Thoughts From The Rap Nest
“Our shit is the shit to check for, but you can’t even buy it in a record store” -Doc Lewd
It is so wild to me what random rap lines filter through my thoughts. This one is always spinning in my mind. A lot of it has to do with how the rap gawd Doc Lewd delivers it. It had me thinking a little deeper about how most of the rap music I have wanted to check out has not been sold in conventional record stores. Don’t get me wrong I have purchased my fair share of rap albums in conentional record stores and that experience is so special for me that I sometimes just go to one of the local record stores because I want to buy a record. I have many records on my want lists, but I will forgo grabbing one of those just to head to the record store for that experience of flipping through the stacks and picking out the thing you want the most given the selection they have. Yeah, I get this is a wild concept in 2023 but reliving that experience of my youth, buying music is worth it every time. I wish the shit I was checking for was avaible in a record store but it is in a sense, but now that record store is Bandcamp and it is online and I have to wait weeks for thing to arrive or months if they are a preorder. There is still joy and excitement in that experience but it doesn’t even begin to compare to the record store experience.
If you read my TFTRN column in The Ugsmag issue 1 Zine, you may remember my In Search of Max Prime article. Well I have an update. Max out of nowhere purchased a track he was on off of Nolto’s bandcamp. Nolto shared this news and the email address associated with the purchase. Chadio and I both reached out via email. I have not had a response, but Chadio was successful and they are currently talking about doing some songs together! Also in this timeline he purchase a Zine from Ugsmag so Noyz is going to send him the issue with the In Search of Max Prime article. I will keep you posted if there is any further response or developments. The good news is it sounds like he is doing well and just been laying low.
Speaking of Ugsmag, I submitted my TFTRN column to the Editor and homie Noyz this week. I am not sure what the hell happened but it was a train wreck in regards to spelling and grammar. Those things have never been a strong suit of mine and I have always struggled with them. I have had to put extra time and effort in to them especially in academic writings. Anyways it appears my spell check was disabled and we had a good laugh about it. I really appreciate all the work Noyz puts into releasing the Ugsmag print issues and especially his work as editor. That is one of my least favourite things to do each week with this. I just want to hit send, but I give it a once over and fix anything that jumps out at me. I am not a strong editor and especially of my own work. Thanks for not calling me out each and every week for my typos and bad grammar. I am really excited for you all to read my column when it drops.
Big release day today from the homies at Audio Recon. Two super dope releases; Awol One’s Scribbleface and Sleep Sinatra’s X-Calibur. I am really excited for both of these releases! Grab a vinyl right now!
Missed Third Verse last night? Ugsmag has you covered once again to stream or download NOW! 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 availible NOW!
Record One
Parab Poet - Babelism
The homie Parab Poet is one of the most creative and talented people I know. He is a modern day b-boy and I mean that in that in true classical sense of the word. A true talent in the classic 4 elements. Many do not know about his skills on the turntables, that he toured as a dancer and dj for Winnipeg Grammy nominated rapper Fresh I.E. and that he is a pioneer in the Saskatoon Graff scene. He has in the last number of years focued a lot of his attention and energy on finger drumming taking his live performances to the next level. I have been working with Parab on a musical tip pretty heavily for the past 10 years and it has been such an incredible journey. We go way back in like to the infancy of the Saskatoon hip hop scene as teenagers. Now into our mid 40’s we continue to support and push each other and I am so blessed to have him in my life. We are always scheming about rap together and that is one of my most favourite things to do.
All that being said, a couple weeks back he dropped a cassette version of his album Babelism. It features the track Pipe Dream with his daughter Rena (check the video below) and a track with Zumbi (RIP) of Zion I. Zumbi was also featured on our Parab Poet and the Hip Hop Hippies album. That friendship between Zumbi and Parab was sparked at a show we, Parab Poet and The Hip Hop Hippies opened for Zion I and Zumbi loved our soundcheck. Below is a video from that night with Zumbi and Parab going back own forth on the rhymes and Amp Live on the beats. I am so happy someone filmed this and posted it.
