Shabazzball

"Not tryna boast or brag
But my vocab will hit you like a Sugar Ray Leonard jab"

The 45 King ft. MC La Kim - We Got The Funk
(From The 45 King's Master Of The Game album; 1988)


Top 3 Lakim Shabazz song, thus it really should have been on his first album. Shabazz was a rapper of paradoxes: he looked like Kendrick Lamar's baby-brother but he possessed the voice of a Nation Of Islam bodyguard; he's pigeonholed as a 5% conscious rapper when much of his music is about obliterating emcees into molecules; he's loved by ageing Anglo-Saxons like me & Eminem despite the fact he was none too fond of us white folk; he had a penchant for rapping over horn samples when Kenny G was the world's most famous saxophonist.

2-17 'til Infinity

Mr. 2-17 - Strong Arm Flexxin'
(From Know What I'm Sayin' Pt 2 mixtape; 2014)

Mr. 2-17 · Strong Arm Flexxin' [Prod. by Mr. 2-17]

I want to live in a world where people love Strong Arm Flexxin' as much as Walked In. The two G.O.A.T plink-plink-plonk piano Swag-Rap songs of the 2010s and Mr. 2-17 produced the pair of them. Might start a petition to get 1Up Society's Strong Arm Flexxin' dance video reuploaded to YouTube.

Can't we just all get along...

Little Shawn - Hickeys On Your Chest
(From The Voice In The Mirror album; 1992)


Little Shawn's Hickeys On Your Chest AKA the missing link between Super Lover Cee and Ma$e. Never seen this video in such pristine quality before - possibly the only Rap video to feature Bela Lugosi. Is Little Shawn's album worth a listen? Howie Tee produced the whole thing so there must be at least one more Legit Jam™ on there.

Update: checked the album and there's nowt as good as Hickeys On Your Chest on there. Nowt as good as his later single Dom Perignon either tbqh.

Little Shawn ft. Notorious B.I.G - Dom Perignon
(From Dom Perignon single; 1995)


10/10 opportunism for Little Shawn flipping Biggie's line on Party And Bullshit into a comeback single and billing it as a Biggie cameo.

Can You Phil Me?

Phil Blunts - On The Attack
(From On The Attack 12" single; 1996)


A '96 Yonkers minor classic which never ascended to Tunnel Banger status and now finds itself lost in Random-Rap purgatory. Never in a month of Black Sundays or Blue Mondays did I ever imagine Phil Blunts' On The Attack would have a video but looka here, boys & very occasional girl. Song's hot like quilts... except for that lyric at 01:31. It doesn't ruin the song for me but does make me wince. Why you wanna say that bruv, huh?

Maybe there's another secrete & rare video for Phil's other late 90's single They Don't Really Love Us? If this ain't the most Queens-soundin' song to ever come from Yonkers then I'll eat LL's Kangol hat.

Phil Blunts ft. Black Jesus - They Don't Really Love Us
(From They Don't Really Love Us 12" single; 1997)

HoodScienceEntertainment · PHIL BLUNTS -THEY DON'T REALLY LOVE US(ORIGINAL)

Handily, you can get both these songs on the same damn 12" single.

God didn't make you funky

"Pause for the cause, mouthwash wouldn't hurt at all
Stop tounge-kissing basketballs"

Lord Sear - Ya Mouth Stink
(From Hello! (The Wake Up Call) 12" single; 2000)



B-Side Wins Again from the Mr. Bongo era. Guru made halitosis a hot skit, Lord Sear made it a hot song. This ain't a joke, this ain't a game no mo', this is peak Reality-Rap for doz who brought their nasty niffs through the door. Maximum musical synergy here because Lord Sear's production on this is as funky as the bad breath depicted in his rhymes. It's all luv to 1997's Alcoholic Vibes but Ya Mouth Stink is the song where Sear's radio persona best translated to wax.

It's a pity Sear didn't drop another single with his old C.M Mob famalam DOOM on the production job.

Surprise, surprise!

First another member of The Fat Boys carks it, then some unreleased Money Boss Players songs come out, now KLC's shelved The Drum Major album finally drops in full. Been waitin' on this shit since its lead single from 2006.

KLC ft. Fiend & Callicoe - Play It Loud
(From single; 2006/The Drum Major album; 2021)


Nice touch to have Paco Troxclair's Duffy on there even though it's from last decade. An even nicer touch is KLC & Mannie Fresh both giving Hurricane Katrina the finger on their Big Tyme love letter to New Orleans No Place Like Home. Had this song come out in 2006 it woulda been the best ode to the NOLA since 5th Ward Weebie's Supa Sunday In N.O.

"Now, let's talk about this bitch Katrina
F*cked over the city and soaked my Beamer
But it's aiiight, I got money from FEMA
And my new whip is so much cleaner"

KLC ft. Mannie Fresh - No Place Like Home
(From the vaults; 2006/The Drum Major album; 2021)


That "RE-UP!!" ad lib tho.

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.

