Rakim “The R: The Best Of The Rest”

My God, the Philaflava Forum is such a great place! What started as a single person posting a link to 3 volumes of Rakim material has turned in to a monster project. So far I have finished 6 volumes on my own and probably have an additional 6 to come. Most of the tracks came from various rips I have collected over the years. Shouts to musiclover123 for compiling the initial 3 volumes and to truthaddict for posting about it. Special thanks to Roy Johnson, Step One and DJ Mike Nice for posting more tracks from the vaults and spending time to rips their vinyls.

There will be some remixes & mash-ups in here that people are going to hate, but there are also plenty of great surprises. If you don't like it, don't download it. This is my attempt to get EVERYTHING in one place. If you have something to add, please leave a comment or add on to the thread in the forum.

The original 3 volumes can be downloaded HERE.

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 1

01 Eric B and Rakim - As The Rhyme Goes On (Radio Mix)

02 Eric B and Rakim - Bobby Corridor Short Mix

03 Eric B and Rakim - Casualties Of War (Extended Club Camouflage Version)

04 Eric B and Rakim - Casualties Of War (Militant Remix)

05 Eric B and Rakim - Casualties Of War (Soulpower Remix)

06 Eric B and Rakim - Complicatem (Pass The Handgrenade Pt. 2)

07 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Belief Summer '04 Remix)

08 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Dub)

09 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Funky Ginger Club Version)

10 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Funky Ginger Radio Edit)

11 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Funky Ginger Single Edit)

12 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (UK Flavor Club Version)

13 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (UK Flavor Radio Edit)

14 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (UK Flavor Single Edit)

15 Eric B and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (Xtended)

DOWNLOAD PART 1

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 2

01 Eric B and Rakim - Eric B. Is President (Dub)

02 Eric B and Rakim - Follow The Leader (Dub)

03 Eric B and Rakim - Follow The Leader (Gene Carbonells Less Equals More Mix)

04 Eric B and Rakim - Follow The Leader (Rjd2 Remix)

05 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Booty Camp Remix)

06 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Dub)

07 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (The Richie Rich Mega Mix)

08 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul 2002 (Illicit Remix)

09 Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul bw Cru - Just Another Case

10 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Blockhead vs. Omega One Extended Remix)

11 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Cuts Mix)

12 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (DJ Revolution Remix)

13 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Drums Mix)

14 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Extended Mix)

15 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Freestyle Mix)

DOWNLOAD PART 2

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 3

01 Eric B and Rakim - In The Ghetto (Omega One Remix)

02 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (45 King Club Mix)

03 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Brixton Bass Mix)

04 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Brixton Upso Mix)

05 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Chris Read Remix) (1990)

06 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Clean UPSO Mix)

07 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (DJ Shadow Remix)

08 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Mark 45 King Mix)

09 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Mashed Up Funk Remix)

10 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (The Riddin' Dub)

11 Eric B and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Upso Dub)

12 Eric B and Rakim - Mahogany (Beat Bass and Rakim)

13 Eric B and Rakim - Mahogany (Extended Remix Version)

14 Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend (45 King Extended Remix)

15 Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend (DaBlenda Mix)

DOWNLOAD PART 3

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 4

01 Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend (Extended Remix)

02 Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend (Remix)

03 Eric B and Rakim - Move The Crowd (The Democratic 3 Remix)

04 Eric B and Rakim - Move The Crowd (The Wild Bunch Remix)

05 Eric B and Rakim - My Melody (Dub)

06 Eric B and Rakim - No Omega (Extended Remix)

07 Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full (Cold Cut Remix)

08 Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full (Derek B's Urban Respray)

09 Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full (Mini Madness) (The Coldcut Remix)

10 Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full (Seven Minutes Of Madness: The Coldcut Remix)

