Episode 198 : Think And Grow.

"Make dua for my enemies..."

- Da Flyy Hooligan

Coming off seeing a great performance by DJ Premier and The Alchemist this month, both production legends make it into the selection early, alongside one or two well-known cuts, but overall the kind of mix that will hopefully have you all running to your record or digital store of choice to pick up some gems that are new to you! 

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Playlist/Notes

Twin & Alchemist : Live At The Amphitheatre

I was amazed to never have played this on the show, a favourite since the first time I heard it on the "Insomnia" mixtape back in 2003. The Alchemist uses one sample for the intro before switching it up for a beat based around an old soul number that sounds a lot different when he's looped it up and added his magic. On the mic he comes together with Twin, one of the most distinctive voices anywhere, as they go back and forth almost like Double Trouble in their scene on the stoop in "Wild Style", which is also sampled here.

Jake One : Gether (Geechi Liberaci)

It's always nice to dig out an instrumental that hasn't made it to the front of your mind in a while, especially when it's as good as this one! You might not expect the 808 drums over this kind of instrumentation, but the veteran Jake One makes it work on this piece from the "#PrayerHandsEmoji" beat tape - although I did need to loop it up a bit to make it long enough to include here.

DJ Premier & Ransom : Amazing Graces

This track has been getting major play in my headphones, car, wherever, since the day it was released. The beat sounds incredibly simplistic at first, but there's more going on than you'd think if you actually break down all the sounds and the mix. Of course you also get the Preemo scratched hook that comes in even before the first verse, but Ransom puts the heavy hand down with his very first line and doesn't let up from there. From weaving all the Gang Starr album titles into the first verse right until the very last bar, he walks you down relentlessly on the slow beat. Absolutely fire single from their new join album "The Reinvention" - and a simple but dope video too!

Termanology, Tek, and Freeway : Hustler's Soul

I thought I'd played you this already, but was pleased to find that this track from the "Teknology"  (great name) collaborative LP by Tek and Termanology was still available for me to select! It's Massachussetts, New York, and Philadelphia in combination with Freeway making a welcome guest appearance, and Minnesota contributing a beat that sounds like a 21st century revamp of a Blaxploitation track - perfectly on theme. 

Da Flyy Hooligan : Ian McShane

North London's Da Flyy Hooligan is one of the most appropriately-named MCs in the game, keeping it street and bringing the elevated levels in his references and flow to let you know he's not your average. The lyrics start at literally the first second as DFH paints images in your head to set the initial vibe, and then continued to build scenes lyrically all the way through. Micall Parknsun is on the beat here, with an undertone that sounds like a slowed-down Olympic opening with some sharp, crispy drums on top. Perfect seasoning for this gourmet business from the 2002 "Ben Kingsley" album.

O.C. : DNA

O.C. is one of those MCs with a much deeper discography than a lot of people realise. Everyone remembers the first two LPs, then maybe the Apollo Brown project, but the bulk of his work, like 2017's "Same Moon, Same Sun - 1st Phase" went under the radar. Here's a little taste though, showcasing his steady, settled style as he tells you himself that his dedication to the artform is in him at the most foundational level. Motif Alumni handles production and marries up the cracking main drums with some spaced-out synths and booming 808 action.

Amon Tobin : Hey Blondie

A little palate-cleanser before we go into the middle section of the show, from 2002's "Out, From Out Where", sees the Brazilian composer Amon Tobin spacing it out with a dense, effect-laden production paced by some midtempo drum programming - an example of what might have been labelled "trip-hop" at the time. This LP, produced in Montreal, was apparently his first project recorded in a professional studio - but he sounds like an old hand.

Mobb Deep ft. Nas and H.E.R. : Love The Way (Down For You Part 2)

First, a recommendation - buy the digital edition of the new "Infinite" album, which will likely be the last we hear of the late Prodigy, rather than the vinyl. I was so excited for the wax to arrive, and the package looks great, but sounds like someone carved the grooves with a knitting needle. With that out of the way, the "Down For You" single featuring Nas and Jorja Smith was the first most of us heard from this project, but I thought we'd go to a slightly different version that's also on the LP. H.E.R. swaps in for Jorja Smith and also brings a great performance on the hook in her own style. Havoc's moody, string-sampling beat stays, while Nas contributes a new guest verse which exactly reverses a line from "Down For You" - both referencing his appearance on the killer "It's Mine" from "Murda Muzik". It's great to hear Prodigy one last time, and I'm also glad that they respected him by not using any AI trickery to include him on the LP or the video that we've seen so far.

Mathematik ft. Bahamadia : Following Goals

Deep, deep crate pull, one that I don't think I've ever played for anyone. While Mathematik gets the lead credit and definitely does his thing, including on the run-on final verse...this is still a Bahamadia cut to me 😄 With Erf Productions on the beat, this is a solid track that you're most likely to find on the "Superrappin" compilation album like I did - the "Ecology" album it also appears on looks to be an expensive rarity, with not much chance of a re-release! 

