We’re back at it! It only took a year to get this new post together, but the cab driver who stole Kaewonder’s laptop and external could have put this post up in the summer if he wanted to. Let’s not dwell on the bs though. Here’s our third installment of what we consider to be the best remixes of the golden age of hip-hop. As always there are sure to be songs missing or songs that you might not feel deserve to be mentioned. If so, put us on blast. Let us know in the comments what songs you’d like to see in the next version(which hopefully won’t take a year) and why. Posts like this are all about personal opinion and the Air Max Thuns have been known to hold some strong opinions when it comes to rap music. Without any further delays, allow us to present v1.2 of We Re-Invented The Remix.
Our girl Dee Barnes gets some face time with 3 of rap’s brightest stars in the 1990’s in this segment about the meaning behind their nom(s) de plume. Personally my favourite moments in this clip are Dee’s excited look on her face when imagining that there might be a sex story behind Mc Hammer’s name, and her realizing that K-Solo’s acronym for his name is in fact “Def”.
This one goes out to a select few, one of whom I have no idea how to get in touch with so let me just put it all out there. I was trying really hard to be a rapper and the first dude I met who was nice with the spit was this cat Duane Hope who went to school with my homie, Rain. Duane’s older brother had been rapping for a while and he played the mentor role for all of us. Saturdays used to be filled with rhyme sessions at my house, so many funny memories of the early days of me rapping and saying all kinds of shit I didn’t do.
Duane went on to attend Woburn in Scarborough(he lived in deep Scarborough anyways) and I remember the big hip-hop related news from his first week was that he went to school with one of the guys from MVP.
For those of you who don’t know MVP, here’s the little bit of history I have on them. They were one of the original groups out of Toronto in the early 90’s and also affiliated with the crew later formed and known as Monolith. C-Mo, LC, and Wio-K were definitely ahead of their time in terms of lyrics,approach and originality. In case you’re new to this, but that name Wio-K sounds familiar..you heard him on Kardinal’s ‘Ol Time Killin’ a few years back and his new song is getting decent run on Much Vibe these days.
This performance is of a song I’ve never heard outside of here, not even on a demo battle on the Powermove or Masterplan shows. From what I can tell, it’s called “Who’s Got The Juice” but if anyone else knows for sure, please post up in the comments. Big up to Big C, Wio-K, Hardkore aka Kory Deez, Nish Raawks, San Cear, Snidely Whiplash, Planet Pea, Sweets Watson, Heller, Rain and Duane Hope and his brother Dex(wherever you guys are?)..I know all of you will appreciate this rare footage.
that ain’t the shit you was playing a few minutes ago..
The last clip from the Snoop on Arsenio performance, and Snoop goes in with one of his potent verses from Doggystyle. Going at Eazy-E on national TV and doing it with so much charisma. Arsenio cussing out his band leader is basically my favourite part of this clip, though.
Below, we have a little bonus for you. A certain lil(extremely lil!) Bow Wow rocking the mic at the end of the show. Remember, the skit on Snoop’s album? I guess they were tight at this point. I actually give Bow Wow way more props than his musical career merits just off the strength of him being such a cool little kid in this clip and rocking the the fucking stage like it was no thing.
This post started by accident. I was over at Kaewonder’s crib prepping for our debut this weekend under our new moniker, the Air Max Thuns and wanted to get a couple vinyl rips going for him to throw up on the site. After we listened to a couple joints, Kae had the brilliant idea that we go in on some remix shit. What started as 2-3 records suddenly became 8-9 and we just decided to go all the way with this and pop this remix thing off correctly. This is Volume 1, and trust that there will be more to come.
This is our version of what a dope remix is about. Obviously, we left off your favourite, it’s impossible to please everyone with 1 post of 13 songs. Tell us in the comments what those missing joints are for you. This was us going through a few crates and picking the first things that really jumped out at us, so the selection criteria was really only “is this dope?” and then it made the cut. I wrote/picked the odd numbers, and Kaewonder has the even joints.
If you’re in Toronto, catch the 2 of us getting our fingers dusty on some serious vinyl-only dj shit at 751 as the pre-party for the annual Manifesto Festival.
When this clip entered our office we were all blown away by the rarity of this brand that no one east of Portland, Oregon had really heard about. Mix in the fact that Craig G drops some science as the sponsored rapper in the clip and it started to take on legendary status.
We had only scratched the surface on what, in a hot hip hop minute has restructured our entire thought process behind Michael Jordan, Rob Strasser (Nike VP) and your new favourite vintage sneaker brand, Van Grack. The sneaker conspiracy so juicy we traded both of our unopened copies of Sir Ibu’s, The Piece Maker to bring it to you first.
