Claw's Hip Hop Vault

The English Patient #7

2007-04-21T15:03:00.000+01:00

Overlord X - So Damn Def

Overlord X - Prototype

Overlord X - Beast Killer

UK-UK baby!

We present some rare mp3's from the original UK Vet Overlord X. After he recorded his first two lp's "Weapon Is My Lyric" and "X vs. The World", X went back into the studio for album #3.

However, his label Mango St (parented by Island records) decided to pull the plug on their UK Hip Hop roster (which also included The Demon Boyz, Outlaw Posse, MC Mello'O' & Stero MC's), and so the album was never completed, or released.

Overlord went onto perform in the mid 90's R&B boyband "Benz", who scored a minor underground hit with "Boom Rock Soul" before imploding. He also got involved with a similar styled girl group this decade with "Tommi", who unfortunately ended up going out like their male precursors.

Fear not though rap fiends, because X has released 3 demo's from his shelved untitled 3rd lp, which were recorded around 1991/92.

"So Damn Def", "Prototype" & "Beast Killer" are a much welcome reminder that old skool UK Hip Hop was certainly cut down in it's prime, by the major labels back in the day.

Lord Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Back To The Grill Again

2007-04-09T21:22:00.000+01:00

MC Serch - Many Young Lives Ago LP

www.thirdbass.net free downloads

Another retrospective compilation appears!

This time it's former 3rd Bassman, MC Serch with a selection of tracks he recorded in 1994/95. This material was recorded as part of Serch's follow up to his 1992 debut 'Return of the Product'. Unfortunately the long player was never completed or released, following the Wild Pitch/Serchlite fall out in 1995.

'Many Young Lives Ago' also features a trio of 3rd Bass re-union material, which also didn't see light of day. Judging by the production, these tracks appear to have been recorded in the late 90's or early 00's.

Finally, if this new/old compilation has got you in the mood for more 3rd Bass shizzle then be sure to check the highlighted fansite, which contains a whole host of videos and rare mp3's.

Here it comes....I said here it comes!!

The Heavy Bronx Experiance #3

2007-04-09T13:43:00.000+01:00

O.C. - Hidden Gems LP

We keep 'diggin in the crates', and have unearthed a boot of O.C.'s rarer shizzle.

Word....life!

Fast Rap #2

2007-04-02T20:28:00.000+01:00

Bomb The Bass - Megablast (3 remixes)

Bomb The Bass - Don't Make Me Wait (video)

Hold tight!

We take it back to 1988, and some mo' Fast Rap.

The UK dance label Rhythm King pretty much had the House/Rap scene on lock down in the late 80's, with chart success coming from the likes of The Beatmasters feat Cookie Crew, S'Express, Baby Ford and Betty Boo.

Bomb The Bass certainly created the most impressive RK legacy, with a string of popular singles including "Don't Make Me Wait", "Megablast", "Say A Little Prayer", "The Air You Breathe", "Winter In July" and of course the international club smash "Beat Dis".

Megablast is fondly remembered here on CHHV in 3 different versions; the 'Orginal Rap' and 'Rap Remix' versions feature UK Veteran MC Merlin, who also showed up the "Who's In The House" produced by The Beatmasters, which stormed the charts pretty much at the same time (also on Rhythm King).

The 'Original Rap' mix was considered too hardcore as BTB's official follow up to Beat Dis, so it was relegated to feature only on a Record Mirror magazine give away 7", making it quite rare and sought after at the time.

Tim Simenon gave Megablast a non rap makeover in the form of the 'Hip Hop On Precinct 13' mix (named so after sampling the theme from the film 'Assualt In Precinct 13'). This version ended up being the AA side to his more chart friendly "Don't Make Me Wait (feat Lorraine)".

A second 12" appeared shortly after promoting "Megablast Rap (Remix)" as the main A-side flipped with a Dub Mix of "Don't..".

Megablast enjoyed more success years later when it was used as the soundtrack to the Bitmap Brothers 16 bit computer game smash "Xenon 2" on the Commodore Amiga.

We'll leave it to you to decided which 'Blast' version has the most 'Mega', as well as featuring Don't Make Me Wait in video form.

Dance bwoy, and ya better dance fast... M-E-G-A - BLAST!

Fast Rap #1

2007-01-07T17:31:00.000Z

The Dismasters - And Then Some (LP)

New year, new topic - fast rap!

We begin a new series with the style of late 1980's rap, which was recently showcased on Edan the DJ's mixtape bearing the same name.

The BPM of rap records in the 1980's became faster and faster to enable them to be played out in the clubs alongside the latest house anthems. The two styles of music collided briefly with the advent of hip-house. However, at the turn of the decade, radio shows and clubs became more specialist; with house music heading into acid/rave sub genres, and hip hop embracing slower jazz n' blues breaks.

One of the most slept on artists of the Fast Rap era were the Dismasters. Originally known as the Dismaster Crew, Raven T & Lord Mike Ski dropped two 12"s on the Urban Rock imprint, entitled "We Are The Ones" and "Keisha". Both singles didn't make much of an impact, but the crew achieved some underground success in 1987 with their 3rd attempt "Small Time Hustler" - their first single under the name of the Dismasters.

An lp and single followed this up in 1989 ("And Then Some" - their only long player, and plus the club hit "Black and Proud"). They also stirred up some minor beef with DJ Red Alert & the Jungle Brothers, which resulted from their lp diss track "Act Like You Know".

Hip Hop started to move into jazzier climes, but the Dismasters decided against embracing this new sound; deciding to take early retirement from the rap game, along with other Fast Rap pioneers such as Black Rock & Ron, Skinny Boys and Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock.

Stand by for more Fast Rap throughout 2007, peace!

James Joseph Brown Jr (3rd May 1933 - 25th Dec 2006) - The Godfather Of Soul

2006-12-26T10:37:00.000Z

Most musical geniuses have flaws and Brown was no exception.

But he has also been a huge influence on Black culture over more than 5 decades.

He single handedly took on the pro Black baton on when Malcolm X was gunned down. Music-wise he achieved many firsts, most of his memorable hits coincided with the late 60's, nearly 20 years after he started recording music.

His best work by far was unearthed in the early 70's when he famously collaborated with Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley and Bootsy Collins for a tighter, grittier, brand new 'funk' sound. The result was 3 albums in a single year (1973), capped by his best ever work on "The Payback".

The 70's saw many other acts taking the funk to a higher level, but if it wasn't for James Brown, the likes of Funkadelic, Parliament, The JBs, Maceo and the All Kingsmen, Bootsy's Rubber Band etc. would've have reached the heady heights they achieved during the 1970's.

Ironically Brown ignored the fashionable Black sound of P-Funk in the late 70's and embraced disco instead. He would continue to re-invent himself during the 1980's working with Afrika Bambaata way before a generation of new skool hip hop artists had heard of him (who launched their own careers by sampling his entire back catalogue!). By doing so these rappers introduced JB to a whole new generation of listeners. He scored his biggest ever hit with 'Living In America', and tried to maintain a high profile resulting from his emergence as a legend in hip hop circles, by collaborating with the likes of Full Force, Soul II Soul and Leaders of The New School (the latter was Busta Rhymes' original rap trio from the early 90's).

