Mr. Yaman >>> Tunes 2 have!

5 dope Hip Hop 7"s

It's not often you come across Hip Hop 7"s on digging trips, but you would be surprised what can be found on a funky 45. Many were promo only, and pressed more as a gimmick rather than a pre-release item.
Let's raid Kid Dyno's crates in search of a dusty gem...

SUPERLOVER CEE & CASANOVA RUD - Super Casanova (probably their biggest hit and of course engineered by the late great Paul C, this promo-only DNA jukebox 7" was the follow-up to "Do The James" classic which was a smash in the NYC clubs in '87. Skillfull use of Joe Tex's "You said a Bad Word".)

SLICK RICK - Mona Lisa (Ricky D back on plastic with the follow-up to La-Di-Da-Di with Doug E Fresh, this time using the classic FRISCO DISCO break. The 12" release was backed with "Hey Young World" from the GREAT ADVENTURES OF... LP also on DEF JAM. Originally hailing from South London, this is Slick Rick on top form!)

ULTIMATE FORCE - I'm Not Playing (DIAMOND D's first appearance on wax with MASTER ROB on vocals, and this killer '89 joint using Albert King's "Cold Feet" hook has now become the standard that all random/golden era gems are measured by. Don't forget to check the ULTIMATE FORCE LP recently issued on STRONG CITY)

FLASH & FURIOUS 5 - Super Rappin' No. 2 (The ENJOY old school classic from 1980 gets the French treatment on a rare Carrere picture sleeve. The original ENJOY release is a tough one to find on 7". In my opinion this is the best release from Flash and the F5, and here MCs RAHIEM, MELLE MEL, MISTER NESS, SCORPIO and COWBOY really show off their rhyme skills)

SUPERLOVER CEE & CASANOVA RUD - Girls I Got 'Em Locked (they had that incredible Studio 1212 sound, and with Superlover Cee's braggadocious rhymes, this makes for a killer DNA promo only 45)

Girls Got It Goin' On!!

We love girls. And we love Hip Hop. So it stands to reason we love girls into Hip Hop. So we raided the crates for our favourite records with female MCs. It wasn't that hard to be honest - maybe you forgot that the girls got it goin' on! Just a quick peek through our crates reveals wax from the gorgeous MC Lyte (above), Roxanne Shante, the sexy but obviously hard Antoinette, Sweet Tee, MC Peaches, MC Pre-Sweet, Sparky D, Ms Melodie, Bahamadia, Ice Cream Tee, Queen Mother Rage, Monie Love, Dimples D, Isis, Big Lady K, Salt n Pepa (pre-commercial wackness), and I cannot forget her royal highness Queen Latifah (remember the Paul C & 45 King mix of "Ladies First"??) Ayway let's get down to business and pull out some favourites...

First on the list has to be the incredible SHA-ROCK who is as much a pioneer of the old school as the other more-noted male MCs of the time. At a tender age she was throwing down her lyrics at the park jams of the late 70's & early 80's and became a member of the Funky Four plus One along with DJs Breakout & Baron, Jazzy Jeff, Lil Rodney Cee, KK Rockwell (original member Rahiem left to join the Furious 5).


The young SHA-ROCK use to live between homes in the Bronx and Harlem. Back in the 70's she would sneak out of the house and go to Kool Herc's infamous parties, despite there being no female MC'S at the time. At first she did her thing as a B-Girl, and just like the fella's she would wait for that certain break part of a record and then begin to hit the floor. But after seeing a multitude of male MCs, she strived to become the first girl to grab the microphone and represent the ladies in the house....and she also succeeded as the first Female MC to become a part of an all-male Hip Hop group namely The Funky Four Plus One More. SHA also became the Bronx's first girl on the mic to go full circle in an MC battle, and first female MC to use the echo chamber behind her voice, and even appeared on Saturday Night Live with Blondie in 1981. And you better believe she could compete with the guys just as well as the girls! Check out how SHA-ROCK holds her own in the soundclip below from Funky Four Plus One "That's The Joint" from 1980 (yes 27 years ago!). Here she sounds as much a part of the group as the other MCs. Classic stuff.



