There aren’t many producers out there that sprinkle their genius onto the audio tracks for little-known underground cats such as Chi-Town’s Pacifics, for instance, and at the same time paint the soundscapes for G-Unit, Jay-Z, Heltah Skeltah or whatever big names there are — AND get away with making it all sound dope while keeping their respect in the underground.
Illmind is such a rare specimen and this 4 CD compilation gives a nice overview of dude’s body of work. Being a bootleg comp from two years back, like 90% of the tracks are sort of under to middle groundish. The man from Bloomfield, NJ came up through the Beat Society showcases and has worked with an incredible number of artists from all coasts. More recently, he’s been the G-Unit’s in-house producer (I smell a proper pay check.) I can’t even say too much, just look at the tracklists and peep the music. Good stuff from beginning to end.
CD1
01 03:30 Supastition - Chain Letters Intro
02 03:57 El Da Sensei - Crowd Pleasa
03 04:58 Eyesoulated Mindz - Keep It Snug
04 03:31 Saigon, Inspectah Deck And Bekay - The Raw (Remix)
05 04:45 Little Brother And Median - Right Here
06 04:22 Deloach Ft Bavu Blakes And Poisoned Fetus - Labor Of Love
07 03:25 Jay-Z-Justify My Thug (Remix)
08 03:47 The Procussions Ft Strange Fruit Project - Changes
09 04:45 K-Otix And Deloach-Hands Off
10 04:03 Supastition - Boombox
11 03:43 Muneshine - Nine To Five
12 03:45 Strange Fruit Project Ft Little Brother - Rise
13 04:21 M.B.B’s - Ain’t No Speakin
14 04:22 Raks One - Over You
15 04:05 Skyzoo - Remember Me
16 03:44 Organic Thoughts Ft Chan - No Options
17 10:44 Hezekiah - Before I Go
18 03:26 Supastition Ft Little Brother - Soul Control
CD2
01 04:03 Boot Camp Clik - Let’s Go
02 04:08 Jay-Z-Encore (Remix)
03 03:40 Dave Ghetto-Day In & Day Out
04 05:02 Strange Fruit Project, Proh Mic Sence - Been Gone
05 03:48 Edgar Allen Floe - I For An I
06 03:18 Grand Agent Ft Reef - Plans To Blow
07 04:04 Organic Thoughts Ft Large Professor - World Renowned
08 04:25 The Pacifics Ft Rakka - Talk Is Cheap
09 04:01 Akrobatik - Remind My Soul
10 04:03 Little Brother Ft O - Dash And Darien Brockington-Nobody Like Me
11 04:27 Deloach Ft Kay - Wha Cha Gon Do
12 03:46 Supastition - Special Treatment
13 04:00 Muneshine Ft Surreal - Imagine That (Remix)
14 03:40 Organic Thoughts Ft Prince Po And Uniq - Be Alright
15 04:12 Masta Ace And Guru - Conflict (Remix)
16 04:34 Braille - Nobody
17 03:34 Phocus - Body Language
18 03:55 Little Brother - Cant Let Her
19 04:19 The Procussions - High Powered
CD3
01 04:04 El Da Sensei - Hold On
02 04:24 The Pacifics - Magnificent
03 04:13 Tree And Dow Jones - Club Aquarius
04 04:29 Fel Sweetenberg - Lost Children (Remix)
05 05:05 Supastition - That Ain’t Me
06 03:57 Dave Ghetto Ft Fel Sweetenberg And L Dorado - The Game
07 03:12 Completion - Inspiration
08 03:35 Krs One - Fucked (Remix)
09 03:44 Organic Thoughts - Next Levelists
10 03:38 Strange Fruit Project - The Broke Song
11 03:53 Ghostface Killah, Trife And Myone - Milk’em
12 03:57 Muneshine - Luke Warm
13 04:09 Supastition - Hip Hop Vs Life_(Remix)
14 05:51 Eyesoulated Mindz - Dirty Mutha_Fuck
15 03:44 Organic Thoughts Ft Peril - L And Mounta-Get It Right1
6 04:15 Little Brother Ft Yahzarah - The Beginning
17 05:40 Organic Thoughts Ft Uniq - All Too Easy
18 04:12 Raks One Ft Hassaan Mackey, Supastition And Kenn Starr - This Is It
19 03:20 Reef The Lost Cauze - Get Lost
CD4
01 03:10 Raks One - Stand Down
