X-Mas Special: TNP Sons Of Sam Exclusive !!!

Wassup ya´ll ?

Another year past by and it´s time for another X-Mas special on my Blog !!!

While the last 2 years X-Mas specials were all about the inigmatic ALPS Cru and had something to do with a special vinyl project beeing pressed up and some background information on the ALPS Cru i´m more than happy to hook you up with another exclusive X-Mas special this year !!!

This time we have an exclusive, previously unreleased track by the infamous Sons Of Sam packed in another Top-Notch-Production mix !!!

When i started this Blog around 3 years ago i never imagined that it would make such an impact on the vinyl scene !!!

Many artist contacted me over the past 3 years and i´m more than proud to say that this Blog right here was leading to 4 absolutely dope pieces of vinyl beeing pressed up now which otherwise may would have never seen the light of the day !!!

So it happened some time ago that Raph aka The Xav of the Sons Of Sam contacted me through my Blog and we talked a bit about the dope music they made and it turned out that they recorded a whole album back then which is as unbelievably dope as the incredible "Oooh He Got An Afro" / "Charisma" 12" they put out in 1993 !!!

After i had the chance to listen to some of those previously unreleased Sons Of Sam gems i straight up managed to get this shit pressed up by Vinyl Addicts who made 2 pretty dope limited releases earlier and were as amazed as me about that Sons Of Sam material Raph had in his vaults !!!

While Vinyl Addicts pressed a whole EP and a very limited 7" up Raph still had enough dope material left to let me take another track of this previously unreleased material to use it exclusivly in a mix for my this year X-Mas special !!!

The track is titled "Technique" and was recorded around 1993 !!!

I hope ya´ll enjoy the listen of this mix with this Sons Of Sam exclusive and leave some feedback in the comment section about it !!!

I wish ya´ll a merry X-Mas & a happy new year !!!

Check out Top-Notch-Production (Bibow aka The Unique Technician) "Transmittin' Straight From The X-Mas Night" right here:

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Tha Lowa !!!

Here we´ve got some rough & rugged typa shit from the lower east side NY by a group which goes by the name of Tha Lowa !!!

If you like the Henchmen EP from 1994 and are fiending for that one (like many cats out there) then this EP right here is something you really need to check out too cause that stuff comes on a similar vibe but is a notch better than the Henchmen EP (well, at least in my opinion) !!!

We have some really heavy production right here with that typical early to mid 90´s horns over some hard hittin drum pattern which are perfectly rounded up with some tight spitted & ruff sounding lyrics rolled over those heavy beats like a diesel truck (in other words: IT CAN´T GET BETTER THAN THIS) !!!

The EP was released in 1994 on Massacres Production, produced by EZ-M for Tha Lowa East Sounds and is featuring 6 absolutely dope tracks titled "Hard 2 Get", "Hard 2 Get RMX", "Don´t Crossover", "L.E.S.", "Never Give Up RMX" & "Never Give Up" !!!

This EP right here is (to my knowledge) the only release Tha Lowa put out together !!!

Check out a sample of "Never Give Up":

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Check out a sample of "Don´t Crossover":

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Check out a sample of "Hard 2 Get RMX":

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Ghetto Chronicle Daily !!!

Heavy hittin' Bronx smasher by the Money Boss Players !!!

This EP right here titled "Ghetto Chronicle Daily" has legendary status to all the Hip Hop vinyl fiends who loves to hear that ruff & rugged 90´s boom bap !!!

While the EP itself was highly slept on at the time of release (even the follow up 12"s didn´t made a major impact) one of the members who goes by the name of Lord Tariq still had the opportunity to shine with his partner Peter Gunz 3 years after this release right here with their well known major hit 12" "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" !!!

Anyway, this Money Boss Players EP right here is where it´s all about if you ask me, dope ass rhymes, sick ass flow and some top notch production right here !!!

The EP was released in 1994 on Section 8 Records, produced by Minnesota and is featuring 7 dope tracks in total titled "Use To Fear Death", "Ghetto Chronicle Daily", Sat. Nite - Sun. Morn.", "What U Saying", "Nighty Night", "Stick-N-Step" & "Death Of A Salesman" !!!

