What's been out there...

November's been a pretty dope month for classic material and historical hip hop trivia, as this months round up hopefully demonstrates.  Amongst the collection is an unreleased mix of a Rakim classic, some Pharcyde craziness, and a monster collection of rare old school radio rips.  Check it out after the jump.

Silver Anniversary Series - Eric B & Rakim (1986)

First up in the Silver Anniversary Series has to be a record that wasn’t just a significant release in 1986, it’s probably one of the most important records in hip hop history. So, let me break it down a little further in case you might not be convinced.

The record in question is the 1986 12” release from Eric B & Rakim – Eric B is President b/w My Melody. You can listen to the remix version (from the Paid in Full LP) after the jump as well downloading a full copy of the original 12” (which has the non remix version for comparison).

For me personally, it is an all time favourite that I have never got tired of hearing. It’s a track that drew me further into hip hop and opened my eyes to what the future might hold. It provided optimism, particularly as I was starting to tire of electro which was becoming weaker and more mainstream and we hadn’t yet been blessed with the likes of PE or Cool J etc. But don’t let my personal feelings, memories and affections justify the accolade that I’ve given to this recording.

I’m not going to be breaking new ground or making any revelations if I say that Rakim is one of the greatest emcees of all time, or if I say that this is where it all started, or by listing the number of people he influenced, or by dissecting his use of internal rhymes. These topics have already been well documented and discussed, so instead, I’ll briefly explain why I think this record is so important and then provide some interesting points that are less well documented for your consideration.

Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim and LL Cool J - Live in Amsterdam 1987

Okay, the title mentions PE (and there is about 10 minutes of them at the start of the recording), but this is mainly a Rakim and LL performance. 
Eric B & Rakim take us through half an hour of highlights from their first album - which in 1987 would have been the freshest thing on the streets. 
LL Cool J then headlines the show for an hour long set (it should of been the other way round if you ask me!) and performs all of his classics from that era.  This is a fine piece of memorabilia and a poignant reminder of the good old days.

Download Link (140mb, 192kbps):
Part 1