Records: Biz Markie - Goin' Off 12"s

Nobody beats the Biz! The Juice Crew's Biz Markie is one of the original characters in Hip-Hop. For real, I can't think of another artist that compares to him. The dude rapped about doo doo, picking his nose, rapping on the toilet, liking a girl who dissed him for her "friend", and all kinds of other bugged out shit during an era when bravado on the mic was what made an MC. He even made a hit record using the jingle from an electronic store commercial (check the Wiz commercial below). His debut album Goin' Off couldn't have been more appropriately titled. Add to all that the fact he had the most retarded dance and had everybody doing the "Biz" and I challenge you to think of another artist that was on his own shit like Biz Markie in the late 80's and early 90's. Here are all the singles from Biz's first album. Like I said, nobody beats the BIZ!!

Biz Markie

Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz EP (1986)

(Prism Records)

A1 "Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz"

A2 "The Biz Dance"

A3 "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haa"

B1 "A One, Two"

B2 "The Biz Dance" (Dub Version)

B3 "Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz" (Instrumental)

Produced by Marley Marl

Biz Markie

"Nobody Beats The Biz" 12" (1987)

(Prism Records)

A1 "Nobody Beats The Biz"

B1 "Nobody Beats The Biz" (Dub Version)

Produced by Marley Marl

Biz Markie

"Pickin' Boogers" 12" (1987)

(Prism Records)

A1 "Pickin' Boogers"

B2 "Pickin' Boogers" (Dub)

Produced by Marley Marl

Biz Markie

"Biz Is Goin' Off" 12" (1988)

(Cold Chillin' Records)

A1 "Biz Is Goin' Off" (12" Vocal Remix)

A2 "The Do Do" (Bonus Beats)

B1 "Biz Is Goin' Off" (Dub)

Produced by Marley Marl

Biz Markie

"This Is Something For The Radio" 12" (1988)

(Cold Chillin' Records)

A1 "This Is Something For The Radio" (Rap Remix)

B1 "This Is Something For The Radio" (Dub)

B2 "This Is Something For The Radio" (Dub-Appella)

Produced by Marley Marl

Biz Markie

"Vapors" Remix 12" (1988)

(Cold Chillin' Records)

A1 "Vapors" (Remix)

B1 "Vapors" (Dub)

Produced by Marley Marl

Nardwuar vs. Ghostface Killah

Records: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - "Touch Of Jazz" 12"

This one is kind of random. I should really re-up this with the rest of their 12"s from the first 2 DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince album, but for now this will have to do. My favourite Jeff/Prince song.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

"A Touch Of Jazz" 12" (1987)

(Jive Records)

A1 "A Touch Of Jazz" (Extended Re-Touch)

A2 "A Touch Of Jazz"

B1 "A Touch Of Jazz" (Collapsed In The Street Mix)

B2 "A Touch Of Jazz" (Collapsed In The Street Edit)

Produced by Brian "Chuck" New

Records: Def Jam Original 12"s (DJ001-DJ007)

There are a few legendary record labels that are synonymous with Hip-Hop music. Sugar Hill, Enjoy, Cold Chillin', Tommy Boy, Loud, Death Row, and Bad Boy Records all come to mind, but for a Hip-Hop junkie like myself none are more legendary than Def Jam Recordings. Founded by Rick Rubin in his NYU dorm room in 1982 when he released a punk record by his band Hose (the real first record on Def Jam), Def Jam became the the label we know today when Russell Simmons got involved in 1984. I'm not going to run down the history of Def Jam here because it's pretty well documented, plus you can just go HERE and get the full story. This post is all about the first 7 releases on the label. For those that don't collect vinyl, or never got their hands on the original seven, the thing that sets these 12 inches apart are basically the labels. Def Jam's classic black label has become pretty recognizable, but the first seven releases were on a burgundy label. Not sure why they changed the direction of the artwork, and it was probably for the better, but it makes the first seven releases on Def Jam pretty rare and special for record nerds like myself. Some of the original artists like LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys went on to hall of fame careers, others such as Hollis Crew and Jimmy Spicer didn't quite make it to prime time. Either way these records are the shit to me and represent the birth of a dynasty. And just for some bonus Def Jam treats, I threw in the T-La Rock & Jazzy Jay "It's Yours" 12" which was the first Hip-Hop record to have the Def Jam logo on it, and a few tracks by Rick Ruban's band Hose so you can get a taste of what a pre Hip-Hop Rick Ruban was into before he had a hand in blowing Hip-Hop music up worldwide. It isn't Hip-Hop, or even def for the matter, just some music nerdology for you crumbs!

