Memoirs Of Redefinition Radio #9: More Random Rap Stories

Memoirs Of Redefinition Radio #9

I have to admit I didn't own any music from Makeba & Skratch until fairly recently when I came across some MP3s online. When I ran across them the name did strike some familiarity, but I just can't place why. Even a google search on them didn't yield much in terms of results. I learned from www.discogs.com that they released a single in '89 and then an album in '91. "What Can I Do" is from that album, "Mental Fitness". It's a solid representation in every way: lyrically, musically, and conceptual. I'm definitely on a mission to learn more about them as well as find more music. Any info on them is welcomed. Encouraged even….

Not to sound like an out of touch old-timer, but I find myself most often listening to older music. It's particularly uncommon that a artist I have never heard of comes out of nowhere with an album that really impresses me. It's even less likely for them to have a follow up album do the same thing. That's why you'll find me always talking about Collective Efforts. I got their "Trail Mix" CD when it was passed to someone I know on tour and I stumbled across it when unpacking the suitcase. I put it to the side with the stacks of other CDs that I wanted to listen to. Who knows how long went by until the day I was like, 'What the hell I'll check this out today.' I was pleasantly surprised. The first thing that I noticed is that it just had a good feeling to it, a nice vibe. The MCs had distinctive voices and nice flow. The content was interesting, focused and filled with substance. Many of the choruses often had the MCs providing some soulful singing that I generally compare to "Goodie Mob-ish", which may have some relation to the fact they are also from Atlanta. Ironically enough, upon listening to this CD I found myself playing it a lot for the next week or so all the while in my mind I was wondering, 'What else are there guys working on?'. Lo and behold, in that same time frame their then upcoming (it has since been released) CD, "Medicine" arrived in the mail and I finally made the connection that one of the guys involved in their indie label was actually someone I was already working with….ah, the huge yet small world of indie Hip Hop.
"Everything Else" is from their second album. It's an excellent display of their progress from "Trail Mix" even though it's only a year later. The have managed to focus on their strengths of vibes and soulful-ness but with out losing the edge and intensity of the lyrics…by no means an easy task. I'm convinced and I imagine you will be to:

Connect with them here:
http://myspace.com/collectiveefforts

Just-Ice is the truth! I really could just say no more and many Golden Age Hip Hoppers would probably nod their heads in agreement and know exactly what I mean…ha. However, just in case I'll go a lil' further. First off, the starting roots of what has long been termed "Gangsta Rap" can be discussed and debated all sorts of ways, but no matter how you view Just-Ice has to be recognized at the forefront of it all. No question about it, he is presented as a menacing character. He's cut like a body builder. His mouth is filled with gold teeth. You can't read about him without hearing about his appearance on America's Most Wanted or other brushes with the law and things of that nature. Reading old interviews with him would make most interviewers not risk it. However, his music isn't filled with talk of guns and violence. As a matter of fact, his "Kool & Deadly" album is more focused on paying homage to the creators of Hip Hop, flexing his vocabulary, and cementing his place as a pioneer of mixing Hip Hop and Reggae. "On The Strength" is just Hip Hop in it's purest form. It's a stripped down but interesting drum beat with Just-Ice just going for self. I think it's best described by the man himself, "I got a style that's hard, a temper untamed saying lyric's that are raw make 'em stick in your brain. I was born to destroy, never face defeat, 6'3 of terror, 11 gold teeth…"

