Episode 4 : Milk Is Chillin'

Sep 12, 2009

"Sometimes you gotta do right."

- Garrett

Been an interesting month, from hanging out with the guys at Non-Stop sneaker store in Madrid to playing at the first night of Neighbourhood for a top crowd - oh, and assembling this of course! Still not used to the sound of my own voice on the voice-overs, maybe I should just prepare statements and have them read by a lawyer? :o)
As Columbo would say, "just one more thing" - after many years of waiting, Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part II" is finally out this month - do yourself a favour and grab a copy!

---

Playlist/Notes
Natural Elements : Paper Chase 2005

Natural Elements are some of the most talented MCs you'll hear in your life; unfortunately, record company politics meant they never quite got a fair shake. This track is one I personally like (which of course is why it's on here) but it's not even their very best work...find everything you can they've ever been on!

Jan Hammer : Tubbs & Valerie

From the "Escape From Television" album, made up of music taken from Hammer's brilliant work on the "Miami Vice" TV series. Everyone knows "Crockett's Theme" and the TV show theme, but this album is well worth picking up.

Reks : Say Goodnight

Spacey DJ Premier beat (but with the usual rock-hard drums), and Reks doesn't waste it!

Apani B-Fly Emcee : Estragen

That third verse has multiple MCs on it and goes on for a while so I cut it short this time; the full list of guests for the whole track is (deep breath) - Lyric, Helixx C. Armageddon, Ayana Soyini, What? What?, Pri Da Honey Dark, Yejide The Night Queen, and Heroine.

Chuck D : No

Of course, Chuck D is one of the elder statesmen of Hip-Hop (and has been since he started - released the first Public Enemy album at  27) and can always be counted on to bring an adult voice to proceedings - literally and figuratively.

Above The Law : Harda U R Tha Doppa U Faal

Seriously overlooked crew from Pomona, California, these guys spent years in the metaphorical forest smashing down every tree in sight, but with not enough people to hear the sound. They were doing the G-Funk sound before Dr.Dre, Cold 187 and KMG were a fantastically complementary mic tag team and overall they were just ahead of their time. This is one of those album tracks which I love but have never heard mentioned anywhere, ever.

9th Wonder : Unreleased Instrumental

Allegedly "Volume 3, Beat 5" on a bootleg-looking pressing. If this has been used, let me know!

Brand New Heavies ft. Q-Tip : Sometimes (Ummah Remix)
Common ft. Erykah Badu, Pharrell & Q-Tip: Come Close Remix (Closer) ft.

Dilla (& Q-Tip) double bill! Two of his best smoothed-out remixes - but *do not* sleep on the bassline of that Common track. Try it out on a decent car system if you have one! It's worth noting is that there's also a Dilla remix of BNH's "Saturday Night" which is serious dancefloor business.

The Away Team : Scream Out!

The Away Team are Justus League affiliates out of North Carolina, made up of Khrysis (producer) and Sean Boog (MC). I found this online while browsing around for Sean Price stuff I hadn't heard (he features on the same album this track is from, "Training Day") - this plus the track "Awesome" had me ordering a copy the same night!
Just one thing though - "month" and "us" do not rhyme...

Gang Starr ft. WC & Rakim : The Militia II

The original was a classic of course (with the killer Bumpy Knuckles third verse) but this is a worthy sequel; solid Primo beat and three quality verses.

Torae : Switch

Killer "impersonation" track where Torae takes on the flow of a different MC every 4 bars; some of them are absolutely dead on! Can anyone name them all?

J-Zone : Prima Donna (Instrumental)

J-Zone is one of the most original, inventive producers out there as well as a highly entertaining MC. He doesn't actually rhyme himself on the vocal version of this but do seek out his stuff if you like good music and have a sense of humour :o)

Tommy Tee : Aerosoul

One of the standout tracks from Bomb Records' "Return Of The DJ Vol II" - not a super-technical turntablist track but a great piece of production with solid, tight scratching and excellent choices of samples.

---

If you do hear anything you especially like then do get in touch and let me know, and please support the artists - find more output of theirs on Spotify to get a feel for it, go to live shows if you can (that's where they really get paid) and buy the stuff you like the most!