Friday 3 January 2014

Ayo Herb McGruff

You should release the CDQ version of Creep because it's the best solo cut you ever recorded, and the chil'ren ain't even know you're one of the founding fathers of Harlem henchman-Rap since most of your best solo tracks never came out officially:

"While you fakin', I knocked ya ass out in Green Haven
Cup cake, you used to wash my drawers upstate"

Herb McGruff - Creep
(From the Villain Guys bootleg EP; 1998)


Being such a hardrock that you had other rappers washing your underwear in prison is, of course, one of the central tenets of Harlem henchman-Rap which runs through the catalogues of the sub-genre's pioneers MobStyle right up to its most most notable recent exponent A-Mafia. Although the Villain Guys EP came out in 1998, Creep was intended to be McGruff's debut street single for Uptown Records in early 1996 until Isaac Hayes sabotaged the plan by not clearing the sample because the song's content offended him. I'll never understand how Ike let Biggie get away with Warning yet felt the need to nix Snoop's G'z Up Hoez Down and this McGruff joint.
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15 comments:

  1. Jamie3 January 2014 at 12:04

    Gruff be on yer back like a shadow!

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  2. Unknown3 January 2014 at 14:31

    It's to bad Mcgruff's album wasn't that good cause all the tracks that weren't on the album were great.

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  3. Kelvin Mack10zie3 January 2014 at 14:43

    Yeah, the only song on 'Gruff's CD to live up to his potential is Danger Zone.

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  4. Kelvin Mack10zie3 January 2014 at 14:52

    Also, Creep would have sounded so good next to the Real Live Shit remix on my 1996 pause-tape compilations.

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  5. step one3 January 2014 at 15:20

    Reppin Uptown, Harlem Kids Get Biz and especially Harlem World (over 'Strawberry Letter 23') off McGruff's debut are all great.

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  6. Unknown3 January 2014 at 21:02

    Reppin Uptown was pretty good the version that didn't make the album with a Mase verse was better though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1nF5rqMpbM

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  7. Krisch3 January 2014 at 21:44

    Isn't that the same version that was on the Uptown promo with "Make it Hot" on the other side?

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  8. Kelvin Mack10zie4 January 2014 at 10:09

    Ohhhh. Is it better quality on there, Krisch?

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  9. Krisch5 January 2014 at 10:38

    Not quite sure, I just ripped it from the 12". The crackles are part of the song though. Do you have an e-mail I can send it to?

    Would love to know who produced Creep and Villain Guys. Is there any info out there?

    @step one: Harlem World wasn't included on Destined to Be

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  10. Kelvin Mack10zie5 January 2014 at 15:16

    Don't drop emails in these comments because you'll just end up getting spammed by Korean sites selling fake Jordans.

    Upload it to Zippyfile!

    I have no idea who did the beat. Weren't most of McGruff's uptown tracks produced by Heavy D & Tony Dofat?

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  11. step one5 January 2014 at 18:07

    @Krisch - Weird. I've only ever had it on a CDR I copied off someone and its on tagged on the end. Assume they coldnt clear that sample either.

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  12. Krisch5 January 2014 at 18:55

    Spunk Bigga, Ty Fyffe and others also did beats for him.

    Now we have a problem, cause I don't want to get spammed by German law firms reppin Uptown or rather Universal.

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  13. Kelvin Mack10zie5 January 2014 at 19:58

    I'd imagine it's safe to upload some song which appeared on the b side of a promo 12" in 1996 to the internet in 2014.

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  14. Krisch5 January 2014 at 20:30

    Alright, i take your word for it:

    http://www59.zippyshare.com/v/86751614/file.html

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  15. Kelvin Mack10zie5 January 2014 at 22:05

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete