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...

Order  

Messiah / Rubbabandz ‎- Survival Of The Fetus / Purple Rain - 1995

12" - 1995 - Messenger Records 

Here is an other classic 12" released on Messenger Records in 1995. The wax consists of the tracks "Survival of The Fetus" performed by Messiah and the excellent "Purple Rain" performed by Rubbabandz. Both tracks are available in their radio versions on the A-side and in their instrumental versions on the B-side. 

"Survival of The Fetus" and "Purple Rain" were produced by Kenyatta Bell who was A&R for Mercury Records at that time. He was the owner of Messenger Records and he also managed Close Range Records, the indie imprint label which released the first Camoflage Large 12" in 1996. 

Kenyatta Bell : "I was doing A&R for Mercury Records back in the early 90s. I began to produce by doing radio edits and show dats for our artists. From there I started playing around with the Ensonic keyboard sampler and old Jazz records. Just seeing what I could do with my ear. Messenger Records was my indie imprint label. I started the imprint so I could develop all the artists that I couldn't get signed to Mercury. I also executive produced and released the Camoflage Large project with the Brooklyn-based producer named E Knight." 

Not a lot of info about the Bronx-based emcee Messiah. I sent him a few messages but he never answered. All I know is Messiah came to Kenyatta through La Kei Herman and E Knight.

About Rubbabandz, if you don't remember him, he was a member of the group GP Wu (Gladiator Posse Wu) with Pop Da Brown Hornet, Down Low Recka and June Luve. He was born and raised in the Stapleton section of Staten Island, NYC and he featured on a lot of tracks dropped by Shyheim The Rugged Child between 1993 and 1995. Rubbabandz was considered as a good MC but it seems he had a very bad luck with the record labels for his solo career... 

Rubbabandz : "I was supposed to sign to Mercury Records but it didn't happened... I was supposed to sign to Messenger Records but I didn't... I really just did the song "Purple Rain" for Kenyatta, he was trying to help me get on at the time. After that I got offered a single deal in Japan from a label but I turned it down..."

Kenyatta Bell : "I don't exactly remember how I met Rubbabandz but I think it was through Rza. Bandz was on a Shyheim record that was getting radio mixshow spins. Rza and I were talking and he mentioned Bandz and spoke positively. I forget who brought him to my office but I think that's how we met...

I produced that record "Purple Rain" for Bandz as a demo 'cause he didn't have one. There was another record we did with a crazy guitar lick which I don't remember the name of the song. But anyway I presented those records to my boss who wanted to hear more. I had another artist named Veronica and I was completing her album on Mercury. I asked Diamond D come in to remix Veronica’s first single called "For You" and decided to put Bandz on it for 16 bars. It came out hard as hell so we wanted to drop that as the first single which would have given me leverage to sign Bandz. Long story short, that song was not chosen to be the first single...
I didn't sign Messiah or Rubbabandz on Messenger Records because I didn't have money to sign anyone... I put up my own cash to do those records and got free studio time. It was really for the love and being creative at the time."

This wax is definitely a must have, so if you don't have it in your collection yet, you can easily find a copy for sale online... for a very good price !

Mad Props to Kenyatta Bell & Rubbabandz, thanks for your time.  

Shyheim - On And On - 1994

Photo courtesy of Shyheim  

Shyheim aka the Rugged Child has been recently released from Prison after serving a five-year bid... so welcome back home !!!
This news reminds me of Shyheim when he was 14 years old at his debut when he dropped his first single "On And On" back in '94.  No doubt that at this time kids knew how to rap with a real flow and a real message. 

12" - 1994 - Virgin 

According to a magazine article written in 1994, Shyheim released his debut single "On And On" at the same time as three males connected to the Borough's burgeoning rap scene were wounded by gunshot. First Dante Hawkins, the son of Wu-Tang Clan member U-God, was caught in the crossfire of a shoutout March 12, 1994. Then, three days later, Darryl Routte, the 27-year old brother of Guy Routte, who managed Shyheim, was shot during an argument. Next, Two Cent, an associate of both Shyheim and Wu-Tang Clan, died from a bullet wound in the chest...

