That's Slammin'

I've recently started getting on top of ripping some of the many old videos I have and getting them up on the YouTube channel, but there's still a long way to go!  One of the rarities I was going to rip was the 4 part collection of Slammin' Rap Video Magazine, but YouTube user MusicMan1470 has just saved me a job and ripped the first 3 editions.

These VHS videos are extremely hard to come by and I've never seen them on the web until now, so don't sleep on them.  Originally released in 1990 and 1991, each video was around an hour long and filled with numerous short interviews, videos and clips from the biggest artists at the time.  The first edition was hosted by Alex Winter (the dude who played Bill in the Bill & Ted movies) which was an odd choice, but one that thankfully didn't last into the subsequent editions.

At times it tried to be cutting edge and jump on the latest big signing (like Tarrie B, Smooth Ice), only to find that by the time the video was released, they weren't as big as their labels expected or hoped they'd be, or by including artists on the edge of the genre like Daddy Freddy or the Urban Dance Squad.  But at the same time there was also many little gems to be found, like an interview with a very young Dave Mays and Jon Shecter (co-founders of The Source magazine), a rare Schoolly D interview, MC Ren with CPO etc etc.

I've uploaded the video covers for each volume to show the featured artist on each (click on the image for full size version), but each volume is worth skipping through for some full on early 90's nostalgia.  I've also uploaded the cover for volume 4 and if a few people leave comments requesting it then it might just motivate me to get it uploaded sooner rather than later :)  It'd also be good to have all 4 volumes on YouTube.

Volume 1:

Volume 2:

Volume 3:

Volume 4:

Game of Survival

The Live Squad are best remembered for their outstanding track Heartless and their early association with Tupac.  Unfortunately the group were deemed 'too violent' by their label Tommy Boy Records and their LP never saw the light of day.  Lead vocalist Stretch was later murdered in what is widely believed to be connected to the shooting of Tupac in NYC the year before. 

But before all the problems and tragedy, they made this home movie to accompany their album.  This was released officially, but it seems that many people missed it as it was never properly promoted.  It's essentially the three videos for their early singles, loosely held together by some 'hood' acting (you know what I mean!).  It's maybe not the greatest of these promo videos, but it's a classic bit of early 90's hip hop that's rarely seen, and a great introduction to the Live Squad's all too short catalogue of music.

Fresh Footage?

This is a great bit of nostalgia that has turned up on YouTube, 20 minutes of good quality footage from UK Fresh 86 [Update - it may not be UK Fresh, see the comments Section.  If you can shed any light on it then please leave a comment].  It's taken from a TV show broadcast at the time and it occasionally cuts to hosts Andy Kershaw and Janice Long interviewing the organiser (and Street Sounds founder), Morgan Khan.  Andy and Janice were both BBC radio DJ’s so I’d hazard a guess this was shown on BBC2.

The footage includes performances from DJ Cheese (the world DMC champion in 1986) alongside Word of Mouth, as well as Mantronik performing with both T La Rock and then MC Tee and then lastly some footage of Faze One.  Some of the best highlights come from Morgan Khan with his misguided analysis of hip hop no longer being political, claims that Faze One would sell lots of records in America and his casual gum chewing that made me want to knock it right out of his mouth!

History Continues To Be Uncovered

It feels like the resurgence of interest in pre 2000 hip hop just keeps growing and growing, as this months round up will testify.  Once upon a time we waited for what seemed like an eternity just to see something hip hop related grace our TV screens.  Now it feels like every month there is a new project that is turning out a new insight on a part of our culture.
I'm all for it, so long as we don't get saturated with recycled clips and retold stories, but so far, it seems like most of what is being produced is a fresh perspective.  And long may that continue!

Unstoppable

First up in the latest documentary-that's-soon-to-be-released category is Unstoppable  which looks at the evolution of London's hip hop scene.  I normally reserve judgement until the final film is released, but this looks quite promising as they're focusing on all elements of hip hop, have unearthed unseen footage and UK hip hop history that hasn't been properly documented yet.  

PTC Mix - Naughty By Nature

Zulu Nation's DJ Lord Ron keeps preserving the culture (PTC) with his latest mix.  This time he's done a special mix dedicated to Naughty By Nature.  It's a nice little blend covering Naughty's best tracks, and it's available for download too, enjoy.

Much more after the jump

A Nice Interview Pete

Following on from last weeks footage of the 3rd Bass reunion gig, I thought some of you might like this.  

