In my opinion the “Memphis Sessions Re-mixed” is the best comprehensive showcase of AZ’s skills….I can listen to it from start to finish without hitting the fast forward button….
When this first came out a few years back it didn’t make the noise that it truly deserved unfortunately……
AZ has one of the best flows in the game, but his beat selection skills are somewhat questionable, so it made perfect sense for Drew Kelly (DJ Unknown) to remix some of his songs and take it to another level……
It’s crazy to think that Sam Sever’s group “Downtown Science” were briefly signed to Def Jam (Damn, things have changed over there for the worse)….
Anyway, Sam has carved out a nice place for himself in the Hip Hop history books : Not only was he the DJ for the Beastie Boys in the classic “Tougher Than Leather” movie, he also produced for Ms. Melody, 3rd Bass, Run-DMC, etc…….
He recently popped up EVR for a session packed with classic joints, breaks, and all that other good shit…..
Pete Rocks brother Grap Luva has a couple tricks up his sleeve for 2011……
NICE…..
” Slice-of-Spice proudly presents Grap Luva ft. Damu The Fudgemunk on the soon to be released SSR-006 ‘Neva Done EP’. Subscribe at http://www.slice-of-spice.com for more details on how to pre-order the limited edition 12″ vinyl.
This release includes two vocal tracks with instrumentals on the a-side, and six previously unheard and remastered beats lifted from Grap’s SP1200, on the flip. Damu The Fudgemunk features here, either on the cuts or boards, giving this release an incredibly dope sound.
To be honest, I shouldn’t even waste my time writing about this shit because I know deep down no one cares….But if I don’t speak my mind I would be a fuckin herb….
So here we go folks………Rolling Stone Magazine (Which is not even half-way credible in the Hip Hop world) recently claimed that Eminem is the “King of Hip Hop”…….I’m quite sure the BATTLEFIELD readers know this false claim is purely ridiculous, but the younger generation are easily persuaded to subscribe to this type of thinking if they do not have the proper influences around them (FEEL ME)….
In the early stages of Em’s career I thought he sounded like a hybrid of Chino XL, Masta Ace, with a sprinkle of Young Zee or even Pace One……He had a couple clever punchlines, but I was never a fan……His voice was/is crazy annoying, most of the beats he rocked over were/are second rate, and I grew tired of his material instantly…..
Some of you might think I’m bugging……”Aww, Drasar doesn’t fuck with Em because he is white”…….”That Battlefield dude is playing the race card”…….”Eminem is the best MC, Drasar is a hater”…..
Nah brother, skills are skills regardless of race, sex, or anything else…….I’m just not feeling his whole steez…..And if you listen to his newer material it is obvious he has ran his course with this rap shit, but what really pisses me off is that NO ONE mentions that bullshit, full of racial epithets demo your boy Marshall put together in the mid-90’s…..
NO ONE talks about that shit…..How could the so-called “King of Hip Hop” speak so disrespectfully about black people and get away with it without some real repercussions ?
“Foolish Pride”
He can try to claim that he was a drunk youngster when he wrote that song, but I’m not falling for any of that bullshit homeboy…..Not back then, not now, and I never will….
Recently stumbled onto this new cut with Cash Bilz, Nice, and Mobb Deep’s Havoc entitled, “3 The Hard Way”…….Havoc steals the show with rhymes like, “I don’t give a fuck even in the middle of a nut / let me find out your out here I’m going to get a nigga stuck”…..
Nothing too crazy, but perfect for some mixtape/mixshow burn………Produced by Havoc…..
Now that I have almost 2000 post under my belt, I feel that it is mandatory to pull out some of my earlier work that some of you may have missed on the first go-round….Back in 2009 I conducted an interview with New Jersey legend, King Shameek……
It was definitely an honor….You would be hard-pressed to find many interviews with him on the net (Unfortunately)……
Thank you Shameek for taking time to chop it up with the kid and opening up about various topics……
CHECK IN…
King Shameek has always intrigued me……..The way he put together beats was unlike anyone I had heard before……Monkey’s sampled intro’s, House music infused with Hip Hop, spontaneous breakdowns complementing heavy doses of scratching, and funky as fuck drum patterns………His productions have managed to age very well…….He has worked with Naughty By Nature, Artifacts, King Sun, Twin Hype, L.P., PaceWon, El Gant, Style, Tony Terry, and even Peanut Butter Wolf {back in the day}
Hip Hop Battlefield salutes you “King Shameek”, for being original, versatile, and most of all soulful……Check out this interview I rocked with Mr. Jose Matos {King Shameek}…….
