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#LHHS10 2016 Elzhi Lead Poison

#LHHS10 2016

June 7, 2016

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About half way into the year, here's the latest #LHHS10 update.  

#LHHS10 is a top 10 break down of my favorite Hip Hop listenings.  It dates back to the Lee Hip Hop Show #radiodayz and charting to the College Music Journal (CMJ).  Charting is a process radio djs participate in to report their top 10 albums or singles in rotation.  When I was on the radio CMJ sent magazines to program directors that included Hip Hop and other genre airplay listings from college radio stations around the country.  

LHHS stands for "Lee's Hip Hop Show". That's what I called my Hip Hop radio program when I started broadcasting on KRUX 91.5 FM in 2000.  A couple of years later I renamed it "The Representation Show" and "Soul Session". During the eight years I was on air, I charted the free music KRUX received from promoters, record labels, or directly from the artists themselves.  Access to music was costly for a broke college student so it helped to be a part of what was referred to as a record pool. Today #LHHS10 is a music chart I created in memory of my radio program and to continue finding time to share, document, and write about music I love and continue to discover today.

This week I saw a 2016 interview with Mya on YouTube and she talked about how much has changed when it comes to radio and how people access music. Her thoughts of new R&B being extinct from radio was interesting to me since I was thinking the same thing a couple weeks ago listening to Jodeci's Diary of a Mad Band. On popular charts like the Billboard it appears all R&B groups have gone fishing. On the Billboard's latest top 25 R&B, there are no groups, only solo artist. Mya also discussed the pros and cons of today's digital music market. We've heard what artist don't like about downloading for years but whats interesting is how much digital continues to grow and render traditional marketing methods obsolete for certain artists.   

I still like to buy CDs.  I collect vinyl too but since last year I stopped to catalog and listen to what I've collected over the past fifteen years. On my desk I have a stack of CDs I've listened to since the start of 2016.  I pulled most of the CDs from storage so that I could listen to them again, reflect, and organize them in three stacks I identified as classic, cool, or trash.  In terms of store bought music, that day is dead.  I haven't bought a CD from a store since last year. I've been a frequent buyer since my teenage years so for me that's a big change.  It made me realize how less interesting stores become with less music. This year, all my purchases have been done online through Amazon for physical CDs and Bandcamp or eMusic for the digital.  YouTube also has an endless search of full albums that can be accessed for free on any mobile device.  Get connected to an auxiliary cord in the vehicle and you're set.  At first I wasn't interested in listening to full albums on YouTube.  The idea of being detached from appreciating an album cover, tracklist, and liner notes felt disposable. However, in the past couple of months I've changed my mind to stream certain listens during workout time or a long drive. 

I haven't updated this blog since the beginning of the year after wrapping up 2015.  I've posted a few tweets but made no effort to reflect and write about the music I was listening to.  It makes me feel like the year is speeding by. I love how I think about the music I'm listening to, especially from an artist or group I've been listening to for a while.  I've had a collector's spirit since childhood so the stories have always mattered.  As a kid it seems like I had all the time in the world to become absorbed in what I liked.  And there was nothing like simpler times between headphones connected to my Sony cassette walkman... 

listening to Dre..

listening to Pac...

listening to the Wu.  

Those moments are memories I value as part of my own history with music as a fan. When I found a spot on air I attempted to record every show on cassette.  Writing today feels like an extension of why I wanted to preserve those radio programs as moments that were all part of the listening process. Watching 'I Am Ali', towards the end of the film viewers hear a clip from the recordings Ali made of himself talking to his children over the phone.  In the clip he we hear Ali telling his family... "If anybody ever wonder why Muhammad Ali making these tapes, it's cause history is so beautiful..."    

Reflecting and thinking about music also opens up the chance to do a different kind of digging that's focused on research and the stories behind the music.  For example, when I revisited my Pistol Politics CD by Paris and returned to the Guerilla Funk Recordings site, I found out about a compilation project from a new member of the Guerilla Funk family who goes by DJ Justice.  His compilation album is called Man of Steel. Looking back at what I wrote in January about Pistol Politics it reminded me to check in.  Music occupies a powerful space in our lives, especially when we think about what it inspires us to do.   

Moving forward, here are the notes for the latest #LHHS10 chart...

When it comes to new releases, 2016 didn't really jump off for me until I heard Elzhi was coming out with a new record titled Lead Poison.  I heard about the new record through Junclassic's Twitter page.  Junclassic is an eMCee out of Southside Jamaica Queens and when he's not creating his own classic music he's tuned in putting people on to who he listens to.  I was introduced to Elzhi's rhymes on Dilla's Welcome 2 Detroit solo debut and more when he joined Slum Village for the Trinity (Past, Present, and Future) album.  At the time I also read an article where someone referred to Elzhi as the "Detroit" Nas.  At first, the connection wasn't there for me in so far as style, but I thought about it every time I heard something new featuring Elzhi.  This was reinforced listening to his debut a couple years after Dilla passed when the The Preface dropped.  When Elzhi dropped Elmatic though... For anyone not familiar with Nas debut Illmatic we're talking about one of the greatest albums of all time.  Released in 1994 tracks like ((The World is Yours)) have a place in my life's soundtrack.  From the beats to the rhymes Nas and Pete Rock captured a universal feeling with that single.  To me, everything about the creation of Illmatic, from the production to the book of rhymes and the videos that were like short films made it a timeless record for 1994.  

Elzhi's Elmatic, to me, went beyond a tribute. In detail, Elzhi rewrote Illmatic as a Detroit story.  Sound wise its the art of sampling in reverse with the live band Will Sessions covering the original beats.  Will Sessions are straight outta Detroit and one of the baddest bands I've ever heard because of the way they express Illmatic's sound. Similar to the Illmatic view of Queensbridge, the Elmatic videos shine light on Detroit's style and Hip Hop history.  Listening to Elmatic I felt like a kid in 94' again watching Nas's ((It Ain't Hard to Tell)) video.  In it, calm and cool as ever Nas rhymes soul deep in the now to a Large Professor beat sampled from Thriller sounds of the early 80s.  Elzhi's Elmatic also took me back to the article I read years ago that compared Elzhi to Nas. To me, Elmatic represented something unique about the soul and relevance of Detroit when it comes to Hip Hop.  It also made me rethink the art of sampling and how to turn a homage into a concept of music rememory.  

It made me wonder what a Watt's Illmatic would sound like;  

or a New Orleans Illmatic...

or who would be capable of pulling off an H-Town State of Mind...

I think of Planet Asia's ((Fresno State of Mind)) track. He was the first to do it.

With Elmatic we gotta recognize how much work went into translating the slang and relocating New York into a ((Detroit State of Mind)).  Elmatic is a project that can only live once and it speaks to the power of Illmatic's inspiration.  But man... even that title...Elmatic... quoting SV... it's fan...ta...serro.

Going back to Lead Poison by Elzhi I have this album at no. 1 for my 2016 #LHHS10.  The title and cover speak to 2016...from the power and fear of the pen to the biological oppression of a U.S. water crises. In 2016,  Lead Poison is a labor of art, from how its arranged and connected track for track to the complex back story we learn from Elzhi's interviews promoting the record.  Lyrically, it's not politically loud but there's an art to Elzhi's storytelling and how its put together. The title of the album itself is politically charged to me, as is the artwork just based off of where this record is coming from.  As I listen to Lead Poison it brings memory to Dilla and Elzhi's verses on ((Come Get It)) from Welcome 2 Detroit.  I also think of a track I must have listened to a thousand times on repeat over the years...((Love It Here))... thinking back to Elzhi's hook..."...but I love it here, just think if I wasn't here, my uncles and cousins here, my struggles and come ups here..."  Lead Poison is no. 1 cause you won't find many eMCees releasing another album like they were just getting started; each time giving people's imagination a much deeper perspective of what Detroit's rhyme writers are capable of.

Following up with no. 2, I got The Kenner Loop by Jet Life soldier & Good$ense general, Young Roddy.  There was no other record I listened to more so far this year then The Kenner Loop.  When it comes to Jet Life, it was  the New Orleans villain Trademark Da Skydiver that led me to an abundant online stash of Curren$y downloads, Jet Life compilations, the LE$ and Cookin' Soul tape, and this year debut from Young Roddy, The Kenner Loop. Years from now, reflecting back on 2016 I will remember and hear this album.  In addition, nothing beats the access fans have to more Jet Life  and Good$ense affiliated music on Dat Piff Mixtapes and plenty of YouTube media including The Kenner Loop documentary. 

I've kept the Paris Pistol Politics on the charts. If how I charted was based on which records bump down others, Pistol Politics would not be moved.  Eventually I'll have this one listed under my 21st Century Hip Hop Classics tab cause its #timeless.

Oddisee, man... what can I say?  There's a lot artist can learn from Oddisee when it comes to the music biz, digital responsibility, and the world as a platform to an eMCee's brand.  He's an incredible story of what it means to be unique and to "do you" like Slum Village said.  With the Alwasta EP, even though it's only seven tracks its deep enough to be in conversation with any other eMCee's full length.  Therefore I added it to the #LHHS10.  Oddisee is one of the few artist on my radar that just as easily could top my #HHbeAtz10 instrumental charts.  Check for Alwasta for free download from Oddisee's Bandcamp site.

For the life of me, I can't keep up with Moka Only.  At the same time I can't complain.  I just know any day I feel like listening to something out the Moka Only archive that I haven't heard yet there will always be something to purchase.  This year I decided to start with his newest record São Paulo.  It's dope... first listen no skips and by the end I wanted to know more about the record and dig back to listen to everything I missed.  To learn more about each track on São Paulo visit Moka Only's Bandcamp page.  Here's Moka Only's notes on one of my favorite feel good tracks on São Paulo ((One One))... “This is just some whimsical shit written for people that have lost and learned how to keep going. Keep your eyes on the silver linings. Feel it."

Next up I got a record from the beautiful mind of Saul Williams Martyr Loser King.  Listening to him spit ((Think Like They Book Say)) on Sway in the Morning reminded me how much he's inspired going back to his 'Slam' film.  His art breathes with a revolutionary spirit that I think people tend to lose track of when it comes to the arts.  It's honest, strong, consistent, and something to think about when we reflect on the value of our own expression and what we're doing with it.  Martyr Loser King is a landmine in your brain.  Tap into it. 

On deck for the remaining #LHHS10, I got Sevin's Purple Heart... I've said it before and to me, Sevin is among the \/\/est's best on the mic.  Last year he set off on a spiritual journey with his camp H.O.G.M.O.B. (Hooked on God Ministry Over Bizness) to spread the gospel to every hood they could reach across the nation. Purple Heart is progression of Sevin's concept records with the word of God that brings life to every track.  Next, I added Royce Da 5'9's Layers to the #LHHS10... just a dope record. The intro ((Tabernacle)) is the most personal I've heard Royce go though there's a lot I missed early on from his discography.  During the #radiodayz I got introduced to his music through the Premier produced 12' single ((Boom)).  This collab reached a pinnacle in 2015 with the release of the DJ Premier produced Adrian Younge sampled PRhyme.

Two records remain from the 2015 #LHHS10 and that's katO1O's On the Cusp and PE's Man Plans God Laughs. I wrote about both of those projects in the last #LHHS10 post. 

Coming up, I'm listening to the latest from the Yancey family with the posthumous Dilla The Diary release (that track ((Trucks)) tho'!)... I'm also setting up my summer for the international collab between Junclassic & Wun on the Better than Fiction Too album. 

Here's to a return to reflect and just write.

Til' the next blog...hopefully sooner than later.  Peace. #LHHS10

-lee aka repshowhost

#HHbeAtz10 Update for 2016

#HHbeAtz10 2016

Instrumental Charts

Updated February 10, 2016

#LHHS10 Charts 2016

#LHHS10 Charts 2016

See the list to the left of the screen when you view the full web version of the blog

Moving forward for 2016, I updated the #LHHS10 Charts with records I got the chance to check out in the 4th quarter of 2015.  At the top I have Paris 'Pistol Politics', a timely double disc release.  It's the best Hip Hop record I've heard from a \/\/est coast eMCee in a long time.  What's great is the opportunity fans have to hear Paris' perspective with what's going on today not only through the album itself but through interviews and the promotion he's been doing to get the word out.  Pistol Politics sounds incredible and the social commentary educates listeners with no thoughts attached to label control or industry.  It's about as honest a perspective people will hear from Hip Hop when it comes to police brutality, the economy, racism, US leadership, issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement and other battles. The quality of the music and message is consistent with what Paris has delivered over the past three decades.  I'm hopeful this means more from Guerilla Funk Recordings in 2016 as I also heard Paris talk about plans to release a new George Clinton record.  Regardless, Pistol Politics is one to revisit again and again in the coming months and years, just like with everything else on Paris' catalogue.  You can stay informed and up to date at guerillafunk.com.

