The Diggin In The Crates Crew just put out this ill remix album as a thank you to the fans for twenty years of support. Obviously the beats and rhymes are top-notch, with non-stop boom-bap slickness from beginning to end, as the unit utilize their world-class in-house production, while allowing a few of their their upper-echelon alumni to reshape their classic tracks. Alchemist sets it off with military precision as his tense string samples set the scene for the crew’s lyrical murder on We All, while Bink’s remix of Da Enemy is so fly you might get vertigo, and L’s legendary rhymes stick fast to the track like Olympic sprinters, leaving Joey Crack to end the tune with a heavyweight verse.
After Apollo Brown’s dope work on his 12 Reasons To Die tape last year and a masterfully-crafted Planet Asia remix EP, it’s no surprise his soulful take on All Love is an album highlight. The drums drop in and out to keeps you guessing, and his dynamic horn arrangements swirl through the mix over nicely underplayed kicks, accommodating only the finest rhymes from the D.I.T.C MC’s. Lord Finesse loops dense organ chords for his Thick remix; with Big L flowing at his belligerent best over a percussive use of clean snare hits, finding Finesse still at the top of his instrumental game. The first of two Best Behaviour flips from Showbiz utilizes an old school guitar lick thick with wah-wah fuzz; before DJ Premier’s chilled Diggin In The Crates re-make provides an album highlight; his trademark melodic chops hitting hard but remaining musical like PLAYTAWIN on The Ownerz.
Buckwild loops some epic brass stabs for Casualties Of A Dice Game‘s mid-paced bounce, slowing the speed to lead into 9th Wonder’s ice-cool sounds on Time To Get The Money. Diamond D programmes some crisp drum hits on Internationally Known , his claps echoing the snare shots as they cracking under a cloak-and-dagger guitar line that exudes cinematic espionage. NY-based beatsmith Marco Polo gets dramatic on Way Of Life, as his MPC slams out a phat horn loop that lumbers through the tune; while KRS-One’s flawless flow floods Buckwild’s Drop It Heavy remix, and Big Pun’s winding phrases envelop the track as it draws to a close.
O.Gee stacks neck-snapping breaks over theatrical classical samples on Foundation, making for one of the album’s more experimental instrumentals; leaving Showbiz’s second shot at Best Behaviour to end this masterful mix of raw Hip Hop on a cold, clear tone that packs a menacing chill. Before I even started typing or you pressed play we both knew this was guna be ill; producers and MC’s of this calibre need to collaborate more often on crew projects. It’d give heads the dream collabs they’ve been waiting on for years, and keep new rap listeners rooted in the music’s history, while hopefully gaining these pioneering acts a few new fans in the process.
You can get The Remix Project right now for no money down, over at the D.I.T.C website.
I haven’t heard an album like this for years. Not since the 90’s has an album sounded this quintessentially New York; it flat-out makes me proud to love Hip Hop and rep it every day. Fredro Starr is one of the game’s legendary MC’s; he’s paid his dues as a member of Onyx, made some serious classics back when NY rap was in it’s prime, acted in Spike Lee’s Clockers (get the soundtrack) & The Wire, and has kept his lyrical fire burning and skill for spittin’ honed throughout his career. You’d think by this point the man should have nothing left to prove on the mic; but he’s not one to lie down and rest on his past achievements. With the new Snowgoons-produced Onyx LP #WAKEDAFUCUP set to see a release later on this year, Starr has decided to start 2014 as he means to go on; by dropping an incendiary album in the first week of the year.
Audible Doctor’s beats hit harder than Tyson at 18, and never let up the for the LP’s duration. He’s taken producing back to full-albums stacked with bangers, with songs that flow together as seamlessly as Fredro Starr’s words, packed with big hooks and catchy melodies. In an era where the album as a full listening experience has lost importance in mainstream rap; with the majority of tracks acting as padding for a few radio singles scattered throughout, the production on Made In The Streets ensures that every song is coming out the speakers with the clear intent to have you bopping that head til you can’t help but dig those old crates for Lifestylez and Word…Life. Everyday Hell is one of the best songs you’ll hear this year; if it’s not come back in December and tell me so. In ten years this’ll be played alongside Survival Of The Fittest and Twinz (Deep Cover ’98) as a street classic; the song’s bold, old school approach is the most potent form of no-frills Hip Hop straight off the street. To be in 2014 and still be hearing honest reflection from an MC thoroughly at home behind the mic, backed by hard boom bap beats is why real Hip Hop will never die. You couldn’t ask for a better opener.
