Pockets Of Air

Episode 189 : To The Heavens

Of course I went up there :)

“I don’t need a reason.”

- Che

February is here once again, and as always we pay tribute to many of our Hip-Hop community who have transitioned; J Dilla, Trugoy, Big L, and Big Pun are all in the mix this month. Of course, it’s also important to show love to the legends who are still with us while they can smell their flowers, and we have some brand new releases from veterans right next to some classics that still stand up to this day. The short length of some of the tracks brings the episode length down a touch, but it’s concentrated dopeness…

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Paul Wall & DJ.Fresh : Woke Up A Millionaire

I’ve been playing this recent release a lot, and with the track starting off the way it does, it’s perfect to kick off an episode. DJ.Fresh’s production is centred around what sounds like a drastically-slowed sample - though one I can’t place - and he tops it with a clean drum machine beat. North Houston legend Paul Wall is in full motivation mode as he uses this track to set the tone as the opener on his most recent album, “Once Upon A Grind”.

J Dilla : Dillatronic 41

First Dilla of the episode, from the posthumously-released “Dillatronic” set of mostly-unreleased beats. The sample source is a nice early eighties soul duet, with the vocals floating through the dreamlike track, and one of the rawest snares you’ll ever hear trying to wake you up all the way through.

Anthony Danza : Khalid El Amin

I already know this is going to be near the top of my next Spotify Wrapped the way I’ve been marathoning it lately! I’m pretty new/late to the material of this MC from the Pacific Northwest, but really into his style - channeling a lot of the sound and flyness from the eighties and blending it with his modern-day mic skills. This self-produced track is pure flames, sampling a well-used soul classic, advoiding the trap of adding too much to it, and then alongside his own bars, giving plenty of room to guest vocalist Che Blaq to bring the soul right back into the groove his own way. Check out 2015’s “Intel Design” for this one, and as for the track title? I’d say IYKYK, but here’s a link ;)

Mic Geronimo : Shit’s Real

From the “The Natural” LP, this is probably the best-known track in the catalogue of this Queens MC who unfortunately didn’t have the longevity that many predicted and hoped for, and yet somehow a forgotten entry in the production discography of the recently-deceased Irv Gotti - who back in 1994 was just plain DJ Irv. A very recognisable soul sample, signalling the sensibilities that would make Irv a successful producer of more pop-oriented material later on, is the core of the instrumental on which Mic Geronimo puts forward his view of life in his corner of NYC at the time. Underground classic for sure.

The BARtenders : Magic & Wonders

We go to the other side of the country for some 2024 West Coast flavour, the combination of MCs Mykestro and Columbo Black coming together for a beautifully sunny, if all too brief, track from their short and sweet “Luke Warm Summers” album. This is clean, super clean sonically, and both MCs flow confidently over the production of Dionte Kendricks. I know it’s a few months before summer, but having played this album front to back a bunch of times, I’d say it’s one to get in your system ready for better days…

Nightmares on Wax : Typical (Children of Zeus Remix)

Just how I like it, Leeds and Manchester in combination! Nightmares on Wax has been doing it on the production tip since 1988 (with the first LP coming in 1991), and as such is eminently qualified to find a quality remix partner - in this case, Manchester’s own Children of Zeus. The track from the 2018 “Shape The Future” LP swaps out the bluesy flavour of the original for a smooth streetsoul vibe, and adds on rhymes from Konny and Tyler as a welcome bonus. Of the three versions on the new “Typical Remixes” collection, this is my clear favourite.

Jay Dee : Feat. Phat Kat (Instrumental)

“Welcome 2 Detroit” - the 20th anniversary 7" boxed set, to be precise - gives us this Dilla instrumental for one of the most unusually-titled tracks I can think of! The vocal version of course does feature Phat Kat, but he gets the day off for this instrumental, which radiates lazy sunny day vibes, in contrast to the weather outside the studio window…

Smif-N-Wessun : Elephant In The Room

Very heavy new cut from two of Brooklyn’s finest, giving us a taster of their brand new “Infinity” album. I don’t know if Tek is talking to anyone in particular at the start of the track, but he is heated, and brings it as always alongside General Steele, with the sections where they intersperse lines being unmatched in the modern day. It’s a chemistry that comes with years of hard work, and Khrysis’ production is a thumping, rugged canvas that does these veterans justice.

Big Punisher ft. Busta Rhymes : Parental Discretion

I’ve got to be honest - this wasn’t a track that used to get a lot of replay from me compared to some of the others on “Capital Punishment”, but I think it grows on you. If nothing else, the title gives you fair warning of what to expect, pure ruggedness from two MCs who have their own immediately recognisable, unmistakeable styles and voices. Show of the legendary DITC crew has this one banging from the Bronx to your ears, and my only wishlist item for the track would have been for Busta to get a verse to himself!

Big L : M.V.P (Remix #1)

It’s always good to stumble on something from Big L’s sadly abbreviated discography to play in February, and this remix turned up on a purchase from last year, “Buckwild Presents: Diggin’ In The Crates - Rare Studio Masters (1993-1997)”, not the catchiest title but certainly descriptive! Of course, lyrically it’s the “M.V.P” you likely know already from L’s debut “Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous”, but Buckwild swaps out the smoothness of the original sample for another one well-known to the diggers, something with a bit more creep to it. The drum track is appropriately chunky and programmed to match up with the new groove. DITC on point as always.

DJ Premier & Roc Marciano : Armani Section

Brand new release, with the king of the “drumless” sound joining forces with a legendary producer well known for his heavy drum tracks! They don’t quite meet in the middle, but Preemo’s drums don’t dominate, and the sample chop is perfect turf for Roc Marci. The two men met in the Armani section of Macy’s in Herald Square some years ago, and when Premier reached out last December, Roc suggested the site of that meeting as the track title. Of course, the signature scratched hook brings together a fitting selection of lines that keep the track hot between the flyness of the verses. There’s supposed to be a joint EP by these two coming in the future and I’m ready for it!

Lone Apostrophe : Wayment

Just recently we had the final WORKINONIT session at the famed Hip-Hop Chip Shop, and so when this song jumped out during my shortlisting I thought it was only right to give you a taste of the talents of one of the men behind the event, Manchester’s own Lone Apostrophe. Get this smooth head-nod flavour on the “Webs” album.

Kev Brown & LMNO : The Beat Tape

I was sure I’d played this cut from “Selective Hearing” for you before but can’t find it in any of my old notes, so I’m happy to debut it on the show here! Kev Brown’s signature-styled bear absolutely drips flavour here; he shows, like a great chef, what can be done with just a few ingredients and a high skill level (that “yeah” sample that comes in every four bars is perfect seasoning too) He takes the mic alongside LMNO on this short track - and arguably steals the show on that side of proceedings as well!

The Thyrday : Good Music

I have been hunting for a copy of “The Perfection Xperiment Pt.2” for years. This 2004 album from the heyday of the Justus League clearly wasn’t produced in huge numbers, didn’t come out on wax, and has never been on any digital or streaming services. It pops up occasionally on Discogs for what to me is pretty big money for an album, but this month I bit the bullet and got the lowest-price copy I’d seen maybe ever, and am glad I did and can now play you this MJ-sampling heater that I’ve been wanting to share for years! There’s a slightly different version on the “Just Us, Volume 4” mixtape if you can find that, but both feature 9th Wonder killing it on production and J Gunn, K Slack, and Killa K riding the beat on one of the highlights of the LP. If you see it out there for decent money, trust me and buy it!

Slum Village : 4th and Back

For the final Dilla selection of the episode, we go pretty much back to the beginning for him, with this track from at least one version of “Fantastic Volume One”, the much-bootlegged LP derived from Slum Village’s 1996 and 1997 demos. The track title and overall concept was revisited on Slum’s first commercial release, “Fantastic, Vol. 2”, but this was the original lick, with the repeated hook taking up a lot of the vocal time, and that Jay Dee bounce providing a flawless groove on this slice of Hip-Hop history.

De La Soul : Can’t Call It (Unreleased Version)

RIP Trugoy! I’d forgotten all about this one, which I got on one of those weird bootleg-ish 12" releases which was otherwise full of Digable Planets stuff, but which was originally on the soundtrack to “High School High” - one of those films that I don’t think anyone over here saw, but the soundtrack of which was sought out by the heads. Self-produced by De La, it’s a nice head-nodder with everything running at a steady pace, no sudden moves anywhere on the beat or on the mic.

The Beatnuts : The Chase (Instrumental)

Unabashed dark boom-bap for the final instrumental of the month, taken from the “Hydra Beats Volume 5” compilation, a fairly obscure 1997 compilation of twelve chunky beats. Lots of typos on the label, that’s how you know the smoke was in the air in a major way…

Ghostface Killah : Apollo Kids

And finally, a track I hadn’t DJed in an extremely long time, but which I was reminded about when it was featured in a short documentary on the 200th year of the Clarks shoe company! This is pretty much the poster child for Ghost’s style, especially in this “Supreme Clientele” era, of saying off-the-wall stuff that didn’t make sense but sounded good; if you can clearly decode “this rap is like ziti, facing me real TV / Crash at high speeds, strawberry kiwi” then you’re a better interpreter than most! Of course, it did turn out much later that outside of raw creativity, there were other reasons why Ghost sounded the way he did. Hassan (aka Haas G of the UMCs) laces him with a grandiose, horn-laden production that hasn’t aged a day since it came out back in 1999, and this track brings the episode to a triumphant end.

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!

Check out this episode!

28 February 2025

Episode 188 : The Craftsman

Chalk performing at the launch of his debut album, at In The Loop, Roadhouse, Manchester.

“My heart is a drum, art is my tongue…”

- Chalk

It’s always a treat to have a guest in the studio, and we’re starting 2025 by hosting one of the most dedicated artists in our local scene, the MC/producer/DJ Chalk! You may know him as a soloist or as part of some of the crews and collectives he’s worked with, but for all but his closest circle you’ll hear at least one thing about him and his craft that you didn’t know before. We feature several of his tracks from the span of his career alongside some excellent recent releases and some venerable headphone favourites of mine. Enjoy the show!

Catch up with Chalk at his Bandcamp page which features his whole solo catalogue, or on Instagram.

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Soch : Quest

One of those discoveries that I suppose I have to credit Spotify for, as I stumbled on this track completely by accident, the opening cut on his 2024 EP “I Don’t Do Drugs, I Am Drugs”. As I understand it, this is one of his first releases if not the first, and it has him off to a fine start. Lyrically he’s got his own bell-clear style and the production has an airy warmness to it without sacrificing the bounce that makes you nod your head - it’s often the first thing to go when the lean is towards the arty/lyrical/(insert adjective here). This New Jersey-born, Miami-based artist is worth paying attention to.

Chalk : The Crime Scene

I made use of the Serato Stems feature to remove the vocals from this while we spoke, but the full version of the track is part of the story on Chalk’s latest release, “Death Knocks And He Shall Die”, an audio-only murder mystery LP with the only voices coming from samples - while he got his start as an MC, this album is an end-to-end demonstration of his production prowess. Listen to the interview for more detail about how he painstakingly crafted this project!

[DJ Spinna] Old World Disorder : Never Minded (Instrumental)

We got so into the chat that we ran out of beat, so you get a bonus one - a bit of DJ Spinna work from the Beyond Real days, a suitably subdued head-nodder to keep the vibe going. You can get this and a bunch more beats on “The Beyond Real Experience Volume One Instrumentals”, nice easy digital purchase.

