heBAY

are ski masks/balaclavas allowed in this thread?

Wow. "Premium Quality Goose Down" face mask.

Must cop for life by the Hudson River.

If I could, I'd rep you with "RAPID ACCESS TURRRRGID SPRING RELEASE ACTION!!!!!"

GO AHEAD...DE-VOUURRR THE TERRAIN.

YOU DE-SERRRVE IT!!

fucking wow. gems.

...sometimes I hate this thread.

Last night's ep was innnnntense.

Seriously.

(kudos to them for being able to skillfully act)

-yes, size down, like you would for other boots. i confirmed from danner customer service in portland that the japanese models were made on the same lasts as the US versions, and then tried on a pair of US Mountain Light IIs, so I knew what size to get. if you can't find a store that carries your size, danner.com has a zappos-style return policy, they'll pay for shipping back to them for returns, so just order a couple sizes and see which is best, then ship them back

I'ma have to check on that again...since I'm considering the customs. I swore that going true to size with 'em was the way that felt best when i tried on the US joints...that is, unless you want a SNUG fit...and perhaps a bit of pain the first handful (at least) of wears.

It's not like my heel was loose and flopping all about whilst walking in 'em in my actual size.

fuckin' tough titty shit right there buddy.

Okay okay you got me...

Wait...no you didn't...my top 10 Rap Duos (because they are my Top 20 MC's)...

Kool G Rap & Grimm

Raekwon & Ghostface

Prodigy & Mega

Chuck D & Flava Flav (from ...Bumrush to '91...okay, no to MC, but Flav is just my favorite hypeman)

Styles P & Jada

Monche & Prince Po

Peedi Crakk & Omillio Sparks (interchangeable with Peedi Crakko & Indy 500)

Saafir & Ras Kass (the "Come Widdit" era)

Killa Cam & Big L (could be subbed with SDE-era Cam & a VERY YOUNG Juelz)

Beans & Scarface

Slick Rick & Ricky D would've been my 11th pairing...and Eric B. didn't rap, nor was he a very good DJ...but EPMD's DJ Scratch was, but they weren't as nice, put together, as a singular Rakim (kudos to their practically flawless chemistry, production, and vocal reverb). O.C. also didn't do much with anyone during Word...Life...and I already said Organized Konfusion.

I fucked up the flow of the thread...I know... but at least I didn't say "BIG AND PAC"...thank you. Good night.

.....................................................................how much?

...now I'm looking for the first Slave One 7" with "Bloodied Body" on it. Also, if someone has the Unruh/Enewetak split...that'd be fresh to have as well.

Did someone in this thread need

Creation is Crucifixion "Dethrone or Devour"???

I just found an extra copy if someone wants to buy or trade for it...

[edit]

Oh shit, just found a copy of Automata LP too (chipboard sleeve version on Willowtip)!

Someone buy these up!

Hahaha Nice. I may be interested in the Automata LP, although I have a copy of that. Funny shit is, right I posted that bit about needing the split with Unruh and In Silico...I found them that same week (along with the Jihad/Ottawa split)...luck is the bastard.

i fuckin' hate life. i missed that medium woolrich 60/40 auction by a few minutes...just fuckin forgot about it. fuck.fckfteatlhttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!

haha yeah Mega had the punch-ins on smash with that one...sounded like there were multi-Mega's.

Haha yeah 8Ball was ill but damn...you're putting a Southern cat up against G Rap and Chef? Not to mention Mega? Oooooooooohhh...

Yeah Free Agents was the shit for sure. Disc 2 also had "The Message"...which was a classic, Pee mimicking "The Message" but with "NWO/Illuminati" raps over a sinister as fuck (and bonkers) Alchemist beat. That beat makes me want to make a beat. Gotta remember to pick this up at the old crib tomorrow.

I'll check for the dvd title also...

what up my toughneck bro!!

wow you said Delaware...haha.

Funny irony about that is I had a mixtape trading friend out in Delaware when the net was all BBS' and Compuserve was my only means of signing online. His boys went on to start up AllHipHop.com.

But yeah...Murda Muzik is straight NYC shit...as was most of that prime QB stuff.

also angry about the Monster X shirt...and the fact that I fucking missed the Noothgrush Robot shirt (it went for something like $12).

holy shit. too rich for my blood.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120373453958

^sorta...there was a street dvd release apparently...and a small chunk of it (the only bit I've ever seen...after that, you don't need to see anymore) in the Mobb Deep mixtape/DVD that came out soon after Free Agents (both of which were solid, post-Inafmy/pre-G Unit return of a more aggressive Pee, releases)...I forget what the shit was called, but I have it in my old room somewhere. I feel like the word "infamous" was in the title...hmm.