Next up is the most talented Kato1o of Crown City Rockers who dropped On the Cusp in October.  It's a dope followup to the Natural Phenomenons record and another addition to everything great about the creative output from members of Crown City Rockers. You can spend a lot of time learning and listening to everything they've worked on as a group, solo, and through collaboration (check for Raashan Ahmad, Woodstock, Headnodic, and Max MacVeety) . The Roots are my all time favorite Hip Hop group, but there's no doubt that Crown City is in that echelon if not even better considering their efforts to branch off and deliver solo projects such as Kato1o's On the Cusp.  It's an incredible record, inspiring sound, and you can check out the music and more at Kato1o website kato1o.com.

On the list, we're keeping it \/\/est Coast, CA with the release of 90059 by Jay Rock.  Definitely one of the year's most anticipated records for me personnaly and I dug the opportunity TDE gave fans to purchase an autographed CD copy.  With the video release of ((Money Tres Deuce)) it was on.  Rock has one of the most distinct voices in Hip Hop and along with the rest of the Black Hippy family is carrying the torch for something special out of LA.  Especially for artist representing Compton.  In this case though, Jay Rock is taking us straight to the source... \/\/atts, 90059 zip code.  Through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), I hear a lot of influence on the millennials from the legacy of voices like Tupac Shakur and other artist from the Death Row days including Dre, Snoop, the Dogg Pound and the Warren G-Funk Long Beach crew...but also there's an element out of the dirty south I hear inspired by the Organized Noize sound of the 90s... I've always felt that way ever since listening to Good Kid Mad City and especially with 90059 on tracks like ((Gumbo)) produced by J.LBS.  Keeping up with TDE over the years has been like watching the students of southern CA graduate to the world stage that once dominated the 90s. I'm looking forward to continuing to hear Jay Rock master his representation of \/\/atts story and I hope we hear more growth in terms of speaking on it's history and culture.  Similar to how New York heralds the Bronx, I'm hopeful there's something more the world can learn about \/\/atts.

Keeping the #LHHS10 going was the latest release from Public Enemy Man Plans God Laughs which dropped Summer of 2015.  It took me a little bit of time to pick it up.  It was actually the audio book by Stuart Scott Every Day I Fight that inspired me to not let the year pass without tuning into the world's greatest Hip Hop group.  There is a moment in Scott's audio book, where the narrator repeats the phrase "...man plans, God laughs..."  and something about Scott's connection to Hip Hop's narrative inspired me to purchase PE's album.  In condensing the record below 30 minutes the group, to no surprise, accomplishes more with less.  While the listening time is shorter the experience is enduring in its message.  A statement we can enjoy, think and talk about, learn and understand. 

For 2015's 4th quarter I also got the chance to check out Curren$y's Canal Street Confidential which got a dope sound, not to mention a feature from one of the illest international producers in the game, Cookin' Soul.  I'm intrigued by Curren$y's story coming out of New Orleans as a No Limit soldier and coming up to become a Jet Life captain.  Through Curren$y over the years I've became fans of eMCee's like Trademark Da Skydiver, Young Roddy, and a network of other artist I can now tap into whenever I need something to listen to in the ride.  Listening to Jet Life also takes me back to the Chicago + Jacksonville connection that Chapter 13 captured in the earlier part of the century.  That's where my mind goes and it makes me wonder how much of Chapter 13 may have inspired what we're hearing today... there is a real distinct sound, in both instrumental and subject matter that Young Valentine, Rashid Hadee, and the Neblina family were speaking on in the first decade of the 2000s. I like to think about that energy regardless if there's any connection cause its exciting to hear this style coming out of New Orleans and the success of Jet Life over the years... keep winning in 2016.

After that for #LHHS10, I added the Jadakiss record Top 5 DOA... it's a conversation fans of Hip Hop love to have and I dug the promotion run with the mixtape and just hearing Jada come back stronger and healthier than ever...A lot of good hardcore New York energy on this record, especially in the production from Swizz... ((Jason)) is a problem!! And its the ((You Don't Eat)) video that had me thinking Creed with Jada back in the ring. In addition for the charts I was locked into the Game Documentary 2 double disc album and the  high caliber force he carries for Compton's control of the microphone in 2015. Straight Outta Compton took the box office by storm and it was great to see that history connect through bonafied eMCees like The Game. 

For 2016 charting I also decided to extend consideration for mixtape projects as there was no mixtape I was looking out for more than Houston's LE$ Steak x Shrimp 2.  Datpiff.com became a primary source for the daily listen throughout the year (especially with the new app!) and on my radar was LE$, definitely.  Next up I got Sean Price's posthumous Songs in the Key of Price record.  I can only imagine where the Brownsville Bomber was going with this effort and appreciated Duck Down for releasing this project as a mixtape, 30 tracks deep.  He's a microphone barbarian and lyrical shooter, defines hardcore Hip Hop and has the most hilarious concepts and title comparisons...from the previously released Mic Tyson project to the titles I thought about and laughed when I saw the tracklist of Songs in the Key of Price, ((Sean Shank Redemption)).  When you get the chance, look up the Seanwuar impression with Pharoahe Monch. Rhyme in peace Sean Price.  

Last but not least, I added Sevin's I'll Wait album.  Sevin is one of my all time favorite eMCees and his latest effort is far removed from the lyrical spirit of previous H.O.G.M.O.B. releases.  The acronym stands for Hooked on God, Ministry Over Bizness.  I first heard about Sevin through my cousin who did a lot of work with the church aspiring to become a pastor out in Fresno, California.  I've been in tune with Christian eMCees ever since meeting the founders of Holy Culture over a decade ago when I did college radio.  They opened my attention to a nation wide network of some of the most talented eMCees, beat makers, film makers, web developers and marketing professionals.  A lot of high quality work with a platform that seemed to do a good job of promoting everything dope about the Christian Hip Hop community.  However, I found out about Sevin directly from my cousin.  Didn't notice any promotion on Sevin's music from anywhere else other than from Sevin himself and his ministry team.  Sevin's purpose is admirable in thinking about his outreach around the country and the world and the power he scribes through the pen to rhyme, inspire, and help change the negative outlook of the gang affiliated or anyone in need of prayer.  On I'll Wait though, he takes a chance (a leap of faith) into his vocal range delivering a spiritual soulful record... all singing.  I recall listening to a Sevin interview and him mentioning his goals to develop in this area of his creative expression... he's explored his vocal range on several songs in the past.  I included I'll Wait on the charts because it sounds incredible and it represents something bigger than what "fans" expect from the artist they follow.  I'll Wait represents something far more personal for this particular artist and their spiritual journey.