Chalk : The Poacher

The first vocal track from Chalk this episode is a great piece of storytelling from his debut LP, “One For Being Me” - the story of a people living a quiet village life, until things go wrong…

Superbad Solace : Keynote

The “Sol Controller” series is an excellent trilogy of albums, and this comes from the second one (mistake on the voiceover there), with Mono en Stereo giving us a piano-drenched boom-bap beat which Solace laced with his strong, solid flow and lyrics. Pure, uncompromising Hip-Hop.

Pitch 92 & Essa : Run It Back

With the kind of lyrics that only an older emcee has the experience to deliver believably, Essa speaks on trying to rekindle the fire in a relationship where - as it does - life and responsibility gets in the way. You could easily imagine this Pitch 92 track featuring only the R&B stylings heard on the hook, but we get the treat of some real (in all senses) bars too. The new “Resonance” LP is polished, well-executed, grown Hip-Hop and definitely worth checking - all the other flavours on the album are done just as well as this.

MC Lyte ft. Common and Stevie Wonder : Change Your Ways

Big names all over this one, with the truly legendary Stevie Wonder lending his vocals - and his classic harmonica skills - to this new track by a Hip-Hop veteran who’s been away too long. Nine years passed between the release of “Legend” and her latest, “1 Of 1”, both of which are accurate descriptions of this Brooklyn-Queens MC’s status. She’s aiming for spiritual, grown-woman rap on this album and this Koncept-produced track very much embodies that, with Common providing Lyte some solid backup.

Zero 7 : One Arm Break

At the time of writing, this week marks 25 years since the release of Zero 7’s debut EP, from which this headphone favourite is taken. Clean, smoothed out, and perfectly-engineered (which makes sense, as both members met as studio engineers), this track was a worthy inclusion on the release that introduced the world to their sound.

Rome Streetz ft. Meyhem Lauren and Daringer : Cadillac Smoke

Griselda mainstay Daringer is an expert at taking the kinds of samples people use for Roc Marc-inspired drumless beats and incorporating drum tracks that fit perfectly. This one is a great fit for this track from Rome Streetz’ 9th (!) album, last year’s “Hatton Garden Holdup” - named for the famous London diamond district, and a famous heist. Rome opens proceedings on the mic before Meyhem’s feature slams in for the second verse, dripping in luxury talk.

Littles : New York, New York

A little awkward to mix with, with it repeating in groups of five bars rather than four, but this noir-esque street mixtape killer from 2003 is worth it. Riding a familiar sample with an almost hat-less drum track (not sure who produced it), Queensbridge’s Littles sets out his street credentials - highlighted by the sample of Prodigy mentioning him on Mobb Deep’s “The Start Of Your Ending”. “The Feeding” is a mixed bag but does have a few gems I play to this day, with this being the pick of them all.

Le$ : Custom Made

Le$ is in that Curren$y lane right now, which is to say that every time I turn around he has something new out - not that I’m complaining! “Gourmet” came out at the tail end of 2024 and if you like Le$’ style, you won’t be disappointed hearing speak, as he often does, about the grind needed to get to this point. This was a digital-only release, and as such, not easy to get credits for, but a bit of clicking around on Spotify leads me to believe that this smooth, refined production comes from frequent collaborator Tavares Jordan, which makes sense.

Chalk : His Own

There’s not much I can say to do this deeply personal track from “One For Being Me” justice - the story is all there, and Chalk speaks about it in the episode. Not many could lay out their story like this, so to hear it on a debut album is really something.

[Buckwild] O.C. : Jewelz (Instrumental)

Nothing too pounding or aggressive after the last track, just a reflective piece of production from the DITC crew, with Buckwild crafting this guitar-led beat for the title track of O.C.’s second album. Funny to think now, but I remember this LP being badly-received in some quarters, as it was felt not to be close enough to “Word…Life”. In my opinion, it stands in its own right as one of the great releases in O.C.’s catalogue.

The Natural Curriculum : Cultural Equity

The final Chalk selection is from the The Natural Curriculum catalogue, specifically their most recent album, “The Best Fertiliser Is The Gardener’s Shadow” - which as Chalk says, was originally an Aver project, with his production style on full display on this cut. TNC are always a group ready to go deep with the lyrics and concepts, and while Chalk may only be on a handful of the tracks, he makes his presence felt every time, including here.

Pitch 92 + Sparkz : Genius

Mr Pitch again! Killer cut from a couple of artists who’ve done Manchester proud in their own fields, coming together for the new “Full Circle” album. The drums are snapping as they drive the track along and provide that bed for Sparkz to give you some rapid but still controlled flows. The arrangement of the beat and the rhyme pattern changes play off each other for a track that I wouldn’t have minded getting an extra verse of!

Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip : The Abstract & The Dragon

The title track from the 2014 collaboration between two legends is a nice treat if you’ve somehow never heard it before, bumping along with plenty of body courtesy of Q-Tip (I’ve always been unsure whether he, Dilla, or both produced this), while Busta growls his bars over the top. “The Abstract & The Dragon” is one to have in the collection, made up of a handful of brand new (at the time) tracks alongside some remakes and rarities.

Black Milk ft. Melanie Rutherford : Bond For Life

One of my favourite tracks from the “Tronic” LP, with one of Detroit’s finest on both the mic and the boards - the rapped verses are shorter than you might expect, but that just leaves space for fellow Michigan native Melanie Rutherford to complete things with her vocals. I’m not sure whether the “mistake” towards the end was written in for effect or a real recording flub that they worked around, but either way I think it adds a little extra live, human touch!

[Opio] Souls Of Mischief : Medication (Instrumental)

Easily one of my favourite Souls beats, this instrumental was on the “Medication” 12" I picked up on release at Fat City Records back in 2000. It’s a lush track but absolutely not at the expense of hitting the way it needs to. The vocal is of course on the single but also on the album “Trilogy : Conflict, Climax, Resolution”.

Nicolay ft. Kay and Sy Smith : My Story

We finish with an old favourite of mine which felt like it either needed to open or close a show, so here it is, closing proceedings as it does on the original version of the “Here” LP! Nicolay’s production is relatively simple and beautiful, replaying a classic jazz bassline and augmenting it with Dilla-like drums and gentle keyboards. Sy Smith glides over the hook, while Kay of The Foundation takes centre stage, telling the story of his upbringing in Houston. As good as the whole album is, this is by far my favourite track, played here right to the very end of the extended outro fade.

Check out this episode!

27 January 2025

Episode 187 : The Killer Tape

Well, DVD. Close enough?

“…and we don’t make the f-ing pistols…”

- Kool G Rap

Sometimes the episode number compels me to follow it to provide an overall theme for an entire show, and this month is one of those! With 187 famously being the California Penal Code paragraph number/police code for murder, and via Hip-Hop becoming widely known and used as a signifier well outside that jurisdiction, I decided that for this this episode we’d lean into that as a theme - sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical, often pure creative writing, and at other times rooted firmly in reality. With that in mind, this episode might not be to everyone’s taste, but for everyone else, it’s certainly a journey thematically and sonically from the first track to our closer, which is truly a great piece of writing.

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

M.O.P. : 187

We won’t reveal the sample here as I don’t know if it was cleared and don’t want to get anyone sued, but I doubt the original artists ever expected it to end up on a track like this! We start Episode 187 with a track of the same title, and Brownsville’s own, the World Famous M.O.P. coming out as hard as titanium on this track from the “Street Certified” project, bringing the aggression to absolutely everyone - wack DJs, sucker MC, groupies, sponsors…no-one escapes. Lil Fame produces this one himself, combining the piano sample mentioned earlier with a well-known drum break that has done the business in Hip-Hop time and time again.

Skitz : The Killing (Remix Instrumental)

The original mix of “The Killing” is in my opinion the far superior version, but this minor-keyed piano instrumental is still solid in its own right. As far as I know, the only place to get this is the 12" single of “The Killing”, which was just one of the outstanding tracks from the “Countryman” LP. If you see the wax of that about, don’t think, just buy.

DJ Marvel : 1-8-7

In the interest of not giving you the “Deep Cover” beat for too long, I’m only giving you a portion of this great DJ/cut-up track, which is based around that famous beat and hook, and turns it into a DJ-killing anthem. DJ Marvel is a UK DJ out of Torquay in Devon, a place that - save for the beach - couldn’t be further away in vibes from Long Beach, but he represents his area amazingly on this, probably my favourite track to this day from Bomb Hip-Hop’s “Return of the DJ Volume V”.

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg : One Eight Seven

Many of you will be familiar with the Dr. Dre classic “Deep Cover”, which introduced the world to (as he was called then) Snoop Doggy Dogg, but I think fewer will know this alternate version/sequel, which was on the B-side of the “Dre Day” 12" single. The lyrics are a complete re-write, though the hook is the same, and there are some subtle variations in the arrangement, but otherwise the original groove is the same. Gloriously dark crime rhyme action.

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo : Crime Pays

My only regret is that the great intro to this track is slower than the main tempo, and so was too slow to play you here! If you want to hear the whole thing front-to-back, then the album you want is the 1992 crime opus “Live And Let Die”. Planned to come out a year previously, the subject matter and disturbing cover art (which had its original two ideas shelved for unsuitability, and the final one responsible for a long-time shelving of the LP after release) are dark, extremely aggressive, and you barely come up for air the whole time. Like most of the album, this funky and fairly short track is produced by Sir Jinx of The Lench Mob, with the Juice Crew legend Kool G Rap speaking from the perspective of someone who feels - rightly or wrongly - that crime is their only option, and criticised the hypocrisy of society. The TLDR is that it’s something of an “it’s bigger than Nino Brown” piece, and very much of its time when you consider it would have been written around the tail end of the murder spike New York City experienced due to the crack epidemic.

Jaylib : Survival Test

I’ve used both the vocal and instrumental versions of this track from “Champion Sound” here to get a proper intro and outro for mix purposes, with Madlib’s dense Bollywood-accented production seeming to absolutely fill the sound field but somehow still having space for J Dilla to get on the mic and be heard clearly. Dilla uses the technique of rhyming the word before the end of each line, while the final phrase on the line repeats, thereby constraining how it can be written; he demonstrates a skill as an MC that many people don’t give him his full credit for.

Giggs : Talking The Hardest

There’s apparently something of a meme around this track supposedly being the national anthem here, so I thought I’d lead it off with an appropriate sample! Many years after recording, this freestyle is still a very popular tune from Giggs’ catalogue, even though it didn’t make it onto his debut LP. That might be in part due to the Dr. Dre-produced beat being a direct lift from Stat Quo’s “Here We Go”, that would have been basically impossible to clear. Nevertheless, there’s a digital release of this track, so feel free to get yourself this slice of Peckham street talk for a very reasonable price!

Kardinal Offishall : Bang Bang (Instrumental)

I played the vocal version of this a long time ago on episode 113, but here you get Kardinal Offishall’s production in the raw - dark, thumping, and menacing. The “Bang Bang” promo is the only place to get this instrumental, which I might even try and get a second copy of myself as this one has taken a few scrapes over the last twenty years!

Smif ‘n’ Wessun : War

Appropriately for representatives from the Boot Camp Clik, Smif 'n’ Wessun blend the street and the military on this tough cut from their 2005 album “Tek & Steele: Reloaded”. There’s a really quick change-up from the original beat, as Ken Ring, Rune Rotter, and Coptic drop out to a sample from a famous film before coming back with an alternative composition to carry things forward for the remainder of the track. The final bit of seasoning is the cutting in of one of the best-known lyrics from the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep, a man amongst the most quotable MCs in Hip-Hop history.