ATTENTION: This EP was bootlegged in japan some weeks ago (the bootleg does not have the istrumentals on it) and peeps try to pass the bootleg for a ridiculous price now so watch out and don´t be fooled when you´re after a copy of this !!!

Check out a sample of "Sat. Nite - Sun. Morn.":

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Check out a sample of "Nighty Night":

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Check out a sample of "Death Of A Salesman":

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Check out a sample of "Ghetto Chronicle Daily":

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The Concrete Foundation / The Annexx Click !!!

Baltimore once again with a pretty dope collective which went under the name The Concrete Foundation / The Annexx Click !!!

The Concrete Foundation / The Annexx Click consits of the members K-Mack, Silouette & Dj Concrete !!!

This 12" right here is their 2nd release (and in my opinion their best) titled "Bring It On" / "The Annexx Click" !!!

The 12" was released in 1995 on Concrete & Wiz Foundation, produced by Dj Concrete for The Concrete Foundation and is featuring 3 dope tracks in total titled "Bring It On", "The Annexx Click" & "The Fastlane" !!!

The Concrete Foundation / The Annexx Click had several more records out which are all pretty dope, but if you´re only looking for the real nuggets i would suggest you have to look out for the first 3 12"s "Do Or Die", "Bring It Back" & "Speak Da Clout" !!!

Check out a sample of "The Fastlane":

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The Mischievous LQ !!!

Straight up heat outta Delaware right here by a group called The Mischievous LQ & The Mad Mischief Crew !!!

This is one of those records i knew i had to get after hearing it for the very first time (ill beats, dope rhymes and a sick flow which is totally off da hook) !!!

I´m not sure if there´s something else out by this group, but i only came across this one right here !!!

The 12" was released in 1996 on King Poet Records, produced by The Mischievous LQ for G-House Management and is featuring 3 dope tracks titled "Representing", "Nonsense" & "Mischief Night" !!!

If you don´t own this beauty right here you better watch out to get it soon my friend !!!

Check out a sample of "Representing":

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Check out a sample of "Mischief Night":

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AMP Boogie !!!

Very nice Sparrow affiliated Baltimore rap EP by AMP Boogie right here !!!

This one called the "Gotta Git On" EP really slipped under the radar after the Sparrow "Physics" 12" was released in 1995 but is also a very dope record to own !!!

The EP was released in 1994 on Porch Dog Productions / Papa Bear Entertainment, is produced by Dj Booman for Porch Dog Productions and contains 4 dope tracks in total titled "Bluntly Speaking", "Out There", "Wanna Battle?" & "Maintain" !!!

Check out a sample of "Bluntly Speaking":

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Check out a sample of "Maintain":

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I-Power !!!

If you checked my mixes and heard "Transmittin' Straight From The Other Side Pt. 3" then you already heard the main title "Under Da Sun" from this NYC based group I-Power debut 12" right here !!!

But it´s not only "Under Da Sun" what makes this 12" the complete banger it is, there are 3 dope tracks in total on this 12" titled "Under Da Sun", "The Madness" & "The Breakthrough" (and trust me, all of them are pure heat) !!!

The 12" was released in 1997 on Napom Bomb Revolution Inc. and is completely produced by Dj Mo Fonk (a.k.a. Dj Mo Funk a.k.a. Melodious Fonk) !!!

They only pressed up 200 pieces of this dope 12" ever, so it´s nothing you could come by on a daily basis, but it´s def. worth hunting for !!!

Check out a sample of "The Madness":

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Sandinistas !!!

Another great release outta Brooklyn NYC which ain´t got enough attention at the time when it dropped from a group called Sandinistas !!!

This one right here is their debut and to my knowledge only 12" Sandinistas dropped titled "Madd Luv" !!!

The 12" was released in 1997 on Cartel Imperial Recordings, produced by Cartel Imperial Productions and is featuring 3 dope tracks in total titled "Madd Luv", Madd Luv C-12 Laboratories RMX" & "Higher" (all with full instrumentals too btw) !!!