LL Cool J (DJ001)

"I Need A Beat" 12" (1984)

A1 "I Need A Beat" (Vocal)

B1 "I Need A Beat" (Zootie Mix)

B2 "I Need A Beat" (Instrumental)

Produced by Rick Ruben

Beastie Boys (DJ002)

"Rock Hard" 12" (1985)

A1 "Rock Hard"

A2 "Party's Getting Rough"

B1 "Beastie Groove"

B2 "Beastie Groove" (Instrumental)

Produced by Rick Ruben & Beasties

Jazzy Jay (DJ003)

"Def Jam" 12" (1985)

A1 "Def Jam"

B1 "Cold Chillin' In The Spot" Featuring Russell Rush

B2 "Cold Chillin' In The Spot" (Instrumental)

Produced by Rick Ruben

MCA & Burzootie (DJ004)

"Drum Machine" 12" (1985)

A1 "Drum Machine"

A2 "Drum Machine" (Mini Jerk Edit)

B1 "Drum Machine" ((That) Psycho Dust Version)

Produced by Burzootie

LL Cool J (DJ005)

"I Want You" 12" (1985)

A1 "I Want You"

A2 "I Want You" (Instrumental)

B1 "Dangerous"

B2 "Dangerous" (Instrumental)

B3 "Dangerous" (Burnt Mix)

Produced by Rick Ruben

Jimmy Spicer (DJ006)

"This Is It" 12" (1985)

A1 "This Is It"

A2 "This Is It" (Chant, Instrumental)

B1 "Beat The Clock"

B2 "Beat The Clock" (Instrumental)

Produced by Rick Ruben

Hollis Crew (DJ007)

"It's The Beat" 12" (1985)

A1 "It's The Beat"

B1 "It's The Beat" (Instrumental)

B2 "The Beat"

Produced by Jam Master Jay, DJ Run and Rick Ruben

T-La Rock & Jazzy Jay

"It's Yours" 12" (1984)

A1 "It's Yours" (Radio Mix)

A2 "It's Yours" (Instrumental)

B1 "It's Yours" (Scratch Party Death Mix)

B2 "It's Yours" (Instrumental Party)

Produced by Rick Ruban

Hose

(I don't have the full 7" release or the EP, but these are a few tracks of Rick Ruban's band that appeared on the first two Def Jam Recordings releases circa 1982)

1. Girls

2. Dope Fiend

3. Only The Astronaut Knows The Truth

Rap Treats #89: Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne Concert

There are two concert this year that have me geeked out. The first is motherfucking Prince, and the very next night it is these two - Jay-Z & Kanye. That's right, Prince and Watch the Throne back to back. Throw in Pete Rock vs. Premier in town that same weekend and odds are I'm going to lose my fucking mind. Anyways, if you can't make (or afford) the Watch The Throne show then here is your fix - a recording of the whole concert from North Carolina. Hov & 'Ye Stans rejoice. 40+ songs. AGAIN!

