Title: Mellow Hip Hop Sessions
Subtitle: Low Slung Funky Beats and Laid Back Rhymes
Artist: Various
So, you’ve worn out your copies of Hip Hop Club Bangers Vol. 4 and Hunk O’Crunk 2. You’ve had enough of that “hardcore gangsta sh*t”, “bitches” and “hoes” and you’re yearning for some casual MC flow, intelligent lyrics and an altogether more laid back, funky vibe. It’s time to doff our New Era caps to the MCs and producers plying their trade at a less hectic pace.
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Track List
CD1
1 Jeru The Damaja - Ya Playin’ Yaself
2 Q-Tip - All In
3 The Pharcyde Feat. Mark 1 & Funky Fresh Few - Runnin’ (Rae & Christian Remix)
4 The Roots Feat. D’angelo - Hypnotic
5 Dobie Feat. Roots Manuva - Connectivity (The Hidden Mix)
6 Masta Ace Incorporated - Sittin’ On Chrome (Rockaway Avenue Mix)
7 Will I Am Feat. Phife - Nahh Mean
8 The Detroit Experiment Feat. Invincible & Kariem Riggins - The Way We Make Music
9 People Under The Stairs - Montego Slay
10 J-Live Feat. Kola Rock – Listening
11 Yesterday's New Quintet - Funshine
12 Rae & Christian Feat. The Jungle Brothers - Play On (Grand Central)
13 The Last Emperor – Karma
14 Common Feat. Mary J. Blige - Come Close
15 Tone Loc - Cheeba Cheeba
CD2
1 Quasimoto - Microphone Mathematics
2 Freddie Cruger – Running From Love
3 Fugees - Fu-Gee-La (Sly & Robbie Remix)
4 Delinquent Habits - Return Of The Tres
5 The Foreign Exchange - The Answer
6 Madvillain - Accordion (Four Tet Remix)
7 Aim - Fall Break
8 Symbolyc One & Illmind Feat. Little Brother & Median – Right Here
9 Ali Shaheed Muhammed Feat. Jay Kay – Family
10 Mr Complex - Extra Extra
11 Bone Idols & Aphletik Feat. Ty - Keep On
12 Only Child Feat. Kriminul – Memories
13 DJ Jazzy Jeff Feat. J-Live - Break It Down
14 Pete Rock Feat. Inl - No More Words
15 DJ Shadow – In / Flux
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Sleevenotes
CD 1
1. Jeru The Damaja – Ya Playin’ Yaself
We kick off with a low-slung funky beast as the mighty beats of DJ Premier rub shoulders with Jeru’s wise words railing against all egotistical, crotch-grabbing MCs. A classic from 1996 - hip hop doesn’t get any funkier than this.
2. Q-Tip – All In
Having pioneered laid back jazzwise hip hop as the consistently brilliant MC out front with A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip blasted off his solo career in ’99 with his acclaimed ‘Amplified’ album. Here’s one of the choice cuts, the winding, ultra-funky ‘All In’, featuring Q-Tip’s mesmerising flow on top form.
3. Pharcyde feat. Mark 1 & Funky Fresh Few – Runnin’ (Rae & Christian mix)
“There comes a time in every man’s life when he’s gotta handle sh** upon his own.” The Pharcyde’s Jaydee-produced life lesson from ’96 gets a great soulful re-rub here from Manchester’s finest – the L.A. giants returned the favour five years later, featuring on Rae & Christian’s ‘Sleepwalking’ long-player.
4. The Roots feat. D’Angelo – The Hypnotic
We all know this one – you meet someone, fall in love one Summer, drift apart and yearn for that feeling, ‘The Hypnotic’. The track first appeared on the ‘Men In Black’ soundtrack and help kick-start Philly’s The Roots to the big game in ’96 with their fresh live take on hip hop.
5. Dobie feat. Roots Manuva – Connectivity (The Hidden mix)
A true London backroom great, Dobie’s production credits number Soul II Soul, Wookie, Bjork, Talib Kweli and more since the late ‘80s. Here, London eccentric Roots Manuva rides a suitably deranged backing from the landmark album ‘The Sound Of One Hand Clapping’. Way ahead of its time when it first dropped back in ’98.
