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 #77 from December 20, 1996. This episode was the second episode of Funkin' Lessons to appear on FBi Radio 96.1 FM after several years on 2MBS. It stayed on air through the end of February 1997.
Lord Finesse - Actual Facts Instrumental
Sinsemilla - Traffic
Instrumental Break
Busta Rhymes Featuring Zhane - It's A Party Remix
Homeliss Derilex - Operations
Trybel Men - Down Like That
The Lootpack Featuring The Crate Diggas Sextet - Attack Of The Tupperware Puppets
Instrumental Airbreak
A Tribe Called Quest & Consequences - Freestyles
Jungle Brothers Featuring Red Alert - Jimbrowski
Big Noyd - Usual Suspects Remix
DJ Blaze - Instrumental Break Mix
C.H.A.O.S. - Death Stalks
Digable Planets - Grafitti (Noise)
Al Tariq - Everybody's Talkin' (Dirty Version)
Instrumental Airbreak
Showbiz & A.G. Featuring Dres - Bounce Ta This
E-Vette Money - E-Vette's Revenge
Kool Moe Dee - Monster Crack
Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth - Strictly For The Ladies
Fantasy Three - It's Your Rock
Boogie Down Productions - Love's Gonna Get Cha (Material Love)
Very good news from Patrock (of Heavy Jewelz Records), who recently announced that he would be posting previously unknown joints every Sunday. I had already posted his unreleased demo from the group A Chosen Few a few days ago, dating back to 1997. Here's the next one : AllSum 4Sum - Pressure - 1996
Patrock : "This track is from the Rawkus Urban Sampler from 1996. It's a very rare promo cassette from the early days of this legendary label. All the other tracks from this tape were released on Rawkus Records, but this one seems to be an unreleased exclusive. I don't have much info about the group “AllSum 4Sum“, except that there are 5 MCs and they are apparently from Brownsville and affiliated with the group “7 Universal“. They belong to the "Population Clique" (Wu-Tang Clan affiliated collective). Who got more info?"
I don't usually blog about French hip-hop, but this time I'm making an exception. As the French group La Rumeur (Ekoué, Le Bavar, Hamé, Kool M, Le Paria & Soul G) returns with a vinyl release collecting their previously unreleased recordings from 1997 to 2007, it feels like the perfect opportunity for me to revisit Ekoué's first EP, originally released on vinyl in 1996. It remains one of my top ten French releases of that year, and it marked the beginning of a trilogy that would unfold between 1997 and 1999.
Before becoming one of the most distinctive voices of La Rumeur, Ekoué first made his name in the Yvelines, in the Paris suburbs. Alongside Philippe, who would later become known as Le Bavar and Mourad a.k.a Le Paria, he discovered hip-hop and began rapping as a teenager. The three friends gradually started working together and eventually formed a collective with others from their circle, initially known as Ultime Coalition.
For Ekoué, however, rap was never disconnected from the rest of his life. His academic background was far removed from the stereotypes often associated with French rap at the time. He studied political science and public law and graduated from Sciences Po. This education would later inform his writing and his approach to social, political and historical issues. Yet La Rumeur would never simply define itself as a political or militant rap group. Their ambition was more about describing their reality and offering their own perspective on the world around them.
In the mid 90s, Ekoué began attracting attention beyond his immediate circle. One particularly important encounter was with Rockin' Squat, the founding member of Assassin. Ekoué appeared on Assassin's 1995 album "L'Homicide Volontaire", contributing to the track "L'Odyssée suit son cours". The appearance introduced him to a wider audience and demonstrated that he already possessed a strong enough identity as an MC to stand on his own.
It was also during this period that the collective that would eventually become La Rumeur began to take shape. When Hamé joined Ekoué, Philippe and Mourad, the name Ultime Coalition gradually gave way to La Rumeur, around 1995. From the beginning, the group operated more like a collective than a conventional rap crew. Each member had his own personality, voice and perspective, while contributing to a larger artistic vision.
This philosophy would have a direct impact on their first releases. Rather than immediately putting out a full length album, La Rumeur chose to introduce its different MCs through a trilogy of EPs. Ekoué opened the series with "Le Poison d'Avril", recorded in 1996 and released on vinyl that same year, before receiving a CD release in 1997.
The project became the first real musical statement from La Rumeur. Across its five tracks, Ekoué takes center stage, with production from Soul G and Kool M. The song "Blessé Dans Mon Ego" would become one of the project's defining tracks. Ekoué explores his relationship with his Togolese heritage and the particular experience of a generation of children of African immigrants who grew up in France. His writing refuses simplistic answers : caught between France and Togo, his sense of identity is constantly being negotiated between two worlds.