Before we get 2016 going, I wanted to share these thoughts mainly to organize myself and everything I had the chance to hear in the final months of 2015.  I'd like to keep the #LHHS10 charts up to date more often and stay balanced between the music I listen to from the past and what's new.  Even though its been eight years since I've been on air, the fun routine of keeping up with the latest listens is still there and stronger than ever.  Especially now as I utilize the blog to exercise my writing skills and document some thoughts to look back on someday. 

Looking forward to a more patient and thoughtful 2016.  One track, one album at a time. 

-Lee

repshowhost@gmail.com

Good Morning Vietnam III The Phoenix Program #GMVIII #Timeless

Good Morning Vietnam III The Phoenix Program

by MF Grimm & Drasar Monumental

This album has been at the top of my charts since I first heard it last year, January 2015.  Its the 3rd following 2012's Good Morning Vietnam and Good Morning Vietnam 2, The Golden Triangle in 2013.  The intro to MF Grimm's longest running collab alongside beatsmith Drasar Monumental.  On a recent interview it was revealed that the two have formed a group called No Jugamos. Looking forward to Vendetta Vinyl in 2016, and learning more about The Illiad if more is revealed.  It's a project referenced on the back vinyl cover of the first Good Morning Vietnam series under a track titled ((Mater Matuta)).  Below is a video from Good Morning Vietnam III, The Phoenix Program titled ((Hands Up to Heaven, Feet Firm in Hell)). 

GMVI (2012), GMVII (2013), & GMVIII (2014)...These records championed each year they were released like a Bulls or Lakers three peat...the third taking the listener back to the beginning in attempt to tie the story line together.  I take away something new with each listen.  It's structure is cinematic, movie-like... a work of audio art  turning the volume up on the comic book world.  The way it's composed from the beats to the rhymes inspires research.  There's a lot of sound citations the listener can explore and revisit, rotate, and rotate again. I'm reminded of the radio skit on Enter the 36 Chambers where a caller requests Wu Tang's ((Protect Your Neck))... "Ahh yeah, again and again..." It's been like that over the past three years with the GMV series. 

Good Morning Vietnam inspired a new section of the blog site titled "Timeless" specifically for records released present day that I feel will stand the test of time.  GMVIII, representing for the entire GMV series will be the first certified #Timeless.

When the Beat Was Born Interview | LHHS Interviews

When the Beat Was Born Interview

w/ Laban Carrick Hill & Theodore Taylor III

by Lee Rhyanes

To access the interview visit Hip Hop Stacks: click here

Pistol Politics & Man Plans God Laughs

#LHHS10 Adds for September 2015

Added two new #listens to the #LHHS10 Charts featured to the left side of the blog.  More information on Pistol Politics by Paris at guerrillafunk.com and Man Plans God Laughs by Public Enemy check out publicenemy.com.

PeteStrumentals & the Birth of The Representation Show

PeteStrumentals

& the Birth of The Representation Show

Before this record even touched down I was out for Pete's beats.  In my story, beats by Pete Rock detail major #listening transitions of my come up.  Beginning with Mecca & the Soul Brother, Pete's sound is timeless.  It's something I'll always think about when I reflect on my past and those moments that I can connect to songs.  What's crazy is I know that if I'm around twenty years from now, I'll be reflecting on what Pete put out today, the same way I'm reflecting on what Pete put out 20 years ago.  We can call it consistency, but I think its more about another C-word...creativity. Pete's sound is natural.  It's like having the Barry White on I've Got So Much To Give in the 80s, the 90s & on & on.  It's here to stay.  Hip Hop forever. 

This release right here, PeteStrumentals is the birth of The Representation Show on KRUX 91.5 fm... a shift from how the show started in 2000 when I referred to our slot as 'Lee's Hip Hop Show'.  PeteStrumentals represented a new perspective in how I wanted my radio program to sound. A representation of different sounds of music while encouraging other people to bring personality and story to the booth.  PeteStrumentals was definitely the voice over for this time period. 

A major move for instrumental releases in the 21st Century.  

Couldn't find much on video from the time for PeteStrumentals, but here go an interview posted online from 2001 w/ Pete Rock by Markkus Rovito of E-Gear magazine.

ROCK ON
By Markkus Rovito
Nov 1, 2001 12:00 PM

Anyone who would call himself the Chocolate Boy Wonder would have to be either an egotistical fool or an incredibly talented soul. Fortunately, in the case of Pete Phillips, aka Pete Rock, it's the latter. Possessing both the skills and the résumé to deflect a landfill's worth of trash talk, Rock has remained one of hip-hop's most influential producers since he rose to prominence during the early '90s.

As a precocious teenager in the late '80s, Rock sat in on sessions with big-timers Marley Marl and Heavy D when most of us were still drooling on our Converse high-tops. After landing a weekly DJ spot on New York radio station WBLS's “In Control with Marley Marl,” Rock hooked up with rapper C.L. Smooth for a string of soulful releases that provided an alternative to early- and mid-'90s gangsta rap. Rock constantly mined his Smithsonian-size collection of vinyl to create compelling mixtures of jazzy horns, soulful piano, funky guitar, and smooth bass lines, defining one of the most influential hip-hop styles of the decade. After releasing an EP and two albums, Rock and Smooth split in 1994, but Rock stayed busy producing, remixing, and continuing to develop his sound.

By the time the first Pete Rock solo album dropped in 1998, an entire industry of on-mic talent was waiting to guest star on its tracks, including O.C., the Roots, and Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon. One of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums released that year, Soul Survivor (RCA/Loud) was a stylistic tour de force. Vintage Pete Rock jazz and soul stylings were still in effect — he even flirted with straight R&B — but an aggressive edge had also entered his sound, helping him remain a step ahead of the industry. Rock brought new life to the Wu-Tang dark-piano sound on “Strange Fruit,” and he even may have taught Timbaland a thing or two about big pimpin' with the melody on “Tha Game.”