I love that people I grew up with and competed against in hip hop are still pushing harder then aver to get their art out there. We were always friendly with each other but competed in rival crews coming up. I am glad that we were always on good terms and that Parab is in my life in a really meaningful way. Give this album a listen and if you collect physicals pick up this album or one of the the other dope tapes he has for sale on his Bandcamp.
Record Two
Ol’ Gorilla Bones - Revenge Vol.1
The homie Planit (yes I know he has a bunch of other rap names that he goes by, but this is the first one he went by when we first met so it is the one that I always think of) is back as Ol’ Gorilla Bones on the mic and The Dirty Sample on the beats. The production on this record is raw and aggressive in a good way. It gets me fired up and wanting to kick in fence boards and tag up the city. (soso, let’s make it haoppen). I love his rap styles on this, laid back but intense. Back From The Dead is my jam! Such a sick track! This album took a minute to get here, I think 8 months after I ordered it, thanks to a lot of Tom Foolery from the pressing plant on this one. Also it sounds about 33% better too because it is on classic black vinyl.
Classic Material
Count BassD - Act Your Waist Size
This is going to be a bit random but I bought this record at Ameoba Records in their old Hollywood location on August 8, 2007 at 7:49 pm. You are probably like how the hell do you remember the exact time and date that you bought this record? Your memory can’t be that good can it be? The answer is it is not, although I can still vividly picture my shopping trip there when I purchased it. I know that information because I keep the receipt from that purchase. I bought 30 records that day. 3 x 7”, 17 x LP’s and 10 x 12” singles. That is a hell of a record haul.
There is a .50 cent record purchase that I know was a copy of Kirby Dominants Microphone 12”. I will never forget that one as I dug through the entire 12” single under the main record bins in the hip section and I pulled that pretty early so I kept going. One of my favourite 12” of all time. Most of the items were used so they are just listed as used but there are a 9 records that are listed on the receipt.
I was first exposed to Count BassD through Knowskills in my early days down at the CFCR when Knowskills was hosting his show Trunk Of Funk The Vinyl Frontier which was the precursor to Third Verse. He loved that track Sandwiches and played it a lot so Count BassD became ingrained in my mind.
Coming off the heals of the reintroduction breakout album Dwight Spitz, I was really excited to pick this up. It is really like no other record I have heard before or since. It is really hard to describe. It is so abstract yet very cohesive. The production is flawless and scattered brained at the same time. There is something really special about Count BassD and this record in particular. Also any song/album that has the “this is it” sample from Style Wars on it is immediately enduring to my hip hop heart. The art work is super iconic and instantly draws your attention to it when you see it. It is a double LP with a gatefold cover. The track listing on the inside has short notes about each of the tracks which is really cool. I don’t hear or see a lot of talk about this record in the years since it was released. I just want to bring some “truth to the light” on this one that maybe a few of you missed hearing this one or have not listened to it in a while.
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
the
Completely get what you mean re conventional record stores. My local stores don't have much hip-hop and barely anything against the grain. The only thing I get can physically would be stuff on Rhymesayers, like Aes or Atmosphere. Other towns have a slightly better and bigger selection and repress more classics, but never any super underground stuff.
Also, props for the Count Bass D album, it's a great pick. Some other good stuff on your receipt too, such as K-the-i, Organized Konfusion, the Saafir...I did some quick calculations and it is $258 CAD today. This still seems really cheap. Can you still get records for prices like that (adjusted for inflation, $10-16 CAD?)?
I can't remember if I've ever listened to the entirety of Act Your Waist Size, but I know that "Brasilian Landing Strip" is my joint. That beat is so crunchy. Of course, Spotify ain't got it, so Bandcamp support is essential.
Yo, the night he managed to fit in a brief set in Winnipeg was a memorable one. Such stage presence! I can't remember how word got around that he was coming in, but it got around. The spot wasn't packed, but he rocked it anyway, and we were appreciative. I think he moved a lot of merch that night.