PURPLE TAPE PEDIGREE

THE RETURN OF THE PURPLE TAPE

2010-11-19T17:15:00.000-05:00

GO HERE GO HERE GO HERE GO HERE GO HERE

NEW SITE.

NEW ADDRESS.

BETTER LIFE.

WWW.PURPLETAPEPEDIGREE.COM

MESSAGE FROM THE MGMT: FUCKIN' SHAMBLES.

2010-09-10T09:16:00.000-04:00

Pardon this shit folks.

I know, I know...dead air for a week, not-so-new news showing up now, not-so-great new template...well...sorry.

We've been building somethin' new elsewhere...somethin' fresh...cause it is just that time (plus this Blogger.com shit is fucked - a formatting nightmare). We have a shitload of material to release...and now my man Note is going to help me bring some of that PTP-level content to the table...so give him a round of applause when we get our new lease signed.

Please bear with us for this brief minute, PTP will be undergoing some HEAVY renovationinining. We will not disappear...just not be as frequent...I guess.

Thanks.

Geng

Doe Or Die: 15th Anniversary Show

2010-09-09T12:05:00.020-04:00

The past few weeks have been stuffed with a lot of live shows. Rock the Bells, Cormega & AZ, and Black Army Jacket … all were ill performances, but I’d like to focus on the second to last show I attended.

The opening acts included a lot of artists I'm not familiar with and I have to admit I don’t remember all of their names, however I know that Catch Lungs, Jon Hope, Eternia, and Donny Goines were part of the opening line up. These artists all put on a decent performance for the heads eagerly awaiting the headlining emcees hailing out of Queens and BK.

La the Darkman and Willie the Kid also performed, but nah … LAD did not go into any songs from Heist of the Century (I would’ve wiled out if this occurred). The duo stuck to music from their Gangsta Grillz and Aphilliates tapes. It was disappointing being a fan of La the Dark and not getting to see him perform any of his classic material, or even some of the ill singles he dropped around '04.

The engineers and soundmen at Santos didn't have their shit together that night, all throughout the openers there were issues with the mic volumes. Not until Cormega stopped the show to complain about it and refuse to perform until the fans felt the mic levels were correct did the issue get fixed (on one mic).

Cormega performed his set along with a jazz band called The Revelations, who re-created the beats from his albums. This was an ill touch. As someone that has seen Mega a few other times, it changed the atmosphere of the show and I’m for other artists incorporating live bands into their sets. Mega also brought out Chinky to sing some of the hooks, and Nature came out to drop a few bars. I wish Nature spit a joint or two off For All Seasons, there’s a couple tracks on that album I fuck with heavily. Grand Wiz and Craig G also made brief appearances during the set.

Now onto AZ’s set. I was hoping he’d do mostly material from Doe Or Die (this was billed as the anniversary show), he did do a couple joints from his debut, but the performance was more rounded on his whole catalogue and not just his debut. Seeing "Problems" and "I’m Back" performed live was ill, I wasn't expecting to catch those but I would've liked to see more joints from the debut. He also spit his verse from "Life's a Bitch", of course. During his set, The Visualiza also brought out Lil Fame to drop a few bars (Editor's note: Brooklyn!)...then Mega and AZ went into an abridged, but fresh nonetheless, version of "Affirmative Action". Smiles all around.

Overall, a very dope show...if you didn't make it, you got caught snorin'.

Rock The Bells (and your Killa Shirt ) 2010

2010-08-29T17:06:00.003-04:00

Rock The Bells was pretty damn intense. I am sun burnt. The lines gettin' in were hellish...and the line to the ferry back to the motherland (rotten as it is - NYC) was even more punishing on the senses.

I gotta say, outdoor music fests just ain't really my thing anymore...but this one was a good one to go out on because of the handful of really dope performances. It actually sorta felt like a Rocksteady Anniversary up at Gaelic Park...with the amount of heads, dirt/grass/dust, sun damage, and silly Hip Hop antics you came across...plus Tony Toca was KILLIN' the tables (as usual)...just in a "V.I.P. tent" this time.

Performance Highlights:

Rakim was amazing.

Tribe was amazing (pulling out Large Pro and Neek The Exotic...and then Busta..very nice add).

Wu was fucking crazy.

Seriously...I've seen Wu as a unit once already...years ago...and both Ghost and Rae on separate occasions...but this recent performance was in-fucking-sane. Every song from Enter The 36... plus favorites like "Criminology" and "4th Chamber". Yes.

Shouts to my PTP RTB crew: Wifey Cat, Note D, Big June, Rob Lo...as well as the duo of Wry-Lo and Spot-Lo, plus the kid Peter Baker...and my main millz from the Nuyo and Nightrain days, Apex. More shouts to everyone who copped a Killa Shirt (even saw a FUGAZI ass "Killa Tape" shirt roaming around...had a picture of three cassette tapes....c'mon b)...

So I get online the next morning to be greeted by that!

Stock is almost out...

That's all for now.

Bless Clark's Soul

2010-08-27T19:35:00.000-04:00

First off, mega shouts to Aaron for the kind words on PTP and the recent Killa Shirt video (I got you on that "Size M" family!).

So the title of this could be a witty play on words having to do with a footwear staple amongst Hip Hop heads and snazzy Brits (and sartorialistic heritage'y kids everywhere else)...but it's really not going there. Maybe it should have...but if you're a good human being, you will be very fine with the original intent of this post: to showcase yet another installment of B-Less Radio's pow wow with Super DJ Clark Kent.

So Mr. Kent...how'd you get into production?

Check out this here link for the original Boundless NY post (which includes a nice little mathematically-inclined breakdown of what made DJ Clark Kent the producer he is today).

WHERE MY KILLA SHIRT AT?!

2010-08-27T15:29:00.001-04:00

Just finished toiling over a hot laptop and buggy iMovie '08 to bring you this new video. PTP proudly presents to you...the KILLA SHIRT (aka the "Woo Tang", aka the "John Wu", aka the "Woo Wu", aka the "Tony Wza")!

The ad is a short edit of an original idea, therefore it is only hints to how this shirt fully reps all that killa shit. A double-tribute...tied together in light of this weekend's promise of Wu doing the entire Enter The 36 Chambers at Rock The Bells. That ain't no small shit, so PTP figured it was time to do something this serious...and wearable.

On the front, a bold and timeless frame off of John Woo's masterpiece, The Killer (one of my favorites of all time). Flip it over and you have the classic Raekwon quote (off of Enter The 36...'s "7th Chamber" intro...)...all silkscreened as a classy purple and black color print. To add on, remember our favorite album that retained a nickname which was then adopted as part of the namesake to this very website? Yes, that Purple Tape. That Purple Tape which was enveloped in audio snippets from the same John Woo work of art as referenced on the Killa Shirt along with words from the favored wordsmith behind said album. Full circle. Everything is everything.

TO ORDER:
Please note: we do not have a store/shopping cart system set up just yet.
To get your Killa Shirt today, send a message over to purpletapepedigree@gmail.com with your shirt size and desired quantity. We'll set you up proper.

Sizes: S-XL (2XL and XS on special order)

Also, look out for this shirt (or another edition of it) to appear at a favorite retailer, soon...but best believe you will get the best deal by dealin' direct. So hit us up.

Seriously, it has been a week since receiving these in hand and the response has been tremendous. Not one email blast, post, tumble, or tweet yet...and we're almost out of the first batch. Extra EARLY!

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Power Of The Rule

2010-08-26T17:53:00.001-04:00

Queens classic.

One of my favorites from the mighty PRC aka Powerule Crew...or quite simply, Powerule.

These cats survived the test of changing time and era. You want that late 80's stee? Go check "Smooth" and even "Brick In The Wall" (came out in '90...but still). You want that '97 stee? It's all about "Bright Lights, Big City". A catalog reflecting more than a decade of street corner hits.

The Professor Speaks...

2010-08-25T13:38:00.001-04:00

Part 1 - How he got on: joints for Intelligent Hoodlum, check from Marley Marl, his first SP-1200, noise complaints, Kool G Rap, Rakim, 18 years old.

Part 2 - The days of Main Source and puttin' Nasty Nas on.

Large Professor. One of the dopest, most accomplished, and most humble producers out there. If you haven't already, check the Boundless Radio episode he was featured on to hear crazy gems and check for his joint on Teddy King's Nas remix project dropping sometime in the future (also featuring a Geng-Grizzly heater ...or two?).

Kill Devil Hills

2010-08-25T12:33:00.000-04:00

Yo.

Quick word to the masses. Okay, so most new music doesn't excite us here at PTP...shit just ain't rockin' like that these days. There's a lack of vibe. Whatever whatever whatever...embittered rant aside.

BUY THIS SHIT:

Owl beasts! Not only that...but Bill is just as beastly, if not more, from point A-Z of this paranoid masterpiece. Keeping things 1000% with the content...and a delivery akin to his earlier days in Non Phix.
Thank the lord for Muggs and his use of mucho drum breaks.

Check the video if you haven't already...it's like Venture Bros. in goon vision.

And get the Gold Edition of OB4CL2...and get MF Grimm's You Only Live Twice...

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Random Acts Of Brutality

2010-08-24T23:59:00.000-04:00

Courtesy, once again, of KillThatCat (on Youtube). Dude has so much footy...some super-rare shit. I spent a good hour too many raiding his video crates last night. Some favorites:

West Coast:

Despise You - 3/22/08 - 924 Gilman Street, Berkeley, CA

Spazz - 7/05/97 - Albany, NY

Enewetak - 7/20/96 - Goleta HC Fest, Goleta, CA

East Coast:

Cattlepress - 10/05/97 - Coney Island High, NYC

Born Against - 11/15/91 - Philadelphia, PA

Rorschach - 7/16/93 - 924 Gilman Street, Berkeley, CA

"Show You How To Turn A Broken Cellphone..."

2010-08-23T23:00:00.083-04:00

"...into a ratchet."

DJ Muggs Vs. Ill Bill "Trouble Shooters" (ft. Sean Price, O.C., Sick Jaken)

GOD DAMN! This is what I'm talkin' about. Let me remind you that DJ Muggs is a master at creating a sinister track from a 2-4 second loop...(see Cypress' Temples... and the Soul Assassins comps)...the perfect backdrop for any NYC MC over which to go apeshit. Ill Bill and co. do just that. I'm also supremely glad that Bill is on that calmer, rapid fire G Rap stee (and not the "crazy yelling whiteboy" shit he was flexin' hard for a while there - just a much better look in this day and age, IMO). His content still remains on the mega paranoid, intelligent goon shit, which is exactly what I look for when I put on any track with his name on it (he's easily one of the best to do it...and don't get it twisted...him and the Non Phixion gang were the ORIGINAL goons...seemingly a decade and change before Jim Jones made it a slang fad uptown when he called up Hot 97 to spazz on Ma$e).

