Who is Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, you ask? Well he was mostly widely known as being a longtime member of Hall & Oates' backing band, but he was a busy musician who worked with a number of other artists, both in-studio, and in live settings. Unfortunately, T-Bone passed away a few weeks ago due to a heart attack, which was crushing news for both Hall and Oates, and really anyone who, like myself, had come to know T-Bone by watching Live From Darryl's House.

Our love for the H&O here at the hill has been well-documented (by us), but how can even we tie in the passing of their bass player to old school hip hop? Well, it's rather simple, as the link is right in T-Bone's own bio:

"For those of you don't know, T-Bone Wolk is that guy with "the hat" who, among other activities, has been playing bass guitar with Daryl Hall and John Oates since 1981. He originally got the gig after playing bass on the first gold rap record, "These Are The Breaks", by Kurtis Blow in early 1981."

There you have it, a sad bit of awesomeness, but awesomeness all the same. I don't think we've ever posted The Breaks before, and so even though it is a somber occasion, it still seems like a perfect time to put it up. So here it is, along with a couple other jams from Kurtis' first album: Rappin' Blow (Part 2) which is essentially The Breaks part 2, which I don't think I've ever heard before, and Blow's Message-esque Hard Times. Enjoy, and R.I.P. T-Bone.

MP3:: Kurtis Blow - The Breaks

MP3:: Kurtis Blow - Rappin' Blow (Part 2)

MP3:: Kurtis Blow - Hard Times

Labels: Hall and Oates, Hip Hop, Kurtis Blow, Old School Mondays

I kind of wish I had something Canada-related to post on this Monday after the Vancouver Olympics, where we finished with a record number of Gold Medals, and an upstanding young man from the other side of Halifax Harbour scored a dramatic, Gold Medal goal to cap off the event in style. However, I had this Ultramagnetic MC's post lined up since last week for a couple reasons (not that I would need any reason to post on Critical Beatdown, and in fact I'm sure I've done a similar post in the past, but I care not):

1. Somehow I came across this awesome "Oral History" of Ultra, that accompanied the 2004 re-issue of the groups magnum opus. It might just be me, but I love reading this stuff about how albums and songs come together - and I love it even more when it's about classic hip hop albums, because the stories are always great. Like this for example:

Ced Gee: After the album, we did the Chorus Line. That was when Tim Dog joined. Tim was living with me and my family, and he kept saying he could rhyme. He got on the Chorus Line because Keith had a boy who wanted to get on there too, so Paul and I said, 'Whoever's got the best rhymes gets it'. And Tim beat him up. That was the start of him.

Grrrrrrrr and gold. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that there's a quote from Guru in that article, and with him being in a coma right now after suffering a heart attack, it only seems right to send some get well soon wishes his way.

2. Look at the bottom of this page. Last week Ack found that video - the 1989 NBA All-Star Rap, which is Ced Gee and Kool Keith doing a rappin' intro for every player in the '89 All-Star game. And it's twice as good as you think it will be. For example,

From the east here's Barkley, strong and cocky, power-forward, aiming for, a slam, so watch out man, don't dare jump cause he'll break your hand, cause he's an all-star

Amazing, and it gets better from there. No idea why I hadn't heard this before, but to make up for that, I've not only posted the video, but I've made it into an mp3 as well. You're welcome.

As for Critical Beatdown itself, it's simply one of my favorite hip hop albums ever. I obtained my cassette copy in a way that the whippersnappers of today likely cannot relate to: when I was in Jr. High, I scanned the liner notes of It Takes a Nation of Millions to look for groups mentioned that I'd never heard of, and the one that stuck with me was Ultramagnetic. The next time my Dad went to the US, I gave him a list of names, and one of the tapes he brought back was Critical Beatdown. I'm guessing he brought back some other crap too, but I cannot remember them. I played the hell out of CB though, and have loved it since.

So anyway, here's the bottom line, Ultramagnetic = awesome. No matter what you think of Kool Keith, Ultra remains awesome. If you've never heard this album in full, go find it - I've been pumping the re-issued version today, and it never gets old. Here's a couple songs, the 12" version of Ego Trippin', and Travelling At The Speed Of Thought, because it has a nutty video I had also never seen before. Enjoy.

MP3:: Ultramagnetic MC's - Ego Trippin (12 Version)

MP3:: Ultramagnetic MC's - Travelling At The Speed Of Thought (Remix)

MP3:: Ultramagnetic MC's - NBA All-Star Rap

VIDEO:: Ultramagnetic MC's - Traveling At The Speed Of Thought


VIDEO:: NBA All-Star Rap 1989

Labels: Ced Gee, Hip Hop, Kool Keith 80's NBA, Old School Mondays, Ultramagnetic MC's

It's February, which is Black History Month in North America, but here in Nova Scotia the official name is African Heritage Month, and so I figured it makes sense to use that title for this post. It's a good fit for OSM, because not only are there plenty of awesome "conscious", old school songs that are perfect for this post, but also because, even though many folks outside the province might not know it, people of African descent have an incredibly rich history here in Nova Scotia.

