Heavy In The Streets

My Collaboration with Dust and Grooves

2009-10-12T16:48:00.001-07:00

This past spring I had the honor of participating in an interview/photo shoot with my homeboy Eilon for his Dust & Grooves website. He took a bus from Brooklyn, NY to Deerfield, MA, where I lived up until a week ago. We crashed that night and got up early the next morning to head out to Worcester, MA to visit my dude DJ Shame.

Shame is the real deal. He has made a ton of incredible contributions to hip hop over the years, from his extremely sought after remix of G Rap's "Fast Life" song to his remix of Tim Dog's "Bronx Nigga". Shame also is the man responsible for Traveling Through Sampleland, which is considered by many the first all sample mix tape.

Going inside Shame's house is kind of like going inside your dream record shop. The man has everything. EVERYTHING. He had doubles of "My Mic is On Fire" by Lord Shafiq, and there are only 500 original pressings in existence! I had been looking for that record for damn near 10 years, and Shame just happened to be selling his double of it. Here is a picture of our transaction.

"My Mic is on Fire"- Lord Shafiq

Anyhow, I don't want to give anything else away, you'll have to read about the rest of our trip in the interview! Check it out by clicking here.

Bonus: Shame very nicely shared some goodies with me for people to enjoy. The following tracks are included below:

"Fast Life" (DJ Shame Remix) Original Sample

"Fast Life" (DJ Shame Remix)- Kool G Rap feat. Nas

"Brong Nigga" (DJ Shame Remix)- Tim Dog

These last two tracks are from Shame's unreleased mega mix that he talks about in our interview.

Big Daddy Kane and Rakim Blend

So Damn Tough Scratch Routine

Extra Bonus: Here is some crazy old school footage I found of Shame performing in Worcester on YouTube.

Just Like Sister Sojourner Truth

2009-10-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a lot of information to share about this song. Truth is, I'm struggling to find any. The name of the song is "Underground" and it comes from the Schoolhouse Funk 2 compilation, a two part series featuring ultra rare recordings of high school bands performing covers of various songs. The album provides very little information about the songs that it features, and since I'm in the process of moving (which includes the joy of moving my insanely massive music collection) I'm currently unable to refer to the liner notes.

All that aside, this is an insanely beautiful and haunting song that I can't get enough of. The woman singing has a voice that sends chills down my spine. I recently sent this to my dude Clams Casino, because that man knows how to flip female vocal samples like nobody's business.

This song proves that there is a ridiculous amount of unheard/unknown music that deserves to be listened to and appreciated by the masses. Before being placed on the SF2 compilation, it toiled in obscurity on limited pressing vinyl for years. Many thanks to record heads like DJ Shadow for helping preserve important musical artifacts like this.

My hope is that by posting this song on my blog, somebody with superior musical intellect will give me some background info on the performers and the song itself. As far as I know, there is not a "well known" version of this song that exists, so it doesn't really seem like a cover.

If you can provide any info on this song, please do so in the comments!

Download "Underground" from Schoolhouse Funk 2.

Goldenchyld Mix Tape

2009-10-04T19:47:00.001-07:00

I was checking out Goldenchyld's set at the Do-Over when I decided to see if there were any additional mixes available at his website. Lo and behold, I found this really tight mix titled Sample Mix Tape Vol. 1. I'm really feeling the mellow feel and the impeccable mixing on this joint. Please take a moment to listen/download it compliments of Goldenchyld.

Download Sample Mix Tape Vol. 1.

Roc Raida: Searching For The Right Words

2009-09-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Seven days ago one of my favorite DJ's passed away. The news hit me like a ton of bricks and I'm still not sure I'm ready to write something proper about it. I have a hard time writing articles about people I admire when they pass away. I often feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to say. In the case of Roc Raida, however, I felt I had to make a post.

I'll never forget the first time I saw him and the rest of the X-Ecutioners perform on the '99 DMC World Finals VHS tape I bought from a friend. I think I must have watched that routine 20 times in a row, over and over again. I was completely blown away.

Saying Raida was well rounded would be a profound understatement. He was incredible on the cut, providing scratches for the likes of Big Pun and Skillz. He was an under-appreciated producer who collaborated with The Jungle Brothers and Termanology. His mix tapes were the perfect combination of skills and skits, mathcing flawless doubling up and mixing of classic songs with hilarious interludes that featured Lord Sear. Despite all of these accolades, many people, self included, will remember Raida most for his stage presence and unbelievable turntablist routines.

For now it's best for me to let Raida's music do the talking and wait on writing a lengthy post. In honor of his passing, I'm posting one of his hard to find classic mix tapes from back in the day, Old School.

Download Old School Side A.

Download Old School Side B.

I've also tracked down some other Raida goodies that have been posted online.

Download his 52 Beats tape over at Tapemasta's blog.

Download The Adventures of Roc Raida from Cocaine Blunts.

Download DJ Premiers dedication set to Raida from the DJ Premier Blog.

Also, make sure to check out DJ Eclipse's dedication show to Raida at 2 Dope Boyz.

Thanks to anyone and everyone who has been sharing his music for people to enjoy.

