Willmatic - Surround Surveillance / Tru Story (Ave) - 2003

12" - 2003 - Last Kind Entertainment 

The Bronx-based MC Willmatic, better known under the name of  Wildelux and former member of the hip-hop groups The Silent Onez from NYC and The Last Kind from Los Angeles with M-Fly, Megalawge a.k.a R-Diggy, Dj TMK, D-Strong and MajaClout, dropped in 2003 his first official solo 12" fully produced by Megalawge (Maxwell Gooding).

Megalawnge & Willmatic - Photo courtesy of Megalawnge

The wax is composed of the tracks "Surround Surveillance" & "Tru Story (Ave)", both available in their EP, Clean Edit, and Instrumental versions. 

To be honest I like both tracks but the B-side single "Tru Story (Ave)" is definitely the best one for me. For its production, Megalawnge used the sample of "Up Against the Wall" performed by Quincy Jones from The Lost Man Original Soundtrack released in 1969. All the scratches were done by the legendary Kut Masta Kurt. 

The Last Kind - Revelations - 2000

"The Los Angeles-based Hip-Hop group the Last Kind represent the ideology of most underground, independent acts. The group has been together since 1990 and was the creative production of Maja Clout and Derek Strong. In 1992, Marce-Fly joined the group with R-Diggy and Prop climbing on board in 1995 to finalize the lineup.

The group was solid in their belief against joining sides with major record labels, as they felt it could potentially jeopardize their creativity. To expose their material, they made homemade tapes and sold them at shows and at record stores who supported local talent. The Last Kind's persistent efforts resulted in a huge local following and small, national fan base.

In early 2000, the Last Kind signed a deal with the small label, Stray Records, who the group felt best represented and understood them." - courtesy of Diana Potts

Photo courtesy of Maxwell Gooding

In 2000, the crew was composed of M-Fly, Prop a.k.a Wildelux, Megalawge a.k.a R-Diggy, Dj TMK, D-Strong and MajaClout. They released their first and only album called "Revelations" on Stray Records, a stunning surprise from the West Coast composed of 14 tracks mostly produced by R-Diggy. 

If you don't have it on your shelf yet, be sure to cop it asap !

LP - 2000 - Stray Records