First off, press the play button and let this amazing commercial, shot during the golden age of rap endorsements play. Craig G, 1989’s version of a Jadakiss or Nature was cold ripping the game. A mean freestyle rapper who parlayed just that into two legendary singles both produced by Marley Marl, Droppin Science and The Symphony. Interestingly enough Craig signed a deal with Van Grack a from the West even though most of his fan support was in the tri state area.
Now to the nitty gritty. Van Grack had been building an empire for years prior to the below seedy series of event in 1988. A huge women’s collection and contemporary shoes program for the ‘yuppy’ had pushed Van Grack to huge selling years. Think Ewing brand from 90-93. Van Grack had one problem – the athletic shoe market. They had not found a way to break Nike’s stronghold on what had become the most lucrative slice of the footwear market, basketball sneakers.
From a far Nike looked like a well oiled machine, with record sales numbers in both there apparel and footwear divisions. Design, Marketing and Athletic scouting were all making the right moves at the right time, but trouble was a brewing in the highest ranks. Rob Strasser – former VP for Nike had become disgruntled with the way Phil Knight was running the show. Behind Knight’s back, Rob struck a deal with Peter Moore – owner of Van Grack to form a new hip hop/basketball division under the Van Grack banner. The two had courted Mike’s agent David Falk for month’s on a possible contract, and as a last bid invited MJ and Falk for a game of 9 hole and number crunching on the day that Mike was to unveil the Jordan III to the world.
What makes this so amazing is the fact that not only was an upstart company trying to steal Mike away from Nike, but during the release of if not the most, one of the most sought after and legendary shoes ever created.
Obviously Mike didn’t take the bait, he walked out on the proposed deal to make him a Van Grack endorsed athlete. Arriving 3 hours late for his press conference in LA for the Jordan III. The video above is probably the clothing and hip hop composite that would have gone along with MJ’s own Van Grack gear. Could there possibly be prototype Jordan Van Grack samples in the back of Rob Strasser or Peter Moore’s garage?
I definitely lost my mind when I first saw this on Arsenio and caught it just in time to press record. This is at the height of Snoop’s promo for the Doggystyle album and he was on top of the world. Look at the swagger. Gone is the nervous, skinny dude from the Deep Cover and Nuthin’ But a G Thing videos, and in his place is the slow-flowing dude known as Snoop Doggy Dogg.
The first thing that absolutely blew my wig back was that he is rocking a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. This is of course during the period when hockey jerseys were standard rap apparel, but no one fucked with the leafs. Not even me! I could give a shit about hockey, but the fact that Snoop was rocking our home team was some ill shit. I guess the Crip connection might have had something to do with it in retrospect.
Peep your boy Dr. Dre on the cuts, sick shit. I had to include this link to bring additional light to Dre’s skills on the ones and twos ever since I dl’d it from our boys at ittakesanationofmillionstoholdthissac. It’s an old ass Dre mixtape called U Got Ganked and it is straight fire.
I have more to come from this Arsenio episode with Snoop, so stay tuned. Big up House since he’ll be into this more than anyone else.
Ok, a couple quick Kris Parker vids for everyone. First one, he goes off with a couple quick verses. One I recognize but the other I don’t think ever made it to wax.
Now, the second video is interesting because he’s talking about a Criminal Minded movie funded by HBO somewhat based off his life. Ummm, pretty sure that never came out! Yet another hip-hop related shelved project that I wonder if they even shot a single scene for.
It also opens with a little clip of him in concert with Biz beatboxing. This is from the somewhat legendary battle of BDP vs Rumble and Strong(a Toronto rap/ragga crew from the late 80’s-early 90’s) or so I can tell. I was def too young to hit shows when that went down sadly.
Both these videos are pre-Temple of Hip-Hop Kris when I was still super amped on his shit. Below are 2 joints from Return of the Boom-Bap that I used to play heavy in the walkman. Yeah, JC I could have posted singles but c’mon mang. This is the meaningofdope, album cuts all day.
Photo Credit-my man Phil at Dope-A-Lot aka the go-to guy from now on. Taken last night at the NY Giants Dj Series.
So being that I like to nerd out and really really get my point across, I’ve prepared a list of my favourite Diamond D(fuck the herb who trademarked the name and made D legally change his performing name to just Diamond, it’s Diamond D for life) tracks that I hope will get some run tonight and some that he played in his DJ set last night that I definitely consider his best work. 1. Freestyle (Yo That’s That Shit) from the Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop LP
i’m just an ordinary/brother who is very/dedicated to real rap so don’t compare me/to another brother
First Diamond D joint I ever heard. As Funkmaster Flex said on his now-famous July 4th weekend mix, “this record created the word bop!” and nothing could be more true. I dare you motherfuckers to listen to this and not bop your head. The shit is contagious, from A-yo wait a minute this track just makes me get live and Diamond sets the bar for producers rocking on the mic. I had to actually turn the track off while writing this because I was practically writing the verse down.
