Biggie - Wake Up Show freestyle (1997)

March 9th. A date Canibus imprinted on listeners' brains as the day Biggie died and also my 11th Blogiversary (?). We still here. This freestyle has done the rounds over the years but I've been playing it over the last few months since I picked up one of those not-entirely-official compilation albums that was somehow on sale in HMV in the mid 00s.

The interesting thing about this Wake Up Show appearance, aside from being the week before he was shot dead, is that he speaks about how 2Pac's death affected him ("maybe more than anybody else") but then what lyrics does he go to for the freestyle?

Long Kiss Goodnight! I mean..."slugs missed ya, I ain't mad at ya", "maniacs put my names in raps", "look what you made me do, brains blew, my team in the marine blue 6 coupe"

Oh for social media to have been around when Fat Chris (@KONY or @FrankWhite maybe? )went on LA radio and threw all sorts of subliminals at 2Pac 6 months after he died. Your favourite rapper would never. Unless your favourite rapper is 50 Cent. He probably would.

Nice beat selection for this too, and unusually for such a great moment in 90s rap radio, there's video footage too.

Black Rob - Gun Hell (2001)

New tapes are on the way soon but it's been a while since I posted some rare or unreleased Black Rob (a year next week to be precise) so here's a song from an obscure 12" that seems to be comprised of tracks taken from an early 00s DJ Khaled mixtape. You might be aware that before becoming an internationally successful meme clown and playlist creator, Khaled was a credible club DJ and had some half decent production credits on songs that didn't feature 47 different rappers, autotune or Justin Bieber. His remix of Heads High by Mr Vegas is definitely worth picking up if you see it. Anyway, back to Black Rob and he's got a healthy amount of unreleased heat in his catalogue. Gun Hell sounds like it might be a demo track - like the Espacio demo the chorus is a bit sketchy - but he comes with his trademark thugged out wordplay and its a worthy addition to the collection if you're fan of BR (and you should be by now or I've been wasting my time).

Not sure if Khaled did the beat on this. I'm guessing no. This might be his first appearance on OB4ZL but let's not get carried away.

Biggie & Craig Mack on Hot 97 (1994)

Not a tape I've ripped myself, but something I recently came across when I was browsing Soundcloud for the first time in ages. Brandan (shout out to Brandan) posted this up 3 years ago so you may have heard it already. To begin with I assumed it would be the show that spawned the infamous Live at The Palladium freestyle that appeared on the Nuttin But Flava 12", particularly as the freestyle on this uses the same Mad Lion instrumental. This is before that though, and is probably the Bad Boy duo's first appearance on Flex's influential Street Jam show. He's asking Biggie where he's from, what name he's officially going under and what label he's on, and he later has the exclusive play of Juicy although as you'll hear from his conversation with Puffy, Unbelievable hadn't made it's way onto his promo CD at this point. Hearing Big drop (at that time unheard) lyrics from Juicy and Everyday Struggle over Impeach The President and Craig Mack following him with Flava In Ya Ear about to hit the streets is a pretty iconic moment so although I don't usually jack content from other people I had to have this one and give it some additional shine. I've edited it down so you'll have to check Soundcloud if you want to hear Flex in the mix for the 50 minutes that preceded this. It was ripped at a really low bit rate unfortunately but it's listenable.

If you don't have time for the whole thing, here's the freestyle...



If you need more Fat Chris in your life Filthy Rich just dropped a Ready To Die 25th Anniversary Tribute mix. Check his Gravediggaz/Organized Konfusion blend project too while you're there.

Also, I'm running low on tapes to rip at the moment so if you've got any an want to share get in touch. I can return them when I'm done.

Shyne & Black Rob - Hot 97 freestyle (2000)

This has been sitting on my hard drive for ages and I've no idea where I got it from* but it made me realise that I miss the days of finding Hot 97 freestyles online and on mixtapes. Hearing BR do his verse from Let's Get It over the Keep It Thoro beat is a highlight. Full 30 mins above, freestyle (with DL link) below...

DOWNLOAD

*think it was off the Grime & Lime forum when that was briefly popping last year. Forget who posted it but as a significant amount of bits shared on there originated from this very site I don't feel too bad. Thanks anyway.

DJ Filthy Rich - A Tribute To Craig Mack (2018)

Filthy Rich comes through with a mix dedicated to the Macklicious Fat Funk Flav boyaaaay!

G Dep - Hit Em High (2001)

Just found this unreleased G Dep track tucked away on a Crib Underground 12". Nothing mind blowing but a solid enough effort that should interest any fans of early 00s Bad Boy material. I think it might be produced by Clark Kent. A brief search throws up appearance on a couple of mixtapes by Clue and PF Cuttin, and a MySpace page, which seems like something from another lifetime. Annoyingly, Audiomack seems to have done away with it's download feature so here's a Mediafire link.

