” Reading Is Fundamental “
Even though I spend a great amount of time reading non-Hip Hop related material, I still attempt to keep my library flooded with all types of Hip Hop treats for inspiration…
I plan on ordering two books this week….First up to bat is the new SCARFACE joint “Diary of a Madman: The Geto Boys, Life, Death, and the Roots of Southern Rap”….Like many of the BATTLEFIELD readers I haven’t agreed with his production choices since the mid-90’s, yet I still respect the work he put in as well as his uncompromising contributions to the art form..
Next up is the second installment of “CHECK THE TECHNIQUE 2 – Liner Notes For Hip Hop Junkies” by Brian Coleman..I would have been content with the excellent first volume, I could be wrong but it appears as if he topped his previous efforts with interviews from BLACK SHEEP, KOOL KEITH, ED O.G, etc..
” Mr. Lawnge : Class of 89 “
I got a nice treat for all the HIP HOP BATTLEFIELD faithful today that will help jump start your week…
Back in 2006 MISTA LAWNGE (Black Sheep, White Crows, etc) dropped the “Class of 89” solo album with him taking control of the mic duties along with the board work….I’m quite sure many of you never heard this project before, so do the right thing and scoop this up before it disappears….
“Just in case you missed it…. This is the full length version of my 2006 solo album called “The Class of ’89.” No features, just me. But…. Don’t expect to hear any watered down sing songie R&B hooks. This is RAW Hip Hop! Just Beats and Bars… NO BullSh!#! When you get a chance give it a listen and let me know what YOU think. I just do what I do”…..
” Scratch Overdose 12 “
DJ WICKED (The PDX Wicked) unleashes a flurry of heavy drum breaks, nasty scratch sentences, and all types of explosive frequencies on his latest release “Dirt Nap”….
Big shout out to all the wax spots in PDX…
” Joint Of The Day “
” All my niggas call us 2 Live Crew / We hit Mc’Ds and jack cars in the drive thru “….
I remember hearing “Jack Mode” back in the day, but I could never track it down…Thankfully it was re-released on the MUSICAL MELTDOWN project that dropped awhile back….Truth be told, YOUNG ZEE is a hilarious motherfucker that always makes me crack up even when he is talking about extra violent shit…
” Large Pro : Lab Work “
Mr. Large Pro drops some serious jewelry with Daniel Isenberg on a recent Q&A session….This is not your average interview so do the right thing and check in duke !!!!
Digging-
“I’m always digging. I always have to check for some new records. I just came back from Pittsburgh. I hit up Jerry’s, and there’s thousands and thousands of records in there. They have towering shelves of 45s. You have to get on ladders to go up. It’s kind of crazy in there.
“These days, since there’s such a lack of jazz in New York—they kind of canned CD101, and now they have WBGO which is dope—I’ve been kind of gravitating to the jazz a little more. We gotta keep that jazz flowing. They wanna throw the lid on jazz, so I’ve been going to a lot of jazz. Everything else after that—the psych rock, the soul. But definitely the jazz. I’ve been going hard trying to get the jazz records lately.
“This time [when I went to Jerry’s] I was looking for jazz, and the last time I was looking for jazz. But it varies. Sometimes I may be looking for a specific title. After record collecting for all of these years, it could be a combination. Like, I’ll have a list in my phone. I have songs that I’ve Shazam’d. It’s like a kid in a candy store when I go into a record store.
“I like Infinity Records on Long Island. A lot of times when I go into Infinity, it’s empty. And I can just go in there, and take my time and be easy with it, as opposed to going to the city to places like Academy or Brooklyn Academy. Like, I’m not the dude that’s in the record store on Record Store Day. I’m a luxurious digger. I be chillin’ out, coolin’, and taking my time. But I like Academy, Infinity, and I’ve been to a lot of Midwest spots that I came up in. But just all over, in general.”
” Africa 7 : Funk Connection 1973-1980 “
This post goes out to my compadre KHUFU ONERZ (The man responsible for all of the GMV artwork) who just returned back from a trip to the motherland !!!
SALUTE..