If the rest of the Kill Devil Hills project sounds anything like this track, then I'd go on to call it the best pairing of a single MC to Muggs production on a full-length scale. In general, it's refreshing to see an album that utilizes a single producer/production team to score the entire sonic foray, for it's a concept that has been far too scantly exercised in this recent decade and change of (non-compilation) Hip Hop album-making. This rings truest for both Eastern and Western extremities, as much of the South relies on the same combo of 808's and Triton kits (therefore many producers of that region, though not quite sounding "alike", have less trouble bearing too much of a contrasting style when grouped in with other Southern styled beatmakers...bottom-line, it's not that hard to sound cohesive if you use the same sounds as the other guy). Muggs is a vet at both pumping out top quality product, track by track, as well as organizing said product to create a tightly-welded soundscape, at album's length...so I'm pretty confident that this is gonna be a good one.

Let me just say again, that all of the MC's do large damage...boasting a perfect combination of mid-90's intelligence and vocab with modern day delivery and wordplay to maintain an exceptional degree of progressive relevance (and not getting lost in sounding "overly-nostalgic"...or "outdated"). I can't front, I haven't heard any recent O.C. shit, but from the sound of this, it seems I'm overdue for a mission in excavation!

Props to Unkut for the joint. Look out for the Fat Beats NYC memoir collab we're doing coming in the near near future.

Straight From The Slums Of Bushwick...

2010-08-20T11:42:00.000-04:00

Up from the thirty-si...okay nah...but what you see is a hint to what's to come this weekend here at Purple Tape Pedigree.

Killa Tape shirts (aka the "Woo Tangs"...a bit of a tribute) on the way! Get yours ordered and rock that during Wu's 36 Chambers set at Rock The Bells next weekend.

Currently, this limited edition is available from sizes S-XL (special order for XXL)...Black/Purple on White...front & rear print.

Look out for the video...

Beanies coming sooner than you think...

You Can't Make Everybody Happy...Not Even If You're Superman.

2010-08-20T11:28:00.004-04:00

Part 3 of Boundless NY's video feature on DJ Clark Kent.

More life lessons. You know, Clark, brandishing that outlook was probably how you became the grandmaster you are today. Here's to perseverance and trying to convert all the naysayers.

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Smif & Wessun On Some Indiesent Shit

2010-08-19T10:43:00.004-04:00

Holy shit. I swear I was just thinking back and reminiscing about this fuckin' gem of a NYC public access show, Indiesent Exposure, while getting over a long night of "head trauma" (probably due to the host, Johnny B-High, and his on-camera m.o. - seriously, every segment opened the same way). As a younger fuck, I was kinda thrown off by JBH's appearance, at first, with money lookin' like a straight metalhead-stoner more than the typical Hip Hop head (black down, the very-fitted jeans, the long hair, brolic goatee, the crazy shades and snapback caps years after they went out from their 80's explosion)...but after a few eps, and seeing who he ran with and consistently supported, I came to realize that he had more of a Rick Rubin steez going on...and shit was very official as the show featured ill interviews such as the following joint with a '95 Smif & Wessun talking about their amazing debut, Dah Shinin' (homeboy constantly bigged up the entire Duck Down team - Shuckie Duckie and Eddie Mashedi...WHAT UP THUNS!). Needless to say, this show (and its wall of smoke) was a staple on my tube for years if I was in on a late Sunday night.

This is such a dope clip! Straight '95 Bucktown NY shit with back-to-back L's (read: blunts...except the B-High seemingly always had Zigs rolled), shittin' on West Coast "Chronic", Tek's Carhartt cap, members of O.G.C. and Heltah Skeltah right after their first on-record cameos (look at Rock!). Check Steele's sagely speak on that Bob Marley blunted tip.

Ayatollah: Marley Marl Gave Me My Sampler

2010-08-18T11:59:00.004-04:00

I've known about and respected the work of Ayatollah for a good minute and a half (more like for the last 12-13 years). He's always had a darker, dusty, soulful approach to his beats, imagine a Queens version of the mid-90's Wu sound. He was doing high-pitched soul vocals way before it was en vogue, partially to compensate for his MPC 60's slender bit of sampling time (a total of 26 seconds with which to work an entire beat, I believe, and that's if the machine was fully expanded - pardon the tech geek shit)...therefore, most of his sounds came into the machine already sped-up, sampled at 45rpm, and then slowed down to a rap-friendly tempo (also what ultimately added more grit to the final product - more tech geek shit).

Wait...where'd you get your MPC 60?!

The other highlight of this interview is the bit about how he started with some pretty non-standard (or, inferior) equipment, yet learned the in's and out's of each piece until he could literally trick people into thinking he was kitted out like the "pro's". A lot of us had to go through this before the Internet/Digital Age (I guess you can call it "paying dues"). I actually know exactly what God-awful belt-driven Gemeni's he's talking about because those are exactly what I started with before I had enough for a pair of 1200's. And don't get me started on making beats with a crappy sampler and two tape decks... shouts to my ace Tage for leaving that MPC at my crib for the weekend. Life changing shit.

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Brutal Takeover In Brooklyn

2010-08-17T20:55:00.108-04:00

Here's the overdue coverage of July's Union Pool destruction as laid by Wetnurse, Landmine Marathon, and Salome (courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan and 1000 Knives).

Wetnurse x Landmine Marathon x Salome - Live @ Union Pool, BKNY from Geng Grizzly on Vimeo.

Another video by your mans and 'em. File under: "Jazzy DeathNoiseDoomSludgeGrindHardcoreViolenceBlast Nasty".

So as I've previously explained, the pitiful iFLIP simply could not withstand the force that was Wetnurse...so I escaped only with footage of the song you see/hear...here...in the video (I have no idea how Apple's little invention got through the pummel of Landmine...but let's all be happy it did). Not only that, but by the time Salome took the stage, I had already burned away most of the recording time, thus leaving me with enough for only one entire joint. Needless to say, I feel like this video, though not quite shorting anyone, does not do the two aforementioned beasts the justice that they deserve. In reality, you should not be judging any band by a video on the Internet (but rather by the sound of the records and off the performance, in-person), especially not any one of these three incredible metallic conglomerates.

Yes, that one part where the camera goes nuts is due to volunteering to get caught in a mosh.

Also note how scary Salome look with the blurriness, from being in the back of the room, and the red lighting. Visuals appropriate enough for their mega downtuned, landslide of sinister-as-fuck soundclashery.

Enjoy.

How Clark Got His Wheels

2010-08-16T10:37:00.001-04:00

Part 2 of the Boundless Radio series featuring Clark Kent. Chalk up another one for my man Kell Deezy. Watch, learn, realize...you crazy kids are very lucky to living in a time when one can just hop on the computer and get everything to start his/her journey on the road to DJ-slash-musical mash-up re-edit uber remix wizard superstardom in a couple of clicks of the mouse.

More Sauce

2010-08-14T05:07:00.000-04:00

Stumbled across some more new joints from duke. This is real tough and I kinda wish I posted this instead of "Still Poppin'"...though that joint bumps, this is simply far more of a gargantuan re-introduction IMO.

One more gain...

Freestyle for DJ Kay Slay over some classic breakbeats. In the immortal words of the aforementioned DJ, "DAAAAAAAAMN!!!!!!"

"Remember when BIG used to kill Versace
Like Andrew Cunanan
If I see what you plannin'
I'll double back and blaze my new cannon..."

Check Your Head

2010-08-13T17:21:00.000-04:00

FYI. Got something on the way to cover that domepiece...see you in Fall.

Can't Touch The Pharoahe

2010-08-13T11:13:00.000-04:00

Not much to say here...when given a moment, Monch just doesn't stop.

NERVOUS THURSDAY: So You Wanna Be Hardcore?

2010-08-12T17:21:00.011-04:00

Our sentiments exactly...

Found this comment to be extra funny because of the era-appropriate terminology...works so much better in reference to the following joints than say "deck", "jap", "snuck", "slap", or "smack"..."duff" would be the only other correct alternative.

I remember seeing this grimeball ass shit toward the end of a Video Music Box episode and thinking, "Damn, these cats come off as kind of intimidating." Pretty much your typical set of goons from a block you'd think twice about walking through, dolo, as a (light-skinned) teenager who wasn't from that part of the neighborhood. Nothing beyond ordinary in the rhymes...actually nothing much at all going on there...but the beat is dope. Can't get any harder (and dated) than the Skull Snaps break.

Now this I fucks with. Most people remember Top Quality from the amazing "Magnum Opus" joint. But this is good money too...Jimmy Castor saxophones over another popular drum break of the time...plus it features 3rd Eye. Doesn't get any more '93 than that.

Philly! Carhartt down...with 'nuff bats and blades and Treach. Say what you want about pre-adult rap acts and their pop novelty aesthetic...but these cats had joints (along with Illegal and Mobb Deep).

Uncle Rock-Right-Now

2010-08-11T11:13:00.000-04:00

I'm all for the vets maintaining their squabbles and finding the means to stay stylistically relevant as MC's. Here's one of the realest examples I can throw your way. Apart from the god Kool G Rap, Ricky-D is still the master after surviving many generations of Hip Hop. He straight shits on everyone with this...effortlessly (typical Uncle Ricky fashion...as only he can do it). I don't wanna hear anything for a few minutes after that verse. Repeat play this...

Shouts to Monday Chris at Big City Records for puttin' me onto this.

Sauce Money...still poppin'

2010-08-11T10:55:00.000-04:00

Sauce is one of the nastiest....ever........bar fuckin' none.

Easily one of my favorites of all-time. Even while he qualifies as being of the heavier MC weight class...you would never be able to tell from his vocal agility. Unlike many other hefty cats, he bypassed the section about boasting a discomfortingly throaty voice and/or neck-slit-with-a-mouthful-of-rice breathing issues that usually come pre-packaged in a bigger guy's delivery (no lie, when the booth more sounds like you're at the dinner table with dude as he indulges in a glutinous, to say the least, plate of smothered finger foods...and clams - it's not easy to get beyond that).

Plus...dude has destroyed and ended careers. Case in point, a handful of years ago, Nature (whom I was a fan of earlier on)...called duke a purse snatcher(!!)...ouch.

That shit is just sad...I was a fan of Nature until I heard the track HE made for Sauce and Nas...c'mon b...straight mosquito bites.

Bottom-line, Sauce Motherfuckin' is the rap equivalent of a .50-cal Desi bird...you NEVER want to find yourself on the "other end" of that.

Cut Chemist Seeks Sagely Advice

2010-08-09T11:20:00.000-04:00

...from Biz Markie (the Disco Wizard?!)...

