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.

Universal Species ‎- Southern Special Agents - 1997

12" - 1997 - Strik 9 Records 

 I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of good indie 12" coming from Louisiana reviewed on my blog. This 12" released by Universal Species in 1997 is now definitely one of them. 

Universal Species was a crew from New Orleans comprised of Charlie V, Serp, Southstar, Z' Comma, Pistola, DJ Troubleman & Rupo the Don Capochino. 

Universal Species - Photo courtesy of Charlie V 

This rare wax is composed of 3 tracks titled "Infamous Thoughts Vocals", "Southern Special Agents" & "Zone Gazin" on the A-Side and all the instrumentals on the B-side, all produced by Pistola. After listening to all the tracks, you'll understand that their style had nothing to compare with New Orleans Hip-Hop at that time.

Charlie V : "Off the top of my head, the story of the actual group Universal Species crew forming came into bring I’m guessing was around 1995 .... the various members were joined together. 

You had the DJ Trublman and Z’comma, they were childhood friends from Hollygrove and Gert Town area in Uptown New Orleans. The Caucasian cousins, Serp & Southstar from Metairie, La who were well studied emcees of Nas & Mobb Deep. Both were technically sharp with lyrics! There was the producer / beat maker Pistola from Gentilly area along with the overseer Rupo keeping business in order. 

I myself came on as the Hype Man / Emcee / BBOY and I knew Dj Trublman from High School and the local record store in Hollygrove named Odyssey Records in which I was working."

Charlie V - Photo courtesy of Charlie V

Charlie V : "I was approached to join the group in sessions, I didn’t know how it would work being that, we all loved Hip-Hop but were surrounded by a heavy Bounce Culture in which the lyrics where not the focus ... and we were the opposite !

We began meeting up in Metairie and had writing and beat sessions ...

Our first gig was in Slidell at a firecracker store ...we rocked it ... began doing more shows. We opened up for then local acts such as  Juvenile & Ms.Tee, and we eventually did radio promos for WTUL & Q 93. We finally had enough change and time, we went to Festival Studios and bargain recording the Universal Species crew EP."

Like most of the groups during the 90s, their first 12" was their only one record released. The group members went separate ways after that... 

Charlie V : "Pretty much after the members had kids and other obligations.... everyone moved into other areas like tv production, car sales, etc... I still did TV, some radio and hosted a weekly poetry show from 1998- 2005. First show was Nubian TV 1994-97 then 1997-2003

and 2nd show was called W.R.E.C TV."

Mad Props to Charlie V, thanks for your time. 

S.T.E.E.L - Realism - 1996

This is the kind of stuff we'd like to see coming out on physical format like the rest of S.T.E.E.L unreleased material recorded at that time. Unfortunately the excellent "Realism" is the only track available nowadays from that batch recorded by S.T.E.E.L in the mid-90s, because all the tracks and their original masters are lost... 

S.T.E.E.L a.k.a Black S.T.E.E.L is an emcee from 7th Ward, New Orleans. His track "Realism" was produced in 1996 by his friend Yuset Pozo from Kenner, New Orleans. In 2001 it was remixed by Yuset who did what he could with what they had and in 2005 the track appeared on the Goldmic Compilation titled "Insurgency" which was released on CD only.

Could you tell us how everything started for you exactly ?

S.T.E.E.L : "I was just an avid writer in elementary and high school. Kinda made the switch to actually rapping after being urged to consider it by a friend of mine, who ended up giving me the name "Black Steel", after the Public Enemy song of the same title. Got shortened to S.T.E.E.L., and it's been that ever since."

S.T.E.E.L - Photo courtesy of S.T.E.E.L

Yuset Pozo : "I didn't start as a producer... I was a rapper in a group called Nubian Tribe... then later called it 3 Flavors... got lucky to find someone to put some money behind us and went to studios by 15. From there I met a producer named DJ Edward Precise...I sat next to him while he make tracks on EPS 16 choppin shit up...I knew I wanted to mess with beats right then...I was about 16 and got a settlement check from an accident and I bought my own keyboard and went to town...I was already practicing on a ASR-10 that a friend had...I had made a few beats that I rapped on and S.T.E.E.L laid that master piece and the rest is history... "

Yuset Pozo - Photo courtesy of Yuset Pozo 

How did the connection happen between both of you ? 

S.T.E.E.L : "Oh, we've been friends since around 91, 92. Just being in the same circle of people who shared the same love for the culture. Yuset and our friend Tito are the tie that binds, honestly. The 3 of us are still very close to this day."

Yuset Pozo :"Through WTUL (Tulane University-New Orleans) was a local radio station and through that we got to know rappers from the city like Psyco Ward and his crew was called Transparent.. and we were called Scratch Pro.. we did it all from scratch...

S.T.E.E.L was also working with DJ Khaled when he was living out here and I was cool with Khaled too before he moved to Orlando."

S.T.E.E.L, were you affiliated with a crew at that time ?

S.T.E.E.L : "Not particularly. When we recorded that song, I was still just kinda doing my own thing, trying to figure out how and where I fit in on the scene. I mean, I had friends who were active, but I was always the standout, so to speak."

Yuset, what were your music influences ?

Yuset Pozo : "Pete Rock and Dr Dre.. later was DJ Premier and Tony Dofat, No I.D. from Chicago who did Common album and Tribe Called Quest productions."

Why is there nothing else recorded after that ? Why is there no 12" or album released ?

S.T.E.E.L : "Never signed a deal, lots of music lost or destroyed, etc...

Actually... I take that back, I did sign a deal, back in 99, nothing ever came of it though. We recorded some music... The company -- local startup -- refused to release it. The files for that are also long gone...Katrina wiped away a lot of what we had..."

For all the wax diggers, the track contains a sample of the song "And Here You Are" performed by the Jazz-fusion group Stuff, and released in 1977.

LP - 1977 - Jet Sunshine Records 

Mad Props to S.T.E.E.L & Yuset, thanks for the interview. 

Gotham Kidz -Tha Coming - 1996

12" - 1996 - Atch Records 


"Tha Coming" EP came out in 1996 on Atch Records, a Record Label based in Houston, Texas and managed by Charles "Atch" Atchison who unfortunately passed away a few years ago. 
The wax was released by a group named Gotham Kidz, comprised of Eric Segue aka Quickhands Expands aka Eazy and Everall Jackson aka The Real E Love, who both came from New Orleans, Louisiana.





 In 1994, they released their first single "Here I Come /What It Is Gonna Be" under the name of Premier. It also came out on Atch Records and the tracks were produced by him, Quickhands Expands and DJ Razor Cut. 

12" - 1994 - Atch Records 

Razor Cut : "Everol, Eazy and Me grew up together but in different hoods, we were always into music... I was a DJ, Eazy was a DJ also and Everol was always rapping.  I started a group called PMW and put out a song called "Spliffed Out" with one of my home boys and it got big then started to do songs and Eazy would scratch to them in his garage then Everol would rap to them." ... that's how everything started for the group. 

After Premier's 12-inch, Dj Razor Cut went in a separate way doing his things but still kept in touch with them. The Real E Love and Quickhands Expands formed Gotham Kidz and released "Tha Coming" EP which was the first batch of tracks from the album "Back To the Essence" which unfortunately never saw the light of day...