It's a shame there aren't too many old school Canadian hip hop jams that fit the bill for this kind of post (I'll ask this again, but if anyone has an mp3 of Devon's Mr. Metro, you NEED to send it our way), but there is certainly one perfect one: Maestro's Nothing At All. What other song schooled folks on Canadian olympic boxer Egerton Marcus? That's a great jam, and you have to love his Rocket Ismail Argos jersey in the video too. It only makes sense to follow that up with a song Maestro mentions, Tragedy's Black And Proud, which is really under-appreciated I think.

This kind of post has to have some PE in it if I'm doing it, and so I went with something I don't think I've posted before: Rightstarter (Message to a Black Man) from Bumrush The Show. To wrap things up, we have to have something from the Teacha, and I can't think of anything better than You Must Learn, which runs down some Black history in the most entertaining fashion I can think of. Plus, the Live From Caucus Mountains Extended Remix is also perhaps one of my favorite songs ever, and so, it's a must. What better way to wrap things up than with the KRS-helmed Stop The Violence Movement? I can't think of one, so if you've never seen this classic video, do so below immediately.

So, enjoy these songs, but learn something this month as well.

MP3:: Maestro Fresh Wes - Nothin' At All

MP3:: Intelligent Hoodlum - Black And Proud

MP3:: Public Enemy - Rightstarter (Message to a Black Man)

MP3:: BDP - You Must Learn (Live From Caucus Mountains Extended Remix)

MP3:: Stop The Violence Movement - Self Destruction (Extended Mix)

VIDEO:: Maestro Fresh Wes - Nothing At All


VIDEO:: Boogie Down Productions - You Must Learn


Stop The Violence Movement - Self Destruction

Labels: BDP, Canadian Hip Hop, Hip Hop, KRS-One, Maestro Fresh Wes, Old School Mondays, Public Enemy

I have to say, after back-to-back R.I.P. style OSM's, my main aim this week was simply to post songs by folks that were still alive. So while I was thinking about what to post, I saw George Clinton rocking out in the crowd during the Grammy Awards (you know, because my wife was watching it, not because I wanted to see teen-country-pop sensation Taylor Swift *swoon*), and since there likely isn't anyone still living that's been sampled more than George, it seemed like a perfect fit.

Seriously, ole Uncle George is an un-questioned legend (can you think of anyone else who could excite both L.A. OG's and patchouli-powered hippies with the mere mention of their name?) and he's long been revered by hip hop's beatmakers & MC's alike. I could have easily done this post using nothing but songs the sample Atomic Dog (I could actually do like 5 OSM's on it), but I decided to spread it around a bit. That said, any herohill/George Clinton post has to have some Rodney O Joe Cooley in the mix, and so we've got two Atomic Dog-sampling jams, This Is For The Homies from their debut album Me and Joe, and Why Must I Be Like That (sing it hoes!) from the awesomely bitter F___ New York.

So while that sample-usage might be on the obvious side, there's also plenty instances where most would have no idea the source, like Erick Sermon's Hittin' Switches, which samples a song from You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish, which I'd never heard of before. It's also awesome that a perfect slab of old school NY hardcore hip hop like Eric B. & Rakim's Lyrics of Fury samples a song like No Head, No Backstage Pass.

There's also the near-endless output from the bands/collectives that George has been involved in too, any of which could spawn their own army of posts - like Nothing Can Stop Us from Serious Lee Fine not only satisfies the George Clinton requirement due to it's sampling of Funkadelic's One Nation Under a Groove, but it should also please hill alumnus Mr. E as he put in a request for it a while ago. And since I brought up One Nation Under a Groove, we might as well post one of the more quintessential Clinton-inspired (and featuring!) tracks, Cube's Bop Gun. Enjoy.

MP3:: Rodney O Joe Cooley - This Is For The Homies

MP3:: Rodney O Joe Cooley - Why Must I Be Like That

MP3:: Erick Sermon - Hittin' Switches

MP3:: Eric B. & Rakim - Lyrics Of Fury

MP3:: Serious Lee Fine - Nothing Can Stop Us

MP3:: Ice Cube - Bop Gun (One Nation) f. George Clinton

VIDEO:: Erick Sermon- Hittin' Switches


VIDEO:: Serious Lee Fine - Nothing Can Stop Us

Labels: Eric B. and Rakim, George Clinton, Hip Hop, Ice Cube, Old School Mondays, Rodney O Joe Cooley

Last night's epic NFC title tilt between the 40 Year Old Pinata-led Vikings and my beloved Saints was a draining, evening-long event so I had no time to prepare much for today's OSM. However, the Ack brought to my intention the fact that Flavour Unit MC Apache has died (click that for a much better synopsis of Apache's life & impact than I can hope to offer). Sad news indeed, Apache and Gangsta Bitch is one of those songs that if you're of a certain age you still maintain a soft spot for. I know I still have my cassette copy of Apache Ain't Shit. Makes sense really, cause if there was something a skinny, white, high-school kid in Halifax, NS could relate too, it was the search for a hardcore lady I could do dirt with.

