Hard Drive Clearout

A few bits that I've found on other sites over the years that you might've missed (and the links are probably dead now anyway), things I ripped and never got round to uploading,  joints that don't really warrant their own post...

 Ice T, King Tee & Bango freestyle (Capital Rap Show 1989)
courtesy of  Irish Craig  (I think)

 Rakim acapella freestyle (early 90s ?)
no info on this and its only about 25 seconds long but still...

Main Source 'Looking At The Front Door' (alternative/demo version)
I think I got this from unkut.com a few years ago

Big L - Pre Game freestyle (1999)
Lamont over the Sauce Money banger

Children of The Corn - American Dream (alternative version)
this version appeared on a DJ S&S mixtape and features a slightly different Big L verse to the one that appears on the promo 12"

 OC - DJ Camillo freestyle (1998)
Nice OC freestyle off a Camillo mixtape. Pretty sure I got this one from Roy Johnson .

Eric B & Rakim 'Dont Sweat The Technique' (DJ Step One UBB blend)

I be blending! This is/was intended for an 'all blends' mix I've been trying to put together since what seems like forever. I've got quite a few done so it might actually drop one day. In the meantime...

DOWNLOAD

SOUNDCLOUD

The beat is taken from this track produced by DJ Format. Tell him how much you like it.
Check the way the 'I made my debut in 86' line conveniently comes in over 'The Champ'. Sometimes things were just meant to be.

Marley Marl shows you how he made the beat for Master P's 'Ghetto D'

I just watched this earlier. The way he went about putting that beat together is crazy.

live on stage...

Got my ticket for this (and possibly a spare the way things are going). I'm more amped to see De La and Rakim for the first time than I am Mos and Talib but all 3 acts in the same night should be great. We don't get that very often in the UK! Just hoping Rakim shows up - he cancelled his last 2 UK shows in recent years.
Good to see promoters in London keeping the shows coming. Check Ah Sh!t for the latest gig info in the capital.

NEW SOUL FOCUS RELEASE!

Its been a while since we dropped anything on the Soul Focus label but we're back! I actually posted a rough version of this in the early days of this blog but its since been mixed and mastered properly and just generally sounds a lot better...

something for the people...

I haven't had much time to rip tapes or make mixes recently but I'm aiming to get back on track this week.
Here's a few things I've come across that are worth checking in the meantime:

Rakim & Biz Markie live at a Wyandance High School jam back in 1985

The best rap singles of the noughties

Good piece on Rap-A-Lot's production team

Dope (and seriously thorough) write up on UK legends London Posse

A seemingly endless supply of classic mixtapes

Shout to all the blogs that regularly update with original content!

Eric B & Rakim 'Let The Rhythm Hit Em' (Soul Focus remix)

Another Soul Focus remix! As with the 'Poppa Large' remix this is quite simple but very effective. We've put Eric B & Rakim's 'Let The Rhythm Hit Em' acapella over Run DMC's classic 'Beats To the Rhyme' instrumental with a few Apache and Chuck D samples chucked in for good measure.
This one's for the DJs and the B-Boys...

DOWNLOAD