To The Break Of Dawn

Ultimate Choice Feat. Finesse & T.L.C. - You Can't Front

2012-01-22T03:15:00.003-07:00

I got this mid last year and for a very reasonable price too. Been on my wants list for a heck of a long time after playing it to death on and old Mike Allen tape and I can't really afford to pay hiked up ridiculous 'random rap' prices so let it slide for some time until I got lucky. It's these kinds of records that you just couldn't get a hold of when they first dropped unless you lived in that London place or traveled there every week and there was no chance of that for me being an honest Northerner with limited cash available. There still isn't. So thank goodness the internet has made the world a smaller place and I don't have to get off my arse and go hunting for wax any more. And neither do you. I hope it's been worth the wait 'cos I think it's a dope slice of true hip hop that hasn't been shared much, if at all, in it's entirety and at the time of writing there's none on ebay but five on discogs, the cheapest being 40 euros which is about 30-35 English pounds that also being more than I can allow myself these days to spend on records per week. Anyway, happy new year, sorry it took me so long and I do hope it's not an anti-climax because it really shouldn't be. Long live real hip hop.

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Hardrock Soul Movement - Double Def Fresh (Get Stupid Fresh Remix)

2011-12-24T03:42:00.008-07:00

This is my personal fave of all Hardrock's releases, ('Elaweaser' being my least favourite; what the hell was that?). Nothing much more to add really except Max and Dave were the first UK hip hoppers who truly made some stompin' drum machine driven electro tunes in the early to mid eighties and if you've not heard this for a while the progressive intro complete with Monty Python scratch will make your Christmas. No, it really will. I've had it on heavy rotation since re-ripping it and it really bangs and also triggers memories of the time which a lot of this old wax does, for me anyway. The title alone says 1986 is the years we had some great slang that not many folk understood and once again I think we should bring some of these back 'cos some of the new ones are shite and my mom uses some of 'em. Anyway, have a good Christmas and I have something I think is quite special for the new year which I'll try and get up here by the 31st December.

Get Stupid

360 Degrees - Pelon

2011-12-18T04:12:00.004-07:00

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Freddy B & The Mighty Mic Masters - Coolin' On The Ave.

2011-11-26T05:42:00.004-07:00

The Tuff City label rocked. Back then you could just about buy anything on that label without having to spin it first. I didn't buy this one though. I was given it by my house music loving mate I may have mentioned before. He use to play records to death and get fed up within a few weeks and either trade, sell or give them away. I may have mentioned that before too. He'd usually trade, sell or give them to me. I got lucky this time. He bought it brand new. I've had this since he gave it up about two or three weeks after he bought it. I played it again for the first time in years last week. I put it on my fave three list over here. You should pick your fave three and get in on the action too. B-side wins again? I think so. A def record if ever there was one.

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The Triple Threat Three - Scratch Motion

2011-11-21T11:50:00.005-07:00

Not too long ago before the internet was invented sometime around 1988(ish) I was put on to and ad in Hip Hop Connection magazine for a mail order company called Beat Street Records. I ignored but a mate sent for the free catalogue and when he let me see his copy I nearly fell through the floor. Loads and loads of old school stuff that we couldn't buy as kids because we had no cash and also because no one in our town stocked U.S. imports. After my first order I received a monthly list and spent almost my entire weekly wage on records from B.S.R. After a while I started to fax my order from work and they'd fax it back with a reservation confirmation assuming they were all available. I didn't get them all as my mate's mail arrived before mine and he'd ring up and reserve his over the phone before I'd even got my list. That didn't matter though as he always played his stuff to death until he was fed up of it and he traded with me or sold it to me for less than he paid for it. I have to admit that it was fairly exciting anticipating the new list and what would be on it and when this one was delivered to my door I rang my mate to tell him I had it and he didn't and he'd just had his delivered before me. Still, I've got mine and he sold his some years ago on ebay as he's in to house music now the knob. I mean that in the nicest possible way of course. I don't know if Beat Street are still trading now and they did have a website eventually but it was crap. The stuff on it i mean. Nothing like the old days.

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D.ST. - The Home Of Hip Hop

2011-11-13T07:31:00.009-07:00

I hated this record when I first heard it. I didn't like hearing rock style guitars on hardcore hip hop records, felt it softened it's edge slightly. I've matured since then and opened my mind a little and it's now one of my all time faves. D.ST. has always been a solid musician by rights and I wouldn't be the first to realise that he was way ahead of his time as far as skills on the turntable are concerned. I'm sure everyone would agree with that. I think when I was a lot younger the only thing I wanted to hear was the biggest beat around and loads of cuttin' & scratchin' and that's it. This record offers so much more than just that and I'm glad I wised up and gave it a second chance. (The second listening wasn't recently, it was a good 20 years ago). Some of the lyrics are great too, 'We say yes y'all before we talk' and 'real hip hop ma man' of course but the line that made me think a bit when I ripped the vinyl last week was this one; 'Just think, 1975, one whole decade has gone by..' 1985 and he's already talking about the old school talent. A fad it was not and like punk rock the new jacks have destroyed something that was once life consuming, for me at least and I don't know about you but I still can't get enough now and even though my life isn't quite as consumed with hip hop as once was these are the kind of records that I'll keep for ever.

just think, 1975, (nearly) four whole decades have gone by...

High Fidelity Three - B Boys Breakdance

2011-10-27T02:51:00.009-06:00

I had a wander through my old neighbourhood last weekend. Saw my old house(s), the avenue I played football on with the meighbourhood kids, (can't do that any more, double parked cars all the way along, only used to be two on the whole street in 1976) and the newsagent's forecourt where we use to break on cardboard boxes taped together. Eventually we upgraded and got friendly with a future master graff artist who lived over the back of where we use to hang out and he let us in to his basement now and again and we could plug in the 'ghetto blaster' or 'boom box' or whatever you want to call it and save on batteries. We had it all worked out. Anyway, his older brother was friendly with some big hitters on the b-boy scene and he had a tape or two, one of which had the vocal version of this very slice of wax which I'd never heard before. The instrumental version was a firm favourite already thanks to Streetsounds Electro 5 so I had to have that tape. It took me quite a while to blag a copy and even longer to get the wax, 1989 if I remember rightly and it's mint and still is so enjoy this 320kbps rip if you can. 1984; what a year.

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Captain Rock - Cosmic Blast

2011-10-18T11:31:00.009-06:00

I purchased the Street Sounds UK Fresh reunion DVD just a few weeks ago as I wasn't able to attend and have tio say I was a little disappointed with the Captain's performance. Not sure what I was expecting after all these years (how old is he now, in his late 40s or early 50s?) but he came on in his captain's uniform and ended up up bare chested after strutting around the stage rapping along to his old classics, (and let's face facts, they are classics) including this one, my own personal fave of the bunch. I didn't actually buy this until probably around 1987-88 as US imports were hard to come by and also I was just a kid in '84 and had zero cash most of the time. The Street Sounds Electro series of LPs were a godsend to UK heads like myself and 5 & 6 were on constant rotation, this 12" being on volume 6. Ripped the wax almost immediately after watching him and I was blown away almost like hearing it for the first time. And I can still remember all the words. Stone cold classic business right here, 320kbps rip.___ p.s. don't be put off buying the double DVD; if you're 40 something it's feckin' awesome to see the B-Boys with Chuck Chillout, Newcleus, Arthur Baker and the Captain amongst others. Not too keen on the new electro stuff though, sounds too much like house music to me..

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Lakim Shabazz - Need Some Lovin'

2011-09-18T03:49:00.003-06:00

Lakim Shabazz sans the 45 king = not a bad record really. Shabazz himself undertakes production here and does pretty well it has to be said and even throws in a remix on the flip for good measure. Anttex contributes his two penn'orth (or two cents if you prefer) but the lead track is the strongest I think. A 320kbps rip of a piece of vinyl I seldomed played way back when is a good send off as I sold it last week for a paltry 99p. A bit of a disappointment but a sign of the current times. Now I need some lovin'..

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Most Wanted - Calm Down

2011-09-04T05:02:00.004-06:00

Been quite busy of late but I managed a fresh 320 kbps rip of this monster classic which has been getting some steady ipod time I can tell you. I think I may have 'over-bassed' a touch but it still sounds def.

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Gang Starr - 2 Deep

2011-07-31T03:38:00.003-06:00

What more could you want on a Sunday morning, eh? I bought this new in 1992 and fancied a listen but lo and behold it wasn't in my mp3 collection so as to put on the old ipod thingy so a def 320kbps rip was in order. I also decided to share it with you too. This was a UK only release and the title track alone is worth the asking price but with the half decent 'City Lick Mix' adding to the uniqeness and the thumping 'Take It Personal' and jazzy stylings of 'Now You're Mine' on the flip you have here a quality 12" that first dropped almost 20 years ago. 20 years. Hard to comprehend. Seems like only yesterday...