Cinespia Presents: Cut Chemist at the Cemetery from cinespia on Vimeo.

Purple Tape II, Continued

2010-08-08T12:08:00.001-04:00

And to continue with the Nah Right love...

From Nah Right:

The Chef is re-releasing OBC4L2 with 6 new songs, exclusively through iTunes on Tuesday, August 17th.

Never Matter To You (feat. Bun B)
Rock Stars (feat. GZA & Inspectah Deck)
About Me (feat. Game) (Remix)
New Wu (Remix)
Broken Safety (Remix)
Penitentiary (Travis Barker Remix)

Boundless Radio X Nah Right

2010-08-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

New Boundless Radio featuring the legendary DJ CLARK KENT. To further celebrate the gargantuan nature of this event, my Boundless NY peoples got together with Hip Hop blog-nation monarchs, Nah Right, to really fly it out the park.

Boundless Radio Presents: DJ Clark Kent (Part 1), Directed by Kellen Dengler

Check the above-posted Part 1 of a 3-part video series...I know you will by default, it's another installment of Boundless Radio and Clark-fuckin'-Kent. Boundless NY got some marvelous shit on deck..stay tuned.

Shouts to Tes, Aaron, Kellen, Teddy, Sticks, and the rest of the Boundless NY fam!

Trust me, so many jewels are dropped in this episode...so if you haven't already, get it.
Download Boundless Radio x Nah Right Present... DJ Clark Kent and Teddy King for Boundless Radio

Click for the full post off of Boundless NY

The Deputy, Part II (Tracks Included)

2010-08-06T10:56:00.000-04:00

Without putting too much weight on a feeble game of direct comparison, Dep (and Free) was just way more technically competent and interesting as a rapper. Sure, Get Rich Or Die Trying was a good-to-great listen at first, as it was certainly laced with some solid as fuck production (and more importantly, high production-value), but Curt Jackson was only a dude you looked to for a confidently worded street tale, not to be the MC's MC. 50's gift was ultimately his knack for staying within the scope of standard song structure revolving around catchy hooks...and bridges (and, arguably, his ear for production...or just his production team), otherwise his delivery/flow/cadence remained pretty underwhelming/Plain Jane to me.

To be real, he was more of a bi-product of street cats like The Lox (ironically), State Property, CNN, and the like...he was just able to turn "edgy" into something very accessible to the rest of the world (I once, for whatever reason, was on the Disney channel and witnessed one teenage co-host randomly repeating, in post-announcement/pre-commercial break fair, "what makes you think that I won't run up on you with the nine", all with the only appropriate hand-turned-gun gestures to the head of his female T.V. counterpart). I swear to everything good...how Disney didn't rise up from the ice pack he's using as a bed and immediately cast a flesh-consuming cloud of locusts upon this kid is so beyond me(!!!!). So fine, this 50 vs. G-Dep thing is kinda apples & oranges...but it unfortunately happened and left an indelible print on my psyche.

Here at PTP, we appreciate our peoples and the time they spend in reading through our anecdotal bullshit...so in return, since most people I come across generally haven't heard enough G-Dep to constitute an informed opinion, here are some heaters off of the sought after ADVANCE version of COTG (did a little digging and got my copy back)! Enjoy bits of a post-B.I.G. era Bad Boy album that more reflects their earlier roots and uptown living than things like Harlem World or No Way Out (though I heavily fucks with Shyne and Black Rob's debut efforts, both of the same era on Bad Boy, as well).

"Child Of The Ghetto" (OG version...sans Puff on background vocals)

"For The Kids" (Dep doing his best Uncle Ricky)

"Whatever"

"Fuck On The First Night" (OG version...original, very dope, beat...pretty much a sequel to "Head Over Wheels"...just ignore the 2nd verse...you'll understand)

"It's All Over" (Feat. Carl Thomas)

"Gather up the artillery, ya feelin' me?

What gives? Tryin' to live was killin' me"

The Deputy

2010-08-06T10:27:00.017-04:00

Fuck that...G-Dep gets more shine on PTP.

The above clip is old...and from the "Hip Hop World Championships"(???? No idea). Unfortunately, the video is way out of sync, but I can play this shit on repeat and still hear gems the 10th time around. At his prime, Dep was easily one of my picks as best to ever come out of Harlem's rap breeding grounds (the whole Money Makin' in general). Word play and flow like a motherfucker.

Indulge in a golden stroll through memory lane now, would ya? Back in 2002, I had a long train ride up to SUNY Purchase ahead of me. Armed with three CD's - 50 Cent's Get Rich Or Die Tryin', Freeway's Philadelphia Freeway, and G-Dep's Child Of The Ghetto...all of which I had already thoroughly ran through at different points in time - I felt confident that the train would then seem unrealistically fast. Freeway kept me entertained from my old spot to Grand Central Terminal...once in the train, I threw in 50's much celebrated Shady/Aftermath debut (I was a huge fan of his for-the-streets catalog before that)...but then ny track 3 or 4, something hit me. I just couldn't do it anymore. Straight up and down, I started to feel like I was being shorted of something. With more than enough travel time left, I popped G-Dep's COTG into my discman and felt the weight of my anxieties (as a listener) sprout wings to fly off. Since that fateful moment, I've not ever played an entire 50 album (true stillz)!

(Look for Part II, to be continued...)

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Ends With The Shovel

2010-08-05T20:13:00.001-04:00

You already know this. You have to.

I really disliked all of the electronic remixes those heads did...though it seemed interesting on paper. The OG version just wins and wins again...maybe if someone made an interesting Hip Hop remix to it, maybe that'd work nicely (I feel that it sorta deserves a nasty remix to further live on through the generations). But let's not front at all...that beat...that beat...that fuckin' beat. I've heard hundreds of verses spat and accapellas blended over it. Shit, I even saw b-boy/b-girl routines done to it, slow as it is.

Needless to say, this goes down as one of the most classicallestest indie 12's ever...

?!!?!??!??!! (mildly nsfw)

2010-08-02T19:56:00.008-04:00

This is not new...but I figured why not change it up for a second around here...and this eclipses all that weirdo style shit (to use a Peedi Crakk phrase)...even Kool Keith's "Dick Towel" video.

No words.

Okay. Can I just say that I refrained from throwing in any obvious Hip Hop reference when titling this post (otherwise I would have gone for "More Fish").

...now...back to our regularly scheduled...

ATCT Promo Video

2010-08-02T11:30:00.000-04:00

Recorded via iFLIP on July 21, 2010 at Sound Clash Recordings by yours truly. Edited and slapped together last night via outdated iMOVIE, by yours truly.

A rehearsal for tonight's A Tribe Called Tes show at Le Poisson Rouge turned mini-session when my man Tes-Uno brought along his "tribe" (B.M.T. - Boundless Music Team...amongst other things...WHAT UP LIL DUNNIES!). Shouts to everyone in the footage and my peoples at Sound Clash for housing the semi-mayhem.

Enjoy, come out tonight, download the album, and cop the t-shirt by A.Lister.

A Tribe Called Tes, Mini-Session from Geng Grizzly on Vimeo.

Check the linkage for more info and download action.
http://cargocollective.com/atribecalledtes
http://shemspeed.com/daily/a-tribe-called-tes
http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/artist/2098
http://www.boundlessny.com/blog/1444/tes-uno-%257C-a-tribe-called-tes

A Tribe Called Tes, Tonight

2010-08-02T09:02:00.000-04:00

Friends Not Forgotten

2010-08-01T19:56:00.004-04:00

Wow. My homegal (and nasty MC) Eternia linked me to a recent video interview she did for The Source Magazine with a special memory lane treat as the opening soundtrack piece. Here's the link (not THAT nice with this code ish to have embedded it from The Source...no pun).

The joint still stands as one of my most-favored/shining moments as a bedroom engineer...as everything was done pretty much on the spot in one night, in one room...my old room (aka The Kitchen, fka The Dust Hut). The MPC2000, my PC running Cool Edit Pro (peace to the Manhattan College LAN), and a Shure mic (either KSM32 or SM57, oh my)...maybe a mic-pre...that's it. I threw on the beat and she just went off on a page in her book (yeah the sample isn't THAT rare anymore, but this was before the Dusty F comps and before whoever out of Eastern Conference sampled it - though IMO, my beat, as simple as it is, kills that shit).

Honestly, around that time, I was real used to E being on a less-aggro approach...think in Pharoahe Monch terms...I would say her vibe was more on "The Light", as opposed to say "Behind Closed Doors" or "No Mercy" (see: Internal Affairs)...but this was the same lady that, in '97, I heard spit nothing but ultra-vicious, interplanetary destruction...I even have old video footy of it in the archives to prove it (along with footage of a poor Italian female MC who wanted to meet "Puff Daddy" in front of the Nuyo...THAT verbal exchange was way beyond words). I knew she had something much darker still lurking underneath...just needed the right amount of ugly to bring it out. Welp, whatever it was that night, be it the beat or the room vibe or a combination of the two...the end result was anything but "light".

Watch the interview, peep the background music, I'll try to track down a copy to post for you good people (as well as that '97 video)...and go get Eternia's new project with (dope) producer MoSS called At Last. Here's to fresh product as a result of the natural chemistry you have when working with good friends.

Uptown Saturday Night, Part 1

2010-07-31T23:58:00.003-04:00

When I hear "Harlem", I don't think about getting "wavy", or "light", nor do images of bedazzled skull belt buckles or True Religion brand body suits flood my mind. Sign of the times, sure.

Here at PTP, we love our homework, heritage, history, Harlem, and Helly Hansen...so this post series will take you on a trip back to when the dresscode was strictly (aside from the obvious Face and Timberland) Guess, Nautica, Columbia, A-Solo, Vasque, and the like...when UPTOWN, NYC beats didn't have an ounce of crunk finger snap appeal. To quote Killa:

New York, let's stop bitin' and start writin'
And start mountains
When the fuck we start bouncin'?

Let's get to some classic Uptown shit you may or may not know about...

Crime Fam

Produced by Younglord (the guy behind Pun's classic, "You Ain't A Killer", plus various album cuts for the likes of Tragedy Khadafi, G Rap, DMX, and you get the pic). Some dope, low-eyed, villainous uptown shit. During many a visit to the old (East ville) Fat Beats, I'd pass on the last copy of this 12"...simply because I had no idea what the fuck this shit sounded like, nor did the mention of Bad Boy Records on an indie 12" in '96 help calm a raised-brow-by-default...but I guess that strange bit of oxymoronicism just made it that much more intriguing-I finally threw it down before the register with the appropriate $4.00 in cash. On my way back, to get over the Bad Boy shock, I had to read through the credits again...the correlation became apparent; Younglord was on Puff's producer payroll (a shortlived member of the Hitmen?) and this was recorded at Daddy's House Recordings...see, not so crazy after all.

