Spring Break

It's about that time here on TROY. No worries, we will be back in full effect shortly. We'll even be posting sporadically for the next week while we enjoy our break. Take the time to catch-up on all of our greatest hits, misses and '10 darts. Remember about our ever-growing forum, which is hands down the BEST FORUM on the internet dedicated to the Golden Era where we drop knowledge, share music and relive the best of times. We're still all up on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook so don't forget to add us too!

Lastly, our sister blog, Steady Bloggin' is still grinding so feel free to check them out and lend your support. Enjoy the spring back and see you soon.

Important Links:
Philaflava Forums
Steady Bloggin'
T.R.O.Y. Facebook
Actual Facts
Cold Rock Da Spot
Scratch Reaction

Touring The States: Chicago, IL

This is just a meagre text off the M-Doc wikipedia page:

"M-Doc is a rap artist and producer who was signed to RCA Records in the 1990s. He scored minor chart success with the singles "Free" and "It's a Summer Thang" featuring Chantay Savage.
In the late 90s he produced remixes for Madonna, Janet Jackson and Keith Sweat. Billboard called him "one of the R&B worlds top remixers".

If anyone have any of his other releases and is willing to share with us, please do it, it will be mad appreciated and we will make sure you'll get your deserved props on The T.R.O.Y. Blog community.

M-Doc - It's A Summer Thang (1994)

01. It's A Summer Thang (M-Doc Remix)
02. It's A Summer Thang (Underground Gangsta Remix)
03. It's A Summer Thang (Doc Strumental)
04. It's A Summer Thang (Gangsta Mental)
05. It's A Summer Thang (Silk's Old Skool)
06. It's A Summer Thang (Gangsta Remix Clean Version)
07. It's A Summer Thang (M-Doc Remix Clean Version)
08. It's A Summer Thang (Accapella)

DOWNLOAD

-- Markshot

Inspectah Deck - Let Me At Them (Demo Piano Version)

I first had this taped off the radio about 15 years ago, either from a WNWK or WKCR broadcast. I'm guessing around 1994

or 1995 was the time frame, being that the official soundtrack version on "Tales From The Hood" didn't drop until a good while after I first heard this. The one main difference on this demo is the piano sample that was curiously taken out of the soundtrack version. Hearing the demo first, every time I would hear the other version, it was like I was waiting for those pianos to drop in the mix. It got to be frustrating to even listen to this piano-less shell of a song. I can almost guarantee that after hearing this demo, you will not want to ever hear the official release again, well almost. The sound quality on the demo is much inferior to the other one. The reason for the pianos getting dissed would probably be due to sample clearance problems, but I guess only Deck knows for sure since he did the beat. All that is definite is that whether or not you found the version of this song you already knew to be memorable, it will be now. Sure the rest of the elements of the beat are all great on this but the pianos really are just that crucial to the illness of "Let Me At 'Em". They give it an added raw Wu sound, with the menacing darkness that would have fit right in a ghetto horror flick.

Let Me At Them (Demo Piano Version)

Let Me At Them (Soundtrack Version, No Pianos)

Download the demo and the other version both here.

Click on the cover to pick up the entire Tales From The Hood Soundtrack(at 320kbps) from our friends over at "Hq Hip Hop".

Thanks and peace to JR from the "Crates Of JR" blog for ripping this personally sought after demo from one of his old WBAI tapes, off the Underground Railroad. The show still broadcasts and even has a chat room/podcast thing going on every Saturday night at midnight. You can find that by clicking here at the broadcast time and then clicking the "Live Broadcast" button on the right. Also, the host for many years now, is this guy Jay Smooth from the Ill Doctrine hip hop video blog. Love it or hate it, you can't really dismiss it, the guy has valid points on many arguments.

--Verge

My Tapes by Basta aka KYOZAI Pt. 5

You might know Basta (aka Kyozai) as being the owner of the rare cassette blog, Music-Thingz. Recently, he blessed us with a nice portion of his tape collection at philaflava T.R.O.Y. forum.

Here at The T.R.O.Y. blog, we wanted to give these tapes their deserved shine and Basta the proper recognition he's earned, to the people outside of the philaflava forum.

I will split his tapes in several posts, giving you enough time to digest this massive work.

There will be no previews, but c'mon, the hilariously awesome covers alone warrant a download.

Enjoy!