He continued to tour globally well into his 70's, most recently at Radio 1's Electric Proms in London earlier this year. I had the pleasure of seeing him live in 2002 at the Essential Festival in Bristol, even though he was starting to show his age by then.

Very few have achieved what Brown has done inside and outside of music over such a long period of time, and has influenced a number of different generations in different ways. His legacy shouldn't be about his mistakes, but an extensive catalogue of hugely ground breaking and influential music.

10 James Brown Song You Must Own:

Can I Get Some Help
Don't Tell It
Mind Power
Funky President
Hot (I Need To Be Loved Loved Loved)
Papa Don't Take No Mess
The Payback
Cold Sweat (parts 1 & 2)
Get Up, Get In To It & Get Involved
Blues And Pants

Rest In Peace

Christmas Rappin' #4 - The 2006 Wrap Up!

2006-12-23T17:55:00.000Z

Well we're now one year old, thanks to those who tuned in from the beginning and those who picked up CHHV and Breaking Atoms throughout 2006.

As the year comes to an end, it feels almost obligatory to wrap up things with a 'best of 2006' list!

Best LP
Louis Logic & JJ Brown - Misery Loves Comedy

Modern day rap for hip hop thirtysomethings, hot and cold tales of relationships that you can relate to.

Best Single
People Under The Stairs - Tuxedo Rap

I picked up The Stepfather whilst in Boston earlier this year at UGHH, and this track was the clear standout, despite the lukewarm response to the longplayer.

Best Hip Hop Retailer
Underground Hip Hop.com, Boston MA

Not only did they give a bunch of free cd's to commemorate my trip to Beantown, but they also gave me an invite to DJ Premier's private party!

Best Hip Hop Gig
Blade - Guerilla Tactics Lp Launch Party @ Cargo, Shoreditch, London (Feb 2006)

A definitive "who's who's" in UK Hip Hop, including Hard Livin, Phi Life Cypher, Jehst, HKB Finn, Diversion Tactics, Headcase Ladz and of course Mr B.L.A.D.E. who has since retired from the game - good luck B in whatever you do next.

Non Hip Hop Event Of The Year
Visiting Boston and New England - April 2006

Watching the Celtics beat the Heat, the Red Sox dropping a game against the Devil Rays, trekking round the area in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cape Cod was breathtaking, the malls took all my dollars!

Too Young To Die
Jay Dee - The Dilla
Professor X
Lynden David Hall
DJ Swing
Rest In Peace

Christmas Rappin' #3

2006-12-18T20:23:00.000Z

Clawdada - Unmixed 4

Xmas present #3 comes courtesy of yours truly!

The 'Unmixed' series started a few years back now, it's original intention was to showcase US tracks old and new, together with the cream of UK talent. Unmixed 3 took a slight change of direction and left the old skool behind, with volume 4 doing more of the same '06 stylee.

Don't call it a mixtape; it ain't there to plug claw diddy as a 'deejay' (heck I gave that gig up more than 10 years ago!), just press play and enjoy back to back songs in their original form.

This new compilation features some of CHHV fav's that were featured during 2006 including Large Professor, Tim Dog feat Ultramagentic, Masta Ace, Mr Lif, People Under The Stairs, Ty and Braintax.

Peace out President Pete aka Mr Burberry Leather, Mr Patl & Rich-Ard, hope you have a hype festive period and a mental '07. Good looking out!

Christmas Rappin' #2

2006-12-13T17:38:00.000Z

Christmas Rap - double lp

Ho! Ho! Ho!

The festive giveaway continues with "Christmas Rap" - the lp. If you slept on this back in the day, or have just got into diggin for old skool rap, then this is for you.

27 hip hop Xmas jams grace this album, featuring tracks from artists including Run DMC, Derek B, Audio Two, Coldcut, Sweet Tee, Whistle, Treacherous Three and Dana Dane.

Clear away all those wack Christmas complilations you have lying around, and pump this up instead!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Rappin' #1

2006-12-12T12:13:00.000Z

Run DMC - Christmas In Hollis (video)

Well I've been away in Paris for a hot minute, but normal service should now resume as we enter the festive period and CHHV's first anniversary!

To kick things off, we present a classic video from the 80's courtesy of Run DMC.

"Christmas In Hollis" first appeared on the charity lp 'A Very Special Christmas', which also showcased festive songs from Whitney Houston, Pointer Sisters, U2, Madonna and Bon Jovi to name but a few.

"Hollis" then became a single in it's own right, and influenced a number of rap artists of that time (including Derek B and Sweet Tee), to bring out their own Xmas hip hop tunes.

A double lp compilation featuring these tunes, and some older stuff like Kurtis Blow's 'Christmas Rappin', will be upped on CHHV very soon - so keep checkin back, ya heard!!

RIP Jam Master Jay

The English Patient #6 - Live!

2006-10-17T18:15:00.000+01:00

Braintax - The 90s EP

Joey Brains is back with a new lp ready to rumble, 'Panorama' hits the stores on the 23rd October. He's also on tour alongside his long standing sparring partner Mystro, as well as DJ Kam and funky drummer Isaac Heywood (of Nightmares On Wax fame).

To celebrate his return after a 5 year hiatus, we present a compilation of the best work from his pre-Biro Funk era.

Check it, check it, buy the lp and catch the tour!

Tour Dizzates

Fri Oct 20th Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Sat Oct 21st Bristol, Fiddlers
Tue Oct 24th Sheffield, The Tuesday Club
Fri Oct 27th Leicester, The Charlotte

Izzowt!

/\lt.West #2 - Live!

2006-10-16T18:45:00.000+01:00

People Under The Stairs - Live Audio

People Under The Stairs - Live Videos

Just to prove that Hip Hop gigs are like buses - you wait around for one to come for what seems like eternity, and then two come at once. In the case of the People Under The Stairs, their current tour dovetales with Dooley-O's crew at Nottingham's detonate hip hop/dnb mini-fest, hosted by Rock City this Wednesday.

I have seen PUTs live on two occasions now; once at the Essential Festival - London in 2001, and then in Galway - Ireland two years ago this month. Both sets were pure quality, so don't miss this chance to catch one of the best live hip hop acts of this decade.

If you live in Nottz, then it'll be a case of 'two for the price of one' - something you'll rarely find down at the bus station!

Remaining Tour Dates

Mon 16th October - Manchester, Roadhouse
Tue 17th October - Leeds, The Faversham
Wed 18th October - Nottingham, Rock City
Thu 19th October - Aberdeen, Snafu
Sat 21st October - Newcastle, The Other Rooms
Mon 23rd October - York, Fibbers
Wed 25th October - Bournemouth, Consortium
Thu 26th October - Swansea, Monkey Bar
Fri 27th October - Liverpool, Magnet
Sat 28th October - Dublin, Crawdaddy
Sun 29th October - Cork, Savoy

Dooley-O + Edan + More - On Tour!

2006-10-16T18:02:00.000+01:00

Dooley-O - Videos From The 'I Gotcha Album'

Dooley-O - Official Website

Hot on the heals of Dooley-O's latest EP "Still Gotcha" and his forthcoming lp release "I Gotcha", the whole Lewis Recordings massive are now on tour in the UK.

New Haven's favourite son is joined by his fellow New Englander Edan, alongside Dahga, Andrew Thompson, Mighty Casey and DJ Mikey Mike Lewis.