11 Eric B and Rakim - Put Your Hands Together (Fan Force Mix)

12 Eric B and Rakim - The R (Extended Remix)

13 Eric B and Rakim - The R (Remix Edit)

14 Eric B and Rakim - The R (Work Rest and Play Remix by Dave Dorrell and CJ Macintosh)

DOWNLOAD PART 4

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 5

01 Rakim - Acapella Freestyle One

02 Rakim - Acapella Freestyle Two

03 Rakim - Guess Who's Back (Alternative Mix)

04 Rakim - Guess Who's Back (Break Remix)

05 Rakim - Guess Who's Back (So So Def Remix)

06 Rakim - Guess Who's Back [G.C.'s Remix]

07 Rakim - It's Been A Long Time (Suave House Mix)

08 Rakim - Light It Up feat. Faith Evans

09 Rakim - Streets Of New York feat. Alicia Keys and Nas (DJ Easy Remix)

10 Rakim - The Saga Begins (DJ Easy Remix)

11 Rakim - The Saga Begins (S.T.T.R.E.S.S. Mix)

12 Rakim - When I B On The Mic (DJ G Sweet Mix)

13 Rakim and Truth Hurts - The Watcher 2 (Rakim Verse Mix)

14 Rakim feat. M.O.P. - It's Nothin (Remix)

15 Rakim vs. Black Grass - Heat It Up (Jayceeoh Remix)

DOWNLOAD PART 5

Rakim - The R: The Best Of The Rest Part 6

01 Rakim vs. Midnight Star - Got Me Curious

02 Rakim vs. Porno For Pyros - DJ Muggs and DJ Warrior Mash-Up

03 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Original Remix)

04 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Breakz Mix)

05 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Caba Knoll Remix)

06 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Spacekid vs. Funkfried Remix)

07 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (JN Club Mix)

08 Jason Nevins vs. Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Clap Your Hands Edit)

09 2Pac - Nothin' Like The Ol' Skool feat. Slick Rick Rakim and Big Daddy Kane (Cinema Remix)

10 2Pac and The Notorious BIG - Outlawz feat. Rakim

11 Art Of Noise feat. Rakim - Metaforce (Roni Size Mix)

12 DJ Break - KRS-1-My Philosophy bw Gang Starr-DWYCK bw Eric B and Rakim-Pump Up The Volume bw MC Humor bw Slick Rick-Children's Story - Ghetto Superstar (Break Remix)

13 Eightball and MJG - It's Been A Long Time feat. Rakim

14 Erykah Badu vs. Eric B and Rakim - On and On (Jayceeoh Remix)

15 Havoc, Jay-Z, Rakim, Jadakiss, Biggie, Prodigy and Nas - Seven MCs

DOWNLOAD PART 6

enjoy,

--dirt_dog

DJ Stretch Armstrong “Volume Four” Mixtape (1996)

As I continue on through the box of tapes that I located in my basement, here is a semi mysterious DJ Stretch Armstrong "Volume Four" tape. I could find zero info on this one, so I turned to (the mixtape master of the Philaflava forum) Andyman187 for some help. He determined that this tape is a recording from a Stretch & Bobbito show on Hot97 that aired Sundays from 12pm-2pm sometime in 1996. Andyman187 was also kind enough to study the audio and put together a tracklist for me. If anyone out there can help by filling in the blanks or correcting any mistakes, please leave a comment. And the .rar files contain all the scans plus the full j-card.

Side A
01 KRS-One & Lord Finesse - SP-1200 Freestyle
02 Jay-Z - I Shot Ya (Remix) Freestyle
03 Busta Rhymes - Freestyle
04 Capone-N-Noreaga - Freestyle
05 Beatnuts - Find That
06 Bahamadia - Three The Hard Way
07 Pete Rock & The Large Professor - The Rap World
08 Capone-N-Noreaga - Illegal Life
09 Artifacts - Art Of Facts
10 M.O.P. - World Famous
11 McGruff feat. LOX - Reppin Uptown
12 Sun Dullah (aka King Sun) feat. Doo Wop - NY Love (2Pac Diss)

Side B
01 Heltah Skeltah - Intro (Here We Come)
02 Heltah Skeltah - Freestyle
03 Heltah Skeltah - Sean Price (Exclusive)
04 Heltah Skeltah - Soldiers Gone Psycho
05 Akinyele feat. CJ Moore - Freaky
06 Mobb Deep - Street Life
07 Shadez Of Brooklyn - Change
08 De La Soul - Itzsoeezze
09 Shabaam Shadeeq - Freestyle
10 Shabaam Shadeeq - On A Mission
11 Stretch & Bobbito - Shout Outs

DOWNLOAD SIDE A

DOWNLOAD SIDE B

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Frankenstein “Live From New York (The Remixx Album)” (1996)

One of my favorite pieces from my vinyl collection. I picked this up back in 1996 just for Method Man's "P.L.O. Style" remix and I was pleasantly surprised with all the other tracks. In the last few years I've tracked down audio for just about everything that Frankenstein has ever done. I sure wish he'd come out from wherever he's hiding (a teacher in Canada?) and bless us with some new material.

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Step One “Illegal Remixes Vol. 2” (2010)

The first volume of Illegal Remixes assembled by Step One proved quite popular, so here’s another batch of unofficial remixes for you.

There’s a good variety of flavours on this one, ranging from straight-up Hip Hop on the Meth, Xzibit and Mobb Deep tracks, to the reggae re-rubs of the Jungle Brothers and Fugees joints. The West Coast is represented on the ‘West Up!’ remix and the ATL gets a look in with 2 Outkast joints. As with the first set, some of these are ripped from vinyl, others have been posted on blogs and forums. I’ve credited the creators where possible so click the links and show them some love if you like what you hear.


