From The Source - October 1995 - Scans courtesy of Frederic Thecle
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Poops & FB - Drop A Jewel 4 Da Godz - 1997
Grime & Lime Blog uploaded a DJ Clear mixtape from 1997 a few months back. This track recorded by the Bushwick-based emcee Poops and produced by F-Boom was on the B-side of this mixtape (Tru Skool #8 - Another Clear Experience). To be honest this track was totally unknown for me until my man Digital Stimulation sent it to me, Mad Props to him... Enjoy !
Monday, June 29, 2020
Cella Dwellas - S&B Freestyle 89.9 WKCR - 1994
In October 27, 1994, the Cella Dwellas members U.G & Phantasm were invited by Stretch & Bobbito on WKCR for the promo of their excellent debut single "Land Of The Lost". Here is the Freestyle dropped by the duo that night.
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Raw - Linguistic Ventriloquist - 1997
12" - 1997 - Tetrahedron
If you're looking for Conscious Hip-Hop, here is a good wax which won't cost you a lot of money. "Linguistic Ventriloquist" was released in 1997 on Tetrahedron by the Hip-Hop Artist and Activist Richard Raw aka RAW from Wilmington, Delaware and member of The Lost Children Of Babylon. All the tracks of the records "Comment #3 (Family Of The Continents)", "Distant Traveler" and "Balancement (720°) were produced by Paul Ki-d.
RAW - Photo courtesy of Richard Raw
The BenchWarmers Clique - Me and My Mans - 2020
Jokes Pontheus Wild & Travisty The Lazy MC aka The BenchWarmers Clique are back with a new single titled "Me and My Mans" produced by 7TONEZ .
MZ Boom Bap - EXPEDITion 100 Vol. 3: The Raw Version Of Smooth
LP - 2020 - Vinyl-Digital
New instrumental project released by MZ Boom Bap from Porto, Portugal. This is a Vinyl Digital Exclusive Limited edition of 100 copies...
"After the successful start of the "EXPEDITION 100" series with the first two editions, it continues directly with Part 3 of boombap genius Mz Boom Bap. On his album "The Raw Version Of Smooth", the producer succeeds in adding a relaxed and smooth note to his typical and popular boombap sound, tranferring it to the year 2020. As a little bonus he did a song with the French speaking Swiss rapper Buds Penseur, who has been active in the Tru Comers environment so far." - Vinyl-Digital
A1 - The Raw Version Of Smooth
A2 - Only 5 Seconds
A3 - Its Like this
A4 - Remember My Grandpa
A5 - Amarante
B1 - After The Rain
B2 - Rapresent
B3 - December 1986
B4 - Space Voices
B5 - Circus
B6 - After The Rain feat. Buds Penseur (Exclusive Bonus Track)
B6 - After The Rain feat. Buds Penseur (Exclusive Bonus Track)
Uglypitch Records Present The World Meets : Masta Ace - 2020
Tribute to Masta Ace, the "The World Meets" Project is a collaboration of 12 producers and DJ worldwide ( DJ Low Cut, DJ Strategik, Kool Mat, Dante, MMX & DJ Anhonym, The SOULution & DJ Grazzhoppa...) joining together to pay hommage to the legendary Brooklyn-based emcee. 10 producers chop and screw the same samples that the Masta used, or their vocals, and bring it to new light !
Friday, June 26, 2020
Paul Ray Featuring 33 1/3 - More Emotion / Long Dayz - 1997
Back in 1997 with this More Emotion b/w Long Dayz 12" which is consider as a classic nowadays, released by the Chicago-based MC Paul Ray aka Paul Ray the Perilous, now known under the name of Ray Pee Emm. The wax came out on PR Records (Pē-äR) which was an imprint Paul Ray came up with, and was fully produced by DJ 33 1/3 from Chicago, IL. The photos above come from the Japanese re-issue version released in 2008.
No doubt that both tracks of the record are really good but "More Emotion" is definitely the best track. The sample used for the instrumental comes from the song "I love Music" released by Ahmad Jamal Trio in 1970.
Photo courtesy of Paul Ray
- Could you tell me how and when you started music ?
Paul Ray : "I actually started getting into hip-hop when I first heard Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, LL... So that was 1982-1985. But TV and radio weren’t hip-hop dominant especially locally in Chicago. But by the time 1986 rolled around, I noticed there was a big Chicago infusion of the hiphop culture and leaving the house music stigma behind. So I wanted to rap at that time. Didn’t make any recordings or get serious until high school...so that was in the early 90s."
