Generic list post: February 2019

Obligatory wrap-up post of those songs I've played most during the month when K-Rino dropped a B.o.B's Earth view of T.I. Vs T.I.P.

Filthy Phil - Deadgiveaway (1992)
Husalah - Inshallah (In God's Will) (2003)
K-Rino ft. Poiz'N - Don't Know Why (2004)
Positive K & MC Lyte - I'm Still Not Havin' It (2019)
Other notables: Ain't You was the only significant track for me on WNC Ram Bam's new mixtape; the Doja Cat & Rico Nasty song could have been a legit jam if it wasn't for that same played-out drumkit which refuses to fade into history; fair play to Deniro Farrar's Stuck For The Bag for adding an air of genuine menace to some generic Trap shit; the BeatKing & Fabo song coulda been a legit jam if Fabo hadn't rhymed about his dick for the duration of his verse (rappers should only be allowed to rhyme about their dicks more than once a verse if they do so via innuendo and/or for comedic purposes, imho.)

The Price Is Trife

Speakin' of NorCal rappers on the run recording songs, el hombre tremendo BigSleep just put ya host onto this obscure 1992 cassette EP by Filthy Phil called The Manhunt. Story goes Phil was a Richmond turf buccaneer known for popularising the term Player Haters on wax who shot a cop during a traffic violation to avoid going back to jail, went on the run from the FBI, was featured on the TV show America's Most Wanted, and recorded an EP whilst he was duckin' the coppers using samples from his TV appearance for the EP's intro.

So far so fascinating for mob music mavens. But does the EP live up to the legend? In the case of Phil's gameshow-concept song Deadgiveaway, YES! Essentially, it's The $20 AK-47 Pyramid over some dense gangsta-fonk which sounds like a lost Bomb Squad noggin knocker for Ice Cube.

Filthy Phil - Deadgiveaway
(From The Manhunt EP; 1992)


Cool C shoulda hired Filthy Phil's lawyer because Phil was back on home soil and rapping again by 1999. He even dropped a 2002 CD that's somehow even rarer than his two 90s EPs.

Generic list post: favourites for the flicks

Boy, you've got me twisted like a robe if you think I'd ever read Pitchfork's 50 Best Movie Scores listicle. But please believe I'm gonna have my wicked way with the concept in the name of #content. The 50 G.O.A.T songs recorded for movie soundtracks as according to ya host Roger QBert. No order of preference, but all genres, all eras, all choonz.

1. Eric B. & Rakim - Juice (Know The Ledge) (1991)
2. Big Daddy Kane - Nuff Respect (1991)
3. Robert Tepper - No Easy Way Out (1985)
4. Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman (1972)
5. Cat Stevens - But I Might Die Tonight (Deep End version) (1970)
6. Lady Of Rage - Afro Puffs (1994)
7. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Murder Was The Case (remix) (1994)
8. Tha Dogg Pound - What Would U Do? (1994)
9. Dr. Dre & Ice Cube - Natural Born Killaz (1994)
10. Gene Pitney - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
11. Ronnie Hazelhurst - Are You Being Served? (movie version) (1977)
11. UGK - Pocket Full Of Stones (Pimp C remix) (1993)
12. MC Eiht - Streiht Up Menace (1993)
13. Lalo Schifrin - Theme From Enter The Dragon (1973)
14. Grand Puba - Fat Rat (1991)
15. Roy Ayers - King George (1973)
16. OutKast - Benz Or Beamer (1995)
17. Mystikal & OutKast - Neck Uv Da Woodz (1999)
18. Mark Vieha - Way To Go (1985)
19. Ennio Morricone - Man With A Harmonica (1968)
20. Slick Rick - I Sparkle (1999)
21. Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther (Theme) (1963)
22. Tim Capello - I Still Believe (1987)
23. Public Enemy - Fight The Power (1989)
24. L7 - Gas Chamber (1994)
25. 2Pac - Never Had A Friend Like Me (1997)
26. Shirley Bassey & John Barry - Goldfinger (Theme) (1964)
27. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Chase Across The 69th Street Bridge (1981)
30. The Crooklyn Dodgers - Crooklyn (1994)
31. James Brown - The Boss (1973)
32. State Property ft. Dirt McGirt - When You Hear That (2003)
33. Bernard Herrmann - Taxi Driver (Theme) (1976)
34. Prince & The Revolution - Let's Go Crazy (1984)
35. Kool G. Rap ft. RZA - Cakes (1999)
36. Brad Fiedel - Dream Window (1985)
37. Biggie Smalls - Party & Bullshit (1993)
38. The Plugz - Reel Ten (1984)
39. DJ Grand Wizard Theodore & Kevie Kev Rockwell - Gangbusters (1983)
40. Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man (1972)
41. Ice-T - Colors (1988)
42. Isaac Hayes - Hung Up On My Baby (1974)
43. David Lynch & Angelo Badalamenti - The Pink Room (1992)
44. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - One In A Million (1993)
45. Joe Walsh - In The City (1979)
46. John Lurie - Promedade Du Maquereau (1986)
47. Madonna - Into The Groove (1985)
48. Johnny Pate - Shaft In Africa (1973)
49. 50 Cent ft. Young Buck - I'll Whip Your Head Boy (2005)
50. U2 - Desire (1988)
(I wouldn't pass water on Bono if he were on fire, but I will pass judgement on U2's Desire from the Rattle & Hum OST and admit it's a legit 10/10 jam.)

