THE BIG 3
Check out this medley of some of your favorite Big L, Big Pun & B.I.G. verses like you’ve probably never heard before. R.I.P. to the 3 kings. 👑
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THE DEPRESSION
In 2008 Young Jeezy came out with “The Recession” Similar to now, things were not looking their best in the US economy. I looked at the conditions and predicted a much more dire scenario, a Depression. I don’t like to get too political with my music but I themed a mixtape after the economic downfall I saw coming. Sure enough a few months later we had the housing market and stock market crash and this country would be in Depression like mode for a while. Over the years the economy recovered but today we find ourselves at a crossroads that is reminiscent of the time before the last financial disaster.
After being released more than a decade ago this mixtape is just as relevant today if not even more so with the current state of the world. Not just with the music but also with the messages in the skits and interludes. Give it a listen and you will see that it frighteningly speaks about some of the situations we find ourselves in today. Don’t worry, the music itself will keep you feeling good. 😉
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ESSENCE (BOLD & BEAUTIFUL)
By the late 90’s I had got my weight up considerably as a producer and was working with a lot of up and coming artists. I was still doing some parties and mixtapes here and there but my main goal was to make it as a producer. My MPC 2000 would stay turned on for months. My partner in crime on the beats Kev a.k.a. Bugged Out would spend days at my crib locked in on tracks.
After a while I had compiled a good amount of songs I did with numerous groups/artists. It was time for people to start hearing the music we were making. Kev came up with the idea to put out a project with some of the people we were working with and call it “The Dangerous Minded Clik”. It would not necessarily be a group but a collective of people we were building with. I liked the idea and decided to put out a maxi-single with 3 songs.
I picked 3 of the better songs in the stash. They were “For My Niggaz” by Mr. Phace , “Shorty How U Like That?” by Lod Boy and “Essence (Bold & Beautiful) by N.S.E.C. With these 3 songs I tried to cover all bases. “For My Niggaz” was the street song, “Shorty How U Like That” was the “jiggy” club joint and “Essence” was something smooth for the ladies but the fellas could get with it too. I went to VP records in Queens to get the lacquer master made by Paul Shields to try to get the biggest and best sound I could for my budget. I got my man Pito aka Drew to draw the eye catching label art. I found a record pressing plant in Brooklyn and everyone made contributions to the cause and we did our first pressing.
I hit the streets and put them in as many record stores as I could including the legendary Beat Street in downtown Brooklyn, Upstairs Records and Rock & Soul Records in Manhattan. I hit off as many magazines and DJs with promo copies as I could. I even took out some ads in some small magazines. As time would go on the project proved to be a success and helped pave the way for things to come in the future.
The record received favorable reviews in many publications including RER magazine in France that even included “Essence (Bold & Beautiful)” on a promo cd that came with every copy of that month’s issue and it was mentioned by DJ Rhude of XXL magazine in his column in the well known “Murder Inc” issue with Jay-Z, Ja-Rule and DMX on the cover. 2 songs from the single were also selected to be included on “D-Originators”, a compilation album in France that also included Pete Rock, Pharoahe Monch, Group Home and others.
It did good sales in most places, especially Rock & Soul Records, and has gone on to become somewhat of a collectors item. One day I googled the record out of the blue only to find copies selling for up to $100 from collectors all over the world on E Bay and Discogs. It’s been posted by several YouTube channels with rather high view counts and comments of many who purchased the actual vinyl record when it dropped. Although vinyl would be pretty much phased out in the years to come this experience as an independent record label helped when it came time to work my other projects from the perspective of an actual label doing business and the things that come with it. Look out for the other songs from this single and the full album that followed in the future.
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50 CENT – I GET IT
G-G-G-G-G-G-Unit! When 50 Cent had his run it was arguable the hottest one of any hip hop artist ever. Between the multi platinum albums and countless mixtapes 50 and G-Unit fed the streets heat for years. He has since grown into an entertainment mogul displaying his hustler’s mentality and business savvy in his quest to make a dollar. This remix captures that essence of “getting to the bag”. Put it on blast while you’re making your next power move. 🤑💵
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THE HOMICIDE FILES
I have lived in Brooklyn for most of my life but for 10 years starting in the early 2000s I lived in Virginia. Shortly after getting down there I met DJ Bee who along with the Legendary Buddha Brothers were the main djs/personalities on the biggest local station 103 Jamz and I was cool with all of them. One day I turned on the radio and the Clipse were live in the studio at the station. I hit up DJ Bee and he told me to come down to meet them. I jumped in my ride and hit the highway to get there.
As I was pulling in Pusha T was pulling out in his black Benz. Malice, now known as No Malice, was still in the parking lot though. I got out and introduced myself to him and he was a down to earth dude. We got into his black Porsche and chopped it up for a few. We exchanged numbers and agreed that we have to do some work together in the future. He would host this mixtape and later down the line I would interview him in Greenbrier Mall for my Ghetto Penthouse TV DVD.
For a time when the South was dominating the game this mix is decidedly more East Coast and underground than what was the popular thing to do. However, it was still well received and a great listen to this day. Below is the entire mixtape. Enjoy and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube page while you’re at it.
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