"Times is gettin' hard, word is bond, I sware God

I even got caught tryin' to steal from the junkyard

A born tebba, A rebel without a pause

Ain't nevah had a good Christmas so who is Santa Claus

I walk the streets at night with my head down

In this lil town you see clowns that want to be down

So they get a glock a lick shots to get props

And win shit rocks so you can hear when the shells drop

An old man got shot in the parkin' lot

In front of my buildin' I hang with his grandchildren

And for the nigga that pulled the trigga and tried to slide

And hide, but he got knocked by da homicide

And this happens everyday around my way

So I pray that I can live anotha day" 

From Billboard Magazine - March 26th 1994

DSA a.k.a Dark Skinned Assassin !

Back in 1995 when a Staten Island based emcee with a deep potential, known under the name of Dark Skinned Assassin dropped his first 12-Inches "Lock Shit Down" on 4 Doe Loe Records, a record label managed by himself and Steve Dunn. 
The 12" was produced by RNS, DJ ILL and Vic Flowers and was composed of three tracks "Lock Shit Down / The Horror / Gotta Get The Creme". The first time I've heard these songs was on a mixtape I bought in London in '95, from one of these record stores based in Soho. No doubt I bought the wax after that...

12" - 1995 - 4 Doe Loe Records 

DSA : "I was born in Harlem, things got crazy for my mom and us so we moved to S.E. Wash.,DC, afterwards, to N.C. , but I moved back to NYC, to live with my dad, on Staten Island, until we had a few altercations with one another. I started hustling and carrying, making street moves, soon after a couple close comrades brought me to Stapleton Houses where I met RNS and RZA.

My mentality back in the days was seek out, destroy, conquer.  So one night somebody was having a house party on Staten Island and a few of the favored, neighborhood well known Emcees were there, then out of no where one of  my comrades informed me that some dude was baiting me to get the microphone after Brown Hornet, (guess they wanted to compare my skills to the rest), so I spit over a break beat, "shut shit down", dropped the mic and started to walk away, all of a sudden the whole party went silent for a couple of seconds, then started trippin’!! Screams, cheers and whistles followed, (somebody even let go a few shots), shit was epic. I returned to Stapleton few days after, RNS expressed an interest in recording with me. I was charged ! Heard about RNS as a producer, so the energy was mutual. As we were recording, that same day RZA and a couple dudes walked in the lab, (at the time RNS studio was setup at the apartment in the Pees), RZA listened, then commented, replying, "sound dope, the god got his own style". GP and Wu-Tang was definitely inspirational, and genuine when we interacted. Living the lifestyle, gangsta rap was easy, but there was much more going on in my mind, so I traveled through out NYC to unleash the inner tension. DJ ILL had a studio in Queens at the time, I was living in Brooklyn. I was going from BK, to SI, to Queens to Manhattan to record, then to the Bronx to hustle and part time job back in Manhattan. DJ ILL was putting in crazy hours. He had a group of his on called X-tra Pleza, plus the yg’s (ENY) Pressure and L Murda, (Uncle Murda to most), Mic Handz, Zodiac and Zig Zag, a few others and myself. We all would collab with each other, then we’d record individual songs. The studio in Queens was a family vibe. I walked in and heard the track to "Lock Shit Down" and instantly wanted to spit to it ! ILL said "let me hear what you wrote"... Kicked the verse then we recorded the whole song that day. Soon after met Victor Flowers, (he produced "The Horror" and "Gotta Get the Creme"), and we naturally clicked artistically."

In 1996, he featured on the song "G.P Connection" released by Pop The Brown Hornet. The track is on the B-side of the classic 12" "Black on Black Crime" released by the GP Wu member on Smoke Records.

He dropped at the end of the same year his new 12" single "Unholy / Uncontrollable" produced by RNS and released on Black Dog Entertainment. This Record Label was comprised of Steve Dunn, his brother Walter and DSA. 

12" - 1996 - Black Dog Ent.  