- Which part of Chicago were you from exactly ?
Paul Ray : "Born and cut my teeth on the Low End, near Robert Taylor and CHA establishments. Then moved to the East Side / South Shore around Stony Island and Jeffrey. If you see the D 2 Tha S (Legendary Traxster and KayTone(RIP) of Illstate) “Doomsday” video where they were on the metra train tracks and battling in front of Track One Records, that was my neighborhood over east."
Notorious Big & Paul Ray - 1994 (B.I.G. Mack promo tour @ Track One Records) - Photo courtesy of Paul Ray
- Could you tell me how the connection happened between you and DJ 33 1/3 ?
Paul Ray : "He was a DJ very young and went to the same high school I did, but graduated 2 years prior. I heard his name before but didn’t realize he was “him”. Because in Chicago most dudes that deejayed at that point were cocky and flashy. He was a laid back dude and I saw him spin and was like “yo, that’s 33?? I know him from school”. Then around the time I was 19, I started working at Track One records where he was working at and we connected. He was initially Ang13’s DJ, and I was working on demo material with the 1st installment of The Molemen but I wanted some other beat variety and heard 33 had heat."
- Were you affiliated with a group at that time ?
Paul Ray : "Always solo. But the crew I ended up being part of was Rebel XD’s crew....Double Xtraordians, not to be confused with XX Posse. lol"
- Why is there no more official release after that 12" ? What happened with the album ?
Paul Ray : "Nah no issue... There were plans on putting more out. I think the landscape of radio had changed. Local radio in Chicago started telling me my music wasn’t gangsta enough or hot (Party music). Plus 33 was getting a lot of club gigs and wasn’t making beats no more. So I had to make a choice...I finished college... Learned how to make beats ... Learned how to deejay...
But My sound was too gritty for the watery 2000-2010 era and I felt underground hip-hop was still my heart...but, I would only lay verses here and there for folks..."
If you don't have this More Emotion b/w Long Dayz 12" in your collection yet, I think you should try to find it asap... and if you're looking for more info about Paul Ray, his official biography is definitely a good resume :
Mac McRaw Presents 60 Raw Ones - Straight Out The SP!
AE039 - K7 - AE Productions
Mac McRaw, founder of the Vinyl Veterans DJ crew, drops his latest project titled "60 Raw Ones - Straight Out The SP!" , which is a batch of raw beats straight out his SP1200, produced between 1993 and 2020. It's available on tape (with free sticker & download code) via the Bristol-based label AE Productions. Logo by Richie Phoe & Design by Mr Krum.
Video : Taiyamo Denku feat. Thirstin Howl III - Missle Form - 2020
The Milwaukee native MC Taiyamo Denku is back with a brand new video for his last single "Missle Form" produced by Bo Faat and featuring the legendary Lo Life General Thirstin Howl III. Video shot and directed by CTM Films.
Video : Benaddict - Rain Falls - 2020
"Rain Falls" produced by Mr Slipz, is the third single from Benaddict's new album "Rain Falls" recently released on Yogocop Records.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Funkin' Lessons Ep #36 - November 23, 1994
Funkin' Lessons was a hip-hop Radio Show hosted by DJ Blaze and Dr. Phibes, aired on 2MBS (102.5 FM) from 1993 to 1996 and based in Sydney, Australia.
Here is the Show #36 from November 23, 1994
Son Of Neck Bone by Beastie Boys
The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World by Keith Murray
My Kung Fu by Urban Thermo Dynamics
Learn 2 Be A Man 4 Self (Crazy C & Grizz's Contaminated Fusion Mix Clean) by Main One
The Rhythm by Bās Blasta Featuring Fat Joe, Godfather Don, Juju & Lord Finesse
Suckas Need Bodyguards (Clean Version) by Gang Starr
Do U Know My Style by Champ MC
Represent by DJ Magic Mike And The Royal Posse
Straight Off Da Head by Brand Nubian
Roadrunner (Puberty Mix) by Chi-Ali
Born 2 Live (Bonus CD Mix) by O.C.
Sure Shot (Nardone Mix) by Beastie Boys
Versatile With Style by Blak Czer
We Come Phat by The Treacherous 3
What I'm After by Lords Of The Underground
Life Flow (Funk Flo Mix) by A.D.O.R.
