Indie Rap

Without doubt, the mid 90s independent rap scene blessed us with some killer underground records. The names may not always be that familiar, or it may not be a recognisable label in many cases, but the product very often can be top notch quality hip hop. The mid 90's saw a huge lack of interest from the major labels in releasing hip hop music, so many dope underground artists took it upon themselves to release and distribute their product.
Now I'm guilty more than most of concentrating on the 80s golden era of hip hop, but I am just as much a lover of quality mid-90s indie bangers. The artistic freedom expressed, coupled with the lack of sample clearance issues very often meant true hip hop from the heart. No crossover, no sell-out.
Here I wanna drop some of my favourite indie joints from the 90s - enjoy!

BMX - "Microphone Microphone" VINYL DOGS 1997
A class indie track for sure. The intro starts with a guiro scraping noise (you know - those Latin wooden fish things), then simple beats and an infectious sample keep you hooked as a listener, whilst the Black Man Xperience tell us they "rock them like Led Zeppelin!".
A definite head-nodder from 97 - this New Jersey indie got much play on mixtapes back then. But as with most vinyldogs releases not an expensive piece to find. I minted up my copy recently for the one with the sticker sleeve, see photo. Despite the simple nature of the production, this track reeks of longevity, and I can't put my finger on it with the rhymes, as they're no lyrical masterpiece but the flow is tight and fluid.
Produced by the Vinyl Dogs and engineered by Jim Sorensen at 300mph.
Microphone, Microphone


NY CONFIDENTIAL - "Backstabbed" GUILLOTINE RECORDS 1998
A serious indie record by anyone's standards, and a highly regarded record amongst collectors of that mid 90s boom bap. All tracks are strong, but for me the track "backstabbed" is the winner by miles. You could be forgiven for hearing these beats and thinking it is a Mobb Deep classic - the mood is sinister to say the least, especially when you hear the "get rid of the bodies!" film snippet in the intro.
I was shrewd enough to purchase my copy back on release, as now it can make quite a price when it appears on ebay, discogs etc... Back in 98 it was the dope label art and chrome sticker on the cover that encouraged me to pick it up. And the name GUILLOTINE RECORDS just screams out underground beats and rough raps. Produced by E. Knight for HEADS TO THE FLOOR PRODUCTIONS.
Backstabbed


ILL BROTHERS - "Funkneck" NERVE DEAFNESS 1997
I think I first heard this funky banger on a DJ GREENPEACE mixtape, but my buddy BEAT DETECTIVE will correct me if I am wrong on that. Instantly I NEEDED to know WHAT that record was, although it
took me a while to find one as it was poorly distributed. (I found out later that Mr Bongo's on Poland Street carried a few copies).
The drum loop and bassline on this joint are crazy dope. I especially like the metallic sounding snares and simplicity of the production, much like my own beats. But it is the rhymes that make this track - not just the catchy "Funkneck" chorus with the speak n spell scratching!

"Yo I betcha wish that you was tighter than a knot,
but what you got is a style that's more wack than a belly flop.
You would think with current lyrical progressions,
That ni##uhs would try different shit to make a first impression,
I got a question for you wack crews and writers,
Why you gotta make wack shit like rhyme biters?"

Funkneck

DaSkaSoundcrew presents> THE NAVIGATORS - Happy

NAVIGATORS - HAPPY from Navigators on Vimeo.

WINTER 08 QUICKSTRIKE

Heat, from the “Diamond Supply” collab to the “Carmen hates La Coka” joint. To make it even harder for you to choose, we got the David La Chapelle joints, smashed by yours truly. (Not to be confused with Dave Chappelle, “I’m Rick James Bitch”) David La Chapelle is the surrealist photographer to the stars! Do not miss these. When they’re gone, they gone.

Diggin' in the rain

"I'm diiiiiggin' in the rain....just diiiiggin' in the rain! What a glooooorious feeeeeling I'm happy again!"

OK so the weather was piss-poor today but I'm not about to let a drop of rain dampen my beatdigging urges. At the time I didn't realise the trains were also "effed up" in the centre of London. It's not an easy journey into the capital at the best of times, coming from out in the suburbs of the city, but the engineering works at weekends on London's railways sometimes make it a lottery whether you and your wax get home or not! Had I known about the train problems I may have thought again about braving the elements (the natural ones that is, not the hip hop ones.)

....anyway I threw on my goosedown to keep me toasted on the way, with some tunes in my pocket - Soulman's 92-93 beats mixtape to be precise, to get me in the digging mood. Fortunately the weather had kept many people away from the city and I was free to roam the backstreets in search of a dusty vinyl resting place. If all else fails there was always the usual spots which could guarantee a find or two. But today the digging Gods were smiling on me because
it wasn't long before I stumbled on some treats. The first exciting find was in a dusty second hand store just off Oxford Street, namely Jimmy McGriff "Mean Machine" LP on Groove Merchant with the amazing "It Feels So Nice (Do It Again)" on it, and for a mere 4 pounds (approx. 8 dollars). There is some water damage to the cover but the record was virtually mint. Check the soundclip for yourself I'm sure you will agree this was a steal! Such a beautiful track. I think it appeared on one of Kon & Amir's fine mixes.



There are several small record shops scattered around the Oxford Street and Soho area of W1, but to be honest it was pretty much a fruitless exercise other than the Jimmy McGriff LP. I chose to make for the tube and head for Camden Town where the Music and Video Exchange was the next destination for a rummage through their racks in the basement. And that's where I found the next record that made me think the journey today was worthwile - a copy of Johnny Hammond's "Shifting Gears" on 45rpm on Milestone Records. I have the LP already, but I also have a fetish for any Ultimate Break on 7" 45rpm format, so this record and I were destined to leave the shop together!



Thanks to Steve Skye for hooking me up! This little beauty was hiding away under the counter so I could easily have missed it. I have added a soundclip of this gem too because the song is just sooo good! One for the B-Boys.



I also found a copy of D-Nice 12" "Glory" b/w "It's All About Me" on Jive for a quid in their bargain shop across the road near Camden Lock (right next to the marijuana dealers!) It's one D-Nice 12" I didn't own already, and didn't recognise the track names either. But at that price I bought it "blind". I must be totally honest I never realised how dope these tracks were 'til I got back to the lab and threw it on my turns. "It's all About Me" is one of the killer tracks from his LP, so I will leave you with a soundclip of that joint to keep the hip hop heads happy and YOUR head nodding. D-Nice is definitely at his peak here despite the crumby track titles, and visually unappealing picture sleeve. And he definitely "kicks the science" as the scratchin' says!
I won't bore you with a picture, but instead here's a better one of D-Nice with BDP stablemates KRS-One and Scott La Rock (RIP).



Doesn't he look young? Give the soundclip below a blast, and see what YOU think. I'm sure you will recognise it when you hear it, and love it as I did. But do you got it on 12" huh??

MAC & RETNA IN ITALY

KINGS OF DA NU BABYLON

BIG GEEZERS

Flying Fortress killed it with his gangster teddy troopers. The installation was bugged out transforming the space into a demented 4d cartoon carnival. Fun time for all ages. I got there late but they still let me in, I got connections. Thanx evan. I got to kick with some old friends, Blake, Genius, and of course Kenton Parker.

Curated by: The London Police
Original work by: MORCKY TROUBLES (Italy), MISS RIEL (Iceland), GALO (Italy), WAYNE HORSE (Germany), PEZ (Spain), MINIVILA (Croatia), FLYING FORTRESS (Germany), and THE LONDON POLICE (U.K).