They are pretty much travelling the length and breadth of the country, so there is no excuse not to catch them.

Thu 5th October - Bristol, Thekla
Sun 8th October - Liverpool, No Fakin @ Magnet
Wed 11th October - Carlisle, Brickyard
Thu 12th October - Glasgow, Sub Club
Fri 13th October - Leeds
Sat 14th October - Dublin, Crawdaddy
Wed 18th October - Nottingham, Rock City
Thu 19th October - Brighton, Ocean Rooms
Fri 20th October - Cheltenham, Sub Tone
Sat 21st October - London, Cargo

Reach!

Back By Dope Demand

2006-10-13T18:49:00.000+01:00

Eric B & Rakim - Unreleased Classics EP

Hey yo, you might've seen these mp3's out there in blogland before, but their back again in case ya missed 'em.

Eric B & Rakim became giants of the hip hip game, but disbanded in 1992 after their final lp 'Dont Sweat The Technique' ran it's course.

They both put out solo lp's in the late 1990's but failed to recapture that classic sound we remember them by. Wouldn't it be great if someone unearthed more songs from that classic era which were left on the cutting room floor.?

Well never fear, we present 'Unreleased Classics' comprising of demo's recorded by the duo circa 1992-1994.

Know The Ledge!

The Heavy Bronx Experiance #3

2006-10-09T18:04:00.000+01:00

Ultramagnetic MC's - Is It Them/Skip (exclusive Back To The Future snippet)

*BUY* Ultramagnetic MC's - Mechanism Nice (Born Twice)

The Factshen - Official Ultramagnetic Website

After a year 13 year hiatus, CHHV fav's the Ultramagnetic MC's are back with a new studio lp!!

Entitled 'Back To The Future' it re-unites original members Kool Keith, Ced Gee, T.R. Love & DJ Moe Love alongside their resident associate and original bronx nigga Tim Dog.

Their first single off the new album 'Mechansim Nice (Born Twice)' is out now in stores and online, with a release date for their long player pencilled in for early 2007.

Underground hip hop is about to enter an exciting period with new lp's doing the rounds from Sadat X, A.G., Planet Asia, Black Sheep, C.L. Smooth, Visionaries and Peanut Butter Wolf. To whet your appetite we present an exclusive two track sneak preview snippet from Back To The Future.

Give the drummer some!

Get Lif-ted!

2006-09-26T21:22:00.000+01:00

Mr Lif & Akrobatik - Live At Splash Festival (video)

The Clawdada/Beantown association continues with the forthcoming visit to the UK from Boston's Mr Lif.

Hot on the heals of his latest lp "Mo Mega", Lif is on tour with an impressive back catalogue of smoking jammies to draw from. If you like your hip hop real and from the heart, then don't miss this rare chance to catch him dropping some knowledge and conciousness.

To warm things up, we take it back to previously featured Splash festival back in 2004, with a live tag team of Mr Lif and his fellow Bostonian microphonist Akrobat repping Beantown to the fullest.

Enjoy and see you in Nottingham!

***TOUR DATES***

19th October 2006 - Glasgow, ABC2
20th October 2006 - Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
21st October 2006 - London, Jazz Cafe
24th October 2006 - Leeds, The Hi-fi Club
25th October 2006 - Bristol, The Thekla

Ty's Next Album Comes Closer

2006-09-16T09:50:00.000+01:00

Ty feat De La Soul - The Idea (free mp3 download)

Buy "Don't Watch That/What You Want"

Pre-order "Closer"

Ty's MySpace Page

Well it's almost here, 3 years after the sensational "Upwards", Ty is back with new material.

The first single is "Don't Watch That/What You Want", which can be acquired directly from Big Dada or your usual UK hip hop emporium.

The lp "Closer" features the talents of De La Soul, Bahamadia, Eska, Speech from Arrested Development and Taylor McFerrin (son of Bobby) amongst others. It's released on the 16th October, and you can already pre-order it on play.com.

We feature the De La posse cut "The Idea", to give you a flavour of what's to come. A tour is expected to follow, and you can bet good money I'll be on the case of that as and when!

*EDIT - TOUR DATES JUST ANNOUNCED*-

Nov 8 2006 7:00 Thekla Bristol
Nov 9 2006 8:00 Jazz Cafe London
Nov 10 2006 8:00 Faversham / Wardrobe Leeds
Nov 11 2006 8:00 Warwick University Coventry
Nov 12 2006 8:00 Kings Tuts Glasgow
Nov 14 2006 8:00 Waterfront Norwich
Nov 15 2006 8:00 Rescue Rooms Nottingham
Nov 17 2006 8:00 Fat City @ Mint Lounge Manchester
Nov 18 2006 8:00 The Picket Liverpool

Where's Brooklyn At? #5

2006-09-12T17:15:00.000+01:00

Masta Ace - Live At Splash Festival (video)

Save The Splash Festival!

Splash Festival Home

It's the Jeep! It's the Jeep! Here we go with the Jeep!

Oh my gosh, Masta Ace checks in on CHHV (AGAIN!) for a further episode of live hip hop niceness. This time we take it back to the 2002 Splash Festival in Germany, with a selection of hits including "Crooklyn Dodgers", "Sittin On Chrome" and "Born To Roll".

The legendary Hip Hop & Reggae festival has had some notorious problems with the weather over the years, which has taken it's toll on the organisers finances and puts the 2007 festival in doubt.

A donation website has been created to make sure that the 2007 show goes on. The good news is that they have already raised 33% of their target, but more money is needed asap. Check the links above for more info, these guys are not doing for this profit, they just have love for the game.

Check it! check it! microphone check it!

Here The Drummer Get WICKED!

2006-09-11T21:18:00.000+01:00

Public Enemy - Live On Hip Hop Honors (video)

After a brief summer hiatus, CHHV is back up in this motherfucker!

We present an awesome video featuring the immortal Public Enemy running through a montage of Black Steel, Fight The Power & Bring The Noise, which was aired in 2004 on VH1's Hip Hop Honor's special.

PE are back on the road in the UK later this year, so it seems appropriate to give them some long overdue airtime on the 'Vault.

The Beastie Boys gatecrash Fight The Power, whilst Anthrax bumrush the show at the end, all in all this performance is pure energy - just like their gigs I went to in 1988,1992 and 2003. They are still one of the best live hip hop acts out there, so make sure you check 'em this winter!

If you liked this video, then hold tight as I have another rare clip of Masta Ace live in concert to upload very shortly, plus a few gems that have been requested on the C-Box.

Stay chisel, Claw D

Step Back For The New Jack Swing #2

2006-07-30T18:35:00.000+01:00

Tony Toni Tone - The Blues (video)

Tony Toni Tone - Feels Good (video)

Tony Toni Tone - It Never Rains In California (video)

Tony Toni Tone - Whatever You Want (video)

Tony Toni Tone - Oakland Stroke (video)

VLC Player Download

We take it back to 1990 with the emergence of Tony Toni Tone as a major force in the NJS movement. Their sophomore lp 'The Revival' lit up the airwaves that summer with a non stop production line of classic 3T singles.

