Scientific Shabazz — Blow Em Up Bazz 1989-1991 Demos EP

The independent label Chopped Herring collects six tracks recorded between 1989 and 1991 by Scientific Shabazz and produced by Su-Preme and puts them together in the EP "Blow Em Up Bazz". These twenty-five minutes demonstrate Shabazz's natural mic ability while he was still part of the Red Hook Mad Mob crew, alongside Su-Preme, among others, before he became part of Sunz of Man, to then separate permanently from Su-Preme and start a solo career amidst an unlimited series of obstacles and problems.

Lounge Lo — Simpstonian Institute

Lounge Lo's second solo album, re-released by Chambermusik. Elite, Shorttre 140, The Higher Concept and Mental Instruments are the names present next to the word 'producer'. The tracklist is a parade of names that turns this tape into a party among friends, including Desert Eagle of U-God's group Hillside Scramblers, Carlton Fisk of Inspectah Deck's group Housegang, Solomon Childs & Trife da God of Ghostface Killah's group Theodore Unit, Crunch Lo of Otherized FAM and Dr. Armor of Sic-Min. Overall, it's a decent tape that has its moments, despite a few choices behind the keyboards that I don't fully agree with, and it's far from the Wu's worst releases. 4/10.

Lounge Lo — Drop City S.I.M.P.SON (Staten Island's Most Popular Son)

Self-proclaimed the Staten Island's Most Popular Son, Cappadonna's younger brother emerges from the scene with his debut tape, "Drop City", 26 tracks totaling 75 minutes in length. Up to now, Lounge Lo has starred on an album realized by his brother and in 1994, uncredited, introduced Raekwon and Method Man in "Tical"'s "Meth vs. Chef". That's enough to get the record out on Chambermusik. I can't find the production credits, as for the guests, besides Don Cappachino, there are Desert Eagle, INF-Black and Leathafase all of U-God's crew The Hillside Scramblers, JoJo Pellegrino, Remedy, Solomon Childs, Freddy Red, Sweetleaf, Crunch Lo (together with Lounge Lo, member of the Otherized FAM), Lyph Stizzy, General Gemz and Hemstone.

The boom bap rhythms featured on this tape sound good when compared to Cappadonna's albums of the same period, and there are some nice tunes with some soul and jazz loops, although most beats are cheap and shoddy. Lounge Mode's voice is fine, the rapping still leaves something to be desired, and the hooks are one more annoying than the other. Curious that the boy decided to make one of these hooks ("Lock n Load") from "I Love Rock n Roll" by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, also used by Dom Pachino's Team Napalm the year before. Not essential, 5/10.

Rampage aka Rated-X aka Hell Razah — Death to the Head 1990-1991 EP

In 2015, Chopped Herring released a short tape made in the early nineties by Rampage aka Rated-X aka Hell Razah aka Heaven Razah aka Chron Smith, when he was the youngest member of the Red Hook Mad Mob crew, which also consisted of David "Scientific Shabazz" Collins, Ian "7th Ambassador" Bellido and producer Alaric "Supreme Kourt" Wilder, all part of the future group Sunz of Man.

King Just — Mystics of the God

Debut album by Adrian "King Just" Angevin, member of Shaolin Soldiers (group from Park Hill, Staten Island) and The Hillside Scramblers, U-God's group. Somehow, he's a minor affiliate of Wu-Tang. Production is handled by E-Swift of Alkaholics, Easy Mo Bee, Marcus Peake, MZA, Victor Flowers, and RNS. The guests are the Shaolin Soldiers (Profes aka Fes Taylor, Star, Leathaface and Baby Pa) and Mega Don.

U.G.K. — Too Hard to Swallow

Debut album by Bernard Freeman and Chad Butler, released by Jive in 1993. No, they are not your generic rappers that don't know how they managed to get a major label deal, disappearing right after the day of release, on the contrary they're considered among the best performers to have touched the mic. Nothing here is generic, in fact.

RZA as Bobby Digital — Digi Snacks

The further you delve into the immense Wu-Tang discography, the more RZA appears as the poorest rapper of the group and as the rapper with the worst solo discography of all. Four LPs, one worse than the other. More than ten soundtracks, some embarrassing, all the others just plain bad. His best work comes later on soundtrack number eleven, with the album "The Man With the Iron Fists: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (2012). Now, great credit for this work goes to the Koch Records label, which sees money where few can see it: in the lack of talent of a musical artist who has been gone for over ten years. You always have to take off your hat when one or two executives manage to come up with things like that. At the call, of money, RZA answers present and throws out fifteen tracks (plus one hidden) for his new LP and brings all possible friends to the album.

