It was a great weekend – one which I had vowed to take off, but I heard that my homies DJ Supreme La Rock and DJ Skeme Richards were going to be in town doing the Hot Peas And Butta party so I decided to swing through and check it out. Also, I just happened to bring a few 45s with me just in case I got the feeling. So when i showed up, Supreme was KILLING It on the 45s so I had to jump on to throw some joints. Then Skeme got on and closed the night out. It was really a fun time, and not something that I get the chance to do too often. Inspiring, actually. So thanks to them dudes and if you have the chance to see either one of them do their thing in a city near you, definitely go – you won’t be disappointed. And check back here for more flicks, and video, soon.
So I said that I was going to talk about some rap music this week and you damn straight I’m going to make that happen. So now that America has joined the rest of the civilized world and gotten universal health care, I got to thinking of my man DJ Too Tuff who’s been battling with thyroid cancer since last year, with no health insurance. But instead of getting into that story, I want to speak on the music. Let me tell the story about a bunch of brothers from where I come from, what they had to go through, and how they changed the world (or at least, my world.) I’m fin to talk about the Tuff Crew…
Tuff Crew came about in the late 80s and consisted of (pictured above from left) DJ Too Tuff, Ice Dog, Tone Luv, LA Kidd and “The Mountain” Monty G. These five dudes, representing a slew of different neighborhoods around Philly, released their first record the Phanjam LP at the height of Philly rap’s global power. At the time you had huge acts like Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (representing Overbrook, a section West Philly,) Schoolly D (representing Parkside, a section of West Philly,) Cool C and Steady B (both representing Hilltop, another section of West Philly) to name a few groups that were already established as the voices of Philly rap. But along came Tuff Crew, a multiracial group from West, North and South Philly, with a completely unique sound to them. In a Wax Poetics article I wrote a few years ago, I penned them “Philly’s First Rap Supergroup.” The breakout single from their second album, 1988s “Danger Zone” was a high powered uptempo bass-heavy rap assault that sent shock waves across the city. I’m talking about one of the all-time great Philly anthems, “My Part Of Town.” From the opening guitar licks (taken from The Blackbyrd’s “Street Games”) to the almighty Kurtis Blow saying “So damn tough,” to those booming 808s, this song is ingrained in the psyche of any Philly rap fan from my era. That song was inescapable that summer, as you heard it blasting from pretty much every car driving down the street, in any given neighborhood. . And as a DJ, it was elementary that one of the first things that you learned was cutting up doubles of that vocal intro.
These dudes were Philly heroes. I remember when it was announced on the radio that they were holding the photo shoot on the art museum steps for the back of their second album on the radio. I begged my mom to let me go but she didn’t. But still, they never stopped being my favorite group, my heroes. In fact, there was an abandoned warehouse that all us kids used to hang out in (“The Factory”) at 22nd and JFK and me and my homies deemed our floor “The Danger Zone.” But all in all they were a masters at what they did. Tone Love, LA Kidd and Ice Dog had lyrics that struck the perfect balance of content, swagger and awe-inspiring dexterity. And to this day I still maintain that Ice Dog has one of the best voices in rap of all time. The beats themselves, done mostly by LA Kidd with apparently so back-up from Ultramagnetic MC’s Ced Gee, were so ahead of their time, striking a unique balance of super-rare funk breaks with a barrage of TR-808 drum machine beats. And the cuts, the DJing, provided by Too Tuff “The Deuce Ace Detonator” were so inspiring to me, that I studied those records back and forth, only to say to myself after many listens “I want to do that.”
I eventually got to know DJ Too Tuffseveral years into me first starting coming onto the party scene in the early 90s and dude was a tremendous support to me in my career even back then. In 1993 or 1994 I remember doing a huge party at Pedro Gunn’s, a reggae spot off of 4th street where I was opening up for Too Tuff. I don’t remember what it was that I did exactly, but I remember doing a certain mix involving Super Cat. He came up to me afterwards just to tell me “Man that was super dope. I wanna be like you” or something to that effect. That was one of those moments of personal validity that I’ll always remember, one of those moments where I knew that I must be doing something right. I was glad to be able to have him (along with another Philly DJ legend and friend of mine, DJ Tat Money) join me and The Rub on stage at The TLA last year. It felt as though things had kind of come full circle.
