Normal Bias » The Year in Rap http://www.normalbias.org Archiving old cassettes before they snap Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:10:38 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Copyright © 2010 Normal Bias normalbias-org@laze.net () normalbias-org@laze.net () posts 1440 Archiving old cassettes before they snap normalbias-org@laze.net No no http://www.normalbias.org/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg Normal Bias http://www.normalbias.org 144 144 The Year in Rap – 1995 http://www.normalbias.org/2009/10/15/the-year-in-rap-%e2%80%93-1995/ http://www.normalbias.org/2009/10/15/the-year-in-rap-%e2%80%93-1995/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:19:47 +0000 laze http://www.normalbias.org/?p=185 This is the final in The Year in Rap series. Lots of good stuff here, though not my favorite in the series. Some exclusive stuff you’ll find include David J Hip-Hop Central remixes of “Fast Life” and “Mic Check” (where he even lends a verse). Saafir’s “Pull Ya Card” is on here, too, an underappreciated gem from the saucee one, in my opinion.

I had always intended to create cover art for this one, but just ended up printing up some cheesy cover with just the name of the mix and the track listing. I can’t even find a copy of the cover, though I know it’s in the basement somewhere.

Since I don’t have cover art, here’s the track listing.

Side A:

Ear to the Concrete Intro… Laze
Rather Unique… AZ
Fast Life (Hip-Hop Central Remix)… Kool G Rap feat. Nas
Invasion… Jeru the Damaja
Runnin’… Pharcyde
Reprogram… Channel Live
Put It On… Big L
Sandwiches… Count Bass D
Natural Disaster… Supernatural
KMEL Freestyle… Supernatural
MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know… KRS-One
Pull Ya Card… Saafir

Side B:

Side 2 Intro… Laze
Superstar… Group Home
Hole in the Bucket (Live Radio Session)… Spearhead
Honeydips in Gotham… Boogiemonsters
Labels… Genius/Gza
Criminology… Raekwon
No Flow On the Rodeo… King Just
The Nod Factor… Mad Skillz
Elevate… B.U.M.S. (Brothas Under Madness)
Crooklyn (Part II)… Crooklyn Dodgers (Chubb Rock, O.C., and Jeru)
Mic Check (Hip-Hop Central Remix)… Aceyalone

]]> http://www.normalbias.org/2009/10/15/the-year-in-rap-%e2%80%93-1995/feed/ 0 43:01 This is the final in The Year in Rap series. Lots of good stuff here, though not my favorite in the series. Some ... This is the final in The Year in Rap series. Lots of good stuff here, though not my favorite in the series. Some exclusive stuff you'll find include David J Hip-Hop Central remixes of "Fast Life" and "Mic Check" (where he even lends a verse). Saafir's "Pull Ya Card" is on here, too, an underappreciated gem from the saucee one, in my opinion. I had always intended to create cover art for this one, but just ended up printing up some cheesy cover with just the name of the mix and the track listing. I can't even find a copy of the cover, though I know it's in the basement somewhere. Since I don't have cover art, here's the track listing. Side A: Ear to the Concrete Intro... Laze Rather Unique... AZ Fast Life (Hip-Hop Central Remix)... Kool G Rap feat. Nas Invasion... Jeru the Damaja Runnin'... Pharcyde Reprogram... Channel Live Put It On... Big L Sandwiches... Count Bass D Natural Disaster... Supernatural KMEL Freestyle... Supernatural MC's Act Like They Don't Know... KRS-One Pull Ya Card... Saafir Side B: Side 2 Intro... Laze Superstar... Group Home Hole in the Bucket (Live Radio Session)... Spearhead Honeydips in Gotham... Boogiemonsters Labels... Genius/Gza Criminology... Raekwon No Flow On the Rodeo... King Just The Nod Factor... Mad Skillz Elevate... B.U.M.S. (Brothas Under Madness) Crooklyn (Part II)... Crooklyn Dodgers (Chubb Rock, O.C., and Jeru) Mic Check (Hip-Hop Central Remix)... Aceyalone 1990s,,1995,,Hip-Hop,,Mixtape,,The,Year,in,Rap normalbias-org@laze.net no No The Year in Rap – 1994 http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/22/the-year-in-rap-1994/ http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/22/the-year-in-rap-1994/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:31:04 +0000 laze http://www.normalbias.org/?p=179 The third entry in The Year in Rap series features everyone you might expect to be featured on a “best singles and soundtrack appearances” compilation from 1994: Saafir, Organized Konfusion, Jeru, O.C., Ras Kass, and E-Rule along with a couple of surprises (bet you weren’t expecting Fesu, were you?). This collection features a number of “Remix Lites” done by yours truly. What’s a “Remix Lite”? It’s essentially the original song with a few extra samples layered on top (dig the Curtis Mayfield loop over Nas’ “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”).

