Lords of the Underground
"Here Come the Lords"
(Pendulum)
One of Marley Marl's post-Juice Crew proteges, Lords of the Underground (Doitall, Mr. Funky and DJ Lord Jazz) had a pretty explosive debut album with "Here Come the Lords." Despite a public thumbs down from the legendary Lord Finesse, there's no denying that this album has some serious hits on it, like "Chief Rocka" and "Funky Child."
Labels: hip-hop, Juice Crew, Lords of the Underground, Marley Marl
week 9...
This week, I'd thought I'd switch it up a bit and cull selections from my tape collection. That's right, TAPE COLLECTION! Admittedly, I feel like I have a pretty sick tape collection, but then again, I am subjective in my opinion. I don't know about you, but the weather here in Seattle has been a little bit on the sucky side. It's cold as hell and there's snow and ice all around my neighborhood. God, I can't wait for summer.
1. Genius/GZA featuring D'angelo & Inspektah Deck, "Cold World (Remix)"
"Cold World" is a dark tale of abandonment, drugs and ghetto life. The original was haunting enough, but the addition of D'angelo's smokey vocals and RZA's production makes this the kind of song that tugs at your heartstrings and sense of fear.
2. Illy Funkstaz, "Bloodshed and War" (featuring Mobb Deep)/"I'll Make U Famous (Remix)"/"Verbal Glock"
Illy Funkstaz was the adult version of kiddie rappers, Da Youngstaz, who had a minor hit with "Hip-Hop Ride." After the fall out of posi-rap acts like Lords of the Underground, Pete Rock and CL Smooth and Digable Planets, Da Youngstaz signed to Marley Marl's Pop Art label, donned some hoodies and bandanas and made "The Infamous" and"Ready To Die" the soundtrack to their lives. While it's a little difficult to take these kids seriously, you can't deny the production of their thug rap, even if it is a little lame.
3. Big L, "MVP (Summer Smooth Remix)"
Fuck the winter! I'm psyching myself up with THE summer jam from 1995. While Lord Finesse did not produce this version (Salah handled the remix duties), I prefer this version over the DeBarge-sampled original for nostalgic purposes.
Labels: Big L, D'angelo, Genius, GZA, Illy Funkstaz, Marley Marl, Wu-Tang
