Diggin' Session: Johnny Hammond VS Amp Boogie

I've been looking for a long time for the original "Gears" album released by Johnny Hammond on Milestone Records in 1975. The OG is really rare and very expensive for a vinyl in good condition, but I recently found in a record store the clear vinyl edition reissued on BGP Records in 2015. While waiting for the OG version, I'm satisfied with it !! 

If you're still interested in Samples, you can listen to this song titled "Can't we smile" which has been sampled by Amp Boogie for the production of the remix version of "Bluntly Speaking", produced in the mid-90s and from the "Bluntly Speaking EP" released on Six2Six Records in 2012. 

Sorry but youtube links don't work here due to copyright Infringement ... so listen to the song Here  

Amp Boogie - Gotta Git On The EP - 1994

Time goes by so fast ... 25 years ago the Baltimore-based group Amp Boogie released their classic 5-Track EP titled "Gotta Git On".

The group originally consisted of Los Boogie, Mudd, DJ Booman and Wilmo. Their project came out in 1994 on Papa Bear Entertainment, a record label managed by Nate Brunson a.k.a Papa Bear who was also their manager. All songs were produced by Dj Booman (Porch Dog Prod). 

EP - 1994 - Papa Bear Entertainment 

The wax is still really hard to find but you can see it for sale sometimes on ebay...

Recently I did an interview of Los Boogie and Dj Booman. They gave me more info about their story and explained to me how everything started for the group.   

Los Boogie : "The group started with DJ Booman, Wilmo and myself who were all students at Morgan State University. I knew BooMan from DJing and he knew that I rhymed. Wilmo, also let me hear a few bars one day after he saw me writing. We all got together and started writing but just to write, nothing serious at the time. BooMan introduced us to Mudd, his high school classmate who attended Maryland/ Eastern Shore and he became the fourth member. Wilmo would soon leave the group for personal matters but continued to write. Our name was The Wholligans! This name was from our whole crew of DJs, dancers etc... We then changed our name to Outcast but realized some months later that Dre and Big Boi had the same name. Upon visiting Mudd at UMES, we noticed that some of the dudes on campus used the term amp boogie to describe something "hyped". So we decided to call ourselves Amp Boogie."

Photos courtesy of Carlos Harris 

Grant Booman Burley : "We all lived in the same general area. Mudd and Myself lived across the street from each other and went to high school together. We later met Los via mutual friends and Los and I went to Morgan State University together. We were from Eastside of Baltimore. Wilmo who was our original 4th member was from the Westside."

Los Boogie : "I was from around Harford Road. BooMan and Mudd was from Alameda, closer to Morgan State. Wilmo was from West Baltimore, Whitelock."

Grant Booman Burley : "I can't remember the exact time when we found the group but somewhere around '92 I believe... We all got together around that time and started working on music and would battle anybody in the city that wanted smoke on the mic or the turntables. 

We had our own crew from the neighborhood that we stayed around. It was more of a collective of musicians and street dudes from the area. The producers who schooled me to the beats and the ASR and the EPS were Kool Aid and Ronnie Donn. 

'Bluntly Speaking' was done on the EPS and the other songs on the ASR-10. When I did 'Bluntly Speaking' I did not know how to use samplers that good so my man Kool Aid programmed it for me... I brough the records and had the idea how to make the beat and he sequenced it for me. By the time we did the other songs I had got with my man Ronnie Don and Nate Brunson and they schooled me on the ASR-10! I was a fanatic after that, I wanted to come to Ronnies house and make beats every damn day ! Nate finally let me use his ASR-10 at my crib and I did beats until 5 in the morning !!!

Our crew had some dope emcees like Crooked, Tall Valves, Diablo, Kareem, Chino 6'3...Papa Bear Nate was Amp Boogies Manager and my man GF funded our first project and studio time to record the EP.

I did all of the beats and scratches for all of Amp Boogies songs that were ever recorded. Los and Mud did all of the rhymes."

Los Boogie : "The connection with Nate Brunson ? ... We went to DJ Ronnie Don to help with production. He and the dude Kool Aid had an Ensonic EPS. Nate Brunson would be in the lab with us. He wanted to help push us out the public. He started to manage the group and was instrumental in securing funds through his many networks for our first EP.  He decided to formulate his own company and we released the first EP on Papa Bear Recordings."

Grant Booman Burley : "After the EP we recorded more music but never released any more official music..."

