Thursday, August 31, 2006

De La Soul

At the time of its 1989 release, De La Soul's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising , was hailed as the future of hip-hop. With its colorful, neo-psychedelic collage of samples and styles, plus the Long Island trio's low-key, clever rhymes and goofy humor, the album sounded like nothing else in hip-hop. Where most of their contemporaries drew directly from old-school rap, funk, or Public Enemy's dense sonic barrage, De La Soul were gentler and more eclectic, taking in not only funk and soul, but also pop, jazz, reggae, and psychedelia. Though their style initially earned both critical raves and strong sales, De La Soul found it hard to sustain their commercial momentum in the '90s as their alternative rap was sidetracked by the popularity of considerably harder-edged gangsta rap.De La Soul formed while the trio — Posdnous (born Kelvin Mercer, August 17, 1969), Trugoy The Dove (born David Jude Jolicoeur, September 21, 1968), and Pasemaster Mase (born Vincent Mason, March 27, 1970) — were attending high school in the late '80s. The stage names of all of the members derived from in-jokes: Posdnuos was an inversion of Mercer's DJ name, Sound-Sop; Trugoy was an inversion of Jolicoeurs's favorite food, yogurt. De La Soul's demo tape, "Plug Tunin'," came to the attention of Prince Paul, the leader and producer of the New York rap outfit Stetsasonic. Prince Paul played the tape to several colleagues and helped the trio land a contract with Tommy Boy Records.Prince Paul produced De La Soul's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, which was released in the spring of 1989. Several critics and observers labeled the group as a neo-hippie band because the record praised peace and love as well as proclaiming the dawning of "the D.A.I.S.Y. age" (Da Inner Sound, Y'all). Though the trio was uncomfortable with the hippie label, there was no denying that the humor and eclecticism presented an alternative to the hardcore rap that dominated hip-hop. De La Soul quickly were perceived as the leaders of a contingent of New York-based alternative rappers which also included A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, The Jungle Brothers, and Monie Love; all of these artists dubbed themselves the Native Tongues posse.For a while, it looked as if De La Soul and the Native Tongues posse would eclipse hardcore hip-hop in terms of popularity. "Me, Myself and I" became a Top 40 pop hit in the U.S. (number one R&B), while the album reached number 24 (number one R&B) and went gold. At the end of the year, 3 Feet High and Rising topped many best-of-the-year lists, including The Village Voice's. With all of the acclaim came some unwanted attention, most notably in the form of a lawsuit by The Turtler. De La Soul had sampled The Turtler' "You Showed Me" and layered it with a French lesson on a track on 3 Feet High called "Transmitting Live From Mars," without getting the permission of the '60s pop group. The Turtler won the case, and the decision not only had substantial impact on De La Soul, but on rap in general. Following the suit, all samples had to be legally cleared before an album could be released. Not only did this have the end result of rap reverting back to instrumentation, thereby altering how the artists worked, it also meant that several albums in the pipeline had to be delayed in order for samples to clear. One of those was De La Soul's second album, De La Soul Is Dead.When De La Soul Is Dead was finally released in the spring of 1991, it received decidedly mixed reviews, and its darker, more introspective tone didn't attract as big an audience as its lighter predecessor. The album peaked at number 26 pop on the U.S. charts, number 24 R&B, and spawned only one minor hit, the number 22 R&B single "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)." De La Soul worked hard on their third album, finally releasing the record in late 1993. The result, entitled Buhloone Mindstate, was harder and funkier than either of its predecessors, yet it didn't succumb to gangsta rap. Though it received strong reviews, the album quickly fell off the charts after peaking at number 40, and only "Breakadawn" broke the R&B Top 40. The same fate greeted the trio's fourth album, Stakes Is High. Released in the summer of 1996, the record was well reviewed, yet it didn't find a large audience and quickly disappeared from the charts. Four years later, De La Soul initiated what promised to be a three-album series with the release of Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump; though reviews were mixed, it was greeted warmly by record buyers, debuting in the Top Ten. The second title in the series, AOI: Bionix, even featured a video hit with "Baby Phat," but Tommy Boy and the trio decided to end their relationship soon after. De La Soul subsequently signed their AOI label to Sanctuary Urban (run by Beyonce's father Matthew), and released The Grind Date in October 2004.

De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
The most inventive, assured, and playful debut in hip-hop history, 3 Feet High and Rising not only proved that rappers didn't have to talk about the streets to succeed, but also expanded the palette of sampling material with a kaleidoscope of sounds and references culled from pop, soul, disco, and even country music. Weaving clever wordplay and deft rhymes across two dozen tracks loosely organized around a game-show theme, De La Soul broke down boundaries all over the LP, moving easily from the groovy my-philosophy intro "The Magic Number" to an intelligent, caring inner-city vignette named "Ghetto Thang" to the freewheeling end-of-innocence tale "Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)." Rappers Posdnuos and Trugoy The Dove talked about anything they wanted (up to and including body odor), playing fast and loose on the mic like Biz Markie. Thinly disguised under a layer of humor, their lyrical themes ranged from true love ("Eye Know") to the destructive power of drugs ("Say No Go") to Daisy Age philosophy ("Tread Water") to sex ("Buddy"). Prince Paul (from Stetsasonic) and DJ Pasemaster Mase led the way on the production end, with dozens of samples from all sorts of left-field artists — including Johnny Cash, The Mad Lads, Steely Dan, Public Enemy, Hall & Oates, and The Turtler. The pair didn't just use those samples as hooks or drumbreaks — like most hip-hop producers had in the past — but as split-second fills and in-jokes that made some tracks sound more like DJ records. Even "Potholes on My Lawn," which samples a mouth harp and yodeling (for the chorus, no less), became a big R&B hit. If it was easy to believe the revolution was here from listening to the rapping and production on Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, with De La Soul the Daisy Age seemed to promise a new era of positivity in hip-hop.

