The homeboy, the Aspiring Me put me on to this little gem. The ROSEWOOD THIEVZ are out that Third Ward Houston, Texas.  These dudes have that pre-Houston golden era sound, but not by force, strictly by default as a result of all the fun they had recording this album. Here, there are no songs oversaturated with H-Town terminology or tainted with a distracting entrepreneurial spirit, just that pure and steady swang wide sound, which is a product of leisure, creativity, and their immediate environment.  You will miss out if you don’t give ENTER THE TERRORDOME a listen. Enjoy.  –Droopy (@droopydood)

Best mix of 2013? Yes.

Following on from last year’s treatment of ‘Paul’s Boutique‘, United States of Audio does the same with De la Soul’s groundbreaking album 3 Feet High and Rising. It’s not just a mix, but more like an audio documentary about an album that is also about to celebrate it’s 25th anniversary. In his own words;

‘Several years in the making and including around 100 tracks, this is my personal tribute to De La Soul’s ’3 Feet High and Rising’. Using original sample sources, album tracks, interviews and rarities, ‘How High’s The Water Mama’ tells the story of one of hip hop’s most influential albums.

When De La Soul’s debut album dropped in 1989 I was ten years old. Yet, by some stroke of amazing good fortune a cassette copy of ’3 Feet High and Rising’ found its way into my hands thanks to my best mate’s older brother (though I’m pretty sure said brother had no idea of this fact!). The music was a revelation and had a significant influence in shaping my musical tastes – in fact I can’t think of any other album that has had such a profound effect on me as this one. Thus ’3 Feet High and Rising’ holds a special place in my musical affections. Now, some twenty-five years after its original release, it’s time to pay my respect to Pos, Dove, Mase, and Prince Paul…’

Go to the SoundCloud page for the full track list and to download, it’s mad long. Thanks to Kev and Megatrip for the link.

enjoy,
dirt_dog

Tuesday, April 17th, 1990.

Two LPs: Tribe‘s first, off Jive / RCA and X Clan‘s debut, on 4th & B’way / Island.

Pick your favorite and / or the best album, doesn’t matter.

Check other posts in the Dropped Same Day series here.

And feel free to state your case, leave corrections or post additional match ups you would like to see in the comments below.

– The Big Sleep

You will aslo recognize disses towards Snoop and Dre.

Thanks to philaflava TROY forum member Fritz and to the dubcc forum member iDontTrip who originally brought this up.

Enjoy!

No Respect
http://limelinx.com/c3xxu

http://limelinx.com/dpdjm

–Markshot

Click here for full article

I’m not going to pretend like I knew N-Tense was Blu Warta because I didn’t. I remember copping the Phat Wax single “Raised Da Levels of The Boom” many moons ago. Anything that had a sample like that was an automatic hit back then.

Not taking anything away from the actual record, but that infectious Busta sample off The Scenario is what got us open at first. Back then Phat Wax had the Now Born Click (Mad Sick) and Preacher Earl & The Ministry so I was quite familiar with their roster. Raised The Levels of Da Boom was one of those tracks that just encapsulated that Golden Era sound. If there is you know not familiar with that era or wasn’t old enough to appreciate it, just  put on that N-Tense record. It embodies everything we love about the 9o’s.

A few years later  N-Tense popped up on The D&D Project with “Da Good Die Young,” truer words were never spoken. The track was mixed by Dres of Black Sheep and became an instant favorite on the ’95 compilation that featured the Primo laced “1, 2 Pass It” featuring Doug E. Fresh, Fat Joe, Jeru the Damaja, KRS-One, Mad Lion, and Smif-N-Wessun.

It wasn’t until 2002 until we heard from N-Tense again, but under his new moniker Blu Warta. Then, Game Records was making a name for itself with their infamous record covers. This Is Luv by Blu featured the lovely Aria Giovanni on the record cover. You have to admit as hacky as some of the Game releases were, Jonathan “Shecky Green really knew how to market their 12″ inch singles. And who can forget them dabbling into the porn industry with the Game girls? God I looooved Francine Dee back in the day. But this is where my connection with N-Tense became a disconnect. I never knew he was Blu Warta. For starters, I didn’t like the name, silly I know, but I’m particular about names. Take “luv” for example. Anytime I saw something spelled out like that it just was a huge deterrent for me.