Cut to mid-2003, around the end of my supreme eBAY reign. I'm sitting in my old room facing the heavy hanging decision of whether or not to sell this record for mucho ducketry (the few who knew about this 12" expressed a keen willingness to break bank for new ownership). Well, I realized that keeping it would one day put a smile on my face more than the momentary rush of a quick stack (and that it could always stand as a back-up plan if times got too hard, right?). What really made me want to hold on to this, and the best part of the decision-making process, was when I took this for another spin on the 1200. I not only realized how dope and nostalgia-laced Younglord's production was, but the main dude, as in the primary voice on both joints, was motherfucking Loon (yes, that Loon)!!! Mind you, this was a good year after the whole Puffy "I Need A Girl" explosion. Funny shit indeed...felt the same as when I was reminded, in '97, of an old Murda Mase verse in which he starts off, "Fuck wearin' the fly shit, Versace wear/Real niggas dress in Guess, that's what got me here" (meanwhile, the Ma$e we were well used to/sick of was on T.V. displaying a much different sentiment when it came to fashion).

G-Depp (or G-Dep)

"Today" was a banger he did for DJ S&S, well after his Tape Kingz days. People who've had an ear to the pavement will most likely reflect back to "Head Over Wheels" for their Golden Era G-Dep fix...but as an alternative, this does the job just fine for everyone I've shown it to. Listen to his fuckin' flow and wordplay...no, don't even ask why he's one of my favorites to ever emerge from my beloved borough of Money Makin'...the proof is in the pot.

Regarding the classic Tape Kingz 12" featuring the young "G-Depp" doing his best LL-swing-an-ep-in-my-truck (plus the ridiculously ill "Blow More Spots")...let me just say that I have fond memories of seeing the shit posted in the OG Fat Beats catalog. Does anyone remember this fine "publication"?!? It was completely indicative of the whole "pre-Rawkus" DIY/indie era...and why it was so great. The catalog was an administrative assistant's nightmare...a multi-page xerox job, front & back, stapled...which more resembled a crudely fabricated construction site checklist, complete with misspellings, song title and artist name reversals, and little to no detail on anything listed. It basically screamed into the reader's ear to "get the fuck up and go to the store to browse, in-person" (...it just worked out better that way). The point was, not only to go hunt, but to take a chance and trust in the opinion(s) of your local record shop staff (and not just what the super-paid(off) radio and T.V. outlets were shooting out into the air). When you'd walk in and see a wall of generic white and black record jackets, each equipped with little rectangular cut-outs with multi-colored magic marker inscribed labels stating the artist name, key song(s) to check for, and maybe an added point of reference (i.e. "on Fondle 'Em Recs, Bobbito's label!!"). Nothin' fancy about it at all...but what did good music ever have to do with glossy graphics? Anyways, I'm so burnt that I never picked up a copy of "Head Over Wheels/Blow More Spots" back then (would have saved me a pretty penny too).

Back to the Deputy, many of you already know how he went on to gather up steam through guest spots and freestyles on various radio shows and mixtapes...while dropping a "p" off of his name...and eventually got picked up by Bad Boy, from where he would release a solid debut album (though you probably slept because of the whole Puff shit...obviously if you did not know that Child Of The Ghetto was comprised of mostly hard joints - one of my favorite Bad Boy albums, ever...B.I.G. or not, doesn't matter). I am extra pissed that I lost the leaked version of COTG, which boasted much less background vocal work from Sean Combs and an original version to "Fuck On The First Night" that had a ridiculously hypnotic beat. I had so much hope in dude to keep it going and act as the new torch bearer for Harlem, taking on the duty from the likes of Big L, Killa Cam and McGruff...but it seems the game got the best of him when things were really looking up for dude. PTP sincerely hopes Dep gets back on his feet soon. We want more bangers ASAP...hopefully to sit beside one of his greatest recorded achievements, the perfect song/uptown anthem, the album's title track, "Child Of The Ghetto" (I will not accept any other opinions on this...that shit was TOO TOUGH).

NERVOUS THURSDAYS: Life's A 50-50 Gamble

2010-07-29T23:57:00.001-04:00

This song was crazy ill for a few non-disputable reasons. 1. Trigger's ver-derse. 2. DV's verse. 3. Smoothe's verse. 4. A catchy, sing-song'y hook in '96 that didn't fall under the soft, "let's rehash this 80's hit love ballad" category. 5. "Melting Pot" being sampled in '96...to then create a new age, thugged out B-Boy anthem. Oh yeah, 6. the way Smoothe drops mention of the Illuminati is too tough!

Trig and Smoothe (or Smoothe and Trig) really brought some fresh innovation to the 1-2-mic-pass tradition. Not only did they boast a complimentary pairing of vocal qualities, but the concepts they thought up to apply toward wordplay and phrasing were nextnextnext level. Graduates of the EPMD-meets-Rae&Ghost Academy of Dynamic Duo'ism.

After first witnessing the potential on joints like "Broken Language" and "My Brother, My Ace", to then hearing this and the mixtape classic, "Hitman For Hire"...I cannot tell you how mad I was at Def Jam for for shelving Trigger's Life's A 50-50 Gamble (the grudge would last for years to follow). Thanks, Def Jam, for subjecting me to glueing my finger to the rewind button whenever I popped in an old Stretch Armstrong radio tape that featured this joint (not a bad thing, but I'm sayin').

Brutal Tuesday Outing, Aftermath: Part 1

2010-07-14T17:18:00.003-04:00

(Photos by Paul Birman...more flicks and words on Brooklyn Vegan)

Holy shit last night's show at the Union Pool was retarded! All three bands brought their own monstrous brand of aggro to the table and did nothing but rip.

Wetnurse

What a fuckin' opening to the night, can't wait to hear those new songs with vocals (real melodic, yet noisy as all Hell...I dunno how...but they do it, really fucking well). I see bright things on the horizon for this next LP. Absolutely murdered it.

Landmine Marathon

As an act following Wetnurse, I can imagine it being hard to hang with their full-on detonation of a set...well, hang they most certainly did. The crowd ate the Landmine brutality up and so started the pit action (which Grace even got in on). I was nothing short of blown away, as expected.

Salome

A handful of us went in without knowledge...now we've been thoroughly schooled (shit, I was kinda schooled once I caught a second of the soundcheck). Missed the first song, then came in to realize such a HUGE sound was coming from a 3-piece (female vocals, guitar, and drums)...my mind was no more. I couldn't stop exchanging the "ugly face" with Gene across the sea of shaking heads in the crowd. Crustified (sonically), down-tuned than a muhfucka, sludge with special-efx (imagine a slower Dystopia sans outerspace-dream-sequence guitar...but without being droney - DOPE).

Merch table raids were in full effect, though I can say my wallet only allowed for a long-awaiting attack on Landmine's offerings. Two tees, a CD and 7" later...

(plus I already have all the Wetnurse goodness)

Huge shouts to PTP's Jimmy D and Bvllshark's Mike-G (plus crew) for joining in on the destruction...best under-$15 show I've been to in a WHILE.

The vibe was correct...from exchanges with band members to fellow audience members, the whole situation was love. Exactly what going to shows is about.

There will be some PTP exclusive footage from various moments, although my camera was buggin' during Wetnurse's set...kept turning off mid-recording (the giant noise of the Nurse was oh-too powerful for the bitchy little iFLIP - thanks Apple)...so I only crept away with the second half of "Conversations With The Moon". Regardless...I will be posting up video tidbits in Part II...so you already know.

For now...enjoy some footy, already on the 'tube...
"NYC" by Wetnurse...featuring a guest appearance by my finger and tip-toe yell:

The tail-end of Landmine Marathon's set (see your boy go from tired to exhausted...heads were bulldozin' and dancin' the shit out of the circle prior to it becoming a total human slingshot shitstorm - either version is done simply when this band is on, or so I found out):

And Salome...Salome...Sa-looooooooooooooooooooooome (!!!!!!!):

Bonus LM (it was announced that they have a new video):

Landmine Marathon - Shadows Fed To Tyrants

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Live Tonight @ Union Pool, BK

2010-07-13T01:29:00.001-04:00

Summer and live music...always a great combo...this year I am seeing so much on the horizon from here til September. Faith No More at the Waterfront was nothing short of incredible. Up next, a show that is just rip-your-fucking-skull-in-half badness.

Super excited to see my boys Wetnurse return to the stage...with a new ditty or two underwing...and to be playing with Landmine Marathon, whom I missed in NYC last year (they destroyed Lit). I have no comment (yet) on Salome as I have yet to catch up with their sonic offerings...but I'd gladly pay $10 for either Wetnurse or Landmine, dolo, because both bands completely deliver both on record and on stage (perhaps even more, live). Two of my favorite front people today (Nurse's Gene = vocals on multiple personality disorder, stage antics like a sleepwalker struck by the Mack-truck-force of his own worst fears infinitely repeating before him. Landmine's Grace = her voice will make you wish you left your pregnant wife at home and she'll kick your teeth out if you don't agree with abortion by sonic mudfight).

Landmine Marathon and Salome will also be playing at the Cake Shop on July 15...but you're better off risking life and limb to see Wetnurse along with 'em tonight.

(THANK YOU BROOKLYN VEGAN)

Just for kicks, a little Nurse liveness from last year...

P.S. What other shows are on the PTP calendar? Primus at the Waterfront, Tes-Uno's A Tribe Called Tes at Le Poisson Rouge, the headliners of Rock The Bells, Drop Dead in BK, Black (fuckin') Army Jacket reuniting at the Cake Shop (again, BK Vegan, I owe you something very valuable), and i

Takin' Out The Suckas...

2010-07-06T05:21:00.000-04:00

...and you don't know how we did it.

Tomorrow, D-Nice and I set things off for a new weekly outdoor DJ series at NJPAC. It's free, rain or shine, and close to the PATH train. I'm super amped to be rockin' with D, as I grew up listening to his music (not only his solo material, but remember he produced many a BDP banger).
Expect classics and no-fist pumps. Shouts to my man Ty and the rest of the NJPAC crew.

The Real Thing

2010-07-02T18:05:00.002-04:00

Holy shit. Faith No More in 40 minutes in BK. AMPED.

Grew up listening to these cats, Metallica, GnR, and Primus (whom I heard is also performing this summer at the Williamsburg Waterfront - again, AMPED). There's not another thrash-punk-prog-funk-hybrid-mutant band that can get me this hype. "Epic", though terribly played the fuck to the ground (thanks Karaoke bars and Rock Band), still rules.

