Audio Two 'Top Billin' Supa Blends remix (1998)

Here's something I picked up on an otherwise unremarkable party breaks 12" a few months ago. Milk's legendary vocal is blended with the 'Phone Tap' and 'One More Chance' instrumentals.



It sounds like a strange combination but as DJ 7L mentioned in an interview for this very blog, tracks like 'Top Billin' were still getting played in the clubs in the mid-to-late 90s, 10 years or so after they first dropped and this works pretty well.

The Infinite Hip Hop Show 22.09.13special guest mix by Jorun Bombay!

DJ Step One - The Infinite Hip Hop Show (22.09.13) by Kane Fm on Mixcloud

Last night's show on Kane FM. Special guest mix courtesy of Jorun Bombay !

Skillz - Rawkus promo EP (2002)

The career of (Mad) Skillz has been a strange one. After a promising debut in '95 he got lost in the shuffle in the late 90s, only to re-emerge at a time when fellow Virginians Timbaland and Pharrell were running the clubs and radio. Collaborations followed and Skillz bagged himself a deal with Rawkus, yet somehow despite having the 2 biggest producers in the game on board, he failed to blow. Rawkus disappeared not long after and aside from a couple of 12"s, all that was left to show for it were the tracks on this promo EP. A mix of freestyles over Neptunes beats and some original tracks.

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Some of them eventually got an official release a few years later on Skillz' 'Confessions Of A Ghostwriter' album but the moment had passed and he's since carved out a career with his regular end of year 'Rap Up' and touring as Jazzy Jeff's hypeman. So in comparison to alot of his 90s indie contempories he ain't done too bad I suppose.
I've got a few other loose Skillz freestyles from this era that I can zip up if anyone wants 'em.

I'll try and get back to posting more frequently but can't make any promises. I'm off up t'radio in a bit for tonight's Infinite Hip Hop Show,  9-11pm on Kane FM. Special guest mix by Jorun Bombay. Tune in if you can.

Sparkle Motion 'Night Hype' (2013)

Sparkle Motion are back with another speaker smasher for ya boomin' systems: 'Night Hype' takes it back to the days of stonewashed jean-jacket combos, doorknocker earrings, hi-top fades, 8-Ball jackets and customized Dapper Dan leathers.
During the late 80s/early 90s, R&B music was only just starting to flirt with a harder hip hop sound. Getting rappers to feature on R&B tracks was something very new at the time. Producers started moving away from polished record production to drum machine-backed rhythms that included hip hop influences.
This mix is dedicated to that era, and intended to seriously cold rock the hypest house or block party. Once you hit play, prepare for fly honeys and bass devastation everywhere. Word to ya muthaaa.

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Tracklist
Pebbles - Mercedes Boy (Remix Radio Edit)
Paula Abdul - Knocked Out (7" Version)
Pebbles - Girlfriend (Extended Version)
Sybil feat. Salt-N-Pepa - Crazy 4 U
Johnny Gill - Wrap My Body Tight
Tony Terry - She's Fly (Dub Mix)
Sparkle Motion - Can't Stop The Show (Blend)
Al B. Sure! - Off On Your Own (Street Mix)
Jody Wately feat. Eric B. & Rakim - Friends (Remix)
Pebbles - Giving You The Benefit (Extended Version)
Bobby Brown - Every Little Step (Remix)
Today - Girl I Got My Eyes On You (12" Version)
Johnny Gill - Fairweathered Friend (Radio Remix)
Karyn White - The Way You Love Me (12" Hype Mix)
The Gyrlz - Wishing You Were Here (Boyz Meet Gyrlz 12" Mix)
Jody Wately - Real Love
Mac Band - Roses Are Red (Extended Version)
Stacy Lattisaw - Dance For You (Extended Version)
The Good Girls - I Need Your Love
Alyson Williams - Sleep Talk (12" Mix)
Sheena Easton - The Lover In Me (7" Version)
Vanessa Williams - The Right Stuff (Dub-A-Delic)

The Infinite Hip Hop Show 08.09.13

DJ Step One - The Infinite Hip Hop Show (08.09.13) by Kane Fm on Mixcloud

Here's my show from Sunday night on Kane FM

LL Cool J 'No Airplay' unreleased version (1995)

 8 months ago I dropped some audio of LL performing live at Chuck Chillout's birthday party back in 1990. The tape included a peformance of the unreleased - and pretty much unheard - track 'She's Rockin'. As a result this humble little blog from the UK burbs briefly had twitter and the rap internet goin nutz (that is to say, J Zone got hyped about it and Ego Trip linked to it). Anyway, here's another rare LL joint for you. Up until today I was only aware of 2 versions of 'No Airplay'. The one on the 'Mr Smith' LP which is censored, and the uncensored 'dirty funky raw version' on this ultra rare promo 12". Going through some records this evening I came across this bootleg which features a 3rd version with different lyrics and a different beat.



If anyone has any info on this let me know. If there's a CDQ version on some long forgotten soundtrack or an official promo 12" out there then share the knowledge!

Rap Thangs That Shoulda Done Happened #2

You might remember that a while back I dropped a post called Rap Thangs That Shoulda Done Happened. The effects of this brief yet incredibly insightful piece shook the industry: A&Rs resigned, shamed by their incompetence. Dr Dre shelved 'Detox'. Puffy - who was on the verge of dropping Bad Boy's first legit rap banger for nearly a decade - went back to the drawing board.
But that was 8 months ago now and as today is the anniversary of MLK's 'I have a dream...' speech, here's the second installment:

#1 - Given their superb update of 'Boyz N The Hood', Dipset should blatantly have followed it with a cover of Levi 167's 'Something Fresh To Swing To'. Sparse 80s drums, that "dope, dope...d-d-dope dope" refrain and some coke raps by Cam, Jim & Juelz at the height of their powers would've been a mixtape classic.


#2 -  Outkast should have used the version of 'Da Art Of Storytellin' featuring Slick Rick on 'Aquemini' rather than just confining it to the 12". I don't think I need to explain this one. Dope video though.


#3 - Speaking of Slick Rick, I know everyone loves his debut LP but save for a couple of tracks I always felt it was a bit lacking in the beats department. Marley Marl and Prince Paul are the first two names that spring to mind that could've improved things.

#4 - Treach could've had a great solo album to his name. Instead of starring in straight-to-DVD flicks and warming up for New Kids On The Block on cruise ships full of soccer moms, he should've hit the mixtape circuit, found some decent producers and got busy. The man was a beast on the mic and if his freestyle over 'Keep It Thoro' on Doo Wop's Gangsta's Paradise mixtape is anything to go by then we missed out.