NERVOUS THURSDAY: Loyal And All For It

By Geng-Grizzly, on July 1st, 2011

Classic f’n CNN (as the original 25 To Life incarnation with Tragedy Khadafi at the helm) doing their two biggest anthems live on BET’s Teen Summit (I miss this shit). Those good ole Hilfiger-Nautica-Army Jacket days. Once again, Mya on the sidelines as a dancer.

There’s not much out there that can be compared to The War Report. It’ll stay that way, too.

Big up my millz EV Boogie of UpNorthTrips.

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Strip Your Sleeve, Give Up Your Stripes

By Geng-Grizzly, on March 31st, 2011


First leaked by our man Robbie (of Unkut) two years ago…this is another rarely heard, vintage Mobb Deep banger from the Hell On Earth sessions of ’96. I am sure many of you forgot about/missed this…so grab your Henny bottle and get reminded.

Mobb Deep “Tha World” (Feat. Twin Gambino and Godfather Pt. III, Produced by Havoc)

As with many of these demo joints (and I’ve got many more to share), it’s always dope to hear how some of the most memorable verses from the finished product were first laid down (most of the time, on a different track). That being said, this joint is no different, serving as the original home for the dramatic narrative that was P’s part on “Nighttime Vultures.” What’s even crazier is the second verse he spits (one that was never recorded again, to my knowledge). Straight murda.

Generosity wins…so here’s another classic clip from BET’s Teen Summit…

Pardon the corny video tag, but it’s worth it for this dope two-fer of Mobb classics…from perhaps many people’s favorite era of Hav and P (once again, the same pre-Hell On Earth business as the above-posted). On a more technical side-note…it’s good to see that these cats (like Camp Lo) also knew how to NOT cuff the mics when performing on stage. I can’t name a MC who has come out in the last 5-10 years who can say the same for him/herself.

And yo, they had Mya as their background dancer…say word!

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My Posse From The Bronx Is Deep

By Geng-Grizzly, on March 31st, 2011


Ladies and gents, the precursor to the Camp Lo & Pete Rock collaboration, 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s, has been put out for public consumption. This release of new bangers, blends, and lesser-known Lo’ah gems is seamlessly thrown together by DJ’s Trackstar and Mark Divita (with most of the production handled by The Soul Brother #1, himself). I’ll let the guys responsible for the mixtape’s release, The Smoking Section, do the rest of the talking…

This tape does double duty. It reminds us of Camp Lo’s sometimes slept-on lyrical talent while serving hardcore fans with appetizers off the forthcoming full-length…

While we’re always fans of new material, it’s the hidden gems from Camp Lo’s earlier days that stand out. The Marvin Gaye sampled “Sandman,” stands out—a soulful reinterpretation exposition on Camp Lo’s love for women (plural). The focus on sampling and lyrical proficiency recalls a style fundamental to Hip-Hop, but in some ways passing us by. As distant descendants of Native Tongues, both Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede fit comfortably with this genre, mixing classic sounds with their own brand of off-the-wall, multi-syllabic rhymes. Should be interesting to see what they can do over a full stable of Pete Rock joints.

Click here for the The Tiffany Blue Mixtape Pt. 1.

While we’re on the topic of classic shit from the Diamond Crooks…looky what I stumbled upon today.

Yeah man…those were the days when BET was actually watch’able. Peep Mya in the tan(?) sweater on the right side at the end of the crowd on stage (she got her start as a background dancer and “correspondent” on here…was another reason why I watched back in my wonder years). I miss sitting down on a Saturday and being blessed by a gem of a performance on Teen Summit. More on that later…

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