{HHBF]…..The first time I heard of you Shameek was the “In The House” 12 inch with the “Shameek’s Groove” on the flip…Was this your first commercial release?
{King Shameek}….My first self produced release was “Make It Funky”…Seville featuring Jazzy J and Shameek on NVS/Cutting Records…Which was recorded on a 4 track recorder that my mom bought me in High School…Thanks Ma…..Before that I was just editing and scratching on freestyle records like Sweet Sensation ,Deniz, Tony Terry, etc…That work prepared me for larger studios…..
{HHBF}…..In 2006 there were talks of you and “Twin Hype” recording again, what’s the update on that situation?
{King Shameek]….Most people know of the twins getting locked up from the” Source” article back in the day….So after they got released after 4-5 years we linked up 2 see if we could pick up where we left off..Things didn’t really work out, I guess we didn’t see things eye to eye..So another 4 years pass by, this time they recorded some demos and said they were ready to rock with me again….We recorded 4 hot joints..I was psyched about the joints we did….So I sent out a press release and set up meetings with labels…We then had another fallout, so I bounced before we heard any news about a deal…I have a lot of joints i did that never came out…I’m thinking about putting out a King Shameek lost tapes album with joints I did with King Sun, T La Rock, Twin Hype….For the most part I’m done with the twins though….I’d rather preserve my Hip Hop memories of us on tour and video shots and whatnot…..Nah mean?
{HHBF}…..Your recordings are always mixed down very well, are you more into analog recording devices or digital these days?
{King Shameek}….I had to make the change from analog to digital or get left in the dust…As a d.j. I made the change from vinyl to c.d. then serato…..I still love my vinyl, but I don’t have to carry around a heavy ass crate…Unless I sell my house and move…As a producer I prefer to have a fatter and dirty sound on my beats that I got from analog, but recording and editing in protools is a lot faster…I found several ways to make my drums dirty in protools so I rock with that…When it comes to buttons and faders, I was always a hands on type of dude…It took me awhile to get used to rocking with a mouse, but for the most part I like to keep a tight mix and pan sounds so it bugs out the listener….I remember hearing “Buffalo Gals” for the first time and how they had all the scratching, vocals and sound effects paned to one side….And all the music and drums paned to the other side…I always took those kind of ideas in the studio with me…….
{HHBF} ….Upcoming projects?
{King Shameek}…Working on a line of scratch tones {ring tones}…I’m also V.P. of a production company called Newark Illustrated that houses artist Miss Nana and Angel Inez coming real soon..I’m also working on hosting my own online radio show real soon..Get at me Myspace.com/KingShameek
{HHBF}…I am curious to know how you found Hip Hop Battlefield?
{King Shameek}…I found your site from my google alerts..So when I checked your site from my sidekick I thought it was dope..I was like this cat knows his music…..
{HHBF]…You mixed Hip Hop and House in a way that hasn’t been matched since…..What was the Newark club scene like back in the day?
{King Shameek}…My cousin was a D.J {Mumbles} at Club Zanzibar during the disco era..I think they opened in the late 70’s..Zanzibar has always been a landmark in Newark…Jokers would come from all over the tri state area to party there…Sad thing is I just drove by there last week and it’s leveled to the ground….When my cousin stopped dj’ing in the mid 80’s he gave me some of his records…You could say I was studying those records…
{HHBF}…”The Truth” , by L.P. caught me by suprise…Especially when I found out you did the beat…How did you meet up with L.P. and what’s his current status?
{King Shameek}..I was introduced to L.P. by his mom….I won’t say who, but he has family in the D.I.T.C. crew…We keep L.P’s profile under wraps because the nature of that song…It’s like when 50 got all that feedback from “How To Rob”……Funny thing is we put out “Truth”, before “How To Rob”…Hmmmm…I wonder if they got the idea when we were playing the demo to D.Dot?….Hmmmm, could that be why he wanted to hear it over and over again? Shout out to Sway and King Tech for playing it first….L.P. is flying back and forth from China to Atlanta, running some type of clothing distrubution business now……..
{HHBF}…Whatever happened to ‘Nefatini” ?
{King Shameek]…That’s a good question..I was just put on that project..Her and Romeo Black were really down with D.J. Cheese…..
{HHBF}..Why didn’t you release more material in the mid 90’s?
