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Trapped in the 90′s
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Monthly Archives: August 2012
Just in time for back to
Onyx – Cold Case Files Volume 2
Move back mutha phuckaz, the Onyx is here! I just copped this new compilation of previously unreleased Onyx songs from the mid-90′s. Volume 2 of the Cold Case Files picks up right where the last volume left off. The sound quality is much better than the first and the rarity of the tracks is even deeper. The album only costs $6.66 and all proceeds actually go to Onyx. You can purchase here. Below is an in-depth review, track by track.
- Set it Str8 – Dope cut with a classic 90′s feel. Sounds like it dropped right before Onyx’s 3rd album. High quality.
- Kidz from Queens – One of the dopest cuts on the album. From the “All We Got Iz Us” era.
- Bring It – Low quality. The track sounds like a
failedattempt to re-create “Slam“. Besides being mediocre, they probably had trouble clearing the very well-known sample. - Hi-Hoe – Classic old school Onyx.
- Crime Stories – Another track from the 3rd album era. Really dope. High quality.
- Punk Motherfukaz – Full song version of the interlude from “All We Got Iz Us“. Low quality.
- To All Ya’ll Crews, Whatever – Classic Onyx track. Low quality.
- Anything Goes – Extremely dope cut about Onyx’s live shows. Most likely was cut due to a Beatles bassline sample.
- Give It All You Got – One of the weaker songs on the album. A cheesy commercial attempt over Keni Burke’s “Risin’ to the Top“.
- Flip Dat Shit The price of the album is worth this track alone. Yes, the quality is low but it features verses from Naughty by Nature and Biggie Smalls AKA Notorious BIG. This track was an outtake from the “Who’s the Man?” soundtrack.
- Pussy on the Regular – Lazy track, from after the Onyx glory days.
- Take That – Full version of the interlude from “Shut Em Down”.
- Raze It Up – Alternate version of their single.
- Love of Money ’96 – So dope!
- We Comin’ Thru Ya’ll – Alternate version.
- Walk in New York – Demo version of the classic, totally different beat.
Liknuts – Grumpy Crocodile (video)
Check out the new official video for Liknuts (The Beatnuts + The Alkaholiks) “Grumpy Crocodile” directed by James Wade. Looking forward to the full project. Check out this earlier post to hear the original sample.
The Whatnauts – Message from a Black Man
The Whatnauts were an R&B/Soul group out of Baltimore, signed to Stang Records (think The Moments). They are no stranger to being sampled, with their most famous cuts used being “Why Can’t People be Colors Too” and “Help is On The Way“. Their debut album from 1970 featured 2 minor hits – “I’ll Erase Away Your Pain” and “Message from a Black Man“. George Kerr and Sylvia Robinson handled the production, mimicking the sound of The Temptaions, who were blowing up the charts at the time. Despite having minor success, the group never really hit it big like some of their counterparts such as The Stylistics or The Delfonics.
In the mid-2000′s, it seemed like everyone was sampling the Norman Whitfield penned “Message from a Black Man“. Salaam Remi flipped it for the infamous “Untitled” album by Nas, RZA used it for his solo cut “You Can’t Stop Me Now“, and Necro (best use IMO) gave it a hardcore feel for Ill Bill. Check it out.
U-Krime – American Me
I have virtually no information about the group U-Krime other than what I can find on the liner notes of this 12-inch single from 2001. U-Krime was a group comprised of 2 twins, the Aquino brothers. So why are they deserving of a post on illtal.com? The b-side to their debut single “Thug Time” was produced by none other than The Alchemist. Fans of his vintage sound will appreciate this track.
But it gets better… The track “American Me” also features Tony Touch and Queensbridge legend Tragedy Khadafi. To complete the all-star line-up, the track was mixed by Stretch Armstrong. I’m not sure if they ever released anything else but this one cut is enough.
E.S.G. Sued by E.S.G.
Normally when I write about a music-related law suit, it’s a publisher/content owner suing a rapper over a sample. In this case, it’s 1 sister suing 2 others.
E.S.G, the funk/punk band from the South Bronx is the subject of a current lawsuit. Why should you know E.S.G.? They are known for the cut “UFO” which has been sampled to death. Deborah Scroggins is suing her sisters Valerie and Renee for 10 million dollars (maybe she knows Lord Finesse?) According to her lawsuit, she helped write many of the hits Valerie and Renee have been performing and licensing for years. The sisters claim she had nothing to do with the song writing and was simply a compensated performer during live performances.
The judge dismissed the case and refferred to mediation. Hopefully they can work out their differences before Deborah or all sisters start suing rappers instead.
Gang Starr – Gotta Get Over (Large Professor Remix)
There are very few official GangStarr remixes in existance. Many of the real remixes are by DJ Premier himself. Fortunately, this one comes to us from the maestro himself, Large Professor AKA Extra P. The original version of “Got to Get Over” appeared on the soundtrack to non-hip hop related movie Trespass (even though it stars Ice T). The remix appeared on the 12-inch single of the track but unfortunately, I don’t own it. Instead, I copped the remix on a white label/bootleg release “Underground Classics – The Extra P Files“. The remix gives a totally different feel to the track and goes really well with the king of monotone – Guru. Check it out.
Mobb Deep – The Realest
Mobb Deep was my favorite group during the mid to late 1990′s. It’s a shame how far they’ve fallen since the days of The Infamous. A few months back, rumours swirled that Mobb Deep was about to break up after Havoc supposedly tweeted comments about Prodigy. Shortly after the tweet, Havoc released a statement saying that his phone was stolen and someone maliciously tweeted the message. Sources close to the situation mentioned a fight between between the two and Havoc having a drinking problem. Last week, Hav finally admitted in an interview with allhiphop.com that the tweet was him and Mobb Deep is on “indefinite hiatus”.
Before Mobb Deep’s demise, they recorded the album Murda Muzik which was leaked months prior to release. It’s what I consider to be the last good (official) Mobb Deep album. The beat for the Alchemist-produced “The Realest” was originally intended to be an interlude. However, Mobb Deep and Kool G Rap loved the beat so much, it became a full song on the album. The main loop was lifted from Ecstasy, Passion & Pain’s “Born to Lose You“.
Ecstasy, Passion & Pain was a disco/up-tempo soul group that had decent chart success with multiple singles. The group was an actual band, but most of their hits contained instrumenation from the oft-sampled Philly group M.F.S.B. A look at the liner notes will reveal some familiar faces among the production credits including Norman Harris, Bobby Eli, and Vince Montana. The most interesting name on the back cover is actually Ronald Foster, keyboardist for the group. You probably know him better as Ronnie Foster.