MK's Whistle-Rock Tour

One of your favourite DJs (DJ MK - Roots Manuva's tour DJ) has put together a mix of tunes produced by one of your favourite producers (Pete Rock).

MK gets down with a quick, 17 minute blast through some Rock production which aired on KISS100. He's been kind and proud enough to let you have it for free download:


Run DMC - Down With The King
Jeru Tha Damaja - Can't Stop The Profit (Pete Rock remix)
Biggie Smalls - Juicy
Brand Nubian - Slow Down (Pete Rock remix)
Das EFX - Jusumen (Pete Rock remix)
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - They Reminisce Over You
Dead Prez - Warzone
Jim Jones - We Roll
Nas - The World Is Yours
Public Enemy - Shut 'Em Down (Pete Rock remix)
Lords of the Underground - Flow On (Pete Rock remix)

This mix features some of my all time favourite Hip Hop records as well as some remixes of my all time favourite Hip Hop records - gotta be good!

Download now!

HHC Top 100 rap singles 30-21

#27&28 - A Tribe Called Quest

I’m back, hope you’re hungry. This is probably one of the best run of 10 songs in this countdown so far. I suppose it is expected as now we are nearing the top of the charts. 30 songs to go and I bet most heads could predict which tracks are contained in the higher end of the rundown. The thing I want to know is; what do you think the top 3 will be? Leave me a comment with your predictions.

30. Run DMC – Sucker MC’s (zshare) – 1983 – Run DMC (buy album here)
Personally I welcome the presence of instrumentation and melody in Hip Hop but I would never discredit the minimalist production styles of the 80’s. For younger Hip Hop fans Run DMC aren’t always easy to listen to, let’s face it in this day in age they are dated. Your lil’ sis could do these beats on a casio keyboard, anyone and their dads turntable can do baby scratches and the lyrics are not complex. Having said that, this song has something, that important je ne sais quoi and it is a classic.

29. Onyx – Slam (zshare) – 1993 – Bacdafucup (buy album here)
Woah, 10 years later and my, haven’t things changed? This song displays an entirely different vocal style to that of Run DMC; it’s altogether rugged and raw and downright hard to decipher. The beat is sample-tastic and very 90’s in a ‘mean muggin’ in the club’ kind of way.

28. A Tribe Called Quest – Electric Relaxation (zshare) – 1993 – Midnight Marauders (buy album here)
Hang on, 1993 also? Yes, and as far removed from Onyx as could be possible. It is sample driven but an entirely different vibe lounges around this track with it’s feet up. The tribe come totally horizontal here with some rhymes about getting girls. This is why all those other bloggers have ATCQ so high in their top albums lists.

27. A Tribe Called Quest – Scenario (zshare) – 1991 – The Low End Theory (buy album here)
Even the Tribe could produce something on its way towards the banging end of the 90’s Hip Hop spectrum. 2 minutes and 40 seconds in and, who’s that? Busta Rhymes! And he’s bringing it raw - pure rawness, rawity, rawkussnes and rawful. Bussa Buss entirely switches the Tribe vibe up and kills this track. This is why it’s hot.

26. De La Soul – Me, Myself and I (zshare) – 1989 – 3 Feet High and Rising (buy album here)
The more I immerse myself in this top 100, the more I realise that De La were visionaries. 3 Feet…really paved the way out of the 80’s for Hip Hop. If I weren’t only 3 when this came out I’m sure I would have appreciated its freshness and its change of direction even more than I do now.

25. Souls of Mischief - 93 til Infinity (zshare) – Ummm, 1993! – 93 til Infinity (buy album here)
Say wha’? It’s 1993 again, what a year and again another vibe. SoM bring us some sort of a sweltering, in the park tinged track. Basically, if you have a skateboard (you know one of those fat 80’s ones?) get it outta the cupboard and go and rip up a drained pool whilst playing this on your big shiny ghetto blaster or your prototype walkman.

24. Big Daddy Kane – Raw (zshare) – 1988
Sorry about the quality of this and that it has Kool G Rap on it. Ah no, that’s nothing to apologise for. If you were on the receiving of these rhymes, man, you’d be crushed.

23. Eric B & Rakim – I know you got Soul (zshare) – 1987 – Paid in Full (buy album here)
Rakim is the epitome of cool, which US rapper wouldn’t cite him as an influence or idol? The answer: One who models himself entirely upon Rakim. Respect Rakim.

