Rap -4- Skillz: May 2009

Stetsasonic - Speaking Of A Girl Named Suzy / Anytime, Anyplace (1990) [-TAPE SINGLE-]

01. Speaking Of A Girl Named Suzy (Vocal)

02. Speaking Of A Girl Named Suzy (Edit)

03. Anytime, Anyplace (Vocal)

04. Speaking Of A Girl Named Suzy (Instrumental)

-
-

Ruff-N-Rugged - ''Swingin' Sump' n Ruff'' (Da Remixes) (1994) [CD, Single]

Click On the Picture To Enlarge & For The Tracklisting

VBR / Lame 3.97 / Avg. 231 kbps

-
--> LINK <--

Arabian Prince - Brother Arab (1989) Request

01. Sound Check

02. She's Got A Big Posse

03. Get On Up

04. Let The Good Times Roll (Nickel Bag)

05. Never Caught Slippin'

06. I Got A Big Bonus Beat (Extra Bonus Track)

07. Situation Critical

08. It's A Dope Thang

09. It's Time To Bone

10. Now You Have To Understand

11. Gettin' Down

Though he's known mostly (if at all) for his early membership in N.W.A., the Arabian Prince had been a producer and DJ since the early '80s, which undoubtedly helped him sustain his career after leaving N.W.A.. He began in the music business while still in middle school, recording mixtapes during after hours at KACE radio (where his father worked) and DJing school dances as well as the occasional club date.Arabian Prince began recording his own tracks during 1982-1983, and co-produced Bobby Jimmy & the Critters as well as doing live dates with the Egyptian Lover, World Class Wreckin' Cru, and the L.A. Dream Team. Early singles like "Innovator" and "Situation Hot" got much respect on the Los Angeles club scene, and his consistent studio experimentation led to some work with Dr. Dre and N.W.A. for 1988's Straight Outta Compton. One year later saw the release of his own first full-length, Brother Arab, for Orpeus. The single "She's Got a Big Posse" found some chart action, and Tha Underworld followed in 1992. Where's My Bytches, released in 1993, was his last LP of the '90s, though he pursued several musical projects as well as ownership in a special-effects company and animation studio.

VBR / Lame 3.97 / Avg. 187 kbps

-
-

Da Bush Babees - Ambushed (1994)

01. Intro

02. Pon De Attack

03. Put It Down *Soundclash*

04. Original *Rudeboy's Arrivin'*

05. Ruff N' Rugged *On Da Radio*

06. Just Can't Stand It

07. Da Ignorant No It All

08. Hit 'Em Up

09. We Run Things (It's Like Dat)

10. Get On Down

11. Remember We *Bleu Buttaflyze*

12. Clear My Throat *Ya Mammy*

13. Swing It (Jazziness)

MCs Babe-Face Kaos, Y-Tee, and Mister Man grew up in the West Indies (Y-Tee in Jamaica, Mister Man and Kaos in Trinidad), so reggae was a strong inspiration to their early years; hip-hop also figures in, however. All transplanted New Yorkers, they formed in 1992 when Mister Man saw Kaos perform. The two began collaborating, and after Mister Man suggested adding a reggae toaster, Y-Tee joined da Bush Babees. When their concert dates sparked major-label interest, the trio performed a few live office auditions and signed with Reprise, within three months of launching the band. Their debut, Ambushed (1994), featured production from Jermaine Dupri, Nikke Nikole, J. Prins Matteus, Mark Batson, Salaam Gibbs, and the group itself. Other releases included 1995's Remember We and 1996's Gravity.

