Biz Markie & TJ Swan - Live in Boston, 1987

Talks out of turn. Doesn't listen to instruction. Tastes too niche for the mainstream and too common for the collectors. Can't figure out how to get Bing to acknowledge his website's existence. Remains largely unresponsive. Doesn't play well with others? Certainly won't beg anyone to attend the cookout. 

If you read this, I appreciate you. But please understand that as much as I hope you enjoy doing so, it's besides the point. This is all for me and mine, always has been. Your presence is not required. See the comments section for almost every post. Do note the absence of snake oil-selling spambots while you're at it.

In conclusion, "Anybody that don't got the AIDS or ain't on crack, throw your hands up in the air."

Marley Marl's "My Melody" Remixes

Imagine you're Marley Marl. Eric B. has brought to your home studio an unknown 17-year-old Long Islander calling himself Rakim. The kid doesn't sound like any rapper you've ever heard. He's not putting much energy into this, won't get up from the couch. Shan comes in and has the same reaction. Matter of fact, the kid's like an anti-Shan. "Just let me finish doing what I'm doing," he says. So you do. And well, it's something. You don't know what, but something. The kid leaves, and you play it on the radio, and the lines blow up. Who was that? What was that? And now you get it. And you proceed to replay and remix it over and over for no less than a year.

Harri-O & Steevie Weevie - "Beatitude/Paranoimia"

For many, college offers a kind of political awakening. It's not just that you're old enough to vote now. You've been living with mom and dad for 17-plus years, largely focused on being a kid and less so on the non-governmental politics that (in)effectively govern society as we know it. That is, if you're socially and/or economically privileged enough to need not recognize and navigate such concerns earlier on in life. The rest of us have been political.

So, it'd probably be at least gross oversimplification, if not outright fantasy, to imagine some Adelphi University-inspired political awakening influenced the members of Spectrum City to remobilize as Public Enemy, the Bomb Squad, and the Security of the First World (S1Ws). But it was at Adelphi that Chuck D designed the Public Enemy logo. And it was there that he and another student by the name of Harry Allen first crossed paths. Public Enemy would later dub Allen the Media Assassin, even naming him as their director of enemy relations at one point. But before Public Enemy debuted on the national stage, when Harry Allen was introduced to the Spectrum crew, he went by or was given another name, Harri-O. 

Now, "Don't Believe the Hype" is generally regarded as Harry Allen's recording debut. If you've read this far, you know his appearance in the song so I won't draw this transition out any further. But what you might not know about is the time in February of 1985 or '86 when Harri-O went on Adelphi's WBAU to read an essay about apartheid in South Africa. One listener all the way up in Nyack, New York, was so moved he called the station and was connected with Harri-O himself. And so began the correspondence that forms the crux of today's post. Allen would go on to send this listener, a kid named Steve, a recording of the essay along with a trio of pause-tape beats he'd created.

Upon receiving this parcel, Steve would remix the recorded essay to Art of Noise's "Paranoimia," possibly drawing inspiration from the WBAU mainstay, Chuckie D and MC DJ Flavor's "We're Down with the DJs," which used Art of Noise's "Close (To The Edit)" as a backbeat. Steve then sent this remix, dubbed "Beatitude/Paranoimia," back to Allen. Decades later, Steve, now a self-proclaimed "archivist overlord" would upload the (unremixed) recording of the essay along with those three Harri-O beats to his Pause Button Remix site. In sharing these tracks, he referred to his remix as "dreadful, not worth publishing here." 

But back then, at least on paper, Harri-O would have disagreed. He told Steve he loved the remix and offered up some suggestions. But he didn't stop there. After all, this was the 1980s. Ambitions abounded. And so Allen wrote Steve, "Let's start an indy + begin it with a release of our own stuff. Mine thus far ... and whatever rappers, suckers or criminals we decide need to be heard," a noble ambition, to be sure. The postcard continued, "I have an idea for a group (rap-punk) that would be a Just-Ice / Dead Kennedys / Fishbone cross, and of which I would be lead MC. Write back soon concerning this idea ... or just send another tape." 

The correspondence would also yield a typed copy of the "Beatitude" essay "slightly revised" by Allen. Notably, its last page states that the essay was "originally presented Saturday, September 7, 1985 at the hempstead seventh-day adventist church, hempstead, ny." 

Perhaps it goes without saying that the rap-punk group Harri-O envisioned never materialized. (Unless, maybe this idea evolved into Son of Bazerk? Sheer conjecture on my part.) However, as alluded to earlier, Steve did hold onto "Beatitude/Paranoimia." And I asked him for it. And here it is, definitely well worth publishing and not at all dreadful. 

