August 24, 2023 • 56 mins
Geah! On this episode we sit down with the former main editor for hip hop bible The Source magazine Soren Baker to discuss putting together 41-50 of our top gangster rap albums of all time.We also talk to Soren briefly about the Source magazine’s mic ratings and how certain powers that be would change favorable ratings from West Coast and Southern artist.
Oh and make sure you go cop Soren’s latest book w/ 3-6 mafia front man Juicy J “Chronicles of the Juice Man”
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
But all right, job.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
All across the USC Compton, Watts Bay to LA. Come
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You're now tuned into the rail mc ain't, Big Change
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Speaker 3 (00:40):
Hello, Welcome to the Gangst the Chronicles podcast, the production
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(01:00):
rating the comment. We like to welcome you to another
episode of the Gangster Chronicles podcast. Unfortunately, my guy MC
eight is out this week. He's sick right now and
I told him to keep his ass at home. But
he'll be back with us next week. But I do
have a very special guest with us tonight. One of
the most authentic journalists around. When you know, in regards
(01:23):
to hip hop, I would say, and he's a white guy,
I am, you know, very obviously. You know he's you know,
he's a published author. He actually published a very good
book called The History of Gangster Rap From school. He
d to Kendrick Lamar The Rise of a Great American
art Form, published Goochie Man self help book, God the Greatness.
(01:44):
But where I recognize him from? When? Where I I
guess we formed our relationship. That was when he was
writing for The Source magazine. He was the main editor.
Also written for The New York Times, La Times, Double Xayal,
the Chicago Tribune. This guy is like a real, real
live hip hop journalist, he said, the Source when it
comes to the art form of hip hop. My man,
(02:05):
Sore and Baker. That was a long introduction, man, Thank
you still appreciate it. Long ass introduction, bro, long ass introduction.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Thank you So.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Me.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
You and A have kind of been talking over the
last few weeks about getting this list together. You know,
commemorating fifty years of hip hop. Fifty years is a
long time. I remember when this shit wasn't even around, man.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Yeah, well, by the time I found out about it, Uh,
it was around, but it wasn't that it wasn't nearly
what it is today.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So it felt like it wasn't around that much.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Oh for sure. Man, I've definitely had the pleasure of
seeing this thing go from an underground phenomena to just
like now, it's like a part of the culture. It
is a part of It is culture, you know, it's
culture itself.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Absolutely, it stands on its own.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
You know. And I'm definitely I would say, man, I
definitely would say I'm one of those guys that hip
hop is my culture. I lived a lifestyle. Yeah, you know,
it's it's not you as well. You know. You know,
we're living a lifestyle. So we're putting it together list
the greatest fifty rap albums gainst the rap albums of
all time. And when I tell you that, it's kind
(03:16):
of hard to be objective doing something like this because
you have some albums that just kind of hit you
in the art right and you're like, damn, man, I
really can't put that on it, though, because it's not
better than this.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
That's the challenge with making lists, man, which is why
I'm glad we got the three of us talking about
it because you know, for me, one of the hardest
things that I ever did was reviewing albums because when
I would review them, especially in the LA Times and
some of the magazines I wrote for, you got to
like really look at it as a standalone thing. You
(03:48):
can't look at it compared to other albums or what's
going on. You just gotta look at it for what
it is as its own entity and judging that in
real time and then not being able to really sit
with it.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
It's also hard to do.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
But that's something I did like hundreds of times, and
I missed doing album reviews. But on the other hand,
you know, it is what it is. It's a different
error now, so.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, it is. People are much more sensitive.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
That's an understatement.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
You know, they're very sensitive nowadays. You know, before we
get into it is have you ever had someone mad.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
That you all the time? I used to have that
on a regular basis.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Especially with the Source because those stars were a big deal.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Well, the thing with the Source, this didn't really happen often.
It only happened literally less than a handful of times
with a newspaper, but in a magazine. Man, there were
several times where I would mainly I always review the
album more favorably, and then the editor or however they
(04:56):
did it would lower with the source, lower the MIC's
or you know, lower stars and different publications or whatever
it was, and then the publicist or the artists would
be looking at me sideways. Sometimes I just have to
tell them like, yeah, you know, they kept the words,
but they changed rating, or sometimes they would change some
(05:16):
of the words, and it's like that was bad for me,
because as somebody that cares so much about what I
do as a writer, I didn't want to give an album,
say four mics, and then it turns up as a
three and a half where they're added a paragraph or
two dissonant or I gave it a three and a
half and now it's a three and they cut out
like half the good stuff I said, because I think
(05:40):
one thing people really get confused is three out of
five is above average. It's a good rating, three out
of five, but because of a lot of different factors,
people looked at it three like that was whack or something,
and it's not. It's above average and its quality, which
is why for me I always prefer the way I
(06:01):
did it in the La Times, which was out of four.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
So I was like.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Poor was one star, fair was two stars, three was good,
and four was excellent. That to me is better because
it's much more like there's less will room and we
could only do half a star. So if it was
between fair and good, you could give it a two
and a half. But even that, like that's average.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Yeah, people get mad, people get upset and hip hop
for being average because hip hop is one of the
genres to where it's so competitive. Yeah, if you're second place,
you still pissed off. Like I'm pretty sure, especially with
your background, Like I said, you're very respected. You know
what I'm saying. You really are a part of the culture.
So you know, a guy just sitting there here imitating,
(06:47):
I could see someone being mad being in the bottom fifty.
But like when you spoke earlier, just to make this
list at all, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
I mean, you gotta remember, there's hundreds of gangster rap
albums that have been released, if not thousands, I.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Would say now man, probably close to thousands.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Yeah, I mean, and I have almost all of them.
So the fact that getting on the top fifty list
and some artists. I'm sure for you, me and eight
are gonna have more than one. That just shows you
we're dealing with the cream of the cream of the
cream of the crew exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
And it's hard to do, you know.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
I know we have some similarities, I'm sure, but I
know there's gonna be some differences and that's what's gonna
make it exciting to discuss.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Well, that's part of the debate, you know, and it
makes for good barbershop talk all across the country, really
all across the world, probably, you know, guys, you know,
people take rap very serious. I've seen people get in
the fights like not you know, big bit, you know,
smack down, drag out fist fights. But I've seen the
people get real intense arguments man over hip hop.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Yeah, I mean I've I've been in some of those too,
and it's it's just because we all love it so
much and it means a lot.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
You know.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I fell in love with it when I was ten
and I'm still in love with it.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
It definitely insights man passionate inside of people. So I
guess since you'd have guessed this week and by the
way song will be with us, I would say probably
for the next six weeks. You know, we were talking
about the fifty greatest gangster rap albums of all time.
It's a task, hey man, It's very tedious, you know,
because you know, for me to get to this final,
(08:23):
you know number right here, I had to go through
a lot of changes. Man. I would go take I
got one who took a shower? When I was thinking
my head, I said, no, man, I liked that album,
but I can't keep this off of there. And I
went and change it again. Man, So this is being
changed like for me, man, and good because I had
a head start of you guys, right, I had to
hear start off you guys. So I think I did
(08:43):
this man, probably over maybe fifteen twenty times easy.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Oh wow, Okay, I didn't take that long, but it
definitely some reorganizing. And then, you know, one of the
things that I found that was the most difficult is
like if an artist is quote unquote this gangster, but
they're also players or pens or street or hustler or whatever,
then I was like, well, this album isn't super gangster.
(09:08):
So even though it's one of my favorite albums or
a phenomenal album, I had to take it off this
list because it's more player, or it's more drug dealing,
or it's more whatever. If it's not you know, super
gangster out then I was like, well, let me uh
not include it.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I feel you man. One of the things I kind
of struggled with it's kind of like the same thing
because what I had to do is really look at
what gangster rap fields. In this essence, right, it's talking
about criminal behavior, street shit. So my thing is this,
I said, Okay, to be fair and objective. If you
talk about selling dope, if you're talking about penpic and women,
(09:48):
that's gangster shit.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
You know, it's you know, it's a criminal element, right,
even though the culture didn't give that title to the genre.
You know, in its essence truly yields is reality wrap
street reporting. You know.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
You talk about that in my book, The History.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
The History of Gangster Rap yep. So that's what it is.
Just a bunch of brothers talking about what they surveyed
in their life and they you know, in their neighborhoods.
I know that's you know, been a big debat and
hip hop for the lungs. But this dude ain't really
no gangster man. You know, he a nerd, he this
and that. No, they don't have to be a gangster man.
These guys are just as creative. You got to give
(10:25):
him the same creative license that you give creative you know,
Quentin Tarratino, Steven Spielberg and you know other great writer, visualizer,
just creative people.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
I mean, to that point, that's what I wanted to
do and illustrate with the History of Gangster Rap book
that I have, which is really show like these dudes
are geniuses as far as storytelling, as far as lyricism,
as far as creating these atmosphere, these musical moments, this uh,
brilliant material that we all know and love and that
(10:58):
you know, if you look at the Titans of Gangster Rap,
really the four pillars of it with Ice Tea, Ice Cube,
Doctor Dre and Snoop Dogg, they're also for the biggest
people in all of entertainment. So when you look at
it from that perspective, not only is all four of
the music transcended rap, but as people, as businessmen and
(11:21):
as entertainers, they've also transcended rap and it all comes
from gangster rap, and they all four are still doing
it at a high level in their respective fields. And
now I think that just shows the power gangster rap.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
You know, those four people you name, man, they've generated
over a billion dollars in business easily, you know, and
probably more like two.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Big I was going to say closer to two.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
To know, definitely closer to two billion.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
So it's actually closer to three if you include all
the movies, because right himself is more than a billion
at the box office.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
You're right, man, And you know, or I think is
more than a debt.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Cube is probably the greatest gangster of all time, you know,
top five easily.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Cube is a bad man. That's an understatement.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
You know, he's a bad man. He's a bad man.
It'll be on my list several times. Oh man, it's
top fifty. Yeah, that's the thing we're letting you guys know. Now,
there is definitely going to be multiple entries of certain artists, because,
like they said, this is competition something, you know, and
these guys they did it consistently. You know, some of
these guys. I think ice Cube it wasn't a real,
(12:26):
really long run because he really took off in the
world of acting, but he wasn't a run man where
pretty much. He controlled the game for a good seven
eight years, man, and it was just like undeniably, Yeah,
he was a bad man.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
The only people that would deny were some of the
people in the media. But in reality, you know, that's
starting with, of course his work with NWA, but then
as a solo artist, I mean, Cube was dominant, prominent,
selling out shows, selling lots of records, but more importantly
(13:04):
driving what the music was going to be. It was
his voice, his words, his style, his storytelling. All of
that really changed the game.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Yeah did, man. But with that being said, you know,
you will probably wind up being one of those guys
that gets his own episode as he should, you know.
So let's get into your forty one through fifty man.
I'm curious to see what you got.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Cracking, all right, So we're doing one at a time.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
We're gonna talk about them or you.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Just want to go talk about them too. See this list.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Forty one through fifty.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah, we're doing something different. We're going to ask you.
Let you guys see the whole process of us putting
this list together. We're not gonna be like these other
lanes and just throw a bunch of bullshit out there
and put some bad shit on there on purpose, just
to spark debait and get some clicks and lights. You know,
we're doing this because we really care about this shit,
so we're gonna buy you guys in the process.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
So what I'll do then is all go from forty
one to fifty alrighty yeah, Project Pat Getty Green.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Let's talk about it a little bit.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Man.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
Project Pat's debut album, and you know, I got the
book with Juicy J September fifth, Chronicles of the Juice Man.
Of course, Juicy J DJ Paul produced the album together.
And Project Pat I think is one literally one of
the best rappers of all time.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
He's a phenomenal artist, very underrated.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
And the thing about Project Pat that he does and
he starts on it with Geddy Green.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
He's got another album that's hired in this on my list.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
But Pat, I think it's such a brilliant artist because one,
he's lived through all this stuff, so he's legitimate. Yeah,
But beyond that, what makes Pat so great to me
is that he really dissects like ice Tea was the
first one I remember in Ice ice Cube, even schooy
(14:55):
D did it and caris one, but they showed you
the pitt and the downfall of the game, and Project
pad on Geddy Green starts off with that you got Backstabbers,
you got? I mean that just shows you right there.
