DJ Triple C mixtape (1992)

First thing to say about this is the quality isn't the best, although once again it's been improved by the Random Rap Radio Remastering Service. It's got that slightly muddy and distorted feel in places that definitely gives off that whole 'rumbling out of a boom box in Camden Market on a Saturday afternoon' feeling from way back in the day.
If it was your standard tape from say, '95 (you know the ones with Wu, Biggie, Nas, Mobb etc) I probably wouldn't have posted it but it's from '92, when the scene wasn't as saturated, and it's also by Triple C who isn't a DJ you come across too often. More importantly it contains some Unreleased Heat ™. At the start of side 2 Triple C announces he's just been in the studio with Lord Tariq, Minnesota and DJ Scratch and then drops the exclusive. There's also someone rhyming on the track by the name of Pete Lova which we can safely assume is Peter Gunz. Now Deja Vu is still 5 years off at this point but Tariq and Gunz would end up releasing a couple of singles as part of Gunrunners (**obscure + expensive indie vinyl claxon**) before Minnesota and Tariq found some success with Money Boss Players, so this demo track is very much the foundation of that whole crew. If you don't have time to check the whole tape I posted the song on Soundcloud.

The rest of the tape is solid. Of course it is, it's 1992...

tracklist

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Straighten It Out

Kenny Dope - Axxis

Fu-Schnickens - True Fu-Schnick

Wreckx N Effect - Rump Shaker

Mary J Blige - Real Love (remix)

Grand Puba - 360 (What Goes Around) (remix)

A TEEM - Yeah

House Of Pain - Jump Around (Pete Rock remix)

Redman - Blow Your Mind

EPMD - Cummin Atcha

LOTUG - Psycho (instrumental)

Diamond D - Freestyle (Yo Thats That Shit)

MC Serch - Back To The Grill Again

Triple C, Lord Tariq, Pete Lova & Minnesota - unreleased track

Take 6 - Spread Love (45 King remix)

Yo Yo - Black Pearl

Mary J Blige - Reminisce

Gang Starr - BYS

EPMD - Nobodys Safe Chump

Diamond D - Best Kept Secret

A Tribe Called Quest - Hot Sex

Zhigge - Born Black

LOTUG - Check It

Das EFX - Straight Out The Sewer

EPMD - Can't Hear Nothin But The Music

Eric B & Rakim - What's Going On

Prince Ikey C - Smoked We Out

The discovery of this was made all the more satisfying by it turning up unannounced on a cassette that was labelled as a Radio 1 Rap Show from '99 (cheers G&L!)

Large Professor on Kiss FM (2002)

Big Ted and Shortee Blitz interviewing The Live Guy With Glasses on their Kiss show back in 2002, when his First Class album was about to drop.

Shout out to Ted for posting this on his blog back in 2011. I thought I'd get it up on Mixcloud for those that missed it first time around.

Chubby Chub mixtape (1994)

Chubby Chub doesn't tend to get mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Doo Wop or Ron G, and his tapes aren't exactly all over the net, but they have become quite sought after in recent years. This is mainly because a few of them contain some early Jay Z material which still remains unreleased. Chub was rolling with Original Flavour back in the day so he was around Jay and was probably the first mixtape DJ supporting him. This tape has the first version of a demo cut called In The Park, which is pretty short but still of interest given that it seems everything he's had a hand in has been online by now.
On a less multi-billionaire rapper tip, there's also a Buckwild remix of Don't Stress Me by Grand Daddy IU and as far as I can tell that never came out either. Being that it's from (mid?) 1994 the rest of the tape is just splendid...

Chubby Chub - Intro

Big Daddy Kane - In The PJs

MC Eiht - All For The Money

Jay Z - In The Park (first version)

Nice & Smooth ft Slick Rick - Lets All Get Down

A Tribe Called Quest ft Busta Rhymes - One, Two, Shit

Nas - Represent

Grand Daddy IU - Don't Stress Me (Buckwild remix)

Kurious ft Sadat X & Mike G - A Mansion And A Yacht

Jeru The Damaja - My Mind Spray

Artifacts - C'mon Wit Da Get Down

Shyheim  - Pass It Off

Notorious BIG & Sadat X - Come On

OC - Times Up

Mic Geronimo - Shits Real

Jay Z - I Cant Get Wit That

A Tribe Called Quest ft Know Naim - Oh My God (remix)

