RZA — Afro Samurai [soundtrack]

Closer to the inviting, bright lights of Hollywood than the gritty, stinging alleys of Staten Isle, Robert "Ruler Zig-Zag-Zig Allah" Diggs releases his eighth soundtrack. This work is released as the musical background of the anime television miniseries of the same name scheduled on Spike TV, a Paramount channel, based on the manga of the same name made by Takashi Okazaki. The soundtrack is a good showcase for some of the minor Killa Beez affiliates and friends of RZA: guests are Suga Bang, Free Murder of CCF Division, Lil Free (I can only go guessing and assume he's Free Murder's younger brother), Stone Mecca, Reverend William Burk of Achozen, Beretta 9 of Killarmy, 60 Seconds of Sunz of Man, Dexter Wiggle, Black Knights, Division aka CCF Division, True Master and Thea Van Seijen. In addition to them, external guests Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Big Daddy Kane, Maurice and Jay Love participate. Last, but not least, the only present interpreter of the Wu-Tang Clan, GZA.

Ten Wanted Men — Wanted: Dead or Alive

First album by Ten Wanted Men, hip-hop supergroup led by Tommy Wright III and also composed of Princess Loko, Lil Ramsey, C-9, Mac T-Dog, Project Pimp and Womack da Omen. As stated by Tommy Wright in the 2018 interview with Torii MacAdams, the members of the group were not permanent, therefore, deceived by the name, some online sites tend to include other rappers to get to the infamous ten, including La' Chat, Killa-C, Marrio Marshall, Troublemaker, 1st Degree, Undacova, Kingpin and Wild Child (the latter three featured on the record, along with Haylo and Jesse James, a cousin of Tommy Wright and member of the group Niggaz of Destruction).

Mobb Deep — Juvenile Hell

First album by one of the most famous and above all one of the best groups in the history of hip-hop: Queensbridge duo, formed by Kejuan "Havoc" Muchita and Albert "Prodigy" Johnson, born in Brooklyn and Long Island respectively.

GP Wu — Don't Go Against the Grain

When "Wu-Tang Forever" goes platinum for the fourth time in just over four months, the major labels understand being seated on a gold mine and a hunt begins for anyone who was even minimally linked to the double v symbol. The MCA, which has secured GZA's performance in the past, is also signing this unknown group of guys who have just been stolen from the streets of Stapleton, Staten Island, New York.

Souls of Mischief — No Man's Land

How difficult is the second album? One of the thousands of perfect examples can be found in the second of the Souls of Mischief, Oaktown rap group made up of four rappers, Tajai, Opio, A-Plus, and Phesto.

 

Fred the Godson, Joell Ortiz & The Heatmakerz — Gorilla Glue

Collaborative album between Fred the Godson, Joell Ortiz and The Heatmakerz. It's the first studio album for the Bronx rapper, the seventh for the Brooklyn rapper, while the production is entirely handled by the group from the Bronx. Heatmakerz set is decent, good samples, poor drums, melodic sounds, it's all pretty generic. The soul samples facilitate the delivery of rappers, without being able to hide the economy of production: that the sample of George Michael's "Careless Whispers" is the best of the edition doesn't help, moreover Fred and Ortiz run better in "Raw" than in the other songs. Jim Jones steals the show with a velvety flow in "Feliz Navidad". 28-minute independent album divided into 9 short tracks: from such a project, featuring three talented independent artists on the hip-hop circuit, and two MCs out of XXL's Freshman Class (Ortiz at first edition in 2007, Fred in 2011), you expect something, which at least is a good product. Instead, the tape falls short of expectations. Both go on autopilot and low energy, back and forth songs are the least memorable. It's a decent album, not as good as you might expect from the opening credits. 6/10.

Tha Alkaholiks — 21 & Over

Debut album by Tha Alkaholiks, a Los Angeles hip-hop group composed of rappers James "J-Ro" Robinson, of Los Angeles, and Rico "Tash" Smith, of Columbus, Ohio, as well as producer Eric "E-Swift" Brooks, of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Redman — Dare Iz a Darkside

Redman releases his second LP over two years after a debut that cannot match. His drug abuse has distanced him from Erick Sermon, credited to three rhythms, as executive producer and as guest on "Cosmic Stop", although his contribution is limited.

Cookin Soul — A.W.O.L. - Cookin Soul Remix [mixtape]

The remix of AZ's 2005 album, "A.W.O.L", is one of the first releases released by the Spanish production team Cookin Soul. There are twelve original songs with the same lyrics and the same guests, only the rhythms change: in place of the messy and irregular sound painting made on the Brooklyn rapper's fifth LP, Cookin Soul provides a soundscape that is exclusively boom bap.

