Generic list post: February 2021

Team Toon ft. Ya Boy Big Choo - My Hot Girl
(From My Hot Girl; 2016)


Obligatory wrap-up post of those songs I've played most during the month when Ricky Powell, Prince Markie Dee, and Blaza Da Beat Contractor all went back to the essence. You probably ain't familiar with Blaza but he was the New Orleans Bounce producer behind the boards for Ya Boy Big Choo, ReUp Reedy, 5th Ward Weebie's Club Luv, and Team Toon's R&Bounce classic My Hot Girl. R.I.P to the lads.

Foxx - Friends (2011)
CeeFineAss ft. MoneyBagg Yo - Payback 2.0 (2020)
Cellski - Clappin' (2021)
Devin The Dude - To Each His Own (2021)
TREE - For Y'all (2021)
Cookiee Kawaii - Rather Be (2020)
A Guy Called Gerald - Bad Boy Ride (1994/2012)
Real Lies - Boss Trick (2020)
Years & Years - It's A Sin (2021)
Other notables: Mouse On Tha Track's Knees Like Megan is more TikTok bait than track but still a step back in the right direction for him; nothing on Duke Deuce's new album is really stickin' for me - very disappointing since he's made a handful of my favourite songs over the past couple of years; Jim Jones is such a gym bore now that even his music videos are just extended work-out clips; it was inevitable that two dirtbag saltines like Yelawolf and Caskey would make an album together.

Bonus reading: had fun reminiscing about 2011 Rap and live performances on The Word.

Rum, Artillery & The Lash

"When I roll one deep, got the pistol in my drawerssss
When I roll four deep, not a pistol at alllllllll"

TREE - For Y'all
(From Soul Trap album; 2021)


Loadsa Rappers can make smash-a-face bar fight music, but only a select few can make shitfaced pub singalong music. As Schoolly D nearly said, this ain't Soul Trap... this Pogues Trap! FRESH FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY 2021, YOU SUCKAZ!!!

Previously: TREE of life.

Generic list post: can you believe 2011 was a decade ago?

'Twas the year of Drake becoming inescapable, Nate Dogg's death, Camel & KanYe's Otis, J. Cole's rise, Tyler The Creator's Yonkers, Heavy D's peaceful journey from the house to the hearse, Big Sean blowin' up, Azealia Banks' 212, Yelawolf's album on Shady Records, and the A$AP Rocky okie-doke... but let's not hold any of that against 2011 eh?

2011 was the peak year of the blog-Rap era, which was both a gift and a curse: on one hand, I found so much quality music via blogs; on the other hand, the Rap internet was awash with terrible blogs by delusional Wavery lads desparete to ride Yams' coattails. Whateva, man - variety is one of life's spices rather than one of its vices, so 2011 is a Helluva enjoyable Rap year to turn into a list.

Young Bleed - Stamp On It
E-40 ft. B-Legit & Stresmatic - Rear View Mirror
Juicy J - Who Da Neighbors
Mic Terror - Chief Sampson
Hollywood Holt & Million $ Mano - The Show
Meek Mill ft. Young Chris - House Party
Gunplay - No Arm And Hammer
Lady - Pussy
DJ Quik ft. Suga Free & Ty Dolla $ign - Nobody
Tyga - Rack City
Danny Brown - Lincoln Continental
Bo Deal ft. Mello G Blanca - Safe Sex
Husalah - Da Mob
The Jacka ft. Laroo & J. Stalin - All We Do (Remix)
Joe Blow - The Dopest
Sir Michael Rocks ft. Shorty K & Tris J - Too $hort Back
Max B - South Wave
French Montana ft. Charlie Rock - Shot Caller
Chinx Drugz - Superlight
Treal Lee & Prince Rick - Shoes Up
Kreayshawn - Gucci Gucci
DB Tha General - Upgrade Em 2
N.O.R.E - N.O.R.E Shot Somebody
Fam-Lay ft. Project Pat - Money Makin' Trick
Rich Boy - All I Know
TREE - Trouble
A-Mafia - Foldin' $100 Billz
Mouse On Tha Track - Swagger Fresh Freddie
Foxx - Friends
Webbie ft. Lil' Phat - What's Happenin'
Lil' Phat ft. Mannie Fresh - Talk Some Mo Shit
Boosie & B.G. - 187
Black Rob - Up North
Mysonne - In Jail
Jackie Chain ft. Bun B - Parked Outside
King Louie - We Like To Party
Travis Porter - College Girl
Rich Kidz ft. Young Thug - $100 Autograph
Fat Trel - Rolling
LoveRance ft. IamSu & Skipper - UP!
Roc Marciano - My Persona
$tarlito - Rather Be With You
Yo Gotti ft. Zed Zilla - Bang Bang (video version)
Pac Div - Posted
Waka Flocka Flame & Slim Dunkin - Twin Towers 2 (Intro)
Wooh Da Kid - I Prefer
TKO Capone - Louis Gucci
Ike Eyes - Blue Roxies
Katie Got Bandz - I Need A Hitta (O.G video version)
Rittz ft. Yelawolf & Big K.R.I.T - Fulla Shit
Kendrick Lamar - A.D.H.D
Soulja Boy - Zan With That Lean Part 2
Boldy James ft. Tennille - Concrete Connie
HD Of Bearfaced - 40 Glock USA (Remix)
Future - Same Damn Time
A$AP Rocky ft. A$AP Twelvy & A$AP Nast - Trilla
Giggs - Monster Man

