Episode 191 : Layers of History

"...the come-up ain't without a price."

- Rapsody

We go up and down in waves of energy this month, as we start aggressive, cool down to some chilled soulful vibes, then go up and up all the way to a high-energy ending! With a selection dating from 1990 (as we pay tribute to the sadly departed DJ Go Mack) and coming right up to this past month, there's a real range of flavours for you to sample. Let's get into it...

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Playlist/Notes

Raekwon ft. Mobb Deep : Chinese Marines

Signature Raekwon, and even Ghost - Chinese marines are mentioned exactly once, right at the start, and then it's straight down into the street talk. A standout from the "Unexpected Victory" mixtape, this Scram Jones-produced cut does have a dark, militaristic tone, and the guests are the perfect choice - Mobb Deep, returning the favour from Mobb's "Eye For An Eye" and "Nighttime Vultures" from their second and third LPs respectively. Cheery? Not one iota. Dope? Absolutely.

Erick Sermon : Hittin' Switches (Instrumental)

I've loved this beat since the first time I heard it on pirate radio many moons ago, with its heavy usage of a classic drum break (didn't know about it at the time) being the highlight without being the only thing going on. The vocal version was one of the first things we heard from Erick Sermon after the breakup of EPMD, and it appeared as part of the "Who's The Man?" soundtrack before eventually ending up on Erick's solo debut "No Pressure" as well. Definitely an album to check if you've never heard it, it's a classic of the era and also features the debut of Keith Murray!

Above The Law : Murder Rap

The opening track on the excellent "Livin' Like Hustlers" LP, this starts proceedings off with dense sample usage and an energy level that makes it feel much faster than it is. Even without the vocal samples from that group, the siren sounds remind you of Public Enemy of the era, and Cold 187um folds them into a dope track where he also rhymes every verse, with the late KMG injecting brief snatches spoken word before each one. Of course there are some cuts for seasoning, from ATL's then-two DJs, K-OSS and the recently-departed Go Mack. RIP.

Random Axe : Everybody Nobody Somebody

Random Axe was a supergroup of straight rawness - Detroit's Guilty Simpson and Black Milk alongside the late Brownsville legend Sean Price - and this was a standout on their sole album. It's a dope concept cut where over Black Milk's spooky beat, each MC rhymes on the theme of one of the "body" words of the track title. Young rappers now might boast of never writing, may think it's acceptable to punch in every line while recording, but this is how MCing is really done.

Mr. Lif : New Man Theme

The "I, Phantom" album from Boston's Mr. Lif isn't one I've heard in many years, but I went back to it and just the first listen brought to the surface the feelings of the independent Hip-Hop movement of the early 2000s. Fakts One is on production, soundtracking Lif's story of struggling with the "standard" path through life expected of him, and forging a strong sense of self despite that. 

Rae Khalil ft. Freddie Gibbs : Carpinteria

Ok, thanks to Wikipedia I now know that Carpinteria is a town in California and not just the Spanish word for carpentry! Rae Khalil is a Californian who both sings and rhymes, and leans more heavily on the former on this track from her "Crybaby" LP - even incorporating melody when she does rhyme. Freddie Gibbs might not be the most obvious guest, but then he has been known to reference classic R&B himself, and you know he has the skills to elevate any cut. The production, as well as the video, conjours up jazz club vibes with crispy drums and smooth bass. High-quality work.

Mr Thing : Changes

Mr Thing is famous for his skill at playing and manipulating records, well-known as a knowledgeable buyer and seller of them...and can also make an excellent track as well! This beat comes from his "Nothing Leaves The House" anthology, where a group of producers all descend on the home of one, and make beats from whatever they find. Thing had home-court advantage as it was his collection that the records all came from, but you get the impression he'd be able to turn up at your place right now and cook up some heat!

Sndtrak : Run To Me

This monster beat has been getting rewinds upon rewinds from me this month! I'm playing you this from my vinyl copy of the "Foto De Vita" EP, which is pressed onto a single 7" piece of wax - if you want the low-end to thoroughly punch your whole chest in, go and find a digital copy, and be careful of your subwoofers! This producer from The Soul Council simply has a great touch, and doesn't bite anyone else's style - those two elements make him well worthy of your support.

Hi-Tek ft. Riz, Kurupt, and Dion : Back On The Grind

I finally got round to digitising the third album in Hi-Tek's "Hi-Teknology" series, which contained this track I'd totally overlooked. More sombre than the more popular tracks in his catalogue, with the kick drums keeping a steady pulsing time like a heartbeat over the minor-keyed vocals in the background, this is high-quality work with Kurupt being the highlight when it comes to the bars. Dion on the hook, despite being an Ohio compatriot of Hi-Tek, cooks up a hook that reminds you of some West Coast classics (he's worked with some of the big names), and Riz - an MC I'll admit I don't know much about - holds down his end well too.

