tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100440412011-04-22T05:39:05.184+10:00Holding it down for angry loners and the unemployable.Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1117911406717628852005-06-05T04:53:00.000+10:002005-06-05T04:56:46.720+10:00

In my continuing efforts to rid myself of all things Blogger (aka the easy-to-use but exceptionally ugly blog tool), I'm merging my audio blog into my main site. If you just want to see new Bootleggin' posts, then use this address:http://www.unkut.com/category/bootlegor click the Steady Bootleggin' link in the sidebar of www.unkut.comOtherwise, posts will be visable on the main page with

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1117288712472628362005-05-28T23:57:00.000+10:002005-07-03T23:04:03.416+10:00

"Travelling At The Speed of Thought" is hardly the most essential of Ultra tracks. Despite the fact that three different versions of the song were released (the original Rolling Stones-based take, the dancefloor-aimed LP remix and the Hip House remixes that wasted space on the "Chorus Line" single).Once again, the b-side saves the day with the bass heavy, Apache-obliterating sequel to "Ego

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1116688148616950062005-05-22T00:31:00.000+10:002005-07-03T22:58:38.650+10:00

The story behind MF911, which they helpfully included on the back of the album, is actually more entertaining than much of the album. Originally calling themselves Philly Boy Productions, they changed their name to Mega Force 911 after Chuck D suggested the name "911" when they met him backstage (they also mention "This was before his album came out with the single 911 Is A Joke", just in case we

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1116077081677994752005-05-14T23:23:00.000+10:002005-06-25T01:12:36.756+10:00

There won't be any tracks from Criminal Minded or Critical Beatdown during Ced-Gee Month, since I'm assuming that anyone with even a passing interest in hip-hop music already owns both of these milestones (in my opinion, they stand as the two greatest albums ever made). Around 1994, Tuff City began releasing old Ultramagnetic demos and songs that never made the albums, with The Basement Tapes

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1115560429516861372005-05-08T23:17:00.000+10:002005-06-10T23:41:11.556+10:00

Ultramagnetic weren't exactly known for their guest appearance's. In fact, prior to parting ways, the crew's vocal cameo's extended only to Ultra fam member Tim Dog's Penicilian On Wax, a Raw Breed track (Kool Keith is related to one of the MC's), that "Free South Africa" record and this song. I'm not sure what led to this collaberation, but Ced-Gee and Kool Keith recorded a track with Dutch

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1115301444317376882005-05-05T23:17:00.000+10:002005-06-04T23:57:17.116+10:00

Once again, it's a new month and I hardly scratched the surface of "Live Rap on Wax", mainly because my record collection is in a constant state of chaos and I don't have the time to search through it properly. Look for more additions in the near future.Moving on, the month of May will see Steady Bootleggin' focusing on the work of super producer Ced-Gee. In addition to highlighting some of his

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1114783385927158622005-04-29T23:41:00.000+10:002005-05-31T23:43:09.190+10:00

As far as I'm concerned, Lord Finesse doesn't get nearly enough credit for his contributions to rap. He elevated the punchline-heavy style that so many kids use today to previously unheard-of levels, paving the way for guys like Mad Skillz, Chino XL and Ras Kass. Here's the set he performed at Tramps in New York for the D.I.T.C. memorial concert for Big L. With Roc Raida on the decks and A.G. on

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1114605800151876502005-04-27T22:40:00.000+10:002005-04-27T22:43:20.153+10:00

Yesterday I noticed that Steady Bootleggin' got a mention in the Village Voice's "Blog Rock" column, which I guess ranks somewhere between getting linked by Soul Sides and getting mentioned in "real" print (which may also be happening in the near future but more on that when it drops). In actual fact, that shit's only up for a day and only got me a handful of extra visitors, but nevertheless,

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1114362241142176402005-04-25T02:37:00.000+10:002005-05-26T10:20:40.016+10:00

Kurious and a bunch of guys who aren't the CM Mob. Following on from the Brick City Kids set at Rocksteady Anniversary '94, Kurious Jorge and the CM Mob rolled through to tear shit up. With Kadi ("the man with the yellow hat"), The Omen and Lord Sear on deck, the Magician has no shortage of back-ups available and proceeds to perform half of the Constipated Monkey album. Kurious Jorge - "Live" (

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1114176629078179282005-04-22T23:11:00.000+10:002005-05-26T10:18:56.620+10:00

