B-Legit – Watcha Talking (In The Paint/Koch)

B-Legit from the Sick Wid It Records family and potna of E-40 get’s loose on this funk filled Rick Rock produced track. The first thing I’m loving about this is the beat, coz it’s got some nice keyboard work and B-Legit comes correct as he keeps you hooked with his laid back flow. This will be most enjoyed in your ride. Not bad and can’t wait to hear the album.

The Dayton Family – Welcome To Flint 12

If you don’t know the Dayton Family then where the hell you been? Can you ever get that classic Going Thru A Thang out your head? I know I can’t and the rapper from this group Ghetto E dropped an almost classic album with the extra thick Lollipops track. So here on this single we got three tracks all produced by G.Pierce and the first one is Welcome To Flint which has a catchy feel to it. The beat is nice too and you can never front on the rapping here. Straight lyrics with no special effects just the way I like it. Skip on over to the next track DrugStore which is an average track. The last one on here samples that whistle from Clint Eastwood which surprisingly works well. This is a dope track coz Ghetto E is actually a good rapper and people should start taking more notice of him. Check it out.

Frost – Put In Work (Hit A Lick Records)

Shit is this guy still alive? I mean I still have the vinyl of the original La Raza which was a classic track if you ask me. Anyways so I got this single recently and I was surprised and curious at the same time coz I thought he just disappeared off the map completely.

On the first track we got Daz Dillinger joining Frost on this kinda nice beat. This track is alright, your typical west coast type beat. Nothing really memorable about this track. Sort of like something you’d expect to hear late at night on radio.

The second track on here is a remake of La Raza which to be honost is a boring track. However I’m still gonna peep the new album entitled Still Up In This Shit since the first track was alright.

Crooked I – So Damn Hood featuring Sisqo CD Single (Tha Row Records)

This is nice stuff, the beat produced by Danny Devoux is catchy and radio friendly and Sisqo makes a nice appearance on here. This is the kind of track I can see myself playing at a club. I’m thinking if it gets on the airwaves here in South Africa it’s probably gonna sit somewhere in the Top 40. A sort of feel good track and at the same time it’s making me want to peep Crooked I’s album.

Onyx – Slam Harder bw/ Hold Up (In The Paint/Koch)

Well haven’t we been waiting for this one or not? This track Slam Harder is a dope track that will
definitely get the head nod approval from the hip hop heads out there. It’s produced by D.R. Period and Mafia Boy and is the kind of song that will make you jump up and down in the club. Nice stuff.

The second track on here Hold Up featuring Havoc is your typical Mobb Deep style beat as it’s produced by him. I’m
definitely getting the album. Peep it.

Ke’Noe – They Hatin On Me featuring BG (In The Paint/Koch)

This one produced by the artist himself, got me thinking, is this the same Ke’Noe that recently produced the shit for No Limit Records? This track sounds like something out of the Cash Money click probably coz B.G. features on here. My main man Oopy G will probably like this shit but for me this track is pretty boring. Your standard chorus and slow paced verses make this track uninteresting.

In The Paint Mix CD – MIXED AND HOSTED BY DJ RAN (Koch Records)

In the paint/KOCH records presents their roster for spring and summer 2002. Koch records is slowly becoming one of the biggest distributors of independent music in the U.S. today. DJ Ran is rated as the number one DJ in Philly and he was so kind enough to lend his mixing skills to this mixtape. First up to the plate is Onyx with the track, ONYX IS. But is the heavyweight Lil Keke with his PLATINUM IN THE GHETTO that sets the pace for future rappers form Houston. This track is a big hit here on this site and one of favourites. Ran then mixes in another Lil Keke banger, WHERE DA SOUTH AT, which is definately for the trunks, you know how they do down south. The queen of Memphis La Chat makes an appearance on two hot tracks ie.: DON’T SANG IT and SLOB ON MY CAT. The crazy duo The Ying Yang twins also pop with SAY I YI YI, another crazy cut. KRS-One busts a freestyle on here which is a little bit wack, maybe he was smoked. Overall this mixtape is okay

Public Enemy – Revolverlution (SlamJamz/Koch Records)

This is Public Enemy’s 8th album release and boy what a collectors item this will make for any PE fan. This is unique in a sense that it features new and live recordings including remixes of some popular PE tracks done by their fans themselves. They apparantley made a couple of accapella’s available on their site for download and any producer could make a remix of it. At the end PE would choose the best remix and that’s how they ended on the album.