One track you’ve probably never heard is the Hip Hop Central Remix of Saafir’s “Light Sleeper.” As far as I know, this compilation is the only place anywhere this version of the song is available. It was produced by David J. Warner, an alt.rap original and former host of the “Hip-Hop Central” radio show out of Bloomington, Indiana. I haven’t spoken with David in more than a decade and have no clue where he is these days. It’s a mighty dope remix, though.

The sole drop on this one comes courtesy of Michael Franti of Spearhead. Liner notes are much less embarrassing this time around, aside from a swipe I took at the Digable Planets for being assholes to me when I tried to interview them. Not that I hold a grudge or anything. (Years later I interviewed Ladybug Mecca in an interview that was so strange it couldn’t be published.)

Cover art again courtesy of Devo Spice.

The Year in Rap 1994
click through for the full j-card

]]> http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/22/the-year-in-rap-1994/feed/ 0 44:04 The third entry in The Year in Rap series features everyone you might expect to be featured on a "best singles and soundtrack appearances" compilation ... The third entry in The Year in Rap series features everyone you might expect to be featured on a "best singles and soundtrack appearances" compilation from 1994: Saafir, Organized Konfusion, Jeru, O.C., Ras Kass, and E-Rule along with a couple of surprises (bet you weren't expecting Fesu, were you?). This collection features a number of "Remix Lites" done by yours truly. What's a "Remix Lite"? It's essentially the original song with a few extra samples layered on top (dig the Curtis Mayfield loop over Nas' "It Ain't Hard to Tell"). One track you've probably never heard is the Hip Hop Central Remix of Saafir's "Light Sleeper." As far as I know, this compilation is the only place anywhere this version of the song is available. It was produced by David J. Warner, an alt.rap original and former host of the "Hip-Hop Central" radio show out of Bloomington, Indiana. I haven't spoken with David in more than a decade and have no clue where he is these days. It's a mighty dope remix, though. The sole drop on this one comes courtesy of Michael Franti of Spearhead. Liner notes are much less embarrassing this time around, aside from a swipe I took at the Digable Planets for being assholes to me when I tried to interview them. Not that I hold a grudge or anything. (Years later I interviewed Ladybug Mecca in an interview that was so strange it couldn't be published.) Cover art again courtesy of Devo Spice. click through for the full j-card 1990s,,1994,,Hip-Hop,,Mixtape,,The,Year,in,Rap normalbias-org@laze.net no No The Year in Rap – 1993 http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/19/the-year-in-rap-1993/ http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/19/the-year-in-rap-1993/#comments Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:59:03 +0000 laze http://www.normalbias.org/?p=169 The second entry in The Year in Rap series still was more compilation than mix, but it’s still head and shoulders above the previous year’s entry and stands as a really solid example of that classic 1993 sound.

It kicks off with a mix of a Malcolm X speech laid over top of Stanley Clarke’s “Black On Black Crime” from the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack (I used this same blend on a high school Media/TV Tech video project about the Rodney King beating and ensuing riots). Appropriately, it then runs into Masta Ace’s “Jeep Ass Niguh.” Also representing 1993: Raw Breed, Art of Origin, Hiero (three times!), Original Flavor, PRT, and Jeru. I’d venture to say there’s not a single dud on this mix.

One track you probably haven’t heard but will want to check out is Martay and B-Right’s “Smokin’ Joints.” These two guys were part of the East Coast Tribe, a crew out of Atlanta’s underground. (Martay’s name may sound familiar from Upski’s Bomb the Suburbs (page 19).) Martay’s still kicking and every couple of years I get an e-mail from B-Right. Good people who made good music that wasn’t heard by nearly enough people.

The cover was designed by nerdcore star Devo Spice.

I should also note that the liner notes on this one are even more embarrassingly awful than 1992.

Dig in.

