Youngest In Charge

07/31/2009

NOW… when I was speaking on the jumpoff point for the Hip-Hop Soul movement the other day, I was remiss to not ALSO mention a certain DJ who also had a strong influence on it taking shape. Ron G was a teenager and reppin’ the Polo Grounds Projects in Harlem, New York. In ’91, he dropped a tape that spread like crazy, entitled “Mixes #1″. The thing about this tape that stood out was that he blended R&B tracks with hip-hop beats for the entire 90 minutes, continuously, with three turntables. Before that, DJ’s just included blends as part of their tapes, but never based a whole tape around them. After that tape, he continued dropping them, and ended up becoming the top mixtape DJ in NY.

I’ll admit, at 11 years old in Baltimore and not yet up on the mixtape scene, I didn’t hear those at the time. But once I caught on to them (around ’92-’93), Ron G was one of the DJ’s whose tapes I copped. I liked the blend tapes the most, because I thought they were creative and I’d always  get amped off the combinations that the DJ’s would come up with. Actually, hearing those (and the movie Juice as well) sparked my own interests in spinning. Something about hearing stuff like Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” mixed with a hip-hop track just made me wanna do it myself someday.

But back to Ron. As time went on, his tapes got so popular that the homie Puff Daddy saw a vision for the R&B artists he was working with… thus spawned the sound of Mary J‘s 411 album, and the rest is history. After a while, Ron not only did blend tapes with instrumentals, but his own beats, and eventually he started producing and remixing tracks for artists in the industry. He’s worked with Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, J.Lo, Fat Joe, R. Kelly, Lost Boyz, and Mary J. herself, among others. Today, he still does mixtapes, in addition to producing and spinning all over the world.

Mixes1

With respect due to Ron G, aka “The Youngest In Charge” as he called himself then, here’s the tape that in many ways got the ball rolling for what later became the new sound of R&B in the ’90s. No stone is unturned here- not even Otis Redding‘s “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” (check out G co-signing on the “whistling part”). Enjoy!

Mixes #1 (1991) NOTE: don’t mind the “tape hiss” either- that’s just authenticity. Ha!

Side A

Side B

-D!

11 Comments | Classic Material, DanjLovesTheHipHop, DanjLovesTheMixtapes, For Promotional Use Only, Hip-Hop Soul, Nuff Respect Due | Tagged: , , | Permalink
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Dial 4-1-1

07/29/2009

411

Seventeen years ago this week, R&B changed. Just like Teddy Riley and his New Jack Swing sound brought a hip-hop approach to R&B around ’87, the Hip-Hop Soul sound took it a step further in ’92. And the album that made it happen was What’s The 411? by Mary J. Blige.

Little did I know while watching Father MC‘s “I’ll Do 4 U” video, the girl with that rough ponytail who sang the hook was about to go on to much bigger things. Starting off with “You Remind Me” and continuing from there, MJB shut the game down with 411. By this point, even the New Jack style had become more of a standard R&B sound. You didn’t hear singers coming out using actual hip-hop tracks as their background. But here, you had MJB with songs like “Real Love”, singing over Audio Two’s “Top Billin’”.

real love

In ’92, there were a lot of female singers in the mold of Whitney Houston or Anita Baker, and some that had no real direction at all. But no one at the time was doing it like MJB was. She had a naturally hip-hop side to her, and was clearly every bit of what she was depicted as. You could tell from her songs, videos, and stage performances that she was one of those girls. The ones who grew up listening to Whitney, but liked Eric B. & Rakim just the same. She was like that girl from the neighborhood who could sing a song OR drag a chick down the street, depending on which one she felt like doin’.

reminiscevid

It was so much of a different thing at the time, it took a minute for some traditional listeners to get into it. For example, I remember my mother being completely put off by her. She (like a lot of the “mature R&B” crowd) didn’t get Mary wearing jerseys instead of dresses and coming off almost like a rapper in her videos. But to the younger crowd, 411 was hitting them way more than Anita Baker was. It was also reflected by how some of the hardest hip-hop artists out were co-signing her, even at a time when rappers were still distancing themselves from singers. It became an exception to the rule for people who normally didn’t listen to R&B.

maryj3

It might seem a lot more common now, but at that time, it could’ve either gone one way or the other. I don’t think that it would’ve worked the same if the songs weren’t as strong as they were. MJB wasn’t the first to try the R&B/hip-hop approach, but it wasn’t working for others like it did for her. She had the credibility and the music to pull it off like it needed to be. It even showed how much of a standout she was when right after 411 blew up, lots of other girls came out with the same style and failed to replicate it. It took a minute before others were able to do it successfully, and even then, MJB was clearly at the front of the pack.

