NOLA Tapes: Socca Ball

S.A.C. Mafia Socca Ballin
(1998, Untouchable) cassette -> 320 kbps

This is one of several cassettes I recently purchased from an Ebayer out of Kentucky that has been handled so much that all of the white on chrome text has been obliterated. Its impossible to even tell which side is A, which is B. I imagine dude in his backyard methlab, popping open his yellow Sports Walkman with his nitrile gloved hands and flipping the thing over.

To my surprise the tape sounds great when played. This is already available on BotM but here it is at the better / worse quality you crave - clean rip, hi-res, grimey cassette. An immaculate portrait of a dirty street.

Production mostly by Sinista but T-Bone some (again). Feat.'s by Ms. Tee, Charlie Hanseen, Lokee, Fila Phil, L.O.G. and other rappers I've never heard of - Yada, Lil Rugged, Al Roc Capone.

Sorry but the only track I can whole-heartedly endorse on here is the Ms. Tee feature.

NOLA Tapes: Funky Lycanthropy

Various Artists
Too Loaded Records pres.
The South Coast Compilation • STR-8-BALLIN
(1997, 2 Loaded) cassette -> 320 kbps

I was watching LA Story the other day and noticed the pre-text messaging text-message style text and this tape title is like that too. The tracklist lists prod. credits but no artist credits. Is that indicative of who got paid? They do list the artists randomly to note "appears courtesy of" creds, so I can use that to let you know whose buried here: Skull Dugrey, Kilo-G, Tre-8, Zeeda, Ceasar, Lil E, Ms. Kim, Southern Comfort, Ace-Lo, Shorty Roc, Lil Jinx, Big Bop, Fischer Fools, Recon, Hell Raisers.

Fischer Fools - "Caps Peeled" is really good but DL this zip to hear "Loaded as a Wolf", a really genius narrative that subs out weed for full-moons in a psycho-werewolf fantasy. Getting the munchies, eating children's brains, its all in there.

NOLA Tapes: Mo Menace, Mo Drama

Black Menace Mo Drama
(Y2K, Menace Ent.) cassette -> 320 kbps

To follow the last post, a late tape from Threat's group, Black Menace. Not as strong of an effort as the Threat tape, but a piece of this Black Menace puzzle and I don't see it on offer elsewhere.

Producer Kajun Phunk borrowed Mannie's lasers and he can't let go. That name rings bells, give those bells names in the comments section. I like "4 of the Realest" from the B-side and I think the closing joint is an Insane bonus track intended to advertise for his record (see insert). Its good dessert, maybe better than the main course.

NOLA Tapes: Threat Williams

Threat (of Black Menace) Drama Az Usual
(1997, Strugglin' Strivin') cassette rip -> 320 kbps

I post a lot of shit with a completist's desire to unturn every rock, but this one's just really fuckin good. Rich, funk productions by Precise, Ice Mike, Tre-8, Carlos Stephens and Tha Jaz - who the fuck is Tha Jaz? He does expert work on "4 My Dawgz" and look at the cover, the mentioned "drama" here is Threat on an ice cream scoop of diarrhea at the cities farthest, wildest edge trying not to drown in this pool of nuclear waste that's ruled by alligators and is dissolving these handcuffs, bodies, knives, bills, cars, suitcases and this really small janitor or car mechanic but this is all in the future and Threat sees it as he lowers his shades or he's dead and he's looking down at earth, remembering it all. And the complementary image - grieving in a Black'n'Mild cloud.

Tre-8's track ("Abrokeni-Astressing") is crazily dissonant and cool.

"Ohh-Ohh" bangs hard and I can't believe a sampled vocal imitation of Enigma's "Return 2 Innocence" chorus works as well as it does.

I want Ice Mike to, like Quincy Jones, score major motion pictures, like Death Wish.

NOLA Tapes: It Ain't the Same No Mo

Mobo Click & Da Grace DJs present
Marvelous & Peaches Wobble on Dat Stick
(1999, Mobo) cassette rip -> 320 kbps

Posting a lot of Mobo releases coming up (including the label's first release). This short EP is fairly pure bounce in the sense that it obeys more rules than it breaks. Strong Female vox except when they are weak and per usual, I like the weed anthem (the first one). Although I don't like the cover artwork, I do like the name of the designers - Blue Dog Graphics.

Interested in whatever paraphernalia accompanies Becoming A Mobo Soldier by way of a 3x5 postcard mailed to the Mobo Soldier PO box. Did anything ever come out by the P-Cola click? This blog is like an arcade magic 8-ball. I drop money in (in the form of mp3 archives) and ask questions.