718 by Flatlinerz
I Don't Care by Audio Two
Worldwide by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Featuring Rob O
Sweet Potato Pie by Extra Prolific
Do What You Gotta Do by Jazzy Jay
To The Hip by Bootman
Jungles Of Da East by Scientifik
Whutcha Want? by Nine
Style Wars by Lakim Shabazz
No Hook by Shaquille O'Neal Featuring Method Man & RZA
King Sun With The Sword by King Sun
Drums Of Death by K-Solo
Git Up, Git Out (Full Mix Clean) by OutKast
Strange by Boogiemonsters
Chocolate City (Radio) by Da Lench Mob
Off The Head by Boulevard Boys
It's Romy Dee by Romy-Dee
Playtime's Over by Mysterme & DJ 20/20
Oh My by Down South
32nd St. Down (The East Side Story) by Krown Rulers
Back Up Off Me ! by Doctor Dre & Ed Lover
Doin' Damage by J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E.
Tracklist courtesy of Robert Sacchinelli
Video : Blu & Exile - Miles Davis - 2020
Here is the video for the lead single "Miles Davis" from Blu & Exile's forthcoming album 'Miles: From An Interlude Called Life' coming out on July 17, 2020. Directed, Shot & Edited by Zack Mack.
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Record Report - The Source September 1995
From The Source - September 1995 - Scnas courtesy of Frederic Thecle
Take It Personal Ep #67 : A Tribute to Street Level
"Episode 67 is tribute to the timeless Beatnut's classic Street Level. For the first time on Take It Personal, we decided to do an album spotlight show and what better way to relive this '94 release than with some of the guys responsible for creating it?
We get to relive this classic album track-by-track with special guests Al' Tariq aka Kool Fashion and Psycho Les. We speak to Al Tariq first and later Les joins with his own perspective. Then, in typical Take It Personal fashion, we reunite the guys for the first time in many, many years.
In '94, we became immune to classic releases because they were dropping weekly, sometimes twice daily. Street Level isn’t just a classic album, it’s damn near perfect, front to back. The production is some of the finest you'll ever hear, too. While The Nuts went on to have greater success as a duo with chart-topping hits such as Off The Books and Watch Out Now, their energy and wit always seemed the best when they were a trio. In a week, we will be releasing both stand-alone interviews of Al' Tariq and Psycho Les as we discuss their solo ventures, Junkyard Juju, the reintroduction of Big Pun, J-Lo stealing their beat, plus life after The Nuts. There's even a discussion about a possible reunion. But for now, check out our Tribute to Street Level - we know you're going to LOVE IT!" - Take It Personal Radio
Radio Show : Richie Rich - Rap Academy - Kiss 100FM UK - 1991
DJ Andy Smith decided to digitize his personal tape cassette collection during the lockdown. Here is the tape #40, a Richie Rich's 'Rap Academy' show broadcast on a Sunday night in London on Kiss 100 FM in 1991.
Talk Break
Godfather Don - Losers
Organized Konfusion - Roosevelt Franklin
Adverts
Talk Break
L.O.N.S - Shining Star
Wc And The Maad Circle - Fuck My Daddy
Nice & Smooth - How To Flow
Tim Dog - Dog’s Gonna Getcha
Tung Twista Mr Tung Twista
Big Daddy Kane Feat Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip - Come On Down
The UMC’s - One To Grow On
Ultramagnetic MC’s - Chorus Line Pt 2
Adverts
Talk Break
Bro. Most - Flat Feet
Big Daddy Kane - Troubled Man
J.T. - Brainstormin'
Talk Break
Adverts
Talk Break
Red Ninja - Children Of The Graves
56:00 ?(Motion / Red Ninja)?
57:36 ?(Motion / Red Ninja)?
59:45 ?(Motion / Red Ninja)?
Adverts
Talk Break
E.S.P - Makin Nat Green
1:06:21 ?
Talk Break
Ice Cube - A bird In The Hand
A Tribe Called Quest - Buggin’ Out
Adverts
Talk Break
1:15:25 ?
Talk Break
1:18:48 ?
Talk Break
Gunshot - Interception Squad
Gunshot - Interception Squad
Monday, June 22, 2020
Kinship - Black-N-Mild (1995) - 2020
HHE036 - EP - 2020 - Hip-Hop Enterprise
Kinship originally consists of two brothers Ubiquitous Poet (U.P.) and Eloquent Slave (E.S.). A third member was affiliated with the group, his name was Pookimous (RIP) and he was their older brother. They were from Richmond, VA. and their unofficial debut EP titled "Black-N-Mild" was crafted in 1995... if you like material with mellow, smooth and laidback productions with a superb Jazzy vibe, this project is definitely for you...