02 04:22 Infinito 2017 - Free Man’s Soul
03 04:04 Strange Fruit Project - You (The Only Ones)
04 03:32 Supastition - Adrenaline (Remix)
05 03:14 Organic Thoughts - Hypnotic Travellin
06 02:45 Unseen - Keep Moving
07 04:08 Little Brother - Whatever You Say (Smooth Remix)
08 03:54 Jay-Z-99 Problems (Remix)
09 02:31 Supastition - Ain’t Going Out
10 04:27 Strange Fruit Project Ft Erykah Badu - Get Live
11 03:37 Ken Fluid - Must Kome Down
12 04:08 Strange Fruit Project - Eternally Yours
13 03:25 Organic Thoughts - Soul Movement
14 04:11 Pumpkinhead Ft Sean Price - Best Rappers Out
15 05:27 Moon Cricket And Verbal Seed - Day After Day
16 04:13 Myth, Bavu Blakes And Chucky Sly - We Three Kings
17 04:09 Skyzoo - Sick Wit’ The Slang
18 03:43 Verbal Seed Ft Thesis - Take Advantage
19 04:31 Organic Thoughts - Unthinkable
20 03:48 Supastition - Step It Up (Remix V2)
**Edit: With their second album coming out every moment and the crew going on tour again I reckon it’s time for a re-up or their first album. I’m looking forward to seeing the RSA live not once but twice within the next few weeks.**
A rare gem of intercontinental collaboration between some of South Africa and Switzerland’s finest. This album is centered around the connection between Pan and Greis, two MCs from Berne, Switzerland, on the one side and the female trio Godessa from Cape Town on the other. After Godessa performed a few gigs in Switzerland in 2004, they met and decided to stay in touch by visiting each other. In several recording sessions over the course of one and a half years, and with the financial help of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, they put together songs. In addition, each side brought on a good bunch of friends to make appearances on the album whose entire proceeds go to the “Party with a purpose productions” self-help project in the Cape Flats.
You’ll hear people rapping in English, French, Swiss German and Afrikaans (the latter two may be hard to tell apart for the uninitiated, but never mind), subject matters ranging from very particular issues like South African apartheid (peep “Pencil Test” - killer track!) to the universal themes that connect hip-hop heads around the world.
If you live in Switzerland or South Africa you should be able to grab this album and contribute a few Francs or Rands to charity, or you go see them live in your area. Please do.
1. Rise Up Now / Jitsvinger - Greis - EJ von Lyrik
2. Heavy Mental / Godessa & Whodis
3. Can’t Stay / Rennie & Shameema
4. 2gether / Mr. Dmus & Pan
5. S.O.F.I.A. / Greis & Burni Aman
6. Pacifiers (Double Rebellion-Mac With Cheese) / Burni Aman & Greis
7. One Day / Burni Aman - Greis - Shameema - Alexus President
8. Won’t Stop / Pan - Cross - Burni Aman
9. Pencil Test / Godessa & Greis
10. Kabels / Jitsvinger & Pan
11. Truth Is / Sky 189 - Seven - Greis - Pan
12. Planet I / Burni Aman - EJ von Lyrik - Chicu - Pan
13. Indie Takeover / Black Tiger - Jitsvinger - Robbe - Aman - Baze - Dimitri - Mr. Dmus - Perspektif - Gaston - Pan
14. The Reason Why / Jean Pierre - Perspektif - Pan
15. Do The Things / Godessa - Black Tiger - Rennie
16. Wake Up Call / Dubmasta China - Pan - Perspektif
17. Breakin’ The Barriers / Pan - Burni Aman - Cross
18. Broese Brasse / Mr. Dmus & Jitsvinger
19. Life / Teba feat. Tumi & EJ von Lyrik
And to give you some eyeball material to gauge the vibe, peep their Road Trip Movie, shot mainly while touring the festivals of Switzerland in 2006. Dope video.