Each track on this 12" is a winner and for those of you who don´t know by now, C-12 Laboratories who did the "Madd Luv RMX" is nothing else but another alias of the great Carlos Bess who also produced the mad dope One Deep "Crime Stories" 12" i posted some months ago !!!

Check out a sample of "Madd Luv C-12 Laboratories RMX":

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Check out a sample of "Higher":

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Da Hoodz Uv Mizbhavya !!!

Just when you thought that you´re safe...it turns out that you´re dead wrong !!!

That happened to me when i found my copy of the DNA "Bronx Criminal County" 12" some years ago and thought i would own the DNA Grail now...little did i knew that DNA had a crew long before "Bronx Criminal County" called Da Hoodz Uv Mizbhavya !!!

The first time i heard / heard about the Da Hoodz Uv Mizbhavya i knew i have to get this on wax cause it´s mad dope to the fullest and thanks to Ed Catto (who schooled me about this one) i was able to get my hands on a copy finally !!!

I´m in contact with Devon of DNA since a while now, but it turned out that even Devon himself doesn´t own a copy of this anymore (even Ed has only found 2 copies within all his years of diggin' in NYC) !!!

I can´t tell you exactly how rare this record is or how many copies were pressed of it, but thanks to Devon i´m able to give you a bit background info on how everything started with DNA back then !!!

The Crew started up in the very early 90´s managed by Traedonya Jones (of X-Clan fame) !!!

There was 4 members first which are Bubz, One D (Devon), Nasty Noah (Noah) and a tight female MC called Shorty Moe !!!

One D, Noah and Bubz used to grow up in the same hood (Boston Road in the Bronx) and it was later on that they were managed by C.L. Smooth (who is also featured on this EP) cousin Adolfo who knew a Dj named Robby Rob and they teamed up !!!

It was 1991-1993 when they only used to rap a bit 'round the Block, but 1993 they started to go to Da Cave (Garth Mitchells Studio) a lot and they started to record stuff !!!

This EP right here was released in 1994, put out by Adolfo on North Pole Records and is featuring 4 dope tracks in total titled "How You Look", "Hear No Evil Speak No Evil", "The Blue Print" & "The Bad Seed" !!!

All of you who read my DNA "Bronx Criminal County" post a few years back (or know this record from somewhere else) know how dope this record is, but truts me, this release right here is the dopest stuff i´ve heard since i discovered The Legendary Villain 12" a few years ago !!!

Check out a sample of "How You Look":

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Check out a sample of "Hear No Evil Speak No Evil":

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Check out a sample of "The Blue Print":

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Sparrow !!!

Heavy Baltimore rap banger by a group called Sparrow !!!

This record right here is their debut 12" from 1995 titled "Physics" and is a true jewel for every crate !!!

While the main title "Physics" is a pretty dope & solid track, my main focus is more about the flip side which is featuring a very strong & in my opinion much better track titled "Rhyme Impotence" !!!

The 12" was released on Unruly Records, produced by Sparrow themself and is featuring 3 dope tracks in total titled "Physics", "Physics RMX" & the already mentioned highlight "Rhyme Impotence" !!!

If you´re ever able to get your hands on a copy of this, you better grab it while you can !!!

Sparrow released a few more records after this, but to me it´s all about this one !!!

Check out a sample of "Rhmye Impotence":

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The Brooklyn Zoo !!!

Brooklyn NYC banger by a group called The Brooklyn Zoo !!!

Some of you may know The Brooklyn Zoo because of their worldwide Cold Chillin distributed 1995 release "Masters Of The Zooniverse", but The Brooklyn Zoo released 2 (in my opinion better) bangin 12"s earlier independently on their own:

"Boo" (1994)

"The Year 2000" (1994)

This one right here is the "The Year 2000" 12" from 1994 (not sure which one of those two burners came out first) on Together Forever Productions / Brooklyn Zoo Records !!!

The 12" is completely produced by Tony T and features 2 dope tracks titled "The Year 2000" & "The New Shit" !!!

If you don´t own both of their 1994 releases by now i would recommend to watch out for them pretty fast cause they are both hot as hell !!!

Check out a sample of "The Year 2000":

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Crime Stories !!!

