12/23/16

Kaleber - A History of Rhymin 4: X C I X

Santa's been dead, but we got gifts for you anyway. That's because Long Island's best kept secret Kaleber has returned with yet another archive of lost legends. If you missed AHOR3, you messed up, so check it, then see what Mutiny Music Group CEO The Rebel AK has to say about AHOR4:

Rap artist Jadakiss once asked, "why is there a brother up north better than Jordan that aint get that break?" Why indeed. Which brings us to rap artist Kaleber, a Long Island underground legend who has done everything that the culture and the fraternity of emceeing has asked any and everyone who picks up a microphone to do, and that is, be dope. Simple. Well, Kaleber is dope and Kaleber has been dope for a long time. Which is the point of his mixtape series appropriately titled, A History Of Rhymin. Kaleber hit us in the head with his 3rd installment of the series back in September with X C V (95) a collection of songs recorded in 1995, which showcased a 17-year-old coming-of-age Kaleber on the cusp of lyrical greatness.

Now Kaleber is back with A History Of Rhymin 4: X C I X, the roman numeral for 99, as in the year the tracks were recorded. X C I X  introduces us to a lyrically ferocious 21 year old Kaleber during his "Flava Unit " days, as he puts it. No longer on the cusp of becoming great, he quantum leaped into greatness and shows he was ahead of his time with production from K-Def (Real Live, Lords Of Underground) Poisoned Ivy League and a DJ-turned-super-producer Mark Ronson, along with special guests Sticky Fingaz (Onyx), Angel Dust and R&B singer Joya. Kaleber reveals what Beats Rhymes and Life was like for a New York emcee fighting for lyrical respect from his peers and the intense battle for the audience's favoritism. If you are old enough, you remember, but if you are young, you need to know what the atmosphere for Hip Hop was like in New York in 1999. Biggie was gone, the throne was empty and the crown was up for grabs. Rappers like Jay-Z, Nas, DMX and Canibus dominated the best emcee conversations and debates. There was no room for weak ass lyrics or beats, and there damn sure wasn't any room for wack ass rappers. You had to go hard or go home, and Kaleber wasn't going home. With songs like, "What's the problem?," "Black Moses" and the young Mark Ronson-produced track "Rule #2," along with "Love Me Later" and "All I Want" featuring Sticky Fingaz, Kaleber was here to stay. While the neck breaking epic movie styled track "The Getaway" helps us rediscover the lost tradition of storytelling, it also shows that Kaleber was a contender for those best emcee debates. In 1999, Kaleber appeared in the August issue of the Source Magazine's highly coveted "Unsigned Hype" column. Jonathan Bonnano misspelled his name, but he wrote, "Kaliber is capable of performing verbal gymnastics with vivid descriptions of hardcore images delivered with witty sarcasm." He went on to quote Kaleber's 3rd verse from the song "Rule #2 (Bad Boys)." 

The industry shut out a lot of emcees from the boom bap era and narrowed rap music down to one style of rap. A style of rap that we hip hop purists simply refer to as "dumb shit." Soulless, monotonous, repetitive, unintelligible, dumb shit. But thank God for the internet because now, those same emcees who the industry shut out, discarded and overlooked like diamonds in the rough, are now a click away from (re)discovery. In our surfing the net, we found Kaleber, who has tracks with, Kool G Rap, Dr. Dre's protege John Connor, Legacy, Kam Moye, and a timeless gem of a track called "Dope (New York, New York)" produced by the incredibly talented Nicolay, and with these dope retro tracks that Kaleber has released, it is a true testament of an emcee with a long history of being great. He should be on everybody's list and playlist, yet Kaleber remains this unknown, unsung, off-the-radar people's champ, like the "brother up north who aint get that break." A shame really, but like a subliminal message, the Michael Jordan printed cover of X C I X seems to say to us that just like a fresh pair of Jays, a classic lyricist like Kaleber never go out of style.

Word the fuck up. Stream/download X C I X above and be sure to revisit A History of Rhymin 1 and A History of Rhymin 2, as well as the aforementioned "Unsigned Hype" column, which, thanks to the aforementioned internets, is available online via The Golden Era blog. And happy holiday, dun.

12/15/16

PMP - Raw Uncut

You can probably tell from the tags on this site alone that the early/mid-00s weren't exactly the most fertile period for Long Island hip-hop. One MC who did come into his own at this time, though he never really got his just due, was Port Knox representative Truth Enola aka Pounds Mayor. During the aughts, he released two solo albums on the label Solid Records, as well as a number of singles,

In 2006, Truth Enola teamed with DJ Cross Phada to form the duo PMP. They put out an album called Raw Uncut on Red Diamond Global, Truth's own Garden City-based enterprise which doesn't appear to have released anything else before or since. There also don't appear to have been any singles, videos or other promotional materials issued (other than the now-archived website), however, the album itself can still be downloaded for $9.99 via CD Baby and streamed via YouTube.

12/6/16

Diabolic - Lost Tracks From Kavork's Crates

If you're unfamiliar with the Bandcamp page of Conceptual Elements member Sargon, get familiar because it's a treasure trove of Big Trouble in Little China-type "where'd you get that?" tapes ... like this collection of undated Diabolic tracks, some of which sound like they're even older than the Triple Optix EP. From unrelenting, multi-packed punches to lo-fi tape hiss, there's plenty here for the nostalgia-minded hip-hop purist to enjoy: demos, collabos, "Beats for Bolic," even a "Cipher Example" over a DJ Krush beat, and a super-duper old off-top freestyle over a Company Flow beat (track 13). It's this cut that hints Kavork may be from Bay Shore (also Sargon's neck of the woods), so let's go with that for now...

