“We searched high and wide, far and low, and we got all the butters here. This is the best of the independent that came out.” – Mr. Dave

“Haze Presents NY Reality Check 101” came along at an ideal time in my life. I was already a hip-hop writer, a college radio show host and a (really lousy) disc jockey who was married to the elements. There was no “I USED to Love H.E.R.” in my life — I had been smitten in my pre-teen years and that love only grew in my teens and 20’s. It was not an easy relationship though living in a very rural part of America. Without magazines like The Source, newsgroups like rec.music.hip-hop, and friendly record store managers (whattup Dean) who would place special orders for me, I’d have been ass out trying to keep up with the scene. “NY Reality Check 101” was one such order in December ’97. You weren’t going to find this album at Walmart.

It’s amazing how an album that was transformative and revelatory to me in the late 1990’s has vanished without a trace a little over 20 years later. You can find an entry here or there with artwork or a release date, but scant little discussion of how amazing this CD was. In a way having a college friend from Philadelphia (whattup Ron) prepared me well for its arrival. It was through him that I got my exposure to the mixtape scene, so I was already listening to compilations from Ron G, Kid Capri and DJ Premier, “P-P-P-Premier” of Gang Starr fame among others. The latter is the man behind the wheels here, and although it’s Haze that “Presents” this mixtape, his presence is basically non-existent. Primo is the one who mixes, blends, juggles and doubles the tracks, scratching up a bevy of what Dave Sumpter a/k/a Mr. Dave aptly described as “the butters” of underground rap.

To this day Primo’s slice and dice of Bigg Jus saying “Bugged like Rwanda” over and over for the intro of Company Flow’s “8 Steps to Perfection” makes the hairs on my arms stand up. “Reality Check 101” was when I discovered Company Flow and by extension Rawkus Records, and hearing it again reminds me of that incredible feeling. Yeah eventually Ron or someone in the know would have hipped me to CoFlow if it weren’t for this CD, but the butter is just spread so smoothly here that I have to toast Premier. If you try listening to this on Spotify or YouTube it’s really not going to do it justice with the buffering, commercial breaks and constant interruptions. The way Primo flowed the song into “Changes” by Shades of Brooklyn made me a huge fan of BOTH acts. You better believe I was immediately trying to cop twelve inch singles for each one.

Read more Here:  http://www.rapreviews.com/2020/10/haze-presents-new-york-reality-check-101-mixed-by-dj-premier/




Dj Premier - New York Reality Check 101
01. DJ Premier - Intro ft Mr. Dave
02. Braggin' Writes [J-Live]
03. Break It Down [Brainwash]
04. Off Balance [Laster]
05. Head Over Wheels [G-Depp]
06. DJ Premier - Skit
07. Lyrical Tactics [Natural Elements]
08. 8 Steps To Perfection [Company Flow]
09. Change [Shades of Brooklyn]
10. Too Complete [L The Head Toucha]
11. Intro 2
12. Metal Thangz [Street Smartz]
13. Inner City Blues [Rezidue]
14. Properties of Steel [Godfather Don]
15. Mixmaster [Brainsick Mob]
16. 21 Years [Choclair]
17. DJ Premier - Outro
18. Feel The High Pt. 2 [Finsta Bundy]

New York Reality Check 101

18. Feel The High Pt. 2 [Finsta Bundy]

DILLA - DaVincci Feat Ras Kass, Ras and Taj Austin , Skam2?, Sam E, (Prod. By J Dilla)

First single from Blueprint's upcoming album King No Crown, due out April 28th, 2015 on Weightless Recordings.

Purchase Album

Blueprint "The Talented Tenth"

Single off of Otis Reed's Forthcoming project 'Otissy'

What If God Ft. Fashawn

The first single from the forthcoming Soundsci album 'Walk the Earth'. The A side is 'Ronin', the first track from the album, with the crew laying out their manifesto of the masterless samurai over some moody soul with extra hard drums.

Official Soundsci members are...
Vocals: Supastition, Audessey, Oxygen, U-George 
Production: Ollie Teeba, Jonny Cuba 

Soundsci - Ronin

Red Pill, Apollo Brown, & Verbal Kent are Ugly Heroes
New Album, Everything In Between, June 24th 
https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/everything-in-between/id1094898313?app=itunes

Few things are more ugly or heroic than telling the truth. Life is often bleak, brutal, and over all too swiftly. Leaders are corrupt. Job prospects are limited. Cigarettes and shots of gin rarely lead to a peaceful finish. But between the lunacy and squalor, there exists those who make it all worthwhile: family, friends, and ruthlessly honest artists who remind you that you aren’t alone, shedding light on those dark nights of the soul.
 
As Michigan’s anti-Surgeon General, Red Pill quips: “We may not be the heroes this world needs, we're definitely not the heroes this world wants, but at least we're here.” His partners in Ugly Heroes are Chicago MC Verbal Kent, and Detroit producer Apollo Brown. Their sophomore Mello Music Group release, Everything In Between, offers diamonds of wisdom amidst the existential dumpster fire.


Ugly Heroes - This World (prod. Apollo Brown)

Memory Lane

premiered at Tiny Mix Tapes http://tinyurl.com/h89c2up

L'Orange remixes Kool Keith's "Super Hero" cut with MF DOOM off of Keith's new album "Feature Magnetic." http://tinyurl.com/zwof8hp

Kool Keith - Super Hero feat. MF DOOM (LOrange Remix)

New Music from Washington DC based Emcee/ Producer J Scienide feat. LowBudget crew member Hassaan Mackey. Produced by Dom Sicily (Formerly known as Def Dee Mello Music Group/ Redefinition Records)

Stick Up Kids Feat. Hassaan Mackey

Stick Up Kids Feat Hassaan Mackey prod. Dom Sicily

7-Inch Vinyl (Fat Beats): http://bit.ly/EasterVinyl

Coalmine Records is excited to announce the limited-edition vinyl release of the Artifacts’ highly regarded 2012 single, “Easter,” which marked the group’s first official release in more than 15 years.

Initially released as a digital single on April 3, 2012 (the Tuesday before Easter Sunday), the track later appeared on Coalmine’s decennary compilation, 'Unearthed,' which dropped May 13, 2014. 

However you heard it—one thing was very clear: despite their time apart, Artifacts emcees Tame One and El Da Sensei sounded as fresh as ever on “Easter.” The New Jersey rappers’ venomous flows are boosted by the neck-breaking production of acclaimed North Carolina producer Khrysis. Making the cipher complete is the turntable work of DJ Dutchmaster, who provides the scratch hook and outro cuts.

With this release, “Easter” makes its grand return in the physical form in a limited-edition white vinyl pressing that also includes the instrumental track on the flip. It also takes things back to the old-school by way of a front jacket hole that exposes the label (the heads know what’s up).

7-Inch Vinyl

Artifacts - Easter (prod. by Khrysis)*Now Available on Vinyl!

I DIED featuring OMNI BLAIZE.  
New Album THE ARCHITECT: Available for download on 10.20.12
www.narubiselah.com

I Died feat OMNI Blaize

narubiselah