Enter the 21st century, and Rock's as sharp as ever. The second release in BBE's (Barely Breaking Even) Beat Generation series, PeteStrumentals, is the perfect contemporary instrumental chill-out hip-hop album. All of Rock's signature instruments are present, but the pace is slower, and the arrangements are not as busy as those in most of his previous work. The relaxed moods and sampladelic strings and delays make it sound almost as if Rock decided to merge his soulful style with abstract down-tempo breaks. The album possesses an up-to-the-minute vibe even though most of the tracks are leftover, unreleased efforts from earlier in Rock's career — some tracks date back seven to ten years. That makes PeteStrumentals a testament to just how classic and far ahead of its time Rock's music actually is.

Despite the title's suggestion, the album is not entirely lacking in lyrics. A couple of new tracks have Rock teaming up with a new crew of MCs called the UN, including Rock Marciano from Busta Rhymes's Flipmode Squad, as well as MCs Divine, Godfree, and Laku. Their dangerous style flows eerily well with Rock's smooth bass lines and the gloomy mood of his dark strings and music-box samples.

Currently hanging in his hometown of New York City, Rock is busy working on several projects at once. He says he's six or seven tracks into Soul Survivor II, which should be out next year. He adds, “I'm working on an R&B project secretly with a dope singer that a lot of people should know, but I don't want to reveal who she is until we lock this deal down.”

When we caught up with him, Rock was just getting back from a trip to London to promote PeteStrumentals. He says he has a “big-time” following all across Europe, where fans like to hear the old classics that he rapped on as well as his new productions. “In London, you don't really have to do too much,” he says. “I get behind the decks and talk on the mic, talk ****, play a couple of records; know what I mean? But they do want to hear songs that they're used to hearing from me.” Behind the decks, Rock prefers either Rane or Vestax mixers for their superior crossfader action. “Gemini is cool, but I like the new style,” he explains. “It's 2001, man. The Rane and Vestax mixers are the best right now.”

Does Rock plan to continue exploring instrumental hip-hop? “I don't know,” he admits. “My next album may not be instrumental. It may just be a solo Pete Rock album, but I'll mix it with some instrumental stuff as well.”

When BBE first approached you to do an instrumental album, what intrigued you about the project?

I had a lot of leftover beats I wanted to share with the world that never really came out back in the day. I've got trillions of beats, but these were kind of special. Some were old C.L. tracks and a couple of other joints that never got used. I just figured I'd put ‘em out there like that. Some of them were recorded songs where I just took off the vocals.

What about the tracks with the UN crew?

I recorded those tracks this year. We're working on an EP now, and I'm working on an album with them as well. We don't have a solid deal yet, but we've got people biting. Trust me when I tell you, some real bangers are on there.

Can you talk about your production methods?

You mean how I do my thing? I can't reveal how I do my thing. I can tell you to be versatile and to single yourself out from other producers. You gotta create your own identity in this game. That's very, very, very important.

How did you create your own identity?

I got inspired by producers like Howie T, Marley Marl, and people that had '80s rap locked down, even Larry Smith, who did Whodini, and Rick Rubin — what he did with Run-DMC was a big inspiration to me. So I said to myself, “I want to be like these guys, but how can I be like these guys and be myself, because I don't want to sound like the next person.” So I just kept trying to master that E-mu SP-12, and I wouldn't leave the house until I mastered the machine. I started working at it, and my beats started getting better and better and better. When I was about 15, I did coproduction on Heavy D's Big Tyme, and a couple of years later, I worked on Heavy D's Peaceful Journey. Between doing the coproduction on those albums, I turned 16 and I did my first project alone with a group called Groove B. Chill with nobody's help. Actually, one of the guys is now an actor. He was in House Party, and he's been in movies with Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., and all that. That was his first album, and I did my first beats with those guys.

From then on, I started getting work. I got signed with [Heavy D's DJ] Eddie F [Edward Ferrell] to Untouchables Entertainment. He was also C.L. Smooth's manager at the time, and he was getting me work as a producer. By that time, I had a little bit of a roster on the coproduction side, and people just gave me a chance and tried me out. What really jump-started my whole career was when I got called to do the Public Enemy remix of “Shut 'em Down.” From then on, I basically created my identity from the music I was inspired by; I just did it a little different. I put more into what those guys didn't do. I wanted to do things that weren't done before.

You were pretty tight with Marley Marl. Did he teach you how to produce?

He didn't teach me anything, but he showed me a lot just by me coming to his house back in the day and watching him and Heavy work. I'm a very fast learner, and I learned from watching him. His music, along with that of a lot of other producers, inspired me. He's like a mentor to me as far as hip-hop's concerned.

Which producers can you learn from now?

Well, there are producers out there that are hot that learned things from me. I know you go through your days learning something new every day, but when it comes to music — I'm not saying I know it all — I've experienced a lot over the years. I've been doing this for 12 years straight.

Have you mentored any of your own protégés?

Not actually under my wing, but in the sense that if you listen to certain guys today, you can hear some of my inspiration in their music. Hi-Tek, for instance, Ayatollah, Da Beatminerz, DJ Premier — who I love — a lot of guys out there. I was thinking about opening up a school and teaching kids about music and how to make hip-hop and stuff like that.

What would be the first lesson?

Basically how to write music and how to listen for something good. How to dissect music with your ears. Teaching them how to listen would be the first lesson.

What piece of gear would you start young producers on at your school?

I would start them out on something simple like a [Boss] Dr. Rhythm, and then I'd gradually move it on up to actual drum machines that are used in the studio. I'd give them something they could play around with and sample. I would go through the steps with them and tell them what to do.

Was the SP-12 your first piece of gear?

Yeah. I've worked with other drum machines like the [Roland] TR-808, [Oberheim] DX, the Roland [TR-]909, and the Dr. Rhythm box. When the SP came out, it first was the SP-12 and then it was the SP-1200. The 12 had no disk drive; you had to use a separate disk drive with the SP-12. The SP-1200 already had one built in, and it provided a little more sampling time.

Were your first productions done solely on the SP-1200?

Yeah, and I've been using that ever since.