It had some funny footage of them in Amsterdam's Red Light District...blatantly filming the whores and one flips out and calls the cameraman (I think it was Twin) "a fucking nigger"... also lotsa fake G posing by Pee flashing guns...and a nice scene with Pee test driving a new Porsche (someone else was in the Cayenne) which served as a preview to the track "What A Real Mobb'a Do"...crazy Alchemist joint.

btw for overall biggest forgotten gem in Jay's catalogue IMO it's Vol. 3

he was coming off the Vol. 2 success and could've easily had a 'sophomore slump' in the sense of trying to follow a smash with another smash. Didn't have as many anthemic songs as its predecessor, and a few missteps, but I think that was the last time he was rhyming in a really hungry manner for most of an album. The "Hova Song" series is ridiculous, dude was just angry and cocky as fuck, definitely the pinnacle of his 'fuck you pay me' mentality before they actually really started paying him out the ass for a lotta shit and he lost that 'fuck you.'

HeBay going back to your assessment of Dynasty, there were more good stuff even outside of Jay on that album than I remembered, you're right. "Me You Him Her" has a really sick beat.

Indeed about the Dynasty...I'm glad you re-checked it out. Just Blaze was indeed ridiculous on that album (that's actually where I started to pay close attention to him...then realized he did stuff for Pun and Tragedy Khadafi before that...think orchestral keyboard style beats). The intro to that album I think is the most ridiculous of the Jay-Z intros...but then again, I feel that way when I hear the beat change on "A Million And One Questions".

True about Vol. 3. That actually was the next Jay-Z album I bought after Reasonable Doubt. I sorta fell out the Jigga loop for a moment, was all into the real underground stuff (before it went to "backpacker/white wash university" rap). I was really into Timb's production at the time and was blown away by a little preview I got...Hova Song, It's Hot, So Ghetto, NYMP, etc. Even the bonus track that was "Jigga My Nigga" I thought he destroyed lyrically...clever as fuck. Definitely some misses on there...due to corny production...but overall, he was something else lyrically.

Is the white crepe the same thing as the Christy Wedge? That's what I'm envisioning and it is wondrous.

you sound like you know what your talking about

point me in the right direction

which tracks specifically would you tell me to look at to demonstrate JZ at his best - preferably something as contrasting as possible to his current state

and if I'm not mistaken, you would also agree that post blueprint is no good?

To answer in reverse order, no, there is plenty of Post-Blueprint Jay-Z that is excellent. I liked the Blueprint 2 and the BLack ALbum...although I can understand why some would steer away from the two (the first being an overwhelming listen at 2 CD's and the hype revolving around the latter was ridiculous...but what did you expect...it was supposed to be his LAST album ever and he was Jay-Z).

For prime Jay-Z material? I'd say simply pick up Reasonable Doubt...and listen to it all first. There may be 1-2 songs that don't appeal to you ("Ain't No Nigga" being the only one I can think of right now)...but that whole album is the opposite of what he's kind of become nowadays (it was almost 13 years ago). It still has some "suit rap"...not shiney suits...but definitely mob hats and gator shoes...but it was done with finesse and SUBSTANCE much like Kool G Rap's Al Capone'esque stylings, post-Road To The Riches.

I love that album...but if I had to just go with a "greatest 15 minutes of Reasonable Doubt"...I'd choose:

-"D'Evils"

-"Can I Live"

-"22 Two's"

-"Dead Presidents II" or "Friend Or Foe"

-"Bring It On" or "Politics As Usual"

Yeah a little more than 15 mins.

Other joints I'd advise you to check out is:

"In My Lifetime" (the original version if you can find it...there's a video for it)

Off of In My Lifetime, Vol. 1:

-"Where I'm From"

-"Streets Is Watching"

-"Intro/A Million And One Questions"

-"Friend Or Foe 2"

-"You Must Love Me"

I generally don't recommend Vol. 2 to anyone due to the large shift to keyboard beats...although I think that album is chock full of JOINTS...

Vol. 3:

-"Dope Man"

-"Come And Get Me"

-"NYMP"

-"Hova Song Intro" and "Outro"

-"So Ghetto", "It's Hot", "Snoopy Track"

One of my favorites to recommend since most people slept on it...but the good songs are fuckin' ill...you're smoking if you disagree. The Dynasty Roc La Familia:

-"Intro"

-"Streets Is Talkin'"

-"This Can't Be Life"

-"Where Have You Been"

-"Squeeze 1st"

-"Stick 2 The Script"

-"1900 Hustler", "Soon You'll Understand", "You Me Him Her"

Yeah I really think that album is ridiculous...hence the issues with trying to choose "only a few" tracks...

Enjoy.

^you know...this is prrrr-retty good (larry david).

Anymore info on Viberg boots? I've seen them up in some Japanese catalogs/sites...

Them vs. Danners... I can say that when I tried on the Mountain Light II's, I was happy to find that they were pretty comfy (at least to slip on and walk around the store with some standard athletic socks on)... anything noteworthy about the feel/quality/fit of the Vibergs?

And what's the deal with the Vibram white crepe sole...hmmm...

okay we know you think that...but how can you even compare the two is what I'm saying...