{King Shameek]….I was working more on T.V. jingles and dj’ing because of deals gone bad..Before that I was developing and shopping a group called “Zero Tolerance”, that I got signed to Loud Records..That project never came out, and we asked to be released from the label when we seen ‘Mobb Deep” who were signed after us, come out before we did…So things got me discouraged from the music biz a little bit at that time….But I’m back {LoL]….
{HHBF}…Who exactly were ‘Hollywood Impact”, and what recording equipment were you using at that time?
{King Shameek]…..Hollywood Impact was a crew of artist, producers, dj’s under producer Hollywood’s guidance…He was a d.j. from Newark that felt he could impact the game with a fresh, new sound, and we did just that…King Sun, Tony Tone and Mick Nice of Style..Kid Seville, Romeo Black and Nefatini, made some of the Hollywood Impact…..We recorded at a studio that was fully equipped, but we prefered the SP1200..Hell there were times when we just looped up a drum beat on a Numark mixer with no sequencer and lay more samples on top of it…The same thing Rick Rubin is famous for with the ‘Beastie Boys”..It gave it that live feel…
{HHBF}…Can you drop some jewels on us about your mind frame when you recorded ‘Twin Hype’s” first album?
{King Shameek}…1988 and I am fresh out of High School and I was back in Jersey…Madukes wanted me to go to college, but I wanted to test out the N.Y. music scene for a year or two…While in Jersey I met Hollywood, he played a demo from 2 brothers, we thought they were clever with the rhymes…..So we started recording at a N.Y. production studio called “Centerfield’….Hollywood was a d.j too, he had a lot of that house music we sampled from….Jersey has always been big on House and club music….So we recorded ‘Do It To The Crowd”, and that was the first single…There was a lot of smoking weed and drinking beer during the recording of the first album……
{HHBF]….Who were some of your musical influences growing up?
{King Shameek]…I was born in Newark, but moved to Cali in the late 70’s…So it was Cali where I was first introduced to Hip Hop…Before that I had a thing for funk and RNB music like George Clinton, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown…..I was up on N.Y. when I would take trips back to see my family…I got tapes early of Supreme Team, Red Alert, Chuck Chillout….I remember most of the Cali Hip Hop like “Egyptian Lover’,” Bobby Jimmy”, ‘World Class Wrecking Crew”….I would only get to play true school Hip Hop when I would spin on the “Drum” with “Kevvy Kev’ on KZSU [Stanford} or with “KutMaster Kurt” in Santa Cruz….
{HHBF]…Favorite “King Sun” moment……..
{King Shameek}……The time where he went into the d.j. booth where ‘Funk Master Flex” was playing during a Ice Cube performance…Sun got on the house mic and called out Cube ….He claimed Cube stole a song called “Wicked” from him…Sun was like “Cube you are a biter”… Everyone was looking around, because they didn’t know what was going on….So Cube stopped his show, and was like “so what I stole ‘Wicked”….So Sun asked to battle, and Cube agreed….By the time Sun got to the stage security was called to stop him so nothing happened at all……….
*Word up my peoples…Thanks for checking out this piece….I also have a interview with a mysterious Chicago producer on the way so stay tuned JACK!!!!!!!
Tired of hearing all that nonsense that these wierdo bloggers are posting up ?………One day they are yelling keep it real dunny, the next day they are posting up Wiz Khalifa tracks and all that other bullshit…..
HHHAAAA……Sometimes I have to chuckle to myself, but ain’t a god damn thing funny (YA HEARD ME)…….
A couple weeks ago Fake Blood hit us off with part one in his excellent “Used” series…….Now part two is here folks…Do not sleep…..
In the movie Style Warz, Kase 2 represented the true to life hardrock Hip Hop aspect to the fullest…..You could tell by his demeanor that he was thorough with his in that flick alone……
After losing so many people in 2010 I told myself that I wouldn’t turn Hip Hop Battlefield into a memoriam forum, but after hearing about Kase 2 passing away yesterday I have to do the right thing and pay my respects…
Rest In Power trooper……You laid down a proper foundation, now it’s time to keep your spirit alive and keep the fire burning….
“Shirt King Phade” was one of Kase’s students…….This is what he had to say regarding our fallen comrade…..
“As one of Kase 2’s first born when it comes to what the kids call today ‘Swag,’ I respectfully send out my condolences out to the Jeffrey Brown family. Me and Kase met in 1978; We quickly became friends and he began to mentor me as his protege. We fought side by side in the street, Kase respected me not as an underling but almost as an equal. He helped shape and groom my aerosol art career in its early stages. He always had perception as to what was next.
