Socially Conscience Hip Hop Records Of The Early 80's- "Impacting Music With A Message"

Hip Hop was founded on a voice of struggle. Hip Hop was founded on an inner voice of liberation from the confines of the destitute urban city life, with that being said; Hip Hops original language is need for success, social-political and cultural uplift of a generation who would seek to make change for themselves and their surroundings. When we think of some of the very first "Conscience" records ever cut onto wax we all tend think of great records like "The message" Furious Five - "Problems of the world" Fearless four - and "What are we gonna do (about it)" - The Ultimate 3, Spoonie G Did a bunch of great "Knock some sense in the head kind of songs" Of Course Self Destruction And White Lines are at the top of the list as well. Great records indeed. I miss Hip Hop music with messages so powerful and uplifting, positive and enlightening. However there were plenty of records not mentioned often even now, that I want to share. Below I have uploaded a blast of some great "Rare Hip Hop & Electro classics - Impacting Music with a message". MC's covered Everything from family to drugs, school to government to fundamentals of the Bible. Hip Hop was such a great thing that happened to all of us back in the day, its so unfortunate that it is in the state of what it is now. However we can enjoy the true essence of great artistry here and the little that is going on today. Now there are so many records I could include in this but I'm going to just give y'all a taste of what ran through my veins this morning. I Am sharing some music with some very deep intricate messages. When you download these DJ's & Fans listen carefully & intuitively. The Spoonie G One below is Ultra ultra rare and almost cannot be found anywhere on vinyl or the web unless you purchase the Tuff City Electro CD compilation It came included on a few years ago. The record itself is from around 86 and has a real dope message to it. Note: The Melle Mel Black Man joint is a live snippet from a show and not something That was included on wax (as far as I know), I do not know where or when it came out but I Believe it was a music seminar or something. Anyway I included it as a bonus. Thanks Peace



CD III - Success

Def Force - Whats Going On

DST And Jalaludin M Nuriddin - Mean Machine (Short Version)

Gifted 4 - Temper (Gotta Keep Cool)

Melle Mel - Hustlers Convention

Melle Mel - White Lines Pt. II 1989

Rockmaster Scott & The Dynamic 3 - Its Life (You Got To Think Twice)

The Spin Masters - Brothers

Spoonie G - What Is This (Ultra Rare)

***Bonus***

Melle Mel - Black Man (Live freestyle)

The Original Mixtape Game

The Mixtape In A Nutshell!

In hip hop's earliest days, the music only existed in live form, and the music was spread via tapes of parties and shows. Hip hop mixtapes first appeared in the mid-1970s in New York City, featuring artists such as Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaata. As more tapes became available, they began to be collected and traded by fans. In the mid-1980s, DJs, such as Brucie B, began recording their live music and selling their own mixtapes, which was soon followed by other DJs such as Kid Capri and Doo Wop. Also since the 1990s, it describes releases used to promote one or more new artists, or as a pre-release by more established artists to promote upcoming "official" albums. In the hip hop scene, mix tape is often displayed as a single term mixtape.

The Foundation Of The Mix tape!

A mix tape is the generic name given to an underground compilation of various tracks spread across a medium of music application such as a cassette tape, a CD And now MP3 Devices. More commonly and traditionally in tape form The Mix tape has roots slightly beyond the culture of Hip Hop with the very first actual "Mix tape" Being underground bootleg 8-track tapes sold at flea markets, truck stops and small venues. These bootleg 8 Track compilations were usually stop/start recorded & cut from reel to reel machines and included various tracks of either different artists music or entirely the same artists but various music from their albums. These types of Mix tapes go back as early as mid 1960's into the late 1970's while the 8 track format was the only consumer available format to be had. Most mix tapes have a specific idea, title or purpose that follows a theme. However because Of reel to reel not being accessible by the average person the mix tape culture within 8 track was very stiff and only lasted so long due to pirating. Enter the Cassette tape. With consumer electronic devices and technology on the rise by the late 1970's. The first actual cassette tapes were used mediums for archiving and basic recording of dictations and speeches (not so much music) since the formulation of tape was not great quality and existed in mono sound. The sound quality on tapes were not considered good enough to be taken seriously for professional - consumer grade use and or quality for mass distribution by industry standards. The first actual cassette tape debuted at a Berlin music radio show in 1963, but we did not see cassette tape use until by around 1978 or 79. As the advent of consumer tape decks for home use, radio boomboxes & portable electronics that could necessitate tapes for record/play back. The Sony "Walkman" debuted in 1979 significantly changing the world of now portable music. The standards & hurdles by which society could now access & make use of this quality on a  consumer basis significantly become more and more common place as cassette tape players were standard in cars, home stereo systems and such. New formulations of tape more commonly metal formulations also helped sound quality and tape quality improve for wider dynamic/lower noise to signal ratio. The Consumer enthusiast for putting music on tape began to use this new way of music enjoyment, and then the music recording industry began to pick up on this as a way to distribute music much more compact than 8 track and ready to play in radio's everywhere unlike or 8 track or even Vinyl needing a record player.