Ran Reed & Shabaam Sahdeeq : Murderous Flow

This is very much one of those records I might never have thought to include if I hadn’t digitised all my 12"s! It’s pretty much entirely unlabelled and thus easy to lost in the sauce, but this is a single I picked up during my student days on account of the killer Nick Wiz beat and what must have been an affordable price :) The simple formula of a dope beat with dope rhymes (with the titular murderous flow) is followed here by both the New Jersey native reed and guest Shabaam Sahdeeq, who you may actually be a little more familiar with if you know your late-90s underground Hip-Hop. This was a promo 12" which did get an official single release, but isn’t on any LP - as such, you may struggle to find it on any streaming service, and so buying the single is the only way.

Xzibit ft. Mobb Deep : Eyes May Shine (Remix)

This has been a favourite track of mine since it was first released way back in 1996, and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to finally find a home for it here! In my opinion this is a far superior track to the original “Eyes May Shine” from Xzibit’s debut LP “At The Speed Of Life”, with Havoc’s gloomy, string-led production striking exactly the right tone for this dismissal of studio gangsters. With the late great Prodigy guesting on the mic alongside Havoc, and the overall vibe being what it is, you could easily think this was a Mobb track featuring Xzibit rather than the other way round. This was never included on any albums as far as I know, but you can find it as a promo-only release on 12" or CD, plus on the B-side of the “The Foundation” single.

Jedi Mind Tricks ft. R.A. The Rugged Man : Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story

This track from the 2006 release “Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell” is widely and rightly lauded for a top-tier lyrical performance, this time by guest R.A. The Rugged Man. Vinnie Paz opens up with a really good first verse over Stoupe’s production, but R.A. is the absolute star here despite that, as he tells the true story of his own father, the late Staff Sgt John A. Thorburn, an American Special Forces soldier during the Vietnam/American War. The verse goes through the mindset of the man at that time in his life, then a life-changing experience during the war, and finally the some of the repercussions as he returns to civilian life. In keeping with the subject matter, some of it might be uncomfortable, but in my opinion, the father-son bridge that this represents makes it an essential listen at least once.

[Tragedy Khadafi] Capone-N-Noreaga : Illegal Life (Instrumental)

One of my favourite beats of all time, this grabbed me from my very first listen in the mid-late 90s when I heard it on Radio 1. Tragedy gives it some Arabic flavour with the sample, and then backs that with tough Queensbridge boom-bap drums and non-melodic bass. Any rapper should be able to sound good on this, and Capone, Noreaga, and Havoc all do their thing on the vocal version from the 1997 “The War Report” LP.

Meyhem Lauren ft. WestSide Gunn : Trigger Point Therapy

This was a track I played a lot last year, as Spotify reminded me, so it was always a candidate to make it onto the podcast, but the absolute golden thing about it that got it into this episode is the speed and beat change halfway through, as Daringer switches it up into the piano-raining instrumental for “Eric B” by WestSide Gunn - who also guests here as the first MC. Meyhem slays it on the mic as usual, and then pays respect back to WSG at the very end, calling back to “Eric B” with a line taken directly from the hook to close the track. Meyhem and Daringer made magic on 2022’s “Black Vladimir” LP, which you’ll love if you’re into the Griselda sound.

Da Beatminerz ft. Apathy : Martial Law

It was a pleasant surprise to hear Da Beatminerz, the legendary New York production crew, back with a new album this year, and they pulled together an array of guests to bless each beat with their vocals. This track sees the East Coast underground veteran Apathy (Demigodz, Army Of The Pharoahs, etc) spitting on a chunky beat a million miles from the AI-assisted, algorithm-friendly fare that some are involving themselves in, showing us how more experienced artists can continue to plough their own furrows away from the passing trends of the day.

Lake and Cormega : Get It

Buckwild on the beat, my goodness - identified the hot section of a much longer track and isolates it here to great effect, producing a menacing, droning backing for two Queensbridge stalwarts. Cormega is a deeply-respected MC with a deep history who has continued to advance and mature into the present day, while Lake is a man with not so large a catalogue as an artist, but is known both as an executive and as a mover and shaker in his own area. The 2006 collaborative LP “My Brother’s Keeper”, from which this is drawn, is a solid release with a few real gems on it, including “Dirty NY”, and my personal favourite, “The Oath”.

Above The Law ft. Madd Harv Dawg : Karma

We go sombre for the penultimate vocal track of the episode, reaching back to Above The Law’s fifth album, the 1998 “Legends” LP - produced, as was the rest of their catalogue, by group member Cold 187um. The late KMG might just have the highlist verse here, as he, 187, and guest Madd Harv Dawg remind us all that if you choose to indulge in wrongdoing, you can’t be surprised when that negativity ends up coming right back around to your front door.

[Self] Heltah Skeltah : Worldwide (Instrumental)

Not “Self” as in me, or Heltah Skeltah, but a producer also known as Lord Self (or Self Serve) who has done beats like the now thoroughly thematically-ruined “Black Trump” for Cocoa Brovas and Raekwon, and big single “What’s My Name” for DMX. We hear him here producing on the second Heltah Skeltah LP “Magnum Force” with a dark, string-laden cut dripping with 90s flavour.

Nas : I Gave You Power

We finish the episode with a spectacular piece of first-person storytelling taken from Nas’ second LP “It Was Written”, and arguably the standout track on the album. Nas provides a great commentary on the tragedy and endless cycle of gun violence by writing from the point of view of a gun, giving a very different perspective than the ones most MCs might have provided. As the title says, Nas notes how holding the gun gives each owner the feeling of power, provoking and aiding them in wreaking havoc they wouldn’t otherwise, until even the gun doesn’t want to be involved anymore. DJ Premier is on production, with a perfect boom-bap beat centred around a mournful piano - he notes himself that he didn’t want to make any element too busy so that the lyrics would stand out, and that lack of ego makes the final product all the stronger, a true all-time classic.

Check out this episode!

28 December 2024

Episode 186 : Recovery

Better stay in the house and record...

“The sonic still iconic…”

- Dr. Dre

I was all ready to go with a plan for this episode, and was just waiting to have a guest into the studio for interview and to talk about the tracks of his that I’d included in the selection…and then I got COVID. As such, having anyone visit the house was out of the window, and I had to shelve the original plans and cook up an alternative episode in about a week! All things considered though, I think it’s a strong selection and one with an assortment of flavours. Hope you enjoy it, as I wait to test negative and fight off the lingering fatigue so that I can rejoin the world…

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Saafir ft. Jayo Felony : Mask-A-Raid

RIP Saafir. This is probably the song of his I’ve heard more than any other, having first found it in those early days of questionable MP3 acquisition ;) Have bought it since, and you can find it on the 1999 “The Hit List” LP. He brings in San Diego street rhyme veteran Jayo Felony to contrast him delivery-wise on the mic, and also clearly told him to escalate immediately, which he does within his first four bars to wake up anyone that might be quietly nodding along with this in the background! Production is handled by Carlos “Six July” Broady, who is best known for his work with various New York artists but complements these Cali emcees perfectly.

[Illmind] The Last Poets, Dead Prez, Common : Panthers (Illmind Remix Instrumental)

Having my whole 12" collection digitised means that hidden gems like this one are easier to unearth, and this remix instrumental from the New Jersey/NYC is just such a gem - buried in a nine-track 12"! I remember seeing Illmind in the ughh.com producer forums back in the days, and it was great to see his dedication rewarded with a long and illustrious career. In the last few years he’s not only been a producer but a teacher and mentor to many, which is worth of all the respect!

Nas : The Don

I could be wrong, but I tried to search the notes for the entire podcast collection and it looks like I somehow have managed never to play this track, which is incredible as I love it! Nas didn’t perform it on his recent visit to Manchester, but I still remember the night DJ Mr Thing broke it out at In The Loop in Manchester, with the crowd calling for endless pull-ups 🔥 This is an absolute monster from the “Life Is Good” LP, where Nas demonstrates that even if you doubt his beat selections sometimes, he’s extremely tough to match when he chooses to give you a big, anthemic, no-candy floss single! Salaam Remi is the producer, and his beat is a dancehall-flavoured banger punctuated by a thoroughly doom-laden kick section, and hooked by a masterful sampling of Super Cat’s “Dance Inna New York”. Definitely one of Nas’ best singles.

Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre ft. Alus : Outta Da Blue

Huge new tune, with these two Los Angeles legends combining on the second (?) single from their upcoming LP “Missionary”, set to be released on the revived, now Snoop-owned Death Row Records. Dre crafts an uptempo party jam, weaving in some 80s flavour, and bringing in New Jersey singer Alus on hook duties, including her own interpolation of MIA’s “Paper Planes”. If this is the mark to judge the album by, it could end up being one to stand proudly next to Snoop’s debut “Doggystyle”.

The Roots : Without A Doubt

Hearing the little snatches of the drum track (not sure if it’s a sample or replay) for Schoolly D’s “Saturday Nite” as part of the Snoop and Dre track made me reach for this great cut from The Roots’ classic “Things Fall Apart” LP, and I was glad to find that I’d somehow never included it on the podcast before! It’s a Philadelphia group of the time, arguably at the height of their powers, covering another Philly legend, and bringing in Lady B, a pioneering DJ from the city, in on backing vocals - an endeavour of brotherly and sisterly love!

L Swift ft. A-Butta : Ride This

Those crispy drums and that beautiful long intro made for a solid transition from Philadephia up to New York, where L Swift (now Swigga) of Natural Elements does his thing on this solo single from 2000, produced by Kenny Dope. With A-Butta of NE also on the feature, you’re getting 2/3 of the crew on this track, which is never a bad thing when you’re talking about some of the coldest lyricists of the era - and who have continued to keep the standards high to the present day.

[Track Addicts] PMD : Next Chapter

“Dramatic” is the only word you can use to describe this one, a B-side on the “Straight From Da Heart” 12" single which was drawn from Parrish Smith’s third solo LP “The Awakening”, which was his second after reuniting with Erick Sermon to re-form EPMD. While he’s a skilled producer in his own right, PMD brings in Amsterdam’s Track Addicts for this one, and they represent for their city well here.

namesbliss : Different Calibre

We had one of this man’s tracks on the show a just couple of episodes back, but when I heard this new single I knew we had to feature him again! Scruz provides the bass-heavy beat with the repeating high-mid synth locking you in for the wordplay-heavy work from Namesbliss, who still manages to come through clear as a bell.

Pa Salieu : Dece (Heavy)

I would 100% not have known how to pronounce the name of this track had Pa not said it on the hook! Recently home after some time away, Pa Salieu is an MC out of the Midlands of Gambian background who brings the Afrobeats flavour to the drill/grime world, with this brand new single being a shining demonstration. He comes out this fresh, bouncy beat, matching it measure for measure and confidently playing around within the rhythm, stamping his authority on the track. Heavy indeed.

Slim Thug ft. C.Ward, Killa Kyleon, Sir Daily, and PJ : Boyz N Blue

For this track we go all the way back to Slim Thug’s major label debut “Already Platinum”, which was a bold and factual statement for an MC who had built a loyal following and, by all accounts, quite a bankroll, doing his own thing independently out of Houston long before the big labels came calling to get in on the action. He’s only sparingly on this track as he generously shares the spotlight with a bunch of guests, with each MC taking about four bars each before passing the mic to the next man. The beat by T.A. is classic Houston riding music, and he uses a classic local style for the hook, with the slowed and slightly shopped vocal sample which I’d love to identify - the way it’s used here definitely enhances the track.