RIP AM

2009-08-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

Download the famous AM and Travis Barker Fix Your Face Vol. 1 and 2 mix tapes by clicking here.

Shorty Swing

2009-08-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

KP & Envyi - Shorty Swing My Way
Uploaded by R33f. - See the latest featured music videos.

This is the best blend I've heard in a really long time. DJ Platurn takes the dance classic "Shorty Swing My Way" and gives it an unexpected reworking. This is one of those blends that I hate myself for not thinking of first. Download it by clicking here.

Vinroc Interview at To The Disco

2009-08-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

My man Vinroc released a killer instrumental project earlier this year by the name of Beat Freaks. It was an impressive debut; combining Vin's golden era hip hop roots with mellow and soulful samples. From front to back the album was full of creative surprises like Vin cutting in an unusual part of "Act Too...The Love Of My Life" by The Roots on the track "Lost and Found". As my appreciation for the album grew, I decided to interview Vin about what instrumentals had the biggest impact on him. Read the interview at To The Disco by clicking here.

To buy the digital download of Beat Freaks from I Tunes, click here.

To buy the digital download of Beat Freaks from Amazon, click here.

Can You Dig It? Vol. 33: Jesse Felluss

2009-08-03T11:20:00.001-07:00

Name: Jesse Felluss

Claim to Fame: I was pretty well known in the New York hip hop mix tape scene for the 6 Great Albums series. Now I’m more known as the dude that just rocks the party, whatever kind of party it is, 80’s, hip hop, house, or rock. In a way that kind of hurts me sometimes because I’m not known for one specific thing like hip hop or mash ups. These days, I’m going for more of the house vibe. I really like the energy of a house party going off.

Unfortunately, outside of the house scene it’s all Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Danity Kane. It’s alright, I guess. It gets the girls going, but it’s not really what I’m into. I’m working harder on my production than working the New York scene. To me, right now, the New York scene is played out. It’s stoke brokers and hot gold digging chicks that want to here cheesy music. That’s how I see the New York scene at the moment. I’m trying to bust out these house tracks, get on the road, and get out to where people want to get hit with something different, instead of just making a bunch of young girls gyrate. That can be fun too though (laughs). I can’t be too mad at it. I have my complaints, but overall, life is good. The DJ living is great. I get to sleep in and watch my soccer games during the day.

Representing: I grew up in DC and then spent three years of high school living in Port smith, New Hampshire. I went to college up in New Paltz, New York and then moved to NYC in 2000. I’ve been living in the same building ever since.

Years in the Game: If you consider me scratching on my brother’s record player and totally fucking the thing up DJing, I started DJing and buying records at around ‘93. For a while, I guess I wasn’t in the game, I was in my bedroom learning how to do everything. I was probably better than most club DJ’s when I started doing clubs because I had practiced so much. I didn’t have any gigs when I was in New Hampshire, so I did it as a hobby. I didn’t really think of DJing as a business until it started making me more money than my regular job. I made the leap, and here I am. I always practiced like a motherfucker, even before I was doing this as a job. A lot of people see DJing as a business first. With any art, you’re only going to be good at it if you’re thinking about the art first. If you’re only thinking about the money and the red carpet, nine out of ten times you really won’t go anywhere.

Best Digging City or Town: There’s a special place in my heart for the old school days when I first kind of discovered DJing. I would go to Satellite and Biscuit Head records in Boston. I could stay in those places for hours and hours. My friends would be wylin’ out like, “Dude, what is this, how can you spend three hours in one store?” So I ditched them and started going on trips to dig without them (Laughs).

The old Beat Street was really sick for everything hip hop that you needed. Rock & Soul was the home base I used to hit up on a weekly basis. That was always a good spot. Atlanta had some good spots. I haven’t spent too much time in California, but I found good shit in the vintage shops there. Some of the shops had really good records and they’d cost 99 cents. It’s great to be able to go into a shop and find dope records for that cheap. I remember San Diego having some good spots.

Back when I was in the DJ battle scene, I used to always go to Fat Beats for the Dirtstyle battle and hip hop records. Back when hip hop was fun (Laughs). It was great man, getting destroyed by I Emerge all the time (Laughs). It was fun.

Most Prized Piece of Wax: I would say my number one overall is the copy of Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly that my brother owned. When I first started fucking around with turntables, I’d put that shit on and when “Pusherman” came on, it was one of those musical moments where it took over my whole body. Listening to that record was my first vinyl moment. I put the needle on and it was all scratchy and it sounded great. That one always sticks out, it was just awesome.

Appetite for Destruction was one of my first records ever; I got it when I was in sixth grade. I used to read the words and sing along to that album. Picture that, a sixth grader signing along to "Mister Brownstone". I didn’t know what the words meant until a little later. I remember thinking, “Man, my mom let me sing that shit?” I guess she didn’t really know what the song meant either (Laughs).

I’d also have to say my first ever Booger Breaks record. When I first bought that, it got a workout. It actually got a work out for something like 10 years (Laughs). Whenever I practiced scratching, I would take that one out. When I first started DJing, I was mostly going to raves. Eventually I got a VHS copy of a DMC competition and that was my introduction to battles. When I got Bionic Booger Breaks, I was hearing every sampled I’d ever heard anyone scratch. I was going nuts.

