Generic list post: October 2020

Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London
(From Excitable Boy album; 1978)


Obligatory wrap-up post of those songs I've played most during the month when Halloween pub parties in the U.K were cancelled due to the 10pm curfew. All I wanted was one night I could bust Tom Cruise moves to Werewolves Of London in my local and 2020 wouldn't give it to me.

YG - Swag (2020)
Open Mike Eagle ft. Video Dave - Headass (Idiot Shinji) (2020)
ShuggyBo - What I Like (2020)
Homeboy Sandman - Waiting On My Girl (2020)
Gzus Piece - Hot Tub TIme Machine (2020)
DJ Chose ft. BeatKing - Thick (2020)
GetEmTree - Only Way Is Up Step (2020)
D'Angelo ft. Redman - Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine (Def Squad remix) (1996)
Pa Salieu ft. BackRoad Gee - My Family (2020)
Donae'O - Partey Hard (2020)

Other notables: YG & Lil' Wayne's Blood Walk was also surprisingly good; while it was fun to mock Jay He's A One Song Wonder, I was kinda disappointed that the album didn't have any keepers for me; 2020 stays full of surprises like a new single by 3MG; I get that Rio Da Yung OG's Practice is a lyrical exercise track, but that shit could still do with a hook; I foolishly thought the new Busta Rhymes songs with Q-Tip, ODB, and M.O.P might be my sorta thing - turns out I shoulda just headed straight for his banger with the Bell Biv Devoe chop-up instead.

Martorial Elegance: The Ice Isn't Right

Before Ice-T was the the O.G: Original Gangster, he was the O.G Andre Macassi on the hot tarmac of South Central. This particular outfit woulda been perfect for poolside loungin' in the High Rollers video if Ice hadn't have f**ked it up from the knees down like David James on Strictly Come Dancing. So nearly fly and yet so far - why you tryna look like Borg and Jordan at the SAME DAMN TIME? Tennis garms and Basketball gear don't mix like two dicks and no bitch, find your outfit in some serious shit.

Ice-T - High Rollers
(From Power album; 1988)

Harriet Hot Tubman

Gzus Piece - Hot Tub Time Machine
(From Soxndrawz album; 2020)

gzuspiece · Hot Tub TIme Machine

File this under 'Midwesternplayalisticbubblebathmuzik.' I fuxwit Taladega and Hitman Theme heavy, but I'm settling on Hot Tub TIme Machine as my de facto favourite song from Gzus Piece's new album.

PS: there's a cool song from this album which was cut from the retail/streaming tracklist but is still hidden on Soundcloud. Shit's called Shout Out To OJ Simpson and I use it as the secret B-side to Hot Tub Time Machine.

Instamagnetic MC

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By @the_cassette_memories "Mac Dre songs recorded on 4 track cassette recorder 1992. #CassetteTapes #MacDre #StudioTone #Khayree #vallejocailf

A post shared by Khayree Shaheed (@khayree_music) on Jan 19, 2015 at 12:35am PST

Straight out the f**kin' archives of Khayree's Instagram, here's a snippet of an unreleased Mac Dre demo from 1992. Dre may have been Too Hard For Da F*ckin' Radio but he ain't too hard for da RadioShack cassette deck. Can Khayree & Studio Tone just collate all Dre's demo tracks/Crest tape songs and release them on one album plz?

Clock Of The Heart (no Culture Club)

"Do I even have to mention, thee bathroom is like another dimension
What goes on inside is something I can never explain, time exists on an entirely different plane"

Homeboy Sandman - Waiting On My Girl
(From Don't Feed The Monster album; 2020)

HomeboySandman · Waiting on My Girl

Time waits for no man, yet man waits for every woman. This is reality Rap - we all go through it! The realest shit Homeboy Sandman ever wrote or wot? Would love to know what Quelle Chris sampled here because this beat sounds like a lost DOOM production from the King Gheedorah album.

Late pass: EPMD'Angelo

D'Angelo ft. Redman - Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine (Def Squad remix)
(From Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine remixes single; 1996)


Damn, why'd nobody ever hip me to the existence of this remix? TBQH, this mix floats my Billy Ocean more than the original - you've got the same damn D'Angelo syrupy goodness, but a refreaked groove by Erick Sermon and two quick verses of flagrant du Redman featuring an amusing homme pas. A song like this makes me wish the ol' Funk Doc had been let loose on more 90's Rap & Bullshit remixes.

What's yer favourite Erick Sermon remix then? I wanna say mines is Redman's Can't Wait remix 2 but that's #actually the original version in disguise. So, it's between Redman's Rockafella remix and Keith Murray's Dip Dip Di remix where Erick Sermon transformed two songs I don't particularly like into two songs I do indeed like.

One 4 the Britz (and Ghanaianz)

Donae'O - Partey Hard
(From YouTube; 2020)


9/10 for sheer opportunism here: Donae'O remakes his own U.K Funky classic Party Hard in tribute to Arsenal signing Thomas Partey. Maybe it deserves a 10/10 since the video is hosted by Arsenal Fan TV and features multiple annoying mugs from the channel. Not entirely sure that the proverbial roof of the Emirates Stadium has ever been "on fire", but let's not let deetz get in the way of bantz. Anyhoo, it's all fun and games until Donae'O ends up with egg on his face if Partey turns out to be the Ghanaian Denilson innit?

Bus' The Facts

Busta Rhymes - As I Come Back
(From Genesis album; 2001)


Always my favourite Busta Rhymes track with The Neptunes track because that beat was so very obviously a bespoke creation for Busta. In hindsight, As I Come Back was as close as New York got to its own equivalent of Crunk and its a pity nobody else took the baton and ran with it. I wanna say that bassline is pure U.K darkside Rave but that'd make me sound like Grimey Simey and noone should ever wanna sound like Grimey Simey when talking about Rap.