Das EFX — Hold It Down

The third studio album of the Brooklyn group Das EFX, comes out around the period in which the breakup of EPMD takes place, the duo that had discovered them: Das EFX decide to side with PMD. The production is created by Easy Mo Bee, Solid Scheme, Peter Lewis, DJ Scratch, DJ Premier, Kevin Geeda, Soul G., Das EFX, DJ Clark Kent, Showbiz and Pete Rock. The guests are KRS-One and PMD.

Guru — Jazzmatazz Volume II: The New Reality

Second chapter of the Guru's Jazzmatazz series, conceived by the MC of Roxbury, on his second solo studio album, two years after his first. The sound carpet of the disc is made up of hip-hop production and live jazz music played by different musicians. Guru is credited behind the keyboards on the entire album as a producer and co-producer, alongside him are The Solsonics, Carlos Bess, Nikke Nicole, True Master, DJ Premier and Mark Sparks. Guests are 27 different musicians, including Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garnett, Donald Byrd, Courtney Pine and Freddie Hubbard, and 19 performers, including Chaka Khan, Baybe, Big Shug, Kool Keith, Bahamadia and Dee C Lee, as well as Jamiroquai and Lucien Revolucien.

Criminal Manne — Solo Tape

Criminal Manne (Project Playaz) is a rapper from Memphis, Tennessee, he releases his second cassette for DJ Squeeky Productions, the label of the Memphis producer of the same name, who realizes all the rhythms here.

 

Curren$y & Fendi P — Smokin' Potnas

Currensy arrives in 2020 launched by projects more or less solid and excellent in the recent past, but this year doesn't seem to be at the level of 2019. This effort is easy-going, and although the rapper seems to be committed, he's put down by the pedestal by generic and simplistic trap rhythms. On the other hand, Fendi P seems to start well in the opening joint, then he switches off with the passing of the tracks until he delivers dully ("Swang") and plays quite badly on the songs ("Checkered Flag"). The only reliefs that can be reported as satisfactory are the gloomy bridge on the hook of "One Night" and the jazzy trap rhythm produced by Harry Fraud in "Foreigner Outside", which is the best of the album. 6/10.

DMG — Rigormortiz

In the early 1990s, Harold Armstrong realizes a few self-produced tapes, however, like most independent kids who gravitate to the underground after starting from nothing, he fails to emerge from the hip-hop scene of his hometown, St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

DJ Shadow and The Groove Robbers — In / Flux [single]

Debut EP by Joshua Paul Davis, 20 y/o from San Jose, Bay Area. The disc consists of two tracks for a total of almost twenty minutes in length. Introductory skit, then light simple rhythm opening "In / Flux", should be two tracks in one, but honestly, I don't know where the first ends and the second begins. Davis aka DJ Shadow changes the beat two or three times in this first dozen minutes, placing a slow and tight syncopated skinny drum machine, several layered jazzy samples and combining it all with simple spoken lines and caressed percussion. "Flux" is concluded with a cheerful and slow beat, with light and relaxed jazzy vibes. "Hindsight" is based on a sparse syncopated drum to sustain this dark, tense, noir rhythm, well done and repeatedly interrupted; excellent light gloomy vibes and distant sax samples in the background. Released by Mo Wax, produced by DJ Shadow and MEN from UNKLE, this nearly flawless EP showcases the qualities and skills of the DJ, three years before releasing his studio album that would blow the world away. 8/10.

Criminal — It's the Criminal Manne

First cassette released by rapper Criminal [Manne], from Memphis, Tennessee. The tape is produced entirely by DJ Squeeky, released through his independent label: the MC doesn't have an adequate variety of topics available for a 45-minute cassette, sticking to the violent themes dear to Memphis rap, yet the extraordinary production chosen by the DJ keeps up the value of the tape, one of the best ever to blessed the city.

EPMD — Business Never Personal

Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith Making Dollars until 1992, but according to Sermon, these infamous dollars mostly ended up in Smith's pockets. And the thing wasn't an option: the duo begins to have economic problems during the recording of the disc, problems that culminate with a robbery at Parrish Smith's house in 1992. The thieves are arrested and reveal that it was Erick Sermon who commissioned them theft. Incredible. The duo is over. But the record must also be finished.

Bumpy Knuckles & Statik Selektah — Lyrical Workout

Collaborative album between Boston producer Statik Selektah and Long Island rapper Bumpy Knuckles. The MC releases this project two weeks after the LP in collaboration with KRS-One, in which he keeps alive the project between rhythms and rap almost alone. Freddie Foxxx lowers his firepower for this release and delivers average bars with a calmer, more sedate delivery style than his usual, the rap is regular, decent, you can find this effort under the "hardcore" tags, but there's nothing hardcore in either the lyrics or the execution or the beats.