J Dilla : Jay Dee 42

Absolutely ridiculous digging, sample selection, and MPC manipulation here by the late great J Dilla - and this is an offcut! It's on the "The King Of Beats Vol. 2" compilation, which consists of a considerable number of short snippets from Dilla's constant basement work that by and large didn't make it all the way to releasable ideas in his lifetime.

Hit-Boy & The Alchemist : Home Improvement

From following goals on the last vocal track, we move to self-improvement via the metaphor of construction, coming from two great talents. The Alchemist is now a deeply-experienced veteran of the industry with tales to tell of what he got right in life and what didn't, while Hit-Boy is a relative newcomer - though one with a strong resume already. It's a joy to hear them come together on the new "GOLDFISH" album", where you get to hear both of them on the mic, as here, and you know the beats are going to be quality.

Robert Glasper Experiment : Letter To Hermione (Robert Glasper and Jewel Remix)

I'm no expert on jazz, even modern jazz, but Robert Glasper is someone I've been to see a couple of times and make a point to support the work of. His original version of this David Bowie cover on the "Black Radio" album is in a more traditional, spare style, where this one pushes along with a much more active drum track over the melancholy piano and Bilal's plaintive vocal. Both are great, but this cut from "Black Radio Recovered : The Remix LP" takes it for me.

Jobii : Mango Fizz

One algorithm or other brought this instrumental to my attention, and I have to say that Skynet did it's thing. Coming out of NYC, Jobii is the name for the more Hip-Hop/lo-fi leanings of producer/drummer Gabe Millman, and this track bumps along with as much juice and flavour as its namesake fruit. It's a single release well worth picking up and enjoying through a nice system.

Naughty By Nature : Uptown Anthem

An unimpeachable classic, a big tune that is guaranteed to rock any gathering of real heads, this was one of the highlights of the very strong soundtrack to the Ernest Dickerson film "Juice". Kay Gee's beat starts with that slow piano intro, and for anyone who didn't recognise it from that, that first piano chord is unmistakeable. Vinny and Treach kick killer bars, and the hook is classic 90s shoutiness. At this point, I think it's fair to say that while the record may be old, it'll never get old.

Aver : Portals

Dipping back into the "Manchester With Love" compilation, which I believe came in at over 200 tracks, we go to a man who may first have come to your attention many years ago when he first paired with Daysis (Dayse and Aver), or his adventures with the extended The Natural Curriculum crew. He continued to expand his production style and experiment, and right here there are no MCs, just one man and his skills on the boards, sequencing up a dark beat with some tough drums, with that second snare every other bar hitting on the four-and-a-half count, lining us up perfectly for...

Eric B. & Rakim : Rest Assured

...a highly underrated track on the final Eric B. & Rakim album, "Don't Sweat The Technique". It was always one of my favourites, but I've never heard anyone else play this moderately-uptempo jam, with Rakim playing the role of the MC/secret agent back to bring order! He did once say that he shouldn't have left us... Anyway, not only do you get the fire lyrics and grave tone of Rakim, but also an incredible beat with tough drums and that slow-attack bass sound - a distinctive touch that really makes this cut stand out. 

Zeyne : Asli Ana

I don't know how I first heard this one, but it grabbed me straight away and I had to go purchase a (digital) copy! Zeyne is a Palestinian-Jordanian artist who found it within herself to write and record this single as part of the "AWDA" album at an incredibly difficult time, and as I understand it it's been well-received by many of us outside her usual audience. "Asli Ana" roughly translates as "My Roots"/"My Own Origin" and she's speaking proudly about her people owning their own identity rather than having it defined by others. I might not be able to understand the words, but absolutely can feel the passion, and can get right behind the message.

Soul II Soul : African Dance

The "Club Classics, Volume 1" album is a landmark, and one that showcased in fine style how the different strands of Black musical tradition in this country as well as the influence from the US could be blended together in a distinctly UK fashion. The flute takes the solo lead over an African-flavoured, house-inspired beat with no lyrics, just riding out for six minutes - though I'm not playing the entire thing here. If you've never heard the LP then I'd say it's worth your time, and even though it's creeping up on forty years old it still stands up.

Chantay Savage : Still (7" Mix)

A soaring, uplifting, soulful end to the episode. Chantay Savage has been putting in work since the 90s, and I first encountered her as the featured artist on Common's "Reminding Me (Of Sef)". After hearing just a few seconds of this on a vinyl retailer's website, I couldn't enter my credit card details fast enough! It's cool and cleansing on the instrumental side thanks to Terry Hunter and James Poyser, and her vocal performance stays right in line, but when she lets go, she really lets it all out on this ode to devotion. You don't have to get the vinyl release - it's on Bandcamp, and is a release that gets my heartfelt recommendation!

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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!