Kamakaze - Head On - 2023

2xLP + 7" / CD / K7 - 2023 - 90's Tapes / HHV

Hot off the DAT's by Marley Marl himself plus original picture material from his archives, here's the unreleased Kamakaze album "Head On" that was supposed to drop in 1995. 14 tracks in total including additional demo versions of "Head On" and "Bridge '95" plus the classic remix of "Spread It Around". The production was handled by Marley Marl and K-Def as well as Black Cat." - courtesy of 90's Tapes 

Available on 2LP+7" (750 copies), CD (Jewel case - 300 copies) & Cassette (100 copies)... 

R.I.P. KL 

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Da King & I - Contemporary Jeep Music - 2023

 

2xLP + 7" / CD / K7 - 2023 - 90's Tapes / HHV  

"Originally released in 1993 on Rowdy Records, "Contemporary Jeep Music" marked the one and only full-length by Da King & I. Coming up with singles like "Flip Da Scrip" and "Tears", the MC/DJ duo comprised of Izzy Ice and DJ Majesty created buzz on all coasts and the debut album still remains a timeless piece of music with it's remarkable, horn fueled 90's sound." - courtesy of 90's Tapes

Available on 2LP+7" (500 copies), extra 7" of "Tears" (in original artwork sleeve - 300 copies), CD (Jewel case - 300 copies) and cassette (100 copies). 

Order : 2LP+7" / Limited 7" / CD / Cassette 

Radio Show : NO TV RAPS - November 17th 2023

 

Episode of the No TV Raps Radio Show aired on November 17th 2023 on Radio FSK, Hamburg (Germany), hosted by SampleMind & Rug.

The tracklist includes joints from Bee Why, Brass Tacks, Dark Skinned Assassin, Herb McGruff, The B.U.M.S., Lux, Natural Elements, III D, Da Ooh!, Bandits, Slum Brothers ... and more. 

Troopa Deal - Bazic Instincts - 1995

 

12" - 1995 - Solid Entertainment Records 

Troopa Deal (Bazic Instincts) 12"... here is another very hard to find wax which was released on Solid Entertainment Records in 1995. The 12" is composed of 7 tracks (3 songs, 2 remixes and 2 Intro/Interlude) entirely produced by Rob Strong and co-produced by Perry W. Mason a.k.a Troopa Deal and Keith Baldwin a.k.a Major Kool. 

The best track of the record is definitely "On Tha Lookout" featuring Troopa Deal, Scootlover and Major Kool. I don't know exactly where the Harp sample used for the instrumental comes from, but it reminds me of Dorothy Ashby's song "The Windmills Of Your Mind", released in 1969.

All the tracks of the 12" were recorded in a studio from Tampa Florida. At the beginning, I didn't understand how the connection between New York and Florida happened but after a talk with Scootlover, it was clearly due to the fact that the emcees were from New York living in Florida because of their studies. Scootlover and Major Kool were also part of the House of Hip-Hop radio show crew with the legendary DJ Sandman who worked at the University of South Florida's radio station, WBUL at that time. That's all I know... No info about Troopa Deal unfortunately... but I'm still on the lookout!

Scootlover & Major Kool - Photo courtesy of DJ Sandman

History of the Bay Podcast Ep. 38: The Architect

 

 The Architect is a renowned producer from Milpitas who is one half of the group Homeliss Derilex. Coming up in the South Bay around Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf, Architect was around for the early days of Stones Throw Records. He also produced for artists like Coolio, Planet Asia and Rasco (Cali Agents), Total Devastation, and many others. After taking a hiatus from music, Architect became inspired by the online underground hip-hop scene and started working with rappers like The God Fahim. Currently he is performing with Souls of Mischief on their 30-year anniversary tour for "93 Til Infinity."

Remix Session : JOCBEATS - Underground Rare Remixes Vol.1

KOOL TAJ THE GR8 - Hard Bars & Dope Beats - 2023

 

After the release of his 2 first joints "Murda Dem" (used as an expression to kill off all this wack shit we hear disguised as Hip Hop) in 2021 and "Gladiator Music" in 2022, NY emcee KOOL TAJ THE GR8 is back with his 4th album entitled "Hard Bars & Dope Beats". The productions are managed by J.Depina, LG Roc, Xclusef Yusef, Kannonondabeat, Domingo, Lil bro' Josh Bocanegra, PhildaBeat and Sauly O Beats. For your info, this 10-track LP will be available on vinyl in late December via Tape Kingz Music... stay tuned ! 

Hahyeem x Karbine - Far From Home - 2023

 

 Bronx-based emcee Hahyeem teams up with NYC producer Karbine to drop the album "Far From Home", which is only available digitally for now but will be released on physical format around April/May 2024... Stay tuned ! If you like instrumentals with 90's hip-hop flavors,  Karbine's productions are made with all the ingredients... enjoy !