Private Tape, Party Tape, House Tape, Consumer Tape..Whats the Difference?

As the bootlegging of music onto tape started in the inner city and underground markets. It was undoubtedly the Hip Hop generation who would help to unearth this culture of Mixing up songs on tape and getting them around the streets. A "house-tape" is a mix tape made at home in which a A DJ would record a mix from his home system onto tape first through the advent of straight stereo system and then later as people obtained Multi track tape recorders such as the tascam 4 track recorders, more elaborate possibilities were conceived. Our common mix tape culture today works that way with many of DJs producing their mixes at home or personal studio and then distributing them in the streets. Some of the first well known House tape mixes came from DJs such as DJ Breakout, Whiz Kid, And many others. the first house tapes started to surface around late 1979 or 1980. A distinction should be drawn between a private mix tape, which is usually intended for a specific listener or private social event, and a public mix tape, or "party tape", usually consisting of a recording of a club performance by a DJ and intended to be sold to multiple individuals. In the 1970's, such DJ's as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force, Kool Herc and the Herculoids, DJ Breakout, the Funky Four, and DJ Hollywood would often distribute recordings of their club performances via audio cassette, as well as customized recordings (often prepared at exorbitant prices) for individual tape purchasers. These recordings tended to be of higher technical ability than home-made mix tapes and incorporated techniques such as beatmatching and scratching. In the 1980's Mix tapes were a highly visible element of the urban city youth and how music was shared on the street level. Often times and even after the first Hip Hop recordings on vinyl A person could only get specific performances from artists and songs through the recording of live MC Shows & DJ Club mixes. This is where the culture of "Exclusives" was born. Club proprietors and DJ's would often prepare mixes for promotion to hone their fan base and reputations. In many way's a mix tape for DJ's could be a sort of resume.

Rise & Decline Of Cassettes And New Mediums!

Throughout the 1980's, mix tapes were a highly visible element of inner city youth culture. However, the increased availability of CD burners and Mp3 players and the gradual disappearance of cassette players in cars and households have led to a decline in the popularity of the compact audio cassette as a medium for homemade mixes. The high point of the cassette mix tape was around 1995 with many trendsetting DJ's selling tapes on the mass market through venues and small corner stores. In the early 1990's Tapes started to include jacket art, playlists. A Genre of DJ's have actually became famous through their mix tapes. Today, websites concerned with electronic music provide mixes in a digital format. These usually consist of recorded DJ sets of live, beat-matched mixes of songs, which are used by DJ's seeking to demonstrate their mixing skills to an online audience. Some radio shows worldwide specialize in mix series, Additionally, DJ's such as Grandmaster Flash, DJ QBert, DJ Spooky, DJ Z-Trip or DJ Shadow, The Avalanches have gained fame for creating new songs by combining fragments of existing songs (which need not necessarily belong to the same genre). The resulting remix or mash-up can be seen as an evolution of the mix tape, in that it appropriates existing songs to give them new meanings through their juxtaposition, but does so in a quicker, more integrated style. This practice is heavily derived from the use of song loops as musical backdrops for an MC's rhymes in hip hop music, which is also related to turntablism. Grandmaster flash's "Adventures of flash" was the very first commercially produced DJ mix that segmented parts of different already popular songs in a cohesive flowing mix that would sound like nana ctual song or live DJ Performance on record. In the 1990's DJ Ron G Helped pioneer the "Blend" game by mixing popular R&B Acapellas and Hip Hop beats. A "Blend" as it is famously known IMOH &; Many other opinions are extremely sought after because they are exclusive stylized mixes that are unique and cannot be obtained anywhere else through any other DJ Or commercial outlet. A Blend tends to have a much longer shelf life than a new music or best of tape because Blends are original Ideas from the DJ and again are exclusive mixes unheard of anywhere else. Mix tapes would also include freestyles by many up and coming artists, well known artists on the underground circuit. tapes have been used to promote artists upcoming commercial releases And of course individual new music. In the case of the park jam era of Hip Hop The Mix tapes were circulated in school and on the streets to fans of the artists also containing live on the mic info(s) about future shows and events.

