb Deep catologue, but their sophmore album is filled with classics. This is a surprising track, a lot more upbeat (musically) then what they're known for, probably due to the production by fellow Queens native Q-Tip. I pity the fool who's unfamiliar with A Tribe Called Quest.

It's hard to pick a favorite off 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions...' but this PE track stands out due to the emphasis on the tag team of Chuck D and Flavor Flav, Terminator X chopping up Queen's 'Flash Gordon', and that whine curtousey of the Bomb Squad. Madness.

'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Niggas' is widely hailed as a classic, and rightfully so. Over this killer beat by The RZA, Rebel INS drops another flawless verse, Ghostface viciously attacks all you 'fourteen-carat gold slum computer wizards' (which would've been this blog's title, so a sarcastic fuck you goes out to Killer Mike at 510 To 514), Rae drops a memorable verse and the Genius proves his namesake by keeping it "half short and twice strong" with his 12 bars. Ol' Dirty was right: Wu-Tang is the best.

So sorry about the long-ass intro to the post. Most of you are just in it for the mp3s, you don't care about the commentary on the music, and even less about my problems. But fuck you guys.