Jay-Z & Kanye West

Watch The Throne Concert (Audio)

1. Throne Music

2. H.A.M.

3. Who Gon Stop Me

4.Try a Little Tenderness

5. Otis

6. Welcome To The Jungle

7. Gotta Have It

8. Where I'm From

9. Nigga What? Nigga Who?

10. Can't Tell Me Nothing

11. Flashing Lights

12. Jesus Walks

13. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)

14. PSA

15. U Don't Know

16. Run This Town

17. Monster

18. Power/Power Remix

19. Made In America

20. New Day

21. Hard Knock Life

22. Izzo

23. Empire State oOf Mind

24. Runaway

25. Heartless

26. Stronger

27. On To The Next One

28. Dirt Off Your Shoulders

29. Give It To Me

30. That's My Bitch

31. Good Life

32. Touch The Sky

33. All Of The Lights

34. Big Pimpin'

35. Gold Digger

36. 99 Problems

37. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)

38. No Church in the Wild

39. Lift Off

40. Niggas In Paris

41. Niggas In Paris

42. Niggas In Paris

43. Encore

Nardwuar vs. Kreyshawn

I can't believe this chick is famous. Actually, on second thought I can.

Rap Treats #88: LL Cool J "Year Of The Hip-Hop" (1994)

LL Cool J is hard as hell! Well not so much these days, but this record here is much closer to the "Rock The Bells" LL than it is to the "Hey Lover" LL that we all know and don't love. This was actually recorded back in '94 with K-Def but was lost behind a radiator until now (for real). For the full story on this unreleased LL Cool J joint let's take it straight from the soundcloud page...

"Back in 1994 K-Def was working on some beats out of the B Room in Marly Marl's House Of Hits when LL Cool J walked in on his session and said "let's make some tracks together". Uncle L had always wanted to rhyme on a track using the famous ESG breakbeat 'UFO', so he had Def lay it down with some scratches and then went to town with the mic. Both thought they had a sure fire hit on their hands but unfortunately it was never used.

The DAT tape of the studio session was feared lost for several years before it eventually turned up stuck behind a radiator! Now, 17 years later, K-Def and Slice-of-Spice are proud to present 'Year Of The Hip Hop' in all it's vinyl glory.

As with all Slice-of-Spice pressings, no expense is being spared for this vinyl labor of love. Outside of a full color cover, with a 3mm spine, the special limited edition version comes on solid orange vinyl, with individual gold stamp numbering. Once again we're coming at you with strong cover art from the legendary Joe Buck, and personally we think this is his best one yet!"

LL Cool J

"Year Of The Hip-Hop"

Records: Nas - Illmatic 12"s

Nasty Nas is the illest. For real. Illmatic is easily in my top 5 albums of all time. Every 12" off Illmatic is classic as fuck. On top of that, even the records that weren't released as a single are classic as fuck. I'm not sure there is a more perfect album in Hip-Hop music than Nas' debut. Here are all the 12"s off Illmatic, including the Japan only release of all the DJ Premier produced records that came out in 2008.

Nas

"Halftime" 12" (1992)

(Ruffhouse/Columbia Records)

A1 "Halftime" (Radio Edit)

A2 "Halftime" (LP Version)

A3 "Halftime" (LP Version Instrumental)

B1 "Halftime" (Butcher Remix)

B2 "Halftime" (Butcher Instrumental)

Produced by Large Professor

Remix produced by Joe "The Butcher" Nicola

Nas

"It Ain't Hard To Tell" 12" (1994)

(Columbia Records)

A1 "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (Main Mix)

B1 "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (Instrumental)

B2 "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (A Cappella)

Produced by Large Professor

Nas

"It Ain't Hard To Tell" Remix (1994)

(Columbia Records)

A1 "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (Remix)

B1 "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (Remix Instrumental)

Remix produced by Large Professor

Nas feat. AZ

"Life's A Bitch" 12" (1994)

(Columbia Records)

A1 "Life's A Bitch" (Radio)

A2 "Life's A Bitch" (Dirty)

A3 "Life's A Bitch" (Instrumental)

B1 "Life's A Bitch" (Arsenal Radio Mix)

B2 "Life's A Bitch" (Arsenal Dirty Mix)

B3 "Life's A Bitch" (Arsenal Instrumental Mix)

Produced by L.E.S.