lovenolimit

One of my gripes as of late is that a lot of singers damn near wanna be rappers. It’s not just in their image, but even in their songs to the point where it’s sometimes hard to tell if they wanna sing or rap. One thing I can say for MJB (and 411 as an album) is that she didn’t overboard with it. Even with the image, the sound, and actually rapping with Grand Puba on the title track… Mary still illustrated the point that she was a singer first and foremost. So, adding on to the songs with the hip-hop edge, she had others like “Love No Limit” and “I Don’t Want To Do Anything Else” (with K-Ci of Jodeci) that were spirited vocal performances. Shit was undeniable.

mjb4

With What’s The 411? (and the direction of Puffy), Mary J. Blige headed an entire new movement that’s still present right now. And for that, it’s known and acknowledged as a classic today.

“You Remind Me”

“Real Love”

“Love No Limit”

“I Don’t Want To Do Anything” (feat. K-Ci)

“Changes I’ve Been Going Through”

“What’s The 411?” (feat. Grand Puba)

-D!

11 Comments | 90s Girls, Classic Material, DanjLovesTheAlbums, DanjLovesTheR&B, Hip-Hop Soul, Love Movement, Nuff Respect Due | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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Summer Seven Series: 1995

07/27/2009

Aisha

So yeah… ’95 was a great year. YOU see the picture.

That was my old girl Aisha, a situation that ended up jumping off-and-on for the next three years. It was one of those relationships where the counterparts stay at each other’s throats, but always manage to end up cool again. We met at school in ’93, when I was a freshman who was crazy into her, and she was a junior who couldn’t be less interested. After about a year-plus of like and dislike, we finally ended up together in late-’94. By summer ’95, we were way into each other and GTD-ing on the regular (whenever we weren’t arguing over THEE dumbest shit).

In other news, I was 15 and flexin’ nuts. I was at the rec for the summer again, and spending blowing my money more responsibly. I had also begun DJing by this time, although I def. wasn’t ready for prime-time yet. But in the process of stepping my game up, I made a connection with DJ Base, who at the time was on WEAA‘s Strictly Hip-Hop show. I used to listen to that shit faithfully, hoping one day I could parlay this connection into possibly getting a spot on the show. I stayed on my lil’ starter kit every day, fukkin’ up needles and bein’ the best Kid Capri I could try to be.

badboysposter

In addition to that, I was starting to venture out with my rap aspirations too. That summer, I performed on stage for the first time at a showcase held at Monique‘s Comedy Club. I also made an appearance on 92Q‘s “Battle of the Baltimore MCs” segment, which at the time was my first time rhyming on the radio (but not my last… wait for ’98). Whenever I wasn’t making (turrible) mixtapes, I was making tapes of my “songs” over my favorite instrumentals. I didn’t really have my mind on “gettin’ on” at the time; I was all about findin’ an avenue to be heard first and foremost, one way or the other.

One pattern in all of these years (that even I’ve noticed while typing these entries) is that a LOT of shit I did revolved around music. I tried to get into sports and other shit, but it was never my thing. I found more enjoyment in taping videos or buying records than I did in developing my athletic skills (or lack thereof). I wasn’t gonna make it into the 3-on-3 basketball tournament or any of that… but I sure the fukk knew what day Cuban Linx was comin’ out.

onemorechance

The Danj! Summer Seven of 1995:

Notorious B.I.G. “One More Chance” (Stay With Me Remix): Arguably runnin’ that rap shit by this point, B.I.G.’s Debarge-sampling remix puts the official stamp on it.

Jodeci feat. Raekwon & Ghostface Killa “Freek’N You” (Remix): The “bad boys of R&B” and the Cuban Linx co-d’s connect. All day like Harry Belafonte.

Bone Thugs N Harmony “1st Of Tha Month”: Cleveland‘s own BTNH rep for SSI, WIC, and all that shit with the official anthem.

Luniz “I Got 5 On It”: Messin’ with that indo weed, the Luniz fukked around and made a classic for all those who engage in the herbal practice.

Grand Puba “I Like It”: Puba continues his solo run, and the DeBarge family continues to cash them checks. The term “stinkbox” is still a lil’ disturbing, but that’s neither here nor there.

Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah “Criminology”: Rae’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx KILT every other album that dropped around that time (with Mobb Deep’s Infamous being a possible exception)… this being one reason why.

Mary J. Blige feat. Smif-N-Wessun “I Love You” (Remix): A favorite from MJB’s My Life album scores extra points with the addition of the Boot Camp Click‘s gun clappers.