Despite their overwhelming success, The Tonies decided to go on the downlow for three years while the New Jack Swing craze crashed and burned. A 3rd lp 'Sons of Soul' appeared with a more mature neo-soul sound, which was further consolidated on their final album 'House of Music' in 1997.

Lead singer Raphael Saadiq went onto carve out a succesful solo career in the 00's, advancing 3T's mid 90's neo-sound into a gospeldelic soul kaliedescope.

Recognise!

The English Patient #5

2006-07-21T07:20:00.000+01:00

Hijack - Daddy Rich (video)

Hijack - Live In Montreux

We return to the legendary UK crew Hijack.....

After releasing 2 fantastic debut singles on the UK imprint Music of Life, and upstaging various US acts whilst supporting them on tour, Hijack caught the attention of Ice T, who was looking for artists to sign to his newly formed record label Rhyme Syndicate.

The end result was the minor 1990 hit 'The Badman Is Robbin", which in turn paved the way the following year for their only lp 'The Horns of Jericho'.

The single "Daddy Rich" was used to promote the lp in the US, but failed to capture the imagination of the target audience. While Hijack were heavily concerntrating on breaking that market, their UK fans became a little disaffectionate with the use of Americanisms in the lp's lyrics. This created a vacum that Hijack were to fall into and never recover from. The crew disbanded with certain members resurfacing with solo projects throughout the 90's & 00's including work from Mr Pink & Mr Blond, DJ Supreme, DJ Pied Piper & Kamanchi Sly, the latter recently returning to the UK hip hop fold.

Dispite mixed success when it was released 'The Horns of Jericho' has now acheived cult status in the both the UK & Euro hip hop scenes. The original vinyl now fetches crazy money on places like Ebay due it initially being unsuccessful and therefore only being released in limited quantities.

We present the video to "Daddy Rich", which until earlier this year, I never knew existed. Alongside this is a live mp3 of Hijack doing their thing from 1990. Enjoy!

C Box Baby!

2006-07-10T21:40:00.000+01:00

Well as it slows down in blogland, due to nicer weather keeping us all outdoors and live at the bbq, make sure you peep the CHHV C Box.

Shout out your requests, big up your crew and where you're representin. The supafast way of getting your message across.

It's located on the left hand sidebar, give it a whirl!

Peace

Claw

Where's Brooklyn At? #4

2006-06-19T21:13:00.000+01:00

Masta Ace & Wordsworth - Live At The Cop Shop

M3 Records Official Website

Oh you want more?

In what is fastly becoming a Masta Ace appreciation series WBA?#4 tips it's hat to the label co-run by MA; M3 Records

Launched with the modern classic "A Long Hot Summer", M3 Records now houses the likes of Wordsworth, Stricklin, Punchline and DJ A.Vee.

You'll be pleased to learn that Masta Ace, Wordsworth and A.Vee are touring Europe once again in July/August this year. Anyone who caught last year's tour (myself included!) will know these shows will be essential not to miss.

M3 Records have kindly linked up with SaveHipHop.net to stream some video niceness of MA and Words lamping live and direct at The Cop Shop. Featured songs include "Beautiful", "The Ways" & "Good Ole Love". You will also find a freestyle and interview on there too.

Don't forget to check the M3 website for those Euro-tour dates.

Peace.

The Heavy Bronx Experiance #2

2006-06-16T21:24:00.000+01:00

Tim Dog - Fuck Compton (video)

Tim Dog - Bronx Nigga (The Blue Note Remix)

Tim Dog - Bitch With A Perm (video)

Tim Dog Official Website Downloads

Tim Dog Official Website

We return to the Bronx baby!

When someone mentions Tim Dog, you immediately think of the anthem "Fuck Compton" and his associaton with the Ultramagentic MC's. However, did you know that Tim was originally a protege of Scott La Rock from Boogie Down Productions? After Scott's untimely death, the Dog got put onto Ced Gee who had been associated with some of the production work on BDP's 'Criminal Minded' lp.

Ced offered Tim a guest emcee spot on Ultra's 'A Chorus Line' posse cut, which then led to a solo record deal in 1991. His debut lp 'Penicilin On Wax" spawned three underground smashes 'Step To Me', "Bronx Nigga (remix)", as well as his Compton-diss classic.

Tim re-surfaced in 1993 with a 2nd lp 'Do Or Die', returning to his BDP roots on it's lead single 'I Get Wrecked (feat KRS-One)'. The lp flopped and Tim struggled to maintain his presence on hip hop's radar.

Connecting with a selection of UK labels in the mid-90's, he released another west coast diss "Bitch With A Perm", as well as collab with Apache Indian on 'Make Way For The Indian'. However, both did very little in resurrecting Tim's flagging career.

At this time the Ultramagntics had split up, Tim hooked up with former member Kool Keith under the offshoot name 'Ultra' and dropped a surprise classic 'Big Time'. The lp eventually did more for Keith than Tim, with KK dropping further classic long players like 'Dr Octagon', 'Sex Style' and 'Black Elvis Lost In Space'.

Tim's next lp 'Immortal' never got an official release, but has been available widely on the net for the last couple of years.

Fast forward to 2006 and a new lp is ready to rumble. 'The BX Warrior' was released last month to a warm reception and not just because of the fact it showcases a couple of Ultramagnetic re-union tracks. Tim has been touring Europe this month promoting the new material, so make sure you try and catch him while he's still over here. Word on the street is that this lp will be followed up with a full Ultramagnetic comeback album, with the working title of 'Back To The Future'

We wait for that with baited anticipation. In the meantime enjoy a selection of Tim Dog gems on CHHV. Make sure you also peep his official website, which features his current tour dates as well as some tasty free mp3 downloads!

Where's Brooklyn At? #3

2006-06-08T07:07:00.000+01:00

HIP HOP KEMP IS IN THE HOUSE!

Masta Ace - Live @ Hip Hop Kemp 2005 (video)

Hip Hop Kemp Official Website

Headnod Records

Now heading towards its 5th anniversary this year, Hip Hop Kemp is the craziest hip hop festival in Europe. Held in the Czech Republic it has gained a rep over the past 4 years for throwing down a unique blend of US and European Hip Hop, live and direct.

This year's fest is being held between the 18th-20th August with a line-up including Non Phixion, Little Brother, Guru, MED and Klashnekoff alongside the cream of the underground euro-scene.

Headnod records now have tickets in stock for £18.99 and they are advising everyone to book early to avoid disappointment.

To give you a feel for the 'Kemp', CHHV fav Masta Ace completely ripped it up at Hip Hop Kemp 2005, and we now present extremely rare (and good quality) footage of MA's set at Hip Hop Kemp '05.

Bewarned - it's a long download (big quality file - over 2 hours d/l time)- but it's worth it.

The Heavy Bronx Experiance #1

2006-06-05T06:55:00.000+01:00

Ultramagnetic MC's - Poppa Large (video)

Ultramagnetic MC's - Raise It Up (video)

Well we've recently given props to Brooklyn, The West Coast & The UK on CHHV, now we head back to The East Coast and focus on The Bronx.

Famed for it's Zoo, River and the Yankee Stadium, the Bronx also became a hip hop stonghold in the 1980's thanks to the notorious 'bridge' wars between Boogie Down Productions from South Bronx and the Juice Crew headed up by Queensbridge's Marley Marl and MC Shan.