Favorite Album Cover/s: I always liked the Appetite for Destruction.

The Illmatic cover was obviously dope.

A guy like me is always going to love The Chronic.

Abby Road by The Beatles is really good.

I like Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. That cover looks all bugged out, like it’s a scene from Lord of the Rings.

Another cover I love is Jethro Tull’s Aqua Lung. That has a weird, medieval vibe to it.

Dollar Bin Miracle: There was this thrift store I went to in San Diego while I was on the 2003 Lipton Brisk Flavors of Hip-hop Tour. Everything record cost 99 cents. We were finding sick shit: 70’s, 80’s, and all original pressings. Some of us had to buy new crates to stick all of our new the records in. That was dope.

I like the Grateful Dead, and one time I got this triple live set of theirs for 25 cents at a yard sale. It was six records total. Sometimes I find the Dead boring, but sometimes I love listening to them. I can’t explain it, it’s weird. I have ADD like a motherfucker, so sometimes I have trouble listening to a 20 minute song.

Total Records Owned: I’ve cleaned out a lot of the stuff I don’t have an emotional connection to. Right now I’m probably rocking around 1,500 records. I only keep stuff that I’m actually going to want to play for myself. I’m not going to keep a copy of Lil’ John’s “Get Low”. I have no use for that ever again in my life.

Or Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love”. Yeah, it was a big song, but guess what? There’s never going to be a day in my life where I’m going to want to put that on in my living room.

I live in New York. I’d love to be one of those guys who has a basement like Jazzy Jay. That would be awesome if I had the room, but I don’t, so I got rid of the shit I really don’t need. It’s tough to start getting rid of records. The mentality used to be just horde that shit, because everyone wanted to be the guy with a million records.

Best Digging Story: I remember going to Boston on a digging trip with my friends when we were either sophomores or juniors in high school. For us to go to Boston solo was a big deal. We got so fucked up; we were drinking and smoking on the way there. Biscuit Head was on the second floor of some building and we didn’t know where the fuck we were going. Our car was running on fumes; it was a total mess.

Once we got to Biscuit Head, I didn’t want to leave. My friends were like, “Uh, this place is cool and all man, but we we’ve been here for a couple of hours and we want to eat.” I told them, “Go ahead, I’m here.” Just sitting there for hours and listening to records in the store was like heaven to me. That was the same day I got Booger Breaks and I also got to hit Satellite. My friends were pissed though. Oh man, they were pissed. They were not feeling me one bit. They didn’t really know what was happening inside me at the moment. Those trips were the beginnings of where I’m at today. After that day, they were done doing Boston trips with me.

Record shopping is great. There’s just something about flipping through those stacks. You never know when that next flick of the finger is going to expose some sick shit.

To find out more about Jesse Felluss, check out his MySpace.

Also make sure to check out his new band, Nue Pourn. You can download a free summer mix from Nue Porn titled Days of Color by clicking here.

Resolution

2009-08-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

Mike Boo's insane turntablist composition "Resolution" has been played today the bone today. I've been revisiting Mike's Dunhill Drone Committee album this week as I work on a bunch of writing, and I'm blown away by a lot of it. Every single musical component of the album is manually scratched. If you're like me, you'll find yourself listening to cuts like "Resolution" and saying, "How the fuck did he do that?" Please take a moment to appreciate this incredibly powerful scratch composition.

Download "Resolution" by Mike Boo.

To download the MP3 version of Dunhill Drone Committee, click here.

You can learn more about Mike Boo by checking his MySpace.

'Til My Tape Pop #1: Cosmo Baker- Love Break

2009-08-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is a new interview idea for HITS. In this section, I'll discuss some of my favorite mix tapes with the DJ's that made them. I hope to cover a broad range of era's, styles, and regions. If you have a tape you would like included in the series, please shoot me an email. You can find my email address in my profile section. Big shout outs to Cosmo Baker for helping me set this thing off proper.

DJ Sorce-1: A lot of the music on Love Break was music that I’d either heard before or heard sampled before but wasn’t intimately familiar with. To hear it all on one mix…it blew my mind. I was a senior in college at the time and I started listening to it all the time. It’s one of those mixes where the sequencing and song selection are perfect. How did the concept to take a minimalist approach with mixing on a bunch of soul classics come about?

Cosmo Baker: It’s funny how the first Love Break came about. I had a gig in Philadelphia and had to drive from Brooklyn. Me, DJ Eleven, and DJ Crooked decided we we’re all gonna drive down to Philly together and hang out at the gig while I spun. Knowing that we had a two hour drive ahead of us, I decided to put some songs on a CD that I’d really like to listen to while driving. I did a rough version of Love Break as a CD I was just going to listen to for my drive to Philadelphia. We listened to it in on the way to Philly and on the way back. By the time we got home Eleven was like, “Yo man, you gotta put that out as a mix tape. That’s a really thorough mix.” I had done a couple of mixes that were kind of in that vein before, but nothing that was completely focused on classic slow jam soul music.