22. Xzibit – Paparazzi (zshare) – 1996 – At the Speed of Life (buy album here)
To quote HHC (circa March 2002) ‘[Xzibit] will never be a part of the paid up superstar fraternity’ – Ha! How times have changed, how wrong they were. I believe I recently read that Xzibit was one of the many sellouts in the game and to me that equals ‘paid up’! I like Xzibit, I like his tunes and this is one of the best; the beat is so melancholy whilst X to the Z is agitated, furious and hungry.

21. Mos Def – Ms. Fat Booty (zshare) – 1999 – Black on Both Sides (buy album here)
If I were to compose one of those question tree things (like they put in tweenage girls magazines) to discern what type of Hip Hop fan the reader was I would definitely have a question that read: Are all 90’s Rawkus releases the definition of real Hip Hop. If the person answered ‘Yes’ they would get this answer in a pink box: ‘True Head: You love Hip Hop more than life itself. You are satisfied only by the best. Don’t listen to the backpack taunts, you know you’re better than the name caller. If the person answered ‘No’ then they would get this in a brown box: ‘Pop Tart: Go and listen to your thousands of bland mixtapes of dross from Dipset, 50 and that weird guy who raps about aliens and abortions. You obviously are happy having your head in the sand.’

Here endeth this post. Your favourite rap single not in here yet? Maybe it’s in the top 20, maybe it’s not – wait and see!

HHC Top 100 rap singles 50-41

# 49, 47 & 42 - Cypress Hill

Now I’d just like to remind you that this list hasn’t been compiled by me. It was made as a result of a poll that the world’s original rap magazine Hip Hop Connection carried out amongst it’s readers. As it happens, a lot of these tracks would be chosen by me if I had the patience to create such a list of my own. I made it my mission to collect all the tunes together and to bring them to the bloggers of the world. Numbers 50 - 41:

50. Nasty Nas - Halftime (zshare) – 1994 – ‘Illmatic’ (buy here)
If only Nas hadn’t departed from this sound, Hip Hop would possibly be alive and kicking.

49. Cypress Hill - How I Could Just Kill a Man (zshare) – 1991 – ‘Cypress Hill’ (buy here)
The first of three tracks in this post means no-one can accuse Cypress Hill of being inconsistent, well, not during the early 90’s anyway, the early 00’s tell a different story.

48. Dilated Peoples - Work the Angles (zshare) – 1998 – ‘The Platform’ (buy here)
Another inclusion of Dilated is welcome here by me, a great track but I’m still not sure how it gets this high in the top 100 of all time.

47. Cypress Hill - Hand on the Pump (zshare) – 1991 – ‘Cypress Hill’ (buy here or up there)
Cypress show off their ability to create unique blunted funky tracks that involve copious amounts of weed and guns.

46. Run DMC - Walk this Way (zshare) – 1986 – ‘Raising Hell’ (buy here)
Pretty much the forerunner of nu-metal (the sort that have ‘rappers’ and guitar riffs). A classic in many circles particularly Dad circles (also affiliated to air guitar circles), rap circles and student night DJ circles.

45. Eric B & Rakim - Microphone Fiend (zshare) – 1988 – ‘Follow the Leader’ (buy here)

44. 2Pac - California Love (zshare) – 1996 – ‘All Eyez on Me’ (buy here)
Big ‘cruising with windows down in the summer’ tune here courtesy of Dre, Pac and Roger Troutman on the vocoder/talk box. You know what to do; go cruise with your windows down.

43. Hardnoise – Untitled (zshare) – 1990
UK, once again, sounding suspiciously late 80’s American.

42. Cypress Hill – Insane in the Brain (zshare) – 1993 – ‘Black Sunday’ (buy here)
Cer-lassic! A point of much reference in pop culture this track has somehow managed to sneak from hyped up stoner track to one of those songs that everybody just knows.

41. The Crooklyn Dodgers – Crooklyn (zshare) - 1994

Buckshot, Special Ed and Masta Ace come together exclusively for this track produced by Q-Tip. If you like ATCQ or Jurassic 5 then this should really tickle your fancy.

40 tracks left. I'm going away next week so wont get to post for that time, I'll try to do one more installment before I leave y'all.

