I’m a sucker for a good posse cut, especially when the emcees involved aren’t necessarily ones that have regularly jumped on a track together. Kid Tsunami has lopped together a cracking combo of golden era heavyweights for his track The Chase, taken from his forthcoming release of the same name. Massive.
• Koaste
I was just getting some mundane shit done around the yard earlier, and I thought I’d throw on Till The Casket Drops, probably one of my favourite albums of recent years. As the opening strains to Freedom, the first track on the LP started filling the room, I realised that there aren’t many other albums that start as strongly as this. Pusha T’s opening verse is incredible, and Malice doesn’t let the side down either. T
his is Clipse at their best – the coke rap supremos showing both pride and regret in their voices for their chosen path, yet resolutely challenging their adversaries in the outro. Quite possibly the best opening track to any album.
• Koaste
“Thinking to myself, what could I be owing you / they only tell you you’re great when they’re reminiscing over you” < Pusha T – Freedom
This track takes me back. One of the most recognisable beats in Hip Hop in my opinion. Produced by Spencer Bellamy under the name East Flatbush Project, with lyrics by DeS, who as far as I can tell, never had another track out on wax. EFP have though, but I’m not sure I’ve ever knowingly heard one. Enlish and me did a little thing over this beat way back in about 2008.
• Koaste
“Beef starts with the shove and ends with the shovel / And niggas standing on your corner reminiscing of you” < East Flatbush Project
For some reason or other, this track has been getting bumped repeatedly on the Illwood Heights stereo system this last week. I think it was the very first track on Pete Rock’s 1998 album Soul Survivor, and to be honest, it was the best track on the album as far as I’m concerned. I remember at the time it came out, you’d hear a deejay drop the intro to this track in the club, and you’d then have about five seconds to prepare yourself for the chaos that ensued when those first drums dropped in. Even today, I think this has to be one of the best intros to a Hip Hop track ever made.
Then you had the emcees. This track came out the year after B.I.G was gunned down, and the smell of East coast/West coast rivalry hung over the genre. So for the king of the cameo, Wu Tang’s Inspectah Deck and the Dogg Pound’s Kurupt to team up with Pete Rock from NY and Cali respectively, was something of a coup for the legendary producer, letting people know that this coast to coast beef wasn’t gonna last forever. Absolute Banger.
• Koaste
Things have been mad quiet this week. Partially because I haven’t come across anything I consider good enough to put up on here, and partially because I’ve just signed up to Netflix, and realised there are shit loads of terrible B Movies I haven’t seen yet. Anyway, I’m sure normal service will be resumed soon, right after I’ve recapped on the first three seasons of Breaking Bad and got fully involved with Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Anyway, to tide you over, here’s another one from the Blast From The Past crates. This jam from the Cella Dwellas was a favourite back in my school days. I’ve still got the Realms and Reality vinyl in storage somewhere. Discogs says ’96 – I had it down as a year older than that, but I bow to the knowledge. This was one of those tracks you could get away with playing while chilling with your main squeeze – when the Gravediggaz and Nine albums weren’t gonna cut it. They flipped the video with the chat show style – there must be a fair few rap videos that have used that idea…
• Koaste
Had to drop this one for a little BFTP action after posting Jack Flash’s new joint now, didn’t I…
• Koaste
Hitting you off with one of those straight up classics from years gone by. Skoob and Dre smashed most tracks they were on back then, and I think they tried to make a comeback a few years ago which kind of fizzled out. Anyone know if they’re still going?
• Koaste
Nowadays, Madchild and Prevail One are big time rap superstars over in Canada. A few years ago, back when their album Balance dropped, they weren’t so much. I remember them touring over here on a Jazz Fudge tour a good while ago, and I got to see them smash shows in Brighton, Nottingham and London. A couple of top blokes. Anyway, if one tune always went off in a big way at those shows all that time ago, it was this one…
• Koaste
My good friend Goldenhands just posted this on his FB profile, and I realised that it definitely had to be thrown up in the BFTP section. I still remember when this dropped on wax, picking it up from Deal Real back when I was rolling with those 360 Physicals cats. The cuts on this are by none other than Q-Bert I believe. Heavyness. On a side note – Mex and I went out for dinner with Peanut Butter Wolf when we were in Sydney in ’08. Dope fella.
• Koaste
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