Some of the best live records you'll find are the Rocksteady Anniversary bootlegs (I think there's four albums in the series, but I only have the first three). It's basically a live recording of the event, and includes such memorable moments such as Lord Finesse tearing LOTUG to streads (sic), KRS and Fat Joe teaming up, The Grimm Reaper (aka MF Grimm) rocking shit and a bunch of group sets by

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1113669510374330312005-04-17T01:59:00.000+10:002005-05-21T07:47:23.136+10:00

With a scant running time of 1:43, this little glimpse of "the world's most dangerous group" on stage is still dope. Included on N.W.A's Greatest Hits album, this "live" taping sounds legit, despite the extra over-dubbed crowd noise.Did you ever notice how the all the photo's from the Straight Outta Compton-era (including the album cover) feature ex-member Arabian Prince, despite the fact that he

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1113397418964086632005-04-13T21:31:00.000+10:002005-05-14T09:03:39.226+10:00

When MC Shan and Marley Marl dropped "Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing" complete with it's Jetsons-sampled chorus, they also blessed us with a couple of b-side treats. At this stage in his career, Shan was the fuckin' man, having dropped the incredible "The Bridge" a year earlier, and this time around he addressed the crack/freebasing epidemic that was sweeping America."Jane..." was a pretty

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1112880544832363732005-04-07T22:49:00.000+10:002005-05-08T01:18:51.313+10:00

This is easily one of the greatest live rap on wax moments, primarily due to the fact that it succeeds in capturing the electric atmosphere of a full house of excited fans. This recording finds Big Daddy Kane at the height of his popularity, as you can hear when the notoriously fickle Apollo Theatre audience go ape when King Asiatic hits the stage. If you're unaware of just how popular Kane was

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1112819721136753372005-04-07T06:33:00.000+10:002005-04-07T13:05:34.406+10:00

I'm running a little side project at the moment over at A Salute To Weed Carriers.Also, I've finally updated a few more classic radio interviews over at A Tribute To Ignorance.

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1112531816747537452005-04-03T21:52:00.000+10:002005-05-05T23:14:25.170+10:00

After a month on "No Retail" madness, I didn't get through half of the songs I wanted to include, but it's time for a change of pace. Join me now for a look at what I like to refer to as "Live Rap On Wax". If for some reason you don't know much about the legendary Spoonie Gee, you can read about his experiences in his own words in this interview with jayquan. This live recording of his early hit

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1112098548688079152005-03-29T21:48:00.000+10:002005-05-01T21:55:56.120+10:00

Regardless of whether or not you still buy everything that The Beatnuts put out, their first three releases are classic material. After setting things off lovely with the Intoxicated Demons EP, they hit us in the head with The Beatnuts (aka Street Level), which was pretty much a flawless album and a true testament to their production skills. It was also the only project to have Fashion on board

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1112011763198718672005-03-28T17:19:00.000+10:002005-03-28T22:09:46.953+10:00

When Show & A.G. released Goodfellas in 1995, expectations were high. Following the popular Soul Clap EP and their acclaimed Runaway Slave album, the pressure was on, and the "Next Level" single certainly made a good first impression. But by the time the album saw an official release, a few things had changed. Show was no longer rapping, which was a dissapointment for many since he had one of the

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1111716105422059962005-03-25T12:20:00.000+11:002005-04-26T06:59:29.706+10:00

Exclusive Japanese release's started to pop up more and more frequently in the late '90's, as underground New York artists were offered nice chunks of change to provide previously unheard material for labels such as Next Level. Guesswyld artists' Mike Zoot and Lace Da Booms both released double 12"s exclusively for Japan, and groups like the Jigmastas have also released alternative versions of

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1111320782627985912005-03-20T22:23:00.000+11:002005-04-21T08:59:58.686+10:00

This track is not exactly hard to come by, and since it's appeared J-Live's True School Revival promo/tour CD, a Fatbeats compilation album and even a Hiphopsite promo 7", the "never made retail" thing hardly applies, but this is easily one of his best moments. When he dropped "Longevity" / "Braggin' Writes" back in '95, J certainly impressed amongst a sea of mediocrity, and the DJ Spinna remix

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1110893851679952782005-03-15T23:57:00.000+11:002005-04-17T01:42:27.580+10:00

I've discussed this project already here, but these are two of the better tracks. Taken from the CD version that was given away with the 1st Class album, along with a t-shirt, "Stay Chisel" 12" and the Mista Sinista Large Pro Megamix...with all those freebies, I didn't really care that half of his Matador project was musically weak. Maybe that was the idea.Previous to that super-promotion, the