Consider It A Privelege To Hear This

K-Rob - I'm A Homeboy

2011-07-14T01:40:00.011-06:00

After DJ Cheese won the DMC World Mixing championships in 1986 and pretty much turned the whole competition into what it is now he became an instant celebrity. Because of this, (I would imagine) he also 'guest scratched' on quite a few of Profile's releases in '86 and if you look you can see his name on the label in much smaller print the K-Rob's name which was the order of the day back then as emcees held a stronger position than the deejays even though they started it all off in the first place. But you already knew that. What you might not know is that Cheese himself made an appearance at the now demolished Limit club in my home town in 1986 and someone filmed it as they showed it on the incredibly small TV they had on the wall on subsequent Saturdays. (It was mainly a punk and indie type place but opened on Saturday afternoons for b-boys to hear new stuff and break on the rather large piece of linoleum. It was 50p to get in I think and the music they played was and still is the loudest music I ever heard, almost frightening how loud it was). What I'm hoping here is that someone must still have the tape as it is obviously a priceless archive that some of us would love to see again. It's highly unlikely that somebody from Sheffield frequents this blog but you never know. Oh, and this record is not too shabby either.

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MC Eric - Before We Get Started

2011-06-19T05:16:00.006-06:00

I got this in a second hand record store for 50p a heck of a long time ago. It's a promo release and hand numbered on his own label and mine was number 87. I say was because I recently parted company with if for 60p during the vinyl purge I'm undertaking just now. I'm unsure as to why I bought it, probably 'cos of the price and I used to buy allsorts back then if it was cheap enough. When I got back home and put it on I must say I was pleasantly surprised as MC Eric had acquired a bit of a rep as being wack in some people's opinions (and probably my own) due to his appearances on some of Technotronic's earbashing house records. Which, from where I'm sitting, really were the wackest of the wack. And if you are one of those people who ignored his solo stuff for that reason I would encourage you to please try and ignore the name of the artist and just listen to 4 tracks of really quite decent hip hop music from the early nineties.

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Fat Boys - Breakdown

2011-05-30T08:11:00.006-06:00

The Fat Boys. Who would listen to their records nowadays apart from the faithful old school followers like you and me? Most probably no-one with a name like that. Disco 3 was better I think but maybe that was a little too run-of-the-mill and they decided to change it. I wonder if they had an adviser? Maybe some hip hop version of Simon Cowell had a quiet word and convinced them it was the best way to get noticed. It was probably the same bloke who made them do that awful version of 'The Twist'. That said, their first album was the first full length rap LP I ever bought and I've still got it now. Word on the playground in '84 was that the Human Beatbox was the freshest thing around and if you didn't have it or even if you hadn't heard it you weren't worth knowing. I didn't know what 'Human Beatbox' was never mind that it was a person. Fast forward a couple of years and legendary UK DJ Mike Allen plays 'Breakdown' on his then London listeners only rap show and I get a copy and decide I want it. I had to settle for their 'Big & Beautiful' LP for years up until a few weeks ago when I picked this up for a fiver. It's a def record and once again the best track is relegated to the flip side, 'In The House' being the mediocre choice to try and top the charts. Oh and if these said 'Disco 3' on 'em I might be tempted but at my time of life wearing summat bearing the words 'fat' and 'boy' would be a huge mistake.

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Skinny Boys - Rip The Cut

2011-05-02T04:04:00.003-06:00

I really like this one. Sir John Peel played this for me way back in life's golden age but the wax somehow passed me by. Eagle eyed viewers will notice that it's the B-side, 'Unity' being selected as the stronger track to lead with. But they were wrong. I eventually picked up a copy a couple of years back and I only paid £2.99 which some of you may think is too much. I don't know what it is about this record. Maybe it's the phaser effect on the scratching of the disco classic 'Good Times' or maybe it's the simple yet hard boom, boom, bap style beat. I know it's not for everybody so judge for yourselves.

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Roxanne Shante - The Def Fresh Crew

2011-04-21T11:34:00.003-06:00

Classic tune, forgot how good it was until I heard it blastin' on the 'pod during the slow trudge to work this morning. Shante sounds dope on the mic even though some of the lyrics are a bit weird.... 'we come to party just to have action/just to prove to you that I'm not Michael Jackson'. The missus heard the intro when I ripped the wax and heard Biz laughin' his bollocks off to the beat and she totally understood what that was all about. No really.

To Cold Act Ill Or Get Retarded

Captain Rapp - Bad Times (I Can't Stand It)

2011-04-18T10:07:00.005-06:00

Bit funky this one. I heard this on a Wizard tape a mate of a mate brought back form his stay in Detroit in the late eighties. Didn't know what it was called at the time but he did some glorious things with his two copies on that tape. I only bought it on a whim around '88-'89, probably because there was nothing else to go for at the time and it turned out to be this, if you know what I mean. There's two instrumental versions on the flip side of this re-issue, the original release apperaing initially on the legendary Saturn label in 1983. Didn't know that until yesterday.

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MC EZ & Troup - Just Rhymin'

2011-04-03T04:50:00.003-06:00

Sunday again and what better way to celebrate than a 320kbps rip of a classic slice of wax from '88. I don't remember listening to this before purchase so I'm pretty sure I chose it because of the label it was on. 'Get Retarded' on the flip don't forget which is arguably the stronger track but both efforts have something to offer. Y-side wins again?

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Solo Sounds - We're Chilly

2011-03-27T02:55:00.003-06:00

Some old school party style pressure for you now. My poor quality mp3s were deleted forever in favour of a fresh 320kbps rip of this re-press after it hit the streets a few months ago. There was an original for sale on ebay at the time (went for $85.00) but that's way too much for my budget so buying this was a no brainer. There's only the two cuts one here, vocal and dub and I can't really tell you anything about Solo Sounds that you can't already find out for yourseves so we'll leave it at that. It's only ever about the music anyway. For me at least.

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Steady B - Just Call Us Def

2011-03-20T03:21:00.010-06:00

Whatever happened to that word, def? It had quite a lot of use in the mid eighties but it kind of fizzled out and 'dope' seems to have taken its place. 'Mos Def' is probably the most recent use that comes to mind but I'd like people to go back to using it as an adjective. I don't think I ever used it out loud. When we were kids everything was 'bad' (meaning good of course). 'That's a bad tune' or 'that's a bad move'. You get the idea. A lot of slang words went mainstream, the most obvious being 'chill out'. I heard my mom say that to one of her friends on the phone just the other day and she's in her mid sixties. Her friend is even older and I'm sure she knew what it meant. The power of the media, eh? I think old words like 'def' and 'fresh' should make a comeback so I'll start it off today with this power house of a record which is still a personal favourite so I did a def 320kbps rip so it'll cave your chest in if you play it at the required volume. 'Fly Shante' is on the flip which is another thumping, drum machine driven track, not to be confused with the later release on the same label by Shante herself that was produced by the real king of the beats, the man Marley Marl. I bow to thee, oh great one.

'Don't Mean He Can't Hear When I Say He's Def'

Roxanne Shante - Runaway

2011-03-14T12:54:00.004-06:00

Roxanne Shante rhyming over a solid Marley Marl beat is just what the National Centre for Runaway & Missing Exploited Children needed. I wonder if they were approached to do it and if all proceeds went to that particular charity? You wouldn't have thought a lot of cash could be made off the back of an indie rap record from '85 would you? Well I don't know if my purchase contributed anything towards it but I kinda hope it did. Lyrically it's a step away from the norm as far as your average Shante records go but the beats are still rock hard. I got it from the record fair when it came to town around '88-'89 for 2 quid, still sealed too as were the other three I got at the same time; 'Queen Of Rox', 'Bite This' and 'Roxanne's Revenge' all equally banging records, all still sealed and cheap at half the price. I still have all four to this very day too. Sweet vinyl. Hard to let go. Must hang on. Must. Will.

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Stetsasonic - Just Say Stet

2011-03-13T01:41:00.007-07:00

I always thought this was Stet's best record. When I first heard it on Streetsounds Electro 11 I thought it was dope. None of my friends at the time liked it and turned their nose up at it, thought it was a joke record with no street credibility whatsoever and that's always puzzled me. It was all about the beat in those days and it's as hard a beat as any so it can't be that. They're shouting the lyrics too which is good, controlling the mic like MCs did back then. Prince Paul doesn't disappoint on the flex either so what's the problem? I think the problem was that all of those so called friends stopped being bothered about hip hop music and started listening to eighties pop music instead so in my opinion they were never that interested in the first place. One of 'em (I only found out about this just before Christmas last year) traded a tape of mine full of dope jams which I could never afford to buy myself for one by Simple Minds. Simple Minds? I don't hold a grudge 'cos it was a long time ago but what a nice twat. I always wondered where that tape went an'all.

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Street Kings - Gettin' Fresher

2011-03-08T10:03:00.007-07:00

Been listening to this one for a bit now and I'm lovin' it. I haven't had it all that long, four years, maybe five and the ad didn't mention the label being destroyed by a five year old either. Still, five quid's not too bad and the vinyl's mint and it still sounds dope, much better than all this golden era stuff. There. I said it. '83-'86 was my golden era anyway. Download this if you're curious as to what hip hop used to sound like. It's these kinds of records that got me into all this in the first place.