Love Break Tracklist:
01: Kool & The Break Introduction
02: Samuel Jonathan Johnston "My Music" (Used by Jadakiss)
03: Tom Brock "There's Nothing In This World That Can Stop Me From Loving You" (Used by Jay-Z)
04: The Dramatics "In The Rain" (Used by The Notorious B.I.G., Beenie Sigel, Bun B)
05: William Bell "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" (Used by Ludacris, Dilated Peoples)
06: William Bell & Mavis Staples "Strung Out" (Used by Cam'ron)
07: Nina Simone "Baltimore"
08: Gwen McCrae "Let's Straighten It Out" (Used by Wu-Tang Clan)
09: L.T.D. "Love Song" (Used by J Dilla, De La Soul)
10: The Isley Brothers "Hello It's Me"
11: The Meters "Wichita Lineman"
12: Eddie Kendricks "If You Let Me" (Used by Masta Ace)
13: Al Green "Light My Fire"
14: Heatwave "Star Of A Story" (Used by A Tribe Called Quest)
15: Curtis Mayfield "The Makings Of You" (Used by Monica)
16: Marvin Gaye "Come Live With Me Angel" (Used by G-Unit)
17: Gene Chandler "Tomorrow I May Not Feel The Same" (Used by Talib Kweli, Kool G. Rap)
18: The Dells "Does Anybody Even Know I'm Here"
19: Ethel Beatty "It's Your Love"
18: Aretha Franklin "With Everything I Feel In Me"
19: Joe Simon "Before The Night Is Over" (Used by Outkast)
18: David Ruffin "Common Man" (Used by Jay-Z)
19: Z.Z. Hill "That Ain't The Way You Make Love" (Used by Madvillian)
20: The Jackson 5 "We Got A Good Thing Going"
21: The Isley Brothers "Here We Go Again"
22: Madeline Bell "Make That Move"
23: Milton Wright "Keep It Up"
24: Odyssey "Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love"

After I decided to make an official version, the response was kind of overwhelming. First I put it up as a free download on The Rub site. Literally, within an hour and a half of putting it up, it had so many downloads that it crashed the site. We had to revamp it and put it up again as two separate MP3’s. Again, it crashed the site. At that point a few people said that they would host it for me on the free download tip. That was when I decided that I needed to put it out as physical product. People started buying it, the response was good, and as a result I put out Love Break 2 and I’m almost done with number 3.

Download a generous snippet of Love Break 2.

DJ Sorce-1: It’s funny that you said you made it for a road trip. Last summer I broke up with my girlfriend and hadn’t been listening to Love Break that much in the months around our break up. I took a road trip at the end of the summer and loaded up my CD binder with music for the drive. Love Break was one of the CD’s I put in and it was in rotation the entire trip. It’s perfect ride music to think about life and just reflect.

Cosmo Baker: It’s definitely good driving music. There have been tapes made before of original songs that have been sampled. For the most part, with a few exceptions, all of them were somewhat scattered. They’d play seven seconds of one sample, and then throw in 15 seconds of another, and so on. I always felt that didn’t do the songs justice. You gotta let a lot of those songs breath man. We’re in a day and age when people’s attention spans are so short that they want instant gratification and as soon as they get it they’re on to something else. That kind of runs contrary to my philosophy with playing music. With some records, you have to give the whole presentation. With that in mind, with the sequencing of Love Break, I wanted to make it like a perfect ark. That’s the thing with mix tapes, there’s a certain arc to it that has to happen. Have you ever seen High Fidelity?

DJ Sorce-1: Yeah, I love that movie.

Cosmo Baker: Well, there is that scene where he’s talking about the art of constructing a mix tape. He talks about highs and lows and reaching certain crescendos. All that stuff really rings true in the process of making mix tapes and I always try to keep that in mind while working on a tape.

DJ Sorce-1: That’s one of the interesting things about Love Break. You didn’t do anything over the top with scratching or blending, but you can tell there was a lot of effort put into the mix just by the way it flows.

Cosmo Baker: Actually, on the original version of Love Break, I did a doubles routine of The Supremes “It’s Time to Break Down”. That isn’t on Love Break, but it was on one of the original versions. I had a little doubles routine, but it was the only song where I did doubling or cutting. It sounded awkward. It kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. After realizing that routine didn’t fit, I decided in favor of letting the songs breath over doing any complex mixing or blending.

I really think that the art of selecting has been overshadowed over the past few years, especially with the advent of Serato. Everything is readily available; therefore DJ’s have a tendency to burn through records really fast. It’s almost like some DJ’s aren’t really considering what they’re playing. I recently made a Valentines Roll mix, which in all honesty, wasn’t even blending records, it was just playing records. In essence, with certain songs, the blending and the mixing can detract from the songs them selves, especially with these slow jam love songs. It’s almost appropriate to not mix the records.

DJ Sorce-1: I’m 25 and I love music, but I don’t have a deep knowledge of soul music. Your mix really sparked a desire to know more about this kind of music. I was talking to one of my friends about how the kind of music on Love Break might be some of the best music ever made. The lyrics are so honest and these songs are from a time when people were actually singing in the rawest form without the help of technology.

Cosmo Baker: That brings up a point that I was thinking about recently. I’m just as much a fan of contemporary R & B as the next guy, but I think that a lot of contemporary R & B lacks a certain honesty and vulnerability which is conveyed in the lyrics and music of R & B from a few decades ago. Those elements are definitely sorely missed.

