top-notch-records

Mr Ruckuz !!!

2012-01-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

Mad nice solo debut EP from Baltimores very own Mr Ruckuz !!!

There aren´t many rap records out there which were released in 1998 or later that are straight up my alley, but this one right here is one big exception !!!

If you´re a true 90s head, you get everything you wanna hear, Jay Funk Productions at it´s best, Mr Ruckuz spittin verses at his best and last but not least some nice chrous scratching with some of your favourites lines !!!

There are 6 tracks on this EP titled "The Resurrection", "Chump Change", "Underground Anthem", "Senselezz Murderz", "She Was 19" & "Hung Jury" !!!

I could tell you a lot about how dope this record is, but to cut a long story short, this solo debut EP by Mr Ruckus titled "The Verdict", released on Madd Versatile Records in 1998 is the shit that you need to get !!!

Not an easy find, but def. worth it !!!

Check out a sample of "Senselzz Murderz":

Check out a sample of "Underground Anthem":

X-Mas Special: The Limited Game !!!

2011-12-24T01:10:00.000-08:00

Wassup everybody ?

Another year past by and as usual it´s time for another x-mas special on my Blog !!!
While it was some kind of tradition to give you a exclusive listen or a detailed story about an artist featured on my Blog, i have to tell you now that it has become way more difficult to find something special nobody knows because of all those limited editions which came out over last few years !!!
Anyway, it´s great to have so much people working hard on those projects to bring us those lost jewels on wax and i highly appreciate this to the fullest !!!
Ever since we exist, hunting and collecting played a big role !!!
There has always been limited editions in any genre, regardless if it is music, books, cloths etc., but in Hip Hop it def. has become it´s own dynamic over the past half decade !!!
I can clearly remember a lot of discussions about high auction prices of rare material and if it would be cool to repress that stuff in limited quantities including some preveously unreleased bonus material and sell it for a higher price on the old vinyl exchange back in 2004-2005 !!!
Since Ed Catto was a member of the vinyl exchange and the Freestyle Professors EP used to went for $500+ on ebay at that time, the idea of pressing a 2LP including that classic material + some dope previously unreleased material was born and after preordering and all that suff on September 18th 2006 i had a mail from Ed saying he got the finished product in his hands which get signed by the Freestyle Professors while he was typing !!!

Freestyle Professors "Your Pockets Been Picked" 2LP

What a great release, and not enough, Freestyle Records didn´t stop and until this day there followed a lot of incredibly dope records people would never had dreamed about including some highlights like:

100X "Whom Shall I Fear" 2LP

Showbiz & A.G. "Broken Chains" 2LP & Big L / Silky Black "Double Pack" 2LP

Not enough of that, while Ed was working on the Freestyle Professors 2LP back in 2006, Diggers With Gratitude was following a similar concept which lead to a email by Chr!s on September 20th 2006 taking advanced preorders for their first limited edition by Phil Most Chill which also got followed by some incredibly dope releases like:

Godfather Don "The Slave Of New York" EP & Godfather Don "Billy Bathgate" 12"

Followed by the lead of DWG, Vinyl Addicts dropped their dope but sadly poor sound quality Lord Finesse debut followed by 2 more incredibly dope releases (were i was also able to help out) like:

Lord Finesse & C.L. Smooth Demos EP, Sport G & Mastermind EP & Sons Of Sam EP

While all of these records got pressed up by freshly born record labels, it happened that Alejan of the ALPS Cru was going to press up his material on it´s own which lead to some more incredibly dope material on wax which i´m sure you are aware of if you checked my Blog in full like:

ALPS Cru "Loudmouths" 12"

To cut a long story short, there were plenty more of others foloowing the same concept from these days on and i´m not going to post about every record which got the limited edition tag on it, but here are a few more labels i like to mention because they are simply dope and i hope that the labels will keep doing this cause i´m pretty sure that everyone of us is very pleased that the vinyl which getting pressed up now is not only containing a time code but pure dope music !!!

Here are the labels which def. got some hot shit out people shouldn´t sleep on:

Kurious "A Constipated Demos" EP on Crate Escape Records

One of the sickest labels who put out a whole batch of dope tunes One Leg Up Records:

Another great label who put out some of the dopest records in my opinion No Sleep Records:

Chopped Herring Records is killing it at the moment and brought us 2 of the dopest records:

And another independent label from Baltimore called Six 2 Six Records is also on some heavy shit:

As i already said, there are plenty more of records released by plenty more of different people and most of them are dope to the fullest too but i hope you understand that this is more like a small example of what´s out there instead of a full list cause that shit would take ages !!!

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

Peace & One Love,

Bibow (TNR)

Lord Aaqil !!!

2011-12-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

Alright, time for one of my favourite slept on Hip Hop 12"s of the early 90s by a guy outta Philly who goes by the name of Lord Aaqil !!!

This 12" right here titled "Check It Out" is easily one of the best independent Hip Hop 12"s that got put out in 93 and i would have absolutely no problem with naming it with 12"s like Sons Of Sam "Oooh He Got An Afro" & Massive Ring "Middle East" in one breath !!!

In fact, if this material would have been released on a major label back then it would be in line with all the big hitters like Main Source, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth or Showbiz & A.G., Diamond D etc. !!!

The 12" contains 5 tracks in total titled "Check It Out", "Kick It Like Dis", "Kid, What´s Ya Name", "Kick It Like Dis RMX" & "Kamillah Story" !!!

All of the tracks are dope, but "Kid, What´s Ya Name" & "Kick It Like Dis" are the stand out tracks !!!

Not an easy 12" to find and always seem to fetch a big amount of money on auctions but trust me, it´s worth it !!!

Check out a sample of "Kid, What´s Ya Name":

Check out a sample of "Kick It Like Dis":

Da Halrazzers !!!

2011-11-27T11:05:00.001-08:00

Absolutely insane 12" outta New York by a group called Da Halrazzers !!!

I don´t have much info about these cats beside that this record came out on Black Pride Records in 1996, was available as a promotional giveaway only and it seems like it is the only record they put out ever !!!

The 12" is completely produced by Da Halrazzers themself and is featuring the main title "Death Rattle" in 2 different versions with an instrumental version to each !!!

Not an easy find, but def. worth looking for !!!

Check out a sample of "Death Rattle RMX":

Sun Risers !!!

2011-10-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Back with another joint from Philly by a group which goes by the name of Sun Risers !!!

We all know that Philly was big on the underground rap scene in the mid 90s and that most of the artists who put their shit out on wax were slept on, same goes for the Sun Risers !!!

This one right here is their debut titled "Real Off The Block" EP and is (to my knowledge) the only record the Sun Risers put out !!!

The EP was released in 1995 on Sound Records Inc. and was produced by the Sun Risers themself !!!

There are 6 tracks in total on this monster titled "Real Off The Block RMX", "Real Off The Block Full Mix", "Street Song", "Life In The City RMX", "Life In The City Full Mix" & "Represent" !!!

All tracks are pretty nice but "Street Song" & "Represent" are most def. stand out !!!

Check out a sample of "Street Song":

Check out a sample of "Represent":

Frankenstein !!!

2011-09-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Alright, you may wonder why the hell is he posting a picture of a Peanut Butter Wolf test pressing when the headline clearly states that this post is about Torontos very own Frankenstein !!!

Well, it´s simple because Frankenstein (who is most probably known to you) is not only a very talented MC, he´s also a even more talented producer who did a lot of dope remixes and a very dope one for Peanut Butter Wolf "Run The Line RMX" 12" too (which is most probably not known to everyone) !!!

It´s no secret that Peanut Butter Wolf brought you some of the dopest underground 12"s in the mid to late 90s, in fact he did one of the best late 90s underground rap 12"s when he put out "Run The Line" featuring Rasco and "Undercover" featuring Encore on the flip !!!

While the "Run The Line" 12" got a official release through Stones Throw Records, Peanut Butter Wolf was working on a extremly dope follow up remix 12" featuring a mad nice remix of "Run The Line" by DITCs very own Lord Finesse as well as a remix by Mark The 45 King and put a monster remix of Encore "The Undercover" by Frankenstein on the flip !!!

Sadly only a few test pressings were made (i heard there are only 25 copies in existance similar to the Rass Kass "Jack Frost" test pressing) and the record never got a official release (due to sample clearance) through Stones Throw Records !!!

There was a picture cover available for the 12" in different colors than the original version which ended up with a sticker reading "This Is NOT A Remix" which was put over the Remix printed on the cover which is featuring the catalog number STH-2010 of this test pressing !!!

There later was a Japanese pressing of "Run The Line RMX" by Lord Finesse on Copasetik Recordings, but sadly the dope Frankenstein Remix of "The Undercover" was missing on this one !!!

Anyway, this one is easily the rarest record put out by Stones Throw Records ever and it´s also a incredibly dope one to get for the Frankenstein heads out there !!!

Check out a sample of Peanut Butter Wolf Feat. Encore "The Undercover Frankenstein RMX":

Blackmajik !!!

2011-09-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

Back again with the dopeness, this time with another incredibly slept on artist outta Brooklyn NYC who goes by the name of Blackmajik !!!

There isn´t much info about Blackmajik on the internet and this EP right here titled "Introducin' The Blackmajik" is the only record from Blackmajik i know about and it´s a real banger !!!

There are 6 tracks in total on this EP titled "Teflon", "5+4=Nine", "Bring It If You Wanna", "Introducin' The Blackmajik", "Pass The Axe" & "Rotten Apple" which are all killer !!!

The EP was released in 1996 on Subrosa Records and produced by Blackmajik !!!

Only 500 copies pressed of this monster as a deal between Blackmajik and Nick Harris (owner of Subrosa Records) who is selling the last remaining copies on discogs at the moment btw !!!

Check out sample of "Rotten Apple":

Check out a sample of "5+4=Nine":

Check out a sample of "Teflon":

Unsigned Artists !!!

2011-08-26T12:23:00.001-07:00

Back once again with another dope various artist EP outta NYC which goes by the name of Unsigned Artists EP !!!

Like the Nodyaheadtodis Vol. 1 EP i posted 4 years ago this one right here is a true want list killer on most of the mid 90s independent Hip Hop collectors out there (for a good reason) !!!

This record is not only extremely dope, it´s also extremely hard to find !!!

Anyway, the reason to get your hands on a copy of this Unsigned Artists EP for most peeps out there is def. the track "Bullet For A Bullet" by War Click !!!

It´s not the only dope track, but it´s def. one of the hottest joints from a pretty unknown group which is highly slept on and never had a real deal to release their music through a wider audience !!!

There are 7 tracks in total on this EP which are performed / titled by War Click "Bullet For A Bullet", Slasher "Cutthroat Island", Open Mic & L.D. "Co-Defendant", Baby Sharks "Legacy Of Pain", Angels Wit Dirty Faces "Angel´s Cipher", Nut & Slick Love "Nutta Butta Baby" & Kim Jackson & Slick Love "Mak'Em Feel It" !!!