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De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
On their notorious second album, De La Soul went to great lengths to debunk the daisy-age hippie image they'd been pigeonholed with, titling the record De La Soul Is Dead and putting a picture of wilting daisies in a broken flowerpot on the cover. Critics and fans alike were puzzled as to why the group was seemingly rejecting what had been hailed as the future of hip-hop, and neither the reviews nor the charts were kind to the album. It isn't that De La try to remake their sound here — Dead keeps the skit-heavy structure of the debut, and the surreal tone and inventive sampling techniques are still very much in evidence. But, despite a few lighthearted moments ("Bitties in the BK Lounge," the disco-flavored "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'"), a distinct note of bitterness has crept into De La's once-sunny outlook. On the one hand, they're willing to take on more serious subject matter; two of the album's most powerful moments are the unsettling incest tale "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa" and Posdnuos' drug-addiction chronicle "My Brother's a Basehead," both true-life occurrences. Yet other tracks betray a brittle, insular state of mind; one running skit features a group of street thugs who ultimately throw the album in the trash for not having enough pimps, guns, or curse words. There are vicious parodies of hip-house and hardcore rap, and the single "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" complains about being harassed into listening to lousy demo tapes. Plus, the negativity of the bizarre, half-sung "Johnny's Dead" and the hostile narrator on "Who Do U Worship?" seemingly comes out of nowhere. Dead is clearly the product of a group staggering under the weight of expectations, yet even if it's less cohesive and engaging, it's still often fascinating in spite of its flaws.

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De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate
The last album of De la Soul's creative prime, Buhloone Mindstate was also their last with producer Prince Paul. After the claustrophobic De La Soul Is Dead, Mindstate is a partial return to the upbeat positivity of 3 Feet High and Rising, though not its wildly colorful invention. Instead, Buhloone Mindstate takes a calmer, more laid-back approach — the music is often more introspective, and the between-song skits have been jettisoned in favor of a tighter focus. The surrealism of Buhloone Mindstate's predecessors has largely evaporated, and the production, while still imaginative, doesn't quite dazzle the way it used to. Then again, it's admirable that the group is trying to mature and progress musically, and they would never experiment quite this ambitiously again. There's quite a bit more live instrumentation here, with extensive, jazzy guest work by The JB Horns. In fact, the guests threaten to overpower the first half of the album; "Patti Dooke" and "I Be Blowin'" are both extended showcases for the horns, and the latter is a full-fledged instrumental led by Maceo Parker. They're followed by a group of Japanese rappers on "Long Island Wildin'," and it isn't until the terrific single "Ego Trippin', Pt. 2" that De La really takes over. Many of the record's best raps follow: the reflective old-school tribute "Breakadawn," the jazzy "I Am I Be" and "In the Woods," and the Biz Marker collaboration "Stone Age." If Buhloone Mindstate is a great deal more straightforward than De La's earlier work, its high points are still excellent and well worth the time of any fan. In fact, many De La diehards feel that this album is hugely underrated.

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De La Soul - Stakes Is High
Seven years after its debut album, De La Soul was still one of the most unpredictable and risk-taking groups in rap. On their fourth record, Stakes Is High, the Long Island natives continued to thrive on the abstract and the cerebral. Instead of the lightheartedness that characterized 3 Feet High And Rising, they favored a harder, tougher approach that's closer to their second album, De La Soul. Jazz remained a strong influence for the group, who sampled the improvised works of Milt Jackson, Lou Donaldson, and Chico Hamilton, as well as classic soul by the likes of The Commodores and Sly & The Family Stone. This eclectic approach was more in keeping with alternative rock and acid jazz circles; in 1996, rap's hardcore seemed much more interested in gangster rap.

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De La Soul - Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
De La Soul came storming back after four years of recording inactivity — and practically a decade out of the hip-hop limelight — with a promise to release three full albums in a series they dubbed Art Official Intelligence. From the first volume, Mosaic Thump, it's clear that despite laudable ambitions, comeback albums should be focused and lean, not as flabby as this one. Unfortunately, the trio of Posdnuos, PA Mase, and Dave (formerly Trugoy The Dove) fall into the same trap they did on 1991's De La Soul Is Dead; an inventive, intelligent group attempts to prove themselves flexible enough to survive in a changing music world, and subsequently loses most of their appeal in the process. Mosaic Thump begins with "U Can Do (Life)," a surprisingly weak attempt at hip-hop soul. Posdnuos' raps are occasionally thoughtful and clever, but he seems obsessed with being as hardcore as DMX or Jay-Z. Aside from a few solid productions by outsiders (Ad Lib's "My Writes," Jaydee's "Thru Ya City," Rockwilder's "I.C. Y'All." with Busta Rhymes), most of Mosaic Thump was produced by De La Soul themselves, and the music is just as limpid and flat as the rapping.

