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

For the most part I post up my favorite old school rap albums and singles and this LP easily finds its way into my top 10 old school albums. I know it's not rated in most peoples top albums but I'm different and I like that. Black, Rock & Ron exemplify everything I love about hip-hop, most notably fun, intelligent, braggadocio b-boy rhymes and funky, sample driven production and break beats with that dope old school scratching that's on time. This album has what most albums in 89 had with positive messages of peace and unity on the title track, bragging about Rap Life, the token house track which is actually really good to sex raps with all three members (no pun intended) taking turns with Yvonne. 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 allowed 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 this point they apparently found management by the one and only Rush Town at the request of LL Cool J. Then getting signed to RCA Records and featuring co-production by Tony Sims & Thomas Davis (who?) and executive production by Jurggen Korduletsch (who?), Black, Rock and Ron put together the material for their debut album Stop The World. With engineers Paul C, DJ Doc, and Skeff Anselm at the boards, a few 12 inch singles, and a couple videos things were looking bright for the groups future. They even were involved in the Hip-Hop Artist Against Apartheid Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa) anti-apartheid song, but like so many rap artists, 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 FEB 2011
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Here's the video to Getting Large which uses the 12" version.

Black, Rock & Ron - You Can't Do Me None 12" Single (RCA 1990)

A1 - You Can't Do Me None (BRNR Vocal Remix)
A2 - You Can't Do Me None (BRNR Instrumental Remix)
B1 - You Can't Do Me None (Prince Paul Remix)
B2 - You Can't Do Me None (Prince Paul Remix Instrumental)
B3 - You Can't Do Me None (Prince Paul Remix, Beat Mix)

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You Can't Do Me None video for your viewing pleasure.

Black, Rock & Ron - True Feelings 12" Single (RCA 1989)

A1 - True Feelings (Phily Club Mix)
A2 - True Feelings (Dub Mix)
A3 - True Feelings (Phily 7")
B1 - True Feelings (True Rock Mix)
B2 - True Feelings (True Rock Instrumental)
B3 - True Feelings (Paul C Hip Hop Mix)

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True Mathematics - After Dark 12" Single (Select 1987)

A1 - After Dark
A2 - Greeks In The House
B1 - After Dark (Dub)
B2 - Greeks In The House (Instrumental)

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True Mathematics - For The Money 12" (Champion/Select 1988)

A1 - For The Money
A2 - For The Money (Instrumental)
B1 - K.A.O.S.S.
B2 - K.A.O.S.S. (Instrumental)

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

And another special treat for all of my visitors. I pretty much went into it on the Bring The Noise post but I gotta say something about one of my all time favorite 12's. I mean come on - the Johnny Juice Rosado I mean Terminator X Getaway Mix is just about one of the best scratch tracks ever, period. I wore the hell out of that song back in the day, and FINALLY recently found the mp3's so now I'll be wearing out the digital file if that's possible. It's funny, I've seen alot of dudes on Bust The Facts or other places on the net say things like they lost their vinyl collection in a fire or their cassette collection in a flood and I gotta tell ya - I'm one of those guys!!! in my case it was a flood, lol seriously! - and these PE 12's (also PE # 1) were among the ones that I was REALLY REALLY pissed about losing. My collection I lost was mostly 12's, some LP's and about 150 cassettes. I only have a handful of tapes that survived to this day and thanks to Dread, I've slowly built up my collection to what it was and even larger, even though their all in mp3 form, fuck - I don't care, as long as I get to hear all my favorites again. Dread was sharing his collection with me a long time before he and Jimmy started Bust The Facts, so now alot of those other poor souls who lost their collections are slowly building them back up to what they previously were. If you're like me and cherish old school rap, then people like Dread, Jimmy, Travis, Kido, EMDEE, DrOK, etc. are a godsend sharing their favorite LP's, singles, and insight. Please take the time to thank, praise & share knowledge at all your daily stops - it really does take alot of time and energy to post up albums, write-ups and shit like that. Ok? Eventually all of us will be gone and others will replace us but just a quick comment really does mean alot.

ANYWAY!! - lol - on to the record again. 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)

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

Classic right here. 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!!

A1 - Bring The Noise (No Noise Version)
A2 - Bring The Noise (No Noise Instrumental)
A3 - Bring The Noise (No Noise Acappella)
B1 - Sophisticated (Bitch)
B2 - Sophisticated (Bitch) (Instrumental)

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8 Year Old Japanese Girl DJ Sara Cuts Shit Up - Future Champion Turntablist

Found this around the net and to my surprise she wrecks shit. Great skills all around - looking forward to see what she does with it in the future. I'd love to see her cut up some old school beats, most of the beats turntablists cut over are on some wack techno shit. These aren't too bad though, a little Rock It chop up and an Electro-ish beat.



Another video with her brother? DJ Ryusei on the wheels of steel. Damn, look at those stacks behind em!!

LL Cool J at Zune's Live At The BBQ in Brooklyn

LL still has it! He rips through Radio, The Boomin Sytem and I'm Bad with precision. I knew one of my favorite MC's still had it in him to school these new MC's on how rap is supposed to be done. Now only if he could release another classic.

I've been bumping LL alot lately so i'm on the hunt for some 12's - so stay tuned!

X-Clan - Fire & Earth 12" Single (Polydor 1991)

A - Fire & Earth (100 % Natural)
B - Fire & Earth (90 % Juice 10 % Spring Water)

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