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Point Blank M.C.s - Hard To The Body

2011-03-06T04:08:00.005-07:00

When US 12"s first arrived in Sheffield they were £6.49 each. That was quite expensive for a school kid on a £1.50 a week paper round. The only way I could raise the other much needed cash was to starve myself and save the £1 my mom gave me for my school dinner. OK, I wasn't exactly starving but it used to do me considerably in if I remember rightly. Back then it only cost two English pence to ride the bus in to town as Sheffield had the lowest fares in the country until privatisation smacked the council up the side of the head and it all changed forever. Virgin (pre 'mega') was the only outlet stocking fresh new US wares and even then they didn't advertise it. I must've been informed 'cos I can't remember how I found out but you had to ask to see the 'imports' and the bloke behind the counter would plonk a scabby looking cardboard box in front of you with about a dozen records in it. As you just sifted through you had to make a judgement by picking out stuff with colourful looking names as you hadn't heard of most of the them unless the late, great John Peel had spun it at some point. Times were hard. If you became a regular at the shop then the 'import bloke' would break the seals sometimes and play a snippet to help you decide. I still remember holding 'The Bridge' by MC Shan in one hand and 'Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble' by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince in the other and I'd not heard either so guess which one I chose? Anyway, this one was in there and I kept it all these years as the beat is dope and it makes parts of my house vibrate if I play it loud enough. Oh, and it's my guess that it's the only hip hop record to mention one time king of the jungle, Tony Blackburn near the end. Oh, and I did return some weeks later to buy the MC Shan record.

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Run-DMC - Sucker MCs / It's Like That

2011-02-27T01:19:00.004-07:00

It's 1983, school holidays I think. I leave my house to see who's out and about. We all seem to congregate around the newsagent's shop at the top of the road as there's lots of room for b-boying (the new thing that's taken over from the BMX craze for a lot of folk). No-one's there. I can hear music so I start to walk and eventually see the son of the owner of the newsagent on the other side of the road singing along to the whatever song it was on his 'ghetto blaster'. He had the largest portable hi-fi system on the street. Massive it was. He was loaded too. Always got the newest stuff, best BMX, best trainers. His dad even built a mini BMX track but we were all allowed to use that, which was nice. He himself was massive too. He was a year younger than me but he was freakishly tall, stood 6'6" and had size 12 feet when he was 13 years old. I asked him where everyone was and he blanked me totally and just sang along to the record that was on. I pulled a face and watched him as he looked straight forward, never acknowledging my presence for a second and I became impressed as he appeared to know all the words. And he wasn't singing, he was rapping. 'champagne, caviar and bubble bath...' 'take that and move back, catch a heart attack...' I turned my attention from him to the music and was immediately hooked. I fancied myself as a bit of a drummer (I had two old cricket stumps that I used to hit my bed with in time to my punk records) so the pounding beat mesmerised me. I was already heavily in to breaking, hadn't ridden my bike for weeks but this was my first taste of hip hop music. I sneaked a peek at the tape and it was 'streetsounds electro 4' and that was my first purchase at the record stall in the market when I mustered up enough cash. No more punk records for me. A transition had occurred and there was no looking back.

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The Boogie Boys - You Ain't Fresh

2011-02-20T02:56:00.006-07:00

This is the first US import 12" single I ever bought. Got it from the Virgin store before it became 'mega' on the high street (it's a pub now and not a very good one either. It's one of those crappy wine bar types where you're not allowed to wear your football shirt on match day). Anyway, I first heard it on a tape one of my brothers brought home from school and I remember 'The Show' by Dougie Fresh was on there and 'Don't Fess' by Sha-Quan too and also that he'd given all the tracks on it marks out of 5 and for some reason he gave this the shamefully low mark of 2 out of 5. I didn't agree of course and bought it the following week and played the hell out of it. The sound of the kicks and snares always astounded me and I built a picture in my head of this enormous wall of machinery making this brilliant drum sound that was virtually unique to hip hop music at the time. The best mix for me was always the extended 'High Noon Mix' as around halfway through there's a part where the drums get super heavy and almost knock you sideways. I still think it's a dope record and it's definitely a keeper for me if only for nostalgia's sake. Oh, and I can't remember what mark he awarded Sha-Quan but he gave dougie fresh 5 out of 5.

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The Almighty El-Cee - We Have Risen

2011-02-18T11:59:00.007-07:00

I bought this around September last year. It was on my wants list for a long time but I kept pushing it back in favour of other stuff I wanted more. A friend of mine bought a copy in '87 because he got to the rack before I did and there was often only one copy available and some wax never got re-stocked so I was stiffed by a few seconds (and 20 odd years) until now. He traded his a few years later for some shitty house record 'cos he was/is into that crap when it blew up in the late eighties. I tried to like it but failed as it's obviously aimed at girls. Dope record this though, in perfect, unplayed nick too. I paid a tenner, which might be a tad over the odds for some but I think it was a fair price for the condition it's in. I've invested in a few old/new slices recently including this, thi s and this and pre-ordered this as the desire to buy vinyl refuses to leave me even though I've got less money now than I had back then. That would be the privelege of living with my mom then..

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Black, Rock & Ron - Stop The World (1989)

2011-01-31T21:41:00.012-07:00

Hailing from Hollis Queens, Lord Black (David Cootryer), The Ruler Master Rock (Gregg Walsh), and Ron Scratch (Ron Walsh) released their first single "Hard Rap" on Next Plateau in 86 under the name the Vicious Four. Released during the emergence of the "New School" where samplers and drum machines such as the Lynn Drum and the SP-12 hit the market, producers and hip-hop artists were better able to create a less expensive and more complex structure to tracks that wasn't previously available without having connections or a backing band. In 1987 Black, Rock & Ron hooked up with Jazzy Jay who produced their next single "That's How I'm Livin" also on Next Plateau. At the request of LL Cool J they then went on to be managed by the one and only Russell Simmons' Rush Town. Then getting signed to RCA Records and featuring co-production by Tony Sims & Thomas Davis and executive production by Jurggen Korduletsch, Black, Rock and Ron put together the material for their debut album "Stop The World". With legendary engineers Paul C, DJ Doc, and Skeff Anselm at the boards they put out an underrated classic, a few 12 inch singles, and a couple videos. They were even involved with the Hip-Hop Against Apartheid - Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa) anti-apartheid song, but like some of the unfortunate rap artists of the time, Black, Rock & Ron just seemed to fall off the face of the Earth into obscurity.

I'm posting the US version along with some of the German release and 12" tracks as a "bonus disc".

320kbps CD Rip
01 - Intro
02 - Stop The World
03 - You Can't Do Me None
04 - True Feelings (True Rock Mix)
05 - Black Is The Word
06 - That's How I'm Livin'
07 - To Hear Black & Rock Rap
08 - Getting Large
09 - Rap Life
10 - Act Like U Know
11 - I'm Tired
12 - 3 Brothers And Yvonne
13 - Black, Rock & Ron (Video Mix)
14 - My Hometown
15 - Who's Got Next

Bonus Tracks
16 - You Can't Do Me None (Prince Paul Remix Vocal Mix)
17 - Tired Of All This
18 - True Feelings (Paul C Hip Hop Remix)
19 - We Be Wilin' (Wild Things)
20 - Black, Rock & Ron (Radio Version)
21 - You Can't Do Me None (Prince Paul Remix Beat Mix)
22 - Pieces I / Pieces II

RE-UP
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Help me compile an old school hip hop love song compilation

2010-11-07T19:04:00.035-07:00

This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time but just never got around to it. Got any good ideas for an old school hip hop love song compilation? Please post your contributions in the comments and when I get a decent list going I'll post it up. I'd like to keep it before 1994 and more along the lines of slower R&B hip hop but post up whatever you can think of.

The obvious song is I Need Love but if you can think of songs in this vein I'd appreciate it.

Songs compiled so far:

Big Daddy Kane - The Day You're Mine
Three Times Dope - Funky Dividends
Da King And I - Tears (and the Darp Vibe Mix) Stetsasonic - Float On
The Real Roxanne - Oh Darlin (Like We Used To) and Infatuated
Red Hot Lover Tone - Lil Boy Blue
Tim Dog - Secret Fantasies
Positively Black - Quiet Storm
Chi Ali - In My Room and Age Ain't Nothing But A #
Yomo & Maulkie - For The Love Of Money
K-9 Posse - If My Heart Could Speak
Kings Of Pressure - Call Me On The Telephone
Davy D - Feel 4 U and Ooh Girl
Chubb Rock & Howie Tee - Girl I Love You
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde - A Rapper's Love Song
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Lots Of Lovin
Slick Rick - Teenage Love
MC Shan - She's Gone
MC Shan - Left Me Lonely
LL Cool J - I Need Love
World Class Wrecking Cru - Turn Off The Lights
Whodini - One Love
MC Hammer - Have You Seen Her
LL Cool J - I Want You
Hi-C - Sitting In The Park
Fila Fresh Crew - I Wanna Know What Love Is
Fat Boys - Falling In Love
Fat Boys - Love You Down
bvsmp-i need you
dj magic mike-come back home
doc box & b fresh slow love
sir mix a lot-romantic interlude
Heavy D & the Boyz - I Can Make You Go Oooh
Heavy D & the Boyz - The Lover's Got What You Need
Akienely - Put It In Your Mouth
Doug E Fresh - The Plane
Big Daddy Kane - To Be Your Man
Mantronix - Love Letter (Dear Tracy)
Steady B - Cheatin Girl
True Mathematics - For The Lover In You
Black Rock N Ron - True Feelings
EDO. G & Da Bulldogs - Love Comes and Go
Xtracts of Slang - Makin Love
Massive Attack - Any Love
Yaggfu Front - The Love Scene
Little Shawn - I Made Love (4 The First Time)
Lakim Shabazz - Need More Lovin
Brand Nubian - Love Me Or Leave Me Alone
King Sun - Hey Love
King Sun - Undercover Lover
Baritone Tiplove - I'm A Lover
Baritone Tiplove - A Luv Song
Bizzie Boyz - I Think I'm In Love
Slick Rick - A Love That's True
Mellow Man Ace - B-Boy I Love
Mystidious Misfts - Misfit Love
Heavy D & The Boyz - Nuttin But Love
Heavy D & Eclipse - Fools In Love
Strugglin Souls - Who's The One You Love
E.S.P. - Tell Me You Love Me
Crusaders For Real Hip Hop - We Love The Hotties
Top Choice Clique - Made For Love
Bush Babees - The Love Song
Treacherous Three - Love Rap
Kwame - Hai Love
Foundation 7 - Love Aint Like This
Biz Markie - Young Girl Bluez
Digital Underground - Whassup Wit The Luv Digital Underground - Digital Lover DJ Quick - I Got That Feelin
DJ Quick - It'z Your Fantasy
DJ Quick - Tha Ho In You
EDO. G & Da Bulldogs - Bed Partner
EDO. G & Da Bulldogs - Me And You Girl
Father MC - I Come Correct
Father MC - Red Lace Lingerie
Father MC - Close To You
Father MC - One Night Stand
Kool Moe Dee - I Like It Nasty
Kurtis Blow - Daydreamin
Little Shawn - I Got What U Need
Little Shawn - I'd Love 2
Positively Black - Quiet Storm
Red Hot Lover Tone - Pussy's All That