It's crazy how many cats have come out the woodwork as old FNM fans when they heard about this show...shouts to my millz Benny-D who's going to Philly to enjoy this first-time-in-a-decade experience. If you're not able to make any of the shows this weekend...at least do yourself good by bumpin' The Real Thing and Angel Dust...enjoy the genius of this nutty ass band...I'll let you know how it translated on tonight's stage (though I've seen nothing but beyond promising recent footy of them - still throwing down).

Pro OG Footy:

Check the surprise bodyslam steez...

B-Boy Makin' With The Freak-Freak

2010-06-30T17:06:00.000-04:00

Extra dedication.

R.I.P.

REST IN POWER: Rammellzee

2010-06-30T17:01:00.001-04:00

The anthem of the gods...

Master of the letter...

Go watch Style Wars over and over and over...

Air Max

2010-06-09T22:10:00.002-04:00

Aggro as fuck...and knew this since a youngin' with big air dreams.
Matt Hoffman is the Kool G Rap of BMX. Understand that.

I Still Write My Rhymes On Paper

2010-05-10T17:01:00.002-04:00

Probably my favorite of the recent finds on the 'tube.

Fuck that. Everything new (at least since the Ice Water signing) from CNN has been ill. The War Report II is at the top of my list for anticipated releases this year. Fuck your corny swagger-new jack-weirdo name rap. That shit holds no weight, so keep that in the single-digit 2000's. CNN made two classic albums when you had to be nasty to achieve such a feat...their first being a SUPER classic. If you don't agree, you are probably scared of life or in need of a nanny still (you'd be scared, but you get the "age pass").

I wish this was an original CNN beat. Nothing against Jay Electronica, but the combo of the Just Blaze heater and Nore really showed me how back to form things really are...prime example material. Let's also not forget that Ice Water Inc. means that The Chef is on deck to help provide a platform for release...the influence is apparent...and that is one of the best things possible for their dynamic of 90's fed, reference-heavy, image spewing, street rap.

Here's the whole joint with Pone on the 2nd round murder.

FAST LIFE

2010-05-10T16:20:00.002-04:00

Word. I've been busy. You can hear one thing I've done on this here April episode of Boundless Radio (click to download).

Like last month's ep (with Large Pro as the special guest), Teddy King mans the wheels, showcasing not only his deep-crated selection of grooves/breaks/originals and assorted Hip Hop gems, but also the newest contributions to his Nas remix project (TK, hit me with that official title...if that's even thought up yet)... those of which included two joints, done separately, by the duo of Drop Grenade... Tesly Snipes' darkened 80's reinterpretation of "Thief's Theme"...and my own vision of how G'ster "Fast Life" could have been (I know, NOT a Nas song per say, but Nas and G Rap both held equal bar weight on the joint...and c'mon, it was an easy way to throw Kool G Rap over one of my beats).

There's exclusive Purple Tape Pedigree video footy of this recording session taking place...quite some gems in there, including the live in-studio performance by Tes and the first appearance of Ted Dancin'...as well as varied liquid, pizza, and Stackhouse fueled moments. Coming soon.

Shouts to the entire Boundless Crew and everyone else in the spot...my main stain Tes-Juno, Ted Dancin', Stickz, Aaron, Kellen Diesel True Religion Tuxedo (if only I had a photo to show you), my millz A2 (who had a retarded banger on last month's Boundless ep..."God Love Us"), Rugged One, and the rest...even wifey came with me and enjoyed herself (LOVE YOU CAT!).

Official Boundless Blog Link Here

Take It Personal

2010-04-20T16:23:00.003-04:00

In the advent of Keith "Guru" Elam's passing, an "official" press release has been released. Read here (scroll down to red text).

To sum it all up, it really makes no difference to me as a man (whether or not that letter is genuine article), but from a fan's perspective, the above posted press release is composed from a mind that is nothing short of delusional. The saddest shit might be the fact that Guru supposedly expresses contentment in departing without making amends with his original partner for well over a decade, DJ Premier - the DJ/Producer with whom EVERYONE will always associate Guru, no matter how bad one or two CRABS out there want to change that.

I really don't like to dig into some negative shit amidst the loss of human life (at least, not one as influential as this), but let's be real here. I cannot help but believe that Solar had a two-hand stranglehold on this piece of literature (i.e. "hit producer"??? Lines like that make this straight up fiction. We say "fuck outta here, b!"). As a matter of fact, lemme take that back a step. I don't know what would be more saddening, if this statement was indeed 100% Guru's words...or the great possibility that a grown man could exhibit such bottom feeder qualities in attempting to capitalize off of tragedy by further striving to taint one's legacy for a few more resume points.

"Take It Personal"

"I never thought that you would crab me
Undermine me, and backstab me
But I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
The pain is gone, but what you did was still wrong..."

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Marvelous Persona

2010-04-20T10:38:00.000-04:00

Not only is this movie a dope mindfuck...but the soundtrack is ill (and brutal). Besides the favored contributions from Spazz and Eyehategod, "Dragonaut" by the Stoner Metal/Doom'y giants, Sleep, gives me plenty of incentive to pop this flick in for another go around.

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Stoned Masters

2010-04-20T09:06:00.000-04:00

Nothing says "get stoned" better than the viscose sonic downpour that is Black Sabbath. If you have never experienced the combination of A-1 traumage and the pummeling audio skullpress of the Sludge/Doom/Stoner metal gods, than you, my friend, are missing a piece of the puzzle.

Today's a perfect day to fill that void...and do it to this.

"Sweet Leaf"

Yeah...same song...just the demo version. Lyrically, the demo is nowhere near as focused as the final product...but I just can't get over how apparent the drums are on this joint. Sounds like an 80's era Rick Rubin produced/recorded this (especially think of Danzig I to understand what I'm saying). I can listen to alternate takes of early Sabbath all day.

"Sweet Leaf" (Demo Version)

4-20 Joint

2010-04-20T06:42:00.001-04:00

Roll up, then let the bassline do the rest.

"Gotta Get Over" (Large Professor Remix)

R.I.P.

REST IN POWER: GURU

2010-04-19T23:23:00.018-04:00

Damn. Smoke a mean L and listen to crazy Gang Starr all day tomorrow. One of the illest duos to ever do it. R.I.P.

"Ex Girl To Next Girl"

"Code Of The Streets"

"Just Ta Get A Rep"

"Manifest"

NERVOUS THURSDAY: CLACK CLACK! SALUTE!

2010-04-15T21:37:00.001-04:00

A combination that NEVER loses its kick...DJ Premier and the (much younger (lighter weight, yet still heavy as fuck)) Mash Out Posse. Love this shit. This made the city kids feel the need to carry somethin' when crossing those East River waters.

M.O.P-Rugged Neva Smoove
"Rugged Neva Smoove" (DJ Premier Remix)

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Before Yo!

2010-04-15T16:25:00.002-04:00

...there was Uncle Ralph McDaniels at 3:30pm. Every day I'd run home after school to witness this glorious hour of music television. Video Music Box was precisely how I found myself entrenched in music, Hip Hop really...way before the MTV's and BET's embraced it (with grubby hands). Fond memories of playing with the analog clicker-dials on the TV, channels 31, 3, 25, Whodini's "Five Minutes Of Funk", the infamous bassy voice-over from Ralph and live-situation antics from co-hosts like Vidal, Tuffy, and Crazy Sam (nervous!).

PTP highlight: KRS lookin' wild traumed, fully enjoying the moment and the classic Kane in the background.

...and if you didn't know, this show is where the term "Nervous Thursday" comes from.

Thank you Uncle Ralph.

"Cops Get More Nervous Than Thursday's On The Box"

2010-04-14T23:11:00.012-04:00

About 24 hours til that Tax Day deadline. Get right with Uncle Sam if ya haven't already...he's not the guy to be played with.
BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Damn: R.I.P. Malcolm McLaren

2010-04-08T17:10:00.001-04:00

Last for this Thursday...sad day for music, once again .

Malcolm was a vital figure in both Punk and Hip Hop...most notably the manager of the New York Dolls and the Sex Pistols, as well as the man behind the never-fading sonic hybrids "Buffalo Gals" and "Double Dutch"...and let's not forget World's Famous Supreme Team's "Hey DJ".

"Buffalo Gals"

"Hey DJ"

"Double Dutch"

You know what's crazy...I don't know how I came up on this...but Google "Seminal Figure"...that'll tell you how important this cat was. Rest In Power.

NERVOUS THURSDAYS: "Soft Like Tiger Woods"

2010-04-08T07:48:00.001-04:00

...never that.

Anyways...this shit is remains mega hard. I shouldn't have to sell you on why Common is dead nice. If you had not heard Common (Sense) until the whole Badu period, I can understand perhaps getting thrown off due to the Muslim spaceship hippie steez he was on...and I'm sorry. Honestly, you missed a boatload of classic material...the 3 albums that helped solidify things not only for him, but for Chicago as a city to pay attention to (at that moment, and from a NYC perspective, the only other cat putting in that much work as an MC was Twista...and No I.D. as a producer...at least).

"Hungry" (Produced by NO I.D.)

And as a sidenote for you youngins...as a producer, No I.D. is the father to your Kanye...as well as the guy behind Jay-Z's "Death Of Autotune".

Through The Wire

2010-04-07T22:12:00.000-04:00

More paranoid, dark shit cheffed up by Bandana P. Sid Roams on the brooding soundscape. Very ill indeed.

"Phone Tap (Welcome To State Prison)"
Probably the best from-jail/phone song ever. Shit, phone ad-libs on the hook!

Vatican IV

2010-04-07T19:52:00.000-04:00

A little late on this...but I know some of you still don't have/know about it.

My family over at Boundless NY dropped this little gem over on their blog, pretty recently...courtesy of The Chef and DJ Riddler aka Vinny Ponte.

Click the Boundless NY link to get the whole story, plus links to the previous 3 mixtapes. Shouts to Stick Stampede, Tesly Snipes (Drop Grenade!), Teddy King, and co.

Crazy 'sclusives.

Crying Wolf

2010-04-07T19:35:00.001-04:00

You're gonna laugh...but they got me with this. Dead ass. Maybe it was because my girl put me onto this right as I was finishing my second reading of Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep...and let me add that I was peeping it from a distance, over her shoulder, as she was reading it to me...and probably due to a fair amount of paranoia I've invested into the seemingly dark days ahead (where's my tin foil helmet?).

(Plus I don't keep that heavy of a finger on the pulse of Hollywood these days...or in reading fine print for that matter...)

Yep. I thought they were "legally" pedaling bionic arms and spine upgrades.

Good job to these folks.

...and yes, I secretly really wanted this to be real.

Jake The Snake...

2010-04-07T18:26:00.002-04:00

I could seriously watch this scene once everyday for the rest of my life...(for reasons all too obvious).