Most of us may be more familiar with the samples pulled from these tracks than with the originals themselves. This compilation of joints by Blue Note label artists is kind of like the update on stuff we missed to check out - or maybe I should only speak for myself…
1 Grooving With Mr. G - Richard “Groove” Holmes
2 Sookie, Sookie - Grant Green
3 Who’s Making Love? - Lou Donaldson
4 Weasil - Donald Byrd
5 Kudu - Eddie Henderson
6 Harlem River Drive - Bobbi Humphrey
7 Blue Juice - Jimmy McGriff
8 Final Comedown - Grant Green
9 Turtle Walk - Lou Donaldson
10 Your Love Is Too Much - The Three Sounds
11 Blackjack - Donald Byrd
12 Olilloqui Valley - Herbie Hancock
1 Ain’t It Funky Now - Grant Green (9:54)
2 Beale Street - Donald Byrd (5:24)
3 Good Humour Man - Blue Mitchell (5:39)
4 Higga Boom - Gene Harris (6:00)
5 Jasper Country Man - Bobbi Humphrey (5:17)
6 Kumquat Kids - Eddie Henderson (4:32)
7 Orange Peel - Reuben Wilson (6:36)
8 Street Lady - Donald Byrd (5:39)
9 The Caterpillar - Lou Donaldson (6:52)
10 The Worm - Jimmy McGriff (3:24)
11 Ummh - Bobby Hutcherson (7:45)
12 Viva Tirado - Gerald Wilson (5:44)
1. Walk Tall - Cannonball Adderley
2. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Lou Rawls
3. Ode To Billy Joe - Lou Donaldson
4. Sho’ Nuff Melon - Reuben Wilson
5. Howling For Judy - Jeremy Steig
6. Light My Fire - Shirley Bassey
7. It’s Your Thing - Lou Donaldson
8. Put On Train - Gene Harris & The Three Sounds
9. Don’t Call Me Nigger Whitey - Gene Harris
10. Dominoes - Donald Byrd
11. Mystic Brew - Ronnie Foster
12. Get Out Of My Life Woman - Joe Williams With Thad Jones
13. Ground Hog - Duke Pearson
14. Soul - Jackie McLean
1. Prelude - Gene Harris
2. Holy Thursday - David Axelrod
3. Sitting Duck - Gene Harris & The Three Sounds
4. The Beat Goes On - Buddy Rich
5. Three Is The Magic Number - Bob Dorough
6. Shack Up - Banbara
7. Boomp Boomp Chomp - The Sons
8. Little Green Apples - Monk Higgins
9. Bring Down The Birds - Herbie Hancock
10. Whole Lotta Love - Ike & Tina Turner
11. Repeat After Me - The Three Sounds
12. Inside You - Eddie Henderson
13. Woman Of The Ghetto - Marlena Shaw
14. This Is Soul - Paul Nero
No real introduction necessary, I guess. DJ Sway and King Tech are world famous for their Wake Up Show and the high-caliber freestyles that MCs have blessed their mics with over the last years.
And as an opener to the freestyle collection, I give you The Anthem 12″, complete with video. The track is teeming with big names who’ve all brought along some of their hottest verses - hell I even like Eminem’s verse a lot.
I’m not sure where I originally found this. May have been on biffhop or some other place. Whoever I owe this to, if you’re reading this, holler.
Anyhow… “Best of Freestyles” is a six-volume bootleg compilation of freestyles from radio shows such as Sway and Tech’s Wake Up Show, from actual rap battles and from live shows. You can tell it’s not an official release cos the sound quality varies a bit from one track to the next. But as far as that raw, live character goes that is the essence of rap, whether they’re actual off-the-cuff freestyles or rehashed lines from writtens, this makes a great listen.
Of course, you’ll find in here all the names from the US freestyle bullpen such as: Supernatural, Wordsworth, Punchline, J-Live, Immortal Technique, Chino XL, Apathy, Eminem, Big L, Ras Kass, Supastition, Canibus, Joe Budden, Tonedeff, Mykill Miers etc. etc., to name but a few.
