I'm Back BITCHEZ!!: Attack of The Killa Collabos

I know I haven't been around in a minute. I love the web and all the blogs but that damn "real life" keeps getting in the way. Divorce laws suck camel dick but I digress, this ain't the place. Let's talk Hip-Hop!

Nothing is as synonymous with Hip-Hop as the collaboration. From 1985's Slick Rick/Dougie Fresh masterpiece The Show/La-Di-Da-Di all the way up to any current remix featuring MC My Man, White Towel Guy From the Stage Shows...and Lil' Weezy, the collabo is the defining piece of a rap album. While it's been overused as of late, there are still some that make an album that much more rewarding. I've put together a collection of some of my favorite and some not so popular or familiar ones for y'all to bump. It'll go from "Oh thas my shit!" to "What album is that on?" LET'S GO!:

The Symphony (feat. The Juice Crew All-Stars)-Marley Marl:How can you do a collection of of collabs without possibly the G.O.A.T.? Marley took this collection of still young and hungry MC's and had them kick possibly their best lines over a hard, piano-driven loop. Kane's verse at the end is simply the knockout blow after Ace, G. Rap and Craig G. lump you up against the ropes.

Headbanger (feat. Redman & K-Solo)-EPMD: The infamous "Impeach" break appears in no less than three cuts on this collection, this is the first. E Double and Mic Doc traded verses over the familiar break but are overshadowed by Redman who was "wicked with the style like he had cerebral palsy."

Pimpin' Ain't Easy (feat. Nice & Smooth)-Big Daddy Kane: This was one of Greg Nice and Smooth B's first real high profile gigs. Not only is the chorus catchy but Kane's line of "I see trim and bag it/Take it home and rag it/the Big Daddy law is anti-faggot" shows how much times have changed. Warner Brothers would have NEVER gotten away with releasing it today and I'd be suprised if that isn't bleeped on re-issues.

Doin' Our Own Dang (Remix) (feat. Q-Tip, De La Soul & Monie Love)-Jungle Brothers: I love this remix! And I love the Native Tongue family feel of the song. They added a house/club beat(which was big at the time) and the familiar "Do it" sample makes it memorable. Not quite "Buddy" but another example of how great this crew was. Unfortunately with qoutes like this from an interview earlier this year:

AFRIKA: I want everyone to know the truth about the Native Tongues. They have been trying to erase the Jungle Brothers out of the books, when I was the one that started the whole thing. This has been going on for years. There’s a reason we haven’t been able to do a Native Tongues reunion: It’s because there are house niggas and real niggas. The Jungle Brothers are real niggas. Maseo has always been good people and a real dude. But Q-Tip and Pos, I don’t know.

I'm pretty sure any chance of a reunion is dead.

Fanatic Of The B Word (feat. Mike G. & Dres)-De La Soul: Another Native Tongues creation. Another dope track. I was surprised this wasn't a single on the De La Soul Is Dead album. I really enjoyed the bass line at the beginning and the way the beat pounds when it kicks in reminiscent of "Can I Kick It?" in many ways. Dres definitely spits a good verse on it. Check this one for sure.

Go Where I Send Thee (feat. Master Ice & Uneek)-Masta Ace: There goes that "impeach" break again. Ace & Co. got biz on this track. It's actually one of my favorites from him. I'm positive it's the way they looped a christian children's song (Children Go Where I Send Thee) that made it stick in my head for about 15 years. Hot. (Thanks Trav!)

The Basement (feat. Heavy D., Grap Lova, Dida & Rob-O)-Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth: Did I mention I'm a Pete Rock stan? The P to the R can do no wrong with me and this is no exception. The trademark horns are there as well as a great usage of Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam". Much better than Skinz, the other posse cut from Mecca & The Soul Brother.

Back To The Grill (feat Nasty Nas, Chubb Rock & Red Hot Lover Tone)-MC Serch: First let me say I used love Serch but The White Rapper Show is UNFORGIVEABLE! With that being said, for me this is kind of a sequel to Live At The BBQ. Serch rips it with the then popular Chubbster and Red Hot Lover Tone but it's young Nasty Nas that steals the show with his verse. They all hold their own but it's another glimpse at the future of Hip-Hop that makes this song a keeper.

Boriqua's On Da Set (feat. Doo Wop, Fat Joe & The Evil Twins)-Frankie Cutlass: My friends and I used to call this "The Puerto Rican Dwyck" which is basically what it is down to the similar break. Frankie Cutlass adds some tight production but it's really where Joe starts to evolve as an MC that makes the listen enjoayble. On this track he spits fire like he's got something to prove and easily outshines Doo-Wop and Co. Nice banga for the ride.