The new Africa 7 label started out dropping straight up scorchers right out the gate..For instance this Africa Airways One joint “Funk Connection 1973-1980” will assist you in getting your mind right and exact…
” Joey Carjack Zachary : Hip Hop First Mix “
While many blogs out there have totally switched up their whole format, I’m going to stick to the script with HIP HOP BATTLEFIELD…No cockriding, no copping pleas, no secret favors for homies, no payola, and no gossip or new age fuckery….Some of these weasels will do ANYTHING for traffic or attention, but I could give a fuck less…If I like it I post it…
SIMPLE…
So if any of you beatmakers or rap dudes have that official fire – send me a link in the comment section and I will give it a listen (I’m always on the hunt for new material to rock)…
Now that I got that out of the way, peep this mix by “JCZ”….After one look at the tracklist I’m quite sure you will know what to do…
TRACKLIST-
01 – Intro
02 – Shorty Long : My Peoples
03 – M.F. Grimm : Get Down
04 – The Large Professor : Spacey
05 – Anttex : Corner
06 – The Dwellas feat Pharoahe Monch & Prince Po : Ill Collabo
07 – Al Tariq : Everybody’s talkin
08 – GP Wu: 1st thing first
09 – Screwball : Street life
10 – Smoovth : Drum Stick Remix feat Hus
11 – Gab Gotcha: On the Job
12 – Blaque Spurm : Spendid
13 – Nick Wiz & U.G. : Do You (Know Who You)
14 – Obscure Disorder : Lyrically Exposed
15 – Scaramanga : Group War 2000
16 – Q Ball & Curt Cazal : My Kinda Moves
17 – O.C. & Organized Konfusion : You Won’t Go Far
18 – Powerule : Bright Lights, Big City
” Dr. Butcher Speaks “
My dude DR.BUTCHER recently did a interview with those guys over at Southern Vanguard Radio that will hold your attention….He goes into detail about his Hip Hop history and pedigree, relationships with G.Rap, MF GRIMM, Large Pro- production techniques, his role with the X-Ecutioners, and a gang of other shit that will keep you on the edge of your seats…
Over an hour of gems on deck, don’t sleep…
” Kavasci CI : Roulette / Cash Flow EP “
Back in 1999 Bostonian KAVASCI CI dropped the “Roulette / Cash Flow” EP….His flow comes straight from the NASIR JONES / TRAGEDY KHADAFI school, but with a Beantown twist..
HIP HOP BATTLEFIELD TOP PICK – “Cash Flow”..
TRACKLIST-
01 – Kavasci ci – Roulette
02 – Kavasci ci – Isreal
03 – Kavasci ci – Culture Body
04 – Kavasci ci – Cash Flow
” Crime Music Library “
Recently a friend and I had a contest to see how long it would take for us to find a “beat tape” that we could rock out with…It took us a few days but GIALLO POINT’s “Crime Music Library : Black Thorn Instrumentals” gets the official championship belt thus far…
It’s not the most explosive, mind blowing shit, but there is enough drama on deck to perk my ears up..
” Slept On Jewelry “
It’s a damn shame that so many fly joints do not get the “shines” that they deserve in this era…Back in 2010 the northwestern production powerhouse VITAMIN D dropped the slept on BORNDAY EP that had some heat on it….
If I was the A&R for this project “Real Money” would get the 7 or 12 inch vinyl treatment without a fraction of a doubt..
” Friday Morale “
You know it’s going to be a good day when you get blessed with rare jewelry like this…
WHEW…
“Our interview with the enigmatic Divine Styler starts with him present, via his DJ father, at the very beginnings of hip-hop. He then became a part of Ice-T’s Rhyme Syndicate crew, which included a pre-House of Pain Everlast. His second album, Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light, drastically expanded the range of what a hip-hop artist could do with its spoken word-industrial-rock hybrids.
His latest record Def Mask comes after a 15-year hiatus. From NYC park jams to getting arrested the day after signing a record deal to having a front-row seat for “Jump Around“‘s massive success to pushing musical boundaries to making pilgrimages to Mecca, Divine Styler shares his whole fascinating story.”
” Under The Radar “
I’m going to transport you back to 1997 for a slept on joint that deserves more burn (maybe I’m just a sucker for heavily detailed crime stories)….The slept on genius Spencer Bellamy provides the sonic backdrop for LIVE WIREZ to flex over on “As the Tables Turn”…
The B-Side wins again, so turn the fucking volume up and catch a zone…
” Gensu Dean : Algorhythms “
Peep the brand new instrumental project from GENSU DEAN….25 tracks to rock out with cuzzo…
Here’s what Gensu Dean had to say about the project:
“I’ve been dealing with some “life challenges”. Things on a personal level have been super tough, like the passing of my father. The good thing is I have been able to draw up the energy, whether positive or negative and re-direct it when creating. This I am really excited about, the good, the bad, and the ugly has taken me to a new place creatively. Once I was able to get to a better place mentally, I started going through my record collection and listening…really listening. Its amazing how your frame of mind can hinder, but in my case enable, a person to hear things that were once not heard. This was the catalyst for me entering a new chamber of production.
Algorhythms is a musical journey type of record. It has several music moods that take you places. Its not your average kick, snare, and hi hat type of instrumental record. Its geared more toward experiencing a musical collage. It has been my career position that when you create music and that music creates a mood, it sticks with people, it becomes relatable. So I wanted to capture several moods, and express them in musical form. This enables the listener to join in and share the listening experience, based on a mood or emotion they can identify with. This is one of my many formulas when creating, hence the title. Algorithms are formulas used to address problems and/or issues that require a solution, I apply this in a music format. I altered the spelling to reflect the fact that it is musical rhythms and grooves.”
” Fresh Is The Word “
I usually refrain from rocking back to back YOU TUBE clips, but today I will make an exception for the “Fresh Dressed: The Evolution Of Hip Hop Fashion” documentary that will be dropping next week…
Peep the teaser cuzzo…
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