"Unholy" is the main single of the record. A video of the song exists but was never released and the song wasn't as successful as "Lock Shit Down" but it was played many times by Stretch & Bobbito that year. By the way, DSA was invited on WKCR with Gauge the Mental Murderah on October 17, 1996 for the promo of his 12". Here are their freestyles and interviews.

Then he disappeared due to law problems without dropping an album...

DSA : "I was blessed to be alive and given a chance to release some music, do minimal promoting, meet and network with a few people, while being on trial for a couple of felonies, 1 charge was dropped based on a technicality, the other was dismissed in trial, after my attorneys filed a Clayton motion, but the Manhattan D.A. was not pleased so filed a motion of appeal and I was convicted in appellate court. Leaving behind 5 potential major deals on the table, family and friends, my freedom, my lady and 1year old son, whom I loved very much. Thus, no album after EP... I was angry at myself and the world because I felt I let down everyone who was riding with me. I fucked up. Re-entering society after my prison bid, I decided, primarily, the music industry wasn’t as important as being there for the child that never got to know his dad, secondly the shift in quality and politics had began to pollute the rawness of the artform so I stayed out of the grind and moved my new family out of state, (still and all, once and artist always an artist). A year or two later, found myself traveling 700 miles just to record in New York when requested to do so."

A strange EP was released circa '96 with three unreleased tracks produced by RNS : "Life of a Shorty" feat No Smiles aka Tommy Whispers, "Untitled Raw Shit" and "Smoke In Ya Face", but this is an unofficial release...

DSA : "I don’t know who released the 'Down Low Wreckege E.P.', I was incarcerated at that time..."

EP - 1996 - Not On Label 

Mad Props to Michael "Fuji" Love 

Young Black Teenager - Shyheim

From Hip Hop Connection - May 1994

Pop Da Brown Hornet

12" - 1996 - Smoke Records  

Many aspiring rappers kick around the term "MC" whenever it suits their fancy. Many of these MCs lack skills, so in a futile effort to impress their over inflated egos, they rap about cars they rent, the ice they lease, the money they don’t have and the big house they don’t own. But, in the immortal words of Rakim, "MC" means to move the crowd. The best way to do that is with good olf fashion lyrical skills.

Pop Da Brown Hornet is an MC who possesses the lyrical skills to move the crowd, and more importantly , one who understands that hip-hop has taken a few wrong turns for the worst. His mission is to put it back on course with his weapon of choice : his trusty microphone and lyrical skills.

"Rakim once said that MC meant move the crowd , and lotta MCs are moving the crowd. I gather that a lot of rappers took that literally. No they’re busting their guns and they really are moving the crowd in the wrong direction. And hip-hop has moved in the wrong direction. In the new Millenium, to me, MC means message carrier. We have so much watered down hip-hop out there. It’s been a while since I’ve heard an album that sounds like mine , where you don’t have to kill up everybody to sound tough. It’s a lyricist album. I wanted to get lyrical and prove that’s there’s a difference between hip-hop and rap. Really, right now we have been dancing and boogying to rap. I wanna see if people are ready for a hip-hop album"

Born and raised in the infamous Staten Island , Pop started out rhyming at an early age . He payed his dues by coming up through the ranks along side some young MCs whom would later become the Wu-Tang clan. "I remember being underage rhyming on one of these corners out there in a cipher with five or six individuals , who at the time weren’t really known for who they are now. It was all of us . It was the Clan members, even though there weren’t the Wu-Tang Clan at the time. I remember stealing the show a couple of times"

By the early 90s Pop Da Brown Hornet’s name was ringing around Staten Island like church bells on Easter Sunday. "That’s when people were really big on me in Staten Island. During the late 80s and the early 90s when I was just doing demos , they’d be instant classics on the streets. Songs like "No More Mr Nice Guy" are from that era"

Although Pop’s demos were red hot on the streets and he had some impressive guest spots on Shyheim Da Rugged Child’s LP , He still found it hard to land a deal as a solo artist. Finally, he hooked up with some neighborhood friends (Down Low Recka, June Luva and Rubberbands) he used to rhyme with and they formed the Gladiator Posse, who later became known as GP Grain. 
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