Damn The Shit I Do For A Free Hamburger...

Fat Cat Bigga Fish - The Coup
Gettin Down At The Amphitheatre - Common
What A Way To Go Out - Souls Of Mischief
International Zone Coaster - L.O.N.S.

Back in effect for Tuesday, April 5th 2005 with some 90's funk infused hip hop for the masses. I wanted to say thanks to those of you who hit me back on the comments/email about our new look, keep on funkin'! Over the next few weeks, we'll be adding new features to the blog in hopes that we can reach as many people as possible. If you guys know of some blogs/sites that I should be checking out/linking up, let me know so that we can add them. Muchos Tacos.
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The Coup were one of the most overtly political bands in rap history. Formed in the early '90s, the Coup were obviously influenced by the black power rhetoric of "conscious" rappers like Public Enemy and KRS-One, but they were perhaps even more inspired by a heavy-duty, leftist reading list that included Marx and Mao. Lead rapper/producer Boots (born Raymond Riley) was involved in political activism long before he was a musician; his fervent dedication to social change was the overriding influence on every Coup album. Second rapper E-Roc and DJ Pam the Funkstress rounded out the trio. Released in 1993, the Coup's debut album, Kill My Landlord, was a highly charged blend of leftist resistance and '70s funk. If it had been released a mere four or five years earlier, the highly politicized Kill My Landlord might have gained the Coup nationwide notoriety and platinum album sales. As it was, gangsta rap was all the rage, and Kill My Landlord achieved only moderate sales but nearly unanimous critical acclaim. A year later, the Coup's follow-up, Genocide & Juice, continued their agenda of sociopolitical insubordination. Not surprisingly, the Coup again received more support from critics than the record buying public. The next several years saw the Coup go through career-threatening changes. They ended their association with their label, Wild Pitch, and suspended their activity as a band. With the band dormant, Boots went to work for a shipping company but continued his political activism. Among other endeavors, he headed the Young Comrades, a group of social activists whose activities included storming the Oakland City Council. Boots' rap partner, E-Roc, left the group, and Pam continued her DJing. In 1998, the Coup, now a duo of Boots and Pam, resurfaced on the Bay Area independent label Dogday. The result: Steal This Album. Party Music, the Coup's fourth studio effort, was issued in November 2001. (taken from artistdirect.com)

I've personally been a fan of Boots & Pam The Funkstress since I first got the "Kill My Landlord" tape from my man John Chinn back in 9th grade. The unique and overt way that the production team uses the Oakland funk sound is what got me listening to them in the first place but soon after some of the messages that The Coup were preaching got me even deeper into their albums. Not necessarily the "kill whitey" stuff but the socio-economic themes opened my young eyes/ears/brain to the trials & tribulations that much of the urban population was going through in the early to mid 90's. You wouldn't really hear about the issues on regular TV (even after the LA riots) that were at the forefront of urban America. So you had to get it from other places like The Coup and others. A lot of their stuff would turn off most folks not familiar with political oriented rap music but I venture to say that if given the chance, folks would at least understand where they are coming from.
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I've posted a few Common(Sense) joints over the past month or so but I was listening to "One Day It'll All Make Sense" yesterday while I was stuck in that Northern Virginia traffic and every time I hear this track, it gets me ''amped" (pun intended). It's just raw funk, which was sampled off the "Wild Style" soundtrack LP. De La Soul adds their Native Tongues to the track and the result is one of the best songs on the LP. One day, I hope that the Tongues (past & present) do a Dungeon Family-esque type of album. I think that would be killer. Anyhow, do as the song suggests and "Get On Down".
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Souls of Mischief are to me, one of the best groups of all time. Along with the rest of the Hiero camp, they reintroduced the creativity in West Coast hip hop in the early 90's after a few years of NWA clones had raided the airwaves/sales. I can vividly remember when Souls dropped their first single "That's When Ya Lost" on that blue tape/12"...I still got 'em both. The LP "93 Til Infinity" is a certified classic and "What A Way To Go Out" is emblematic of the entire album's creative force. It's tale of 4 individuals who go out like the proverbial sucka is both a tale of the hood but also a tale of redemption/warning that hopes to teach the youth who are living foul that shit ain't always sweet. Just some dope shit.
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L.O.N.S. could have been a long-termer as far as groups go had it not been for Busta Rhymes and his Whoo-Haa intent. Much like Souls, a classic debut LP (when they had some creative control) but the follow up was off keel and widely panned as unorganized and not fresh. But their first LP, "A Future Without A Past" was my joint...I spoke on it earlier if you want to check it out. Zone Coasters was one of the better album cuts off of "...Without A Past" and it samples that classic Ike & Tina track "Cussin', Cryin, Carryin On".
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So there you have another top notch posting from the employees of The Funk. We've updated our linkage section to include some more informative/funky places for you to get educated at.

Check yawl on the flipside...
Brother B.