The first thing that really surprised me on this album was the great improvement from Professor Griff. If you remember his solo albums, they were awful, but somehow it seems like he’s been hard at work and that is evident when you listen to the production that he contributed on this album. On the 2nd track Revolverlution Professor Griff contributes the kind of beat that is the same calibre as the previous classic PE tracks. The groups president, Chuck D still has not lost his touch, and rocks this track lovely.

As with any PE album you always get a solo track by Flava Flav. On Welcome to the Terrordome it was 911 Is A Joke and with this album it’s the G-Wiz produced Can A Woman Make A Man Lose His Mind? track.

As far as remixes go it’s got to be the Moleman remix of By The Time I Get To Arizona. I tell you it was so good to hear that song again.

There are a couple of other tracks that really had me going, and that was the Professor Griff produced Son Of A Bush and What Good Is A Bomb. These tracks are typical PE style, with crazy guitars while What Good Is A Bomb got Professor Griff dropping some rhymes with it sounding very much like a RATM track.

You also got to hear the Gotta Give The Peeps What They Need remixed featuring Paris. Damn, you can’t front on Paris’s rhymes.

I also enjoyed listening to the live versions of Welcome To The Terrordome and Fight The Power. I hope that one day I can get to see these guys live. It’s been a dream of mine since I was still getting started in Hip Hop. I can’t believe it’s been over a decade and I’ve never seen these guys live. They apparently coming out in December so we will just have to wait for that.

Overall this is a brilliant album by probably one of the greatest Hip Hop groups in history. I’d urge all PE fans to get this album. Get it now!

KRS One – Spiritually Minded (In The Paint/Koch Records)

I don’t have to tell you that KRS One is a Hip Hop God. He is a brilliant lyricist, probably one of the best, and his flow is always on point. This album is most definately different to anything he has done before as it takes a more gospel direction. But don’t get it wrong though, coz this is definately one of KRS’s best albums. Some of you were telling me that this was a weak album, but that’s only because you didn’t take the chance to listen to the lyrics properly. Once you do that you will see the brilliance of this album.

The first track that grabbed my attention was Take Your Time. This track got KRS giving advice to the ladies out there about how important it is to be patient in life and he comes across so sincere on this track. Peep this verse:

Don’t come witcha hand always out
If he buys you somethin thank him, but that’s not what a man is about
Real men are real friends, showin their real commitment
He tells you he really loves you, a boy can’t really admit it
If a man really wants you, that man really flaunts you
In public or private a real man really supports you

On Take It To God KRS is joined by Professor Ecks and KRS speaks some truths. peep this:

By the sound of the track, you know who is back
It’s the teacher, philosopher of conscious rap
Rappers tired of me sayin where hip-hop is at
Cause they know they unoriginal, copycats
Watch me bump this gospel rap, never wack
In fact, I tell you where the tracks is at
TV is wack, they wanna show us beatin Iraq
When the question is, is where is Chandra Levy at?
………
What they speak is a joke, they really weak and they broke
Have a seat and take notes, on the streets I’m the Pope
MTV is they hope, they repeat what they wrote

Shit there is so much dope shit on here. On the track Good Bye KRS teaches us about life after death explaining that when one dies one really wakes up. In this track he gives respect to all those in Hip Hop who have left us e.g. Eazy E, Scott La Rock and B.I.G. He also says that when you sleep you are actually practicing for death.

So remember when they die, they have only woke up
It’s our wants and our needs that be chokin us up

But it was the South Bronx 2002 track that had me sitting up. KRS One is brilliant on this track.