Junior Gee - Caveman Rock

2010-09-05T06:23:00.008-06:00

I probably mentioned elsewhere on this blog to not really knowing about the existence of rap music until 1983 when this record was released and even then it was just the b-boying thing; the undying interest in the music didn't come until the year after. I bought this only last year for a fiver and it's fine example of the influences US hip hop music was having on us lot on this side of 'the pond'. It's a long 'un too clocking in at just under 11 minutes for the vocal track which is really just vocal and instrumental tracks joined together to make one long disco party cut with a proper instrumental on the flip credited to the Funk Masters whoever they are. I remember seeing him performing live on the Electro Rock video and as far as I'm aware the only other record JG went on to record was 'The Terminator' in 1987 which is alright. I've got a copy. And a copy of the remix too.

Download

Poor Righteous Teachers - Time To Say Peace

2010-08-29T08:20:00.004-06:00

RE-UP

Time To Say Peace (Remix)
Time To Say Peace (Original Version)
Butt Naked Booty Bless
Butt Naked Booty Bless (Instrumental)
Word Is Bond

Download

Bill Deal & The Rhondels - Tuck's Theme

2010-07-18T03:35:00.005-06:00

A monster of a break that, to my knowledge was first used by People Under The Stairs on the the track, 'A.S.S.H.O.L.E.' on the debut LP 'The Next Step' which is possibly their heaviest work to date and I think they're excellent. Others that come to mind are a UK cut called 'French Guitar Lessons' by Beats In Progress which came out in the mid 'noughties' and more recently check this post here as one of the tracks samples it to great effect. There must be others but those two are the inspiration for this. I'm not sure of the release year as there isn't one stated on the label or the picture sleeve, (which features Bill and his five Rhondels looking pretty dapper I have to say) but I'd take a guess at very early seventies. This is actually the B-side and there's no mention of this on the sleeve at all as 'Swingin' Tight' must've been the style of the day but unfortunately there's nothing special about the A-side offering so you'll be glad it's only a couple of minutes long. I know I was. I didn't pay too much for this, maybe a few quid some years ago now but it's a decent track overall especially when you know what's coming around the 2:10 mark. If it's new to you then strap yourself in 'cos it's likely to knock you sideways.

Swingin' Tight
Tuck's Theme

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EPMD - You Gots To Chill

2010-07-11T03:55:00.006-06:00

I read a recently published interview with Erick & Parrish in the latest Waxpoetics magazine and from the not over revealing Q & A session I was reminded of two things. One, I only ever bought two 12"s by EPMD, 'Crossover', (for the B-side) and this one right here. Two, this is a arguably one of the best records made during the so called 'golden era' of hip hop music. Erick Sermon was no bomb squad type. He found a good break and just looped it, nothing fancy and that's probably why their first and second albums were so good because he kept it simple. I personally still appreciate them as much as when I first purchased them in Warp records on Division Street in Sheffield (now a costa coffee shop, yay..). I'm pretty sure this is an easy acquisition so my advice would be to get it got if you don't have it. It'll be fine, it says 1988 on the label.

Club Version
Radio Version
Dub Version
Acapella
Dubapella

Download

Akinyele - Ak Ha Ha! Ak Hoo Hoo? 12" Single (1993)

2010-07-02T19:07:00.010-06:00

Requested by Jamal

Classic 12 inch here from a classic album with dope production by Large Professor and scratches by Rob Swift.

Download (MediaFire)

Red Hot Lover Tone - Pussy's All That 12" Single (1992)

2010-06-09T23:14:00.013-06:00

Re-Up for Jamal. Enjoy!

Download (MediaFire)

Ray Rock & K.C. - The Incredible Ray

2010-05-30T03:08:00.004-06:00

It's Sunday once again so I've picked a crate of records I haven't looked at for ages and decided that this one is in need of a little exposure in case you forgot about it. I don't remember paying much for this, probably about 3 or 4 quid a few years ago but it's a solid tune, nothing fancy, just hard rockin' drum machine driven old school niceness.

The Incredible Ray
Freestyling
Voices without Music

Download

Duke - Recorded Delivery-The Royal Male EP

2010-05-23T06:02:00.009-06:00

Decent effort by one of the UK's most well known MCs after he dropped the 'MC' of course.

The Dog Catcher
I'm Comin'
Night Train

Download

Def Tex - Herbs & Verbs

2010-05-23T05:40:00.009-06:00

'Tales Of What Daddy Did' was always a fave of mine although the subject matter is not, I guess you could say, anything to like. I don't know if all these came with the lyric sheet to said track but mine did.

Download

Def Tex - Tutorial Sessions

2010-05-23T05:35:00.007-06:00

Superb first installment of the instrumental mini LP series from UK undergrounders Def Tex. I have all three but this is the most scarce and the best I think. Yeah, it is..

Download

Arthur Baker - Breaker's Revenge

2010-05-17T11:30:00.008-06:00

I had a go at Beat Street just recently for being a bit rubbish but I think this record, albeit not by any means a hardcore hip hop record, is a corker.A bit of a boring Sunday was on the cards yesterday so I grabbed a crate of records and this was the pick of the bunch as I hadn't heard it for a long time. 1984 eh, those were the days my friend..

Download

Jimmy Dockett - You Need Lovin' (So Do I)

2010-05-02T03:02:00.007-06:00

Once upon a time I was a budding DJ. I started off just mixing the records I already had but then came the breaks and I was hooked. The UBB series was the only commercial source where you got 8-10 tracks with a decent and often well known break on each cut so that seemed to be the way to go. I bought 'em all first time around including the elusive first press of volume 8, (which is not this one or this one) which was pulled almost as quickly as it was released due to copyright infringements or something, not sure of the whole story there. After I quit the deejaying thing due to lagging interest I carried on buying the wax as that's a more difficult habit to kick and I came across this little beauty. I'm pretty sure it's never been used as a base on any release to date, maybe on the odd DJ set,(which is where I first clapped ears on it), at some b-boy throwdown type thing as it's certainly one for the breakers. I'm not sure if attempting to share my enthusiasm for breaks is going to go down well and I hope Mach is ok with me posting such records but we'll give it a go shall we. Your comments both positive and negative are most welcome.

Download

JD Krush - Krush Style

2010-04-30T11:35:00.003-06:00

Here's a record I bought in '86 that I haven't played since '86, probably. It's alright I guess, not a standout track by any means but the beat was (and still is) the thing and this has a large one. Just three cuts, Radio, Long and Instrumental versions. I prefer 'Rappin Insane' and will get a copy one day I'm sure.

The JD Krush Groove

Gang Starr - Code Of The Streets

2010-04-22T11:37:00.006-06:00

My favourite record by one of the best hip hop groups of all time. Respect is due.

Download

DJ Elliot Ness & The Untouchables - Little Cezar

2010-04-19T11:39:00.005-06:00

I like this record a lot. It took me a while but I eventually bagged a copy about 5 or 6 years ago for a fiver which I thought was a bargain. Couldn't believe it. A fiver. And it's mint too. It doesn't seem to get too much of a mention when it comes to what could be described as 'classics' and in truth it probably isn't but to me it's the kind of record that gives me that instant nostalgic feeling that we all really enjoy. We like to talk about it and it makes us feel good. We love to remember the halcyon days' like old men reminiscing in the pub (or the doctor's surgery..) 'cos they were better. I remember walking down the street with the 'ghetto blaster' cranked to the hilt blasting this one out and people giving me funny looks. I didn't care though. Life's too short and they needed to hear it. So do you.