-
VBR / Lame 3.97 / Avg. 233 kbps

-
-

Low Profile - We're In This Together (1989) Request

01. Funky Song

02. That's Y They Do It

03. Pay Ya Dues

04. Easy Money

05. Keep Em' Flowin'

06. Aladdin's on a Rampage

07. How Ya Livin'

08. Comin' Straight from the Heart

09. We're in This This Together

10. Make Room for the Dub.B.U.

11. No Mercy

Low Profile was originally a duo of two aspiring rappers and a DJ coming out of L.A.. The groups membership consisted of WC (Dub-C) and DJ Aladdin, who went on to pursue a career in visual art. The duo made its debut with Rhyme Syndicate Records, on a compilation album produced by Ice T and Afrika Islam, before becoming a duo on Profile Records.The group was a short-lived but influential West Coast hip hop duo. Together, they released one album, We're in This Together before breaking up. They also appeared on the Rhyme Syndicate compilation Rhyme Syndicate Comin' Through. DJ Aladdin began working with Ice-T and WC formed a group called WC and the Maad Circle which included a then-unknown rapper named Coolio.

192 kbps

-
-

Unique And Dashan - Black To The Future (1989) Request

01. Protected By The Red Black And Green

02. Blackwatch

03. Lumumba

04. House Is Taking Over

05. Poet In His Own Time

06. Three The Hard Way

07. Brutalization

08. Versatility

09. Double Trouble

-
WMA @ 128 kbps

-
-

Da Freshmen - All About Girls (1994) Canada

01. Da Gossip (Skit)

02. Next 2 You (Flip)

03. Baby (Flip)

04. Use Me

05. Good Thang

06. Da Booty

07. But Why

08. Da Jeep (Skit)

09. I Told U So

10. Freshmen Girl

11. Da Party (Skit)

12. Here We Go

13. In Da Morn

14. Da Radio (Skit)

15. Baby (Original)

16. Next 2 You (Original)

VBR / Lame 3.97 / Avg. 198 kbps

-
-

#12 - Here We Go

#13 - In Da Morn

Chuck D - Autobiography Of Mistachuck (1996) [-SAMPLER-] Public Enemy

01. Mistachuck

02. No

03. Generation Wrekkked

04. Free Big Willie

05. Paid

(Feat. Hyenas In The Desert)
-

-
VBR / Lame 3.97 / Avg. 252 kbps

Rampage - Take It To The Streets (1997) [CD, Maxi-Single]

01. Take It To The Streets (Feat. Billy Lawrence) (LP Version)

02. Wild For Da Night (Feat. Busta Rhymes) (LP Version)

03. Talk Of The Town (LP Version)

04. Wild For Da Night (Instrumental)

05. Take It To The Streets (Instrumental)

320 kbps

-
-

A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (1993)

01. Midnight Marauders Tour Guide

02. Steve Biko (Stir It Up)

03. Award Tour

04. 8 Million Stories

05. Sucka Nigga

06. Midnight

07. We Can Get Down

08. Electric Relaxation

09. Clap Your Hands

10. Oh My God

11. Keep It Rollin'

12. Chase, Pt. 2

13. Lyrics to Go

14. God Lives Through

Though the abstract rappers finally betrayed a few commercial ambitions for Midnight Marauders, the happy result was a smart, hooky record that may not have furthered the jazz-rap fusions of The Low End Theory, but did merge Tribe-style intelligence and reflection with some of the most inviting grooves heard on any early-'90s rap record. The productions, more funky than jazzy, were tighter overall, but the big improvement, four years after their debut, came with Q-Tip's and Phife Dawg's raps. Focused yet funky, polished but raw, the duo was practically telepathic on "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" and "The Chase, Pt. 2," though the mammoth track here was the pop hit "Award Tour." A worldwide call-out record with a killer riff and a great pair of individual raps from the pair, it assured that Midnight Marauders would become A Tribe Called Quest's biggest seller. The album didn't feature as many topical tracks as Tribe was known for, though the group did include an excellent, sympathetic commentary on the question of that word ("Sucka Nigga," with a key phrase: "being as we use it as a term of endearment"). Most of the time, A Tribe Called Quest was indulging in impeccably produced, next-generation games of the dozens ("We Can Get Down," "Oh My God," "Lyrics to Go"), but also took the time to illustrate sensitivity and spirituality ("God Lives Through"). A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders was commercially successful, artistically adept, and lyrically inventive; the album cemented their status as alternative rap's prime sound merchants, authors of the most original style since the Bomb Squad first exploded on wax.

VBR / Lame 3.97 / Avg. 217 kbps