He's got a crucial conflict on there. But you know
out there's a great song North Memphis Choices Choppers of course, ballers.
(15:18):
But Pat has the humor, he's got the street tails,
and he's got the super gangsterism, but then also showing
you the pitfalls of the game and the way he
does it his phraseology is terminology is just phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
And I think Geddy Green is one of.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
Those albums that because there's so many great albums, I
think now you know, it came out in ninety nine,
and that was also the year, one of those years
where rap exploded on the charts and all this stuff
to a lot of the big records that came out
also in ninety nine and ninety eight, so I think
it kind of got lost a little bit, but not
(16:01):
to me, you know, Geddy Green phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Project.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Yeah, I also had that on my list, but I'll
let you continue, Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Then I got schooy D Smoked Some Kill.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
This is his third album, but it's his first album
where his picture was actually on the cover and you
got another poem, same white Bitch, Should we go again?
Black Man Treacherous? And this album I think is so
important because.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Musically Schoolly de created gangster rap.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
You know, really, I'd say that he had done it
before with Gangster Boogi in his earlier records, but of course, PSK,
what does it mean to me is the beginning against
the rap. You know, it influenced Iced Tea to make
six in the Morning in the way that he did.
But with Smoke Some Kill, Schoolly had changed from the
(16:54):
schooly D album that came out in eighty five Saturday Night,
the album which came out in eighty six when he
gets to jive and puts out in eighty eight, Smoke
Some Kill his production and he produced all of his music,
so he was to me also really the first rapper producer,
and Smoked Some Kill he evolved his sound. He changed
(17:16):
and was still telling all these street stories, talking about drugs,
talking about being on the corners and all this different
stuff as he had done before, but he added he
always sprinkled it in and I think on Smoke Some
Kill he started doing it more and more the political commentary,
the social commentary exactly. And we get a lot more
that with his next album and I Black Enough for You,
(17:39):
But that one I think toned down on the gangster
asm a little mit. So I put Smoke Some Kill,
which to me is more stream, more gangster. Then I'm
gonna go with Ice Cubes the Predator when when they
shoot it was a good day, who got the camera?
Speaker 3 (17:54):
All these songs, hold on, let me go back? So
you got it was a good day in the bottom
in the last team.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Well for the whole album, for the whole album.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Yeah, that was a big album. Man, I had that
raty to look higher. Well that's a tough but I'm
not mad at it though, because Cubes gonna have multiple
entries do this thing. I'm pretty sure he is.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
And the other thing that I'll say about it is,
to me, Smoke Some Kill. The production is just so amazing.
And I'm only talking about a few songs.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Here and there.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
And I think that The Predator coming off of America's
or excuse me, coming off that certificate, I was just
to me, that certificate is going to be way higher
on the list. So we'll talk in detail about that
later as is America's most wanted and I just thought
The Predator, as amazing as it is, is a distinct
(18:51):
It's not as good as those two albums.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
It's very different.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
It's a lot more, very different, very commercial, well sonically especially,
it's it's very and even lyrically. There's a lot of
different things going on on it that I think show
again Cubes brilliant. But I also think it's a very
different album in so many different ways. And again, to
(19:14):
make in the.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Top forties, that's pretty that's a tall, tall order.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
Yeah, it is. I believe it's fair. Yeah, that's a
fair assessment. I'm not mad at that.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
And then we're gonna get to DJ Quick with Safe
and Sound.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
That one.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Quick's got multiple entries on here for me too, and
I remember, obviously a super gang banging, but I remember,
you know, he's got to get at me save a
salad dollars and cents, of course. But I also remember,
and I've talked to Quick about this many times over
the years, and I've written about it with him. You know,
this was during one of the he made this album
(19:51):
during one of the darkest, most frustrating times of his life,
and that's reflected in the music. It's very angry and
it's not as bright as say Rhythmalism or even Quick
as the name for that matter, And.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
The album's kind of melancholy and dark little it's very
not kind of it's extremely it's a dark album. But
that being said, it's still brilliant and amazing and shows that,
you know, at this point when you're getting two three
albums in like schooly D, like ice Cube and like
DJ quickar to me, that's just showing their brilliance because
(20:30):
at this point in the early and then with the
Safe and Sound being ninety five, you're getting into the
mid nineties. So gangster rap created in eighty five exploded
in eighty eight eighty nine, So now we have a
six seven years after its real explosion. And so yeah,
(20:51):
next I got a DJ Quick Safe and Sound, you know,
just coming into ninety four ninety five era.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You know, at me Safe and Sound.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Dollars and Cents or some of my favorite tracks on there,
and I think that you know, this is getting into
being quick third album. It was released during one of
the more frustrating difficulty times in his life, as having
talked to spent a lot of time Quick over the years.
I know that he was going through a lot personally,
(21:22):
you know, as he talked about and just like Compton,
you know, a lot was going on in the road professionally,
he was learning a lot about the game, but then
he was dealing with a lot of personal strife. And
that I think you can feel in Safe and Sound
because it's a very angry, very melancholy, very frustrated album.
And for me, you know, that definitely comes through musically,
(21:47):
but I think that doesn't take away from.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
The power of the project.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
It was very dope aunt.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Yeah, and like Schoolyde, Quick produced himself, so I think
that to me just shows his brilliance and likes schooly
D like an ice tea, like an ice cube.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Now that you're getting into the late and mid I.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
Mean really the mid nineteen nineties, to have three four
or five albums like Quick, ice Cube and sque D
Had a Nice Tea, even that's just showing you that
what they're doing is working, it's resonating with the fans,
and the power of the music is.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Really really out there because.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
There these guys are the ones that are really putting
in motion what's going on in a lot of the
rest of the country and changing how people wrap. And
I think Quick had that, you know, from his aesthetic,
the way he dressed, his style and everything. He just
he brought a different level of gangsterism to the game. Man.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Well, DJ Quick as a superstar.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
That's that's an understable star.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
You know, just from the guys live performances. Yeah, I'm
a big judge of live performances. I can't stand the
dudes that get go on stage and just kind of
just stand up there where they got five hundred people
behind him. You know, Quick as a great performer, and
he's one of the few people that produces just as
good as he wrapped. He raps just as good as
he produces. Well, he's a one producer and he's a
(23:11):
one rapper.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
I think he is.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
I said this on his unsung if you haven't seen it,
but I'm quoted on there because I said and I
told him many times, but I think he is the
best rapper producer ever.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Oh, he is of all time because he writes his own,
he pins his own wraps. He don't have no ghost
right or no.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
I've been in the studio when he's read it and
recorded it.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
So I've seen I've had the pleasure of being you know,
with him in the studio and seeing him work. It's
almost like seeing the heart surge. And this particular zeal
is because he had bringing down everything on the SSL.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Is this when you were with High Seeding?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Yeah, this is when I was. I see yep, when
I was going the road with High seeing those guys,
you know, that's those guys gain my breaking industry man,
that whole camp.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
That's why I brought it up.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Yeah. So, but just you know, having the opportunity to
be in there with him and just see him spend
hours on the snare to just really just be like
an I've seen him make the most incredible beats and
just say I don't like it and just throw the
shit away, like like literally a racing and you'll be
looking like, what the fuck? Man? That just sounded like
some alien shit like just her man, this dude just erasing.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Yeah, Well, when you're a genius, I guess you can
do that.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
He's definitely a genius.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Okay, So my next album is gonna be iced Tea's
freedom of speech. Just watch what you say lethal weapons
on there? You played yourself is on there, and I
think Iced Tea is one of the best rappers of
all time.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Or one of the greats for sure.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
I think he's criminally no pun intended, but criminally underrated.
And I think that you know, you Play Yourself and
he Iced Tea, I think is the master of showing
the pitfalls of the game but also the highs.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Of the game.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
And I think he was and remains the best of that.
And I think the freedom of speech of album is
coming where Rapp was under a lot of attack.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
This is eighty nine.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
You know, NWA had exploded, Easy had exploded, schooly D
had been successful, Ice had been successful coming off the
Power album is a I think best selling album all
the time. And the reality is Ice was like, you know,
just watch what you say. You can say whatever you
want to say.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
We're in America.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
But at the same time, there's gonna be repercussions, There's
gonna be things that are gonna happen to you. And
I think this album really kind of got on that.
And You Played Yourself is another one of those cautionary
tales that Ice I think is one of the best
at doing and really showing like Ice Cube did schooy
(25:46):
d did so many people did that are the best,
like the Might, the DJ Quicks of the world, the
Project Pats of the world.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
They show you the downfall of the game.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
And you know, I also think that Ice ICE's creativity
and his playerrism was on full effect on this album
as well.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
And you know, we get to send the kid popping.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
Up a little bit, and it's just a great album.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
This one is a little hard for me to rank
this low.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
But yeah, I want to go back to Ice teat
real quick because I had the pleasure of meeting Darlene
right here last week. Oh you know, you know, we
took a picture and everything, and I was telling her
about because you know, I thought it was so cool
that he put his own woman on the album cover.
And she said that Ice, he didn't want to do nothing.
Everything had to be authentic. As a matter of fact,
(26:37):
he said, I didn't know you could lie. So he said,
you know, the idea of him having some chicken he
didn't know on his album cover and wearing juryty wasn't
he is? He said, Man, I got all that shit
for real, I'm gonna wear it on an album. Can
wear my shit?
Speaker 4 (26:48):
Well, Ice has told me many times that, you know,
Russell Simmons had come to see him perform early in
his career, and he didn't know that Ice that particular performance.
Ice didn't know he was going to be performing, so
he just went on wearing what he was wearing. And
he told me that Russell Simmons told him that's your
(27:10):
look because that's who you are. You don't need to
dress like you're from New York or anything else. You're
an LA street dude and you're a fly player like dude.
That's that's your image. Don't change it.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Ice T was very influential, man, because when you know,
back in the day, they used to wear these silk
suits out here man with the like silk shirt. I
saw Ice T had that on. Man. The first thing
I did when I hit California is I wanted to
swap meet. Bought me two or threeoms those look I
don't know if they was real silk, but I looked
like him, and I got me to look chain with
the Uzie on it. I had a baby first though.
(27:42):
That motherfucker was the flyes dude. Whatever, man, but I'll
let you continue.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
Yeah, Ice is by far one of the greatest rappers
ever the next one. It's hard to put this a
little bit low, but I think many of the albums
that were discussing and gonna be throughout the series, the
productionists held up so much, and I think this one
parts of it haven't, which is why it's a little
(28:07):
bit lower to me, which is criminal minded.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
By booking out productions.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
You got a lot of records I got ranked higher
than the forties, and you got them in the bottom part.
Your list would be a motherfucker.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
It is it is. But of course this is a
brilliant album and Karis one to me is top five
rappers of all time.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
But you know, this album really showed.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
Gangster rap from the East Coast perspective, especially through the
title track. Nine Milimeter Goes Bang is another one, and
that song in particular, being from Maryland and listening to
a lot of Go Go growing up, that was a
big song that they made into a go Go song,
Nine Milimeter Goes Bang, So you know that had an
(28:53):
extra layer and it just showed like this music from
the South. Bronx is resonating all the way down in
DC and being on an independent label be Boy Records
and Karris, you know, they didn't have at least to
my knowledge, they never have any videos for this or anything.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
It was just like pure word of mouth.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
It was just all word of mouth.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
And this album is a masterpiece. But then you get
like Poetry and Elementary and all these other records that
are not Gangster rep and karas One who have had
the pleasure of meeting and interviewing and hanging out with
the number of time over the years. You know, the
harder Streeter stuff. Gangster stuff was more Scott LaRock and
karas One was much more on the poetry to Elementary
(29:34):
and that's what you see starting, you know, on the
next album, which is why the rest of will get
on productions. And then Karris Wan's music as a solo
artist is so different because that wasn't what who karas
One is or what he wanted to represent.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
He wanted to be the.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Stop the violence guy, the self destruction guy, and you know,
that's my philosophy guy. And that's why, you know, the
subsequent albums sounds so different, but it's a masterpiece. It's
just the production. I think then age as well, so
I had to for me, at least when I'm looking
(30:12):
at the totality of these projects. I'm trying to you know,
I'm as objective as possible, and I just that's the
one thing that dinged it down and got it a
little lower than me.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Yeah, you know what, His beach don't really didn't really
hold it up over time compared to a lot of
other stuff, you know, now, that one and I think
you got to think about it. He was on one
of the probably worst record labels at that time. They
put out a lot of pivotal albums. But like I was,
that's the same label. I believe EPMD was on the
first Sleeping Bag Records.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Right, No, they were on B Boy Records for Criminal Minded.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
Okay, so Sleeping Bag had just Ice at epm D,
at Steezel at Manta. Right, you're right hugely, but B
Boy Records mainly had Looking Out productions, JVC Force and
Sparky D.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Yeah, it's Sparky D. What's funny about the album?