It was all a dream, I first heard Get Retarded on Ego Trip's The Big Playback CD

MC EZ & Troup - Get Retarded
(From Just Rhymin'/Get Retarded 12" single; 1988)

MC EZ · Get Retarded

What if Get Retarded was the A-side of Craig Mack's one 12" as MC EZ and it became a big golden-era hit, consequently changing Mack's whole career trajectory? Crazy visionz, check it out, BOOM: Fresh Records then had MC EZ & Troup record an album in 1989 and the duo begin rollin' with RUSH management alongside fellow Fresh roster groups EPMD and Nice & Smooth. Thus, EZ & Troup follow EPMD and Nice & Smooth over to Def Jam when Fresh Records folds in 1990 where they release another couple of successful albums in the following years. Fate conspires that Mack still records Flava In Ya Ear, Get Down etc, but they're MC EZ songs on Def Jam songs rather than Craig Mack songs on Bad Boy - ergo, the Flava In Ya Ear remix features Redman in Biggie's place and Making Moves With Puff is now titled Making Moves With Russ.

In this parallel trajectory, Puffy still signs another former Fresh Records roster member who's spent the early 90's in Rap's wilderness - Stezo who has now rebranded as Stephen Williams. Hmmm not sure that woulda worked out for Bad Boy tbqh.

Alright, Dave?

"I'm insightful, recognising life is a cycle
Like I recognise when girls fight titties pop out, ya catch an eyeful"

Rodney P - Big Tings We Inna
(From Big Tings We Inna 12" single; 2001)


Rodney P was best when he made music which was more Reggae-Rap than Rap-Reggae. If Smiley Culture travelled forward in time to go bish bash bosh in the Bashment then Big Tings We Inna woulda been the result. Near-perfect Windrush Generation song except for the "old dog readin' the Playboy in the bible" line - this is Paul Raymond's manor not Hugh Hefner's turf, you plonker!

Very Special

Crooklyn was a gift and a curse for Special Ed: an instant-classic posse cut which rescued Ed from the Rap wilderness, it then inspired him to rhyme over a buncha lumpen sub-Boot Camp Clik beats for his mediocre comeback LP Revelations. Luckily Profile Records stepped in to spare Ed's blushes by hiring DJ Premier to rework Freaky Flow into a track which va-va-voomed like 74 Honda scooters. Billed as a remix, it's more like a sequel since the only thing it shares with the original is the hook. If I Got It Made is the highest title numero uno of Special Ed songs then the Freaky Flow remix is fighting it out with Taxing for numero dos position.

Special Ed - Freaky Flow (DJ Premier remix)
(From Freaky Flow (DJ Premier remix) 12" single; 1996)

Late pass! I'm a basic bastid when it comes to old ATL

Young Jeezy ft. Mykel - That's What's Up
(From Come Shop Wit Me album; 2003)


Ghetto Mafia - In Deacatur
(From On Da Grind album; 1998)


**Jeezy voice** Now I ain't tryna be funny but how'm I respect y'all when none of y'all told me that the best early Jeezy song is a homage to the best late Ghetto Mafia single? Git up, git out and do somethin'? Not in a pandemic, m8 - I'm gonna stay in and git up on the lesser known architects of Cadillac Muzik™/pioneers of Real Trap Shit™ instead.

LQBLT

"The Rap game stressed me, made me get the burner
Thought about it, pimp it out like Ike Turner
Not a hard-head, I'm an easy learner
Back in the day boned a girl named Mirna
Styles I flip: R&B, even Pop
No matter how I flip I'ma flip Hip Hop
Put the pedal to the metal, put the icing on the cake
The tea in the kettle, get a mansion like Blake"

Greg Nice - Set It Off
(From Set It Off single; 1995)


Imagine a world where Set It Off is acknowledged as bringing that Latin Quarter essence to The Tunnel era, a world where Set It Off is considered the equal of Nice & Smooth's best singles, a world where Set It Off is regarded as Certified Canon™ rather than Cult Classic™. I'd like to live in that world meself, if only to stop basic bastard warm-up DJ's at heritage-Rap shows playing Dwyck for the 50 billionth time.

You, a square: Smooth B was a big influence on Snoop Dogg.
Me, a connoisseur: Greg Nice was the true father of Project Pat's flow.

MT Plays It Cool

"She love me long time 'cause I'm so special
She holdin' me and cryin' and she won't let go
Bad things come to an end sorta like Eckō, FUBU, and No Limit Apparel
Tell that n*gga Wale that we serious about our Harold's
Say somethin' 'bout Sharks and n*gga's gonna see the barrels"

Mic Terror - Heaux Love Me
(From YouTube; 2012)


File this under 'underrated jams which will feature in ya boy's Best Rap Songs of the 2010s list.' Cleo's Apartment by Marvin Gaye was always destined to be flipped into some fly Midwesternplayalistichickenshopmuzik and BJ The Chicago Kid clearly agreed. Word around Chi-Town, Drew Barber banned Mic Terror from the FakeShoreDrive office after he dissed Master P's clothing line on this song.

Bonus beats: another underrated 2012 Chicago jam which'll also feature in ya boy's end-of-the-decade list. Same energy as Heaux Love Me, but with a twist of TREE's Soul Trap™. Great unintentional video moment at 1:11 when one of the Windy City's infamous gusts blows Giftz man's cap right offa his head. His hat, it done took flight!

"Whip so sick I don't need to chain
2 white girls I don't need no 'caine, mane
Bitch so lame I don't need no game
Glock so big I don't need no gang
18 shots I don't need no aim
Cops roll round I ain't gon' slang
You can just call me Nino, mane"

Young Giftz ft. TREE - Nino
(From YouTube; 2012)