Cymarshall Law

Rawkus 50 MC Cymarshall Law is no doubt a name you've been hearing a bit lately. Cymarshall Law, originally from Luton, UK but now residing in New Jersey, has just put out his latest mixtape 'Cyology 3: The Freedom Writer'.

'Control' features KRS-One and 'Truth' features Supastition and Phi-Life Cypher (also from Luton) collaborator Skit Slam. This is some real Hip Hop from the US that I can really get down with. If I hear more like this this year I'll definitely getting back into rap from across the pond.

Download 'Cyology 3: The Freedom Writer' and 'Two Thousand Mine' now!

VIMBY - Cymarshall Law

Farma G's pick of US '08

Check out Farma G's latest blog over at the Music From The Corner blogspot.

He's put together a few tracks that he was feeling in the year just passed:

'Lions In The Forrest' ft. B-Real - DJ Muggs & Planet Asia 'The DJ' ft. KRS-One - DJ Revolution

'EY' ft. Joell Ortiz, Termanology - DJ Revolution

'Get Yo' Hustle On' - Uncle Murda
'Hollywood' - CNN

'Talking In My Sleep' - Elzhi
'Robbery' - Guilty Simpson
'Paper Plate' - GZA/Genius
'The Art Of Disrespekinazation' - Heltah Skeltah

'A Billi' - Jay-Z

'Chief Of Staff' ft. C-Dot - Planet Asia and F.L.O.
'Boxcutters' ft. Big Twin - Prodigy
'Catch Body Music' - Prodigy Product Of The 80's
'Been Shot Down' - Royce Da 5'9"

Click here to download them all

Photography by Scott Forrester

Remixes, Tasters, Free Albums and Good Tracks

Logarhythmik has created this delightful remix of that track Kanye, Nas and KRS One did for Nike. 'Better Than I've Ever Been' is the remix and 'Classic' was the DJ Premier original and as much as it pains me to say this, I think I like this remix more. Don't get me wrong I love Premo's original production but maybe this has just refreshed it and made it new again. Thumbs up.

The P Brothers, Nottinghams most famous Bronxians have given you and I a taster of their next album 'The Gas' which will be out in August. It seems to feature a few American voices and it does it's job well, it certainly whets my appetite.

United Centa are Mick Luter, Big Wiz and Rashid Hadee and 'Under The Act' has a great 90's feel to it. These , and other Chicagoans are really making a bid for the Hip Hop capital at the moment, I'm hearing lots of good things. This has some nice laid back production and features a simple chorus that appeals to my ears.

Wax, an MC from Cali by way of Baltimore is a pretty vicious rhymer whose recorded output is surprisingly chilled and thoughtful. 'The Adventures of Larry and Tina' is an attention grabbing story rap that still has some great rhymes. Anyways, this is a track off a project he is working on with a bloke called Elements of Music, it's going to be called Wax and EOM present: "For All I know He's An Asshole".

Jelani, son of old skool Hip Hop stylist Dapper Dan has an album up for grabby grabs. It's called 'Wait, You Can Rap?!?!'. It sounds like this album is a real summertime affair - it's got a West Coast laziness to it at the same time as having an East Coast hunger. If you want a good time vibe, largely unoffensive lyrics and some cooooool production then it's right click, left click, save target as.

On a more souful tip but as equally as free you can have Kam Moye's 'Self Centered EP'. You may know this man as Supastition, which ever moniker, it's the same guy. Yeah, the EP is quite self centred but he puts himself across well and it makes for an interesting listen. As a whole sound, this is Hip Hop in one of it's lovelier forms and bumping this will leave you feeling more complete than a listen through most 'Hip Hop' albums on the popular shelves at the moment.

In which I have hope for mainstream Hip Hop

I had decided to do this post before I heard this track but when I heard it yesterday it really summed up my thinking:

Kero One - Check The Blueprints

To sum his song up he's urging the Hip Hop community, particularly the artists, to look at how Hip Hop should be. He sees importance in analysing what made Hip Hop great in the 80's and 90's, taking those findings and applying it to making new music. Obviously this could lead to music sounding the same and being stuck in the past but what I hope to prove in ten tracks is that this might not be the case but that it actually might be the way forward. Many of these tracks are examples of how cats from back in the day have had to step up to the plate again to show the world how it should be done. I hope artists take note.