Jokes aside, Gangsta Bitch was a great jam, mainly on the strength of the awesome Q-Tip beat and addictive chorus, but like many golden age dudes, it's a shame to remember Apache as a one-hit wonder. He rocked the semi-crass, grimey NYC steez, but he did it with a kind energy and charisma that made it more enjoyable than heavy-handed. Plus his debut also featured beats from folks like Showbiz, Large Pro, Mark the 45 King, and the aforementioned Q-Tip gem, which must have been one of the Abstract's first beats for another artist.

It's no fun seeing once-vibrant figures from your youth pass on, but it's a sad fact of life I guess.

R.I.P. Apache, aka Anthony Teaks.

MP3:: Apache - Keep It Real

MP3:: Apache - Do Fa Self

MP3:: Apache - Gangsta Bitch

VIDEO:: Apache - Gangsta Bitch

Labels: Apache, Gangsta Bitch, Hip Hop, Old School Mondays, R.I.P.

These R.I.P. posts are certainly a double-edged sword, because although they usually allow me to post some excellent songs, it invariably means we've lost another legend. In this case the legend in question is Teddy Pendergrass, former member of the sublime Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and of course well known for his own solo career. Sadly Teddy passed away last week at the age of 59 from colon cancer.

Like any soul legend active in the 70's, Teddy served as inspiration for beatmakers during hip hop's sampling heyday of the late 80's and early 90's, and although the list of songs I could find that sample his work is fairly small, there are some solid jams there. Anytime I think of Teddy Pendergrass and hip hop, I think of one song: Back In The Day by Ahmad, which is firmly entrenched in the "songs I look back on wistfully" portion of my brain (which is kind of ironic, as the song itself is about looking back wistfully). I've posted on Ahmad before, but not Back In The Day, so I'm happy to put it up today, despite the sad circumstances. Seriously, if you remember Ahmad, I'm going to guess the odds are roughly 2 to 1 that you say "Oh, I love this song" whenever you hear this one.

There's more Pendergrass-related goodness to be had though, a little D.O.C. anyone? If you know our history, you know that we take any chance to post some D.O.C., and so here's Portrait Of A Master Piece. You can add to that some gangster shiz from both coasts: Can I Kill It from Compton's Most Wanted and Mobb Deep's Cradle To The Grave. One has to think that Pendergrass might've had a bigger solo career without the car accident that left him paralyzed, but his catalogue is still very full and his life was, by all accounts very rich, pre and post accident. So RIP Teddy, and enjoy these songs.

MP3:: The D.O.C. - Portrait Of A Master Piece

MP3:: Compton's Most Wanted - Can I Kill It

MP3:: Ahmad - Back in the Day

MP3:: Mobb Deep - Cradle To The Grave

VIDEO:: Teddy Pendergrass - Love T.K.O.

Labels: Ahmad, CMW, Hip Hop, Mobb Deep, Old School Mondays, Teddy Pendergrass, The D.O.C.

In last week's OSM I mentioned how nutty it is that 1990 is now 20 years ago, and it's even more insane that The Simpsons has been on for that entire time. As you might have heard, The Simpsons celebrated their 20th year and 450th show last night, and so I thought I should pay the show a little tribute via OSM. Because although it's been on so long now that it's pretty much ubiquitous, The Simpsons was a must-watch for both the Ack and I for a long, long time. Neither of us have been regular viewers for a while, but there are tons of lines from the show that we still use in our enthralling daily banter.

So then, how to tie hip hop's Golden Age to the Simpsons? Shouldn't be too hard right? After all, the Simpsons launched right in the middle of that storied time, so one would think there would be a bunch of ways to tie them together. Well one would think, but I didn't find many. In fact, the only rappers I could remember being featured on the show were Cypress Hill, on the infamous Homerpalooza episode ("Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins. Homer Simpson, smiling politely." Oh Homer, you big silly!). I thought surely there would be more than this, but Michael Googlé croons otherwise. Well, on the one hand, that isn't much fun, but on the other, I don't think I've ever posted Insane In The Brain Before, and this appears to be as good a time as any. And for good measure, here's another favorite from Black Sunday - When The Shit Goes Down.