6. Masta Ace Incorporated – Sittin’ On Chrome (Rockaway Avenue mix)
A true hip hop veteran, repping way back to the ‘80s days when Marley Marl’s Juice Crew ruled Queens, here Masta Ace hangs out on his wheels, gearing up for a Friday night with ‘Inc. Crew’ team-mates Lord Digga and Paula Perry. A super-slick roller from 2005.
7. Will. I. Am feat. Phife – Nahh Mean
A big league soundclash as Black Eyed Peas frontman Will I Am finds Phife Dawg out of A Tribe Called Quest on funky form for this bumpin’ party starter. One from Will’s ‘Soundtrack To Get Things Started’ solo side project on UK imprint BBE from 2003.
8. Detroit Experiment feat. Invincible & Kariem Riggins – The Way We Make Music
The hip hop cut from 2002’s groundbreaking ‘Detroit Experiment’ saw the project’s all-star guest jazz musicians take a back seat while MC Invincible and the Athletic Mic League cut loose over a bumpin’ Carl Craig soundbed. Young drummer Karriem Riggins beefs up the beats.
9. People Under The Stairs – Montego Slay
Contenders for the honour of L.A.’s funkiest crew, Thes One and Double K are master beat-diggers and, in true D.I.Y. style, handle most areas of creating, producing and engineering their tracks, even designing their own artwork. Here’s the stand-out funky head-nodder from 2002’s ‘O.S.T.’ set.
10. J-Live feat. Kola Rock – Listening
“If you got some better, then I’m listening to you.” Ex-teacher J-Live certainly got the knowledge and has cornered the market for intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics. Here, alongside female MC Kola Rock, he cites all manner of historical references whilst keeping an open mind on a prime cut from 2005.
11. Yesterday’s New Quintet – Funshine
From an EP based around a loose-fit version of Bobbi Humphrey’s ‘Uno Esta’, this one came complete with mock Blue Note-style sleeve notes and an elaborate, fabricated line-up of musicians. All a thin veil for the mighty Madlib and his genius fuzzy instro-jazz and lo-fi hip hop experiments.
12. Rae & Christian feat. The Jungle Brothers – Play On
Manchester’s classiest production outfit from their breakthrough ‘Northern Sulphuric Soul’ CD in ’98. Alongside collabs with Jeru The Damaja and Sharlene from Texas on the album, this hook-up with hip hop’s favourite Afro-centrics, The Jungle Brothers, produced a terrific slice of mellow boogie magic.
13. The Last Emperor – Karma
From appearing on Rawkus’ fabled ‘Lyricist Lounge’ compilation, underground hero Last Emperor finally surfaced with his debut solo album in 2003. ‘Karma’, featuring Ayatollah’s sharp beats, explores cycles of despair in broken families. “There’s something magical in hip hop,” says Emperor. ”It can bridge gaps ethnically or on a socio-economical level.”
14. Common feat. Mary J. Blige – Come Close
Having broken big with ‘Like Water For Chocolate’ in 2000, Common left many hip hop jaws on the floor two years later with ‘Electric Circus’ referencing Floyd, Traffic and more across a dense set of tracks. ‘Come Close’, produced by The Neptunes, provided a tender oasis, a toasty warm ballad with Mary J guesting on the plaintive chorus.
15. Tone Loc – Cheeba, Cheeba
Tone bigs up the 'erb over some funky Commodores and Harlem Underground Band samples for a classic ol' skool workout from ‘89. At the time, his album (Loc’d After Dark) was only the second ever to top the U.S. pop charts and he landed film roles too you can catch our Tone in ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’.
CD 2
1. Quasimoto – Microphone Mathematics
The devious helium-voiced MC Lord Quas steps up. No one’s quite sure if West Coast don Madlib and Quas are one and the same – the fact is, they’ve never been seen together (come to think of it, Quas has never been seen, full stop!). On this early single, Quas urges people to keep up: “It’s like some people ain’t got no mental sight.”
2. Freddie Cruger Running From Love
DJ, ex-breaker and the man behind the cheeky Red Astaire re-works, Stockholm’s Freddie Cruger is second to none in blending party hip hop beats with all manner of original funk and reggae. Here, he brings in a great Johnny Nash hook and some live playing from reggae bassist, Desmond Foster.
3. Fugees – Fu-Gee-La (Sly & Robbie mix)
Just to make you feel like an age-ing B-person, this one from MC super-team Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel is unbelievably now over ten years old – we feature here Sly & Robbie’s brilliant loping dancehall treatment in anticipation of the trio’s much-publicised reunion during 2006.