Download

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - Superrappin'

2010-04-16T11:34:00.007-06:00

Quality real old school disco rap and my personal fave of all time by 'the five emcees [that] sound like one'. A friend of a friend had some relatives over in Detroit in the US and after a 4 week stay over there he brought back some tapes with him of a guy called 'The Wizard' on WJLB (I think) and one of them had this cut on it which was the first time I ever heard it. I couldn't find a copy for years so when the re-issue dropped it was 6 quid well spent. Just the two tracks, vocal and instrumental on this one and a couple of spelling mistakes thrown in to annoy certain folk. Enjoy (records)..

Download

First Frontal Assault - Atomic Air Raid

2010-04-04T04:05:00.007-06:00

This is the second release by the lads from the West Midlands and is my personal favourite. Staying true to form there're three variations of the same track again but I feel this record just pips the one below for hardcoreness, (if that is a word). You can't deny that the break from 'Amen Brother' and a few sirens will make your Easter day just that little bit more special.

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First Frontal Assault - Bloodfire Assault

2010-04-04T03:59:00.004-06:00

I think these guys, like many UK artists went under the radar somewhat and I also feel that if they weren't signed to this label maybe their records would be sought after more considering that they were recorded almost 20 years ago. There're three variations of the same track on here and all are presented in the firin' 'britcore' (I hate that word) style.

Download

Pieces Of A Dream - Mt. Airy Groove

2010-04-02T03:03:00.009-06:00

I was watching one of those Michael Holman old school DVDs this morning, volume 1 to be exact and the first one on it is some bloke called MC Easy Gee and he's rhyming to this. It's all very entertaining but the thing that kept bugging me was the DJ who kept on letting the record play too long and the rappers on the original recording are overlapping Easy Gee's rhymes. Why didn't he just flip the plastic and use the instrumental version? Anyway, I don't have an OG copy just this bootleg which I bought around 3 or 4 years ago and it's just as nice. Also, check out the producer's name mid right, I never noticed that before.

Vocal
Instrumental

Download

Disco Four - Get Busy

2010-03-24T12:57:00.004-06:00

I've been walking to work (only part of the way) for a few months now to try and combat the inevitable middle age spread which has enabled me to listen to a lot more music than I normally would on my ipod thingy. I was trudging along in the pissing rain this morning and this came on and cheered me up a little as it's the kind of record I remember when I was a young 'un. Initial exposure for me was the B-side on John Peel's radio show and it must've been good because he played it on two seperate occasions and he didn't do that too often. The latest Fatlace podcast/radio show has some decent offerings too and they recall, albeit brief memories of John Peel's radio show as they're a couple of Northeners like myself and John Peel was the man for hip hop back then if you didn't live anywhere near that London so that's partly why I uploaded it today. And it's produced by Teddy Riley, which I'd forgotten, who made some thumpin' records before taking a turn down swingbeat & R & B Avenue and making some more commercial tunes aimed at the girls amongst us. This is quality though. Firin', speaker bustin', wife botherin', heavy drum machine driven hip hop and I love it.

Get Busy (Radio Edit)
Get Busy
Get Busy (dub)
Stomp, Stomp, Clap
Stomp, Stomp, Clap (Instrumental

Download

Short Fat Sally - Sally's Attack

2010-03-21T06:31:00.003-06:00

I won this on ebay last week for less than 3 quid which I thought was a bargain. I had never heard the A-side before but the B-side was always a personal fave of mine as DJ Cash Money gets busy good style on the scratching cut. I used to love the way he cut up the fat boys' 'come on beatbox play one for me', (which still sounds dope today), on 'You're A Pest' and I tried to emulate that many a time I can tell you. 'Sally's' Attack' is the inferior cut in my opinion but her name should win an award even though 'The Human Beat Breath' could be conceived to be a little disgusting sounding. Oh yeah, and they spelled 'you're' as 'your' on the label which is a schoolboy error and should've been corrected before going to press.

Sally's Attack
Your A Pest (Feat. Mac Fresh)

Download

World Class Wreckin' Cru - Best Of

2010-03-17T12:42:00.003-06:00

I wouldn't consider myself to be a very big fan of the Wreckin' Cru but I do like the debut single a lot. Songs such as 'Juice' with it's heavy breathing, 'House Calls' and the diabolical 'Lovers' were never really my cup o' tea even though I did once own two out the last three that I mentioned. 'Surgery' however is a fine record indeed and the version on this comp, although it is not listed as such on the label or the sleeve, is a remix and a pretty good remix too even though it does sound very much like the original. I think the lyrics are brilliant too and it's one track I know all the words to and can mime to in my room whilst rockin' the b-boy stance. Yeah right. Also please, no mention of the shiny suits and lip gloss, thanks.

The Fly
World Class
Surgery (Remix)
Juice
Lovers
House Calls
Cabbage Patch

Man, the freaks ain't freakin'

We're still looking for more contributors!

2010-03-11T10:12:00.004-07:00

Want to become part of To The Break Of Dawn? We're looking for anyone wanting to share out of print hip hop, electro, freestyle, dance... anything with a dope beat. Leave a comment with your email address or better yet shoot an email to machiventa858 at yahoo dot com and I'll add you to our list of funky dope contributors.

DJ Black Steel - The Original Wild Style Breakbeats

2010-03-10T11:54:00.005-07:00

I was 'suffering' with a bit of a cold last weekend so I stayed in bed an extra couple of hours and decided to watch 'Beat Street'. Now, I haven't seen it for a number of years and I have to say, it's pretty bad (and that's bad meaning bad). I searched for the Rocksteady bits, watched Melle Mel do his thing right at the end and swiftly switched to the superior and infinitely more entertaining 'Wild Style'. The music is real hip hop, the graff is real graff and the people are the subjects of the whole thing are the real deal too, (which is obvious from the acting but what the hell). Check out the Beat Street OST if you haven't and just count how many real hip hop tracks are on there and, considering there are two volumes, it's really not that many. Compare those to the one volume of Wild Style and it goes without saying that the music is more relevant to the whole movement even now. Watch Wild Style and not Beat Street for true hip hop legends. Jazzy Jay and Kool Herc only have bit parts in Beat Street and even Melle Mel is impersonated for the first verse of the title track. What the hell were they thinking?

Dixie Theme
Wild Style Theme
Hectic Style
Down By Law
Playtime
The chase
Wild Break
Subway
Crime Does Not Pay
Gangbusters
The Ampitheatre
South Bronx Theme
Military Breakbeat

Download

2 Live Crew - The Revelation / 2 Live

2010-03-07T09:02:00.006-07:00

Been after this 12" for longer than I can remember now but that good-things-come-to-those-who-wait business has paid off for once. I put up the B-side scan as that is the tune I remember the most. In fact I don't remember anyone ever playing the A-side when I was a kid, it was 'bea...bea...beatbox' all the way. It could sound a little minimal to new ears but I was real pleased when it was delivered on Friday and it sounds just as fresh as the first time. To me at least.

The Revelation
2 Live

'It's Gotta Be Fresh'

Public Enemy - Don't Rhyme For The Sake Of Riddlin'

2010-02-21T06:22:00.007-07:00

Time for a book recommendation, yes? I've been in a PE state of mind of late after reading this one which I bought a while back now but only just got around to reading. There's some really good stuff in there with some revalatory info that's definitely worth your time. PE haven't really been at the forefront of my mind for a while now but after thoroughly digesting this my own personal interest flame has been re-ignited and afterwards I chose 'Timebomb' to kick off the musical memory lane trip as that was the debut cut for me. I was gonna post the debut single but everybody's got that and I couldn't think of any music to accompany this post that's not already been extensively covered so I've decided on this 17 minute extra off the 'Live From The House Of Blues' DVD where Chuck goes back around Roosevelt, Long Island to places of PE interest kinda like a tour guide would if you were on holiday. >.>.>.Architects Of Rap

The Mighty Rap Specialist - Order In The Court

2010-02-14T02:44:00.006-07:00

Dope mid eighties jam and one that I didn't pick up first time around. I stumple upon this about 4-5 years ago whilst wading through an online acquaintances mp3 collection (of his own records mostly) and downloaded it 'cos of the title, which, incidentally, is the way I used to buy records in the early days as some of the people behind the counters in the stores 'didn't have time' to play a snippet of what you were interested in. Anyway, it's a really good track and I bought my own piece of wax about 2 years ago, still sealed for £2.78 which no-one on this earth could possibly sniff at.

Vocal
Instrumental

Download

Wreckin' Cru - Slice / Kru Groove

2010-02-10T03:49:00.005-07:00

When I was about 13 we formed an after school society and called it 'breaking club' and we held 'meetings' twice a week. At first we had to be chaperoned by a teacher and it usually lasted for about an hour. There were around 15 members at first but enthusiasm faded (amongst the weak..) and attendance soon dwindled to 5 and the teachers stopped showing up so we ended up staying as long as we wanted and some weeks we even stayed every day to practice on the shiny wooden floors in the hall and we all got quite good and formed a crew called 'Faze 4' (yes, that's right, there were 5 of us). After some months we all got kinda bored, the 5 became 3, we were dancing to the same music because it was too hard to get new tapes and records were non-existent until one day a new kid started, heard about the club and joined up and he brought a tape with new stuff on that we hadn't heard before. All hail the new kid (can't even remember his name, think it might be Joe) and the rebirth of 'Faze 4'. I don't need to tell you the name of the first cut that blasted out of the stereo. That's why old music is the best.