"Man your battle stations I'm ready!". Another flygirl on the mic is a constant favourite here at the DAILY DIGGERS HQ. ANTOINETTE was one of Hurby Luv Bug's proteges signed to the SOUNDCHECK label, and we have to give props to Hurby cuz he did give this girl some of his funkiest raw beats! ANTOINETTE's rhyme style was hard and heavy, and she came across as a confident MC with her ill flows and punchy yet slightly nasal sounding voice. Very often she was referred to as the female equivalent of Bid Daddy Kane, and she even got the Juice Crew's seal of approval on that when recording "Raw Attitude" with BDK - a clever male-female combo fusion of their individual hits.
Boy, you WOULD wanna kiss this honey but you would NOT wanna get dissed by this honey! When she wants she can spit out some scalding rapid-fire rhymes. Her first and in our opinion best appearances came on the Hurby's Machine (House that Rap Built) LP in 1987, and the subsequently released "I Got An Attitude" and "Unfinished Business" 12-inch releases on SOUNDCHECK RECORDS.
"Ducks, halfspins, I'ma show them all
I'm not a joker, but I laugh, cuz y'all can't brawl
I roll....the mic smokes.....I lay it to rest
Embalmed in my palm, I touch it and it's blessed
Got style...I know the routine
All punks popping junk can't join my team
I got an attitude!"
Below is a soundclip from "I Got an Attitude" from 1987. Killer drum sequencing by Hurby I'm sure you will agree. And under that is a snippet of "Raw Attitude feat Kane taken from Mr. Magic's WBLS show." As the man, the icon BDK would say...."Come get some, you little bum!"






Now whilst the First Priority Music posse had the gorgeous MC Lyte (have I said that already?? LOL), the JUICE CREW had its very own MC GLAMOROUS. As far as we know, she first appeared on the JUICE CREW ALLSTARS self-titled track in 1987 on Cold Chillin'. Although a b-side track, it's a must-have classic posse-cut featuring the mic talents of Kool G Rap, Craig G, MC GLAMOROUS, MC Shan, MC Percy (Tragedy the Intelligent Hoodlum), Roxanne Shante and of course Marley on the boards. This was their first posse cut before concept of "The Symphony" had even been dreamt up. MC GLAMOROUS (real name Maya Angelou) also featured on the A-side cut "Evolution" alongside T.J. Swann's trademark vocal delights.
But for us the standout release from GLAMOROUS is the lesser known and fairly sought after PRISM RECORDS release entitled "Good to Go". Put out in 1988, when Glamorous was still a Juice Crew member but no longer produced by Marley Marl. However this record is a stormer - a dope horn sample and a funky drum pattern with a sporadic break loop tucked underneath. Her vocal delivery even resembles Antoinette at some points. Great stuff Glamorous, but why can't we find a picture of you anywhere??




More funky females to come...

p.s MC LYTE if you are reading this we LOVE you!! xx

Time's Up!

Whether you know him as OC, Omar Credle, or as Mush, you cannot deny this Brooklyn brother got skills on the mic. Both "Word..Life" and "Jewels" are serious LPs by any rapper's standards. Here's a version excursion on OC's classic joint "Time's Up". I know it's hard to fuck with a classic, but hopefully it's a refreshing change from the original. Let us know in the comments what you think.

"You lack the minerals and vitamins irons and the niacin
Fuck who that I offend rappers sit back I'm bout to begin
'bout foul talk you squawk never even walked the walk
More less destined to get tested never been arrested
My album will manifest many things that I saw did or heard about
or told first hand never word of mouth
What's in the future for the fusion in the changer?
Rappers are in danger who will use wits to be a remainder
When the missile is aimed, to blow you out of the frame
Some will keep their limbs and, some will be maimed
The same suckers with the gab about, killer instincts
but turned bitch and knowin' damn well they lack
In this division the connoisseur, crackin' your head with a 4x4
Realize sucka, I be the comin' like Noah
Always sendin you down, perpetratin' facadin' what you consider
a image, to me this is, just a scrimmage
I'm feel I'm stone, not cause I bop or wear my cap cocked
The more emotion I put into it, the harder I rock
Those who pose lyrical but really ain't true I feel"

"Their time's limited, hard rocks too" - Slick Rick (from the song "Hey Young World")

TIMES UP

Taking it back to the 80's

Although the 80's is generally seen as an embarassing decade in terms of fashion, music, style etc... with Hip Hop the story was somewhat different. Now acknowledged as the "Golden Era" of Hip Hop, these 10 years brought us what became the foundations of Hip Hop, whichever element of the culture is concerned...

For breakers it was during this decade that the Rock Steady crew hit the top of their game and earn the attention of the world, and concurrently the film "Wild Style" was unleashed which spread Hip Hop culture across the planet.
For graffiti writers the 80's also saw the release of Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant's now classic "Style Wars" movie which did pretty much the same for the maturing graffiti artform.
Similarly with DJ and MC skills - these aspects, although founded in the 70's, were developed mostly through the 80's and then forged the future shape of Hip Hop culture.

Kids like Dondi, Skeme, Lee, Dez (now DJ Kayslay) and Blade would regularly bomb the NY transit system with end-to-end burners, married couples and top-to-bottom pieces - bringing colour firstly to the city, and then ultimately the media attention sent the message worldwide. There are not many sights that can astound you like seeing a whole-car burner pass overhead, or pull up in the train station. And it was the 80's that saw the artform hit its peak, and not just in the US. All over South America, Europe and beyond, graffiti on trains became more than just a craze. It became a way of life for some.
The graffiti culture runs hand-in-hand with Hip Hop - like 2 unruly teenagers growing up together through the 80's and finally coming of age.