DJ Krush — Krush

The Yakuza is distinguished from many other criminal organizations by its distinctive method of affiliation: the yubitsume ceremony, which consists in the amputation of the phalanges of one's little finger. Hideaki Ishi has never been an affiliate, he was probably a minor associate like many others, when he understood what the initiation ceremony was to be part of the criminal organization, he decided to do something else in life.

Otherized FAM — Mugshots Vol. 1 EP

This is one of the first tapes released by the independent label Heavy Jewelz. It also represents one of the few projects available in the discography of Othorized FAM, an underground rap group formed by Crunch Lo, Lounge Lo, Molly-Q, and Shawn Wigs. If you've listened to some Cappadonna and Ghostface albums, you've listened to these guys too. Othorized FAM is one of the first groups to try to get out of the Isle of Staten, in fact in 1994 it managed to print a couple of hundred copies of three singles under his own label, Vortex Records, but the act isn't a sensation and ends up in oblivion in a few years, despite few hits with potential.

Birdman — Baby AKA The #1 Stunna

Debut album by Bryan "Baby AKA The #1 Stunna" Williams, later known as Birdman, record executive from New Orleans, Louisiana, who improvised himself as rapper for a few years. Production is mainly done by Mannie Fresh, and there are also beats by Timbaland, Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, Jazze Pha, Jermaine Dupri and Brian-Michael Cox. Guests are Jazze Pha, Mannie Fresh, Lil Wayne, Toni Braxton, The Clipse, The D Boys, Jermaine Dupri, TQ, 8Ball, Boo, Gotti, Keith Murray, Mikkey, P. Diddy, Tateeze, Cam'ron, TI, Petey Pablo, Stone, Wolf, Bizzy and Gilly.

Statik Selektah — Extended Play

Fifth album-producer by Patrick "Statik Selektah" Baril. The guests are Action Bronson, Big Body Bes, Raekwon, Black Thought, Joey Badass, Noreaga, Lil Fame, Sean Price, Mac Miller, Mike Posner, Tony Touch, Pain in da Ass, Freddie Gibbs, Prodigy, Styles P, Bun B, Hit-Boy, Joell Ortiz, Smif-n-Wessun, Flatbush Zombies, Troy Ave, Push!, Meyhem Lauren, AG da Coroner, Blu, Evidence, Freeway, Strong Arm Steady, Chuck Strangers, Kirk Knight, Dessy Hinds, CJ Fly, Lecrae, Posdnuos and Talib Kweli, in addition to the proteges and friends Termanology, Wais P, Easy Money, Slaine, Reks and JFK.

It's one of the most typical, generic and accessible tapes created by the beatsmith from Boston. The tracks are just there, average East Coast beats with top-tier artists spitting in forgettable way. "Funeral Season", "Bring Em Up Dead" and "My Hoe" stand out from the rest of the album. "East Coast" is a step above, with Noreaga of C-N-N and Lil' Fame of M.O.P. unleashing a tougher-than-usual music carpet, with a hard bouncy boom bap, raw samples and a stretched melodic loop in the background. "Bird's Eye View" is the banger that arrives inappropriately early and gives you illusory feelings about what the rest of the album will be like: Raekwon, Joey Bada$$ and Black Thought exchange bars on a simple loop of Dorothy Morrison's "Peace, Brother Peace".

The album has its moments, that said, it's unlikely that it'll break down your list of the best hip-hop albums of the season, 6/10.

Logic — Vinyl Days

Triumphant party for 90s hip-hop fans in which Logic celebrates the best exponents of the period on a boom bap production that recalls the golden age while maintaining a fresh, modern and compelling sound. The emcee from Maryland is back to rapping with a newfound energy and vitality alongside some big names on the circuit including Action Bronson, Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa, Royce, RZA, Blu, Exile, AZ and The Game. Logic and its historic producer 6ix are mainly responsible for the choice of music.