The EP was released in 1996 as a promotional wax only and executively produced by Slick Love, Peter Rueben, Fritz Jean & Charlie Plange !!!

If you ever get the chance to getyour hands on a copy, you better grab it while you can !!!

Check out a sample of War Click "Bullet For A Bullet":

Check out a sample of Slasher "Cutthroat Island":

Check out a sample of Baby Sharks "Legacy Of Pain":

Underachieva´z !!!

2011-07-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is one of those records you put on your turntable and the first thing you think is fuck, this shit is awesome !!!

The same time you´ll also think that "It Seems Kinda Strange" that these guys never had a breakthrough !!!

The problem isn´t that they never recorded a whole album of dope material to release (in fact they did), the problem is that nobody seem to recognize them back in the day !!!

The record i´m talking about right now is by a group outta Washington D.C. which goes by the name of Underachieva´z !!!

I´ve always been a huge fan of the sound Da Bush Babees had back in the 90s and i really enjoyed both albums they did to the fullest because it´s simply quality material from start to finish !!!

You may wonder why i´m talking about Da Bush Babees right now, well, it´s simple because the first time i heard this record right here i was kicked back to the time when i heard Da Bush Babees for the very first time !!!

This record right here which was only available as a test pressing was givin away for demo shopping and promoting purposes in 1996 and is featuring 2 absolutely dope tracks in total titled "D.C. Rocks" & "Ya Betta Believe" !!!

While the A Side "D.C. Rocks" comes through with a heavy bass line and some rougher vibe, the B Side "Ya Betta Believe" comes a bit more smooth with some kind of Brooklyn-Jamaican vibe to it similar to Da Bush Babees back then !!!

There also was a cassette out by the Underachieva´z back in 1996 which is featuring 6 tracks of their unreleased album "It Seems Kinda Strange", but sadly this test pressing right here is the only wax they put out !!!

It´s def. not that type of record you´ll come across in a record store or something like that because there can´t be many around of this test pressing (i wouldn´t wonder if only a hand full exist), but it´s def. worth looking for and if you ever get the chance to buy a copy of it you better grab it while you can !!!

Anyway, this 12" right here is def. one of the best and most slept on Hip Hop records which is out there from the 90s and the whole package is absolutely Top Notch !!!

Check out a sample of "D.C. Rocks":

Check out a sample of "Ya Betta Believe":

Aiello Wilson !!!

2011-06-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sterling (official) debut 12" by none else but North Bronx Alliance very own Aiello Wilson outta the Bronx NYC !!!

As part of the North Bronx Alliance, Aiello recorded another 12" before this record right here which was (sadly) only available as a Test Pressing and
got reviewed on my Blog over 2 1/2 years ago already (if you like to check out as well) !!!

Nevertheless the North Bronx Alliance 12" got shelved, Aiello managed to drop this absolutely dope official debut 12" right here titled "Black Soil" on Chase Records in 1997 (which is featuring the North Bronx Alliance and was produced by Rob Dinero too btw) and pressed up a small batch of 300 copies !!!

Like i mentioned in the North Bronx Alliance post already, Aiello became pretty close beeing signed with Rawkus Records back in 1997, but sadly this never happened !!!

Last thing i heard from Aiello is that he´s trying to press up some wax of the previously unreleased demos Stretch & Bobbito played back in the 90s !!!

Hope you dig what you hear and keep looking for that dope stuff !!!

Check out a sample of "Black Soil":

Reckanize & Mr. Sta Puff !!!

2011-06-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Incredibly dope debut release by Reckanize & Mr. Sta Puff outta Brooklyn NYC !!!

Not much info about those guys beside that they released this incredible 12" titled "Hip Hop Don´t Stop" in 1996 on Bedroom Beats which is produced by 7th Sunn, G-Clef & Pedro Sime !!!

2 dope joints on this one right here titled "Hip Hop Don´t Stop" & "Massive Weight" which is featuring BAC, Strippoker & Tequila !!!

Check out a sample of "Hip Hop Don´t Stop":

Kapone !!!

2011-05-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Mad nice debut 12" right here by NYCs very own Kapone which got him signed a deal with Penalty Records only to release another 12" and get lost in the archive afterwards !!!

I never understood why Penalty Records only released one 12" by Kapone and not a whole album but the fact they never did makes this debut record right here another case of a dope, slept on artist which never got the shine he deserves !!!

The debut 12" right here titles "Who´s Blowing Up Far Rockaway Queens" was released in 1994 on Project Sound, produced by Koors and is featuring 3 dope tracks in total titled "Who´s Blowing Up Far Rockaway Queens", "Never Slumber" & "In The Mix" which is featuring another artist named Fags !!!

Check out a sample of "Who´s Blowing Up Far Rockaway Queens":

Check out a sample of "In The Mix":

LPSD !!!

2011-04-25T05:00:00.001-07:00

Back atcha with the realness and a totally slept on group outta Los Angeles which goes by the name of LPSD (Lyrical Prophets Strictly Dope) !!!

Some of you will know LPSD because of the thankfully done reissue of "Back Atcha" on Armory Records !!!

Well, before Armory Records did a reissue of "Back Atcha" in 2004, this was a test press only 12" released in 1995 on Angel Trax Records !!!

Ok, i bet most of you will say if this is available as a good sounding, legit reissue, why the hell should i be look out for this very hard to find test pressing !?

The answer is because of the absolutely insane b side track titled "Insane Nigga" which can only be found on this test pressing right here !!!

I remember the first time i heard "Insane Nigga" i was totally blown away and knew i had to get this freaking beast of a test pressing which was without a doubt one of the hardest records to find ever !!!

I´m not sure how many copies were pressed back in 1995, but i could bet that there can´t be more than 100 (if not less) !!!

I hope you guys enjoy the snippet and keep looking for that dope stuff !!!

Check out a sample of "Insane Nigga":

UNDERGROUND SURESHOTS !!!

2011-03-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Decided to bring a new series about records which aren´t that unknown to the Hip Hop heads out there but def. some kind of slept on by the industry cause the artists who put them out sadly never had the opportunity to shine on a major label !!!

First UNDERGROUND SURESHOT is nothing else but the 1996 debut 12" single by NYCs Brainwash 2000 titled "Break It Down" !!!

This record is without a doubt THE reason many of you 90s independent Hip Hop heads out there decided to dig a little deeper in some random crates to hopefully find another record of that caliber !!!

There won´t be an audio for this one cause i´m pretty sure that you guys now this track, but i decided to give it a place on my Blog cause it def. belongs to be in here !!!

Stay tuned for another UNDERGROUND SURESHOT every now & then !!!

Peace & One Love,

Bibow (TNR)

Wreckin' Shit !!!

2011-02-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

Mixtape time, this time the mix i´m posting really was available as a tape and not a digital file only !!!

This Mixtape right here was my first solo Mixtape i put out ever (well, the tapes i recorded live for friends in the mid 90´s while practice don´t count, seriously) when i still was playing out on the regular and was running with my old turntablism crew Unique Techniques from 1998-2003 !!!

Some of you may know this tape from other sites, but i decided to put it on my Blog as well cause i still feel this tape years and years after i put it out and think it has to be a part of my Blog as well !!!

For those of you who don´t know this one, i hope you enjoy the listen and please feel free to drop a comment !!!

Check out Bibow "Wreckin' Shit" Side A right here:

Check out Bibow "Wreckin' Shit" Side B right here:

Widow Prizum !!!

2011-01-16T03:55:00.000-08:00

First post in the new year and really digged something out for the cold weather !!!

This EP right here on Psycho V Records is featuring a few artists like K-Pee (from Paris) as well as the B.O.D Click (from Brooklyn NYC) but the real nugget is from a group called Widow Prizum outta Brooklyn NYC titled "Y.O.Y Bumba" !!!

I don´t know exactly how many records Widow Prizum dropped on Psycho V Records but you def. have to look out for the first 2 EPs from 1997 Widow Prizum is featured on

This EP right here is one of the first 2 i mentioned (not sure which one came first but both are dope anyway) and is produced by a guy called Valerio Compagnone !!!

Check out a sample of "Y.O.Y Bumba" right here:

X-Mas Special: The Sons Of Sam Story !!!

2010-12-24T01:02:00.001-08:00

Wassup !?

Another year is gone and as you guessed it already it´s time for another X-Mas special on my Blog !!!

I hope ya´ll enjoyed the ALPS Cru story i posted 2 years ago and were able to get a bit more info and knowledge about the Cru !!!

This time you get another very informative read from none else but The Xav of the Sons Of Sam !!!

Check it out:

The Sons of Sam started putting beats and rhymes together in 1992. We had a Casio
SK5 and a turntable. The Casio had a 1 second sampler, no time to do anything with, so we had to put the record we wanted to sample from on 45 and spin it with our finger and listen real close for the part we wanted to sample to come up. Perfect loops every time.
It would freak people out who we got clean loops like that. We finally we ended up getting an Ensoniq EPS in 92. The best machine in the world to me. We do and did everything on that machine. Today I use an Ensoniq ASR 10 but we still got the same EPS and they work perfectly. The name goes like this; Samson, now known as Pa-kid, and myself, The Xav, are brothers. Our father was called Sam the snake man so we easily thought of S.O.S. Most people didn’t get why we chose that name because they
related it to the killer, David Burkowitz. Coincidentally, David is our fathers given name. So we had to explain to people that we kill the beats with rhymes. It was a perfect fit. My middle name is Xavier so Xav came about from Charles Blake (rip) a fellow MC who I used to DJ for around 84-85 and Samson is as simple as Sam’s son. I started writing rhymes in 1986 after hearing Rakim and Check out my Melody. Before that I was a Scratching, Breaking and riding BMX bikes. I didn’t like any of the rap that I was hearing before that so when I heard Rakim, it was a weird feeling of being attracted to this song and the flow. The voice was hypnotizing. I was hooked and started writing and trying cadences and flows like Rakim. Over time I found my own voice, style and character. Samson and I were always individual writers and were more lyrically skilled than other local rappers we were hearing. Our beats were also strong. We just decided to get together for a song called Ooooohhh he got an afro while we were rocking twelve inch afros. There was this one time when I put a ruler in my hair and it almost disappeared.
So it was close to 12 inches. We recorded the song at Up & Up in New Jersey. Megahurtz, who got his identifying shine on the sound bombing project and producer of several tracks for Busta Rhymes, was one of our engineers. He was also producing at the time and he and Samson use to trade beat ideas. Deciding to put the afro song out as a single we needed another song for the B side so it came down to two songs; Rising Son and Charisma. Rising Son was a solo track by Samson. It was the first song that was recorded in the studio but I don’t think he was feeling it for the single so Charisma was chosen. We used to sleep with pen and pad next to the bed so if we woke up in the middle of the night with lyrics on our mind, we could put it down. I wrote and produced Charisma in 2 days after dreaming of the lyrics and the cadence as it all came together over a simple drum loop and a flashed/played/fingered base line. Production wise we were experimenting with a lot of samples and sounds. Sampling drum hits and creating custom drum kits was challenging and nobody was doing it as much as we were at the time. If you listen to the ep that was released by Vinyl Addicts, the original unreleased material from 93, you’ll notice that none of those sounds were heard before. The only tracks with recognizable sounds are Charisma for the drum loop, Afro remix for it’s drum loop and it may be one other. But everybody was just looping the same drum patterns you heard on every rap record played on the radio and in the hood. We programmed and tapped out our drums. We were always going against the grain with everything we did. There were a few rappers from Delaware who stood out. Grand G was one of them and I was influenced by him in some way to make flawless tracks. His sound was like a NYC veteran. There were others of course. Everybody was good, don’t get me wrong, but not everything is of interest to me. I’m very critical when it comes to that kind of stuff. So when the record was made I figured out how to get distribution through record pools.
There was no money in it but with a 300 piece pressing, it was good to get the buzz needed and press more if we had too. Funk-o-mart, was one of the stores in Philly that took the record on consignment. There was also Armands. I don’t remember what other stores took it on consignment but it wasn’t about that for me at the time. It was about making noise and getting enough attention to bait the labels.
In 1993 we recorded 12 songs for the album and had the owner of Up & Up going to bat with labels for us after he heard the material and felt we had potential. He would give us free studio time to redo the songs and make them hype for...”a hit”. Not feeling the direction, he suggested we make new songs so we went back in the lab. We got up in the morning, kept a box of corn flakes cereal next to the machines for breakfast and banged out new tracks to shop. We probably went through a giant box of cereal in a day. We made 12 complete new songs in about two weeks. Beats and rhymes. We mixed them, sent them to him, he went to bat and we waited. Nothing happened for months and we started getting frustrated and restless and burned out from writing and producing so much in so little time. I realized that this was the pressure that can do a rapper in. I could feel the pressure of creating a dope sophmore project after the first project was real and not forced. The songs were great nevertheless. The good news was that there was an interest from some of the labels but we didn’t really know who they were. The bad news was that we needed to make more songs. Something more hype, something for the future because by the time we would get a deal the songs would be three years old. At least that’s what the owner of the studio thought. By that time we were so far ahead of what was going on, I still don’t think people have caught up yet. We didn’t pay attention to what we were doing as writers. It was actually building consistency and I think that’s why we still get down to this day the way we do.
In 1994, a year after the record came out and we were sitting on about 40 complete tracks, we won an award for the best rap group in the Delaware valley. The Delaware Valley Music Poll Awards was an annual music competition that celebrated local musicians and groups. Thinking this award would give us more label attention and public interest, we prepared for a ride that never came.
Long story short, I got tired of doing all the footwork and spending the money and frustrated with bullshit passing us by. And not knowing where to go after that award thing didn’t turn out anything because it was so political, I took a break from S.O.S. I still continued to write rhymes but got more into Breaking, photography and writing.
1996 brought me to a new writing style and having fun, letting go and not being so serious about music was now my focus. I set up studio time at D&D, a major underground studio that housed Gang Starr, Jeru, Onyx, Diamond D and even Jay Z.
The engineers were credible and I felt this was were we needed to be so we could get the attention of some major producers and rappers. I became friends with Easy D, an engineer of the studio and former rapper himself. He would give me prime time slots and a cheap rate and I started recording as a solo artist. The man with the glass eyes was my first solo project recorded there and it was a shit talking track. I brought Samson in with me when I recorded it and the vibe was so dope, I decided to get back in it again. Technique and Big Deal were the new tracks we recorded. We changed the name to Wry Penmen as we started to notice everybody was a Son of something. They weren’t going to come close to this name. It would be a representation of our new sounds. By this time Samson is called Pa-kid and I’m still Xav but go by ZNo-Zeen in the B-boy world. It was time to play with characters and have fun with the game. I started going by Henry Bemis and Archie Rays as well as Xav and Z-no-Zeen.
And they could all rhyme differently than the next.
We recorded a ridiculous amount of songs, solo and together. The man with the glass eyes was distributed in Australia as an ep disc. Then it was distributed in California as a 10 track disc with my solo cuts and production by Pa-kid.
In 1998 I ended up working as a photographer for Rap Pages, Blaze and Vibe for about a solid year then went on the road as a Breaker. To this day I’m still on the road as a Breaker. I create theatre shows with the form and incorporate my rhymes in the work.
It’s getting more attention than the work I did before so it keeps me on the edge of creating Hip Hop theatre so to speak. I’ve done that for the last 15 years. I never stopped writing or making beats. In fact I got a new untitled solo project that is super raw and edgy. Back to the beats, loops and rhymes again. It’s fun again. I’m creating some dope ass DIY videos for the songs and creating a film from all of them about a 40 year old rapper still trying to make it and a half ass A&R who tries to get back in the game after being black listed. They become good friends and help each other realize who they are.
But in any case the videos are for the songs I’m doing now. 15 songs and skits no longer than 2 minutes long. The attention span of a lot of people today is only about 2 seconds long and the music I hear is boring and don’t really take any skill to produce.
So I’m joining them but with all my skills from the past. It’s just magnified and mature now and comparable to anything out there today. Underground and mainstream. What ever that is supposed to mean. Pa-kid is still making tracks and is still a monster. We talk about the state of the music today and keep it moving. It’s just fuel for the fire. I live in Hollywood so when I visit the east coast we get up and make some songs if I got time but we always write and pass off ideas and what we’ve come up with to each other.
I can go on for years about a lot of things that happened along the way but the most important thing is that we still make good music and it’s still original shit and gets better every time we put pen or pencil to pad, paper, post it note, napkin, back of a receipt, on a parking ticket or a bill, which ever one is closer.
There has been a lot of support from Chris at Diggers Wit Gratitude, Bibow who turned everybody on to each other, Buddah who stands up for the little left out man who loves genuine rap shit and Maze of Vinyl Addicts who just don’t stop. With the project I’m working on now, I’m hoping to generate an interest in picking it up or slinging it to the fans. It’s a dope project and relaxed in the way I’ve been able to put it together. I’m just writing what ever I feel like writing and smashing down any stereo types about rappers from the 80’s and 90’s sound too out of date and have lost it. It aint happening here! I promise you that! It may have if I tried to play the radio/mainstream game but that shit is all cosmetic and patch work. No real foundation for longevity. It’s made in the moment, played in the moment and will stay in the moment.

I hope ya´ll enjoyed the read and wish ya´ll merry X-Mas and a happy new year !!!

Peace & One Love,

Bibow (TNR)

Da Uptown Vandals !!!

2010-11-04T01:50:00.000-07:00

If you thought that heat is something you should keep away from vinyl than this piece of plastic right here is the proof that you´re dead wrong cause this beatiful piece of wax right here is totally packed with heat to the fullest !!!

The 12" is from a group outta New York who goes by the name of Da Uptown Vandals !!!

The record was released in 1994 on Basement Records and is to my knowledge the only record they put out !!!

There is only one track on the 12" titled "Vandals In The House" which is produced by Sugar Ray & Big French, but you get a few different versions which are all nice in my opinion !!!

Check out a sample of "Vandals In The House":

Forces Of Nature !!!

2010-10-03T02:50:00.000-07:00

Each year when it´s getting colder and darker outside i automatically switch my music style to something which got a similar feeling to it (dark & cold) !!!

It was around the same time when i heard Son A Bluntz "Don´t Snooze" for the very first time and i knew i had to get this shit on wax because it has that dark, cold vibe to it which makes this song pretty much the sureshot it is in my opinion (and i´m sure most of you guys will agree) !!!

Well, this EP right here by a group outta Staten Island NYC which goes by the name of Forces Of Nature not only brings you the very same vibe on one of the 4 tracks titled "Bring Wreck RMX" included on this EP, it also is produced by the very same guy (Brent "Faraoh" Toussaint) who produced the incredible Son A Bluntz "Don´t Snooze" track in the very same year !!!

SURESHOT !!!

The whole EP with all 4 tracks titled "Gotta Get Mine", "Gotta Get Mine RMX", "Bring Wreck" & "Bring Wreck RMX" is a winner so i think i would have copped that shit anyway, but the "Bring Wreck RMX" on this EP absolutely kills it for me and makes this record right here a must have for any certified 90´s independent Hip Hop head who likes to listen to that darker stuff !!!

Check out a sample of "Bring Wreck RMX":

Unfinished Project !!!

2010-09-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

Do you guys know the feeling of going on a long way to work and can´t listen to the same tracks on your way day by day again ?

Well, i was at that point not long ago and took the time to see what kind of stuff i´ve got left to listen to on my way to work i´m not tired off !!!

It happened that i found a mix i was working on in the early 2000s somewhere after i did my "Wreckin' Shit" mixtape (for those of you who know) but sadly seems like i lost the multitracks for that one (sadly) !!!

I gave it a try and thought it pretty much fits to the sound i´m doing right now under Top-Notch-Productions (mainly 90´s independent Hip Hop) !!!

Now i had to decide, delete this mix because of the unmastered sound and the fact i misplaced the multitracks to finish or upload it for you guy to listen to it as well !?

So here you go guys, this was planned to be the next mixtape after my "Wreckin' Shit" tape and was planned to be released under the name "Mr. Morbid" !!!

Like i mentioned before the sound isn´t mastered properly but i think the mix does have it´s moments and pretty much fits into my recent sound scheme !!!

Hope you enjoy the unfinished Bibow "Mr. Morbid" mix:

Bound E! Hunters !!!

2010-08-01T02:35:00.000-07:00

Today we have a mad nice piece of plastic outta NYC by a group called Bound E! Hunters !!!

This 12" right here got me bugged out several times cause it was a real pain in the ass to get my hands on a copy (and was without a doubt one of my biggest wants) !!!

The Bound E! Hunters consist of the members Con Rock Hard, Pay Juan & Cypher Born (who joined the group after this 12" right here) !!!

They (sadly) only put out this 12" right here which is totally loaded and packed with dope shit to the fullest including some straight butta flowing lyrics over some absolute Top Notch productions !!!

There are 3 tracks in total on this killer 12" titled "Breakitdown", "Whatz-Happinin" & "Da Hunters" which are all absolutely off the hook !!!

The 12" was released in 1994 on Bleecker Street Records and is produced by Con Rock Hard !!!

If you´re ever be able to find a copy of this killer 12" right here anywhere i suggest you should better grab it while you can !!!

Check out a sample of "Da Hunters":

Check out a sample of "Whatz-Happinin":

Check out a sample of "Breakitdown":

Jam Da Original Troopa !!!

2010-07-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

If you liked the last post i did about Trybal-Men then you mos def. will feel this one right here as well !!!

This time we have the artist who did the other side of the split artist Survival Series 11355 EP (together with Trybal-Men i talked about in my previous post) which goes by the name of Jam Da Original Troopa (previously known as Da Ooh or Jam) !!!

This release right here is his 3rd 12" titled "Soul Search'n RMX", was released in 1996 on 456 Records, produced by Jam Da Original Troopa himself and is featuring 3 dope tracks in total titled "Soul Search'n RMX", "Time" & "Time Waselanz RMX" !!!

