DEEP LIKE A SOCRATES, FOUL LIKE ATROCITIES

At the urging of Smooth Triumph, I've vowed to only post 12" rips till 2010. Let's go back to 1997 with one of my all time favorite MC's: the God, Percy Chapman aka Tragedy Khadafi. The Iron Sheiks 12" served both as vehicle to get some Noreaga disses into the hands of mixtape djs as well as an introduction to Trag's next QB protege, Imam T.H.U.G. "Allumaniti" is pure grimey 90's perfection, just listen to that fucking snare! Could it get anymore desparate? Imam comes nice with his on what I believe is his vinyl debut. But it's a pissed off and mad hungry Foul Mahdi who devours the beat, giving a diamond encrusted, J.G. Ballard style glimpse into the future as only Khadafi could. "True Confessions" brightens things up about .2% with it's r&b hook, but it's still winter 365 as far as the Iron Sheiks are concerned. Imam disses the shit out of Noreaga while Tragedy kicks more of his illuminati hologram shit with a fiery helping of religious imagery. I'm gonna guess Tragedy produced both of these. The flipside has a bunch of mixtape stuff: Tony Touch, 25 and Bad Boy on a DJ Clue freestyle, but the real winner is the gutter as fuck 914 freestyle that sounds like it was recorded on a 4 track that had been left out in the snow for a week straight. I think MC Stinkweed put this track on every mix he made at my house for a couple years straight. "That track with all the barking, kid!"

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EASY RIDER/ 01: A CLASSY UNDERGROUND BAY AREA RAP 7" FROM 2002

You might not have this one. In fact, I think it's kinda rare. I know it's dope. Executive produced and manufactured by the great Johnny LeMasters, who used to go under the moniker Sarge Shitface and once rode along with Joe Dub and Sacred Hoop to a legendary show in Chico that involved mushrooms and aluminum foil made jewlery, this piece of wax defines cutty. Around this time Mr. LeMasters (who culled his name from the hot-and-cold 80s Giants infielder) was also posing as a reverend and marrying unsuspecting couples in Golden Gate Park for cash. You hear him referred to as the "Rev" on Joe Dub's track, "95." Joey's self-produced track is best described by his a.k.a. Seabreeze, and I think the artistic vision of the record sleeve represents his migration from the San Francisco streets to the islands of Hawaii, but that's pure conjecture. I love how the back of the record gives the equipment used to make and record the songs and the locations where they were recorded in the liner notes.

The legend of low-fi greatness behind the Eddie K and DJ Marz track, "So Much Drama In The Industry" as I remember goes something like this: Marz was staying with this girl in Oakland, referred to as "Bubbles" in the liner notes. Marz made the beat on his MPC 2000, then plugged both it and a mic thru his regular DJ mixer, a Vestax, Rane or something of the like, with the "out" going into his Sony mini-disc player/recorder (remember those little pieces of digital heaven?). Marz played the beat out the MPC and Ed rapped along at the same time down to basically a stereo one-track all in one take. Straight Schooly D "PSK" styleee, fool! Legend has it they did it in one single take (that's why the liner notes say, "One Take Jake) and then Marz ejected the mini-disc, handed it to Johnny LeMasters and said, "Press dem plates, Sarge!" Okay, Marz probably didn't say that and LeMasters probably wasn't even there, but talk about on the spot talent, Bulletproof Space Travelers come thru everytime. If there's 300 of these out there I'd be hella surprised. See if you can find it. And was there ever an Easy Rider/02?

Look closely on the righthand edge of the back cover. Morgan Smail is listed as the Spiritual Advisor. Caddyshack heads know that's the kid that asked to eat his sister's steak fat, sucked down dead soldiers with cigarettes extinguished in them and puked thru the open sunroof of a Porsche. No wait, that kid's name is Spaulding! Who is Morgan Smail?

Side A>>> Side B>>>

I KNOW I WON'T SUCCEED, BORN A BAD BREED

Alright kids, here's another Phil Blunts banger. This time around he goes under the Philly Bathgate alias. One of only 2 releases on the short lived Harvey Records label manned by one Harvey L. Frierson Jr. aka Harvey Jr who seems to have had his hands all over construction of the infamous 360° 12"! And to get even more gully on your ass, this 12" was recorded at Keith Shocklee's crib!! This record is all about the L's as both beats are minimal loops with a bit of added percussion. "Trapped In The Game" has Phil lamenting the ups and dows of the crack game while "2 Minutes" is a quick lil freestyle drop (that doesn't even hit the 2 minute mark). It's not a mind blowing 12" by any means, but Phil is nice with his on the mic and the ill legacy of all involved in this 12" cannot be denied. Which leads us to the almighty question, whatever happened to Phil Blunts?

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