random old rap you are loving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g2Isz-1NIY

this is one of the best beats ever -- seagulls in memphis??

Listening to the Pandora "I Got It Made" channel. No obscure tracks, but all good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtIGCGu9L90

i used to watch this video all the time on MTV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6VVCX6JA8Y

O.G.

that's great too, meant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwB5ddAVpNs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzyaaMUCpWs

turns out the oc album is secretly just as good as lifestylz ov da poor and dangerous

enjoyed that on utube just the other day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYSMXG4M6NI

Oh, I thought you guys actually meant old.

naw we meant what you meant by old

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1m-gHa-kgU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXBckFyiMyU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szSuautV-DA&feature=related

69 Boyz - Tootsee Roll

The Alkaholik's... great group

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC57FNW3xyI

Coincidentally am listening to the O.C. - Word... Life album this morning. Never thought to call it "old" but then I suppose I am old myself so n/m.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi2Zdy6wp3g

sens unik - "le repas"

stetsasonic - "all that jazz"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGucD4k1exo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YybgC9V5Yaw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vldvtc56q28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29jRWS7y7bA

this shit is so monochromatic

spearhead - "red beans and rice"

i recently discovered how awesome Schoolly d is

all day last sunday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fg2NRCB9Sc

great thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QdgC6w0gL4

no one could do it better

lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IEuJkYRggA

watch out you don't get any on you @ 1:34

I like my pockets fat and not flat.

yeah, schoolly d - "psk/gucci time" is all-time classic, especially played at 45rpm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvaCe_kkkZU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCn-dvtO-PA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxpwfm6G1ZM

damn, that was the rong one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4anAKdiIf8Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCn7nVOV4wM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk6YhfpXUSs&feature

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZVMT_itVC4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj31LWPjFoc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBgvwO-i6ls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNnoUyYDDhA

HA! <3 for bringing back the treacherous3

http://vote08.freedomblogging.com/files/2008/08/time-machine.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lhJ5o53G9I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKvl1kzbp-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOHvOhADAic

Brutha Lynch Hung
Black Moon - enta da stage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrSgpusp7PA&NR=1

Starang
Gun clapper number
One on the set
Man I’ll cut ya like lumber

Is a lyric that calms this thug down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTMSvdYZJ8o

WTF

ice mike is such an amazing producer

https://soundcloud.com/fitze-fatze-3/the-boulevard-connection-sut

I've no idea what the origin of this is but I'm digging it atm

oooh, that's a nice one indeed - the things one forgets! love the redirect to the web address that was based on the sandbox webstore domain.

anybody remember bball's best kept secret, the mid-90s compilation featuring nba players rapping? it was fun! cedric ceballos scored a sick warren g beat, but i was always into malik sealy's super pos raps on "lost in the sauce"-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABzPR_FX2Uc
malik sealy - "lost in the sauce" (1994) (prod by dj alamo)

gone way too soon. check him out ballin on the 76ers!

I just saw that DJ Clark Kent died. Coincidentally, I've been listening to Rakim's first two solo albums lately, on which Clark Kent is the credited producer for many tracks--including my favorite, "It's the R":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkCbsREaLO8

Also coincidentally, I recently listened to a podcast interview with Ski Beatz, where he talked about how crucial Clark Kent was to his early career. Really made it seem like that was the professional connection that made everything possible for him. And Ski is one of my favorite beatmakers ever, so as far as I'm concerned, that alone is a major contribution

loving this

clark kent rmxs permanent mixtape favs. always likened him to easy mo or pete rock in radio mode. classic unsung producer. rip.

found this blend:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnT__jfC-wQ
jay-z f/mecca - feelin' it (project 9 mash-up)

beat is sound providers / jim hall. more of this, all the time, everywhere. CONFLUENCE IS NEEDED.

also rip saafir. bay area legend.

random old shelf worn rap album cover art that is on spotify as official album art that i am loving:

https://i.imgur.com/UEtZxtZ.jpeg

(dru down - can you feel me?)

title track on that is real west coast gem. the battlecat produced one is good too. and the posse cut at the end.

hustlin aint no thang is a personal classic tho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UINg36aw0ls

i met dru down at an in-store on the promo tour for that album. was fun.

i've been going back to diamond d's mid 90s instrumentals. he sampled vibes a lot. something about those original quantized mpc drums just does old blue note loops justice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTKuoSv9kDs

diamond ― "this one (instrumental)" (1997)

also prefer the version of this without busta rhymes screaming "THIS ONE! RIGHT MUTHAFUCKIN HERE!!!!" on repeat.

and if i can get fourth dimensional for a moment: put some funky chicken pickin guitar stabs over a lovely vibey slightly higher fidelity instrumental like that and you basically get fishmans beats:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4V72ZJEWII

fishmans ― "pokka pokka" (1997)

also fishmans beats remind me of chops from the mountain brothers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVU4DAHg5us

the mountain brothers ― "galaxies: the next level" (1999)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4HTtnKhjY

the mountain brothers ― "paperchase" (1999)

embeez also some of the first asian american created hiphop i remember. philly definitely the house.

