Rap Treats #54: N.W.A Live In Houston (1989)

This is a rare recording of N.W.A. performing live in Houston back in 1989. This was a time when N.W.A. was finding it hard to perform anywhere because the Feds were trying to shut them down and the politics involved had promoters scurred. The only recordings of a N.W.A. show from this era that I've heard are this one and THIS one. For some bonus N.W.A., here is the audio and video of an Ice Cube-less N.W.A.'s appearance on the Arsenio Hall show from 1990.

N.W.A.

Live In Houston, Texas (1989)

Records: Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show & It Takes A Nation Of Million To Hold Us Back 12"s

Bass! How low can you go?

Death row, What a brother knows?

Once again back is the incredible,

the rhyme animal,

the incredible D, Public Enemy Number One,

"Five-O" said, "Freeze!" and I got numb,

Can I tell 'em that I really never had a gun?

But it's the wax that the Terminator X spun,

Now they got me in a cell, 'cause my records they sell

'Cause a brother like me said, "Well..."

- Chuck D, "Bring The Noise"

This is a mega post of my all time favorite Hip-Hop group that isn't called Run DMC - Public Fucking Enemy... Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Termanator X, Professor Griff and the S1W's (EPMD, Gang Starr, Tribe and N.W.A. round out that list if you care). Everything about P.E. was revolutionary. I like them so much I named this site after them (kinda), so it was only right I cover both Yo! Bum Rush The Show and It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back on the first P.E. 12" drop. The revolution will not be televised.

Public Enemy

"Public Enemy #1" bw/ "Timebomb" (1987)

(Def Jam Recordings)

E1 "Public Enemy #1"

E2 "Public Enemy #1" (Instrumental)

F1 "Timebomb"

F2 "Son Of Public Enemy (Flavor Whop Version)"

Produced by Bill Stephney

Co-Produced by Carl Ryder (Chuck D) and Hank Shocklee

Public Enemy

"You're Gonna Get Yours" b/w "Rebel Without A Pause" (1987)

(Def Jam Recordings)

A1 "You're Gonna Get Yours" (Vocal Mix)

A2 "You're Gonna Get Yours"

(Dub/Terminator X Getaway Version)

A3 "Miuzi Weighs A Ton" (Vocal Mix)

B2 "Rebel Without A Pause" (Vocal Mix)

B2 "Rebel Without A Pause" (Instrumental)

Produced by Bill Stephney

Co-Produced by Carl Ryder (Chuck D) and Hank Shocklee

Pubic Enemy

"Bring The Noise" b/w "Sophisticated" (1987)

(Def Jam Recordings)

A1 "Bring The Noise" (No Noise Version)

A2 "Bring The Noise" (No Noise Instrumental)

A3 "Bring The Noise" (Acapella) *not listed on label

B1 "Sophisticated" (4:21)

B2 "Sophisticated" (Instrumental)

Produced by Bill Stephney, Carl Ryder (Chuck D)

and Hank Shocklee

Public Enemy

"Don't Believe The Hype" b/w "Profits Of Rage" (1988)

(Def Jam Recordings)

A1 "Don't Believe The Hype" (5:20)

A2 "The Rhythm, The Rebel" (Acapella) (1:10)

B1 "Prophets Of Rage" (Vocal) (3:15)

B2 "Prophets Of Rage" (Power Version)

Produced by The Bomb Squad

Pubic Enemy

"Night Of The Living Baseheads"

b/w "Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic" (1988)

(Def Jam Recordings"

A1 "Night Of The Living Baseheads"

(Anti High Blood Pressure Encounter Mix)

A2 "Night Of The Living Baseheads"

(Terminator X Meets D.ST & Chuck Chillout Instrumental)

B1 "Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic"

(No Need To Panic Radio Version)

B2 "The Edge Of Panic"

Produced by The Bomb Squad

Public Enemy

"Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos"

b/w "Too Much Posse" & "B-Side Wins Again" (1989)

(Def Jam Recordings)

A1 "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos" (6:01)

A2 "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos" (1:17)

A3 "Too Much Posse" (2:25)

B1 "Caught, Can We Get A Witness"

(Pre Black Steel Ballistic Felony Dub) (5:04)

B2 "B-Side Wins Again" (3:50)

Produced By The Bomb Squad

BONUS Public Enemy:

P.E. performing "Don't Believe The Hype" on some TV show in the UK back in the late 80's. This shit is dope even if nobody in the audience gave a fuck.