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De La Soul - The Grind Date
De La Soul were interrupted just before they could deliver the third volume in their AOI series — projected to be a DJ album — to Tommy Boy. (The label perhaps bailed out from a 15-year relationship precisely because the group was going to release such a commercially bankrupt title, one that will instead appear on an independent label run by Maseo.) De La Soul quickly realized they couldn't go ahead with the plan after signing their AOI label to Sanctuary, so they wrote a new record, The Grind Date. Although it may see them settling into a holding pattern, at least the pattern of 2001's AOI: Bionix is one that any hip-hop fan won't mind hearing repeated. Better yet, it boasts productions from an excellent cast of figures — partner in crime Supa Dave West, author of the best tracks on their AOI series, J-Dilla, who's stretching out his patented (read: overdone) sound to embrace classic hip-hop, an only slightly commercialized Madlib, and young phenom 9th Wonder. Madlib gets what must be the first lead single of his career, a bright, antimaterialist tale called "Shopping Bags (She Got From You)" that thumps like a club tune, but lurches as only the Beat Conductor could do it. "Verbal Clap" finds J-Dilla allowing some grit into his productions, and Supa Dave only continues floating the most fluidly catchy productions of any rap producer in action. Meanwhile, De La Soul voices Posdnuos and Dave balance their time breezing easy on bumping message tracks with a few old-school shots that show them a bit defensive about the passing of time. (Check out "Come On Down," a Madlib-produced shot with Flava Flav, or "Days of Our Lives" featuring Common.) Without a concept to tout, The Grind Date doesn't gel like AOI: Bionix, but it does show De La Soul keeping everything together more than 15 years after their debut (you certainly don't see MF Doom guesting on a Tone Loc record).

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Last Added: De La Soul - The Impossible Mission (Oct 24, 2006: Red Lion)

"No longer backed by record companies but back by popular demand" raps Posdnuos in "Freedom Train," the penultimate song on De La Soul's label-less mixtape Impossible Mission: TV Series, Pt. 1, a collection of older previously unreleased tracks, as well as new material, all of which helps to firmly establish the group as one of hip-hop's legends. Not that Impossible Mission compares to 3 Feet High and Rising or De La Soul Is Dead or even AOI: Bionix, because it doesn't — those were all focused and pointed albums, while this one, being a mixtape, is a little more across the board — but it contains a lot of strong work, both in the new songs as well as in the older tracks (especially the excellent "Mindstate," found on "What the F*@k #2," and apparently recorded during the Buhloone Mindstate sessions and played for Tommy Boy execs just to scare them, though there was never any intention of including it on the album). For the most part, the rhymes are all pretty good, with lines like "Me without your balance just wouldn't sit right/Like written wouldn't be past tense without ten" (from "Wasn't for You") reminding fans why De La has had so much success throughout their 15-plus years in the game. They're veterans, that's clear, but they're still very impressive. The production on Impossible Mission is pretty great too, with beats from longtime collaborator Supa Dave West as well as Geology, J Dilla (recycled from Slum Village, however), and Oh No, though the majority of the songs have no producer listed, which is fairly annoying, but does attest to the record's quasi-illegitimatacy. In releasing a mixtape, De La Soul is declaring that they're making music because they love making music, and not because of the money they're going to get from each album. Yeah, they're still trying to sell themselves, proffering their wares, hawking their goods to all interested buyers, seeing if any record label is interested and/or if they even need one, but it's all secondary to the music, the rhymes over the beats, the basics, which is all that we want to hear, anyway.


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Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Gang Starr