Kinetic 9 aka Beretta 9 — Kinetic Radio Vol. 1

Even the year of this mixtape's release isn't taken for granted. Probably, it's 2008 when the first effort of Samuel Craig Murray aka Kinetic 9 aka Beretta 9, a rapper native of Steubenville, Ohio, later moved to Long Island, New York, comes out. Killarmy member, Wu-Tang affiliate.

Murs & 9th Wonder — Sweet Lord

"If it's not broken, kick it in the belly and it'll work even better than before, with any luck." And with that proverb, with that state of mind, 9th Wonder & Murs get to work on their collaborative album number three in four years. The rapper from Los Angeles, California, pulls out this album by releasing it for free on the internet as a "gift" and, in return, he asks the three people who have listened to it to go and buy his next album.

Raekwon & Scram Jones — The Chef vs. the Beast [mixtape]

Collaborative mixtape between rapper Raekwon and producer Scram Jones that basically doesn't contain original material, except for a couple of choices, and focuses mainly on the collection of the songs produced by Scram Jones up to now in the Brooklyn MC discography. The guests of these songs are Wu-Tang Clan members Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa, Jadakiss & Styles P, Capone & Noreaga, Ceazar & Reason, Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep, Tragedy Khadafi, Bun B, Busta Rhymes, CL Smooth, Sauce Money, Big Bee, Vado, Papoose, Ill Bill and Altrina Reene. Most of the tracks are taken from the EP "Lost Jewrly", from the albums "OB4CL 2" and "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang", and from the mixtape "Unexpected Victory", along with some original songs, others taken from the rest of the Raekwon's mixtape catalog and from guest rappers' publications. There are some random gems, especially in the initial part, when the tape leans heavily on the Purple Tape sequel ("Broken Safety", "Walk Wit Me", "Kiss the Ring"), then the project travels smoothly without particularly brilliant moments, with "Piss in the Shark Tank" clearly standing out above the other choices. 26 tracks, 70 minutes, the tape is honest listening for the fans, not essential for everyone else. 6.5/10.

Ol' Dirty Bastard — Osirus: The Official Mixtape

When the tape comes out, in the early days of 2005, everyone is waiting for "A Son Unique", the one with Roc-A-Fella that was shelved sine die. This seems to have come out just to keep the hype or something. "Osirus" is just one of hundreds of aliases of him. It comes less than two months after Ol' Dirty's death: it's put together by the artist's mother and by the artist's manager, who release it through their fledgling label, JC Records. Of the Wu-Tang, there are no traces. There's Cappadonna, still an affiliate at the time. There's Ghostface Killah, uncredited on the same track hook with Cappachino. End.

Beastie Boys — Check Your Head

The judgement that came in the last days of 1991 against Biz Markie and the criminal abuse he had made of the samples, destabilized hip-hop forever and forced the producers to renew themselves. If life didn't changed that much for those who never knew what a sample was, what it was for and how to use it, like Just-Ice, for many top mainstream rap groups, the exact opposite happened and their career ended, as in the case of Public Enemy.

9th Wonder — Zion VI: Shooting in the Gym

Sixth installment in six consecutive years of the "Zion" series, conceived by North Carolina producer 9th Wonder. Singer Heather Victoria takes part in five tracks, local rappers GQ and Reuben Vincenti take part in one track each. The rest of the songs, as per the tradition of the series, are instrumental. Poor instrumental. 9th Wonder collects 59 rhythms recorded between 2001 and 2006, and brings out his worst LP of the series to date, 59 beats for a total of 149 minutes of material, close to two and a half hours. Most of this selection is forgettable and bad.

Royce da 5'9" — Rock City (Version 2.0)

Debut album by Ryan "Royce da 5'9"" Montgomery, rapper from Detroit, Michigan. After signing with Tommy Boy rejecting Dr. Dre's Aftermath, Tommy Boy shuts down and the rapper settles with Columbia / Sony. The album is originally planned for 2000, but it's bootlegged and Royce left Columbia to signs with Koch Records. Its debut LP comes out at the end of 2002, as "Version 2.0", with a different tracklist than the original and some songs re-recorded.