BDP's debut lp "Criminal Minded" was co-produced by another bronx bomber known as Ced Gee. His studio and emcee skills were also showcased alongside Kool Keith, Moe Love & TR Love aka the Ultramagnetic MC's.

The Ultramagnetics combined an 'intergalatic' concept of rhyming alongside a brand of soul/funk breaks, much sharper than seen before. This set them apart from the competition and it wasn't long before their debut lp "Critical Beatdown" was certified a modern day classic.

Due to label hopping, internal friction and marketing problems, Ultra never really made it into the mainstream. The flipside of this is that they acheived cult status within the hip hop underground. This was typified by the enormous amount of bootleg material that was released following their break-up up in the early 90's. Kool Keith exploited this following and became a cult recording artist in his own right during the 1990's after a succesful sequence of solo lp's.

THBE#1 features two classics from the Ultra era - "Poppa Large" arguebly Kool Keith's greatest work, aided and abetted by the Beatminerz on remix duty. We also present their comeback single "Raise It Up", taken from their last studio lp The Four Horsemen in 1993, and it features Godfather Don on guest emcee duty.

Enjoy!

Built For The Nineties #2

2006-05-24T17:56:00.000+01:00

Cru - Just Another Case (video)

Diamond - The Hiatus (video)

The Alkaholiks - The Next Level (video)

Ol' Dirty Bastard - Brooklyn Zoo (video)

BFTN returns with four more fresh as a daisy videos from the golden era decade. This time round there is a connection between each video.

First up is Cru with "Just Another Case", this three man posse appeared from nowhere with a feel good-early 90's throw back sound, in the summer of 1997. This lead single from their lp "Da Dirty 30" featured a chorus flipped from Slick Rick's "Childrens Story", as well as Ricky D in full effect on one of the verses. Two more singles "Bubblin" and "Lisa Lipps" surfaced before the group dispanded. Cru's beatsmith Yogi went onto produce for Puff Daddy on a selection of his lp's.

Next in line is "Hiatus" from the same year, at the time it signalled the long awaited return of Diamond who's 2nd lp was ready to drop. The remix of this song (not featured in the video) was a lot more smoothed out and featured the lyrical skills of Cru.

Two years ealier Diamond produced and featured in our next track. "The Next Level" consolidated The Alkaholiks reputation for quality hip hop with both underground and mainstream appeal. "Coast II Coast" their sophomore album also spawned the crowd pleasing anthem "DAAAM!"

ODB was the second Wu Tang member to go solo after Method Man's "Tical", and "Brooklyn Zoo" was his debut single in 1995. A nice taster track that prepared us well for his finest moment "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", which dropped shortly after in the same year. Fast forward to 1997 again, and you would've found The Liks and Ol Dirty joining forces on the intoxicating "Hip Hop Drunkies"

1nce again, enjoy!

Underground Hip Hop Dot Com

2006-05-14T11:52:00.000+01:00

Hey there, following my escapades in Boston last month, my friends over at UGHH inform me that they have a videos page with clipz-a-plenty available for download.

Point your browser to:

www.undergroundhiphop.com/video

/\lt.West #1

2006-05-10T18:42:00.000+01:00

Move.meant - Good Money (video)

Move.meant Official Website

The Bassment

Hey yo, it's been a long time - I shouldnt've left you.

But I've been stateside for a hot minute, chilling out in Boston aka Beantown ya dun know. MA was all good, props to the crazy moe-foes's over at www.undergroundhiphop.com who kindly hooked me up with a bunch of free cd's and an invite to DJ Premier's private party.

Although I was on the East Coast in April, this month I'm giving props to the West, specifically the alternative West Coast sound. I first got put onto the crew known as Move.meant via an internet radio show entitled The Bassment. My main man DJ Spider drops a mean combination of alternative hip hop and underground classics on the regular. When he's not mixing online or in the clubs, he's also one third of these laidback west-coasters, alongside Champ and Just Beats.

The trio dropped a self titled debut EP in 2002, and were to improve on this with last years "Good Money EP", which spawned two tracks that featured in the successful flick "Crash". A new single has also just been released entitled "Higher b/w Relax", so I thought it was long overdue to give Move.meant a little bit of exposure in these quarters as their reputation continues to grow.

Enjoy the Good Money video, if you're struggling to track down further material by Move.meant, you can pick it all up on itunes or care of the official website. Hope you guys come to the UK & Europe soon!

The English Patient #4

2006-04-14T19:23:00.000+01:00

Derek B - Bad Young Brother (video)

Derek B - We've Got The Juice (video)

We focus our attention on Derek B in EP#4 this month. Derek Bolland gained a rep as a pirate hip hop DJ on Kiss FM during the mid 1980's, before moving onto to use this experiance to good effect in an A&R role at Simon Harris' Music of Life imprint.

As a recording artist, his debut track "Rock The Beat" appeared on the pan atlantic hip hop compilation "Def Beats 1" in 1996. This was quickly followed up with an underground hit "Get Down", re-inforcing his dual persona as EZQ the rapper, and Derek B the DJ.

Chart success followed with his third single, the commercial sounding "Goodgroove", which led to his departure from Music of Life. With Russell Simmons' RUSH artist management behind him, two further singles "Bad Young Brother" and "We Got The Juice", together with his debut lp "Bullet From A Gun", appeared on the newly formed Tuff Audio label.

Dispite touring with Run DMC and Public Enemy, and appearing at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert along with Stetsasonic in 1988, his shelf life of fame was almost at expiry. Berated by hardcore UK hip hop fans because of his success, and shunned by the US market that RUSH were attempting to break him into, Derek B's career as a recording artist was essentially over.

An obortive comeback was attempted at the turn of the decade (the dreadful hip-house abomination that was "You Got 2 Look Up"), before Derek tried his hand at ghostwriting.

He wont be forgotten for becoming the first high profile UK hip hop act however, and we salute him for paving the way for many other acts (Hijack, MC Duke, Overlord X, Einstien, Demon Boyz, Daddy Freddy, to name but a few) to get record deals in those early days.

Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion #2

2006-03-30T08:19:00.000+01:00

Massive Attack - Daydreaming (video)

Collected Website

Ahoy there shipmates!

Bristol's finest Massive Attack release their greatest hits complilation "Collected" this week. You really need this in your life. Especially the limited edition cd/dvd pack, which features a dual layer disc with rare cd tracks on one side, and then a compilation of all their videos on the flipside in DVD format.

To whet your appetite, heres one of my favourite all time videos from 1990.

Too Young To Die #3

2006-03-24T22:05:00.000Z

DJ Swing - Delegates Of Culture Mix

Another sad chapter in the year that is 2006. Mobo award winning DJ Swing lost his long standing battle against bone marrow cancer this month. Please read the below appeal and MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

AFRICAN CARIBBEAN LEUKAEMIA TRUST APPEAL

AS A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT MAN, BRIAN DALEY aka DJ SWING, THE AFRICAN CARIBBEAN LEUKAEMIA TRUST ARE ORGANISING A ONE DAY DONOR REGISTRATION CLINIC THIS SUNDAY 26TH MARCH TO RECRUIT MORE POTENTIAL DONORS ON TO THE UK BONE MARROW REGISTER.