2. Feel The Vibe from the Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop LP
you gotta get your fingers dusty/and keep your ear to the street so you won’t get rusty
All kiddies, take note. Learn your roots and put on your Timberland Boots. Diamond and Showbiz lace these chunky drums and the ill repeating horn sample with a fresh hook and a couple solid verses. Diamond is already lamenting the passing of realness in music and tells a very timeless hip-hop story in his last verse. Not to mention how they throw in that vocal sample from “Fanatic of the B-Word” as a sort of outro. That was my shit from De La Soul is Dead. Word up.
3. A Day In The Life from the Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop LP
hit the stereo in an instant/then I twist up a bud/light an incense
I’ve definitely started plenty of days like that, and thanks to Madlib, I was able to pick my quote from this song immediately. Lord Jamar and Derek(ahem, oh I forgot, I meant Sadat) X from Brand Nubian join Diamond D on this absolutely classic joint. The only guest appearance on this album that wasn’t immediate crew, and could this song be any easier to listen to? I swear by the time Sadat’s verse is on, I’m already wanting to run it back. The ill minor flange on the adlibs at the end of both Lord J and Sadat’s verses is one of those things I just picked up listening to this joint 5 times in a row.
4. I Went For Mine from the Stunts, Blunts and Hip-Hop LP
the object of a song is to keep your head movin’
This album was so stacked. 17-18 tracks deep, a couple ill interludes and like 3 singles before the actual album(tape) ended up in my hands. Instantly, my favourite joint on the album was clear to me. This shit was just so smooth. I remember getting shivers when the flute first comes in. This is one of those breaks that I can listen to the whole song and enjoy almost as much as the track that sampled it too. Just pure magic. I wasn’t that stoked when Dj Scratch flipped this again for Busta, but I guess the heads will always know that it’s the Diamond joint first and I never mind hearing both of them followed by the break in a dj set.
5. You Can’t Front (B-Side) from the Fuck What You Heard 12′
n*&%@s was sleepin’/but now have awakened/ask the boriquas/ask the jamaicans
B-Side, B-Side, B-Side. Those were the words you wanted to hear when a new 12′ came out. Having a dope new track with Finesse and Sadat X on it was definitely a huge deal when this shit dropped. The first time I heard this it was on +4 at least so I def had to speed it up when I finally got my copy, but still this track is pure fire. I can’t pick a best verse, but I’m leaning towards Finesse. “I write rhymes more than bitches get they hair done”?? Come on! Ill shit. The beat is crazy too, such heavy drums.
6. Slappin’ Suckas Silly Remix(Yaggfu Front) from the Busted Loop 12′
I got the stamina of a Vietnam Vet..
Not sure why Diamond kicks a sex rhyme for the ladies on this joint, but regardless this was an ill remix. A couple chopped up drum loops and chunky bass. Sound familiar? The classic DITC formula and Diamond wrote the book. Where the fuck are Yaggfu Front? Like for real, these kids were ill.
7. Welcome To The Next Level(Tha Alkaholiks) from the Coast II Coast LP
so recognize when you feel it/DITC-you can’t steal it.
Besides coining one my favourite phrases in life ever, the safest way to have sex is right between the titties, this joint was probably my shit from this album. Diamond brings the ill repeating horns in the chorus and the soft echo-y snare to lace up Cali’s finest and they don’t disappoint with the rhymes. My favourite shit about Diamond D at this point was that he dropped a verse on everybody’s tracks that he produced to further his point that he was the best producer on the mic.
8. No Wonduh (The Projects) from the Hatred,Passions and Infidelity LP
Dice games and robberies/til I hit the lottery
The intro of this song is tight! From the opening speaker and the intense sirens, it totally sets the scene for a descriptive track where Diamond opens his project windows to us. I love how the siren sneaks back in to the track here and there and then gets hectic in the chorus all over again. Not to mention, he samples Posdonus’s classic line. This track is such a well-executed concept. Kudos, Diamond D.
9. Flowin’ from the Hatred, Passions and Infidelity LP
Yours truly, don’t forget my name
Who’s John Dough? Just saying the guy who tears a ton of tracks on this album along with K-Terribull won’t cut it? These 2 cats came out of nowhere and have sick cadence and tight rhymes, Diamond def made a powermove putting them on. Did I mention that I like feelgood album cuts yet? This is another perfect example, and it even fits in the short song category clocking in under 3 minutes long. I love short songs, and I’m not even sure why. The shouts in the hooks are fresh, too. Sometimes dudes gotta get shouted out and why not throw them on the hook?