Sterling 12" debut release (and sadly only) by One Deep outta NYC !!!

The record got a very deep and raw sound which was produced by none other than Carlos Bess aka C12 who was also responsible for the raw sound as the chief engineer mixer on most of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan records (in fact, he mixed all the good stuff they had) !!!

The 12" was released in 1995 on Cocco Brothers Entertainment / Wicked City Productions and is featuring two dope tracks tracks titled "Crime Stories" & "As The Beat Goes On" !!!

Pretty hard to track down 12", but if you get the chance to get one, get it !!!

Check out a sample of "Crime Stories":

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Sons Of Sam !!!

I don´t really know how to start on this record, but i do know for sure that i def. can sleep much better since i tracked my copy down !!!

This group outta Delaware called Sons Of Sam is without a question one of the most slept on Hip Hop crews from the early 90´s !!!

The record itself was released in 1993 on Workshop Records (only 300 pieces pressed), is produced by Raphael Williams and O. Gale and is featuring 2 absolutely dope tracks titled "Oooh He Got An Afro" & "Charisma" !!!

I can´t make out a favourite of one of those 2 tracks, so you better check out both and make sure you grab a copy when you´re able to get one !!!

This is to date the only record Sons Of Sam put out together !!!

Check out a sample of "Oooh He Got An Afro":

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Check out a sample of "Charisma":

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Ready Ta Roll !!!

Time for another record by a group outta New Jersey who dropped 2 bombs in the early to mid 90´s and goes by the name of Ready Ta Roll !!!

Ready Ta Roll had an amazing debut 12" in 1993 titled "The Real Hip Hop" which is def. one of my favourite independent Hip Hop 12"s from that era and made a nice follow up 12" one year later with this also incredibly dope banger titled "Drug Game" !!!

The record was released on Pep Records / Chanpen Entertainment (2 different versions with different label design exist) and is featuring 2 strong tracks titled "Drug Game" & "Taste The Flavor" !!!

It´s a shame that there was never a full album out by that group cause every track they put out on wax is a winner !!!

Check out a sample of "Drug Game":

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Finsta Baby !!!

Many of you will think that Finsta of Fista Bundy isn´t a slept on Artist and know his classic work because of the classic Dj Premier New York Reality Check 101 mix, but like the Mister Voodoo 12" i posted 2 years ago, this one is a jewel not everyone will know about (yes, there are other people in the real world beside such record nerds like me and you) !!!

Released in 1992 on Cracd Records this lovely gem is featuring 2 sterling tracks titled "Finsta Baby" & "Payday Is Bliss" which btw are completely produced by no other than the incredible Beatminerz and predates the ultimate classic Black Moon "Enta Da Stage" album !!!

It´s such a shame that Finsta Bundy only released a few independent 12"s which all can be titled as classics for sure and never dropped an whole album so far (by now) !!!

Anyway, this one is a true jewel for da crates and you should def. watch out for a copy of it !!!

Check out a sample of "Finsta Baby":

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T-Abel Cachet !!!

One of those records which is about the struggle for an talented act to get a record deal in the late 80´s / early 90´s in the new big market place called Hip Hop !!!

It´s pretty obvious that this record wasn´t produced to be a big hit or that it wouldn´t get a lot of air play in the main stream market, but that´s what makes this record a real winner (at least to me and not to the dream factory believers) !!!

Released in 1991 on Not For Nothin' Records it´s the only record by T-Abel Cachet that i ever heard about (sadly) !!!

The record was produced by Josh Futterman and includes 2 tracks titled "Dead Dreams" & "Put Your Body In It" !!!

Check out a sample of "Dead Dreams":

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Top-Notch-Production Pt. III !!!

Long time since i posted a mix, but finally here it is, "Transmittin' Straight From The Other Side Part III" !!!

This mix was also done for Vinyl Addicts and like the first 2 parts it includes independent Hip Hop from the 90´s !!!

I hope you enjoy the mix and please feel free to leave some feedback in the comment section !!!

Check out Top-Notch-Production on Vinyl Addicts right here:

"Transmittin' Straight From The Other Side Part III"