D12 Devil's Night

D12 was a group hailed from Detroit, Michigan which included the top selling artist Eminem.  Eminem was a top success in rap during the 2000-2001 year range.  He was fresh from selling millions of records and winning awards from his controversial album The Marshall Mathers LP.  He just got his own label deal Shady Records.  He made it his mission to get his Detroit homies into the industry in a major way. The late, great Proof, Kon Artis, Kuniva, Swift, and Bizarre along with Em came together to put together the debut album for D12 titled Devil's Night.  There were production on the album from Eminem, Kon Artis, Dr Dre, and DJ Head.  I remember buying this cd when i was 15 years old during the summer of 2001.  I had to listen to it with my headphones on because at the time I was at a family reunion ceremony with religious relatives so i showed respect by not bothering them while i listened to the cd.  The lyrics on the cd was full of humor, had violent and sexual content, and pure emcee skills that the group perfected during their underground years in Detroit.  My favorites from the album: Fight Music, That's How, Like A Pimp, Nasty Mind, Revelations, Purple Pills, Instigator.  Also this is the cd that introduces the world to another underground MC that would sign with Shady Records and the guy is Obie Trice featuring on a skit named after him spitting a raw freestyle.

N.W.A. Niggaz 4 Life

N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude) were going strong in 1991 when they dropped this record.  The album went no.1 on the Billboard charts after it was released.  This album got no major radio and video support because of N W A's artistic expression of pushing the radar with harsh curse words and violent lyrics.  They did managed to release 'Alwayz into Somethin' and 'Appetite for Destruction' as singles but received a little video and radio play in the mainstream media. The departure of Ice Cube caused the N.W.A. to display more hardcore and violent image in their music.  On the Straight outta Compton album, they managed to balanced hardcore rap with a little political message in it.  Niggaz 4 Life gave N W A that extra edge to tell the world to go 'fuck themselves'. I was feelin the two singles I mention above but my other favs from the album are Findum Fuckem and Flee, The Dayz of Wayback, the title track, Real Niggaz, Real Niggaz Don't Die, even Eazy-E's rendition of Bootsy Collins' I Rather Be With You callin it 'I Rather Fuck With You. The prelude is the coldest intro on the album with MC Ren kicking two hardcore verses and also featured their proteges from South Central: Above the Law.  This album also helped set up the production of Dr Dre to create the Chronic album in 1992.

Eric B and Rakim- Let the Rhythm Hit Em

Eric B and Rakim had the rap game on lock between the late 1980's and early 1990's with their unique style.  Eric B's scratching skills along with Rakim's lyrical flow helped the duo become a brand in the "golden age" of Hip Hop. Some critics say that this album was their weakest material but i disagree with that.  This album has hardcore hip hop at its finest written on it.  The production was jazzy, funky, soulful and agressive at the same time on the record. Rakim's flow was like no other because he was rapping about the struggles and hard times with intelligence.  This album had productions from other hip hop heavyweights besides Eric B like Large Professor, Mark 4'5 and the late Paul C.  I appreciated this album more because of the production and lyrics being aggressive and yet have clever wordplay.  The album had good tracks like the title track, In the Ghetto, Step Back, Keep Em Eager to Listen, No Omega, Mahogany, Run For Cover etc. Stop sleeping on this album because Eric and Ra progressed musically on the record which helped set up their next and last album Don't Sweat the Technique.