Not sure if you caught the mini-documentary thing after the 450th episode last night done by the Supersize Me guy, but they had a section on fanatical Simpson's collectors, which brought to mind another Simpson's collector - Buckshot! Check for the semi-embarrassing video below, but that was enough of a connection for me, and so a little Black Moon was also in order. I know this is a fairly light OSM, but never fear, to wrap things up you can also see a video for a Moby-produced, old school remix of Mr. Plow, which is simultaneously awesome (Mr. Plow!) and not awesome (Moby!). And no, I'm not posting "Do The Bartman", but was I alone in not knowing Michael Jackson ghost-wrote that song? Seems like something I would have heard before now. Anyway, exxxcellent, er rather, enjoy.

MP3:: Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain

MP3:: Cypress Hill - When The Shit Goes Down

MP3:: Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain (Extended Version)

MP3:: Black Moon - Who Got Da Props

VIDEO:: Bart Simpson - Do The Bartman


VIDEO:: Buckshot Joins The Simpson's Cast


VIDEO:: Moby Mr. Plow Hip Hop Remix

Labels: Black Moon, Cypress Hill, Hip Hop, Old School Mondays, The Simpsons

Well now, since I took myself a nice little blog break over the holidays, this is my first opportunity to wish you all the happiest of happy new yearseses. So I shall, and I'll also ease my self back into the posting game with a song-heavy, yet ramble-light OSM featuring some of the better jams from 1990, which is, unless my suspect math skills fail me, 20 years ago now.

Hey now, 20 years, that is something. I would have been mid-way through grade 10, and certainly looking awkward whilst sporting some Starter sports-related gear. The Ack would have been Polo & Deck-shoe'd out, whilst sporting a part you could Ginsu a tin-can with. That's just how we rolled, and if you are as old as us, you likely also cringe a little looking back, but also hopefully you smile a bit and think back on that time fondly, as we mostly do. So yes, here are some great songs from '90 that haven't gotten too much run on the hill. The original Gold Digger, the amazing Just To Get A Rep, Ruff Rhyme from the eternally under-appreciated King Tee, some classic PE, and the amazing Looking At The Front Door. Great stuff from 1990, hopefully 2010 holds the same in it's own way.

Oh, and I forgot until just now that Guru was rocking a Saints hat on that Step Into The Arena cover. That is awesome. Perhaps a sign that the stars are in fact aligned for a deep Saints playoff run? One can only hope. Let's go Saints.

MP3:: EPMD - Gold Digger

MP3:: Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep

MP3:: King Tee - Ruff Rhyme (Back Again)

MP3:: Public Enemy - Brothers Gonna Work It Out

MP3:: Main Source - Looking At The Front Door

VIDEO:: EPMD - Gold Digger


VIDEO:: Gang Starr - Just To Get a Rep


VIDEO:: King Tee - Ruff Rhyme (Back Again)


VIDEO:: Main Source - Looking At The Front Door

Labels: 2010, Gang Starr, Hip Hop, King Tee, Main Source, Old School Mondays, Public Enemy

Perhaps you've heard this already, but Christmas is on Friday. I hope you're ready. I got my annual watching of Christmas Vacation in last night, so I'm ready to get my Xmas on. And what better way to do that then with an Christmas-themed OSM?

I thought I'd done one of these before, but a search of the hill turned up no such thing. Which makes sense, because if I had, I'd certainly have known there was a Juice Crew Xmas posse cut and that Audio Two's first single was called Christmas Rhyme. Seriously though, Cold Chillin' Christmas is awesome, it flips the same organ sample that Heav D used for Don't Curse and there's not one, but two BDK verses. Shante and Shan are also fun to hear again, but no one beats Kane on a posse cut ("now once again let your hands applause, with this contribution to Santa Claus. To Frosty, to Rudolph, etcetera, etcetera, just remember these rhymes that we said to ya" That's gold! Perhaps even frankincense!) - that's just a scientifically proven fact. Audio Two's Christmas Rhyme is a little odd, sounding rather dated (it is from 1985 in fairness) with some odd R&B Christmas Carol snippets thrown in for good measure, but it's the Audio Two, so it's still solid.

I wanted to ensure there were plenty of Xmas goodies in this post, so there's also the Kurtis Blow's classic Christmas Rappin' ("don't cha give me all that jive about things you wrote before I's alive, cause this ain't 1823, it ain't even 1970!" word Kurtis, way to not date yourself!), accompanied by a live video of it down below from British TV, which is a must-watch. There's also a solid Christmas jam from one of my favorite female MC's, Sweet Tee, and perhaps one of the most bitter Christmas songs ever, the infamous Santa Rap from the Treacherous 3 that is featured in Beat Street. Of course the video for that is down below, and it's also an absolute must-watch as Kool Moe Dee, sans wrap around shades, plays the role of a rather bitter Santa, and young Doug E. Fresh makes a nonsensical beatbox appearance.