Philosopher style is known to be wild
If you only holdin them guns, who’s holdin your child?
You got to be thinkin you know that you shrinkin
When the art of Navigation has been reduced to a Lincoln
Change the dial I was free then and I’m free now
You free, runnin to MTV? I don’t see how!
You know the real from the fake, you know they stealin they cake
You know it ain’t about the art, it’s all about what they make
You know the radio’s late, you know they play what you hate
That’s why you got that Kay Slay tape, tryin to escape

There are also a couple of tracks on here that you also need to peep. You gotta check the infectious Never Give Up and the extremely dope Tears. This album is, in my mind, a classic KRS album, and while many people will have different views on this, I’d ask you to seriously check this album out. It’s definatley worth it.

Afu Ra – Life Force Radio (In The Paint/Koch Records)

I must start off by saying this is a bloody hot album. What more could you want when one of the best Hip Hop producers DJ Premier decides to oversee the beats? You also get a host of other “top 10” producers on here. But let’s take a look at the hot tracks on here:

Scat Man

This one is produced by Eric S and is very similiar to something that Premier would do. Afu Ra flows flawlassly on this piano-chopped track but I just love Afu’s word play on here. The chorus on here is very catchy and has a warm “hip hop” feel to it.

Stick Up featuring Big Daddy Kane

I hear that Chuck D loves this song. Well, so do I. I think that Big Daddy Kane really showed his strength on here. Big Daddy Kane should drop an album soon. This track is produced by Curt Cazal and is probably the best track on the album.

Hip Hop

Glad to see that Easy Mo Bee dropped in to do the production on here. First thing is that this track is noisy, but you if you a producer like myself you can appreciate what he did here. This is the track that’s probably gonna get a lot of love at the clubs.

Crossfire featuring M.O.P.

Eric S produces this one as well. It features that ultimate rap group M.O.P.. The beat is heavy, and kind that rolls like a ten ton metallic ball down a road. Well what can I say? You can never front on a track with M.O.P..

Lyrical Monster

Produced by DJ Premier and I can’t see how he does it. How does he manage to chop up those samples like that? Afu Ra comes off lovely on this and I’m thinking this is gonna be a favourite for the backpackers.

Perverted Monks

In terms of production this is one of my favourite. Easy Mo Bee does the beat on here and I’m still trying to figure out if he’s using two drums on here or did he just switch the pitch at different parts? Shit who knows, but this track is hot. Head nod speed is exactly 2 per second.

Blvd. featuring Guru

DJ Premier once again outdoes himself with this really dope but strange production. The only thing you can do is admire the master at work. Guru joins Afu on this track and this has proved to be a favourite of everyone who has listened to this album.

There are many other dope tracks on here but I want you to check it out for yourself. This album will satisfy any real hip hop head’s satisfaction and will keep you occupied for days. And that’s why I’m making this our album of the month.

Haystak – The Natural (Koch Entertainment)

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover! Pete Nice and MC Serch did it first, then House of Pain, then Eminem, then Bubba Sparxx. Haystak the crazy whiteboy is also doing it. Doing what? Doing what most Hip-hop purists say would never happen, making white rappers credible.

Let’s face it, Vanilla Ice was not at all tight. But I know y’all was jamming to his shit. Haystak hits you you with that deep deep down dirty south shit. You might be turned of by big Stak’s lazy style. But and big butt, (ha ha) he does deliver like UPS. Haystak comes across like your always drunk big brother, telling you what he got up and what he has seen. Humour is what makes this offering from Haystak so good. Bubba Sparxx, that ugly/lovely redneck from Athens makes a worthy appearance with some other Crazy White Boys on OH MY GOD. But it’s the “befokte” YOU GOT MONEY that makes you wanna quickly get to know Haystak, and just chill with him up in Nashville. By listening to this disc I can easily see how anyone can relate to this crazy white boy. Check out the PIT BULL SKIT it’s very funny. Other notable cuts to listen to; IN HERE, FUCKED UP and RUN HIDE DUCK.

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