11/26/16

EPMD - Handle Your Business: Special Edition Mixtape

One of few mixtapes from EPMD's DJ Scratch, Handle Your Business was first posted by the now-defunct 13th Floor Growing Old Blog. According to the post, this tape was sold exclusively on EPMD's 2006 tour. In a 2009 interview with NodFactor.com, DJ Scratch said of his mixtape work, "I’ll do one once every two years or so. When I do one I want it to last. Like the EPMD Handle Your Business mixtape, people already have them but you flip it in your own special way. The concept mixtapes last forever." Download here and preview a standout track below.

11/21/16

Roc Marciano - "Ball of Yarn" (prod. by Gensu Dean)

Right about now, cats who remember the lead up to Reloaded are catching a bit of deja vu from this wave of murderous cameos and non-album solo cuts building to the impending retribution of Rosebudd's Revenge.

To the list that includes the Ras Beats' "No Pressure," DJ Skizz's "Bosses," Alchemist's "All For It," Blue Sky Black Death's "Valley of Kings," DJ Rude One's "Murder Paragraphs" and "Triple Black Benz," and god knows what else, we can now add Gensu Dean's "Ball Of Yarn," from the producer's forthcoming RAW album.

Speaking of albums, social media has been abuzz with talk of Rosebudd's Revenge dropping any day now, and Roc even commented that the chances of a Metal Clergy album are "Very good," as you can see here. Praise him.

11/14/16

+RADICAL$+ E$$ENTIAL$ 2013-2016

This post is long overdue, but with a literal fascist about to take over the country's highest office, I can think of no better time for something +RADICAL+. Here then are some highlights from the young squad's catalog, including some recent and some not-so-recent releases by Amityville's Oscar O'Malley, Mob9 reps Kasper Dangers and DrownMili, and (SUNY) Farmingdale's Black Teenager (originally from Brownsville). These are just a few of the tracks I've been playing on repeat tonight, but there are many more members of this collective, so if you dig what you hear below, dig deeper.

Kasper Dangers - It's Raining Outside (2016) 

Black Teenager - "Born to Die:World is a Fuck" (2016)  
Oscar O'Malley - Orange Starburst Baboon An Da First Offense Vol. 1 (2013)  
DrownMili - "Gold Noose Babe" (2015)

11/8/16

Elucid - "I Want A President"

Elucid takes a cue from Mykki Blanco by covering Zoe Leonard's "I Want A President," but takes it a step further by producing an instrumental accompaniment.

I also have a poem for you. Here goes:

Panic attack
Packing my bags
O Canada

11/1/16

Marlo DeMore & BMC Beats - Sophi

The long anticipated, originally available exclusively to Instagram-based skull cap consumers and Long Island-based hip-hop blog owners, now free for your streaming pleasure.

10/31/16

Bearded Legend - "Macabre"

Capping off our lil' Halloween horror show is "Macabre," a deathly ditty by Bearded Legend, which also serves as the title track off his latest EP. Stream here, download here, and have a Happy Halloween ya hear.

10/29/16

SmooVth & Spectacular Diagnostics - "Sauerkraut" / "Cobra Clutch"

"Shit sound like some horror flick shit," says SmooVth. Indeed.

Superstar - "R.I.P.A.Ville" / "New York"

The further one delves into Horror City's 30+ year catalog, the more one realizes just how deep the collective grew at its peak. The fact that founding member Superstar remains active today is impressive unto itself, but even more so considering he's one of few from the crew for whom this holds true. That said, like TCM, our Halloween marathon continues with some real-life horror stories told by none other than the inimitable, irreplaceable Big Supe. Both songs appear on his 2014 album Ghost of Horror City, available via Spotify and highly recommended.
 

10/27/16

Gore Elohim - Electric Lucifer In Video

Since Halloween is just a few days away, it feels only right to post something by one of the most horrifying MCs ever to come out of LI, Goretex.

Also, I'm like 97% sure I saw this man in the flesh at a screening of Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac in Huntington last weekend, but didn't approach him, because talking to strangers at the Maniac screening is not where I want to be in life right now.

Anyway, Electric Lucifer was criminally slept on when it dropped in 2013. Below are some videos Gore posted for it, and here is a super-in-depth interview he gave just a few months ago. Die! (^non-album cut^)

Tex Stone - "Good In Black"

Tex Stone gets love from Fader with something for lovers to get faded; good looks.

10/15/16

Tex Stone - Kato

All I know is that if this is truly Tex's complete catalog, his limited discography's a testament to quality over quantity.

Theravada - "Bombs in Manhattan"

Too soon/late.

P.E.T.E. & Super Vic - "Butterfly Dreams"

New single off the upcoming Midnite Society project, The Morning Can Wait, produced by Shozae, recorded and mixed by he and QS. You might remember P.E.T.E. as Petey Max from "Midniteizm" off LongIslandRap.Comp V2. Don't sleep. You'll get killed.

10/12/16

Flex - A Ride With Flex


Flex sent a really detailed, if slightly overzealous, email, which probably provides a better introduction than any critical assessment of his EP would, so hopefully he won't mind it being shared with you word-for-word:
"Hello my name is Flex, I'm Hip-hop artist from Long Island, New York. It was during my teen years that music became the driving force of my life. I began to do everything humanly possible to elevate myself, to elevate my craft. I found myself constantly trying to change my environment, challenging myself to adapt to different elements to induce my creativity. You’ve got to understand at the time, I lived in Valley Stream and I was a senior in High School. Its nothing like Harlem or Brooklyn, where creativity and individualism is promoted. So, establishing my identity as an artist became as essential as breathing. And thus Flex was born. New York used to be the Mecca of Hip Hop, my goal as an artist is to be a part of the movement that restores NY to its former glory. I want to put New York back in a position of power. I want people who grew up in the gritty streets of New York, to feel like it’s possible to beat the odds. I want to give people hope."
Peace to Menace for his flip of "No Scrubs" on track four.