RZA — The World According to RZA

Sometimes, the AKAI needs to be emptied. You may have a few hundred unused loops and half rhythms that at some point, need to be canceled to make room for other ideas, other loops, other rhythms. In that case, would it really make sense to lose that hundred beats to no avail? Yes. Maybe, it would make sense. But if you are a professional producer, you could always try to place some on the naive around town in exchange for a few extra dollars. If you are one of hip-hop's most celebrated producers, you can afford even more. RZA finds himself with his old MCP 2000 full of rhythms that nobody uses. They are neither good nor bad, there is nothing memorable, exceptional, or even just excellent. They are waste. They must be placed. Or, to use the words of Robert Diggs himself, someone has to eat them. But who would take them? None, in 2000. Not in the States. Bobby Digital guesses the right idea and decides to trim his scraps to about twenty unfortunates around Europe with the ultimate aim of making a studio album and raising some money.

U-God — Bring Back God II [mixtape]

Coinciding with the release of his first book, a controversial autobiography that describes part of his life together with the Wu-Tang Clan and points the finger to RZA several times in the management of the group, U-God releases a mixtape that also serves as a prelude to his next LP, "Venom". Busy year for one of Shaolin's least popular rappers. I don't know how good it is when your book gets more attention than your music and you are not a writer. You are a rapper. From one of the most important groups ever.

Banks & Steelz — Anything but Words

Collaborative studio album between Interpol singer Paul Banks and Wu-Tang Clan member RZA. The production is almost exclusively handled by the two under the moniker Banks & Steelz, along with John Hill, Kid Harpoon, Andrew Wyatt and Ari Levine. The guests are Kool Keith, Florence Welch and the MCs of Wu-Tang Ghostface Killah, Method Man and Masta Killa.

Top 100 Hip Hop Albums of the 1980's

1. Public Enemy — "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" (1988) ★★★★★

2. Eric B. & Rakim — "Pain in Full" (1987) ★★★★★

3. NWA — "Straight Outta Compton" (1988) ★★★★★

4. The D.O.C. — "No One Can Do It Better" (1989) ★★★★★

5. De La Soul — "3 Feet High and Rising" (1989) ★★★★★

6. Beastie Boys —  "Paul's Boutique" (1989) ★★★★★

7. Ghetto Boys — "Grip It! On That Other Level" (1989) ★★★★★
8. Boogie Down Productions — "Criminal Minded" (1987) ★★★★★

9. Eric B. & Rakim — "Follow the Leader" (1988) ★★★★☆

10. Low Profile — "We're in This Together" (1989) ★★★★☆

11. Run-DMC — "Run-D.M.C." (1984) ★★★★☆
12. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo — "Road to the Riches" (1989) ★★★★☆

13. Jungle Brothers — "Done by the Forces of Nature" (1989) ★★★★☆

14. Big Daddy Kane — "Long Live the Kane" (1988) ★★★★☆

15. Slick Rick — "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick" (1988) ★★★★☆

16. Boogie Down Productions — "Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop" (1989) ★★★★☆
17. EPMD — "Strictly Business" (1988) ★★★★☆
18. Run-D.M.C. — "Raising Hell" (1986) ★★★★☆

19. L.L. Cool J — "Radio" (1985) ★★★★☆
20. Eazy-E — "Eazy-Duz-It" (1988) ★★★★☆
21. Big Daddy Kane — "It's a Big Daddy Thing" (1989) ★★★★☆
22. Boogie Down Productions — "By All Means Necessary" (1988) ★★★★☆

23. Ultramagnetic MC's — "Critical Beatdown" (1988) ★★★★☆

24. Beastie Boys — "Licensed to Ill" (1986) ★★★★

25. Marley Marl — "In Control, Volume 1" (1988) ★★★★

26. MC Lyte — "Lyte as a Rock" (1988) ★★★★

27. Public Enemy — "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" (1987) ★★★★

28. Newcleus — "Jam on Revenge" (1984) ★★★★

29. Ice-T — "The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say" (1989) ★★★★

30. Tuff Crew — "Back to Wreck Shop" (1989) ★★★★

31. Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew — "The World's Greatest Entertainer" (1988) ★★★★

32. Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force — "Planet Rock: The Album" (1986) ★★★★

33. Ice-T— "Power" (1988) ★★★★

34. Jungle Brothers — "Straight Out the Jungle" (1988) ★★★★

35. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince — "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper" (1988) ★★★★

36. L.L. Cool J — "BAD: Bigger and Deffer" (1987) ★★★★

37. MC Lyte — "Eyes on This" (1989) ★★★★

38. AAVV — "Live Convention 81" (1981) ★★★★

39. Schoolly D — "Am I Black Enough for You?" (1989) ★★★★

40. Queen Latifah — "All Hail the Queen" (1989) ★★★★

41. EPMD — "Unfinished Business" (1989) ★★★★

42. Too $hort — "Life is... Too Short" (1988) ★★★★

43. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince — "Rock the House" (1987) ★★★☆