Which brings us back to politics. Assuming "Beatitude" was written in 1985, delivered on air in '86 and revised in 1987, it is cotemporaneous with the beginnings of Public Enemy. The group formed and recorded their first song in 1985, signed to Def Jam in 1986, and released their debut album in '87. Allen may not have been an official member of the Public Enemy/Bomb Squad/S1W collective at that point. However, he definitely shared their politics. He shared them at church and on the radio. 

But then again, to call these statements political essentially misses the point. What are the politics of basic human rights? Politics of survival? The more one considers that less than 40 years ago racial segregation was the law of the land in South Africa, and that then U.S. President Ronald Reagan attempted to block legislation imposing sanctions on South Africa over apartheid, the easier it is to see political ignorance for what it truly is, a bastion of first-world privilege. "I know ... the company I work for has a branch there."

Hardcore - We Got It All / The Power of Rhyme

Who is Hardcore? Aside from the rap act with maybe the least googleable name ever, it's hard to say, as Hardcore apparently only released two singles, neither of which lists any writing credits. The closest you'll find to one of those is on the second single (to be covered further in another post), which cites Chris Nicholson and Brian Birthwright as its producers. Brian Birthwright, aka Double B, would later become a member of Resident Alien and is referred to here in the song, "We Got It All," as the DJ. Listen close and you will also catch the name of the group's MC, Cooley High. Whether or not Cooley is Chris Nicholson is unclear*. Unfortunately, the name Cooley High is not on the label of either single, and there does not appear to be any other information about him readily available. At any rate, Cooley is almost undoubtedly from around the way as he shouts out "the ville," and both of the singles involved Long Island legends. Case in point: We Got It All / The Power of Rhyme was produced and mixed by none other than Prince Paul.

Notably, this single, released in 1987 on Priority imprint NuBeat Records, actually pre-dates Plug-Tunin', making it possibly Prince Paul's first production credit apart from his work with Stetsasonic. As for the sound of that production, it's certainly more closely identifiable with Paul's work from Stet — heavy basslines, loud snares and a kind of electro feel to it — than with De La. (In fact, at the end of the single Cooley shouts out Stet along with Paul. He also name-drops Rakim for that matter.) The B-Side, "Power of the Rhyme" is similarly straightforward and true to the name Hardcore. Nevertheless, both songs bang in their own right and showcase Prince Paul as a young producer who was more than capable of making a dope record or two. As for Cooley, he sounds here no less capable as a rapper, which only adds further mystery to the question at the start of this post. 

Who is Hardcore? Tough call. But in 1987, at least according to this single, they had it all.

*March 20, 2023 Edit: On February 8, 2023, a YouTube commenter by the name of Brian James confirmed that Cooley High is indeed Chris Nicholson. He added that Nicholson is the uncle of retired NBA player Mike James.

Eric B. & Rakim's Fantastic Voyage (in Toronto)

Here we have a radio appearance by Eric B. & Rakim that is significant for a number of reasons: 1) it was recorded on November 21, 1987 just prior to their first ever concert in Toronto (see the poster for it in the Rakim concert flyer collection posted earlier this week); 2) it aired on 88.1 CKLN's Fantastic Voyage program hosted by Ron Nelson, who played a major role in developing the Toronto hip-hop scene; and 3) perhaps most curiously, it documents Eric B. & Rakim reacting to Coldcut's "Paid in Full" 7 Minutes of Madness Mix. A previous post on this track relayed their reaction second-hand via Coldcut's Jonathan More, who basically said Eric B. hated the mix and Rakim loved it. In this recording, however, they both seem pretty put off by it.

One interesting post-script from Nelson himself: "Today marked the first time in two years of interviewing hip-hop artists that I've ever been nervous about an interview, and you probably detected it in my tone of voice. Believe me, Eric B. & Rakim, they are power. I've interviewed Run DMC before, which I think to most people are the ultimate in power. You name it, I've interviewed them. Name a group ...Whodini, Kurtis Blow ... I don't know why but today marked the first time that I was ever nervious about interviewing an artist, and in a way I'm still coming down from it..."

Props to DJ Law for uploading the radio clip as well as the Toronto concert flyer from yesterday's post, and to Toronto writer and photographer Rick McGinnis whose photographs of Eric B. & Rakim in Toronto circa 1987 appear in today's post. (Presumably they would've been taken while the group were in town for the concert.) Below, stream Eric B. & Rakim's appearance on CKLN's Fantastic Voyage along with a short documentary on the Toronto rap scene, featuring the Ken E Krush Krew who opened for Eric B. & Rakim that night in November 1987.

Erick S. & Rakim

Rakim with Erick Sermon, Parish Smith and Slick Rick; it
seems whatever tensions might have once existed between Ra
and EPMD have long since eased, and the acts now frequently
perform on the same bills as one another. 