Merry old school xmas!

MP3:: The Juice Crew - Cold Chillin' Christmas

MP3:: Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin'

MP3:: Sweet Tee - Let The Jingle Bells Rock

MP3:: Treacherous 3 - Xmas Rap f. Doug E. Fresh

MP3:: Audio Two - Christmas Rhyme

VIDEO::Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rapping (live on TOTP jan'80)


VIDEO:: Beat Street Santa's Christmas Xmas Rap

Labels: Audio Two, Beat Street, Christmas, Hip Hop, Juice Crew, Kurtis Blow, Old School Mondays

With the year coming to an end, one's thoughts usually lean towards the celebratory aspects of the season, but it's also a time to reflect on those we've lost during the year. Wow, sorry, that was a little heavy, but basically this week's OSM is about two fellows that passed away recently that I've been meaning to mention: DJ Roc Raida & Derek B.

Grandmaster Roc Raida passed away in September, and while he might not be someone that the public at large or the casual hip hop fan was familiar with, he's a legend amongst DJ's, and was involved with plenty of classic hip hop records. But don't take it from me, you'd be better off hearing it from another DJ:

Raida was an early influence on me and watching him on battle tapes move faster than anyone I had ever seen blew my mind.

That's from Skratch Bastid, who has a great post on Roc Raida on his site, which I'd encourage you to check out to get a good idea of what he meant to hip hop and the DJ-ing community. Roc Raida was likely best known as a member of the DJ supergroup the X-ecutioners (formerly the X-Men), but he was a contributor to many albums, including some old school gems. Raida seems to have been affiliated with DITC, so a lot of his early work is doing cuts for guys like O.C., Fat Joe, and Showbiz & AG. His appearance on the immortal O.C. cut Time's Up is likely enough to cement his creds, but he was also on Fat Joe's debut album, which I enjoyed more than his Joe's current persona would have one believe. Roc Raida also did some production, and one of his earliest works, Funky Piano by the E. Bros is an early 90's favorite of the internet rap nerd set (and a great beat too!).

The other person we're memorializing is Derek B, a UK hip hop pioneer who passed away last month. I've talked about Derek B before - a guy who many folks in North America likely have never heard of before, and who I only know because I stumbled across a song of his ages ago on some wacky Mr. Magic compilation. Derek DJ'd under the name Derek B, while also rapping as EZQ, so there was some early Shock G.-Humpty Hump action going on there and that makes him not only a pioneer as far as Brit-rap is concerned, but also in the realm of rapping alter-egos. Derek B is perhaps well-known by the masses in his home country for being involved with the Anfield Rap - an ode to Liverpool, but we won't hold that against him (especially in light of Arsenal's 2-1 over the stumbling Liverpudians). Anyway, I still love Get Down so I'll post it again, along with bad Young Brother, another hit from Derek's debut album Bullet From a Gun.

Enjoy the songs and R.I.P. Roc Raida and Derek B.

MP3:: O.C. - Time's Up

MP3:: Fat Joe - Bad Bad Man

MP3:: E. Bros - Funky Piano

MP3:: Derek B. - Bad Young Brother

MP3:: Derek B. - Get Down

Labels: Hip Hop, Old School Mondays, R.I.P.

I don't have too much of a fun story for this week's OSM - mainly I just wanted to hear some Pete Rock beats again. I put a Pete Rock remix up on Friday with my Me & Jay-Z birthday post, and those classic PR soul sounds - the thick drums, organs & horns - sent me scurrying to put Mecca and the Soul Brother on the ole iPhone for today's at-work listening pleasure. So I figured whilst I was at it, why not give PR & CL the OSM treatment? And so there you have it.

I hope the majority of you fine folks are familiar with Pete Rock at the very least, as the producer extrordinaire still remains active and one of the most respected beatmakers hip hop has ever produced. He's always been a favorite of mine - there's just something about his beats that feels so satisfying to me, they are always packed with a jazzy, stick-to-your-ribs goodness. Yes indeed, Heavy D's little cousin Pete has certainly carved himself a nice hip hop legacy. Now CL Smooth is a little different. Although I've always thought of him as solid, and likely a little underrated, he has his detractors (the Ack being one of them). And although CL has put out a couple solo albums in the last 5 years, it's as PR's vocal counterpart that he'll always be remebered by most folks.

And with good reason too. More than one respected hip hop "best songs ever" list likely has They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) in it's top ten. The heartfelt ode to Trouble T-roy tells tales of CL's childhood over one of the more perfect beats hip hop has ever seen. That song is of course from the aforementioned Mecca and the Soul Brother, which also contains my favorite PR & CL song, Straighten It Out. So, of course I'm posting those two songs, along with another fav from that album, Can't Front On Me. The b-side to T.R.O.Y. is another of my favorite jams, The Creator, and so I'm also posting the remix of that song. The other single from that album was Lots of Lovin', which is a mellow jam for the ladies that I never much cared for, but I've just discovered the remix, which is awesome. And so you get that too. Enjoy!

