Blood Brothers - Tell Me What Got U Sprung - 1995

12" - 199X - Lo Key Records 

Here is a wax released as a white label around 1996-1997. It features the tracks "Go For Dolo" by a rapper called T-Wrecks a.k.a T-Wrecks the Extint on the A-side, and "Tell Me What Got U Sprung" by a group called Blood Brothers on the B-side, which is definitely the most interesting track on this record.

If you' re looking for more information about the duo Blood Brothers, you can find some on the official website of Lo Key Records, a label headed by Woody Connor Jr and producer Davy D a.k.a Davy DMX from Queens, who was a member of a local group in Hollis called Solo Sounds which included DJ Hurricane and others, and was also a producer for Run DMC, The Fat Boys, Kurtis Blow... just to name a few. 

" Groups often have a difficult time figuring out what their professional names will be, not for these two siblings, Devin Lee a.k.a True Blue and Christopher Lee a.k.a Vast Mind, 22 and 26 years old respectively, featuring producer and D.J. Andre McCullough a.k.a. Mr. Dre make up the group known as the BLOOD BROTHERS. Hailing from Far Rockaway, Queens; True Blue and Vast Mind began putting their ideas together to start doing songs, as they started getting the niche for rocking the mic in the studio and at parties around the way, their next phase was to let the rest of the world hear them and that they did. The Blood Brothers began doing shows all around the country having opened up for Wu-Tang, Keith Murray, Group Home, Smif-N-Wessun and were finalists in the ever-popular nationwide All-star Talent show. While receiving love from the underground radio in New York, the Blood Brothers caught the attention of their label Lo-Key Records.

True considers their style to be a blend of hard-core underground with a spiritual vibe. Their first single is just that,"Tell Me What Got U Sprung," produced by Mr. Dre. The song is an ode to "Beverly Johnson" styled ladies he has a thing for, "When the time is right, then we’ll follow the guiding light/and take a walk up the aisle with wisdom, insight, spiritually connecting/ Truthfully respecting/ No arguments, beautiful."

Mr. Dre’s contribution as DJ, producer, organizer and motivator puts it all together. His career started in 1985 when he saved up his allowance purchase his first D.J. equipment, he taught himself the art of mixing as well as producing and has been perfecting it ever since

To sum it all up, the Blood Brothers are flowing smoothly through your veins invigorating your senses. " - courtesy of Lo-Key Records

"Tell Me What Got U Sprung" was also included on the Lo Key Records compilation album titled Lo-Key Allstar Soundtrack, which features all the artists from the label’s roster. It was their first and only track released officially and I'm wondering if any unreleased material exists... It would definitely be a nice surprise !

Highlights on AK SKILLS

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.

12" - 1996 - Tru Criminal Records 

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). 

12" - 1996 - Tru Criminal Records

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. 

EP - 1997 - Tru Criminal Records 

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