You've Been Warned

Ill Advised
-Through The Eye
-Against The Grain
-Kwestions

1996 Quake City Records

High & Mighty/Eastern Conference fans will undoubtedly be familiar with these cats, not to mention Mighty Mi, the producer of Through The Eye. Ill Advised made several guest appearances on EC songs, and gained quite a following in the process. From what I hear, the West Philly duo (Baby Blak and Mr Lish), have had a falling out with the Eastern Conference fam in the meantime, but their early body of work still holds strong.

Mystical, Musical

Mysterme & DJ 20/20
-Unsolved Mysterme
-Playtime's Over

1993 Island/Gee Street Records

I know Unsolved Mysterme is a popular, sought-after track, and most of the people who find their way to this blog will already have it in some form, but those who don't should certainly be made aware. The date on my album says 1993, so apparently the single (with Call Me Myster on the b-side) dropped after the album was sent out as a promo. Whenever it did, it absolutely melted any stylus it touched. Plus, it gets bonus points for being produced by the homie Joe Quixx, newest member of the Oakland Faders. If you can, find yourself a copy of the single, but hopefully it's not mine, which was pinched long about seven or eight years ago. (if you have mine, return it now, quietly, and I won't press charges)

Playtime's Over also found its way on to a single that's, from what I understand, even more rare than the former, and also gets bonus points for a Joe Quixx remix.

It's time to chill...

Sess per Haps

Boodah & The Bandit
-Brain On Drugs (Boodah Sess Mix)
-No Haps

1994 Tuff City Records

Perhaps as ubiquitous as anything in hip-hop is its love affair, or rather its obsession, with the green stuff. No, I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about weed. And in Brain On Drugs, we just might've had an anthem. The beats in both the original and the remix were mellow and nice, and the hook was the kind of thing that anyone, no matter how many pulls in, could've shouted along with at a show, party, or anywhere else. So why didn't it catch on, you ask? Well, I've got my theories, but I'll let you do your own detective work.

No Haps represents another classic hip-hop sub-genre: the braggadocio track. An entertaining if unfulfilling listen. I do like the loop, though. Good mixtape song.

And by the way, word is that Tuff City is emptying out its remaining back-catalog items. Unfortunately, I'm a little short on cash these days, so I'm afraid to look. Seems a little masochistic or something. For all of you, though, happy hunting.