01 - My Journey
02 - Caught Up
03 - I Feel It
04 - Black-N-Mild
05 - Main Man
06 - Talk To The People
07 - Immaculate Kinception
The release will be available on vinyl (300 copies) and CD (250 copies) through HHE and cassette (75 handnumbered copies) will be available through the good folks at Ill Catz Records.
The vinyl will be available in 3 different versions : 100 on Blue Vinyl w/ White Clouds, 100 on Transparant Vinyl w/ White & Blue Splatters (Vinyl-Digital Exclusive) & 100 on Traditional Black Vinyl.
Release date: July 15th, 2020.
- Who were the members of Kinship exactly ?
E.S. : "Kinship officially consists of older brother Ubiquitous Poet (U.P.) and Eloquent Slave (E.S.) who were heavy into hip-hop culture. The oldest of the three brothers in the family, Pookimous Extreme was more into the visual arts than music creation. Although Pookimous never aspired to be “in a rap group” he heavily supported his younger brothers and provided inspiration and guidance on an artistic level that really showed up in the Kinship sound, aesthetic, and overall vibe of the group. Pookimous attended Corcoran School of art in Washington DC from 1987-1991 which was actually “home” for the family at that time. Our father worked in telecommunications and had been relocated up and down the mid atlantic region of the country throughout our upbringing. The family lived in North Carolina (Pookimous’ birthplace), Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, then back to Virginia. So throughout all of that time, the different people, experiences and local cultures all shaped who we ultimately became as performing artists."
- Where did you all come from ?
U.P. : "The real answer is that we are from everywhere and nowhere at all. So as we were saying, Pookimous the oldest was born in Elizabeth City North Carolina. Our father got drafted and joined the Coast Guard when our parents first got married and had their first child there. They later moved to Richmond, VA which is where our father grew up and still had family there. The rest of the siblings were born in Richmond. Aside from the three brothers we have a baby sister who we call Knocka. She’s four years younger than E.S. so she’s truly the baby of the bunch. She’s the toughest one of all of us too. Opportunities for our father kept coming with the company he worked for so in 1979 we moved to New Jersey. We lived in the suburbs but our mother had family in Newark so connecting with our cousins there was a real trip. It was like being exposed to a whole new vibe. The energy was real different from Virginia for sure, but the foundation for what was happening in that area, being so close to New York definitely took us closer to the epicenter of what was to become Hip-Hop as we know it. Because we lived in the boondocks though, we also got to experience things that shaped our social consciousness too. We were the first black family to move into the neighborhood in Flanders NJ at the time. 2 more black families moved in after we did. The name calling, the stares, the question about our hair and our skin. It was crazy. Pookimous fought somebody everyday. He had the toughest time living there. Because of sports, I was able to make “friends” and gain acceptance pretty easily. E.S. was also pretty well-adjusted because the younger kids his age were not as influenced by race. We all learned pretty quickly that there was a difference between “us” and “them”. This definitely would resurface in our music years later.
After 4 years, we all moved to Maryland, right outside of the DC area in Prince George’s County. After all the years being literally the minorities in our hometown, we were immersed in one of the most affluent parts of the country for black people. It was refreshing and comforting on the one hand, but a bit of culture shock on the other hand. In the DC area, Go-Go music was predominant, not so much hip-hop, so this represented yet another vibe for us to climb on to. I loved Go-Go and like all youngins (a DC term for young people) at that time, joined a neighborhood Go-Go band. This was the mid 1980’s. Drug culture was pretty prevalent and the high school we went to (Friendly High School in Fort Washington, MD) had a good mix of people from all walks of life, mostly black, but also Phillipino, white, some of everybody. Underground music in the area at that time (mainly Go-Go) spoke about not only hustling (DC term for selling drugs) or using the popular street drugs like Love Boat, PCP, crack, etc.
This was the first time we were of the age where we understood a “black experience” as viewed from many perspectives. From NJ where we were the only blacks in town and those associated feelings to being around other black people who looked like us and how society viewed all of it. It was a complex blend of issues that helped shape and mold Kinship as artists. This is where our consciousness came from and why it was important to keep elements of it in what we expressed as artists."
- Where does the name of Kinship come from ?