Slice
Kru Groove
Slice (Instrumental)
Kru Groove (Instrumental)

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Ultimate Force - Cuts Like These

2010-02-07T02:31:00.004-07:00

Dope 12" from '86 with some big reverb on the beats a la 'PSK' make this your typical fare from this era. This is the kind of record I loved back when I was a young 'un, rock hard beats, no nonsense rhyming and loads of scratching. The main hook of the tune is, 'you never heard a dj with cuts like these' and whether or not that was true is immaterial really; they big up their dj and their crew and tell everyone else that they're the best. Job done.

Vocal
Instrumental

Download

Leaders Of The New School - Classic Material 12" (1993)

2010-02-01T20:49:00.003-07:00

A1 - Classic Material (Album Vocal)
A2 - Classic Material (Remix Vocal) Remix - Diamond D
A3 - Classic Material (Album Instrumental)
B1 - Spontaneous (13 MC's Deep!) (Album Vocal)
B2 - Spontaneous (13 MC's Deep!) (Remix Vocal)
B3 - Spontaneous (13 MC's Deep!) (Album Instrumental)

Download (MediaFire)

Shango - Shango Funk Theology (1983)

2010-01-30T14:25:00.002-07:00

Some more Bambaataa Funk for your minds. Courtesy of Cheesy Chees.

A1 - Shango Message
A2 - Thank You
A3 - Soca Fever
B1 - Zulu Groove
B2 - Let's Party Down

Download (Megaupload)

Time Zone - Thy Will "B" Funk (1992)

2010-01-30T14:07:00.003-07:00

Don't know anything about this release but most things with Bambaataa involved are dope. Courtesy of Cheesy Chees

A1 - The 40oz Crew (The Drunk Mix)
A2 - The 40oz Crew (Inst. Mix)
A3 - Watch Me Now
A4 - Can You Flow
A5 - Can You Comprehend
A6 - Zulu Shout (Part 1)
B1 - Very Special (Radio Mix)
B2 - Very Special (Inst. Mix)
B3 - Zulu War Chant
B4 - In A Minute
B5 - The Zulu Shout (Part 2)

Download (Megaupload)

DJ Chuck Chill Out - Hip Hop On Wax Volume 1

2010-01-24T04:24:00.004-07:00

It's 1984 and I'm in my mate's basement breakin' to a streetsounds electro tape, dunno which one but it could've been any one of 4 that were out at the time and in walks an 'acquaintance' shall we say, who's not really into the scene but knows some people and he stops the tape, pulls another out of his pocket and places that into the machine and presses play. We were obviously outraged and although he was a bit of a stocky individual but we had numbers so were about to lay into him (verbally) when this track came on. I had to just stand and listen, couldn't move, the thumping intro and then the 'dj chuck chill out, dj chuck chill out..wha, wha, whatcha gonna do' and the resulting cutting and scratching extravaganza just had me mesmerised for about 7 minutes and I knew I wanted, no needed that tape, (no chance of getting the wax, I was a kid and had no money). Needless to say it took me months to get it and it wasn't directly off of him, it was through numerous friends and by then the sound quality had deteriorated quite substantially but anything was better than nothing. It did take me a long time to acquire my own copy and I did have to settle for the re-issue in the end but it's the tune and the ability to hold the vinyl in my hands that I was after. To me the fact that I remember where I was the first time I heard it would indicate two things. One is how impressionable we were when we were young 'uns which is true for everyone I guess and the other is just how good this record and many others from this particular era were and still are today.

Long Version
Short Version
Bonus Beats

Download

Fearless Four - Dedication

2010-01-10T03:21:00.004-07:00

A classic 12" for a cold and snowy Sunday morning. Just two cuts on here, vocal and instrumental. >>Download Here<<

Kev-E-Kev & AK-B - Keep On Doin'

2010-01-08T04:19:00.003-07:00

Stompin' golden age 12" from '89 and a must have in my opinion. I never managed to cop the OG so had to plump for this re-issue about 4-5 years ago but that didn't bother me as it was the tune I was after. I heard this on a WBLS tape I bought from my local record store, (which was Warp Records at the time and I still have the tape), but never saw it around and then it was too late and it passed me by. There was also a reissue of 'Listen To The Man' (look how many want it) which I did own back then but traded it ages back and so I bought the repress of that too. The man Paul C is involved once again so nuff said.

Keep On Doin'
Ak-Apella Mix
Dope Instrumental Mix
Acapella Mix

Download Here

Magnetic Force - Hip Hop Bystander

2010-01-07T03:26:00.004-07:00

I've only had this 12" for around 3-4 years now, got it off ebay from the USA and the postage cost me 3 times as much as I paid for the wax but I wanted it and it's pretty scarce so I bit the bullet. The guy I bought it from got it from the Jam Pony Express DJ team, as you can see from the stamp, and they're pretty well known stateside I'm lead to believe. I first heard this on a Mike Allen tape from '87 that a mate recorded on a visit to London, (his only reason for visiting London that particular day). He asked me if I wanted to go but I declined after he said he was 'just going to wander the streets and get the first train back in the morning'. I really didn't fancy roughing it in London so he managed to blag someone else to go along and he did let me copy the tapes when he got back which was surprising as he could be a bit of a twat. I've not seen him for about 15 years..

Vocal
Instrumental

Download Here

Malcolm Mclaren - Would Ya Like More Scratchin'

2010-01-04T06:52:00.006-07:00

6 track extravaganza by Malcolm Mclaren & the World's Famous Supreme Team and produced by the legendary record producer Trevor Horn who, amongst many others, was also responsible for Art Of Noise's 'Beatbox' and this one of course.

D'ya Like Scratchin'
She's looking Like A Hobo
Buffalo Gals
World's Famous
Hobo Scratch
Would Ya Like More Scratchin'

Download

The Rickie Clark Company - Time To Throwdown

2009-12-31T04:15:00.003-07:00

I sought after this for a long time. It's not a typical record that people who know me might think I would go for but I like it a lot. It was on the first tape of US import 12"s I ever got my hands on so that's probably why. The vocoder is the thing I loved about it and it still sounds great to me but I dare say if I'd heard it today for the first time I wouldn't be fussed so you might not be but I'll give it a shot. Just two tracks on here, long and short versions and whatever you're up to later on, have a happy new year. Download

PJ Rappers Feat. J-Groove - Use What You Got To Get What You Want

2009-12-14T11:38:00.004-07:00

I know nothing about this record except it sounded better when I first bought it in '88. Three cuts in total,a long, a short and an instrumental version and a U2 sample nonetheless. >> Download

The Future - Nuclear Holocaust

2009-12-06T04:35:00.005-07:00

Uplifting subject matter for the festive period I don't think but a fantastic record and one I was trying to track down since I first heard it back in '84 and succeeded a few years ago. I can remember there being some concern over the likelihood of nuclear war breaking out in the early eighties and leaflets and whatnot being distributed at school with procedures to follow should it ever occur. There was even a movie made in my home town (I knew some of the folk in it that were cast as extras) which had an unbelievably bleak outlook on the whole thing (I'm not for a minute suggesting that any kind of war couldn't really be so bad) but watch it and see what I mean. Anyway, I saw that film the other day for the first time in about 25 years and I thought of this record pretty much straight away. Now listen to it and try not to knod to the beat or tap your foot to the prospect of total world destruction.. Download Here quick Before It's Too Late

Just-Ice - Cold Gettin' Dumb

2009-11-09T11:37:00.005-07:00

I bought Peanut Butter Wolf's 45 live boxset last week which is the inspiration for me digging out the original 12" and posting it here. Fantastic tune, the x-side's nothing special but the OG is top drawer stuff, Mantronik was way ahead of his time with these absolutely thumpin' drum beats, play it real loud.

Yo, change the bass

Top Priority - Let The Homocides Begin

2009-11-08T07:18:00.003-07:00

I bought this the other week as it's less than likely that I'm gonna be able to secure a copy of the OG, classic golden era rap in bootleg 45rpm form, just the vocal and instrumental versions on this release.

Download

MC Smooth - Smooth & Legit

2009-11-05T11:40:00.007-07:00

Decent tune produced by the arabian prince, I don't have much info on the artist but there's a some concise info over here.

A1 - Smooth & Legit B1 - You Think You Want Some B2 - Legit Beats

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Davy DMX - The DMX Will Rock

2009-11-01T01:42:00.004-06:00

Had this on on the way home from work yesterday morning, classic record, 5 mixes in the file, 'tothebreakofdawn' is the pass.

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Cutmaster DC - That's Life

2009-10-31T05:57:00.007-06:00

The mighty Cutmaster's debut 12" is not his best but worth a listen. It was released in 1983 and I would say that is is exactly what you'd expect a rap record from 1983 to sound like. The first record I bought of his was 'Night Before Christmas' and I will admit to only really purchasing this to complete my Cutmaster DC 12" collection. I do like his rap style though. At least he put some effort in to it and keeps to the beat, not like nowadays with these young 'uns.. Just a vocal and instrumental on here although there is an official release with a picture sleeve knocking around, not sure if there are extra versions on there. Pass is 'tothebreakofdawn'.

