I'm just speaking for me, not the blog but I also believe it's a very legit question too. When you put it down on paper and realize all of the Philly legends, microphone masters, turntable technicians, classics hits and summer anthems it's an argument worth making.
Obviously, NYC is number one but when you think about how Philly changed the game and continues to deliver the top talent what city/state takes its spot? L.A? Atlanta? Jersey? Houston? Detroit? Think about it...
Here are just some (not complete) of some Philly representatives. Schoolly D Steady B DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince DJ Cash Money Three Times Dope The Roots Beanie Sigel Freeway Kurupt Bahamadia Jedi Mind Trick Dice Raw Eve CHOPS Peedi Crakk Cassidy Rosco P. Coldchain Gillie Da Kid Sandman iCON Chief Kamachi Reef The Lost Cauze Outerspace Maylay Sparks Baby Blak Young Chris Truck North Ram Squad Mountain Brothers 100x Tasc4orce Jamal (Illegal) Dat Fat Cat Clique The Kartel Last Emperor Da Youngsta's Munk Wit Da Funk Grand Agent Known Rulers High & Mighty Philly's Most Wanted
If you missed our in depth interview and the uploads we posted here last November, get re-acquainted by clicking here. This is a continuous mix CD, but you can skip through tracks and it isn't offensive on the ears at all. It's actually pretty well mixed by DJ Nickybutters (aka Bang Bang Poet 24/7). There are some straight underground Philly bangers on here and the ones labeled "Commercial" are actually dope little radio promos.
You can see all who appear on this on the track list below-
1. Intro (Sihn, Nickybutters) 2. Beyond The Door (Alternate Street Version) (Mal Blak, Lex Ruger, Mustafo) 3. Redeyez Remix (Mal Blak) 4. Commercial #1 (Mal Blak, Lex Ruger) 5. Whom Shall I Fear? (Original) (Bad Newz, Mal Blak) 6. 215 (Lamar Supreme, Mal Blak, Black Thought, Lex Ruger) 7. Death To The Radio (Lamar Supreme, Mustafo, Bad Newz) 8. War Against The Surface (Mal Blak, Mustafo) 9. Underground Walls (Lex Ruger) 10. Flowers In The Attic (Bad Newz) 11. Waterfall Of Fire (Lamar Supreme) 12. Commercial #2 (Black The Rippa, Mustafo) 13. Deadly Cemetery (Mustafo) 14. Philly Niggas International (Black Thought, Malik B, Mustafo, Bad Newz, Lex Ruger, Lamar Supreme) 15. New Day, New Flow (Lamar Supreme, G-Masica) 16. Pass The Buck (Mal Blak) 17. Commercial #3 (Mal Blak) 18. They Call Me Lex Ruger (Lex Ruger) 19. Mental Pandemonium (Mustafo,Lex Ruger) 20. Universal Soldier (Lamar Supreme) 21. The Pain (Lex Ruger, Mal Blak, Mustafo) 22. Beyond The Door (Radio Version) (Bad Newz, Lamar Supreme) 23. Acid Rain (Lamar Supreme) 24. Who Fucked Up The Pack Money? (Mustafo, Are Em, Lex Ruger) 25. Outro (Sihn, Mustafo)
Usually we would just give you the free download of something like this, but not this time, sorry. This is still available for purchase through online stores or from the label, click here. And these are guys that never got their due and deserve the measly 15 bucks for a dope CD like this.
But we will, of course, give you some ill previews-
And, once again I'd like to take this time to alert our T.R.O.Y. readers who still haven't taken the step, to
consider joining our Google group, Skypager. You can join by clicking here, or by finding that Skypager on the right hand side of this screen and entering your info.
A few ago I laced you with my first installment of Double Down, today I'm dropping volume 2.Each mix contains 11 tracks that I hope will be your soundtrack while you're on the iron horse, driving to work or just chillin' in the cut.