Stallone & Weathers - The Cost Of Doing Business - 2023

 

After a Five-year hiatus, Precyce Politix and K-Hill a.k.a Stallone & Weathers are back with a brand musical project. This is a 11-track album which is fully produced by K-Hill (except the track "Sacred Panama" produced by Panama G.A.T. (RIP) & K-Hill). The album also features DJ Eclipse and O.C. (of D.I.T.C.). It's coming from North Carolina and it's one of the best thing released this week... so give it a listen asap !

Video : ILL Conscious & Finn - Tuthmosis - 2023

"Tuthmosis" is the first single taken from the next collaborative project which will be released in 2024 by the Baltimore-based emcee Ill Conscious and the Toronto-based producer Finn. Stay tuned!

New Joint : Life MC & DJ Nappa - KING RINGO - 2023

 

Life MC (of Philife Cypher) and DJ Nappa deliver a joint dedicated to the memory of their friend John Patrick McCann a.k.a Johnny Ringo R.I.P.

Video : Sean Links - Follow The Leader - 2023

North Carolina-based emcee Sean Links drops the video of his latest single "Follow the Leader", produced by B.Leafs. The video is directed by STORM aka Ms. Make Shit Happen. 

Book : The Book Of Rhyme & Reason - 2023

 

Real Art Press and Peter Spirer deliver a photographic inside look at the making of the pioneering hip-hop documentary Rhyme & Reason released in 1997. Big thanks to my man Steph for the info. 

"In the mid-nineties, documentarian Peter Spirer embarked on a three-year odyssey to offer a realistic view of Hip-Hop and the people and culture it encompassed, interviewing over 80 artists involved in the art form. Spirer managed to capture a seminal moment as the culture balanced on the cusp of the mainstream. As Ice-T comments in his foreword to the book, 'Rhyme & Reason is one of the few films that was there to document us before Hip-Hop truly exploded.' While filming, Spirer took accompanying stills using a medium format Rolleiflex camera. It is these photographs that form The Book Of Rhyme & Reason. 'The Rollei allowed me to capture some amazing moments: Puffy getting a trim in his office while doing three tasks at once, Biggie opening record plaques on his couch, Ice-T and Mack 10 hanging with their homies, Heavy D at the barber, playing pool. There was the Jack The Rapper convention with Death Row making a statement, at a Disney World Hotel, that ended in chaos. There were magical moments such as Redman and Erick Sermon freestyling on the mic to amazed onlookers at a block party in Newark and watching Wu-Tang Clan chop it up on the block in Staten Island on a cold winter's day before they exploded.' This coffee table volume features over 130 of Spirer's photographs from 1994 to 1997. As Hip-Hop commemorates its fiftieth anniversary in 2023, it is particularly fitting that many of these images from this formative period are being seen and published for the first time."

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Psychoward - www.psychoward.com - 1997

There are a lot of albums that I'd like to see coming out on vinyl nowadays but this one is clearly in my top 10. Entitled "www.psychoward.com", it was released on CD & Cassette on April 14, 1997 on D.E.O. Recordings (Dust 'EM Off Recordings) by the group Psychoward from Louisiana. An album with a real East Coast hip-hop sound, far away from Bounce, Trap and all the Southern Hip-Hop clichés. Usually I 'm not a huge fan of groups which come from that area... but to be honest this album is definitely a must have.

Psychoward was a group from New Orleans comprised of 28 members ... MCs, DJs and Producers. From what I know, Psychoward was the merger of several groups like Dereliks, Natural Flavors (Raj Smoove, Blaknificent a.k.a Blac-Nif, Cutlass and Da' Toppa) or Mac & Storm (Mac, Storm and DJ Wop (RIP)). The crew was originally founded around 1993-1994 by Chill (of Dereliks) and Mac (of Mac & Storm) with 13 original members.

The members of the crew featuring on this 14-track album are E.F Cuttin, B-Style, Blaknificent, Raj Smoove, Coola the Sniper, Stress, One-Eye-Willie, MAC, King Solemn-One, Chill, Brainstorm (RIP), Karamello, Paul-J, Black Plague, Kool Breeze, Toppa, & ?Anon?. 

All the productions are handled by The Tribunal, a collective of producers consisting of Blaknificent, Raj Smoove and E.F Cuttin.

DigginSolidCrates - JazzTape

 

I don't know if a physical release is coming soon but the record label Kick A Dope Verse! has recently uploaded the excellent JazzTape EP, which was originally released digitally by DSC a.k.a DigginSolidCrates in 2017. 