What about the Akai MPC-3000?

I have that still. I'm learning how to use that as well. So I'm not only working with the SP now; I have something alongside of it that I use.

Have you entered the world of computer editing and recording?

I've learned and I'm learning how to deal with Pro Tools. I mean, I'm an analog person. I like to record analog to keep that raw sound, but I've worked with Pro Tools where I've sampled vocals and moved them around. It's a much easier step to work with Pro Tools. It's like a faster way of making records or putting things together. I master to 2 inch to ½ inch to DAT. I basically master my music to DAT or even burn it to CD.

Is your home studio equipped to go from the first beats all the way through the mastering process?

It's a pre-production studio. It's not actually complete. I have a rack of digital effects and sound modules, and I have a 16-track board that I've used for a long time. I have an SP and an Akai S-950, an MPC-3000, and 60,000 records. If I want to play live instruments, I just get ideas from old records and try to play them over, or I'll sample and chop 'em up.

Do you play your own keyboards?

I play a little bit. I'm not as good as I should be, but I'm practicing. And I have session musicians who I contact. I just tell them what to play.

PeteStrumentals has a lot of guitars, bass, Rhodes, and horns that you can't really tell are sampled.

That's all me. The guitar stuff I didn't play. But some of the parts are chopped up where I'm playing it off the SP-1200, not actually playing the instrument. But also I have band guys I contact who play bass guitar or Rhodes. And I know several people who play keyboard. But a lot of that stuff on PeteStrumentals is basically me sampling from old instrumental records where they would just have, like, a whole album full of a Rhodes keyboard or a guitar or a bass or even drums and drumming. I've got drumming records, keyboard records, all that stuff. So that helps me create ideas when I want to do something live.

The album keeps you guessing, because you don't always know what is live.

Exactly, but most of the stuff that you hear on it is sampled. There are a few live joints on it, like the bass line on “Pete's Jazz.” I always make up all my bass lines and play them off the SP. The vibes and stuff are from an old jazz record. And then I just took some guitar chops and played “I Get Lifted,” an old song by George McCrae that went pretty well with the song. You know, once you get that basic beat, everything else comes easy.

How do you deal with sample clearance?

I have a pretty good method. I only clear the important ones. I find a lot of obscure music where the group ain't around no more, or cats don't know the music when they hear it. But I don't sample it to where they can notice it. I chop it up and do certain things to it so it doesn't sound the same.

Would you sample more and for greater lengths if you could still get away with it like people did in the late '80s?

I probably would. There are a lot of things I passed up that I wanted to just loop, but I knew they would come after me for it. And they always get what they want. Certain artists like James Brown now get, like, 50, 60 percent of a song — of your song. If you sample his song, he wants 60 percent. You know, certain cats come after you. Certain people will be like, “Okay, just give me this.” I like to deal with those kinds of people.

One vocal sample that goes “wow-wow-wow” shows up on two tracks.

That was because it was first used on the instrumental track “For the People,” and then you got a song I did called “Give It to Y'all” with my man Rock Marciano. That's a real hot song that Rawkus put out as a single.

Do you often reprise a sample from one song to another?

Well, sometimes. I just thought that was a good intro for the vocal song, and that's why I put the same thing in there. But I only do that once or twice. It doesn't hurt; it's just music. I could see if I did it on every track. Now, you got some producers out here who use the same sounds every single ****' time. That stuff gets played out, and you know, ten years from now you can't say, “Oh, that **** is still hot.” You know, a lot of that **** you hear today is not classic.

Do you do a lot of processing with the drum sounds?

Yeah, actually, I do. And when I'm listening to my collection, I find a lot of sounds on records like snares, kicks, hi-hats, you name it — timbales, whatever. There are a lot of sounds that come from records, but then I have sound-library CDs with drum sounds and other sounds that go into beats.

When a sound comes off a sample CD, do you usually have to fatten up the sound?

Yeah. Most of them you have to beef up — EQ them right and things of that nature, like adding another piece of sound to make it sound fuller. I always try to combine ****. I definitely layer sounds. I like to compress certain sounds and beats using the Tube-Tech compressors, because I can take any type of dirty sound from a record and clean it up. I like Eventide processors, and Rane has a few processors I like. Roland has a few compressors I like to use for vocals.

What advice can you give to the young beat generators out there?

My first piece of advice is never let somebody tell you that you can't do something. The second thing is to stick with what you love. If you have a passion for it, you're bound to unfold into something. As long as you stick with your craft and practice it every single day, something positive will come out of it. And stick with it. Try to be versatile with making beats; don't just pigeonhole yourself with one type of sound. Make various types of music.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Markkus Rovito (mrovito@earthlink.net) is a senior editor for E-Gear magazine. He's very grateful that Pete Rock didn't hang up on him as did a certain former Ultramagnetic MCs rapper, who shall remain nameless.

'The D Mixtape': The Official Tracklist 2015

Tracklist for 'The D Mixtape'

Dedicated to one cool boss.

INTRO feat. Lee & KD

((Bulletproof)) feat. La Roux

INTERLUDE Cristina Call Fail feat. Lee & KD

((Great Day)) feat. Tokio Hotel

((Live Forever)) feat. Oasis

((Walking with a Ghost)) feat. Tegan & Sara

INTERLUDE Eliza on the Mic

((By the Time I Get to Phoenix)) feat. El Michel's Affair

((By The Time I Get to Phoenix)) feat. Glen Campbell

((Freeway Traffic))

INTERLUDE Traffic Report feat. Lee

((Xiong Mao)) feat. Carsick Cars

INTERLUDE Grant Nights feat. Lee

((The Grants) feat. John Kite

INTERLUDE KD in German

((El Paso)) feat. Lolita (Zwischen heute und morgen)

((Boston Red Sox Chant...Sort Of))

Bill Burr Skit

((Music Makes Me Smart)) feat. Kids Learn Early

INTERLUDE Early Childhood Shoutout feat. The LAUNCH Crew

INTERLUDE Early Golondrinas Intro feat. Eliza & Maria

((Las Golondrinas)) feat. Jenni Rivera

INTERLUDE Introducing Juan feat. Lee

((Suena)) feat. Juan Valadez

INTERLUDE Cristina & Lil' Lupe

((The Thunder Rolls)) feat. Garth Brooks

((Phoenix)) feat. Tears of the Sun

((Arizona)) feat. Paul Revere & The Raiders

INTERLUDE Lee's Outro

((Veteran's Memorial Outro Instrumental))

INTERLUDE KD's Outro

Learning Our ABCs (Early Childhood)

OUTRO feat. Lil' Lupe

((Desaparecido)) feat. Manu Chao BONUS TRACK

*My latest mixtape in collaboration with some really cool people.

Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra

Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra

"Wow!...you know this is me right here! Yo, can I borrow it?" - Lee

"Of course G, I trust you..." - SA

"...can I have it??..." - Lee

(gives off that laugh of his)

DJ Spanish Aztec had a lot of records. From time to time I borrowed a few singles but there was one record I just had to have if not AT LEAST dub from SA's stash and that was the Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra LP.  One of the illest Side A's and B's right here...a Hip Hop orchestra going through Roots & Gang Starr classics.  Starting with one of my all time favorite by The Roots ((Act Too, Love of My Life)).  

A shout out to the spirit of SA.  Had it not been for him, I may have never heard this record...not like this. This was one of those "wait til' you see what I got" phone calls when he checked his mail.  It was also the only LP from his stash that I borrowed and dubbed in its entirety from my turntable into my PC's sound card. Being kinda tech illiterate in 99', it took a lot of trial & error figuring out how to dub first into cassettes then finally into digital when my brother's God parents bought me my first PC a few years later.  A lot of questions no one seemed to have an answer for, Google searching, software downloads, and Radio Shack RCA cables until I finally rigged my set up to capture the sound I wanted off the needle... all the way to the end of the center plate.  

Even the silence of a vinyl record sounds like something. 

Check out this interview with Double G of the Dakah Symphonic Hip Hop Orchestra by Corry Banks for the BBoy Tech Report.  A great place to start to learn more about Dakah: click here

Here is a great video with Geoff 'Double G' Gallegos:

Keywords + Tag = Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra | Geoff Gallegos | Double G | vinyl | DJ Spanish Aztec | interdependence | Corry Banks | orchestra | Hip Hop | classic | symphony | wax | digging |The Roots | Gang Starr | LP | DJ SA

Things Fall Apart

The Story Behind the 5 Covers of The Roots

Things Fall Apart with Art Director

Kenny Gravillis: click here

This week listening to one of my favorite albums of all time, The Roots Things Fall Apart. Here is a story of the cover art by Kenny Gravillis by Richard Dryden at Complex. 

Senior year theme music, ((Double Trouble)) in the 99'.

Vinyl in the Sun City

All That Music

Vinyl in the Sun City

Check out a recent article by Halima Mansoor about vinyl sellers in El Paso, Texas, click here.

Helen Folasade Adu

Folasade

One of these days... I'm going to make a mixtape for Dad.  Call it Songs for My Father.  I inherited my love for Sade's music directly from him and everything about my Dad's 80s character.  Pops blended really well into just about every decade.  His experience is a musical timeline.

The photos on the Diamond Life vinyl cover is handled by Chris Roberts.  Sleeve design by Graham Smith.  When I think of this record I think of my old radio comrade Steph aka Moleman who put me onto Stuart Matthewman's Cotton Belly CD when we were live on air.  He's the sax and guitar on Diamond Life and a lot of soulful music that really defined my own music experience and what I like... going back to the songs of my father with Sade.

I'm looking forward to the day I begin the Songs for My Father mix.  Not to mention the Folasade Tape I've always wanted to assemble.  All Sade.

DJ Spanish Aztec

DJ Spanish Aztec

I'm signed up for a digital MP3 list-serve called MP3Waxx.  A lot of rap audios arrive through the list-serve, mostly mainstream with a couple of gems.  Each time I check out the MP3Waxx emails, my old friend DJ Spanish Aztec crosses my mind.  He'd often go through a bunch of list-serves and record pools he was a part of to round up what he wanted to put people on to. He was gracious enough to share those audios with a lot of people including me.  He did this for years.  Below are some words I wrote shortly after his funeral three years ago.  It talks about SA's love for music... whether vinyl or digital, his archive was deep.  I plan on assembling tracks from these record pools and maybe starting up a newsletter listserve to share with whomever wants free access to music.  All of these audios are sent out from the labels or people that represent their promo teams.  They're already available online for free.  If you're an eMCee, beat maker, musician, one of those folks that works at a label or just interested in having someone hear out your music, email repshowhost@gmail.com.  I recently got a volume started up of a few mainstream tracks I downloaded from MP3Waxx.  What I'm interested in doing though is combining the mainstream with the independent.  My heart is into underground but I listen to everything... this is what DJ SA was all about too whether he was just hanging out listening to music with you, at the radio station, or out dj'n somewhere.    

In the future I plan to use this blog to document DJ SA's story.  When he was alive we got the chance to sit down and talk about his life everything from the ups and downs.  He let me write about his experience at the time for a short story I was putting together for one of my English classes at NMSU.  We recorded his story on cassette tape in audio... hours of conversation starting with his born day.  I put some pieces of the memories he shared for the short story I wrote for class.  I plan on returning to that story, including those cassette tapes I have.  Blogger seems like a good permanent platform that's not behind something you need an account to access like FB or Tweet. So I think it's the best place where I can "archive" something like this without it getting lost in the world wide mix.  That's the plan.

If you're interested in a digital download of some music, email repshowhost@gmail.com. I'm calling the digital collections Mp3oBOX... the Mr. Postman Volumes.  We on volume 1 right now.  It's mostly all mainstream stuff that sounds pretty good but in the future there will be more variety.  Maybe it'll turn into something else we can connect to interviews to educate people on what's out there with links to support what these artist have for sale  In a simple way... just MP3, download, play.  Nothing else to it, no theyTunes, streams, nothing like that.  Just simple... MP3, download, play.  

Here's the write up about my good friend  It was posted online at the time but the whole site was removed about a year later when I decided to turn it into a blog.

Dedicated to SA. Peace.