Kanye West — My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

"Single Ladies" would have deserved to win. Grammy Song of the Year, deservedly so. But that video would have deserved to win. I didn't even know the MTV Music Video Awards existed before Kanye made that scene. The boy comes from a very difficult personal moment, his mother died a few years earlier and in the same period the engagement with his girlfriend ended, two events that heavily afflict the Chicago artist's already shaky mind. Now he's working everyday on creating his own music in order to please everyone and churning out one hit after another and one great album after another, and the result is just constant physical and mental fatigue. When Kanye West sees that Beyoncé's iconic hit didn't win video of the year at that awards show, he's not in his greatest moment of lucidity, he loses his head and snatches the microphone from Taylor Swift to reiterate that "Singles Ladies" is one of the best videos ever: his scene gets a national resonance and unleashes a gigantic wave of controversy that overwhelms him, West is also criticized by President Obama. Close to mental breakdown, he then decides to take a break from music and devote himself to fashion, even canceling a tour with Lady Gaga, only to go into exile on Oahu, Hawaii, in order to record new music. After calling friends and colleagues to create the album, West finishes it in studios in Burbank and New York, spending more than three million dollars to record the project.

DJ Khaled — I Changed a Lot

Eighth LP by DJ Khaled, who maintains the formula that has brought him so much success in this decade: about twenty unknown producers who create music that is normally inaccessible and difficult to listen to, and twenty established rappers who deliver random brag bars. Future's solo to open the record is fine. Fine by Khaled's standards. It's an almost decent track. Then the album collapses after just three minutes with two indigestible choices.

Joe Budden — Mood Muzik: The Worst of Joe Budden [mixtape]

"What is mood muzik?" Prodigy wonders in an interview that you can still find on the internet. Like him, I'm not sure I understand it. Released in late 2003, this is the first chapter of the lucky mixtape series by Joe Budden, a New York native rapper, blogger and podcaster who grew up in New Jersey. I don't know who produced the rhythms, in any case, the music is difficult until "Only Girl", then it improves markedly, after twelve tracks. With a more melodic production, the contribution of Joe Budden stands out: he has a style similar to mumble rappers, but more listless, more boring and worst. It's an excessively long and shoddy, forgettable project by the new one-hit wonder promoted by Def Jam, that doesn't do much to change the minds of people who consider him one of the worst performers in the game of the two thousand and two thousand and ten years. 3/10.

Joe Budden — Joe Budden

Debut studio album by Joseph Budden, New York-born rapper, raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. After a brief period on the mixtape circuit, he signed with Def Jam in 2002, which launched him by placing Just Blaze to set the beat for his one-hit "Pump It Up". The track goes strong in the charts and is protected by executives who reserve it a hot spot at the 2004 Grammys, where it loses to "Lose Yourself". The label packs a 76-minute album ready for the charts: second among rnb records, in the top ten of the Billboard 200, it's also good on the other side of the Atlantic.

Begga Ooh — Renewed History

Under Begga Clan Music and Hidden Aspects Music, Begga Ohh brings out the most erratic and less successful solo record of the four released during the 2005/06 season by the Wu Tang Killa Bees The Beggaz group.

Dragonfly — 9000 Miles

Dragonfly tape is disappointing and from the very first moments it turns out to be unnecessary. The rapper member of The Beggaz, Hidden Aspects and Black Lotus isn't confident and produces a generic effort that falls below all expectations. Bolo's Kitchen and Yukon Black are the main architects of the beats, with five and four solutions respectively, Begga Ooh and Long Axe complete the set with two and a rhythm. Consisting of a dozen songs and with the presence of Begga Ooh as the only guest, the Dragonfly tape, one of the many released in the 2005/06 season by the members of The Beggaz crew, is fluctuating and mediocre, the rhythms of Bolo Gah sound like b-sides and scraps. The exception is "Priceless", where Dragonfly honestly spits for two minutes on a beat that combines skinny and dirty drum machine, beautiful vibrant bassline, squeaky kind-of-watered-down chipmunk female loop, male soul sample on the hook and earthy strings.

The situation of this record on Spotify is interesting, where there are two identical versions, one is dated 2006, the title has two random suspension points and, at the time of writing, you can hear half of the album, for some reason. The other seems almost hidden, is dated 2005, has a different cover and boasts all caps track titles, which you can easily hear for now. To be on the safe side I'll make a concise summary of the entire record below.

"Priceless" ✂️

Armani Caesar — Hand Bag Addict [mixtape]

Tape by Armani Caesar distributed by Buff City Records in the early 2010s. It's not that bad, but it feels a little too trapped by the dirty rap legacy established by Kim and Inga in the mid-nineties, sounding like another version of records like "Hard Core". There's materialism, bragging, sex bars, more rnb singing and pop beats than a trap production that was in its mainstream boom at the time (the 808 peeps a couple of times anyway). The music is divided between backgrounds more oriented towards a rnb melodies a là "Sasha Fierce" and other that sound more or less like discarded rhythms from "We Global", making it look like this release was made between 2009 and 2010. Side note, I find neither Hottest nor Benny's contribution in "The Damn Thing", which is an Armani solo but credits these guests. As a profane, I don't consider it a good album, this doesn't take away from the fact that it has its moments and that there are songs in which Armani is able to show off her talent as in "Give Me Money", one of the few songs which has replay value. 4/10.