THE CLINIC WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE CHOICE FM STUDIOS, 30 LEICESTER SQUARE, LONDON, WC2H 7LA THIS SUNDAY 26TH MARCH BETWEEN 11AM TO 6PM.

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR ANYONE AGED 18 TO 43 YEARS OLD TO COME DOWN AND REGISTER. THEY NEED DONORS WHO CAN HELP CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 12 YEARS OLD WHO DESPERATELY NEED A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT AND BY REGISTERING YOU COULD HELP SAVE A LIFE!!

DJ SWING HAS ALWAYS SAID THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE SPREADING THE MESSAGE, THE WORK MUST NOT STOP. LIVES CAN BE SAVED.

SO TO FOLLOW HIS WISHES, PLEASE COME DOWN AND REGISTER ON SUNDAY 26TH MARCH AT THE CHOICE FM STUDIOS, 30 LEICESTER SQUARE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THE AFRICAN CARIBBEAN LEUKAEMIA TRUST ON 8667 1122 OR E-MAIL:

info@aclt.org

www.aclt.org

The English Patient #3

2006-03-06T20:37:00.000Z

Blak Twang - Whats Going On (vocal)

Blak Twang - Queens Head (video)

Blak Twang - Real Estate (relick)

Blak Twang - Homegrown (vocal)

We return to the legacy of UK Hip Hop with a mid 90's Blak Twang special. Originally a three-man London crew featuring Taipanic (to be later known as Tony Rotten), VRS & DJ Rumple, Blak Twang first started making waves in 1995/96 on the independant Sound of Money imprint. The English Patient was in poor shape at that stage, but a new found optimism was established with the advent of artists such as The Brotherhood, Roots Manuva, Braintax, Ty and Fallacy making moves on both the underground circuit and wax.

Blak Twang's debut single "What's Going On" created a small stir on the underground scene, but it was their second single "Queens Head" that created an even bigger buzz on the airwaves and also TV. The song featured another up and coming emcee - Roots Manuva, who went onto collaborate with the then little known west country DJ Skitz, on another instant UK Hip Hop Classic "Where My Mind Is At". "Queens Head" introduced us to a new confident UK Rap sound, with it's own lingo to boot. Previous attempts at UK Hip Hop in the 1980's/early 1990's had been criticised for replicating both the Yankee sound and gramma too much. Now our scene had a real British flavour and style of it's own.

BT quickly followed up QH with a 3rd single "Real Estate" b/w "Homegrown", again breaking new ground in terms of production, together with a self determined British outlook on what life was like on our streets.

Suddenly Blak Twang became front page news in the UK urban press, their debut lp "Dettwork Southeast" was recorded and ready to be released at the end of 1996. A single featuring the title track was released to aid promotion. The word on the street was that the lp was going to be something special, something that would perhaps not only equal the best that the US had to offer but maybe even surpass it.

The release of the lp was then put back to the new year of 1997, citing the usual label difficulties and delay in getting samples cleared. The release date continually got put back and then Blak Twang parted company with Sound of Money who appeared to be going under. VRS & Rumple left the project, and it was back to the drawing board for Taipanic who had recently picked up a MOBO award for their unreleased debut lp.

Tai reinvented himself as Tony Rotten, and signed the Blak Twang name to dance label Wall of Sound, who in turn were in the process of launching a hip hop imprint to be known as Bad Magic. Dettwork Southeast was lost to history, although some of the tracks from it did reappear on BT's Bad Magic debut lp "19' Longtime".

Blak Twang released two more lp's - "Kik Off" & "The Rotten Club", and the rest as they say is history. Tony was continually asked about officially releasing DWSE, as his Blak Twang career went on the rise. He claimed that it would be put out, but nothing ever materialised. Rumours that some peeps had got hold of the final version of it either in the form of a promo vinyl or cassette, began to grow on the internet.

Dettwork Southeast the lp, was finally leaked on the internet in 2006, perhaps killing off any chance of an official release. I can honestly tell you that listening to the lp almost 9 years after it's intended release was a spooky yet enjoyable experiance - it would have blown away the competition in 1996, shame.

We present to you "Whats Going On", Blak Twang's debut single that never made it to the DWSE lp, the video to "Queens Head" featuring Roots Manuva, the b-side only remix (relick) of "Real Estate" and finally "Homegrown" from the same b-side which features Fallacy, who went to achieve modest success with tracks like "The Groundbreaker" and "Big & Bashy".

Enjoy!

Built For The Nineties #1

2006-02-19T21:18:00.000Z

The Artifacts - The Ultimate (video)

Hard 2 Obtain - L.I. Groove (video)

Ultramagnetic MC's - One Two, One Two (live video)

The Wascals - Classclown (video)

A new section dedicated to classic or hard to find videos from the 1990's. First up is 'The Ultimate' by The Artifacts from 1997. This video got mad airplay on MTV back in the day, I remember getting tickets to see them live in Bristol at Club I.Q. only for them not to turn up on the night! Dizzam, make sure you check the album this track is drawn from ('That's Them') as it features the seminal posse cut 'Collaboration Of Mics' with Claw D fav's Lord Finesse and Lord Jamar weighing in alongside Tame One and El Da Sensei.

We then have from 1993 'L.I. Groove' - an underground smash from Hard 2 Obtain. I was put onto this track by my main man President Pete back in the day, only to lose my recording of it for 12 years until PP hooked me back up last summer. I've gone on to discover their fantastic lp 'Izm & Blues' and suggest you do the same.

From the same era with have 'One Two, One Two' courtesy of the Ultramagnetic MC's. Kool Keith really shines on this track with his double-word rhyme concept. This was the last official single from Ultra's 3rd studio lp - 'The Four Horsemen'. Word on the street is that a re-union may be on the cards this year, so keep checking back for more info as and when we get it.

Finally we have 'Classclown' from The Wascals. I have to be honest and report that I know very little about this crew. I'm sure they appeared on the flip to a Masta Ace 12", as well as putting out a few singles of their own. I also understand that an album might have been recorded but never got past the promo stage. Hit me up on the comment box if you know anymore???

Peace out,

Claw D

Too Young To Die #2

2006-02-15T21:27:00.000Z

Lynden David Hall Aged 31 - Rest In Peace

Too Young To Die #1

2006-02-13T08:42:00.000Z

The English Patient #2 - Live!

2006-02-11T21:27:00.000Z

Blade - Survival of The Hardest Working (live video)

Blade @ Cargo 9/2/2006 Filmloop

Blade Official Website

Yes y'all, fresh from Cargo, London. Claw Dizzle is back up in this mutha fucka. For those that dont now, the seminal UK Hip Hop artist Blade threw a huge event 2 nights ago in dungeon town, featuring talent from the length and breadth of the British Isles.

Highlights included a tight set from Jehst in tandom with Asaviour & Kashmere, random quirk-hop from those Welsh rare bits The Headcase Ladz, Midlands representin c/o Baby J, Yogi, Rukus + Shade One, Hard Livin throwin it down, an old skool reunion in the form of ex-Katch 22 frontman HKB Finn, Phi Life Cypher doing what they do best - live, AND of course the main man B.L.A.D.E. dropping gems new and old.

All the above was in the name of Blade's latest album release "Guerrilla Tactics", which you can acquire from his website, before it officially hits the streets.