Prince Crashes Q-Tip Concert

I was going to post this story a few weeks ago but slept on it, but since the video footage has arrived here it goes. Q-Tip was performing "Vivrant Thing" in Vegas and out of nowhere Prince jumped on stage and grabbed the guitarists gee-tar and started rockin' with Tip's band! Prince has to be the coolest dude ever that has worn ladies pumps. Check the video above for the footage and peep below for what Q-Tip's DJ, DJ Scratch, had to say about the Purple Ones appearance.

“Yo, while me and Q-tip were performing “Vivrant Thing” in Vegas last night….this ni**a Prince walked out on the stage, took the guitar from our guitar player and just started rocking! None of us knew he was there until he popped up on the stage…. then the ni**a vanished like Batman, LOL!

The sound crew said Prince was in the balcony watching the show from the very beginning (The balcony was closed off). Then when “Vivrant Thing” came out, he just came backstage and walked out on stage.

None of us knew what was happening, then when we finished the show he was gone LOL!”

20 Classic Hip-Hop Covers Recreated in LEGO

FormatMag just posted 20 Classic Hip-Hop Album Covers Recreated in Lego. Lego was the shit when I was about 5, and Hip-Hop has been my shit since about '85. So this cracks me up - Lego Rap dudes! I guess you don't have to have a classic album to have a classic album cover and in Legoland everybody seems to be white (and/or gay - check the Gang Starr cover). Also, I don't remember Slick Rick having an album called A.K.A. Ricky D (must be a bootleg), but this is still pretty fresh. Click the links to check the Lego covers.

Dr. Dre - The Chronic

Run DMC - King Of Rock

A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders

De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising

Biz Markie - The Biz Never Sleeps

EPMD - Back In Business

Gang Starr - No More Mr. Nice Guy

KRS One & Marley Marl - Hip-Hop Lives

Method Man & Redman - Blackout

Common - Be

Outkast - Stankonia

Slick Rick - A.K.A. Ricky D

Wyclef Jean - Carnival

The Game - Doctor's Advocate

Tha Alkaholiks - Likwidation

Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty

Nas - Stillmatic

Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab

Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent By Design

Mod Def - Danger

Bonus Lego Covers:

T.I. - King

Big Pun - Capital Punishment

Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud - Girl, I Got Em Locked

Ol Dirty Bastard - Ni**a Please

Stephen Colbert vs. Kanye West - ROUND 2

Colbert wins!

Really, really funny.

Stephen Colbert vs Kanye West

Round 1

Rap Treats #53: Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee @ Harlem World 1981 (Full 90 Minute Tape)

What we have here is one of the most legendary MC battles in the history of Hip-Hop. By no means was this the first ever battle, but it may have been the first battle where one rapper went at the other MC in the fashion Kool Moe Dee went at Busy Bee. You can literally hear the art form of rapping take a giant leap forward that night. Kool Moe Dee was just on another planet compared to Busy Bee. Kool Moe Dee was a lyricist. Busy Bee was a party rocker. Battling as we know it today began with this battle. Check the video above for the full break down of what happened. The 12 minute audio of the battle has been floating around Blogland forever, but the Rap Treat here is a rip of the full 90 minute cassette tape of that historic night at Harlem World, Christmas 1981... both sides A and B... cassette hiss and everything.

Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy B

Harlem World Battle (1981) - Side A

Harlem World Battle (1981) - Side B

Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy B

Harlem World Battle (12 Minute Edited Version)

Big Daddy Kane 20th Anniversary Show (Video)

This video is purdy dope. It's of Kane's 20th Anniversary party that was held at BB King's last week in NYC. It features footage of the live show with DJ Mister Cee on the decks and an interview with Juan Epstein (Paul Rosenberg & Cypher Sounds) mixed in. If you don't know why Kane is celebrating then click HERE! And if you don't know Big Daddy Kane's music then click HERE!! Long live the Kane.

Stephen Colbert vs. Kanye West

Stephen Colbert goes at Kanye. This shit is pretty funny. Colbert kind of ether's him with this line - "Sir, you're not the voice of this generation, of this decade, with all the auto-tuning on your record, you're barely the voice of your own album." Hahaha, THAT was funny.

Here is Kanye's response. EDIT: this actually a Kanye impostor.

Records: The Pharcyde b/w Masta Ace Incorporated - Summa Madness '93 Remixes 12"

I always loved this 12" and at the time The Pharcyde and Masta Ace were on top of the rap world. Plus Delicious Vinyl was a cool ass record label long before it was the thing for record labels to be cool. This 12" was released as a promo only and it took me a while to hunt down a copy (big up my man Degree One for the hook up!). The L.A. Jay remix of Masta Ace's "Saturday Night Live" is the shit.

The Pharcyde b/w Masta Ace Incorporated

Summa Madness '93 Remixes

(Delicious Vinyl Records)

A1 "Passin' Me By" (Fly As Pie Mix)

A2 "Passin' Me By" (Fly As Pie Mix Instrumental)

B1 "Saturday Nite Live" (Horny Mix)

B2 "Saturday Nite Live" (Horny Beats)

B3 "Saturday Nite Live" (L.A. Jay Remix)

B4 "Saturday Nite Live" (L.A. Jay Beats)

Side A Remixed by J Swift, Co-Produced by The Pharcyde

Side B Tracks 1 & 2 Remixed by The Bluez Brothers & Masta Ace

Side B Tracks 3 & 4 Remixed by L.A. Jay

Records: Organized Konfusion - Organized Konfusion LP 12"s

Organized Konfusion's debut album, Organized Konfusion, was one of the more slept on debuts there is in Hip-Hop. I mean heads loved it but that's about as far as it went. They were kind of like the Ultramagnetic MC's of the early 90's (kind of). Three 12"s came from that album and all three are classics. I use that word way to much but it's because that is all we're really dealing with at Nation Of Millions - Classic 12" records. Here goes three of them.

Organized Konfusion

"Fudge Pudge" 12" (1991)

(Hollywood BASIC)

A1 "Fudge Pudge"

B1 "Walk Into The Sun"

B2 "Who Stole My Last Piece Of Chicken?" (Remix)

Produced by Organized Konfusion

Organized Konfusion

"Who Stole My Last Piece Of Chicken?" 12" (1991)

(Hollywood BASIC)

A1 "Who Stole My Last Piece Of Chicken?"

A2 "Drumstick Mix"

B1 "The Rough Side Of Town (Southside)"

B2 "O. K. Mood Swing"

Produced by Organized Konfusion

Organized Konfusion

"Walk Into The Sun" 12" (1992)

(Hollywood BASIC)

A1 "Walk Into The Sun" (Bill K Mix)

A2 "Walk Into The Sun" (Remix Instrumental)

B1 "Fudge Pudge" (Bob T Mix)

B2 "Fudge Pudge" (Remix Acapella)

B3 Fudge Pudge" (Remix Instrumental)

Produced By Organized Konfusion

Records: Wu-Tang Clan - "Protect Ya Neck" 12" (Original)

Here is the original "Protect Ya Neck" 12" that Wu-Tang put out independently in 1992, back before every indie artist in Hip-Hop started doing the same thing. This is a hard record to find, so if anybody has an original copy (1st or 2nd pressing, not the bootleg!) that they want to move then get at me because I'll buy it. For real. WU-TANG!