A couple of years ago, I stumbled over the website of some unknown indie rapper and producer by the name of Sun Zoo from New England. He had a bunch of tracks online and since the little comments on his website were kinda funny, I figured I’d give the tracks a try. At the time he’d just put up his first album entitled “Hope Flies” for free and I was outright surprised how good it sounded. I’d expected something a lot more à la “my first steps in music.”
I never really went back to the album much after that, but I just recently fell upon the songs on my harddisk again, and since I remembered kinda liking them I decided to look the dude up, to see what he’s up to now. Turns out, he’s meanwhile got another two albums out, and that’s only at the young age of 22!
Like his first album, he’s giving his second one away for free as well. “Can’t see the forest” is again a collection of personal experiences turned into stories of hope, hopelessness, alcohol and the trials and tribulations of a young artist who’s desperately trying to keep his integrity (among other things…)
His third and brandnew album “Roads on the Earth” is the first album he made with the help of a proper record label, Veggie Co. It can be got as a digital download and a CD, both together for one price. (I haven’t peeped it yet, but I will.)
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But let’s cut right to the chase and meet the man himself… (quotes from his lyrics and songs are inserted by me, not him, by the way.)
Tell us a little about yourself. Where you’re from, how old you are, what kind of stuff you do, what your background is, whatever you wanna share.
Well, I’m a rapper/producer named Sun Zoo…I call various places in New England home (CT, RI, ME), and I’m about to move to Harbin, China, to teach and work on music for a little while. I’m 22, and I’ve been making hip-hop for about ten years now. I just released my third album, Roads on the Earth, on Veggie Co Records, and I have two albums I released independently that are free on my website.
How did you pick your name “Sun Zoo”? Art of War? You don’t sound very martial. Is there a story to it?
Originally yeah it did come from that, because I was into battling. I wanted to spell it in a way I thought would be easily memorable and easy to say, so I chose Sun Zoo. I don’t really think about it like that anymore, though, it’s kind of more abstract to me now. I just like how it looks and sounds.
How did hip-hop reach you in your neck of the woods (Providence, Rhode Island)? What drew you in?
Well, I actually grew up in suburban Connecticut and rural Maine. When I was in fifth grade, I think, my friend gave me a mixtape he had made with some 2pac songs on it, and it was totally different from anything I had really heard before. I guess the danger and the “don’t-give-a-fuck” attitude drew me in (remember, I was like 10 years old…), but by the time I realized how ridiculous it was for me to be listening to that stuff like I related to the stories in it, I had already discovered Atmosphere, Sage Francis and a lot of other underground guys.
What people do you look up to? Who has been a major influence on you? (Be it literature, arts, politics, your mom, anything.)
In terms of music? El-P has been a major influence the last few years. Not so much his music itself, but the attitude he approaches it with and his theory about it. He’s just a ruthless innovator, and whether what he’s doing works or not, that’s inspiring. A Chinese philosopher named Zhuangzi has had a pretty significant impact on my thinking, too, which comes across in a bunch of my songs. The Mountain Goats have also been a big influence since my girlfriend gave me one of their albums… John Darnielle is an amazing songwriter. I get intimidated listening to Mountain Goats albums, but they’re wonderful.
I’m inspired and influenced by tons of things, though, from Hemingway to Dizzee Rascal.
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Hip-Hop ft. DJ HDL
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How and when did you end up becoming an active member of the culture?
Well, I got into MCing because a friend of mine was doing it, and he knew I was a fiction writer, so he was just like ‘yo, try this out.’ It seemed to work, so I just kept doing it after that. He and I were a group for a while, but after we split I just kept going because I had already put a lot of time into it and it had become a sort of catharsis for me.
In terms of involvement in the culture, there wasn’t much going on in suburban CT, so until I moved to Providence for college, I was mostly connecting with people through the net. That’s how I hooked up with DJ HDL, for example. I’ve never actually even met him face to face, but he’s done the cuts on all my albums, brilliantly. And the battle scene on the net forced me to develop my skills a lot in a way that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
Then, when I got to Providence, the community sort of reached out to me. I went to a PackFM show and discovered that somehow, some people knew who I was and had heard my music. Chachi, who’s a big figure in the RI hip-hop scene, showed me tons of love and introduced me to a lot of people there.