But "Le Poison d'Avril" goes far beyond questions of identity. Many of the themes that would become central to La Rumeur are already present : the legacy of colonialism, social conditions in working class neighborhoods, France's relationship with its immigrant communities, and a deeply critical view of the rap industry itself.
Ekoué's writing is particularly striking because of the way it places the text at the center of the music. Rather than relying on the conventional image of the rapper as a larger-than-life performer, he builds his identity through observation, precision and confrontation with the contradictions of his time. His delivery is direct, dense and uncompromising, while his lyrics constantly move between personal experience and broader political and historical questions.
This makes "Le Poison d'Avril" more than simply the first EP in a series. In retrospect, it can be heard as a blueprint for much of what La Rumeur would become.
Listening back to Ekoué's earliest work today, it is striking to realize how much of the group's identity was already there in 1996 and 1997. Long before La Rumeur became a reference point for uncompromising French hip-hop, Ekoué had already developed a distinctive voice, one built on personal experience, historical awareness and a determination to say things on his own terms.
With "Le Poison d'Avril", Ekoué was not simply opening a trilogy. He was laying the foundations for an artistic approach that would define his work and leave a lasting mark on French hip-hop.
Chopped Herring Records are back with some unreleased demos recorded between 1994 and 1997 by the Cockroach Click, a crew from the VA area comprised of Evidence, Anti-Epidemic, D-Ace, The Racist Bros. and Eregular.
Available on Black vinyl (175 copies) and Light Brown Coloured Vinyl (125 copies)
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!
Here is the wax released in 1996 by The Legendary Villain on the Creative Brothers Inc. label. Side A features the track "Memoirs Of A Villain" (Clean, Instrumental and Villain versions), while Side B includes "Hot Spots" (Clean and G.A.P. Town versions) featuring Tha Loonatick?. All productions were handled by DJ Born. This record is considered one of those hard to find rarities sought after by collectors.
The Legendary Villain was also known as Grimlock, a member of the group 108 Dragons. That connection also explains the appearance of Tha Loonatick?, better known as Lunatic Tha Lumber Jack, another key member of the group. The collective also released their own EP in 1996 on the same record label, once again with DJ Born behind the boards.
Hailing from the Grafton Ave Projects in Newark, NJ, 108 Dragons was comprised of 9 MCs. The most famous were Black Dragon (RIP), Black Ice, D-Roc (RIP), Naughty Ax a.k.a Terry Bogard, Lunatic Tha Lumber Jack and Grimlock. Deeply rooted in the New Jersey underground hip-hop scene, the crew left behind a small but highly respected catalog that still resonates with crate diggers and indie rap heads today. A seriously overlooked release and a must have for collectors chasing forgotten '90s underground heat. I wish I could tell you more about the story of this group but it's not really easy... as some members are deceased or locked down...
And if you're looking for more material from The Legendary Villain, you can also try to find his other single "Tales Of A Villain" produced by DJ Born, which was recorded in 1996 but pressed on vinyl in 2007 on a white label.
In 1996, the Brooklyn-based duo consisting of Siah from Manhattan Beach and Yeshua DapoED from Brighton Beach released a true masterpiece named "The Visualz EP".
This 6-track EP came out on the legendary Bobbito Garcia's imprint Fondle 'Em Records and was fully produced by Jon Adler. The EP also features Ken Boogaloo who was a member of the Brighton Beach-based group Wee Bee Foolish with Yeshua, Extraordinaire and DJ Bless who did all the cuts on this project.
Some people may be more tempted by the CD version, "The Visualz Anthology", released in 2008 on Traffic Entertainment Group / Head Bop Music, which features 20 tracks, but the original vinyl EP is widely considered one of the finest releases in Fondle 'Em Records' catalog and a cult classic among fans of abstract East Coast hip-hop, and it remains a must-have in my opinion.
After the group dissolved, Siah gradually stepped away from the underground hip-hop scene and later focused on political and social issues related to the Middle East. Yeshua remained active within New York's independent hip-hop scene and continued collaborating with artists connected to the late 90s underground movement.
And if you're looking for more good material from these cats, I'd also recommend checking out the records below...
I wrote a blog post in 2021 about this EP, originally released on tape in 1996 by this Washington,DC-based group Under Achieva'z. Most Wanted Records has just dropped the vinyl version, which includes an unreleased track and 2 instrumentals.
Available on Black vinyl (200 copies) & Test Press (5 copies)
I previously blogged a shorter episode that was uploaded by DJ Nes, but here's another version of the Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show from May 2, 1996. It features a few talk breaks and no guests that night.
