I have the Soulz of Mischief demo cassette, which I will attempt to digitize this week. But the show must go on... Here are three demos that are either better or as good as the records they were turned into. Maybe it's just a case of loving something and then being disappointed when hearing it changed, even if the sonic quality has been improved. Say what you want about the OG "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (I think this version is superior, and a hello to Zartek!) or "Wrong Side of the Tracks" (classic James Brown loop, Quincy Jones synth, and Lord Jamar on the hook? Ask me, this is just iller than the official release); but "Audience Pleasers" by Simply II Positive (Pharoah Monch and Prince Poetry, soon to become Organized Confusion) is not only waaaaaay better than the version that came out on the LP (sample issues)-- it's easily one of my favorite rap joints from 1990, hands down.
That blog is incredible. I just caught the Tame One post. I have something like 30 minutes worth of Tame One freestyles from the Stretch And Bobbito show circa 1992, but he only uploaded about 4 minutes worth. I finally get to hear this stuff in soundboard quality, though. I have the first 12 volumes of Stretch & Bobbito freestyles on the tapes that they put out back in the mid-to-late 90s, and the quality kind of sucks, but then again, beggars can't be choosers.
The sound quality on the 'Wrong Side Of The Tracks" demo is much better than the one that I have in my collection. Hopefully, he'll upload the "Flexi Wit Da Technique" demo at some point, because mine sounds like a 4th generation dub.
Roy Johnson wrote:That blog is incredible. I just caught the Tame One post. I have something like 30 minutes worth of Tame One freestyles from the Stretch And Bobbito show circa 1992, but he only uploaded about 4 minutes worth. I finally get to hear this stuff in soundboard quality, though. I have the first 12 volumes of Stretch & Bobbito freestyles on the tapes that they put out back in the mid-to-late 90s, and the quality kind of sucks, but then again, beggars can't be choosers.
That's why it's a sticky Roy...by the way, I am listening to all of that Chicago underground illness you put up...more please
Jaz wrote:That's why it's a sticky Roy...by the way, I am listening to all of that Chicago underground illness you put up...more please
No problem, man. I'm glad that you're enjoying everything.
Most of what I'll be uploading from here on out will be instrumentals. I got a couple more rounds worth of vocal tracks, but I haven't been able to get my hands on a lot of stuff (tracks from East Of The Rock, Stony Island, Kinetic Order, etc) due to some compulsive hoarding that's been going on here in Chicago.
Hell, that's the reason why you haven't heard a good amount of that stuff until now. I'm glad that DJ Espionage is uploading some rare singles from the mid-nineties, but that's pretty much the only guy.
Bobbito and I got hip to this record via the homie Tim Westwood in London who used to have what may have been the most progressive hip-hop show on earth in the late 80's. Because he was free to operate outside of the beef that had split NYC rap radio in the late 80's but also was very close to both Red and Marley (though closer to Marley who eventually would broadcast a version of In Control on his show in the UK), Tim would bless the airwaves with crazy exclusives and remixes, AND, influenced by his roots in 80's Jamaican and UK dancehall, was the first, and perhaps only, hip-hop personality to get all the hot emcees to re-record their hits with his name in them, sound-clash style. Many in the UK complained that Tim didn't support home-grown talent, but we sure didn't care, 'cause we'd frequently hear shit from his tapes first, sometimes to never be heard anywhere else. I'd have to confirm it with Aaron Fuchs, but I believe Tuff City only released this record after we played it on KCR from a cassette from Westwood's show. This record was HUGE for us in '90-'91.
those demo versions are ill