Episode 194 : Wall Of Sound

"Still a couple lessons I can teach..."

- Dilated

The sonic signature isn't as overwhelming as this month's title might suggest, but I wanted to share this pic I got on my first trip to Brighton and the name came naturally! With some big releases from Clipse and Raekwon this month, we sample their latest creations alongside some pretty overlooked selections - new and old - and one or two that most people will know. Glad to be able to bring you quality mixes as we step into the seventeenth year of the show...

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Playlist/Notes

Natural Elements : Cream Of The Crop

Many, many years ago, I did a beat with the same sample as this, and thought it was good, but you can't front on Charlemagne, the producer I most associate with Natural Elements and certainly the one who has given them their best tracks. He's got this one sounding dramatic as Swigga, Anthony Cruz, and Agu remind you just who and what they are. Absolute mic beasts, all of them, bringing heat on the "3Timesdope" single.

Jake One : Hommula

That is a beat, only short but absolutely worth looping up to hear a bit more! The man from the Pacific North-West cooked this one up as part of the "Tale Of The Tape" EP - a 2003 release which you may still be able to find on wax if you dig hard enough!

Slum Village : We Do It (DJ Spinna Remix)

A crew famous for containing one of the greatest producers of all time have to keep the standard of their beats high every time - they did so when recording the original version of this track with Danish producer KVBeats in 2010, and bringing in the legendary DJ Spinna to kill this remix was a perfect move. His trademark bass bounce is presence right through this one with some straightforward boom-bap drums, which I mean in the best way, and it's easily the best version on the "We Do It (Remixes)" EP in my opinion.

Foundation & Rezidue : Boogie Down's Got The Flavor

I got this on a 45 also containing G-Dep's excellent "Head Over Wheels" and it was a nice bonus - another chance to pick up a 1996 track which the 12" version of is long out-of-print and a little bit pricey now. This beat was originally intended for an R&B singer, until her brother came up with the hook and changed the whole direction! The story is in the "Reviews" section of the Discogs entry for the original single - have a read :)

Kendrick Lamar : You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)

Just be real. That's all. That's all the message of this track is, as Kendrick points out how people who build an image on lies are simply not respected and would be better off being genuine. It's the opposite, energy-wise, of the Ice Cube track I think it was named after, but more focused on its topic. LoveDragon on the smooth groove to complete this track from the critically-acclaimed album "To Pimp A Butterfly".

Keith Murray : The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World

I do wish Jive had done better pressings, given the incredible amount of talent that graced their label in the 80s and 90s! Nevertheless, we go to this somewhat muddy-sounding single-vinyl album, Keith Murray's first, for its title track. Erick Sermon puts a bunch of body around a classic soul sample, and Keith's rhymes still sound as dope as when he first had people running to the dictionary to check if "beautifullest" was a real word (spoiler: nope) after his debut appearance on Erick's "Hostile"!

Tavaras Jordan : Backstage With Jade

Nineties vibes again - from the "(Still) Stuck In The 90s" album, no less - with the crystal clarity of modern tech, as this North Carolina native flies the R&B flag high with his formidable production skills. Right here, those who know a classic single will recognise the piano sample he drops throughout this one underneath all his smooth keyboard work and crisp drums, rounded off by, as the title would suggest, a backstage interview with Jade at the end!

Jon Connor & Termanology : Double Murda

Almost all duos in this segment, with an unlikely union kicking things off. I didn't even know Jon Connor, who was previously working alongside Dr. Dre, had put out an album this year, but this single from that LP ("Food For The Soul") is the signal to go and seek it out! I'd be lying if I said I was familiar with the producer Dylan Kusch, but he does a decent job here and doesn't try to fight the MCs for the focus. Both of them come off, but "Deadly as Moderna" though, Term? No, we'd better be more worried about the disease than the prevention!

Raekwon & Nas : The Omerta

Nas' Mass Appeal label is on a run of releasing new material from some of the true greats, and this month saw Raekwon, one of my favourite MCs, return with a fresh LP "The Emperor's New Clothes". It might not be "Cuban Linx 3" but it's still an excellent listen, and this track has The Chef alongside the label head spitting fire on a beat by a real in-the-know production pick, the Virginia veteran Nottz. Raekwon is on that crime business, while Nas folds in some historical talk on the third verse. Mass Appeal are doing great things!

