Let's put the focus on today's post: A review of three very dope and hard to find records from '93. The so called "random rap era" from 87-92 definitely brought us some of the illest, rarest and best records of the entire hip hop catalogue, but the year right after '92 has to offer many jewels as well. Check out yourself and feel the '93 flavor...
Legion of Doom "Puttin My Thang Down" (Distinctive Records 1993)
Philly brought us some great rap records from day one. I've always been a fan of that Philly stuff – whether it's old school, random or indie records – Philly left his mark in the land of hip hop with tons of good artists and dope releases – Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, DJ Miz, Steady B, Cool C, Three Times Dope, Another 1-4-U-2-N-V, Phill Most Chill, Tuff Crew, Schoolly D, just to name a few. Get a taste of that Philly flavor on the amazing mix CD "The Wreckshop Philly Golden Era Vol. 1" by Aroe & The Soundmakers.
Let me tell you about a group that wasn't featured on the above-mentioned CD. There were a few different crews from different regions that went by the name of "Legion of Doom" in the 90's, and Philly had its own Legion of Doom too. That Philly Legion of Doom already released the very dope "Gangster Boogie / Here I Come / Live Bait" 12" in 1989 or 1990 on Bill Collectors, which is a tough one to find. I've first heard about this group in 2003, and from then on I've started the mission to find out more about this group and their releases. Well, what I can tell you so far is that Philly's Legion of Doom released two 12" singles – the "Gangster Boogie" and the "Puttin My Thang Down" 12" – plus a cassette only album with the title "2 Hard 4 The Radio" (Distinctive Records 1993). I've also heard some LOD tunes on a mixtape cassette that weren't on any of their three mentioned releases... So where do these tunes come from? On which medium where they released? Until now, I still couldn't get any further infos and it seems that my mission ain't accomplished yet.Phill Most Chill did a great review job on Legion of Doom's "Live Bait" – an amazing track taken from their first 12" – on his blogsite "That Real Schitt", so let me continue Phill The Soulman's work and give you some infos about this group's second, dope as hell 12" with the title "Puttin My Thang Down / No More Music". The label already reveals what this 12" is all about: "Too Hard for the Radio!". While the a-side is packed with a funky and sample based beat, the b-side delivers some ruff rhymes with the chorus "I guarantee you no more music by the suckers". So you know the deal.
The Legion of Doom consisted of two members: Live and Charlie Bass. Production is handled by both, but you can only hear Live spitting lyrics. The statement "Too Hard for the Radio" was also taken as the title for their tape only album that followed later in '93.
It took me some time to find this 12" in great condition for a reasonable price. Due to its rareness and quality this is a much sought after piece of wax amongst collectors and always fetches very high prices on auction sites.
Listen to the soundclips below and you know why I simply love this record! Philly at its best!
Pryme Tyme "Brother Wit' Soul" (B.O.M.B. Records 1993)
I don't know much about this Brooklyn group. Pryme Tyme was a duo, consisting of Micah D. Robbins and Raymond Ortiz (sorry, but I couldn't figure out their pseudonyms) and it seems that this is the only record they've put out. If anyone knows about any other release by this duo, please give me a shout.A very good friend of mine played me this 12" over the phone, and I was like WOW - I need to get this record! Fortunately he had a spare and I didn't hesitate to spend some hard earned loot on this monster!
There are two tracks on this 12", both with vocal and instrumental version: "Brother Wit' Soul" and "P.H.D. (Pot Heads Degree)". Both are top-notch tunes with tight production and good lyrics.
Please note: What most people don't know is that there exist two different pressings of this 12". Not track-wise, but label-look-wise. My copy has a black label with golden letters, but there are also copies around with a vice versa looking label.
If you're lucky enough, you'll find a copy that still has the fresh graffiti-style sticker on the shrink. This seldom spotted record got very popular amongst collectors and DJ's since both tracks made it on the nice DJ Sunao & DJ Komuro "Cross Collector" mixtape a couple of years ago. Japanese collectors went on a hunt for this record...Whenever I saw this 12" on ebay, it always went for big bucks, so expect to pay about $150 for this little treasure.
Gunrunners "Gunrunners" (Shakedown Records 1993)
The Bronx. Ruff. Rugged. Raw. These four words simply describe this highly collectable record. Just like some other famous Bronx indie groups like Da Henchmen or DNA, the Gunrunners stand for that ultimate raw Bronx flavor. They only released two records – the "Gunrunners / Consequences" 12" and the 6-track "Life And Death" EP (Shakedown Records 1995). Both records are very rare and always in demand. And of course they are very expensive as well. What might be interesting to know: Lord Tariq, well known member of the Bronx based Money Boss Players, was part of this group too.Both tunes – "Gunrunners" and "Consequences" – were produced by EP Dog and feature a whole bunch of hungry and rugged rhyming MC's with each of them spitting a dope verse - including Lord Tariq. Even a female MC who goes by the name of "Destruction" delivers some verbal heat.
If you love that raw Bronx sound, you need to get your hands on a copy of this underground classic.
Benny aka ABWS
2 comments:
Due to its rareness and quality this is a much sought after piece of wax amongst collectors and always fetches very high prices on auction sites.
Whenever I saw this 12" on ebay, it always went for big bucks, so expect to pay about $150 for this little treasure.
And of course they are very expensive as well.
->nice money talk
yeah because you know the more you paid the better it is!!11!
Post a Comment