Hip-Hop for the Summer

So I got a tweet from link343 aka Mark asking if I knew of any good hip-hop albums for the summer. He didn't specify new or old so I sat down and made a list. In no particular order, the following ten albums should kick the summer doldrums and put you in a great place. That said, you can't download these albums here, apart from the last one which is dead out of print, but you should be able to find them easily enough as the first nine are still in print and they're all sure-shots!


1) Dr. Dre - The Chronic
What ride for the summertime would be complete without The Chronic? It's not about whether you smoke or not (I don't), and you don't have to be a G to enjoy it (I'm certainly not), Dre simply has the beats and the MCs to keep your car groovin'. Of course, it's thoroughly politically incorrect, especially that skit in the "doctor's office", but if you've got a good sense of humor you'll love it. That said, you've probably already heard this album a thousand times before, but if you haven't, what are you waiting for?
PRIME CUT: Let Me Ride



2) The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
I don't know if you can have more fun than with Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde. These guys sound like they were having the time of their lives! Every rap is funny, every beat is funky and every MC has skills that will leave your mind blown. Seriously, there isn't a bad track on this record. It's almost like the second volume of Paul's Boutique, albeit without as many samples. Get this NOW!
PRIME CUT: I'm That Type Of N***a



3) Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
How could this not be on the list? Paul's Boutique is like a frantic jigsaw puzzle that you'll never finish assembling but you'll never get sick of trying to put together. The Beasties were quite possibly in the best form of their career and it shows. The rhymes will leave you scratching your head like a seriously engaging episode of Jeopardy while the beats will have you trying to figure out where you heard that before. This record NEVER gets old! One of the best hip-hop records ever, one of the best party records ever, simply one of the best EVER!
PRIME CUT: Shadrach



4) Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Chuck D has a voice like the horn on a sea liner, as in you'll never miss it when it hits. One of the most powerful voices in hip-hop gives you lyrics that educate and inform while entertaining endlessly. The beats, produced by The Bomb Squad, are truly explosive and can still blow up a party today. Put this on while stuck in traffic and watch the stress peel off as you're gripped by Chuck's intensity and Flava's odd ability to entertain.
PRIME CUT: Louder Than A Bomb



5) De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
Completely different from just about any other hip-hop record you'll ever hear, 3 Feet High is an otherworldly trip through the stratosphere that will entertain fiercely, all the while painting a completely chilled vibe. De La Soul were unfairly labeled hippies for their positive lyrics and attitudes, something they dealt with on the equally essential but significantly darker follow-up, De La Soul Is Dead, but this is still amazing stuff that will put a smile on your face and keep you cool on hot summer days.
PRIME CUT: Say No Go



6) MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday
Recovering from the ashes of his former group, the under-appreciated KMD, the former Zev Love X donned the mask of Marvel Comics villain Dr. Doom and restarted his career as only he could. DOOM has a voice deep enough to dig a man out of his grave, jokes old enough to make you and your grandfather laugh and beats that sound like recycled quiet storm jams but will nonetheless leave you wanting more. DOOM is an entertainer, through and through, and that's what this record does, it consistently entertains. You'll also find yourself saying "where have I heard that before?" throughout, wondering how he got away with that Beatles sample or the theme from Scooby Doo.
PRIME CUT: Rhymes Like Dimes



7) Handsome Boy Modeling School - So... How's Your Girl
Prince Paul and Dan The Automator became this Get A Life inspired duo almost as a joke, but their music is anything but a joke. With beats like only they can make and appearances from guests as wide-ranging as El-P and DJ Shadow to Sean Lennon and Father Guido Sarducci, this will have you laughing and jamming all summer long. Seriously, this is wonderful stuff!
PRIME CUT: The Projects (PJays) (feat. Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Dave of De La Soul)



8) Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dan The Automator does it again, this time with Kool Keith, and the results are utterly disgusting and hilarious at the same time. Rapping about gynecological exams gone wrong, shark/alligator men, and surgical procedures that only aliens would consider performing, Keith could make you lose your lunch if you don't have a firm grasp on his perverse sense of humor. That said, he's so ridiculous you'll probably be thinking about how laughable his strange flow is. Keith is relentlessly entertaining, but it wouldn't mean much if the beats weren't top-notch too, and they most certainly are. The Automator brings it all, from classical pieces to old school boom-bap beats, so it's never like you're wondering if the next track will be good or not. Sew your tongue to your cheek and let Keith and Dan freak you out.
PRIME CUT: I'm Destructive



9) J Dilla - Donuts
Donuts is a wonderful heartbreaker, released just days before Dilla's death, it's an instrumental juggernaut that plays with your mind and never sits still. Put this on for a long ride and listen to the kaleidoscope that is Donuts constantly change its mind and go in a hundred different directions, all the while keeping heads bobbing and people wishing Dilla was still here so they could buy some beats from him.
PRIME CUT: Lightworks



10) Bombshelter DJs Z-Trip and Radar - Live At The Future Primitive, Vol. Two
A document of Z-Trip and Radar's amazing abilities, this is also a party rocking mix throwing everything you could want for your car into over an hour of mania. The duo mixes Pink Floyd and Aerosmith alongside LL Cool J and Black Sheep, among many others. That last sentence should be reason enough for you to grab this, but if you need another reason just take my word that it's awesome!
PRIME CUT: ALL OF THEM!

Download Live At The Future Primitive, Vol. Two HERE!