Peace out to Uni, Apoc and Heavy. Keeping it on point like an Audi sat/nav, jeah!

Maxwell's House #2

2006-01-29T11:57:00.000Z

It's with great pleasure we return to the early work of Grand Puba. After the Masters of Ceremony dissolved, Puba hooked up with Dante Ross, who was recruiting new skool artists for his Elektra imprint. Puba had recorded a handful of solo tracks, but not enough for a full blown album. Ross persuaded Maxwell to collaborate with label mates Derrick 'Sadat X' Murphy and Lorenzo 'Lord Jamar' Dechelaus, who were also struggling to produce an lp's worth of debut material.

The group better known as Brand Nubian were then born, the first track to be released was "Feels So Good b/w Brand Nubian". This came out in 1990, but only created a minor buzz as hip hop was still being dominated by the west coast sound of NWA, Ice Cube, Above The Law etc. At the turn of the year, hip hop started to head back East again, with the emergence of new skool artists like K.M.D., Leaders Of The New Skool, Main Source & Black Sheep. A new laid back, jazz/funk sound with conscious lyrics was being created, and coincided with the Nubian's 2nd single "Wake Up". The song combined an afrocentric agenda, along with the feel good sound of Roy Ayers' "Everybody Loves The Sunshine".

Brand Nubian became front page material in the hip hop press during 1991. They gained the illustrious 5 mics award in The Source for their debut lp "One For All". Their 3rd single "Slow Down" went #1 in the billboard R&B and Rap charts, as well as #1 in Yo! MTV Raps' hip hop chart.

At the end of 1991, Grand Puba announced his departure from the Brand Nubian project. Maxwell citing his desire to have a shot at going solo, and took the group's DJ 'Alamo' K Jones with him. Elektra wanted to cash in on this publicity and released a remix single of "All For One b/w Concerto In X Minor". Puba met his contractial obligations by appearing in the video, which acted as one final hurrah to close out a very succesful 18 months for Brand Nubian.

Enjoy the videos!

Brand Nubian - Feels So Good (video)

Brand Nubian - Wake Up (video)

Brand Nubian - Slow Down (video)

Brand Nubian - All For One Remix (video)

The English Patient #1

2006-01-23T21:41:00.000Z

Alrighty then, I get a lot of people asking me about old skool UK Hip Hop, which is kinda referred to as Britcore these days. The name Britcore throws up images of 150pm hardcore beats, nasty-ass rhyming and the likes of DJ Supreme scratching his records until the needle wore out. The reality of UK rap in the late 80's/early 90's was that only a handful of acts adopted a hardcore stance along the lines of Hijack, Silver Bullet and so on. There were plenty of other styles that were being persued at the time. You had a selection of underground emcee's rhyming over tight soul & funk breaks such as MC Duke, Overlord X, Bello B & Mc Mell'O'. Then there were crews adopting a more ragga hip hop feel like London Posse, Demon Boyz, Asher D & Daddy Freddy. In addition you had the likes of Derek B, Wee Papa Girl Rappers & Cookie Crew attempting top 40 chart assaults, with a commercial edge to their music. Over and above that you had the likes of Blade, Katch 22, Gunshot, Stereo MC's and the Ruthless Rap Assassins experimenting with new concepts, in order to push the legacy further forward.

Unfortunately the major record labels of the day didn't see a sustainable future in UK Hip Hop, as they sought to jump onto the next bandwagon. Independant labels came and went as the recession of the early 1990s began to bite. "If it aint hurting, it aint working" was the Tory Party line way back then. It was beginning to feel like 1981 all over again; no money, no decent jobs and no fucking decent music. Fortunately UK Hip Hop was given an opportunity to start over in the late 1990's, allowing 'The Patient' to recover and spawn a new generation of artists that we know and love today.

Props to

www.djsupreme.com

for the featured vidz, make sure you check out his turntable trixters DVD.

B.R.O.T.H.E.R. - Beyond The 16th Parallel (video)

Hijack - Hijack Airwave(live video)

The Native Tongue #1

2006-01-15T18:05:00.000Z

We're taking a journey back to the late 1980's now to focus on the work of The Native Tongues collective. The Jungle Brothers were the first of a selection of new skool artists at that time to embrace new concepts of sound, lyrics and style. Replacing gold chains with african pendants, lifting sound samples from less obvious recording artists and dropping conscious lyrics without militancy was the order of the day. Baby Bam, Mike G & Sammy B dropped their debut lp "Straight Out The Jungle" to a warm reception in 1988. The title track along with songs like "On The Run", "Behind The Bush" & "Black Is Black" were typical of their organic approach to rap. They also took time out from the consciousness and had fun in the studio with label mate Todd Terry, in order to create their worldwide dancefloor hit "I'll House You". This move won them as many fans as it did critics, but undetered they continued collaborating with other artists to raise there profile. Their UK label mates the Stereo MC's, remixed a number of their singles keeping the Native Tongue momentum going with killer versions of "Black Is Black" & "Because I Got It Like That". The JB's featured on a remix of De La Soul's "Buddy" along with Q Tip, who had also guested on the SOTJ lp. De La Soul & ATCQ mirrored the JB's with ground breaking debut albums, and Warner Brothers sought to capitalise on the Native Tongue popularity by funding the JB's sophomore lp "Done By The Forces Of Nature" in 1989.

This lp was a creative masterpiece but was unfortunately overshadowed by the worldwide popularity of "3 ft High & Rising". DBTFoN also suffered from a lack of obvious singles for the pop market. The profile of the Jungle Brothers begain to fade as they were considered less marketable than the other members of the Native Tongues. Queen Latifah, Monie Love and A Tribe Called Quest all had successful chart hits, while the JB's seemed unable to do the same. This lead to Warner mis-handling the JB's third lp, which was released about 2 years after it was recorded and fell on death ears in both the pop and underground market.

Mike & Bam were released from WB and decided to hook back up with their indie UK label Gee St. This led to a series of broken beat lp's which were more popular with the dance/club scene than traditional hip hop heads. A sad way to go out, but at least they were back in the business of selling units and making money.

Our featured song is "In Time", which is a b-side only track that can be found on the UK release of "Black Is Black". The track is a re-working of "The Promo", the latter being the close out track on there debut lp. Enjoy the videos too, it'll be a long time before you see them on TV again!

Jungle Brothers - In Time

Jungle Brothers - Straight Out The Jungle (video)

Jungle Brothers - Doin Our Own Dang (video)

Jungle Brothers - I'll House You (video)

Maxwell's House #1

2006-01-11T19:40:00.000Z

Now we flip over stateside for some more 80's/90's realness courtesy of a long time favourite of mine - 'Grand Puba' Maxwell. Known to his parents as Maxwell Dixon, he first surfaced on the New York hip hop scene alongside his group "Masters of Ceremony". Their only lp (Dynamite) featured a hip hop/reggae crossover sound, aided and abetted by Dr Who, DJ Shabazz and Don Baron. It spawned a series of singles that were popular on the underground circuit, including "Cracked Out", "Redders Posse", "Sexy", "The Master Move" and "Dynamite" (the latter being an all time favourite of mine from back in the day).