Leftfield : Chant Of A Poor Man

The kind of electronic low-tempo music that the UK has always done so well is on display here, twenty-five years after it was released as part of the “Rhythm and Stealth” LP, Leftfield’s second. That LP managed to reach #1 on the UK Albums Chart - nice to know the quality was appreciated in the mainstream! Cheshire Cat (who did not look anything like I might have expected), a live collaborator of the group, provides the reggae-styled vocals here over the slow, deep production, which really shines on a high-quality system.

[El-P] Run The Jewels : Run The Jewels (Instrumental)

The title track to the first Run The Jewels LP wasn’t one of my go-to tunes on there, but I may have to re-evaluate that - this is a mean, mean beat. El-P cooked up one for your workout playlists for sure.

Termanology & Tek ft. Flash : Boom Bap Or Die

The combination of Tek and Termanology is Teknology, which I absolutely love! Anyway, these two East Coast spitters combine on this new track with a man who has been performing for many years in different situations - people who remember the Lyricist Lounge era might know him as Flashy of Cipher Complete, while others may know his association with the Ruff Ryders crew. The title is bold, but one I can get behind, as the MCs run back-to-back with no hook over a bumping Nottz beat that very much fits the mold of modern boom-bap while bearing one of his signature styles. The forthcoming “Teknology” LP will be one to make listening space for.

Sndtrak : Letsdanse

This man plays no games when it comes to flipping and breaking down a sample, and right here a David Bowie/Nile Rodgers classic gets the treatment, twitching and stumbling with a rhythm all its own on one of the many top-shelf tracks from “Flips V1 : Triple Lindy”. I should get bonus points for being able to get a clean mix with this one! 😆

Illa J ft. Guilty Simpson and J.Rocc : R U Listening?

Over to Detroit for a single from the 2008 “Yancey Boys” album, featuring the union of siblings Illa J and the late J Dilla. Dilla is only on production on this track, with Illa J taking the bulk of mic duties and Motor City stalways Guilty Simpson guesting on the second verse. The title and even the actual lyrics make me think of all the people who lumped Slum Village in with “conscious rap”…because they clearly were not listening to what was actually being said, just riding off the sonic vibes! J.Rocc of the Beat Junkies rounds things out with some tight cuts; go and buy a copy of this track or listen to it on streaming to hear them in full, as we needed to blend out early to head to…

Geechi Suede ft. Tenille Ramos : Garavani Gold

One half of Camp Lo spitting in his distinctive superfly, ultra-slang style on a track that isn’t just short but actually cuts off abruptly right at the end, so I had to work around that! “Fishnet Skyscrapers” was missed by most, but is a solid fifteen-track mixtape/LP that we’ve dipped into before, and I’m sure we will again! As far as I’m aware this was a digital-only release (and it’s not even on Discogs), so I don’t have any credits for the smooth production here, but it’s a job well-done.

Sven Van Hees : Ocean Jive

Belgium’s Sven Van Hees started off as a DJ back in 1985, but only started releasing his own albums in 1996. They’re spectacular collections of chillout music in the main, with this track coming from “Gemini”, his second. Vinyl of this is crazy expensive these days, but you can find the CD much more reasonably-priced on the used market - then let it play, and relax…

Tall Black Guy x Nate Smith x Marvin Gaye : Run To My Mother And Father

In a true case of “if you snooze, you lose”, TBG had this track up on Bandcamp for just seven days - so I felt lucky to have been awake enough not to miss it! The signature warm synth production and thick drums back up the sampled vocals of the late great Marvin Gaye, and speaking of those drums - they’re a flip of “Pocket Change 2” by multiple Grammy nominee drummer Nate Smith, and a perfect fit here. This number gives us a grooving, soulful end to the episode.

Check out this episode!

30 November 2024

Episode 185 : Brooklyn’s Finest

Graf in Brooklyn, 2016

“…I’d be filthy rich if not for integrity.”

- Ka

The title and theme of this episode came into focus after the second of two tragic losses to the Hip-Hop family this month, both from the same borough - first the peerless wordsmith Ka, and then the legendary producer and DJ Clark Kent. Both Brooklyn natives were held in the highest esteem by all practicioners of their respective arts as experts, and more importantly, spoken highly of as human beings. We feature the music of Ka and Clark Kent in this month’s selection alongside some deep cuts from my crates…lock in.

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Ka : Sad To Say

You may have other favourites, but no-one can narrate and reflect on the street life quite like the legendary Ka of Brownsville, Brooklyn - a man who you’ll have heard me say before is one of the greatest writers we’ve ever had. Of all the artists in the culture, he ranks in the very highest tier of those who refused to compromise their artistic principles to chase as much as a penny, and so his albums are best enjoyed by those who respect that. This piece is taken from 2021’s “A Martyr’s Reward” and features Ka’s trademark subdued production underneath his heavy, heavy pen. While other artists may have got social media fame, their work won’t be being studied and analysed for years to come - Ka’s will.

[RZA] Wu-Tang Clan : I Can’t Go To Sleep (Live Instrumental)

The live performance of this track which was included on the Wu’s “The W” album in its original form brings an even more dramatic air to it than the first version. Strangely, there’s nothing on the single this comes from to credit the performers of this live version but they do a fine job replaying RZA’s production, itself based around some classic Isaac Hayes.

Trae ft. L-Boogie : I Deserve

This near-drumless track felt like an appropriate inclusion here - what was maybe less appropriate was Don Cannon yelling wildly all over the intro, which I tried to mostly omit! Houston legend Trae is talking about real life on this selection from the 2011 “Undisputed” mixtape, with Dre & Vidal taking a tiny sliver of modern soul and turning it into a somewhat mournful backing. As an aside, the L-Boogie lending her vocals to this is not Lauryn Hill!

Knucks & Venna : Alpha House

From Texas we come all the way back to the UK, for a track that couldn’t for a second be mistaken for coming from anywhere else - even without Knucks’ London accent. It’s only a short song, but powerful, as he tells a story going all the way back to where everything started for him. The track carries on long past the final lyric, with the saxophonist Venna playing over Knucks’ beautiful production. This is the perfectly-chosen opener from his 2022 “Alpha Place” album, named after the street he grew up on.

Curren$y : Game On Freeze

We go back to 2018’s “The Spring Collection” album for this bassy, low-slung track - two short verses from New Orleans’ Curren$y, short enough that the hook almost gets equal time, on top of the beat from Sledgren of Taylor Gang. Anyone that is hating on Curren$y can only be jealous of the success he describes, since by all accounts he’s one of the most personable artists around!

Organized Noize ft. Joi and 2 Chainz : Kush

Finding one of the supposed 500 copies of the “Organized Noize EP” was a great result from regular local record shopping! The famed production trio (RIP Rico Wade) get free reign to put this collection of tracks together their way, and they go slow, low, dark, and smoked out with this ode to the good weed, starring fellow Atlanta natives Joi and 2 Chainz on vocals. This was released as a single too, and justifiably so.

[Shadetek] Rodan : Witchcraft II (Instrumental)

Dark, grinding, and pretty much completely forgotten by me in favour of the other track on this 12", “Ruler Of Day & Night”! Shadetek does his thing on this, a sequel to “Witchcraft” on the Monsta Island Czars’ “Escape From Monsta Island” LP that is drastically slower and much grimmer sonically.

MF DOOM ft. Kurious : ?

A favourite from the classic “Operation : Doomsday” LP, and one of the more poignant tracks as the now-late DOOM talks about his deceased brother, known to most of us as DJ Subroc of KMD, their first group. He self-produces this one, occasionally lightening up the music by swapping out the moody main loop (which is my favourite) with a more optimistically-tinged sample from the same original track. Special guest Kurious does the honours on the second verse, which comes in at first like it’s a hook…but then he just keeps going.

The Stic : Qi Gong

I bet you didn’t check the notes this month expecting to find a track about a Chinese system of breathing, movement, and meditation! Stic of dead prez gave us the original “The Workout” album full of health and fitness-oriented motivational tracks back in 2011, but we had to hold on until 2020 to get the sequel, which this is drawn from. Unfortunately I don’t have a production credit for this one (it was a digital purchase with no information in the files), but the instrumental definitely provides the right mood for an MC who more than most seems to walk what he talks.

Roots Manuva ft. Wildflower : Baptism

When London’s own Roots Manuva comes up in discussion, it’s usually the “Run Come Save Me” era that gets the shine, largely due to the monster track that was “Witness”, but his first LP “Brand New Second Hand” deserves some love too if you’ve never heard it. Roots Manuva produced much of the LP as well as being the vocalist, so it’s fair enough that he brought in a guest to hold down the second verse here! Wildflower does the business, fitting in well over a beat that conjours up strong memories of the more underground, slightly abstract UK Hip-Hop of the time - though make no mistake, not so spacey that you can’t nod your head to it!

Pharoahe Monch : Livin’ It Up

Bars are a cast-iron guarantee on any Pharoahe Monch track, and this one is no exception, coming from the period immediately following the release of his debut solo LP “Internal Affairs”, which is where many people in and around the mainstream first became aware of his mic skills. If you were listening to early 2000s underground Hip-Hop, you probably know the main sample here primarily from the Dilated Peoples cut “Triple Optics”, but Baby Paul of the Beatminerz cooks it up with a more straightforward drum pattern and some reinforcing bass for this one, which was on the B-side of Pharoahe’s “The Light” single as well as appearing on the “Next Friday” soundtrack.

Marco Polo : War (Instrumental)

Dipped into the crate to select this one just as the previous record was playing and was pleased to find that, according to Serato at least, they’re both in the same key! Look at me being all fancy :) A chunky and imperious beat which is on the “War” 12" - pick up the single to hear Kardinal Offishall doing his thing on vocals.

Bob James : Shamboozie

“Nautilus” and “Take Me To The Mardi Gras” are two of the most sampled records in Hip-Hop history, but Bob James has supplied plenty of other material to the culture, including this track from his 1982 “Hands Down” LP. Definitely check out the man’s back catalogue and you’ll hear all kinds of snippets you know popping out! We go with just a small piece of this track and then hear how it was used by Clark Kent on…

Rakim : Guess Who’s Back

While as a DJ there are other tracks on Rakim’s solo debut LP “The 18th Letter” I played more, this Clark Kent production was arguably the people’s choice, and one that I believe was the lead single for the LP. The sample is cut up just enough to allow some variations on the riff as the track moves, but for the most part it sounds just as it did on the Bob James record. As as far as the bars…it’s Rakim. You should know by now.

Ohio Players : Ecstasy

We go into the second sample source, the title track to the 1973 LP by Ohio Players, the group’s fourth. Clark Kent has said that this had been his favourite record since childhood, and that he’d tried to sample it before but hadn’t captured in it the way he wanted. He eventually cracked the code on the legendary Jay-Z and Biggie collaboration we go to next…

Jay-Z ft. The Notorious B.I.G. : Brooklyn’s Finest

If this it sounds a little “off” to you, it’s likely because the track is arranged in groups of five bars, not four or eight - tricky for MCs and DJs alike! Clark Kent said it was the only way to properly capture the flavour of the original track and he nails it. Never a single, but one of the most highly-rated tunes from Jay-Z’s debut “Reasonable Doubt”, this is a street lyrical masterpiece, with each man trying to show he was better than the other. This was a small taste of a huge “what if?”, with Biggie Smalls being murdered before the planned inclusion of both MCs in “The Commission”, which really would have been monumental. Weird to think that only one of the three people involved in this track is still with us.