E.S. : "It is really simple. To be someone’s kin is to be related to them, generally by blood or other strong affiliation. Being brothers, we’re literally kin with each other. Beyond our blood relationship though, we also saw how Hip-Hop culture had become a worldwide phenomenon, bringing people together from all over the globe. This is what Afrikka Bambatta talked about. His movement and music taught us that. We wanted us all to be united through this music. So the name Kinship made sense in that context."
- How and when did you fall into Hip-Hop exactly ?
U.P. : "We were always around music. Our parents had a love for music and a record collection that included mainly Soul, Funk and R&B as well as comedy albums. Growing up on Richard Pryor 8 tracks was normal for us. With our mother being an educator, intelligence and commitment to education was also instilled in us. We had to know how to read, write and speak well. It was non-negotiable. Add to that fact our father’s younger brother was a DJ and he had mad disco, funk and club records too. So when Uncle Johnny came to live with us for a while and it was then where we further got exposed to that DJ mindset and lifestyle. When Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight came out it was a wrap. I knew for sure that this was something that was exciting and fun to listen to, but that it was also relatable. I got a little boom box for Christmas one year, like in 1980 or 81 and I recorded a song called Tarzan rap. It was just something that was destined at an early age.
Fast forward to like 1989, I was off to college at Morehouse and E.S. was finishing up high school back in Virginia. He hooked up with a crew of local beatmakers and emcees and started recording bedroom demos. One of the guys from this crew was called Smoov C, who had a real knack for making dope beats in his bedroom. He came up with a way to use his pops reel to reel to splice beat blends together to rap over. Sonically, they sounded crazy. When I came home for summer break after freshman year of college, E.S. hooked up a session for us to start recording at Smoov’s crib. It was on from there."
- When did the music first start for you ?
U.P. : "For me it was definitely after hearing Rapper’s Delight and then Planet Rock. I became infatuated with the energy and the sonics of rap music. That’s probably what also caused me to want to produce as well as write and perform.
In like 1994 Pookimous was a graduate student in Philadelphia working on his Master’s degree and it was there where I went to visit him after graduating from college with my degree in Economics. I needed a change so I went to Philly. The scene there was crazy. It had its own flair and energy too. I met some really cool people in Philly, eventhough the hip-hop scene there was not all that huge at that time. What was cool though was Pookimous helped me get some additional equipment to produce and record cleaner vocals at home. My first multi-track was a Tascam 424 cassette 4 track. I later stepped up to the Roland 8 track digital recorder and ultimately a computer based recording setup. I kept the ASR-10 for a while then added other units like MPC2000, Roland Fantom, and a ton of sound modules."
- How was the hip-hop scene from Richmond,VA at that time ? were you affiliated with other groups or artists ?
U.P. : "There was a scene bubbling in Richmond for sure. It wasn’t big but it was there. A lot of Richmond hip-hop was emulating New York hip-hop. Being closer to some southern states, it later became influenced by what happened in Atlanta and Memphis and Houston and obviously the West Coast stuff too. Being a VCU graduate, I ran into a lot of folks doing it back then. Mad Skillz (now just Skillz) worked at VCU at the same time I was a student there.
E.S. had musician friends that were early collaborators on stuff even before we were recording regularly as “Kinship”. It’s crazy that one of our first studio recording sessions was engineered by El Bravador who was down with First Priority and did a lot of production work for artists over there (Audio Two, MC Lyte, etc.) He taught us a lot in those early days about how to record, song structure, mix balance, etc. One other VCU collaborator was saxophonist Mark Shim who was down with us early on and recorded on some Kinship tracks. Mark has gone on to have a fantastic career as a jazz saxophonist."
- All the tracks of the album are produced by you U.P, could you tell us when you started as a producer exactly ? What were your hip-hop influences at that time ? What machines did you use for the productions ?
U.P. : "As a producer I wanted control over the story. I understood what I liked to listen to, and also what motivated me as a lyricist. Having a vast understanding of music and being influenced early on by my parents and my uncle’s record stash, it was a natural thing to start playing around with sound and understanding how to manipulate it to create feeling and emotion.
Like a lot of current producers from the Golden Age, I started off making pause tapes. That’s when you have a dual cassette deck and you play a part of a sound and record it on the other deck and hit pause, rewind the other tape back to the start of the section and record that same part over and over again. You end up with a loop that can last 1, 2, 3 minutes long. This then becomes something to rhyme over.
