Zapp S/T
Growing up in Cali in the 80′s and 90′s, and being into west coast hip hop, you had to have heard of Zapp. I believe the first time I heard it was blaring through a 86′ Thunderbird’s raggedy 6 inch standard speakers. My uncle was at the wheel and although I was younger than him, I felt whatever he was feeling because this song was ill. The clap-snare and the crispness of the synth sounds on “more bounce to the ounce” made you want to bob ya head. And we did. Once this song was engrained in my head from my Uncle hitting the rewind button, I was eager to hear somebody rap over it. My dream came true many times over the years.
The group Zapp, was headed by Roger, Larry, Lester and Terry Troutman, and the band was a 80′s funk machine. This particular album contains the dance floor banger and heavily sampled “More Bounce to the Ounce.” Roger used the talk box to deliver vocals on more bounce to the ounce. The song was produced by Bootsy Collins, a bassist involved with such funk heavyweights as Parliment Funkadelic and George Clinton. This album came out in 1980, yet it is a timeless piece of art. Tragically, along the same lines as Marvin Gaye, Roger Troutman was shot and killed in 1999 outside a studio by his brother, Larry Troutman. Rest in peace, BUT, THE FUNK LIVES ON!
HIP HOP BEATS
I found this gem one day thumbing through the used hip hop section of L5P’s Wax N Fax. At first, I thought it was some rare, lost bootlegged BDP demo, but it wasn’t. I’d never even heard of it until I saw it that day, and based on the title alone, I was eager to hear it.
It’s pretty much an hip hop instramental album narrated by the teacha. The samples are low rate and raw, neatly laid over breaks that give you that “golden era” feeling.. Most of the joints are 1 bar drums stacked on 1 bar samples. So, if you like that gritty SP sound, grab it.
Disc 1:
1.Steady Bounce
2.Wanna Battle-
3.Warm Up
4.Yes, Yes, Y’all
5.Venus
6.Nute
7.Tiamot
8.Asherah
9.Isis
10.A Moment of Silence
Disc 2:
1.Hera [More Chicken Shit]
2.Aphrodite
3.Eve
4.Shiva
5.I Love Simone
6.Walking Away
7.KRS Loves Simone
8.Stick Up
9.Some Live Shit from the East Coast
10.Some Live Shit from the West Coast
cd 1: http://rapidshare.de/files/19238532/KRS_1_disc_1.zip.html
cd 2: http://rapidshare.de/files/19239373/KRS_1_disc_2.zip.html
Prison Industry
So, I’ve been reading Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur, which allows the reader a grim glimpse of prison life. From juvenile to prison, this system is becoming, according to many, a system of exploitation similar to slavery. While I have not delved into it too much to form a logical opinion, this lecture is a great starting point. Delivered by Angela Davis in 1997 at Colorado College, it speaks volumes on this new “system” of neo-slavery.
Supreme Mathematics
Elijah Muhammad “Judgement of the World is Now”
Elijah Muhammad…what can I say except that I think he is one of those great men that have graced this earth, specifically America. I’ll try to refrain from making him out to be an American hero, because he was not. In my heart, I believe he was a prophet, and a rebel, who attacked the system rather than joining or bowing to it. Now, first off, I want to say that I am not a member of the Nation of Islam. I’ve studied the NOI and have respect for their patriarch, but I’m not a member.
So, let me get back to why I think Elijah was a great man and why this recording should be heard. Here we have a man who had less than a 5th grade education that would go on to create a group that did more for Black Americans in the 50s and 60s than any other. Elijah fled the south after seeing the reoccurring theme of strange fruit to Detroit not only to provide a better life for his family, but to spread the good word to Black Americans about who they really were. He met a man, Farad Muhammad, who instructed him on how to resurrect the lost nation of Black people in America. From the establishment of Elijah as the supreme leader of the Nation of Islam, he went on to do things for Black people that America couldn’t even do. The justice system of America couldn’t have turned lowly Black criminals, whose lives were mired in poverty and violence into to upstanding citizens. This man, with a 4th grade education had the power to do this and much more. He created Malcolm, Louis and many others. The audio here is an speech called “Judgment of the World is Now” which was released on vinyl possibly in the late 60’s. He speaks on the coming destruction of the world and the day of judgement. His speech and dialect are difficult to understand, but the meaning is utterly clear. Injoy.