Freddie Foxxx : Stick ‘Em Up

Maybe a bit niche, but Freddie Foxxx AKA Bumpy Knuckles has some of the best rhymes about robbing other rappers specifically! Clark Kent is best known for being able to give you the big singles, the party tunes, the deft re-contextualising of popular samples, but he could definitely give you different styles and here he goes all the way gully for a thugged-out album cut from 2003’s “Konexion”. Perfect rawness.

[DJ Premier] The Marxmen : Bloody Murdah (Instrumental)

This is more sparse than “Stick 'Em Up”, but has the appropriate level of ruggedness to match it. “The Marxmen” is a cover name for Brownsville’s own, world famous M.O.P. and if you’re a fan, it’s well worth having the “Marxmen Cinema” release - I’ve got it on wax, but it got a CD release too. This instrumental came from a 12" single release though, and DJ Premier, one of the group’s biggest fans, goes as straightforward as it gets on production.

Ka : Beautiful

We close the episode as we began, with a track from Ka, this time from his most recent LP “The Thief Next To Jesus”, released less than a month before his passing. The album explores themes around the relationship between Black people and Christianity, and in keeping with that, he works a lot of gospel sounds into his signature near/drumless production. The lyrics on this one are accessible to most, but profound rather than simplistic, and delivered with his appropriately low, subdued tones that complement the downtempo swing perfectly. We only wish he could have had the long life that he himself wished upon us on the chorus of this one.

Check out this episode!

30 October 2024

Episode 184 : Concentration

Air Adam, Manchester, September 2024

“Traumatised, but full of pride…”

- Bashy

Thanks to the short length of some of the tracks, the total running time of this episode isn’t as long as some others, but it’s a high-potency forty-eight minutes! We start with one of the realest, toughest tracks I’ve heard in ages, low-tempo to make sure you catch every word, end on a new track by some of the most dedicated veterans in the culture, and hit some incredible notes between those two points. Let’s get it going…

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Bashy : How Black Men Lose Their Smile

Wow. Stunning, 100% relatable song that everyone should sit down, listen to, then run it back and listen again. Bashy is absolutely flawless here, telling his story while also telling the stories of so many of us Black men who have grown up here. The production by Toddla T just adds to it, with the reggae-influenced beat calling back to the music that has been so prominent in Black British life, and the straight-to-camera video is starkly fitting. “Being Poor Is Expensive” is the title of the new album this track is drawn from, and also a plain statement of fact.

M Slago : Sonic Marvel (Ten City Flip)

“The 80’s Beat Tape” coming out of FWMJ’s “Producers I Know” collective/project was a ten-track collection of, as you’d expect, producers flipping 80s records into their own compositions. I can’t say I remember the original that Nashville’s M Slago chopped into this slowed, ominous track, but I do know that many years after the 2015 release of this tape which was recorded at least two years before that, this beat was used for “Finer Things” featuring Kyle Rapps. So nice, we got it twice!

Scarface : No Problem

Scarface’s “Deeply Rooted” from 2015 is a quality LP that you should seek out if you can - more than likely, you’ll need to fork out to buy a copy since it seems to have long disappeared from Spotify. The Houston icon was on his eleventh solo album here, and his one long verse is an aggressive statement of who he is, what he’s about, and what/who he has no respect for, over a dark, grinding beat from Atlanta’s KEY! (punctuation is part of the name).

Ghetts ft. Stefflon Don : Slumdog Millionaire

This Bollywood-accented cut from 2017 is such a killer, and an appropriate move coming from the UK where many of us grew up hearing it at least as part of the background growing up - Ghetts himself notes that it was that element that made this Nutty P beat stand out for him. Stefflon Don adds some flavour to the hook, but Ghetts takes centre stage on the mic for two tight verses. If you want more, 2018’s “Ghetto Gospel : The New Testament” is the place to go.

GQ : Trap

A track I admit I’d overlooked on the “Rated Oakland” LP despite its position as the closer, this one definitely pulled me in when I went back to it for the first time in a while, ten years after the original release. I’ve cut it a little short here for the sake of pacing, but you’ll get a long spoken word closing from GQ if you go to check the full album! The moody, dark production comes courtesy of Eric G of The Soul Council.

namesbliss : Last Week

I was totally unaware of this highly-skilled MC out of Kilburn, London, until he popped up on my IG feed - who says social media is good for nothing? His rapid-fire, witty, and clean flows are married up with smooth beats (this particular one produced by Scruz) that are miles away from what you generally hear in the grime genre - I’ve heard this described as “lo-fi grime” and that seems as good a label as any. It reminds of me what KwolleM started a good few years back with his “mellow grime” style, and it’s nice to hear an MC like this with room to breathe on the track! This particular cut is a highlight from his latest LP “Lively Experience”, which is one of my favourite purchases of the month.

Devin Morrison : The Blisselle

I played a vocal track by Devin Morrison on the podcast back on episode 153, but didn’t appreciate until recently how prolific (as well as skilled) a producer he is! In just over two years he has released a twelve volume series of “Dream Lobby” collections, made up of work he didn’t think fit a standard album format, and if you like modern, smooth, dreamy, and soulful production then you want to at least dip in if not collect the set. This cut is taken from “Dream Lobby Vol. IX”, a seven-track delight from last autumn - so I thought I’d share it as we get ready to enter this one…

Ghostface Killah : The Forest

I had the chance to see The Alchemist live this month, and as he was playing a smoking set of some of his many, many production classics from a long career, he dropped this one - which I totally forgot he did! With all the cartoon characters engaged in legally questionable activities, this track from 2001’s “Bulletproof Wallets” is very much like Ghost’s take on the two “A Gangsta’s Fairytale” tracks Ice Cube did back in the day.

Jeru The Damaja : One Day

Hits differently now, doesn’t it? Short, pointed, and naming names, find this DJ Premier-produced dagger on Jeru’s second LP, “Wrath Of The Math”.

Kuartz & Dubbul O : War Cry

Dubbul O only recently released the “Stay Gold” EP with Cutterz and now he’s back with the devastating production of Kuartz on the new “Shigurui” EP, giving us that boom-bap rawness. This is the opening track, with the Manchester duo giving us some Timberland and hoodie music for real. If you miss this style, pick up this LP to hear it being done very well indeed!

Clear Soul Forces : Insane

One of the more light-heartedly amusing moment of this month for the heavily-online Hip-Hop fan was when the great Questlove of The Roots, one of the most knowledgeable music heads in the entire world discovered that Clear Soul Forces existed - it appears he thought they were a new act, but they’ve been about for almost a decade! We all have things slip under our radars, and there’s no shame - if Questlove can miss a talented group like this, then we all can! Anyway, I thought it was fitting to go all the way back to their first album, 2015’s “Fab 5ive” for this banger. While most of their catalogue has been produced by Ilajide, who is also an MC, this LP was produced by fellow Michigan native NAMELESS, who has this one smashing while CSF explode lyrically all over the track. As an aside - Quest was of course gracious when everyone leapt in to correct him!

[Kut Masta Kurt] Motion Man : Play Dough (Instrumental)

Early-2000s, independent underground boom-bap business - and while I got this beat from these two Cali natives on the B-side of a 12" single, you can now get the entire set of instrumentals from the “Clearing The Field” LP on Bandcamp!

LL Cool J ft. Busta Rhymes : Huey In The Chair

The buzz around this album since it came out this month has been quite something, with most heads agreeing it’s the best thing LL has done in years! “The FORCE” is almost entirely produced by Q-Tip, and the result is a triumph for these two giants from the borough of Queens. This track brings in Busta alongside LL, with both going ultra-Black while referring to the famous image of Huey Newton of the Black Panther Party in the peacock chair that still hits as hard today, over fifty years since it was taken. Definitely check the album if you’ve not heard it yet.

Slum Village ft. Little Brother : Where Do We Go From Here?

As you likely know, SV have been through many lineup changes over the years and as much as anything the name is a flag to rally under for Detroit’s finest - with this track coming from 2010’s “Villa Manifesto”, an album which thanks to posthumous contributions actually features every member that had been in the group up to that time. The vibe here is kind of retro-futuristic Hip-Hop, with Young RJ on production, Samuel Beubien on string arrangements, and DJ Dez doing a phenomenal job scratching in all the separate lines of lyrics to create a spoken hook. Only two verses, but T3 and then the combination of Phonte and Big Pooh of LB do the business.

Mr. Voodoo aka AGU : Crhyme Life

Alchemist on the beat again, with a dark, tense piece of production to go along with the killer bars of Mr. Voodoo, one-third of the highly-respected Natural Elements crew. As far as I can tell, this was only ever released as a 12" single and I can’t find it on the streaming services, but it’s available used pretty inexpensively if you want to add some quality rhymes and early Alchemist production to your crates!

Dave East and Mike & Keys ft. Stacy Barthe : So Much Changed

You know you’re getting on a bit when tunes you clearly remember growing up are being covered, sampled, and tributed! This track from this year’s “APT 6E” album from Harlem’s Dave East and the production duo Mike & Keys is a clear tribute to the 1994 release “Pain” by 2Pac, from the “Above The Rim” soundtrack. It’s not just the sample, but the lyrical themes that hark back to that original song, particularly on the first verse, and it’s well done. Multiple Grammy nominee Stacy Barthe blesses the hook with her vocals, which again are reminiscent of “Pain” but with her own flavour.

[Ice Cube, QD III] Yo-Yo : IBWin’ With My CREWin’ (Instrumental)

After starting the mix with this stripped down to just the drums and bass courtesy of Serato’s “stems” feature, I was tempted to leave it like that but ended up bringing back the rest of the elements on this banging 90s beat from Yo-Yo’s third album “You Better Ask Somebody”. Yo-Yo first came to our attention on Ice Cube’s first solo LP, as his foil on “It’s A Man’s World” before going on a strong four-album run from 1991-1996 - go and have a listen if you’re not familiar!

The B Boys ft. Chuck D and Ice-T : Hello

A record I had no idea was coming, this is a true meeting of veterans, OGs of the artform. The B Boys are the original crew of Donald D, an MC you might know from his excellent late 80s-90s work as part of the Rhyme Syndicate, with Brother B and DJ Chuck Chillout completing the trio. Their original run was roughly 1983-1985, then they went separate ways before coming back together for a couple of EPs in 2022 and 2023, and then a full LP “We Get Down” this year, which this track is on! The Donald D-produced instrumental is heavily drum-centred, and in the best way, sounds like something that could have been on Ice-T’s first LP, and leaves plenty of space for the vocals to be heard clearly - and the headliners bring along Ice-T and Public Enemy’s Chuck D to provide full verses for a track that runs for over five minutes, a relative rarity these days. Abigail Culley’s hook rounds it out nicely, and if you’re anything like me, will stick in your head!

Check out this episode!

30 September 2024

Episode 183 : The Natural

Griselda style :)

“Posthumous ain’t the wave…”

- Mega Ran

For this month’s cover art, I couldn’t resist calling back to one of the most unexpectedly popular stars of the Olympics I was glued to earlier in the month, and going a little Griselda with it 😁 Music-wise, we’re almost entirely Hip-Hop this episode, but visiting a lot of different chambers - got some brand new stuff, some tracks that are older than I realised, and we open up with a gem that never got a commercial release…

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Playlist/Notes

Warzone : Take It Or Leave It

I left the drop on the front of this track to respect the blog DubCNN, from where I got this track way back - one I’ve never heard anywhere else! Warzone was a supergroup made up of Kam, Goldie Loc, and MC Eiht of CMW, who drop unapologetically gangsta lyrics through all three verses of this fire tune. Sadly, even though they did record a full album, the world never got to hear it due to them being unable to get a distribution deal - if anyone somehow has a copy, I would love to hear the whole thing! I think Mr. Porter is on production, which makes sense, with the drums having a distinctly Detroit timefeel which really adds to the overall flavour.