While all of his other releases are absolutely dope as well, i still had to chose this one right here because of the "Time Waselanz RMX" which got me infected since the first time i heard it on a 1996 Mista Sinista mixtape it was featured on !!!

Check out a sample of "Time Waselanz RMX":

Trybal-Men !!!

2010-06-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

Next round with an incredible highly slept on release outta Queens NYC by a group called Trybal-Men !!!

This shit is really Top Notch, they put out 2 records including 4 tracks in total and each track they put out is a winner !!!

The first appearance by Trybal-Men was on a split artist EP titled "Survival Series 11355" and got followed directly by this dope 12" right here titled "Down Like That" !!!

While the main title "Down Like That" was already featured on the dope "Survival Series 11355" EP, the flip side of this 12" right here titled "Greenary" is what you´re looking for, trust me !!!

The 12" was released in 1996 on Mr. Eggs Records, produced by B.G. Skillz for Paul Sea Productions & Sur and is featuring 2 amazingly dope tracks in total titled "Down Like That" & "Greenary" !!!

This 12" right here seems to be a bit more tricky to get your hands on within the last 2 years, so if you get your chance to grab one you better do it while you can !!!

Check out a sample of "Greenary":

J-Force !!!

2010-06-20T03:12:00.000-07:00

Mad nice Marley Marl affiliated 12" release outta Queens NYC by J-Force !!!

J-Force (sadly) only released two 12" singles in the mid 90´s titled "Bull´s Eye" & "For All Thoze" !!!

This one right here is his debut 12" from 1995 on J-Force Entertainment, produced by J-Force himself and is featuring the track "Bull´s Eye" in 4 different versions !!!

There sadly never was a full lenght album by J-Force but i highly recommend you to check out his two 12"s he put out in the mid 90´s and get yourself a copy of each as soon as possible !!!

Check out a sample of "Bull´s Eye":

Constant Deviants !!!

2010-05-30T03:03:00.000-07:00

Time for another banger by a group which goes by the name of Constant Deviants !!!

This release right here is their debut 12" titled "Competition Catch Speed Knots" !!!

The 12" was released in 1996 on Vestry Records, produced by Dj Cutt and is featuring the track "Competition Catch Speed Knots" in 4 different versions !!!

Constant Deviants recorded a whole album back then which has (sadly) never seen the light of the day (until later this year if everything works out fine) !!!

Check out a sample of "Competition Catch Speed Knots":

Bee Why !!!

2010-05-24T02:22:00.000-07:00

Today we have another dope artist outta Queens NYC who goes by the name of Bee Why !!!

Bee Why dropped a whole lot of underground bombs in the mid to late 90´s (in the form of 4 dope 12"s) but sadly never had the chance to present his high quality rap skills to a large audience in form of a full lenght album on a major label (there only was a small CD release 3 years ago which in my opinion got slept on as well) !!!

Anyway, the 12" i´m blogging about today is his debut 12" titled "The Boros" !!!

The 12" was released in 1997 on Wolfpak Entertainment, is produced by Gee The Nutty Professor (who is no one else than Ayatollah before he became big) and is featuring the track "The Boros" in 4 different versions !!!

If you ask me i would say that all of his 12"s are dope stuff and worth checking for !!!

Check out a sample of "The Boros":

Brooklyn House Compilation !!!

2010-04-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

Time to drop another bomb outta Brooklyn NYC !!!

This one right here is the Brooklyn House Compilation on Solid Noize Records from 1998 and like all other Brooklyn based various artist compilations i posted, it´s a record you shouldn´t pass by if you come across a copy !!!

The whole EP is produced by Rob Da' Noize Temple for Solid Noize Entertainment and is featuring a whole lot of dope MC´s called Dirty Able, Alpyne, Skyy, Mello-Dramatic, Dirty 730, Usual Suspect presenting 6 dope tracks in total titled "Shorty", "Throw Em Up", "Anybody", "Ghetto Life, "Brooklyn Revolution" & "Killer Instinct" !!!

All tracks on here are fire so you better keep you eyes open !!!

Check out a sample of "Anybody":

Check out a sample of "Brooklyn Revolution":

Underground Flow !!!

2010-04-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

What we have right here is a mad nice 12" outta the Bronx NYC by Cover (The Child Of Destruction) !!!

Even if this one had a lot of shine on mixtapes back in the day, it´s still a record the mass wasn´t able to get cause there (sadly) never was a full album by cover on a bigger label !!!

Cover had a few more 12"s out, but to me it´s all about this bangin' debut 12" titled "Underground Flow" !!!

The 12" was released in 1995 on Embassy Records, produced & featured by Michelo for Sound Piers Production & is featuring 2 absolutely dope tracks in total titled "Underground Flow" & "Underground Flow RMX" !!!

While the main cut "Underground Flow" is a bit more rough than the "Underground Flow RMX" on the flip side, the "Underground Flow RMX" is still a notch better than the regular version in my opinion (which doesn´t mean that the regular version isn´t good) !!!

Anyway, i consider this one as a must have for any certified 90´s underground Hip Hop vinyl fiend and if you haven´t copped a copy of that one already you better do it now !!!

Check out a sample of "Underground Flow RMX":

Pro Town Records LP !!!

2010-03-14T01:35:00.001-08:00

What we have right here is not really slept on (yet) cause it´s new, so i felt a bit like postin out of my scheme and tell you peeps out there that you better watch out for this incredibly dope LP right here and DON´T SLEEP NOW !!!

This LP goes by the title of Pro Town Records and is featuring a whole lot of very talented MCs, DJs & Producer named Al Bums, Swerve One, Romen Rok, Info Mite, Cevtwo, J Strest, Chachi Carvalho & Jahpan !!!

The whole collective comes straight outta Providence, Rhode Island !!!

There are 12 tracks featured on this LP titled "Welcome To Providence", "Five Deep", "Crash Test", "Him Go", "50 Ways", "Am To Pm RMX", "Doin Dirt", "Fe Fi Fo Fum", "Rhode Island Hospital", "Ice Puppies", "Money Up Front" & "Love Is Blue" which are all produced by Al Bums !!!

They only pressed up 300 copies of this hot ass album which can directly be ordered from Swerve One !!!

DON´T SLEEP NOW and get yourself one of these beauties while you´re able to and stop moaning around about prices cause that album is priced very well !!!

I recorded some snippets of two my favourite tracks for you to check out !!!

Check out a sample of "Am To Pm RMX":

Check out a sample of "Ice Puppies":

Dirty Face Angels !!!

2010-03-06T05:54:00.000-08:00

Very nice late 90´s Hip Hop outta New York by a group called Dirty Face Angels !!!

Dirty Face Angels released two dope 12"s in 1999 on Fat Stache Entertainment titled "Actin' Up" & "It´s Not A Game" which are both Top Notch !!!

This one right here is the "Actin' Up" 12" which is produced by Dat Nigga Reg and is featuring 2 absolutely dope tracks titled "Actin' Up" & "MOElogical" !!!

Both Dirty Face Angels 12"s are hella dope and def. something you should grab if you´re able to !!!

Check out a sample of "MOElogical":

BBO Enterprises !!!

2010-02-13T05:20:00.000-08:00

Next round with another NYC banger by a group from Harlem called BBO Enterprises !!!

This 12" right here is their debut and (to my knowledge) only 12" BBO put out !!!

The 12" was released in 1996 on BBO Enterprises, produced by Futuristic and is featuring 3 dope tracks in total titled "Get Rude", "Dayz Lik This" & "Pose A Threat" !!!

Like already said, this is a very solid 12" overall but one track (in my opinion) is pretty outstanding and goes by the title of "Dayz Lik This" !!!

Check out a sample of "Dayz Lik This":

High Side Infantry !!!

2010-01-17T02:15:00.000-08:00

Happy new year fellas !!!

It´s 2010 and time to begin the new decade with a heavy bomb !!!

So here we go with another incredibly dope but (sadly) slept on 12" outta Brooklyn NYC by a group called High Side Infantry !!!

This record is so fucking heavy that i def. had to get this on wax after i heard it the very first time (and i´m sure you´ll feel the same if you like that type of music i´m posting here) !!!

The 12" just straight up made it into my most slept on-east coast-mid 90´s underground Hip Hop favourites (well, it´s somewhere between The Legendary Villain & Da Hoodz Uv Mizbhavya right now which means a lot in my opinion) !!!

I (sadly) don´t have any infos beside that it´s from 1995, featuring 2 dope tracks in total titled "High Cant" & "Contact", was released on High Side Records, Produced by Moose and has to be mad rare cause it looks like you can´t find a copy anywhere !!!

Check out a sample of "High Chant":

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

2009-12-24T01:14:00.000-08:00

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:

Tha Lowa !!!

2009-12-06T02:13:00.000-08:00

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":

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

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

Ghetto Chronicle Daily !!!

2009-11-01T02:28:00.000-08:00

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.":

Check out a sample of "Nighty Night":

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

Check out a sample of "Ghetto Chronicle Daily":

The Concrete Foundation / The Annexx Click !!!

2009-10-24T02:17:00.000-07:00

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":

Lonnie O !!!

2009-10-11T01:56:00.000-07:00

Really don´t know how to start on this highly slept on dude outta New Haven Connecticut who goes by the name of Lonnie O !!!

This dude right here is an absolute mic killer !!!

The first 2 releases "Mr Dynamite" & "Dream On" he put out in 1992 already have a legendary status to the people in the know and that´s for a good reason (both of these 12"s are without a question the best underground shit that dropped in 1992) !!!

This one right here is his 3rd 12" from 1994 titled "It´s Lik Dat" on Rampage Records, produced by The Groove Nega A.C. Smooth For Groovy Nega Category and is an absolutely killer tune as well (in fact, Lonnie O is killing it on this 12" right here) !!!

The 12" sadly only contains 1 track titled "It´s Lik Dat" on both sides with instrumental and also it looks like the track wasn´t mastered before they pressed it up on wax (my copy was sealed when i received it and check out the crackling and sound quality in the snippet) but nonetheless this is a monster 12" you have to own !!!

Check out a sample of "It´s Lik Dat":

The Mischievous LQ !!!

2009-10-11T01:15:00.000-07:00

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":

Check out a sample of "Mischief Night":

Ba Ba Kidz !!!

2009-09-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Alright, if you like Da Youngstas and the rugged style productions by Pete Rock, The Beatnuts etc. they had then you def. have to like this group outta Philly called Ba Ba Kidz as well !!!

Pretty rugged style similar to Da Youngstas and a hot as hell production which def. can compete with all the beats production legends like Pete Rock etc. made for Da Youngstas back then !!!

This one right here is the "Swing Kidz" EP from 1993 on Philly Flava Records, produced by Emanuel Parks and is featuring 5 absolutely dope tracks titled "Swing Kidz", "Swing Kidz RMX", "Bad Boyz", "Bad Boyz RMX" and another dope "Bad Boyz RMX" version !!!