Underground Impact - Trapped in da Hood (1993, Philadelphia)

DOWNLOAD UNDERGROUND IMPACT


Sakoo - Tricks Pon Me (1992) (Brooklyn)

DOWNLOAD SAKOO


Warlord - It Ain't Easy bw Nothing to Lose (199x Queens)

DOWNLOAD WARLORD


Posse Deep - Candy (1991)

DOWNLOAD POSSE DEEP


Succes -N- Effect - Ultimate Drive-By (1992)

DOWNLOAD SUCCESS-N-EFFECT

-- Markshot

Rick Rubin

Not much to say about this man, other than he is a fucking GOD. Peep Robbie's piece on Ricky Rubin @ Unkut. Props to him and his site for always delivering the freshness. --Philaflava

When Rick Rubin is written about in the media, he is either portrayed as “the most important producer of the last 20 years” or as the shaggy ‘Wolfboy’ guru who carries lapis lazuli Buddhist prayer beads and dislikes footwear. While many of the startlingly broad range of musicians that have worked with Rick gush his praises, there seem to be just as many who were left disappointed by the experience. For every successful creative rebirth that Rubin has been involved in – such as reviving the careers of Metallica, Johnny Cash and The Dixie Chicks – there are also the aborted projects with groups like U2 and Muse.

Rubin’s approach seems to be all about making a connection with the artist he’s working with: “I have no training, no technical skill — it’s only this ability to listen and try to coach the artist to be the best they can from the perspective of a fan”. This approach doesn’t sit well with everyone, as bands such as Slipknot have complained that they didn’t enjoy working with him since he was barely present during the project he produced (but they were happy with the album), while shots were fired by British rockers Muse earlier this year when they thanked Rick for “showing us how not to produce” during an acceptance speech at the Music Producers Guild (amusingly, it turns out that Rubin won ‘International Producer of the Year’ that same evening).

But sour grapes seem to be the exception rather than the rule, as groups like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers can attest to after five albums with Rick’s involvement. “He basically goes into the engineer’s booth, removes everything in the room and has his people bring in the most comfortable couch-bed-type object that you’ll ever see. Then he’ll cover it with pillows and blankets, and that becomes his station.” Through this process, he often becomes ‘the fifth Beatle’, dating back to his stint as DJ Double R for the Beastie Boys first national exposure on Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’ tour. Even though Jazzy Jay and Ad Rock did some the programming for some of Rick’s early Def Jam records, there’s no denying that he was able to bring a sorely-needed, stripped-down aesthetic to the rap records of the era.

“I was going to NYU [New York University] and I was into rap music at the time, but there weren’t a lot of rap records coming out; and the rap records that were coming out weren’t representative of what the rap scene really was. I used to go to the rap clubs in New York—I’d be the only white guy there—and they’d be playing rock ‘n roll records with guys rapping over them. Like ‘Walk This Way’. ‘Walk This Way’ was an original record that every rap DJ would have and use. Billy Squire’s ‘Big Beat’ was another one. And the rap records that were coming out at the time were like Sugar Hill Records, which were essentially disco records with people rapping over them. Kids who liked rap bought them because there weren’t any records representative of their rap scene. So, I saw this void and starting making those records, just because I was a fan and wanted them to exist.”

The result? Radio, Licensed to Ill and Raising Hell – three of the most influential hip-hop albums of the 80’s – all of which combined abrasive, speaker-smashing drums with hard guitar stabs and traditional song structures. The last point being the most significant in terms of getting the music to a wider (read: white) audience who’d been raised on rock. He also championed the cause of Public Enemy: “I remember my old partner Russell Simmons, when I signed Public Enemy – I’d just made the Less Than Zero soundtrack and it was really good and The Bangles’ record was a hit – and Russell said, ‘You’re wasting your time. This is black punk rock. This is garbage. You could make pop records, why are you wasting your time on Public Enemy?’ I said, ‘Because they’re the greatest group in the world. Because the pop records are the ones that aren’t important. This is what’s important, you’ll see.’ And two years later, he saw”.

Rick directed his attention to heavy metal following his departure from Def Jam, but when he started the Def American label he proved that he still had an ear for great rap by re-recording the best of the Geto Boys for their self-titled third LP, as well as an under-appreciated EP from former Audio Two MC Milk D. It wasn’t until Jay-Z reached out to Rick that he would produced another rap track, but the result was another prime example of minimalist beat science at it’s best. Since being appointed as co-head of Columbia records in 2007, Rubin has only signed one rap act – The Clipse. Last year it was announced that the crew would be working with Rick on their new album, but Till The Casket Drops was eventually released without any Rubin beats. “We went out to Malibu man, busted out with him. He gave us a lot of insight on the album and gave us some gems man. We came back, sorta re-vamped a few things and uh, you know, made the album a lot better due to that talk, for real. Definitely, it’s the reason he’s sitting in that [executive] seat”.