Yes it has become acceptable to do such nonsensical things because they are arguably two of New York's heavyweight soloists who came out in the '90's...but the 90's was a VERY transitional period in Hip Hop (most genres I can think of actually). The comparison idea obviously came to life as "cool to do" when they had their "beef"...but really, there's no sense in that. It's just straight up personal opinion at that point...so even saying "yeah I like Reasonable Doubt better than Illmatic as far as debut albums go" is strictly on you and why would anyone waste time arguing who's got the better personal opinion. My thing is questioning the lack of rationale in making such comparisons...yeah I'm saying I've the better personal logic (in my usual style of quiet arrogance).

Would you compare Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx to Kool G Rap's Road To The Riches? True, they are both debut albums and of the same crime/street hustler going mafia tales subgenre...but it would literally be simple minded to put the two on the same playing field. One's from '95 while the other is from '89. Though that's a more extreme example than '93 versus '96, and maybe not the BEST due to the constant stream of cameos by Ghost and the rest (making it sound less like a solo album), you can still begin to do the math on it and take it from there.

Furthermore, this proves why I never posted much on all of the old hip hop boards cause they hosted many of these never ending argue-one's-opinion type threads. I hate this one especially simply because you're going to be like "nah I don't care...that's just what I think...Nas is that dude" and then I'ma say "fuck your thoughts because you either are A. just spewing empty shit to post something at all...or B. you did not read/understand what I had previously posted...which either way, does not contribute to a healthy discussion" ...or just "fuck your thoughts"...

and so on ...and so on...

To get back to the original topic of this post (less reminiscing), people simply have to realize that you cannot expect to draw precise comparison just because you're bringing up each MC's debut album. You must take the era into consideration.

To stay on the 3 year era thing (93-96)...let's do '85-'88. LL Cool J's battle rhyme heavy "Radio", as great as it is, is way more suitable to go against some early Run DMC material (although LL would easily win due to his sheer ferocity in those days)...than even considering it to hold a candle to Big Daddy Kane's "Long Live The Kane". Both debuts were amazing for the respective years, but Hip Hop had simply changed...those who were able to progress with it (Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Slick Rick, G Rap, KRS, etc.) stayed around while other more one trick pony type acts like the Fat Boys fell by the wayside.

You're more correct to compare It Was Written to Reasonable Doubt...both came out in the same year and both had almost the same number of tracks (unlike Illmatic's barely-passed-an-EP status of 9 songs and 1 Intro...aka less room for filler, the best thing anyone could do for a debut album). I love both of those albums...but find myself skipping certain joints if I'm not in the mood (sign of the times I guess).

Ironically, it was Nas who ended up hooking up with Foxy Brown (one of the only flaws of Reasonable Doubt)...

You aren't really doing well to compare those two albums...they're from two different eras of Hip Hop.

You are not going to leave unmarked, when around cats who were actively listening/experiencing the music/culture, saying '93/'94 (Illmatic) was the same shit as '96 (Reasonable Doubt). Cats who were active/old enough to be listening and experiencing the culture, esp. in NYC, at the time know the deal. Hip Hop was still this rugged, relatively pure, art form (not the huge industry that it soon became a few years later, esp. by the very late-90's)...we had just popped out of the West COast/Death Row Gangsta Rap explosion (which was the cash cow at the time) and had this resurgence of a newly refined, less funked out (post-'92) local sound...the best examples being the singles by Wu Tang and Black Moon (to name two of the heaviest, alongside Nas). It wasn't about clubs until Ready To Die came out with "smoother" singles like "Big Poppa" (even "Juicy"...both offering blatant sampling of past hit singles)...seriously...Puff/Bad Boy/MCA was the force that redefined the "single".

Weird side note, I just realized that many of the albums I would classify as the classic clump of '93-'94 came out in '94. '93, right now at least, was a bit dry (although the 3-4 albums that come to my head immediately were the biggest shit since sliced bread). But look at the next year, Organized Konfusion, O.C., Gangstarr, Artifacts, Jeru, Smif n Wessun, Method Man's solo, Redman, Gravediggaz, Boogiemonsters, Biggie, etc.

By '96, the Bad Boy shit was in full effect, the trends had changed and being rugged and hard wasn't the main priority anymore...money off of singles was definitely the focus (shit, even Mic Geronimo signed to Bad Boy and did that shitty "club banger" with Heather Hunter in the video, "Nothin' Move But The MOney"...look at OC's 2nd album which had the incredible Primo-produced "My World" peaking everyone's interests, yet almost a year later it drops boasting a video to the joint with Yvette Michelle singing, while on a beach with a silky button up...not a shiny suit, but not the street shit we were used to). You still had some ruggedness left, Mobb Deep, Tragedy Khadafi/CNN were just starting to get a buzz, Wu was still around, as was the Boot Camp's Fab-5 projects...it goes without saying that I think Reasonable Doubt is a landmark album of that year/mid-90's era...it has joints for every occasion, especially nice in the whip.