Complete Big Bang

The Showboys:

Drag Rap (Triggerman)
(Profile, 1986) vinyl rip @ 320 kbps

The Ten Laws of Rap / Cold Frontin'
(Profile, 1985) vinyl rip @ 320 kbps

"That's What I Want for Christmas"
from Christmas Rap
(Profile, 1985) vinyl rip @ 320 kbps

YIIG's (parts 1 & 2)
(Papergame, 2000) @ 320 kbps

The complete recorded history of Orville "Buggs Can Can" Hall & Phil D. "Triggaman". Enough compressed sample data to birth at least 3 new regional dance rap styles in addition to a full-length extrapolation and revisiting of the one track that already did. I'm not actually able to conceive of how Ten Laws of Rap / Cold Frontin could be put to use but the "What I Want" chants from the Christmas jam are begging for recontextualization.

I do look forward to grabbing Scratch issue #19 and seeing what bits of Showboys history pop up in its Triggaman feature, not to mention catching DJ Spanish Fly's drag rap perspective. I haven't seen this issue on the rack at my local Walgreen's so I may have to save my pennies and buy it here, which seems to be the lone internet distributor of this (sadly) OOP periodical.

Anyways, New Orleans' Drag Rap debt is oft noted but this was a crucial record in Memphis, too, which is where YIIG's, the Showboys' decade-late full-length debut was recorded. Some of the earliest DJ Paul Mixtapes are just Paul fucking around with Bitches Reply, and Memphis had a minor Bounce hit with a different "Where They At" response record, Freakmaster's "Gimme What You Got". As best I can tell, this is the first and only release from Papergame records, and I know nothing about any rapper featured here (Gambino? Toni Price? Do Dirty? Ali Bahbah?) but I wonder about who's not here - TT Tucker? DJ Jimi? I also feel like Pen & Pixel should have taken on this cover, Pro Bono.

All of the production on YIIG's (with the exception of the original Triggaman) was done by Archie "Baldhead" Mitchell, who happens to be the son of Hi Records founder and Al Green collaborator Willie Mitchell. The four original Showboys tracks were all produced by Cliff Hall (who I'm guessing is Orville's brother), and since its the instrumental thats so frequently lifted he may be the man most responsible for the shape of Down South's Rap Big Bang.

Y2G's

Year 2 thousand remake of the Showboy's 1986 Bounce/Buck construction set "Drag Rap". James Brown may deserve the Lifted Samples Lifetime Achievement award, but I can't think of another track thats been pillaged so boldly and so completely. And considering the near infinite love and respect these 2 either get or deserve, how come they couldn't get something above this highschool photoshop job for the cover to their only full-length? I'm not bitching too hard because I love when record a title incorporates the expression 'Y2K'. I would also love to see a list of titles they actually received royalties from. I imagine Mannie Fresh contemplating the reissue of CM's pre-universal discography and then writing it off like, "Goddamn, I'm tired of sending all my cheese to those motherfuckers." Complete discography to follow shortly (as soon as I replace my needle).