That's Life

Live N' Effect Posse - I'm Getting Physical

2009-10-12T11:47:00.010-06:00

Fantastic slice of the so called 'Golden Era' style of things produced by the famous among 'random' fans, Paul C. I have to admit to never having heard of it until the bootleg came about and I forgot I'd bought a copy until recently and decided to sell it a few weeks back where it sold for 5 times more than I paid, which was nice. Such is the power of The Man..

Download Here

Three Times Dope - Funky Dividends 12" Single (1989)

2009-09-25T12:53:00.002-06:00

RE-UP

01 - Funky Dividends (Goin' For Broke Edit)
02 - Funky Dividends (Goin' For Broke Remix)
03 - Funky Dividends (Big Money Talkin' Beats)
04 - Funky Dividends (Modern Day Radio Mix)
05 - Funky Dividends (Great Groove Club Mix)

Download (Multiupload)

Spyder-D - I Can't Wait (To Rock The Mike) 12" Single (1986)

2009-09-24T17:26:00.001-06:00

Re-Up

A - I Can't Wait (To Rock The Mike)
B - I Can't Wait (To Rock The Mike) (Instrumental)

Download (Multiupload)

Public Enemy - Bring The Noise 12" Single (1987)

2009-09-24T17:15:00.006-06:00

RE-UP

Classic right here but you already know that. In my opinion this is one of the most important songs ever recorded. This was the track that launched The Bomb Squad's multi-layered noise on a world in need of beautiful chaos on wax. I could be wrong but I'm sure this dropped before Rebel Without A Pause which would be the next runner-up for supreme sonic assault on the masses in the work of Public Enemy. Either way I was extremely happy with both when they dropped and my life's purpose was complete at that moment in time - this is where I feel hip-hop can contribute to the spiritual path as well as the ego's - both tracks are now part of my energetic matrix and make me that much stronger in spirit. No shit. Originally released on the soundtrack for the film Less Than Zero, and as a 12 inch, here is where the B-Side doesn't win with a slightly altered version of Sophisticated Bitch but actually it's one of my favorite PE joints from their debut with sweet guitar by Bill Stephney & Vernon Reid from Living Colour. Enjoy!!

Somehow I have two different versions of this single so I compiled them into one zip but kept the folders separate. One is a limited edition release that includes Rebel Without A Pause.

01 - Bring The Noise (No Noise Version)
02 - Bring The Noise (No Noise Instrumental)
03 - Bring The Noise (No Noise Acappella)
04 - Sophisticated (Bitch)
05 - Sophisticated (Bitch) (Instrumental)

01 - Rebel Without A Pause (Vocal Mix)
02 - Rebel Without A Pause (Instrumental)
03 - Bring The Noise
04 - Sophisticated Bitch

Download (Multiupload)

LL Cool J - I Need A Beat 12" Single (1984)

2009-09-24T16:34:00.001-06:00

RE-UP

A1 - I Need A Beat (Vocal)
B1 - I Need A Beat (Zootie Mix)
B2 - I Need A Beat (Instrumental)

Download (Multiupload)

Eric B. & Rakim - Follow The Leader 12" Single (1988)

2009-09-17T14:51:00.001-06:00

RE-UP

A1 - Follow The Leader (5:33)
B1 - Follow The Leader (Acapella) (5:33)
B2 - Follow The Leader (Dub) (5:33)

Download (zShare)

Mikey D & The LA Posse - Out Of Control 12" (1988)

2009-09-17T14:40:00.001-06:00

RE-UP

A1 - Out Of Control (Vocal)
A2 - Out Of Control (Instrumental)
B1 - Comin' In The House (Vocal)
B2 - Comin' In The House (Instrumental)

Download (zShare)

Grandmaster Flash - Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang (1987)

2009-09-16T01:07:00.003-06:00

Tracklist:

A1 Ain't We Funkin' Now (0:59)
A2 U Know What Time It Is (3:23)
A3 Underarms (3:09)
A4 Kid Named Flash (3:50)
A5 Get Yours (3:34)
A6 Them Jeans (3:16)
A7 We Will Rock You (2:46)
B1 All Wrapped Up (3:16)
B2 Tear The Roof Off (2:29)
B3 Big Black Caddy (4:03)
B4 House That Rocked (4:00)
B5 Bus Dis (Wooo) (3:07)
B6 I Am Somebody (3:34)
B7 Ain't We Funkin' Now (1:20)

Download [RapidShare 320k]

Arabian Prince - It's A Dope Thang

2009-09-01T11:30:00.005-06:00

I first heard this whilst walking through the city centre in Sheffield (UK). Loads of b-boy types, writers and whatnot used to gather in a particular place and they happened to have this on the 'boombox' or whatever you want to call it and I loitered a little to try and catch any words I might remember to try and find it (no internet back then, how the hell did we live our lives?!) but failed until a mate of mine gave me the heads up after he bought his 'Brother Arab' LP when it first came out, (which he gave me later) and I eventually got a copy in 1999. The other 2 tracks, 'Hoggie Doggie' and 'Gettin' Down' are alright but the beat on 'Dope Thang' hits so hard it's difficult to give the others any time at all. B-side wins once again. Password is 'tothebreakofdawn'.

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JVC Force - Big Trax 12" (1992)

2009-08-25T16:26:00.005-06:00

RE-UP

A1 - Big Trax (Vocal)
A2 - Big Trax (Instrumental)
B1 - 6 Feet Back On The Map (Hardcore Mixup)
B2 - 6 Feet Back On The Map (Instrumental)
B3 - 6 Feet Back On The Map (Bedside Manor)

Download (MultiUpload)
Buy at Discogs

Public Enemy - You're Gonna Get Yours 12" (1987)

2009-08-22T15:18:00.006-06:00

RE-UP

PE really broke new ground on this single with Rebel Without A Pause, recorded after Yo! Bum Rush The Show. The most notable part of the song was Hank Shocklee's sample of the trumpet glissando from The J.B.'s The Grunt and is easily one of the most memorable sounds on the planet. A quote from an interview with Shocklee reveals some interesting tidbits behind the making of the track: "’Rebel’ is interesting because that was originally done with the only sampler that I had at the time which was the Mirage. And the Mirage, if you know the Mirage, it’s a 4-bit sampler that gives you three seconds of sample time and that’s it. And it was [as if] the stars lined it up for me. I was doing this thing again, and I was trying to catch it and I caught the right piece of it in three seconds. Because one thing about the Mirage is when you have three seconds, and you know you only got three seconds, and your piece is really three and a half seconds long, but you really want to catch the best three seconds out of that, well, you got to keep doing it until you catch it right the way you want it". Another very interesting fact is the drums. At first listen it seems like just the Funky Drummer chopped up a little with another programmed beat for the chorus. "That record has four different beats, one is the change beat, one is the original verse beat, the other is the short verse beat, and the fourth being the ride on the beat. And it has ten different turnarounds, all those little kicks, all that stuff is programmed, you know, each one does not repeat itself. So it gives you the illusion of the record is constantly getting better as opposed to it just staying linear". Also noteworthy is Terminator X's rock 'n' roll scratch (yes that's really him this time). "When he first did that piece, you know, the Rock 'n' Roll part, when Chuck said: ”Terminator X“ I was expecting, something (shows something huge with his arms). And then he came in and he would - (makes very small moves with his hands) and then he came up with ’tchgtchgtch’ – I was disappointed when I first heard it. You know, I took it home and I listened to it. And then I said: ”There is something in here that I like but there is something that I didn’t like about it.“ And so, when I went back to the studio, I had the engineer pull off the bottom on it because there was a lot more bass in it. And it just sounded muddy to me. Once Steve pulled the bottom of the whole shit popped out like crazy and it was my favorite piece in life. And even to the point when he took the ’Pee Wee Herman’ ’Get-a-get-a-get’ (scratches in the air) to give it a extra like (waves with his arms) – oh shit – I thought that that was probably the most brilliant piece of scratch work on a record to me ever".

Quotes from the Red Bull Music Academy interview with Hank Shocklee

A1 - You're Gonna Get Yours (Vocal)
A2 - You're Gonna Get Yours (Dub/Terminator X Getaway Version)
A3 - Miuzi Weighs A Ton (Vocal Mix)
B1 - Rebel Without A Pause (Vocal Mix)
B2 - Rebel Without A Pause (Instrumental)

Download (Multiupload)
Buy at Discogs

Leaders Of The New School - The International Zone Coaster 12" (1991)

2009-08-22T10:48:00.006-06:00

A1 - The International Zone Coaster (Re-Remix Edit) Remix - Stimulated Dummies
A2 - The International Zone Coaster (Remix) Remix - Stimulated Dummies
A3 - The International Zone Coaster (Ultra Shandilere Tango-Trixx Mix) Remix - L.O.N.S.
B1 - Too Much On My Mind (Vocal)
B2 - The International Zone Coaster (Zone Flight Z9ZU Mix) Remix - L.O.N.S.
B3 - The International Zone Coaster (Radio Edit) Remix - Stimulated Dummies

Download (Multiupload)
Buy at Discogs

Lord Alibaski - Lyrics In Motion / Top Gun

2009-08-22T06:14:00.004-06:00

Excellent effort from a relatively slept on flavor unit emcee and produced by you know who. I heard 'Top Gun' on a 45 king comp originally and I picked this copy of the 12" up a couple of years back for £2.99 and it was sealed too. I passworded the file, you need 'tothebreakofdawn' to get in there.