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1110454864541096592005-03-10T21:47:00.000+11:002005-04-13T11:30:10.820+10:00

This whole Biggie Smalls murder anniversary thing isn't really something I give a shit about. The only "hip-hop" deaths that meant anything to me were Scott La Rock, Subroc and Big L, in that order. With that said, however, now's as good a time as ever to throw on some more uncleared sample action your way. This time, a hot Donny Hathaway loop spelled doom for this quality track, as Pudgee

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1110285981350815452005-03-08T22:39:00.000+11:002005-04-13T11:29:36.866+10:00

More white label shit from The Bridge, with another contribution from Steady Bootleggin' favourite - Tragedy. His second album, Saga of A Hoodlum, included a cut called "Pass The Tek" featuring Havoc, but there was another version of that song recorded with Extra P on the boards and the ad-libs. It wasn't released until around 1996, when it appeared on the Intelligent Hoodlum's own label (this

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1110110024399691012005-03-06T22:12:00.000+11:002005-04-07T21:55:57.553+10:00

Marley Marl's track for "On The Real" has certainly proved it's staying power, as no less than three versions of this song have released. The first incarnation was for a group called Kamakazee (KL and Kyron, who would later join Poet and Hostyle to form Screwball), which also featured verses from fellow Queensbridge residents Nas and Cormega. According to Brian Beck from Wisconsin: "this

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1109939677845352912005-03-04T22:30:00.000+11:002005-04-03T21:26:29.833+10:00

For some reason, a lot of Nas guest appearences seem to end up on the cutting room floor. This may be due to his management, Columbia's over-priced appearence fees or just Nas being an arrogant asshole, but a lot of songs he's made with lesser-known QB people never seem to make retail. A perfect example is "Calm Down", which was originally intended for Capone-N-Noreaga's classic The War Report.

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1109767703558906502005-03-02T22:51:00.000+11:002005-04-03T21:25:22.260+10:00

As one of the most loved (and equally hated) verbal architects to grace the booth, Nasty Nas has been responsible for some particularly dope songs which never made the final cut of his commercial releases. So much so, in fact, that Columbia is about to release a second installments of his Lost Tapes. According to Illmatic Executive Producer MC Serch, the only track recorded for that project that

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1109595223029603982005-02-28T23:19:00.001+11:002005-03-29T17:53:42.773+10:00

For the final chapter in this month's series on Soundtracks to Bad Movies, I thought I'd hit you with a little Uptown flavour (Andre Harrel's version, sorry Dipset fans). While this cheesy romantic comedy featuring a young Halle Berry and Tommy Davidson was light on the "laffs", it did provide a couple of quality tracks. Marley Marl provides LL with the forgettable title-track, Heavy D commits

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1109252111756594352005-02-25T00:04:00.000+11:002005-03-25T08:49:44.610+11:00

This is another movie that I've never seen, which isn't really a big issue since we're not here to talk popcorn....this is an independant documentary about boxers in Brooklyn, called On The Ropes. The notable thing about this project is that Ray "Web" Davis (X-Ray from Monsta Island Czars) did the music with a guy called Theodore Sharpiro. Basically this means a bunch of M.I.C. members appear on

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1108876481335531282005-02-20T15:57:00.000+11:002005-03-20T22:21:56.710+11:00

I guess Robert De Niro got to a point in his career where he though - "I've made some a bunch of great movies already - now it's time to get paid so I can afford to date some more supermodels", which is why he currently appears in things like Rocky and Bullwinkle. Back in 1996, he made a movie called The Fan, which was about an over-zealous baseball fan stalking his idol, who just happened to

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1108645890129863362005-02-18T00:04:00.000+11:002005-03-19T11:33:48.733+11:00

Another jam-packed soundtrack, Soul In The Hole was more of a Loud-roster showcase than anything else, but nevertheless it managed to be consistantly enjoyable, especially since it was 100% hip-hop without any fruity punk-schmoove shit. As far as the movie? Never saw it. I can tell you that Organized Konfusion combine with hangers-on The Ill Rahlos for a nice Equinox era free-for-all called "Late

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1108474328661386352005-02-15T23:57:00.000+11:002005-03-15T22:53:52.346+11:00

Remember when Kid 'N Play were called Fresh Force? Me neither. I have to admit they had a few good songs on their first album (like that joint with the Talking Heads loop), and as they got worse and worse at making music it they focused their efforts in starring in three installments of House Party (peace to Robin Harris), and when that franchise ran out of steam they flipped it into Class Act,