If you appreciated 3^rd Bass in their heyday and have half an hour to kill, then let me recommend this excellent interview with the Pete Nice to mark the 20 year anniversary of his solo album Dust to Dust. The interviewer, Ryan Proctor, really gets into the detail during his extensive chat with rap’s Prime Minister, and uncovers a wealth of interesting history. Pete really opens up and reflects on the formation of 3^rd Bass, the origins of the MC Hammer beef (which was several years before either artist were really famous), their verbal attacks on the Beastie Boys, who their original DJ was (before Daddy Rich), the affiliate who coined the term ‘Gas Face’ and plenty more besides. This is one of those rare interviews that most artists never give.

http://oldtothenew.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/old-to-the-new-qa-prime-minister-pete-nice-part-one/

Long time followers of FoaWP will probably remember that 2 years ago I posted an incredible MC Serch interview that the P Brothers had conducted back in 2003. That interview gave by far the best insight into 3^rd Bass’ history, and this interview with Pete Nice is the perfect compliment to it, providing the counter balance that it deserves.  If you haven't read the Serch interview, I highly recommend it as it's just as compelling 10 years later and goes over the history of Nas, O.C., Non Phixion etc.

Settled Differences?

After many years of separation and consistent comments from both artists that a reunion wasn't ever likely to happen, I was pleasantly surprised to see this video clip of 3rd  Bass surface this week. 

Last week they performed at SRB's in Brooklyn NY along with their DJ, Daddy Rich.  Besides the usual addition of a little middle age spread (it gets to all of us eventually), the only noticable difference was Pete Nice's use of an umbrella instead of a walking stick.  It's not quite as stylish and looks a bit daft when your indoors :)
It'd be interesting to see whether this reunion progesses into anything more, maybe a tour, new material etc.  In the meantime, enjoy two of hip hop's most loveable charaters tear through most of their hits.

New York's Finest

In recent months I've been trying to start uploading some stuff to the YouTube channel, but I've not got around to sharing it all on here (yet!).  So I'll start playing catch up by sharing this mini documentary from beat maestro Pete Rock.

It's a 20 minute behind-the-scenes look at the making of his 2008 album NY's Finest.  It's much of the usual stuff that you'd expect, but there's also some unexpected highlights, like Chip Fu from the Fu-Schnickens laying down Ready For The War and Do-It-All from Lords of the Underground in the studio.

New Del

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien is back as Deltron with a new single from the forthcoming Deltron album Event II due out soon.  The old school beat meets futuristic melodies and combine to make an infectious track.  It's good to see the return of Del.

Flashbacks

Here's a few interesting finds from around the web that you might not have seen, enjoy.

Old School & Golden Era Mixes

A big shout to Scenes for finding this little gem.  First up iled hour long mix of tunes from 1988 and '89 mixed by BrettJayB.  Nicely balanced, it covers everything from Uptown to Steady B and 3 x Dope to N.W.A.!  All styles are covered and there are some forgotten gems hidden amongst the classics.

The next edition in the series covers 1990 to '92.  Again, the representation of all styles of hip hop makes for a really nice mix.  If you like these, then check his SoundCloud page and look for parts 1 and 2 which cover the earlier years of electro and hip hop.

Reminiscing over T.R.O.Y.

Complex.com continue their Magnum Opus series of mini documentaries reflecting on the history behind some of hip hops greatest tracks, and this time around they've picked an undeniable classic.  Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth give insight to how such a memorable track came to be, and the importance of it's dedication to Trouble T-Roy.

Prelude to a Classic

I know this isn't anything new, but if you haven't previously copped a chance to download this little gem then now's your chance.  We all know what this is and what it led to, so I'll save the waffle and provide the tracklisting instead:

1. Understanding (feat. AZ & Biz Markie)

2. Life Is Like A Dice Game

3. Just Another Day In The Projects

4. Deja Vu

5. Back To The Grill (feat. MC Serch, Chubb Rock & Red Hot Lover Tone)

6. Everything Is Real (feat. Shapelle)

7. I'm A Villain

8. Number One With A Bullet (feat. Kool G Rap & Whiteboy)

9. Nas Will Prevail

10. On The Real (Original) (feat. Kamikaze, KL & Cormega)

11. Live At The Barbeque (Bonus) (feat. Main Source, Akinyele & Fatal)

http://www.solidfiles.com/d/5b9dfc5e4f/

Unsung Business

If you've seen any of the previous episodes of Unsung that spotlight a classic hip hop artist/group (and I've featured most of them on this site), then you'll know what to expect.  This time around it's the turn of EPMD.

Both Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith contribute to this, along with DJ Scratch too, so it's a balanced view of their history.  Starting at the school where they first met, they document the creative recording techniques from their first album, JMJ hooking them up with DJ Scratch, forming the Hit Squad and much more besides.  But it's when things started to fall apart that it gets really interesting.  Both artists talk openly about the fallout, the reasons, and the subsequent reformation.