IN CASE YOU MISSED ‘EM: check out the other Summer Sevens HERE.

-D!

10 Comments | DanjLovesTheHipHop, DanjLovesTheR&B, Hip-Hop Soul, My Life, Summer Seven Series, Young Youth | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
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The ’90s Loved The ’80s Pt. 3: Punk Smooth Sh*t

07/24/2009

80sbaby90skid

Ayo… before I start, shoutout to Combat Jack, Jia, NerdAtTheCool Table, and Boardroom Gangster for the props they’ve given DanjLovesThe90s on their own blogs and Twitters over the past week. ‘Preciate it, y’all!

Aight, SO in case you’ve just joined us… last month, I posted an entry called “The ’90s Loved The ’80s”, and also “The ’90s Loved Michael Jackson”. This month, here’s more examples of ’90s hip-hop that sampled music from the previous decade. I’m admittedly a sucker for that laid-back mellow R&B shit from the ’80s, and number of artists must’ve felt the same way. Even the most hardcore artists smoothed it out a lil’ bit once or twice, usually with decent results. Here’s a few of those, and as always, click ‘em if you want ‘em.

dont-sweat-the-techniqueMIDNIGHT STAR

Eric B. & Rakim “What’s On Your Mind” (1991) sampled Midnight Star “Curious” (1985): Even during a time when rappers were catching heat for makin’ that “punk smooth shit”, Rakim was able to drop one that got love. Here, ’80s funk group Midnight Star gets their ’85 hit reworked six years after the fact. Meanwhile, “the R” spits game at his girl, as she gets comfortable and watches the Huxtables. Also notable for being one the last few EB&R singles before they went their seperate ways a year later.

Tragedyrushen

Tragedy “Grand Groove” (1993) sampled Patrice Rushen “Remind Me” (1982): Queens, NY‘s Tragedy, transitioning out of his “Intelligent Hoodlum” phase but not yet in his “Khadafi” stage, lifts a classic from the early ’80s queen of beads-n-braids. This wasn’t the first or last time “Remind Me” would be sampled (i.e. Mary J., Faith Evans, Junior MAFIA, Chubb Rock, etc.) but one of the most effective. Patrice prob’ly didn’t think “Rememberin’ the days of my youth/Bust my first nut on the project roof” were ideal lyrics for her music, but Trag did it justice with the dedication to all his peoples that passed away.

heavy_d_&_the_boyzluther

Heavy D & The Boyz “Got Me Waiting” (1994) sampled Luther Vandross “Don’t You Know That” (1981): The late, great Luther (the original “Overweight Lover”, usually depending on the year) has had a few of his biggest hits turned into hits again. In this case, it happened with the production of Pete Rock and hip-hop’s Overweight Lover, Heavy D. Not usually the hardest of the hard, Hev was coming off of an album (Blue Funk) that had more of a street edge, but less hits than he was used to. So, he went back to what he did best and immediately scored another hit with “Got Me Waiting”.

GRapAndNasSURFACE

Kool G Rap feat. Nas “Fast Life” (1995) sampled Surface “Happy” (1987): One of my personal favorites from ’87, brought back by two of my all-time favorite MC’s for the nine-five. G Rap and Esco drop gems on ‘em to the tune of a hit by Surface, a group that had a nice string of hits during the late ’80s and early ’90s. I’m sure Nas meant “REserved spaces at the horse races” instead of “PREserved”, but this one is otherwise hard to argue with. Beautiful, baby.

It didn’t just happen on the hip-hop side of things, though. In the R&B world, producers were going back to the ’80s for classic hip-hop tracks. Next month, I’ll be covering some of those… but in the meantime, have fun with these.

-D!

2 Comments | Classic Material, DanjLovesThe80sToo, DanjLovesTheHipHop, DanjLovesTheR&B, Love Movement, Original Flavor, The90sLovedThe80s | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
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“Mommy, He Won’t Let Me Win!”

07/22/2009

cry_baby

“I hear it all the time — ‘Yo, he should let the young guys, the new generation of guys come in.’ But you don’t become the front-runner in music because someone lets you. You have to claim your shoes”- Jay-Z

I’ve been meaning to speak on this for a minute. As someone who came up during the ’80s and ’90s, I can’t say I understand this recent mentality that some newer rappers seem to have. It seems that some of them harbor a lil’ animosity towards older artists that are still in the game, and feel like they should step away from the game in order to “let” the new dudes get theirs.

Now… I know it’s not the old days anymore, but that is the most half-assed shit I’ve ever heard of.