Dilated Peoples : World On Wheels

I always think of this track primarily as a metaphor for the world going round no matter what happens, but if you didn't know, the title is directly drawn from a roller rink in Los Angeles - near where Rakaa Iriscience grew up. Alchemist is on production, giving Dilated a beat with the kind of bounce that isn't as much of a feature of his modern-day style. Great lyrics on this selection from the "Neighborhood Watch" (another incredible title) album.

Dave East & Young Chris : 10 Toes Down

A couple of different generations here, with the more recent MC Dave East opening up with fire on this track before passing off to the Philadelphia veteran Young Chris, who you may remember from his run in the early 2000s with Young Gunz and then State Property. Back like he never left, he links with East for a full LP, "Fine Dining" which just came out last month. This particular beat comes courtesy of quite a slate of producers, with Rondon Beats, Aurora Beats, KXVI & Marz all adding their own seasoning to the pot, and then setting the table lovely for the MCs.

[Agallah] Group Home : Run For Your Life (Instrumental)

Low, creeping, production courtesy of Agallah here, who also features on the vocal version of this East New York underground cut, which is on a 12" single (hence the instrumental), but more easily available on 1999's "A Tear For The Ghetto" album.

KMG : Blue Velvet

I've been looking for a legal (ideally physical) copy of the 2001 "Ear Candy" album for years, but finally dug this one track up on an iTunes search this month! The late great KMG of Above The Law had a relatively short solo catalogue, as he poured most of his efforts into the group, but this is one of his ventures outside that I'm glad to be able to share with those of you who don't know it. He doesn't go super-complex on this, but his low, composed delivery fits the bubbling menace of the beat, with both combining for a track that really has no obvious peers in terms of style. Fully credited to (on my copy) The Beatologists, KMG, DJ Stealth, and Dwayne McGhee, you can get your own copy on the digital release of "The Beatologist's Lab Experiments" album.

Bumpy Knuckles : Time

No hiding that sample! A little pop/jazz/R&B flavour hooked up by OG Jazz O for Bumpy Knuckles to settle into this tune in elder statesman mode. One to sit and chill to from last year's "Level Up" album, with a vibe far from his customary destruction of third verses on other people's tracks...

Storm Green : Computer Love

This is only the second Las Vegas track I've played on the podcast, and Storm Green's lyrics and vibe let you know that the flavour is firmly West Coast, even if they're in the desert! This cut from the "Chevys and Chucks" album shows that you can't go wrong with a sample of the Zapp classic "Computer Love", and banging this one top-down will have you feeling like Caine in "Menace..." - which he actually references - with that synth bass. 

Ken Starr & Kev Brown ft. Kaimbr : DDTP

It's been a while since Ken Starr last dropped an album, but last month we finally got "Cold", almost entirely produced by longtime collaborator Kev Brown, the bassline master out of Landover, Maryland. The groove here is prime head-nod business, with the flows being on-point and yet chilled enough that you could imagine the two MCs slaying the verses while lying on their backs. It's pretty short and I would definitely have welcomed another verse, but nowadays the tendency is towards briefer tracks, so it's just in keeping with the times. Dope LP, one to check out for sure.

No Spirit ft. Casiio : Heading South

I needed more of this than No Spirit and Casiio were willing to give, so I've looped it up to extend this beautiful cut from "Chillhop Essentials Fall 2024" enough to take this spot. While there's a recognisable sample in there, it's truly a background element, an accent on top of the rest of this relaxing beat that brings us towards the close of the episode...

Clipse ft. John Legend : The Birds Don't Sing

A lot of legends have already dropped albums this year, with some still to come, but possibly the most anticipated release of 2025, with a masterful run-up, has been "Let God Sort Em Out", the reunion of Clipse. Malice (previously No Malice) has returned to join his brother and they've given us an excellent album, with this as the opening track. It's intensely personal, as they speak on losing both of their parents in quick succession, and expertly written. They're aided by some incredible talent, with Pharrell Williams on production, John Legend on the chorus, and the unmatchable Stevie Wonder on the keys and speaking some words on the outro. While it was perfectly placed at the start of their album, for me, I needed to play this at the end, in full, and follow it with nothing but space for your thoughts.

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