NOLA Tapes: Da Rangaz

Da Rangaz All Night Flightaz
(1999, Last Chance Records) cassette rip -> 320 kbps

Production by Kenneth "DJ Chicken" Williams & Terrance "T-Bone" Johnson, shout-outs by Wild Wayne. Excellent a capella weedhead skit, stranger telephone comedy on "Buncha Bitches". Good, hype bounce on the title track and "Score It, Roll It". Very Brown beats throughout. Actually, "Get Wild With It" sounds like a Bounce adaptation of a Ying Yang riff, and "All Night Flightaz" is built around a similar two-note piano line to "Fuck the Ying Yang Twins". I'm not trying to say this connection means much, just that I saw it.

NOLA Tapes: The Wickie Wickie

South Coast Shorty The Hot Girl
(1997, South Coast) cassette rip -> 320 kbps

I realize T&G has been full of empty promises of late, but this time I'm shouting "We're Back!" and meaning it. The good news is that at the breaking point where most blogs like this die, this one just paused.

The first in a line of many: South Coast Shorty aka Trinice Ricks. As fond as I am of P&P style photoshop composites, I think I might prefer an alternate reality where colored pencil fantasy art like this drawing by Jay "Genisis" Alexander (who must've done the Southern Raw Females comp art) blew up in the same way. But to each his own - you can find this cover included on this list of Worst Rap Covers along with all my other favorite record covers. www.thug.com is a fucking masterpiece of a cover and in my dreams I'm blogging this on Thugscape Navigator.

I've heard that bird chirp siren sound from 'From the Back" in a Jubilee track before. What is that thing? Lots of sort-of 1980s hyper-melodic synth lines that it seems like only became popular a few years ago when mainstream rap turned so overtly pop.

Nows a good time for re-up requests, btw.

Highlights: "Represent", "Hott Girl", "Gots' No Time (Wickie Wickie)"

Just caught this on MTV jams. I think the sample is a live version of "My Juvie" by Magnolia Shorty. Surprised to hear such a raw New Orleans sample be the backbone.

Bounce By Bounces Best

Looks like yall heard about this and its a definite come-thru, but let me repeat it once again just incase you have disposable income, you can see on the fundraiser page they still need more, so...

A handful, well more than you can fit in your hand, of Bounce's brightest are headed to the most unlikely of industry showcases, SxSW, so long as you can lend a small bit of support. They are almost at the happen-point so please push them to the limit.

It will be a great opportunity for one of the country's most region-specific art forms to reach outside and give some lame, ambitious indie-rockers a run for their money. It will also be a great opportunity to watch Acid Mothers Temple watching DJ Jubilee.

Random Junts

T&G just relocated to Los Angeles, so much on my plate its hard to stay blog-active, buts thats all for the better, really. Still, I'd like to feed yall little bits of something if for no other reason then to encourage these Japan spambots to keep screaming their nonsense at me. This blog has always been dependent on my record purchases, a fetishist's diary, I suppose. But purchasing has come to a standstill in the face of deliberate unemployment.

So this has slowed me down, but it hasn't stopped me completely. Its still the future, its after the aughts even, and luckily I don't need funds to obsessively consume. I was in Atlanta recently and accomplished some aggressive duping. Track by track, here are some of the fruits. Hopefully, most of these are new to you, new to the internet.

"Crooked I Anthem" Ridaz - Profitt f/ C-Loc: I love the pressing, intense vibe the strings add to this track's ascending second-line style bassline, Naptown (Indianapolis) meets Baton Rouge

"Get Buck" - Play Cuzins: actually, what I said about the Profitt track applies again here. Similar tracks, I guess, more double-time hihats, solemn harmonies, threatening lyrics

"Polo Club" - Money Marc & Roposul (from Players Only Live Once, 2001) cool Memphis cassette vibe to this track, not sure if that's where these two are from

"Ballas, Pimps, Gangstas" - Forever Lawless: you might not appreciate the late 20th century Cash Money style here but I used to bump this track around that time and I'm glad as hell to have a copy again. Video is on display here.

"Georgia Bounce" - NPC: GA group serves up a fairly straight-forward DJ Jubilee-inspired junt

"Ghetto Bounce (inst)" - Moochie Mack (from Broke Pimpin, 2001): I haven't even heard the voc mix but, then again, I don't really need to. I'd like to make a film with this as the main theme

"My Brougham" - MC Fresh (from 12" on Boomtown): bumping bootyshake Fleetwood fetish

"Whoomp, There It Is" - Pimp Team: possibly the original sissy rapper, pretty straight forward parody of "Whoomp" where the "it" thats there is the "Almighty Club" (beware)

"Who Let Them Dogs Loose" - MC Mack & Kamikaze: admittedly, not that much to it, but I can't resist the "Iron Man" bass melody

Did I mention? More than one Memphis mix in the established Twankle Tape form coming soon in digital and cassette formats!

On Vacation

Enjoy this brief SMK footage until I return...