This is equivalent to bein’ a kid, playin’ a video game with your older relatives, and throwin’ your controller down because they won’t LET you win. Can’t speak for anyone else, but if I were a new artist, that’s not even a win I’d WANT. What kinda bragging rights is that, to only be succeeding in the game because someone else’s absence allowed it? For these new dudes to have so much “swag” and stunt so hard, I’d at least think they’d wanna claim their own damn spot. How much swag can they really have, when they wanna win by default?

webstar

Take for instance, someone like DJ Webstar. If you don’t know who that is, you’re not alone. But anyway, when “Death Of Autotune” dropped, he went into this long weekend of Twitter rage. He tweeted about how a song like that was “takin’ food off his plate”, because he (like many other trend-hopping newbies) utilizes Autotune for his terrible records. Here’s where a so-called artist should question his own talent: you’re sittin’ around HOPIN’ this shit doesn’t play out, because then you’ll have to find another gimmick to ride… and this is somehow ANOTHER person’s fault?

When great artists made their way into the game, it didn’t happen because the people before them just left and let it happen. They did their thing regardless of anyone else’s presence. If you look at a Nas or an Outkast, their relevance didn’t hang on whether or not KRS or De La Soul were still making music. It hung on whether or not their own shit was up to par. They didn’t have to do anything but come to the table with music that was fresher and better than what the old schoolers were dropping. They surely didn’t get it by whining “why won’t they let the new niggas eat?”

cryingbaby

Regardless of how some may feel about today’s top stars, such as Kanye, Wayne, or T.I. (or even new artists like Drake)- I don’t see ANY of them cryin’ either. They found a niche, made music that connected with listeners, and made people interested in them as artists. A lot of these ones complaining are the same ones faithfully making microwave music. They make songs that are hot for a month and never get played again after that month… but they don’t get why their shit can’t get over. Artists with real fanbases are still doin’ fine, whether on a mainstream or underground-ish level. It’s them ol’ fly-by-night muh’fukkas having all the trouble.

I’ve been saying that the rap game needs new blood, and it’s been hanging off of the old guard for too long. We’re heading into a new decade and people who were out in the earlier half of this one are still on top. Imagine if back in ’99, hip-hop had never moved past Public Enemy and Naughty By Nature *shudder*. At the same time, I can’t sit here and say someone like Busta should quit so some random-ass nigga like OJ Da Juiceman can get his shit off. So, the only thing left (as always) is for new artists to come in with new stuff that moves it past where it’s been sitting for the last few years.

I say all that to say this: fukk wantin’ older rappers to step DOWN… how ’bout the new ones step UP?

15 Comments | DanjLovesTheHipHop, Huh?, SMH, Wiggedy-Wack | Permalink
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Summer Seven Series: 1994

07/20/2009

lexington market

Here in 2009, not much about me has changed over a three-year period. I’m pretty much the same dude I was in 2006. But as a teenager, shit changes every year, to the point where we become completely different people over the course of just three years. Take for instance, me in ’94. I had gone from a lil’ fat boy who wanted to someday write for a wrestling magazine in ’91, to a skinny kid who wanted to be a rapper and/or DJ.

oj-simpson-94

I was coming off of a half-ass freshman year in high school, and was in need of an attitude adjustment. I had to get my wits about myself coming into 10th grade, because I spent most of the 9th trying way too hard to impress everybody. I was that kid that you saw when you were a senior and wanted to slap the shit out of, not even realizing you were the same way. By the end of the year, I had realized where I went wrong, and was ready to restart.

In addition to that, I got my first summer job in ’94, which was at a rec center. I was in no way cut out to deal with children, and actually wanted to quit after the first day, but I settled into it within a week. I also wasn’t mad at the paycheck. The first one I got was only like $80, but that was the best $80 I ever had at that point. I remember blowing the whole thing that very weekend, on one trip downtown. I bought a Nervous Records t-shirt (???), two tapes, ate at Lexington Market, and copped a ticket to a Wu-Tang/Nas show at the Arena. Came home, had about $7 left… POW.

nervousrecords

Speaking of music, as it always had, it continued to play a big role in my life during the ’94 summer as well. Many hip-hop enthusiasts consider that year to be of epic proportions, and as a person who was there, I can say they’re absolutely right. It is an amazing feat that I was able to narrow this week’s songs down to seven, because there was a LOT of shit out that summer. I could’ve turned this into the Summer 27, because much like ’92, I prob’ly had a new favorite song every few days. It also didn’t help that I’d discovered Strictly Hip-Hop on Morgan State’s WEAA (88.9), and stayed locked in every Friday night from 12 to 5 a.m. without fail.