He is truly the ‘King of Style.’ Kase gave me an outline in 1978 in the form of my name ‘Phade.’ He was impressed that I was able to scale his art professionally, and proportionately so we became piecing partners. Whether it was one of his many monikers or our names, we painted hard. Kase took me to clubs like Celebrity club, Harlem World, Renaissance Ballroom and Audubon Ballroom. He enabled me to meet the heroes of the day such as Busy Bee and Kool DJ AJ. We called ourselves “The Moore House Crew.” That was Kase’s family he always mentioned Dee, Glenn, Crusader Rob, Al Boogie,Tray-Bag, Gill Seville and others.
We became his extended family. He taught me how to stand up as a man and protect my artistic ability by any means. So many words can describe Jeff aka Kase 2 of The Fantastic Partners. When Butch came home he embraced me also. They together embraced my team Lil Seen, Doze, Daze, Lady Pink, Harold, LC, EC3, CUE, he showed us all how to be and conduct ourselves as “Kings.” There were collaborations that only pictures can bring back the memories of those nights at Gunhill Road lay-up and bussin’ 6 whole cars.
Kase/Butch, Phade/Agent, kel139/Cos, Mare/shy 147,piecing with Skeme/Dez, Lil Karado/SO, Jap 115, Moet, Gnome etc. Kase was unselfish, willing to teach and always opened his heart and doors for others. I have been so blessed to meet and be a pivotal part of this man’s life that meant so much to others. 33 Years of knowing a true “King of Style.” I can brag about that but missing Kase is gonna be hard. I wear my crown proudly and do daily watch the throne; that was Kase’s life….letting you know who the true “Kings of Style” are and whose crowns are on tight.
Thanks to a mentor, brother, historian, fighter, artist supreme, To the “King Of Style,” thanks for the memories and the love of the life game we are in…Hip Hop.”
Awww yeah, it’s about that motherfucking time again ya’ll…..
I have been in the lab extra heavy these days putting the final touches on my newest assault project, “Every Posse Get Flat”….Nothing but extremely brutal reggae/dancehall joints that will make all the perpetrators run for cover…..
It’s a beat tape / remix project/ mixtape / and all that other wild and crazy BATTLEFIELD shit……If you enjoyed “Wax Weapons 31”, “Remix Weaponry”, and “Strictly Weapons”, than this will send god damn chills up your spine……
Big up to everyone that still supports that raw and undiluted hardcore…..
Here is a quick 10 minute snippet……..Be on the lookout for the full unveiling of “Every Posse Get Flat” later on this month….
It can get a little hectic on the BATTLEFIELD sometimes in Vietnam, California…..It’s moments like these that I unwind to calmer frequencies and get my meditations in order (YA DIG)…..
If you can relate to where I’m coming from- take a listen to this compilation of tracks by the splendid Menahan Street Band and catch a groove folks….
It’s the same song over and over again…..Police unnecessarily gunning down brothers like fucking dogs in the street…From San Francisco all the way to London, you constantly see stories in the news regarding police brutality and murder….
I know you don’t come to this blog to read my rants, but the killing of Mark Duggan has struck a nerve with me and I feel as if I have to vent…A young man at age 29 with three kids is no longer here….
Just a couple weeks ago Kenneth Harding age 19 was fatally shot 5 times in the back by SFPD……And guess what, no one seems to really give a flying fuck…
It’s the same song over and over again…..”He was a drug dealer”……”He was armed”…..”He was a thug, and he brought this on himself”…….”He made a sudden move”…..
Fuck all that bullshit, we all know what it really is……..PURE FUCKERY AND BIGOTRY…..
To all my people out there in London hold it down and stay safe out there in the streets…….Step lively and move with caution…
Some people would put this mix in the “Random Rap” bracket, personally I think it belongs in the “Fresh As Fuck” category…….Turn your system up a notch, strap on your combat boots, and prepare for heavy turbulence trooper…..
“Sloppy White” does it again……DO NOT SLEEP.
