Soundtrack Classics - 2Pac "My Block"

In the 90s, we didn't really have mixtapes the way we do now, at least not if you didn't live in New York.  But what we did have was soundtracks.  It seemed like every other week another hip hop based soundtrack would drop, and typically each one had at least 3 to 4 classics on it, although you typically had to dig through a lot of garbage and R&B songs to find them.

One of the better soundtracks was from The Show.  Method Man and Redman's first major compilation "How High" came from here, and there were tracks from artists such as Bone thugs, Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Warren G, Onyx, and some solid cuts from Def Jam label B-teamers as well (The Dove Shack, Jayo Felony, and South Central Cartel).

And then there was "My Block," which to me was a classic.  This song was later remixed for the "Until the End of Time" release, and remixed rather well, but I still like the original.  If you've never heard it you've been missing out!

Pop Goes the Weasel

The irony of a group making fun of another rap artist* for "crossing over" only to come up with the biggest hit of their careers.....  Anyway, "Pop Goes the Weasel" is still catchy to this day, and I played it for my four-year old daughter the other day and she agrees, so I now have to play it over and over. Far be it for me to not share the joy!

*Since rap artist refers to Vanilla Ice, I'm using that term loosely....

The West Coast Rap All-Stars

Remember when a group of rappers made up of  Tone-Loc, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Eazy-E, MC Hammer, Ice-T, Above the Law, Digital Underground, JJ Fad, Young MC, King-Tee and more banded together and ended the war between the Bloods and Crips?

Well, maybe not, but I guess they tried with the song "We're All in the Same Gang".  Anyway, the beat was produced by Dr. Dre and it's a fun song to see all these faces together - I love the beat switch when Humpty Hump jumps on.  I actually have the album with this on it somewhere - I don't remember it being very good but this song isn't bad.  It also sparked off a few other posse cuts similar to this throughout the 90s like "Where Ya At" from the One Million Strong album.

 

Soundtrack Classics - MC Ren - Who Wanna Be the Villain?

"Who's your top ten, is it MC Ren or MC Shan?"  - Nas, "Hip Hop Is Dead"

Nas posed the question and I'm guessing the answer from most fans was neither.  Nonetheless, I've always kind of liked MC Ren's solo stuff, even though he talks an awful lot about people getting pounded in the you-know-what.  Still, when you want a dark West coast album for the winter, you can't go wrong with Ren, especially his The Villain in Black album.

Here's a song from the soundtrack he did around the same time of that album - I'm guessing this was left off  though I don't know why, as it would have fit perfectly.  I also love how the guy that created this simple video for YouTube incorporated that cover.  This is "Who Wanna be the Villain" from the soundtrack for the film Original Gangstas, which I've never seen - but it sounds horrible!

Format Change

Well, for a few months now I've been mulling a bit of a format change.  For over two years, I've almost exclusively covered Arrested Development and Speech, and I've enjoyed it very much.  For me, it's been awesome.  I've actually met people I would consider friends through the site, I've had people mail me rarities for the site, and I was even able to meet the group.  Incredible.  But after two years, I've said about all I can say about Arrested Development and Speech's past.

That doesn't mean I won't cover the future of AD and Speech.  Definitely.  Of course!  But I've also decided that it's time to expand the site's horizons.  The bottom line is I love old school, classic hip hop, or rap, or whatever you want to call it.  So why not broaden the scope of this site?  Oh sure, I could just start another blog, but I like this one just fine as it is.  The name won't change and there's no reason for it to do so. 

As far as what format the site will take, I'm going to play it by ear.  Basically, if an artist was introduced to the world before 2000 (a VERY broad definition of classic rap I know), then they're fair game in my eyes.  What kind of posts will there be?  The same kind of stuff I've posted before, but just as an example, judging by page views it seems that my detailed breakdown of AD and Speech discographies seem to be among the favorites, so I would be game for breaking down discographies for everyone from LL Cool J to Public Enemy to Eazy-E to Slick Rick and all points in between.  So we shall see.

To get things started, and if you've stuck with this post this long, check out a recently released Rakim song from 1995 called "Bring It On", when he was between labels and lawyering up against MCA and Eric B.  Hard to believe this has been sitting in a vault for the last seventeen years!

I'm Just an MC

Apparently the link to "I'm Just an MC" from the the Japanese version of Hoopla was broken in an earlier post, so here it is again. As always, please let me know if there are any broken links and I will get them updated. Thanks!

Merry Christmas!

I've always felt that Arrested Development paved the way for OutKast, and it's really not a hard argument to make. So in that spirit here is the original version of their debut single "Player's Ball" which was originally Christmas-themed (note the slight tweaks in lyrics on the hook as well as some lyrics that were back-masked on the album version). This also explains some lyrics like "no chimneys in the ghetto so I won't be hanging no socks" and so forth.  Anyway, this version was on the LaFace Family Christmas album.  Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!

Public Enemy Live Review

So last night I had a chance to see Public Enemy live for the first time.

Let me write that again- last night I saw Public Enemy live for the first time.  And not only Public Enemy, but also the rest of the "Gods" on the Hip Hop Gods tour making it's way through the country as we speak, though wrapping things up within the week.  So I thought it would be a great opportunity to just kind of share some of my thoughts in the same spirit as the AD live review I recently did after they performed at the same venue in October.


The tour was designed with a unique vision.  At first glance, the lineup might make you think: "Are these a bunch of has-beens," as some of the artists have not released new albums in twenty years.  But that is not the case at all.  Many performers have been cast by the wayside by the "machine" yet remain viable artists and this tour serves as a reintroduction into the marketplace for some and a reaffirmation to their place in the market for others.  So let's break it down and start from - where else? - the beginning.

Violin Goddess

The other day I was at a wedding reception where a violinist roamed the party and played the violin over various rap and R&B tracks. It was interesting and unique- and not something I expected from a wedding for a bunch of rednecks! Welcome to Nebraska! :)

But in that vein is a remix of "Living" by violinist Hanne-Berit and it is pretty cool. Check it out, and I want to thank Kel Arroyo for sending this my way. From the "It's a Small World" department I should have the opportunity to meet Kel as he will be working on the upcoming Public Enemy tour when they play in Lincoln, Nebraska on December 7th (the same venue that AD recently played). So if PE stops in your town make sure you go check them out on the Hip Hop Gods Tourfest Revue. For more details go here. So how cool is that?

The Grades Are In....

I thought this was a nice little collage of some of the articles written about AD over their recent tour.  Check it out here on the AD site.