--Philaflava
Double Down Vol. 2
01. Da King & I - Flip Da Script (DJ Premier Remix) 02. Shorty Long - Shorty Doing His Thang 03. Lord Finesse - Shorties Kaught Up In The System (Remix) 04. Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo - Straight Jacket (OG Mix) 05. 100x - Philly Niggas International feat. Black Thought & Malik B. 06. 100x - Live In 215 feat. Black Thought & Air Smooth 07. Leaders of The New School - International Zone Coaster (SD50's Remix) 08. Big Daddy Kane - Lyrical Gynmastics 09. DJ Krush - Real feat. Tragedy Khadafi 10. Tragedy Khadafi - Crime Nationalist 11. King Tee - At Your Own Risk (Marley Marl Remix)
In typical Philaflava fashion somebody posts a request or a question and they usually get a quick response. In this case they got a response by the man who was behind the music in question--L.E. Square.
What you're about to read is the most in depth look at 100x there's ever been. The name may look familiar in the blogosphere. You may know them as the group Rasheed Wallace signed or as the group that's 12" singles fetch top dollar on eBAY, but today you're going to know what 100x was all about.
Be sure you read the entire thing because at the end there are two exclusive tracks that has never been released until now. With L.E. Square's permission we're leaking it here first. That's right, T.R.O.Y. is dominating the game. Lights out blogger nerds, we run things.
The 100x Timeline by L.E. Square
Lee "L.E. Square" Johnson Founding Member and Producer of 100X (10th & Oxford)
1988 The group started out being known as the Untouchables. We have one wax release under that name on Solid Ground records. (12inch. Death Wish b/w MC Killin). The members then were "Magnificent Mar," "Round Mound" and "Darryl C a.k.a. Dangerous Darryl."
1989 - 90 Darryl C left the group as did Round Mound. The group reformed and Round Mound returned as "RM" and Mar changed his name to "Lamar Supreme" and the group changed its name to 100X picking up the neighborhood street moniker (100X - 10th & Oxford.) With help of my first manager Sidney Cliett I got my first MPC 60. We added members BadNews, Mal Blak, Lex Ruger and Mustafo. I recorded tons of 100X material in my parents basement on 13th and Oxford.
1992 - 99 My basement studio became one of the hottest go to spots in Philadelphia. I have worked with tons of artists who I will name later. We did various shows in the Tri-State area, mainly Philly. We did shows with Ice Cube, Onyx, KRS One, Naughty BY Nature, Nice n Smooth, Poor Righteous Teachers, Tim Dog, Ultramagnectic MC's, Wu-Tang Clan, Keith Murray, Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack and Redman. We bombed every "Rap Underground North" and Club Dances. The Trocederou was one of our favorite spots to perfom as was Rhythms @ 2121 Arch St. The sound engineer from that club was Tony Pleas and we became great friends and he introduced me to "Greg Osby" who recorded for Capitol Records.
From that situation was born 3-D Lifestyles. I produced 6 records on that album and my brother "RM" did 2. One of my best friends at that time (PUD, may he rest in peace) introduced me to Blair Thomas. Blair and I formed a partnership and the small studio that I built in my parents home became a bigger one. The garage became the booth and the music machine really started pumping hard. "RM" (who is my younger brother) started producing as well as Lamar Supreme. I created X-Calibre Records and Manhole Productions and X-Calibre Studios. We got a building and built a 2 room facility after spending a lot of money at Silicon Chip mixing and laying tracks for the single which became "Beyond The Door." We continued to produce lots of material and the next single to come was "Fast Loot Tactics." We also shot a video for this song. I did a remix and we took both songs to radio. The remix started getting a lot of spins. At that time I began to produce other groups outside of 100X. Tommy Hill of Ram Squad, Major Figgas, Jaguar Wright and I also did Gillie's first hit single "Love for Gillie." I was the first to produce Ab-Liva (Major Figgas & The Clipse). In addition I also worked with Suave House Records and did Gillie's "Something to Bounce 2." At that time our relationship with Blair was ending and again thru my best friend PUD I met the next person who became involved in the 100X movement, Rasheed Wallace.