The Jaz is one of those MCs who will probably never get his deserved credit. Besides being an amazing lyricist, he's one of Hip Hop's most diverse artist who has been blessed with skills that have stood the test of time. He's pretty much done it all. He produced hit records for Jay Z. He produced lots of underground/indie bangers. He's proven himself to be a master of wordplay and storytelling. He made his debut in '86 with a virtually unknown 12" record called "HP Get Busy". More recently it's gotten some light because it is also the first appearance of Jay Z. Not long after that he started working with a promising producer at the time named Fresh Gordon. Together they recorded a track called "Music I Believe In" which also is believed to be the roots of his then beef with LL Cool J (man this guy made a lot of rappers angry). The track uses the same elements used for LL's "Jack The Ripper" (more on the LL Vs The Jaz story in a later entry I don't want to lose focus here…or pick on LL anymore so close to my last post…ha). A couple years later he got a deal with EMI and released his first solo album in '89 called "Word To The Jaz". This is in a time were major labels were all about signing rap artists but they were also working very hard to turn them into pop stars as well. The rumors in the late 80s and early 90s of labels/A&Rs pressuring artists into making certain songs are things of legend. Generally these songs are painfully obvious and often out of place on albums. They also quite often didn't garner the success they were supposedly formulated to. For The Jaz this song was "Hawaiian Sophie", which featured Jay Z on some back up vocals. However, the album had a handful of tracks that better showcased his talents. I remember the day I "got" this album. One of my best friends at the time, Curtis, picked it up at the mall and we went right to the basketball courts with my boom box. A few songs caught my attention and "somehow" that tape is still alphabetized in my tape collection today. Anyway, "Pumpin" is easily my favorite track on the album and probably the best example of the lyricist that The Jaz would soon become. It also features Jay Z on the breaks speaking to the people in a talking rhyme style. The Jaz just attacks the mic. There's even glimpses of where him and Jay Z would later take lyricism with the exquisite touch with lines like, "Pumping like the '88 E-Class spoiler kit with tinted glass" or "Pumping, taking charge, cold living large. Fist to wrist and a neck full of the gold stuff. Pockets thick and we never get enough". One of the things that stand out from in this track and with The Jaz in general is his swift delivery and effortless sounding flow. He later perfected these elements as well as further developing his knack for clever word play and stunning visual imagery with his sophomore album, "To The Soul" and much later in the mid 90s to the present under the name Big Jaz. However, like previously stated he never quite made the impact or sales to compliment his skill. At the end of "Pumpin" he states, "Jaz is my name destined for fame, Jay Z and Fresh Gordon destined to do the same". Unfortunately, he was only correct on one account…then again the skills are still in tact so maybe there's still time.

Hijack is crew who I've definitely spoken about a lot and even wrote about in a previous entry ("Hip Hop Around The Globe"). In fact, if you ever ask me about my all time favorite Hip Hop artists/songs/stories/whatever it's basically guaranteed that Hijack will get referenced. "The Badman Is Robbin" is classic Hijack. I always thought it was very clever how the MC, Kamanchi Sly, did a style where he added more syllables in each bar to virtually make the style more complex with each line. Plus I still smile at the simple yet effective metaphor of, "Take Your Seating or Take a Beating Hi Jack Is No Greeting". All the while, DJ Supreme constructs the kind of track that makes you want do some highway driving.

"You're On Notice"…what a great name for a song! Raheem The Vigilante is from Texas and was an original member of the Ghetto Boys but went solo before any records were released. This track is off his '88 debut. It's just an up-tempo beat and some battle rhymes…which is all you really needed to satisfy me in the '80s and here I am listening and still smiling.

I brought the Krown Rulers album as soon as it dropped in '88. I had never heard of them, so why did I buy it? I admittedly had not heard their collaborative release with the Tuff Crew called "Phanjam" in '87 at that point. Perhaps the fact it was produced by the Tuff Crew caught my eye. Truthfully I think the appearance of them on the album cover in full suits of knights armor in front of a castle is what peaked my interest. I mean anyone who would do that has to be on "the next level"…ha. Anyway, I took the risk and it was worth it. The album is filled with hardcore beats (as expected from the Tuff Crew). There's plenty of excellent scratching courtesy of DJ Royal Rocker. MC, Grand-Pubah (no relation to the Brand Nubian member of the same name), attacks the mic like he was born to rap. I know there are a couple other tracks on the album that have become the cult classics (and used for a few scratch hooks and beat jacks in recent years) but "Call Me The New Sire" is definitely the personal favorite. I just love his abstract yet hardcore demeanor on the mic. He drops lines like, "….money with the nine out the limo door, I'm not trying to be a gangster, I'm trying to be a sure". I was very happy to see this finally released on CD this year. If you are out looking for a great late 80s Hardcore Hip Hop record you never explored, they are your guys…just look for that cover, it shouldn't be hard to spot.

One of my all time most wanted demos is DJ Too Tuff & MC Mechanism. They were featured in the Source back in the early '90s for the Unsigned Hype column. Actually, I didn't even need to read the article to know I really wanted to hear it. It was only a couple years earlier on the Tuff Crew's "Back To Wreck Shop" album where I was introduced MC Mechanism. He's a guest MC on "Come On & Go Off" and he left a definite impression on me. He had a certain confidence that came of like he was commanding respect. He also flipped a pretty impressive style in the way he arranged the words and rhyme schemes. If anyone has that demo I'm still waiting….not so patiently…. Oh yeah, please go give respects to the DJ Duece Ase Detanator Too Tuff for being a serious scratch fanatic: www.myspace.com/djtootuff

More random rap stories to come. You can hear this show at the webpage:

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/redefinition_radio

OK, this just in!!!! I went to grab some info from Too Tuff's Myspace page and saw that Emcee Mechanism now has his own page. Hit him up too and check out the new music:

http://www.myspace.com/emceemechanism

I have to go now to pay my respects, peace!!!