By the time September arrived, I was ready to roll to 10th grade, focused. I was still a gigantic hip-hop head, I was still a joker, and my lil’ 14-year-old hormones were still out of control… but I was a lot more tactful. I also had my own money (as little as it was), so I was kinda feelin’ myself. And still, there was even more change ahead…

craigflava

The Danj! Summer Seven of 1994 (I’m serious, shit was like pulling teeth)

Nas “The World Is Yours” (Q-Tip Remix): In addition to Illmatic, Nas also had some solid damn remixes for the singles. Here, Tip adds a new track and the “la-la-la” hook for another in the win column.

The Notorious B.I.G. “Juicy”: You already know…

Craig Mack “Flava In Ya Ear”: Bad Boy starts off with a bang. Quite possibly the ugliest rapper of all-time drops quite possibly the hottest single of the year.

Janet Jackson “And On And On”: Penny‘s forgotten B-side to the “Any Time, Any Place” single. I wasn’t rockin’ with much R&B during that summer, but this was a noteworthy exception that I couldn’t get enough of.

Crooklyn Dodgers “Crooklyn”: The team of Buckshot, Masta Ace, and a returning (at the time) Special Ed rep their hometown for Spike Lee‘s 70′s joint.

Mad Lion “Take It Easy”: With the dancehall reggae/hip-hop connection still going strong, Lion reps BDP with a banger.

Ahmad “Back In The Day”: My appreciation for a song about Ahmad’s good ol’ days of middle & high school… possibly the seed that later spawns this very site? Hmmm.

AND IN CASE YOU MISSED ‘EM: 1990… and 1991… and 1992… and 1993

-D!

5 Comments | DanjLovesTheHipHop, DanjLovesTheR&B, Summer Seven Series, Young Youth | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
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“Yeah, My Name Is Trayshawn And I Wanna Dedicate This Song To Juwakatema…”

07/17/2009

prompic

So… I’m the only one who used to listen to the slow jam show at night? Nah, y’all listened to it too. Truthfully, I spent a good part of my teenage years being more interested in “GTD-ing” than bein’ in love and all that ol’ bullshit. But of course, there’d be those times where so-called “love” would take over and I’d be in my tight-ass room with the radio on at 10 p.m., checkin’ out the Love Zone.

All of these songs that I usually wouldn’t listen to would suddenly make all kinds of sense. I’d be sittin’ there really feelin’ these niggas’ plights, even though you couldn’t have forced me to listen to three hours of slow joints the week before. It was especially serious when it’d be a song that spoke specifically to the situation that was goin’ on. I’d be noddin’ along with the song and agreeing, on some “yeah, why she can’t see that?” shit.

But you KNEW it was serious when you’d call and do an on-air dedication. I’ll admit, I did a couple before. When you think about it, there’s always a song for just about any situation. Allow me… and as usual, if you want ‘em, click ‘em:

troop

For That Time You Were Just Tryin’ To Impress Her… TROOP “All I Do Is Think Of You” (1990): You prob’ly had other shit on your mind, but she didn’t know that. It was very ego-catering to believe she was all you thought of, so you really couldn’t lose with this one. If you really did happen to look forward to seein’ her in school everyday (hopefully in a non-stalker way), this helped get that across. Also, yet another reason why The ’90s Loved Michael Jackson.

htown

For That Time You Just Wanted To “GTD” Her… H-Town “Knockin’ Da Boots” (1993): Or “KDB”, either/or. This was that undeniable one right here: it was smooth enough to be a slow joint, but still ig’nant enough to say “I’m tryna take that”. I learned in time that blatant is just the way to go sometimes. I took a hot minute to realize this, but better late than never I guess.

shai

For That Friend You Liked Who Was Bein’ Mistreated By The Dude She Was With… Shai “Comforter” (1993): Not that you were preyin’ on her vulnerability, but you really liked this got-damn girl. This could only go one of two ways. She was either gonna end up fallin’ for you the more she confided in you (possible), or she was gonna completely miss the hint and continue to be with the dude she cried to you about (likely). And on the off-chance that she did get with you, she wasn’t gonna take half the shit from you that she accepted from him. But hey… it’s a good song.

joe-all-things

For That Time You Actually Had A Chance Of  Pullin’ Someone Who Was Taken… Joe “All The Things Your Man Won’t Do” (1996): Realistically, you weren’t gonna do anything that much different from her man, but it sounded like some true stuff to say. And with Joe, these “tryna pull another dude’s girl” songs don’t just stop here. I’ll never forget the “I Wanna Know” video- the girl was havin’ an argument with her man, and this nigga Joe couldn’t even wait ’til it was over before he was already headin’ towards her, talkin’ bout “ya man givin’ you trouble?” But uh, yeah!

