Could This Be The Best Hip-Hop Tune Ever Recorded?

I know this is a very dangerous discussion to enter into but we just received Version One of the forthcoming Twelve Bar mixtape and, when this track came in, the entire office went mad. If my memory serves me correct this tune appeared on the Who’s The Man soundtrack and, if you ask me, it’s Biggie at his finest. With Easy Mo Bee handling the production and the Notorious One himself killing it with one ridiculous rhyme after the next, this could easily be one of the best hip-hop tunes ever recorded. Full credit has to go to the Elite Camp for making sure this one was on there and for putting smiles on the entire Twelve Bar crew’s faces at the end of a very long day. Now it’s time to party and bullshit. Peace out and get ready for Raising The Bar Volume 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmI0pjszeZU

The Good Old Days

Whilst we are on the subject of the good old days, let’s talk about Roger Troutman. Most people know about the master of the talk box either thanks to Computer Love – one of the greatest slow jams of all time which has been sampled by a million and one rappers over the last 15 years – or for his involvement in Dr. Dre’s truly incredible California Love where, if you go and search out the video, you will see Roger killing it in the midst of, quite simply, a big dose of California Love. What a lot of people don’t know about though is his tune I Wanna Be Your Man which, as far as I am concerned, is his masterpiece. Attempting to talk about this track will not do it justice so just do me a favor and click on the following link and enjoy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCYiYgn1XWY - You really can’t beat the good old days.

Everybody’s Talking About The Good Old Days

It’s been a long time and we really shouldn’t have left you I know but sometimes these things happen. I could make a whole bunch of excuses about why the blog hasn’t received any attention over the past month but, rather than bore you all to tears, I thought I’d just let everyone know that this time we’re back for good so expect regular updates about random things that we’re into that we feel you need to know about and you may even see a few familiar faces, places and spaces popping up from time to time too but we won’t be forcing it down your throats.

Having been away for so long, it’s hard to know where to start so I thought for today I’d just keep it simple. It seems like everywhere I turn at the moment everybody’s talking about the good old days and specifically how music used to better way back when. Whilst checking out a few websites earlier today I kept hearing fragments of Johnny Gill’s Rub You The Right Way and Optimistic by The Sounds Of Blackness tearing through my computer. At the record shop round the corner from the office on Melrose I caught a glimpse of DJ Shadow laying low in the cut digging for old 45s and out last night at a party in Silverlake all I heard was The Cure, The Clash, The Cult and a few more bands starting with the letter “C” from years ago.

Everybody’s got their favorite old school joints of course but what started bugging me today is that whenever I mention one of my favorites people always stare at me blankly. It’s really not that obscure and pretty much everyone over the age of 25 should remember it, but why on earth does no one love Jerk Out by The Time as much as I do? Go to You Tube and check it out now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FewugfG92-w

Please. I’m begging you. Alongside Prince these guys were the kings of Minneapolis. Watch and learn how Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis hold the groove down. As for Morris Day, I don’t even know where to start. Just go and check out this tune and then tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. A Story To Tell Is Back.