" Shelved since 1995, the Dredknotz debut "Under Pressure" is finally here! Under the guidance of DJ Richie Rich (formerly of 3rd Bass), the Flatbush-raised trio consisting of Benz, 50 Grand and Big Ezo created a powerful album that stands the test of time. Cryptic, hardcore beats blend with a cool, eerie sound that connects on multiple levels. The rhymes come from the street and the heart. Straight up, hard, telling like it is. Entirely produced by DJ Richie Rich and Big Ezo, engineered by Rich Keller at legendary Chung King Studios. " - courtesy of 90's Tapes
Available in a limited run on 4LP (500 copies), 2CD in jewel case (300 copies), 2MC (100 copies) and digitally on all major platforms.
"This album was born in Southeast Washington, D.C., in the winter of 1992 — a place where music was survival, loyalty was everything, and talent had to fight for air. That’s where a young rapper named Eric Jones, soon to be known as Vice Versa, began carving out a legacy that never got the shine it deserved. Vice Versa came up with his childhood friend Stan, a local DJ with crates full of vinyl and a hunger that matched his own. They spent nights in basements looping beats and freestyling until sunrise - sharpening a sound that mixed D.C. grit with New York lyricism. Word spread. Battles were won. Open mics were crushed. A voice was rising out of Southeast.
Everything changed when a street-connected visionary named Baron “B” Flemings stepped in with money, ambition, and a belief in Vice’s raw talent. Alongside him came E-Boogie (Eric Kennedy), a young industry insider with D.C. roots and New York access. Together they formed Rage One Recordings - a label funded by hustle, heart, and the kind of grind nobody teaches in music school. The sonic backbone of Rage One was Scotty Beats, a gifted engineer/producer who lived inside Horizon Studio and transformed raw ideas into polished records. With Scotty behind the boards and Vice Versa behind the mic, the crew began shaping the project that would become Basick Mentality.
Tracks like “Paradise,” “All Around The World,” “Guts & Glory,” and “Let Your Nuts Hang” were born during this era - created with passion, pressure, and the belief that D.C. had something to say. The team opened for legends like Busta Rhymes and EPMD, rehearsing day and night, chasing the breakthrough they knew was coming. The self-titled album has been released in limited quantities on CD only in 1997. But real life hit harder than any beat. As the team expanded its operations to Los Angeles and met with major labels, street life and circumstance took their toll. Jail time, mismanaged funds, broken trust, and life’s responsibilities pulled the crew apart just as the music was reaching its peak.
Then tragedy struck. In the same year, both pillars of this project - Scotty Beats and Vice Versa - were murdered. Two brilliant lives gone. Two futures erased. Two brothers lost forever. Scotty was killed protecting his property. Vice Versa was killed in a robbery in the same neighborhoods he once electrified with his voice. For years, the music was lost - buried in memories, scattered across cities, carried only by those who refused to let the story die.
This re-release is more than a project. It is a resurrection. A tribute. A testament to a crew that gave everything. To Vice Versa. To Scotty Beats. To Rage One. To the dream that lived, died, and now lives again.
This is Basick Mentality. The world finally gets to hear it."
- Eric "E-Boogie" Kennedy
Available in a limited run on LP (500 copies), CD in jewel case (300 copies), MC (100 copies) and digitally on all major platforms.
Here are some demos from a group called 20 Sides, from the Toronto,Ontario, Canada indie hip-hop scene. I don't know much about them, except that they were part of the Sassafras Click and another crew called Countless Endeavors. Stretch & Bobbito were the first to play one of their demos titled "20 Questions" in December 1995. The other demos, "Let Me Go" and "Assorted Nuts", were played in June and July 1996 on the Mastermind Street Jam radio show on Energy 108 (107.9FM), which served the Hamilton, Burlington and Toronto areas in the mid to late 90s.
Here is the first edition of Nas & DJ Premier's long anticipated album, entitled "Light-Years". It's available on double vinyl, CD & Cassette on Mass Appeal.
Baltimore-based MC Ill Conscious delivers his latest single, taken from the album "The Aggregation Of Marginal Gains" produced by Alcynoos and DJ Parental, which is still available to order on double vinyl via HHV Records.
" “Smashin’ Bricks Vol. 2” brings Sperrow and DJ STR back together with two heavy remixes and their instrumentals. Side A delivers DJ STR’s flip of Dilated Peoples – “The Platform”, while Side B features Sperrow’s rugged take on Big L – “Shoulda Used A Rubba”." - courtesy of Comin Tru Records / STR Records
In the mid-90s, when New York's underground was overflowing with raw talent, few names stood out with such an impact in so little time as AK Skills. Hailing from Edgemere Projects in Far Rockaway, Queens, he dropped only a handful of records, but what records they were !! Released on the cult imprint Tru Criminal Records, his two 12-inches are now considered essential pieces for any hip-hop vinyl collector.
The first, "Check The Flava / Nights of Fear" immediately set the tone... razor sharp rhymes over heavyweight productions. With Lord Finesse behind "Check The Flava" and Buckwild lacing "Nights of Fear", the record stands as a perfect snapshot of the D.I.T.C. golden era sound.
Both songs are available in their Clean, Dirty and Instrumentals versions. The 12" was reviewed in the Sure Shot Singles section of the Source Magazine in June 1996, and in the Please Listen To My Demo section of Beat Down Magazine.
The follow-up, "One Life Ta Live / East Ta West" only reinforced his reputation. "One Life Ta Live" is a raw Queens anthem, while "East Ta West" carries a heavy rolling vibe that resonated far beyond New York's borders. Both tracks were produced by Eddie James (of Mad Pack).
Eddie James shared a lot of information about AK Skills and the production of this 12" in an article written by Gino Sorcinelli in 2018. You can read it here.
What makes these two records so remarkable isn't their rarity today, but the way they capture a moment in New York hip-hop where underground talent thrived outside the mainstream spotlight. Tru Criminal Records, which was an independent record label founded in 1996 by Lee "Skill" Resnick and one of his friend named Alex Groothius a.k.a Gru Da Mastamind, may not have had a massive catalog but their releases are revered and AK Skills sits right at the heart of that legacy. Moreover, AK Skills dropped another single,"One Thing Or Another" produced by Buckwild, on the dope Tru Criminal Records EP released a year later. It also includes tracks from other groups that were part of the Tru Criminal Records roster : Street Smartz & God Sunz.
By the way, the Rap Is Outta Control Radio Show, with DJ Eclipse and DJ Riz, recently did a tribute show to Tru Criminal Records, which aired on December 7th 2025. AK Skills, FT of Street Smartz, Smokescreen of God Sunz and Lee "Skill" Resnick were in the studio. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, I definitely recommend it... they drop some cool stories about the crew members and the record label. They also played some unreleased material.
For record collectors, all these 12"s above are mandatory digs, not only do they represent the essence of 90s East Coast underground rap, but they also preserve the voice of an MC who deserved far more shine than he got. If you stumble upon these records in the bins, don't hesitate... they're true classics of 90s indie hip-hop. Peace