Nas - The World Is Yours (Q Tip remix)

DaBrat - Funkdafied

Big Daddy Kane - Daddys Home

unknown - party break

Nice & Smooth - Return Of The Hip Hop Freaks

Beastie Boys ft Q Tip - Get It Together

Rayvon - No Guns No Murder

Mad Lion - Take It Easy

Terminator X ft Joe Sinistr - Under The Sun

Wu Tang Clan - Ain't Nuthin Ta Fuck Wit

Champ MC - Keep It Real (Pete Rock remix)

unknown - unknown

Lady of Rage - Afro Puffs

Public Enemy - Give It Up

Thanks to DJ Yoda for the cassette, and shout out to Random Rap Radio for remastering my rip and improving the quality. Not entirely sure on the title for this one. The tape itself just had 7-1 written on it.

Cuttin off wack kids...

You know how we do. I'll do the whole album if I have to. I don't need to hear Royce 5'9, Conway & Rapsody or whoever else shoehorned into this.

DOWNLOAD

(temporary alternate link if mediafire isn't liking it)

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.

McGruff Rugged & Raw aka If It Ain't McGruff It Ain't Me [a Herb McGruff compilation]

Over the last few years my waning (now pretty much non-existent) interest in new Hip Hop has meant I've gone back and discovered a new found appreciation for artists who I'd previously enjoyed, but perhaps never delved to deep into their catalogues. I've already hit you off with a Sauce Money compilation, and on a similar tip is this Herb McGruff collection. 

Signed by Heavy D to Uptown after the rest of his Children Of The Corn crew had found deals elsewhere, McGruff's debut album Destined To Be suffered from his label's attempts to jump on the Bad Boy bandwagon of the moment and have him dropping jiggy club efforts rather than the more thugged out Harlem-centric content that was his strong suit. Kind of understandable given that Uptown properly dropped the ball with Biggie (worst label decision ever in rap?) but history has shown us that the industry has a track record of signing acts with a big street buzz and then getting them to move away from the style that made them popular to chase radio play. In McGruff's case he got off to a good start with the Harlem Kids Get Biz promo 12", but the album had far too many lukewarm, middle of the road joints like Gruff Express and didn't really make much of an impression. What was interesting was the amount of collabs, features, and mixtape only/bootleg tracks that were circulating around the same time, and that's what makes up the bulk of this compilation.

I'm not sure if it was just bad timing, people stealing his ideas or vice versa but Herbert seems to have a issue in the jackin for beats department which probably hindered his progress somewhat. Creep is dope, but it's based around the same break Biggie used on Warning. Nasty with Foxy Brown uses the World Famous Supreme Team beat that's far too similar to the Firm Biz remix which dropped around the same time. Make It Hot has the same Eugene Wild sample recognisable from Foxy and Blackstreet's monster Get Me Home. I've included them all because 20+ years on it's not much of an issue but you can see how it may have been a problem at the time. 

I haven't really ventured into his re-emergence with Dipset in the 2000s so its mostly mid-late 90s material, and although it's pretty heavy on collaborations and guest appearances it's a decent representation of the man's work. Pick of the bunch for me is Harlem World with Mase on the hook, which samples Strawberry Letter 23. There's also East And Police produced by Godfather Don off 2008's The Demo EP,  a couple of the better tracks off the album in Reppin Uptown with The Lox and the aforementioned Harlem Kids Get Biz and some looseys like Bow Down with Mob Style and the mixtape only Hell Up In Harlem with Black Rob, Cardan & Cam'ron.

DOWNLOAD

East And Police 

Creep

Villain Guys 

Harlem World ft Mase

Freestyle

Reppin Uptown ft The LOX

Harlem NYC - Beats 2 Blow remix with Bootsie & Big L

Uptown Connection ft Mase & Big L

Harlem Kids Get Biz

Hell Up In Harlem with Black Rob, Cam'ron & Cardan

Pure Uncut Raw with Eightball, Canibus & DMX

Bow Down ft Mob Style & Meeno

Nasty ft Foxy Brown

Kay Slay freestyle

Obviously these were taken from a variety of sources - CD, vinyl, digital, some official, some less so. If you've got anything else that should've been included let me know.