I knew the Beanie Sigel/ODB version since it came out but only heard this recently and it's fire:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U651gZ_YfKY

damn that diamon d beat has me all emotional

cool c is definitely part of that "important footnotes of hiphop" scene. that beat tho! it's become a proprietary philly beat. here's an old backpacker feature from 98 with black thought+malik b:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxjjSQyGRwM

rahsheed+ill advised feat. maylay sparks, black thought, and malik b ― "1.9.8.6. (remix)"

i heard a few weeks ago odetta's "sakura" that reminded me shamefully not of "tried by 12" which i am sure i had heard before
but the shady 2.0 cipher with yelawolf and slaughterhouse which is old enough to be old rap. there was a time when i had a dvd that had this video on it that we would watch at the end of the night because there was nothing else to watch so we drunk each time numerous times explained to each other budden's lines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8KtM1uYzM
let me say that i love it

High asf bumping this for the first time in decades

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zov2TvCexM-

"andy what's the best argument for 'TURNTABLE AS INSTRUMENT'?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y626bPb_rU

tommy tee ― "aerosol" (1997)

Thank you for asking. Andy loves this song. It tells a complete story using only records for the "lyrics and melody." They are scratched in by Norwegian DJ Tommy Tee with perfect flares, matching the ornate craft of the graffiti he is paying respect to. Some referenced cultural contexts and prior knowledge of hiphop will enhance the listener's appreciation. It's a very captivating song that predictably sounds great on headphones walking in a cityscape at night. RIYL: slower Burial, ENDtroducing, the idea that music is supposed to talk to itself💙👋🏻

great find <3

loving reks on this incredible premo beat rn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUBxS5yxGTA

rip young scooter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-qo2tGnCN8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zql0H8i3Cbs

friends,

vinroc's audio animation:
https://www.discogs.com/release/4839912-Vinroc-Ed-Swift-Audio-Animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx-XFyJZHp4

is the greatest mixtape of all time and one of the best albums of 1998.

from the discogs listing alone i just know that would totally hit the spot for me these days as i am currently going through a massive rawkus/boom bap/backpacker/cut-n-paste revival and loving it.
is this available digitally anywhere ?

no. youtube fan upload only. get it while you can.

random old rap documentaries you are loving―
hiphop: beyond beats and rhymes by byron hurt (2007)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyiIAku2M4s
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip-Hop:_Beyond_Beats_and_Rhymes

talks about traditional toxic masculinity, misogyny, homoeroticism, and the presence of gender fluidity in hiphop. alltimer.

I had never heard Raw Breed's Killa Instinct before now - what an album!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ig0sAHrJnI
Fonky Expedition (Remix) - Conscious Daughters

ear to the street is a great album

this beat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b8zbMVhVVM

I had never heard Raw Breed's Killa Instinct before now - what an album!

― Tim F, Thursday, July 24, 2025 8:34 PM (two weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink

Seconding this - absolutely amazed I’d never heard of this until now!

[LONGPOSTING]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztaf9IpaHwc
o.c. ― “born 2 live” (1994)

been going back to the outer rim of early d.i.t.c. stuff lately and there's a spiritual trilogy i want to talk about. to immediately divert, let me briefly explain the impetus behind this post: youtuber f.d. signifier made quick mention a while back about his “salute to mid-tiers” and he talked about how much he loved busta rhymes in his formative years. of course in hindsight, busta made enjoyable records and was not meant to be very profound, like a lot of mid-tiers. as a schizo-affected mind, i was drawn to a more introspective and reserved mood, so my mid-tier go-to was omar credle. the `trilogy` that i was thinking of consists of the first two albums by organized konfusion and word. . .life, the first album by o.c.

organized was _not_ mid-tier, btw. those first two albums of theirs are as classic as music ―or at least hiphop― gets. they captured a wild moment of post-native tongues euphoria elevating into proper coordination. the first o.c. album finishes the vibe with plenty of soul searching and i have to think of word. . .life as one of the first `adult contempo` hiphop albums. if illmatic was the raw critic’s choice, not really for top 40 airplay, o.c. had a less complex, radio friendlier variation on that vibe. buckwild’s early production is riyl buhloone mindstate’s acid jazz adjacent grooves, or maybe it proposes a more tuneful hard to earn. the album is my favorite of this little sub-scene: a soulful, rainy day hiphop masterpiece. check out this deep cut with his mom on the hook.

by the time jewelz and the equinox came around, the internet and backpack scenes had bloomed, and d.i.t.c. was releasing proper singles. organized konfusion went to the medicine man with their high concept album; a hard-to-follow sound movie that introduced me to apani b fly and still leaves me wondering when interactive albums will become reality*. the beats were fucking sick!