Remix produced by Def Jef & Meach Wells

Nas

"One Love" 12" (1994)

(Columbia Records)

A1 "One Love" (Album Version)

A2 "One Love" (Radio Edit)

A3 "One Love" (Album Instrumental)

A4 "One Love" (Acappella)

B1 "One Love" (LG Main Mix)

B2 "One Love" (LG Radio Edit)

B3 "One Love" (LG Instrumental)

B4 "One Love" (One L Main Mix)

B5 "One Love" (One L Radio Edit)

B6 "One Love" (One L Instrumental)

Produced by Q-Tip

B1, B2, B3 remix produced by The LG Experience

B4, B5, B6 remix produced by Godfather Don & Victor Padilla

Nas

"The World Is Yours" 12" (1994)

(Columbia Records)

A1 "The World Is Yours"

A2 "The World Is Yours" (Instrumental)

B1 "The World Is Yours" (Tip Mix)

B2 "The World Is Yours" (Tip Mix Instrumental)

Produced by Pete Rock

Remix produced by Q-Tip

Nas

"Memory Lane" 12" (2008)

(Ill Will Records)

A1 "Memory Lane"

A2 "Memory Lane" (Instrumental)

B1 "N.Y. State Of Mind"

B2 "Represent"

Produced by DJ Premier

Nardwuar vs. Casey Veggies

Records: The Pharcyde - A Bizarre Ride To The Pharcyde 12"s

Easily one of the most influential albums of the 90's, The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde produced a grip of classic 12"s. Not only that, the 4 MCs from South Central Los Angeles helped created a movement that was more Tribe and De La than N.W.A. and Ice-T giving the westcoast a sound that wasn't strictly gang related. The Pharcyde were my shit back in the day. In my books this is a 10 out of 10, 2 thumbs up, 5 Mic classic album. As usual, here are all the 12"s off Bizarre Ride including the promo only "Soul Flower" 12", the UK 12" of "Passing Me By", and the "Otha Fish" 7" that has "Pharcyde Live At Dodger Stadium" which is a dope live recording of The Pharcyde at the height of their popularity.

The Pharcyde

"Ya Mama" 12" (1992)

(Delicious Vinyl)

A1 Ya Mama (Murphy Mix)

A2 Ya Mama (Cosby Mix)

B1 I'm That Type Of Nigga

B2 Soul Flower (Remix)

Produced by J-Swift

The Pharcyde

"Passin' Me By" b/w "Pork" 12" (1993)

(Delicious Vinyl)

A1 Passin' Me By (Video Remix)

A2 Passin' Me By (Video Instrumental)

A3 Passin' Me (Acapella)

B1 Pork (OG Version)

B2 Pork (Cosby Edit)

B3 Pork (Instrumental)

Produced by J-Swift Produced by L.A. Jay

The Pharcyde

"Passin' Me By" UK 12" (1993)

(Delicious Vinyl)

A1 Passin' Me By (Video Remix)

A2 Passin' Me By (Fly As A Pie Remix)

B1 Passin' Me By (Brixton Flavour 12")

B2 Ya Mama (Remix) (4:01)

A1 Produced by J. Swift

A2 Remixed by LA Jay

B1 Remixed by Blacksmith

B2 Remixed by The Bakerboyz

The Pharcyde

"Otha Fish" 12" (1993)

(Delicious Vinyl)

A1 Otha Fish (Video Edit)

A2 Otha Fish (L.A. Jay Remix)

A3 Otha Fish (Video Edit Instrumental)

B1 Otha Fish (The Angel Remix)

B2 Passin' Me By (Fly As Pie Mix)

Produced by L.A. Jay

B1 Remixed by Tre Hardson

B2 - Remixed by L.A. Jay

The Pharcyde

"Otha Fish" b/w

"Pharcyde Live At Dodger Stadium" 7" (1993)

(Delicious Vinyl)

A1 Otha Fish

B1 Pharcyde Live At Dodger Stadium

Produced by L.A. Jay

The Pharcyde

"Soul Flower" 12" (1993)

(Delicious Vinyl)