Dick Towel

2010-03-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

Ayo.
Fuckin' shit. There's no title better for this post. No play on words or cool semi-quote can outshine that.
More brain 'sploding action from the "Wesley Willis of rap"...nah...as a matter of fact, it's the other way around...Wesley Willis was the "Kool Keith of Casiocore".

Updated

2010-03-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

Kiddies... there's been more radio silence on this channel recently. Real life happens. As I may have said a week or two ago, you will probably be glad that I have not been on the Internet, everyday, typing and copy-and-paste'ing away to maintain our presence in the blogworld. AS soon as I can show you something, I will. You have been good to me, and I feel like returning the favor two-fold is only right.

Also, let's just say that the practically one-man-band planet that is PTP, will soon have some new inhabitants with whom to share the pain and glory. Expansion is necessary at this point.

Alright. Let's do something a bit different. Blogger allows for back dating posts so you can make up for a missed day (or 7)... but fuck it...here's a mega post of new shit I've been feeling thoroughly (with little explanation...it is too nice outside to be stuck at the computer thinking up ways of saying "I really like this good music".).

First. New CNN...both Nore and Capone on some aggressive, 90's type thought pattern steez...and Imam sounds just as grizzly as he did the first time you heard him. Shouts to my man Big ED for making me check this on a proper factory vehicle sound system (the best way to hear CNN).

CNN ft. Imam Thug & Musolini "Thug Planet"
Added Note: I love how Pone sounds like he's been writing raps after a night of OB4CL2...this IceH20 deal is a great look for them. Free Tragedy Khadafi!

Second. More Purple Tape II shit. This video is NSFW...but VSFU (Very Safe For Us). The fact that Rae is not even in the video is, in itself, pretty ill. What the viewer is left with is essentially the most amazing album promo ever. If anyone should be seen cooking crack, it would be a barely clad...okay fine...no one should be seen cooking crack...crackissonotkosher.

Raekwon "Pyrex Vision"
Added Note: I'm going pretty far off topic with this one, but this video must rank high in the semi-tame fetish department...kind of like the antithesis to "girls on fixed gears"...but with all of the imaginative wealth in tact. Let's be real here, with all of the "theme" porn flicks in the world, I'm surprised no one has tried to capitalize on this New Jack City type aesthetic. It has been way overdue...you've got a decades of inner city drug czar films spanning from my favorite, King Of New York, to the Paid In Full's, Belly's, Kingpin's, etc...as well as the super success of the best T.V. series ever, The Wire...then all of this sensationalized urban drug culture chic stuff...you know, that failed-whisper level agreement between most rappers, hipsters, models, and Big Bro?

Haha...okay. Well regardless, the shit would be like an Art film...the sound of moans, gags, and flesh slapping with the clouded visual of puffing surgical masks, various latex gear, and the occasional wagging titty and slinkydance ass through a white powder haze and volcano'ing glassjar fog. If any of you directorial types wanna make this happen, hit me, I got the screenplay just five minutes ago (after having watched the above-posted video).

Third. New Rae. The Alchemist chose a breakbeat for him to go off on. That's been my type of shit since the 90's (mostly due to the loopy, minimal Wu joints and basement type shit like Ghost's "Wise" or "Milk Crates"). More on that soon.

Raekwon "Wally's & Pringles"

Fourth. I'ma let one of my first guest bloggers air out about another killer joint by these cats...but this is some real deal shit from the South. Fuck the weak stuff.

Juicy J & Project Pat "Cali High"
Added Note: Enjoy the good weather outside...with a well-timed herbal enhancement. Or not. But stop reading this and get some fresh air. Go to the zoo. Look at the humans and animals.

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Burn Baby Burn

2010-03-09T20:27:00.000-05:00

"Burn"

This IS brutal. Godfather Don, in my opinion, was one of the first on the East to really get on some schizo-bugged, horrific thought raps. A favorite oldie of his. The airing of the hook is made special by today's date.

...

2010-03-09T20:23:00.002-05:00

~~BRUTAL~~ B.I.G. Tuesday.

March 9th.

"4 My Peeps" featuring M.O.P., Notorious B.I.G., Prince Poetry (of Organized Konfusion). Produced by Buckwild

Frank Wizza...Rest In Power.

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Smoke Or Pussy?

2010-02-25T16:37:00.000-05:00

Brain sploded.

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Off The Third Rail

2010-02-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

The anthem. C'mon...you knew this was gonna happen.

"Wrong Side Of Da Tracks"

LUNE TNS

2010-02-25T06:50:00.000-05:00

Snitches Get Stitches

2010-02-24T06:48:00.000-05:00

Vandal Squad. The anti-graff gang.

"Cat and Mouse" from This American Life (on NPR). Contains the bit about Revs.

Check the 3rd commercial...some of you will definitely recognize it.

Blah blah blah...in society...blah blah...on society.

"Mark Of The Squealer"
Sat down confessed it with a full report
Dashed it out but he couldn't take it
Had to drop dime, through a partner in crime
Got away without serving his time

Snitches get stiches
The thread on your cheek must itch
Snitches get stiches
You got yours you son of a bitch

The mark of the squealer
Too soft to be the dealer
And nothing can heal you
Mark of the squealer
The mark of the squeal

I'm out on a mission
To catch a stool pigeon

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Show You No Mercy

2010-02-22T23:20:00.003-05:00

~~Warning: this post is full of bitter, jaded, elitist native New Yorker spew...but I swear it is an important and entertaining read and I fuckin' like it.~~

If I had to explain the graphics for the new PTP layout (those which sit at the top of the page)... I chose this photo as an obvious reflection of the concept behind PTP, displaying the constant battle and ever-growing void between the ideals of "Old(e) New York" and those of "New New York" (more like "hollow preach" if you ask me)...progression, sincerity, revolt, and insanity versus mass consumerism/mass production, submission, unilateralism, and "white-washing" (take that how you want it, fucker). For the layman: on the left, you have one of the last truly legendary walls, on 23rd Street and 10th Avenue, while on the right, you have workers "blue washing" the Manhattan Mini-Storage logo off of the building to make things more "aesthetically pleasing" for users of the High Line walkway.

You should know who these two cats are...yes, the two names in large print on the aforementioned wall...especially if you've grown and actually lived in NYC. Having just moved here does NOT earn you the right to say you've LIVED in this shithole...and yes it IS a shithole, but no, not at all like it used to be. I'd say it is worse NOW, with subway cars that more resemble the bathrooms in your sterile and florescent 5th Avenue shared office than that of CBGB's, or the Wetlands. And there's more reason ahead. But first. The original point of this article.

How 4 letters can be absolutely fucking brutal. It's about the approach and heart behind it.

Fuckin' Revs

Nice little tale of Revs from NPR's This American Life. Episode titled "Cat and Mouse".

Revs with his "PNC", COST (from On The Go 2: Repeat Offender...check the whole movie in yesterday's post)

Now to more reasons why shit has gone increasingly awry...

Yesterday's post at Vanishing New York was a sad one; revealing the migration of hard hats to the wall on the left (photo by Steven Benga). Yes. They have defaced our wall. Under the orders of City authorities, whom did everything but consult with the actual people who make up the city, workers went on to remove the Revs and Cost tags. Very well-written articles, full of colorful adjectives and true opinion (of course, opposing this madness) can be found here and at The Gothamist. Props to Jeremiah Moss of VNY, Steven Benga, and Jake Dobkin and John Del Signore at The Gothamist for the absolutely necessary coverage on the destruction of a vital piece of NYC history.

Originally, I was going to title this post "Break Down The Walls"...but after having read the news at VNY, the inner feeling of angry backlash has grown from merely "something in the air" to a dense, mustard yellow fog. They are doing the breaking. It's time for some get-back.

"Show You No Mercy"
I tried to stop myself
Told you those games ain't good for yourself
Gave ya advice cuz I thought you could hear
Better listen closely cuz your end is near

Won't show you no mercy at all
Gonna kick ya, kick ya when you're takin your fall
Won't show you no mercy today
Gonna hit ya, hit ya when you're movin on your way

Put ya in check cuz I thought you were my friend
Sorry it had to come to the bitter end
Just like a blind man you can't see
Better move along and just let me be

Don't come to me
For no sympathy
You won't get none here
Just leave you in fear

Won't show you no mercy at all

What does it take to prove you were a fake
I thought so anyway, won't show you no mercy today Won't show you no mercy at all

The mayor and Parks authority can fuck off, along with the likes of luxury crusties and b&t kids. I hope a biblical rain of poly-epoxy and 4AM rebellion hit the section between Gansevoort Street and 34th Street like gangbusters...and rows of doped out, late-70's Times Square hookers rise from the ground to "throw pussy" at any and ALL who choose to peruse the High Line.

As a final musical dedication...to both Revs and Cost...two cats who spat on the velvet rope of conventionality.

"Break The Chain"
time for you to listen
i got something to say
get back! stay the fuck away!
keep your distance and i'll be free
plastic molds, human shapes
all distorted, figures of hate
all the static fucks my brain
must escape
break the chain!

Repeat Offender

2010-02-22T18:52:00.002-05:00

More VHS love on PTP...you hopefully saw the Trilogy stuff from last week, now enjoy this...

Found this classic On The Go video up on the 'Tube. Props to Cosmo Baker for posting this ill shit. Whether you're a graffiti head or not, this video was/is chock full of insane footy that runs the gamut of Hip Hop, including an off-the-top freestyle by a young ass Black Thought backed by a young Brother ?uestion (of The Roots, of course), a fun little interview with the Artifacts, and classic beat juggling routines by the X-Men's Joe Sinista and Rob Swift. Way more too...just watch and appreciate the grit.

Repeat Offender

Part 1 (of 6)

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Graffilthy.

Sit Back, I'm Bout To Begin

2010-02-19T10:18:00.001-05:00

Let's keep it short today. The weekend is looming. I have to run around like a maniac to finish up some projects.

L kills this. One of my favorite combos of verse and beat...I mean seriously...THAT beat?!?! PTP calls it a "nightrider whip anthem". I would be out at late-enough hours and hear this writhe and pound out of various rides. Shit sounded like ESG's "UFO" was savagely assaulted by Kubrick's The Shining. The simplicity of its arrangement just makes for a lumbering giant of a soundscape. Cake taker.

"The Enemy" (produced by DJ Premier)

NERVOUS THURSDAY: "I could pull skins on a pedal bike"

2010-02-18T10:21:00.027-05:00

In this episode, Lord Finesse comes through to Yo! MTV Raps to promote his Return Of The Funkyman album. He brings along his man "Nicky" as well as a young chap by the name of "Big L". Ed Lover almost immediately takes notice of the "Devil's son" element in L's almost-too-quiet demeanor. Finesse speaks about being down with Ice-T's crew, The Syndicate, and spits a freestyle. Enjoy this clip in all of its archival glory.