01 A Tribe Called Quest-Stressed Out (Richy Pitch Remix)
Remix by Richy Pitch.

02 B.I.G.-Party and Bullshit (Cosmo Baker Remix)
Remix by Cosmo Baker (one-third of The Rub).

03 Blackalicious-Passion (Strictly4TheLuvOfThaArt Mix)
Remixed by DJ Funkyone aka Funkdoc. Germanys Finest!

04 Fugees-Ready Or Not (Dancehall Remix)
Remixer unknown.

05 Jungle Brothers-Jungle Brother (Drumsong Remix)
From the excellent Upstate Remix series, available at Juno.

06 Method Man feat. Busta Rhymes-What’s Happenin (Showoff Remix)
Remix by Statik Selektah.

07 Mobb Deep-GOD Pt. III (Ron G Remix)
Remix by the Legendary Ron G.

08 Nas-Made You Look (Apache Remix)
Remixed by Gringo Starr for the Nation of 5’6. Nice interview with No Identity Records that happened right about the time the vinyl dropped for this remix.

09 Outkast-Ms. Jackson (Party Flavors Remix)
Remix by Technical & True Blue for Dollar Bill Records.

10 Outkast-Spottieottiedopaliscious (Carl Mo Remix)
Remixed by Carl Mo, courtesy of BLVDST.

11 The Pharcyde-Nuttin' Like (Scientist Remix)
Remix by DJ Scientist.

12 WC Mack 10 & Ice Cube-West Up! (Soul Focus Re-Fix)
Remix by Soul Focus DJs.

13 Xzibit-Paparazzi (White Label Remix)
Remixer unknown.

D O W N L O A D

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Raekwon The Chef “Latest & Greatest Hits [Promo Cassette]” (1995)

I had mentioned in the forum a few days ago that I stumbled across a box of old tapes in my basement. Some mixtapes, some promo samplers, some custom tapes from the days of trading. After posting a short list, it looks like the people have spoken and they want to hear just about all of them. So first up is Raekwon's 1995 promo cassette sampler for the upcoming release of "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx." Nothing mind blowing here, but an exclusive freestyle and (at the time) an advance opportunity to hear a couple album cuts. NOTE: all scans are included in the .rar file as well as a full scan of the sleeve.

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Gravediggaz “Rare & Remixed Volume 3” (Non-Album Tracks)

And finally, here is "Rare & Remixed Volume 3." This last volume is made up of tracks that I found after 2000 and up to the present. Most are random, unofficial remixes or mash-ups. Some good, some decent and a couple whatevers. But the first two tracks are from the advance copy of Prince Paul's "Hip-Hop Gold Dust." When the retail came out, "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" was mysteriously missing. And yes, about 30 seconds in to "Constant Elevation" there is some kind of hiss sounds. That's how it was on the DAT and Prince Paul apologized for it in the liner notes. As an added bonus, I have included the scene rip of the Gravediggaz "Demo Tape" and a very nice 8 track "Halloween Mashup EP" by DJ Cheekyboy. There are also a good assortment of unofficial Gravediggaz remixes on YouTube if you get some free time.


DOWNLOAD VOLUME 3 - PART 1

DOWNLOAD VOLUME 3 - PART 2

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Gravediggaz “Rare & Remixed Volume 2” (Non-Album Tracks)

"Rare & Remixed Volume 2" is mostly compiled of tracks from the "The Pick The Sickle & The Shovel" era (1997-ish & post Prince Paul). To me, the highlights on this volume are the "Michael Jackson Skit" which is a supposed leftover from "6 Feet Deep" and the full "Westwood Freestyle" with The Roots and Hurricane that clocks in at just over 24 minutes!


DOWNLOAD VOLUME 2

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Gravediggaz “Rare & Remixed Volume 1” (Non-Album Tracks)

In case you didn't know, the Gravediggaz were a supergroup formed in 1994 by Prince Paul (The Undertaker), Frukwan (The Gatekeeper), Too Poetic (The Grym Reaper) [R.I.P.] and RZA (The Rzarector). This compilation will be a three-part series. Volumes 1 & 2 were originally assembled back in 1999 for a few friends and other traders (traitors?). They managed to find their way on to eBay and were trimmed down to create other bootlegs that were possibly pressed up or at least widely circulated. The years on those boots are absolutely bogus as some of the material wasn't even available at that time. Volume 3 is made up of unreleased tracks and remixes/mash-ups that I found between 2000 and 2010. It will also include a couple other treats, so stay tuned.