jewelz otoh tried to split the difference: dj premier beats, heavier reliance on d.i.t.c. cohorts, r+b features, and plenty of simple ass rhymes with a ton of charisma. the beats were even better, but o.c. was just too lowkey to really catch on. i like the album still, even if it was kind of a disappointment back then. it wasn’t a blatant sellout, but there was probably no chance of a track like “sabotage” showing up in 97.

looking at o.c.’s streaming profiles these days, he’s kept recording steadily ever since. while skimming that material, i can’t say any of it will change anyone’s mind about o.c., and even as a fan, i lose interest fairly easily. but i have to commend him, as he is one of the few people from that era who has copyright dumped all of his initial material onto platforms. some of it can be a little frustrating because there’s very little info on the provenance, but all those remixes and bonus verses from the original wild pitch “time’s up” 12” are there in one way or another.

and with his old d.i.t.c. crew mate fat joe getting dragged lately on social media for being fake, it's really refreshing to revisit one of the most genuine dudes of the era.

ok+o.c. "fudge pudge" reunion when?

*i mean, how did we skip straight to “VIDEO” games? i have always wanted to play an audio action adventure game. imagine if j-live’s first album was an interactive first person rpg type of game! you’d literally get to experience the birth of hiphop culture, learn about it first hand like an apprentice, and then decide if you want to pursue rapping, dj’ing, or graffiti. like… this is some irl leveling up that i need.
[/LONGPOSTING]

I love 'word...life,' its so personal of an album in a way that is hard for me to bring external critical frameworks to, 'born 2 live' is really one of the most beautiful songs about grief ever, up with tragedy khadafi's 'grand groove' remix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf68J5iqK6g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfYvB-JJXaI

these songs are actually hard for me to listen to sometimes

I think one of the things when people talk about "nostalgia" in music they seldom talk about how much it can be attached to grief and grieving ... it becomes so much more about people being too attached to the past or childhood or buzzfeed posts about ninja turtles or whatever ... an implied 'not living in the present' kind of thing...or thinking the past is better and draining stuff of its charge by just looping it to meaninglessness. that can happen to me w certain rap albums the way the canonization of everything makes you more distant from what you liked about it, at least until you listen to it again.

but when I was young nostalgic rap from young rappers about their even younger selves felt like a very dominant theme ... "back in the day" by ahmad, its the subtext of a lot of songs on biggie's debut, many Scarface songs...theres a lot in here about people dying too young and so on, echoes of what the crack era did, then of course within dance music 'nostalgia' has all these subtexts from the AIDS epidemic. I got real into the fire island pine walk mixes that were going around on mixcloud and in the article in the Times they talk about how for many people certain songs in those mixes were synonymous with a person, for them, that a lot of the subtext of those mixes was about mourning and grief. The early 90s when I was a kid I think was steeped in these kinds of echoes of a real existential darkness but sort of at the margins or slipping through the cracks of popular culture

This wasn't a song I knew at the time but it's such a deeply poignant distillation of this moment ... sometimes the really sad music is too much and other times you need to go to that place

Sinister - I Won't Forget You G

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDikYN5XJFE

big shouts for those picks ― i have never heard sinister before right now. thank you for posting!

these songs are actually hard for me to listen to sometimes

obv pick but I feel this way about ugk "one day"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly5LHkdbcqI

A to the mothrafruging K

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcZ8N3Xrwkw

69 Boyz - Tootsee Roll

― Phoenix in Flight (Cattle Grind), Tuesday, April 13, 2010 4:35 AM (fifteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf8S5XbNu1g

d-40 i've had this vibe in mind since our exchange and i just have to share a couple more grief/regret/life-affirming raps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23KjsR1IATg
goodie mob - "the day after" (1995)
t-mo absolutely godlike on his verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzW33uCdUCI
wc and the maad circle - "the creator"
west coast always had the best beats for these kinds of songs imo.

and here's a dreamy mpc beat to get lost in afterwards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFSanrEluhI
swollen members - "consumption (instrumental)" (1999)
beat by evidence

whoops, that's "i didn't ask to come" in that good mob link. also somewhat relevant to the topic; most of the second half of soul food is, come to think of it. anyway, here's "the day after"-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-S67fsIzH8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed2q_b5rhvo

>>ether
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kObkabiv0j8

also all the p.cutta street wars stuff is up on archive.org, beef it's what's for dinner

https://archive.org/details/P_Cutta_-_Street_Wars_1_-_15

Silver Bullet, UK rapper...super hyped up feels almost like proto-drum and bass by way of Paris or PE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0InSlbNakOs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9F7Ox2cv2A

the way that bassline knocks...NORE killing the hook, just beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usIb05ceGWI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfi0RHFi1-c
G Depp - Head Over Wheels