Call O' Da Wild

Everyone is wondering what happened to Call O' Da Wild's unreleased album... After two dope 12-inches released in 1995 and 1996, the duo comprised of C. Camps and Bee Smoove (a.k.a Barron Ricks) should have dropped their debut album around 1997-1998 on the Philly-based label RuffHouse Records, but unfortunately it never saw the light of day...

Bee Smoove (Left) & C.Camps (Right) at the Univeral Amphitheater in LA, Ca on August 13, 1998 - Photo by Jim Steinfeldt / Michael Ochs Archives

Their debut 12" (Sometimes The Neighborhood / Clouds Of Smoke) came out in 1995 on East Side Records. Both tracks were produced by Sean C and Knobody. At the time, they also did productions for Ebony brothers a.k.a E.Bros, a duo from Harlem comprised of JayBee (DJ) & Wayne-O (MC) who also features on the track "Clouds Of Smoke" but he isn't credited on the wax unfortunately.

12" - 1995 - East Side Records

Bee Smoove, how did everything start for the group ?

Bee Smoove : " It was my man Chic Moe a.k.a C. Camps and myself.  We were both from Polo Ground PJs in Harlem...155th st across from the world famous Rucker Park and what was The Rooftop Roller rink. We knew each other, but were doing our own things separately. So a long time friend, Rad "Roc" Issaccs (producer, arranger, musician wizard) put us together. We became Chico N Da Man, then eventually we evolved into Da Call O' Da Wild. This was like 89-92. 

I was a popular DJ uptown at the time, at a spot called Mecca Audio... and C Camps was getting money outside at a spot called Shaka Zulu most popular spot for that Chunky Choclit Tye Uptown. We were writing, performing, recording, and honing our skills for a while, way before I met DJ Muggs. "

Could you give me more info about the producers Sean C and Knobody ?

Bee Smoove : " I knew Sean C from High School, we went to Cardinal Hayes in da BX, with Fatman Scoop, Diamond D and a few more cats. Now Sean C/Cane played a major part for me in my life. Why? For 1 we were classmates and friends always aspiring to be just dope DJs and music lovers, however Sean C was deep in the trenches in the rap scene in Harlem, introducing me to cats I looked up to at the time : DJ Barry Bee (Get Fresh Crew), DJ Scratch and others. He also gave me the name Bee Smoove. Well he began producing I believe right after high school perfecting his chopping on the MPC. Knobody was I believe his cousin and early production partner. "

What happened with East Side Records ?

Bee Smoove : " Eastside Records was an imprint Indie label that DJ Muggs (who was the Executive Producer) had a situation with. Trust me, I was learning at the time how this game worked and how people weren't getting their fair share of earnings...early. I'm still ashamed of not knowing, but we were young, talented and green. "

In 1996, Call O' Da Wild was signed by Ruffhouse Records and dropped a second 12", with both tracks produced by DJ Muggs. The 12" consists of the tracks "Ruffturrain" on the A-side and "Intellectual Dons" on the B-side. 

12" - 1996 - RuffHouse Records 

In 1997, the group released 2 additional tracks : "Dysfunctional Clique" on the Ruffhouse Records - 1997 Hit List compilation and "New York Undercover" on the Soul Assassins (Chapter 1) compilation album.

Prior to starting RuffHouse, Chris Schwartz (C.E.O.) was managing the original gangster rapper Schooly D, while Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo (President) was producing and engineering rap records at his studio, Studio 4 Recording. Together they envisioned a full service in-house label with A&R, production/recording, mixing, mastering, promotion and marketing under one roof. In 1990, RuffHouse signed a Production and Distribution deal with Columbia Records.

A full-length Call O' Da Wild's album produced by DJ Muggs was slated for release on Sony/Ruffhouse/Columbia, but it was shelved after the label deemed it commercially unviable. The group disbanded shortly thereafter and B-Smoove started touring with Cypress Hill, and the album was never dropped unfortunately.