Never overly prolific nor overly popular, Gang Starr nonetheless became and remain one of hip-hop's most admired acts ever, the duo's legacy nothing short of legendary in terms of influence. Dj Premier and Guru, the duo's respective producer/DJ and lyricist/MC, set standards for early-'90s hip-hop with their two touchstone releases: Step In The Area (1991) and Daily Operation (1992). Beginning with these releases, both listeners and critics heaped mounds of praise upon Premier and Guru — the former because of his DJ-style beatmaking and jazzy sound, the latter because of his socially conscious lyrics and no-nonsense stance. Following these two undisputed classics, Premier became one of New York's most demanded producers and crafted hits for the city's finest MCs: The Notorious B.I.G, Nas, Jay-Z, KRS-One, and more. Guru likewise collaborated with plenty of famous artists — Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, N`Dea Davenport, and more — on his solo debut, Jazzmatazz, Vol.1. After this point, however, Gang Starr became somewhat of a side project for Premier and Guru, who both forged on with their respective solo careers. More albums came — each impressive, beginning with the tough Hard To Earn album in 1994 — yet Gang Starr had already attained their summit of popularity and acclaim in the early '90s and, as a result, continually battled their own growing legacy, as fans billed every successive album as a comeback.Premier and Guru began humbly enough, releasing No More Mr. Nice Guy (1989), an ambitious debut album seeking to heavily incorporate a jazz aesthetic into hip-hop. Ambitious or not, the formative album didn't impress too many (though there were promising moments like "Manifest" and "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration"), and Gang Starr took two years to reconsider their approach. The duo then returned with a new record label and a fresh approach. It worked marvelously as Step In The Arena (1991) set new standards with not only its beats but also its lyrics. Premier had blossomed into one of New York's most savvy producer/DJs, capable of using samples in ways never before imagined and garnered much acclaim for his subtle use of jazz. Similarly, Guu's literate, thoughtful, and, most of all, earnest lyrics stood out among the brash materialism increasingly plaguing the genre, and his trademark monotone delivery didn't hurt either. A year later came Daily Operation (1992). If Step In The Arena had been and remains a masterpiece, this album is nothing short of that mark; in fact, it's generally viewed as Gang Starr's crowning achievement. While both Step In The Arena and Daily Operation astounded critics and street-level listeners, the albums never inspired any big breakthrough hits, and Gang Starr remained somewhat of a cult favorite. Songs like "Just to Get a Rep," "Step in the Arena," "Take It Personal," and "Soliloquy of Chaos" became underground classics but never crossed over to the mainstream. Despite Premier's reputation as a hitmaker, Gang Starr openly spurned "mass appeal" and refused to adjust their style to any sort of trend.Hard To Earn (1994) strongly confirmed this anti-commercial stance, especially the "Mass Appeal" single, and the duo didn't return until four years later with Moment Of Truth (1998) and Full Clip (1999) shortly after. The former album and its big single, "You Know My Steez," proved that, despite Gang Starr's long absence , Premier and Guru could still make excellent hip-hop — an entire album of it, in fact. The latter album, a double-disc retrospective commemorating Gang Starr's ten-year anniversary, showcased some of the duo's best moments and added some bonuses for long-time fans.Following the best-of collection, Premier and Guru quietly rested the Gang Starr moniker. Even so, they remained active over the years: Guru continued releasing star-studded solo albums, and Premier continued producing countless tracks for New York's finest. While it's somewhat ironic that Premier produced so many across-the-board hits for others but not himself, Gang Starr never attained Nas or Jay-Z level stardom because of their uncompromising, somewhat highbrow style, something which the two refused to dilute with mass appeal, precisely the reason why their influence has proven so timeless.

Reupped: Gang Starr - No More Mr. Nice Guy
You don't hear much of Step In The Arena on Gang Starr's first album. In fact, aside from some scrupulous lyrical stances by Guru ("Manifest," "Positivity") and some of Dj Premier's hallmark brilliance behind the turntables, this Gang Starr isn't instantly recognizable as the duo who would soon become one of the most respected rap groups of the 1990s. The Gang Starr of No More Mr. Nice Guy still has a leg knee-deep in the old-school aesthetic. As a result, Premier's beats are quite a bit simpler and sometimes cruder than fans have come to expect (though they are still several cuts above the rest of the class), and Guru spends considerable energy talking up his own microphone skills and tearing down the next MC's (sometimes electrifying, as on "Gotch U"). That is not the same thing, however, as saying that No More Mr. Nice Guy is a subpar album. It is not, by any means. In fact, it's quite good in its own way, but it's also safe to say that the recording is not representative of the Chrysalis-era Gang Starr that devotees would eventually come to revere. Approach this album on its own terms, though, and it has a lot to offer, namely its early, tentative steps into the sampling of jazz. The most conspicuous attempt in this direction is the fine "Jazz Music," which was, nevertheless, reworked to much better effect a few years later for the soundtrack to Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues as "Jazz Thing." The scratching showcase "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration" is an antiquated delight that dips into jazz as well, while the conscientious "Cause and Effect," the steely "2 Steps Ahead," and the uncharacteristic guest production from Dj Mark The 45 King on "Gusto" are all classics waiting to be rediscovered. Indicative or not, fans of the group will want this album, as will those with a jones for the original new-school revolution. More casual fans can probably start their collections with Step In The Arena, which is a required purchase. [The 2001 Wild Pitch Classics reissue adds three bonus tracks, the strongest of which is "Here's the Proof."]

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Gang Starr - Step in the Arena
The album on which Dj Premier and Guru perfected the template that would launch them into underground stardom and a modicum of mainstream success. Guru's deadpan monotone delivery was shockingly different from other early-'90s MCs, many of who were either substituting charisma for substance or engaging in hardcore "realism" without really commenting on black inner-city life or offering ways to alter the situation for the better. But it is Guru who sounded like the real clarion call of and to the street on Step in the Arena ("Why bring ignorance/where we're inviting you to get advancement," he intones on "Form of Intellect"). Step in the Arena was the first real mature flowering of his street-wise sagacity. His voice would grow more assured by the next album, but here Guru imparts urban wisdom of a strikingly visible variety. It's easy to allow yourself to get caught up in the fantasy of hardcore rap, but it is somewhat more involving and disorienting to hear truth that avoids exaggeration or glorification. Guru is not easy on any aspect of the inner city, from the "snakes" that exploit the community ("Execution of a Chump") to those that are a product of it ("Just to Get a Rep"), and the result is a surprising but hard-fought compassion ("Who's Gonna Take the Weight?" pleads for the acceptance of responsibility, for not taking the easy path). He seems to have somehow developed a hopefulness out of the bleak surroundings. Dj Premier was already near the top of his game at this early point. His production seems less jazz-fueled on Step in the Arena, opting more for spare guitar lines and tight beats, as well as his unmistakable vocal cut-up style of scratching for a slightly warped and out-of-phase soundscape.