DJ Sorce-1: Absolutely. When I talk to people about this CD, I always bring up the song “Wichita Lineman” by The Meters. It’s like the song is being told by an average everyman with an amazing voice. The lyrics are something a lot of people can pull meaning from.

Cosmo Baker: That’s such a beautiful song. Originally, it was a Glen Campbell song. It was a pretty big hit for him when he released it in the early 70’s.

Download Glen Campbell's version of "Wichita Lineman".

Lots of times artists during that time did cover versions of big hits. There is something about the way The Meters do their version that is so heartbreakingly beautiful. Not just the instrumentation, and not just the way it’s sung; it’s the total package. That’s a common thread that I tried to find with all of the songs I selected…a certain overall intensity of each record.

Download The Meter's version of "Wichita Lineman".

DJ Sorce-1: I’ve also used the phrase “heartbreakingly beautiful” to describe numerous songs on this mix tape. Another song that really kills me is Heatwave’s “Star of the Story”. That’s one of my favorites.

Cosmo Baker: I used to play that song incessantly. Many, many years ago I was with a girl for a while and then we broke up. I was distraught. I would play that song all the time. It totally conveyed how I felt. I felt like I didn’t need to express myself at all because I could listen to that song and they were expressing themselves in a perfect way that matched where my heart and mind were at. That song always strikes a cord and makes me thing about…shit (laughs).

DJ Sorce-1: One song that is really interesting to me because of the use of string instruments is William Bell’s “I Forgot to Be Your Lover”. On some of these tracks it’s easy to overlook the instrumentation because of the power of the singers’ voices, but if you listen to the background of that song it’s very powerful. I was wondering if you wanted to talk about the mix of great vocals and background music.

Cosmo Baker: That’s such a beautiful record. I first heard it on a mix tape Soulman put out years ago. After hearing it for the first time, I became obsessed with finding that record. I eventually did find a copy of it in a dollar bin somewhere. William Bell was signed to Stax and that record is a perfect example of just how tight the studio band was for Stax. All the elements of the instruments are really powerful and at the same time really subtle. They never overpower his voice. The music is a perfect compliment to his voice and the lyrics.

It’s funny because that song has been sampled a bunch of times by people like Dilated Peoples and Ludacris, but when you listen to the original you’re just like, “Holy shit, this is the next level.” The R & B singer Jaheim did a cover of it years ago. Although it was definitely different because it was a contemporary R & B song, it still kind of conveyed the same energy with a more updated feel. To me, that’s a testament to its power and how well written a song it is. That’s what makes classic records. Not if it gets a lot of airplay, not if it does well on the charts, but because somebody like you or I can listen to it thirty years after the fact and be struck by the power of it. That’s a classic record.

Download William Bell's "I Forgot to be Your Lover".

DJ Sorce-1: When you bring up the lasting power of these songs, it kind of puzzles me that when I look at the Love Break track list, many of these artists are unknown to the average American music fan.

Cosmo Baker: There are definitely artists on there that are huge like The Isley Brothers, Aretha Franklin, and Nina Simone. Then there are some artists who are not as well known like Ethel Beatty, The Dramatics, William Bell, and Samuel Jonathan Johnston. I think one reason might be that for so long the music world was just as segregated as the real world. So where you would have an artist like The Dramatics selling out mad records in the black community, they wouldn’t cross over to the pop charts like a contemporary pop singer today.

DJ Sorce-1: I agree. Although I’m sure there are other reasons why some of these artists aren’t better known, race seems to have definitely played a part. We’ve talked about a few cuts on this mix tape that have deep meaning for you. Are there any other records on Love Break that you have a personal attachment to?

Cosmo Baker: Well, for the most part, I have a personal attachment to every record that’s on there. Every record has certain significance, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be, “I listened to this when I was breaking up with a girl” or “I listened to this when I was first dating this girl”. The Samuel Jonathan Johnston record is one that my friend Rich Medina put me up on at the party in Philadelphia we used to do together called The Remedy. The Aretha Franklin record is a record that I had in my crates for years and never listened to. One day I decided to throw it on and I was like, “Oh my god, this record is mind blowing.”

DJ Sorce-1: I get the sense that you’re one of those people that when you listen to a song, it often puts you back into a certain time and place.

Cosmo Baker: Word up. One of the things that I’m most proud of with the Love Break series is that I was able to present music that a lot of people are unfamiliar with and spark their interest. In your case, you said that you didn’t know a lot about classic R and B and soul and my mix set you off and made you want to check for that kind of music. That’s kind of how it works. At least, that’s how it worked in my case. I’d listen to records and want to learn more. It’s a never ending process and there is so much music out there to discover. I learn new shit every day and I don’t plan on ever stopping.

Download a generous snippet of Love Break.

To order a copy of Cosmo's Love Break CD, click here.

To learn more about Cosmo, check out his website.

And, if you like, read on as Cosmo talks records with me.

Rest in Peace William Tapply

2009-08-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

Writer William G. Tapply passed away on July 28th at his home in Hancock, NH. He was one of the most influential and memorable professors that I had during my four years of college. I credit him with teaching me more about writing in one semester than the rest of the world taught me in my previous 21 years of life. I will miss his humor, insight, and advice.