DOWNLOAD THE REVISED VOLUME 1
(I went back and removed all questionable characters from the files names: ampersands (&) commas (,) question marks (?) apostrophes ('). Hopefully this will resolve ANY more problems.)

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Mos Def & MF DOOMsday Disaster

I wasn't able to make it to the Mos Def & MF Doom show last weekend, so I had my boy Marvin write a review. This is just a heads up warning to anybody else that is planning on attending one of their shows.

--dirt_dog


"I have had bad experiences with concerts at the Congress Theater before. I once paid 30 bucks to see the Wu-Tang Clan – back when I was in high school & when $30 represented a lot more than it does to me today. When I counted only 7 actual members (there had to be like 30 folks on stage), and I noticed that Method Man was rapping Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s parts, I was, um, disappointed to say the least. So when I saw that Mos Def and MF Doom were coming to the Congress, I was apprehensive. After the concert got rescheduled, I was even more apprehensive. But a bunch of my friends were going, and I didn’t want to be the odd man out. So I paid $30 once again, hoping that the Congress would redeem itself.

I would have been more entertained if I stayed home and watched the NBA’s sorry dunk contest.

First of all, doors opened at 7pm. I know better than to show up right when the doors open because normally acts don’t hit the stage until 2 to 3 hrs afterwards. But, due to having to wait on a late friend, I didn’t arrive until after 11pm, fully expecting to walk in on the performance. Nope. I arrived to see an empty stage with a lone DJ playing old songs. My friends had been there for hours and had only seen 2 opening acts. An hour after I arrived, the crowd started to get a little antsy; I can’t say I blame them. People started booing and throwin’ things on stage. Finally, after the stage got saturated in empty drink cups and water bottles, Mos Def appears. This calmed folks down for a while, though occasionally a water bottle would fly up on stage. You can tell the crowd really wanted to get into Mos; we didn’t pay $30 to see a shady MF Doom. Sadly, Mos DEFinitely disappointed. He performed about 25 minutes worth of his new album (Ecstatic) mixed with a few cuts from Black on Both Sides. Then “MF Doom” emerged to join the stage with him. At this point I am thinking to myself “great – now we can have a real hip-hop show,” thinking that they would take this time to perform together. Nope. Mos left the stage, and what was left were 2 hype men, one of whom we were supposed to believe was MF Doom. It was a lip-synching imposter.

Now, you would think the crowd would have gone crazy tearing the place apart at this point. But instead, just a general disappointment settled in. I think many people were, like me, a little sad also. We expected more from Mos; we paid $30 hoping to see a performance that would rival those of his former counterpart, Talib Kweli, who is known for giving riveting performances. What we got was a very unprofessional, un-motivated performance from an aging artist who may be more interested in acting than rapping right now (Note to Mos Def: Do not give shout outs to Brooklyn while in other cities. Especially in Chicago. You’re lucky you didn’t get hit with a bottle to the face for that). We knew there was a chance that “DOOM” wouldn’t show as he's notorious for that. But we had hoped that Mos Def would make up for any disappointment DOOM might bring. Nope…"



Additional articles from The BoomBox and FakeShoreDrive.

Scientifik “Non-Album Bonus Track”

I had found this one listed on the web, but all the links were dead. So I did a little leg work and tracked down DJ Funkdoc (Germany represent!) who created this remix. Unfortunately we didn't connect in time for the initial post the other day.

12 Scientifik & Lil' Fame - Who Got The Props (Funk Phenomenon RMX)

DOWNLOAD

If you like it, leave him a comment or reach out to Funkdoc on MySpace. Thanks for sharing it with us.

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

J-Love “Nas' Finest” (Cassette)

CLASS-SICK!

This tape is one of those gems that never gets old (even with some J-Love drops on it). When I first got my hand on a copy of this tape, it really opened up my eyes to the possibility that a lot of artists had material that never made it on albums. And at the time, J-Love seemed to be the one with all the connections as every one of his tapes were covered in exclusives, remixes and unreleased tracks. See scans for track lists and the download contains a full scan of the j-card.
DOWNLOAD

Shouts to Ricky D for sending me a shoe box full of mixtapes many years ago. I'm finally getting around to ripping them.

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Scientifik “Non-Album Tracks”

Forum member Debonair_P recently blessed us with a dope compilation of Scientfik non-album tracks. As an added bonus, there is an exclusive remix done by Debonair_P himself.