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Man?
Speaker 3 (31:04):
I remember I think Carris One only made like five
thousand dollars off the album.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Man, it wasn't surprised me.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
You made like five g's off a classical album. It's crazy,
all right, go ahead, So I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
So next, we're going to get into one of our
personal favorites, and a great album is the Convicts album. Uh,
Big Mic and three two just killing this. This for
the convicts, the one nine hundred dollar Crook. It's hilarious.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Penitentiary blues Man, Illegal Aliens. They put out a legal
Aliens today, man, I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
They wouldn't be able to put that song out today.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
They couldn't do it. Everybody is so sensitive now. But
you know what, I'm not going to say I agreed
with everything they said in that song necessarily, but the
stance that they were coming from, they were all most
on some real textas patriotic shit, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
It's like Texas is its own country. But I think
this album, as you and I both know, it's a
shame that the Convicts only did the one album because
Big Mike, of course later with the Ghetto Boys and
later as a solo artist, is a phenomenal talent. And
then three to two, you know, unfortunately didn't didn't get
(32:18):
to make as much music, but.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
He's very They almost wond up on different riggords, you
know that.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
Right of course they were out here making the chronic.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Yeah, they almost wound up on different ricords. Man, I
talked to Big Mike about it all the time.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Yeah, I did an interview with him and we talked
about that on my Unique Access Entertainment channel on YouTube.
But the reality is this album is amazing, and I
think it just shows Peterman of course is on there too,
but it just it's amazing. But I think it's it's
a very well rounded album.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
And storytelling and everything on there. Big Mike showed his
ass as was three.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Two, yeah, and the next one, And this is one
of those things I was mentioning earlier that UGK could
and maybe arguably should have more entries. But I think
Riding Dirty is the most gangster album because Dirty Money
I love and has so many great songs, but I
think that Riding Dirty is the one. You know, one
(33:16):
day murdered Diamond Wood. That's why I carry like these
these are straight super gangsterism type of songs, and it
just shows, you know, one of the things that I
love about rap is getting all these different perspectives. So like,
if you're looking at the people I've been mentioning, like
Project Pat, Memphis, schooly D, Philadelphia, Ice Cube, La, DJ
(33:40):
Quick Compton, iced T South Central, We'll get out production
South Bronx, and you got the Convicts from well Big
Mike from New Orleans originally but then relocating to Houston,
and then three two in Houston. But then we get
to UGK with Port Arthur, PA. And that's the thing
that I love in that just coincidentally my list really
(34:04):
represents is that getting all these different voices, all these
different street tails from all over the country and these
are now in different errors. You know, some of my
stuff is from the eighties, some of it's from the nineties,
So it's just showing you know, rap growing, developing, rap,
you know, evolving.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
And I think that.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Bunby and PIMC, of course had phenomenal chemistry. Another self
produced group largely done by PIMC, of course, But I
just think that their storytelling and their perspective was very,
very distinctive and really uh broke things down in a
different way from a different perspective than we really had had.
(34:45):
And it's hard for me to only put one, but
like I said, I think Ryding Dirty is the most
street gangster album that they had, So that's the one
I think is the best.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
Match for sure. I hope y'all appreciate what we're doing
right now, because what we're doing for as much as
we're putting our list together in real time in front
of you guys, because I'm over here writing things down,
because we got some unanimous choices across the board. But me,
I have multiple entries with UGK, that's one of my artists.
I got multiple entries in What's Your Next one?
Speaker 1 (35:14):
Man?
Speaker 4 (35:15):
The next one is hard because I look at two
these albums similar, but I'm gonna go with the East
Siders producer and trays.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
The old fashioned way.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
I had them higher because I think this album, oh Man, Trady,
Godi Locan, of course, Snoop do such a phenomenal job.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Nate Dogg is all on it, buta Toya Williams is
on them multiple times.
Speaker 3 (35:37):
What's your favorite song on there?
Speaker 4 (35:40):
I mean, crip Hop Connected, East Side Riders. Those are
probably three of my favorites, so it's hard to say
my favorite song. I love it, of course, was a
big single Doghouse in Your Mouth. I mean, it's just
so many great songs on this album.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
I like Doghouse in your Mouth, sugar Free, Kiel.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
That shit, did he ever?
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Yeah, sugar Free destroyed that.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
So this album, I think Goldie Lok is great, and
Trey D has continued to be such a phenomenal rapper
and put out so much material. I know he's got
new material out now. To tray D, I think is
one of those artists. For whatever reason, I don't think
the masses really understand and appreciate what a great artist trade.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
He is as lyrically, he's very visual with his lyrics
extremely because I even listen to him on Glass. You
got a song with Glasses where you say it what homicide,
come align them bags up, and it was just like
so I said, damn this motherfuckers really like the West
Coast Crip version of rock Kim.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
No, he is phenomenal, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:43):
Actually it's funny you say that because on my Unique
Access people should check it out. We did a Best
Album's episode where I talked to him about his favorite
album and he did Paid in Full, So Eric being
rock Kim is Paid in Full is his favorite album?
Talk about that in general. So it's funny you just
bring up him about being a West Coast He.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Gues cadence is kind of similar to rock Heems, you know,
because he's a Margs and the Margan guy. You know,
he just spitting man like when he said that shit,
he said, I forget it, verbating what he said. He said,
not he's scared to hang out. Niggas know we did.
We screamed insane out, you know, like not he scared
to hang out. And I was like, Damn, this is
(37:25):
a bad motherfucker. He's very underrated man, severely underrated.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
Yeah, I think Trady is one of the most underrated
rappers ever and I think he's an immense talent, giant
in the game.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
He was man one of my favorite rappers for sure.
Speaker 4 (37:41):
And I think there was in Trey's old fashioned way. Ironically,
the first album is self titled debut album, was more popular,
sold more and all that other stuff. But I think
this album is actually better. I think it's They're both
have spectacular moments and they're both great.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
But I think and trade. I just I don't know,
I just I.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
Really really think the production. So now number fifty, the
last one on my list is a Snoop DOGG No Limit,
Top Dog.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
No Limit, Top Dog. I had to hire.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
Too now this album. If you haven't hired and you know, bitch,
please buck them. Down for my ends. Snoop of Fella.
There's so many songs on here, but the most impressive
thing to me about it is to me, Snoop as
Glass as that I have talked about. I'm sure you
and Glass have talked about. That's he thinks it's the
(38:35):
best rapper as the best catalog, and I think No
Limit Top Dog. You know, coming from dog Father and
the first No Limited album, people were kind of like, eh,
I don't know about Snoop as much. But then when
he came back with No One Limit Top Dog, I
had never lost faith in Snoop because I had been
around him and I knew what was happening during this time.
(38:58):
And then when I went I happened to go to
his house and he played me to him and a
little me talk dog. Uh this is when he used
to stay in Claremont, and I was like, I couldn't
believe it. Still, I was just like, this album is bananas,
and you know Buckham being toward the front of the
album sticky Fingers was you know, I knew he was
(39:20):
rumored to be on Aftermath or was on Aftermath collaborating
with Aftermath, but to hear how he and Snoop worked
so well together, exhibited exploding on Bitch Please, super Flies
on there, I mean, sugar Freeze on the album.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
It's just it's a.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
Real dope album. It's amazing, and it was Snoop kind
of saying I'm still here.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
Not only that, but I'm as good as I've ever been.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
But was crazy about it. Man, dog Father took a
lot of flack and I heard, you know, I remember
hearing whispers through the enemy, you know, through the whole
industry today was trying to get rid of Snoop and
I was and that was really befuddled because of that,
because that shit sold like two or three million albums.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Yeah, it was definitely.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
I didn't know what the problem was. I was like,
why are they getting while trying to get rid of Snoop?
Speaker 4 (40:05):
Well know, but to this point with no of them
at Top Dog coming out in nineteen ninety nine, you know,
Snoop coming out with deep Cover, then being the start
the Chronic and then Doggy Style, that's you know, ninety
two to ninety nine, that's you know, seven years, but
really eight years. And it's like, dude, to be to
(40:26):
quote unquote to have people feel that you fell off,
and then eight years later you're like, have the with
Bitch Please. In particular, you got the biggest song in
rap exact probably or one of the biggest songs at
the time, and that's through the Reunite Reuniting with Dre.
It's just so much going on on this album, and
(40:47):
I was just like, people don't know, man.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
But him and Doctor Dre are definitely peanut buttering Shelley.
Whenever I see them two get together, I don't care
what time period of seeing I'm betting on them dudes,
as you should, because they're going to come out with
some shit that's just gonna ship the whole coach all
the time.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
All right, So that's mine. What about you are?
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Still? Okay? We got a lot of the same ones,
the stuff that you already had on your list that
we went over. I'm not going to go on a
you know, a long time about it or whatever, because
we already talked about it. I'll be very brief. My
number one is Big Mike and Lord three to the Convicts.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
All right, Oh for forty one, for forty one.
Speaker 3 (41:26):
Yeah, for forty one. That's my forty one right there.
My next one is Schoolly de smokes and kill.
Speaker 1 (41:33):
All right, you know, I guess you know me, you
that's the same.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Actually, you know me, You and eight all voted than
that one. Right. My number three album is Easy. Easy
doesn't not my favorite one over here, but it's kind
of just.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
The honest A lot higher with Easy, doesn't.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Yeah, you know, I'm pretty sure yours is higher. But
I say that because Easy is almost like you know,
schooly D is the godfather of gains the rep, but
Easy is the godfather between him and ice T. I
gotta give to ice T first, but I got an
ice T way up higher too. He has multiple entries,
by the way, but he is my forty three. My
(42:09):
forty four is my man, Project Betpack Getty Green. You know,
even though he got the pat the sketch the from
my bay Ball, I think he perfected it. And he's
severely underrated. Man. He's one of the greatest storytellers in
hip hop. Pat is for sure, No Patty is man.
Go out and check out Project Pat. Don't sleep on
my guy. My forty five is the Dayton Family. You know,
(42:31):
my Midwest cast. You know the Dayton shout out. You
know what's on my mind. Number forty six for Me
is Trick Daddy based on a true story, forty seven
above the Low, Black Moth Your Life forty eight, Koogie
Rap four five six. You know, I think this I
could have rated this higher, but Koogie Rap is just
(42:52):
one of the greatest lyricists of all time, one of
the greatest rappers of all time. Doesn't necessarily make the
greatest albums though.
Speaker 4 (42:59):
Well, I got Cooled You Wrap a different album higher,
so he'll be on my list, but for a different project.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
But he's definitely one. He's definitely and I.
Speaker 4 (43:07):
Got The Black Mafia Life higher too, so we'll be
seeing yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:11):
See so yeah, that's one of the ones that we
got to write down that's in there, you know, Automatic Entry.
I kind of struggled with this one because I love him.
I love him as an artist, but he is not
consistent at all. Was that mc ringing, Shock at the Hour?
Speaker 4 (43:29):
Shot at the Hours phenomenal? And I think Ruthless Villain
and Ruthless for Life. Really those three albums I think
are all excellent projects. And Shot at the Hour I
just remember, you know, Bob Catechors did a lot of
work on there too.
Speaker 3 (43:49):
Yeah, he was the staff producer at that time. You know,
after Drede left, Easy got with him because he was
doing a lot of stuff with Rhythm D and those guys.
You know, he had continued doing a Rhythm D and
there with Bob was kind of running the whole staff
over there.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (44:04):
Well, Bobcat, as you and I have talked about many
times over the years, to me, if not one of
the most underrated producers, but he's a phenomenal producer. Some
of his stuff's gonna show up elsewhere on my list.