A1 SoulFlower (The Brand New Heavies Version)

A2 SoulFlower (The Brand New Heavies Intrumental)

B1 SoulFlower (Album Version)

B2 SoulFlower (Dogs B*ll*cks Remix)

B3 SoulFlower (2 Tha 3 Mix)

Produced by The Brand New Heavies

The Pharcyde

"4 Better Or 4 Worse" 12" (1993)

(Delicious Vinyl)

A1 4 Better Or 4 Worse (Interlude)

A2 4 Better Or 4 Worse (Vocal)

A3 4 Better Or 4 Worse (Instrumental)

B1 Pack The Pipe (Interlude)

B2 Pack The Pipe (Vocal)

B3 Return Of The B-Boy (Interlude)

Produced by J-Swift

Nardwuar vs. Mac Miller

Nardwuar vs. Don Cherry

Nardwuar interviews H.N.I.C.'s top dog Grapes.

This is some Canadian shit.

Classic Material: Run DMC "Hit It Run" Live on Soul Train (1986)

Run DMC live on Soul Train performing "their latest single on the Profile label entitled "Hit It Run"... and they are Run DMC".

Nardwuar vs. Currency Pt 2: Return of the Nard!

Classic Material: BDP & Biz Markie Live In Toronto (1987)

A quick glimpse of BDP and Biz rocking in Toronto at The Opera House back in '87. The crazy part is how Scott LaRock has some shit to say at the end of the show.

Nardwuar vs. Tech N9ne

Classic Material: Nas, Mobb Deep & Raekwon on Yo! MTV Raps

Straight Out go 1995, this is Mobb Deep, Raekwon and Nas being interviewed and rhyming on Yo! MTV Raps back when these 3 were the ABSOLUTE hottest shit out.

Classic Material: Dana D on Soul Train (1987)

This has always been a favourite of mine. Dana Dane's fake agent never bothered me because he was a part of the Kangol Crew with Slick Rock so I kind of let it slide. Dana D on Soul Train in '87.

Nardwuar vs. Grimes

Classic Material: Biz Markie, Cool V & Heavy D - "We Write The Songs Live" (1989)

Nardwuar vs. Currency

Weed's Greatest Hits (Mixtape)

It is April 20th. Time to fire up this mix I made back in '06.

A lot of research went into the making of this mixtape. Enjoy.

Jay Swing

Weed's Greatest Hits

Classic Material: Dr. Dre on the Wheels Of Steel + World Class Wrecking Crew Performance (1984)

Above Dre does his thing on the tables with "Mr. Postman" from a long, long time ago.

Below is Dre and his 1st crew perform "Surgery".

Nardwuar vs. Currency

Classic Material: The Juice Crew Live at The Apollo (1988)

The Juice Crew live at the Apollo in '88? Doesn't get much more classic than this. Apollo is always the dopiest live crowd. This video isn't exactly HD, but watchable.

Nardwuar vs. Big K.R.I.T.

Classic Material: Jay-Z Live at The Palladium (1997)

Hov and hype man Dame live at the Palladium back in '97. This is video that aired on a public access TV show called StreetFunkTV.

Nardwuar vs. Odd Future

Rap Treats #87: 213 - St. Ides Promo Tape (1994)

No company had rappers slanging their product like St. Ides. The beer tasted like piss, but dudes drank it strictly on the strength that Ice Cube and King Tee told them too. Before that, cats drank Old English because N.W.A. rapped about it. And before that, people drank Kool Aid because of that big ass jug of Kool Aid broke through walls and told them to drink the shit. Anyways, this tape is dope and I'm pretty sure you had to be in the right place at the right time to catch one of these cassettes. There is also an Ice Cube tape and an Eric B & Rakim tape out there somewhere too. If you have them send them!

213 (Snoop, Warren G & Nate Dogg)

St. Ides Promo Tape (1994)

1. St. Ides In The LBC
2. When We Sippin On The Brew
3. Drank Anthem
4. Dogg Food & Drank