MP3:: Pete Rock & CL Smooth - They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)

MP3:: Pete Rock & CL Smooth - The Creator (Slide To The Side Remix)

MP3:: Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Straighten It Out

MP3:: Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Lots Of Lovin' (Remix)

MP3:: Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Can't Front On Me

Pete Rock & C. L. Smooth - They Reminisce Over You

Labels: CL Smooth, Hip Hop, Old School Mondays, Pete Rock, T.R.O.Y.

It's weeks like this one that demonstrate why I do OSM on Mondays. Like most working stiffs, Sunday night finds me trying to shake off the effects of the weekend (having kids now makes that more like shake off the crumbs from the weekend), and get prepared to drag my carcass into work the next morning. Hence, prepping a post on Sunday night isn't something I'm always looking forward too, and some Sundays when I have nothing immediately coming to mind, I don't feel like doing one at all. But then I think of some song I used to love in 1991, and bam, we're off to the races.

That was the case this week, as my OSM landscape was barren, so I was going back through last week's posts, and whilst re-reading my review for D-Sisive's great new album Jonestown, the answer became pretty obvious: Juice. If you read the review, the reasons are obvious, but I shall explain anyway (un-necessary explanations are how we roll). On Jonestown's Boom Baba Boom, D makes mention of Biggie smiling as he watches Bishop (Tupac) falling off the roof at the end of Juice, he then goes on to break down the whole reference - why it would make Big smile, etc. So that would be enough, as Juice should easily be in anyone's "top 5 hip hop movies" list, but D also uses the line "I got the juice now, so you catch the taste", which is a ref to a much-loved Robbie Alomar juice commercial that was on Canadian TV in the early 90's. If that doesn't beg for a Juice-related OSM, I don't know what would.

Seriously, if you have never seen this Omar Epps starring, Tupac scene-stealing (his multi-level fade alone was killer) 1992 film, I suggest you do so. It has easily one of the best hip hop soundtracks ever put out, which, I know, isn't saying too much as most of them were disappointments, but it also deserves credit for appearing to have some songs written expressly for the soundtrack. Even if it's just for the 4 songs below, this one is one of the best in my humble.

I think people sleep on Naughty By Nature, but Uptown Anthem is excellent, Treach at his barely-coherent, speed-flow best. If anyone is skeptical about the excellent of Ra or BDK, just check Juice (Know The Ledge) and Nuff' Respect to be set straight. And EPMD's It's Going Down was always a sludgey favorite of mine. I should also, somewhat sheepishly, mention that the new-jack swing style R&B jams (Is It Good To You & Don't Be Afraid) were also much-loved back in the day. Enjoy!

MP3:: Naughty By Nature - Uptown Anthem

MP3:: Eric B. & Rakim - Juice (Know The Ledge)

MP3:: Big Daddy Kane - Nuff' Respect

MP3:: EPMD - It's Going Down

Big Daddy Kane - Nuff' Respect

Labels: Big, EPMD, Eric B. and Rakim, Hip Hop, Old School Mondays, Tupac

If you were on the site last week, you're likely aware that I'm a big fan of Ghettosocks' new album, Treat of the Day. There are a number of reasons for this, but one of the main ones is certainly Socks' liberal use of awesome old school vocal samples throughout the album. I'm not going to lie to you fine folks: I'm a sucker for old rap samples. If you've spent any time around this site, that shouldn't surprise you, but honestly, if you put a few songs on your album where you Premo-scratch (sure, everyone's done this, but I always associate it with Premier) a bunch of samples from classic hip hop songs for the chorus, well then you've gone a long way towards winning me over.

So, with an album full of good material fresh in my head, I couldn't resist doing an OSM that features the original songs for some of Treat of the Day's best samples. So then, a word about each song:

Jaz - Hawaiian Sophie - No better song to start with, as one of my favorite songs on TOTD is called Dreams of Hawaiian Sophie, and this Jaz tune is a Golden Age classic that I've never posted before. Luau's and high-top fades - a winning combo. And yes, it does feature a young, rather skinny version of yer man Jay-Z. Big Jaz put Jay on - it's too bad they hate each other now.

KRS-One - I Can't Wake Up - I also said this about Dreams of Hawaiian Sophie: "thanks in no small part to the fact that it samples one of my favorite KRS songs". This is that song, one in which KRS dreams he's a blunt being smoked by various hip hop personalities over a Premo beat. It's weirdly awesome.

Gangstarr - Dwyck f. Nice & Smooth - I've posted this song before, but bits of it are featured in both Ricochet and Pink Lemonade, so it appears again. Plus it's awesome, so there should be no complaints.