Now I love new rap music, and I’m not one of these dudes that will go around and say that everything past 1996 is terrible. But understand how hard it is for me when the stuff that I came up on back when I was a kid was so good, or in other words, so damn tough. The Tuff Crew catalog is truly remarkable, especially the second and third albums. But what is amazing to me is why, when there are so many “golden era” rap groups that are consistently given their due and their props for their contribution to the music and art form, Tuff Crew are consistently overlooked. I know that, outside of the Philly impact, they made noise in Miami for a bit. I always considered that their bass sound was a contributing factor to that, as well as them touring with The 2 Live Crew. However, aside from most music nerds (like myself, admittedly) they’re largely unknown. But regional bias aside, I hold Danger Zone and Back To Wreck Shop up there as being just as good as many of the “golden era” touchstone albums. You should check them out if you get a chance. And for the record, trials and tribulations aside, the Crew are still around doing their thing every so often. If you get a chance to check them out, make that happen. As for me, well I have nothing but love and respect for the 5 Philly brothers who, in doing what they did, made me able to do what I do.
Now, here’s some rap music to listen to: First up is “She Rides The Pony” from the “Back To Wreck Shop” album, an uptempo B-Side single that was recently appropriated brilliantly by The Roots for 2004’s “Boom” where Riq-Geez does an incredible imitation of Kane and G. Rap.
Next is “Detonator” from the “Danger Zone” album which is the ode to their DJ. All albums around this time had the obligatory “DJ cut” and this one has Too Tuff cut the track to shreds towards the end of the 3+ high powered minutes.
Here’s a remix of “My Part Of Town” done courtesy of Rutger “Rutti” Kroese from The Netherlands. It’s not dramatically different from the original, but it extends the intro some and also adds a very tasteful bridge from Lyn Collins in the mix. Thanks to my man Matthew Africa for putting me down with this a few years ago.
Last but not least comes from the first Tuff Crew album “Phanjam” from 1987, but it is not Tuff Crew. On that album they gave 2 songs to a crew that they were friends with, Camden’s Krown Rulers. Camden, NJ is kind of like to Philly what Brooklyn is to Manhattan. But without all the charm and history. Well, Camden is kind of a classic picture of urban blight. Consistently judged one of the most dangerous cities in America, Camden is one of those cities that you just drive through on you way to Philly, but never stop in. However, MC Grand Poobah (not that one) and DJ Royal Rocker came out with a monster record that still moves crowds in Philly to this day. 3-2 cross the bridge, boy! A crucial Philly rap record here, even if it’s technically from New Jersey.
So that’s it for today. Considering I’m going to Miami this week for WMC I wanted to get that Tuff Crew schitt up. But I’m going in heavy for Miami for tomorrow’s Breakbeat Tuesday so watch out.
BONUS BEAT UPDATE – I just found this vinyl rip of a song called “2-1-5″ from a group Plague Regime. I can’t find the 12” as it’s probably in my mom’s basement, but I’m pretty sure it was released on Echo International in 1998. The song is a remake of Tuff Crew’s “Open Field Attack” and the guy calls himself “Daish-Raw” which leads me to believe that it’s actually Philly rapper from the 90s Sha’Dasious. It’s not as good as the OG but still a cool record to have, especially for those folks that are into 90s regional stuff. And if that’s your thing, you should also look for the other big Sha’Dasious record that was big (at least big in Philly when it came out) “I’ma Put My Thing Down.”
So I typed out most of the content from today’s update only to have my application freeze up on me. D’oh. Not feeling it, son. Anyway, I was just saying that I’m gonna try and make sure this site doesn’t veer too far into “Cosmo’s Appreciation for Oldies Website” too much. I mean, that’s where my head is at these days but still, next week I’ll bring it back down to eye level by posting some Philly rap music. Nothing like Tuff Crew to get one ready for WMC (actually, Miami was one of Tuff Crew’s biggest markets outside of Philly, so it might be apropos.)