Los Boogie : "We continued to record and do shows, We even had interest from some majors. We did a few joint for some soundtracks and linked with DJ Spen to release our next EP/Album but in '97 my first child was born and I stepped back a little. We had linked with Crooked Streetz a little time before and through the connection. The MC Trauma began to perform with the group.  Amp Boogie put out a joint featuring Trauma around '98 or '99. We all joined forces again around the mid 2000's to form Point 45. We did a few joints on BooMan's Mixtape series in the mid to late 2000's. Some of those songs are still floating around. Mudd is in the ministry now but we all still write respectively. BooMan and Kool Breeze are still producing under the name Dust Addicts and I am working with my daughter helping her with her skills. I am working on dropping something in the near future which may have some features by some of the MCs that used to rock with us in the 90s. Information is forth-coming..."

Backstage at Whitten's - Feb 18, 1996 - Amp Boogie / Annexx Click / Da Kraze / Sparrow and Da Concrete Foundation - Photo courtesy of Natasha Pratt Harris

If you're not lucky enough to find that wax, you can still buy the very good "Bluntly Speaking" EP released by the excellent Six2Six Records label in 2012, which is highly recommended too!!

Mad Props to Los Boogie and Dj Booman. Thanks for your time. 

New Testament - The Day After EP - 2012

EP - 2012 - Six2Six Records 

Originally recorded between 1994 and 1996, New Testament's EP was released in 2012 with the help of the dope indie record label Six2Six Records. The Baltimore-based crew consisted of Jay Will, Sean Strange, Sam Mulberry, Krym, Porkshop, Jamma Wun, Frody, Apple, Bump, Goldie and Malnudee. All the tracks were produced by New Testament and 250 copies were pressed on vinyl. 

A1 - Sick & Tired feat Jay Will, Sean Strange 

A2 - Let It Rain (Sunlight)

A3 - Chances feat Jay Will, Sam Mulberry, Krym 

B1 - Call Waiting feat Malnudee, Jay Will, Apple

B2 - Interlude feat Porkchop  

B3 - The Quickening feat Sean Strange, Jamma*Wun, Frody  

B4 - Operation Preparation H feat.Apple, Bump, Goldie, Malnudee, Sean Strange 

SIX2SIX Records : 7" Lathe Cut x Cassette Bundle Series

SIX2SIX Records presents  7" Lathe Cut x Cassette Bundle Series : 

- Global Platoon - 'Streets Of Gold' (Picture Disc) 7" Lathe Cut 
- Incredible Cutts x Aye Wun - 'Groceries'  (cassette) 
- Sparrow The Movement - 'The Jacob Theology' (cassette) 
- 'Romes Cutts' (cassette)

Limited Edition , 20 Bundles only ...
Out April 17th 2017 ,
More Info and Pre-order link Here  

SW:SIX - Convergence EP - 2016

EP - 2016 - SW:Six Music 

This is a selection of 8 exclusive tracks recorded between 2013 and 2014. Theses tracks combine most of MC's and beatmakers of Six2six Records & SWC Records : MI of Constant Deviants, FlaFla of Sparrow the Movement, Supreme, Rome, Steve Colossal, Dj Eagle, Starshit, Switchflow, Dj Impact, Dreem (EXP) , Mr Mat (EXP), Big C (EXP), Mono SickHop, L'Expert & Bab2 of L'Affaire.

500 Copies Only ...

Available on Vinyl & Digital Album 

Droppin' October 28th

Pre-orders are now live , Don't Sleep Fellas!

SW:SIX Music Presents Convergance - 2016

EP - 2016 - SW:Six Music 

This is a selection of 8 exclusive tracks recorded between 2013 and 2014. Theses tracks combine most of MC's and beatmakers of Six2six Records & SWC Records : MI of Constant Deviants, FlaFla of Sparrow the Movement, Supreme, Rome, Steve Colossal, Dj Eagle, Starshit, Switchflow, Dj Impact, Dreem (EXP) , Mr Mat (EXP), Big C (EXP), Mono SickHop, L'Expert & Bab2 of L'Affaire.

500 Copies Only ...

Available on Vinyl & Digital Album soon 

Stay Tuned ! 

S.W:SIX - Convergence EP - 2016

Teaser for the brand new project by S.W:SIX, "Convergence EP", 

a 9 songs vinyl record coming end of the year.

Video by Durraive Prod. for Dirtybet Ent.

Stay Tuned !