Joeski Love - Pee-Wee's Dance Another song that was posted a while ago, but again I refer to the awesomeness. Or perhaps some kitschy awesomeness, although I really do love this beat. It's also used in Ricochet.

Big Daddy Kane - Put Your Weight On It - Awesome, live-mix type of jam from BDK's often overlooked Taste Of Chocolate album. Kane just rips it as Mr. Cee flips the beat a few times. Forgot how great it was. Kane's "cut like a guillotine" from this song is scratched into the end of Fatal Flying Guillotine, which makes sense.

Wu-Tang - Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F*ck Wit - Grimy classic from the Wu (seriously, go back and listen to 36 Chambers, so awesome - more so when you consider RZA made some of those beats on like a 4-track) that is also sampled in Fatal Flying Guillotine.

The B-Boys - Rock The House - This jam is a classic here at the hill because hill co-founder somehow got a semi-warped, vinyl copy of it from somewhere in New Jersey one summer when he was on tour with Thrush Hermit as their merch guy (100% true story). It's Syndicate sniper Donald-D exhorting the masses to dance whilst Chuck Chillout cuts it up on the 1's & 2's. Great stuff, and Don's voice is sample on Rock The Discotech.

Have to warn you, there some awesome songs below, so go an enjoy, but like King Tee said, it's at your own risk. Oh, and if you like these songs, go get that Treat Of The Day.

MP3:: Jaz - Hawaiian Sophie

MP3:: KRS-One - I Can't Wake Up

MP3:: Gangstarr - DWYCK

MP3:: Joeski Love - Pee-Wee's Dance

MP3:: Big Daddy Kane - Put Your Weight On It

MP3:: Wu-Tang - Wu-Tang Clan Aint Nuthing Ta F Wit

MP3:: The B-Boys - Rock The House

Jaz - Hawaiian Sophie


Joe Ski Love - Pee Wee's Dance


Wu-Tang Clan Aint Nuthin' Ta F' Wit

Labels: Big Daddy Kane, Ghettosocks, Greg Nice, Hip Hop, Jay-Z, Joeski, Old School Mondays, Wu-Tang

First off, let me apologize for the lack of OSM-age last week. I hate to skip it, but time was scarce last weekend, and we wanted to ensure we got the awesome Paper Bag vinyl contest posted bright and early (as an aside, if you haven't entered that contest, do so now, as today will likely be the last day for it). But now we're back, and I wanted to return with a jumbo version to make up for last week's absence. But what to post? I was a little stumped for ideas, but then I remembered a song I went hunting for last week after writing one of my posts.

The song is The Stopper by Cutty Ranks. I've certainly said this before, but back at the start of the 90's, if you were into hip hop, chances are you were into some dancehall reggae as well. I certainly was, and to this day hearing any of the big songs from back then will bring a smile to my face. This is exactly what happened when I saw Skratch Bastid and Scratch flipping The Stopper-styled funk while preparing for their new T.O. club show. That got me in a Dancehall reminiscing mood, and so I went looking for some other old favorites.

So, like it or not, that's what you're getting: a "here are some old dancehall songs I enjoy" OSM. I'm actually quite happy because while doing this list I finally remembered a song I'd been trying to think of for a while. It's Mack Daddy by Bobby Konders (with chatting from Mikey Jarret - chatting! I know the lingo friend), and I'd been trying to remember the name of this song for a while so I could find it - although this should have been easier, I forgot it was on Red Alert's Propmaster Radio Show mix which I have a cassette copy of. Anyway, this song is classic, I remember there was a period of a fews months where we'd yell "Mack Daddy....Mack Daddy, Mack Daddy...Mack Daddy!" at random intervals because of this song. Well, at least I would anyway.

To go along with this we've got a couple of other all-time favorites, Typewriter from legendary hardman Louie Rankin (who I've talked about a couple times, but I care not, that album is an all-timer in terms of old school herohill lore), and Ghetto Red Hot from the always awesome Super Cat. To wrap things up we have something for the ladies, the classic Flex from Mad Cobra. I actually found this tape in one of my boxes, and I had to laugh because I honestly couldn't remember one other song on it except for Flex - which suggests I might have bought it mainly for that smoothed out dancehall love jam, and that is comical/horrifying.

So there you have it, enjoy. Oh, and BO!

MP3:: Cutty Ranks - The Stopper

MP3:: Bobby Konders & Massive Sounds - Mack Daddy

MP3:: Super Cat - Ghetto Red Hot

MP3:: Louie Rankin - Typewriter

MP3:: Mad Cobra - Flex

Cutty Ranks - The Stopper


Super Cat - Ghetto Red Hot


Mad Cobra

Labels: Cutty Ranks, Dancehall, Hip Hop, Old School Mondays, Reggae, Super Cat

Unless you're like the Ack, and you boycott any video game that requires you to do anything more complicated than repeatedly mashing one button, you've likely heard of DJ Hero. DJ Hero is exactly what you'd think: a DJ-based take on the Guitar Hero or Rock Band music simulation games that have blown up in the last few years. It looks pretty cool, and I certainly want to try it, but one of the more impressive aspects of the game is the song list.

