Sid “S.I.D.” Reynolds has the distinction of being the first and only rapper to be mentored and brought into the record industry by Rakim. But after releasing just one single as part of the duo Sid & B-Tonn (1990’s RAL/Columbia release “Deathwish I” b/w “Deathwish II”), he would find his footing as a beatmaker, crafting singles like Queen Latifah’s “Just Another Day” and Freddie Foxxx’s “So Tough” as an in-house producer for the Flavor Unit. In 1996, Sid returned to Long Island to form Crimedanch Cartel, a massive crew meant to be Wyandanch’s answer to Wu-Tang. The project imploded almost as soon as it started but not before dropping two of the most impeccable slices of unknown ’90s East Coast rap I know of in the white-label rarities, “Realism” (featuring Rakim) and “Money is the Key,” with LL Cool J. Read the rest of this entry »

Sad news today, as the original hip-hop radio DJ Mr. Magic has apparently passed away from a heart attack. Magic was winding down his run as NY hip-hop’s kingmaker by the time I got up on things in the late ’80s, but his “Rap Attack” show with Marley Marl on WBLS, as well as Red Alert’s competing slot on KISS-FM, was the first place I got to hear hip-hop in a concentrated dose. That probably means a whole lot of nothing to anyone under, say, 27 but, for most of the ’80s, hearing one hip-hop song on the radio was like getting that valuable rookie in your pack of baseball cards. There was really nothing like the satisfying feeling of checking in to a two-hour show where you heard nothing but the stuff especially since, for me, it was technically “passed my bedtime” by the time it came on. Read the rest of this entry »

Yo Mike, July 1984, Giants Stadium, remember?

I interviewed photographer Camilo Jose Vergara in early 2007 for this brief piece in XLR8R magazine. In light of my recent post about his Harlem 1970-2009 exhibition, I thought I would post the interview I did with him then in its entirety.

What is it about American cities that draws you to document them versus, say, ghettos in other places like your native Chile?
Here is where I live. I can’t just take the bus and go to Mexico. After a while you become interested in what’s around you. India is fascinating but it’s do damn far. What can you start there? First of all, you have to learn the language. Here at least, with some trouble I understand what folks are telling me. There are some places, like parts of Chicago, where it’s almost like a foreign language but you still can understand. Read the rest of this entry »

“…Squeeze and juice ‘em…uh Tropicana”

Perhaps the first rap track to simulate the sound of a phone conversation (a trick later employed on Biggie’s “Warning,” The Firm’s “Phone Tap” and most of 88 Keys’ The Death of Adam LP), True Mathematics’ Bomb Squad-produced ‘88 single “For the Money” has become somewhat of a cult classic over the years. Yet, almost nothing is known about the artist himself, and it has been inaccurately suggested to be the alias of Bomb Squad producer Eric Sadler.

True Mathematics was actually the alias of Hempstead’s Kenny “Spam” Houston, who wrote “For the Money” while living, along with Charlie Murphy and Eddie’s half-brother (and K-9 Posse member), Vernon Lynch, in a guesthouse at Eddie Murphy’s Englewood, N.J. mansion. And “For the Money” was inspired by the Jersey gold diggers who would swarm around the Murphy boys at the time. I met Kenny/True at my homey Sugar Bear’s (of “Don’t Scandalize Mine” fame) house a few years ago, and this is how he broke it down:

“Eddie was rich at 21 so they all had hot cars. And all the girls were going after them. Me and Vernon was always driving around together and girls would try to talk to him just for his cars. I’m like, ‘that’s all you care about?’ So that’s where I got the idea for “For the Money.” That’s why at the beginning of the second verse I’m like, ‘What’s up Vern, I heard you talking to this chick from L.A. Better watch yourself.’”

True Mathematics-”For the Money” - MP3
Read the rest of this entry »

Yo, why does everybody refer to Joe Budden as Joe Buddens? Whatever you want to call him, I break down Padded Room in this week’s Time Out.

Figured I’d use this opportunity to post a link to my personal favorite Joey track: his Jersey-pride-swelling circa 2004 (”Yes y’all, it’s the one and only Byron Scott Jersey savior”) freestyle over Funky Green Dogs’ classic house joint “Fired Up” (Note, the video here has a different mix then the version Joe uses). Originally from Lazy K’s Lost and Found, Vol. 1, I believe, though the track and the mixtape have faded into obscurity. Keep it alive.

Joe Budden-Fired Up (freestyle)

Published a piece in the current (Feb. 5-11) issue of Time Out New York on Newark/Philly’s Brick Bandits and Brick City club music, Bmore’s Jeruz-ified cousin. A fun one to do, seeing as these guys are making some great music that hasn’t gotten much (any?) press. Wish I’d had more space, as there were a number of things I’d have liked to touch on in greater detail, namely house music’s entrenchment in Newark/North Jers hood culture (even Redman got his start DJing house records, as DJ Tameil, a childhood friend/neighbor of Redman’s, told me). And, most importantly, how great the tracks on the Bandits’ recent Mad Decent EP is. As I stated in the article, Brick City club producers generally offer a more polished take on Baltimore club then their Maryland counterparts. My two favorite tracks on the EP, Mike V’s “Feelings” and DJ Sega’s “Colours,” have a kind of soothing, calming quality to them—an impressive feat considering their frenetic pacing. “The Chase” by Rob3, from the Bandits’ Chicago affiliates Ghetto Division, which I didn’t get to mention in the piece, is also worth a listen. That one’s definitely not soothing, though.

While writing this story, I got to reading about Club Zanzibar, the downtown Newark nightspot where Tony Humphries, Larry Levan, Francois K and others resided in the 80s. (I think Aly-Us, who were from the area, shot their uber-low budget video for their gospel/soul/house classic “Follow Me” there, too). This tribute page is pretty fascinating.

More Brick Bandits:

DJ Sega made a Bmore club theme out of Quagmire from The Family Guy.

Bizarre fan-made video for DJ Sega’s remix of the Kill Bill theme.

Tim Dolla mixtape motherlode