Rough...(feat. Treach, Heavy D. & KRS-One)-Queen Latifah: My favorite song on this collection. I think Black Reign slipped through the fingers of alot of heads back in the day. This is a far cry from the U.N.I.T.Y. Latifah from the same album. This track hits hard and all MC's involved rip some shit. Heav and the Teacha go above and beyond with exceptional bars. However, Treach in particular grabs you with his verse and practically strangles you with it. Definitely a stand out cut!

Rat Bastard (What The F---? Mix) (feat. Psycho Les)-Prime Minister Pete Nice & Daddy Rich: Let's be honest, this sounds like Poppa Large because basically it is. The two songs blend so effortlessly, it's criminal. Still a great song though and Pete's lyrics are tight throughout. Les who's never been a lyrical monster puts forth a solid effort. Even updating an old Rakim rhyme with "smooth but I don't get upset/I jig a hole in your stomach pull it out and I jet". Everyone loved Serch but Pete was slept on big time.

A Buncha Niggas (feat. Third Eye, Guru, Biggie Smalls, Rob-O & Busta Rhymes)-Heavy D: Damn, Heav was everywhere in the 90's! Everyone wanted Heav on their joint and he had no problem getting people for his. This cut from the Blue Funk album has an ecclectic collection of MC's. A young Biggie Smalls spit a good verse with some Akinyele-like inflections at the end of his phrases("Huuuuugh!" or some shit like that) that he thankfully abandoned. Guru, Third Eye & Rob-O have respectable bars and Bussa Bus inputs his own type of manic energy with a patented "powerful impact" verse at the end.

Crooklyn-Crooklyn Dodgers: The Crooklyn Dodgers were a collective specially assembled for the Spike Lee film of the same name. Buckshot, Special Ed and Masta Ace's flows all complemented each other and I wish they would have done more music together. The song is mellow and with all the love the MC's show in their verses, it makes you wish you were from BK.

Down The Line (feat. Preacher Earl, Melo T, Bass Blaster, Asu & Guru)-Nice & Smooth: Premier dusted off the break from the Manifest Remix, blended it with the ever present "impeach" break and had a hood classic on his hands. I'm from the Bronx and everyone was gassed when Preacher Earl shouted out Edenwald projects, it kinda legitimized the North East. Greg Nice and Smooth B. got mad love for this song...they lost it however when they collabo'd with NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK the same year. Damn...

Nuthin' But Flava (feat. Charlie Brown, Ol' Dirty Bastard & Biz Markie)-Funkmaster Flex: Poor Charlie Brown, this dope track was the last hot shit he did(please don't make me upload "Papermakers" with C&C Music Factory...what were you thinking C-Boogie?) Flex assembled a group of MC's, each one more flamboyant than the next. Biz and ODB on the same track? Can a straight jacket be far behind? Dope lyrics and good old fashioned jeep beat provided by Flex make this one worthwhile.

Animal Mother's: Attack Of The Killa Collabos

http://sharebee.com/9de20e1e

This collection was fun to put together and hopefully you'll find some new stuff that you like to go along with the familiar stuff here. Download and enjoy.

Be back with more new shit in the coming days. Glad I can do this again.

Somebody Beat The Biz: 2 Lawsuits Change Hip-Hop FOREVER

"Alone again...naturally." Remember that single from Biz Markie? It's on his 1991 album I Need A Haircut...No? You really shouldn't. It was never released as a single and the man on the left made sure that it would be removed from future pressings of the album forever. Is he a villain or just a pissed off artist who had every right to say that he didn't want to be associated with that noise they called "Rap Music"?

Biz was riding high off the huge success of the "Just A Friend" single and I'm pretty sure that Cold Chillin' Records wanted to capitalize off of that with his next album. The formula of Biz and comical hard luck stories would equal gold for them again but lightning didn't strike twice. When "Haircut" was released Hip-Hop fans were ready and I remember rushing home after school to listen to what the Diabolical had done this time. It was the usual silly, light-hearted Biz fare like Toliet Stool Raps, What Comes Around Goes Around, etc. but I really liked that song "Alone Again". Was it the clever wordplay and thumping beat? No, it was the fact that he was rhyming over a song that my mom used to sing when it came on FM93 WPAT, the easy listening station. Unfortunately Gilbert O'Sullivan, the man who recorded "Alone Again (Naturally)" didn't like it as much as I did.