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Gang Starr - Daily Operation
On Step in the Arena, Dj Premier and Guru hit upon their mature sound, characterized by sparse, live jazz samples, Premier's cut-up scratching, and Guru's direct, unwavering streetwise monotone; but, with Daily Operation, the duo made their first masterpiece. From beginning to end, Gang Starr's third full-length album cuts with the force and precision of a machete and serves as an ode to and representation of New York and hip-hop underground culture. The genius of Daily Operation is that Guru's microphone skills are perfectly married to the best batch of tracks Premier had ever come up with. Guru has more of a presence than he has ever had, slinking and pacing through each song like a man with things on his mind, ready to go off at any second. Premier's production has an unparalleled edge here. He created the minimalist opening track, "The Place Where We Dwell," out of a two-second drum-solo sample and some scratching, but is also able to turn around and create something as lush and melodic as the jazz-tinged "No Shame in My Game" without ever seeming to be out of his element, making every track of the same sonic mind. For an underground crew, Gang Starr has always had a knack for crafting memorable vocal hooks to go with the expert production, and they multiply both aspects on Daily Operation. Every song has some attribute that stamps it indelibly into the listener's head, and it marks the album as one of the finest of the decade, rap or otherwise.

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Gang Starr - Hard to Earn
Gang Starr came out hard on their 1994 album, Hard to Earn, an album notably different from its two predecessors: Step in the Arena (1991) and Daily Operation (1992). While those two classic albums garnered tremendous praise for their thoughtful lyrics and jazzy beats, Hard to Earn seems much more reactionary, especially its lyrics. Guru opens the album with a tough, dismissive spoken-word intro: "Yo, all you kids want to get on and sh*t/Just remember this/This sh*t ain't easy/If you ain't got it, you ain't got it, motherf*cker." While this sense of superiority is undoubtedly a long-running convention of not just East Coast rap but rap in general, you don't expect to hear it coming from Gang Starr, particularly with such a bitter tone. Yet this attitude pervades throughout Hard to Earn. Songs such as "Suckas Need Bodyguards" and "Mass Appeal" take aim at unnamed peers, and other songs such as "ALONGWAYTOGO" similarly center on "whack crews." The best moments on Hard to Earn aren't these songs but instead "Code of the Streets" and "Tonz 'O' Gunz," two songs where Guru offers the type of social commentary that made Gang Starr so admirable in the first place. Yet, even though Hard to Earn is a bit short on such thoughtful moments, instead weighed down a bit with harsh attitude, it does offer some of Dj Premier's best productions ever. He's clearly at — or, at least, near — his best here. There isn't a song on the album that's a throwaway, and even the interludes are stunning. Given the subtly bitter tone of this album, it perhaps wasn't surprising then that Guru and Premier took some time to pursue solo opportunities after Hard to Earn. You can sense the duo's frustration with the rap scene circa 1994. The two didn't return with another Gang Starr album until four years later when they dropped Moment Of Truth, a succinct comeback album that reaffirmed their status as one of New York's most thoughtful and artistic rap acts.

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Gang Starr - Moment of Truth
By the release of Moment of Truth in the spring of 1998, Gang Starr were rap veterans, having spent nearly ten years as professionals. That elapsed time meant that the album was positioned as something of a comeback, since the duo had been inactive for four years, and it had been even longer since they had a hit. They knew they had to come back hard, and Moment of Truth almost accomplishes their goals. Retaining the swing of their jazz-rap fusions, Gang Starr nevertheless have their rhythms hit at a street level, and Guru's rhymes are his best in years. It may not have the thrill of discovery that made their first albums so exciting, and it does suffer from a few slow spots, but on the whole it's a successful return.

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Gang Starr - Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr
Considering that the only previous hip-hop hits collection to stretch two full CDs came from 2Pac (and that only after his death), Gang Starr's Full Clip is a surprising release, though it's incredibly welcome. The duo of DJ Premier and Guru has been one of the longest continuous acts on the rap scene, beginning with 1989's No More Mr. Nice Guy and a spot on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. And as demonstrated by Premier's stunning productions on classic early tracks like "Who's Gonna Take the Weight," "Words I Manifest," and "Just to Get a Rep," Gang Starr hit its stride early, and just kept on hitting peak after peak during the '90s with "Speak Ya Clout," "Code of the Streets," "Tonz 'O' Gunz," and "You Know My Steez." And new tracks, usually the bane of any best-of collection, provide quite a few highlights here — including "Full Clip," "Discipline" (featuring Total), and "All 4 Tha Ca$h." Also, the set compiles several notable B-sides — "The ? Remainz," "Credit Is Due," and "You Know My Steez (Remix)" — as well as soundtrack works like "1/2 & 1/2" (from Blade), "Gotta Get Over" (from Trespass), and "The Militia II (Remix)" (from Belly). Though Guru's monotone raps can grate over the course of two hours, Full Clip documents one of the best, most underrated hip-hop groups ever, from their jazzy beginnings into Premier's harder productions from the mid-'90s and beyond.

