It’s on like Diddy Kong ..read more

Nine years after I made a bootleg of all of the tracks/demos recorded for the never-completed second Main Source album with Large Professor, it’s now available on record, tape, CD and Spotify. Unsurprisingly, this all of the same material presented with varying levels of sound quality, with some phone interview snippets sprinkled in between. Nice to it have all collected in one place (despite the ‘uncut’ version of ‘Front Door’ being censored this time around) and all, but when the record showed-up this week and I witnessed the glory of the previously unheard ‘Fakin’ The Funk’ demo mix first-h ..read more

Don’t let the fact that Zippyshare is dead and buried mean that the mighty bootleg MP3 era of Unkut Dot Com is taking a permanent dirt nap. Thanks to the wonders of the InternetS, Google Drive Live is now hosting every one of the old compilations from the 2015-2018 era of Unkut Dot Com, along with both Counterstrike mixtapes and the 40 Oz. collections. Not that we’re completely living in the past, as the CRC Live mixes are also up there, inching us ever closer to the dream where no comment section ever need to be sullied by the cursed phrase, ‘Can I get a re-up ..read more

Fun fact I discovered recently – M.P.P.’s ‘Victim of the Ghetto’, first heard on the Marxman Cinema compilation, was originally slated as the final song on First Family 4 Life. After I included it on this week’s mix, it’s pretty clear that the song itself fell victim to the same fate as Da Lench Mob’s ‘Pin The Tail On The Honkey’. I’ll post the track listing in the near future – until then, enjoy an hour of Shout Rap excellence! Download: CRC M.O.P. Mix ..read more

Here’s an hour of Select Records stuff that I rate, focusing on some of the less well-known releases as well as a few old favourites. Some great edit and dub versions in here, because as someone who focused my meagre funds on buying albums as a youf, I still marvel every time I find an old 12″ with extended versions or mixes with a few extra sounds thrown in for shits ‘n giggles. Download: Select Records Mix Special mention has to go to the weird variation of the label for the Positively Black album ..read more

You may remember the Bad Boys and K Love for their beatbox rendition of the Muppets song ‘Veronica’ and the Inspector Gadget themed ‘Bad Boys’ from 1985, or the jaunty delights of ‘Here I Reign’ from 88, but it turns out that they also hold the honor of being the first crew to rap over Can’s ‘Vitamin C’ on this vaulted acetate that was originally intended to come out on Idlers, with the other Tony D on production. How is it that no one ever managed to make even a minor hit record out of that loop? Bad Boys – ‘Brooklyn’ Their discogs page also features an entry for an acetete pressing of their ..read more

There I was, like a total rube, thinking I had this record. But nah, it turns out that this was incorrectly listed on the back cover of the Cappuchino 12″ but never pressed. Instead, this wonderful reimagining of a landmark Lyte moment is trapped in the purgatory of being a CD bonus track on the Ain’t No Other album. Oh the humanity. MC Lyte – I Cram To Understand U 1990 (D.J. DOC Remix ..read more

How is it that the inserts on these old bootlegs are always printed on the thinnest, facsimile-grade paper available? Cost savings, obviously. In this particular example, they author has gone all-out, managing to squeeze-in cutting-edge slang such as ‘hottest joints’, ‘phat reworking’ and referring to dedicated rap fans as ‘heads’. Here’s an hour of some great unofficial remixes from the mid-90s, when bootlegs were a great way to get your name (and beats) out to Joe Boombox and Jane Bookbag. I’ll post the track listing next week so that you can enjoy the selections the first time around, live ..read more

Before he was a judge on the Danish X-Factor, Soulshock was getting busy on the proverbial wheels of steel as a DJ and remixer. Here’s an hour of his best rap stuff. Download: Soulshock Remixes Mix ..read more

Not sure if this was just a trial run or the actual inspiration for the book, but seeing as though Elliott Wilson was the Music Editor and Chairman Mao was a contributor when The Source‘s 100th issue was published in January 1998, it’s interesting to see how some of these made it to the retail version in 1999 and those that might have hurt feelings ended-up on the cutting room floor ..read more