"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
Hunter S Thompson
As Tupac’s interviewer announces, ‘Tupac, this interview is not about your trial, or your court appeals it is about Tupac, the inner man, then, and now.’ Featuring an uncut and never-before-seen interview at the Clinton Correctional Facility, Tupac Uncensored and Uncut: The Lost Prison Tapes presents a raw look into Tupac’s world, as the rapper riffs on topics ranging from his involvement with gang life to prisons in America to his relationship with his mother. What emerges is a moving self-portrait of an artist who sees himself as fundamentally misunderstood: He may have diagnosed thug life, but he didn’t invent it, and he is determined to uplift not destroy the black community. Capturing the intensity and passion of a fierce talent, Tupac Uncensored and Uncut: The Lost Prison Tapes offers a glimpse inside the mind of the enigmatic artist whose music is, in his own words, ‘all about life.’
From The Square Roots to The Legendary Roots Crew, the Philadelphia hip hop band has always been well deserving of their highly respected status. When I listen to The Roots now, like most artists, their style has changed and I find myself yearning for their older Organix - Illadelph Halflife sound, y'know the soulful stuff. It was also around this time that they were cranking out remixes for others that really added to their quickly growing acclaim. Here is a quick mix I put together for the fans of The Roots who may not be aware of some of these remixes or for those who have heard that they exist but could never locate them. Enjoy!
Tracklist 1 Tracie Spencer - It's All About You (Not About Me) (The Roots Remix) 2 Mondo Grosso - Closer (The Roots Remix) 3 Les Nubians - Tabou (The Roots Remix) 4 Eric Benet & The Roots - Why *Bonus 5 Adriana Evans - Seeing is Believing (The Roots Remix) 6 Bahamadia - I Confess (The Roots Remix) 7 Sweetback - Au Natural feat Bahamadia (The Roots Remix) 8 Bobby Hutcherson - Montara (The Roots Remix) 9 Common - Reminding Me (of Sef) (The Roots Remix) 10 Olu - Sista Why (The Roots Remix) 11 The Jungle Brothers - Brain (The Roots Remix) 12 Sylk 130 - Gettin' Into It (Brother ? Mix) *Bonus 13 Femi Kuti - Blackman Know Yourself (The Roots Remix)
The sound system concept first became popular in the 1950s, in the ghettos of Kingston. DJs would load up a truck with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers and set up street parties. In the beginning, the DJs played American rhythm and blues music, but as time progressed and more local music was created, the sound migrated to a local flavor. The sound systems were big business, and represented one of the few sure ways to make money in the unstable economy of the area. The promoter (the DJ) would make his profit by charging a minimal admission, and selling food and alcohol.
It was not uncommon for thousands of people to be in attendance. By the mid 1950s, sound systems had eclipsed live musicians in any combination for the purpose of staging parties. By the second half of the decade, custom-built systems began to appear from the workshops of specialists such as Headley Jones, who constructed wardrobe-sized speaker cabinets known as "House[s] of Joy". It was also around this time that Jamaica's first superstar DJ and MC, Count Machuki (b. Winston Cooper) rose to prominence. As time progressed, sound systems became much more powerful and far more complex than their predecessors, which were as simple as record players with a single extension speaker.Competition between these sound systems was fierce, and eventually two DJs emerged as the stars of the scene: Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, and Duke Reid.
The popularity of a sound system was mainly contingent on one thing: having new music. In order to circumvent the release cycle of the American record labels, the two sound system superstars turned to record production. Initially, they produced only singles for their own sound systems, known as "Exclusives" or Dubplates - a limited run of one copy per song. What began as an attempt to copy the American R&B sound using local musicians evolved into a uniquely Jamaican musical genre: ska. This shift was due partly to the fact that as American-style R&B was embraced by a largely white, teenage audience and evolved into rock and roll, sound system owners could no longer depend on a steady stream of the singles they preferred: fast-shuffle boogies and ballads. In response to this shift in supply, Jamaican producers introduced to their work some of the original elements of the Jamaican sound: rhythm guitars strumming the offbeat and snare-drum emphasis on the third beat, for example. As this new musical form became more popular, both Dodd and Reid began to move more seriously into music production. Coxsone Dodd's production studio became the famous Studio One, while Duke Reid founded Treasure Isle.
As sound systems continued to gain in popularity through the 1960s and 1970s, they became politicized in many instances. Many sound systems, and their owners, were labeled as supporters of a particular political party (such as the PNP or the JLP), but most of the sound systems tried to maintain political neutrality. Nevertheless, as a cultural and economic phenomenon, the sound system was affected by the vast socio-political changes taking place in Jamaica at this time.