Sissy vs Sega

This was the youtube video that got me into youtube videos. And I bring that up now because it also got me into DJ Sega, the man behind this balls-out rmx of "Tell me when to go", and this motherfucker just unleashed a masterful remix of Sissy Nobby's "Lay Me Down". Its a rare occasion that I chime in on the present but this seems like the first decent intersection between 2 obviously compatible aesthetics.

And to think this will be on actual wax with a Bitch Ass Darius remix as well..

Memphistory

Three more early Memphis classics, all gleaned from elsewhere, where elsewhere is the linklist anonymously served up in the comments to this former post. I'd grabbed a version of the Gangsta Pat & Legion of Doome .rar a while back (Shootin on Narcs Pt. II) but it was fun to revisit today. Fake female bass fetish in the model of "Bitches Reply", kind of sounds like if Ween did a better job at themselves. Hilarious, explicit gender fantasy.

The other two tracks are new to me today, so I've been able to enjoy them on repeat. Both seem to share a lot of qualities with the emerging raps of other southern regions around the same time. LDOG's offering sports the most eccentric production of the three. Geto Boys / Ganksta N-I-P style brutality with unique samples and the sort of synth bass line we've already seen from contemporaneous cuts (M-Team, Men of the Hour, Radical T, SMK aka KMSM) which evolved (through measure of stylistic restraint) into the harder backbones of early Ball & G joints. Meanwhile, the drums share some essential qualities of flow with the Famous Lowdown Boys single from New Orleans and every reader here should be begging Noz to post that on his site because he is the only motherfucker who has that record. I wouldn't sleep on the other two LDOG tracks that came with this either, so yall follow my tracks, or, I mean, follow the tracks I followed. Other people's feet. And someone wise from the Memphis area, fill in the acronym. Who is L.D.O.G.? Why does the intro say "Chicago City"?

And then BRRRRR, Icy K raps clean for the radio. Poster / homie Thug Doubt placed this as a response to the "no rap" commercial radio campaign of the time. Similar themes explored on the other side to this single, "My Kind of Music".

No Limit Outsourcing

DJ Jelly & MC Assault

Roll Wit Us or Git Rolled Over!!

or

Get Rolled Over

(199?, Tape Godz?)

cassette -> 320 mp3

[side A, side B]

I've had plans for sometime to make a No Limit mix and I did, months ago, dig in deeper to the NL discog than I ought to have because weeding-out is a tough task in a yard with so many weeds. After time, one Uhhh out of P and I was nauseous.

But still committed, even as T&G becomes more and more a blur of the past. Which is why it was a profound relief to me to happen upon this Nineteen Ninety-Something underground Oomp Tape for a couple of dollars at Ann Arbor's always excellent Encore Records. Not just because my favorite NL tracks are on here, compiled - but also because Jelly's collagist mixing turns the raw stuff of the tank into something more distinctly like art. Or at least something more distinctly like good music.

This tape really supports an Omar-S philosophy of Yeah bitch, that’s all the record do... your lazy ass needs to do some other shit with it... except where that idea grows out of the minimalism of Omar's shit, it works just as well with the dryness of the No Limit catalogue. There was too much talent on both the MC and production side of their roster to not create some great things, but the centrality of economics to their whole operation had to muddy the successes. And the main misstep, aesthetically, (besides the spawning of rap careers that never should have spawned, like Silkk) was the move away from the murky legal territory of sampling and as a result, DJing, its father art-form. And like that, the Southern Style DJs inject the life right back into the shit.

There was a really great Jelly interview in a Murderdog from around 99, maybe 2000. I had plans to and even started transcribing it, but it seemed MD was going fully on the archives. And though that hasn't yet materialized, and even the opposite appears to be true where old interviews that used to be hosted there are now missing, this is still a great time to mention that the magazine is now fully available for free in digital edition, which looks great and is not rounded down in any way. But this issue had an extensive Atlanta feature and everyone had the same thing to express, which was the felt impact of the Tank. How it changed the streets, the sounds, the industry.

And in a way their greatest offering was their impact, not their content, which is why its a true pleasure to have this object, which serves up their content through the lens of their impact. The experience of No Limit from a DJ (group of DJs, really), who loved this music, felt its impact, got off their lazy ass and did some other shit with it.

Notes: Look out for the end of side A, goes into some surely unintended skipping during the weird mixing of Teena Marie's "Out on a Limb" and space sounds and home-recorded smoke/choke cadillac/dank anthems. Also, I want to mention that one of the questions I really wrestled with when trying to do this on my own was how prominently to feature Snoop. The Oomp answer here is "prominently". Also, you can check the tracklist in the JPEG, but it doesn't have much to offer in the way of truth value. Wonder if he still has that northeast Georgia phone number.