Thoughts
Well I made it through the holiday season and I hope all of you did as well. I cataloged like a dozen releases on Discogs, so it is clear I did not achieve that goal during my time off. I had a lot of trouble sleeping during the holidays which I generally don’t have any issues sleeping and get a good sleep pretty much every day. The lack of sleep along with some congestion made for some lazy days that I think I really needed. I watched some movies and watched a lot or World Junior hockey as the games were on so early in the morning they fit my schedule perfect. I watched a couple of blades games live and one on TV so that was really nice. The Blades had their annual Teddy Bear Toss game and that was a lot of fun.
I am really excited about 2024. Especially for Rap. Like I said I don’t think 2023 will be toped for many years to come but 2024 should be a close second so it will be an incredible year. In 2043 people will be reminiscing about how amazing rap was in 2023. There is always amazing rap every year, but there was just something special about 2023 that we have not fully digested or understood fully yet.
I want to wish all of you all the best health, happiness and rap in 2024!
Missed Third Verse last night? Well, are you ever in luck as UGSMAG once again has you covered!! Catch Third Verse on CFCR 90.5 fm in Saskatoon, SK every Wednesday 9-10:30pm CST. Stream online via CFCR.ca or Radio Garden.
As always the last 10 episodes of my other weekly radio show You Know Know the Rules on UMFM in Winnipeg airing every Sunday night 10:00pm -11pm CST. Episodes available NOW!
Record One
People Without Shoes - Thoughts Of An Optimist
This was not on my radar at all when it dropped in 1994 and it took Rove in the year 2023 to correct that for me and get it on my radar. The name was familiar but I couldn’t place it, maybe I heard a track on a mixtape because it all sounds so familiar but not familiar at the same time. Rove surprised me with a copy of this tape and I am so thankful that he did. The first time I listened to it was on a Sunday afternoon in the rap nest and I relaxed and listened to it from to back. It was like being instantly transported to my teenage days. I would have loved this tape so much back then as I love it now. It is just perfect and captures that rawness of mid 90’s New York. The inflection in the voice and delivery is right up my alley and makes it a standout out from it counterparts of that era. The beats are perfect. If you slept like I did on this grab a copy or listen now, you will not regret it. My jam is Escape The Streets.
Record Two
Pen Thief Records - Winter Collection 2024
One of my favourite series is the Pen Thief Records summer and winter collection series. Noblonksi who curates and puts these together has a really good sense of the sequencing of a great compilation. I love how he mixes instrumental, vocal tracks and remixes amongst each other. This is truly an art that is lost for the most part, but is something that I really appreciate when it is done well. There are so many incredible tracks on this one. The whole thing is perfect, front to back. This may be my favourite to date in the series and I think that is really saying something as the series is so strong. If I had to pick a favourite, I am not sure if I could as there as so many heaters on this one. CD’s are still available or give this one a listen on Bandcamp.
Classic Material
Mind Space - Life Is Foul 12”
I have no idea who Mind Space is. This is the only 12” I have of theirs. I got this one from Knowskills. I don’t remember exactly where he got it from, but it was Sandbox or probably Basics in Vancouver in 1996. I know he got it because it was on Funky Ass Records which was an imprint of Kool Keith’s. It is a three track 12” with two versions of the title track labeled “day” and “night” and a track called Who Got the Funk.
We used the instrumental of the Life is Foul “day” version on our, Who’s In Charge Here mixtape, that Epic and M.Phasis rapped on. It was such a perfect beat to freestyle too and one that we used often in that era. It was produced by Kut Master Kurt which I didn’t realize or must have forgotten until looking at it today. They shout out to Kool Keith on the label which would also be a selling feature if you were digging for records and came across this label in a record bin.
I don’t have a whole lot more to say about this one. I just love the instrumental from Life is Foul, the day version and the cuts by DJ Spin are perfect. I was looking through 12” the other day and this one brought back the memories of recording Epic and M.Phasis as well as the memories of listening to the instrumental over and over while they wrote versus for it. So many instrumentals became classic for me in that ear because of that.
Closing Ramblings
As always, thank you for reading and for the feedback!
**legal disclaimer all records and songs were run through the RAP NEST 5000 SUPER ANALYTIC COMPTROLLER MACHINE that is certified by the I.A.A.R.R.A (International Association of Analytical Rap Recordings Analysis) in layman’s terms, it means the machine is never wrong.
Catch you next week with more thoughts from the rap nest.
Peace
-chaps