Mixtape Techniques!

While the process of recording a mix onto an audio cassette from LP's or compact discs is technically straightforward, many music fans who create more than one mix tape are eventually compelled to confront some of the practical and aesthetic challenges involved in the mix tape format. Such procedures include filling the entire tape to avoid space, carefully placing songs end to end to create the effect of a mix and not a compilation commercial tape. Also other methods include avoiding tape click from stop and start of the play/stop buttons and mastering the "Pause button" As mentioned above specialized jacket art and playlist employed to give the mix a identity, emotion and feel. Such as "Emma's workout mix". Many enthusiasts also devote substantial attention to the packaging of a mix tape intended as a gifts. A Mix tape did not ever have to include all music from one artist, one genre and many time DJ's and enthusiasts would make multi-genre mixes many times also using audio samples of commercials, segments from movie quotes and much more. As with classic break beat mix tapes the wide genre of music appeal included everything from Rock, To Pop, Disco & Funk Music. Same thing for crossover artists Pre-Hip Hop earlier mix tapes.

So with all this being said. I want to share with you two of my favorite all time"Classic" Mix tapes. which were very iconic when they dropped. One of which in 1981 The other in 82. These tapes have become legendary through the 1980's as well as straight into the 90's too. The Whiz Kid Joint Is One taped from home or in private facility by "DJ Whiz Kid" himself in 1981 and is an early perfect example of a "House tape". A generic tape of different classic break beats that he mixed/cut up and produced for the streets. Most likely these tapes were sold at Whiz Kid Or Zulu Parties and even hand to hand of course. The other is an actual "Zulu Beats" Mix show by Afrika Islam when he Mixed Nightly for Newark N.J. WHBI In the early 80's. Though It is a Mix show, It was still recorded to tape at the studio and distributed to fans and thank Goodness it has survived the years in its entirety and in rather great shape. I've actually been listening to the Zulu beats joint for more than 16 years now myself. The Zulu beats Mix has plenty of great commercial samples from Spider Man radio comic shows and or TV Show series, Audio samples from various other famous productions, whilst he also adds some live show segmeents of the Soulsonic Force Rocking @ Umass in 82. I only provided Side "A" Of Each Tape. So Download these classics, enjoy history as you hear the original flava of one of the first ever Hip Hop Mix tapes. Thanks for reading GOD BLESS!!.

Download: Download: DJ Afrika Islam Zulubeats Radio Mixshow 1982 (Side A)

Download: DJ Whiz Kid House Tap 1981 - Breakbeats (Side A)