You hold down both the microphone and the production knobs. How did either one of them evolve? Do you have priorities between the two? Do you produce tracks for people other than yourself?
MCing was just sort of natural for me. I’ve always been writing things, so that just became the new channel for writing when I started doing music, and that was that. Producing was more complicated. I started doing it only because I couldn’t afford to buy beats, and because people weren’t making the types of beats I wanted to rock. Plus, I was always interested in making albums that SOUND like albums–that have a cohesive sound and theme. It’s hard to do that if you’re just trying to mix together other people’s beats.
I don’t really have priorities between the two. If I just feel like making music I’ll usually make a beat, and if I have something more specific I’m feeling, I’ll write it. I end up making a ton more beats than I use, so I do produce for other people occasionally, mostly emcees I know from online. Spoonful, Point Game, Taiyamo Denku, etc. If you don’t know those guys, look them up, they’re dope.
Do you have a “crew” you roll with? Since everybody seems to need a crew, clique, gang, group of weedcarriers…
No, I have no crew at all, which means I generally do shows solo. The Veggie Co guys are a little like a crew now that I’m signed to them, but music tends to be a solitary thing for me. I have a crew of friends who come to shows and buy albums because they’re my friends and they support me, but they aren’t there when I’m writing or recording. They’re just regular friends.
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New Pirates
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Now let’s talk business for a moment… You’ve got two full-length albums online to give away for free. A lot of cats put out their music on the internet for nothing. But most of it is not as good as yours (blatant asskissing.) Your stuff doesn’t sound like a bedroom production at all. How did you make those tracks?
They actually both are bedroom productions, more or less. I recorded them myself, the first one on a roland multitrack thing I was borrowing from someone and the second one on my computer at home. Getting good sound from home recording really isn’t that hard for a rapper, because the only thing you really need is a good microphone setup. That, and a willingness to spend hours and hours and hours mixing. The beats, I make on my computer using Reason. For those albums and for Roads on the Earth, I was using Reason 2.5, but I just got the upgrade to 4.0 and a whole bunch of sweet refills to use for the next albums.
How can you afford to give away your music for zilch? I take it you have a daytime J-O-B?
Yup. I still can’t really afford it, though. I definitely lost money on Hope Flies and Can’t See the Forest when you take into account what the equipment and software cost, but that’s just the sort of thing I’m willing to spend my money on, I guess.
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Just fuckin around
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“I’m dope as fuck, but I don’t even try
So if I quit this rap shit yo, don’t be surprised
You wanna sign me to ya label? I don’t wanna be down
Cause I ain’t trying to get rich, I’m just fuckin’ around”
-Chorus of “Just fuckin around” off “Hope Flies”
Hahahah…I was lying. No, that really was how I felt at the time, and still do mostly. I’m still not trying to get rich, but I have discovered that to do everything I want to and make the music I want to make, I need help. Financially and otherwise.
What’s your daytime job now?
I just graduated last month, so I don’t have one at the moment; I’m waiting for my job in China to start and working on music in the interim.
What did you graduate in?
I graduated with a B.A. in East Asian Studies, focusing on China.
I take it you speak one of the Chinese languages? How come?
I do speak Mandarin, although not as well as I’d like. It was required for my major, but really just because I find it interesting, and it isn’t as hard as everyone says.
How did you get the connect for the job in Harbin?
I didn’t, really. I basically just found a bunch of English schools in northern China, where I knew I wanted to be, and sent them resumes trying to see what was available. This job turned out to be the best looking because it’s also a training program–at the end of six months I’ll have a TESOL certification that will allow me to teach English as a foreign language more or less anywhere.
Just to see the proportions here, I’m really curious how much it cost you to make your second album “Can’t see the forest.” Also to give people an idea how much somebody like you puts into their passion, just to give it to the interested listeners.
