“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.

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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]

08. 8 Steps To Perfection [Company Flow]

Will Danner