I reviewed a couple of the June 12th releases
Schoolly D + Ice T – The Real Hardcore
Philly Rapper Schoolly D invented teenage rap marketing in the 80’s. Schoolly D’s album namedSchoolly D released on Schoolly D Records boasted sex, money, and street respect. Schoolly D fathered every gangster rapper from Ice T to Biggie Smalls.
Record Store Day finds the Philly Legend releasing his recent recording with actor/rapper Ice T’s“The Real Hardcore” in vinyl form.
Ice T who starred in a Geico Commercial and won a Grammy with Body Count raps with Schoolly D influencing Ice T’s the L.A. Rap classic “6 In the Morning.” Schoolly D triumphs over a hard drum reminding the listener he invented “Gucci Time.”
Ice-T and Schoolly D were teenagers who had to figure out how to navigate the 1980’s C.I.A. bringing crack cocaine in their neighborhoods while puberty and poverty existed.
Gucci Mane would agree that Schoolly D looked fresh in his watch and fly gold chain.
Schoolly D was also the first Adult Swim rapper followed by Wu-Tang Clan, Tyler, The Creator and MF Doom who pairing Hip Hop with irreverent comedy.
Record Store release date: June 12.
Slum Village wasJay Dilla’s rap group.
Slum Village’s opus, Fantastic Voyage Volume 2is seeing rerelease during record store day June 12th.
While I’m assuming the reader is familiar with J Dilla, I’m giving a new hip hop fan a list of 90’s producers within this review.
The shortlist of the 90’s production greats would read DJ Premier, RZA, Dr. Dre, Pete Rock and Jay Dilla. We aren’t ignoring El-P, Kanye West, Domingo, MF Doom. Mannie Fresh or whoever is legendary.
It’s a simple introduction to 90’s rap.
An introduction to Aughts rap:
Slum Village’sFantastic Voyage Volume Two was released in the year 2000. Slum Village was rappers T3, Bataan, and producer/rapper.... Jay-Dilla.
Dilla was already revered by his peers.
Dilla was debated by rap fans for his changing the Native Tongues Sound from ‘95-2000. Compare Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 Low End Theory to 1998’s Dilla-produced Love Movement.
Do you like Common’s 1995 Resurrection or Dilla-dominated Like Water For Chocolate better?
Native Tongues had modulated basslines, stuttered kicks, and subtle melodies with Dilla instead of long, thinner collages of samples.
Listen to the 1996 Dilla Produced De La Soul song “Stakes Is High”, or Pharcyde's 1995 Dilla song, “Runnin” and understand why Native Tongues loved Dilla regardless of early or late 90’s Native Tongues.
Jay Dilla redefined his heroes before the 2000 classic Fantastic Voyage Volume Two release by Good Vibe Records.
Fantastic Voyage Volume Two was released during a period of disenchantment. Hip Hop was inflicted by white ravers who didn’t live the Huey P Newton to post-Modernism reading trajectory or listen to Rakim’s albumPaid in Full whilethe dishonest election of George Bush occurred.
Jay-z and Nas rapped superior to white dudes who didn’t read books or grow up with black music.
“Fall In Love” depicted a complete rejection of cornballs who weren’t into the things Schoolly D wanted: sex, money and clothes
Slum Village’s smartest joke while eschewing dogma was: “Fuck Rap. I listen to classical.”
Was this a Rahsaan Roland Kirk reference to wanting to call jazz “Black Classical” music?
Detroit is close to Columbus. I haven’t interviewed Slum Village. J Dilla died in 2006 from lupus.
Dilla was well-versed in jazz but there isn’t a quote that says: “We were a lot smarter than those who didn’t think Hip Hop was supposed to be fun.”
“Fall in Love” is a Detroit techno blues record and a pretty song about disillusionment.
“Fall In Love” was an intervention against Hip Hop dogma for the mental health of the listener.
As an album. Fantastic Voyage Volume Two was a bass heavy, subtle melody, driven soundtrack for drunken debauchery because it had both sex, and vulgar rap lyrics with a seductive sound which made the listener understand why Jay Dilla was having so much fun.
Locally, DJ Przm would play Slum Village’s “Raise it Up” next Dipset’s Santana’s Town, and Przm’s own “Hold the Floor” Camu Tao song years after “Raise it Up” was released. “Raise It Up” was a club banger for punk rock dive bars.
Def Jux, J-Rawls, Rockafella, and Weightless were our hometown hits within Przm’s tenure. Slum Village wasn’t from here. Detroit was within driving distance.
Rawls was the local Native Tongue affiliate from his work with Black Starr are Talib Kweli, and Mos Def. Rawls works as an educator that wouldn’t function correctly with Schoolly D behaviors
Dilla was a little more Schoolly D. Bernie’s DJ PRZM who embodied hip hop while the late Daymon Dodson hosted was similar Schoolly D in his desires.
Przm was from Detroit. He made raw, funny Hip Hop with rock and Detroit Electronic influence. While Przm’s sound was different than Dilla.
Dilla’s subtle musical genius was understood from the presence of the late DJ PRZM within records like “CB4.”
Slum Village was complaining that someone was delaying a blow job.
“Fellatio Interference” doesn’t happen often during Fantastic Voyage 2 which mostly discusses successful sexual interactions and receiving fellatio because the production was both alpha-male boom-bap and possessed a vulnerable music feel at times.
I used to feel kinda bad for women because I knew Dilla’s production could transcend the misogyny into erotic zones with sound.
I would like to tell teenage readers: you aren’t one the greatest Hip Hop producers to ever live. Stick to respecting women.... Attract the opposite sex biologically with humor, respect, kindness, intelligence, and things that make women like people.
I don’t know DJ Premier’s sex life. Pete Rock seems to hit skins. RZA would probably advise you to read and keep improving. Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA stated “Women love Rakeem” and that was before Wu-Tang was a platinum group. Dr. Dre is a billionaire from music, and brand endorsements.
Adolescents aren’t legendary Hip Hop producers or advertising magnet billionaires.
If you’re new to Hip Hop please watch Wild Style, listen to Thelonious Monk and treat people with respect.
Young Wes Flexner would like Common’s “Resurrection” over “Like Water for Chocolate” because Common’s second album is an artist in his inception who hadn’t left the Midwest yet.
With that said: Fantastic Voyage 2’s Common feature referencing Wild Style in the same breath as Southern Rap during “Thelonious” continued my feeling Common represented the Midwest BBoy.
The other guests from “Fantastic Voyage 2” are Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, and Pete Rock.
For those who wondered why a producer without platinum records was allowed to change their favorite groups sound before Slum Village dropped. Those who wonder why Dilla’s 90’s Native Tongue changed from the early 90’s sound found a “Back the Future” moment while nodding with Slum Village’s “Back and Forth.”
The Love Movement was released in 1997.
Slum Village released Fantastic Voyage Volume 2 in 2000.
Listening toFantastic Voyage Volume 2 gives the listener the vantage that Common, the Roots, D’Angelo, Tribe, and De La Soul heard the Fantastic Voyage sound, and why they embraced it from a THIS IS HIP HOP standpoint. Hip Hop’s essence lived in J-Dilla.
Jay-Dilla's Fantastic Voyage Volume Two satiated those who wanted the BBOY swag along and the Native Tongues Bohemian-Hop mixed with Midwest Electronic music.
Fantastic Voyage Volume Two was the local soundtrack for Native Tongue, Cam’ron, Frankie Knuckles and Juan Atkins fans alike.
Record Store Release Date: June 12th