aaron+hall

For The Time When It Was Over And You Were Sad As Shit… Aaron Hall “I Miss You” (1994): We’re all adults here, right? It’s OK to admit it. You put on a front in public, you told ya mans n’nem that you weren’t sweatin’ it cause you don’t luh dem hoes, you mighta even told her you weren’t gonna miss her ass. But when you got home and her number wasn’t poppin’ up on that Caller ID anymore, you heard this song and shit got REAL.

And there’s definitely more. I’m not done with these, as I’ll surely be adding on to this topic at least a few more times in the future. I used to think love songs were all the same, but as I’ve gotten older, I realize that it’s a lot more complex than it gets credit for sometimes. In the meantime, stay tuned… and feel free to add your own here.

-D!

6 Comments | DanjLovesTheR&B, GTD, HA!, Love Movement | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
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Cause The Boyz N The Hood Are Always Hard…

07/15/2009

boyz-n-da-hood

Today would be my uncle Dwight‘s 49th birthday. He passed last month, and for whatever reason, I wasn’t able to mourn about it. The first things that popped in my head were all the fun stuff that I remembered him most for. One of those was how I used to ride around with him when I was younger, in his blue Z28 with that same Led Zeppelin tape on his dashboard for years. Sometimes, we’d go to the mall, Pizza Hut, or the movies. My most memorable ride to the movies was in July ’91, the Saturday afternoon after Boyz N The Hood came out.

cubecubafish

It’s a classic no matter which way you watch it (stay away from that TV-edited version though). However, I can say from experience that seeing it in B-More‘s most hood-ass theater (Harbor Park!) TRUMPS watching it on DVD or TV by far. It was packed seat-to-seat, and the “crowd participation” was almost as entertaining as the movie itself. Everybody loved Ice Cube‘s character Doughboy, we all laughed at Little Chris‘ jheri-curl, and some people genuinely seemed sad when Ricky got killed. Also, you haven’t gone to the movies until you’ve seen niggas cheer like it’s the Super Bowl when the dudes who killed Ricky got their come-uppance.

DoughboyMonsterDookie

There’s been some “hood movies” since Boyz N The Hood that have been more violent and less message-heavy, but I feel like BNTH is still one of the most real. It showed different sides of each main character, which is a lot closer to truth than those movies where everybody in the shit is just keepin’ it gangsta 24/7. You had the ones who were always into somethin’, and then you had the ones who wanted to do more than what they were around. There were the parents who looked out for the best interests of their son, and then there was the mother who showed blatant favortism with her sons. The “good guys” of the movie weren’t good ALL the time, and the “bad guys” weren’t bad ALL the time.

ricky!

The characters didn’t just pop up in the movie from jump, doin’ hoodrat stuff with their friends. BNTH showed them growing up and HOW they grew up. It showed how Doughboy’s mother (and yo, I HATE her) literally told him he wasn’t shit, so he had no respect for women when he got older. It also showed how a kid like Tre could only get babied by his mother but so much before he eventually had to be influenced by an older male (and that’s something that I personally understand). No dis to the MANY movies that followed, but BNTH wasn’t just about violence and gangs and guns- it was more fleshed-out than that.

dough

And on top of that, it’s entertaining as hell. As “poignant” as it gets credit for being, it also doesn’t ignore that other stuff that makes it worth watching. You get humor, you get sex, you get quotables. You even get a lil’ bit of rap beef, when Doughboy’s crew beats the shit out of the crackhead wearing a “We Want Eazy” t-shirt. At the time, Cube had his issues with Eazy-E and the rest of N.W.A., and I doubt the shirt was just a coincidence. Even scenes that aren’t all that relevant to the movie have their moments- like when Monster says “watch me shoot this muthafucka” and then it turns out that he’s playin’ Duck Hunt. I didn’t think people in the theater were EVER gonna stop laughin’ at that shit, and neither was I.

singleton

Add all that to the fact that it was done by a rookie director, with a mostly-unknown cast, on a young-ass budget, on location in real areas of South Central L.A. The homie John Singleton gets love forever for this movie, because he took the little bit that he was given and made it great (and if THAT ain’t some hood shit, what is?). It’s movies like this which make me proud enough to do this blog- I don’t have to write about it in revisionist form and put myself in that place, because I WAS in that place. And I loved the whole fukkin’ two hours.

