HipHop-TheGoldenEra: MCI Entertainment Records

Showing posts with label MCI Entertainment Records. Show all posts

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Another Scam - 1993

EP - 1993 - MCI Ent. Records (Photo courtesy of Michel Mees)

Last time I talked about Most Crush Illin' Entertainment Records (a record label managed by Gazelle 'MCI' and Gamal 'MCI' Tabb) was when I blogged the story of Blind Mice back in 2018.

This label also released an other interesting EP named 'Another Scam' in 1993. The project was fully produced by Gamal 'MCI' Tabb and Ian 'Wolfman' Williams, and consisted of various indie hip-hop group or artists like Flow Asylum, Da Grip, M.C Slice, Brothers in Charge and Devious.

You can search online ... unfortunately there is no info about them ! But I was lucky to have connections with one of the member of Flow Asylum named Mark Ashby a.k.a B-Mad, and with Gamal Tabb. As far as they can remember, they both gave me some info about the groups and this EP.

Gamal 'MCI' Tabb : "Gazelle, Flow Asylum and Devious we all met in High School. Gazelle and I first partnered up as freshmen. I had a home studio since I was in Junior High School. Besides working on my own projects, I would rent the studio for other artists to use. This was the beginning of working with Mark Ashby, member of Flow asylum who originally was a member of another group named 'System X'."

Mark Ashby : "Flow Asylum ... There were 3 founding members: Myself B-Mad, Kraze and Frantik. We were under the MCI umbrella unofficially as artists. Frantik and I were from Brooklyn NY, and Kraze was from Jersey City NJ. I first met Kraze as a co-worker in Macy’s in Midtown Manhattan in the late 80’s (‘88). Frantik and I met at a job in Brooklyn about 2 years later, ‘91 or so. Gazelle and I attended the same high school (Brooklyn Technical HS) ... Guys knew that Gazelle and his partner Gamal had a small label they created. It was an opportunity for most in the school that had skills (or thought they did) to record and perform."

Their song "Pump It In Your Back Trunk" was the first track of the EP.

Mark Ashby : "At about 1996 the original group disbanded. Kraze left the group leaving Frantik and myself as a remaining unit. We eventually merged with another member to attempt to continue but synergy was lost. Frantik and I parted ways as a group in 1997.

There were a few unreleased tracks I recall, but they were recorded at MCI Studios, which has been closed since the late 90’s."

The second track of the A-Side is "Hop Off The Bandwagon" performed by Da Grip. First time I heard this track it was on the excellent 'Who Got The Flava?' mixed CD released by DJ Koco.

Gamal 'MCI' Tabb : "I started working with the Da Grip after being contacted by their DJ Teaspoon Calhoun, who has since passed, and was a big time DJ in The Bronx."

I don't have any other info about Da Grip's other members but according to Anthony Gray (Teaspoon Calhoun's good friend), Teaspoon a.k.a Terry Calhoun The Future Splitter was in the DMC Competition and Djayed with the Hypnotizing 5 MCs from time to time, also for PreSweet TR Nation Parties...

The B-Side is composed of 3 tracks, 'Bitch Ass Niggaz' performed by M.C Slice, 'Don't Try To Step To This' performed by Brothers In Charge and 'Skinz Ain't What They Used To Be' performed by Devious.

Gamal 'MCI' Tabb : "Devious was another school mate who rented the studio. I met M.C Slice through another artist that I worked with 'Microphone Professor', who was awesomely talented. I invited her to the studio and in one session, she recorded a great record. In my opinion, one of the rawest records ever recorded by a female mc at that time. Brothers in Charge was also a very good group, from Queens. They were a very stylish group."

300 copies were pressed in 1993... this EP is very rare nowadays, anyway I've never seen a copy for sale in a Record Store, and if you want it at all cost you need to know that some cats are selling their copy for a crazy price online... Good Luck !

Friday, January 12, 2018

The Blind Mice's Story !

In the mid 90s, two singles were dropped by the group Blind Mice. Maybe some of you aren't familliar with this name but it means a lot to me. I was 21 when they dropped their first single and all I can say is that the track "How Many?" was on heavy rotation at home at that time.

Blind Mice was a rap duo from Brooklyn, Clinton Hill precisely and was composed of Shadow (Super Hydraulic Advanced Doer Of Words) and 5'6".

Shadow : "Shadow cuz I was kind of quiet back then... newly evolving into an artist and liked to play the back like a shadow I guess... 5'6" cuz he was kinda short but huge on talent... 5'6" was signed to Eric B and Rakim's first label at first.

My boy Rick a.k.a Rick Rhude introduced us... he knew 5'6" and myself... knew I was into production and 5'6" had a sick flow and figured we should work together.

Rick Rhude : "Well Shadow is a lifetime friend I knew him most of my life, Fivesixx is another longtime friend of mine. At the time they both were rapping but didn't know each other so I introduced them to one another. They quickly became cool and decided to form a group."

Shadow : " 'Blind' represents how Black people act like they're blind to the ways how they can uplift the race and escape their plight thru education and self promotion of each other.

'Mice' represents how we live in the ghetto... on top of each other huddled together... also if you take the initials B and M stands for Black Male which is the perspective we give you thru our music..."

They formed the group around 1993-1994 and released their first 12" single in 1996 on MCI Entertainment Records (Most Crush Illin Entertainment Records), a label founded in 1986-87 by Gazelle Alexander and his partner Gamal Tabb while they were in High School.

Gazelle : "Thomas Porter (Shadow's cousin) was managing Blind Mice. He went to high school with us. He brought the group to me because he knew we were constantly releasing records."

12" - 1996 - MCI Entertainment Records

Their first 12" is composed of two tracks, "A New Beginning" produced by Mic Smythe and "How Many?" produced by the well-known Shawn J Period and which is for me the lead single of the record.

Shadow : "I think Mic Smythe was 5'6 's boy... He was from Brooklyn and a cool dude too... we meet and instantly worked well with him. It was Rick who introduced me to Shawn J as well...he lived on his block."

Rick Rhude :"Later on as they were trying to get the group established, I moved to another part of Brooklyn called Bedstuy and that's where I became cool with a rap group called Down South. They were originally from Virginia and came up to live in NY and moved on my block. Shawn J was part of the group as the producer and I used to go over to their crib and he listen to his beats. Shawn always had fire beats, so I told him about my boys Blind Mice and he agreed to meet them. When he met them it was instant chemistry and they started working together shortly after. At the time Shawn was also doing beats for Mos Def and some other big names so I always appreciated the fact that he made time for Blind Mice and made them a priority."

12" - 1997 - MCI Entertainment Records

One year later, they dropped their second and last 12" single on the same label. "The Book of BM" produced by 5'6" and "Paper Capers" (Chapter 1 & Chapter 2) produced by Shawn J Period.

By the way, you can find a review of this record in the Vibe Magazine issue of July 1996 :