Here's what D.J. Shame (of The Vinyl Reanimators) had to say when I asked him for some history on Scientifik:

When the Scientifik LP was done, his label decided that "Jungles" would be the 1st single. Just before the single dropped, Chemisty had changed to Definite. Chemistry had distribution through Mercury/Polygram but I don't think Definite had the same distribution deal. Mercury/Polygram picked up Diamond who was signed to Chemistry & I think that's all they signed over. I don't think the "Criminal" LP ever got an actual release. Although there were the copies that got around with just the sticker on the front which was what they sent me. It was too bad cause the LP was pretty dope in my opinion. There was of course the re-release that Traffic Entertainment put out a few years back. The "Most Blunted" release was also put out by Joe (of The Vinyl Reanimators) which was pretty much a bunch of demos that were done before Scientifik even got signed. The tracks that had samples that were already used (like the Nas "Memory Lane" joint) were not originally recorded like that. For whatever reason, Joe went back & changed some of the samples. I think the original samples were better... he shouldn't have changed them.

R.I.P. Scientifik

01 A Nigga You Can't Fuck With w Edo G, Herb & Smit
02 Freestyle (Sept 94)
03 All Around G
04 What's The Deal w Edo G & Big Shug
05 Lawtown '96 The Saga Continues (Original)
06 Lawtown '96 The Saga Continues (Wiz Remix)
07 Internal Affairs (Original)
08 Internal Affairs (Wiz Remix)
09 Official w Edo G & Big Shug
10 Hold The Key w God Wize, L Da Headtoucha & K-Slaughta
11 Jungles Of The East (Debonair P Remix)

DOWNLOAD

Thanks to Debonair_P for the music and D.J. Shame for the words.

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Nas & Ghostface “WR1 Remixes”

So this year I decided I was finally going to put a small dent in recording some of my vinyl. Some for the blog (see the Othorized F.A.M. & Cappadonna rips), others just for me. I should probably be saving this one for the next volume of Illegal Remixes with Step One, but I couldn't wait. I must have bought this one in 98 or 99 from HipHopSite or Sandbox. The labels were white with no writing, no nothing (I made these "fake" labels) and the only info was the etching in the runout said WR1. Sorry about any crackles and pops, I did everything I could to clean it up. If you have any info on this white label, please let me know.

a1 Nas - If I Ruled The World (WR1 Remix)
b1 Ghostface - Daytona 500 (WR1 Remix)

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
-dirt_dog

Nas and Madlib “Naslib” (2007)

Here's a nice little 38 minute mix of Nas accapellas over Madlib beats done by DJ Serv1. The only place you could get this was with issue #30 of Stop Smiling magazine in 2007. It looks like you can still order the back issue (issues? there were 2 different covers) and get the cd for a couple extra bucks. No track list included, but you'll recognize everything.

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Step One “Illegal Remixes Vol. 1” (2010)

It appears that good things can happen when the UK gets blasted with the heaviest snow in 100 years. With the country coming to a complete halt, forum regular Step One had time to put together this sweet compilation of bootleg remixes and blends. Show some appreciation by leaving a comment (or a link to another remix) and he might bless us with volume 2.

Step One says "A staple of any nineties Hip Hop DJ’s collection is the shady white label remix. Information on whoever was putting these out was usually pretty thin on the ground for obvious reasons but they often held some real gems. Having rediscovered some of these recently I’ve put together a collection of some of those unofficial remixes as well as a few that I’ve found on the blogs and forums over the last few years."

01 2Pac-Old School (B.Cause Remix)
http://diamondsinthedust.blogspot.com/
Usually the non-Pac fans favourite Pac track. B Cause throws some familiar samples under Pac’s reminiscing of 80s NY and gives it a nice funky vibe.

02 Big Daddy Kane-Set It Off (Daily Diggers Remix)
http://www.dailydiggers.com/
Some of you might recognise this from DJ Mike Nice’s ‘Brooklyn Bullshit’ mixtape. The UK’s Daily Diggers flip the Cold Chillin classic.

03 Big Pun & Fat Joe-Twinz (Brooklyn Untouched Remix)
This remix discards the original ‘Deep Cover’ beat and replaces it with another Dre & Snoop collabo, ‘The Next Episode’. Always goes down well in a club set.

04 Common-I Used To Love Her (Sir Charles Flavour Remix)
http://www.myspace.com/djsircharles
Common gets a G-Funk makeover as his vocals are dropped over Warren G’s ‘Nobody Does It Better’.

05 D&D All-Stars-1,2 Pass It (Bootleg Remix)
A DJ Fashion remix? All signs point to yes.

06 Erick Sermon-Bomdigi (Street Jam Bootleg Remix)
The beat from En Vogue’s ‘Hold On’ gives this E Double solo joint some extra bump.