N.I.C.E. Vinyl #7, 8, 9, 10 and more

It's been a while since I've done a N.I.C.E. Vinyl post and I've got a lot of new vinyl rips to share so I suppose now is as good a time as any. That said, these aren't all vinyl rips and the ones that are break a major rule, specifically no use of automatic declicking. No matter how clean the record is or how long I work on it, old hip-hop vinyl seems to be noisy and it's ridiculous to spend hours manually declicking it, especially when iZotope RX does a fantastic job even with the settings adjusted rather lightly. So, here are six very out of print releases for your listening pleasure, five of which are in FLAC and V0 MP3 formats. Enjoy!



Uptown - Dope On Plastic
FLAC
V0 MP3

This is taken from a 1989 Tommy Boy test pressing, although that's probably more or less a white label issue, though some white labels are test pressings so who knows. Anyway, fresh rip and contents are the same as the standard release.



Too Poetic - Poetical Terror / God Made Me Funky
FLAC Side One
FLAC Side Two
V0 MP3

Also taken from a 1989 Tommy Boy test pressing with identical contents to the standard release. R.I.P. Poetic.



KMD - Nitty Gritty
FLAC
V0 MP3

Taken from an Elektra US white label promo. Contents identical to standard release. This is a special release because it contains a remix of Nitty Gritty with Busta Rhymes as well as the original version of Plumskinzz which was edited into two tracks to remove MC Onyx's verse when it was released on the incredible Black Bastards. Zev Love X of KMD is better known now as MF Doom, just in case you didn't know. R.I.P. Subroc.



Trilogy - Good Time
FLAC
V0 MP3

Taken from an Atco US white label promo. This is an odd record as it's basically a Robert Clivillés and David Cole produced hip-hop single. That's the Clivillés & Cole best known for C+C Music Factory. This is a party record but it could probably could have passed on some more serious hip-hop mixes at the time of it's release. I had the cassette single for this when it was originally issued although the mixes here are a little different, though discogs lists the contents of the standard vinyl release as identical to this one. I guess you could call this poppy hip-hop but it's still pretty kickin'. The Mighty "D" Mix sounds almost like a rough mix, what with the clicks in the left channel from when the bass is supposed to kick.



Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy 5 - Jazzy Sensation (Greatest Beats)
FLAC
V0 MP3

I mentioned this disc in the recent Steinski post. This is an officially pressed promo CD issued in advance of Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats compilations and contains the only official pressed reissue of all three of Double Dee & Steinski's History Lessons after the original Tommy Boy and DD&S vinyl pressings. The versions here are extremely crisp though they sound like they may have been mastered from vinyl. Nonetheless, this also contains the DD&S remix of Jazzy Sensation which was an exclusive, promo-only release at the time as there was no way to clear all those samples. It's since been reissued as well, simply under the name Jazz, on Steinski's What Does It All Mean? retrospective compilation. The original 12" version of Jazzy Sensation is included as well.



DJ Mink - Hey! Hey! Can U Relate? (FON Records Version)
V0 MP3

I'm not uploading the FLAC for this because it's sourced from a set of low-quality MP3s. As to why I'm sharing transcoded MP3s of this, it's because I can't find another version of the FON release of Can U Relate anywhere, two of the mixes don't seem to have been released elsewhere and I've cleaned these tracks up considerably, although there is still a lot of cracks and pops to be found. The biggest fix is a giant skip during the Hard Mix of Relate which I patched by borrowing an identical portion of the track and swapping it out. It's seamless to my ears so I hope it will be to yours as well. If anyone wants the lossless version just let me know, though I don't think you'll be gaining anything from it.


One more important thing, just in case you're wondering why some of these labels have little marks over some of the text, I got two of these 12"s from a radio station I worked at when they were getting rid of tons of their old nineties hip-hop vinyl. Despite them giving them away, I figured they wouldn't want their name mentioned so I tried my best to remove them from the labels. Funny thinking back on that, I got an incredible promo/test pressing of the first Ultimate Spinach record from that same box of trashed vinyl, though I think I traded it for a New Order 12" I thought was rare at the time. Turned out not to be all that rare unfortunately.

MC Paul Barman - Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud

Okay, I was sleeping, glad I've been woken up! I had more or less given up on hearing Paul Barman drop another incredible record but I was dead wrong. I generally think of myself as rather knowledgeable when it comes to current musical happenings but somehow I missed out on his new album, Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud, which came out TWO YEARS AGO! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME? Hell, I only found out about it yesterday. Now that I've heard it though I feel like stabbing my tongue with a fork for saying less than positive things about his later career, although since I'm typing should I maybe break my pinky fingers?

Anyway, the real point is you've gotta check out Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud. Paul is in prime form, the beats are excellent, and if you need more than that there is production from Memory Man, Prince Paul, DOOM and more as well as guest spots from Del, Masta Ace, C-Rayz Walz and Michel Gondry. Yeah, MICHEL GONDRY, and he ended up doing some short films for the album too. You can check those out and order the album at Paul's official website. Unfortunately, apart from the videos, it doesn't look like Paul has playble samples on his site so I'm including a link to Amazon's listing so you can listen to their samples, but if you're gonna purchase it please do so at Paul's website because he's an independent artist and he'll make more money from it.

If you want to sample some tracks before purchasing, may I suggest listening to freaky Owl Pellets, the beautiful The Moon, the very on point Sampling Law, and the darkly hilarious and sarcastic as hell AIDS for starters. Remember that Paul's tongue is firmly planted in his cheek so if he shocks you simply keep in mind that that was the point.

Now that I've said all these deservedly nice things about Paul's album, I feel I have done my penance (hopefully Paul would laugh at that) and I won't smash my fingers or stab my tongue. Props to Memory Man for lighting a fire under my ass! Keep kickin' that ass!