Around the same time, this cut was recorded...

Showbiz & AG feat. Big L, Deshawn, and Lord Finesse

American Dream

2010-02-17T21:47:00.000-05:00

Big L Week continues here at PTP...

Everyone should know about C.O.C., Children Of The Corn. Big L, Killa Cam, Bloodshed (R.I.P.), Murda Mase, Herb McGruff, and Digga on the beats.

A fucking supernatural collection of talent and energy. I remember first hearing this on something like Future Flavas and running around school the next day to see if anyone had taped it. C.O.C. was the most dangerous crew to rep Manhattan/Uptown.

Check the original version...Cam's verse is different and stupid ill.

BRUTAL TUESDAY: 1-3-9 and Lenox

2010-02-16T20:06:00.002-05:00

When folks say "Horrorcore" in reference to raps about the occult, gore, and all around evil shit...cats seem to stop on the East Coast steez with groups like Gravediggaz, Flatlinerz (unfortunately), and then have to resort to namedropping later stuff like early Cage and Necro (shit I'd even put Godfather Don AND Kool Keith as quality producers of the sub-genre). The funny thing to me is, most people don't remember, or never realized, that Big L was easily one of the first on the East Coast to really, really go there with the dark, fucked up, kill-your-mother-then-eat-her-children imagery. I still have an old issue of On The Go (well...by now, what issue of On The Go isn't ancient?) in which they quote L as saying he started the whole "horrorcore" thing on this side of the map with "Devil's Son". I believe it. I'll have to scan that before the week is up.

Here's a great example of L's horrorcorebilities...off of his classic, Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous..."Danger Zone".

Brutal.

"Every Sunday, a nun lay, from my gun spray
Fuck Carlito, we doin' shit the Devil's son way"

REST IN POWER: BIG LAMONT

2010-02-15T20:56:00.040-05:00

Rest In Power Lamont Coleman aka Big L. Thank you for allowing me to exploit the power of "Auto Reverse" with the "Put It On" tape maxi single. The night I brought that home from HMV (or was it Tower Records?) was hours spent memorizing and dissecting the music in my headphones.

Also, thank you for burning Helly Hansen, as an urban staple, into the minds of everyone who saw your video. You helped further define that '94-'95 period of the "Golden Age" (aka "Helly Hansen Rap").

Lord Finesse featuring Big L "Yes You May Remix"

Shut 'Em Down

2010-02-15T09:42:00.002-05:00

In the world of classic drum breaks...there's Brown's/Stubblefield's "Funky Drummer", Bliss' "Synthetic Substitution", Skull Snaps' "It's A New Day", and the one I've probably used the most over the last few years, Mountain's "Long Red" (I'll namecheck "Impeach The President" as well). Not only does it sound fucking dope in a simple loop operation, thanks to the swing'y style drum pattern, but the combo of the crowd noise, room acoustics, and overall crunchiness of the recording added to the key components of the break makes for nothing less than a large attack.

Pete Rock breaks down his remix to PE's "Shut 'Em Down", where he layered two of the four (well...five) aforementioned gems, and furthermore, gives his take on "Long Red" as a perfect break of the era (timeless, really).

Massacre

2010-02-14T05:25:00.001-05:00

Absolutely fucking brutal...and apparently it's precisely what happened in 1929...but really, this is Brutal Tuesday type material.

Trilogy

2010-02-12T11:25:00.001-05:00

Nothing like 90's skate videos. The characters behind the talent, the style, the music, the grittiness...the lines.

One of the best ever was Trilogy. Easily.

Lavar

A classic 6 minutes of skate footy. Kid had one of the most effortless looking styles and had lines for days (check the last joint, was that 9 in one?). I can see why most of my boys idolized this cat.

Kareem

Man...another hero to many. This cat was always a BEAST. Goin' for the gusto every time. Not only did he pop huge flip tricks, but he had nasty combos.

Gino

Ridiculous style. Made any trick look ill, even if he landed it type sketchy.

"Oh boy."

2010-02-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

Fuck a "Snowpocalypse"

In The Duffle: Small Items

2010-02-12T10:19:00.001-05:00

All necessity.

-Smartwool "Diamond Jim" "Ultra Comfy" Socks
-Styles P & DJ Green Lantern The Green Ghost Project (2010)
-Voivod Killing Techology (1987)
-Cormac McCarthy's Child Of God (1973)
-Philip K. Dick's Do Android Dream Of Electric Sheep? (1968)

NERVOUS THURSDAY: "I grip the mic like a pitbull..."

2010-02-11T23:52:00.001-05:00

This was my SHIT in '88!! Thank you Uncle Ralph for constantly airing this video. Easily my favorite single they ever put out.

The video is dope. They killed it badly in this. Anyone else notice how it's like a strange hybrid of MJ's "Beat It" and "Bad"? One of my favorite beats of the time...that rhythm piano and hard drum combo has a mean bounce to it, and better yet, the descending synth adds a touch of evil to the mix...perfect compliment to their gnarly "tough girl" raps.

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Live In Living Color

2010-02-11T22:53:00.001-05:00

In the late 80's and early 90's, there were a handful of shows that constantly delivered the goods when it came to live performances of the Hip Hop variety (Soul Train and their overdubbed sound will be excluded from this one. Sorry Don!). Yo! MTV Raps, Video Music Box clips, The Arsenio Hall Show, and Showtime At The Apollo all held it down for us...but let's focus on the phenomenon that was the Wayans Brothers' In Living Color.

Ha...peep Jenny Lopez in her heyday. Not that she hasn't aged well, it's not about that, plus once you hit that first million it seems you automatically acquire the ability to stomp out Old Man Time like the tunnel hobo in A Clockwork Orange...it's just that her existence was in much better taste during her time as a Fly Girl (during ILC's 3rd Season). Who'd think that shorty who was dancing to EPMD's "I'm Mad" and introducing the always-fresh Pete Rock & CL Smooth would one day be paying humans to be her 24-hour "servants" (we all would have been better off if she stayed at her Money Train and/or Anaconda phase).

Whoa...three of my early 90's crushes...Jennifer the Fly Girl, Rosie Perez (who was the dance choreography for the latter half of ILC's existence), and Mary J. (at her prime). On another note, it's too bad CL didn't pop up for his verse.

A.D.O.R. ...and gotta love the background dancers... enjoy the choreography during the hook...we all did. Seriously, this one is gem-status...though the video quality a little nervous, especially once the credits roll...but where else are you going to see live footy of A.D.O.R.?!

Ha, Smooth B with the Philly out...PLUS Primo on the live cuts..."A special presentation of the Simpsons is next"...those were the days.

The ALWAYS super-hype Leaders Of The New School. Wish this would have carried through to C. Brown's verse. Kinda suspect how the cast isn't going absolutely apeshit during this.

Fucking incredible material right here. From the intro by Ice Cube...to the all-out medley by Chuck and Flav...with various cast members going nuts during the last verse of "Fight The Power" ("Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me...")...too bad it cuts off right as Flav's starting "911 Is A Joke". Damn. Prime shit right there.

And as a bonus...anyone who has ever seen this show, any special on Jim Carey "coming up", or searched Youtube for "Vanilla Ice" has witnessed Jim Carey's ILC skit of "Ice Ice Baby"...if not, it ain't hard to find. Pretty silly, but still decent comedy for the time. Well...this next one is still a goody.

Serch asked "What do we think about Hammer?!?"

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Fuck Rock

2010-02-09T10:10:00.048-05:00

I re-stumbled upon this rad-as-fuck blog, Blogged And Quartered, late last Friday night in search of a few old hardcore demos...boy oh boy, did I G off.

Not only does this cat, Vin, have a TREASURE TROVE of mostly NYHC rarities (definitely not limited to that, the recent Infest pack he put together is currently the apple of my ears...along with the following...read on), but he also seems to have earned the backing of many well-respected characters of the late-80's/early-90's era. Freddy "Wardance" Alva, Daryl Kahan and Patrick Winters of CXA, Javier "Against" Villegas, Dave K, Rich Trash, and so on, have all contributed to this blog's character development through not only insightful commentary on his posts, but also by sending the lucky guy copies of unreleased material for him to share with the rest of the online community. A lot of ABC No Rio love on there, including the following long-forgotten, never-released, compilation directly from Freddy Alva's vault.

Fuck Rock (this is a link to the Blogged And Quartered post, including an intro by Mr. Alva, with fully breathing download link)

This compilation was/is a monster. It features most of the bands that put ABC No Rio on the map...and did I mention that these are all alternate recordings of songs.

Flash forward to now; I’ve had the master tape of the comp and tons of photos/flyers languishing in an old shoebox throughout the years & with the recent advent of putting up an old project of mine online (New Breed), I was motivated to revisit this comp and listening to these tracks, it made me realize how much they have stood the test of time, shit still rocks.

— Freddy Alva

Styles P At Number Zero

2010-02-05T09:11:00.000-05:00

Styles P 'pella at Statik Selektah's release party. As my man ED said, SP remains as "one of the last East Coast rapper I can rely on for consistent product"...sad reality.

Will Ya?!

2010-02-03T10:35:00.001-05:00

(as loosely transcribed from Geng's Facebook)

"What the FUCK is with this "We Are The World" shit? A good cause behind it...yes...but how could gathering a bunch of prima-donnas in a room to do a remake not be any more about "face time"? Why not just book a huge tour with all of these musical big earners on the same bill, perform all the hits people love, and stop with the pseudo-conscious sing-along bullshit? #ShouldHaveSavedTheStudioTimeForSomethingElse"

No photos...fuck you...fuck this...I'm going out to J&R Music World and coppin' that Green Ghost Project...you should too.

Ghosts, Lanterns, Alchemy

2010-02-03T10:17:00.002-05:00

One more for you lucky people...new SP! This shit BANGS!

"Make Millions From Entertainment" (Produced by Alchemist)

The Green Ghost

2010-02-03T09:13:00.002-05:00

New Styles-P off of The Green Ghost Project with DJ Green Lantern. One of the only cats doing it today who PTP fully endorses. I'm tight that I missed Monday's show at the Highline...PTP fam member Jimmy D was there in full rep mode...said the shit was a good mixed crowd, positive vibes and rad music all around. Sean Price killed his set, Boogie Blind killed the between set musical entertainment, SP killed and brought out Kiss and Sheek, as well as Pharoahe Monch.

DOPE video.

"Legal Money" (Prod. by Vinny Idol)

Also, since this video was made in conjunction with Nah Right, click for some solid photographic coverage of Monday's event. Yeah it's another Hip Hop blog...PTP shows love, dula.