The makers of the game assembled a track list for the game that features nearly 100 mash-ups of pretty well-known songs, many done by DJ luminaries like Z-Trip, DJ Shadow, the late DJ AM, Jazzy Jeff and the immortal Grandmaster Flash, who also narrates the instructional portions of the game. Flash is an interesting character, he's kind of like hip hop's favorite wacky uncle, except this uncle also just happened to pioneer a DJ-ing technique that became requisite part of the music & culture. I don't know about you, but when I think of Flash, I inevitably think of one thing: The Message. Sublime in every way, the original conscious rap song doesn't actually feature Flash doing his cutting & mixing thing, but it is pure, uncut awesome, and I realized I'd never posted it before, and so the main point of this post is to right that wrong.

But I figured it made sense to post something that also shows flash doing his thing, and there's no better example of that then The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel, which is like five minutes of Flash doing his live "quick-mix" thing. And so you're getting that one too. But once I started listening to these old songs, I couldn't stop, and there's a couple more for you. The Genius Of Love-sampling It's Nasty has always been a favorite of mine, so it's here too. You can't really talk about Flash and the Five without mentioning their first single Superappin', and we've got that one too. To finish, we've got a boombox favorite, New York, New York, which has a classic chorus and much more guitar shredding than I remember.

I say this all the time, but it's really true this time: these are some classic songs. If you aren't familiar with Flash or The Furious Five, school yourself, if you are, just let the memories flow.

MP3:: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message

MP3:: Grandmaster Flash - The Aventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels of Steel

MP3:: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - It's Nasty

MP3:: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - Superappin'

MP3:: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - New York New York

Video:: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message


Video:: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - It's Nasty

Labels: Grandmaster Flash, Hip Hop, Old School Mondays

I hinted at this last week, in my original post for Peanut Butter Wolf's 45 Live box set of hip hop vinyl singles, but the track list for his collection provided too irresistible. So, that's what you're going to get, more songs featured in the set, but first things first, if you haven't heard about 45 Live, go and to check it out.

I said pretty much all I needed to say about the awesomeness of this set in my previous post, but for this one here I just went down the list and picked out some notable songs, and preferably ones I haven't posted before. Rockin' It is just a one of those legendary songs that never sounds old, despite how old school the style it uses is. Earlier this year I posted on Mantronix, but somehow I didn't post Hardcore Hip Hop. Better later than never I suppose. I never managed to get my hands on a JVC Force album back in the day, but it's one of those mythical NY groups I'd always heard about. Because of that, I'd always wanted to post on them, but never got around to it. This is a good enough reason I'd say.

Cash Money & Marvelous is another group I've posted on, but I didn't post Mighty Hard Rocker, and it's a great jam. I realized that I've ever posted The Bridge is Over before. So consider that a wrong now righted.

Some great old school songs from a great collection.

MP3:: Fearless Four - Rockin' It

MP3:: Mantronix - Hardcore Hip-Hop

MP3:: JVC Force - Strong Island

MP3:: Cash Money & Marvelous - The Mighty Hard Rocker

MP3:: Boogie Down Productions - The Bridge is Over

Video:: BDP - The Bridge Is Over

Labels: Hip Hop, Old School Mondays, Peanut Butter Wolf, vinyl

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you up here in Canada. I know the whole "Thanksgiving in October" thing usually confuses Americans, but it's essentially the same deal. We may not have the usually mediocre Dallas and Detroit-based NFL games on our Thanksgiving (speaking of thanks, I'm tremendously thankful for the Saints 4-0 start), but we have Turkey and pumpkin pie, and that's really what counts.

So, being a holiday, I hadn't planned on preparing an OSM this week, but the whole notion of giving thanks made me think I should post some songs from a golden ager that I'm thankful for. So I figured we might as well start with the best: the God. Rakim Allah might just be the best to ever do it, so I'm sure I'm far from being the only one who his thankful for his contribution to hip hop. So enjoy some songs from Ra's early career, and have a happy Thanksgiving.

MP3:: Eric B. featuring Rakim - Eric B. Is President

MP3:: Eric B. And Rakim - I Ain't No Joke

MP3:: Eric B. & Rakim - Move The Crowd (Beatmix By The Democratic 3 Feat. DJ Slack)

MP3:: Eric B. & Rakim - As The Rhyme Goes On (Pumpin' The Turbo - Chad Jay In Effect Version)

MP3:: Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full

Labels: Eric B. and Rakim, Hip Hop, Old School Mondays, Rakim