The Year in Rap - 1993
Download: Front cover / Liner notes

]]> http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/19/the-year-in-rap-1993/feed/ 2 44:45 The second entry in The Year in Rap series still was more compilation than mix, but it's still head and shoulders above the previous year's ... The second entry in The Year in Rap series still was more compilation than mix, but it's still head and shoulders above the previous year's entry and stands as a really solid example of that classic 1993 sound. It kicks off with a mix of a Malcolm X speech laid over top of Stanley Clarke's "Black On Black Crime" from the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack (I used this same blend on a high school Media/TV Tech video project about the Rodney King beating and ensuing riots). Appropriately, it then runs into Masta Ace's "Jeep Ass Niguh." Also representing 1993: Raw Breed, Art of Origin, Hiero (three times!), Original Flavor, PRT, and Jeru. I'd venture to say there's not a single dud on this mix. One track you probably haven't heard but will want to check out is Martay and B-Right's "Smokin' Joints." These two guys were part of the East Coast Tribe, a crew out of Atlanta's underground. (Martay's name may sound familiar from Upski's Bomb the Suburbs (page 19).) Martay's still kicking and every couple of years I get an e-mail from B-Right. Good people who made good music that wasn't heard by nearly enough people. The cover was designed by nerdcore star Devo Spice. I should also note that the liner notes on this one are even more embarrassingly awful than 1992. Dig in. Download: Front cover / Liner notes 1990s,,1993,,Hip-Hop,,Mixtape,,The,Year,in,Rap normalbias-org@laze.net no No The Year in Rap – 1992 http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/18/the-year-in-rap-1992/ http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/18/the-year-in-rap-1992/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:04:25 +0000 laze http://www.normalbias.org/?p=158 It’s been nearly four months since my last post. I have a bunch of stuff lined up, so the pace should pick up a bit for the remainder of the year.

Back in 1992, I was 17-years-old, filled with love for hip-hop at a time that most of my peers were moving onto other genres. A friend and I were making (admittedly pretty awful) music and I was armed with a good quality dual-cassette deck. Beginning in 1992 and going through 1995 I compiled the best hip-hop singles and soundtrack appearances into a 90-minute collection and sold them to friends and online. It was a great time.

Here is the first of the four editions of The Year in Rap. This one isn’t mixed or blended, as I didn’t own a 4-track or mixer, so it’s a pretty straightforward compilation. Just using a tape deck didn’t stop me from trying to make it sound like I was using vinyl, though, even faking the sound of a record stopping and doing a “remix” of Tung Twista’s “Mr. Tung Twista” by using the pause-tape method of switching between the acapella and vocal versions of the track.

In this era where pretty much every great mixtape has found its way online, this one certainly isn’t one of the best or most sought-after, but it does hold some treats. For a few of the tracks, I opted to use versions I’d heard on the radio, so you’ll hear DJ Jay-Ski and DJ Kam unknowingly participating on my mixtape (the version of “Dwyck” is especially dope). And while there aren’t any seriously rare joints here, it probably is one of the few “year in review” mixes that includes Raheem and Insane Poetry alongside Naughty By Nature and Roxanne Shante. This is the least interesting (and least technically proficient) of the four tapes in the series, but after listening to it today for the first time in probably ten years, I can say it’s still a good listen.

The j-card (remember those?) is handmade, printed from my old Apple II compatible onto a dot-matrix printer. The shout-outs are embarrassing and the references to a SASE, Dolby B, and HX Pro are quaint.

Enjoy.

Year in Rap 1992
click through for the full j-card

]]> http://www.normalbias.org/2009/09/18/the-year-in-rap-1992/feed/ 1 46:18 It's been nearly four months since my last post. I have a bunch of stuff lined up, so the pace should pick up a ... It's been nearly four months since my last post. I have a bunch of stuff lined up, so the pace should pick up a bit for the remainder of the year. Back in 1992, I was 17-years-old, filled with love for hip-hop at a time that most of my peers were moving onto other genres. A friend and I were making (admittedly pretty awful) music and I was armed with a good quality dual-cassette deck. Beginning in 1992 and going through 1995 I compiled the best hip-hop singles and soundtrack appearances into a 90-minute collection and sold them to friends and online. It was a great time. Here is the first of the four editions of The Year in Rap. This one isn't mixed or blended, as I didn't own a 4-track or mixer, so it's a pretty straightforward compilation. Just using a tape deck didn't stop me from trying to make it sound like I was using vinyl, though, even faking the sound of a record stopping and doing a "remix" of Tung Twista's "Mr. Tung Twista" by using the pause-tape method of switching between the acapella and vocal versions of the track. In this era where pretty much every great mixtape has found its way online, this one certainly isn't one of the best or most sought-after, but it does hold some treats. For a few of the tracks, I opted to use versions I'd heard on the radio, so you'll hear DJ Jay-Ski and DJ Kam unknowingly participating on my mixtape (the version of "Dwyck" is especially dope). And while there aren't any seriously rare joints here, it probably is one of the few "year in review" mixes that includes Raheem and Insane Poetry alongside Naughty By Nature and Roxanne Shante. This is the least interesting (and least technically proficient) of the four tapes in the series, but after listening to it today for the first time in probably ten years, I can say it's still a good listen. The j-card (remember those?) is handmade, printed from my old Apple II compatible onto a dot-matrix printer. The shout-outs are embarrassing and the references to a SASE, Dolby B, and HX Pro are quaint. Enjoy. click through for the full j-card 1990s,,1992,,Hip-Hop,,Mixtape,,The,Year,in,Rap normalbias-org@laze.net no No