Something that came as a shock to me was the discovery that Rubin doesn’t drink booze or get high. It seems that even in his college days, White Castle burgers and porn were his only vices. “I’m just not interested. I need to be in control” he told German magazine Shark, while in a USA Today profile, Rick explained, “It’s the combination of meditating and always being deeply into something. When I was young, I was into magic. Kids I knew did drugs or got drunk out of boredom. I didn’t want to give up my time.” Some of the projects that he’s chosen to take on board might also have fans scratching their heads. Linkin Park? Mars Volta? Mel C from the Spice Girls? I guess that trying to challenge yourself musically requires sacrificing good taste on occasion. But when you’re able to convince Johnny Cash to record a version of a Nine Inch Nails track – and in the process create one of the greatest cover songs ever made – it’s hard to complain. I think this 2007 piece in TIME sum him up best: “Rick Rubin enjoys long walks on the beach, sushi dinners and hugs that warm the corners of the soul. Behind the ZZ Top exterior lurks the soul of a Playmate”.

http://www.unkut.com/2010/04/rick-rubin-the-man-the-myth

Funk Marathon Volume 6

Ok it's time for the 6th and final Funk Marathon. These projects were a pretty lengthy undertaking. The effort has been more than worth it though. Since assembling these compilations back in 2005/2006 they have become sort of like bibles to me. This edition is 8 hours, 21 minutes and has 108 tracks. I did a little volume leveling so if there are any clicks/errors that you hear let me know. I'd pick some favorite tracks here and there but it's hard to do. Favorite sections might be more like it. After you've had a chance to check out volume 6, let me know which one you like best. Here's the tracklist. Paste this megaupload link into a new window to download it.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XGZRDR5K