The Big Secret Behind Why DJs Dont Share Records

Rare Records: "Whats The Secrets For"?:  Well For years now it has been one of the Hip Hop DJ's most secret doctrines of practice. Not telling what, where or how you obtained a record is the most sacred of usery mechanisms on keeping your record collections exclusive; not to mention being the man with the new/obscure sounds, many of which are always sort after. Besides all this It is one of the oldest No No's in the Hip Hop DJ Community. This ranges back to the early 70's when DJ's were merely only mixing record to record (before cutting and scratching) in what is known as Kool Hercs "Merry Go Round" ( More widely known as Back spinning) Then a few years later scratching & cutting helped further the craft of DJ's set the tone all varied across today's wide style of  DJ Genres & and applying of on Mixshow/radio, Mixtape or Party rocking tunes. Listen to this: I was at a Graffiti Hall of fame Jam back in 2007 at 106 & Park when I heard a good friend of mines by the name of "DJ ROCKIN ROB" Play this weird crazy Funk record that I immediately Bugged out about, it was nothing I ever heard before...It just had the words "Boo..Boo..Boo..Baah..Baahh..Bee...Beee...Bee..Bee..Bee" Sampled throughout it with an infectious 70's soul funk beat, so simple yet so dope.

I immediately asked Grand Master Caz who was standing right beside me "Yo Caz man what is the name of this record" He looked at me with that Big Casanova Grin and said "Maannn I dont even know, ask The DJ". Now whether Caz actually knew or not. I was innocently Breaking the rule here, by asking about a rare record that probably not many DJ's have or had at the time (or patrons there heard for that matter). At this time I was already of course DJ'ing out heavily myself I wasn't a novice so I very well knew about the code of conduct, But it wasn't going to stop me from aleast taking a shot and asking lol. Matter fact, get this; I used to ask a very well known mentor of mines back in the 90's the names of break beats and Oldschool Hip Hop records and he knew them all and would tell me gladly, but he wasn't A DJ though. That was the difference; Sharing comes with the state of mind for which application(s) it applies to. For example If you want a Mcdonalds Recipe for something to improve or mimmick a product of your own and you are a burger King agent, you aren't going to obtain it by going to Mcdonalds representatives. Pepsi never shares it's secrets with Coke. This however does not stop companies and competitors from doing research and going around patents or loop holes now does it. With the advent of the world wide web, it has made it so much easier to find what your looking for, for example if you know the portions of a song, a chorus of an artist) who's in that song etc. You can simply just google it and find the record. I call this 'Digital digging" And I have mastered that since 2005 and on because many DJ's come to me for what are some of the easiest to obtain cuts even today. I sometimes think in my head "Wow hes looking for this, its pretty easy to find". Makes me feel good; Needless to say I bless them with a "Digital slab of vinyl". But Now You easily can you tube a song and we also now have the revolutionary "Shazam" App for our phones which allows us to let out smart phones hear parts of a song and Identify the album, artists and song conveniently. I've done this a bunch of times being out at events or while driving and listening to XM Radio, it gives you the song and artist right on the XM Screen but The phone will easily keep the info for me for later (as we all know) So we can go download it or even dig for it later. It is a very convenient tool in the new age I admit

Back to ROCKIN ROB, When I had asked him the name of the record, He replied "Umm Im not sure its on a compilation Vinyl with no name. I think its called the Boo Boo song" Lol My Man Rob, what these guys kind of did in a way (intentional or not) was teaching me to find this record. The unintentional part was not breaking that code of silence (whether he knew it or not) that Any Good DJ Has come to practice since the dawn Of Urban DJ/Cultural history. I toiled with the title online trying to find it on vinyl for weeks (This was way before Shazam or Before I was really as good at digital digging as I am now). I used to order Vinyl on this website called "Gemm.com" Or Ebay Which somehow eventually I got Rob through repeated asking to get me the title and I bought two copies from Gemm.com. Many of y'all are familiar with Gemm. Finally The name of the Record was "Dirty Fingered Bboys - The King Is Here" Which was an unlikely Title to me because it had no singing, chorus lines etc, so I would of never got this one. Till this day, it was probably one of the trickiest records to find. Sometimes songs trick us when looking for titles we have no clue of and is something none of us would of ever guessed especially from the sound of the song. My best suggestion is trust your ears, listen to lines, listen to grooves, listen to voices. As nifty as the digital age is you always have to use human intuition too. Way before the technological advances of the internet or any digital means, Imagine what Earlier DJ's went through, or what we all went through for that fact, up until about 10 years ago because this whole thing is still new.