After O'Sullivan got wind of the song, all hell broke loose and before Biz could say "A one-two..", the case of Grand Upright Music, Ltd v. Warner Bros. Records, Inc was filed and Hip-Hop would never be the same again. The Irish singer felt that even though only three words from his song were used along with a part of the beat, it was an outright theft of intellectual property and that it was willfully done after he denied usage. The New York State Supreme Court felt this way too as the ruling stated: "it is clear that the defendants knew that they were violating the plaintiff's rights as well as the rights of others. Their only aim was to sell thousands upon thousands of records. This callous disregard for the law and for the rights of others requires not only the preliminary injunction sought by the plaintiff but also sterner measures." The case was then referred to the US Attorneys office for criminal prosecution due to the intentional copyright infringement. This would cause a huge shift in Hip-Hop as sample heavy producers like the Bomb Squad had their production budgets crippled by clearance costs.

O'Sullivan's case was actually the second strike against Hip-Hop as just two years earlier The Turtles sued De La Soul for sampling the opening of their hit song "You Showed Me" for their interlude "Transmitting Live from Mars" from the 3 Feet High & Rising LP. Although the Turtles won the case, it wasn't nearly as ugly as the O'Sullivan one. They sued and got what they wanted and let De La keep the song. Never removing from future pressings or re-releases. They even explained: "We don't hate sampling; we like sampling. If we don't get credit, we sue, and all that stuff (a share of the royalties, plus punitive damages) comes back to us."

In my humble opinion, I think both outcomes differ greatly because of the way the samples were used. While neither act at the time obtained the proper clearance, De La used a snippet of the Turtles hit song and were very creative with it. "Alone" on the other hand was just a straight jack minus the bridge and the "Impeach" break just slapped on behind it. I'm glad the Turtles outcome was positive for both parties but I'm not entirely mad at O'Sullivan. The ruling forced producers and beat makers to become more exploratory and wiser with their sampling choices. It fostered the creativity of guys like Primo and Pete Rock. And also encouraged more ingenuity from musicians like Dr. Dre and later on Timbaland.

Alone Again (Naturally)-Gilbert O'Sullivan
http://www.zshare.net/audio/1999653e7a45ae/

Alone Again-Biz Markie

http://www.zshare.net/audio/19995319bcd7dd/

You Showed Me-The Turtles

http://www.zshare.net/audio/2000017b66971b/

Transmitting Live From Mars-De La Soul

http://www.zshare.net/audio/2000137f7ecc9e/

Know Your History: Givin' Props

Let's take it back to 1988. All my friends were doing the skits from 3 Feet High & Rising verbatim...except for me because I didn't have it yet! I finally convinced my mom to take me to Caldors(Wow...is there still a Caldors?) and let me get this tape. I bought it and DAMN, it was dope! I must have listened to it back to back for a week straight! I then got it on vinyl and started to use it for DJ'ing. I came across the Say No Go single and loved the way they used The Hall & Oates sample. WHO & WHO!?! Yep, the two white guys that sang Maneater(did any producer ever use that bassline? That was hot too!)


I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) topped the charts in 1981 with it's sick bassline and soulful percussion. It was the duo's 4th #1 hit and knocked that god-awful Physical by Olivia Newton John out of the #1 spot.(That is the last time her name will ever be mentioned in a Hip-Hop blog.) I guess Prince Paul & Co. recognized the greatness of that beat and let De La rip it. I'm glad they did. It made 3FH&R an enjoyable experience.

...but wait THERE'S MORE!

Jump ahead to the summer of '90. That cute chick from the Buddy video dropped an album. Yup, Monie Love released Down To Earth and was riding the success of Monie In The Middle which was a huge hit. The second single was It's A Shame (My Sister) which I actually enjoyed more than the first one. The beat was dope and Monie kicked her rapid fire lyrics like they were made for it. It also had True Image(who I swore was Queen Latifah) singing the hook. This and the ensuing video mix would be the heights of her exposure. She never blew like I thought she would.


The song however has a great bit of history to it though. Not only does the title and hook owe something to the song It's A Shame by the Spinners but it sampled the opening guitar to great effect. And as an added bonus the backing beat is looped from Say No Go which as you now know comes from I Can't Go For That. So ya see kids, HALL & OATES ARE HIP-HOP...OK they may not be but they and The Spinners made an important contribution to it as you will be able to hear. The Spinners and Hall & Oates are just two of the many artists that Hip-Hop and it's fans owe a little gratitude to.

Please enjoy the originals as well as the songs they spawned:

Say No Go-De La Soul
http://sharebee.com/6d495f12

I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)-Hall & Oates

http://www.zshare.net/download/i-cant-go-for-that-no-can-do-wma.html

It's A Shame (My Sister)-Monie Love (feat. Tru Image)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/its-a-shame-my-sister-mp3-1w7.html

It's A Shame-The Spinners
http://www.zshare.net/audio/its-a-shame-mp3-gkf.html