Low Budget Butta' - 1997

Few days ago I blogged something about C-Vorheez and I realized that I had never blogged about this various artists compilation called "Low Budget Butta' " released in 1997 on The Low Budget Brothers label. The comp is dope from the beginning to the end... but unfortunately really hard to find it. A lot of cats are looking for that wax but the price puts a damper on their enthusiasm.

LP - 1997 - Low Budget Brothers - Photo courtesy of Gabriel Chev


 The Label was created by the association of 3 producers : Ra Hanna a.k.a Ultra , Sheldon Ellerby a.k.a Coz or C-Vorheez and Kyle Monroe a.k.a Dj A.C.L .

Coz hailed from Paterson NJ, Ultra and A.C.L were both from Passaic, NJ. The name of Ultra may not speak to you but you should already know him ... in the Mid-90s he produced records for X-Clan and Dark Sun Riders under the name of UltraMan.

At that time, Dj A.C.L acronym for All Cuts Lethal from Marley Marl Future Flavors Radio, worked with his cousin Keith Shawn Williams a.k.a Seven Shawn formerly of World Renown.

"Ultra and I grew up together in the city of Passaic, NJ. He is a mentor to me in djing and producing. I met Coz after Ultra move to Paterson, NJ. Ultra introduced me to him." 

The album is composed of 12 tracks featuring different New Jersey based artists like Mystro Enerjetic, Flexman who is also a DJ from Paterson, Mad African, Seven Shawn (World Renown), C-Voorheez, Flip Da Scrip or the mysterious Kinetic, an emcee who met for the first time Ultra at Smack Studios in Englewood NJ. According to Dj A.C.L "Kinetic was introduced to me through Ultra I believe. When we met he was based out of Hackensack, NJ." 

It also features groups like The Chozen Ones a.k.a Da Chozen, a crew from Paterson NJ who consisted of Eshawn, T-Smooth, Big Bunk, B-Hop, Shortcutt (R.I.P) and Dj Tab DiBiassi.

or Crooked Anglez and Mental Ward (Sludge Champion, Slo-Flo, Les Jah, Master Poet & The Sandman), two groups who were both affiliated to the Crystal Lake crew.

Photos courtesy of Ozone Crew 

About productions, all the tracks were made by Ultra, ACL and Coz with pure indie Hip-Hop style. Four instrumentals for each producer :

A1. C-Voorheez - Dreams - Produced by Coz

A2. Crooked Anglez, Mental Ward, Kinetic, C-Voorheez - The Six Mcees Vs The ACL Death - Produced by ACL

A3. Mystro Enerjetic - Problem Child - Produced by Ultra

A4. Flexman - Blowin Out Ya Speakers - Produced by Coz

A5. Mad African - Funk Zone - Produced by Ultra

A6. Mental Ward - Choose Ya Fate - Produced by Coz

B1. Kinetic - Mom's Is The Ghetto - Produced by ACL

B2. Chozen Ones - Type Niggazz - Produced by Ultra

B3. Kinetic, Flip Da Scrip - Root To All Evil - Produced by Ultra

B4. Seven Shawn - Relic For A Lost Place - Produced by ACL

B5. Crooked Anglez - War - Produced by Coz

B6. Kinetic - T2 - Produced by ACL

Unfortunately this album was the only project released by the label :

"We only did one project because I funded it all... we did pre production at coz's studio and recorded in NY . It was just us tired of listening to wack artists so we banded together to prove we could do it. I have other songs that didn't make the album. It was a dope experience." - Ultra

Photo courtesy of Kyle ACL Monroe

Me : "The comp is really appreciated by the record collectors nowadays, do you think there will be a reissue one day ?"

ACL : "Really? I mean I've heard rumors but never looked into it. That's cool. There was so many tracks that didn't make the cut. Hence the title. There may be one day with bonus instrumental tracks and songs."
Ultra : "Never"

well... I hope Dj ACL will manage to change Ultra's mind, fingers crossed !! Peace

Props to Ra Hanna & Kyle ACL Monroe  

C-Vorheez ‎- Crowd Movers / Dreams (Wake Up) - 1999

12" - 1999 - Crystal Lake Entertainment 

C-Vorheez - Photo courtesy of Ozone Crew

Core member of the Crystal Lake Crew, Sheldon "Coz" Ellerby a.k.a C-Vorheez dropped his first debut single in 1999. The vinyl came out on Crystal Lake Entertainment, an independent record label based in Paterson NJ, headed by Sheldon and Mike Sisti : 

"I was half owner of Crystal Lake Entertainment L.L.C with C Vorheez AKA Coz. Crystal Lake studio was located in my basement during the production of some great Hip Hop produced by Coz and Bless One.

We started about 1998 after Low Budget Butta was produced by Ultra in 1997 and dissolved the label shortly because of creative differences.

I can say though my proudest moment of being a part of this CL thing was when me and Coz were leaving an MC battle in NYC and heading back to NJ in the snow. The radio was on Hot 97, DJ Premier who was filling in for Stretch Armstrong was cutting up our record "Crowd Movers". I had given him copies of the single the prior week at Tramps during an M.O.P. show that he DJ'd for." - Mike Sisti. 

The main single of this 12-Inch vinyl "Crowd Movers" was produced by B-Nice and features other Crystal Lake MCs : Master Poet of the group Mental Ward and Nook of the rap quartet F.O.D (Four One Dream).
 On the B-side, "Dreams (Wake Up)" produced by C-Vorheez himself, also features other members : Sludge Champ (Mental Ward) and Flex-man.

Crystal Lake - Hidden Files Vol.2 - 2016

OCR003 LP - 2016 - Ozone Crew Records 

Tracklist:

A1. Stand Clear

A2. Blind Sider

A3. King Of The Hill

A4. I Wonder

A5. Choose Ya Fate

B1. Stratigic Moves

B2. Speeding

B3. Story Of Kane

B4. Place Ya Bets

B5. War

All Tracks produced by C. Vorheez.

All songs written & Performed by Les Jah, Sludge Champ, Master Poet, Flex-Man, Slo Flo aka Big Slo and C. Vorheez. All tracks are from Mental Ward and Crooked Anglez

200 Copies on standard black vinyl  & 100 copies on black with white splatter available.

Order your copy :

Standard Black Vinyl 

Vinyl black with white splatter 

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