RZA ft Method Man, E40, WC, Crooked I & Jayo Felony 'We Pop' remix (2003)

"this is a Power 106 exclusive..."

I remember getting the promo 12" for the original version of 'We Pop' sent to me and not being particularly impressed with it. RZA and ODB on the same track with no other Clan members to bring a bit of style and finesse to proceedings wasn't really doing it for me at the time. This remix on the other hand, which surfaced some time later, definitely hit the mark. RZA enlists the stellar line up of WC, E40, Crooked I, Jayo Felony and Method Man to do their thing over the same beat...

The odd thing about this is that it's basically a straight jack of 'Bad Boy For Life', and like that track, its also produced by Megahertz. Not sure what the full story is behind that but RZA does take a sly shot at Diddy with his opening line. 

I've only come across the song in 2 places, initially on a Kay Slay tape and then on this bootleg 12", which seems like it doesn't turn up too often judging by Discogs.

Don't Sleep #3: South Central Cartel 'Sowhatusayin' (1995)

Another dip into the collection to pull out something you might have not heard before or just forgotten about. This one is a big posse cut that appeared on Def Jam's 'The Show' soundtrack/compilation in 1995. I never actually bought that back in the day and only discovered this track on an old Westwood tape, as he gave it a few spins when it dropped. The SCC line up alongside West Coast heavyweights MC Eiht and Spice 1, and a rookie Jayo Felony, aswell as an always welcome appearance from Treach (whose unrealised potential as a solo artist I've highlighted previously). You can probably hazard a good guess as to what it sounds like but if you like sinister West Coast joints from the mid-90s then you'd do well to grab this...

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Previously: Don't Sleep #1 & Don't Sleep # 2

The Unstoppable Def Jam Sampler (1999)

The late 90s saw Def Jam reclaim their spot at the top of the industry following a few years of dominance by Bad Boy and Death Row. The addition to the roster of the Rocafella and Murder Inc imprints alongside DMX and Redman & Method Man meant they pretty much had the East Coast locked down. This promo CD has a few things that weren't available elsewhere and is well worth checking out...

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Tracklist
Def Squad 'Full Cooperation'
DMX & Ja Rule 'I Shot Ya' freestyle
Ja Rule 'Criminology' freestyle
Jayo Felony ft Mack 10, WC, Method Man & DMX 'Whatcha Gonna Do'
LL Cool J 'The Ripper Strikes Back'
Method Man & Redman 'How High' (Live)
Method Man, Redman & DMX '4,3,2,1' (Live)
Onyx 'Freestyle'


NB: I've omitted the snippet tracks - if you really need a 90 second preview of Jay Z's 'Can I Get A...' this probably isn't the blog for you.