ATTENTION: There are 2 different versions of Ba Ba Kidz "Swing Kidz" / "Bad Boyz" around, one has a green label and the artist name is actually Ba Ba Kids (with a s and not a z at the end) !!!

The green label version only contains 2 mixes of "Bad Boyz" and only one version of "Swing Kidz" !!!

Both versions are pretty dope and good to have, but if you really want the full Ba Ba Kidz flava then you def. have to watch out for this orange / black label EP right here !!!

Check out a sample of "Bad Boyz":

Check out a sample of "Bad Boyz RMX":

Check out a sample of "Swing Kidz":

Check out a sample of "Swing Kidz RMX":

AMP Boogie !!!

2009-09-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

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":

Check out a sample of "Maintain":

I-Power !!!

2009-09-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

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":

Jazzy Phunkadelphia !!!

2009-09-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

Absolutely laid back killer tune outta Philly from The Zone !!!

If you like smooth & jazzy beats combined with liquid flowin' lyrics then this 12" right here is absolutely essential to you !!!

The 12" was released in 1996 on Groove Control Recordings and is featuring 2 dope tracks in total titled "Jazzy Phunkadelphia" & "Don´t Need A Gatt" which are both produced by Keath Lowry for Groove Control Prod. !!!

This one right here is (to my knowledge) the only 12" The Zone dropped ever !!!

Check out a sample of "Jazzy Phunkadelphia":

East Flatbush House Of Reps !!!

2009-08-29T01:50:00.000-07:00

Very nice NYC split artist 12" right here !!!

While the A side by D.L.R. is pretty dope already, the B side by East Flatbush House Of Reps is only getting better !!!

The 12" came out in 1996 on Black Urban Sounds as a promotional record only and is well worth to look out for (and maybe will take a while until you find a copy) !!!

The A side (by D.L.R.) is featuring 2 dope tracks titled "Show N Prove (N.Y.C. Version)" & "Show N Prove (Universal Club Mix)" (which luckily isn´t really a club version and as raw as the N.Y.C. Version) while the B side (by East Flatbush House Of Reps) is featuring 1 dope track titled "E.F. House Of Reps (Raw Dog Version)" !!!

Both sides (D.L.R. & East Flatbush House Of Reps) are produced by Micheal (Danté) Dottin, Carlo & Mr Marcial (D.L.R.) !!!

If you ever get the chance to grab a copy of it, don´t sleep !!!

Check out a sample of East Flatbush House Of Reps "E.F. House Of Reps (Raw Dog Version)":

Sandinistas !!!

2009-08-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

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":

Check out a sample of "Higher":

Da Hoodz Uv Mizbhavya !!!

2009-07-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

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":

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

Check out a sample of "The Blue Print":

Final Analysis !!!

2009-07-05T03:30:00.000-07:00

While i´m at Baltimore already here´s another smasher outta this city by KRB !!!

This one right here is a true rap monster with heavy hittin' beats and a pretty unknown KRB spittin' hell over them !!!

When i first heard this record it made my adrenalin level rise to a max cause KRBs rough spittin' punchlines over this heavy hittin' beats are nothing else but pure dope to me !!!

This 12" was released in 1995 on a Baltimore label named EN Records and is produced Norm Nice for Trac Pac Productions !!!

The 12" is featuring 2 dope tracks titled "Final Analysis" & "Dangerous" and is a great addition to your collection (well, if you find a copy) !!!

This is to my knowledge the only record KRB put out !!!

Check out a sample of "Final Analysis":

Sparrow !!!

2009-07-05T03:13:00.000-07:00

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":

The Brooklyn Zoo !!!

2009-06-01T02:01:00.000-07:00

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":

Crime Stories !!!

2009-05-02T01:15:00.000-07:00

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":

Lost Cawz !!!

2009-05-02T00:55:00.000-07:00

Dope release outta NYC by an pretty unknown artist called Lost Cawz !!!

This (to my knowledge) only release by Lost Cawz contains 2 tracks titled "Lettin' Niggaz Know" & "Hooks" !!!

Both of the tracks this 12" is featuring does have totally different styles, but trust me, both of the tracks are killer !!!

While "Lettin' Niggaz Know" is a bit more uptempo and could easily fit in most club sets (soundwise, not content) is "Hooks" more the one you´re looking for in the first place !!!

The 12" was released in 1994 on Becawz Records and is produced by Lost Cawz !!!

Check out a sample of "Hooks":

Sons Of Sam !!!

2009-04-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

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":

Check out a sample of "Charisma":

Massive Ring !!!

2009-04-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

Heavyweight release from a group outta Washington DC called Massive Ring !!!

Since i´ve always been a huge Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth fan (especially of their early to mid 90´s stuff) i was absolutely banged when i heard this record the very first time !!!

Believe me, it couldn´t get much better than this, dope beats, dope rhymes, smooth flow & all together pressed on a nice loud record !!!

The 12" was released in 1993 on Azpect Records, is produced by Bill Source and is featuring 2 absolutely dope tracks in total titled "Middle East" & "The Funk Wrecker" !!!

Both of the tracks are fire, so keep your eyes open for this must have !!!

I´m not sure if there was another record out by Massive Ring together, i know there was another later solo 12" out under the name Ring which wasn´t really comparable to this (in my opinion) !!!

Check out a sample of "Middle East":

Kenspin !!!

2009-03-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

One very talented and pretty unknown Artist who reminds of Redman at his prime goes by the name of Kenpsin and comes straight outta Harlem NYC !!!

Kenspin only had 3 12"s out in 1994 (to my knowledge) titled "Spin 2 My Funk", "Spin 2 My Funk RMX" (which is featuring the regular version of "Spin 2 My Funk" too) & "Da Stork" !!!

This is the "Da Stork" 12" which was released in 1994 on Tree Top Records, produced by TOPCAT and is featuring "Da Stork" 2 different versions !!!

ATTENTION: There is a video of one of Kenspins other 12"s "Spin 2 My Funk" floating around on the internet which is actually the "Spin 2 My Funk RMX", so make sure you buy that one if you´re serious after the track played in the video !!!

Anyway, if you ever get the chance to pick up a copy of "Da Stork" on vinyl don´t sleep !!!

Check out a sample of "Da Stork":

Ready Ta Roll !!!

2009-03-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

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":

Finsta Baby !!!

2009-02-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

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":

T-Abel Cachet !!!

2009-01-18T02:48:00.000-08:00

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":

Top-Notch-Production Pt. III !!!

2009-01-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

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"

X-Mas Special: The ALPS Cru Story !!!

2008-12-23T01:54:00.000-08:00

Wassup everybody ?

Another year is gone now and it´s time again to bless you with another X-Mas special on my Blog !!!

Since you ain´t getting much background info about those groups i´m presenting you in this Blog (mostly because there isn´t much info available) i´m more than happy now to be able to post the whole ALPS Cru story written by Alejan of The Concept Of ALPS for you !!!

Check it out:

I (Dj Alejan) lived in St.Louis, Missouri from 1985 to 1998. However, I went to college in New Orleans (XavierUniversity) from 1991 to 1995, and that's where I met P da wicked vocal. I had lived in Los Angeles and Little Rock Arkansas prior to St. Louis when I was a shorty. I was born in El Salvador and after moving to the States in 1981 I heard Planet Rock and that is what got me into hip hop. My brother and his friends had a b-boy crew in 1983 and 1984 and I would carry the radio and play the tunes for them. In St. Louis I came up listening to hip hop from both East and West Coasts. I started DJing in 1988 after hearing and seeing cats like Jazzy Jeff and Cash Money on TV. There were also some local DJ’s like G-Wiz, Charlie Chan, and Captain G that inspired me to start DJing. I got a break DJing parties at my high school and hooked up with another classmate named Rated R who rapped. In early 1991 we recorded a song in a low budget studio and that really got me interested in producing taking my music more seriously. I was heavily influenced early on by Marley Marl's production as well as Dr. Dre, the Bomb Squad, Sam Sever, Large professor and DJ Premier. I went to a Gangstarr show in 1990 or 1991 and when I saw Premo rip it up live, it totally changed the way I saw DJ ing in rap group. I graduated in 1991 and headed off to college where I would meet a lifelong friend. P da wicked Vocal was raised in New Jersey so he was an east coast head and had been part of YZ's ESD Posse along with B-Fyne and B-Chill. He had also been heavily influenced by the Native Tongues and brought that type of style to the table. He was an Art major and had a unique and witty rhyme style that was like nothing I had heard at that time. We immediately clicked when we met in an orientation group for school in August of 1991. We performed at a talent show at the end of the week and that was the beginning. We roomed together for three of the four years we were in school, so we really had a chance to gel and get to know each other, which I'm sure helped our music. After doing other shows our freshman year we decided to get serious and record some tracks. We recorded "The Concept" in October of 1992 in New Orleans. At the time, I was just working with my turntables, a little 8 second sampler, and a drum machine. I had also become very proficient at pause button beat making when I was in high school, so the pre-production was all pause button loops. I played the tape to the engineer who then re-sampled the record and arranged it according to my model. I still remember the engineer digging the fact that we were using a Steely Dan sample on that song. All of the songs on the Unknown EP followed this basic model and were recorded in 1993 and early 1994. I had not been around other producers when I was in high school or college so I really did not know much about equipment like the EMU SP1200 or Akai S950. I just loved the sound of great samples and scratched hooks with dope lyrics and we tried to get that sound with whatever tools we had. We decided to press the songs we had recorded on tapes so that we could sell them at shows and to our friends. However, being true hip hop heads, we knew that we needed to get some vinyl to be official and have our stuff played by DJ’s. As college students we did not have much money to work with but we were able to press 100 copies on vinyl and 1,000 on cassette. The official release of the EP was August of 1994. We sold most of the tapes at our school in New Orleans as we had a lot of people who dug our music there. The wax was given away mostly to radio and club DJ’s in St. Louis and New Orleans. Jeff B, who DJed the only underground hip hop show at Tulane University’s radio station gave us mad love along with Wild Wayne who was a commercial radio personality in New Orleans as well. One notable person who got a copy was DJ Premier. We opened for Gangstarr in the spring of 1993 and I asked him for his address to send our product to him, he also gave me his phone number. I called him after I had the vinyl and he actually answered and told me that he would listen to it. I later heard a Penalty Recordings promo mix tape were he used part of “The Wait” in the mix. At this time I also had a friend who worked at the source and we pushed him to try to get the record submitted for the unsigned hype column that Matty C did. Unfortunately, Matty did not think that record was that good citing that the Snoop (Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre) sound was the new sound to check for and ours just didn’t have it. We knew that we had something to offer so that did not hold us back but inspired us even more. During the summer of 1994 I was in New York trying to make connections and I purchased an Ensoniq ASR 10. At that point I finally felt like I had the tool to really go to the next level in my production. We spend the rest of 1994 promoting the EP while at the same time attending school. We did some notable shows opening for the likes of Craig Mack, Blacksheep, and Yah Supreme. In the spring of 1995 we went back into the studio and recorded “No Question”. It was our response to those who fronted on the EP and what we had to offer. At the same time we were looking for another MC to add to the group to give us another dynamic. Enter Rob da third. He was from Chicago and was a year behind us in school. He was part of another group on campus. However, after seeing that his group did not have a bigger vision than just doing shows here and there, it was obvious that he was looking for other opportunities to shine. P and I thought his style was cool and that his addition to the group would add variety and give P someone to tag team with. His first appearance came on the song “Nocturnal Illusions” which was a solo track that he and I worked on and recorded in New Orleans in spring of 1995. P and I graduated in May of that same year but we both decided to take some time off from seeking corporate “normal” careers in order to make a shot at this music thing. In late May, we recorded “Intensity” in St. Louis with Rob da third and P da wicked on vocals. I still remember making that beat and using the KRS ONE sample from Hip Hop vs. Rap. I don’t know what caused me to use it but it just had that hypnotic effect that really made the track different. We were very excited about the new songs we had and we sent them to press shortly thereafter and this time increased our vinyl amount to 300. The Intensity vinyl got more distribution because we had made more contacts after promoting our first EP. I remember going to ColumbiaU. in New York in 1995 and waiting for Bobbito to come in so that I could give him the “Intesity” record. He ended up playing the record that night near the end of the show (around 4am). We also had a lot more contacts in the West Coast due to a connection I made with Rob One, a mix tape DJ and at that time employee of EMI records. He and I met at the Jack the Rapper convention in Atlanta in ‘95. I gave him a copy of the Intensity maxi single on cassette and he called me the next day telling me that he was really feeling it and would help me promote it. He was a true hip hop head and would promote projects for other underground artists as well. I remember he was the first person to put me up on Frankenstein and Raw Produce. He also hooked me up with Cut Chemist, Numark, Babu, Rhettmatic, J Rocc, DJ Fingaz, DJ Ragz, Peanut Butter Wolf, Mike Nardone, Truly Odd and other DJ's out in California. We really hustled that record to death. P, who was then living in Detroit, was selling units at Proof’s “Hip Hop Shop” as well as on the streets and out of his car trunk. We took a trip to Chicago in late July of 1995 and sold mad tapes on the streets as well. We sent the tape to various labels and we actually came close to being signed to Payday records in 1995-1996. We were in communication with Dino Delvaille who was the A & R there at the time. However, another group that I don't remember was chosen instead of us. It was a really tough pill to swallow at that time as all we wanted to do was to get our music heard and get picked up by a label. In August of the same year we went back into the studio in St. Louis and recorded “Loudmouths”. We really did not like the studio where we recorded the track so we did not go back to do a clean edit for it. That track was never released but we did put it on dub plate (acetate) that has Check the status on the B-side. I went to LA in early 1996 to hook with Rob One who was going to take me to some radio shows and I needed something new for DJ's to play. Back then, you could not get any burn as a new group if you didn't have some kind of wax. Mike Nardone played the record on his show. I also played it at a San Diego station while I was there with Rob One. These contacts would prove to be vital in the success of the All Alone 12”.
In the spring of 1996 we went back in the studio and recorded Check da Status. This is the only track that has all three ALPS Cru MC’s on it. Rob III left the group shortly after recording that song. He wanted to pursue a career in Medicine and he informed us that his commitment to the group was no longer a top priority. We understood and wished him well. Shorty Live was a friend of another friend (Bird) we had in college who was from Brooklyn, NY. Bird is actually talking at the end of "Feelin' Satisfaction". He introduced me to Shorty in 1994 while I was in NY for the summer. He had that rugged NY style and was a very serious about recording. He was part of another crew in BK called UNF who had cut some demos here and there. After talking to him, P and I felt that he would be a great addition to the group. It would be two years before he would record with us. However, during that time he was getting beats from me in the mail and we would all communicate via phone to arrange the music. All three tracks for the All alone 12” were recorded in St. Louis in the spring of 1996. The chemistry between P and Shorty was especially ill, they really vibed off each other and the result was straight up dopeness. I felt that tracks were more rugged on this release than on previous ones. I had the Rufus/Chaka Khan sample from “All Alone” picked out for a couple of years but had not really done anything with it. When I finally put it together, P and Shorty were both all over it and suggested that we go with it. “Just Can’t Explain” uses a sample from “The Lettermen” and was a track that I really liked and tweaked for a few weeks. I thought that I would add a different sound in comparison to the other tracks that were both a little darker. The studio we used had the classic 2 inch analog tape machine and the sound was straight love. We were very pleased with the new songs and pressed either 300 or 500 (not sure) vinyl pieces. The 12” did pretty well as we got great feedback from both coasts on it as well as the Midwest. It was probably our most successful release because we had more support throughout the country and we had developed a small fan base as well.
After the All Alone 12" inch in 1996 we recorded one more track in St. Louis in July of1997 called "Avalanche". We had plans for another 12” with a couple of more tracks. Little did we know that it would be the last time that we would record together. With geographical challenges becoming more difficult (P was in graduate school in Georgia and Shorty living in NY, and me in St. Louis ), and other life responsibilities pulling at each of us we just gradually went our own way and pursued other aspirations. P recorded a solo project called Apparatus Addict in 1999 while living in Georgia. After 1998 P and I both lost total contact with Shorty. We have not heard from him since. I pursued a career in DJing and hip hop music marketing. I put a mix tape called “Originality iz a must” in the summer of 1997. I also competed in the DMC DJ competition and made it to the 1998 finals in New York.

I hope ya´ll enjoyed the read and wish ya´ll a merry X-Mas & a happy new year !!!

If you like the ALPS Cru sound and purchased the "Loudmouths" 12" make sure you check out their website:

http://www.alpscru.com/

in the first few months of 2009 for some more limited vinyl heat you def. don´t want to miss out !!!

Peace & One Love,

Bibow (TNR)

North Bronx Alliance !!!

2008-11-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Mad nice test press only 12" release from a group called North Bronx Alliance outta the Bronx NYC !!!

This record was supposed to drop on a NYC independent label called Database Productions (the same label who put out the dope Rezidue 12"s) but sadly only the test pressings were made (don´t know exactly how many copies were pressed but there can´t be many) !!!

The 12" was pressed up in 1997, produced by Rob Dinero and is featuring 2 dope tracks titled "NBA Live '97" & "Black Caesar" (which are both very dope) !!!

North Bronx Alliance never put out a own record but are featured on the very dope North Bronx Alliance group member Aiello Wilson debut 12" titled "Black Soil" (which was released on Chase Dinero Records in the same year) !!!

I was able to talk with Aiello Wilson about the North Bronx Alliance and the music they made and he confirmed me that this test pressing right here was recorded and supposed to drop before "Black Soil" but got shelved because of Aiello Wilsons solo demos which got some bigger attention and some air play at Stretch & Bobbitos radio show !!!

Aiello was also pretty close to get his material out on Rawkus Records but sadly that deal never happened !!!

Anyway, this test pressing right here is an absolute jewel for any crates out there so you better keep your eyes open cause there may only will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to get your hands on a real Bronx raer like this !!!

Check out a sample of "Black Caesar":

2 Demented !!!

2008-10-03T00:49:00.000-07:00

Absolutely unknown 12" by an absolutely unknown group outta New York who goes by the name of 2 Demented !!!

When i first heard this 12" i was absolutely sure about that i have to get this one on wax !!!

Very nice dark sounding production over the whole 12" and a sick flow on each track which rounds this 12" up perfectly !!!

This is to my knowledge the only record 2 Demented put out and is featuring 3 dope tracks titled "The Real Sunset Park", "Dementia" & "Evolution" !!!

The 12" was released in 1996 on 2 Demented and is produced by Eric E. Roache at the Roache Motel Recording Studio !!!

You better keep your eyes open, this is the only copy i´ve ever seen in my life so far !!!

Check out a sample of "The Real Sunset Park":

Killa Kidz !!!

2008-10-03T00:33:00.000-07:00

Very dark sounding killer 12" from a group outta Queens NY who goes by the name of Killa Kidz !!!

This is the only 12" Killa Kidz put out together featuring 2 dope tracks titled "'96 Phenomenom" & "Time 2 Shine" !!!

The record was released in 1996 on Queensbridge Entertainment and is completely produced by Prince A.D. who was also responsible for the scratching on the very first Mobb Deep album "Juvenile Hell" !!!

Very nice and tough 12" to look out for if you don´t own a copy for yourself already !!!

Check out a sample of "'96 Phenomenom":

Droopy Eye Crew !!!

2008-09-06T02:05:00.000-07:00

Incredible release outta Orange New Jersey from a group called Droopy Eye Crew !!!

This group sadly didn´t released that much stuff on wax, but everything they pressed up is just bananas !!!

This one right here is their 2nd release (to my knowledge) on wax titled "One Life To Live" and is a great addition to the crates !!!

The record features 4 tracks in total which makes it more like an EP than a 12" and it´s def. a nice follow up to their a bit more known debut 12" release titled "Broke Willeez" !!!

The tracks featured on the EP are "One Life To Live", "Most Deadliest Of All Games", "You Know My Steez" & "Anybody" !!!

This EP was released on Smokehouse Productions Inc. somewhere around 1996 i think (not sure which year exactly) and all tracks were produced by Smokehouse Productions Inc. as well !!!

Check out a sample of "One Life To Live":

Another Nasty Move !!!

2008-08-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Certified underground rap banger outta the boogie down Bronx from a group called Another Nasty Move !!!

If you´re a fan of the Freestyle Professors (like me) you´ll love this stuff to the fullest cause it´s hard, grimey & raw like beef !!!

This one right here is the "Two Too The Jaw" 12" from 1994 on Nubian Productions Enterprises Inc. !!!

The 12" is completely produced by Stacy "Ace" Williams and features 3 absolute killers titled "Two Too The Jaw", "Two Too The Jaw RMX" & "It Only Takes One To Get Done" !!!

Check out a sample of "It Only Takes One To Get Done":

Beyond The Door !!!

2008-07-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

Mad nice release outta Philly from a group called 100x !!!

This one right here is their debut 12" titled "Beyond The Door" !!!

The 12" contains 4 tracks titled "Beyond The Door", "Beyond The Door Street Version" (which is more like a RMX and different to the first version), "Death 2 The Radio" & "FUCK" (trust me, all tracks on here are killers no fillers) !!!

The 12" was released in 1994 on X-Caliber Records and is produced by Lee "L.E. Square" Johnson for Manhole Productions !!!

100x released a few more records but you def. have to check out these 2 right here:

"Beyond The Door" (1994)

"Fast Loot Tactics" (1996)

cause they are both pure dynamite !!!

Check out a sample of "Beyond The Door":

Premier !!!

2008-07-05T04:49:00.000-07:00

Pretty unknown 12" right here by an Artist who goes by the name of Premier !!!

He has nothing to do with the famous and well known Dj Premier beside that both use the same name and both come outta Houston, Texas !!!

This 12" right here was released in 1994 on ATCH Records and features 2 nice tracks titled "Here I Come" & "What Is It Gonna Be" !!!

Both tracks are produced by Eric "RAZOR CUT" Timmons and def. woth checking for !!!

