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DJ Baby “T” and Devious “D” – “Street Life”
DJ Baby “T” and Devious “D” – “The Beat Is Funky“
from Street Life 12″ (Soulin’, 1989)

This was a request from a little while back. The New Orleans based DJ Baby T was most notably involved in the post-bass/proto-bounce group, Ninja Crew, who recorded “We Destroy” and also put on a young mannie fresh. Soulin’ was the label that initially released DJ Jimi’s seminal bounce record “Where Dey At”. But this ain’t a bounce record, far from it. The A-Side is a little bit of a cheesy tale about a kid who gets caught up in the dope game, set predictably to Randy Crawford’s “Street Life”. But the flip, “The Beat Is Funky” is a hard as fuck fast rap banger. The duo recorded a follow up 12″ for avenue in ’92, “Miss Priscilla”, where “Street Life” reappeared on the flip.

One other quick note – this was engineered (which, as we’ve learned from paul c, may have implied a significant involvement in the beat making process in those days) by Clarance R. Toussaint, who I would assume is related to NO song writing/production legend Allen Toussaint, and a google search tells me he’s at the very least his manager.

Defiant Giants – “Rise Black Man Rise“
from Rise Black Man Rise 12″ (Washington Hit Makers, 1989)
MC Poet Nyce & DJ Dafaq – “Poet 2 Git Lyrical“
from Cold Stoopid Duckets EP (Hip Hop Productions, 1989)

So my four year stay in the District of Columbia comes to a close next week. Today’s post is my nostalgic going away party.

If you do a google search for Washington DC all you get are images of the damn capital and the washington monument, but that shit’s so far removed from the actual lifeblood of the majority of the cities residents. (And if you do a search for, say, anacostia, half of what comes up are just shots of roadside/riverside garbage piles). But yeah, what who have never been here (or even people who have on the tourist tip) might not realize is the bizarre and frighteningly segregated social dynamic between the primarily transient white folks and the black majority. And, as you’d expect some great music and musicians have come out of this environment over the years – from Duke Ellington to Chuck Brown.

But as far as traditional rap goes DC’s remained unfortunately irrelevant. That’s because the void has been filled with go-go. It’s the dominant black music in dc, has been for years and probably always will be. And that’s a good thing, because that shit cranks. What I don’t want this post to come off as is one of those whining rants where heads talk about how hip hop gets no love in the district. Because, not to overlook the landmark careers of Questionmark Asylum and Nonchalant, but the area doesn’t really need any damn rap. Would it be nice if the situation changed? Of course, I think go-go and “regional” rap can coexist comfortably, but that just is not the case right now. Nobody’s really checking for local rappers, and that’s a reality. So deal with it. My advice to aspiring DC rappers is to either join a go-go band or move to New York.

I do want to highlight two nice local traditional rap records from the late 80s that I think are worth checking out.

Defiant Giants were an X-Clanish group out of Howard University. This was their biggest hit, but they also put out a follow up, “Son of a Black Panther”, which was in a similar vein. One fourth of the group, Zulu King Paris is now better known as Malik Zulu Shabazz, who functions as a high ranking member of the NOI affiliated New Black Panther Party (no relation). Apparently he’s recorded a new solo record, but I can’t really find any other information about it.

MC Poet Nyce & DJ Dafaq, I know less about. In fact, I’m not even sure if I got the name right, the label is made up of chaotic as hell hand styles inna schoolly d vein. What I can make out is that this was recorded in Rockville, Maryland.
The four track ep consists of mostly upbeat funky shit that borders on cheesy, but “Poet To Get Lyrical” is a slice of beautiful sloppy rap production that makes paul c sound like he was mixing to a hi fi pro tools unit.

Luniz f/ Dru Down, Richie Rich, E-40, Shock G & Spice 1 – “I Got 5 On It (Bay Ballers Remix)“
from I Got 5 On It 12″ (Noo Trybe, 1995)
The Federation f/ Keak The Sneak, San Quinn, E-40 & Turf Talk – “Hyphy (Remix)“
white label / unreleased(?) (Virgin 2004)

So Westcoast2k.net recently blessed the world with this remix of Messy Marv’s “Get On My Hype” featuring Dru Down, Keak, The Team, Richie Rich, 40, Turf Talk & Guce (in the very unfortunate wma format). Yes it bangs (not that the original mix didn’t). But it’s not seeing some other classic posse cuts that feature cameos from the whole damn yay.

First of all, I’m personally offended that the Bay Ballers mix of this Luniz cut isn’t really commercially available anywhere anymore. Everybody knows this damn song, but this is the most visible mix (video, etc.), yet if you were to go to the store today and cop Operation Stackola all you’d get is the og and that weird reprise (i think, or maybe i’m just looking at the wrong copies). Isn’t it commonplace to rerelease albums to feature a remix after the remix blows the fuck up? The industry is slipping.

And even worse than that, I don’t think this Federation remix was ever released at all (although those definitely sound like run out grooves from whoever ripped the mp3…). But it kills, dropping in each rappers respective hit beat during their verse (ie. the “Shock The Party” beat cuts in during Quinn’s verse and Keak rocks over “T Shirt…”)

All three cuts feature the ubiquitous 40 water (although it’s a shame they just recycled his verse from the original “Hyphy”, rather than have him record an all new one)

Listen to WRGW online tonight, from 8-10 (EST) Cocaine Blunts will be hijacking the technically off season and thus out of commission studios for a very special pirate radio session. If you tune in and it’s crappy drum n’ bass or something that means someone probably threw us out. or it means we managed to find some wizards tickets