Happy 67th birthday Sly Stone! Actually it was yesterday but I didn’t get a chance to post up so I figured that today would be a good opportunity to kill 2 birds with 1 Stone, get it? Okay so if you don’t know who this guy is, welcome to Planet Earth. Like in last weeks post about those “elite artists,” if that group were a class Sly would be the genius / class clown. Plus, honestly for the funk is there anyone that’s more influential than this guy other that maybe James? From both a musical and probably a social standpoint, probably not. Plus there really wasn’t anybody that embodied “cool” like this dude. I have fond memories of being a really young kid and my mom playing “Dance to The Music” on the radio while us kids were in the back bopping our heads and moving our bodies like we were in The Muppet Show. But Sly was – is – an incredible artist and visionary. I’ve been planning on doing a Sly related project for a long time now and just never have gotten around to it but I hope to revisit the ideas I have for it real soon. And so today’s first breakbeat from today’s selection comes from a strange, maybe bootleg, record that I’ve had for years comprised of early recordings of him which I think are pre-Family Stone, but still fully up in the San Francisco scene. At first glance you might want to pass this one up but it has some great tunes on it and gives a nice glimpse into Sly’s gospel and soul background. The song with the beat is called “Rock Dirge” (um, okay…) but this record also has “Life Of Fortune And Fame” on it that was used by The Roots for the song “Game Theory” (YOU VIOLATING, SON! Nah, but for real that’s one of my favorite Roots songs of all time. PS – Congrats, Riq!)
Moving on to some later material, I was trying to figure out what song to choose for today. For some reason, even there’s a lot to choose from, ones that might be more “open” I had to choose “Love City” from their 1968 album “Life.” For the record, I consider Sly & The Family Stone’s drummer Greg Errico to be one of the greatest drummers of all time, and he’s so often overlooked that it’s a shame. Dude is NASTY, and I think this song is a great example of how “pocket” dude can be. But the beat is BANANAS. Also, as an aside, the way that Paul C flipped the drums on this (and I still don’t know to this day how he made it sound the way he did) for Super Lover Cee & Cassanova Rud’s “Get’s No Deeper” Remix is both a testament to Greg’s drumming, and Paul’s absolute genius.
Check them performing “Love City” as their encore at Woodstock. HARD BODY doesn’t even describe it. Man this performance is nuts. This is one of the few performances that really makes me say that I wish I could have seen Woodstock.
One last bonus beat. This is from a reissue 45 that came out a few years ago, a great cover version of Family Affair by The Generation Gap. All I know about the original LP is that they were a studio group that released a record with a bunch of cover songs as well as doing soul / funk versions of popular TV theme songs from the 70s. Worth checking for, but this 45 is great as the Cracker Boys extended the break in the front out, backed with a great edit of the Dee Felice Trio’s cover of James Brown’s “There Was A Time.”
Before I’m finished here, I can’t leave without posting this video of really early Sly & The Family Stone. In it they’re performing at the Ohio State talent show which must be like 1967 or 1968 (when M’Lady was released as a single.) But from the look of it, and being the fact that they’re performing in a talent show, I would guess this is before the blew up to become the biggest band in America. But you can see all the ill routines that they did over the years, and just bodying the contest. Very ill..
The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th.
On March 9th, 1997 I was driving from Philly to New York for a day of shopping and chilling. We were on the NJ Turnpike and it was a grey and rainy day. About a quarter of the way up I turned on Power 99 and for a while there I was listening to it but didn’t understand why they weren’t playing any music and they were just talking. Then they announced that Biggie was dead and what had happened. It seriously felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I walked around NY with my fam all day in the rain and it was the most somber feeling that was coming from the streets. It was a rainy and dreary day in NY the day Biggie died. I remember walking down Broadway in a daze. I stopped at the outdoor market next to the old Tower Records on Broadway, and dudes had already made R.I.P. B.I.G baseball hats and t-shirts. Shit, I was in shock, I’m not going to lie. Biggie was one of those dudes that just seemed like would live forever. I went back to Philly that night and played at the Palmer for my regular Sunday jumpoff, and did the last 2 hours all Biggie. It was one of the best sets of my life.
Perhaps the true testament to his genius is leaving such an incredible body of work in such a short time. Or maybe the impact is the way he made people feel. Like you felt everything that came out his mouth was so true life. That’s one of the reasons it resonated with folk. I remember, must have been 94, I was riding the L train back to Williamsburg late night. Everything was mad quiet… and the next thing you know, “Respect” came blasting through the train’s PA system. All sorts of people on the train started bugging – in a wonderful way. Everybody was with it, nobody was complaining, and nobody stopped it. That’s the feeling that Biggie gave you. And for the people my age, we’re lucky to have been alive when he was the king. I don’t need to be that dude who says I “miss the old New York”. If you were there, you know. My man Dante Ross said “Biggie was the Jimi Hendrix of rap He shined too bright to be here too long…” Rest In Peace, Biggie Smalls.