10/9/16

The UBC - 2 All Serious Thinkers

The UBC is a rap group from South Hempstead consisting of core members Cae Love, Daryl "D-Nasty" Monroe, Mike "Air" Dolvin, The Blitz and The E-Ski Spectacular Show, with, according to their Facebook page, an extended crew including Mission, King J, Sha Boogie, Law & Prosecutor, Chase Smooth, KSD, ELD, Fish a.k.a. Phasion and Classick. I say "is" rather than "was" because they recently teased the release of a second album titled Return 2 Pitch Black City. The group's fertile period extended from 1988 until 1990, during which time they released four singles and their debut LP, 2 All Serious Thinkers. For further insight, read Thun's 2011 post on its title track, watch the videos below, and download here.

10/2/16

Ekundayo - "Style"

Ekundayo now reps Atlanta but used to run around the Port/Dale/Stead area with a crew called the Roudy Bunch and later, Liuns Den. If you're unfamiliar, check out this compilation of his older work.

Vote Long Island Rap Blog Best of L.I. 2017

1. Click the image or go to http://queenscourier.secondstreetapp.com/l/Best-of-Long-Island/Ballot/ArtsampEntertainment.
2. Hit the down-arrow.
3. Choose Blog from Long Island.
4. Vote Long Island Rap Blog.
5. Provide necessary info (or fake it).
6. Do this again tomorrow (you can vote once per day until December 15).

To win this, we need your support. The Long Island Press sells campaign advertisement packages for hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to nominees. As you know, Long Island Rap Blog is a(n unregistered) nonprofit enterprise. That means there is no promotional budget. (Nor any interest in buying support anyway — what the fuck do you think this is?) There is only you and me and the culture we serve. Vote Long Island Rap Blog. OK, campaign over. Back to the rap now.

9/29/16

Flare Scouts - "Show Me Love" / "Lake Views"

Lakeview-based brothers Ace and Ty might be influenced by '90s hip-hop aesthetics, but they're not so much carrying the torch of any prior movement as they are sparking the flare for their own. Like the clothing designs they fashion re-imagining thrift wear, their sound is truly one-of-a-kind.

If their first release, Flare Scouts the Mixtape, was a signal fire, its followup, Project Extremis, looks from the first two singles to be a four-alarm blaze. Stream both tracks below and support one of Long Island's brightest up-and-coming anti-brands by sourcing something from their website, FlareScouts.com.

Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman - Lice 2: Still Buggin'

An album cover that's a nod to an EPMD album cover, the photo shoot of which just so happens to provide the @LongIslandRaps Twitter profile pic, is also a nod to Long Island Rap Blog, whether Aes knows that shit or not, Homeboy.

This is, of course, the followup to Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman's first LICE EP, which dropped about 10 months ago and on which Aes admitted "I'd be lying if I / Didn't admit I'd like to curl up on Long Island and die." Which also might just be a reference to driving out to Bay Shore, while listening to Curl Up and Die, the metalcore band, which would be a super Long Island thing to do, Aesop.

9/15/16

King Myers - "This Thing Called Life" ft. Rakim (!!!)

Generations of Wyandanch MCs come together on this track from a few months back. "Before they bury me, the goal is to be known as the best," Ra raps. Mission accomplished. Myers, who earns infinite respect just for holding his own here, dropped a new EP on 9/11 called King of AmeriKKKa.

The World According To... - Cryptic One

Some of us create our best work sporadically, letting lightning strike when and where it will, as it were. We reason that you can't summon inspiration or force creativity ... And some of us are either too old for that shit, or just plain don't work like that. We regiment our art, making it an indispensable part of our daily routines, because that's the only way it'll ever get done.

Don't know Cryptic One personally, so can't speak to it definitively, but he certainly comes across as someone from the second category. Following his Beat a Day and Verse a Day series, he now drops the first EP "in a 4 part series of smaller releases to drop between full on releases." Short, on and to the point.

9/9/16

De La Soul is Not Dead: The Documentary

We open on Amityville Memorial High School. Congrats to DLS for topping this week's Billboard Rap Charts.

9/5/16

Kaleber - A History of Rhymin 3: X C V

A trove of previously unreleased tracks by a talented Wyandanch teenager, circa 1995ish. Per The Rebel AK of Mutiny Music Group:

Who is Kaleber? Hailing from Wyandanch New York, this Long Island native and class of The Source magazine's 1999 Unsigned Hype, would have been a crown contender and easily included in the many "who's the best emcee" arguments throughout the 90's. Making his debut in 1994 with a independent release of his 1st single "Game from the Truth" and "How it Runs" , Kaleber was right on par with the top New York emcees of that time.

He represented the archetype emcee. Lyrically ferocious, skillfully versatile, diverse subject matter and dope production from producers like Sahpreem King, grafitti artist turned producer Den-One, the under rated K-Def of Real Live fame, production team Poisoned Ivy League and even a young DJ now super producer Mark Ronson.