Check out a sample of "Here I Come":

Missing Link !!!

2008-06-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

Aight peeps, it´s time again for another Various Artists EP outta Brooklyn NYC !!!

This one right here is the Missing Link EP from 1996 on Slam`n Tracks Production !!!

The EP features 8 different tracks from 4 different groups titled Pipers Of Zion "Sparks", Kulture "Money Don´t Make Me", Pipers Of Zion "We Come To Claim", Red 1 A.C.C. "It´s On Me", Pipers, Kulture, Red, Darkness "The Game", Darkness Featuring K Sweetness "Once A Bad Boy", Red 1 A.C.C. "My People" & Kulture "Letter To My Brother" !!!

All tracks are produced by Bill McCune !!!

It´s hard to name a favourite track from this EP cause there are a few more tracks from Red 1 A.C.C. & Pipers Of Zion on it which are fire and make this EP a def. must have for all the 90´s indy heads out there !!!

Check out a sample of Red 1 A.C.C. "My People":

Check out a sample of Pipers Of Zion "Sparks":

Who Got My Back !!!

2008-06-01T02:54:00.000-07:00

Killer 12" from a group called D.O.I. outta New Jersey !!!

This is one of those 12"s that makes you wonder why such a dope group like D.O.I. never became the chance from a major label to record a full lenght album (and this group is by far better than a lot of other groups who had a full lenght album on a major label back in the 90´s) !!!

This 12" right here is titled "Who Got My Back", dropped in 1995 on Dark Circle Records and is produced by Nicky Spixs & N. Rosario for Dark Circle Productions !!!

There are 3 different tracks on this 12" in total titled "Who Got My Back", "Who Got A Remix" & "Worts Thing In Da World (Sucka MC´s)" !!!

Every track on here is a winner so you better watch out for this 12" hardly !!!

Check out a sample of "Who Got My Back":

The Henchmen !!!

2008-05-02T00:46:00.000-07:00

Heavy stuff outta the Bronx NY from a group called The Henchmen !!!

"Rough & Rugged" is the main title on this 12" and of course "Rough & Rugged" is the sound !!!

The 12" was released in 1995 on South Bronx Records, Produced by William McBride aka Big Will & Corey McBride aka Bolo and is featuring the titles "Rough & Rugged" & "I´ve Been Through Through It" (and i can tell you that both tracks are hot as hell) !!!

ATTENTION: This group right here is not to be confused with another dope and highly slept on group outta NYC called Da Henchmen who dropped some incredible shit on Ill Cyde Records !!!

Check out a sample of "Rough & Rugged":

EXCLUSIVE ALPS Cru Wax ORDER NOW !!!

2008-04-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Aight, as already mentioned in my X-Mas special last year about the incredible ALPS Cru is going to press a new limited 12" of previously unreleased material from the Mid 90´s, i can proudly say now that it´s already been pressed and available for order !!!

This 12" is strictly limited to 300 copies, comes in a stickered sleeve and is featuring the unbelievable dope track "Loudmouths" (which was recorded in 1995 but sadly was never been pressed on wax (only one Acetat exist)) in 3 versions as well as the tracks "The Concept" (from their very rare to 100 copies limited 1994 debut EP "Unknown"), the also previously unreleased Instrumental to "The Concept" and the track "No Question" (from their rare to 300 copies limited 1995 "Intensity" 12") !!!

If you didn´t already ordered your copy by now make sure you go to

http://www.alpscru.com/

and order your copy as fast as you can cause i don´t think these 300 copies will last for long !!!

Here is the track listing for both sides:

Side A

"Loudmouths" (Clean Version)

"Loudmouths" (Dirty Version)

"Loudmouths" (Instrumental Version)

Side B

"The Concept" (Dirty Version)

"The Concept" (Instrumental Version)

"No Question" (Dirty Version)

Peace & One Love,

Bibow (TNR)

Ware Da Son Don´t Shyne !!!

2008-03-24T02:34:00.000-07:00

Back up once again with another slept on gem outta Baltimore by a group called S.C.U. !!!

his 12" right here is another good example of what kind of dope Hip Hop stuff was put out on wax in Baltimore (before the internet took over and made promoting things more easy), but sadly never reached out to us because of the poor distribution / promotion abilities back then (maybe it even never reached outta the Baltimore city limits though) !!!

But anyway, i think now it´s time this dope record gets more attention by us vinyl heads and S.C.U. finally gets the props they deserve !!!

The 12" is titled "Ware Da Son Don´t Shyne", was released in 1996 on Mad Skunk Records, produced by J-Funk for Funkie Ave. Productions and features the titles "Ware Da Son Don´t Shyne", "Murder 1" & "123..." !!!

Check out a sample of "123...":

The Legendary Villain !!!

2008-03-01T04:41:00.000-08:00

This 12" right here is sadly unkown to most peeps out there, but as the name of the Artist "The Legendary Villain" already says, it´s a legendary release to the few heads who know about this one !!!

The Legendary Villain comes straight outta GAP Town New Jersey and is really killing it with this unbelivable dope 12" titled "Memoirs Of A Villain" !!!

This 12" was released in 1996 on the Creative Brothers Inc. record label which also was responsible for a few other dope and slept on Artists and records like:

Handz "The Cure" (1995)

S.A.L. "Stressin'" (1995)

The whole 12" is produced by The Creative Brothers and is featuring the titles "Memoirs Of A Villain" & "Hot Spots" !!!

Anyway, The Legendary Villain 12" is def. the one to get from the Creative Brothers Inc. label, so if you ever get the chance to cop it, you better grab it while you can !!!

Check out a sample of "Memoirs Of A Villain":

Top-Notch-Production Pt. II !!!

2008-02-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, as promised here´s the 2nd part of my independent Hip Hop mix series !!!

I hope you all 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 II"

Top-Notch-Production !!!

2008-01-07T05:02:00.000-08:00

Alright guys & girls, this year it´s time for something new on my Blog !!!

I guess some of you wonder a bit why i´ve got all those records and don´t listen to CD´s & MP3´s like most peeps nowadays !!!

The answer is plain & simple: I´m a Dj and i need these records to do mixes with them + i like the raw, warm sounding vinyl a lot more than this cold sounding digital ring tone & software selling synth shit the industry established somewhere around 2000 !!!

Because most of these records ain´t got the sound most peeps like to listen to outside in a club nowadays and there are way less Hip Hop Jams & Concerts these days to play outside like they used to where i live, i started to make some mixes for mostly online Radios and stuff like that !!!

I´ll link you some of the mixes i did / do (maybe some of my crew partner Weste130 as well) from time to time as a special for you to check out !!!

I´ll start with the 1st part from a mix series of independent Hip Hop i did for VE Radio a while ago (the 2nd part will follow next month) !!!

I hope ya´ll 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 I"

X-Mas Special: ALPS Cru Exclusive Preview !!!

2007-12-23T23:55:00.000-08:00

Wassup everybody ?

It´s my first X-Mas on this blog and i´m more than happy to tell you that i have a special exclusive present for you !!!

I hope ya´ll read my review about The Concept Of ALPS in June this year, because this exact group i presented in this review had a dig in their old DAT´s some weeks ago and found 2 previously unreleased tracks !!!

One track is from 1995 titled "Loudmouths" and was a B side of an Acetate only pressing of "Check Da Status" & the other one is from 1997, titled "Avalanche" and was also never officially available !!!

The good thing now is that they´re going to release 2 new 12"s with some older tracks and 1 previously unreleased track on each !!!

The first 12" will be pressed early next year and will feature the unreleased 1995 track "Loudmouths" on it !!!

Thanks to Alejan of The Concept Of ALPS i´m able to give all ya a exclusive listening preview to this track right now !!!

I hope ya´ll enjoy the track & please leave some feedback in the comment section how you like the track, even if it´s anonymous !!!

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

Check out a sample of "Loudmouths":

Wolfe D.O.M-Nation !!!

2007-12-01T01:49:00.000-08:00

Today it´s the first time that i´m going to present you an full lenght album by a group outta Baltimore called Wolfe D.O.M-Nation !!!

Pretty unknown album because of the poor distribution it had, but this doesn´t mean that this album isn´t worth to check for !!!

This album was released in 1996 on Big Wolfe Records and is featuring 9 mad dope tracks in total titled "Get Raw", "Kamakkazzi", "Lock-N-Load", "NY To B'more", "Wayz Of The World", "Shaky Ground", "Da Stash", "Thought Chaser" & "...Get Naughty" !!!

The whole album is produced by D.O.M., Lil' Wolfe & Killah-White of Wolfe D.O.M-Nation and features some incredibly highlights like "NY To B'more" & "Shaky Ground" !!!

I´m not sure if there´s something else released by the group, this one alone wasn´t easy to come by at all !!!

Check out a sample of "NY To B'more":

Check out a sample of "Shaky Ground":

Bronx Criminal County !!!

2007-11-09T02:54:00.000-08:00

Heavyweight release outta the Bronx by a group called DNA !!!

This 12" contains 3 dope tracks titled "Bronx Criminal County", "My Shit Iz Tight" and the to the most people unknown but def. bomb track "2 Ounces & A Dream" !!!

The 12" dropped in 1996 on Redzone Recordings and is produced by Garth "Dread" Mitchell, D. Gray, N. Tillman & M. Marcelle !!!

ATTENTION: I´ve seen on some want lists that there are some peeps out there looking for a version of the "Bronx Criminal County" 12" thinking the 3rd track on this 12" is titled "Nowhere To Run" and not "2 Ounces & A Dream", but this is a complete misunderstanding because of another group outta NYC called DNA Disciples which released a 12" titled "Nowhere To Run" / "Agony Of Defeat" arround the same time !!!

Check out a sample of "2 Ounces & A Dream":

Nodyaheadtodis !!!

2007-10-01T00:12:00.000-07:00

While i´m on the EP tip, i´m going to post about another incredibly hot independent EP outta NYC !!!

This time it´s outta Brooklyn and titled Nodyaheadtodis Vol. 1 !!!

The EP was released in 1996 on Discreet Records and features 6 tracks from 6 different groups outta NY titled The Answering Machine "Who´s Calling?", Son A Bluntz "Don´t Snooze", Rodan "Rockabye", Darcside "Moneycide", VA "Dem Dead" & Dre Black "Better With Time" !!!

Beside "Dem Dead" all of the tracks featured on this EP are dope and for the most peeps out there it´s all about the Darcyde and Rodan appearances but trust me, the Son A Bluntz "Don´t Snooze" & the Dre Black "Better With Time" are def. the main reason to get this EP !!!

There is also a Nodyaheadtodis Vol. 2 on Discreet Records which is pretty ok, but for the most peeps it´s all about Vol. 1 !!!

Check out a sample of Son A Bluntz "Don´t Snooze":

Check out a sample of "Dre Black "Better With Time":

The Ultimate Reign Of Musical Assassins !!!

2007-09-09T00:44:00.000-07:00

This month i´m presenting you an N Y underground monster EP outta the Bronx titled The Ultimate Reign Of Musical Assassins Vol. 1 !!!