Bonus thoughts: one of the many great things about Young Bleed's Stamp On It is that you can have the edited low bitrate video version in your 2006 list and then put the explicit CDQ album version in your 2011 list; of course, you could have Young Bleed's Holla At Uh Dog in your 2011 list instead and it'd be an equally great selection; Trilla is the ONLY song which justifies A$AP Mob's existence as rappers although 80% of that song's appeal is the beat & the hook; I don't care that King Louie's We Like To Party is still officially unreleased a decade on because I first heard that song in 2011; Giggs' Monster Man absolutely deserves to be on this list because it's as good as any American song and it's a song no American could ever make; I'm annoyed to learn that Cousin Fik's No Gravity is #actually from 2010 because I love that song like Frank Bruno loves Harry; the saddest song of 2011 was Dhat Fam & Mista's Expose One since both members of Dhat Fam were murdered for making it.

Johnny Come Lately The Foxx

"I remember when I couldn't get a ride, befo' I learned how to drive
Soon as I got a whip, n*ggas was ride or die
I really ain't have no money, hoes was actin' jive
Gave me the wrong number, hurted a n*gga pride
Now I'm runnin' across 'em and givin' 'em the same line
Givin' 'em the same number, knowin' it ain't mine"

Foxx - Friends
(From I'm Better Than Blessed mixtape; 2011)


Foxx single which passed me by back in 2011. Solo dolo Rouge Blues in the vein of Stressed Out, I Wonder or Man In The Mirror. It's a damn shame Foxx didn't get to release a 2nd album for Trill Entertainment back in 2012 or so, especially since the label continues to drop increasingly shitty Webbie Savage Life albums from 05 'til infinity.

God bless YouTube: I Will Survive

YAY: an amazing clip of Melle Mel & Duke Bootee lip-syncing their Electro Vérité classic Message II (Survival) on some German TV show in 1983.

NAY: hang on - that's not Duke, it's Rahiem from the Furious Five just like in the video for The Message. Yet more shiesty Duke Bootee erasure by Sugar Hill Records or wot?

AYO: word around town, Melle Mel's Zed from Zardoz lookin' outfit was the tipping point which forced Run-D.M.C to flip Rap's whole sartorial script with their Adidas tracksuits, Lee jeans, and Double Goose bomber jackets.

MAYBE: was Melle Mel's outfit the inspiration for 2Pac's infamous studded leather vest? 'Pac thought he was Mob Piru but looked more like a Crippendale in that thing.

TREE of Life

TREE - Floatin'
(From Soul Trap album; 2021)


Son, as long as the talent and spark is there, son, MC TREE G is gon' grow, God. MC TREE G is gon' grow like a sapling.

TREE really floated ova da wudz with this one. Proper evergreen pulp diction pre-order from the new MC TREE G stock right here. Lookin' forward to the album sprouting 4 real next week.

Let me find out you thought this was EPMD!

CeeFineAss ft. MoneyBagg Yo - Payback 2.0
(From Welcome To My City album; 2020/YouTube; 2021)


Very rare modern instance of a remix ya host prefers to the original. Nothing to do with the presence of MoneyBagg Yo, everything to do with the More Ounce To The Bounce pressure lettin' Miss Cee go full 69th Ward Ceebie.

(Actually, that's a tad unfair to MoneyBagg Yo since "bring your luggage and your phone but no feelings in here" is a great line on the hotel, motel, Holiday Inn tip.)

Homeliss - that's my homepiss

"Now this is just to get some thoughts out there
And f*ck who's offended because I just don't care"

Homeliss Derilex - F*ck You!
(From Homeliss Derilex cassette; 1993)


Unpopular but undeniable opinion: Homeliss Derilex are the ownerz of Rap's best F*ck You song. I don't dig them jokes and, yo, I back up my quotes so lemme explain why - ig'nant west coast underground Gang Starr was a difficult steez to pull off but Homeliss Derilix nailed it here like Chris & Snoop.

