Thoughts From The Rap Nest

vol022-030

Rap Nest shelf.

Thoughts

I was able to connect with Matre on Sunday and we had a long conversation. It was great to connect with him in so many ways. We have been good friends going on 17 years now and we spent some time reflecting on that and talking about some past good times we spent together over the years. We talked about each other families who we both know and talked about things we were working on. We even talked about how he should make a track with Rove. I am not sure if that is going to happen right away as he is working on another musical project right now but I said it would be a shame if another Rove album dropped and there was not a Matre track on it. The seeds have been planted so will see if they sprout and grow.

Speaking of seeds, as some of you may or may not know, I am in a hip hop band call Parab Poet and the Hip Hop Hippies. We were a 9 piece collective where I was the DJ and did lots of vocals and back ups. We were in the process of practicing and ramping up to record our sophomore album in the tail end of 2019 and into the early parts of winter 2020 when the world shut down. It basically killed our momentum as we all had to navigate this unprecedented world. This was pretty much the only thing I was really sad about when the pandemic hit. I felt we were really hitting our stride collectively and really strong as a band. We had about 9 heaters that were ready to lay down in the studio. We were starting to track out and lineup recording sessions and then the world shut down. Fast forward to the summer of 2022 and I had a really good conversation on the street outside my house with Parab about getting the band back together in whatever capacity that looked like. It was a great conversation and one that Parab said he needed to hear and he started to do some groundwork and talking to everyone involved to see where everyone was at. When we originally formed, it was so Parab Poet could rock at the Saskatchewan International Jazz Festival. He had been turned down numerous times so he had the incredible idea of applying as a band. He got accepted and then scrambled to put a band together for the show and the rest is history as they said. I had the same idea this go around and said we should apply for a festival and then work towards performing at it. It would give us reason to get together and reherse. I am glad Parab thought that was a good idea as he reached out to see who could commit at this time and 6 original members said they were in and he reached out to a bass player that had filled in and played bass for us at a couple shows over the years. So we are back and in our rehearsal space, witch is the living room and kitchen of our percussion sections house once again. I am super excited. We have a good game plan and we have created some great new chemistry and vibes. I am really excited to back creating with the “Hips” once again. Below is a link to our debut album.

Tomorrow is another Bandcamp Friday and it is shaping up to be a real pocketbook killer. It is both exciting and stressful at the same time. Having to make these tough calls on what will sell out immediately and what you hope you can wait on. These are always tough decisions. I think I have a game plan for tomorrow but I have re-written that game plan in my head about a dozen times. I selfishly hope there are no other surprises of things I am interested in. I am really for the first time in my life thinking my collecting of physical music days are numbered so I am going to enjoy the last of these days for as long as they do last.  One of those that will be an instant cop from Audio Recon is Riddlore’s The West Wing. Originally released in 2011 on CDr. I am excited that this release is getting a new life and on vinyl for the first time. It is a certified west coast classic and if you are not familiar with it check it OUT.

Riddlore’s The West Wing. Photo courtesy of Audio Recon.

Speaking of tough on the wallet days, Last Friday Billy Woods finally dropped the vinyl Aethiopes which I had been waiting for since the start of September to be posted and especially multiple times a day last week when they said they had them in hand for a show in Kansas City. It finally dropped on Friday as I expected and in my haste to order as these drops usually go quick I missed that he also put-up a preorder for the new Church album. It wasn’t there when I added Aethiopes to my cart but was posted while I was making the transaction. In the gear of missing out I grabbed it and got hit with the double shipping. A bit of a tough pill to swallow but on the plus side I will get Aethiopes months before I see Church so that is a bit of a silver lining.

The homie Mc Homeless is dropping a repress, “pretty in pink” edition of the 12” single he did with Kool Keith called Aliens. With production from Rove and remix from Noblonski. The cover has a bit of a refresh with Dren stepping it to flip the green to pink. This record sold fast so here is your opportunity to grab one courtesy Four Finger Distro.

Image courtesy Four Finger Distro.

The homie Kitz Willman is rocking a couple shows this weekend tomorrow night in Winnipeg at the Handsome Daughter with the homie Rob Crooks and Regina’s Think Tank and Saturday they take the show on the road to the home of super prairie hip hop pioneers Farm Fresh as they rock the Guinness Tavern in Brandon Manitoba Saturday Night. If you are in the area you should definitely check these shows out.

Missed last nights Third Verse episode? Ugsmag’s got you covered. Steaming NOW!

Record One

sign one – The Mighty Highs and The Lowly Lows

My copy.