That New York pushes things forward with another untouchable track that knocks harder than the cops did at Chairman Fred’s door. The echoes of Nas before the first verse are dope, and when on the second verse Starr drags out his words, he’s flowing some of the nicest rhymes I’ve heard him drop in years. It’s a respectable move for them to show Drake love by sampling his line paying homage to Starr on The Truth; even if the sample does make me feel bad for hearing that voice come thru my stereo and feel the urge to write ‘YMCMB is not for me’ on a blackboard twenty times like I did something wrong. Thankfully the rest of the song’s so damn good they could have sampled Kermit the frog rapping Ice Ice Baby on the hook and it still would’ve been a banger. By this point it’s becoming painfully obvious I need to go buy everything Audible Doctor and Brown Bag All Stars have ever made; his beats are too much. This Aint My Day is another anthemic epic; not the most lyrically challenging concept but some solid bars from Starr still. Even that A & R who climbed mountains and played electric guitar would be snapping his fingers and gettin down in his corduroys to this one.
The Big L sample sets off Holdin’ It Down right and the track only gets stronger from there. Makem Pay’s opening verse is refreshing; keeping it straightforward and rugged with his delivery.That type of confident, stern flow that comes rooted in reality has been replaced in a lot of today’s music by over-indulgence in metaphor and simile; and although I’m into intricate raps that layer meaning and play with words, sometimes you just need to take it back to that steez Big Syke, Freddie Foxxx and Makem Pay have perfected. Polo Wars is Fredro Starr on his A game; like he says at the start of the track ‘This that real New York shit’. The song’s a lucid picture of life in Southside Queens, the day to day he describes is laced with heartfelt honesty and grim detail, not since 50’s first major album has life in that hood been brought to life with so much character. Starr’s lyrical styles step up a notch again on What U Goin Thru, as his flow finds a rare groove and settles into it with ease; his skill as a seasoned vet when it comes to matching bars to beats is beyond comparable. On tracks like this one he proves once more that he’s got styles upon styles like Phife. Mike Raw defies his name’s description and lays down some clean, polished vocals on Racing, giving the song the boost it was seeking to elevate from standard rap track to a more radio-friendly number, and although it’s more commercial, the song doesn’t sound like it’s trying too hard to be a single; and is presented more as a relaxed tune to cruise to than a club banger. Suicide Queens has got bucketloads of carefree swagger and smooth sounds that echo Pac at his calmest, with a chorus refrain that’s pure 90’s summer haze and harks back to times when chorus lines could be catchy without some pop singer crooning over them.
With heavy hitters like Ain’t No OtherKind;that other Doctor might have to come up with some beats to go in your ears rather than on them soon, young producers like Audible Doctor are ringing some heads of their own when it comes to droppin beats like these. Fredro Starr’s verses touch on some modern mainstream preoccupations; and the Kendrick line is frankly necessary at this point; with the whole industry jockin’ his music so hard and so many fans bowing down to one man as the biggest thing to happen to the culture in years, the listening audience needs bars like these just to even out the hype. On his second verse he addresses the fashion choices being made by today’s rap generation by comparing them to Pac and BIG Poppa, then makes some more ripples the shallow currents of the mainstream by taking a leaf out of Lord Jamar’s book and scolding the skirts we’re seeing (waste)men like Kanye & A$AP rocking. Hitman For Hire isn’t the best track on the album, but it still stands up strong with it’s G Rap-style stories of assassination attempts in projects, and another neck-breaking beat from Audible Doctor. The closing remix of the title track serves to sum up the release definitively over three minutes of pure enjoyment through Hip Hop; it’s catchy as hell, the beat is executed to perfection, and the raps are consistently dope and relevant in the midst of today’s schizophrenic society. Top to bottom the album’s a modern classic. The short, memorable songs, simple structure and deep roots that connect Starr to the culture give it an authenticity only a few new US rappers can claim without someone co-signing them; and takes the art form back to brass tacks with no hype or bullshit.