07 Fat Joe & Doo Wop-Boriquas On The Set (DJ Dough & Porge One Remix)
http://www.myspace.com/djdoughhiphop
The UK’s Dough & Porge One always had some special remixes on their CDs. This one is taken from their ‘Heads Aint Ready’ mix which is well worth seeking out.

08 Method Man & Redman-How High (Bootleg Remix)
The acapella of this track was definitely a favourite amongst producers, probably due to the amount of quotable lines from Red & Meth at their peak. This version uses the ‘Human Nature’ melody over EPMD's ‘You’re A Customer’ beat.

09 Mobb Deep-Hell On Earth (Paul Miles Remix)
Another UK remix, this time by Birmingham DJ Paul Miles (aka Pat Bateman).

10 Nas-It Aint Hard To Tell (DJ Day Remix)
http://likeathrottle.blogspot.com/ (this also came out on vinyl)
This track has been remixed to death but this has to be the best of the unofficial ones. Quality production from DJ Day out of California.

11 The Pharcyde-Passin Me By (WAR! [What-A-Remix])
A Jazzy Jim remix.

12 Tim Dog & KRS-One-I Get Wrecked (Gamm/Samoo Remix)
http://diamondsinthedust.blogspot.com/
I don't have any info on this one but I’m pretty sure I copped it at B.Cause’s blog.

13 Uptown-Dope On Plastic (B.Cause Why Zee Refix)
http://diamondsinthedust.blogspot.com/
Uptown meets YZ.

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Cappadonna & Drastic Measures “Taking Drastic Measures” (1996)

"1996. Beware of bio chips." Thanks for the advice Cappachino. Another dusty gem from my never ending Wu obsession. There's always been something about this track I've enjoyed... maybe it's the lazy, slow, Park Hill flow?

From the picture sleeve (that mine didn't come in): "It's Cappadonna. He ripped it on 'Ice Water' and 'Ice Cream' from Raekwon's Only Built For Cuban Linx (Gold LP). He kicked it with Wu-Tang's Ghost Face Killer, Masta Killer, Raekwon and U-God on the Don't Be A Menace Soundtrack cut 'Winter Warz.' Also his cut 'If It's Alright With You' featuring U-God was featured on The Great White Hype Soundtrack. Now Cappadonna aka Cappachino is taking drastic measures."

Scans of side a, side b and the jacket sticker are included in the download.

01 Cappadonna & Drastic Measures-Taking Drastic Measures
02 Cappadonna & Drastic Measures-Taking Drastic Measures (Instrumental)
03 Cappadonna & Drastic Measures-Taking Drastic Measures (Cyphamix)
04 Cappadonna & Drastic Measures-Taking Drastic Measures (Cyphamix Instrumental)
05 Drastic Measures-Ain't That What's Her Name?

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

Editors Note (Philaflava): Drastic Measures was actually Lork LaRock and Wizone if I recall. It was their record but since Cappa was the main draw they marketed the single as if it was Cappas. I was never a big fan of this but that has nothing to do with Cappa. I definitely recommend anyone checking this out who hasn't already.

Adrian Champion “Stars & Stripes: The White Stripes Reimagined”

This in one of my favorite mash-up/blend/remix projects from 2009. You're all probably like, WTF? But seriously, give it a chance. It's brilliant. This is only one of a few things from last year that's still in the rotation and if he'd press up a physical disc, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.

Step 1: Watch the trailer




Step 2: Visit STARS & STRIPES and go to "download" (instrumentals are also available for those who need everything)

01 Bombs Over Orchids (The White Stripes + Outkast)
02 Icky Says (The White Stripes + Pharoahe Monch)
03 Ante Up Every Way (The White Stripes + M.O.P.)
04 Turn It Up (The White Stripes + Kanye West)
05 Ms. Doorbell (The White Stripes + Mos Def)
06 Cash Run (The White Stripes + Notorious B.I.G. & 2Pac)
07 Got Yourself a Cannon (The White Stripes + Jay-Z)
08 Jolene's Ether (The White Stripes + Nas)
09 One More Corner (The White Stripes + Common)
10 Dangerous Love (The White Stripes + Busta Rhymes)
11 Fucking Apples (The White Stripes + Eminem)
12 Tha Countdown Blues (The White Stripes + Redman)
13 Stars & Stripes (The White Stripes + Adrian Champion & Brian Jacobs)


Step 3: Go to his BLOG and you can pick up the bonus track

14 Bound to Pass Me By (The White Stripes + The Pharcyde)


Step 4: Enjoy


--dirt_dog

Othorized F.A.M. “You Shine” (1997)

As mentioned in the past, I've always been a big fan of Wu-Tang and most of the spin-off affiliates. And this Othorized F.A.M. record used to be one of my prized possessions. I never knew too much about this group as they were mostly a mystery and everything I heard came second hand: hail from Staten Island, part of Cappadonnna's camp and originally signed to Atlantic Records. Othorized F.A.M. is made up of Sean Wigs, Lounge Lo, Crunch Lo & Molly Q. While I believe most of the members are still doing solo stuff, Wigs is also a member of Ghostface's Theodore Unit. I'm pretty sure that this vinyl was released in 1997, but I can find no evidence to back it up. Included are scans of side a, side b and the sticker that was in the sleeve.