More Info coming Soon :

Six2Six / SWC 

Dj Concrete Presents Annexx Click + Constant Deviants - Amongst Friends 2xLP

EP  - 2015 - Six2Six Records 

01 - The Pressure

02 - The Duet (Jealous N#gg@s)

03 - Pick Your Pleasure Pt.2 (Rock Steady)

04 - Beat Box

06 - My Circle (Expand Universal)

07 - Seven Ways

08 - Fast Lane Pt.2

09 - Tryin Ta Get Live (Remix)

300 Copies Only 

Digital album releases December 28th 2015 

Shipping Date : on or around March 5th 2016

2xLP - 2015 - Six2Six Records 

01 - (Intro)

02 - Life Portrayal Pt.2

03 - MIC 5000

04 - 100 Dollar Bills

05 - BMW

06 - Why Ask Why`

07 - Bright Lights

08 - Choose Your Outcome

09 - Make That Mine

10 - Plexiglass feat. (Fla Fla + ROME)

11 - First Place Wins

12 - Fed Up

13 - Wild 2 Night

14 - 8th Wonder
15 - Exodus

300 Copies Only 

Digital album releases December 28th 2015 

Shipping Date : on or around March 5th 2016

Pre-Orders Here  

SIX2SIX RECORDS - rewind < Cassette Store Day :

Get your Cassette Store Day Bundle :

Constant Deviants - Concrete Utopia

+

Constant Deviants - Amongst Friends

+

 Global Platoon - TOLIVEANDNEVERSAYDIE

 Limited Edition of 25 

released November 23rd 2015

Pre-order It Here  

Swiss Banks (Official Movie) - SIX2SIX FILMS - 2015

Cop the Original Soundtrack (Digital & Limited Edition Vinyl) 

Here  

Trilateral Commission Presents Swiss Banks OST - 2015

LP - 2015 - Six2Six Records 

A1 2 Seconds

A2 Definition Of A Mutiny

A3 C'est La Vie  

A4 Bodymore Bounce 

A5 Where is My Blunt? 

B1 Why Would I

B2 Fishtanks & Swiss Banks 

B3 Somethin Ain't Right 

B4 Unfaithful 

Tracks produced by Monsieur Mat , Eagle , Starsh#t & Dreem
Mixes and Scratches performed by Debonair P

Out March 9th 2015
More Info Here   

Constant Deviants - Avant Garde LP - 2015

LP - 2015 - Six2Six Records  

Will be available in Vinyl, CD & Digital formats.

Album Out May 12th

More Info Here  

Stay Tuned ! 

Sparrow The Movement - The Jacob Theology - Streaming NOW !!

Digital / CD (Digipack) - Six2Six Records 

If you haven't already copped the new Sparrow The Movement album, 
you can listen to the full version on their new Website : www.sparrowthemovement.com

Amazing ! 

Pre-Order Here

Sparrow The Movement - The Jacob Theology (Book 1) - 2015

Digital / CD (Digipack) - Six2Six Records 

1- Amazing (Chapter 1)
2- I Got More Rhymes Intro (Chapter 2)
3- God Sound (Chapter 3)
4- Love In War (Chapter 4)
5- Frienemies (Chapter 5)
6- Latitude (Chapter 6)
7- All Is Well (Chapter 7)
8- On & On & On (Chapter 8)
9- Hold My Own (Chapter 9)
10- Scream (Chapter 10)
11- Kryptonite (Chapter 11)
12- Brianna (Chapter 12)
13- Like That (Chapter 13)
14- Doe See Doe (Chapter 14)

  
Produced by The Custodian Of Records , SWC , DJ Cutt & M.I.  
Mixed Arranged and All Scratches performed by DJ Cutt

-= Pre-Order Now Here =-

Video : Constant Deviants - The Right Moment - 2014

from the forthcoming album "Avant Garde" , 
released January 15th 2015 on Six2Six Records 


Free Download 

Constant Deviants - The Right Moment - 2014

from the forthcoming album "Avant Garde" on Six2Six Records
Out January 15th 2015.

GLOBAL PLATOON - T O L I V E A N D N E V E R S A Y D I E - 2014

LP - 2014 - Six2Six Records 

250 copies only !

Pre-order it Now on Six2Six Records 

Video : Rome - Frisky Business - 2014

Off the album "Rome's Cutts", 
Still Available on Six2Six Records  

Constant Deviants - Competition Catch Speedknots (SWC Remix)

From "Alpine Metropolis" EP - 2014 - Six2Six Records  

-= The EP is still available Here =- 

GLOBAL PLATOON - TOLIVEANDNEVERSAYDIE - 2014

LP - 2014 - Six2Six Records  

1.2AM 

2.Distance Yourself 

3.Everybody Can't Rap (Vestry Street 95'Version) 

4.Executive Order (13382) 

5.Fiasco 

6.Global Warming 

7.Ground Zero 

8.Highway 2 Heaven 

9.Lord Maitreya 

10.Quarter til 2(AM) 

11.Violence (Who's Afraid? Pt.2) 

12.No Coincidence 

13.VIP 

14.Leaders Of The Global School 

Out Soon , Stay Tuned !!!