HHC Top 100 rap singles 80-71 *updated*

# 77. Slick Rick – La-Di-Da-Di (thanks to fly by night)

Here’s the next fix of tracks to either add to or build your collection with. *I've just added Zshare links for all tracks in this one post since fileden has failed me, hope it works.*

80. EPMD – You Got’s to Chill (zshare)– 1988 – ‘Strictly Business’ (Buy here)
Funkeeeee! Slow and funky. This is another one for home dancing, this time with a mate, preferably in a small room where you can execute all manner of confined but wild moves.

79. Run DMC – Runs House (zshare)– 1985 – ‘Tougher than Leather’ (Buy here)
A very likeable Run DMC track here, sounds slightly more up-to-date than some of their other famous tracks.

78. Eminem – Guilty Conscience (zshare) – 1999 – ‘The Slim Shady LP’ (Buy here)
The track (out of 2) by Em that deserves to make this list. This was an important track, it ensured slim wasn’t a one hit wonder and made everyone realise that Dre would never fall off. The single version seemed to be an afterthought as the chorus really propelled it into the charts, good afterthought.

77. Slick Rick – La-Di-Da-Di (zshare)– 1985 – ‘The Art of Story Telling’ (Buy here)
How weird is Slick Ricks accent?! Being a UK import to the US meant he had a half English accent. Doug E Fresh makes this track, um… Fresh. Everybody in the world probably knows at least one line from this track (no thanks to a certain Mr. Williams – not Pharrell, Robbie!).

76. Gang Starr – Full Clip (zshare)– 1999 – ‘Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr’ (Buy here)
Nod Nod Nod. That’s my head and it’s not falling asleep, it’s nodding to a classic piece of Primo production. In case you can’t quite remember which track this is, it’s the one that starts: “Big L rest in peace”, yup, you know the one.

75. Boogie Down Productions – Poetry (zshare)– 1987 – ‘Criminal Minded’ (Buy here)

74. A Tribe Called Quest – Bonita Applebum (zshare)– 1990 – ‘Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’ (Buy here)
Waa wa waa wow – the twangy sitar sound that you know so well, maybe from ‘Killing me softly’. This came before. A nice chilled out love song.

73. Pharcyde – Ya Mama (zshare) – 1992 – ‘Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde’ (Buy here)

72. Sugar Bear – Don’t Scandalise Mine (zshare) – 1988
Throw yo’ hands up and jump, this is a pure party track to be lodged firmly between, well…any track from that era that used this break.

71. Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg – Deep Cover (zshare) – 1992 – ‘Deep Cover OST' (Buy here)

Give and thou shalt receive

“I love charity shops. You can give money but get something for yourself too.”

I found myself uttering these words, without thinking, on a recent visit to an Oxfam in Woodseats near Sheffield. It really is true, and I don’t mean to sound selfish. One mans rubbish truly is another mans treasure and pleasure. I take any opportunity to browse through smelly old boxes of vinyl usually comprising of Val Doonican, Cliff Richard best ofs, Simon and Garfunkels Greatest hits, Singles by Erasure and the Eurythmics and flippin’ Frankie goes to Hollywood. The amount of times I’ve flipped through almost generically sleeved compilation LP’s of James Last could only be rivalled by the amount of said records available in any one town. Over the last two weeks I have had a minature spree and have harvested the following slices of vinyl delight from the fields of unwanted 12’s and 7 inches.

In no particular order other than the one in which they are piled on my desk next to me:

The Pink Panther Theme (and Baby Elephant walk) (7”)

There comes a time in the life of every man when he desires to hear that tune off the hilariously calamitous film about a pseudo French spy (although rare, this condition also occurs in some females). There are many times, often in one day, when aforementioned man has the urge to whistle that tune. I am now privileged enough, courtesy of the ‘Strings for pleasure’ and EMI, to own on 45 a copy of this beautiful recording complete with a drawing on the back to colour with ‘crayons or paints!’.

The Jam – David Watts b/w “A” bomb in Wardour Street (7”)

Basically, any teeny bopper who claims to love ‘punk (pop)’ music, should listen to songs such as these. Back in the day they knew how to do it, before music became too confined by a label, too defined by a genre and too refined for today’s sickly sweet pop charts, music made with guitars was enjoyable to listen too. All those fall out boys and girls, get a The Jam best of, it’ll be about a fiver, listen and actually enjoy music. And as a previous owner has penned on the sleeve, ‘Long live rock ‘n’ roll’.