And of course the 80's would not have been the same without the Adidas Shell Toe - the classic Hip Hop footwear sported by many B-Boys & B-Girls but most notoriously by Run DMC. If you were down with Hip Hop in the 80's you had at least one pair! The Puma Clyde and Basket models held their own in the b-boy arena but the Shell Toe took "superstar" status (please excuse the pun). Plus the 3-stripe tracksuit would complete the outfit for any Adidas addicted B-boy. The fresher the colour the better you looked!

In the 80's no self-respecting B-Boy would be seen without a Ghetto Blaster by his side. Bigger always meant better when it came to sound! Like Cool J said "my radio believe me I like it loud!". With the portable sounds in one hand it left the other free to carry up the rolled-up and heavily-scuffed linoleum stolen from your mum's kitchen. These were the only tools a b-boy needed, other than another crew to burn!
From Covent Garden to Coventry, Birmingham to Bristol, breakin' could be witnessed in every city and town across the UK during the early part of the decade. Although back then the sight of teenagers breakin' & lockin' would scare the general public and it was customary to get moved on by the police. I regularly had my boombox confiscated in school as the sound would "draw too big a crowd", yet later I was the one asked to become the school's youth club DJ! Now, some 25 years later, things have gone full cycle for breakin' which has grabbed media attention once more. This doesn't mean to say it ever disappeared in the first place! Quite the opposite - throughout

the 90's various cities in Germany held the "Battle of the Year" championships and believe me those kids are into it HEAVY! Rocksteady Crew also held their yearly anniversary jams at Rock Steady Park (West 98th Street & Amsterdam Ave in New York) throughout this period, and not forgetting the Miami Pro-Am Championships. And now the media now is finally back in love with "breakdancing" (AGHH!! I hate that term....& wasn't it them that said it was just a "craze"?) it has finally concreted its place in Hip Hop history and been accepted as an essential element of dance culture. You only have to watch the TV ads to see that.

Hip Hop also created some iconic fashion styles too through its Golden Era. The early years of mock neck sweaters and Pro-Keds had been overtaken by Leather Goose Jackets, Puma Suedes, Adidas Shelltoes, Cazal Eyewear, Name Buckles, Graffiti Denim Jackets, Lee Jeans and Dapper Dan outfits. And of course this was called the "golden era", so it was all about the dukey gold rope chain! Every rapper's favourite accessory. For years it became the symbol of a rapper earning his cold cash money (& absolutley nothing to do with the fact that every gold shop in the Tribeca area of Manhattan sold truck jewelry by the lorry load!) Nevertheless a fat gold chain became synonymous with all rappers and of course Mr. T from the A-Team! The gold four-finger ring with your name on it was a speciality. I remember first reading "Eric Louis Barrier" on the Paid In Full LP cover - dope! Although Slick Rick has to take the proverbial biscuit on the gold front - check out the photo of him in our Golden Era gems section. He looks like his car crashed through a shop window at Tiffany's!!
And who could forget the Kangol hat - designed by a UK company established in 1930 which started by importing French berets into the UK. Their 70's "Bermuda" model was preferred by the Hip Hop community, and caught the attention of one James Todd Smith early in his career. A hat that still sells today based mostly on its history in Hip Hop. Whether it be the towelling-type Bermuda as sported by most hip hoppers back in the days, or the more expensive Sniper model with the band around the forehead - T La Rock's favourite no doubt. Damn for years LL was never to be seen without a Kangol on. And today the Bermuda still embodies that old school reminiscent feel.
Along with name belts and Goose jackets, hip hop style (if you got it right) made you stand out from the rest of the crowd.
By combining and colour matching the freshest sneakers and jumpers, hats, tracksuits etc.. you made an impression on your fellow b-boys and general public alike! Ha ha I remember the day my Dad caught me leaving the house with no laces in my Adidas - his face said it all!
Still today that "must match your outfit and sneakers" thing is still going strong - the Old School started that! Even though the Rap Industry has pulled our culture to bits, raped and disected it and then moulded it into what they want to sell, the old school values just won't go away without a fight. You can't keep down the real elements that started this shit off. I hope and pray one day the industry realises that, and the "real" history of hip hop can get back behind the wheel in the drive towards the future.
If I could take a time machine ride right now, I would go back to the days of the early park jams in the Bronx. I wonder did they realise this was a new culture spawning? A new way of life maybe? Back then they gave us a set of rules to which Hip Hop should live by. I'm all for progression, don't get me wrong, but let's live by those rules!