Song 4 H >>> Song 4 U

"This is a tape, but at the same time it's ill
They said this is your fate, you'll be a Husalah that's real
Look at my face, I do give women the chills
These n*ggas they see I'm pretty, they think they know what the deal
Go ahead, get shot and buried in a hill
This is very very real, I suggest you stay very still'"

Husalah - Inshallah (In God's Will)
(From Coco County - The Album compilation; 2003)


Late pass! Feelin' tardy right now because I never knew Cutthoat Committee's Song 4 U was an obscure Husalah solo song originally before RobLo resold the beat to Mac Dre. Vintage spiritual criminal on-the-run Husalah over RobLo's holy ghost of Joni Mitchell chop-suey.

Arf @ the Coco County compilation also featuring a song by Husalah's soon-to-be bête cracker.

Methane Man

"1 hand on the wheel, 1 foot on the gas
In the diamond lane I think I'm goin' too fast
All a n*gga need is 1 mo' lick
I swear to God I'm gonna get out this shit
1 hand on the wheel, 1 foot on the gas
Hittin' hella corners with a choppa and a mask
All a n*gga need is 1 mo' lick
'Cause even then I would get out this shit"

Shady Nate - 1 Mo' Lick
(From Gasman Unleashed album; 2008)


"You've gotta know when to hit the lick, you've gotta know when to hit the road" as Kenny Rogers nearly once advised. The best J.Stalin slap not actually recorded by J.Stalin or wot? Never knew this had a video, nor could I have ever imagined it'd have over a million views since the clip is nowt but Nate alone in his car like Tom Hardy in Locke.

Generic list post: So International

"THEY FOREIGN!"

Remember the time Giggs went all Finbarr Saunders & His Double Entendres with a legit jam about his todger? How about the time Iggy Aztralea bodied everything Nicki Minaj dropped in 2014? Or the time MHD recorded a French language bangeur about French football? What about the time J Hus made every American dance-Rap song of 2015 sound superfluous? And who can forget the time two Nigerian lads DJ Consequence & YCEE made the 2010's British Grime revival sound like the tepid Redbull-sponsored shite it truly was? If your memory's foggier than Victorian London then here's a reminder of all the above & some other favorites.

The best non-Yank Rap songs of the 2010s, IMHO:

Giggs - Monsta Man (2011)
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX - Fancy (2014)
MHD - Afro Trap Part 3 (Champions League) (2015)
J Hus ft. DoccyDocs - Lean & Bop (2015)
Krept & Konan ft. Jeremih - Freak Of The Week (2015)
New Age Muzik - Da Beat (2016)
21 Savage & Metro Boomin' - No Heart (2016)
Young T & Bugsey - No Mickey Mouse Ting (2016)
DJ Consequence ft. YCEE In A Benz (2016)
J Hus - Did You See (2017)
MoStack - Let It Ring (2017)
Donae'O - Black (Social Circles Remix) (2017)
Sneakbo ft. Giggs - Active (2017)
Definite correlation between me losing interest in Roadrapfrobeats and me growing bored with Auto-Tune. It also doesn't help that, after the rise of U.K Drill, loadsa rappers from the Roadrapfrobeats scene have developed stars & stripes in their eyes and started rhyming about trap-phones and the like. The only good thing which can come from Brexit is if the U.K starts deporting any British citizens who've ever rhymed about traps, opps, and bandos.

The Roosh V Is On Fire

Positive K & MC Lyte - I'm Not Havin' It
(From The First Priority Music Family: Basement Flavor compilation; 1988)


Sid The Sexist taught us that conversation is often the best foreplay, thus Rap songs about chirpsing will always be preferable to Rap songs about shagging. The O.G. battle of the sexes/wits Rap duet, I'm Not Havin' It was the inspiration for Mary J. Blige & Grand Puba's What's The 411?, as well as the prototype for Positive K's own PUA Righteous Chirpsers anthem I Got A Man. Pos' & MC Lyte recently dropped a 2k19 follow-up and it knocks on some Men Are From The Bronx, Women Are From Brooklyn type shit. All you need for one of these songs is good banter and a good beat.

Positive K & MC Lyte - I'm Still Not Havin' It
(From YouTube; 2019)


Word around town, Positive K plans to renounce his PUA past in a Rap duet with Foxy Brown over the Seven Minutes Of Funk sample. The song's title? Ain't No Negga.

Maxwell Pubas before Metro Boomins

Positive K - Step Up Front
(From Step Up Front single; 1988)


Why'd the only decent quality upload of the Step Up Front video get deleted from YouTube so all we're left with is this unwatchable/unlistenable fuzzfest? Whoever has the decent quality video rip needs to step up front and upload that shit so we can all inspect Positive K & his crew's garms again whenever we're reminding ourselves that it woz Grand Puba Maxwell not Dr. Dre or Metro Boomin'/Southside who first freaked the Ironside theme.

The 3 Heineken Technique mix of Step Up Front featuring King Of Chill wasn't quite the first great Rap remix (that'd be BDP's Remix For P Is Free IMHO), but it might be the first great Rap remix to feature all new lyrics and to introduce a guest Rapper. In that sense, it woz Possy Pos' not his old foe Puffy who Invented The Remix™.

Let's talk notable 80's remixes then, lads. Rules are no truncated 7" versions of early Rap 12"s (they're radio edits rather than remixes), and no C.J. Mackintosh club mixes (they're all shite.) Extended mixes in the Egyptian Lover stylee are, however, welcome.