I've dropped a few more Westwood shows on the archive in the last couple of days.

18th January 2002 with Tom Silverman

9th June 2000 (no guest)

4th June 1999 with Roots Manuva & DJ MK

plus I've also reposted shows that other people have uploaded, including some old Capital Rap Shows

Black Rob - Smooth Criminal (Espacio demo)

The Black Rob rarities continue to surface on a regular basis. Once again this one appeared by way of Grime & Lime uploading this DJ Rampage mixtape. It's listed on the cover as 'Smooth Criminal' but what we appear to have is a demo/reference track for Espacio, which ended up being a single off Life Story. There's no Lil Kim on here but Rob does reference Dep and seems to rap a part possibly intended for him. The verses are different from the final version and in typical demo fashion, there's no chorus. It's another storytelling / heist type joint that BR does so well. 

Black Rob & Poo Cabrocke freestyle (1999)

A Black Rob freestyle is always welcome around these parts so cheers to Grime & Lime for extracting this from Silva Sirfa's 'Fuck The World' mixtape and hooking me up. BR and Poo Cabrocke (no, me neither - the only mention I can find of him was an appearance on a 2010 G Dep album that I forgot/didn't know existed). He sounds decent enough and goes b2b with Rob over the instrumental of Pace Won's 'Step Up'.

As I mentioned in the post below, I was putting together a comp of Prodigy freestyles which I ended up posting up on twitter and a couple of forums the other day. I think they've all been posted on this blog before over the last few years but if you want them all in one place then here you go

Radio 1 Rap Show 16.07.99 with P Diddy & Shyne

Puffy on Westwood's show from around the time 'Forever' dropped. He's also got Shyne with him, and it turns out this was the show that this freestyle went down on. Whole load of Bad Boy tracks get played, and then part two finishes off with the recording of Biggie performing at the Radio 1 Rap Show launch party in London back in '95.

March 9th and all that

Here's the full version of Biggie's 'Real Niggaz Do Real Things' (aka "the one over all the west coast beats") which was all over the mixtapes back in '95 but for some reason rarely found in the full version you've got here. As you'd expect it appeared on a ton of bootleg 12"s but usually in parts 1, 2 and 3. All a bit strange. Anyway, this Crib Underground 12" has the best quality full length version that I'm aware of and it includes the DJ Jam interlude and everything...



His Bigness drops some classic verses over Deep Cover, G Thang, Murder Was The Case remix, Black Superman and Gin & Juice. He even shouts out Death Row at the end. Probably one of my favourite Biggie tracks.
Side note: I recently watched The People vs OJ Simpson and the use of Black Superman for Johnny Cochran to walk into the courtroom was fantastic.

Black Rob & Lil Vicious 'Rippin MCs' (1998)

Since it's inception, this blog has dropped more than it's fair share of rare/unreleased Black Rob tracks and here's another one. I can't tell you too much about it other than it's taken from a  DJ Avalon (no, me neither) mixtape called Laugh Now Cry Later. BR was on Bad Boy at this point but Whoa was still a good year away. You can file this one under random unexpected collaborations as he teams up with mid 90s one hit wonder Lil Vicious...



Sounds kind of like a freestyle but it had a title so they were obviously going somewhere with it. Big up Steve for sending me this.

This is only 2 minutes long so here's some other things you might want to check:

Ed Lover on The Combat Jack Show - this is brilliant. Ed's got stories for days. Well worrth a listen. CJ's interviews with Masta Ace and AZ are good too if you're a fan and have got the time.

DJ JS-1 - Sure Shot mix

Mr Thing's Pete Rock & CL Smooth at 25 mix

If you're into old school (late 80s/early 90s) WWF then go here 

Biggie & Mase freestyle (1997)

I liberated this from DJ Absolut's 'When Disaster Strikes' mixtape. Biggie and Mase rhyming over the 'Benjamins' beat at Angie Martinez's birthday party in 1997. Quality isn't flawless but I hadn't heard it before so here you go. Shout out to Grime & Lime.

Was 3 days into the month before I realised I forgot to upload May's First Of The Month mix. I had one ready aswell but as it was a mid 90s House mix you can probably live without it. Might throw something on here soon if I get time.

Biggie & Jay Z - Young Gs (OB4ZL edit)

Another one of those tracks that I've edited down to my own liking. I don't really have any problem with Puffy's rapping  as he usually has the sense and money to employ a decent ghost writer, but I always thought this track went on a bit too long. Here you have it with just Biggie and Jay's verses.



In hindsight it's kind of strange that these two on a track together was just a relatively low key album track at the time but that's resulted in it having a longer shelf life. You could say that the removal of Puff puts this on an equal footing with DITC's 'Day One' (I think that dropped first but couldn't be sure - it certainly wasn't the first time a DITC creation had been jacked for a Bad Boy release). Either way, Frank White and the dude from the My Kinda Girl remix both bring their A-game here. This also serves as a reminder that there's a lot to be said for subtle choruses and relentless, nagging hooks need not always be the order of the day. Rap Purists might not not have Twitter birthday parties for No Way Out's release date anniversary, but the 3 track sequence of Young Gs, I Love You Baby and Benjamins is up there with the best of them.