10. Never from the Hatred, Passions and Infidelity LP
When cats was anti-drugs/there was weed seeds in my rugs
Hey gang, I’ve got some grass! I have been a huge weedsmoker at many times in my life and this was one of my anthems for real. What is it about Diamond and Sadat that automatically makes any track they’re on together fire? He takes the song in my opinion..definitely tells a totally true story and manages to slip in some humour too. The mini-skit scenes in the choruses are some dope shit too. I can relate to both. This is another Diamond break that I appreciate as much as the track too. Jerry Butler, what? Oh, so now I can’t smoke on a blunt, right? Ha.
11. This One from the Hatred,Passions and Infidelity LP
even had a brother on a pair of ice skates/turned me on to snacking on rice cakes.
A love song done proper for real. Diamond shows his sensitive side, but still over some heavy drums and a vibey loop. Throw Busta on the chorus complete with a little profanity, and it just ends up being an anthem for any of the thugs with a thoro wifey out there.
12. Double Dare (produced by Mark the 45 King) from the Drop Da Bomb 12′
lay in the cut/see the game about to change
I don’t know much about this track except that it bumps like craig mack’s grill and both Diamond and K-Terribull rip it up. A banger I recently discovered that sounds retarded on a big system.
13. You’re In The Wrong Place (B-Side) from the With The Dope Sound 12′
It ain’t a game duke/you can’t call mine!
A release on Diamond’s indie imprint, Dusty Fingers that came out shortly after Hatred, Passions and Infidelity. It features Jon Dough, K-Terribull, some other guy, and none other than Ras Kass. I can just see all the NY dudes trying to write something that would outshine Ras who absolutely shits on this track coming in the last spot. He ever airs out Ray Benzino. Reality Bites like bad blowjobs? Word up..oh and Diamond’s beat is crazy, but he doesn’t even rhyme on it which was a bit of a surprise considering his track record.
Once again, please enjoy this zip file of all the songs listed here. Especially that You’re In The Wrong Place shit, that was a last-minute vinyl rip right before I made this post. On my way to the show, see you T.O. heads there.
Word the fuck up. Last night was ill. Ag, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, O.C., Extra P, Juju and Psycho Les ALL in the building for the NY Giants Dj series. Finesse tore it up more than anyone in my opinion but the whole night was banger after banger.
To get people in the mood for tonight’s festivities at The Opera House in Toronto, I’ve compiled a list of my 13 Showbiz and Ag tracks that I want to hear tonight. Whether this actually happens, who knows..I tend to like album cuts way more than singles, but either way this is a thoro list, y’all.
1. Giant In The Mental from the Party Groove/Soul Clap EP
i’m hittin hard/and what does my card say? i’m unstoppable/you had to find out the hard way
Ag steps to the world on this one, like fuck all y’all…I’m a 5′3 tornado on the mic. The fierce horn stabs and drums sound like some Bomb Squad shit just way crispier. This was probably the first song after Party Groove and Soul Clap that I heard and I was bugging out. He is so proving a point that he really felt he was better than everyone else out.
2. Catchin’ Wreck from the Runaway Slave LP
a petty diss, i’ll ignore it..
Ag is way more simple and less furious on this joint, but it’s just so clean. The flute loop and bassline just keep my head bopping and both Show and Ag rhyme proper on this one. I really think it’s the chorus to be totally honest. Shit gets stuck in my head like crazy.
3. Diggin’ In The Crates from the Soul Clap/Party Groove EP
back when i was a hoodlum/beatin on nerds..
This is the joint that really really did it for me. It was pretty much the first time I realized how thoro this click really was. Diamond sets it off, then Showbiz with a tight verse including the quote above, Ag then Lord Finesse. Wow. The horn sample in the chorus is butters, and the piano breakdown that comes in a couple times, too. Not to mention this has the vocal sample that Show later used for Fat Pockets. This is definitely one of the best posse cuts of all time. I have realized that all over again.
4. Still Diggin’ from the Runaway Slave LP
when show drops the beat/i say holy mackerel!
This track is on some Yaggfu Front-Busted Loop shit. Chaotic, tight and almost abrasive horn samples. The whole basis of the song is horn samples..so sick. Wtf happened to horns? They aren’t cool anymore, producers? Take a page from Show and Diamond on this shit. Horns can be super ill. Somehow Ag and Finesse didn’t make this one, but Diamond makes up for it with the opening verse for sure.