Sndtrak : Inhuman

The Detroit stalwart House Shoes was recently playing some beat flips by Oakland producer Sndtrack on a Twitch stream, and before he was done I’d already bought two of his albums, including “FLIPS V2: FLIP-TUCK” from which this is drawn. He deconstructs Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” on his Maschine and turns it into a dark, gothic, booming track which lives up to its title! This is an artist well worthy of your support.

Layfullstop : Did I Stutter

Brand new single from a double-threat MC/singer you might know from her work in the Manchester scene over the last few years - she posted a clip on Instagram and I immediately had to buy myself a copy! Layfullstop kills it in less than three minutes with flows and bars galore over a wicked self-produced beat that features smooth keys under an irresistible rhythm track. An artist to always keep an ear out for!

Mega Ran ft. The Outlawz : In The Game

It was great to see Mega Ran return to play in Manchester this month, and while it would have been easy to just reach for his most recent release, we’re going back to a personal favourite, the “Live ‘95” LP. As someone who grew up loving Hip-Hop, hoops - and of course gaming - in the magical time of the 90s, this album explores the intersections of them all. Edi Mean and Young Noble of The Outlawz, best known as 2Pac’s crew guest here with a couple of short and positive verses over Yon Li’s production, but it’s the headliner who really shines here with an excellent first verse. His lines about “anybody I ain’t rock with, don’t put them on my projects” ring truer than ever in a world where some are excusing the use of AI deepfake tech to put words in the mouths of the deceased. We don’t support that necromancy over here.

Zion I : We Got It

Accidentally deleted my notes for this - let’s try again 😂 This was a nice B-side on the flip of “Here We Come” by Skhool Yard, both taken from the 2001 compilation “The Funky Precedent Vol. 2”. The production by 418Hz is sparse enough to allow the straight-ahead dopeness on the mic from the late Zumbi to breathe.

Diamond D ft. Torae and Bishop Lamont : MERK

Jo-Jo on the low pro, the Forest Projects and DITC legend Diamond has returned to bless us with a new release this month, the nine-track “The Diam Piece 3 : Initium”, loaded with featured guests all doing their thing over his top-shelf production. The crispy drums and guitar sample with a subtle bass backing create a clean but still grimy backdrop for all the MCs - Bishop Lamont from Cali and Brooklyn’s Torae, both true insiders’ choices - to bring quality bars. Well under three minutes long, this is concentrated dopeness.

[Jay Dee] Slum Village : Fall In Love (Remix Instrumental)

The original version of “Fall In Love” was at least at some point removed from retail copies of “Fantastic Volume II” due to sample clearance problems, but this remixed version is an underground classic in its own way. I recently picked this up as a 45, though I’d expect that there are some 12" and digital releases containing this excellent J Dilla beat as well.

DJ Premier & Bumpy Knuckles ft. Flavor Flav : Shake The Room

He may only be on the hook, but I thought we needed the Public Enemy legend, US Women’s water polo team sponsor Flav, and general US Olympic hypeman on the episode somewhere this month! As he has done so often for Chuck D, he brings a different tone and change of energy to this track to contrast the gravelly-voiced and aggressive style of Bumpy Knuckles, with DJ Premier switching up the beat in those sections to match. The first single from the “Kolexxxion” LP, this one has a beat that Busta Rhymes apparently rejected, but Bumpy and Flav have made it what it needed to be.

Black Milk ft T3 and Phat Kat : Danger

Into the crates for a Phat Kat feature after getting the chance to play an all-Detroit warmup set before he performed in Manchester earlier this month! This cut from fellow 313 native and beast producer Black Milk’s debut LP “Sound Of The City, Volume 1” has him taking the mic for the opening verse, before T3 of Slum Village takes the baton for the second, and finally Phat Kat burns it down on the close with pure aggression. Some of those that Kat said should “stop rapping and drive a cab” might well prefer to look into rideshare options if they were on the receiving end of this torching 🔥

Jel : Delete Sound

Just a short instrumental bridge courtesy of Jel, co-founder of the Anticon label as well as, of course, a producer in his own right. This is a great drum workout entirely done on the legendary SP-1200, from the 2002 “10 Seconds” album, named after the total sampling time the SP has available!

O.C. : The Inventor

I have to credit DJ Rolling Adam for introducing me to this track after playing it on one of his Twitch streams! It’s a bit of an O.C. obscurity that had passed me by, with Ogee cleverly using the intro of a much loved jazz track that has been sampled on some classics - none of which made much of this part of the original. On the mic…standard solid performance from O.C., who can always be relied on to hold up his part of proceedings. You can find this on the 2006 “Hidden Gems” collection, or on 12" if you’re willing to buy one of the relatively few copies that seem to be available on the used market.

Kev Brown : The Cause (Instrumental)

Absolutely fire beat! Not a crazy number of elements, just the basics done flawlessly, which is a real strength of Landover’s Kev Brown, one of the most respected producers of his generation by those in the know. Of all the tracks from his “Selective Hearing” project with LMNO, this was by far my favourite, and the instrumental works well in a standard DJ set, an MC cipher, as a scratch backdrop - it has a quality and restraint that give it ultimate versatility.

Verb T ft. Malek Winter and Da Flyy Hooligan : Mere Mortal

Heavy UK business. The “Restoration” project is a collaboration between the veteran MC Verb T (who may be best known to many as one quarter of The Four Owls) and Malek Winter, who comes through with the 21st century lo-fi boom-bap styles on production. North-West London “gourmet rap” purveyor Da Flyy Hooligan features here, as one of the very few guests on the LP, as the MCs speak on how no matter how bulletproof you may feel, it’s never quite so.

Sean Price : Title Track

Ok - in a total inversion of Ronseal naming conventions, this tune is called “Title Track" but the album it comes on is entitled ”Mic Tyson“, meaning that this is actually not the title track in literal sense! Classic merry rulebreaking from the late great Sean P, whose brutal bars on this 2012 release jockey for position against Eric G’s slow, grinding, dramatic beat for sheer aggression. As always, R.I…P!

DJ Quik ft. David Blake II : Shine

There are all kinds of things I’ve seen in Hip-Hop as time has gone on that remind me of my (thankfully) advancing years, but this one is up there - DJ Quik, who I first heard as a nineteen-year-old MC on the 1990-recorded ”Tonite“, being in the game long enough that on this track his son is the featured guest! Quik’s production is low-tempo with the double-time hi-hats doing work to add a feeling of extra pace as son and then father get on the mic for each of the two verses. This pick from 2014’s ”The Midnight Life“ is certainly not ”Just The Two Of Us“, but it’s an interesting union all the same.

Trae Tha Truth : Trunk Gone Glow

We go deep and dark sonically as we approach the end of the show, taking it down to Houston, Texas, for a track from a true legend of the scene. This comes from the ”Another 48 Hours“ mixtape, the second of two albums released by Trae that were recorded in a mere two days each! Trademark Houston lyrical content, talking about the famous SLAB cars and the light-up trunk kits that make them extra-personalised. MOXIII and Watson The Great are credited with production over the whole LP, and this track is a spaced-out, screwed-up synthy soundscape with quality drum machine work over the top.

[El-P] Run The Jewels : Job Well Done (Instrumental)

If I see the instrumentals for a good album available for sale, I make a point of picking them up, so this month I was glad to notice that the beats for the first Run The Jewels LP had been released as a standalone collection. If you already know the album, then you know that it was packed with raw beats and this one is no exception - no crossover style, no chill, just banging, menacing production from El-P.

Justice & Thundercat : The End

This played during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics and sent me - and a lot of other people - scrambling to Shazam it before they switched to something else! The combination of the French electronic duo Justice and Los Angeles bass force of nature Thundercat (although he’s primarily on vocal duties here) is sonic bliss, and makes this year’s ”Hyperdrama“ album one to seek out if this is anything to go by. If you have a nice, clean, tuned sound system…this is going to sound spectacular.

Check out this episode!

30 August 2024

Episode 182 : The People’s Music

Militant business in Crete, 2015

“I never did a dance for a dollar…”

- Buckshot

This month we don’t shift into high gear in terms of tempo at any point, topping out at around 90, so those of you experiencing actual summer don’t overheat! We’ve got some absolutely fire new releases in the mix alongside some versions that you might never have heard, plus some deep album cuts. We start things off with just such a track - if you don’t own the album, I’d be willing to bet you’ve never heard it…never let it be said this is a show that leans on the obvious records!

Still a few tickets left to see Phat Kat at The Hip Hop Chip Shop on August 4th, plus me playing a special Detroit warmup set!

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Playlist/Notes

Above The Law ft. Kokane : Rain Be For Rain Bo

RIP KMG, who passed away twelve years ago this month. In a season where we maybe haven’t had the sunshine we expected, this seemed like an appropriate choice - a downtempo but funky piece from the well-respected LP “Uncle Sam’s Curse”, Above The Law’s third. Cold 187um not only produced the track but also provides the scene-setting first verse, while his cousin Kokane is on the hook, and KMG’s second verse builds on the perfect setup. A lot of people were not ready to digest this LP fully when it came out, but if you have time to take a front-to-back listen, especially if you appreciate the West Coast sound, then do - you’ll be rewarded.

Tavaras Jordan : Change, Pt. 2 (The Last Thing)

A beautifully smooth instrumental from this talented Hip-Hop and R&B producer out of North Carolina, taken from his short - but very sweet - 2019 “Manifest Destiny” album. Anything with this man’s name on is worth a listen!

GZA : Animal Planet

The streets are a jungle, and nature is gangster. Another in GZA’s series of themed tracks that started with “Labels” on “Liquid Swords”, this grand-sounding Bink and Tyquan Walker-produced cut from “Legend Of The Liquid Sword” allows the Genius to demonstrate once again how he can build a concept track like few others.

Jay-Z ft. Damian Marley : Bam

One of my good friends always plays this track before job interviews, because these people have to “know who they F'in with”, to quote Jay-Z! This collaboration with Damian Marley from the “4:44” LP is one of my personal highlights of that release, and the producer No I.D. goes straight to a reggae classic to provide the raw material, the mighty “Bam Bam” by Sister Nancy.

Black Moon : General Feva

The “Rise Of Da Moon” album, Black Moon’s first after a sixteen-year layoff, seemed to go under-appreciated by many, but I for one was very pleased to see the Brooklyn legends release that LP in 2019. Da Beatminerz on production of course, for some slow, loping boom-bap that is a little dark for summer perhaps, but perfect for this slide towards some sandpaper-type roughness.

Cut Beetlez x Bronx Slang : I’m Not Chillin

If the last track was raw, this is the cow still wandering around in the field! Finland’s Cut Beetlez production team linked up with the always-NY Bronx Slang for a brand new EP, from which this is the title cut. As soon as Jerry Beeks told me it was out I had it in my headphones and even after repeated listens, I knew this was the track to go with right here! The sonics snarl, thump, and grind, and yet you can hear every word from the MCs, who just seem to keep getting better with time and can give you the business regardless of the pace of the track.

[J-Zone] Al-Shid : Fight Club (Instrumental)

He may be a full-time and high-quality drummer now, but I’ll always remember the originality J-Zone brought to Hip-Hop production for so many years. There’s no-one who sounded quite like him, and this instrumental of a track from Al-Shid’s debut single is a great example - some might say quirky, but in terms of quality, very serious.