Da UpTown Vandals - Vandals In The House - 1994

12" - 1994 - Basement Records  

Da Uptown Vandals dropped their first and only 12" in 1994 on Basement Records. Another indie hip-hop 12" which is really hard to find...  The group was founded around 1991 and was comprised of Big French, Taboo, Dow Jones, E-Clips, Harlem River Fats, and Soul Fire. They all came from Harlem, NYC and most of them were related and/or been friends since teenagers.

 

Da UpTown Vandals - Photo courtesy of Big French 

The wax is composed of a unique single entitled "Vandals In The House" which is available in 5 versions : "Big Bottom Mix (Club)", "The Vocal", "The Rythm", "Boom Box Edit (Radio)" and "No Bull Shit Mix (Main)". All the productions were handled by Sugar Ray and Big French.  

All I can say is that Big French and Sugar Ray were long time friends. They met at school...they became best friends then started Mad Bull Productions together. The 12" came out on Basement Records, a NY-based record label owned and managed by a Russian guy named ILYA. Da Uptown Vandals made a lot more music... a full album was recorded by the group but the record company failed and it never came out. Fingers crossed to see this album released one day. 

I dedicate this short write up to Sugar Ray who unfortunately passed away around 1999-2000... Rest In Peace. Mad props to Big French. 

Documentary : IWOW: I Walk on Water by Khalik Allah

"At night, the streets of Harlem are haunted by lost souls. Bodies that drift around in the darkness and bear the weight of the past on their shoulders. The Haitian man Frenchie is one of them, and his accentuated stutter bears witness to exile and years of abuse. But he is more than just that in Khalik Allah's new, hypnotic film opus, which turns the American tradition of social realist street photography into its own art form. Khalik Allah is an impressive photographer, and with Frenchie and the other characters of the streets in front of his lens, he has created his most ambitious film to date. The variation of formats – 8mm, 16mm and video – remind us not only that the images are the product of a process, but also that the depicted story is fragmented and that any unifying narrative must necessarily come from the protagonists themselves. The sound of the voice is consistently separated from the images of the body to which the voice belongs, no matter who is talking: Allah, his girlfriend, his mother, his family, or Frenchie himself. Allah's film is a space we move in rather than a linear progression through time. A trance-inducing film about love, friendship, religion and the experience of purpose." - courtesy of  CPH:DOX 2020 (Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival )

Watch It Now ! 

Olori Rock - Ruff-N-Tuff / Don't Test Me - 1994

12" - 1994 - LonGevity Records

Back in '94 with this rare 12" released by Olori Rock, a young MC from Harlem 'Grant Projects' (125st & Amsterdam Ave). The wax is composed of 2 tracks 'Ruff-N-Tuff' and 'Don't Test Me', both produced by a cat named LSD. It came out on LonGevity Records and was also engineered by LG, Positive K's DJ. 
The main single of the 12" is 'Ruff-N-Tuff' available on the 'That Ride' side, in its Wrekless Radio Mix version and Rugged Butta Remix version, but the flip side wins this time with the excellent 'Don't Test Me (Smooth Radio Mix)' which is Olori's favorite track too, according to him.

Olori Manns : "I was already discovered by a group from Brooklyn 3-4 years prior to that, Witchdoctor & the Dominating three MC's on loan on Timberwolfe Records, which I made a record with, doing the human beatbox."

Olori Manns :"Timberwolfe Records was managed by Susane Buckley and Fred Porter. DJ Witch Doctor a.k.a Norman Glover (RIP) was the DJ's name also known as Platinum producer on Biggie Smalls album 'Ready to Die' years later."