Well, technically it was free, in that I already owned all the equipment at that point. But if you want to know how much that stuff cost me when I did buy it a few years earlier, it was probably about $1,500 total.
Hosting my site so people can download the albums is about $100 a year. Advertising, recording, writing, producing, etc, are all “free” in that I do them myself, but thats hours and hours and hours that I spend not being paid.
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Glass House
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“The thing is, it wasn’t like he couldn’t afford
To buy the things that I had, yo, he could have had more
He was rich, I worked my ass off, spent over a thou
On the equipment, all he had to do was open his mouth”
-”Glass House” off “Hope Flies”
Is there a way for you to make a little money off your music? Do you get to do shows?
Yeah, I just did a show in Hartford and made a little money off it. I don’t get do as many as I’d like because I’m busy with other stuff and to because it’s hard to get booked sometimes.
You’re now signed to Veggie Co. What kept you from getting a contract before? What made you sign with Veggie? How does the deal work out for you?
Veggie Co was the first label that managed to convince me they actually brought something to the table, and weren’t just trying to get a piece of me, so to speak. I don’t want to discuss specific contract details, but I have complete creative control over everything from the content of my albums to the cover art. They help with anything I need help with, but don’t ever force me to do one thing or another. They also genuinely love the music, which is probably the most important part.
“You on a contract, then you probably finna get jerked
I know it’s big bills they be giving at first
But they don’t pay for your studio and it’ll get worse
When you find out you have to pay back the advance
Before you see any money that they make on your jams
Too many of you rappers put your name on the line
And then end up broke when your label is fine”
-”Get Free” off “Hope Flies”
Hahaha…that is the way majors work; luckily Veggie Co doesn’t operate that way. They paid for my studio time in full, for example.
In your own words, if you look back onto your three albums, can you see a development in your work, lyrically, musically, or thematically, and how would you describe it?
Yes, definitely. I think musically it’s getting better, or at least, my production is getting closer and closer to being exactly how I want it so it fits the vibe of the lyrics exactly how I want it to. Lyrically, I think I’m developing too. I don’t know if people care–I think the honesty is what attracts a lot of people, and that’s there throughout–but if you look at “November Alone” from Hope Flies and compare it to “November Alone (Part II)” from Roads on the Earth, for example, they both express the same basic idea, but “Part II” expresses it in a much more complex and interesting way. I think, anyway.
Thematically I think it’s getting complicated too. The omnipresent hope theme remains, of course, but I think I’m complicating it, and in the next couple albums I will be complicating it even more.
Is there something you think you do better now on your third release than on your first? etc.
I think I do virtually everything better. Which isn’t to say I don’t like the first album, but I think the lyricism and production are both stronger on the new album.
Is there something you wouldn’t try again? ;)
Uh, not really…I’ve done plenty of things that didn’t work–whenever I try to sing, for example–but I’ll probably keep doing them anyway because they’re interesting. I didn’t sing on “Roads on the Earth”, but maybe I’ll force people to endure some more singing on the next album…
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Escaping
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In your lyrics, among other things, the drinking theme/metaphor keeps coming up (November Alone, One Sip, Escaping…) Do you wanna talk about it? What about you and drugs?
Well, I do drink. I don’t think I have a problem really, but then again, I was in college, where you can basically be an alcoholic and nobody cares. Now I’ve graduated, so we’ll see. I don’t really ever drink alone, though.
Drugs I don’t fuck with, mostly for financial reasons and my desire to never, ever have to deal with police. Although I just recently got my wisdom teeth out, so I’ve been on Vicodin all week, and it’s pretty great.
Anything coming up in the near future?
Yes. There will be some more live videos up from my Hartford show on my website, but more importantly, the website will be switching over to be a part of my new project, American Expatriate, soon. It’s going to be a concept album about American life through the lens of living abroad (since I’m about to move to China), and as a part of it I’m going to be keeping a blog about life there, producing videos about various aspects of life and music, providing some instrumental downloads, etc., to keep people interested while I’m working on the album. At the same time as that album, I’m also going to release another one for free on my website that will just be another regular Sun Zoo album.