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1108133551565682752005-02-12T01:02:00.000+11:002005-03-08T22:34:58.956+11:00

This is another flick which I can't remember too clearly, but I can recall it being better than I had expected but still far from classic. Basically some guys steal a bunch of cars in Brick City, have a few laughs and then it all goes downhill. What's worth noting about this project is that the Tommy Boy soundtrack was so extensive that they had to release two albums worth of songs (most of which

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1107948385314658932005-02-09T21:26:00.000+11:002005-03-06T22:09:55.856+11:00

Although it's becoming a popular trend in Hollywood these days, celluloid versions of coin-guzzling video games have tended to be totally appaling, as the Mario Brothers movie can attest. Considering that Street Fighter was ruling the arcades in the early nineties with an 2-dimensional iron fist, it was only a matter of time until somebody called Jean-Claude Van Damme to throw on a muscle shirt

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1107528490541502862005-02-05T01:19:00.001+11:002005-03-04T22:24:30.966+11:00

The completely forgettable High School High, starring Jon Lovitz as a goofy principal, has left such a lasting impression that I can't even remember the plot, let alone the gags. There may have been a couple of funny moments, but I can recall being bored shitless for most of it. The album was far more satisfying, as it featured about a million different groups - everyone from A Tribe Called Quest

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1107351714633135732005-02-03T01:06:00.000+11:002005-03-02T22:33:29.983+11:00

While Juice, Menace II Society and Boyz-N-The-Hood were all enjoyable flicks with quality, all-star hip-hop soundtracks in tow, many killer tracks have been wasted on pitiful celluloid trash. Case in point - this Ice-T/Ice Cube vehicle (Iceploitation?) which is only memorable for the fact that it had it's original title changed from Looters after some truck driver got hit in the head with a brick

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1107264381406449912005-02-01T23:53:00.000+11:002005-02-27T02:14:16.983+11:00

The topic of the tracks removed from the retail version of Lifestyles Ov Da Poor & Dangerous came up today...so here we go. "School Days" is the classic tale of coming up that most people used to throw on their album when they ran out of decent ideas, but L adds his own unique twist to make it this cut stand out. As far as production honors - I'm guessing Finesse did it."Times Is Hard On The

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1106910699190704422005-01-28T21:25:00.000+11:002005-02-17T19:45:11.320+11:00

It's amazing how many quality tracks are on this compilation, considering that most "benefit" albums are garbage. And while there are plenty of disposable tracks to be found on America Is Dying Slowly, the all-star line up yields some rewarding combinations. OC and Buckwild add-on to the Word...Life legacy with "What I Represent", which was the last track I can remember hearing O kicking his

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1106050259434102252005-01-18T23:06:00.000+11:002005-02-04T23:50:46.896+11:00

If you're not up on Kurious Jorge and his Constipated Monkey (Hoppoh/Columbia, 1994) album, you need to get your shit together and track down a copy. Here are a couple of cameo appearences from the Magician. "Young Stars From Nowhere" featured on Powerule's Volume 1 LP, and finds Curious Jorge doing his thing alongside Rebel, Johnny Jay and the The Prince Power. Prince and Kurious teamed-up

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1105619233417774962005-01-13T23:25:00.001+11:002005-02-01T23:41:24.156+11:00

No time for a write-up but I had to put the official anthem up. Brand Nubian - "Steady Bootleggin'" (In God We Trust, Elektra, 1992)

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1105448618588933622005-01-11T23:57:00.002+11:002005-02-01T23:40:33.676+11:00

The opening installment of the First Family was brought to us by a 4th & Broadway compilation album put together by producer Silver D (who also did some tracks for Positive K's album). "Produced in the violent, impoverished Brownsville section of Brooklyn, The Hill That's Real is a frank depiction of the streets by young adults who risk their lives everyday by simply existing in an enviroment

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10044041.post-1105267685632244962005-01-09T20:32:00.000+11:002005-01-28T18:26:27.270+11:00

Ever since "Wopp Sensation" and "Beat You Down", Poet has been a hard-head. Jumping in to protect the name and reputation of Queensbridge when BDP were tearing shreads off Shan, Poet also felt the wrath of KRS at his prime when the Numero Uno remix of "I'm Still #1" dropped. Nevertheless, he kept trooping and teamed-up with DJ Hot Day to form the imaginativly-titled PHD (Poet & Hot Day). After

Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351168041949482930noreply@blogger.com0