We had two releases pressed duting our time with Rasheed which was the EP called "Plugged In" and another 12 in that had "Thug Bowl" on it. Rasheed wanted to start a label. I came up with "Urban Life Records" and "Direct Hit Studios," which was a million dollar plus facility. (The 1st Euphonix System 5 facility in the area).
2001 - present. After leaving Rasheed in 2001, I started BME ( Big Moves Entertainment) and put out an EP and Video on "RM" who added "Willie Hutch" as one of his names. We shot an EPK and also did a video. My next project was a studio at 4th and South called "The Heat"(1 of the 1st HD3 rooms in the city). We moved the studio to another building in that same area and the studio changed its name to the "4th Quarter". Not seeing eye to eye. I left that situation and went out on the west coast with Waynes World Entertainment to work some acts from "Aftermath Records."After meeting Dr. Dre and working with a few of his artists (which he dropped by the way) and recording another "RM" album I came back to Philly and started working on my own projects. I went to Va. Beach and signed with Teddy Riley and kinda layed low after that. I'm glad to say I'm back at it with a new artist that has a deal with Koch Records. His name is C-Luk (see look).
Artists I have worked with.
100X RM a.k.a. Willie Hutch Do It All (Lords of the Underground) Major Figgas Gillie Dutch & Spade Philly's Most Wanted Ab-Liva Sandman Nina Ross Quarta Ki Peedi Crack Greg Osby Shaunta (Timbos artist that's went to Aftermath) Sounds of Rage Sons of Rage Divine Beings Tommy Hill Freeway PaperDoll Rasheed Wallace Jermaine O'Neal J.R. Rider Chris Webber Tramp n Haze Ari Forman (Designer of Beyond the Door cover) Lui Blonco Ms. Jade Rhoneesha Jaguar Wright D.O.D. The Situation E a.k.a. 24-7 G-Masica Gobe Raw Rowdy Black Giants Brother From The Darkside The Roots Kenny Lee (Late brother of Philly's "Cosmic Kev") Teddy Riley Joe Street (Original member of BlackStreet) Roscoe P. Conway (artist out of Vegas signed to Motown) Red Cafe Ali Vegas The Shynin Stretch Armstrong D.J. Clark Kent The Columbians (J. O'Neals group) Porno (The Roots) C-Luk Curly Tops Rico Slaughter The Youngstas aka Da Youngsta Illy Funkstaz Chopper (Making the Band) Da Bum Rush & E.Ness (he came from Da Bum Rush)
I wanna shout a few of my fellow producers
Ruggedness Don Groove Zukhan Rhythmn D.J. Miz Power BadNewz (100X) Brian, Tim & Jay (Shynin) Koshah (Trendsettas) Supreme (Dispatcher Music) Pharrell Williams (my cousin) P-Nut 20-20 Poison Ladd S.L.R. Beats In General Muhammad a.k.a. M Ladin
And some very important people. My Mom, Ms. Dee and my Dad Mr. J.; they supported and support me still! RM and my wife "Fatty," Sidney Cliett, Laronn "LA" Reid, Valdimir "PUD" Gibson, Blair Thomas, Barry Jones, Tony Pleas, Greg Osby, Pharrell Williams, Rasheed Wallace, Wizzard, Thomas "Money"Jones and Rell(Broski).
Tracklisting: Thug Bowl (prod. L.E Square)* Time To Play (prod. Self) Fugivtive (prod. L.E. Square)** *The sample comes from John Madden '96 on Sega Genesis. **The sampled horns are from the movie The Fugitive. http://rapidshare.com/files/155857220/100X_-_Random_Joints.zip.html
I'm just speaking for me, not the blog but I also believe it's a very legit question too. When you put it down on paper and realize all of the Philly legends, microphone masters, turntable technicians, classics hits and summer anthems it's an argument worth making.