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,
-- dirt_dog

Bobby Corridor “Substitution” (2009)

Here's a great new mix from Bobby Corridor using tracks that sampled "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss. Not sure about the video, but here's the original track.



OG Style- Catch ‘Em Slippin’
Great track from a great album, he even says “we’ve been waiting on this break for a long time”. Clever. I always hears “what about the doubters” as “what about the downloads”. Even before they invented them. Double clever.

De La Soul- Potholes in My Lawn
De La also use the drums in Stone Age and Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa (would have been seasonal) but here they use the piano yeah.

The Pharcyde- Ya Mama
Your mum.

Ghostface Killah- Mighty Healthy
Same break and some of the same lyrics as the next track.

Divine Force- Holy War
As interpolated by Ghostface (^this^). The best thing they did. Got this for 20p.

Ultramagnetic MCs- Ego Trippin’
The oldest track on this? Probably. One of the best? Yes.

Frankie Cutlass- Boriquas on the Set
Fat Joe and stuff.

Biz Markie- Cool V’s Tribute to Scratching
Biz is also on De La’s Substitution sampling Stone Age. SIX DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON. Big Daddy Kane’s Just Rhymin’ With Biz uses a bit of Substitution too. As does Looks Like a Job For.

Wu-Tang Clan- Clan in da Front
Rza and the Wu love this break. Because it’s good.

Gang Starr- Code of the Streets
Primo with the substitution break. Also using one of my favourite scratch sounds.

Naughty By Nature- OPP (inst)
As heard in the summer of whenever. Yeah, you know how I roll.

Tony D- Adam’s Nightmare
The beat that Naughty by Nature nicked. Another hip hop legend gone this year.

Public Enemy- Don’t Believe the Hype
Reminds me of a 6th form ice skating trip. Oh how we laughed. PE like the break too.

Gang Starr- Dwyck
Primo again. You know the one. The lemonade one.

Prince Rakeem- Deadly Venoms
Pre-Wu Rza. You disagree with me, fuck you mister.

Def Jef- Black to the Future
He’s Def and his name is Jef. He did some alright tracks.

Nice and Smooth- Skill Trade
Just the piano again. Just little bits though.

Supreme Nyborn- Versatile Extension
Let’s remix it. Booom

EMF- Rough Potential
Not that EMF but ^that^ EMF, Electro Motive Force. Incidentally I saw EMF (that EMF) supporting Boo Ya Tribe many years ago. Big boy riddims.

Schoolly D- Saturday Night
How the fluck did he get so cool. Could have also used Saturday Night Live by Masta Ace which uses large bits of the break, and has Premier on it. KEVIN BACON.

Choice MCs- This is the B-Side
Better than the A-side. Pianos and that.

Public Enemy- Brothers Gonna Work It Out (dub)
They did a track called The B-Side Wins again but this was an A-side. Weird. Could have included Miuzi Weighs a Ton too, if it would mix nice.

BTX- This Jam is Black
Super, a sprightly number from the great Select label.

DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince- Jazzy’s Groove
Final track and cut short before Grover Washington Jr comes in just in case it provoked a facebook group to try to post a mix of shouty rap metal instead.


Go HERE to download the mix. SendSpace link at the bottom.

