Gonnamaketheponyhop Mixtape (2012)

I recently did a hip hop mix just for fun and as a chance to mess around with some new editing software. It's just short of an hours worth of  beats from Onyx, NWA, Big Juss, Dead Prez and loads more. I thought I might share it here with you. Feel free to download and share around all you want.

Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers : The Dirty Version

1995 saw the release of this album, probably one of the most well known and commercially successful offshoots of the Wu-Tang empire. From then onwards, its creator, Ol' Dirty Bastard ( Tyrone Russell Jones to his mother) went on to have a fair few adventures :

Around this time, Jones gained notoriety when, as he was being profiled for an MTV biography, he took two of his thirteen children bylimousine to a New York State welfare office to pick up his welfare check; his latest album was still in the top ten of the US charts. The entire incident was filmed by an MTV camera crew and was broadcast nationwide.

In February 1998, Jones witnessed a car accident from the window of his Brooklyn recording studio. He and a friend ran to the accident scene and organized about a dozen onlookers who assisted in lifting the 1996 Ford Mustang—rescuing a 4-year-old girl from the wreckage. She was taken to a hospital with first and second degree burns. Using a false name, Jones visited the girl in the hospital frequently until he was spotted by members of the media

The evening following the traffic accident, Jones rushed on-stage unexpectedly as Shawn Colvin took the stage to give her acceptance speech for Song of the Year at the 1998 Grammy Awards, and announced that he had recently purchased expensive clothes in anticipation of winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album that he lost to Puff Daddy. As Colvin took the stage to a round of applause, he asked of the audience, "Please calm down, the music and everything. It's nice that I went and bought me an outfit today that costed a lot of money, you know what I mean? 'Cause I figured that Wu-Tang was gonna win. I don't know how you all see it, but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children. You know what I mean? Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best, Okay? I want you all to know that this is ODB, and I love you all. Peace!" This incident was widely covered in the mainstream media.


In February 1999, he was arrested for driving without a license and for being a convicted felon wearing a bulletproof vest (the first person arrested for this infraction under a new California law). Back in New York weeks later, he was arrested for drug possession of crack cocaine and for traffic offences. With multiple cases in the past and present, he was arrested with marijuana and 20 vials of crack. After his arrest, Ol' Dirty Bastard reportedly asked the police to "make the rocks disappear". During a court hearing, he once called a female prosecutor a "sperm donor."


Its a top class album. It has that East Coast dissonance that RZA's production always lends. Alongside Liquid Swords its my favourite Wu offshoot.

Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers

Busta Rhymes - When Disaster Strikes..... (1997)

So while I was left reeling by the announcement that Busta Rhymes wouldn't be playing Shonuff in the upcoming remake of Berry Gordy's, 1985, cinematic milestone The Last Dragon ( the part is taken by Samuel L Jackson! Why? Of all people?), I got listening to his albums for the first time in years as a way to console myself over this blow. Busta always had a different angle to most of the other turkeys in the mainstream rap game. Up until the early 2000's you could always rely on him for something odd and slightly left of the game. The album below, When Disaster Strikes.... and its follow up Extinction Level Event were the soundtrack to a full year of my misspent college adventures when I was younger. The version below is the repress that removes the slightly lumpen Survival Hungry track and replaces it with the Knightrider sampling, floor filler Fire It Up. In turn, a reworking of the album track Turn It Up.

Busta Rhymes - When Disaster Strikes.....

Onyx - Bacdafucup (1993) & All We Got Iz Us (1995)

The angry, foul mouthed, Biohazard collaborating, Spike Lee acting group known as Onyx made a pretty big impression back in the 90's. Here are the first two albums they did, Bacdafucup and All We Got Iz Us both classics zipped up together.

Onyx - Bacdafucup/All We Got Iz Us

 

Mr Len - Pity The Fool : Experiments in therapy behind the mask of music while handing out dummy smacks (2001)

Its no secret of my love for Company Flow ( search the archives on here), but up until a few years ago I never really dug into what DJ Mr Len did after the trail blazing Brooklyn trio called it quits back in 2001. I followed El-P pretty obsessively across all his solo works and spent some time absorbing Bigg Jus's Black Mamba Serums but Len seemed pass me by.
Mr Len, Leonard "Lenny" Smythe to his friends, followed the break up with this very album. Acting as a sort of mixtape, it showcases a sound you have come to expect from one of the guys behind the dark Funcrusher Plus album but also leans way more towards standard structures. Sort of like trying to jam a huge, dark, nasty creature into a presentable glass box for people to stare at. That makes sense right?
His choice of vocalists on here is pretty spot on. Each track obviously playing to that lyricists talents and vibe. Jean Grae stands out on her contribution "Taco Day", that's pretty intense in its narrative. Mass Influence, Lord Sear and Chubb Rock all provide pretty solid accompaniment. The only lull in the albums running is the collaboration with metalcore chumps Agents Of Man. Which is just lame. Despite that, Pity The Fool makes a pretty sweet mixtape for random journeys and in my experience household cleaning.

Mr Len - Pity The Fool........

 That's right Lenny, Agents Of Man was a bad idea.

Ice-T - Home Invasion (1993)

Tracy Marrow..I mean Ice-T, at his usual best. Most people think this is a weak effort from him but I really rate it. Certainly the most socially aware album he had done up to this point. Thanks in part to my friend Andy who put me onto this.