BDP & PE were the antidote to the disco glitz the mainstream was pushing in the 80’s, 36 Chambers replaced Puffy’s wack dancing and shiny suits with realness and skill on the mic in the 90’s; and like the man himself said in the pic above, Made In The Streets is the antidote to that fake shit for our generation. It’s an LP made by Hip Hop heads that love the music as much as their fans do, and you can hear it in their songs.
Buy it on itunes now. Hopefully they’ll drop it on Vinyl or CD in the future.
Along with Lord Finesse, Large Professor help make the SP1200 into the iconic machine it is today. He took it’s limitations and used them it his advantage, chopping short clips of sound and then using filtering and layering to make relaxed rhythms that banged hard when his drum sounds were stacked over the top. There was a time when the man knew how to use every beat machine on the market, and as a musician was constantly pushing for new sounds to take Hip Hop to new heights. People are quick to jump on someone like Dre with the legend tag; and the more humble pioneers keeping it on the low tend to get overlooked by a lot of new fans; so as I don’t feel the LP gets enough recognition for the work he put in, I’m giving him some here.
The Golden Era sound he helped pioneer made MC’s careers and immediately placed him among Hip hop’s higher echelons. Every move he made in the early 90’s brought him closer to beat royalty; he started by working with Eric B & Rakim, then moved onto producing for G Rap, The Tribe, Big Daddy Kane, trading records with Pete Rock, and getting airplay with his group Main Source. Without the Large Pro it’s probable Nasty Nas may not have got on at the crucial time he did, smashed his first guest verse on ‘Live At The Barbeque’ and gone on to bless beats from Hip Hop’s best producers on his timeless début. On top of that he’s has worked with everybody in the game over the last Twenty years, and played a colossal part in Hip Hop’s development during it’s adolescence, whether behind the boards or in front of the mic.
The songs he selected to remix weren’t easy choices made by a lazy producer looking for a quick project; they were already classics in most cases. When he took the vocal tracks into the lab he completely reformed the originals into his own songs, with an awareness that biting the previous producer’s style was the cardinal sin. It meant that with his remixes you got the same song taken in a very different direction and shown in a new light with a whole different feel. Grab a neckbrace and a lighter; here’s some of those classics he flipped:
Common – Resurrection Remix.
In a respectful move he’s utilized a few times, he pays homage to No I.D’s original beat on the intro; then gets loose with his own style as the song swings into life. The drums bounce like they’re on a trampoline and never sit on one pattern for too long, the scratch patterns are pure 90’s, and that trademark laidback groove is accounted for. Even though that version satisfies, it seems One wasn’t enough; so after he dropped this mix, he put out the Extra Pmix too, walking even darker passages musically. This time around lightening the drums to compliment the ominous tones the horns bring and achieving equilibrium on that fine line he treads so well.
Gang Starr – Gotta Get Over ( Taking Loot ) Remix.
The treble’s kinda harsh on this video, but it’s still a choice throwback that’s caked in 90’s swagger; the beat’s funky and knocks with the same roughness Large Pro always supplies, and the bass accompanies Guru’s monotone intonations well as Baldhead Slick gets mean with the flows for the TrespassSoundtrack. Back in the day when Preem was first learning the S950; Large Pro was the man that showed him the ins and outs, and on this remix he surpasses his former student.
Mobb Deep – Peer Pressure Remix.
The Mobb’s first album Juvenile Hell went under the radar when it first came out; and showed them growing as MC’s and men during their transition towards the now legendary Infamous album. This one’s only a remix in name, as it was actually the original, but got replaced on the tracklist by Premier’s rugged, jazz-based mix. To look at the way producers at the time we’re always jostling for position on albums may seem overtly competitive; but in reality all the big names at the time knew, respected, and were teaching each other, all striving to be at the top of their game musically. The environment of healthy competition improved Hip Hop production as a whole, similar to how the competitive edge amongst The Wu members made the whole Clan elevate.
