1. MC EZ & Troup - Just Rhymin' (1988)
2. MC EZ & Troup - Get Retarded (1988)
3. Craig Mack - Style (1997)
4. Craig Mack - Please Listen To My Demo (1999)
5. Craig Mack - The Wooden Horse (1999)
6. Craig Mack - Mack Come Thru (2000)
7. Craig Mack - Straight In Ya Mouf (2003)
Poor old Craig Mack. He's viewed as a Couple Of Hits Wonder even though he was a consistently good singles artist who had a blackbelt in Rap Hands. Ever since he first came out as MC EZ in 1988 he had an unfortunate habit of jinxing himself on record with lyrics promising future career endeavours which never materialised. But that's what gives Mack's music a bittersweet edge which never fails to pull my heart strings like guitars down in Spain. Mack's career deserved better but he was Mr. Reverse Words I Manifest who couldn't stop hexing himself on wax. Me, I prefer Mack's remake of Please Listen To My Demo to the EPMD original; Erick & Parrish kept it philosophical like the Greek man Plato, but Mack made it spiritual/educational like the German word Bildungsroman. So, here's a seven song playlist of Mack's best non-Bad Boy legit jams which would have included Jockin' My Style if Audiomack hadn't cockblocked it. Damn, I miss dem dayz when you could upload anything and everything to Audiomack.
I remember some video where Stezo played an unreleased 2000s song featuring Mack which actually sounded like some fat Funk flav for the ages. Can Dooley-O plz release that shit ASAP? R.I.P to Mack and Stezo, natch.
9 comments:
The Wooden Horse was the only post Bad Boy Craig Mack song I was ever familiar with when Westwood played it back in the day.
Only took quarter of a century for me to realise The Wooden Horse was part of the popular trend at the time when Rap sampled film musicals.
Hard Knock Life-core. Also see: Can Du by Big Scoob and This Cold World by Lord Tariq.
Wooden Horse 12" is great. only recently got a copy. 45 King production like Hard Knock Life.
Just seeing that Eric B was executive producer on Operation - Get Down. Don't think I have ever seen that record in my life, might have to source a copy.
Apart from the Lord Tariq joint, the only good Hard Knock Life-core songs were 45 King productions.
It's not a good album. Luckily you can get Jockin' My Style and Style on 12"s.
I also fuxwit Excuse Me from Mack's early 2000s era. But I had to disqualify it from this playlist because he was affiliated with Bad Boy again after the Special Delivery remix.
My favourite Hardknocklifecore jam would have to be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODggoDiVirU
My least favourite example of Showtunecore (or jazzhandjams) would be that atrocity where Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal butchered Paul Williams's "So you wanna be a boxer" from Bugsy Malone.
Thankfully, I've never heard that.
Worst one I can remember is the Busta Rhymes song with the Ugly Duckling sample.
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