The Force MD's Greatest Hits

The Force MDs are one of my favorite groups that ever did it. They helped in pioneering the combination of soulful singing with hip hop elements in the music. They paved the way for so many artists and groups using their formula. This cd has the highlights of their heyday and some rare cuts too. This group is full of raw talent. Beatboxing, tight harmonies,celebrity impersonations,rapping skills are associated with making the Force Md's a great group in their own right. They are very underrated and does not get the credit for their contributions in the music industry. Even though the group experienced tragedy with the deaths of TCD (Antoine Lundy), Mercury (Charles Nelson), and DJ Doctor Rock. Stevie D (Steven Lundy), Jessie D (Jessie Daniels), Khalil (Rodney Lundy), and Trisco Pearson are the surviving members of the group and keeping their legacy alive by constantly performing shows all around the world and recording new music. You have the hits like Tender Love, Love Is A House, Tears, Here I Go Again, Let Me Love You, Forgive Me Girl, Itchin For A Scratch, Couldn't Care Less, Touch and Go, and Are You Really Real. Then you have the rare and obscure tracks like their rendition of Auld Lang Syne, Step to Me, Deep Check, the remake of classic soul song I Wanna Know Your Name, Whats the Name of this Song, classic collaboration with the hip hop Stooges' Fat Boys on Fat Boys Meets The Force MD's, and Your Love Drives Me Crazy. Enjoy the memories of this underrated group and their hits and rare cuts all on one cd and peace to the fallen soldiers from this group may they rest in peace.

2Pac Greatest Hits

I had gotten this cd in the mail for free when i was 13 years and my dad used to be in the cd club where they order a certain amount of cds for a discount then a free one comes into your mail a week or two later. i didn't touch the disc until like 4 months later and it was a privilege to hear a tupac's biggest hits all on two different discs along with some album cuts and unreleased cuts. I used to have this cd on heavy rotation but i had headphones so i would not interrupt my parents. This is a two disc greatest hits collection which was enjoyable for me to appreciate Pac's music.  Hits like Keep Ya Head Up, I Get Around, California Love, Brenda's Got A Baby, Dear Mama, So Many Tears, Two of Amerikkkaz Most Wanted, Trapped, How Do You Want It, Hail Mary, Toss it Up, and Hit em Up were memorable among Tupac and rap music fans in general.  Of course there were the new cuts and rare songs like Changes, Troublesome, God Bless the Dead (predicted Biggie's death on this one. still to this day never got the reason for the song.), All About you, Me Aganist the World just reminded us that Tupac gave us his different views of reality and was able to give you a topic to relate on each of his songs.  The work ethic and passion in his voice made people say that he was the greatest rapper ever.  I somewhat can agree with those feel about the position on Tupac's place held in rap music.  After his death, so many rappers took bits and pieces of his work and made their own like Ja Rule, DMX, 50 Cent, Eminem, TI, etc.  This double cd will remind you why this genius was able to accomplish a lot in his short lived time on Earth and was able to get his message across about the underdogs being looked down in society and having a voice to raise above the obstacles.

Blues Brothers DVD

Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi are at their best in this classic film back in 1980. They started this brand as a skit on their years on the long running comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live during the late 1970s. They helped create that brand which turned into albums and concert tours promoting them as the Blues Brothers. They got with some professional musicians from the soul, funk, pop, and blues to assist them in making the movie a success. I am a young cat so this movie was before my time. My parents introduced me to the movie and i was hooked on it seeing two White guys have genuine love and respect for soul and blues music. Cameo appearances from Chaka Khan, James Brown, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and Aretha Franklin shows the star power of the film.

Ice Cube AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted CD

Ice Cube was a major force in the rap industry back in the early 1990s. He was fresh from leaving the groundbreaking and controversial rap group N.W.A.(Niggaz with Attitude) Cube went to New York to record with Public Enemy's production team Bomb Squad in creating this classic album. This album has influenced the late Tupac Shakur to release his debut album 2Pacalypse in 1991. Cube was bringing the heat with his mixture of gangsta rap mixed with political hip hop in the sounds on the record. This album was certified gold a couple months after being released. This masterpiece certified Cube as a true MC in the hip hop community because he was able to tell stories raw and uncut as well spreading knowledge in his lyrics. There were tracks like Once Upon A Time in the Projects, Whos the Mack, The Nigga You Love to Hate, the title track, You Can't Fade Me, Gangsta Fairytale made me feel Cube's approach as a raw lyricist.  If you're a true hardcore hip hop fan, this album is a must in your collection.

update info

This is Thomas updating my blog. I will at least attempt to post something on a daily basis. Ive been laying low for awhile fighting obstacles in my personal life which gave me motivation to work hard in becoming a blogger. I will mainly blog about music and entertainment but soon do some occasional other topics on my own terms. Be prepared for me to give you the best of my creativity and originality on different topics.