Speaker 1 (44:17):
But oh for sure, I think that shot at the hour.
Speaker 4 (44:21):
I think Wren Again, it's hard for me to say
he's underrated because he's in NWA and because kiss My
Black Ass was a platinum EP, But I think mc
wren is still underrated, and I think that, you know,
I think it's just because when you come from basically
the Beatles are rap and you got Ice Cube and
(44:42):
Doctor Dre and Easy, that it's like you could be
an All Star on the All Star team, but it's
just tough.
Speaker 3 (44:50):
Well, you know the thing about it, he had to
battle all those other guys, celebrity you know, Doctor Dre,
who was like, who's been the best producer in hip hop,
like at Forever, you know, Forever, you know, you got
easy who's very polarizing, right, you know, he just had
that risk and he was you know, he was interesting.
(45:11):
You know because I first heard him, he thought it
was a sixteen year old kid or something like that.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
You remember, he made the little things, he made a joke, and.
Speaker 3 (45:19):
I thought the motherfucker was really sixteen. For the bongs,
I was like, who is this bad motherfucker man going
on cussing everybody out? I just thought it was a
trip man. But my last and final one, I wanted
to put this higher. This is a group that has
multiple entries in my list. I picked UGK super Tight.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
That was another one that.
Speaker 4 (45:39):
Was I was trying to figure out UGK and how
to properly salute and uh present them. But super Tight
is super tight, so I have no no problems there.
Speaker 3 (45:59):
Yeah, you know. So if you look at this, we
pretty much almost our lists.
Speaker 4 (46:03):
Were identical, very very similar, very similar, even though.
Speaker 3 (46:09):
He had some steps through me off. But that's what
these things do. I think everybody should speak from the
hard on because it's not all about record sales all
the time. Because as you know, being a you know, writer,
you know, writing for hip hop as long as you
have marketing plays a big part.
Speaker 1 (46:26):
Yeah. I mean, look like, for example, both of us
have The Convicts and you got Dayton Family.
Speaker 4 (46:31):
I've interviewed Dayton Family, and you know I got Bootleg
on Unique Access Entertainment. But the reality is Dayton Family
put out a lot of great music and the Convicts
both through Too and Big Mic. But then as the Convicts,
that's a great project that definitely didn't sell a lot
of units. It definitely wasn't known by most people. I
would argue, but it's amazing fifty three or something like that,
(46:56):
and the rap charts the Convicts autum on R and B.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
It wouldn't it wouldn't surprise me.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
So but problem that was almost from word of mouth.
Speaker 4 (47:06):
And that's why I'm glad we're framing it in the
way of this is like purely about the art, and
I think that to show that the Convicts their album
is so amazing and really set the stage for especially
Big Mic to really blow up as a solo artist
and as a member of the Ghetto Boys. But it
just shows you that this type of stuff, man, really,
(47:30):
really it is all about the art. When we're talking
about it because the convicts wouldn't be on here if
we only cared about record sales or if that was
such a big point of it.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
So I'm glad we're doing it this way.
Speaker 3 (47:41):
Well, it can't be just about record sales, man, because
like I said, master Piece sold a lot of albums
back then, a lot of albums. And I had master
Pe ice cream Man initially in my bottom fifty and
I made it ih oa because I just, you know,
it's all about impact to me. Master P really when
(48:03):
he came in the game and we just kind of
give him a preview for what may see next week.
Speaker 1 (48:07):
I don't know if you have previewed the remixes, but
I think.
Speaker 3 (48:11):
Master P man for with it. He pretty much usher
in the era of the hustler, of the true hust
the dude that says, you know what, motherfuckers might. He
sounded like a real New Orld language dude, you know
what I mean. He sounded like he was a dude
really from down there for New Orleans, you know. He
sounded like one of them more boys, you know, for real, right,
And it was just a different sounds. So I dug it.
(48:33):
He wasn't the most. You know, it's not like you
know when you hear NOAs I didn't exactly listen to
master p because you know, to get exercise and lyricism, no,
you know, but it was just some good old fashioned
hood shit.
Speaker 4 (48:46):
And that's the other thing I think that's important about
this list and just discussing rap. Everything's not about always
got to have these like supreme lyrics, you know, it's
about the music, about the like I was saying, criminal Minded,
like some of those, it's the vibe, and it's the production,
it's the feel. And you know, I'm sure as we
(49:11):
get going, we're all going to have more stuff with
Doctor dre produced. But when you see that like that
just shows you the power and the importance of production.
And that's why, you know, a lot of these records
as we get into the top, you know, get into
the thirties and above, like, you know, you gotta have
the great lyrics, you gotta have the great stories, you
(49:33):
gotta have the great production, you gotta have all these
elements that make it timeless music, which is why we're
talking about it exactly.
Speaker 3 (49:40):
And as you see having half any ice ta in
my bottom, you know, my final team because I haven't
much higher.
Speaker 4 (49:47):
Well I got Iced Tea higher too, so they'll be multiple.
And he's one of those artists that got several entries
on the list for.
Speaker 3 (49:54):
Sure, as he should, you know, I can tell you
right now, we haven't brought his name up yet for
the group Scarface.
Speaker 1 (50:02):
He's on here a couple of times.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
He's right there next to Cube, and I told him that.
And I'm going to be honest right now. I love
Ice Cuban as a rapper, but I Scarface is my
favorite rapper. But I told Scarface that. He said, man,
he better stop that. Knock it off. He said that
Cube is a bad motherfucker, of course, so it was
kind of it was funny, you know, to hear him
say that. I was telling him, like, dudes, you my
(50:26):
favorite motherfucker. You and Q. Him and Cube are so.
Speaker 1 (50:29):
Similar in a lot of ways.
Speaker 3 (50:32):
You know. They're just both really descriptive with their rhymes.
And this is one thing I don't like and hip hop,
the dudes that kind of do too much with the
lyrical miracle, you know, all that stuff. To me, that's
for me. Biggie Gray, Biggie Q, and Scarface all share
(50:52):
the same characteristics. They say a lot by saying a
little like Biggie, you know my rap rhymes, light, laying minds,
one step to boom, black suits, field the room, ice, cute.
God damn. I'm glad y'all said it. Though used to
be hard. Now you just salt, you know. So it's
just like they do. The most was saying a little
and you understand what they're saying. I know a lot
(51:15):
of incredible rappers. Man. The rass Cash to me is
one of the baddest motherfuckers.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
They ever hold a microphone, that's for sure.
Speaker 3 (51:21):
As China wag sell, for sure, we're living in the
real life idiocracy area era right.
Speaker 1 (51:28):
Now, no doubt about it, to where people.
Speaker 3 (51:31):
Don't want to think so. I enjoy their music, but
there aren't that many intellectus. It's more idiots than.
Speaker 1 (51:37):
Those intellects, that's for sure.
Speaker 3 (51:39):
You know, not saying that people not dumb, but people
just want it. Some people can't digest that type of stuff, man.
Speaker 1 (51:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:47):
Well, and if the people don't understand what you're saying, man,
usually you can lose somebody along the way.
Speaker 4 (51:53):
That happens, and that's why the razkaz is in the
Chino excels of the world are more popular, but that
doesn't take away from their talent at all.
Speaker 3 (52:02):
And those guys have been able to carve out a
niche in the game for themselves where they've had some
really long careers and who's to say, maybe if they
win commercial they may not still be around. These guys
are still actively touring, putting the albums in.
Speaker 4 (52:16):
They're still respected, absolutely absolutely, and I.
Speaker 3 (52:20):
Think that's what makes this thing hip hop's so interesting.
The biggest parallel I give the gangster rap is almost
like professional wrestling. You have all of these colorful people
and everybody has their stick like, you know, you have
Dusty Roads, you have you know, Dusty Rose kind of
represented the common man. Rick Flair represented the Paul. You know,
he came out with the woo and a little struck.
(52:43):
He was just a bad motherfucker, right right. And I
think that's when you look at the ice cubes, the scarfaces,
a lot of people sleep on them. And this is
the guy that got multiple entries in his list. I'm
pretty sure you got him too. Short. These dudes have
a swagger that's almost out of this world. When you
(53:04):
meet short and I you know, I trip off sometimes
that these dudes are actually my buddies now, right, you know,
I actually, you know, talk to these guys and now
I'm like, man, this is I'm talking too short right now.
He's a bad motherfucker. He's been doing it for a
long time. You got to give him as props, man. Yeah,
anytime somebody could survive something. Man, what an average shelf
(53:24):
life is two years? Dude, two and a half years
for a rapper, And I'm talking about somebody had a push.
Speaker 1 (53:29):
I was gonna say, if that, if that, and that's.
Speaker 3 (53:32):
Someone that had a push, that's someone that half they
had a career. Right for these dudes to be around,
fuck thirty forty years, they've short been doing it a
motherfucker last ten years. Look at the run Cube. Is
Steve rest Releivant his effort? Yep, he's just making movies. Yeah,
you know at this point he's almost like Michael Jordan.
(53:52):
He don't done so much in the game. What the fuck?
What it else for him be for him to do
in the game?
Speaker 1 (53:57):
Yeah, man, I mean that's like I was saying. When
you look at the.
Speaker 4 (54:01):
Ice Tea, the ice Cube, the Snoop Dogg and another
one and the Doctor Dre those four that's that's really
the pinnacle of everything. And they all other than Snoop,
they all got started in the eighties and Snoop was
right behind him in ninety two.
Speaker 3 (54:16):
So and they're still doing it. Man, And who would
have ever thought that Snooper wound up the biggest thing
man in Black America. Man, just straighten to come home. Man,
he's just a phenomenal god. You know what I'm saying,
It's like Snoop is all and I'll say this is nope,
I'm not being disrespectful at all. But Snoop is almost
(54:36):
like a cartoon character. He's like the McDonald's sign. He's
like Mickey Mouse, which means he's just like an entity
upon it.
Speaker 1 (54:43):
He's world famous.
Speaker 3 (54:44):
Yeah, he's world famous because I remember, I never will
forget this man. Me and Big psychles thing out. Big
Cycle was one of my good friends. Like we had
formed a really good relationship and we were in Dubai.
He actually had a show out there. So in this
hotel we weren they had like a dry queens downstairs.
So I took some shit you know when you got
(55:05):
lucks going overseas, and just got these nice ass shirts
that just got ruined. You're all wrinkled up and shit right.
So I take them to the dry queens that I
come back to. Lady says, oh you have daddy, nice material.
Are you entertaining you know? I was like yeah, I said, yeah,
I do this and that. She said, I don't know much. Rep.
I know Snoop Doggy Dog. I like Snoop Doggie Dog.
(55:26):
And we're talking about us probably at the time, a
sixty seventy year old Hindu woman.
Speaker 4 (55:32):
Wow, she knew who.
Speaker 3 (55:33):
Snoop Dogg was. I could see it. Damn man, that motherfucker's.
Speaker 1 (55:36):
Popping, that's for sure, you know.
Speaker 3 (55:40):
So, man, we don't get together next week. Yep, we
got our bottom ten and we're talking the phone about that.
And you guys see the results in the next six weeks,
next five to six weeks. So I will tell you
I would give you a long drawn out oultro soon,
but I'm gonna see your ass next week. Man.
Speaker 4 (55:59):
There it is he here next week.
Speaker 3 (56:01):
App here next week. I want to give you guys
out there, man, a message. COVID is still out there.
Make sure y'all washing, y'all hands, man, make sure I
don't know if we need to go back to wearing
a mask. I don't even want to get in all that,
but take care of yourself though still out there and
we out of here. Well. That concludes another episode of
(56:21):
the Gainst the Chronicles podcast. Be sure to download the
iHeart app and subscribe to The Gangster Chronicles podcast For
Apple users, find a purple mica on the front of
your screen, subscribe to the show, leave a comment and rating.
Executive producers for The Gangster Chronicles podcasts of Norman Stealed
Aaron M c a Tyler. Our visual media director is
Brian Whatt, and the audio editors tell It Hayes. The
Gangster Chronicles is a production of iHeartMedia Network and The
(56:43):
Black Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio,
visit the iHeart Radio app Apple podcasts wherever you're listening
to your podcasts
But all right, job.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
All across the USC Compton, Watts Bay to LA. Come
on to California day from Rowley the Valley. We represent
that Keller County. So if you're keeping it real on
your side of your town, you tune into Gainst the
Chronicles Chronic Goals.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
We gonna tell you how are we goals?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
If I lie my nose will girl like Pinocchio. We're
gonna tell you the truth and nothing but the truth.