American Expatriate won’t have any samples and will be a cohesive story album that’s only available by purchase, so the other one will be the typical sample-heavy Sun Zoo record about anything and everything people are used to. Plus it will be free.
So, get excited.
Famous last words?
Yeah. Check out the two free albums at sun-zoo.com, and if you like them, then get the new album Roads on the Earth via veggiecorecords.com, iTunes, Amazon.com, etc.
And help me out by telling your friends about my music if you like it. Word of mouth is the best possible promotion, and I will be very grateful. Add yourself as a fan on my facebook page, myspace, etc. Post up posters around your town. Shout about my albums in the street. Every little bit helps, and I appreciate it greatly.
Thank you so much for taking the time. All the best with your new projects!
One thing I miss most when I’m abroad is usually decent bread. And right next is the music I somehow managed to not take along. And this time the lack of music was exacerbated by the fact that my pod is broken and I had to make do with a 254 MB player. In other words: two albums. (In case you were wondering, they were the Mulatu Astatke & Heliocentrics gig (awesome stuff) and the latest Lone Catalysts album.)
But while digging round the beach, catching jellyfish and burying them in the sand and letting my ass float in the pool, I kept humming a couple of joints and muttering lines to the point that I started to wonder what the other people might think is wrong with me. (No, they were not your obvious summer songs. What a fuckin cliché anyway. Like I’m going to listen to Bob’s No woman no cry all summer long?)
Obviously, as soon as I got home I had to blast these tracks right into my face so I could finally let them go and move on. So, here they are. All of them are heaters, and all can be found on my blog already, in their natural habitat, i.e. on the corresponding albums. Ahi va…
SFDK - El liricista en el tejado (The lyricist on the roof)
off their album 2001 Odisea en el lodo
Easily one of their best tracks combining the rough sound of Zatu’s voice with a playful and hellishly catchy horn loop and beat.
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Tote King - El primer dia del resto de tu vida (The first day of the rest of your life)
off his album Un tipo qualquiera
On here, Tote tells the engineer to put one of Big Hozone’s beats on so he can drop some leftover verses he has in his rhymebook. Tote spits like a beast and as he himself says about the beat “madre mia!” Btw, on the same album, the same beat is used for a guest joint with Vast Aire, which isn’t half as good.
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Jefe de la M ft. Shotta - La gran huida (The great escape) off his album Entra el dragón
Jefe de la M gets Tote’s little brother Shotta on a track that kills me every time I listen to it. This is officially one of my 10 favourite beats ever. Seriously. And both bring that fire to the mic. Incredible track.
So The 3rd World has finally dropped, and turns out it’s not the long-announced album, but more of a mixtape of new material and a couple of semi-recent tracks thrown in, such as the excellent Golpe de Estado which has been making the rounds on one of the various bootlegs. Which is also the first track I can remember where Immortal Tech spits his verses entirely in Spanish.
All round, this is a very tight release. Still, the title track stands out like Kareem Abdul Jabbar in playschool and I don’t think I’ll get tired of listening to this anytime soon. The 3rd World may very well be Immortal Tech’s best track so far, both musically and lyrically. Greenlantern’s laced him with an incredibly infectious beat that combines stabby, yet tender pan flute and plucked string-ish sounding samples with a bass blast that dries your sweaty socks if you stand too close to the speakers. And on top of this headnodder, Tech develops his recurring and almost hypnotic pattern drawing vivid images of the messed-up situation of 3rd world countries, one of which he himself is from.
This is the pre-released version that was officially put online as promo. The mixtape version gets cut up and wheeled back a few times on the first lines of verse one. For those who haven’t had a peep yet, listen and read along.