Conductor Williams & Boldy James : Flying Trapeze Act

Too many people think that street rap and lyrical creativity can’t go together, but this song from the “Across The Tracks” LP by Kansas City producer Conductor Williams and Detroit’s Boldy James, thankfully still with us after a serious accident, have both in spades. The Conductor’s track clearly treats its original sample in a pretty extreme fashion (you can hear the warbling which the processing likely introduced) but then adds the subtlest of kick-snare to quietly drive it along, and the vocals left in just add extra soulful flavour beneath Boldy’s voice. As he moves between straight description, metaphor, and simile - especially the last punchy one in the hook that gives the track its title - Boldy James puts in excellent work.

El Michels Affair ft. Raekwon : The PJs (Instrumental/Vocal)

I needed to lead with the instrumental just to provide a nice bridge in, but it’s always a pleasure to hear the brilliant El Michels Affair play! This is a re-recording of the track “The PJs” from Pete Rock’s 2008 LP “NY’s Finest” - no Masta Killa this time, but Raekwon returns to do his verses over with some small changes. El Michels Affair, in turn, base their instrumental performance around the way Pete Rock worked the original sample, but with some subtle flourishes. “The PJs…From Afar” is a 12" single well worth adding to your collection.

Da Beatminerz ft. Black Moon : Anti

Black Moon again, because why not? This time we go with their appearance on the new Da Beatminerz project “Stifled Creativity” (bearing in mind that Evil Dee of Da Beatminerz is also an actual member of the group) for one of the highlights of the LP. Over a slow, reflective, almost funereal take on the groove best known from Souls of Mischief’s “93 ‘Til Infinity”, Buckshot speaks on his journey as an independent artist and label owner (Duck Down) in a straightforward manner while maintaining that trademark flow. To maintain a thirty-plus year independent career through the changes in the industry is quite a feat - salute.

O.C. : This Is Me

This is a track I’ve always enjoyed, but which I think escaped a lot of people’s notice. A selection from the overlooked “Smoke And Mirrors” LP, O.C.’s fifth, it’s a track where he speaks on his career-long determination to follow his own path and ignore the trends - in fact, it’s spiritually very close to the Beatminerz/Black Moon track that precedes it here. Mike Loe takes a late-70s soul sample, turns the speed up a touch and provides an excellent musical backdrop for the lyrics.

MF DOOM : Dead Bent (Original 12" Instrumental)

If you know the “Operation Doomsday” LP but not this, it would sound like an overstatement to say that the version of “Dead Bent” on the album is a “refined” version of anything, as rough-and-ready as the whole release is, but you can hear that this original is even more beautifully unpolished. Self-produced by the late great DOOM, you can find this not only on the original 12" mentioned in the title, but also on some later reissued versions of the album, containing alternate versions, B-sides, and instrumentals - essential for the DOOM fan.

Dubbul O & Cutterz : Stay Gold

Stellar new release out of Manchester, with this familiar duo (and half of Voodoo Black) headlining their new “Stay Gold” EP with this title track. If you’ve lost someone close, this one will hit you hard, with Dubbul O’s deeply personal lyrics coming through strong over Cutterz’ production which is somehow both optimistic and moody at the same time. Definitely check for that five-track EP.

Mecca:83, Phat Kat, and Guilty Simpson : Don’t Stop

Exclusive! *Sounds airhorn* Manchester’s own Mecca:83 blessed me with a copy of this as-yet unreleased track, with his warm and bumping production backing up two giants of the Detroit scene, Phat Kat and Guilty Simpson. Two cities famous for their industries come together for a great musical union!

Dilated People : The Main Event

I’ll be honest - of the three tracks on the classic underground “Work The Angles” 12" single, this is the one I play the least, but the Alchemist-produced middle track on the release (also on 2000’s “The Platform” LP) definitely deserves respect. Rakaa Iriscience steps all the way back here and makes space for Evidence to get busy on both verses. The samples of some of the Hip-Hop greats for the hook rounds off the whole package nicely.

Nas & Statik Selektah : Dead Presidence

(That’s not my spelling, it’s what they printed on the labels of “The Prophecy EP”!) Jay-Z and Ski famously sampled the “presidents that represent me” line from Nas’ “The World Is Yours” for “Dead Presidents” on the classic “Reasonable Doubt”, but on this track Statik Selektah reverses the game and blends the vocals from the Nas track with Ski’s instrumental, and while the original is a flawless cut, these two pieces do fit together beautifully as well.

Marco Polo : Ps & Qs (Remix Instrumental)

MPC magic from Marco Polo, from his entry in the “Baker’s Dozen” producer series, with clean drums, a live-sounding bass, and guitar licks placed to perfection.

Camp Lo ft. Jungle Brown : Hold On

I’ve always loved the way this track ends, and as such thought it needed to be played in a position where that portion can be heard uninterrupted. It’s not just the closing track here but also the finisher on the 2009 “Stone And Rob : Caught On Tape” album. Jungle Brown is one of the few MCs to make repeated features with the Lo, and he does his thing alongside the legendary Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede while also co-producing it with Apple Juice Kid. If you’re a fan of the group, definitely seek out this release as there are some absolute heaters on there, including the back-to-back of “On Smash” and “89 of Crime”.

Check out this episode!

30 July 2024

Episode 181 : Still Rollin’.

All adds up to fifteen!

“Come on and give me my props…”

- Diamond

Fifteen years! We started this ride in June 2009 and here we still are all these years later. Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you’ll stay with me for as long as I’m able to keep putting these shows together. The point of this podcast has never been to prioritise new releases, or to only ever look to the past, but a blend of the two. With that in mind, this month’s mix certainly has some old personal favourites, a sprinkling of new music, and some obscurities and rarities! Listen, enjoy, and please do spread the word as widely as you can - as I always say, I have a lot of things, but no advertising budget 😆

I was racking my brain trying to come up with cover art that would reference the theme of fifteen…then realised that the infamous “4, 5, 6” combination sums up to that very number!

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Playlist/Notes

The Thryday : Fantastic

The album this was ultimately released on is only available for silly money on the second-hand market, but at least I had this from an old mixtape (“WJLR Radio, Volume 1”) to share with you! The Dutch master Nicolay is on production for this North Carolina group who were part of the Justus League family and appreciated by those in the know. This same beat, with the same name, is also on Nicolay’s “City Lights” and the “City Lights 1.5” version, but with the rhymes that elevate it so…much harder to get!

[J Dilla] Jaylib : The Red (Instrumental)

You already know! One of the best-loved instrumentals from Dilla’s post-Slum career - certainly if the reaction when I drop it in a set is anything to go by - and one that will move your speakers for sure. The original is from the famed “Champion Sound” collaboration between Dilla and Madlib, where each rhymes over the other’s production, and now the full set of instrumentals is available, making the deluxe release a 100% must-own.

Jigmastas ft. Mos Def, Mr. Complex, Pharoahe Monch, Shabaam Sahdeeq, and Talib Kweli : Lyrical Fluctuation Remix

This is a true all-star MC roster from the late 90s-early 00s independent scene, with DJ Spinna of Jigmastas on remix duties, bringing a different vibe to Joc Max’s original, based on crazy short chops of a classic soul sample and having them cheerfully bounce along. I only got this 2000 release in the last few weeks, but have already played it on Twitch, digitised it, and am now sharing its eternally-fresh energy here!

Ghostface ft. Wigz : Outta The Way

“…in the gym throwing the dumbbells all out of order” - disgraceful conduct… Another usage of the same sample from the “Lyrical Fluctuation” remix, this Anthony Acid beat is more straightforward, with Ghostface and Wigz busting through with the energy of two guys rushing a bank! This was one of the standouts on the 2005 Ghostface and Trife “Put It On The Line” LP, though not released as a single despite the potential.

Mobb Deep : Feel My Gat Blow

The soundtrack to the Saul Williams-starring “Slam” was very much a mixed bag in the vein of many 90s-00s soundtracks, but certainly had a few standouts and otherwise-unreleased cuts from some greats, of which this is one. Havoc’s beat sounds like a mix between a medieval court and 90s NYC, and the lyrical content is trademark Mobb.

Redman : Winicumuhround

As much as I love Redman’s “Dare Iz A Darkside” album (which, notably, he doesn’t - reminds him of a bad time), I had all but forgotten about this track until I pulled the vinyl out for a front-to-back listen recently. Erick Sermon and Redman combine on production to have this one thump along with a killer bassline-lead track, and Red is in fine form on the mic. With the voice of the late Hurricane G appearing as part of the densely-packed hook, this is a Def Squad heater for sure.

Pete Rock : Death Becomes You

Definitely one of my favourite Pete Rock beats of all time, but we had to wait a long time to get an instrumental! The original track was on the soundtrack for the 1993 classic “Menace II Society”, but it wasn’t until the 2019 release of Pete Rock’s “Return Of The SP1200” album that we got this version. Absolutely flawless in the sense that there’s not a single thing, as a listener or a DJ, that I would have wanted him to change.

Roots Manuva ft. Big P, Blackitude, Fallacy, Rodney P, Skeme : Witness The Swords

I’d be willing to bet that while most listeners, especially in the UK, will be very familiar with the classic Roots Manuva single “Witness (1 Hope)”, most won’t know this! It’s a blend of the lyrics from “Swords In The Dirt” from Roots’ second LP “Run Come Save Me” and the “Witness” beat, from the same album. As far as I know, the only place to find this one is the 2002 “Extra Yard (The Bouncement Revolution)” compilation on Big Dada Records, which is worth picking up for some quality UK cuts.

Big Boi ft. Cutty : Shutterbugg

As a photographer, I really should dig this one out more! Big Boi co-produces with Scott Storch on this single from his solo debut “Sir Lucious Left Foot : The Son Of Chico Dusty”, which was actually a much bigger hit in the UK than in the US, where it somehow didn’t even break the top 50 in the R&B charts. It’s a hectic-sounding track which unexpectedly takes a sudden quiet break in the second verse - and it’s at that point that we move along…

Stro Elliot : Soul II Stro

…and so we move with a quick transition into another track that not just references but heavily samples the classic “Back To Life” by the UKs own Soul II Soul, a Stro Elliot workout that’s just undeniable in its groove. The samples of Caron Wheeler’s vocals haunt at times before coming firmly into the foreground, while the drums and bass thump along with an accompanying keyboard line. That Stro Elliot sampled that 1989 classic on his self-titled LP twenty-seven years later is a testament to the power of the original.

Kokane ft. Lil Half Dead : Ghetto Music

When I saw the garage-filmed (high-quality though!) video for this, I kept waiting for the rapping to start - but nope, this is just a funk product from start to finish which, as the track says, will make you want to move! Despite “Da White Album” only being released in 2022, it was apparently recorded back in the early 00s while Kokane was working on Dr. Dre’s “2001” LP but shelved for over twenty years. It manages to sound vintage P-funk, 90s G-Funk, and modern all at the same time. Kokane is a real “if you know, you know” artist who has been putting in work for many years, has collaborated with almost everyone you can name, and keeps on bringing the heat!

[Erick Sermon] Tha Truth : Red Lights (U Gotz 2 Chill ‘96) (instrumental)

If you know me, you know I love Zapp and Roger Troutman, which means that EPMD’s classic “You Gots To Chill” single is a firm favourite. On this R&B single from Tha Truth, who only released one album back in 1997, they came out of the gate strong with Erick Sermon on production, reprising his sampling of “More Bounce To The Ounce” and even throwing in the “chill” sample from his original beat. Shout out to DJ Melo D of Beat Junkies, who was the only person I’ve heard playing this and the one who told me (on Twitch) what it was!