4. Delinquent Habits – Return Of The Tres
Enter “The rhyme rocker with a sh** load of placas…”. Time for a true piñata-party with one of the most successful latin hip hop tunes of recent years straight from L.A., skilfully blending Spanish and English lyrics through the flow. This one was a follow-up to their earlier ‘Tres Delinquentes’ hit from ’96.
5. The Foreign Exchange – The Answer
Lest we doubt the power of the internet, here’s a track made entirely from files swapped online. Although Little Brother’s Phonte was based in North Carolina and Nicolay in the Netherlands, a whole album of melodic, innovative hip hop came together over 18 months during 2004. And it’s all excellent.
6. Madvillain – Accordion (Fourtet mix)
The superstar leftfield hip hop collab of 2004 as Madlib hooks up with one of this hip hop generation’s great wordsmiths, MF Doom. From comprising one half of early ‘90s pioneers KMD as Zevlove X, Doom later re-surfaced as his darker alter-ego, complete with trademark chrome mask. Kieran Hebden aka Fourtet creates a sparkling remix treatment.
7. Aim – Fall Break
Hip hop needs stars like Andy Turner aka Aim. Drawing on a palette of folk, jazz and charity shop oddities, his ear for unlikely samples and earthy breaks culminated in the much heralded second CD ‘Hinterland’ album back in 2002. Here’s Aim’s genius at work, mixing a shuffling break with eerie chopped strings.
8. Symbolyc One & Illmind feat. Little Brother & Median Right Here
The nu breed of warm, well crafted hip hop with an all-star cast. New Jersey’s Symbolyc One and Texan Illmind out of Strange Fruit Project team up with Phonte and Big Pooh from underground favourites Little Brother and Justus League MC Median for a super-soulful outing.
9. Ali Shaheed Muhammed feat. Kay Jay – Family
One of several Tribe Called Quest connections on this CD. ‘Mr. Muhammed’ is the legendary brains behind those dynamite Tribe samples and grooves and later helped form rock / R&B outfit Lucy Pearl. Here he rolls out some infectious jazz guitar licks behind Kay Jay’s message of family love.
10. Mr. Complex – Extra Extra
Here’s an New York MC with a fresh approach – he has worked with artists as diverse as Morcheeba and DJ Spinna, records only for smaller labels and holds down a career in film (you’ll spot him playing a DJ opposite Will Ferrell in 2005’s ‘Winter Passing’). Here, Complex has a pop at bad MCs wasting our time on stage.
11. Bone Idols & Aphletik feat. Ty – Keep On
A moving, life affirming anthem to take us into the sunset. The UK’s Bone Idols (Dan Canyon and Sponge Maddix) team up with Long Beach MC Aphletik and London’s finest Ty, taking us through the cycle of life and the value of innocence and positivity. A beauty from UK indie label Above The Clouds from 2003.
12. Only Child feat. Kriminul – Memories
The man behind the Only Child is Justin Crawford, one half of top DJ team The Unabombers and ruler of Manchester’s soulful side through the legendary Electric Chair club nights. He first hooked up with MC Kriminul for the classic ‘I’ve Got A Right’ in 2000 - here’s the re-match from three years later.
13. Jazzy Jeff feat. J-Live – Break It Down
Philly’s finest tugs the hip hop heartstrings here with some tight transformer scratching just like the ol’ days while J-Live provides a dextrous lyrical history lesson. A highlight from Jeff’s 2002 ‘The Magnificent’ album – collectors still seek 12s of the original version with its cheeky flute sample.
14. Pete Rock feat. Inl – No More Words
Pete Rock found perfect partners in InI’s Rob-O and Grap Luva soon after his classic recordings with CL Smooth in ’94, recording the underground album ‘Center Of Attention’. Re-issued by BBE in 2004, this one is a crisp, jazzy bouncer from the funkiest man in hip hop.
15. DJ Shadow – In/Flux
The master, Josh Davis, tearing down walls with this classic on Mo’Wax from 1993. Criminally boxed as the catalyst for the media-hyped ‘trip hop’ movement at the time, this now stands as towering, cinematic, instrumental hip hop which set its own blueprint. DJ Cam, Portishead and many others owe Shadow a beer or two.
Compiled by Quinton Scott
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