All the stars seemed to be lined up in Kaleber's favor to cut out his own piece of rap music legacy. So what happened? Kaleber found out the hard way that being loyal to the wrong people in the music business can derail any and every opportunity to succeed. Being associated with bad management lead to a lot of closed doors and everything from production to record deals became null and void. And so history became legend, and legend became myth.

But, fortunately for us, all was not lost. Like a buried treasure chest washing up unexpectedly ashore, Kaleber's never before heard and unreleased songs from that era have surfaced. A moment of the last days of the golden era captured in this Hip Hop time capsule.





Kaleber's 1st of his 3rd installment of his "History of Rhymin" series is a full length 10 track album called "X C V" , the roman numeral for 95, the possible year this album would have been released. "X C V" introduces us to a 17 year old Kaleber who right out the gate, sounded like a veteran emcee. Track by Track, he lyrical grows right before your ears and showcases himself as a clever wordsmith.

Even songs that at first glance, sound like their going to be light hearted with cool grooves turn out to be displays of lyrical wizardry. Songs like, "Can you feel me?", "Down for mine" and "How it Runz" with laid back production, highlight Kaleber's versatility where as songs like, "Game from the truth", "Money Talks" and "Jealous Niggaz", show Kaleber's aggressive style commanding respect for his flow. But the jewel of "X C V" is a track called "Milk & Amaretto". A superb and dazzling wordplay infused story about meeting a girl, dating a girl, until Kaleber's "spidey senses" lead him to an unforeseen fate that leads to a funny conclusion yet a very dramatic ending.

Now some of the tracks are of cassette tape quality but that doesn't stop you from nodding your head because, well, Kaleber was really that good. Plus the fact that these tracks are from 20 years ago and they still hold up against the test of time is amazing.

X C V features production from Sahpreem King and graffiti artist turned producer Den-One with special guest appearances by rap artist Blackness and R&B singer Kelly Valentine. Also, the tracks on X C V were mixed by engineer and super house music producer the late Guido Osorio (De La Soul - Stakes is High mixed & mastered) of the famed Razor & Guido production team, who also appears on one of the tracks as part of a skit. Guido passed away this summer and he is sincerely missed by all who knew him. Rest In Peace Guido.


Stream/download X C V above and be sure to explore A History of Rhymin 1 and A History of Rhymin 2, both of which are presented by Bash Brothers DJ Concept and DJ Mickey Knox.

8/29/16

Bearded Legend - Phoenix

If you're planning to come out as the Long Island rapper who sounds most like Aqua Teen Hunger Force spider-monster MC Pee Pants, try again, because The Brotherhood's Bearded Legend has already beaten you to the punch. On Phoenix, the Levittown-based artist also shows off an open-ended sample palate, looping up J** ******n and N*****a among others. "Arise chicken! Arise!"

De La Soul Is Documented

Love 'em, hate 'em, or leave 'em alone, De La Soul have throughout their career been nothing if not divisive, and the critical response to their new album seems to be in keeping with that pattern. Whatever your thoughts about and the Anonymous Nobody, the Monster Energy-"fueled," J. Anders Urmacher-directed film, We're Still Here (now)... a documentary about nobody, provides valuable insight into the creative and commercial processes that went into the making of De La's first album in 12 years. The documentation doesn't stop there, though. Earlier today, Mass Appeal posted the trailer to De La Soul Is Not Dead, a short film that "not only looks into the history of De La Soul, but also explores the nagging legal and sample clearance issues that has prevented them from releasing their classic albums such as De La Soul Is Dead (1991) and Stakes is High (1996) on digital platforms like iTunes, Apple Music, or Spotify." The film comes out Wednesday, September 7, but you can learn more about the aforementioned issues from Finn Cohen's New York Times August 8 article, "De La Soul's Legacy Is Trapped in Digital Limbo."

8/27/16

King Cesar - "Bloody Knuckles" ft. Kamackeris, Kong & Spiga (Video Premiere)

Another woRRRRrrrrld premiere-premiere-premiere off King Cesar's new album All the King's Men, out now on Mindbenda Recordings.

This one features a trio of the aforementioned king's men, including Kamackeris and fan-favored cousins Kong & Spiga, with the latter MC providing the hook. Longtime fans of the Monsta Island Czars know these three well for their contributions to the M.I.C. album Escape from Monsta Island and Cesar's Monster Mixes Vol. 1 & 2, as well as a string of impressive solo projects, including Kamackeris' Artz & Craftz and Kong's Shackles Off.

Here, Cesar plays the cut, allowing an eerie loop to speak on his behalf. The perfectly demented supplement for your Saturday morning cartoons.

8/17/16

"Yo, I met Parish Smith today, man."
LIRB Interviews Elucid

Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of sitting down with rapper/producer Elucid in his East New York home for an extensive interview with Tiny Mix Tapes. Our conversation focused mainly on his 2016 solo album, my front-runner for AOTY, Save Yourself, but among its many brilliant lyrics we discussed, there were two lines I asked about specifically because of their relevance to Long Island. Read what he had to say and watch the videos for "Son Still Shine" x "Obama Incense" off Save Yourself and the title cut off Never 2ndary, the new mixtape by his crew Lessondary.


I wanted to ask a couple things just on some Long Island shit. "Babies wave guns out in Plainview?"

Ha! Yo, definitely, I wasn’t thinking Plainview, Long Island, BUT, yeah, that’s kind of interesting. I’ve never thought about that.

You weren’t thinking about that at all?

I wasn’t. I was thinking plain view like broad day. That is kind of ill. Nobody’s waving guns out in Plainview, I don’t think. Did Plainview take a turn for the worse?

Well, that’s what I thought was funny about it.