01 (3:21) donald byrd - 001night whistler
02 (1:59) ahmad jamal - 002misdemeanor(mixtape edit)
03 (6:50) george benson - 003one rock don't make no boulder
04 (5:46) hubert laws - 004the baron
05 (6:07) salsoul orchestra - 005burning spear
06 (3:42) the nite-liters - 006nothing
07 (4:02) ben & the platano group - 007paris soul
08 (6:24) lafayette afro rock band - 008scorpion flower
09 (3:40) exit 9 - 009rhapsody in funk
10 (2:57) funk 45 files/(unknown- the propositions ?) - 010something different ? (mixtape edit)
11 (5:32) alphonse mouzon - 011poobli
12 (3:12) jimmy page - 012the light bearer- take six
13 (6:04) lalo schifrin - 013jaws
14 (4:33) hugh masakela - 014toejam
15 (2:39) gene page (blacula) - 015blacula (the stalkwalk)
16 (7:24) greyboy - 016lite bake-live medley (mixtape edit)
17 (3:42) people's choice - 017jam jam jam (all night long)
18 (4:02) james brown - 018bodyheat
19 (4:08) rhythm heritage - 019theme from s.w.a.t.
20. (13:27) fela kuti - 020shakara
21 (6:32) the herbaliser - 021latin horns
22 (5:46) samba soul - 022chove chuva mas que nada
23 (4:28) pucho & his latin soul brothers - 023heat! -
24 (6:29) kool and the gang - 024n.t. parts 1 and 2
25 (4:42) van mccoy & the soul city symphony - 025pick up the pieces
26 (3:29) donald byrd - 026the emperor(mixtape edit)
27 (6:37) banbarra - 027shack up (vocal version)
28 (3:38) memphis horns - 028don't abuse it
29 (2:45) jimmy lane and the incredibles - 029deal with it
30 (2:50) funk 45 files/unknown artist - 030pump it on the same...(mixtape edit)
31 (3:20) the counts - 031funk pump
32 (6:11) parliament - 032mothership connection (star child)
33 (4:42) ike and tina turner - 033whole lotta love
34 (3:37) jimi hendrix - 034somewhere over the rainbow
35 (2:54) greyboy/unknown artist - 035is there somebody (mixtape edit)
36 (4:04) james vincent - 036walking on higher ground
37 (3:57) roy ayers ubiquity - 037the black five
38 (3:15) funk 45 files/unknown artist - 038intro- let's make love tonight(mixtape edit)
39 (2:46) roy ayers - 039brawling broads
40 (6:04) harvey mason - 040what's going on
41 (1:45) what's cookin - 041audiotrack26
42 (2:41) david grisman quartet - 042e.m.d
43 (1:30) leon haywood - 043it's got to be mellow
44 (4:37) van morrison - 044moondance
45 (8:50) curtis mayfield - 045move on up
46 (3:22) greyboy/unknown artist - 046saturdays (live clip-mixtape edit)
47 (5:07) pazant brothers - 047spooky
48 (2:40) mongo santa maria - 048sweet tater pie
49 (4:48) voyage - 049latin odyssey
50 (7:54) central line - 050walking into sunshine
51 (4:36) armed gang - 051love shot`
52 (8:47) sugar hill gang - 052monster jam instrumental (vinyl rip)
53 (5:04) the mike theodore orchestra - 053moon trek
54 (7:27) parlet - 054ridin' high
55 (4:57) hot blood - 055baby frankie stein
56 (5:07) john davis and the monster orchestra - 056i can't stop
57 (7:27) nytro - 057the whitfield express
58 (8:12) space - 058carry on, turn me on (vinyl rip)
59 (4:09) billy preston - 059outaspace
60 (4:12) the magic disco machine - 060control tower
61 (7:22) louis love - 061whatcha do to me (vinyl rip)
62 (9:32) rockers revenge - 062walking on sunshine
63 (4:47) pleasure seekers - 063give up the funk
64 (5:48) bob james - 064take me to the mardi gras
65 (4:14) aaron neville - 065hercules
66 (2:57) booker t and the mgs and the mg's - 066aint it
67 (3:44) strutt - 067funky baby feet
68 (0:50) cut chemist/unknown artist - 068boogie (mixtape edit)
69 (5:49) brass construction - 069ha cha cha
70 (4:21) kashmere stage band - 070head wiggle
71 (2:18) greyboy/unknown artist) - 071percussion and blues (mixtape edit)
72 (1:58) funk 45 files - 072keys and congas (mixtape edit)
73 (4:48) freddie cole - 073brother where are you
74 (4:32) johnny hammond - 074old devil moon
75 (3:55) metropolis - 075go get it
76 (4:42) billy paul - 076brown baby
77 (1:45) herbie hancock - 077bring down the birds
78 (3:32) milly and silly - 078gettin down for xmas
79 (3:12) soul sensational orchestra - 079can't say no
80 (5:28) machine - 080power and reason (mr. exx-on 52nd st.)
81 (3:50) johnny guitar watson - 081gangster of love
82 (3:25) youngblood unlimited - 082wah wah man(mixtape edit)
83 (1:59) pete rock/unknown artist - 083pete's jam (clip- 'diggin on blue' mixtape)
84 (6:28) crowd pleasers - 084c.p.funk (c.p.theme)
85 (6:08) donald byrd - 085wind parade
86. (17:32) isaac hayes - 086ain't no sunshine (live on wattstax)
87 (2:18) funk 45 files/unknown artist - 087funk 45 flute (mixtape edit)
88 (7:06) silver convention - 088madhouse
89 (3:06) j.j. johnson - 089wrap up
90 (1:43) cut chemist/unknown artist) - 090trip(mixtape edit)
91 (4:32) lafayette afro rock band - 091heels and soles
92 (2:53) dennis coffey - 092can you feel it
93 (3:11) banbarra - 093blues riffs
94 (6:58) jack mcduff & george benson - 094pus de funk
95 (4:09) manzel - 095sugar dreams
96 (6:11) reuben wilson - 096sugar
97 (5:39) lonnie liston smith - 097cosmic funk
98 (3:35) airto - 098alue
99 (3:32) biddu orchestra - 099puerto rico
100 (3:58) ben & the platano - 100arte pino pasta
101 (2:42) james last - u-humbah
102 (2:58) willie rosari - 102watusi boogaloo
103 (3:30) ocho - 103undress my mind
104 (4:42) ry cooder and manuel galban - 104los twangueros
105 (3:39) banda black rio - 105vidigal
106 (3:13) willie bobo - 106roots
107 (3:24) tommy guerrero - 107gettin it together
108 (2:59) paul nero - 108this is soul

I'm glad people out there seem to be digging this series so far. Thanks for listening, enjoy!

--Schenectadyfan

My Tapes by Basta aka KYOZAI Pt. 4

You might know Basta (aka Kyozai) as being the owner of the rare cassette blog, Music-Thingz. Recently, he blessed us with a nice portion of his tape collection at philaflava T.R.O.Y. forum. Here at The T.R.O.Y. blog, we wanted to give these tapes their deserved shine and Basta the proper recognition he's earned, to the people outside of the philaflava forum.

I will split his tapes in several posts, giving you enough time to digest this massive work.

There will be no previews, but c'mon, the hilariously awesome covers alone warrant a download.

Enjoy!

Chilly Ed and Mashad - It's Just a Game (1990 Philadelphia)

DOWNLOAD CHILLY ED AND MASHAD


Dead at Birth - I Ain't Got No Money (1992)

DOWNLOAD DEAD AT BIRTH


No Strings Attached Ft Cordless Mike and Cee-Low - Put Your Body in Motion 1990

DOWNLOAD NO STRINGS ATTACHED


OTR Clique - Back 2 the Club part 2 (1996) (Ohio)

DOWNLOAD OTR CLIQUE


Skull Cap - How's About a Smack (1993)

DOWNLOAD SKULL CAP

-- Markshot