Beautiful early eighties TV documentary focussing on two legendary sound systems based in the Wandsworth area of south west London, the original Champion Sound Sir Coxsone and the upcoming Young Lion who went on to create sound system history by winning seven Cup Dance Trophies. This is truly a treasure featuring rare footage of many of the characters involved in both sounds including David Rodigan, Lloydie Coxsone, Festus - mixing dubs for an upcoming dance - Blacker Dread, Levi 'Reggae Reggae Sauce' Roots, Bikey and the rest, and Young Lion crew including the great Bunny Reds whose youthful exuberance and enthusiasm makes him the star of this show. Great stuff. Note: Picture quality variable / fuzzy.
Clive Campbell (born April 16, 1955), brought this form of sound system culture with him when he immigrated to New york from Jamaica. Also known as Kool Herc, DJ Kool Herc and Kool DJ Herc, The Jamaican-born DJ is credited with originating hip hop music, in The Bronx, New York City. His playing of hard funk records of the sort typified by James Brown was an alternative both to the violent gang culture of the Bronx and to the nascent popularity of disco in the 1970s. In response to the reactions of his dancers, Campbell began to isolate the instrumental portion of the record which emphasized the drum beat—the "break"—and switch from one break to another to yet another. Using the two turntable set-up of the disco DJs, Campbell's style led to the use of two copies of the same record to elongate the break. This breakbeat DJing, using hard funk, rock, and records with Latin percussion, formed the basis of hip hop music. Campbell's announcements and exhortations to dancers helped lead to the syncopated, rhymed spoken accompaniment now known as rapping. He called his dancers "break-boys" and "break-girls", or simply b-boys and b-girls. Campbell's DJ style was quickly taken up by figures such as Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. Unlike them, he never made the move into commercially recorded hip hop in its earliest years.Herc had become somewhat of a folk hero in the Bronx. Herc began to play at the nearby Twilight Zone club, the Havelo club, the Executive Playhouse club, the PAL on 183rd Street, and high schools such as Dodge High School and Taft High School. Rapping duties were delegated to Coke La Rock. Herc's collective, known as The Herculoids, was further augmented by Clark Kent and dancers The Nigger Twins.
Worshipped by dancehall fans from Kingston to Kyoto, feared by Sound Clash rivals and revered by everyone from Massive Attack and Soul II Soul to KRS One, Wyclef Jean and Chase & Status, UK soundsystem pioneers Saxon International richly deserve the respect and attention they are currently enjoying. In anticipation of the Cult VIP feature in the next issue of Dazed (out March 17th), filled with unseen pictures, flyers and stories, This month Radio 1 Xtra are honoured the South London heroes with an exclusive takeover session recorded at the legendary BBC Maida Vale Studios.
Saxon studio started playing out as a party set back in 1976, playing at local parties weddings and small functions in their community of Lewisham, South East London.Throughout the years to follow Saxon became and was internationally known as the Number one U.K Sound System who was in a class of there own with there Dubplates and worldwide renowned artiste's feared by sound systems and DJ's from all over the Globe.Circa 1982 they had a dance called 'DJ Jamboree' held in Lewisham, That dance was the start of new things to come for Saxon, people were coming from all over to see this sound perform. The entertainers grew and grew if one left then two more would approach us for a chance to be on the sound.The first artist to emerge on Saxon was Papa Levi then came Maxi Priest Followed by Smiley Culture, all of whom had No:1 hit records and were all signed to Major record labels.
In 1984 Saxon sound was given a record label by Greensleeve's Chris Blackwell to use to promote the Saxon Singers and DJ's this label was called The 'UK Bubblers' Signed to this label were Saxon's Tippa Irie, Daddy Colonel, Daddy Sandy and Daddy Rusty.In November of that year they recorded their first live LP called 'Coughing Up Fire' which turned out to be a great success for the sound system and their DJ's.Download Coughing Up Fire Here
By This time DJ Papa Levi had already reached the Number 1 Spot in the English and Jamaican Reggae charts, with his record 'Mi God Mi King' and still to this day he is the only UK artist to have reached poll Position in Jamaica, and the first UK act to perform on Reggae Sunsplash.Original soundmen and selectors Trevor Sax, Musclehead, Mikey Boops, Mini-Muscle, Dennis Rowe and legendary Saxon MCs Tippa Irie, Papa Levi, Daddy Colonel, Sandy, Daddy Rusty and old friend Dawn Penn are going to layed down an update of their seminal (and only) official live recording, 1984’s Coughing Up Fire (Greensleeves). They were joined by a selection of guests like Wretch 32, Stush, Scru Fizzer, Stylo G and Skibadee, most of whom weren’t even born in ’84 but whose rapid flow is a direct descendant of the ‘fast chat’ style pioneered by Saxon MCs in the youth clubs and community centres of Peckham in the early 80s. Wretch 32 explains why he had to be part of the historic broadcast "Saxon are to their era what dizzee and Wiley are to mine; legends." Respect is most definitely due.Download Maida Vale BBC Session here