Talk Break / Phone Calls
Royal Flush - Worldwide
Pop Megga - Raw (Are You Sure)
Science Of Sound feat. Phife Dawg - Who Got The Funk
Shyheim feat. D.V. Alias Khrist, Rubbabandz, Smoothe Da Hustler, Trigger Tha Gambler - What Makes The World Go Round
LA Tha Darkman - I Want it All Remix 45 King feat. Maniac Mob - How You like It
Beatnuts - Find That Instrumental
Royal Flush - Movin On Ya Weak Productions
Othorized Fam - The Plan
Heltah Skeltah - Da Wiggy
Mobb Deep feat. ACD - Street Life
Natural Elements - Shine
Natural Elements - I Got Your Heart
Camp Lo - Killin 'em Softly
Cella Dwellas - Advance To Boardwalk
Akinyele - Freaky
Talk Break
Tragedy Khadafi - Judas Theory
Money Boss Players - Games
Heltah Skeltah - Letha Brainz Blo
Bahamadia - Uknowhowwedo (Ski Remix)
Kool G Rap - Fast Life (Norfside Remix) Instrumental
Al Tariq - Do Ya Thing
Mobb Deep - Right Back (Its Like That)
INI - Props Instrumental
Large Professor - Ijuswannachill
INI - Fakin Jax Remix
MOP - Raising Hell
Heltah Skeltah - Operation Lockdown
Redman feat. Erick Sermon - Funkorama Remix Talk Break / Phone Calls
Akinyele - In The World
Lord Finesse - Soulplan
Real Live feat. Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna, Killa Sin, Lord Tariq - Real Live Shit Remix
Trigga Tha Gambler feat. Smoothe da Hustler - My Brother, My Ace
Big Noyd feat. Mobb Deep - Recognize & Realize Pt 2
The Lost Boyz - The Yearn
Talk Break
" Originally released in 1996 on D.A.L. Records, "Make It Happen" marks Just Ro’s arrival as a distinctive voice in Chicago’s underground Hip-Hop scene. Entirely written by himself and his guests and shaped with raw, minimal production by Just Ro and Spike Rebel, the album blends introspective themes with street narratives. Featuring an early appearance by Common, it captures the spirit of independent 90s rap - honest, focused, and driven by lyrical intent. Includes all instrumentals. " - courtesy of 90's Tapes
Available in a limited run on 2LP (350 copies), CD in jewel case (300 copies), MC (100 copies) and digitally on all major platforms.
Discogs is a reference website, but the information published there is sometimes incorrect. This is the case for the group Diffarent Kombonation, which is listed as a group from Washington, DC, but that is actually not correct. Diffarent Kombonation was a hip-hop duo formed in the early-mid 90s by MCs Diffa Alo and Kombo MC, who were from Los Angeles, California.
Diffa & Kombo - Photo courtesy of Kombo
This group dropped their first and only physical release "Diffarent Kombonation" on vinyl and cassette tapein 1996 on Infini-T.. Entertainment, a record label based in Washington, DC. This musical project consists of the tracks "International" and "Stereotypes".
According to Kombo, the origins of the duo trace back to a spontaneous rap battle in Moreno Valley, California. As he recalls : "Both of us are from L.A., and we linked up in Moreno Valley, CA. I was kinda known on the underground scene out there already and this young punk tried to battle me in the mall, lol. So we ended up hooking up and forming the group. It was like ’93-’94. His nickname was Diffa, mine was Kombo so we made it Diffarent Kombonation".
Diffa & Kombo - Photo courtesy of Kombo
About the connection with Infini-T.. Entertainment, the owners of this record label were cats from L.A. who went to Howard University in Washington, DC. They met in a club in Hollywood and they heard them flow and offered them a deal. The Diffarent Kombonation tape was the only project they did. After that, Diffa & Kombo decided to break up the group, then Kombo went solo. He later released a few 12-inch records, the best of them, in my opinion, being "I Don't Stop" produced by A.D.L.I.B. and released on the same label Infini-T Ent. in 1999. He also appeared on several projects dropped by Self Scientific, Amad Jamal and S.O.L.A.R. Panel.
Extra Bonus, for your personal knowledge... Kombo & Diffa were also part of another group called Suns Of the V.I. (Suns Of the Village Idiots), with Kombo's older brother Amad Jamal. They formed the group in 1994, and they dropped a track titled "Vocal Instrument" on the compilation album "The Next Chapter", released on vinyl in 1995 on Immortal Records.
Diffa - Amad Jamal & Kombo @The Next Chapter Party - Photo courtesy of Kombo
All the records mentioned above are good and easy to find, and I definitely recommend them for your collection. Mad Props to Kombo.