Gangs the Chronic Goals. This is not your average shows.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
You're now tuned into the rail mc ain't, Big Change
and big steels the streets.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Hello, Welcome to the Gangst the Chronicles podcast, the production
of iHeart Radio and Black Effect Podcast Network. Make sure
you download the iHeart app and subscribe to Against the Chronicles.
For my Apple users, hit the purple Michael on your
front screen. Subscribed to Against the Chronicles, leave a start
(01:00):
rating the comment. We like to welcome you to another
episode of the Gangster Chronicles podcast. Unfortunately, my guy MC
eight is out this week. He's sick right now and
I told him to keep his ass at home. But
he'll be back with us next week. But I do
have a very special guest with us tonight. One of
the most authentic journalists around. When you know, in regards
(01:23):
to hip hop, I would say, and he's a white guy,
I am, you know, very obviously. You know he's you know,
he's a published author. He actually published a very good
book called The History of Gangster Rap From school. He
d to Kendrick Lamar The Rise of a Great American
art Form, published Goochie Man self help book, God the Greatness.
(01:44):
But where I recognize him from? When? Where I I
guess we formed our relationship. That was when he was
writing for The Source magazine. He was the main editor.
Also written for The New York Times, La Times, Double Xayal,
the Chicago Tribune. This guy is like a real, real
live hip hop journalist, he said, the Source when it
comes to the art form of hip hop. My man,
(02:05):
Sore and Baker. That was a long introduction, man, Thank
you still appreciate it. Long ass introduction, bro, long ass introduction.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Thank you So.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Me.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
You and A have kind of been talking over the
last few weeks about getting this list together. You know,
commemorating fifty years of hip hop. Fifty years is a
long time. I remember when this shit wasn't even around, man.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Yeah, well, by the time I found out about it, Uh,
it was around, but it wasn't that it wasn't nearly
what it is today.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So it felt like it wasn't around that much.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Oh for sure. Man, I've definitely had the pleasure of
seeing this thing go from an underground phenomena to just
like now, it's like a part of the culture. It
is a part of It is culture, you know, it's
culture itself.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Absolutely, it stands on its own.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
You know. And I'm definitely I would say, man, I
definitely would say I'm one of those guys that hip
hop is my culture. I lived a lifestyle. Yeah, you know,
it's it's not you as well. You know. You know,
we're living a lifestyle. So we're putting it together list
the greatest fifty rap albums gainst the rap albums of
all time. And when I tell you that, it's kind
(03:16):
of hard to be objective doing something like this because
you have some albums that just kind of hit you
in the art right and you're like, damn, man, I
really can't put that on it, though, because it's not
better than this.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
That's the challenge with making lists, man, which is why
I'm glad we got the three of us talking about
it because you know, for me, one of the hardest
things that I ever did was reviewing albums because when
I would review them, especially in the LA Times and
some of the magazines I wrote for, you got to
like really look at it as a standalone thing. You
(03:48):
can't look at it compared to other albums or what's
going on. You just gotta look at it for what
it is as its own entity and judging that in
real time and then not being able to really sit
with it.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
It's also hard to do.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
But that's something I did like hundreds of times, and
I missed doing album reviews. But on the other hand,
you know, it is what it is. It's a different
error now, so.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, it is. People are much more sensitive.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
That's an understatement.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
You know, they're very sensitive nowadays. You know, before we
get into it is have you ever had someone mad.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
That you all the time? I used to have that
on a regular basis.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Especially with the Source because those stars were a big deal.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Well, the thing with the Source, this didn't really happen often.
It only happened literally less than a handful of times
with a newspaper, but in a magazine. Man, there were
several times where I would mainly I always review the
album more favorably, and then the editor or however they
(04:56):
did it would lower with the source, lower the MIC's
or you know, lower stars and different publications or whatever
it was, and then the publicist or the artists would
be looking at me sideways. Sometimes I just have to
tell them like, yeah, you know, they kept the words,
but they changed rating, or sometimes they would change some
(05:16):
of the words, and it's like that was bad for me,
because as somebody that cares so much about what I
do as a writer, I didn't want to give an album,
say four mics, and then it turns up as a
three and a half where they're added a paragraph or
two dissonant or I gave it a three and a
half and now it's a three and they cut out
like half the good stuff I said, because I think
(05:40):
one thing people really get confused is three out of
five is above average. It's a good rating, three out
of five, but because of a lot of different factors,
people looked at it three like that was whack or something,
and it's not. It's above average and its quality, which
is why for me I always prefer the way I
(06:01):
did it in the La Times, which was out of four.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
So I was like.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Poor was one star, fair was two stars, three was good,
and four was excellent. That to me is better because
it's much more like there's less will room and we
could only do half a star. So if it was
between fair and good, you could give it a two
and a half. But even that, like that's average.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Yeah, people get mad, people get upset and hip hop
for being average because hip hop is one of the
genres to where it's so competitive. Yeah, if you're second place,
you still pissed off. Like I'm pretty sure, especially with
your background, Like I said, you're very respected. You know
what I'm saying. You really are a part of the culture.
So you know, a guy just sitting there here imitating,
(06:47):
I could see someone being mad being in the bottom fifty.
But like when you spoke earlier, just to make this
list at all, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
I mean, you gotta remember, there's hundreds of gangster rap
albums that have been released, if not thousands, I.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Would say now man, probably close to thousands.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Yeah, I mean, and I have almost all of them.
So the fact that getting on the top fifty list
and some artists. I'm sure for you, me and eight
are gonna have more than one. That just shows you
we're dealing with the cream of the cream of the
cream of the crew exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
And it's hard to do, you know.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
I know we have some similarities, I'm sure, but I
know there's gonna be some differences and that's what's gonna
make it exciting to discuss.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Well, that's part of the debate, you know, and it
makes for good barbershop talk all across the country, really
all across the world, probably, you know, guys, you know,
people take rap very serious. I've seen people get in
the fights like not you know, big bit, you know,
smack down, drag out fist fights. But I've seen the
people get real intense arguments man over hip hop.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Yeah, I mean I've I've been in some of those too,
and it's it's just because we all love it so
much and it means a lot.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
You know.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I fell in love with it when I was ten
and I'm still in love with it.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
It definitely insights man passionate inside of people. So I
guess since you'd have guessed this week and by the
way song will be with us, I would say probably
for the next six weeks. You know, we were talking
about the fifty greatest gangster rap albums of all time.
It's a task, hey man, It's very tedious, you know,
because you know, for me to get to this final,
(08:23):
you know number right here, I had to go through
a lot of changes. Man. I would go take I
got one who took a shower? When I was thinking
my head, I said, no, man, I liked that album,
but I can't keep this off of there. And I
went and change it again. Man, So this is being
changed like for me, man, and good because I had
a head start of you guys, right, I had to
hear start off you guys. So I think I did
(08:43):
this man, probably over maybe fifteen twenty times easy.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Oh wow, Okay, I didn't take that long, but it
definitely some reorganizing. And then, you know, one of the
things that I found that was the most difficult is
like if an artist is quote unquote this gangster, but
they're also players or pens or street or hustler or whatever,
then I was like, well, this album isn't super gangster.
(09:08):
So even though it's one of my favorite albums or
a phenomenal album, I had to take it off this
list because it's more player, or it's more drug dealing,
or it's more whatever. If it's not you know, super
gangster out then I was like, well, let me uh
not include it.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I feel you man. One of the things I kind
of struggled with it's kind of like the same thing
because what I had to do is really look at
what gangster rap fields. In this essence, right, it's talking
about criminal behavior, street shit. So my thing is this,
I said, Okay, to be fair and objective. If you
talk about selling dope, if you're talking about penpic and women,
(09:48):
that's gangster shit.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
You know, it's you know, it's a criminal element, right,
even though the culture didn't give that title to the genre.
You know, in its essence truly yields is reality wrap
street reporting. You know.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
You talk about that in my book, The History.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
The History of Gangster Rap yep. So that's what it is.
Just a bunch of brothers talking about what they surveyed
in their life and they you know, in their neighborhoods.
I know that's you know, been a big debat and
hip hop for the lungs. But this dude ain't really
no gangster man. You know, he a nerd, he this
and that. No, they don't have to be a gangster man.
These guys are just as creative. You got to give
(10:25):
him the same creative license that you give creative you know,
Quentin Tarratino, Steven Spielberg and you know other great writer, visualizer,
just creative people.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
I mean, to that point, that's what I wanted to
do and illustrate with the History of Gangster Rap book
that I have, which is really show like these dudes
are geniuses as far as storytelling, as far as lyricism,
as far as creating these atmosphere, these musical moments, this uh,
brilliant material that we all know and love and that
(10:58):
you know, if you look at the Titans of Gangster Rap,
really the four pillars of it with Ice Tea, Ice Cube,
Doctor Dre and Snoop Dogg, they're also for the biggest
people in all of entertainment. So when you look at
it from that perspective, not only is all four of
the music transcended rap, but as people, as businessmen and
(11:21):
as entertainers, they've also transcended rap and it all comes
from gangster rap, and they all four are still doing
it at a high level in their respective fields. And
now I think that just shows the power gangster rap.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
You know, those four people you name, man, they've generated
over a billion dollars in business easily, you know, and
probably more like two.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Big I was going to say closer to two.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
To know, definitely closer to two billion.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
So it's actually closer to three if you include all
the movies, because right himself is more than a billion
at the box office.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
You're right, man, And you know, or I think is
more than a debt.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Cube is probably the greatest gangster of all time, you know,
top five easily.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Cube is a bad man. That's an understatement.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
You know, he's a bad man. He's a bad man.
It'll be on my list several times. Oh man, it's
top fifty. Yeah, that's the thing we're letting you guys know. Now,
there is definitely going to be multiple entries of certain artists, because,
like they said, this is competition something, you know, and
these guys they did it consistently. You know, some of
these guys. I think ice Cube it wasn't a real,
(12:26):
really long run because he really took off in the
world of acting, but he wasn't a run man where
pretty much. He controlled the game for a good seven
eight years, man, and it was just like undeniably, Yeah,
he was a bad man.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
The only people that would deny were some of the
people in the media. But in reality, you know, that's
starting with, of course his work with NWA, but then
as a solo artist, I mean, Cube was dominant, prominent,
selling out shows, selling lots of records, but more importantly
(13:04):
driving what the music was going to be. It was
his voice, his words, his style, his storytelling. All of
that really changed the game.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Yeah did, man. But with that being said, you know,
you will probably wind up being one of those guys
that gets his own episode as he should, you know.
So let's get into your forty one through fifty man.
I'm curious to see what you got.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Cracking, all right, So we're doing one at a time.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
We're gonna talk about them or you.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Just want to go talk about them too. See this list.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Forty one through fifty.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah, we're doing something different. We're going to ask you.
Let you guys see the whole process of us putting
this list together. We're not gonna be like these other
lanes and just throw a bunch of bullshit out there
and put some bad shit on there on purpose, just
to spark debait and get some clicks and lights. You know,
we're doing this because we really care about this shit,
so we're gonna buy you guys in the process.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
So what I'll do then is all go from forty
one to fifty alrighty yeah, Project Pat Getty Green.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Let's talk about it a little bit.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Man.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
Project Pat's debut album, and you know, I got the
book with Juicy J September fifth, Chronicles of the Juice Man.
Of course, Juicy J DJ Paul produced the album together.
And Project Pat I think is one literally one of
the best rappers of all time.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
He's a phenomenal artist, very underrated.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
And the thing about Project Pat that he does and
he starts on it with Geddy Green.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
He's got another album that's hired in this on my list.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
But Pat, I think it's such a brilliant artist because one,
he's lived through all this stuff, so he's legitimate. Yeah,
But beyond that, what makes Pat so great to me
is that he really dissects like ice Tea was the
first one I remember in Ice ice Cube, even schooy
(14:55):
D did it and caris one, but they showed you
the pitt and the downfall of the game, and Project
pad on Geddy Green starts off with that you got Backstabbers,
you got? I mean that just shows you right there.
