What record is that!?

...anyone?

Noisemakers

Peter Rosenberg chops it up with Q-Tip. Q-Tip's Busta Rhymes impression is priceless.

In this segment, Q-Tip talks about Dilla. The sad thing is when you think about the potential of the Ummah and what we will never get to hear because of Dilla's passing. Everbody lights up whenever they have a J-Dilla story to tell...

Causin' Much Damage

Here's something from the past worthy of revisiting. Jeru The Damaja's "Can't Stop The Prophet" video was pretty original for the time. Early nineties Hip Hop videos weren't the most creative productions back then. And the track, produced by DJ Premier, is wicked.

I See Red

You don't understand...

...this is my favorite group of all time.

And this album is a sound revolution, still, 20 years later.

And the making of this masterpiece is broken down to it's very last compound here.

If you love this record as much as I do it's an absolute must-read.

Beatminerz

I've been on a major Beatminerz binge lately. I discovered a thunderous Beatminerz remix of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Gimme The Loot!" from an under-the-radar remix album they put out in 2007 and started to revisit some old (and new) material from this Brooklyn collective. It was also cool to, coincidentally, come across the video below and see that something like that is actually being put out confirming the relevance of authentic beatmaking and it's enduring significance.

Good producers develop their own sound and it eventually becomes their signature. All the greats have that singular sound and Evil Dee and Mr. Walt have mastered theirs. Da Beatminerz is heavy and stark, New York boom-bap, kick and snare Hip-Hop. To really appreciate a Beatminerz production you have to turn it up and don't be afraid to blow your speakers out. Even the slick tracks will blow your wig back.

Here's what I've had on rotation in no particular order. Brace for impak.

The Notorious B.I.G.: "The Loot!" ("Gimme The Loot!" remix) - Is there a white label for this? If not, someone needs to get upon it and make it happen.

Black Moon: "Stoned Is The Way" - This is what I mean by heavy. Something to crush cinder blocks to.

Mic Geronimo feat. O.C. & Royal Flush: "Men Vs. Many" - From Mic Geronimo's solid debut The Natural (1995). This Beatminerz production is more sparse but it's still got a kick to it and the three MC's don't slouch on the track either.

Beatminerz feat. Flipmode Squad: "Take That!" - This was a track absolutely made for Busta Rhymes but it's got the whole Flipmode featured on it. No matter, I could crank this instrumental and still lose control. "Bladoowww!!!!!"

Rah Digga: "Tight" - Her Dirty Harriet debut album in 2000 is probably one of the best female rap albums I've heard mainly because it's anchored down by such excellent production (Pete Rock, Premier, Nottz, and Da Beatminerz). This is my favorite from that album, track courtesy of Mr. Walt. It's tighter than three or more heads in a CRX.

Smif 'N' Wessun: "Shinin...Next Shit" - From Dah Shinin' (1995) and the second official release from Duck Down Records and exclusively produced by Da Beatminerz. This album boasts "Bucktown", "Sound Bwoy Bureill", and "Let's Git It On" to name a few, but I always go back to this one.

If you're wondering why I didn't post these,

you
should
already
know