Tracklist-
1. Intro
2. L-Cee – Ace of S.P.A.D.E.
3. Def IV – Do It E-Z
4. Finnesse & Synquis – Fatal Beauty
5. Monay & DJ Cuthroat – Choke on This
6. Hot Day aka Dante – Going Straight Up
7. Gee & Jay – Got to Get Some
8. Def IV – Get Busy
9. The BTX – This Jam is Black
10. K-Cloud & MC Valentine – We Like it Hyped
11. Kid N Play – Gittin Funky
12. Too Kool Posse – Give em a Sample
13. Grand Daddy I.U. – Soul Touch
14. Blue Eyes with DJ Mink – The Law
15. A.O.K. – Shack it Up
16. 2 Deep – Groovy Thang
17. Too Brown – Jazz Keep the Beat Bumpin
18. Just Ice – Bring em Back Alive
19. DJ Chuck Chill Out & Kool Chip – I
20. Hard Knocks – Thoughts of a Negro
21. Kaos & Mystro – Timeless Insight of Kaos (Remix)
I’m quite sure all of the BATTLEFIELD readers are well versed regarding Prince Paul’s music accomplishments and contributions, so there is no need to go into a long introduction….
The man is a fuckin Hip Hop genius….STRAIGHT UP….Instead of looping up James Brown breaks like the majority of cats were doing in the late 80’s, Paul’s sampling palette was diverse and he wasn’t afraid to take risk by flipping samples from other genres that many producers of the time were scared to touch…
Not only is he dangerous with the production, he is a riot when it comes to comedy……I honestly think Paul could be a better stand-up comedian than half of these clowns I see on stage these days……SERIOUSLY….
Anyway, Nerdtorious. Com recently caught up with Paul to chop it about numerous topics……
PEEP….
“Speaking of new vs. old, talk about Gil Scott’s recent passing and how his work struck someone of your generation.
It’s crazy because you don’t even have to be in that era to know how great it is. You could put on Michael Jackson for a 1-year-old and they’d be happy. This is the same way. It’s just so good and there’s so much to get out of his music. Besides the obvious ones like “Bottle” and “Whitey Moon” the compositions and everything was so thought out. Today everybody is very carefree with their music unlike the ‘60s and and 70’s where you have so many social issues weighing on you daily so obviously the music reflected that and I think, in a way makes it better. Gil was simply so intelligent, so slick, and so thought out.”
It’s been awhile since I rocked a “Milkcrate Jewel” for the BATTLEFIELD posse, so without further delay let’s take a journey into my lab where I am holding stacks and stacks of chubby crates…
DJ Spinna did a excellent remix for CMW that many people are unaware of……”You Can’t See Me” knocks with crisp drums, floating keys, and a simple but effective approach that turns a mediocre cut into a 2 a.m. sure shot…
“You Can’t See Me’ 1996 Epic Records (promo copy)…….
Next up to bat is “Don’t Get It Twisted” featuring Sadat X…..It got some decent burn when it initially came out, but I don’t think fools realize how insane the beat really is……Heavy duty, innovative stuff if you ask me……
Definitely worthy of repeated listening……..
“Don’t Get It Twisted” 2001 (Beyond Real- Landspeed) off of the Infectious L.P…..
Last week I hit you with Ghostface’s top ten softest rappers in the game…..After discovering that Ghost actually maintains a blog (Big Ghost Chronicles), I stumbled onto part three of “T.T.S.R.I.T.G”…..
AWWWW man, I can’t believe how funny this shit is…….
For example…
#10 Drake….
“Surprise niggas! Ya boy Young Angel is back like he forgot his lip balms. Ayo yall remember the reactions niggas had when they seen those pictures that the nigga Jay-Z threw up on the Summer Jam screen of Prodigy dressed up like Mike Jackson? Niggas looked at that shit like it was pictures of son doin cartwheels in a bikini yo. Niggas thought that niggas career got dealt a deathblow wit that shit nahmean. N maybe it did kinda shake my nigga up namsayin….I dont know.
But in the meantime this merry little muthafucka right here got pictures of hisself sittin on broads laps n more pictures of hisself embracin other dudes than any nigga known to man… He STILL goin on with life like that shit all good. Cos aint nobody SHOCKED when they see the sus nigga with liquid vagina flowin thru his veins doin that shit namsayin. Niggas practically EXPECT that shit from son namsayin. But when you compare the MJ costume to this Farnsworth Bentley of Middle Earth look….you really cant see nothin that wrong with the Prodigy pictures no more son.
Either way…when it comes to Aubs you are lookin at the most softboiled creature on Gods green earth yo. This niggas music is so light in the ass that if you look real close at ya speakers when you playin his joints you can see tiny little heart bubbles comin outta em son.
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