My old post office is right near the spot in this clip below. I used to drive by the corner and it would give me chills almost every time. Biggie lives on in his music. Biggie lives on in the spirit on the people in the streets of Brooklyn. Thanks for everything you gave to us, Big Poppa.
Okay, now on to some music. So as I mentioned, I just got back from a vacation in the islands and so I wanted to hit this week’s installment of BT with a Caribbean funk flair. First up is Malcom’s Locks. The group was formed by boyfriend and girlfriend Malcolm Maragon and Liz Gaines, a couple American expatriates living in Germany in the early to mid 1970s. St. Lucian Maragon and his producer, Trinidadian Anthony Flavery took a complete departure from the original rootsy Marley and Tosh composition, taking it in the direction of a heavy funk stomper. Definitely one for the dancefloors.
Now while the above song isn’t a traditional “breakbeat” per se I thought it would be a nice way to segue into the next one. The Butts Band has an interesting story behind them, where they were formed as three of its members met while they were auditioning to replace the spot in The Doors left by the passing of Jim Morrison. None of the guys got the part but they decided to get together and do their own thing. On their second album they dropped this slow funky version of the song that hints at the reggae feeling of the original but also has that whiteboy blues earnestness that I find so cheesy and hilarious and yet so good. A nice cover version indeed (and yes it has a breakbeat.)
Last but not least is The Chosen Few. They was a reggae group from Jamaica that worked with legendary producers Derrick and King Sporty. This song comes from their 1976 album “The Chosen Few In Miami” where the vocal group came to Miami (which already had an incredible funk and disco scene at that time – more on that later) to record with the musicians from KC & Sunshine Band. The song “Funky Buttercup” is a monster funk track with 3 gigantic breaks accompanied by some beautiful vocals by The Chosen Few.
Okay, I’m off to Orlando today to participate in the Red Bull Three Styl3 event, and then back to Vancouver for a solo performance and a Sheen Bros show. Speaking of Sheen Bros, I was listening to the rough version of our latest song featuring Greg Nice yesterday, and it sounds dope. Big shout to Greg Nice , as well as Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli and Jean Grae who all came through last Saturday’s Rub at Southpaw. Truly it was an amazing night. Check here for more pictures of the evening.
I will be far far away on vacation so I’ll see everyone in early March sometime. Peace out. But, being that it’s Tuesday, I can’t leave you without dropping a break. I was trying to think of the perfect song that would illustrate how much I’m ready to get out of here and, even though for some reason Iron Maiden’s “Run To The Hills” was the first thing that came to mind, I ended up deciding that Flaming Ember’s “Gotta Get Away” would be perfect.
The Flaming Ember were a hard rock / blue-eyed soul group that kicked around the Detroit music scene in the 60s. Never really elevating themselves past the local scene, they were given their first real big break in the late 60s by signing a contract with the legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland’s Hot Wax imprint. At that time Holland-Dozier-Holland had broken away from Berry Gordy and the Motown machine in order to start their own thing, which became Hot Wax as well as their other imprint, Invictus. I always looked at Flaming Ember being their answer to Rare Earth. Good, kind of cheesy, but I liked them and they’re not without merit.
I first heard the break from “Gotta Get Away” as the backbone to one of my favorite Diamond D cuts, and when I discovered the album a few years later it was definitely one of those “Oh snap” moments. In this case it’s the simplicity that’s the key. Straight ahead drums with that little organ stab = that crack. It’s always stayed in my “classic rock breaks” crate since and always gets a good response when I play it out for a crowd in one of my sets. Plus I have to give Diamond the credit for finding this break because I don’t think too many people knew about it before he flipped in on “Stunts, Blunts And Hip-Hop.”
So here’s Flaming Ember with “Gotta Get Away” from the “Sunshine” album. Great song, greater break, and plus I really dig what they’re saying, cause man I am so ready to get away right now hahah… Peace!
So yeah, that particular break works so well with people that I used it for a remix of Biggie Smalls that I did couple of years ago, and whenever I played it I got a tremendous response. I don’t know I haven’t shared this on my site in the past. Plus I have to make a concerted effort to not make my website about my “weird records that suck” – I have to keep a healthy allowance of bangers.