 Olori Rock (Bottom) / Superlova Cee and Casanova Rud / Mellow Nate Dee / Rock Master J  Count Cool Out & DJ Witchdoctor - Photo courtesy of Olori Manns

Olori Rock / Rockmaster J Count Cool Out / Mellow Nate Dee / DJ Witch Doctor - Photo courtesy of Olori Manns

Olori Manns : "I met Steven Brown a.k.a LSD at the Apollo. He came down to see me performed when musician Nat Adley recommended him to go and see me. Nat Adley played Instrument for Luther Vandross and his daughter went to school with my sister. She was 4 years younger than me probably about 11 or 12 when my sister's friend's mother heard my demo, she told her husband who is Nat Adley and he called Steven Brown ... that's how the connection happened.

Longevity records was put together by Steven Brown and Stanley Brown who is Steven's Father. Steven got his dad to give him $10,000 to invest in my first Single "Ruff-N-Tuff / Don't Test Me" in 1994."

Mad Props to Olori Manns a.k.a Olori Rock, thanks for your time !

Dirty Face Angels

In the late-90s a group called Dirty Face Angels released two interesting 12" on Fat Stash Entertainment.

The members of the group were Kenny Black aka Rubi Rosa from Queens NY, Moe Crazy aka Seldom Seen from Harlem NY and a part time member Shady Ray aka Sinister from Inglewood CA. Moe Crazy was already known at that time for his first single 'Knock 'Em Out Da Frame / Mr. All A That' which featured Chi Ali & Tony Tone and released on the excellent indie label 'Blunted Records' in 1993.

Kenny Black : "Moe and I worked together around 91-92. He had a solo deal and I was his hype man. We would do beats and a song in the studio in about 3 hours... So with that we decided to start the group with he and I. Shady came thru with Rich Nice to a session. He got on a song with us. He kept coming to the studio getting on songs... so he is the unofficial/official 3rd member of the group but the original group is Moe and myself ."

12" 1998 - Fat Stash Ent. 

Their first 12" came out on Fat Stash Entertainment in 1998, with 2 tracks produced by Dat Nigga Reg. 

On the A-side, the Chocolate side, you can listen to "Actin' Up", a song which uses a sample of "It's fire" performed by the group Portishead and released in 1994. The song is available in its Radio, Street Mix, Instrumental and Accapella versions. 

On the flip side, the Hydro side, you can listen to "MOElogical" which uses a sample of "Summer Breeze" performed by Ceasar Frazier in 1975. The song is co-produced by Moe Crazy and is available in its radio, Street and instrumental versions. 

The executive producer of the record was a cat named Big Cap Black (a.k.a Black Cap, a.k.a Pete Black, a.k.a Pete Kennedy, a.k.a Hollywood Wheeze). 

Kenny Black : "Black Cap funded us. He’s still around doing other business adventures. He owned the label Fat Stash... It doesn’t exist or doesn’t have any artist on the roster."

12" - 1999 - Fat Stash Ent.  

In 1999, they were back with their second 12" 'It's Not A Game / 6 Emcees'. 'It's Not A Game' on the A-side was produced by Luis Phatkat Vega a.k.a DJ Louie Louie, Hip Hop producer out of New York and member of the Group 'Priority One'. 



The B-side contains the track '6 emcees' featuring Leftfield, Ideal and Suave. It is produced by Dirty Face Angels and Black Cap. 

Kenny Black : "Leftfield is out of New Rochelle, Ideal is out of Queens and Suave is out of South Jersey. Currently no one is doing music. Here is a little fun fact, Amil from Roc a Fella was on the original 6emcees. We replaced her with Shady because her deal came at the time we were putting out the record."

Unfortunately It was their last 12" ...
Kenny Black : " why did we stop ?... well real life situations...Children. Moe was temporarily blind in one eye so he had to take care of that. We have an album done but never released." 
... maybe one day, who knows ...   

Mad Props to Kenny Black

The Hip Hop Spot w. WildMan Steve and DJ Riz - August 5th 1991 - WBAU

The Hip Hop Spot w. WildMan Steve and DJ Riz on 90.3 FM WBAU - August 5th 1991

Cavern - Liquid Liquid 

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Props to WildMan Steve