Yukon Black — Addiction Services

Yukon Black's album is the only one released by the Beggas members that doesn't even have a rhythm produced by the group's beatsmith, Bolo's Kitchen. The tape is completely self-produced, and features the other members of the group as guests, with a spot each for Long Axe, Begga Ooh, Dragonfly and Bolo's Kitchen (uncredited). The set put together by Yukon Black is generic, these are some typical rhythms of the mid-nineties scene, easily forgotten: even when there's a captivating sample, like in "Take Me", somehow the delivery drags the track towards mediocrity. This is the creme until the album ends with "Brutal Truth". Two avoidable bonus tracks follow, the latter featuring the second uncredited appearance of Bolo's Kitchen. Released by Chambermusik and Hidden Aspects Music, it's not an essential tape.

Long Axe — Lost in Translation

Long Axe album, rapper and producer of Tha Beggas, Hidden Aspects and Black Lotus. The emcee self-produces half the effort and reserves four beats for Beggaz producer Bolo's Kitchen, one each for Yukon Black, Family Jewelz Productions, JC Beatz and Industry Beats. He goes in search of personal content and doesn't invite guests for 19 tracks (5 skits). Long Axe's rapping style is average, as are his choices behind the keyboards, in my humble opinion. The beat of Bolo's Kitchen in "Black Highs" is much better, even if "I Need", which it follows immediately after that song, is pleasant. Overall the tape is fine. Last but not least, Bolo gave another highlight in his friend's only album with "Fed Ex / Fed Up", where Long Axe delivers over a brilliant soundscape, made with the help of raw, punctual, dirty and dusty drum machine, a syncopated and distant bassline, and carved by the magnificent and cinematic strings of "North Star (Jewels)", the final pearl in Raekwon's "Purple Tape".

Black Lotus — Lotus Notes (1997-1999)

In 2005, Black Lotus released his only LP under Chambermusik, soon forgotten. This act is a duo consisting of Dragonfly and Long Axe, the only guest is Jim Kelly and the production is entirely done by Bolo's Kitchen. They are all members of The Beggaz, Washington D.C. hip-hop group, distant affiliate of the Wu-Tang Killa Beez. The two emcees deliver bars with good flow and regular style on solid and honest East Coast boom bap music, Bolo's Kitchen proves to be a good producer by placing beautiful bass lines and by wrapping lean and hard midtempo drums around effective and essential jazz loops, in particular the whole project seems to be a praise to the piano. "Constantly Rising" and "Stress Ya Got" tend to stand out from the rest of the songs. Recommended for New York jazz rap fans, it could easily be one of the most successful albums of the year.

Bolo's Kitchen — Blood, Sweat & Years

The debut of producer Bolo's Kitchen aka King Cee aka Bolo Gah, is a pretty curious record, a pleasant discovery. It's the closest thing to a Beggas album you can get. Perhaps the only record from the Hidden Aspects group is equally close, but this one remains the most accessible now.

Lil 1/2 Dead — Steel on a Mission

After the mid-nineties, when the hip-hop pole moves back to the Atlantic coast, the Golden State's top g-funk artists begin to fall. Snoop, MC Eiht, WC, all the NWA, Spice 1, Paris, Warren G, Kurupt, Above the Law, Dre Dog, Mac Mall, and so on. DJ Quik was one of the very few to remain relevant on the West Coast by continuing to release quality material throughout the 1990s. Dr. Dre made one of the best comeback albums of the decade, after having experienced a troubled period following the release of his solo debut. One of the few not to fall, is a guy who toured the country on Dr. Dre's 1993 tour of "The Chronic", Lil 1/2 Dead. This 20-year-old boy releases his second studio album.

Al' Tariq — God Connections

Unique studio album by Berntony "Al' Tariq" Smalls, Queens rapper former member of the Beatnuts. Most of the album is produced by the Beatnuts themselves, along with VIC, Al' Tariq, No ID (the second production outside the works with Common) and Lucien. Guests are Problemz, Rawcotiks, Black Attack, The Beatnuts, A-Massacre and SK.