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Gang Starr - The Ownerz
Quite a few chart-topping rappers came and went during the five years between Gang Starr's fifth and sixth LPs. So many, in fact, that it's tempting to think that commercial rap had taken a turn for the worse simply because the duo hadn't been back to tend the fires since 1998. Angry and intelligent as they'd ever been, Guru and DJ Premier came right back with guns blazing, ridiculing radio DJs and program directors as "f*cking robots" and proving their case with an album full of tough, kinetic hip-hop that blows away anything on the rap charts. Guru, never the most talented rapper on the East Coast, tightened his flow considerably to match his cutting verse, and DJ Premier only continued waxing lyrical with turntables and samplers. (Compared to his outside productions during the interim, it's clear he was holding back for Gang Starr a few can't-miss productions: "Put Up or Shut Up," "Skillz," the title track.) Guru's wordplay and imagery are vivid, whether he's relating yet another inner-city tale ("Sabotage"), excoriating the record industry ("Deadly Habitz"), or casually making a play for a girl ("Nice Girl, Wrong Place"). Surprisingly, most of the guest features are pedestrian, including the lame guns-and-gangstas posturing of "Who Got Gunz" featuring Fat Joe and M.O.P. or "Capture (Militia Pt. 3)" featuring Big Shug and Freddie Foxxx. Also a letdown is Snoop Dogg's "In This Life...," the return of a favor Premier did for him on two tracks for his Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$ LP of a year back. (The only great collaboration is Jadakiss' full-flowing rap on "Rite Where U Stand.") All the Gang Starr trademarks are in place, from Premier's perfect upchoruses to Guru's reedy voice cutting or instructing, and sounding better than ever.

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Guru

Rapper/composer Guru (real name Keith Elam) first rose to prominence as the "lyrical half" of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, one of the first outfits that attempted to fuse jazz with rap. After three albums by Gang Starr hit record store shelves (1989's No More Mr. Nice Guy, 1991's Step In The Arena, and 1992's Daily Operation), Guru launched his own solo career, issuing Jazzmatazz, Vol.1 in 1993. The album featured guest appearances by the likes of Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, and N`Dea Davenport of The Brand New Heavies, and was followed up two years later by a sophomore solo outing, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality, which again featured a variety of special guests (including Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis, and members of Jamiroquai). Despite his solo career, Guru has remained true to Gang Starr all along, continuing to contribute to such further albums as 1994's Hard To Earn and 1998's Moment Of Truth. Five years after his second solo outing appeared, Streetsoul was issued in 2000, which again featured a stellar cast of supporting characters: Herbie Hancock, Isaac Hayes, The Roots, Erykah Badu, and Macy Gray. Wasting little time, Guru returned directly back to the recording studio, issuing a follow-up one year later, Baldhead Slick And Da Click. In addition to the aforementioned artists, Guru has collaborated with some of rap music's best-known producers, including fellow Gang Starr member DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Alchemist, Ayatollah, and Dj Spinna, as well as Ice-T, Naughty by Nature's Treach, Killah Priest, and Ed O.G.

Guru - Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1
One of the first hip-hop records to successfully integrate jazz, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 is a surprising success for Guru. The rapper's warm grooves and laid-back rhymes fit in perfectly with the instrumental tracks provided by a cadre of jazz musicians. The way that the live playing is integrated on this album is different than the way it is done on, say, an Us3 record. On a few occasions, the instrumentalists provide the melodic hook of the song but, more often than not, they are relegated to noodling in the background while Guru raps. Needless to say, this meets with mixed results throughout. The Lonnie Liston Smith collaboration "Down the Backstreets" is a fine track, but the Donald Byrd and Roy Ayers partnerships sound busy and forced. Standout tracks include the two collaborations with Brand New Heavies singer N`dea Davenport. The jazz connection on these songs is minimal at best, but the well-produced tracks and Davenport's sultry voice are compelling on their own merits. As for Guru himself, some of his raps can only be described as awkward, and it is at these moments when the record is weakest. However, the overall vibe of the album is strong, and inane comments from the leader aside ("Jazz is real, and based on reality," Guru says in his introduction), Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 is entertaining, almost despite itself.

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Guru - Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality
The follow-up to the heavily acclaimed Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1. This album might not have quite as much jazz-rap power as the first volume did, but it's still quite good. Some of the big guns of jazz found their way into the album, including Branford Marsalis (who, of course, had already experimented with urban beats a bit with his Buckshot Lefonque project), Freddie Hubbard, Ramsey Lewis, and Kenny Garrett. Underground rapper Kool Keith (at this point still a member of The Ultramagnetics) also makes an appearance. Dancehall reggae princess Patra is included on a track, as are Chaka Khan and Me`Shell N`Degeocello; Jamiroqai helps out in another. In some ways, the personnel on this album may be slightly superior to the first outing, but the music also seems a tiny bit blander. Still, what makes the Jazzmatazz albums special is the live synthesis of jazz and rap. With Guru's vocals over the top of live jazz performers (as opposed the usual samples), interplay is facilitated between the two, and thus a whole new dimension is added to the fusion. For someone interested in jazz-rap in general, the first album is a higher priority (as would be Us3's albums, with extensive Blue Note sampling), but this album is still high on the list.

