The Legion : The Lost Tapes

I missed this one back when it came out, but unsurprisingly the latest album from Bronx heavyweights The Legion is a must-have for fans of that gritty NY sound. With production from Buckwild, Showbiz and Confidence, The Lost Tapes collects two decades of rare and previously-unreleased tracks, with a sonic spectrum that spans from polished on Straight Flow, to rough and low-fi on the rare 12″ Freestyle Demolition. The tracks featured on their youtube channel are all present and correct, Automatic Systematic is still as fresh as when it first dropped, while the feel-good vibes on For You and Stereo break up the street sounds as all three MC’s deliver top-notch lyricism rooted in realness with an old-school lean.

 Live On Arrival‘s classic breaks stand up well next to the more current sounds of Sky’s The Limit, while the more brash beats on Street Thing and Caught Up make for some serious head-nods accompanied by huge hooks and commanding bars. Keep Your Eyes Open is a personal highlight, with a deceptively current sound despite the trio producing it back in ’95; this style of classic rhymes is what the game’s missing these days, every line hits as hard as the snare, and that vocal loop is pure foundational beatmaking at it’s boom-bap finest.

After Street Truth‘s slow take on the same sample B.I.G, RZA and DOOM forged into career-defining tunes, Artifacts affiliate and veteran emcee Beneficence blesses Aim, Fire, Spit, while Molecule’s tough rhymes fortify a classic sample source on Revenge. With bonus instrumentals included on both the CD and limited edition cassette versions of this release, The Lost Tapes is the perfect prequel to the crew’s upcoming album, one that should score them new fans and satisfy long-time listeners simultaneously.

Buy it here.

Peace.

D.I.T.C – The Remix Project

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.

5/5

Peace.

Molecules (The Legion) & Showbiz (D.I.T.C) : Revenge

Illadrenaline records aren’t only sourcing the current cream of the underground crop; they’re also diggin’ vaults and reaching into the past to release rare gems as limited edition 45’s. The latest release to emerge from their archaeological findings comes from NY rap veterans The Legion; who after releasing their début Theme = Echo = Krill on Black Sheep’s short-lived One Love imprint in ’94 are back in full effect. This slice of raw storytelling straight out the Golden Era comes salvaged from sessions at Chung King Studio back in the spring of ’95, and is set to feature on their upcoming Lost Tapes EP. Legendary D.I.T.C producer Showbiz provides his gritty take on the much-used sample Pete Rock would popularize a few years later; while Molecules unfolds an intricate crime saga across his ill verses, delivering vivid wordplay that’s as stylish as it is succinct. Thanks to Illadrenaline, there’ll be no more hunting for that Japanese release of the Diggin In The Crates crew’s All Love album; or making do with the bootleg 12″ to hear this dope throwback’s dusty loops.

If like me, you heard ‘They dun set it, them kids about to get wetted’ and started salivating with scratch anticipation; you can get the 7″ now on limited edition white vinyl.

Peace.