Things To Remember From Boyz N The Hood:

1) A pill ain’t gonna keep your dick from fallin’ off. 2) Black cops hate niggas too. 3) Best way to get ass that’s been eluding you is to throw wild punches at the air and cry. 4) Catholic girls are the biggest hoochies. 5) When niggas are riding around with a shotgun looking for you, you don’t belong in an alley playing a scratch-off game.

Music From Boyz N The Hood:

Ice Cube “How To Survive In South Central”

Compton’s Most Wanted “Growin’ Up In The Hood”

Tony! Toni! Tone! “Me & You”

KAM “Every Single Weekend”

-D! (Happy Birthday, “Chuck”)

16 Comments | Classic Material, DanjLovesTheMovies, My Life, Nuff Respect Due | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Danj!

Summer Seven Series: 1993

07/13/2009

radioraheem

Wild as it is, in ’93, a year like 1977 seemed like ancient history to me. Now here I am in 2009, realizing that a 13-year-old on his way to 14 (as I was at the time) probably looks at ’93 the same way. Good God Damn… 16 years! Wow.

strapped

This summer was a turning point for me because I was headed into high school, and I was gettin’ “serious” about music. I wouldn’t say I was serious in terms of having a clue about the business or recording in a studio, but I was at a point where I wanted to take it further than my room. Me and my boy Ray started rappin’ around the same time, so we grouped up and called ourselves Crhyme Inc. I was writing my lyrics and his, and we were always working on our lil’ homemade tapes everytime we hung out. Most of our summer consisted of making tapes, watching Strapped a million times, and listening to DJ Celo & Iran on 93.9 every weekend.

I know it’s cliche, but I was really about living it at the time. Looking back, I was a little “extra” with it, but that’s how crazy about it I was. I would do things like walk around with a knapsack full of tapes and my radio turned all the way up, on some young Radio Raheem shit, just because I thought it was the most hip-hop thing to do. I even remember one time going to someone’s party with my Walkman and just listening to tapes while everybody else was socializing. Totally obnoxious, absolutely self-absorbed… but genuinely in love with the music and the lifestyle- that’s the best way I could describe how I was.

CRYSTAL

Outside of music-related stuff, I was still trying to be older than I was. I liked the fact that I was on the way to high school, because I was always ready to break out of being “young”. I was still immature as shit, but I had my own skewed views of growing up, so I was glad to be out of middle school. It was so major to me, I wanted to have a whole new style and everything. I even went and got myself a baldie, which was NERVOUS- I had no business havin’ a haircut that made my big-ass head more obvious.

By the end of the summer, for whatever reason, I thought I was just gonna walk into high school and be the end-all be-all. I thought I was gonna style on niggas with my bandanas and hoodies, like nobody else was dressing the same way or some shit. I snapped out of that, but you still couldn’t tell me I couldn’t beat the world. I actually wish I had maintained a little of that brashness as the years went on. Either way, for the time being, I was coming of age.

swvrighthere

The Danj! Summer Seven of 1993:

2Pac featuring Shock G & Money B “I Get Around”: Originally meant to be a Digital Underground song that featured ‘Pac, DU gave it to him and changed his whole career in the process. MAJOR record for that whole summer.

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo “On The Run” (Dirty Untouchable Remix): A good two years before NY rappers started jumping headfirst into the whole organized crime thing, G had it in a smash with this one.

SWV “Right Here (Human Nature)”: MJ‘s classic gets reworked for the Sisters With Voices to create a classic of their own. Shoutout to Pharrell with the famous “S, S, double, double” adlib.

Ice Cube “Check Yo’ Self” (Remix): O’Shea channels “The Message” and sends a message of his own, in classic Cube fashion. Bitch, you betta run a check.

The Beatnuts “Reign Of The Tec”: I was hardly gangsta, but damn if hearing Juju say “yo, I’ll shoot ya moms if I have to” didn’t make me screw my face up a lil’ harder every time I heard it.

Christopher Williams “Every Little Thing U Do” (Remix): The “DWYCK” beat rocks for a whole ‘nother summer, courtesy of “the educated brotha from the bank”.

MC Breed featuring 2Pac “Gotta Get Mine”: Breed and ‘Pac drop the “get-yours” anthem for the year (not to mention, the “Thug Life” tattoo makes its debut in this video) R.I.P. to both.

IN CASE YOU MISSED ‘EM: Summer Seven 1990… and 1991… and 1992.

-D!

7 Comments | DanjLovesTheHipHop, DanjLovesTheR&B, Hip-Hop Soul, Summer Seven Series, Young Youth | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Danj!