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Guru - Streetsoul
Give Keith Elam credit for knowing how to surround himself with great talent. It's a fact that has guided his career from the early days of Gang Starr — the group he formed with one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, Dj Premier — to his solo Jazzmatazz albums, recorded with a host of jazz legends including Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, and Branford Marsalis. This third volume in Guru's Jazzmatazzseries came not only after a five-year break, but at a time when the notion of jazz-rap was almost as antiquated as the '70s jazz-funk sound it helped resurrect back in the late '80s. Guru undoubtedly realized this, so instead of focusing strictly on jazz this time out, he made Streetsoul more of a roots album. With all the great contemporary R&B talent on display, though, any jazz-rap fans still left could hardly be annoyed with Guru's shift in focus from jazz to soul. A trinity of late-'90s soul divas — Macy Gray, Erykah Badu, and Kelis — each have features, and the swing-to-urban production behind Badu's contribution frames her vocal excellently. Dj Premier also shows up, contributing his usual excellent trackmaster skills to "Hustlin' Daze," with vocals by Donell Jones. Fellow rapcentrics The Roots make an appearance on the fight-for-your-right anthem "Lift Your Fist," and Guru inserts two pioneer tracks, Herbie Hancocks's "Timeless" and Isaac Hayes' "Night Vision" near the end. Unfortunately, the one caveat to Streetsoul — Guru's rapping talent hasn't improved at all — is practically unavoidable considering he pops up for a verse or two smack-dab in the middle of almost every track here.

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Guru - Baldhead Slick & da Click
Guru is a model of understated consistency — from "Manifest" to "Just to Get a Rep" to "You Know My Steez," he can always be depended on for thoughtful and innovative material, if not outright classics. But Baldhead Slick & da Click, his first non - Jazzmatazz solo effort, veers from this course, with just about nothing notable on the entire disc. Guru sounds obsessed with fake thugs and gangsters, and at 21 tracks without an updated flow or much variation in theme, the record becomes a struggle early on. His usual insight, storytelling, and clever swagger are replaced by a punchless braggadoccio, and his guest artists only offer the same. For longtime fans who counted on the monotone to never become monotonous, Baldhead Slick & da Click is nothing short of a disappointment.

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Guru - Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures
For the seventh chapter in the book of Guru, Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures, the former Gang Starr mastermind strips away from the cocktail and smoke settings of Jazzmatazz and returns to the pastures that made him one of hip-hop's most revered and skilled MCs: the pavement of New York City. Nearly a 20-song homage to the Big Apple, Guru nods in the direction of the city's future; having such established and up-and-coming MCs as Jean Grae, Talib Kweli, and Styles P make guest appearances. Surprisingly, the album is produced in its entirety by SOLAR, a bold move considering Guru's finest moments often occurred when Dj Premier was behind the mixing disc and drum machine. Having a consistent producer throughout also leads to a bit of monotony in arrangement; leaving Street Scriptures with a dragging feeling towards the conclusion. This could have been trimmed down from a 20- to a 14-song release, which would have increased the impact of the album on the whole. And while Guru still rhymes better than most, he does have his off moments from time to time and thankfully there's more than one guest appearance to help songs move along to their conclusion. Not his strongest outing, but certainly an improvement over Baldhead Slick & da Click and the last Jazzmatazz record.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Medina Green

According to Medina Green member DCQ (aka Illson, aka Jashiya), the underground rap group consists of "two brothers, two cousins, and one good friend." The group's history begins in 1994 when Mos Def and DCQ were members of Urban Thermo Dynamics, a group that had a deal with the Polygram affiliate Payday London. The deal fell apart after some white-label promos and one official single. Mos Def struck out on his own while DCQ rounded up some family members and started Medina Green, "Medina" being the Asiatic name for Brooklyn and "Green" signifying growth. Mos Def's career took off while DCQ worked on Medina Green. Mos Def fans first came to hear DCQ when an old Urban Thermo Dynamics track, "My Kung Fu," started making the Internet rounds, often mislabeled as a Medina Green track. The group — DCQ with family members Lord Ato, Kash Rule, and Jah Born — made its official debut in 1998 with the 12" Crosstown Beef, released by Rawkus. The track appeared on the 1999 compilation Soundbombing, Vol.2 compilation, and a year later their track "Full Court Press" landed on the Unbound Project, Vol.1 compilation, released by Ground Control. The group got a proper debut courtesy of their old friend when Mos Def presented their mixtape You Know The Flex, Vol.1 in 2004.

REupped: Medina Green - U Know the Flex Mix Tape, Vol. 1 (Oct 26, 2004: Illson Media)















1 Intro
2 Beef
3 Crosstown Beef
4 Cats Copy
5 Its Nothin
6 Pump Da Pump
7 Excellence
8 Slow and Tender
9 Niggas Know
10 Interlude
11 OG form Long Time
12 Form the Hood
13 Sugar
14 Double Rubber Band Rap
15 Oki Doki

Click To Download

Monday, August 28, 2006

Rob Swift


Turntablist Rob Swift was born Robert Aguilar in Jackson Heights, a neighborhood of Queens. Growing up, he was heavily influenced by cutting-edge jazz artist Herbie Hancock as well as the more typical DJ heroes like Grandmaster Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore, and DJ Premier. After graduating from Baruch College with a degree in psychology, Swift joined one of the top scratching groups of the '90s, The X-Men (later known as The X-Ecutioners). In 1992, he won the DMC East Coast Turn Table Championship and DJed with rapper Akinyele on his cross-country tour. A mixtape favorite, after one album with The X-Ecutioners Swift released his own widely praised debut, Soulful Fruit, in 1997 on Asphodel, followed by The Ablist in 1999. Thereafter, he released a succession of mixes for Triple Threat (Airwave Invasion), Tableturns (Sound Event), and Six Degrees (Under The Influence). In 2004, Swift left The X-Ecutioners after the release of the album Revolutions and went on to record OuMuPo. Vol.2, a remix of artists from the Ici d'Ailleurs label, and 2005's War Games, a soundtrack to the world after September 11, on the Coup de Grace label.