Diamond D, Sadat X, and Lord Finesse : You Can’t Front

A great album cut, loved by those in the know, taken from the early 90s classic “Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop”. Buckwild and Diamond’s production is both clean and still vintage SP-era magic, with Diamond also grabbing the mic to spit a verse between two other greats. Sadat X was the perfect choice to go first, with his unique tone drawing you in immediately, and Lord Finesse brings it home strong.

Common : Dreamin’

For those that have missed the early chatter, here’s a sample of the upcoming Common and Pete Rock LP, which promises to channel the specific forms of energy that each artist brought to their 90s work. If this beautifully-produced tale of a dream of a walk with Black greats both living and transitioned is anything to go by, we’re in for a treat!

The Kid Daytona : Fly Lullaby

A deep cut from the 9th Wonder production discography, working with a loop that Pete Rock teased us with between tracks on “The Main Ingredient”. The Kid Daytona is definitely a grown man now, but this was an early release from the Bronx native on his “The Interlude” mixtape from 2010 - where every track sampled some kind of intro or interlude from another Hip-Hop track. This is exactly the kind of overlooked track I like to throw in for anyone who might have missed it!

Dogg Pound ft. Snoop Dogg, RBX, and The Lady Of Rage : Who Da Hardest?

A grand reunion - would have left it to the last song as it is on the new Dogg Pound “W.A.W.G” album, but it fit so well here sonically that I changed my mind! For a coming together of West Coast legends, the biggest surprise is them bringing DJ Premier in on production, and maybe the most welcome is the featuring of The Lady of Rage, who has been a universally-loved MC since her star turn on “Afro Puffs”. It’s pretty long, but there’s no instrumental outro and I didn’t want you to miss out any of the MCs, so you get the whole thing here!

Terrace Martin & James Fauntleroy : Butterfly Effect

“Gotta stop taking life advice from songs” - I’d say that was good advice, but then that’s also what you might call a circular problem! We go fully chill at the end of this section, with the undeniable and unmistakable voice and vocal production of James Fauntleroy alongside modern jazz legend Terrace Martin with a track from their joint “Nova” EP.

Marco Polo : Yung Feathers

The man from Toronto with a trademark bit of modern boom-bap on this final instrumental, a track from his “MP on the MP : The Beat Tape Vol.1” release, a great pickup for anyone who appreciates good Hip-Hop production.

M-Beat ft. Nazlyn : Sweet Love

A big switch-up to end the episode, with a vintage UK track - a jungle remake of Anita Baker’s 1986 classic “Sweet Love” with Nazlyn on vocals. Even as someone who didn’t like jungle when it first emerged, I couldn’t deny this one, an absolute classic reworking. I understand it actually sold well - hitting a high of no.18 in the charts back in 1994 - which goes to show that just sometimes, the public at large catches on to some real quality.

Check out this episode!

30 June 2024 | 2 notes

Episode 180 : Reverse Jams

Couldn't decide to go with a music or basketball theme on the cover art...the title goes both ways!

“Slashed all four tyres on the bandwagon…”

- Pos

The end of the fourteenth year of the show is here, with the numerically-satisfying number 180! It’s been a good month for shows, with a highlight being seeing Edo G live for the first time, so I’ve included a couple of his tracks alongside some recent releases, a rarity or two, and some bonafide old classics. The show is a touch longer than usual, running a little over an hour, but hopefully it still flies by for you!

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

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Playlist/Notes

Edo G, DJ Yoda, and Brad Baloo : Talk About It

Coming off the back of seeing a great performance by Edo G and DJ Yoda at The Hip-Hop Chip Shop in Manchester this month, I thought we’d start the episode with a smooth selection from their new “Hometown Heroes” EP. Edo G is in his grown man rap bag on a Brad Baloo beat, with Yoda on the cut - and if the record he’s cutting is what I think it is, then that’s an A1 selection.

Visoneers : Swahililand

I finally got round to digitising the “Hipology” 7" box set, a 2012 release by Marc Mac’s Visioneers project that features tributes to the Hip-Hop side of his influences, and notably contains several cover versions of famously-sampled tracks, of which this is one. This is a beautiful version of a track originally by the late great jazz pianist and composed Ahmad Jamal, which eventually breaks out into the part most people will recognise - the mighty chords sampled from the Jamal version by J Dilla for De La Soul’s “Stakes Is High”.

DJ Spinna ft. Dynas : More

Grab the “Sonic Smash” album by Spinna if you see it - it’s no longer on streaming services and with it also not being available on Bandcamp, picking up a physical copy is the only way to secure yourself a copy of this really high-quality album. In the meantime, take this slice, with Spinna coming with his trademark synth bass as the centre of the instrumental, and Miami’s Dynas, a longtime collaborator, spitting a positive message on the mic.

Buscrates ft. Soraya Watti : On My Way

It was great to hear Buscrates play this track during a DJ set on Twitch recently while Soraya Watti was actually in the chat - the love she was getting was beautiful. This warm, bassy, soulful cut is the closer on last year’s “Control Center” LP, a triumph from the Pittsburgh synth maestro.

Curren$y ft. Freddie Gibbs : Stash House

Eighties vibes here on the production, with 808-Ray going vaporwave style on the main sample and then adding his drum track to it. Curren$y fills this lane extremely well, as he uses his trademark relaxed flow to liken the dope stuff being exported out of his studio to…well, actual dope…while guest Freddie Gibbs just jumps straight out of the analogies and into the street for real. This is from the “Andretti 12/30”, which was one of twelve (!) monthly releases Curren$y did back in 2016 - he might sound relaxed enough to be able to fall off the floor, but he’s one of the most prolific MCs of his generation.

Fat Pat : Tops Drop

RIP Fat Pat, the creator of a true Southern classic that just overflows with good vibes! J Slash on production brings in the bassline groove from an 80s soul classic on this track from Pat’s debut “Ghetto Dreams”, and the lyrics are just about the joys of stunting in a nice convertible. This still gets plenty of play to this day on its home turf, and the youngsters at University of Houston basketball games hear it as the team’s theme music - even though it was released before they were born!

Ilajide : Number One

The exact flavour of banging beat we’ve come to expect from Detroit’s Ilajide, with the drums smacking, the main sample stuttering and the bass coming in strong to undergird it all. I might need to go and find/buy the original sample, which plays for a few seconds quietly at the very end, but you can find this track and some other excellent work on the “3” album.

Declaime : Exclaim The Name

A track with a bump so urgent it almost feels like it’s tripping over itself (courtesy of Kankick), this is quality turn of the century underground business out of Oxnard, California from the 2001 “Andsoitisaid” LP. Declaime is perhaps better known to many as Dudley Perkins - especially if you follow the Stones Throw label - and while he can sing, don’t get confused and think his bars aren’t tough.

Semi Six : 24K Rap

One thing about a Semi Six record is that you rarely get a long and clear intro, which might not be ideal for us DJs but shows how eager he is to get on and demolish the track! It’s fitting that he mentions Raekwon here, as the track draws its title from a track that Rae and Havoc did with J Dilla that came out on the 2009 posthumous LP “Jay Stay Paid”. AntBell! produces this new single, while Semi delivers, as promised, the golden era rhymes he mentions in the hook.

Edo G ft. Krumb Snatcha and Jaysaun : Stop Dat

Pure Boston on the mic here, with the message from all the MCs being an emphatic recommendation to stay true to yourself rather than putting out a false image - one that at best is an embarrassment, and at worst a safety risk. Pete Rock’s beat smacks without overly dominating, leaving space for you to understand every single word. The place to find this is the “My Own Worst Enemy” album, which has been re-released digitally in recent years with the instrumentals for every track bundled in, making it a true Hip-Hop DJ jewel.

De La Soul : Big Mouf

A bit of an obscurity for you! “Are You In?: Nike+ Original Run” was a collaboration between De La and Nike (yes, the shoe company) that was intended to be part of a series of albums as soundtracks for runners. The whole thing is a largely continuous mix, and has some really good tracks that even dedicated De La fans might not know! This particular track is a heavy Dave West production with an incredibly long intro before the lyrics properly kick in - that isn’t me cutting it back and forth or extending it, the original sounds like that. You might struggle to find this one - I don’t think it’s on any of the streaming services or download stores, and the 2009 vinyl that I got at the time only pops up for sale occasionally.

DJ Nu-Mark ft. Full Crate : Pass The Courvoisier

Another cover version, this time of a Pharrell-produced Busta Rhymes club banger, which was a highlight of the 2021 “Run For Cover” album - a full version excursion from a DJ known best as part of Jurassic 5. Nu-Mark links up with Full Crate, a producer from Armenia via the Netherlands, for a horn-laden track that could almost make you believe that it’s an old original that the Busta record was reworking!

James Brown : Don’t Tell A Lie About Me And I Won’t Tell The Truth On You

Topical 😆 A slice of funk from “Hell”, The Godfather's thirty-eighth studio album, released back in 1974. You may well recognise this title as it was borrowed almost word-for-word for a recent lyric!

[Easy Mo Bee] Termanology : It’s Time

This is the tasty, but extremely short, beat that opens up Term’s “Politics As Usual” LP, produced by the great Easy Mo Bee. I’d almost forgotten about it, but it provides a nice bridge into the next cut…

Portishead : Strangers

There’s not much I can say about the brilliant Portishead debut album “Dummy” that hasn’t been said by full-time writers, so just take it from me - it’s a must-listen. Beth Gibbons’ voice is processed here as though it’s coming from a recording decades older, and the union of that and that heavy production was highly innovative at the time.

Chalk : Stay With Me

This month we were treated to a new release by Manchester artist Chalk that has been four years in the making, a real labour of love. His new LP “Death Knocks And He Shall Die” is a film noir-influenced instrumental album, a soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist - think of a darker, more vintage take on Prince Paul’s “A Prince Among Thieves” without any MCs. It’s best appreciated over the full length of its sixteen tracks, but this is a nice sample of what you can expect. When I played this track on a recent Twitch stream, at least a couple of people immediately said that it reminded them of DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing” - high praise indeed.

Planet Asia : Place Of Birth

I can’t remember where I first heard this, but it was probably an underground mixtape somewhere, and it reminds me of the kind of thing I often used to end up buying when I was supposed to be shopping for tracks for a club night! Planet Asia is a veteran MC out of Fresno, California, and this 1999 single was a fine one as just the second release in his career. He gets a big assist here from two-thirds of Cali compatriots Dilated Peoples - Evidence’s beat is dark and fairly sparse, with Babu’s cuts adding extra texture in the hooks, intro, and outro.

Evil Needle ft. Venuz Beats : Dive

Evil Needle is becoming a favorite instrumental producer of mine, and together with Venuz Beats he brings us a heavy-bottomed yet floaty head-nodder which you can find on the “Sound Escapes” EP - well worth picking up just for this one.

UGK : Ridin’ Dirty

Finishing up with another Southern classic, another car themed track, but a world away from the celebratory air of “Tops Drop”. As funky and mellow as the late Pimp C’s production is, this is lyrically dark and paranoid - but as a wise man once said, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. The “they” in this case are the police and their informants, the natural enemies of anyone riding in a car carrying something that they legally shouldn’t be… This is the title track from UGK’s third LP, and a perfect example of what Pimp C’s stepfather meant when advised his son to “put some music into” his Hip-Hop - the multi-instrumentalist was a master at bringing that live feel to his work in a way that ensures it hasn’t dated a day.

Check out this episode!

31 May 2024 | 1 note