Just a few for Saturday.

Snap – “Money“

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from Snappage Vol. 1 (RappersIKnow.com, 2009)

Long time readers of this site might remember Snap from the monstrous youtube one off K-Rino collab “Deth Season“. Old school Houston heads (and itchy bid finger Japanese collectors) might remember him from the group Poetic Souls. FWMJ recently put together this revelation of a mixtape highlighting some of his recent work. Dude is a technical monster of the Pharoahe Monch lineage, an effortless word blurrer type.

Ghostface – “Forever“

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Ghost’s fleeting hipster fanbase picked up on his non-sequitor schtick but his true has always lied in his emo streak. He’s been hinting at a soul theme for his next full length and that would be a great look. (In fact, his last great record, Pretty Toney benefitted from him leaning more to lover man mode than rapping underwater with squid mode.) (more…)

Rah Digga f/ Ghostface – “Intro”
Rah Digga f/ Fabolous – “See It In Your Eyes”
Rah Digga – “I’m Coming Back”
Rah Digga f/ Brooklyn – “Straight Spittin’“
Rah Digga f/ Young Zee – “You Don’t Wanna Know“
from Everything is a Story (J Records, Unreleased, 2003)

So Digga Digga’s shelved Everything is a Story finally found it’s way to the internet. Or maybe it was already on the internet, but it finally found it’s way to my hard drive. (Shout to MGP for the hook up.)

Falling through the cracks when Busta’s move to Aftermath got Flipmode’s J contracts cancelled like Homeboys in Outerspace, Everything‘s absence broke the hearts of myself and three other New Jersey natives (one being Young Zee). Like her debut, Dirty Harriet it’s way too long (this one inexplicably clocks in at 90 minutes with 23 songs) and sort of a mess. The two singles – “Party & Bullshit 2003,” which no doubt had Biggie rolling over in his grave and “Party Ova Here,” featuring the ever engaging Lloyd Banks – were both pretty much horrible. I almost feel bad for Digga and her awkwardly choreographed dance moves in the former video. She really needs to stick with the lean backage.

Much of the record’s production is in a similar vein to the singles – jarring, shuffly space bounce from eternal second stringers like Megahertz and Scott Storch. Dudes who try to fit into slick Neptimbaland suits and end up looking all awkward, with shit that’s built neither for dancing or head nodding. Understandably, Digga has a hard time getting comfortable on those beats. I’m rarely one for boom bap revivalism but it probably wouldn’t hurt if she were to dig out Primo and Pete Rock’s numbers again. Failing that, I could also see her shining over some of the darker shit that Denaun Porter has been slipping Busta and Monch as of late. But I think her opportunity to make a hit single has passed.

Even in her weaker moments Digga’s one of the better female rappers alive (admittedly this isn’t an accomplishment to write home about). The Outsidaz have always trafficked in punchlines of charmingly awkward construction, and there’s no shortage here: RUN SHIT LIKE THREE ADABISI’s; I’M THE TRUTH, N*GGAZ CALL ME SOJOURNER; MORE PRESALES THAN A HARRY POTTER THING; PUT A RAPPER OUT OF WORK LIKE THEY LIED ON APPLICATION; GET IT POPPIN LIKE CHICKEN GREASE IN A PAN; SWIMMIN IN GREEN LIKE SHRIMP IN BROCCOLI; I’M LIKE THE VIRGIN MARY I AIN’T FUCKIN WIT YOU, GOD; etc.

Really though this record just makes we want to revisit the psychedelic addled records of the Outz’ heydey. Incidentally, their demos are still available here in megaupload biggie sized zip file. Listen to them so you can understand that Homeboys In Outerspace reference.

Rah Digga Myspace

Slick Rick – “Sleazy Gynecologist“
Slick Rick – “Feels Like (Nutty Professor)“
from Ricky D Lost Tracks 12″ (White Label, 19??)