You were probably wondering why this has not shown up in this section yet. I have had the test press for a while, and I talked about that in a previous TFTRN but I didn’t have the actual retail release vinyl until this week. I am patient when it comes to waiting for things and sometimes to a fault. I saw the homies start to post their copies they received in the mail so I figured it would be any day now. Well, those days turned into weeks, and I thought well maybe they forgot to send it or it got sent and is lost in the mail. So, I sent a message to the homie Scot Da Ros who runs Endemik Records, turns out he just forgot I ordered it from him through his ende shoppe and not on Bandcamp with one of the other labels selling it. I am glad I sent a message because sometimes these things happen. Scott being the super awesome person he is sent it out asap and it got to me really quick. So after a bit of a delay, I am really excited to add this to my personal collection. This record means a lot to me as it was crafted during the time sign and I became good homies. I was familiar with sign’s music from his Jerk Circuit days and his Dollar Bin release, but I had never met him or had any interactions with him. I have really valued our friendship over the past few years and was honored when he reached out to me to lace some cuts on the album. This album is classic front to back and is going to be one of those records that ages well and that I revisit a lot in the years to come. If you missed scooping this there are still a handful of copies available, and Bandcamp Friday would be a great day to scoop one.

Record Two

Controller 7 – Left Handed Straw

My copy. The cover and back of the gatefold. Original cover on the right and new art on the back on the left.

Image inside the gatefold.

Heralded as Controller 7’s debut release back in 2000 now available for the first time in its entirety on vinyl. The record features the classic cover but has an updated back cover and an expansive gate fold filled with images that capture the era it was created in. I am sure pretty sure everyone reading this has heard this by now. On the off chance that you have not there are still a handful of copies available on Controller 7’s Bandcamp. I always liked this record and I have really become a big Controller 7 fan over the past few years as I age, and my tastes and perspectives change and I am more open to instrumental rap music and projects of this nature. Controller 7 also has a really good Subtsack that you should check out called C7’s Custom Wallees where he talks about his journey as an artist. I really enjoy his honest reflection and his stories. Being a similar age although I didn’t grow up in the Bay Area, I can relate to a lot of this thigs he writes about.

Classic Material

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - He’s the DJ & I’m The Rapper

My original tape.

I was 9 when this album dropped. I didn't get my own copy until a few years later. I had previously heard the Rock The House album from my friends older brother (yeah like the Wordburglar song) the same one that introduced me to RUN DMC Tougher Than Leather and showed us what breakdancing was in his basement. My introdcution to this album was from my brothers best friend in elemenrtray school. His name was Chris Jones. He lived down the street from us but laster moved to Winnipeg and then to Los Angelas. His dad was a big wig insurance salesman for London Life. He was living in Winnipeg at the time and had flown to Sasakatoon to visit my brother. He was into rap and brought a few rap tapes with him and this was one of them. I remember tagging along and wearing out my welcome when he was visiting. One hot summer day they were outside on the drive way shooting hoops and they were listening to various rap albums and this happened to be one of them. I was instantly mesmerized by the track Brand New Funk. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. From that moment I was a huge Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince fan. They were like what RUN DMC was for the generation of rap fans older the me. There subject mater was relatable in a way that rap previously wasn’t.

My signed copies by DJ Jazzy Jeff

Fast forward a whole bunch of years to 2004. I caught wind via rap message boards aka I read that DJ Jazzy Jeff was playing at the Moon Night Club in Regina with Mad Skillz on the Sask Hip Hop Message Board. Being the fan that I was I had to make the 2 hour and 20 minute drive to check out the show. It was really exciting as I loved DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince so much as a pre-teen and young teen. Then naturally I followed them to TV on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air like so many rap fiends my age did. That show definitely killed them as a rap duo but they both have gone on to amazing careers. I was so excited when I finally got to meet DJ Jazz Jeff. I had him sign this album and the Rock The House album. I also was a big fan of Mad Skills debut album From Where??? and I had a really nice conversation with him at the show and had him sign my vinyl copy of the album. It was a really memorable night that capped off some really great childhood memories.

My signed copies by Mad Skillz

Closing Ramblings

I have two shirts up at Stylesmakefights.ca One for my radio Show You Know The Rulesdesigned by the homie Aiden Searle and the other for my dj crew The Stone Cold Party Rockers with the homie Rove designed by the homie Awol One. Also the homies at Audio Recon have some dope shirts too

I host two weekly radio shows Third Verse on CFCR 90.5 fm in Saskatoon Saskatchewan every Wednesday 9 -10:30pm CST and You Know The Rules on UMFM 101.5 in Winnipeg Manitoba every Sunday Night 10-11pm They are pretty great and you should check em out.

Also i got some cool shirts, poster and hats in the Ugsmag Shop if you want that fly shit.

**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