That’s hilarious. Ahhhh, that’s great. That’s funny as shit.

It’s one of my favorite lines!

On the way out the Bar Mitzvah, b-dddddd-dah.


And the other one is "Lest They Forget," where you meet Parish Smith in a fast food restaurant in the boondocks?

That was a fact. First job: Deer Park location of McDonald’s, Deer Park Avenue. I’m fucking behind the counter, sweeping up, and Parish Smith just walks in and orders a Big Mac Extra Value Meal super-sized, and he got like two apple pies. All I had the time to say was like, "Yo, what up? You’re dope."

How old were you?

Like 15, 16, I’d just gotten working papers, literally the first real job. I just gave him a dap and that was it, straight up. That area is wild, though. It’s got a lot of weird kind of stars.

There was a studio, I don’t know if it’s still there anymore.

Charlie Marotta was there in Deer Park. Charlie Marotta engineered all of the EPMD records, so yeah, that’s in Deer Park, but Lobo Studios in Dix Hills, the next town over. Guys like Nas were recoding at Lobo, DMX was recording at Lobo. I don’t know why guys were trooping in from the City to record in Dix Hills.

It’s always been like that. Hempstead had 510 Gant Studios where tons of people recorded.

Yeah, all of these guys are out there, so I would randomly see rappers of that time.

I think it’s just because engineers, by and large, are just regular dudes who are audio professionals. They live out on the Island and open up studios. It’s always been that way. If you look at the credits on psych rock records from the ‘60s and ‘70s, you’ll see weird studio names in random villages on Long Island.

Yeah, yeah, I thought that was really dope. I mean, I don’t know what the fuck [Parish Smith] was doing out there. He was out there in the McDonald’s eating bad food, and I was like, "Yo, I met Parish Smith today, man."

8/10/16

King Cesar - "Call Em Ceaz" (Video Premiere)

King Cesar a.k.a. X-Ray da Mindbenda a.k.a. 1/2 of Darc Mind and the producer responsible for putting out a sizable potion of the Monsta Island Czars discography has a new album out called All the King's Men, and Long Island Rap Blog has the distinct privilege of premiering its first video single, "Call Em Ceaz." All the King's Men is something of a reunion for the Czars as many of them lend features to the project. Check out the stacked tracklist below and order your copy here.

8/7/16

MeccaGodZilla - Da Listening Session Freestyle 8/3

MeccaGodZilla goes in on "Represent." Catch him September 3 performing live at the Paperbox for the opening show of Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival.

8/6/16

Malachi - "BirdsNDaBees" / "MWNBTS"

Two beautiful videos directed by Kenneth Callier for songs by Malachi "The Peace God" Winstead, the second of which sets off his 2016 album Propaganda 217, out now on Lost Island Records. Look for much, much more from this talent-heavy Hempstead-based collective coming soon.

8/2/16

JVC Force - Non-Album Cuts

For those who don't know — which, judging by recent submissions, is most of you — JVC Force is the group behind the original "Strong Island" anthem, a late '80s hit you might still catch on WBLS once in a blue moon and which, rightly so, was the first song ever posted on this site.

However, frankly speaking, even your trusted Long Island Rap Blogger isn't old enough to remember when these joints came out, so for the history lesson, I'll refer you to Old Rap Man Robbie's "Unkut Guide to J.V.C. Force" and to Chopped Herring Records, which actually provided official wax releases for a few of the chunes you'll hear today. (One of them is still available, so click that link and support the artists, ya heard?) On that note, respect due to The Meaning of Dope for originally uploading some of these tracks, including the freestyle below, and to The T.R.O.Y. Blog for putting this whole shebang together back in 2009. TBH, the "Strong Island" instrumental/dub version is worth the download time alone, but without further ado, here is the (un)official...

1. Late 80s Freestyle
2. Strong Island (Blue Mix)
3. Doin' Damage (Original Version)
4. Red Alert Promo #1 (1989)
5. We Got Our Own Thing
6. Nu Skool (Original Version)
7. Love Line
8. Force Field (Alternate Mix)
9. Red Alert Promo #2 (1992)
10. Stretch & Bobbito Promo (1993)
11. Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle Session
12. Big Trax
13. 6 Feet Back On The Map (Hardcore Mix-Up)
14. 6 Feet Back On The Map (Bedside Manor Mix)
15. Strong Island (Instrumental)

7/31/16

Elucid - "Colonizer's Corpse" (Laptop Demo Series)

Update from Elucid on sojourn in South Africa: "I'm in Madiba's prison cell having a panic attack / Don't look me in the eye right now."

7/30/16

Sky Walker - Lyrical Assassin

That end-of-the-month murder, word.

Skizz - "Bosses" ft. Roc Marciano & Conway

Off Cruise Control, for the times when you listened to Strength and Honor and felt like you were playing a video game.

                                                                                            ...Revenge is in the air, though.

7/28/16

Just B. Polo - "Working For It" / "The Over Under"

Just B. Polo submitted these tracks for consideration, which honestly had me feeling kind of taken aback. I mean, the kid's got two high-end, picture-perfect videos, mad songs on iTunes, a super-clean website, a fucking verified Facebook account, and a showcase in Amityville coming up August 5. We should be going to him for career advice, right? Yo Just, I posted the tracks. Uhhh, can I borrow a dollar?

7/18/16

John Coltrane Jazz Festival - July 23

It looks like there's only one hip-hop act on the bill (peace to The Constituents) for this all-day festival taking place at Huntington's Heckscher Park, but regardless, this is an event that's not to be missed.