God bless YouTube

A long time ago on TV sets here in the U.K there was a ramshackle yoof show called The Word. Filmed in Manchester on friday nights it benefitted hugely from Yank artists being in town for live shows and consequently ended up featuring the British TV performance debuts of Generation X big hitters like Cypress Hill, Snoop, The Pixies and Nirvana.



Factor in the performances by EMF, 808 State & MC Tunes, Public Enemy, Snow, Blur, Rage Against The Machine, Shabba Ranks & Marky Mark, D:Ream, Huggy Bear, Jamiroquai, L7, Mary J. Blige, Oasis, Goldie, Dog Eat Dog, Gravediggaz, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and The Word's archives amount to a warts & all snapshot of the early nineties musical zeitgeist.

Naturally, yours truly had a compilation VHS tape of the show's best live clips which got rocked until the tape sadly popped sometime in the early noughties. Thankfully, in the years since all the performances have turned up on YouTube - all except The Pharcyde's rendition of Ya Mama, that is. Well, guess what I've just found on the 'Tube, lads!


Bonus beats: the two greatest performances in The Word's history were Oliver Reed's shitfaced rendition of Wild Thing and Onyx's barnstorming version of Throw Ya Gunz, the latter of which is essentially an extended stage invasion by the Moss Side mandem.

Bonus bonus beats: the most underrated Rap performance in The Word's history was Craig Mack doing the Q-Tip remix of Get Down during Mack & Biggie's Bad Boy U.K tour of 1995 - specifically, underrated by me since I've only come around to accepting the remix is better than the original in recent years.

In hindsight, The Word's head honcho Terry Christian probably regrets booking Mack instead of a Biggie performance of the One More Chance remix. But the reason The Word was so very special™ is that it's the only TV show on Earth to have performance clips of Ya Mama, Throw Ya Gunz and the Get Down remix in its archive - singles which weren't the respective artist's largest hits but are still legitimate classics.

Much like Big Poppa, we'll always miss The Word here at The Martorialist. That said, since The Word went off air in 1995 appearances on U.K TV by The Charlatans have dropped by 70% - silver linings eh?

C-Ski Beatz

Cellski - Still Clappin'
(From Uncle Cell album; 2021)


Bona fide Dope Fiend Beat blues courtesy of Cellski - some proper mogadon mob music slap. It's a pity Uncle Cell doesn't produce more beats because that man has BEEN knowin' how to construct a Slap Classico since the Young Cellski days of Streets Of Frisco. Lest we forget that man was also behind the boards for Won't Be Right.

The Jacka ft. Cellski - Won't Be Right
(From Tear Gas album; 2009)


If you can listen to Won't Be Right and not end up shirtless and screaming "I JUST WANNA CLAP ALL MY ENEMIES" by midway through the first chorus then are we listening to the same song, bro?

Bonus beats: 2 Sticks was too lowkey to be the lead single from Cellski's new album. However, if you flip it and bounce it into the B-side for Still Clappin' then its Quiet Storm subtleness hits hella different.

Cellski - 2 Sticks
(From Uncle Cell album; 2021)

Homeboy throw in the towel, ya flick got took by Ricky Powell

Damn! Smoke an invisible Jazz cigarette for Ricky Powell. Those mutton chops he sported in later life made him resemble Vassily the Meerkat but it's all pumpernickel because he's the only man to ever look fly in Pony kicks. If a picture is worth a thousand words then the Rickster's best pix were on some Moby Dick type shit. Here's ya host's top five favourite Ricky P flickaronies.

Bonus snap: Rickoi even shot the most quintessentially Edan pic of Edan ever.

One 4 the Britz: Boyz-n-the-Club

The Streets - Weak Become Heroes
(From Original Pirate Material album; 2002)


Not a lotta people know this but ya host is a big fan of Weak Become Heroes by chirpoi Brummoi c*nt Mike "The Streets" Skinner. It's the one thing Skinner ever recorded where I found his inherent cringe-factor endearing rather than embarrassing, and the song struck a perfect balance between British kitchen sink melancholy and Balearic dancefloor magic. The latter can also be said of Real Lies 2020 single Boss Trick, thus it's the true heir to Weak Become Heroes in the canon of Everything But The Pet Shop Boy-core.

Real Lies - Boss Trick
(From 2020 releases bundle EP; 2020)



Definite hint of classic London Trigger flow on this. In fact, if Giggs had grown up as a so sensitive North London sad lad then he might have recorded Boss Trick.