Troy Blog Test
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Up North Trips
Somebody from the site just put me on to Up North Trips. I'm telling you that you could easily spend hours just checking out their archive.
Wait are you waiting for? Up North Trips
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Blood of Abraham - Future Profits (1993)
01 Future Profits (Intro)
02 This Great Land Devours (Feat. Junior P.)
03 Southern Comfort (Feat. Willonex)
04 Stick To Your Own Kind (Feat. Yomo)
05 That Ol' Dupree Shit
06 I'm Not The Man
07 Father Of Many Nations
08 Devils Get No Dap (Feat. Rafiki Cai)
09 3-2-1 Contact
10 Stabbed By The Steeple
11 Another Nail In The Coffin
12 Life
13 Niggaz and Jewz (Some Say Kikes) (Feat. Eazy-E and Willonex)
14 Loose Interpretation Of The End (Outro)
Download
Blood of Abraham was an American hip-hop duo composed of Benyad (Benjamin Mor) and Mazik (David Saevitz). They debuted in 1993 with the release of the LP Future Profits on Ruthless Records, the label of the late Eric "Eazy-E" Wright.
A key characteristic of the group was the novelty of their unapologetic Jewish identity. Their best-known track is "Niggaz and Jewz (Some Say Kikes)", an irreverent call for Black-Jewish unity in the face of shared struggle against bigotry. Made at the height of the strain on Black-Jewish relations in the United States. its opening sample was an actual recording[citation needed] of the ravings of a Ku Klux Klansman, and it featured a spirited verse from Eazy-E as well as the first recorded appearance by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas known then as Will 1X (the group was then known as "Atban Klann".) Other tracks dealing with Jewish themes were "Father of Many Nations" (a song in praise of the Biblical patriarch Abraham) and "Stick To Your Own Kind".
A video was shot for the track "Stabbed by the Steeple," and print ads were centered around large text proclaiming "Jesus was a Black Jew," but the album did not receive much publicity beyond that. Blood of Abraham fell into anonymity; their status worsened in 1995 with the death of Eazy-E and the subsequent folding of the Ruthless and Relativity Records labels.
Mazik and Benyad then went on hiatus until 2000, which saw the unofficial release of the LP Eyedollartree on Mastergrip Records, which folded shortly thereafter. Eyedollartree featured guest appearances from maverick rappers Kool Keith and Divine Styler, as well as will.i.am. Basement Records oversaw the official release of Eyedollartree (with bonus DVD) in late 2005.
Peace to HQ Hip-Hop for the link.
Rakim “The R: The Best Of The Rest”
Friday, April 16, 2010
Exit Throught The Gift Shop (In Threaters Now)
OPENS IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES BEGINNING APRIL 16TH
For Exact Theaters And Showtimes Check The Official Website: http://www.banksyfilm.com
Exit Through the Gift Shop, the first film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, became the hottest ticket at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it made its world debut. Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post—hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results. The film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the worlds most infamous graffiti artists at work, on walls and in interview. As Banksy describes it, Its basically the story of how one man set out to film the un—filmable.
Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- Solid Goals (1985-1989)
Sir Fresh and DJ Critical were a rap duo from Brooklyn during the mid to late eighties, under the independent label Solid Goals. DJ Dee-Ville from Bust the Facts has assembled a wicked compilation that highlights the group's body of work over their short career. Much too short. Like DJ Dee-Ville, I had trouble finding almost any information about this crew online, which makes this collection all the more worthwhile.
The production on these songs is great, combining the best of both worlds from newer James Brown samples to older LinnDrum beats, with the loosely coiled snares, hollow "thump-thump" bass drums and sharp high-hats. DJ Critical handles the turntables with the best of them in the 80's, and Sir Fresh proves to be the best rapper you've never heard of. He switches up his flow multiple times, and his style, though distinctly his, is reminiscent of some of the more well-known artists of the era. Think of him as Schoolly D's voice matched with Rakim's and The D.O.C.'s flows. Ehh, maybe not the strongest comparison, but that's who he reminds me of.
My favorite cuts have to be "Sally & Dee," where Fresh describes a series of rap battles with the drama and suspense of a Western (not actually a Western); "Sir-Vere," the most well-known single by the group; and "Sit'em Down," the most impressive lyrical display on the album, with Fresh spitting out of his mind over a tight beat sampling Bobby Byrd's "I Know You Got Soul" (made famous by Eric B. & Rakim). "We Can't Have It" is a short little track that plays out like a poem, raising an interesting question on the cesspool of drugs in neglected inner-city neighborhoods: "The minority / is a majority of users of narcotics / But what authority / allows this to happen?" Sir Fresh is a natural lyricist.
Sir Fresh and DJ Critical are yet another indie rap group from the eighties that torments us with great singles and unreleased tracks, leaving us only to imagine what a full-length LP would have sounded like.
But for now, the comp will do them justice.
Major, major props to DJ Dee-Ville. For additional information be sure to visit Bust the Facts. There is also a great link on the site to Brooklyn photography--a nice complement to the music.
Previews:
Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "I'm Smooth"
Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "Sally & Dee"
Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "Sir-Vere"
Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "Sit'em Down"
Sir Fresh & DJ Critical- "We Can't Have It"
Thursday, April 15, 2010
DJ Enuff - My Definition of Hip Hop Vol. 2 (1997) 50 Cent's First Appearance
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Source: March/April 1991
Here’s another T.R.O.Y. blog exclusive for everyone. And I definitely kicked myself for not buying and reading this back in ’91. I remember the main article’s topic was heavily debated, on a daily basis, when I was back in college. I had friends that were members of the Five Percent Nation, Nation of Islam, Orthodox Islam, Christianity, and a few atheists and agnostics as well. And when you mix hip-hop, women, weed and alcohol at midnight with guys trying to debate religious ideologies, it’s not a pretty sight. Let’s suffice it to say that I was present for quite a few heated arguments and fights regarding this. That’s why I’m upset that I never had this issue to bring to the table. It’s not only an informative article (that should have been printed in its entirety) but it puts hip-hop into a broader perspective. What I’ve always loved about the music is that everyone has a chance to be exactly who they are and present themselves to the world regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender, etc. And The Source never missed a beat in its earlier days and was always on the cutting edge of discussing hip-hop in politics, society and religion.
To see him with all that gray hair is really getting to me since we’re the same age and I have gray hairs popping up all over my head as well!
And don’t forget, the pw = thimk.