Festival hours: 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Admission is free, though a $10 donation is suggested to help restore the Coltrane home in Dix Hills (where he wrote A Love Supreme in case you didn't know).

Tentative event schedule here.

Workshop registration here.

Roy Haynes headlines.

7/17/16

Megalon & MeccaGodZilla - "The Track Killa"


New murder by the two former Monsta Island Czars, also available on iTunes and Google Play.

DJ Prince - South African House Mix

Back on the subject of South African trips, you should listen to this before it gets taken down.

Rah.94 - "Melancholy High"

New Rah.94 f.k.a. Kid Rah. "Sticks and stones no bones broke / Niggas crack smiles when you're broke / Politicians be cutthroat / Assassinating while you're waiting on their reparations / The cast of Satan in that 'ministration contemplating reevaluation of the masses waiting / New viruses for contaminate-exterminating freedom and enslavement is a working statement / Man, I'm bored / Living in a world I need money to explore."

7/12/16

Elucid - "Dutch Wax"

Elucid and his girl took a trip to Africa. Or as he said, "I'm six hours ahead of my old self. I've got two winters, no summer and a bad bitch."

7/11/16

Kaotik Ellement - "SACRED GROVE" (Freestyle) ft. Sky Walker

New organics from that tree hugger Kaotik Ellement, whom you ought to have heard on LongIslandRap.Comp V2. Background commentary by his fellow Freeporter Sky Walker.

7/9/16

Clarity - One Heroic Dose

Co-founder of Conceptual Elements and New Muse Productions, Clarity is the Long Island hip-hop Aldous Huxley, opening doors of perception in the house of genre clash, a kaleidoscopic Kool-Aid Man crashing through the walls between rap and spoken word poetry, with One Heroic Dose.

This album was recorded live at East Setauket's Velvet Lounge in 2014. Another was recorded there June 11 (when Clarity opened for Kool Keith!!!) and should be coming soon.

Tafari - "Offtop" (Flava in Ya Ear Freestyle)

Tha Connection - "Windz"

6/30/16

Shozae & Grandmilly - 2 Stoopid Dogz

Rhymes by Grandmilly. Beats by Shozae. Mixed by Shozae & QS. Art by DavidFTC. Download below.

Dread Da Don - "Mafioso" ft. Don Cash

It's a meeting of three Dons as Inwood's Dread Da Don brings in Long Beach's Don Cash for a New York crime side saga produced by Don P. A longtime LIRB-favorite, Cash was recently featured on LongIslandRap.Comp Volume 2 and, bluntly speaking, makes this track his own even though he's the one listed as the featured artist. You know what they say, though: "Cash rules."

"Down in the ‘Danch" By Alissa Fleck

"...1920s German resort town that seems all but forgotten..."

"The home of former German SS officer Bill Lyons, who lived in the area following World War II, is now a mosque."

"Driving through Wyandanch looking for action, Cronogue at one point loudly jokes: 'Come on, somebody shoot someone.'"

6/29/16

TrueFreedom - "Wicked" / "Money"

TrueFreedom is ALLAN and Keef, two hustle-minded Hempsteaders who clearly know some of the right people. Case in point: "Wicked" was produced by Grandmilly with a video by Numeral. It'll be on Voo Doo the Mixtape, coming soon. And the "Money" video, which as you can see features Grandmilly, was directed by Kenny Orlando. That song comes from the Trap EP, which is available for free with any purchase from the TrueFreedom Shop. Freedom is free, because it's inside you. TrueFreedom merch starts at just $15 though. Get more free at TFSociety.com.

6/28/16

Swad - Ripple(s) #1-4

Swad raps too. (Peace to Young Melanin.) But for my money, diced up instros like these are strong enough on their own without any vox. (Of course, for your money, you can lease or purchase some Swad beats and do your best to prove me wrong.) Scary thing is the above gems are actually just unfinished leftovers from the vaults.

DJ Stitches & BP - The Producerz


Dug this mix up from the the old WAXWERKZ blog. DJ Stitches and BP trade remixes of tracks by Half-a-Mil, Big L, Ras Kass, Pharoah Monch, Mobb Deep, Nas, Jadakiss, M.O.P., Big Pun, Kool G Rap, B.I.G., Jay-Z, Raekwon and more.

6/27/16

Chilo/Irs - "CnI"

"CnI" is the titular lead single off the new album from Riverhead-raised MC/poet Chilo Cajigas and Brooklyn-based DJ/producer Devi8tor Irs (hence C-n-I). For more true school poetics over grassroots break beats with an anti-colonial slant, hit the bandcamp.

Zilla Rocca & The Shadow Boxers ft. Roc Marciano - "Young Blood (Zilla Rocca Remix)"

Remix of standout track from illadelpian Zilla Rocca's No Vacation For Murder.

DJ Surrup - #BarcelonaBrazy

The usually downtempo DJ Surrup shows his taste is anything but one-note, with a real-time mix of hip-hop, grime, jungle, house and Miami bass joints.

6/22/16

Subroc and Kurious - WKCR Freestyle

Undated Subroc radio freestyle ripped from Stretch and Bobbito replay show uploaded by Dirty Waters. Photo of a young Subroc on the Apple II circa 1987 taken from GRNDGD who got it form Dimbaza Dumile (brother of DOOM and Subroc).

6/21/16

Ras Beats - "Wit No Pressure" ft. Roc Marciano

How to set off an otherwise quiet month on the Long Island Rap Blog: Roc Marciano track including the bars: "Lit up a bogey, your flow to me is karaoke / The pad is smokey and my back is soapy / My whole cult be like Aleister Crowley." Look for Ras Beats' Control Your Own July 19 on Worldwide Recordings.

