Needles » soul-rap

Lord Finesse – Shorties Kaught in the System

needles — Tue, 04 May 2010 05:29:17 +0000

[I have been back on my digitizing grind as of late, so I thought I should share the fruits of this labor as well. Introducing - "throwbacks".]

Lord Finesse was just a few years out from his critically-acclaimed debut with DJ Mike Smooth, when he dropped this track. It came out on the b-side of a single by J.R. Swinga (who?) called “Chocolate City”. The label was Mad Sounds, better known for their Trendz of Culture singles, but not much else. 1994 was post-Golden Era and at the time, New York rap was making that rough transition into the East Coast hardcore response to Snoop, Dre, and the rest. Mobb Deep, Biggie and the Wu were starting to shine, but many rappers from the late 80s and early 90s had blown up and embraced New Jack Swing as the next evolution, which quickly fizzled in the rap community. Record label (Giant) collapses didn’t help either. In the midst of all this turmoil, Finesse managed to squeeze out this “reality rap” gem that probably only the Stretch Armstrong Show diehards (and some DJs) have had a chance to hear. Check it out:

Lord Finesse – Shorties Kaught in the System | Mad Sounds

Inspectah Deck – Dreamcatcher

needles — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:29:36 +0000

Let’s keep the Wu moving… I feel like I’m listening to a Nas + AZ track produced by L.E.S., but this is the Rebel INS. Maybe he was inspired by brethren Ghostface rhyming over all those non-looped R&B tracks, but Deck kills Anita Baker’s “Mystery” on his own right. Apparently it’s from a mixtape called Traveling at the Speed of Light while Standing Still that was supposed to drop back in September, but I never saw the mixtape. Or maybe he is still eating his pasta with the lobsta sauce…

Inspectah Deck – Dreamcatcher | mixtape

U-N-I – A Love Supreme [mixtape]

needles — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:36:02 +0000

Hailing from California, this duo has been bubbling up on the underground scene for a couple of years now. Earlier in 2009, they released their sophomore album for free in the Internet (so, yes, it’s technically not a mixtape). This effort is a collaboration between U-N-I and Ro Blvd, who provide all of the soundscape. Some of Ro’s work is really beautiful, especially on the title track. U-N-I have worked with a number of artists, like Evidence and Little Brother, but have stayed mostly to their roots on the underground. I can’t recommend all the tracks on the album, but the few that do stand out are really strong, especially when it comes to lyrics. These guys tell good narratives and like to drop knowledge. You can download the mixtape here… in the meantime, here is the title track for your listening pleasure:

U-N-I – A Love Supreme | mixtape