Wu-Tang Clan

"Protect Ya Neck" b/w

"After The Laughter Comes Tears" (1992)

(Wu-Tang Records)

A1 "Protect Ya Neck" (Radio Edit)

A2 "Protect Ya Neck" (Bloody Version)

A3 "Protect Ya Neck" (Instrumental)

B1 "After The Laughter Comes Tears" (Vocal)

B2 "After The Laughter Comes Tears" (Instrumental)

Produced by Prince Rakeem (aka RZA)

Records: Ronnie Hudson - "West Coast Poplock" 12"

Not that this tune is super rare or anything, but I never had the instrumental in my mp3 folders so getting a digi copy works for me. Everybody should have this one in the collection, especially 2Pac fans (if you don't know then you really need to grab it).

Ronnie Hudson and the Street People

"West Coast Poplock" 12" (1982)

A1 Vocal

B1 Instrumental

Produced by John E. Powers & Ron Hudson

Written by Larry Troutman & Roger Troutman

Records: Dead Prez - "Hip-Hop" 12"

Uh, who shot Biggie Smalls?

If we dont get them, they gonna get us all,

Im down for runnin up on them crackers in they city hall,

We ride for yall, all my dogs stay real,

Ni**a dont think these record deals gonna feed your seeds

And pay your bills because they not,

Mcs get a little bit of love and think they hot,

Talkin bout how much money they got, all yall records sound the same

I sick of that fake thug, r&b, rap scenario all day on the radio,

Same scenes in the video,

monotonous material,

yall dont here me though! - Stic.Man

Dead Prez

"Hip-Hop" 12" (1999)

(Loud Records)

A1 "Hip-Hop" (Real Version)

A2 "Hip-Hop" (Instrumental)

B1 "Hip-Hop" (Censored Version)

B2 "Hip-Hop" (Acapella)

Produced by Dead Prez

Classic Material: Biggie Performing "Warning" (1995)

This has been floating around for the past couple of day but I just checked it out now. It's a pretty dope look at what a Biggie show was like at the height of his reign. It's not professionally filmed at all (in fact it may be the worst attempt at filming your homie show ever) but you still get a good vibe of Bad Boy circa 1995.

Records: MC Breed - "Ain't No Future In Yo Frontin'" & "Gotta Get Mine" 12"s

MC Breed passed away yesterday (Nov. 22nd) at the age of 36. Breed had been on life support due to kidney failure, but had recently recovered well enough to be taken off. There has yet to be an official cause of death given. Breed will be best known for his two monster singles "Ain't No Future In Yo Frontin'" and "Gotta Get Mine" featuring 2Pac. I throw the word "classic" around often, but "Ain't No Future In Yo Frontin'" (check the video below) is about as classic as it gets. That song alone put MC Breed and Detroit (actually Flint, Michigan to be exact) on the map at a time when it was really only about New York and L.A. It only seems right to lace you with both 12"s, and if you don't have it HERE is his debut album MC Breed & The DFC.

MC Breed & The DFC

"Ain't No Future In Yo Frontin'" 12"

(S.D.E.G. Records)

A1 "Ain't No Future In Yo Frontin'"

B1 "Just Kickin' It"

MC Breed & The DFC

"Gotta Get Mine" 12"

(Wrap Records)

A1 "Gotta Get Mine" (Radio/Video Remix)

B1 "Gotta Get Mine" (Album Version)

B2 "Watch Your Own Back"

Rap Treats #52: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Live @ Union Square (Full 20 Minute Show)

This is the somewhat rare full length performance of "Live from Union Square" from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's classic album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. The full length version sounds kinds doo doo but is still entertaining and features Fresh Prince's "Buddy", Ready Rock Cee, his ill beatboxing partner.

Live from Union Square - November 1986

Full Performance

Live from Union Square - November 1986

LP Version