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Who Are You And Why Am I Here?!

2010-02-02T22:52:00.000-05:00

VOID. The most explosive, abrasive, fuckin' aggro band not only of the legendary Dischord Records roster, but of the entire first wave of Hardcore Punk. Their style was akin to watching a bar brawl between "rage" and "chaos" whilst under the spell of a bad acid trip. Unhinged as fuck. I would go as far as to say that their frenzied energy served as the foundation to what would later be known as Powerviolence/Power Violence (that, plus the blast style of Boston's own Siege), a favorite Hardcore sub-genre here at PTP.

"My Rules" (off of the all-too-essential The Faith-Void Split...talk about night and day)

What do I mean? See for yourself...a short clip of both The Faith (first) and Void (last) live:

In a room full of eager bodies, Void worked...just barely. That's how it worked at all. The art of exploring one's own self-destruction, but managing to return before being wholly swallowed by the turmoil.

All I Need: Carhartt Brown & Skull Snaps

2010-02-01T22:49:00.001-05:00

Born out of Dearborn, Michigan by Hamilton Carhartt, his brand, Carhartt, has championed workwear for over 100 years. They are known as masters of "Cotton Duck" canvas and owners of a certain shade of deep mustard'y brown.

By 1992, the utilitarian, "tough and active" aesthetic had become a staple within the colder inner city environments of the East Coast. At a time when military gear and athletic warm-up apparel were viewed as the essential block roaming garb, Carhartt added a true sense of blue-collar form-and-function to the urban uniform. The vests, jackets, dungarees, overalls, and hoodies all reflected the "hard as concrete", cold weather fighting, walking stashbox street imagery, plus the naturally roomy cut made for easy assimilation into the fashion of the time.

As Hip Hop was the soundtrack to any urban landscape during that last stretch of the 20th Century, it was how I first got acquainted with the brand.

To this day, Carhartt remains synonymous to the infamous opening drum break of Skull Snaps' "It's A New Day" (posted eons ago on this blog). Although he was not the first to loop these drums, in my eyes, they will always belong to Erick Sermon as he constantly ushered them into multiple arranged marriages with an array of viscous Funk layers. There's just something about the thick kick-hat-snare combination of this break that perfectly complements drowning basslines and the amorphous noise attack of George Clinton. As with James Brown's "Funky Drummer" break, "It's A New Day" helped shape an era of Hip Hop, yet remains timeless. No wonder its apt association with an American heritage brand whose clothing has stood the tests of recession, drought, and generations of hard labor in the most trying of weather conditions.

Who Gives A Fuck About A Goddamn Grammy

2010-02-01T02:52:00.002-05:00

...as PE put it in '88.

As seen on Facebook (with a small edit):

"Are you people serious with all this Grammy's shit? Will any of these people matter when their "5 minutes" is up? At least if you're going to care about shit that won't remain a constant in the public eye, make it something worth a minute of your listening time (aka do your homework on music that is proven to be TIMELESS, not this worthless marketing fodder set to a melody)."

Just sayin'.

Hands That Mold

2010-01-31T21:45:00.118-05:00

This morning the lady and I were fortunate enough to catch Sundance's airing of a documentary called The Planet. From 2006, by Michael Stenberg, Linus TOrell, and Johan Soderberg. An environmental piece, it focuses on the current state of the Earth and gives a pretty "no bullshit" overview as to what can/will happen if things continue at today's rate.

Some jarring facts thrown your way, a solid collection of scientific theory and explanations by seemingly stable individuals (as opposed to the fanatical/conspiracy thirsty types found throughout the Youtube docu-director's circuit), and the aid of some really fantastic visuals.

One of my favorite segments of the doc. Glacial degradation. Easter Island. And so on.

I recommend watching this whole documentary twice.

The following clip comes much later and is host to another favorite section. The bit starting at 3:32 regarding how most people tend to process this type of information is something that has long been a topic of conversation with friends/loved ones. I could not help but get just a little more angry/depressed when reminded of modern society’s cherished sense of false resiliency as a response to anything deemed "alarming", that which depends on unrealistic optimism through diversion and denial to maintain the simple idea of "keeping on with your day".

Robert Jay Lifton @ 2:05, among other bits (well, the whole film), really made me want to blast Dystopia's fucking classic "Hands That Mold"; probably the best pro-environmental/anti-human anthem ever set to record. Prime Crustiness.

Hands that kill mold illusions of peace
Their fucked up pseudo-security
Destroy to give birth to technology
To quicken the killing of you and me and him and her
Blind. Us humans think we are so smart
Creating challenges
How...our sky bleeds in your hands
It's nothing.
Build and build and build some more
Industry fucks Nature like some kind of whore
Quest for invention, intelligence gone too far
Synthetic environment, we were doomed from the start.
(rest of the lyrics are in the info section of the Youtube video)

81 Bars

2010-01-29T11:57:00.003-05:00

To continue today's wave of new joints...here's a banger by the OG Freddy Foxxx aka Bumpy Knuckles. Very dope Alchemist beat.

And yes, he disses Guru AND Cormega on this joint.

"81 Bars"

UPDATED: video link fixed.

"Re-unite like the Wu..."

2010-01-29T11:48:00.000-05:00

"Our Dreams" More Wu Massacre!!!!!

WU MASSACRE!

2010-01-29T11:44:00.002-05:00

First joint off the new Wu project (I know...a little late...but I've not heard enough about this on the Internet)..."Wu Massacre"...by the power trio of Raekwon, Ghostface, and Method Man.

"Meth Vs. Chef Part II"

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Business Never Personal

2010-01-28T11:55:00.010-05:00

Throw on those Champion hoodies and some Carhartt... classic Hit Squad footy ahead. '92 style.

A bit about the Redman album that was mentioned in the above clip.

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Trailer Trove

2010-01-26T23:29:00.000-05:00

This is refreshing (and late). Not only are these ads for the new Wu project...but they are very well-done.

ALL BRUTAL.

Hey, remember when album promos existed?

A re-post from the earlier days of PTP...but this shit is just too ill.

BRUTAL TUESDAY: Kill 'Em Again!

2010-01-26T11:37:00.087-05:00

Out of the entire Eric B. & Rakim catalog, I think 1992's Don't Sweat The Technique falls out on top for me. The reasoning behind this decision lies mostly in the fully voiced aggression achieved in both Rakim's delivery and lyrical content, as well as the frequently raucous, multi-layered production heard throughout this classic. In the past, there were certainly shades of this kind of force on songs like "Lyrics Of Fury", "Follow The Leader", and "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em", plus who could deny the strength of Rakim's vocal tone after hearing the opening bars of "My Melody" or "Eric B. Is President", but DSTT, though not without its laid back moments of scholarly and even sexual narratives (versatility kids, a key element to a satisfying full-length listen), boasted a majority of hard lined joints like "Casualties of War", "Pass the Hand Grenade", "Teach The Children", and "Know The Ledge"; those that really capitalized on elevating things to a new level through sobering reality checks as well as fantastically bold and violent imagery.

Perhaps one of the finest examples of the latter is "The Punisher", a descriptive rap that which channels the graphic comparison of Rakim's wordplay and commanding presence to warehouse-by-the-river torture. Plus it was probably titled after the alias of the Marvel Comics character, Frank Castle.

Brutal.

All Samples Cleared...almost.

2010-01-25T11:59:00.018-05:00

For those who missed it for one reason or another.

3 of 6 Parts. Go do like us and dig...it ain't that hard to find if you are smart about it.

Enjoy.

Goodnight, Conan.

2010-01-23T00:52:00.002-05:00

Wow. It is crazy to say that I have just witnessed the final episode of Conan O'Brien's late night existence-slash-dominance on NBC. As a loyal fan of Late Night With Conan O'Brien for way over a decade, I knew that come 30 minutes past midnight, instant refuge from the presented stress of the day awaited me, five times a week. Conan and crew constantly provided the ideal "escape" before a night's retirement with their steady stream of ingenious wit and borderline lunacy.

Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. Your late night antics will forever remain a force unparalleled.

"To be continued..." (in 7 months) ???????

This Is A Sampling Sport...

2010-01-22T22:19:00.005-05:00

This hour-long documentary, Copyright Criminals, aired on PBS this passed Monday night. If you're a dedicated PTP follower (you should be...click "Follow" while yer at it), you may have noticed the fact that this premiered right on time, following my Clyde Stubblefield/Marley Marl post.

Quite an interesting cast of characters on the very "grey area" topic of sampling. I did not get a chance to peep the whole feature yet...but from the bits I've seen, there's a great balance of both gem and junk coming from both sides of the fence.

Thumbs way up on Shock G's analogy of "painting:photography::playing an instrument:sampling", as well as a matured Chuck D looking back on being hit with a case over samples used on past Public Enemy records. On the flipside, I thoroughly smacked my forehead at Eyedea's breakdown on how the turntable is more rhythmically complex than instruments such as a guitar or "horn" (uhhh, will ya?!)...and as much as it hurts to say, as I completely admire dude as a musician and producer, Steve Albini at times had a few too many buckets of smug-toned spew to offer. Of course editing is involved and he could have been only referring to instances like Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, or the trend that hit big during Bad Boy Records' reign in '97 (think Diana Ross, The Police, Kool & The Gang, and Grandmaster Flash...to name a few). I'll wait until I see the whole thing before posting further on that.

Click the link to check local listings for the next airing. NYC, if you have Time Warner Cable as your provider, it will be on again this Sunday, January 24, at 12:00PM (Noon) on Channel 13.

CORRECTION: The Sunday, January 24, noontime airing will be on Channel 164 for most of NYC.

R.I.P. Apache

2010-01-22T19:57:00.000-05:00

Apache, of the Flavor Unit, passed away today due to an "unknown" illness. This plus the news of Killa Sha's passing on Monday makes it a pretty sad week in the world of Hip Hop.

Most people only know Apache from his hit single "Gangsta Bitch". After his full-length, he went on to do a bunch of cameos...this being my favorite (fuck it, it's my favorite song he ever contributed to):

Fat Joe featuring Apache & Kool G Rap (need I say more?)

NERVOUS THURSDAY: Shootin' Strong Notes

2010-01-21T14:09:00.002-05:00

PTP peoples. Pardon my absence. I've been creating new material to post...but a very shoddy Internet connection (thank you Time Warner Cable) has slowed things up a good bit around here. I promise to get the handful of this week's updates on their correct days (i.e. "Brutal Tuesday") by tomorrow, if not earlier (I definitely have some shit on deck).

I now bring to you a special treat. Listen carefully...very carefully (esp. around the 0:37 mark). I told you Thursday was going to epitomize all things Golden Age. I think this goes a long way with that sentiment.

Courtesy of my homeslice Coco Lopez.