6/14/16

Green Enk Society Presents
GEDA - It's Always Sunny in New Amsterdam (Premiere)

Pour out some riot punch because Long Island Rap Blog is proud to bring you the latest release from Bay Shore's Green Enk Society, It's Always Sunny in New Amsterdam by GEDA the Genius. A five-song EP about life in these New York streets, it features DJ Amazin (former DJ of the late Chinx), as well as Dos Cold, Grand Wizzard MC and Munch Pilot. But with lines like "These cops ain't nicer than me / I live my life in these streets, they just work 9-5 in these streets" and "My president is black whenever it's convenient / Fam got my back as long as I never need shit," GEDA clearly has the bars to hold down top billing. To hear more from GEDA and the Green team, check them out at greenenkgallery.wordpress.com.

6/11/16

Hus Kingpin & Rozewood - "Love Day"

Taking the high road in the Winners-Griselda rift: "I just had yall niggas out in LA, smoking the best weed you ever seen in your face."

Trill Carl - "June 24th" / "Félicité"

Corrupt Entertainment representative Trill Carl looks a few weeks ahead to the future and reflects on the traumas that so often inform it.

6/8/16

DJ Kaos - 1994 DMC USA East Coast Eliminations

You might know DJ Kaos from Too Poetic, or if you go way back, various Wyandanch events from the day. Here he is showing off his chops at the 1994 DMC East Coast Eliminations. If you want to hear more DJ sets from him, be sure to check out The Original DJ Kaos Facebook page as well.

6/1/16

Introducing June

June knows what time it is. Unfortunately, judging by his play counts, you probably don't. But that's OK ... for now. Analyze the economics of ill monosyllabic Noyd-like phonics. "I'll be back in a glimpse. One thing about my faction is this: We aint satisfied until the target is hit on a concrete stiff. Only the shell of his character exists." "Back then they used to stone men, kill next of kin. Soft like Barbie and Kim, nah that aint him, just a cheap blend." "J, you smoke too much. Shit, I aint smoking enough. Turn to Channel 12 to see another one bites the dust." "Head steeped in the greenery. The scenery's the front yard and the canopy. Can this be? Recorded as a mystery. Misery. Male tendencies. 'Stop hitting me,' she yelled." "Inside the crackhouse cooking up base, distraught by the look on her face. I'd do whatever it takes..." [If you don't recognize that sample flip, get off my blog.]  "In the end it all hurts. Is the pain worth getting covered makeup on my shirt?" "Hennessy chased the coke. Needle laced with dope-a-rope. Nod to this rhyme I wrote reaching for enjoyment. Lack of unemployment got bullets deploying. Block is hot til the beast destroyed it."

5/20/16

Nominate Long Island Rap Blog for Best of Long Island


1. Go to https://bestof.longislandpress.com/nominations-arts-and-entertainment/.
2. Select "Blog from Long Island" in the Category menu.
3. Enter Long Island Rap Blog under Nominee.
4. Enter http://www.longislandrapblog.com in all other fields, except...
5. Enter longislandrapblog@gmail.com under Nominee Contact Email.
6. Click submit.
7. Send the link to all your friends, please.
8. Do it again tomorrow and the next day (you can nominate us as many times as you want).
9. Read the Long Island Press. It's one of the last bastions of true journalism.
10. Vote for us once voting opens (October 1).

De La Soul Announces And the Anonymous Nobody Tracklist, Pre-Orders Now Available


The first album ever to feature both Roc Marciano and David Byrne (I don't need to fact-check that, right?) is now available for pre-order — digital copies only, for now, apparently.

5/16/16

LongIslandRap.Comp Volume 2


"I think people’s point of view of what we were trying to do—it seemed as if they were pointing their hands at us like, these guys are basically here to represent something that we believe that they are, and they’re going to act the way we think they’re supposed to. It was like, no, that’s not who we are. It’s not what we’re doing, and it’s not what we feel."
-David Jude Jolicoeur

Download LongIslandRap.Comp Volume 2. Support the artists.

Andy Koufax - "Luna Melt" from Chin Music; Kaotik Ellement - "Burmuse Ruby (Botany Mix)" from Soundcloud; Marlo DeMore & Ra - "Argyle" from Faded Black and Gold released on Dinner Land; Rodan - "Human Inquisition" from Theophany: The Book of Elevations released on Day By Day Entertainment; Eric B. & Rakim - "Casualties of War (Moor Militant Mix)" from Casualties of War Promo VLS released on MCA Records; High Council - "No Mercy" from No Stress/No Mercy VLS released on High Council Records; Resident Alien - "State of Emergency" from It Takes a Nation of Suckers to Let Us In; Tafari - "Gods. (For My Niggas)" from F R E E; Sense Wondah - "Daydream" from While You Were Sleeping released on All Business Records; Elucid - "Throwing Bones" from Backwoodz Studioz Soundcloud; Son of Bazerk - "J Dubs Theme" from Change the Style VLS released on SOUL Records; Busta Rhymes - "In The Streets" ft. MF DOOM from The Return of the Dragon: The Abstract Went On Vacation released on Conglomerate Records; Brainstorm Da G.R.Y.M. - "I Hate This Game" from Occupy True Culture released on Tekton Words and Works; Midnite Society (Sho da Flo Man, Dunny Cold Facts and Petey Max) - "Midniteizm" (Final Version Courtesy of Shozae); Argotec - "Inertia" from Language of the Heart; Hus Kingpin - "Leila" from House of Kingpin: The Revamp Edition; Truth Enola - "Take You To A Place" from 6 O'Clock Straight released on Solid Records; Don Cash - "Vaseline" from Working After Work.