Anyhow Come to find out it wasn't actually a 70's record at all but a more modern band cut that was pressed on 45 only (From what I know) and is A intended to be a Bboy record. The earliest None Record masters Like Bambaataa, Herc, Flash, Kent, Disco King Mario, Theodore etc. Were indeed trendsetting DJ's who would shop at these import stores and find all sorts of weird, rare and eclectic Vinyl that no one paid attention to; many of which were pressed from small little known labels, were available only on albums as fillers or were Imports from European countries and other places. Why do you think the early electronic music became wide spread amongst the Black community? It was Guys Like Bam Finding these Euro albums and singles, "Taste making" & then breaking the music to their crowds who would never otherwise hear such sounds. It has always been the secret of DJ's on where they get their stuff, mainly for competition purposes Because that is "HIP HOP", This code of silence was all derived as an answer to the culture of "Biting" "Mimicking" as an Agent against that. Just like In Bboying, Mcing anything. You wouldn't practice your rhymes in front of a crowd of folks and you certainly would not use your best moves until it is time to battle or kill a circle, not to mention "Teach some one your moves" that was absurd right..I feel that today all DJ's ought to keep a community of sharing records, titles and info where we do not have to compromise this hard rule at the same time. Helping each other out is the way to keep the DJ Community strong and nourishing. I guess if it is a very hard to find rare record many things are worth keeping to yourself.

This is why I personally created this site "Oldschool archives" Because I don't mind sharing. If you take a look at the songs here, I tend to shift toward rareties, or hard to finds especially out of the Digital world (Or in the digital world based on what has been easiest or best for you and your situation). Sometimes songs are easier to find on Vinyl If you straight-out purchase online and then again 9 out of ten times you can dial them up online and get them with no problem all while eating a bowl of corn flakes. I ultimately do respect the DJ Culture from the especially from the 1970's & on up though. And I fully understand the whole aesthetics of how The DJ Culture works mainly with Record collecting, guarding your hard earned collections and not letting the world know your secrets. A DJ Indeed always strives to be the first if not one of the first to premier a record on air or at an event. Many of our popular radio DJ's do it today and have always done it, this has not died only now they mainly recieving the records straight from the artists through email/blogs as opposed to waiting till pressing (Sometimes still recieving them from our early Urban stars, taking a lot longer of course due to the physical means) Now The Bloggers and a slew of websites play the record stores we once used to visit for our musical fixes. Suppliers & indie artists are able to get the music out to the radio and popular blogs quickly Over night. DJ's who premier exclusives and new music through radio and digital means now will almost always use their brand name tags on the record to say; "Look I'm DJ Leggs and I got this record first" The bigger the DJ The easier this is in most cases since they have world wide appeal. In the BX as far as the early Hip Hop generation goes, when you heard something for the first time you knew who made that record bore the airways because you were at the parties and park jams first hand. This was a bit different when Hip Hop culture started to penetrate the US, physical record pools have always been that answer for promo and mainstream material No matter the genre

It is the same as it was for the Hip Hop DJ In 1975 as it is for The DJ In 2012...Only thing is now we live in a digital age where you can find most any music online by simply googeling titles, going to you tube or asking a buddy to email you  a record. Still many DJs arent so affluent with digging. Ive had big name DJ's, Pioneers come to me asking If I had certain sounds, espeically after I do my Mega Email blasts sharing music. So with that Said I err on the side of sharing (for the most part) I think it makes the world go around n any culture, If I have a record and you want it or need it you know what; "here you go brotha take it". However hard lessons in digging for yourself and learning how to go after your own sounds can never be traded in for the true DJ In you, I believe also. Furthermore Using Digital Digging online is great but we all have to go out and physically do things like actually collecting vinyl, finding out history, attending jams and enjoying live music. And the true arts of Vinyl digging should/will never die with the real DJ Community.

Peace & Blessings

Oh and by the way here is that "Dirty Fingered Bboy" Joint "The King Is Here' Listen/download below :)

Download: http://www.hulkshare.com/pbm3p9xzla80
Backup: http://soundcloud.com/leggs401/dirty-fingered-b-boys-the-king