Long Island Rap's sixth (!!!!!!) annual Rakim week starts now, with a look at a topic that we've never really touched on, but which, despite being long settled, continues to get attention even today. I'm talking, of course, about the on-wax "beef" between Rakim (then of Eric B. & Rakim) and EPMD's Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. For those who don't already know the story, EPMD gave a pretty thorough recap during a 2017 appearance on Nore's Drink Champs podcast.

***

Erick Sermon: We’re two towns away. Rakim’s my mentor. When I heard him, I thought his name was Rock Wind. All of a sudden, the record came out so me and Parish were like, “Yo, this the illest shit we ever heard.” …Rakim had, “You could get a smack for this, I ain’t no joke.” Parish came back and said, “It’s like a Dig’em Smack, you smack me and I’ll smack you back,” not knowing—

Parrish Smith: Just a rhyme about the cereal, you know, the frog. I was just writing rhymes.

Nore: Time out, I never caught that.

Erick Sermon: But the two towns did because it’s Long Island! Then Rakim made this shit called “Follow the Leader” and said, “A brother said dig 'em I never dug 'em/ He couldn’t follow the leader enough so I drug him into the danger zone,” so he went! And we’re not fucking with him! Let’s keep it real, Parish was incredible but we’re not fucking with him though. There used to be a club in Manhattan called The Building, so him and Parrish were at the bar talking and P said, “E, let me talk with you real quick,” so P called me over and we squashed the beef right there in the bar.

***

The records Sermon's talking about here are Eric B. & Rakim's "I Ain't No Joke," EPMD's "You're A Customer," and Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow the Leader." The misunderstanding that sparked the beef was over a line referring to Dig 'Em, the cartoon frog mascot of Kellogg's Sugar Smacks cereal. Check out the commercial below, which contains the jingle Smith was referencing on "You're A Customer."

Cereal catchphrase miscommunications aside, with EPMD coming out after Eric B. & Rakim, with both groups selling well right out the gate, and with Sermon's laid back vocals drawing immediate comparison to Rakim, it's not surprising that many Long Islanders who knew both camps may have been looking for reasons to pit them against one another. In fact, the rap rivalry between Brentwood and Wyandanch can be traced back even further, and if those who were around for it are to be believed, "Follow the Leader" wasn't Rakim's introduction to it.

In a 2009 interiew, DJ Belal (an early DJ for Rakim and later of Groove B Chill) recalled "being in Brentwood at a little house party and Smitty’s group, the Rock Squad came down." Parrish Smith was actually in that group, but back then went by the name D.J. Eazzy "P." Belal continued, "From Wyandanch, it was just me and Ra and some people who weren’t MCs. And Ra tore them up by himself. He did the whole 'Seven MCs in a line' routine then. The look on they face was priceless because it was 7 of them."

Which brings us back to a larger point about battling and friendly competition. Rakim didn't write the seven MCs line for the Rock Squad — it was part of a routine he did before it was ever recorded — but when rapping on others' turf or in any competive setting (and really, what isn't), it could and certainly would be used as lyrical artillery. The same might be said for Parish Smith's "It's like a Dig 'Em Smack, you smack me and I’ll smack you back." Whether it was originally directed at Rakim, as he thought — or not, as Smith contends — it certainly could've been taken that way. Regardless of the artists' true targets or lack thereof, the competitve spirit they shared made for some of the best records in history; and their listeners' equally passionate fandom, which drove them to analyze their favorite artists' lyics and often prescribe new meanings, only fueled the artists' fire.

***

While we're considering Rakim's early brushes with EPMD and how listeners' interpretations can allow for records to be heard in new ways, here's something far doper: a blend of the vocals from Eric B. & Rakim's "I Ain't No Joke" with the instrumental for EPMD's "The Big Payback." The blend comes from an episode of the Club Krush radio program, which aired on WPRB 103.3 FM in either Augst or July of 1990. The show was hosted by DJs Eazy M and G, and it seems like the latter was behind the boards for this blend. You can read more about the program and listen to the full episode via RawDealRadio.com and the Internet Archive.
 

DJ Eclipse & Brian Coleman - "Paid In Full 30th Anniversary InterroMix" - Do The Knowledge Vol. 1

DJ Eclipse was the longtime host of the Halftime Show on WNYU 89.1, a kind of de facto successor to the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show on WKCR 89.9. He was also 1/4 of Non Phixion.

Brian Coleman is the author of Rakim Told Me and Check The Technique Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, a hip-hop historian of the highest order, and a big inspiration of mine.