This EP right here is featuring 4 dope tracks by 4 different Artists titled Props "Props (Bring It On)", Pashun 'n' Da Loonatik "Lyrical High", 3rd Degree "Many Styles" & B Supa
"Destined" !!!

All 4 tracks are hot as hell but Props "Props (Bring It On)" is def. the winner !!!

This record was released in 1995 on Skunk Entertainment and all tracks are produced by E-Man for Skunk Entertainment !!!

Very dope EP and def. one of the nicest Independent Hip Hop releases of the 90´s !!!

Check out a sample of Props "Props (Bring It On)":

Othorized F.A.M. !!!

2007-08-01T00:53:00.000-07:00

In this review i´m going to show you some heavy stuff outta New York from a group called Othorized F.A.M. !!!

This 12" titled "Pictures Of Life" dropped in 1995 on Redd Life Records and is produced by no other than Othorized F.A.M. !!!

There are 3 tracks in total on this 12" and all 3 are pretty dope !!!

The tracks / titles on this 12" are "Pictures Of Life", "The Plan" & "Flambouyant" !!!

Othorized F.A.M. dropped a few more records after this but to most peeps it´s all about this one !!!

Check out a sample of "Pictures Of Life":

Mytee G. Poetic !!!

2007-07-01T02:36:00.000-07:00

Straight outta New Jersey comes this dope artist who goes by the name of Mytee G. Poetic !!!

This one right here is his debut 12" titled "Com'n Wit Nuff Ruffness" from 1994 on Straight G'n Records which is produced by Na'fis Majid & Kool Ass Pat for Brand X Production and is featuring 2 pretty dope tracks titled "Com'n Wit Nuff Ruffness" & "Listen To The Lyrics" !!!

Mytee G. Poetic released another 12" 2 years later titled "Discovery Zone" which doesn´t hit my taste that much anymore !!!

Anyway, the "Com'n Wit Nuff Ruffness" 12" is def. a nice piece of plastic which is always worth to look out for !!!

ATTENTION: There are 2 different versions of the "Com'n Wit Nuff Ruffness" 12" floating around which have different tracks on the B side (one with "Listen To The Lyrics" & one with "Brick City Blue´z") so if you´re looking for the one with "Listen To The Lyrics" on it you have to make sure that the version you´re buying is not the promo version which does have an Acapella of "Com'n Wit Nuff Ruffness" on it as well which isn´t featured on the one with "Listen To The Lyrics" !!!

Check out a sample of "Listen To The Lyrics":

The Concept Of ALPS !!!

2007-06-18T02:33:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite unknown groups in Hip Hop goes by the name of ALPS Cru !!!

This group is so highly selpt on that it hurts !!!

ALPS Cru comes straight outta St. Louis and consists of the members Dj Al Bass, P Smooth & Rob III !!!

It took quiet some time to find any of their material on wax which is without a doubt because they only pressed up very small quantities of their music on wax and it looks like that most people keep it cause they never pop up for sale !!!

The Concept Of ALPS released 3 records in the mid 90´s and all of them are pure fire:

"Pitstop" (1994)

"Intensity" (1995)

"Just Can´t Explain" (1996)

This one right here is their 2nd one titled "Intensity", released in 1995 on Blue Concept Records and contains 3 dope tracks titled "Intensity", "Nocturnal Illusions" & "No Question" !!!

All tracks are produced by Dj Al Bass !!!

Check out a sample of "Intensity":

Concrete Click !!!

2007-05-30T02:40:00.000-07:00

This crew straight outta Boston goes by the name of Concrete Click !!!

This is the Concrete Click debut 12" from 1995 on Lifeline Records titled "Keep It Street" !!!

The 12" is produced by Dialek for Madskillz Organization and is featuring 2 very dope tracks titled "Keep It Street" & "Naive To The Facts" !!!

Concrete Click released 2 records in all titled:

"Keep It Street" (1995)

"Lyrical Terrorism" (1995)

Both releases are worth checkin' for so keep your eyes open !!!

Check out a sample of "Keep It Street":

Perverted Rym Throwwa !!!

2007-04-24T00:15:00.000-07:00

Great MC outta NY goes by the name of Perverted Rym Throwwa !!!

Perverted Rym Throwwa only released 3 tracks ever and all 3 tracks can be found on this 12" !!!

The track names are "Dime Piece", "Mcee´s Ain´t Sayin' Nuthin'" & "Can We Get It On" !!!

I like "Mcee´s Ain´t Sayin' Nuthin'" most, but "Can We Get It On" is also a burner !!!

The 12" was released in 1996 on Whiteowl Entertainment and is produced by Whiteowl !!!

Check out a sample of "Mcee´s Ain´t Sayin' Nuthin'":

I Write The Diary Of A Mad M.C. !!!

2007-03-19T02:13:00.000-07:00

Another highly slept on Artist out of NY goes by the name of Blackstract !!!

Blackstract released 3 dope 12"s on Stickman Entertainment:

"I Stole Your Girl" (1994)

"Diary Of A Mad M.C." (1995)

"BKNY" (1996)

This is their 2nd 12" titled "Diary Of A Mad M.C.", contains the tracks "Diary Of A Mad M.C.", "Diary Of A Mad M.C. RMX" & "A New Nightmare" (which are all killer) !!!

All tracks are produced by Saran Rap !!!

Check out a sample of "Diary Of A Mad M.C.":

Boogie Down´s Got The Flavor !!!

2007-03-05T03:46:00.000-08:00

Highly slept on debut release by Foundation & Rezidue on Database Productions from 1996 !!!

Many of you will know Rezidue from the classic Dj Premier New York Reality Check 101 mixtape which had a big impact on the mid 1990s independent Hip Hop scene !!!

If you like the Dj Premier mix and the tracks featured on (which shouldn´t really be that hard if you like that typical 90s boom bap stuff) you def. have to check out both of Rezidue records he put out on Database Productions:

"Boogie Down´s Got The Flavor" (1996)

"Droppin' Rezidue" (1997)

This is the "Boogie Down´s Got The Flavor" 12", contains the tracks / titles "Boogie Down´s Got The Flavor" & "Don´t Get It Twisted" and is produced by Rezidue himself !!!

Check out a sample of "Boogie Down´s Got The Flavor":

Da Beat Terrorists !!!

2007-02-24T05:09:00.000-08:00

This is Kool Keith A.K.A. Big Willie Smith "Da Beat Terrorists" EP !!!

It´s the first release on Funky Ass Records after Kool Keith quit with the other labels he was signed to and was put out by Kool Keith himself independently in 1995 !!!

The EP contains 4 dope tracks titled "Keep It Real...Represent", "Wearing Make Up", "If You See, What You See" & "I´m In Love With U" !!!

Kool Keith dropped 2 dope 12"s under the name Big Willie Smith and both are produced by Kutmaster Kurt:

"Da Beat Terrorists" (1995)

"Keep It Real...Represent '96" (1996)

Check out a sample of "If You See, What You See":

Microphone Terrorists !!!

2007-02-24T05:07:00.000-08:00

Another highly slept on Artsist goes by the name of Microphone Terrorists !!!

The Microphone Terrorists released 2 dope 12"s titled:

"Green Paper" (1995)

"No Food" (1996)

This is the "No Food" 12" released on Terrorist Entertainment, contains the tracks "No Food " + "Hall Of Fame" and is produced by Randy Ousley A.K.A. Butta Fingaz !!!

Check out a sample of "No Food":

Shiesty Mutherf#ckers !!!

2007-02-06T03:01:00.000-08:00

VERY NICE release by J-Live himself because of Payday / FFRR didn´t released his long awaited debut album in the summer of 1997 !!!

I think i don´t have to say too much about J-Live himself because most of you cats out there know this guy and his classic work, but you might don´t know about this 12" he dropped on his own !!!

This 12" titled "Shiesty" was released in 1997 and is def. a special release from J-Live which is totally different to his other work !!!

Check out a sample of "Shiesty":

Come Off Hard Is The Moral Of The Story !!!

2007-01-31T02:10:00.000-08:00

I bet many of you know the New York Reality Check 101 mixtape by Dj Premier and i also bet most of you love the Mister Voodoo track On It !!!

Well, i don´t want to post any of that Dj Premier New York Reaity Check 101 mixtape tracks here because i think most of you cats out there know the mix or heard all of the featured tracks already !!!

But there is a 12" released by Mister Voodoo before he dropped the "Lyrical Tactics" 12" !!!

This is the "Come Off Hard" 12" which contains the tracks "Come Off Hard", "Come Off Hard RMX" & "45 Kickin' It Live" !!!

This 12" was released in 1994 on Fortress Records and is produced by Charlemagne !!!

Mister Voodo released a whole bunch of records but i only would recommend to check out his earlier work on Fortress Records like:

"Come Off Hard" (1994)

"Lyrical Tactics" (1996)

Check out a sample of "Come Off Hard RMX":

Hit 'Em Up With Somethin' New !!!

2007-01-31T01:38:00.000-08:00

This record right here introduced another group outta NYC called Natural Elements to the world !!!

This EP was released in 1994 on Fortress Records and contains 6 tracks from the Natural Elements crew memberes Mister Voodoo, L-Swift, G. Blass, KA, The Intimidator & Charlemagne titled "Cock It Back", "Live The Life", "Step To The Side", "I Mean This", "69 Caddy" & "Set It Off" !!!

Natural Elements dropped a few other records after this but i only recommend to check out the earlier solo stuff on Fortress Records they put out after this debut like:

Mister Voodoo "Come Off Hard" (1994)

L-Swift "How It´z Goin' Down" (1995)

Mister Voodoo "Lyrical Tactics" (1996)

They´re all produced by Charlemagne (like this one) and are def. worth checking for !!!

Check out a sample of Natural Elements "Step To The Side":

Check out a sample of KA "I Mean This":

Smoked Out Productions !!!

2007-01-30T04:39:00.000-08:00

The first record in my Blog is from a group outta NYC called S.O.P. which is featuring 2 members you may know under their solo names Black Attack & Problemz !!!

This 12" was released in 1995 on Smoked Out Music and is featuring 2 very dope and definitely essential to own tracks titled "Styles" & "Bok Bok" !!!

Smoked Out Productions released 2 records together in total:

"Back Up Kid" (1994)

"Styles" (1995)

Both records are produced by Smoked Out Productions !!!

Check out a sample of "Styles":

Top-Notch-Records !!!

2007-01-30T02:20:00.000-08:00

Well, first of all i would like to say hello & welcome to my Blog !!!

This Blog will be strictly about dope slept on Hip Hop 12"s (mostly from the 90´s) i put in my crates over the years !!!

I´ll not upload full tracks in this Blog but you will get a sound sample of each for more apetite to track those 12"s down !!!

I´ll post one update every month at least !!!

Hope ya´ll check back from time to time, enjoy this Blog and add to ya wants what ya like !!!

THE HUNT IS ON !!!

Peace & One Love,

Bibow (TNR)