Rapsody ft. Phonte and Jay Electronica : Jedi Code

We revisit the "She Got Game" mixtape for some straight spitting, with Rapsody pulling in the multi-talented Phonte and the enigmatic Jay Electronica to lay down some fire bars over a 9th Wonder beat - not the last time you'll be hearing from that man this episode, by the way. Somehow it's been over twelve years since the release of this album, but it still sounds fresh even now.

Gang Starr : Doe In Advance

Apologies for the sound quality, but this is a little unreleased Gang Starr gem on a questionably-pressed white label compilation that I thought was still too good not to share as we remember the great Guru. I did a little looking around and apparently, this was slated to be on the "The ? Remainz" single, but when they couldn't clear the sample (a nice little catch from Ohio Players' "Sweet Sticky Thing"), they instead went with "Suckas Need Bodyguards" on the flip instead.

K-Def : Axel Replay

A touch of mellow jazziness to carry us into the next mix, courtesy of New Jersey's own K-Def, a real producer's producer who you may know as formerly being half of Real Live (alongside Larry-O). Having worked with everyone from Lords of The Underground to Ghostface to Shabba Ranks, he got the chance to take centre stage on "Willie Boo Boo The Fool", the instrumental LP this comes from, which is now available digitally. This track is actually a fair bit shorter on the LP, but I've lengthened it to be suitable for use here.

Lost Boyz : Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz

It's the following track that inspired me to pull this one out, a classic 90s club/system tune that I have to remember isn't known by everybody - if you missed it at the time, in the late summer of 1995, it may have passed you by as I don't hear it in as many throwback sets I might have expected. This four-piece (RIP Freaky Tah, who passed in 1999) from Queens put this out as the second single from their debut LP "Legal Drug Money", with the legendary and still-underrated Easy Mo Bee giving them a bumping beat perfect for the systems in the jeeps of the time - and track title!

All Hail Y.T. ft. Chris Skillz & K.O. : Vette, Coupe, Beamer & Benz

We go up the east coast of the US and land in Delaware, where almost exactly 27 years after the release of "Jeeps, Lex Coups...", the MC All Hail Y.T. (who I only stumbled upon fairly recently) and producer Yosonova came together to revive the hook in their own style on a cut from their compact "V-12 Soul: SuperCharged" album. If it sounds familiar, outside the chorus of course, it might be the beat, which draws from the same well as Easy Mo Bee's production on "Temptations" by 2Pac. Sonically more relaxed and spaced-out than the 2Pac cut, and lyrically less party-inclined than the Lost Boyz', this wasn't a combination that would obvious to most, but it works extremely well in my opinion.

Smif-N-Wessun ft. Sweata : Namaste

I would say this is the kind of smoothness you wouldn't expect from Smif-N-Wessun, but then they did a fine job in a similar vein on "Ocean Drive" on their previous LP, 2019's "The All". They're back with a brand new album "Infinity", which I believe is entirely produced by 9th Wonder and The Soul Council, and this is one of the more chilled moments. Truly a group who haven't so much "moved with the times" in the sense of riding a wave, but continued to develop as artists in step with the way they've developed as men over the years.

Shy FX ft. Children of Zeus : On My Way

A new release from one of the pioneers in jungle and DnB, in combination with the incredibly talented Manchester duo Children of Zeus, who lend their respective vocal styles to Shy's classic, polished production. With the weather in the UK slowly improving week by week, I expect to hear this one out and about!

Photek : Trans 7

At this point, I thought we might as well carry on on the DnB path and picked out a track from one of the very first tracks from the genre I actually learned to appreciate, from Photek's 1997 debut "Modus Operandi". Clean, techncial, and menacing, with the dark synth and a sound effect that sounds like someone pulling up on a driveway somewhere on a mission, this is one of the highlights of the LP for sure.

Roni Size / Reprazent ft. Method Man : Ghetto Celebrity

We finish the episode, and our DnB trio, with a second collaboration - this time, the transatlantic pairing of Bristol's Roni Size with his Reprazent crew and Hip-Hop legend Method Man of the mighty Wu-Tang Clan. Meth is definitely the one who has to lean the furthest out of his comfort zone on this one, spitting at high speed to keep up with the furious pace of the instrumental, with its frenetic drums, dramatic strings, and heavy, squelching bass. If you don't know this one, you can find it on the "In The Mode" LP.

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Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!