Just waiting on The Martorialist to request a Puffy solo version now.

Sad news about Phife Dawg. I re-upped this ATCQ Hot 97 freestyle from 1996  if you missed it first time out.

Frank The Butcher & DJ 7L - Bad Boy: Original Samples Mix (2014)

Another DJ 7L and Frank The Butcher sureshot. This is the Bad Boy: Original Samples Mix. It's a mix of samples used on Bad Boy releases, obviously...

GO HERE

DJ M Rock - The Biggie Remixes (2013)

Following on from DJ Rhude's 'Notorious 9' a few weeks ago, DJ M Rock drops this set of 6 B.I.G remixes using his own beats.

GO HERE to check his reworkings of Skys The Limit, Kick In The Door, Come On, Dead Wrong, Crush On You and One More Chance.

DJ Rhude 'The Notorious 9' (2013)

Following on from the post below, the homie DJ Rhude dropped this yesterday...

I’ve always wondered what Big would sound like rocking with some of today’s producers, which was the catalyst behind this project. I’ve taken 9 of his songs and matched them up with some of the dopest producers out now. Some noteworthy beats featured on The Notorious 9 are from Harry Fraud, No I.D., Large Professor, The Alchemist, Jahlil Beats and a few others. Along for the ride are some respected heavyweights from the industry in Datwon Thomas (Exec. Ed. Vibe Mag) Shaheem Reid (The Round Up, XXL, Shade 45), Jayson Rodriguez (The Content King, host of The BQE), Rob Markman (MTV News) and DJ Goldfinger. They all took some out time to share their thoughts on Big. Hope everyone enjoys this tribute to one of the greatest rappers to grace the mic. RIP to the late, great Frank White. Peace. – DJ Rhude

GO HERE

Notorious BIG live in London (1995)

I picked this up last week and as today is the anniversary of Biggie's death its only appropriate I upload it.

STREAM PART 1    STREAM PART 2

This show was also the launch party for Tim Westwood's Radio 1 Rap Show (he'd moved from Capital FM at the end of 1994)  and he's recently posted some video footage



Big up Junior Pepaseed for the heads up on that.
In other anniversary related news, this blog was 4 years old yesterday so shout out to myself and everyone thats contributed over the last few years.

Previously
Busta, Maino, MOP, Sheek, Styles P, Lil Cease, Red Cafe & Uncle Murda 'March 9th'

Biggie & Craig Mack freestyle on Westwood (1995)

Black Rob live at The Tunnel (2000)

BR doing his 'Can I Live' verse over the Deep Cover and Simon Says beats live at The Tunnel before launching into 'I Love You Baby'.
If there's anything in that sentence that doesn't scream "awesome" at you then you aren't wanted around these parts.

I want one of those Bad Boy jackets.

Lil Cease & Mr Bristal - Halftime Show freestyle (1999)

Nice freestyle from Riz & Eclipse's Halftime Show back in 99.

DOWNLOAD

Full tape coming soon...

Rap Thangs That Shoulda Done Happened

  In the first of what might be an ongoing series, I thought I'd put a different spin on Your Favourite Blogger's Favourite Blogger's Unpopular Opinions posts. Its basically fantasy rap / idealistic thinking / me wanting to rewrite history.

#1 - Black Rob should've been on 'All About The Benjamins' instead of Sheek Louch or Lil Kim. Not hating on either of their verses but in 96-97 no-one's removing Biggie or Jada off a track so someone's got to bounce. That beat would've suited Rob down to the ground.

#2 - Ice Cube would've stayed in NWA, released 'Amerikkka's Most Wanted', appeared on 'Efil4Zaggin' and then left the group. This scenario ensures we still get AMW and 'No Vaseline' aswell as Cube over beats like 'Appetite For Destruction'. '100 Miles And Running' would have appeared on AMW as the posse cut ala 'The Grand Finale' on The DOC's album.

#3 - Suge Knight never bails 2Pac out of jail and as a result the beats for 'Ambitionz Az A Ridah', 'California Love' and 'Hail Mary' all end up on Kurupt's solo album, which features Daz, Snoop, Rage etc, and is to 'The Chronic' what 'Only Built For Cuban Linx' is to '36 Chambers'.

More as and when they come to me. Suggestions welcome.
I was lucky enough to be given a fat stack of golden era tapes yesterday. Looks like there's lots of treats in there so keep checking back as they'll begin to appear over the next few weeks.
Also, I'm on Kane FM tonight from 9-11pm (UK time) playing old rap music. Come join me if you can.