Attempted Murder

07/10/2009

xxlmurder

So here’s what happened:

In the spring of ’95, I first heard Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule on the same track. It was the B-side of Mic Geronimo‘s “Masta I.C.” single, on a song called “Time To Build” (produced by Mic’s man DJ Irv). At that time, Mic was an underground artist on TVT Records, and yet more well-known than any of the other parties involved. The song was OK, but nothing I retained much from. Ja and X sounded like the average raspy-voiced rappers from NY during that era, and Jay was ehhh- still not fully out of that hyper shit he was on at the time.

Three years later, I heard them together again. By early-’98, things had changed. Jay wasn’t a household name yet, but he was successful, not to mention one of my favorites. X was the “new” artist everybody was checkin’ for, off the strength of his numerous guest appearances. Ja was a former member of the Cash Money Click (not that one) who was also supposed to be coming out with his debut soon. They were all in together on a Clue tape, doing the opening freestyle that later became known as “Murdergram”.

jarulexjayzdjirv

A year later, it was a whole different story. Jay was officially a superstar with his Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life album. X was on top of the world with his albums, It’s Dark & Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. Ja’s debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci, was highly-anticipated at this point- mostly due to his appearance on Jay’s “Can I Get A” single. DJ Irv was now Irv Gotti, and he was known as the guy responsible for putting this new movement together. The Hard Knock Life Tour was selling out city-to-city, and hip-hop in general was a HUGE deal.

So then, out comes a new issue of the relatively-new XXL magazine. The cover story is about an upcoming project, slated to hit the stores later that year: Murder Inc., comprised of Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule. Wow- couldn’t have happened at a better time. They were amongst the hottest names in hip-hop, popular on the street level and mainstream-wise, and there was no way the album could fall short of its expectations from a creative or sales standpoint. I read this article, as Gotti raved about how they were about to go SO hard with this album, and how it was gonna be on N.W.A. levels of unabashed nigga-ness and so forth. I was ready to hear it, as I’m sure a lot of people were.

And of course… after the cover story, the tour, the ads… it never happened. I’m just guessing, but the thing that killed the chances of the Murder Inc. project ever coming out was likely the same thing that built the hype for it. X and Jay weren’t the same dudes who were battling each other in a pool hall five years earlier, and Ja wasn’t about to be X’s hypeman like he’d been previously. They all became top-tier stars with their own crews to lead.

murderers

Next thing you knew, “Murder Inc.” was the record label headed by Irv, and the closest we got to a Murder Inc. album was that terrible compilation. Instead of some murderously bloody Jay/X/Ja collabs, we instead got treated to the “talents” of Black Child and Vita. Then, Ja started suggesting that if not for his willingness to fall back and wait his turn, “maybe” X wouldn’t have been signed to Def Jam, and “maybe” Jay wouldn’t have had a hit with “Can I Get A”. Following that, the party was over. X dissed Ja, Ja dissed X, X and Jay shot subliminals back and forth, and Irv only cared but so much because he was busy piping promoting Ashanti and counting his cash.

So here it is 10 years later. Ja Rule scored a fair share of hits from singing his little heart out during the earlier part of this decade, but he’s finished now. DMX has gone from arguably the most popular rapper of ’98 to whatever the fuck this is. Irv is… the guy with the reality show on VH1? Jay-Z is literally controlling the fate of his own career at this point- not to mention the richest artist in hip-hop. It’s kinda a shame that those four egos couldn’t have gotten on the same page long enough to put the album together back in ’99. Instead, all we have is a couple tracks to indicate how it might’ve sounded… which I guess will have to be good enough.

ddd.black.crime.ja.rule.dmx.jay.z.

It was probably the easiest thing in the world to get them all together when neither one knew where their careers were headed. But the bigger they got, they probably felt like they didn’t need to work together, so it could either happen or not- emphasis being on “not”. When it boils down, the Murder Inc. project was meant to happen in 1999, and 1999 only. It would’ve been less relevant any year before then, and not as urgent any year afterward. It’s one of hip-hop’s biggest never-happened moments that coulda shut the game down 10 years ago, but would mean jackshit if it happened tomorrow.

Mic Geronimo featuring Ja Rule, Jay-Z, & DMX “Time To Build” (1995)

Jay-Z, Ja Rule, & DMX “Murdergram” (1998)

Ja Rule featuring DMX & Jay-Z “It’s Murda” (1999)

-D!

6 Comments | Clans/Posses/Crews/Cliques, Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda, DanjLovesTheAlbums, DanjLovesTheHipHop, SMH | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Danj!

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