He's got a crucial conflict on there. But you know
out there's a great song North Memphis Choices Choppers of course, ballers.
(15:18):
But Pat has the humor, he's got the street tails,
and he's got the super gangsterism, but then also showing
you the pitfalls of the game and the way he
does it his phraseology is terminology is just phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
And I think Geddy Green is one of.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
Those albums that because there's so many great albums, I
think now you know, it came out in ninety nine,
and that was also the year, one of those years
where rap exploded on the charts and all this stuff
to a lot of the big records that came out
also in ninety nine and ninety eight, so I think
it kind of got lost a little bit, but not
(16:01):
to me, you know, Geddy Green phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Project.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Yeah, I also had that on my list, but I'll
let you continue, Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Then I got schooy D Smoked Some Kill.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
This is his third album, but it's his first album
where his picture was actually on the cover and you
got another poem, same white Bitch, Should we go again?
Black Man Treacherous? And this album I think is so
important because.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Musically Schoolly de created gangster rap.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
You know, really, I'd say that he had done it
before with Gangster Boogi in his earlier records, but of course, PSK,
what does it mean to me is the beginning against
the rap. You know, it influenced Iced Tea to make
six in the Morning in the way that he did.
But with Smoke Some Kill, Schoolly had changed from the
(16:54):
schooly D album that came out in eighty five Saturday Night,
the album which came out in eighty six when he
gets to jive and puts out in eighty eight, Smoke
Some Kill his production and he produced all of his music,
so he was to me also really the first rapper producer,
and Smoked Some Kill he evolved his sound. He changed
(17:16):
and was still telling all these street stories, talking about drugs,
talking about being on the corners and all this different
stuff as he had done before, but he added he
always sprinkled it in and I think on Smoke Some
Kill he started doing it more and more the political commentary,
the social commentary exactly. And we get a lot more
that with his next album and I Black Enough for You,
(17:39):
But that one I think toned down on the gangster
asm a little mit. So I put Smoke Some Kill,
which to me is more stream, more gangster. Then I'm
gonna go with Ice Cubes the Predator when when they
shoot it was a good day, who got the camera?
Speaker 3 (17:54):
All these songs, hold on, let me go back? So
you got it was a good day in the bottom
in the last team.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Well for the whole album, for the whole album.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Yeah, that was a big album. Man, I had that
raty to look higher. Well that's a tough but I'm
not mad at it though, because Cubes gonna have multiple
entries do this thing. I'm pretty sure he is.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
And the other thing that I'll say about it is,
to me, Smoke Some Kill. The production is just so amazing.
And I'm only talking about a few songs.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Here and there.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
And I think that The Predator coming off of America's
or excuse me, coming off that certificate, I was just
to me, that certificate is going to be way higher
on the list. So we'll talk in detail about that
later as is America's most wanted and I just thought
The Predator, as amazing as it is, is a distinct
(18:51):
It's not as good as those two albums.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
It's very different.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
It's a lot more, very different, very commercial, well sonically especially,
it's it's very and even lyrically. There's a lot of
different things going on on it that I think show
again Cubes brilliant. But I also think it's a very
different album in so many different ways. And again, to
(19:14):
make in the.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Top forties, that's pretty that's a tall, tall order.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
Yeah, it is. I believe it's fair. Yeah, that's a
fair assessment. I'm not mad at that.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
And then we're gonna get to DJ Quick with Safe
and Sound.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
That one.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Quick's got multiple entries on here for me too, and
I remember, obviously a super gang banging, but I remember,
you know, he's got to get at me save a
salad dollars and cents, of course. But I also remember,
and I've talked to Quick about this many times over
the years, and I've written about it with him. You know,
this was during one of the he made this album
(19:51):
during one of the darkest, most frustrating times of his life,
and that's reflected in the music. It's very angry and
it's not as bright as say Rhythmalism or even Quick
as the name for that matter, And.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
The album's kind of melancholy and dark little it's very
not kind of it's extremely it's a dark album. But
that being said, it's still brilliant and amazing and shows that,
you know, at this point when you're getting two three
albums in like schooly D, like ice Cube and like
DJ quickar to me, that's just showing their brilliance because
(20:30):
at this point in the early and then with the
Safe and Sound being ninety five, you're getting into the
mid nineties. So gangster rap created in eighty five exploded
in eighty eight eighty nine, So now we have a
six seven years after its real explosion. And so yeah,
(20:51):
next I got a DJ Quick Safe and Sound, you know,
just coming into ninety four ninety five era.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You know, at me Safe and Sound.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Dollars and Cents or some of my favorite tracks on there,
and I think that you know, this is getting into
being quick third album. It was released during one of
the more frustrating difficulty times in his life, as having
talked to spent a lot of time Quick over the years.
I know that he was going through a lot personally,
(21:22):
you know, as he talked about and just like Compton,
you know, a lot was going on in the road professionally,
he was learning a lot about the game, but then
he was dealing with a lot of personal strife. And
that I think you can feel in Safe and Sound
because it's a very angry, very melancholy, very frustrated album.
And for me, you know, that definitely comes through musically,
(21:47):
but I think that doesn't take away from.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
The power of the project.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
It was very dope aunt.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Yeah, and like Schoolyde, Quick produced himself, so I think
that to me just shows his brilliance and likes schooly
D like an ice tea, like an ice cube.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Now that you're getting into the late and mid I.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
Mean really the mid nineteen nineties, to have three four
or five albums like Quick, ice Cube and sque D
Had a Nice Tea, even that's just showing you that
what they're doing is working, it's resonating with the fans,
and the power of the music is.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Really really out there because.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
There these guys are the ones that are really putting
in motion what's going on in a lot of the
rest of the country and changing how people wrap. And
I think Quick had that, you know, from his aesthetic,
the way he dressed, his style and everything. He just
he brought a different level of gangsterism to the game. Man.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Well, DJ Quick as a superstar.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
That's that's an understable star.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
You know, just from the guys live performances. Yeah, I'm
a big judge of live performances. I can't stand the
dudes that get go on stage and just kind of
just stand up there where they got five hundred people
behind him. You know, Quick as a great performer, and
he's one of the few people that produces just as
good as he wrapped. He raps just as good as
he produces. Well, he's a one producer and he's a
(23:11):
one rapper.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
I think he is.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
I said this on his unsung if you haven't seen it,
but I'm quoted on there because I said and I
told him many times, but I think he is the
best rapper producer ever.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Oh, he is of all time because he writes his own,
he pins his own wraps. He don't have no ghost
right or no.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
I've been in the studio when he's read it and
recorded it.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
So I've seen I've had the pleasure of being you know,
with him in the studio and seeing him work. It's
almost like seeing the heart surge. And this particular zeal
is because he had bringing down everything on the SSL.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Is this when you were with High Seeding?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Yeah, this is when I was. I see yep, when
I was going the road with High seeing those guys,
you know, that's those guys gain my breaking industry man,
that whole camp.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
That's why I brought it up.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Yeah. So, but just you know, having the opportunity to
be in there with him and just see him spend
hours on the snare to just really just be like
an I've seen him make the most incredible beats and
just say I don't like it and just throw the
shit away, like like literally a racing and you'll be
looking like, what the fuck? Man? That just sounded like
some alien shit like just her man, this dude just erasing.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Yeah, Well, when you're a genius, I guess you can
do that.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
He's definitely a genius.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Okay, So my next album is gonna be iced Tea's
freedom of speech. Just watch what you say lethal weapons
on there? You played yourself is on there, and I
think Iced Tea is one of the best rappers of
all time.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Or one of the greats for sure.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
I think he's criminally no pun intended, but criminally underrated.
And I think that you know, you Play Yourself and
he Iced Tea, I think is the master of showing
the pitfalls of the game but also the highs.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Of the game.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
And I think he was and remains the best of that.
And I think the freedom of speech of album is
coming where Rapp was under a lot of attack.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
This is eighty nine.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
You know, NWA had exploded, Easy had exploded, schooly D
had been successful, Ice had been successful coming off the
Power album is a I think best selling album all
the time. And the reality is Ice was like, you know,
just watch what you say. You can say whatever you
want to say.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
We're in America.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
But at the same time, there's gonna be repercussions, There's
gonna be things that are gonna happen to you. And
I think this album really kind of got on that.
And You Played Yourself is another one of those cautionary
tales that Ice I think is one of the best
at doing and really showing like Ice Cube did schooy
(25:46):
d did so many people did that are the best,
like the Might, the DJ Quicks of the world, the
Project Pats of the world.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
They show you the downfall of the game.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
And you know, I also think that Ice ICE's creativity
and his playerrism was on full effect on this album
as well.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
And you know, we get to send the kid popping.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
Up a little bit, and it's just a great album.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
This one is a little hard for me to rank
this low.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
But yeah, I want to go back to Ice teat
real quick because I had the pleasure of meeting Darlene
right here last week. Oh you know, you know, we
took a picture and everything, and I was telling her
about because you know, I thought it was so cool
that he put his own woman on the album cover.
And she said that Ice, he didn't want to do nothing.
Everything had to be authentic. As a matter of fact,
(26:37):
he said, I didn't know you could lie. So he said,
you know, the idea of him having some chicken he
didn't know on his album cover and wearing juryty wasn't
he is? He said, Man, I got all that shit
for real, I'm gonna wear it on an album. Can
wear my shit?
Speaker 4 (26:48):
Well, Ice has told me many times that, you know,
Russell Simmons had come to see him perform early in
his career, and he didn't know that Ice that particular performance.
Ice didn't know he was going to be performing, so
he just went on wearing what he was wearing. And
he told me that Russell Simmons told him that's your
(27:10):
look because that's who you are. You don't need to
dress like you're from New York or anything else. You're
an LA street dude and you're a fly player like dude.
That's that's your image. Don't change it.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Ice T was very influential, man, because when you know,
back in the day, they used to wear these silk
suits out here man with the like silk shirt. I
saw Ice T had that on. Man. The first thing
I did when I hit California is I wanted to
swap meet. Bought me two or threeoms those look I
don't know if they was real silk, but I looked
like him, and I got me to look chain with
the Uzie on it. I had a baby first though.
(27:42):
That motherfucker was the flyes dude. Whatever, man, but I'll
let you continue.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
Yeah, Ice is by far one of the greatest rappers
ever the next one. It's hard to put this a
little bit low, but I think many of the albums
that were discussing and gonna be throughout the series, the
productionists held up so much, and I think this one
parts of it haven't, which is why it's a little
(28:07):
bit lower to me, which is criminal minded.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
By booking out productions.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
You got a lot of records I got ranked higher
than the forties, and you got them in the bottom part.
Your list would be a motherfucker.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
It is it is. But of course this is a
brilliant album and Karis one to me is top five
rappers of all time.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
But you know, this album really showed.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
Gangster rap from the East Coast perspective, especially through the
title track. Nine Milimeter Goes Bang is another one, and
that song in particular, being from Maryland and listening to
a lot of Go Go growing up, that was a
big song that they made into a go Go song,
Nine Milimeter Goes Bang, So you know that had an
(28:53):
extra layer and it just showed like this music from
the South. Bronx is resonating all the way down in
DC and being on an independent label be Boy Records
and Karris, you know, they didn't have at least to
my knowledge, they never have any videos for this or anything.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
It was just like pure word of mouth.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
It was just all word of mouth.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
And this album is a masterpiece. But then you get
like Poetry and Elementary and all these other records that
are not Gangster rep and karas One who have had
the pleasure of meeting and interviewing and hanging out with
the number of time over the years. You know, the
harder Streeter stuff. Gangster stuff was more Scott LaRock and
karas One was much more on the poetry to Elementary
(29:34):
and that's what you see starting, you know, on the
next album, which is why the rest of will get
on productions. And then Karris Wan's music as a solo
artist is so different because that wasn't what who karas
One is or what he wanted to represent.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
He wanted to be the.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Stop the violence guy, the self destruction guy, and you know,
that's my philosophy guy. And that's why, you know, the
subsequent albums sounds so different, but it's a masterpiece. It's
just the production. I think then age as well, so
I had to for me, at least when I'm looking
(30:12):
at the totality of these projects. I'm trying to you know,
I'm as objective as possible, and I just that's the
one thing that dinged it down and got it a
little lower than me.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Yeah, you know what, His beach don't really didn't really
hold it up over time compared to a lot of
other stuff, you know, now, that one and I think
you got to think about it. He was on one
of the probably worst record labels at that time. They
put out a lot of pivotal albums. But like I was,
that's the same label. I believe EPMD was on the
first Sleeping Bag Records.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Right, No, they were on B Boy Records for Criminal Minded.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
Okay, so Sleeping Bag had just Ice at epm D,
at Steezel at Manta. Right, you're right hugely, but B
Boy Records mainly had Looking Out productions, JVC Force and
Sparky D.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Yeah, it's Sparky D. What's funny about the album?
