Video : Manage feat. Airklipz & Composure - Love the Sound - 2026

 

London,UK-based MC/Producer Manage (Lab79) presents the visuals for "Love the Sound" featuring Airklipz & Composure (w/ Cuts by Fidel Cutstro). 

Ghetto Professionals Present: Brick City Kids - Brick City Kids - 1997

 

Released in 1997, "The Ghetto Professionals Present: Brick City Kids" remains a gem of late 90s underground hip-hop. It came out on Ghetto Gold Recordings / Rawkus and it features two major voices from Newark, NJ : Tame One (R.I.P.) and El Da Sensei of the Artifacts, who both also formed the duo Brick City Kids. It's the only official release by Tame One and El Da Sensei under that name, making this 12" a particularly valuable document of their collaboration.

Behind the project was the Ghetto Professionals production crew, comprised of JuJu of the Beatnuts who needs no introduction, Vic Padilla a.k.a. V.I.C., a Beatnuts affiliate and member of The Groove Merchantz alongside Godfather Don, and Mike Heron, a producer who played a key role in the development of Hydra Records before later working with Rawkus Records.

The 12" consists of only 2 tracks : "Brick City Kids" (Clean / Street & Instrumental) on the A-side, and "What What" on the B-side. Together, the two songs form a cohesive and authentic snapshot of independent East Coast hip-hop in the late '90s. Nearly three decades later, this record still holds up remarkably well, serving as both a tribute to the talents of Tame One (RIP) and El Da Sensei and a reminder of the contributions of V.I.C., JuJu and Heron to the golden era of independent hip-hop. 

I wish more tracks from this collaboration had seen the light of day. Maybe one day, the Ghetto Professionals will dig into their vaults and finally unveil some unreleased Brick City Kids tracks... Peace 

90 Proof - The Windy City Theory - 2026

2xLP - 2026 - 90's Tapes / HHV 

Recorded between 1998 and 1999 and originally self-released in very limited numbers on CD only, "The Windy City Theory" finally gets its first official release accompanied by two bonus tracks. Here's an excerpt of the description from back then: "The Windy City Theory" is the first official endeavor by Chicago's finest, 90 Proof. 90 Proof brings an array of styles to the table of hip-hop for those that hunger for the real and have a taste for originality. The fact that this crew cannot be classified under any one category allows them to reach every type of listener, with a very unique vocal presence that is evident in their music. The theme of this first project is simply life in the harsh streets of Chicago. Using melodic tracks and cutting edge lyrics, the six MC's paint a vivid and realistic picture in the minds of their listeners. Don't be mistaken though, these are far from your everyday gun-toting street hustlers turned rappers that you are so accustomed to hearing at the top of today's charts. 90 Proof is a totally self-contained unit with a number of in house producers, artists and writers with styles ranging from urban soul to hip-hop ... "As the world rotates, we create." - courtesy of 90's Tapes 

Available in a limited run on 2LP (350 copies), CD in jewel case (300 copies) & MC (100 copies).

Order 

 

Erule - Forever Living - 1996

Big thanks to 12manrambo for sharing this exclusive archive from his vault featuring LA-based emcee Erule. Originally aired on The Joint in 1996, the show was broadcast on KKBT 92.3 FM The Beat (Los Angeles) and hosted by Mike Nardone & King Emz. 

The recording includes an interview, a freestyle and a spin of the track "Forever Living", which wasn't intended to be Erule's official single from his forthcoming album, but rather a DJ-exclusive sneak preview. Only a few vinyl copies were pressed on a white label. 

In the interview, he explains his relationship with Pallas Records and why he and King Born decided to launch their own record label, Relentless Recordings. Enjoy!

RUN DMC in The Gavin Report - 1991

 

From The Gavin Report - Issue #1840 - January 25, 1991

Demo : Special Ed - We Rule (Unreleased Demo Version)

 

This kind of demo, recently posted on YouTube, proves that Special Ed recorded some really interesting demo versions in the early '90s that still remain unreleased. I don't know if it was produced by Akshun, but to be honest, I prefer this version to the one that was released on the album in 1995. Big thanks to K. for the upload. Peace

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Video : Shabaam Sahdeeq feat. General Steele - Top Tier - 2026

 

Brooklyn-based emcee Shabaam Sahdeeq and Producer Es-K deliver the visuals for "Top Tier" featuring General Steele of Smif-N-Wessun, which was originally released in January.

This is the second single taken from their collaborative album "Outside The Lines", available now Digitally.