In Memory of DJ SA

October 22, 1968-March 6, 2012

Thinking of 2012 and the meaning of HHA (Hip Hop Alumni) I want to dedicate this site to Joseph Troy Candelaria, who a lot of people, including myself, called DJ S.A. (Spanish Aztec, Still Alive, and a few other acronyms he told me about).  DJ SA passed away this year.  SA’s life revolved around family, his friends, and his two Technics turntables and the new digi-wax setup he was starting to get down.  One of the things I appreciated most about the brother was his passion for music which was a lot like mine.  He had a lot to say about it, and more than that, he had a lot to share.  Thinking on the end of this year, and time throughout the first decade of the millennium, I appreciate having had the chance to get on air with SA, to check him out at a few of his events, and also for his help for a couple times I needed a DJ.  He’d come through and represent straight out of love.  It wasn’t easy for SA to get around, but he never hesitated when I reached out.  I also really appreciated SA’s exchange of music.  I like to think I’m up on a lot of stuff and when I first got to know SA and his interest in music, I was hype to put him on to what I was listening to.  But from the jump, it was never just me telling him about the music I had, it was him telling me.  He always had a top 20, 30, or 40 new joints he had to talk about.  “Yo, listen to this G…” he’d say on the phone.  I’d be on the cell my ear pressed up against the phone speaker and he’d ask… “You know who this is?....”  I’d say, “Naw…Who is it…”  And he’d laugh. 

For a Doujah Raze record that I’d pass to him, he’d put me on to Y Society, and then I’d go back at him with some Pharcyde/Space Boogie X records, and he’d hit me over the head with some DJ Skratch Bastid.  It got to a point where I was receiving data discs from the dude every time we’d get together… “check this out, check that out”… “listen to this, listen to that”… “check out this old mix I did back in like, I don’t even remember (97’ or something)”…  And me being who I am, I couldn’t put my appreciation for this dude into words.  And beyond that, the hospitality of him and his wife, and young B, was bar none.  It wasn’t just about what I was listening to… this dude was always asking if I had eaten yet, or if I was hungry.  And by no means did SA have a lot of loot, but he treated you like he did, sometimes spottin’ a meal at a restaurant and just lookin’ out overall, whether it be music, food, or a prayer while one was going through their own challenges with health or life in general. 

This post is for somebody I think of every time I’m listening to music by myself.  Just today I was going through some files and found a digital vinyl recording of a record he had lent me that I dubbed from the Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra.  I’mma miss all them boxes SA had in his living room that towards the last few months before he passed he never got the chance to share.  It was a bunch of music that him and his fam had recovered from his old days diggin’.  And what’s crazy is he usually has no problem showing you everything in the stash, but all them boxes he took home from EP was just too much.  In my mind I think of the Liquids Swords record he had flipped his hands through and a lot of Funkdoobiest stuff and crazy remixes that I couldn’t wait for him to share once he started to feel better and out from under the weather. 

There are a lot of songs, a lot of old mixtapes, CDs, tapes of recorded shows, that I look forward to going through some day just to share.  Cause that’s what dude was all about.  Getting people to hear that new, or old, instead of the same ole’ … So yeah, when I think of HHA (Hip Hop Alumni), I think of dudes like SA.  Who in their own way contributed a lot… And when you get around to learning about where he came from, what he had experienced, and survived… it’s  real interesting story when it comes to what Hip Hop means to us, whether we’re on our own, with our family, or with others.  Whether you be an MC, a beatmaker, a DJ, or an educator.

With much love, respect, and rememory of the big homie, DJ SA.

Nina Simone 1969

Nina Simone 1969

It was the Train of Thought record by Reflection Eternal that put me on to Nina Simone.  The turn of the century introduced a lot of classic records, and one of my favorite songs on Train of Thought was ((Four Women)).  Before he starts rapping Talib talks about the Nina Simone original ((Four Women)). 

I can't remember where I found the LP To Love Somebody.  I have very few Nina Simone records on vinyl.  This one is the first Nina LP I've ever found and its definitely up there as one of the worst cover designs I've ever seen for such a great record.  I love every minute of it.

Here's a note on the back of the LP cover by Claude Hall.  Also noticed the album features Weldon Irvine, Jr. on the organ.

"In the mansion of the mind, where a song feeds only on the nebulous winds of imagination and emotion, Nina Simone walks in musical grandeur where few others dare stray.  She can be warm and tender, or she might turn into a storm of anger, boiling in the fury of the song.  Yet she is so great she communicates human understanding and affection for her fellow beings even while she attacks the towers of Wrong or Prejudice lyrically."

Beautiful.

Keywords + Tag = Nina Simone | To Love Somebody | Weldon Irvine | vinyl | Talib Kweli | Hi-Tek | RCA Records | lyrical | Claude Hall | Four Women | records | wax | digging | Revolution | The Times They are A-Changin' | music | soul | Hip Hop | 2000 | 1969 | organ | vocalist | singer | classic

MC Zoolor's (Viva Cugat!)

MC Zoolor's (Viva Cugat!)

I picked up the Viva Cugat! LP by Xavier Cugat at All That Music.  This record was solely responsible for setting off The Lee Jun Fan Tape, a mixtape project dedicated to Bruce Lee that I put together.  I was looking for a "cha-cha" sound as reference to what I read about Bruce Lee being a really good dancer.  I read somewhere that he taught people how to cha-cha as he made his way over the Pacific to the \/\/est side of America.  Whether or not that is true, what's special about this record is the sound of certain instruments similar to sounds I've heard in some of Bruce Lee's films.  On the Cugat record, certain breaks sounded like someone was hitting two ends of nunchuck together in a hallow room.  It's real amazing.

I decided to Audio Scribe this record.  The Audio Scribe process pertains to records I've identified in my stash that hold a lot of weight or purpose to my life.  As I was going through the transcription process I had my little brother recreate the cover art.  I thought the name he signed below at the time was hilarious.  He go by MC Zoo.  On the piece its signed MC Zoolor's.  

Our nephew gets down with the artwork too.  We'll see if he's interested in hooking us up with some LP recreations some day.   

Here's a quote from the LP cover about Xavier Cugat...

"Cugat's long and fabulous musical journey had its beginnings in a cafe in Barcelona, Spain.  There, in the twenties, he was found playing the violin by the great Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso.  So impressed was the world-famous opera star by what he heard that he retained the young fiddler and took him on a tour to America.

In the course of their joint travels, Caruso discovered that young Cugat's talents reached into areas other than music.  The youngster handled a drawing pen as skillfully as the violin bow.  Since Caruso was himself an amateur artist, the two amused themselves on their journeys by drawing caricatures.  Cugat's caricatures have since appeared in many of the country's large circulation magazines, among them Life."