Directly influenced by Herbie Hancock`s "Rockit," an early melding of jazz and hip-hop, The Ablist is Swift's attempt to introduce the turntable as a virtuosic instrument capable of being played with the same feeling and skill as any other instrument. He uses the turntable in various contexts, from solo scratching to full band. Much of the album is stellar jazz-inflected hip-hop, even if it falls somewhat short of the incredibly high goals of its composer, but those high goals are what make The Ablist such a thrilling listen. Many songs use the turntable in ways that have not been explored. On "What Would You Do?," Swift's scratches act as a sort of instrumental answer to the question posed. "Fusion Beats" shows that the turntable can be a jamming instrument as well, with some nice interplay with keyboards on what is actually some pretty straight jazz. Turntables are also brought into a full-band context on "Modern Day Music" and "All that Scratching Is Making Me Rich!" "Modern Day Music" features the band's three MCs and Swift's DJ Premier-like cutting up of words and phrases over a deep groove. Swift's spare style of cutting often recalls Premier, and his production skills are similar to Large Professor, emphasizing rolling bass and swinging but steady beats. Overall, Swift has crafted a strong personal statement. The album echoes old-school skills without devolving into a pastiche of past hip-hop styles or following commercial rap trends. Instead, The Ablist suggests directions in which hip-hop can go to remain viable. The album doesn't entirely follow through on all its promises and Swift doesn't always reach his goals, which can make the album a frustrating listen at times. Overall, however, The Ablist redefines the turntable as a musical instrument that can bring new dimensions to both structured and improvised music, and it shows that Swift is capable of some incisive music that works outside the normal confines of turntablist music.

1.Day One (:30)
2.Dope on Plastic (2:09)
3.What Would You Do? (2:12)
4.Night Time (2:40)
5.Modern Day Music (3:53)
6.Two Turntables and a Keyboard (:15)
7.Fusion Beats (3:47)
8.Alma's Message (:14)
9.Turntablist Anthem (4:01)
10.Let's Talk Relationships (:13)
11.I'm Leaving (2:33)
12.Brainstorming (1:09)
13.All That Scratching Is Making Me Rich (5:15)
14.Ben Fee the Mc (:08)
15.Musica Negra (Black Music) (5:00)
16.Gangis Kahn (3:49)
17.This Is Our Day (3:57)
18.Will to Do Something Different (:11)
19.Something Different (3:58)
20.Gangis Kahn Returns (:11)
21.Ablist (2:13)

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Lost Boyz

The Lost Boyz included Freaky Tah, Mr. Cheeks, Pretty Lou, and Spigg Nice. The rap quartet's first single — "Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless" — earned them a contract with Uptown Records, which released their second single, "Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz," later in 1995. After the "Renee" single (recorded for the Don`t Be a Menace to South Central South Central While you`re Drinking Your Juice in the Hood soundtrack), the Lost Boyz released their debut album, Legal Drug Money. The LP hit the charts and was certified gold. Love, Peace & Nappiness followed in 1997. Freaky Tah was murdered on March 28, 1999;LB IV Life appeared that autumn.


The Lost Boyz' second album, Love Peace & Nappiness, finds the group adding touches of reggae and ragga to their hard-edged hip-hop. The deeper production — thick bass, echoing beats and keyboards — makes Love Peace & Nappiness more sonically intriguing than the average rap album, but the Lost Boyz occasionally struggle for material, leaving the record a fitfully enjoyable listen.
01. Intro
02. Summer Time
03. Me & My Crazy World
04. Beasts From The East - (with Redman/A+/Canibus)
05. Love, Peace & Nappiness
06. Black Hoodies (Interlude)
07. So Love
08. My Crew
09. What's Wrong
10. Certain Things We Do
11. Games
12. Get Your Hustle On
13. Tight Situations
14. Day 1
15. Why
16. From My Family To Yours (Dedication to Biggie & Pac)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KYY8H4C3

Busy Bee


Busy Bee (David Parker).First coming on the scene in 1977, New York-based MC Busy Bee has worked with many of hip-hop's founding fathers, including Melle Mel, Afrika Bambaataa, and Kool Dj AJ to name a few. Mostly known for his comedic rhymes, Busy originally gained a large following through MC battles in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey (he won the New Music Seminar's MC World Supremacy Belt in 1986). In the early '80s Afrika Bambaataa asked Busy to join his Zulu Nation, where the young MC would DJ for Bambaataa's Zulu Nation parties. In 1982 Busy also appeared in the classic hip-hop film Wild Style, playing none other than an MC. In addition to his DJ work with other artists, Busy has also released his own albums on the Brass, Sugarhill, and Strong City labels. Two album realesed Running Thangs JB(Lable:Strong City-1988, Produced by Jazzy Jay), Thank God for Busy Bee (Lable:Pandisc-1992) & Look In da Sky Who Do Ya See (Lable:Jazz Child Records - 1998)

Busy Bee - Running Thangs JB
1. Running Thangs
2. Suicide
3. Murder
4. Converse
5. Get Busy
6. I Don't Play
7. Kickin' Flavor
8. Express
9. Old School
10. Jazzy On the Mix


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Sunday, August 27, 2006

As Salam Aleikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu...
Hur What i Got...