Here, Eclipse blends the Rakim interview Coleman conducted for his first two books, with the songs and sample sources discussed in that interview to create an innovative mix celebrating the 30th anniversary of Eric B. & Rakim's classic 1987 debut, Paid In Full.

time keeps on sLIppin'

Steve Miller, who Miles Davis famously called a "sorry ass cat" and "non-playing motherfucker," is also known for giving the world "Fly Like an Eagle," which is the sample source for Puff Daddy's "Watcha Gon' Do," featuring Rick Ross, and for EPMD's "You're a Customer." Interestingly, it was EPMD's Erick Sermon who in 2000 put out one of Ross's earliest recordings, the Def Squad song "Aint Shit to Discuss," which featured Ross rapping as Teflon Da Don. Also worth noting, "You're a Customer" wasn't the only "Fly Like an Eagle"-sampling song from 1987 by a Long Island-based hip-hop artist; Patchogue native Biz Markie's "Nobody Beats the Biz" also flipped the Miller tune that year. Which song was recorded first? Which was written first? Or is time actually even linear in the first place? Tik tak toot-toot-toot-tooroom.

Rakim on Soul Train

According to show logs, Rakim appeared on the classic television program Soul Train on three separate occasions, twice with Eric B. and once with Truth Hurts to perform their single "Addictive." Although footage of the latter recording is yet to surface online, we do have tapings of the first two.

The first, episode 11 of season 17, aired November 28, 1987 and was therefore one of Rakim's first TV appearances, if not his actual TV debut. This appearance is also notable for the way host Don Cornelius makes direct reference to Ra's stoicism, which is now known as one of his defining traits. Cornelius goes on to say "...the way that Rakim raps, he has kind of a low pitch that's unusual for me." Though Eric B. was billed back then as the star of the show, it was already clear that Rakim (or Rakeem as Cornelius repeatedly called him) was truly one of a kind.

Eric B. & Rakim made their second Soul Train appearance on episode 24 of season 21, which aired March 21, 1992. By this time, Rakim had clearly established himself as the duo's frontman. Unfortunately, embedding has been disabled for the video of this segment, so click here to see Eric B & Rakim perform "Juice (Know the Ledge)" on Soul Train. A second video from this taping features a performance of "What's On Your Mind." This is embedded below, albeit in lower quality than either of the other two videos.

Behind of the Boards of Coldcut's "Paid In Full" 7 Minutes of Madness Mix

As monumental as the title cut off Eric B. & Rakim's debut album is, the success of this fifth single is owed in large part to the work of British DJ duo Coldcut. With their 7 Minutes of Madness Mix, Jonathan More and Matt Black revolutionized the art of the remix and helped launch Eric B. & Rakim to new heights of international success. (More and Black went on to found Ninja Tune, one of the most pioneering electronic labels in history, but that's another story.) According to a 1997 article from the Chicago Tribune, Coldcut were paid 700 British pounds for their remix. "When he heard it, Eric B described it as `girly disco music,'" says More, "and Rakim said it was the best remix he'd ever heard; I thought both assessments were quite brilliant."

A year after the release of the 7 Minutes of Madness Mix, Coldcut dropped an instrumental version cheekily titled "Not Paid Enough"; likely a reference to the success Eric B. & Rakim achieved as a result of the remix, hindsight always being 20/20. In 1995, Coldcut revisited the journey-into-sound-collage theme of 7 Minutes with their 70 Minutes of Madness Mix, which has often been called "the best DJ mix album of all time." Below, stream Coldcut's behind-the-boards commentary on the sample sources of their 7 Minutes mix, the remix itself, the instrumental version and the aforementioned mix album.

Rakim - "I Ain't No Joke" Unknown Radio Promo

This is what #RakimWeek is all about, my friends. Today, William Michael Griffin, Jr., the God MC, Rakim celebrates his 48th birthday.

To mark the occasion, here is an ultra-rare radio promo version of "I Ain't No Joke," so rare in fact, we don't even know which radio show or station aired it, or when it aired for that matter. What we do know is that it had to make quite the journey to get to your ears tonight. We cut it from Edan's Radio Show (No. 4) mix; Edan ripped it from a cassette that he got from his man Pacey (sp?) who got it from DJ Magnus Johnstone, who was one of the first guys to play hip-hop on Boston radio, but as far as we know, this promo wasn't done for his show. Regardless of where it came from, or how it got here, it's now yours. Enjoy ... and "bless the mic for the Gods."



If you have any additional info about this track's origins, please drop a line in the comments. Props to Dan Lish for the incredible illustration used above.

MC Just Divine - "Get Right" / Hype Sound Productions - "We Got the Hype Sounds"

MC Just Divine a.k.a. Oxygen a.k.a. Ox the Architect has roots that run deep in the Long Island hip-hop scene.

How deep?

Well, for starters these demos that he's repressed on wax date back to 1991 and 1987. A classmate of Freddie Foxxx, Oxygen is actually the original source of the Rakim Wyandanch High School talent show recording that appeared in this site's fourth ever post.

That deep.

To start at the beginning, preview his early demos below, then cart your copy of this limited edition release (only 300 available) before you dig deeper through his extensive discography.