Redman feat. Keith Murray & Jamal- Def Squad

Remember Flipmode Squad Meets Def Squad? Well, for those of us who don't particularly go bananas over the idea of Busta Rhymes and his melancholy gang of weed carriers ruining a good jawn, I've got a solution. This is the sans- Flipmode Squad version. Meaning it's just Red, Keith Murray, and the oft-forgotten Jamal exchanging dope rhymes over an above-average boom bap instrumental.





http://www.mediafire.com/?omznzmm1iyc
http://sharebee.com/75ac40cd

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Ras Kass feat. DBA Flip- It Ain't Nothing Nice

This one comes from an extensive compilation by the good folks at Philaflava. From my limited understanding, I believe this was an 12" single released by Rassy back in '96 alongside DBA Flip.
It sounds dope, but nothing like Soul On Ice, maybe the lyricistic nihilism could be compared to Miami Life. I say this about most '96-'97 Ras records, but this really seems like the jump-off point where you can clearly note the metamorphosis from Soul On Ice Rassy to Rasassination Ras. Luckily, this is a mixture of both.





http://www.mediafire.com/?tzocyn241xm
http://sharebee.com/62e8b92d

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Lighter Shade Of Brown- Dip Into My Ride

I know criminally little about these guys, which is a shame because Layin' In The Cut is quickly becoming a staple in my online tapedeck. Although the subject matter is somewhat soft, the instrumental for Dip Into My Ride is serene. One of those beats you can listen to on repeat for days on end. The rhymes are surprisingly simple for '94, but they fit the vibe to a tee.



http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?t21ogjjwud0
http://sharebee.com/ff222157

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Prince Paul/De La Soul- Breakadawn Instrumental

A long bus ride made me realize just how in love with Buhloone Mindstate I am. Whereas the rest of De La's catalog is a far-more acquired taste, their 3rd album is the stuff jazz heads go crazy for. I'd say it's even somewhat comparable to The Low-End Theory in terms of sheer illness.
Breakadawn was the 1st single off Buhloone Mindstate, and I promise this instrumental will have your head nodding for the whole 4 minutes and change.





http://www.mediafire.com/?2jn2yo3toni
http://sharebee.com/d8a33e76

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J.A.M.E.S. Watts- Shameless Promotion: The Game Needs James

J.A.M.E.S. Watts has long been my dude. An introspective rhymer with the expansive vocabulary and thought process of an author, equipped with an insane ear for beats, and an thoughtful discography that solely consists of quality material.
Shameless Promotion: The Game Needs James was released a bit before his 12 Minute tape, that got some serious buzz a few years back. Although both are good in their own way, this tape shows off James' versatility and countless methods of making dope records.

Choice Cuts:
Wish You Were Here


Twist, Push


If...


Game's Over

There's more, click here.

Flipmode Squad- To My People

Uploading is back. This jawn is off the supergroup Flipmode Squad's The Imperial. Not an amazing album by any stretch of the imagination, but fairly listenable material from Busta Rhymes weed carriers like Spliff Star among other no-names.
This jawn was produced by EPMD's own DJ Scratch, well-produced instrumental too if only because of the lingering bassline on loop.





http://www.mediafire.com/?mgmojmwgbon
http://sharebee.com/47d34495

There's more, click here.

Maddox Interview

One of my greatest influences as a human being has been George Ouzounian also known as Maddox from The Best Page In The Universe and his relatively new book The Alphabet of Manliness. The above-mentioned site is well-known across the internets, and easily one of the best free forms of literature available for public consumption online. The book itself is amazing, although I only got in a quick read at Barnes & Noble a few months ago.
Anyway, it was dope when dude agreed to do an quick interview a while back, and he provided some interesting answers to the incredibly generic questions I posed as part of the old FunCrusher Plus.

1. When will we finally see your name on an election ballot?

Probably 2016, when it'll be legal for me to run. Though that hasn't
stopped people from writing me in as a write-in candidate in the past, bless their misanthropic hearts.

2. Has anyone ever confronted you in person over something on the site?

Yes, on my book tour. Generally people are very positive because most people who read my site aren't dipshits (in spite of the impression I give people based on my hatemail section). There was a chick who waited in line for about an hour in Oregon during my book signing to tell me she hated me and my website. I acknowledged her criticism, and asked her if she had anything for me to sign. She didn't, so I moved on to the next person and that was that. I don't what she was expecting, but she came away from the encounter with both ovaries intact, and that's the most anyone who doesn't have a penis can hope for.

3. Do you ever regret creating your site?

Regret is a longing to have done something differently. That's the
dumbest thing I've ever heard of in my life. So, no.

4. Who influenced your writing and satire?

Talk radio primarily. The Don & Mike radio show (now the Mike O'Meara show out of WJFK in DC), Tom Leykis, Phil Hendrie, Howard Stern (but to a lesser extent because he was never syndicated in Utah), and a few others.

5. What's in store for Maddox the author?

I'm working on a manliness themed calendar, and possibly another book. I want to write for film and television, and have done some of the latter, but my forays into TV have thus far been disappointing. There's way too much censorship on television, and way too many hands in the cookie jar. Everyone has an opinion about how a piece should go, and by the time it makes it to the air, every semblance of anything edgy or humorous is usually stripped from the script, so what you get is more bullshit. I'm trying to find a way to circumvent the bullshit in my career.

6. Did you ever think your site would blow up like it did?

Yes.

7. What are people missing if they haven't yet read "The Alphabet Of
Manliness"?

They're missing out on a milestone in literature. Also, hairy knuckles, an increased frequency of intercourse, and a marked improvement to their charisma (as well as a marked decline in hygene). That's what my book does to people. Believe it. Also, it has drawings of boobs.

There's more, click here.

Nas- Illmatic

Despite the fact everyone's heard this album, that doesn't make it any worse for audio. Illmatic defines the hip hop bucket list. Bible, holy grail, whatever you want to call it, go ahead.

Choice Cuts:
The whole fuggin' thing. Stream here.

Cop it here:
1
2
3
4
5
6

Goodies:
The homie Ivan went all out on Illmatic b-sides, remixes and the like. Check it here.
The legendary DL of FDB threw together this crazy deconstruction of Illmatic samples and whatnot. Peep it here.
An extremely unheralded write-up from what an incredibly knowledgeable individual. Here.
And the god Guy Fawkes did this intrinsic review a while back. Shit's major here.
FWMJ's breakdown on the making of Illmatic, here.

There's more, click here.

Best Child Emcee- Shyheim

I posed the poll question of 'best child emcee' a few weeks back, and you guys voted and chose Shyheim as the best evar. I personally would have preferred Special Ed, but no love lost for The Rugged Child. Below are his better works (in my humble opinion), and let's hope the lot of you vote more for the next question.

On And On


Shaolin Style


One's 4 Da Money


Furious Anger (feat. Big L)

There's more, click here.

Peruvian Graffiti Part 1

As part of an ongoing feature, I'll try to spotlight graffiti from other parts of the world, as well as the United States. The following is all from Peru, which has quite a bit more taggers than one would assume...

There's more, click here.