Encouraged by his modest success, Puba decided to go solo and was promptly snapped up by Dante Ross at Elektra Records. Unfortunately for Maxwell, the recording of his lp wasn't going well. As a result, Ross suggested that he hook up with label mates Brand Nubian, who were also recording a debut set but struggling to pen an lp's worth of tracks. The result of the collaboration was outstanding - "One For All" - a generation defining album for hip hop's afrocentric new skool. The 5 mic rated debut spawned turn of the decade classics such as "Wake Up", "Slow Down" and "All For One".

At the end of the project, Puba and Nubian went their seperate ways. Grand Puba started rolling with SD50 and finally dropped his debut lp "Reel to Reel" in 1992. Although it had a feel good party sound, fans of the afrocentric style of hip hop were naturally disappointed to find Puba's conscious rhymes of old noticebly absent. Undetered, Maxwell continued to stay busy grabbing guest spots on lots of other projects at that time, as well as ghost writing for his cousin Pete Rock on the seminal "Mecca & The Soul Brother" lp.

The remainees of Brand Nubian (Sadat X & Lord Jamar) put out two more lps before losing their sense of direction. Although they did manage to produce a hip hop classic 12" in the form of "Punks Jump Up To Get Beatdown".

Sadat X went onto to perform some succesful solo and guest work, while Jamar faded away, but not before guesting on The Artifacts "Collaboration Of Mics"; a classic posse cut alongside Lord Finesse.

Grand Puba wanted a second stab at a solo lp and received a warmer reception for his somophore effort "2000" - confusingly released in 1996(!) The singles "I Like It" and "A Little Of This" got mad airplay on MTV, and went someway towards re-instating Puba's reputation as versatile emcee.

Rumours of a Brand Nubian re-union at this stage were rife, especially after Sadat guested on Buckwild's remix of "I Like It", and Puba/Jamar appeared on X's "The Lump Lump" remix. In 1998 the full re-union was official and "Foundation" was dropped to a mixed reception. The main problem being Brand Nubian's insistance on using old funk samples way past their sell by date.

Brand Nubian decided to take a break once again, only to reform in 2004 and drop perhaps their most disappointing work to date, namely their 5th lp "Fire In The Hole". Puba found time drop one more album in between these final BN lps in the form of "Understand This", released on Koch records in 2001. It featured a nice selection of tracks, one of the best being "Up and Down".

I hope you enjoy the below selection of Puba rarities; big shout out to Kore321 for the "Sexy" video - make sure you check Kore's blog in the links section, as he has a slammin selection of old skool videos.

Masters of Ceremony - Sexy (video)

Masters of Ceremony - Dynamite

Grand Puba - Black Family Day

Grand Puba - I Like It (video)

Grand Puba feat Sadat X - I Like It (remix)

Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion #1

2006-01-08T22:29:00.000Z

I'm going back to my roots me'babbers and kicking some classic Bristol Hip Hop & Dub choons from the 80's & 90's. Some media type labelled the sound "Trip Hop" and the rest is history.

The Wild Bunch - Friends & Countrymen

Carlton - Come On Back

3PM - Manifestation

The Real McKoy.....

2006-01-05T19:04:00.000Z

Live and direct from the jazz cafe, once again! Brit Soul and Acid Jazz veteran Noel McKoy supported Roy Ayers in Camden Town on NYE. Armed with a new band, new songs and new lp to promote, the former JTQ front man didn't disappoint.

Noel debuted a nice selection of new songs from his forthcoming lp, including the moving "Tumbling Down" and the lively "Old Skool", together with his 90's soul classic "Family".

After a bit of heckling, the main man revealed to me that his band hadn't rehearsed his other acid jazz classic "Fight" as yet, so it was missing in action on the night. But never fear, as well as some video from the night, we proudly tip our hat to the Mckoy legacy.

Enjoy!

McKoy - Fight

Noel Mckoy - Live Snippet

Happy New Year!!!!!!

2006-01-03T21:42:00.000Z

Fresh for '06 you suckas!

Well NYE @ The Jazz Cafe was hot butter, Roy Ayers and his band played his "Rover Tin" of family favourites and didn't disappoint. Highlight of evening was Roy's play on the lyrics to We Live In Brooklyn, replaced with the humourous "We Shop At Tesco, Baby!"

First live media on clawdada is the New Years Eve countdown live and direct from Camden Town.

Hope 2006 brings you joy, prosperity and a dope soundtrack to your life.

Roy Ayers Ubiquity - We Live In Brooklyn/NYE Countdown (Live Video)

Still Diggin' #1

2005-12-30T09:55:00.000Z

I really don't need to give you the biog on the D.I.T.C. crew do I?! However, the intriguing thing about them is the wealth of back catalogue material that only got released on promo's, japanese imports and so on. Keep checking back for some of that flava, butt... in the meantime, here's two more well known gems to whet your appetite.

Diamond D - Sally Got A One Track Mind (video)

Lord Finesse feat Percee P - Yes You May

Where's Brooklyn At? #2

2005-12-28T12:10:00.000Z

Merry Christmas everybody, hope you had a nice relaxing break over the festive period and that 2006 will be a good year for y'all. I will be going to see Roy Ayers live in London on New Years Eve, which of course I am really excited about. Hopefully I will have some media from this gig to share with you in due course. In meantime, while I'm in a jazz frame of mind, here's some goodies from everyone's favourite 'hip hop band' - Stetsasonic.

Stetsasonic - Talkin All That Jazz (video)

Stetsasonic - Talkin All That Jazz (dominoes vocal remix)

Step Back For The New Jack Swing #1

2005-12-22T06:42:00.000Z

He was a bit ugly and couldn't quite sing, but Al B Sure! somehow was an overnight sensation at the end of the 1980's. Perhaps it was the Teddy Riley production and/or in the case of our featured song, the apperance of Slick Rick that caught the attention of the masses. It was one of the first tracks that combined R&B and Rap on the same record, and as such broke new ground, paving the way for the progression of this genre throughout the 90's and beyond. Al B followed up his debut single with the smash hit "Nite & Day", and "Off On Your Own Girl" but never quite hit these dizzy heights again with future projects.

Al B Sure! feat Slick Rick - If I'm Not Your Lover (12" Remix)

Where's Brooklyn At? #1

2005-12-21T17:37:00.000Z

Well to kick things off, break the duck, lose the virginity and so on and so on. We have a couple of nice tracks from one of the top 5 emcees of all time, Masta Ace. Taken from the lp of the same name, Ace and his Inc crew dropped this phat maxi single in 1995. The "Pitkin Avenue Remix" is featured here along with the non-lp track "Ya Hardcore". The latter was actually recorded around the time of MA's previous lp "Slaughterhouse". It was a privilege and a pleasure to catch Masta Ace live earlier this year in the UK, so keep checking the Vault for some video footage of that in due course!

Masta Ace Inc - Sittin On Chrome (Pitkin Avenue Remix)

Masta Ace Inc - Ya Hardcore

Welcome!

2005-12-21T09:55:00.000Z

Hi there and welcome to claw's hip hop vault. It will be an attempt to look back to the golden era of hip hop, together with news and views of what's happening NOW.

Keep checking in on the regular for rare Mp3's of classic/rare 90's hip hop , rap videos from back in the day, plus info on gigs I've been to, including live footage.

One love

clawdada