Guilty Simpson - Man's World (Produced by J Dilla)

J Dilla was a producer who really took inspiration from the culture of sampling in the 90's.

Q-Tip - Work It Out.mp3

Everyones favourite Tribin' ear cleaner is back and I'd be happy hearing this on the radio.

WC - Voodoo ft. The Game

That West Coast sound still does it for me.

Termanology - So Amazing (Produced by DJ Premier)

Sounding like Premo always does is not actually a bad thing and Termanology entertains.

DJ Jazzy Jeff - The Garden ft. Big Daddy Kane

Two Old School cats bring the freshness.

Mr. J. Medeiros - Silent Earth

This sounds 90's-ish due to it's feel good vibes and sampling.

Marco Polo - Nostalgia ft. Masta Ace

(Old guy + New guy) x 90's influences = good Hip Hop

KRS-One & Marley Marl - Hip Hop Lives

Old guy + Old guy - rivalry = good Hip Hop

Chamillionaire - Hip-Hop Police ft. Slick Rick

When I played this to my brother, he asked "Is this Chamillionaire?", I said "Yes, how can you tell?", he replied "Becasue it sounds like 50 Cent but without the mumbling" - or something like that. Slick Rick is funny. This is probably the most out of place choice here but I do like it.

One more to finish off with:

Jeru the Damaja - One Day

This is a nice short imaginary story personifying Hip Hop and telling of the day when it was kidnapped by the likes of Puff Daddy (or whatever ridiculous moniker he' going under today). Don't worry though, they get Hip Hop back safe and sound.

Download all the tracks here in a zippedy doo dah file.

HHC Top 100 rap singles 90-81

#82. Biz Markie - Nobody Beats the Biz

This next 10 was the part of the chart where the greatest deficiency in my collection occurred. Most of these tunes have no memories for me other than ones that are a matter of hours or days old. On the whole I’m pretty glad I got these tracks because there are some beauties here.

90. Mantronix - Bassline.mp3 - 1986 - Buy album here

89. BDP - My Philosophy.mp3 - 1988 - Buy album here
“I think very deeply”

88. Blak Twang – Red Letter Day – 1998
UK Hip Hop of a very heavy and solid album which has blazed the trail for UK Hip Hop.

87. A Tribe Called Quest - Description Of A Fool.mp3 - 1991 - Buy album here

86. EPMD - Headbanger.mp3 - 1989 - Buy album here
Does what it says on the tin, this is a certified banger fo sho.

85. LL Cool J - Rock the Bells.mp3 - 1985 - Buy album here
I have a soft spot for the (Def Jam) Hip Hop of the early/mid eighties, being a Beastie Boys fan I have no choice. Basically Rick Rubin created a new sound with his rock guitars and simple bombastic drum patterns; it made LL, Run DMC and Beastie Boys famous and even Jay-Z revisited the style with ’99 Problems’. This sound is coming back with all this trendy electro shenanigans so although this is dated, it’s relevant.

84. KRS-One Sound Of Da Police.mp3 - 1993 - Buy album here
Bit of a moshing track here, even if you quite like the police you’ll be screwing up your face into a menacing kinda grimace and nodding your head as KRS goes off on one as per usual. Overseer, overseer, overseer, officer OFFICER!

83. Hijack - Style Warriors Revenge.mp3 -
Whoop! It’s the Brits! It’s kinda weird listening to this 17 years on, UK Hip Hop has changed so much, it has it’s own identity now. This could easily be American, these boys would get ripped for their USA accents nowadays yet tis considered a classic, and rightly so.

82. Biz Markie - Nobody beats the Biz.mp3 - 1988 - Buy the 'Best of...' here

Everyone loves Biz Markie, he’s a bit like a big bear, a party starting bear nonetheless and that’s why we love him. Download this, record it onto a C90 and dance around in your house in a sort of ‘walking down the street’ way.

81. Brand Nubian - Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down.mp3 - 1992 - Buy album here
Starts of like a Hip Hop Rocky theme tune, a guitar loop drops in and then a big fat heavy beat comes in that nearly ruined my already not very good car speakers. Check the lyrics for some very un-PC gay bashing that constantly got them into trouble

Don't forget to check back to the top rap singles 100-91 if this is your first time here.

These singles are all featured on incredible albums that really should be in your collection, most of them can be found for bargain prices at places like amazon, slowly but surely you could build up an amazing selection of classic rap albums.