"... that 'Cuban Linx' was the bible..."
- Tyler Daly
Squeezing this one in right before the deadline, I'm glad I can now rest my voice! This month's show starts off at a low tempo and gradually warms you up right through to the conclusion, with tracks old and new from the US and UK, from the 80s to just a few weeks ago. Turn it up!
Twitter : @airadam13
Playlist/Notes
Z-Ro : Kneel Down
With the outrage pointed at Colin Kaepernick and Nike this month, it was a good time to play this single, which has been in my speakers plenty over the last few months. You can absolutely hear the anger all the way through, and his actual voice is one of the more under-appreciated in the artform. I'd also recommend watching the video for this track - it's powerful (TW: violence).
[Harry Fraud] Action Bronson : Muslim Wedding (Instrumental)
I played the vocal version a long while back, then remembered I had the instrumental too, which was just perfect for this blend!
Children Of Zeus : Kintsugi
People are waking up to the incredible talent of Children Of Zeus, with the new "Travel Light" album getting props and play in all kinds of places. It's always a good time to get involved, and let this track be an example why. Konny Kon and Tyler Daly go deep lyrically, and Beat Butcha does a great job on one of his two beats on the LP - the slight changes towards the end of Tyler's verse are a winner. Don't sleep!
Styles P : Shadows
It's worth searching out the original sample this track is based around - it's a sad but beautiful song. DJ Green Lantern layers the strings and vocal sample from that song along with thumping drums reminiscent of early Kanye while Styles P comes through with the rhymes of a haunted man. Absolute standout from "The Green Ghost Project".
Showbiz & AG ft. Jeffery Nortey : Visions
There was another track from the 2012 "Mugshot Music" album I really wanted to play, but it didn't fit the selection - whereas this one found a place much more easily. Still a great pick though, with Show in reflective mode on a beat that thumps but is a little haunting at the same time.
Timeless Truth : Cold Wave
Banging, crashing, dramatic New York business from this ill Queens duo. This is the title track to their 2016 sophomore album, and if you like raw Hip-Hop then this is absolutely for you. Oprime39's wicked opening verse is followed by a possibly even better one from Solace, and they ride the DJ Skizz track like snowmobiles over the frozen tundra. Which reminds me - the video is basically just them rhyming in some pretty vicious cold weather while rocking some appropriate cold-weather gear. Big coat crew stand up!
[Showbiz] Molecules : Hardcore (Instrumental)
A bit more Showbiz, why not? Molecules of The Legion linked up with Show for the "A Bronx Tale" EP last year, which very helpfully includes the instrumentals for all tracks - great for the DJs.
Marsha Ambrosius : Luh Ya
A beautiful tune made even more fitting for the podcast by the classic drum break that drives it. Liverpool gave us a great one in this songstress, and her connection with producer Harmony Samuels here creates a strong track, which was a single a little while ago but is also on the just-released album NYLA.
Mobb Deep : It's Over
After the great show this month, I knew there had to be some Mobb in the episode. Havoc's beat is so nice and laid-back, you think it could be some love business but noooooo. The late great Prodigy and Havoc go pure street on it -it's what they do. Can't believe this is already fifteen years old, it hasn't dated at all. You can not only get this on the B-side (just saying) of the "Solidified" 12", but also on the "Mobb Deep Free Agents" album/mixtape which is a recommended purchase for any Mobb Deep fans who don't already have it.
Kill Miami ft. OneDa : Since Day One (Mouse Outfit Remix)
An all-Manchester collaboration! The producer Kill Miami hands remix duties of his original track to The Mouse Outfit, with Chini and Metrodome heading up the crew's work on the boards. The instrumental is great enough as it is, but with rising MC OneDa on the mic as well, you have a track which will make you think of summer all the way through the cold months to come...
Natural Resource : Heavy Loungin'
Blending from "wavier than oceans" to an MC actually called Ocean :) From that mid-late 90s underground Hip-Hop scene came Brooklyn's Natural Resource - MCs What?What? (now Jean Grae) and Ocean, with DJ Aggie behind the wheels. I ripped this track a while ago and have mislaid the CD - so I might need to come back here to fill in more details!
[DJ Premier] The LOX : Recognize
Unmistakable Premo right here from a 2000 single release, taken from the "We Are The Streets" album. Terrible album cover though.
Missin' Linx : Sametime
RIP Mark B. The late UK producer got the call to contribute a beat to this NYC crew, and it's just the right vibe for these MCs who are darting in and out of each other's lines the whole track. The group is made up of Al Tariq (formerly Fashion of The Beatnuts), Black Attack, and Problemz, and had a few singles out between 1998 and 2000 - including this one, but also the big V.I.C-produced "M.I.A" which is better known.
Brand Nubian ft. Diamond D : Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down (Remix)
I'm not sure how well known this version is compared to the big single that everyone knows (and which is superior to the album version), but I first heard this right around release time thanks to our local pirate radio station! This was a fairly early example of a "remix" where not only was the beat completely different, but also all of the lyrics. Diamond D provides the instrumental, as he did on both other versions, and also contributes a solid verse. Lord Jamar opened his verse with a line I always thought would sound good with a bit of extra scratching, and Sadat X's dope-as-usual lyrics are almost certainly best remembered as part of a big Beatnuts tune :)
Pete Rock & CL Smooth : If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right
Not one of the most-discussed cuts from "Mecca and the Soul Brother", but yet another great one. Dope beats, dope rhymes...just the essentials. You only get two of the three CL Smooth verses here, but really you know you're supposed to have this album by now!
JVC Force : Strong Island
The veteran Hip-Hop heads will have named that tune in one, the younger audience or those who aren't as well versed (no pun intended) might be hearing it for the first time. This is one of the all-time classic singles, and a perfect debut release from this Long Island crew - Curt Cazal on the beat, AJ Rok and B Luv on the mic. All the way back in 1987, this tune exploded and still gets play more than thirty years later. You can find it on the "Doin' Damage" LP, but there are plenty of 12" and compilation releases too - no excuse not to buy this one if you like it.
Large Professor : 7 Train P
I wanted something where the drums were prominent/banging enough to mix from "Strong Island", and finally found it on Large Pro's "Beatz Volume 1" collection. If you didn't know, the 7 train serves Flushing, Queens - the man himself's home neighbourhood.
Beatnuts ft. Method Man : Se Acabo (Remix)
Finishing off with a little Latin flavour - the world famous Beatnuts connecting with Method Man from the Wu for an alternative version of a track from the "A Musical Massacre" album. The original is all in Spanish, but this remix from "Take It Or Squeeze It" brings the heat for the English-only speakers! Yo hablo un poco Español. Un poco.
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!