Download

3XD - Greatest Man Alive 12" (1988)

2009-08-19T11:31:00.016-06:00

Won this on ebay last week, 99p was the winning bid and you can't sniff at that. I'd buy almost anything for a quid. B-side wins again though, 'Straight Up' is a corkin' tune, proper heavy hip hop beats.

Download

Big Daddy Kane - Raw / Word To The Mother (Land) 12" (1987)

2009-08-17T10:00:00.002-06:00

A1 - Raw
A2 - Word To The Mother (Land)
B1 - Raw (Dubapella)

Download (MediaFire)

Intelligent Hoodlum - Back To Reality 12" (1990)

2009-08-08T10:25:00.005-06:00

A1 - Back To Reality
A2 - Back To Reality (Marley's Mix)
B1 - Back To Reality (UK Remix)
B2 - Back To Reality (UK Dub)
B3 - Live & Direct From The House Of Hits (Feat Craig G)

This single is worth grabbing just for the non-album track Live & Direct From The House Of Hits with Craig G. It's one of my all time favorite tracks. Grab it!

Download (MediaFire)
Download (DepositFiles)

Futura 2000 - The Escapades Of Futura 2000

2009-08-06T11:40:00.008-06:00

The Clash were my favourite band when I was a kid, heck, they probably still are. They met Futura in New York when they went over to play the now famous 17 gig stint at the Bonds club, or casino as the flyers said but it was just a club, (I think they added the casino moniker in an attempt to add a touch of class), as it was oversold. 'A' graffiti artist made a banner for the show (I assume it was Futura but can't be certain) and they obviously got together to collaborate on this gem of a 12". The Clash did make a couple of attempts at 'crossing over' and doing the hip hop thing and could possibly be the first white non American group to record a rap record but we'll discuss that another time. Overall, I would say that this is one of the best hip hop records ever made by a group who's primary musical genre wasn't hip hop and an emcee who isn't an emcee. Note: The band got Futura to reproduce the lyrics on the inner sleeve of 'Combat Rock'.

Escapades

Run-DMC - Hollis Crew

2009-08-03T11:44:00.004-06:00

I would credit 'sucker mcs' as being the record that got me into hip hop music back in 1983. I used to break (thanks to break machine!) before I knew rap music existed. I remember seeing the video to 'The message' on top of the pops but I never thought much about it, (I do now o' course), but run dmc were the best hands down in my opinion. I bought streetsounds electro 4 just for 'sucker mcs' as US imports were impossible to get a hold of in the north of England. This, however is my fave record by them. I'm not sure but I think it's a promo only 12" single and I only bagged a copy about 18 months ago for a fiver off ebay. The B-side is listed as the instrumental but it's slightly longer than the vocal version and is more of a dub style affair.

Hollis Crew

Witchdoctor & The Dominating 3 MCs - Kickin' It Live

2009-07-31T11:54:00.008-06:00

When I was a young 'un I listened to the late great John Peel's radio show every night religiously just to hear the hip hop as he was the only DJ playing it at the time, amongst other oddities and weirdness of course. I heard this one on that show and managed to get a copy some days later from Roulette records in Sheffield (which is now a sandwich shop) and it cost £12.99. I know this because I still have it today and it's a dope piece of wax, one I'd never want to sell, firin' on every level. 'Rock The House' became my personal favourite mainly because of the rhyming style but also the beat is off the chain, very experimental, no-one would do such a thing today. The cover's good too. One of them has a red shiny coat on and white moon boots. Also very experimental, no-one would do such a thing today and he probably shouldn't have back then. the password is 'tothebreakofdawn'. Didn't mean to do that, force of habit.

The dominating 3, Brooklyn's best crew.

Boogie Down Productions - Stop The Violence 12" (1988)

2009-07-30T13:40:00.001-06:00

A1 Stop The Violence (Extended Mix) (5:41)
A2 Stop The Violence (Single Edit) (3:42)
B1 Jimmy (4:11)
B2 Stop The Violence (Instrumental) (5:02)

Download (MediaFire)

Anyone want to contribute to my blog?

2009-07-23T12:38:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to apologize to everyone that I haven't posted anything new and haven't gotten to any re-ups. I would like to give the usual excuse that I've been so busy and have lost interest but I'll save that for some other dickhead. Soooo.....

If there's any of you out there that would like to contribute to this blog I would really appreciate the help. I'm not even sure if people still visit but together we can hopefully bring it back from the dead. If I don't get any responses after a week or so I'll probably end up re-upping every dead link and still add albums so don't worry about me shutting it down. If anyone's interested I personally try to stick to out of print east coast shit from 84 to about 94 but wouldn't mind stuff outside of that but I do want to try and stay true to out of print for the obvious reasons of not getting shut down and to the artists & labels who actually make some money on retail sales.

Just post in the comments and I'll see about getting you onboard to make some noise.

Hip Hop is alive

2008-10-27T15:47:00.002-06:00

I just recently came across a few really nice blogs that I thought I'd pass on if any of you haven't discovered them yet. Ain't It Good To You is run by DJ Dee-Ville and features old school mixes that he throws together and man this dude knows his history on hip hop. He also makes his own covers that look fantastic. MOOVMNT! is a site that posts newer hip hop but from my first visit it looks like it's mostly underground shit that I like and he has great write ups along with the music links. Another quality site is Check The Rhime run by Breezilla and I'm pretty sure I've visited it before but came across it again today. Lot's of new hip hop releases and info, so be sure to bookmark these sites and check regularly.

MassMirror can suck my balls

2008-08-16T10:32:00.003-06:00

Looks like most if not all of my Massmirror links are down. Somebody could have snitched me out to them so from now on I'm gonna be using ShareBee and possibly ShareOneAll since they've been around longer and are reliable. There's another one called UploadJockey but they're newer so they may not be as good. I know I've said I'll get to all the dead links in the past but now I'm forced to either get to em or shut this bitch down which I don't want. So hopefully in the coming weeks I can get to every dead link.

Whistle - (Nothing Serious) Just Buggin' 12" Single (1985)

2008-08-15T18:07:00.006-06:00

A1 - (Nothing Serious) Just Buggin'
B1 - Buggin' Much Harder
B2 - (Nothing Serious) Just Buggin' (Radio Beats)

Download (Sharebee)

Alliance - We Could Get Used To This (Re-Up)

2008-06-09T17:33:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple months... I've been lazy. I'll try and post more shit more often.

01 - Bustin' Loose (3:58)
02 - We Could Get Used To This (4:48)
03 - I, Alliance (3:49)
04 - Fish Heads (2:55)
05 - Your Idol (3:07)
06 - Down To Earth (3:15)
07 - Just Another Message (3:04)
08 - Ready Set (4:08)
09 - I've Found (2:13)
10 - Pure Skill (3:37)
11 - Leeches (3:01)
12 - Still You Sleep (3:04)
13 - Oreo Cookie (3:58)
14 - Do It! Do It! (4:52)
15 - Kibbles And Bits (4:25)
16 - Get On Down (3:51)

RE-UPPED!
Download (Sharebee)

T La Rock & Jazzy Jay - It's Yours 12" Single Repress (Partytime 2005)

2008-03-28T12:43:00.009-06:00

Special thanks to Moyinka for this 12.

My last post LL Cool J's I Need a Beat 12" was the very first official release on the Def Jam label way back in 84. At least on paper that's correct. In 1982, Hose an Art-Punk band founded by Rick Rubin released a 45 rpm 7" vinyl single in a brown paper bag, and no label as the first Def Jam release. It's Yours was the first record to appear with the Def jam logo and on the label it has PT 104 listed as the catalog number, but the runout groove has a second, cat# JAM-1, & the picture sleeve says JAM 1. In 1983 a few months before joining forces with Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin borrowed $5,000 from his parents and produced and recorded his first hip hop record It’s Yours on the Streetwise Records subsidiary label Party Time Records. The Beastie Boys' Mike D had this to say about the record: "As the hip hop mythology goes, Rick Rubin had arranged to put out a record by rapper Special K and Jazzy Jay, of the Treacherous 3 and Afrika Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation, respectively. When the arrangement with Special K fell through, Special K's brother T La Rock filled in and the rest is history. Rick Rubin then went into the studio to make a record with Jazzy Jay and T La Rock called It's Yours. And actually if you listen to the background track you can hear Adam (Horovitz) and myself (Mike D) and I think also Adam Yauch and Dave Swift and some other friends of ours saying "ho" and getting our claps on. Anyway so that record came out actually through… I think it was through Arthur Baker’s label… this label called Partytime. I think Arthur Baker had something to do with it. That record came out and Russell (Simmons) heard it. I think for him… it was shocking for someone he didn’t know had made it or someone that wasn’t from his world."

A1 - It's Yours (Radio Mix)
A2 - It's Yours (Instrumental)
A3 - It's Yours (Acapella)
B1 - It's Yours (Scratch Party Death Mix)
B2 - It's Yours (Instrumental Party)
B3 - It's Yours (Dubapella)

Link Fixed!! Download (Sharebee)