44. Kurtis Blow — "Kurtis Blow" (1980) ★★★★

45. Run-D.M.C. — "Tougher Than Leather" (1988) ★★★★

46. Kool Moe Dee — "Knowledge is King" (1989) ★★★★

47. Run-D.M.C. — "King of Rock" (1985) ★★★☆

48. AAVV — "Wild Style" (1983) ★★★★

49. Stezo — "Crazy Noise" (1989) ★★★★

50. Gang Starr — "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (1989) ★★★★

51. Biz Markie — "Goin' Off" (1988) ★★★★

52. Whodini — "Escape" (1984) ★★★★
53. AAVV — "Live Convention 82" (1982) ★★★★
54. Mantronix — "The Album" (1985) ★★★☆
55. Kool Moe Dee — "How Ya Like Me Now" (1987) ★★★☆
56. Salt 'n' Pepa — "Hot, Cool, Vicious" (1986) ★★★☆

57. Ice-T — "Rhyme Pays" (1987) ★★★☆

58. The Beatnigs — "The Beatnigs" (1988) ★★★☆

59. Lakim Shabazz — "Pure Righteousness" (1988) ★★★☆

60. 3rd Bass — "The Cactus Album" (1989) ★★★★

61. Tone-Lōc — "Lōc-Ed After Dark" (1989) ★★★☆

62. Chill Rob G — "Ride the Rhythm" (1989) ★★★☆

63. The Treacherous Three — "The Treacherous Three" (1984) ★★★☆

64. Kwamé featuring a New Beginning — "The Boy Genius" (1989) ★★★☆

65. Dana Dane — "Dana Dane with Fame" (1987) ★★★☆

66. M.C. Shan — "Down by Law" (1987) ★★★☆

67. Tuff Crew — "Danger Zone" (1988) ★★★☆

68. Fat Boys — "Fat Boys" (1984) ★★★☆

69. Too $hort — "Born to Mack" (1987) ★★★☆

70. Nice & Smooth — "Nice & Smooth" (1989) ★★★☆

71. L.L. Cool J — "Walking with a Panther" (1989) ★★★☆

72. Divine Styler — "Word Power" (1989) ★★★☆

73. Schoolly-D — "Schoolly-D" (1985) ★★★☆

74. Neneh Cherry — "Raw Like Sushi" (1989) ★★★☆

75. Whodini — "Whodini" (1983) ★★★☆

76. D.J. Chuck Chillout & Kool Chip — "Masters of the Rhythm" (1989) ★★★☆

77. Malcolm McLaren — "D'Ya Like Scratchin'" (1983) ★★★☆

78. Maggotron — "The Invasion Will Not Be Televised (Cos We Don't Have a Video)" (1989) ★★★☆

79. Special Ed — "Youngest in Charge" (1989) ★★★☆

80. Breeze — "The Young Son of No One" (1989) ★★★☆

81. The Egyptian Lover — "On the Nile" (1984) ★★★☆

82. Jazzy Jay — "Cold Chillin in the Studio Live" (1989) ★★★☆

83. Priority One — "Total Chaos" (1989) ★★★☆

84. Kurtis Blow — "Ego Trip" (1984) ★★★☆

85. Sugarhill Gang — "8th Wonder" (1981) ★★★☆

86. Crash Crew / Funky Four — "Crash Crew Meets Funky Four" (1983) ★★★☆

87. King T — "Act a Fool" (1988) ★★★☆

88. Dee Nasty — "Paname City Rappin'" (1985) ★★★☆

89. AAVV — "Beat Street - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Vol. 1" (1984) ★★★☆

90. N.W.A. and the Posse — "N.W.A. and the Posse" (1987) ★★★☆

91. Schoolly-D — "Saturday Night!: The Album" (1986) ★★★☆

92. Stetsasonic — "On Fire" (1986) ★★★☆

93. AAVV — "The Miami Bass Express" (1989) ★★★☆

94. M.C. Shan — "Born to Be Wild" (1988) ★★★☆

95. Two Live Crew — "Move Somthin'" (1988) ★★★☆

96. The Real Roxanne — "The Real Roxanne" (1988) ★★★☆

97. Roxanne Shanté — "Bad Sister" (1989) ★★★☆

98. Steady B — "What's My Name" (1987) ★★★☆

99. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five — "The Message" (1982) ★★★☆

100. MC Shy D — "Go to Be Tough" (1987) ★★★☆