Monday 15 May 2017

Noreaga - Colors (2002)



Noreaga putting his 2002 twist on the Ice T classic is as gully as you'd expect. It's a mixtape only track that as far I can tell went under most people's radar unless you had a copy of this DJ Envy tape, and even then you were only getting a snippet. Fortunately it made on to the streets in it's full glory on this white label (alongside an unreleased Mobb Deep song). Strange it never got a bit more attention but there you go. It really sounds like it needs some trademark Kay Slay drops but you can't have everything.




It's a shame that for the most part rappers and DJs were fairly unimaginative when pulling out beats for their freestyles back then. The majority tended to reach for the hot track of the moment or tried and tested classics like Who Shot Ya or Shook Ones pt II. The Colors beat would've been a great pick, as would Juice Crew Dis or  Black Superman. Perhaps the famed East Coast Bias was very much in effect until the mid 00s.

NB: Audiomack have changed their embedding thingy so not only is there only one option for sizes - fucking massive - but it's also messed up the way the older ones appear on the site. You're probably best just clicking onto my audiomack page and DLing off there if you have any problems

5 comments:

  1. I feel like Nore was the first New York rapper to really branch out from what people typically associate with New York rap by doing songs with Crooked Lettaz and The Hot Boyz. Even today he's one of the only New York rappers that doesn't sound awkward over trap beats.

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    1. Think you're probably right. Jay Z and Ruff Ryders started working with rappers from the South around 99-2000 from what I remember

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  2. The take downs for copyright violations can't be too far away.

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  3. I've been looking for this for 15 years! I remember Westwood played it and Young Gunz Can't Stop, Won't Stop back to back late one Friday night. I was nodding off at the time and was actually wondering if I'd dreamt it for a long time...

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  4. This was on a kayslay at one time I'm fairly certain.

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