Immortal Technique - The 3rd World (produced by DJ Green Lantern)
Lyrics:
immortal technique, and dj green lantern
i’m from where the gold and diamonds are ripped from the earth,
right next to the slave castles where the water is cursed,
from where police brutality’s not half as nice,
it makes the hood in america look like paradise,
compared to the aids infested caribbean slum,
african streets where the passport’s an american gun,
from where they massacre people and try to keep it quiet,
and spend the next 25 years tryna deny it,
i’m from where they cut your hands off if you make a fist,
and niggaz grow coca cuz the job market doesn’t exist,
except slave labor modern day company store,
and peacekeepers don’t ever, ever, ever come here no more,
from where the bombs that they used to drop on vietnam,
still has children born deformed 8 months before they gone,
i’m from where they lost the true meaning of the koran,
cuz heroin is not compatible with islam,
and niggaz know that but grow that poppy seed anyway,
cuz that food drop parachute does not come everyday,
i’m from where people pray to the gods of their conquerors,
and practically every president’s a money launderer,
from where the only place democracy’s acceptable,
is if america’s candidate is electable,
and they might even have a black president but he’s useless,
cuz he does not control the economy, stupid!
chorus:
lock and load your gun where i’m from the 3rd world son,
been to many places but i’m 3rd world born,
guerillas hit and run where i’m from the 3rd world son,
you polluted everything and now the 3rd world’s gone.
water is poison where i’m from the 3rd world son,
700 children died by the end of this song,
revolutioners come where i’m from the 3rd world son,
constant occupation leaves the 3rd world torn.
i’m from where the catholic church is some racist shit,
they helped europe and america rape this bitch,
they pray to white spanish jesus whose face is this,
but never talk about the black pope gelasius,
i’m from where soviet weapons still decide elections,
military’s like the mafia — you pay for protection,
catamite sex tours is what the country sells,
and rich white business men make the best clientele,
i’m from where they too pussy to come film survivor,
and they murder coca cola union organizers,
i’m from where the justice system está podrido,
fuck government niggaz politic over perico,
rebelde concido, enterado vivo, como otro argentino desaparecido,
cuz rico laws don’t apply to the cia,
and muthafuckaz make sneakers for a quarter a day,
i’m from where they overthrow democratic leaders,
not for the people, but for the wall street journal readers,
from where blacks, indigenous peoples and asians,
were once the slaves of caucasians,
and it’s amazin how they trained them,
to be racist against themselves in the place they was raised in,
you kept us caged in,
destroyed our culture and said that you civilized us,
raped our women and when we were born you despised us,
gentrified us agent provocateurs divide us,
and crucified every revolutionary messiah,
so i’ma start a global riot,
and not even your fake, anti-communist dictators can keep quiet,
fuck your charity medicine tryna murder me,
the immunizations you gave us were full of mercury,
so now i see the 3rd world like the rap game soldier,
nationalize the industry and take it over
*edit* Now with half of the files on Mediafire, for those who can’t be bothered with RS.
Keith Elam and Christopher Martin are among the rare cats that have had a career in hip-hop that spans more than 20 years. Most people fall off at some point, but these keep going. From the beginnings when they were the flagship for jazz-rap to the dirty, choppy, “classic” New York sound of the Nineties and Noughties that has been coined in great part by Premier himself, it’s pretty safe to say that this duo has left its mark on hip-hop music. DJ Premier’s magic beat formula has helped countless MCs to have their instant classic singles while Guru has guest-starred on tracks and connected with people around the whole world. Guru and Premier are the embodiment of NY City hip-hop and they’ve brought the city’s sound and style to every head on the globe.
This is a compilation (a bootleg, I guess) of the tracks they’ve done outside their Gangstarr releases, i.e. either Premier production/remixes or Guru guest spots as either an MC or a producer himself.
All in all, there are no less than 476 tracks, or 2.5 GBs that come in servings of about album-size, lettered from A to Z. The tracks themselves are in no particular order, but if you want to know what’s there to have, peep the tracklist here.
And while you’re working yourself from A to Z, I thought I’d give you something appropriate to listen to. No, it’s not a Gangstarr track, but it’s LL helping you to spell your way through the alphabet. ;)
LL Cool J - It gets no rougher
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Gangstarr - Rarities A-Z (each letter = one archive!)
files are available for one month only.
any artist or legal copyright owner who would rather not see their music on this blog, please leave a comment with a valid e-mail address and I will take them down as quickly as humanly possible. promise.
-l
f
lificus : Latin pr
s, pr