5/13/16

De La Soul Is Dead 25th Anniversary Memorial

Today marks the 25th anniversary of what is undoubtedly one of the greatest Long Island hip-hop albums of all time, De La Soul is Dead. To celebrate this milestone, the group have put together memorials at 298 Elizabeth Street (former location of Rush Management) and 37th Street & 6th Avenue (former location of Calliope Recording Studios). If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and light a candle for us.

De La has also launched a website, delasoulisdead.com, where you can attach your name to a scrolling memorial registry, stream the album, and download a previously unreleased demo from the DLSID sessions. If you'd like to hear some other demos, remixes and b-sides from those sessions, check out our re-up of the T.R.O.Y. blog's De La Soul is Dead Era Rarities compilations.

5/11/16

Torii Wolf - "1st"

This isn't a rap song, but I went to high school with this young lady and now she's doing a whole album with DJ Premier, so deal with it.

5/2/16

Kaotik Ellement - "Morado" / "G.O.D."

Long Island has its answer to the Project Blowed movement, but it's not an open mic showcase at a health food spot; it's a 21-year-old from Freeport who goes by Kaotik Ellement.

Kaotik Ellement isn't the only MC on LI who has an impeccable taste in beats (his Soundcloud page features him rhyming over instrumentals by Nujabes, Botany, Prefuse 73, Madlib and DJ Krush among others), but he's the only one I've heard who blesses these beats with unforced ahayauasca references and a flow worthy of comparison to the West Coast's most eclectic collective.

The songs below are a few years old, but they go a long way toward demonstrating that Kaotik is much more than just a creative kid with a dope voice and a good ear. And they show what he can do when teamed with equally impressive local talent, like Hempstead-based producer/instrumentalist Lobos y Robos. Look for more from this MC (and hopefully this duo too) in this near future.

5/1/16

King Cesar - Body Of Work


King Cesar's a horned, bearded, fire spitting Monsta Island Czar who incinerates the townsfolk for sport. His Body Of Work, therefore, is like a road strewn with charred corpses, their blackened arms outstretched from ashen cars.

Or something.

Body Of Work is also like a little greatest hits compilation. Several of these songs were on the Monsta Island Czars' Escape album. A few are a bit more rare, like the "Die" remix off Kong's Gorilla Warfare EP.

Looks to be one of several new projects from King Cesar aka X-Ray da Mindbenda for 2016. He also appears on a number of records out now on vinyl via Heavy Crates, and he recently re-upped some old episodes of his X-Tacy Radio Show on mixcloud.



4/29/16

De La Soul - for your Pain & Suffering

Perhaps in a transparent effort to quell the can-hurling masses of Kickstarter supporters raucously demanding updates on the crowd-funded and the Anonymous Nobody album, De La Soul has released a four-track EP along with their announcement that the aforementioned full-length will be out August 26.

4/27/16

Kool Herc Dance Party in Huntington Friday

Hip-hop inventor and innovator, the legendary DJ Kool Herc will be making his glorious return to the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington this Friday, April 29 at 9 PM.

"Glorious return, you say?" Yes, he previously appeared at CAC to DJ the Long Island premiere of 2015 documentary Rubble Kings (see photo at left).

"Cinema Arts, you say?" Word. While you might not immediately associate Long Island's home of independent, foreign and art-house film with hip-hop, truth be told, CAC is by its very nature a multicultural hub. Tickets and details are available here.

4/25/16

Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid Music-Movie


As the The Impossible Kid filmbum has debuted fresh on the heels of the Lemonade music-movie, let it be decreed that the rapper formerly known as Aesop Rock shall henceforth be recognized as Baesop Rock, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto.

4/23/16

Prafit - "Nice Weather" (prod. Disco Vietnam)

Now that the temperature's risen, it feels like an appropriate time to post this feel-good chune by Wyandanch MC Prafit and Huntington Station producer Disco Vietnam. Fun fact: this song was recorded by LI legend Nate Tinsley. Do the knowledge.

Sky Walker - A Night In Nirvana

You know how sometimes somebody hits you with a Soundcloud link like, "New tape out," and you say you're going to check it out but you don't see it as imperative or you've got other stuff going on, so you just let it chill for a minute by the wayside, but then when finally you do click that you immediately feel like you're 3 years late even when it's only been 3 weeks since the tape dropped? Yea, this is that. Peace to Sky Walker.

4/10/16

Elucid - "Heavy Rotation" ft. Jay Supreme

With Elucid's Backwoodz Studioz solo debut, Save Yourself, just five days away, now seems as good a time as any to unearth some music from the sessions that mark the true beginning of this young old veteran's recording career. If you've been following this site for a while, you might've already heard Elucid's early '00s hometown anthem "Strong Island Part One," which was produced by his uncle, DJ Stitches. What we didn't realize when we posted that song was that it came from the rapper's first EP, a four-song affair called The One In Man, recorded and produced entirely by DJ Stitches. Elucid told me about this release some time after the song was posted here, but it was actually an old post from Stitches' now-defunct blogspot that put me on the trail of the song you're hearing here today. Much linkage has disappeared from THE REAL DJ STITCHES PRESENTZ WAXWERKZ over the years, so the EP itself is no longer available (not there at least), but the site does still show the tracklist, which led me to the Amazing Tunes link above. (I don't know wtf Amazing Tunes is either, but apparently you can download this cut for £0.79 via Paypal from there.) Rewind then Save Yourself April 15.