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Man?
Speaker 3 (31:04):
I remember I think Carris One only made like five
thousand dollars off the album.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Man, it wasn't surprised me.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
You made like five g's off a classical album. It's crazy,
all right, go ahead, So I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
So next, we're going to get into one of our
personal favorites, and a great album is the Convicts album. Uh,
Big Mic and three two just killing this. This for
the convicts, the one nine hundred dollar Crook. It's hilarious.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Penitentiary blues Man, Illegal Aliens. They put out a legal
Aliens today, man, I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
They wouldn't be able to put that song out today.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
They couldn't do it. Everybody is so sensitive now. But
you know what, I'm not going to say I agreed
with everything they said in that song necessarily, but the
stance that they were coming from, they were all most
on some real textas patriotic shit, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
It's like Texas is its own country. But I think
this album, as you and I both know, it's a
shame that the Convicts only did the one album because
Big Mike, of course later with the Ghetto Boys and
later as a solo artist, is a phenomenal talent. And
then three to two, you know, unfortunately didn't didn't get
(32:18):
to make as much music, but.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
He's very They almost wond up on different riggords, you
know that.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
Right of course they were out here making the chronic.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Yeah, they almost wound up on different ricords. Man, I
talked to Big Mike about it all the time.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Yeah, I did an interview with him and we talked
about that on my Unique Access Entertainment channel on YouTube.
But the reality is this album is amazing, and I
think it just shows Peterman of course is on there too,
but it just it's amazing. But I think it's it's
a very well rounded album.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
And storytelling and everything on there. Big Mike showed his
ass as was three.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Two, yeah, and the next one, And this is one
of those things I was mentioning earlier that UGK could
and maybe arguably should have more entries. But I think
Riding Dirty is the most gangster album because Dirty Money
I love and has so many great songs, but I
think that Riding Dirty is the one. You know, one
(33:16):
day murdered Diamond Wood. That's why I carry like these
these are straight super gangsterism type of songs, and it
just shows, you know, one of the things that I
love about rap is getting all these different perspectives. So like,
if you're looking at the people I've been mentioning, like
Project Pat, Memphis, schooly D, Philadelphia, Ice Cube, La, DJ
(33:40):
Quick Compton, iced T South Central, We'll get out production
South Bronx, and you got the Convicts from well Big
Mike from New Orleans originally but then relocating to Houston,
and then three two in Houston. But then we get
to UGK with Port Arthur, PA. And that's the thing
that I love in that just coincidentally my list really
(34:04):
represents is that getting all these different voices, all these
different street tails from all over the country and these
are now in different errors. You know, some of my
stuff is from the eighties, some of it's from the nineties,
So it's just showing you know, rap growing, developing, rap,
you know, evolving.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
And I think that.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Bunby and PIMC, of course had phenomenal chemistry. Another self
produced group largely done by PIMC, of course, But I
just think that their storytelling and their perspective was very,
very distinctive and really uh broke things down in a
different way from a different perspective than we really had had.
(34:45):
And it's hard for me to only put one, but
like I said, I think Ryding Dirty is the most
street gangster album that they had, So that's the one
I think is the best.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
Match for sure. I hope y'all appreciate what we're doing
right now, because what we're doing for as much as
we're putting our list together in real time in front
of you guys, because I'm over here writing things down,
because we got some unanimous choices across the board. But me,
I have multiple entries with UGK, that's one of my artists.
I got multiple entries in What's Your Next one?
Speaker 1 (35:14):
Man?
Speaker 4 (35:15):
The next one is hard because I look at two
these albums similar, but I'm gonna go with the East
Siders producer and trays.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
The old fashioned way.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
I had them higher because I think this album, oh Man, Trady,
Godi Locan, of course, Snoop do such a phenomenal job.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Nate Dogg is all on it, buta Toya Williams is
on them multiple times.
Speaker 3 (35:37):
What's your favorite song on there?
Speaker 4 (35:40):
I mean, crip Hop Connected, East Side Riders. Those are
probably three of my favorites, so it's hard to say
my favorite song. I love it, of course, was a
big single Doghouse in Your Mouth. I mean, it's just
so many great songs on this album.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
I like Doghouse in your Mouth, sugar Free, Kiel.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
That shit, did he ever?
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Yeah, sugar Free destroyed that.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
So this album, I think Goldie Lok is great, and
Trey D has continued to be such a phenomenal rapper
and put out so much material. I know he's got
new material out now. To tray D, I think is
one of those artists. For whatever reason, I don't think
the masses really understand and appreciate what a great artist trade.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
He is as lyrically, he's very visual with his lyrics
extremely because I even listen to him on Glass. You
got a song with Glasses where you say it what homicide,
come align them bags up, and it was just like
so I said, damn this motherfuckers really like the West
Coast Crip version of rock Kim.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
No, he is phenomenal, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:43):
Actually it's funny you say that because on my Unique
Access people should check it out. We did a Best
Album's episode where I talked to him about his favorite
album and he did Paid in Full, So Eric being
rock Kim is Paid in Full is his favorite album?
Talk about that in general. So it's funny you just
bring up him about being a West Coast He.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Gues cadence is kind of similar to rock Heems, you know,
because he's a Margs and the Margan guy. You know,
he just spitting man like when he said that shit,
he said, I forget it, verbating what he said. He said,
not he's scared to hang out. Niggas know we did.
We screamed insane out, you know, like not he scared
to hang out. And I was like, Damn, this is
(37:25):
a bad motherfucker. He's very underrated man, severely underrated.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
Yeah, I think Trady is one of the most underrated
rappers ever and I think he's an immense talent, giant
in the game.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
He was man one of my favorite rappers for sure.
Speaker 4 (37:41):
And I think there was in Trey's old fashioned way. Ironically,
the first album is self titled debut album, was more popular,
sold more and all that other stuff. But I think
this album is actually better. I think it's They're both
have spectacular moments and they're both great.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
But I think and trade. I just I don't know,
I just I.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
Really really think the production. So now number fifty, the
last one on my list is a Snoop DOGG No Limit,
Top Dog.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
No Limit, Top Dog. I had to hire.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
Too now this album. If you haven't hired and you know, bitch,
please buck them. Down for my ends. Snoop of Fella.
There's so many songs on here, but the most impressive
thing to me about it is to me, Snoop as
Glass as that I have talked about. I'm sure you
and Glass have talked about. That's he thinks it's the
(38:35):
best rapper as the best catalog, and I think No
Limit Top Dog. You know, coming from dog Father and
the first No Limited album, people were kind of like, eh,
I don't know about Snoop as much. But then when
he came back with No One Limit Top Dog, I
had never lost faith in Snoop because I had been
around him and I knew what was happening during this time.
(38:58):
And then when I went I happened to go to
his house and he played me to him and a
little me talk dog. Uh this is when he used
to stay in Claremont, and I was like, I couldn't
believe it. Still, I was just like, this album is bananas,
and you know Buckham being toward the front of the
album sticky Fingers was you know, I knew he was
(39:20):
rumored to be on Aftermath or was on Aftermath collaborating
with Aftermath, but to hear how he and Snoop worked
so well together, exhibited exploding on Bitch Please, super Flies
on there, I mean, sugar Freeze on the album.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
It's just it's a.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
Real dope album. It's amazing, and it was Snoop kind
of saying I'm still here.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
Not only that, but I'm as good as I've ever been.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
But was crazy about it. Man, dog Father took a
lot of flack and I heard, you know, I remember
hearing whispers through the enemy, you know, through the whole
industry today was trying to get rid of Snoop and
I was and that was really befuddled because of that,
because that shit sold like two or three million albums.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Yeah, it was definitely.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
I didn't know what the problem was. I was like,
why are they getting while trying to get rid of Snoop?
Speaker 4 (40:05):
Well know, but to this point with no of them
at Top Dog coming out in nineteen ninety nine, you know,
Snoop coming out with deep Cover, then being the start
the Chronic and then Doggy Style, that's you know, ninety
two to ninety nine, that's you know, seven years, but
really eight years. And it's like, dude, to be to
(40:26):
quote unquote to have people feel that you fell off,
and then eight years later you're like, have the with
Bitch Please. In particular, you got the biggest song in
rap exact probably or one of the biggest songs at
the time, and that's through the Reunite Reuniting with Dre.
It's just so much going on on this album, and
(40:47):
I was just like, people don't know, man.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
But him and Doctor Dre are definitely peanut buttering Shelley.
Whenever I see them two get together, I don't care
what time period of seeing I'm betting on them dudes,
as you should, because they're going to come out with
some shit that's just gonna ship the whole coach all
the time.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
All right, So that's mine. What about you are?
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Still? Okay? We got a lot of the same ones,
the stuff that you already had on your list that
we went over. I'm not going to go on a
you know, a long time about it or whatever, because
we already talked about it. I'll be very brief. My
number one is Big Mike and Lord three to the Convicts.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
All right, Oh for forty one, for forty one.
Speaker 3 (41:26):
Yeah, for forty one. That's my forty one right there.
My next one is Schoolly de smokes and kill.
Speaker 1 (41:33):
All right, you know, I guess you know me, you
that's the same.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Actually, you know me, You and eight all voted than
that one. Right. My number three album is Easy. Easy
doesn't not my favorite one over here, but it's kind
of just.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
The honest A lot higher with Easy, doesn't.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Yeah, you know, I'm pretty sure yours is higher. But
I say that because Easy is almost like you know,
schooly D is the godfather of gains the rep, but
Easy is the godfather between him and ice T. I
gotta give to ice T first, but I got an
ice T way up higher too. He has multiple entries,
by the way, but he is my forty three. My
(42:09):
forty four is my man, Project Betpack Getty Green. You know,
even though he got the pat the sketch the from
my bay Ball, I think he perfected it. And he's
severely underrated. Man. He's one of the greatest storytellers in
hip hop. Pat is for sure, No Patty is man.
Go out and check out Project Pat. Don't sleep on
my guy. My forty five is the Dayton Family. You know,
(42:31):
my Midwest cast. You know the Dayton shout out. You
know what's on my mind. Number forty six for Me
is Trick Daddy based on a true story, forty seven
above the Low, Black Moth Your Life forty eight, Koogie
Rap four five six. You know, I think this I
could have rated this higher, but Koogie Rap is just
(42:52):
one of the greatest lyricists of all time, one of
the greatest rappers of all time. Doesn't necessarily make the
greatest albums though.
Speaker 4 (42:59):
Well, I got Cooled You Wrap a different album higher,
so he'll be on my list, but for a different project.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
But he's definitely one. He's definitely and I.
Speaker 4 (43:07):
Got The Black Mafia Life higher too, so we'll be
seeing yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:11):
See so yeah, that's one of the ones that we
got to write down that's in there, you know, Automatic Entry.
I kind of struggled with this one because I love him.
I love him as an artist, but he is not
consistent at all. Was that mc ringing, Shock at the Hour?
Speaker 4 (43:29):
Shot at the Hours phenomenal? And I think Ruthless Villain
and Ruthless for Life. Really those three albums I think
are all excellent projects. And Shot at the Hour I
just remember, you know, Bob Catechors did a lot of
work on there too.
Speaker 3 (43:49):
Yeah, he was the staff producer at that time. You know,
after Drede left, Easy got with him because he was
doing a lot of stuff with Rhythm D and those guys.
You know, he had continued doing a Rhythm D and
there with Bob was kind of running the whole staff
over there.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (44:04):
Well, Bobcat, as you and I have talked about many
times over the years, to me, if not one of
the most underrated producers, but he's a phenomenal producer. Some
of his stuff's gonna show up elsewhere on my list.