ILL SYKES & RELENSE - The Chronicles of Nefaeria Volume 1 - 2023

LP - 2023 - Weaponize Records 

"Ill Sykes' latest EP (his first on vinyl) leads us on a hazardous 'Black Mirror' journey through the land of Nefaeria - a fantastical urban sprawl juxtaposed with modern-day London. Across seven tracks with a run time of more than 30 minutes, Sykes - joined by Bxrbarian, C.O.N-Vers, Jibbarish, King Kakarot, Lomax, Charles Sagan and Tesla's Ghost, projects a nightmarish metropolis of boiling rivers and tower blocks leaking toxic waste from drainpipes. A place populated by thieves, snitches and drug dealers as equally unsavoury as the crooked politicians in charge. We are reminded of both the small and big issues that weave a web around our convoluted every-day-lives. Sykes, effortlessly guided by Relense's atmospheric production, leaves an indelible mark like a graffiti writer's ink mop, and delivers a nightmarish soundtrack to a UK in crisis." - courtesy of Weaponize Records

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DJ Emskee - Pen Joints Show #343 - November 17th 2023

This is the Pen Joints Show #343 aired on Bushwick Radio and on WRAP.fm . The Show can be heard every Friday evening for the Rush Hour from 5PM to 6PM, where DJ Emskee plays the best in old & new underground/independant Hip-Hop. If you want to stay updated about the hottest new indie hip-hop joints... this show is made for you ! Peace

Video : King Kashmere - DOOR OF TRUTH - 2023

 

Visuals for "DOOR OF TRUTH" , the latest single released by the London-based emcee King Kashmere on High Focus Records. The track is produced by Cuth.

New Joint : Deadchannel9000 & Au Soul - In My Mood feat. Au Soul - 2023

 

Tokyo-based beatmaker Deadchannel9000 teams up with the Bloomington,IL-based emcee Au Soul to drop the joint "In My Mood". 

Remix Session : Kesper & LEX ft. Skanks the Rap Martyr & Tone Spliff - Boom Bap Demons (Remix)

 

 

Lethal Needle presents the remix version of "Boom Bap Demons", 3rd single off of Kesper & LEX's album entitled "An Honorable Exchange 2".

Video : Dany Dan & Kyo Itachi - Rarissime - 2023

That one is for my Frenchies !! visuals for the first single released by Dany Dan (of Les Sages Poetes De La Rue) and the extra-prolific beatmaker Kyo Itachi, taken from their collaborative album titled "Pièces Montées", which is now available to pre-order on Vinyl & CD. 

Video : DJ Premier ft. Common - In Moe (Speculation) - 2023

Visuals for "In Moe (Speculation)" dropped by DJ Premier and Common. The instrumental is taken from DJ Premier's "Beats That Collected Dust Volume 3", which was recently released on vinyl. 

 

Shaka Amazulu the 7th Presents : Oxymorons - 2023

 

Shaka Amazulu the 7th and Black Stone Of Mecca present "Oxymorons", a collaborative album delivered by Crunch Lo (of Othorized F.A.M), Ruste Juxx (of Boot Camp Clik), Rubbabandz (of G.P Wu)... don't need to introduce them ! All the productions are managed by Cotardz (all cuts by DJ Flipcyide).

Available on Limited Edition Vinyl (7 copies only), Deluxe Edition CD (9 copies only) & CD...

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DK Presents Atlantic Rap Vol. 1 - 2023

Nova Scotian-based producer DK releases the first volume of his Atlantic Rap Series.

"Atlantic Rap Vol.1 is the first volume of DK’s forthcoming compilation, a three-volume showcase of brilliant lyricists from North America’s underground that bumps to the sounds of DK’s knocking and imaginative boom-bap. Enlisting MCs from rap capitals like New York (UFO Fev, Wais P), Detroit (Frank Nitt, Phat Kat, E-Fav), and Canada (Ghettosocks, Saukrates), DK scores their vivid verses with his fusion of crackling samples, analog synths, and progressive instrumentation. Each beat flattens time, conjuring the warmth and grit of ’90s production while moving into the future with lush musicality. DK pairs every suite with the perfect narrator, established and rising rappers who deliver grimy street memoirs and intricate verbal assaults. Atlantic Rap Vol. 1 is a highlight reel from the long-celebrated and the next to blow up."

Jemini The Gifted One - Scars And Pain - 2023

2xLP - 2023 - 90's Tapes / HHV  

"Originally released in 1995, "Scars And Pain" marked the debut by Brooklyn-native Jemini The Gifted One. The production was handled by the likes of Organized Konfusion, Buckwild of D.I.T.C., Minnesota and Jemini himself amongst others. Next to the original seven album tracks another seven remix versions of the accompanying single releases are included here" - courtesy of 90's Tapes 

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7" (500 copies), CD in jewel case (300 copies) & Cassette (100 copies). 

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Deepstar The Abyss Dwella x Cosha Don - Slum Hypnotix - 2023

 

Deepstar The Abyss Dwella from Australia teams up with Cosha Don from UK to drop "Slum Hypnotix", a 10-track album entirely produced by Deepstar and released on the Australian label Divine Matter Records. The album features a bunch of emcees : Da Flyy Hooligan, Phoenix Da Icefire, Eto, Edo.G, M9, AKD, Ray Vendetta, Tesla's Ghost... and many more.