5. Hold Ya Head from the Runaway Slave LP
it’s too easy to kill another young muthafucka
Ok. The fucking drums on the intro to this shit? Bananas! I swear Premo flipped those on the intro to You Know My Steez. Anyways, like I said. I love album cuts, and I love songs that are saying something. This is the mostly-Showbiz rhyme joint where he gives a little life advice and they shout out some peeps in tough times or who passed away. The filtered bassline is so smooth, and the whole track gives me a dope happysad feeling.
6. Silence Of The Lambs from the Runaway Slave LP
you think you’re able to win, huh/you better chill/cuz you never will/you ain’t even never been
Another sick intro! This time with Freddie Foxxx and him talking shit over a sick little loop that Show probably cooked up in 3 minutes. The flute loop is my favourite part of this track by far, and there’s a different effect on Ag’s voice that sounds ill. He goes in on this joint, really setting the bar with his layered rhyme patterns and staggered punchlines. I love Ag’s flow and he’s still fucking with it to this day, and it’s STILL just as dope as when I first figured it out.
7. Bounce Ta This from the Runaway Slave LP
my respect/and all that dough/that’s all that counts
How the fuck does Cipha Sounds not like this track? Yeah I heard you making fun of it, B! That doesn’t make any sense. To me, this is like the perfect pairing. 2 emcees that no one ever bit or emulated because their structure was just way too fucking advanced for the rest of the fools to catch up to. Seriously, this song was such a banger. I lost it when this first played on a mix show here, Ciph you need a good reason to hate that hard.
8. Next Level OG Version from the Good Fellas LP
the shit is type hype/cause the sample is tight, right?
Indeed it is, AG. Indeed it is. I don’t give a shit, sorry. The Premo remix is the obvious choice and I’m not the obvious guy. I think I even heard this version AFTER the remix and appreciated it that much more. The subtle strings that fade in and out here and there(I think they’re strings) are so dope, and the guitar loop in the chorus? Hell yeah, I’m still GOIN’ IN. Ag’s flow on this is absolutely razorsharp. Considering how long it was between Runaway Slave and this, it was good to hear how tight Ag still was, not to mention that he had totally improved. Quiet is kept, it’s best that you step on the low. I could quote this song all day.
9. Got Ya Back from the Good Fellas LP
and momma duke gets nuff respect/because she kept me in check/one deep..now that’s a roughneck
Another feelgood album cut. Right up my fucking alley for sure. The Wally World who we’ve been hearing shouts out for since the first EP ends up rhyming on a cut. Ill. I did like your debut quite a lot, good sir. After seeing DITC all together(minus Crack TS and Show) last night, I totally believe everything Ag is saying in this cut. They have each other’s back for real and shit like that is why they’ve had such longevity and are true legends in this game. Period.
10. Medicine from the Good Fellas LP
the loot’ll come through if we stay true now/but some can’t stay true/cuz they don’t know how
Definitely on some dark, eerie sounding mid 90’s NYC underground shit. I love this track though. That snare is basically punching you in the face everytime it hits. I think Deshawn does the chorus on this, right? Either way, Ag goes in like every single track on this album and the sneaky Masta Ase vocal sample here and there adds an extra dimension to the track. I just love how this song feels.
11. Hidden Crates from the Full Scale LP
look at all these fakes/musically you imitate the crates
Kae. What the hell is this sample? Jeebus! Show absolutely murders this beat on some I was always better than these other dudes, you just didn’t realize shit. Once again, years pass and Ag just got way tighter but still keeps the same flow. I wonder if Show did the cuts on the chorus? Hmmm so many questions.
12. Hold Mines from the Full Scale LP
respect this culture like i’m supposed ta/different from the jokers that talk that talk/i’m true and livin
Diamond D said it best. Keep It Simple Stupid. This beat isn’t anything crazy, just a dope fucking bassline and drums and Ag just rolling with it. I also really love the chorus, this song is just some smooth rap shit.
13. Full Scale title track from the Full Scale LP
I got some new shit here for y’all to rock to..
I’m on my own dick/like sleeping on my stomach
Arguably, the most bangin’ beat on this record. Classic Showbiz murky bassline and heavy drums. Reminds me of the joint he did on The Equinox for Organized Konfusion, just a little slicker. O.C. on the chorus? It’s a wrap. I ended the post with this joint for a reason. This is truly how hip-hop is supposed to sound and feel.
Here’s a zip file for all you new jacks or cats without digital versions of shit, hold that. You’re welcome and if you’re in TO, we better see you at the show tonight. The significance of this concert is huge.