Speaker 1 (44:17):
But oh for sure, I think that shot at the hour.
Speaker 4 (44:21):
I think Wren Again, it's hard for me to say
he's underrated because he's in NWA and because kiss My
Black Ass was a platinum EP, But I think mc
wren is still underrated, and I think that, you know,
I think it's just because when you come from basically
the Beatles are rap and you got Ice Cube and
(44:42):
Doctor Dre and Easy, that it's like you could be
an All Star on the All Star team, but it's
just tough.
Speaker 3 (44:50):
Well, you know the thing about it, he had to
battle all those other guys, celebrity you know, Doctor Dre,
who was like, who's been the best producer in hip hop,
like at Forever, you know, Forever, you know, you got
easy who's very polarizing, right, you know, he just had
that risk and he was you know, he was interesting.
(45:11):
You know because I first heard him, he thought it
was a sixteen year old kid or something like that.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
You remember, he made the little things, he made a joke, and.
Speaker 3 (45:19):
I thought the motherfucker was really sixteen. For the bongs,
I was like, who is this bad motherfucker man going
on cussing everybody out? I just thought it was a
trip man. But my last and final one, I wanted
to put this higher. This is a group that has
multiple entries in my list. I picked UGK super Tight.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
That was another one that.
Speaker 4 (45:39):
Was I was trying to figure out UGK and how
to properly salute and uh present them. But super Tight
is super tight, so I have no no problems there.
Speaker 3 (45:59):
Yeah, you know. So if you look at this, we
pretty much almost our lists.
Speaker 4 (46:03):
Were identical, very very similar, very similar, even though.
Speaker 3 (46:09):
He had some steps through me off. But that's what
these things do. I think everybody should speak from the
hard on because it's not all about record sales all
the time. Because as you know, being a you know, writer,
you know, writing for hip hop as long as you
have marketing plays a big part.
Speaker 1 (46:26):
Yeah. I mean, look like, for example, both of us
have The Convicts and you got Dayton Family.
Speaker 4 (46:31):
I've interviewed Dayton Family, and you know I got Bootleg
on Unique Access Entertainment. But the reality is Dayton Family
put out a lot of great music and the Convicts
both through Too and Big Mic. But then as the Convicts,
that's a great project that definitely didn't sell a lot
of units. It definitely wasn't known by most people. I
would argue, but it's amazing fifty three or something like that,
(46:56):
and the rap charts the Convicts autum on R and B.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
It wouldn't it wouldn't surprise me.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
So but problem that was almost from word of mouth.
Speaker 4 (47:06):
And that's why I'm glad we're framing it in the
way of this is like purely about the art, and
I think that to show that the Convicts their album
is so amazing and really set the stage for especially
Big Mic to really blow up as a solo artist
and as a member of the Ghetto Boys. But it
just shows you that this type of stuff, man, really,
(47:30):
really it is all about the art. When we're talking
about it because the convicts wouldn't be on here if
we only cared about record sales or if that was
such a big point of it.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
So I'm glad we're doing it this way.
Speaker 3 (47:41):
Well, it can't be just about record sales, man, because
like I said, master Piece sold a lot of albums
back then, a lot of albums. And I had master
Pe ice cream Man initially in my bottom fifty and
I made it ih oa because I just, you know,
it's all about impact to me. Master P really when
(48:03):
he came in the game and we just kind of
give him a preview for what may see next week.
Speaker 1 (48:07):
I don't know if you have previewed the remixes, but
I think.
Speaker 3 (48:11):
Master P man for with it. He pretty much usher
in the era of the hustler, of the true hust
the dude that says, you know what, motherfuckers might. He
sounded like a real New Orld language dude, you know
what I mean. He sounded like he was a dude
really from down there for New Orleans, you know. He
sounded like one of them more boys, you know, for real, right,
And it was just a different sounds. So I dug it.
(48:33):
He wasn't the most. You know, it's not like you
know when you hear NOAs I didn't exactly listen to
master p because you know, to get exercise and lyricism, no,
you know, but it was just some good old fashioned
hood shit.
Speaker 4 (48:46):
And that's the other thing I think that's important about
this list and just discussing rap. Everything's not about always
got to have these like supreme lyrics, you know, it's
about the music, about the like I was saying, criminal Minded,
like some of those, it's the vibe, and it's the production,
it's the feel. And you know, I'm sure as we
(49:11):
get going, we're all going to have more stuff with
Doctor dre produced. But when you see that like that
just shows you the power and the importance of production.
And that's why, you know, a lot of these records
as we get into the top, you know, get into
the thirties and above, like, you know, you gotta have
the great lyrics, you gotta have the great stories, you
(49:33):
gotta have the great production, you gotta have all these
elements that make it timeless music, which is why we're
talking about it exactly.
Speaker 3 (49:40):
And as you see having half any ice ta in
my bottom, you know, my final team because I haven't
much higher.
Speaker 4 (49:47):
Well I got Iced Tea higher too, so they'll be multiple.
And he's one of those artists that got several entries
on the list for.
Speaker 3 (49:54):
Sure, as he should, you know, I can tell you
right now, we haven't brought his name up yet for
the group Scarface.
Speaker 1 (50:02):
He's on here a couple of times.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
He's right there next to Cube, and I told him that.
And I'm going to be honest right now. I love
Ice Cuban as a rapper, but I Scarface is my
favorite rapper. But I told Scarface that. He said, man,
he better stop that. Knock it off. He said that
Cube is a bad motherfucker, of course, so it was
kind of it was funny, you know, to hear him
say that. I was telling him, like, dudes, you my
(50:26):
favorite motherfucker. You and Q. Him and Cube are so.
Speaker 1 (50:29):
Similar in a lot of ways.
Speaker 3 (50:32):
You know. They're just both really descriptive with their rhymes.
And this is one thing I don't like and hip hop,
the dudes that kind of do too much with the
lyrical miracle, you know, all that stuff. To me, that's
for me. Biggie Gray, Biggie Q, and Scarface all share
(50:52):
the same characteristics. They say a lot by saying a
little like Biggie, you know my rap rhymes, light, laying minds,
one step to boom, black suits, field the room, ice, cute.
God damn. I'm glad y'all said it. Though used to
be hard. Now you just salt, you know. So it's
just like they do. The most was saying a little
and you understand what they're saying. I know a lot
(51:15):
of incredible rappers. Man. The rass Cash to me is
one of the baddest motherfuckers.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
They ever hold a microphone, that's for sure.
Speaker 3 (51:21):
As China wag sell, for sure, we're living in the
real life idiocracy area era right.
Speaker 1 (51:28):
Now, no doubt about it, to where people.
Speaker 3 (51:31):
Don't want to think so. I enjoy their music, but
there aren't that many intellectus. It's more idiots than.
Speaker 1 (51:37):
Those intellects, that's for sure.
Speaker 3 (51:39):
You know, not saying that people not dumb, but people
just want it. Some people can't digest that type of stuff, man.
Speaker 1 (51:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:47):
Well, and if the people don't understand what you're saying, man,
usually you can lose somebody along the way.
Speaker 4 (51:53):
That happens, and that's why the razkaz is in the
Chino excels of the world are more popular, but that
doesn't take away from their talent at all.
Speaker 3 (52:02):
And those guys have been able to carve out a
niche in the game for themselves where they've had some
really long careers and who's to say, maybe if they
win commercial they may not still be around. These guys
are still actively touring, putting the albums in.
Speaker 4 (52:16):
They're still respected, absolutely absolutely, and I.
Speaker 3 (52:20):
Think that's what makes this thing hip hop's so interesting.
The biggest parallel I give the gangster rap is almost
like professional wrestling. You have all of these colorful people
and everybody has their stick like, you know, you have
Dusty Roads, you have you know, Dusty Rose kind of
represented the common man. Rick Flair represented the Paul. You know,
he came out with the woo and a little struck.
(52:43):
He was just a bad motherfucker, right right. And I
think that's when you look at the ice cubes, the scarfaces,
a lot of people sleep on them. And this is
the guy that got multiple entries in his list. I'm
pretty sure you got him too. Short. These dudes have
a swagger that's almost out of this world. When you
(53:04):
meet short and I you know, I trip off sometimes
that these dudes are actually my buddies now, right, you know,
I actually, you know, talk to these guys and now
I'm like, man, this is I'm talking too short right now.
He's a bad motherfucker. He's been doing it for a
long time. You got to give him as props, man. Yeah,
anytime somebody could survive something. Man, what an average shelf
(53:24):
life is two years? Dude, two and a half years
for a rapper, And I'm talking about somebody had a push.
Speaker 1 (53:29):
I was gonna say, if that, if that, and that's.
Speaker 3 (53:32):
Someone that had a push, that's someone that half they
had a career. Right for these dudes to be around,
fuck thirty forty years, they've short been doing it a
motherfucker last ten years. Look at the run Cube. Is
Steve rest Releivant his effort? Yep, he's just making movies. Yeah,
you know at this point he's almost like Michael Jordan.
(53:52):
He don't done so much in the game. What the fuck?
What it else for him be for him to do
in the game?
Speaker 1 (53:57):
Yeah, man, I mean that's like I was saying. When
you look at the.
Speaker 4 (54:01):
Ice Tea, the ice Cube, the Snoop Dogg and another
one and the Doctor Dre those four that's that's really
the pinnacle of everything. And they all other than Snoop,
they all got started in the eighties and Snoop was
right behind him in ninety two.
Speaker 3 (54:16):
So and they're still doing it. Man, And who would
have ever thought that Snooper wound up the biggest thing
man in Black America. Man, just straighten to come home. Man,
he's just a phenomenal god. You know what I'm saying,
It's like Snoop is all and I'll say this is nope,
I'm not being disrespectful at all. But Snoop is almost
(54:36):
like a cartoon character. He's like the McDonald's sign. He's
like Mickey Mouse, which means he's just like an entity
upon it.
Speaker 1 (54:43):
He's world famous.
Speaker 3 (54:44):
Yeah, he's world famous because I remember, I never will
forget this man. Me and Big psychles thing out. Big
Cycle was one of my good friends. Like we had
formed a really good relationship and we were in Dubai.
He actually had a show out there. So in this
hotel we weren they had like a dry queens downstairs.
So I took some shit you know when you got
(55:05):
lucks going overseas, and just got these nice ass shirts
that just got ruined. You're all wrinkled up and shit right.
So I take them to the dry queens that I
come back to. Lady says, oh you have daddy, nice material.
Are you entertaining you know? I was like yeah, I said, yeah,
I do this and that. She said, I don't know much. Rep.
I know Snoop Doggy Dog. I like Snoop Doggie Dog.
(55:26):
And we're talking about us probably at the time, a
sixty seventy year old Hindu woman.
Speaker 4 (55:32):
Wow, she knew who.
Speaker 3 (55:33):
Snoop Dogg was. I could see it. Damn man, that motherfucker's.
Speaker 1 (55:36):
Popping, that's for sure, you know.
Speaker 3 (55:40):
So, man, we don't get together next week. Yep, we
got our bottom ten and we're talking the phone about that.
And you guys see the results in the next six weeks,
next five to six weeks. So I will tell you
I would give you a long drawn out oultro soon,
but I'm gonna see your ass next week. Man.
Speaker 4 (55:59):
There it is he here next week.
Speaker 3 (56:01):
App here next week. I want to give you guys
out there, man, a message. COVID is still out there.
Make sure y'all washing, y'all hands, man, make sure I
don't know if we need to go back to wearing
a mask. I don't even want to get in all that,
but take care of yourself though still out there and
we out of here. Well. That concludes another episode of
(56:21):
the Gainst the Chronicles podcast. Be sure to download the
iHeart app and subscribe to The Gangster Chronicles podcast For
Apple users, find a purple mica on the front of
your screen, subscribe to the show, leave a comment and rating.
Executive producers for The Gangster Chronicles podcasts of Norman Stealed
Aaron M c a Tyler. Our visual media director is
Brian Whatt, and the audio editors tell It Hayes. The
Gangster Chronicles is a production of iHeartMedia Network and The
(56:43):
Black Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio,
visit the iHeart Radio app Apple podcasts wherever you're listening
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Hosts And Creators
Norman Steele
MC Eiht
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