Ice-T - Home Invasion

New Jack City - OST (1991)

Once upon a time this was the baddest film about drug dealers. I first saw this when at primary school. Having to pause it or turn it off every time my parents came in the room. Looking back its not really that bad. its still a great film. Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson and a young Chris Rock are all pretty good in it. I really think it has a lot more in common with Blaxploitation than any sort of social commentary. You could draw a very definite line from this right back to Van Peebles father and his cinematic achievements.
Still the soundtrack has some good stuff on it. All that sort of late 80's hip-hop/R&B stuff where they have tons of jazz and double bass, midi keyboards and lots and lots of smooth vocals.
Plus it has Flavour Flav in it as well.

New Jack City OST

Deep Cover OST (1992)

Gaz reminded me how good this film is. This was the period when Larry Fishburne ruled. This, King Of New York, Boyz N The Hood, Red Heat and What's Love Got To Do With It also rule.

Deep Cover - OST

DJ Pogo Presents - The Breaks (1998)

Another aquisition from my time at Andy's Records back when I was a kid. What we have here is all the original tunes that many DJ's and producers sampled for the early forays into hip hop. You get Micheal Vinars take on The Shadows classic "Apache", the awesome theme tune from S.W.A.T , some James Brown goodness and the incredibly dirty groove of "Funky Mule" by the legend that was Ike Turner.
There was a series of these compilations and I wish I had stolen a few more when I had the chance as they make superb mix CD's for most social occasions.

DJ Pogo Presents - The Breaks

DJ Pogo in scratch action at Earl's Court 07.

Guru - RIP - Jazzmatazz (1993)

It was on the cards but still always sad to hear bad news like this. Guru lost his battle yesterday. Kick back and pay your respects by listening to Jazzmatazz Vol.1.

Guru - Jazzmatazz Vol 1

Company Flow - End To End Burners EP (1998)

Following up the previous Company Flow posts here is maybe my most favourite track these hip hop renegades ever produced. From 1998, released as a single with the radio edit and instrumental versions of Krazy Kings Too and Blackout, End To End Burners is carried along on a bubbling, dense musical groove led by Bigg Jus's laconic stream of conscience rhyming. Superb stuff.

Company Flow - End To End Burners

Company Flow - Little Johnny From The Hospital (1999)

Following on from the hip hop post further down I thought I would upload the untouchable Company Flow and the final (and only second) album they released. Now, instrumental hip-hop may scare some folk of at the mere mention of the phrase. Company Flow are a perfect example of the Public Enemy school-of-noise approach to music production but with a far darker undertow. You always get the impression there is something just out of reach that you don't know about when listening to this. Superbly atmospheric beats and noise by one of hip hop's greats.

Company Flow - Little Johnny From The Hospital

No one comes near.

Classic Hip Hop. Know your stuff.

Classic in my opinion. Going back to when I was a kid at school and all the places between then and now. I have always listened to rap and hip hop over the years. Like any other genre, the majority is crap. But at certain times in a musical genres trajectory, it drops defining works. These are some of the ones that have always, for many reasons ( at the moment mainly to help recover from the pasting my wallet took in Edinburgh this past weekend ), been played at Turner HQ. Go get Liquid Swords here. That's a classic but seeing as I already posted that one some time ago its not in here.

Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggstyle (1993)

The other weekend I saw him on TV baby sitting some kids and baking cakes. Once upon a time he was rapping about smoking weed and shooting folk.

The Roots - Things Fall Apart (1999)

Much loved for live instrumentation, one hell of a tight rhythm section and Hub always had a chewing stick.

Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus (1997)

You really need to listen hard with this one. Rawkus hit the nail on the head with this gem.

Mos Def - Black On Both Sides (1999)

He now acts with Jack Black and pops up in Talladega Nights but in '99 this album ruled.

Edan - Primitive Plus (2002)

Bought on a whim alongside Company Flow. Crazy stuff at the time. Forward thinking and lo-fi in the same breath.

Mix Master Mike - Anti Theft Device (1998)

Instrumental greatness from the brains behind the Beastie Boys. This accompanied many nights out during my younger period. Much sought to borrow by my waster friends.

NWA - Straight Outta Compton (1988)

Nothing further needs to be written about this album. Maybe I shouldn't have been listening to it at primary school. Its all Vultures fault if you want someone to blame.

Henry Silva and RZA

"Fuck HQ, I'm doing this my own way!"

After the recent purchase of Enzo G Castellari's The Bronx Warriors Trilogy Box set, and during the watching of Escape From The Bronx I was reminded about the awesomeness of Henry Silva. Veteran TV, movie and character actor and often seen in the role of the villain/baddie/nemesis etc.
First time I came across this brooding maestro of the screen was in 80's Alligator-on-the-loose creature feature ....Alligator. In this classic he played the big game hunter brought in to bring down the creature of the title. His screen time is limited but more than anything stood out even to my inferior child's mind back then.



He has brooded alongside Steven Seagal and Burt Reynolds, voiced Bane in the Batman animated show and kicked more B-movie ass than I can actually list yet most people couldn't tell you his name.
He starred alongside Forest Whitaker in the Jim Jarmusch helmed Ghost Dog : The Way Of The Samurai back in 1999, which is the other point of this post. The soundtrack to this awesome flick was created from scratch by Wu-Tang patriarch RZA and alongside Liquid Swords is one of the better Wu off shoots. Below is the Japanese version of the soundtrack, which is the most definitive one going. I got this from the awesome Substix blog where you can read about it in a far more eloquent way than I could describe it. Simply put, its an awesome, atmospheric effort by RZA to accompany an equally awesome and atmospheric film that I can't recommend enough.

Ghost Dog OST : Part 1
Ghost Dog OST : Part 2

Here's to Henry Silva and RZA.

GZA - Liquid Swords

Not really festive in the slightest ( unless your a samurai I suppose) but a classic piece of hip-hop and one the the better Wu-Tang off-shoots.


GZA - Liquid Swords

Enjoy
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