Please take a minute to visit his website and check out some of his writing.

Also, The Boston Globe wrote an excellent obituary about him which you can read by clicking here.

New Producer Alert

2009-08-01T07:58:00.001-07:00

Heavy in the Streets readers...I need your help. I've recently been put on to two new tracks from producer Clams Casino by Noz over CBRAP. Ever since hearing both, I've been trolling the Internet for information about this guy. I hit up countless blogs and major sites alike without much success. There have been brief informative moments, but I can't even find a damned MySpace so far.

He did personally made a comment on this blog. In addition to his blog commenting, in this interview Sha Stimuli credits Clams for helping him make what he says is his "most honest CD", in reference to his Hotter Than July mix tape, which you can download here (shout outs to 2DopeBoyz). With the exception of some tracks with Sha Stimuli, I've found nothing else. Please post a comment if you have some info about Clams, because I've been bumping both of these tracks non stop this summer.

Download "I'm God" by Lil' B.

Download "Always Have A Choice" by Havoc.

Bonus: This is the same beat Havoc uses in the above song. It appears Sha Stimuli used it first for his Love Jones mix tape.

Download "I Tried" by Sha Stimuli.

"The Beautiful Decay" by Skyzoo

2009-08-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

If this new 9th Wonder produced joint by Skyzoo is an any indication of what The Salvation album is going to be like, I am without question going to cop it. I love these type of joints; A+ MCing over some nice soulful production. On top of picking a dope single, Skyzoo got a great visual assist here from video director Artemus Jenkins. Well done all around.

7's Series: July 2009

2009-08-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

Click On Images to Enlarge.

Information Provided Below Each Image.

Tops. Artist: Toper. Rivulet Below Regent St. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Underpass. Artist: Solo. Rivulet Below Regent St. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Shapiro. Artist: 7. Rivulet Below Regent St. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Scientific. Various Artists. Kasino Piece Extended. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Door 9. Artists: Peter and Lucy Gouldthorpe. Aurora Energy Mural. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Door 7. Artists: Peter and Lucy Gouldthorpe. Aurora Energy Mural. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

BBQ Burners 1. Artists: Dawns, Solo. Burners Jam: Clarence Sports Center. Clarence, Tasmania, Australia.

LaPorte

2009-07-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

Being an Indiana native (Bloomington to be exact), I was excited to find out that Jason Bitner is creating a documentary film based on his incredible LaPorte, Indiana book. LaPorte, Indiana the book is a collection of beautiful photographs Jason purchased from local LaPorte establishment B & J's American Cafe during a road trip meal break. Bitner, who spent hours sifting through hundreds of photos, hand selected each photograph to create an unforgettable visual time capsle. I instantly fell in love with the book after purchasing it three summers ago.

Lucky guy that I am, Jason agreed to do an extensive interview with me about the book. In case you missed it, here is the link.

Now, nearly two years since our interview, in which Jason hinted at a documentary film project, a film is in the works.

LaPorte, Indiana Trailer from Joe Beshenkovsky on Vimeo.

The film is going to be directed by Joe Beshenkovsky and produced by Bitner.

These guys need your help in raising funds for the film. They are trying to raise 7,500 dollars in the next three weeks. To find out more about making a donation, click here.

To learn more about the film, click here.

To purchase the Laporte, Indiana book click here.

Producer Spotlight: Minnesota

2009-07-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's something in the water, I've been smoking some unusually good green, or it's just the general summertime vibe (doubtful, seeing that I live in Western Mass), but every single purchase and download as of late has sounded like pure fire to me. I feel like I've been some sort of zone with selecting music.

Example: A few days ago while mellowing out after work, I was digging through a folder of random 90's tracks I'd download from a blog months ago. One of the tracks in the folder was Money Boss Players' "What U Saying". Prior to the other day, I had never given this song a listen.

I was floored by the production on it. Minnesota, a major contributor to some of the best MBP material, makes one of the most unconventional street bangers I've ever heard. Somehow the happy swing/big bandish sound of his beat perfectly complements the not so happy lyrics Money Boss spits.

Download Money Boss Players "What U Saying".

After obsessing over "What U Saying" for a few days, I decided to throw together some other tracks produced by Minnesota. I was aware of some of his major productions (“I’m Not A Player”), while there were a few that I was stunned to learn he had produced (i.e. Jemini's "Brooklyn Kids" and Pudgee's "Think Big." ) This is far from a complete list (just check the man’s Discogs credits), but more of a little appetizer to show you just how talented this guy is.

Download "We Don't Need It" by Lil' Kim.

This Lil' Kim joint was a complete rediscovery for me. In fact, I’ve been kind of rediscovering the entire Hardcore album as of late and realizing that it’s kind of ill. I mean, that song “Drugs”? That’s some classic shit. While some might write this one off as an overly glitzy late 90’s production, I dig the sample choice and composition. Not quite sure how I feel about the X Rated call and response chorus. You be the verdict.

Download "Think Big" by Pudgee Feat Biggie and Lord Tariq.

I remember first hearing this bad boy on Mister Cee's Best of Biggie mix tape. I was kind of in awe of Pudgee when I first hear him spit; he had some unmatchable energy and funny punch lines. According to this interview with Pudgee, Lord Tariq appears on the track as a sort of deal made between Pudgee and Minessota. The beat used on “Think Big” was originally going to be used by the Money Boss Players. Minnesota would eventually offer the beat to Pudgee in exchange for getting Lord Tariq a slot on the song. The rest, as they say, is history. Sadly this track never got an official release due to sample clearance issues.

Download "World Go Round" by Naughty By Nature.

This is a surprising cut that didn't remember or skipped over until doing research for this post. To be honest, I never really gave Poverty's Paradise a good listen, even though I own that jammy. I found it in a cut out bin somewhere and basically bought it for “Clap Your Hands”. This one is topically appropriate for the excellent use of a Michael Jackson sample. I’m also really feeling the baseline Minnesota utilizes here.

Download “Brooklyn Kids” by Gemini The Gifted One

Fellow blogger DJ Espionage described the combination of sample and drums on "Brooklyn Kids" to "marching through mud with a swagger." I concur. And I mean that in a good way. This is such a somber, soul shattering song that I'm surprised Minnesota and Jemini never worked together again. The unmatchable quality of this song alone makes me wish they'd done an entire album together. “Brooklyn Kids” might be the pick of this litter.

Download “Killed in the Crap Game” by Money Boss Players.

This is one of the more bugged out/experimental productions I’ve heard from Minnesota. It features some crazy distorted guitar samples and some nice “The Message” interpolations on the hook. There's also a shout out from Lord Tariq to Springfield, Mass. Well, that is if you consider threatening the lives of state troopers a shout out. With Lord Tariq spitting so hard on a few of these tracks I’m surprised that much of the population at large knows him for little else besides “Déjà vu”.

Download "Gangsta" by Trick Daddy Feat Baby and Scarface.

An interesting collabo of Trick, Baby, and Scarface. Not my favorite song of the lot, but definitely worth a listen. I like it because it shows the range of artists that Minnesota has worked with.

Download "Modern Marvel" by Mos Def.

This is one of many tunes Minnesota has made for Mos. It’s definitely different, but I’m feeling Mos singing on the opening and like the general vibe of the track. I know The New Danger was no Black on Both Sides, but it certainly had its moments. When an album fails to meet lofty expectations, people seem to have a hard time admitting that it had even a few redeeming moments.

Does the track have to be nearly ten minutes long? Maybe not. But it’s a nice modern soul effort from this duo and Minnesota really seems to have nailed the vibe Mos was going for.

Download "The Panties" by Mos Def.

I love this song. Fucking love it. If Mos crooning over this incredibly smooth sample doesn’t get you and your main squeeze in the mood for love, I don’t know what to tell you. I love how Minnesota waits to drop the drums for nearly two minutes. It’s especially effective because the percussion is not at all what I was expecting the first time someone played this for me. A+ effort from both of these guys.

Download "NY Giants" by Big Pun featuring M.O.P.

Although NY Giants can’t stand up against “I’m Not A Player”, it is a pretty cool track. I like the collaboration of Pun and M.O.P. I think Pun as a solo MC fit nicely with Danze and Fame. I wonder if Pun would have continued using Minnesota’s soundscapes if he was alive today.

There is very little background info on Minnesota available online. If you have some you want to share, holla. To read a cool interview with him, click here.

Cold Duck Complex presents Freshwater: Bad Love

2009-07-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

Click to Enlarge.

If you're from Western Massachusetts and involved in the local music scene, you're probably familiar with Cold Duck Complex. I've been following them since I was in 10th grade and consider myself fortunate to have seen them rip countless venues from Amherst, MA to New York City. In fact, I'm one of those privileged enough to witness their birth at local coffee shops and high school talent shows. Growing up with the guys in CDC and watching them grow as people and musicians has been a privilege.

As is to be expected with any band, there have been some changes since the early days of Cold Duck. They've changed keyboard players, experimented with new styles, and moved to different parts of the country. What has stayed the same is their impeccable ability to make great music. That ability is sure to be present on the groups' new project, Cold Duck Complex presents Freshwater: Bad Love. Freshwater promises to satisfy CDC loyalists while simultaneously starting a new chapter for group members. Bassist Joe Cardozo, fresh off of kick starting indy label M.I.T.E.!, is central to the new album. Cardozo calls Freshwater, "a vehicle for me to continue to produce, perform, and record in collaboration with Platypus Complex (MC), Makaya (Drums), Jeff (Keys), and Darby (Keys), as well as other musicians, emcees, and vocalists, while still keeping the Cold Duck Complex collective intact."

This new album already gets a big co-sign based on the tracks I've been able to check out. I can't wait to hear the final product. For folks on the east coast, there will be a small tour to celebrate the albums release. Dates are as follows.

Cold Duck Complex/Freshwater CD Release shows:
July 21, 8:30pm -- The Annex, New York, NY
July 23, 10pm -- The Lily Pad, Cambridge, MA
July 24, 10pm -- The Iron Horse, Northampton, MA

To wet your appetite, I've decided to include two choice cuts off of Cold Duck's past two albums.