enjoy,
--dirt_dog

100 Tracks You Need To Hear (97-99) Part IV

The T.R.O.Y. Blog Presents
100 Tracks You Need To Hear Part IV

1997-1999. You swear it wasn’t that long ago, but you know it might as well have been eons ago. Depending on your outlook, this is either the tail end of a gilded age or the beginning of the apocalypse. During this time, the hip hop artists born circa 1970 who catapulted the genre forward as teenagers and young adults in the ’87-’94 heyday are beginning to mellow out or gloss it up. Sampling laws are enforced more than ever but the indie labels are resolute in refusing to go the glittery route. Radio is dominated by obvious samples and tales of upward mobility and debauchery, while the underground mixshows stay saturated with eccentric rhyming clinics and surreal poetics. The divide is not entirely clean, however. In this era you can find surreal poets waxing profound on diamonds and champagne, gritty crime narratives on major label releases, and a whole host of songs that defy categorization (and a few that even defy simple explanation). This series is for those of you who know that the late ‘90s is deeper than just Organized Konfusion, Ras Kass, Mase, Nas, and Company Flow (no disrespect intended of course). This is for those of you that know that great hip hop comes from all corners of the USA and around the world, that the b-sides of overlooked 12”s and the album cuts of long forgotten tapes contain true gems. Songs that speak to our hunger for dope beats and lyrics and manage to stand out from the crowd. We made a special effort to seek out songs that you probably haven’t heard or don’t really remember too clearly, while making sure that each selection hearkens backs to the last era in which musical diversity and quality could be taken for granted. You need to hear this. Enjoy our 100 picks, coming at you at the rate of twenty five per day just in time for the holidays.

R.A.W. - Linguistic Ventriloquist
Straight out of Delaware, R.A.W. drops a relentless rhyme style over a crisp, jazzy beat. A rare but very worthwhile treat.

Rakim - Waiting For The World To End
The God MC describes life in the bleak world of Wyandanche, Strong Island over understated but fitting production.

Rasco - Heat Seeking
Rezidue - Droppin Rezidue

Saafir - I'm Saafir (The Saucy Nomad)
I image some west coast G-Funk producer left his studio door open by accident, then a drunken MC walked in and recorded some fucked up vocals over the beat as a joke. Yet it worked out even nicer than any gangsta rapper could have done it.

Sach - Poetical Me
One part of The Nonce group, Nouka Basetype, now known as Sach, has dropped a cassette only album, with really dope cuts on it. On this track you can check how poetical he can be.

Scaramanga - Holdin' New Cards

Seagram - Sleepin In My Nikes feat. Scarface
This is such a creepy track as it starts with Scarface reminding us that Seagram Miller is no longer alive, so I automatically imagine Seagram in a coffin with his nikes on. I truly think this is the coldest track in hiphop history.

Self Scientific - Degrees
Oh man, this beat was truly next level and would probably be revered by
other 'trippy' types of genres, if they only knew. Chase Infinite truly drops
degrees here, well after it was the 'cool' thing to do.

Shamus - Tight Team
New York's obscure artist has released his first and only album, EP style. A very dark and obscure release. Two tracks, including this one were produced by Buckwild.

Slick Rick - King Piece In The Chess Game
Unfairly overlooked and underrated gem from Ricky D's "Art Of Storytelling" album. The fact that this joint was originally released on white-label under the name "Panties Stay Wet" should be enough reason for you to listen.

Souls Of Mischief - Shooting Stars
Opio catches wreck over a most unorthodox beat, getting great mileage out of his extended metaphor and devoting the last verse to clowning Chino XL

Spice 1 - Suckas Do What They Can Real Playas feat. Yukmouth, Too Short & Rouger Troutman

Storm The Unpredictable - MC's Be Killin Me
Oxon Hill's greatest rapper of all-time? Boom-Bap lyrically lyrical shit that you just don't find today. Storm was that dude.

Street Smartz - Don't Trust Anyone
Buckwild laced a smooth melodic beat backed up by F.T rugged flow. DJ KO scratches the line "Ain't No One We Can Trust" from Onyx's Evil Streets for the chorus.

T Love - I'm Coming
A Kid Called Miles lays down a murky, funky banger for the West Coast femcee, off of her extremely underrated debut EP.

Tasc 4orce - Root Of All Evil
Thrust - Emcee
Tony Da Skitzo - Let's Drift

Ugly Duckling - Einstein's Takin' Off
Einstein leaves his physics on the side and starts his theoretical work on SP 1200.

Voodu - Introduction
Western Hemisfear rapper and producer brings to you the darkest introductio from his dark regions.

Wee Bee Foolish - The Kid

Witchdoctor, Khujo, & T-Mo Goodie - Smooth Shit
A true gem from one of the Dungeon Family's most prolific yet ignored talents. The title alone tells you what to expect, so just kick back and vibe to the Witchdoctor's unique blend of spirituality, smoke, and sex.

Wu-Syndicate - Where Was Heaven
All That I Got Is You Pt.2", Mylanski talks about his young life growing up in the VA projects.

Yah Supreme - Old & Wise
Not enough can be said of this emcee who disappeared as quick as he emerged. In a class of his own, style similar to none, this song is a perfect intro to his music and a gem you should never forget.

Young Lay - Got 2 Survive feat. Mac Mall, Ray Luv & 2Pac

Underrated producer Khayree and his label Young Black Brotha Records deliever another Bay Area collabo that leaves you missing this very sound is missed today.

[Download Part IV here]