From pause tapes, I moved on to sampling with samplers, incorporating live musicianship, setting up ability to record vocals, then onto mixing and mastering. I still love the feel of the simplicity of a drum break and a bassline. Frequencies create emotions and I understood that early on. Being a writer made me get into production because there weren’t a lot of producers making tracks that I wanted to rhyme to where we were from."
- Could you give us more info about Pookimous who features on the track "Main Man" ?
U.P. : "Pookimous was our big brother. The first born. The oldest son of the family. He was 22 months older than me, who is 26 months older than E.S. He was an artistic genius. He was a very big person in stature, standing over 6’3” 250+ lbs. At the same time he was very sensitive and in touch with his spiritual, metaphysical self. He was a photoprapher, writer, poet, just an all-around renaissance man.
As a child he had minor health problems but his health began to deteriorate in his 30’s. He suffered from diabetes and it eventually wore on his body and spirit. He passed away in his home in August of 2017 at the age of 47. He left behind a son, Mason but more importantly, he left his mark on all of us.
Getting Pookimous on the track Main Man was a blessing because he never really aspired to record like that. He had a vast music knowledge and collection and exquisite taste, but it was not how he saw his creativity manifesting. He wrote the poem which ended up being the intro to Main Man in one time block. It may have taken him like an hour or so to come up with it and he just knew how his cadence was going to be. He loved Funkadelic and George Clinton was a major influence of his. I think he channeled George on that performance. It set the song off for sure. "
- Black-N-Mild came out on tape in 1995 on the record label Godd Squad Music, who did manage this record label ?
E.S. : "That’s not actually how it happened. Black-N-Mild was independently funded, recorded, and produced solely by Kinship for the initial purpose of shopping to a record label with major distribution. I funded the Black-N-Mild recording sessions with help from one of his Navy buddies. Godd Squad was the name of the management team we were with at that time. Shakiji Abdul ran it. He was out of Riverside, California. I’m not even sure how we hooked up but I think it was through some rap publication that was out at that time but somehow our paths crossed remotely. To be honest, we never had a traditional artist/manager relationship. Godd Squad did try to shop us and did what they could but the deal never came. We got some placements on things that helped put our name out there (like the MVP Records Nu Movement volume 1 placement of “I Feel It”) but nothing big. It was after the demo never got picked up that Godd Squad decided (against our wishes) to release the cassettes as promo items. Seeing that our relationship had run its course, U.P. and Pookimous moved to Atlanta in 1996 and the relationship with Godd Squad ended. It’s a part of so many artists’ stories that things just didn’t happen for them the way they may have envisioned it."
- Why was there no more release from Kinship after the tape in 1995 ? What happened ?
U.P. : "From 1996 through the mid 2000’s I focused on producing more than rapping. I honed my craft in other areas. Some of it was definitely being soured by the early experience not getting signed to a major label early on. In retrospect, that was probably the best gift that the creator gave us. So down in Atlanta I recorded and provided mentorship with so many up and coming artists. I met some of the coolest people on that journey. Big Tah, Fort Knox, Hotep, Strictly Jewels Productions, Binary Productions, Jax and the whole Binkis Records crew, Lucky Charmz, Willie Joe…the list goes on and on. It was a lot of fun to be a part of so many classic underground movements in the Atlanta hip-hop scene in the late 90’s early 2000’s.
Kinship started recording again together in the mid 2000’s and we knew it would be what we wanted to say the way we wanted to say it. An example of that was the album Out of Place Art of Facts that was a concept album that talked about things that the world still doesn’t understand. We continued to explore ideas and be creative while also growing into positive, successful adults with families and careers, and all that.
Understanding the business side of it all was important to us. Being owners and controllers of our creations was important to us. We’ve ventured off to turn Out of Place Art of Facts into a comic book series, a short film, children’s book, toys, etc. It’s been a heck of a journey, all independent."
- What did you think when Michel Mees of Hip-hop Enterprise asked you to release on vinyl this project 25 years after the first tape ?
U.P. : "I was speechless but also I felt validated. It was like what we were doing was appreciated, even if we didn’t hear that enough at the time we created it. Michel was really cool and understanding of our position and where we were now as grown men with a completely different perspective on things compared to who we were back in 1995. I felt like the time was right for someone else to tell the world about who we are and what we did, in a way that allows us to look at ourselves through new eyes. It was pretty refreshing and mad cool to have that happen 25 years later."
This project is dedicated to Daniel Hoover aka Pookimous Extreme... Rest in Power.
Mad props to U.P. & E.S., thanks for your time.
Big thanks to Michel Mees for the connection.
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