Bring the Noise

DJ Noize is the 1996 DMC World Champion. He is famous for cutting together words and phrases from different hip hop records to make disses. I remember there was a lot of controversy after the '96 DMC's, people were hating on Noize for winning over Roc Raida, saying that he wasn't doing much more than mixing, and that Raida was much more technical and skillful with his routines. I think it must have been hard to judge the battle that year because both of them are really talented DJ's. At that time Raida was my DJ hero and I always rooted for him to win any battle, but I'm not gonna take anything away from Noize because he did his thing also. Noize was really creative with his sets. You could tell dude put a lot of thought and time into them. Check out his 15 minute set on the CM Fam-a-lam radio show from September of 1999.



DJ Noize DMC Finals 1996


Roc Raida DMC Finals 1996

Tribute to a graffiti legend...

This post will be a slight departure from my usual posts, a dedication to one of the most talented graffiti artists ever to pick up a spray can, NaceOne.



Growing up in the same hometown here in New Jersey, I had the privilege of seeing Nace's art evolve from the early stages firsthand. I first met Nace through skateboarding (at which he was also very talented) in the late 80's, maybe right around the time he first started to write graffiti. He picked up graffiti quickly, and kept going with it, getting better and better every day. I had the pleasure of doing a piece with him (with my wack ass beginner/typical graffiti letters) some time around 1993. Unfortunately we never got to finish due to a police chase, but that's another story. I can definitely say that he was an inspiration to myself, and dozens of other people, to start writing. He was an inspiration to everyone he met. He was a cool, laid back, passionate dude, who had a lot of dedication to his artwork, and an insane amount of talent. Over the years he has made quite a name for himself, anyone who is anyone in the graffiti world, worldwide, recognizes his name and his work.



Unfortunately Nace passed way before his time, but his art and his memory will live on forever. I recently found out about a tribute page for Nace on myspace, and I urge everyone out there in blogland to visit this page and take a look at his amazing work. Well over 100 photos of his pieces. R.I.P. Nace, grafitti legend.

Stretch & Bobbito Show 1995

Here is a rip of a Stretch Armstrong Show
from June 15, 1995. The highlights on this one include a freestyle from AZ, who was promoting his upcoming album 'Doe or Die', and his 'Rather Unique' 12" which was being released the following week. Also the Mobb Deep track on side B, 'About to Get Hectic', was an unreleased track that I never heard anywhere else other than Stretch's show. You also got an unreleased Rakim track on there, 'I get visual', and INS' 'Let me at them' from the Tales from the hood soundtrack. I remember this night being the first time I heard Biggie's 'Wickedest', a track he did with Mister Cee. I think it was also the first time I heard Raekwon's 'Criminology'. Classic Hip Hop. Enjoy.

Updated 1/2012 - Full show rip courtesy of DJ Eclipse

Stretch & Bobbito 6-15-1995

1. Mobb Deep - The Start of Your Ending
2. Finsta Bundy - Bomb Shit
3. Method Man - The Riddler
4. KRS - One - Ah Yeah (remix)
5. Mobb Deep - Temperature's Risin'
6. AZ - Rather Unique
7. Grand Puba - Little of This
8. L Swift - How it's Goin' Down
9. Mic Geronimo - Masta I.C
10. Special Ed - Neva Go Back
11. Heltah Skeltah - Let the Madness Begin
12. Rakim - I Get Visual
13. Mic Break
14. Raekwon - Criminology
15. Mobb Deep - About to Get Hectic
16. Mad Skills - Skills in '95
17. Inspectah Deck (Wu tang Clan) - Let Me At Them
18. Notorious B.I.G - Wickedest
19. Junior Mafia - Player's Anthem
20. AZ - Sugar Hill
21. AZ Interview/Freestyle
    
22. Mobb Deep - Back At You
23. Channel Live - Reprogram (remix)
24. AZ - Your world Don't stop (Remix)
25. Bushwackas - Caught up in the Game
26. Powerrule - Rock Ya Knot Quick
27. Ten Thieves - Straight from the Slums
28.  Special Ed Interview/Freestyle
29. Special Ed Mix

A Tribe Called Quest

I just caught the VH1 Honors tribute to A Tribe Called Quest last week and I have to say it's good to see those guys get some recognition after all these years. Their lyrics, albums, and production work were always exceptional, and that goes for all of the Native Tongue camp. They reunited for a tour not too long ago that passed through Jersey, and I am really pissed to say that I missed out on it. Hopefully they will do another tour sometime soon, and I heard something about them making another album; if anyone knows anything about another tour or album please let me know. Anyway, as a tribute to one of my favorite hip hop groups, here is a portion of a live Tribe performance sometime after their 'Beats, Rhymes, and Life' LP dropped.

Check the fine print

My computer finally got fixed so I'm back with some more treats.
This one coming from one of my favorite hip hop groups of all time,
the Artifacts.

TameOne and El da Sensei are two of Jersey's finest who worked really well off each other, and it was a shame when they split to do solo projects. Before their first LP 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' in 1994, they made a few demos that weren't released on the LP. These demos included different versions of the songs 'Flexi with da Tec' and 'Wrong Side of the Tracks', as well as a collaborative project with Brand Nubian called 'Check the Fine Print'. The jazzy beat used for the track I believe was produced by Lord Jamar, who also laid a verse on the track along with Sadat X, Tame, and El.

On the track they talk about how shady record contracts can be, as well as how a lot of hip hop acts at the time were fraud. This was one of my favorite Artifacts songs with that fast tempo old school feel, making me want to grab my foot and jump over my leg on some Kid N Play shit.




Artifacts - Check the Fine Print
(demo featuring Sadat X & Lord Jamar)




Also, here is a freestyle from the two, possibly their
last radio appearance as a group, in January 1997
on the New York Live Radio show.

Artifacts freestyle WNYU 1997

Part 5ive