Marvin Gaye – I heard it through the grapevine b/w Can I get a Witness? (7”)

What is there to be said? The best male solo artist Motown gave the world? One of the most well known songs from the label/genre? Yes, probably would suffice as an answer to those two questions. The first question was rhetorical and even if it wasn’t, it was answered by the ensuing queries.

Bruce Willis – Respect Yourself (7”)

I want to quote some lyrics here just to give you some idea of the gold that is contained within that beautiful sleeve… I’m finding it hard to decide…with gems of advice such as these it’s a tough choice:

“You keep talking about the president wont stop air pollution//Put your hand over your mouth when you cough that’ll help the solution”

Nice one Brucey, but how?! Maybe he’s implying that the talk of the “gentleman” he’s crooning about is contaminated or toxic. Really you need to get your hands on this, grab something hard to drink, put the needle in the groove and then sit back and listen whilst reading the lyrics on the back of the sleeve, seriously this will improve your life.
P.S. How did he get a deal with Motown?

http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/b/brucewillis10481/respectyourself338756.html - Check out the lyrics in full here!

The Clash – Should I stay or I go (7”)

Any respectable, and indeed any disrespectable, rock/alternative/indie (or whatever they call it now) night will play this tune, and it sounds good at home too. Let’s put on our classics and ‘ave a little dance shall we?

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (7”)

Not a fan in general, but I couldn’t not have this. I’ll probably never sit down and listen to it as I could probably sing the whole damn thing to myself, but it may come in useful when I’m playing around mixing tunes together.

Vanilla Ice – Play that funky music (7”)

Imagine my delight at finding this jewel. Imagine my dismay when I got it home, fitted the 45 RPM adaptor, threw it on the platter and discovered that it was actually ‘The morning after (song from The Poseidon Adventure)’. Imagine my relief when I realised perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all. It’s nice to have that beautiful cover artwork though.

Fat Boys – Wipeout! Feat. The Beach Boys (7”)

The Fat Boys had a gimmick, they were boys who were fat. Along with this their collaborations on gimmicky tracks such as ‘Do the twist’ feat. Chubby Checker (see what they did there?) they did alright for themselves. Combining the Beach Boys summery harmonies with Rick Rubin’s drum kit and that surfing guitar tone they created a timeless masterpiece, although this listener is finding it a little hard to imagine their portly figures carving up the waves and wooing all the girlies. Flip this beauty over and you will find ‘Crush’n’; this time Dracula plays his organ over Rick Rubin’s drum kit AND crunchy guitar. Sounding like a sinister LL in his early days the boys come correct and display their tag team tactic rhymes, you gotta love them.

De La Soul – Say no go (7”)

Ahhhhhhhhh – that’s my sigh of relief just knowing that such a nice piece of hip hop exists. Amongst all the trash released under the guise of hip hop nowadays we can all be safe in the knowledge that De La Soul created such fun, unoffensive (although trend bucking) rap tunes. Go buy the best of if not the separate albums.

Run DMC – Raising Hell (12” LP)

If you’re like me, you may inwardly, secretly groan at the thought of listening to a whole album of Run DMC tracks. Now before you click on outlook express and let your fingers send a malicious masterpiece my way, listen to what I have to say. I recognise the importance of acts such as Run DMC and producers like Rick Rubin in the creation of this thing we call rap but it’s kinda unmusical and samey. Hmm, that didn’t help did it? Well, I honestly love this album and would hate for this album to not exist. The playlist goes ‘Peter Piper’, ‘It’s Tricky’, ‘My Adidas’, ‘Walk this way’…and well if you love it you’ll know it. Anyway, this has changed my opinion and I apologise for the heinous comments.

Afrika Bambaataa – Feeling Irie (12”)

'Oooh', I thought, 'founder of Zulu nation, there at the birth of hip hop in NYC, gotta be good'. No, it’s not. It’s utter crap. Boring 90’s dance remixes. Don’t ever buy or listen.

So having spent the princely sum of eight pounds and fifty pence (that’s £8.50 for those who can’t read words) I have procured a nice selection of music to enhance my life. I pray I will have played my part in enhancing the life of somebody less fortunate than myself too.

As an afterthought, a word of warning to the wise; Oxfam are overpriced.