The first, "I've Got a Friend", is a personal favorite. I vividly remember it's premiere at a show in Northampton, MA. Centered around an abusive relationship, I still get goosebumps when I hear this one. "I've Got a Friend" comes from their most recent recorded effort, Enough.

Download "I've Got A Friend".

Buy the Enough album.

This next track is off of their 2003 release Figureheads. The song offers Platypus Complex's unique perspective on the events and aftermath of 9/11. It's a very emotional tune that features some of the most intense and hard hitting lyrics ever spit by PC. I'll always remember the context of first hearing "Wake Up", in early demo form, on a car ride down south. It was played for me while driving past NYC for the first time post 9/11. The song, mixed with the visual intensity of the towers being gone from the skyline, made everyone in the car go silent.

Download "Wake Up".

Buy the Figureheads album.

I bought the lead single (which kicks ass) off of the new Freshwater project at Amazon for 89 measly cents. You can do the same by clicking here.

Robot Video- KRS One and Buckshot

2009-07-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is a special video for me because one of my best friends, dancer Jedi, is featured in it. We grew up together, went to high school together, go on summer vacation together with the same group of friends every summer (for the past 11 years!), etc. I want to give him huge props for following his dreams and getting to perform in the video of a true hip hop ICON. Check for him around the 2:08 mark.

Rugged Man Be Who The Man Is

2009-07-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

I just got an email from my dude RA The Rugged Man, co-writer of the recent horror flick Bad Biology, about his upcoming directorial debut. Rugged's first film is called God Take, God Give. According to RA, it is going to be “an insane mockumentary” based on the life of his father, Staff Sgt. John A. Thorburn. If you read my articles, you may remember this interview I did with RA that focused on Staff Sgt. Thorburn and the importance of the song "Uncommon Valor". For those unfamiliar with the song, RA rhymes a biographical verse about his father's Vietnam war experiences alongside Vinnie Paz over a Stoupe beat. Upon hearing the song, I instantly put RA's verse in my all-time Top 5. It hasn't moved out of my personal Top 5 yet. I'm happy to see Staff Sgt. Thorburn and RA continuing to collaborate on creative projects. To read the full write-up of God Take, God Give over at Fangoria, click here.

Download "Uncommon Valor" by Jedi Mind Tricks featuring RA The Rugged Man.

Bonus: I've really been feeling this joint I randomly discovered yesterday. "Ring Kings" by Hostyle featuring RA The Rugged Man

Slaughterhouse- Move On

2009-07-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Slaughterhouse Joell Ortiz Joe Budden Royce Da 5'9 Crooked I

Lately I haven't been able to get enough of this track. I'm particularly impressed by Joell Ortiz, who I had very mixed feelings about. I also love to see Royce doing his thing; it seems like he’s working hard on making a big comeback. This is about as good as it gets if you're into multiple rappers just annihilating a beat.

Prince Paul Appreciation Weekd Day 7- Alone

2009-06-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

Shouts to It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold This Sac for the image and download.

Download "Alone".

Buy Hip Hop Gold Dust by clicking here and download It Takes a Nation of Suckers to Let Us In by clicking here.

"This was a demonstration of the versatility of Resident Alien. We wanted to make a song that embodied spontaneity and a classic feel. Extra vocals were provided by Derrick Lovelace, who was just a guy "hanging around' the studio. He said he sang, so we put him to the test and he has been around from that point on."- Prince Paul

Prince Paul Appreciation Weekd Day 6- Bitties in the BK Lounge

2009-06-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Download "Bitties in the BK Lounge".

Buy my favorite De La Soul album, De La Soul is Dead, here. OR, cop it on 180 Gram Re-Issue Vinyl by clicking here.

"From the music, to the skits, to the bell sounds used to keep with the storybook theme, all the way to the weird Burger King fixation that you hear in a bunch of the songs, it was an incredibly challenging record."- Ethan Brown

Prince Paul Appreciation Week: Day 5- If It Wasn't For You

2009-06-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Download "If It Wasn't For You" featuring De La Soul and Starchild Excalibur.

Buy White People by clicking here.

"It's a handsome thing, you wouldn't understand."- Nathaniel Merriweather (Album Liner Notes)

Prince Paul Appreciation Week: Day 4- You Made Me (A.K.C.)

2009-06-28T02:37:00.000-07:00

Download "You Made Me (A.K.C.)".

Buy Psychoanalysis: What Is It? by clicking here.

"I will go on record as saying Psychoanalysis is easily in my top 5, maaaaybe top 10 most favorite prized albums of all time. It's flat out genius...it's really just impeccable."- 7L

Prince Paul Appreciation Week: Day 3- Flattery and I Want You (I'm an 80's man)

2009-06-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

This post was a tough one. I wanted to keep the rule one track per post, but I love both of these tracks so much, I couldn't. Both are so musically sound and funny, I had to break my own rule. Please buy Itstrumental, you can find it for super cheap on Amazon and it's well worth your money.

Download "Flattery" featuring Steinski.

Download "I Want You (I'm an 80's Man)".

Buy Itstrumental by clicking here.

"If it wasn't for GOD, family, friends and fans, this bizarre record wouldn't have been possible."- Prince Paul