But in 2002 boom-bap wasn’t the thing anymore so naturally a change was needed. Too bad, had he kept is short, he could have been the O.G. Blu before this one. Blu released one more track before his passing, the title track Midnight Club II of the video game series. Midnight Club II also featured fellow Game artist 8-Off Agallah, so if I had to guess there was a deal brokered by Shecky for them to appear on the soundtrack.

N-Tense/Blu Warta was the quintessential 90′s NYC rapper. He had tons of talent, a lot of promise and unfortunately a short-lived career. On January 27, 2005, Dion Devon Blue died from a degenerative heart disease while anticipating a heart transplant. He was just 30 years old. The good really do die young. –Philaflava

What do we have here is simply amazing, hardcore, grimey and very rare release that definitely should not be slept on anymore.

***This is not full VLS, it missing 2 tracks (Bring It [radio edit] and Bring It [instrumental]).

Enjoy!

01. Bring It!
02. Brooklyn Niggaz
03. Get Da Loot
04. Keep It Bangin’

–>Download Bring It! VLS<–

Tuesday, October 10th, 1995.

Six LPs: AZ‘s debut, via EMI, Jamal‘s only, on Rowdy Records, Kausion‘s only, through Lench Mob Records, KRS-One‘s sophomore, by way of Jive, Menace Clan‘s only, off  Noo Trybe / Rap-A-Lot and Souls of Mischief‘s second, via Jive.

Pick your favorite and / or the best album, doesn’t matter.

Check other posts in the Dropped Same Day series here.

And feel free to state your case, leave corrections or post additional match ups you would like to see in the comments below.

– The Big Sleep

50 minutes of Dibia$e beats well placed over Wattstax footage, good watch and listen. Never pass up on anything labelled Green Llamas, spotted here at GreenLlamaMusic. 

Download the full mix here.

I would have embedded this other video because it’s from other Green Llama crew and probably one of my favorite videos in the last couple of years, but it won’t embed. So, click here to peep The Believer, you will not regret it.

–verge

A cut -n- paste masterpiece brought to you by the guys behind Chopped Herring Records, Pro Celebrity Golf and  Jay Glaze. This is the first time the OG digital files have been made available. Created from 100% original vinyl pressings. An automatic download that will keep you entertained and even amazed. –Philaflava

I interviewed The Aspiring Me a few weeks ago. If you missed it, you can read the interview here.

I got word that he is performing at the Tender Trap 245 S 1^st Street Brooklyn, NY, via this very fluid and clear cut freestyle. In the song he also shouts out THE T.R.O.Y. BLOG and yours truly.

He really killed the beat. So much that the actual SoundCloud sound wave frequency looks like a scar on the computer screen.

There is a lot going on in this freestyle. 

He audaciously challenges his potential NYC fan base while paying homage to Jay-Z; “do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?” Today, soul DJ’s are the Starbucks of live music and hip hop has been Urban Outfitter-ized; OBEY shirt anyone? T.A. ME is commenting on hip hop heads not getting their hands dirty in their search for prolific artists; they enjoy being spoon fed aboveground-underground whatever.

His two minute twenty eight second flow does not just grab the listeners attention, the song also grab’s the listeners arm and yanks him/her along on the fantastic voyage to NYC. The freestyle is titled Slow Ride to NYC. The title makes sense because everyone knows Houstonians drive slowly. However, he begins by energetically dropping his vocals to the metal with “I’m coming back again, this time solo, hair in the wind… focus air tight, yall are focused on headlights, hope you got a spare life when you find out where those headlights are going.”  Here, he describes his getaway to New York, the unsuspecting crowds he’ll transform to boppers, and the microphones he’s going to kill. He ends the bumpy but shock absorbed flow with some comical misdirection by saying “…while I leave off the scene on 4’s yah bitch!” just to show those left in his cloud of dust that the whole hold-on-to-your-seats-roller-coaster-ride to NYC  accrued while cruising in an old S.L.A.B.  sitting on 84’s.

In the midst of T.A. ME illustrating time space convergence in Slow Ride to NYC, the body of the song is spotless. After each time signature, my immediate response is, “chuuuuch!”

It should be noted that T.A. ME’s freestyle Slow Ride to NYC, samples the Beastie Boys song Slow Ride, and that song samples War’s Low Rider. So we have a Houston artist sampling a New York group, who sampled a California group, for a song about traveling to NYC. Did I create a mental image of a Southwest Airlines napkin map in your head? –Droopy

@droopydood

@theaspiringme