Slick Rick – It’s A Boy Remix.
This is that sound. The 90’s in one short song; Rick The Ruler regales us with his expert storytelling and Xtra P brings the funk with drum hits that lay firmly in the cut with those reverberating horns. The original beat was pretty wack too, so this version definitely perked up that 12″ when it came out back in ’91, and attached The LP’s name to greatness once more.
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Bad To The Bone Remix.
Everything about this is hard, music doesn’t get made with this kinda feel any more; you can hear the music flowing out of them like it’s the most natural thing to be killing mics and samplers this easily.
Beastie Boys – Sure Shot remix.
One of Three remixes that came out on the 12″ release, the track’s steamroller approach meant it hit harder than the Beastie’s self produced original, and although it’s a lot less catchy, the classic samples and bold snare increase it’s vintage value.
Big L – Unexpected Flava.
Even though it’s not an officially recognised remix, his reworking one of Lord Finesse’s tracks off his second LP Return Of The Funky Man gave Harlem’s finest the perfect opportunity to showcase his skill with mic device before his debut was released. When this Hip Hop Holy Trinity came together it could only mean good things for the music.
Organized Konfusion – Stress Remix.
One of the man’s best remixes, heavy with that thick sound he achieves through combining some deep bass that grooves with a lively horn section that shines. A young Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po are going in with vitality, and Large Pro’s verse is an honest reflection of how he was handling life at a time when Main Source was falling apart due to personal differences and his production career was still somewhat uncertain.
Nas – One Love Remix.
One Love is my favourite example of Q Tip’s production, and one of the best Nas songs ever, this version comes close to topping it, but it’s arms are too short to box with god on this one. If you’ve been into Hip Hop for a while or dug about in the 90’s era you know the echoing horns and light organ melodies on the verse take you back to those videos MTV, The Box and Rap City and used to play, and your pineal can see Nas on that roof in the polo against the dusky NY skyline. Another gem.
Nas – It Aint Hard To Tell Remix.
For the 12″ release The LP remixed his own song; and only slightly tweaked the original by upping the tempo, adding a harsh snare and including some of Nas’s ad libs at the end. ‘If it ain’t broke’ comes to mind as when he made the original he put together one of the albums best beats, stepping his game up to stand tall in the mix with Premier, Pete Rock, Q Tip and L.E.S, but still a cool listen for the completists.
Nas – The World Is Yours Remix.
His best remix by far; a hazy, sleepy tune that should be a regular in anyone’s late night smoke session. Someone needs to get in touch with whatever suits sort out the re-releases of Illmatic and get this afeature. It definitely should have been included in the Gold Edition. Remixing Pete Rock is no joke, he’s the last generation of producer’s biggest influence for good reason, and in this case the original beat is so well-known, Large Pro’s move to take his reinterpretation on a more ambient vibe was well planned after the original’s anthemic approach. It’s a beat that could be used today by any of the up and coming new artists and get props; especially with the 90’s style coming full circle in the last year. The extra words on the chorus from Nas, background group vocal and alternate verses make it an even more exciting listen; the accapella sounding like the young MC was still working out his breathing patterns, playing with different intonations and tightening up his phrasing before he recorded the final version for Illmatic . Check Large Pro’s production on the unreleased collab between Biz Markie, AZ and Nas for another highlight from that period.
The dopest thing about the production and MC catalogue of the Mad Scientist is that he’s still not done; his work during the 90’s shaped the musical landscape and defined the era’s sound, then in the 2000’s he kept working, putting out Two volumes of instrumentals, Three solo albums, producing for Cormega, Neek The Exotic, Reks, AZ, U-God, Busta Rhymes and dropping few more jewels for Nas. Even now he’ still releasing the heat; just Three months ago he put out another modern classic with B1. As a proponent for the culture of Hip Hop he’s still in his own lane, free of influence from the ever shifting tide of mainstream bullshit that washes away many a competitor, and keeping his integrity in tact by still being in this for the love of good music from the soul, and the art of production.
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