Unreleased Ricky D bangers need no introduction. These two come from one of those ambigious no point of origin white labels (complete with delightfully engrish spelling). “Sleazy Gynecologist” finds Rick playing both the titular role, the patient and her jealous husband. “Nutty Professor” is a more meandering story track with some none the less hillarious moments. Based on the sound, “Gynacorogist” was probably recorded around The Art of Storytelling sessions and the other joint sounds much earlier than that.

It’s a shame that his ongoing battles with the INS have (presumably) kept him from recording. Of all the rappers from his era, Rick is probably the best suited to make a modern comeback. Storytelling was pretty damn great all things considered, and his persona is timeless.

Sorry for the grit and grime on the mp3s, you know how we do.

Ghostface Killah – “Break Beatz 2“
Ghostface Killah – “Break Beatz 3“
from Supreme Clientle Snippet Tape (Epic, 1999)

Yes, your boy is alive. I’ve been on that interstate move for the past few weeks and I’ve had limited computer access. What’s good with the move is that it gives me an opportunity to dig out some old tapes, like this shit here.

Two (very brief) additions to the incredibly long list of unreleased ghost bangers (oh man, in the utopian future where sample clearance laws are lifted, the ten disc ghostface lost tapes box set will be a must). This Supreme Clientle promo snippet tape caught him rocking over some classic breaks (“Funky President” & “Dance To The Drummer’s Beat” to be specific). Ghost’s comfort fast rapping all over these joints only solidifies my belief that he came up in the wrong decade. If someone just gave him a competent abd DJ a couple UBB’s I’m confident that we’d have an all time classic LP on our hands. But these two minutes of madness are gonna have to do for now.

“Break Beatz 1″ went on to be the first verse of “The Grain” on the retail LP.

Charli Baltimore f/ Ghostface Killah – “Stand Up“
from Cold As Ice Unreleased LP (Untertainment, 1999)

Unlike many of the “lost classics” I cover on this site, I don’t really think Charli Baltimore ever deserved to release an album. Yeah, she fucked Biggie. So did a lot of people. I guess she was a fairly competent femcee when backed with the right ghostwriter, but really, anybody could do that job. It’s a case of a hanger on who was almost in the right place at the right time, but then wasn’t. She don’t even look all that good (imho).

But even hangers on can make great records on occasion. If the BIG affiliation didn’t make this apparent, Charli had sense enough to surround herself with the right people, and “Stand Up” is the perfect example of this. One of the last great Wu Tang records, it’s sort of a “Bitties In The BK Lounge” meets “Wildflower”, bringing in Tony Starks for a violent, yet playful male/female cat and mouse tag team collabo. She offers sexual favors in exchange for publishing while Supreme Clientle era Ghost demands she put her money on his “priceless, stainless dick” while spitting the bizzaro imagery you’d expect from him (“short range salt water taf’ / iron man bubble bath / nuclear split the atom in half”). All this over a post digital RZA beat that still sounds all too analog with his trademark 36 chamber piano loop slop steez. (edit – and how could i fail to mention the very soulful call for all proud brothers and sisters to stand up and blow their whistles? anybody know what record that’s from? it’s on the tip of my tongue.)

But yeah, Cold As Ice got shelved permanently. I guess the little she was getting a little buzz from that Cam’ron cut with the night court beat and that “Money” cut just wasn’t enough for the suits (I also remember the appropriately grimey video for this track getting much burn on the box (r.i.p) , but I don’t know if that ever counted for anything). Plus her man Lance “Un” Rivera was having his own issues what with the Jay-Z stabbing incident. It’s probably a shame, too. I never heard the whole thing, but by all accounts Charli actually wanted to make a street record. The promos were boasting not only this joint but also a (few?) DJ Premier cuts. Plus it supposedly had Lady of Rage & Gangsta Boo ON THE SAME TRACK! And like I said, backed with the right production and ghostwriting, she’s tolerable. But it was not to be. Untertainment went Un-der and the she put the nail in her own coffin by linking up with those (Murder) Inc. clowns. There she was shelved once again. And with Gotti’s current legal troubles, that’s probably where she’ll stay.

But yeah Ghost still makes great records. And RZA wrote a pretty interesting book.