De, Dee, D

DeBarge, IN A SPECIAL WAY, GORDY. 1981. So of course this is the album from which Biggie's "One More Chance" was lifted. One of the dopest little loops of all time, if you ask me. And probably Puff too. But man, if you stop there, you're a fool. This peice of plastic packs a powerful punch. With uptempo riot-starters like "Baby Wontcha Come Quick" and "Be My Lady", as well as some of the more "sentivo" cuts of the early 80s (see "Time Will Reveal" and "Dream"), this is about as well-rounded a pop-funk-R&B record could get. Chock full of "good corniness" (see Prince's feathered hair and hoop rings circa his self-titled release) and absent of "bad corniness" (see DeBarge brother Chico's later works). Oh, and "Dream" rounds out the album, like Dennis Edwards, sparking some future east-west beef by laying the soundscape for 2Pac banger "I Ain't Mad At Cha". Classic. Classic. Classic.

Jay Dee, RUFF DRAFT EP, MUMMY. 2003. Mummy Records' second release EVAR, Ruff Draft EP was one of Dilla's crowning acheivements, if you ask me. Like, dude was kind of nice on the beats or whatever. But he really shined (shone?) on two particular cuts. Yes, I'm talking about the recently re-released and videoed "Nothing Like This" and my personal favorite "The $", on which he ripped your favorite emcee a new asshole. This is probably the single best example of Dilla as a superior emcee. If you're one of the naysayers who needs proof beyond the obvious that he was nice on the mic, check this track. Oh, and the EP also features "Make Em NV", "Crushin'", "Reckless Driving" and "Let's Take It Back". Some of his best works. Released on vinyl only.

The Dramatics, A DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE, STAX. 1973. So The Dramatics brought you such lackluster hits as "In The Rain" and "Watcha See Is Whatcha Get". Okay, I'm a fan too, but really, nothing is fucking with this record. I think this is their climax as a group. Stax let them wild out on this one and they went dark. It's still some soulful shit you'd expect from The Dramatics but with a weird twist. The crown jewel from the whole album? Remeber The Pharcyde's vocal sample on "Hey You"? Wink wink.

Donwill Presents:

Today's blog is brought to you by the rapper "Don". He's the pocket-sized member of Tanya Morgan who's kicks game is as mean as his verse on "We Be". He uses midwest words like "pop" (soda) and "gym shoes" (sneakers) and it greatly amuses me. He's really excited right now because he's officially tall enough to ride the ITS A SMALL WORLD ride at Disneyland. Victory. He has a couple of records to share.

Bette Midler's "Mr. Rockefeller" - SONGS FOR THE NEW DEPRESSION, Atlantic. 1976. Not too much to say here. It's an ego stroke from "Last Call" from the COLLEGE DROPOUT album. SONGS... has some gems on it like "Old Cape Cod", "Marahuana" and the corny classic "Strangers In The Night". Quite the bargain buy. I never really checked for Midler like that (not that I should have), but between she and Streisand, there are actually a handful of golden finds (see Tanya Morgan's "Stay Tuned").


Rodney Franklin's "The Watcher" - YOU'LL NEVER KNOW, Columbia. 1980. Homina homina homina and a dash of no homo. This piano player's "The Watcher" played home to classics from A Tribe Called Quest, Tanya Morgan and more. He's got the Billy Dee look on the cover photo which is why Donwill is holding it so near and dear.




Donwill isn't going to share where these digs were made. They were at yet another super secret dusty spot in the northern Cali area. But if you ever want to go, holler and you can be blindfolded and escorted to the spot free of charge.

In other news, Von Pea is Brooklyn-bound right now and we're all heading to DC at the end of the week. Then on to NYC for CMJ. A.O.K.? Lol.

2/5 count.

Lupe Fiasco - FOOD & LIQUOR. So Lupe Fiasco is this kid that Heinz put me onto a couple of years ago with some mixtapes. I didn't bother checking. He's pretty much changed (a lot of) the game at this point. He's a walking hyperbole and I love him for that. He can bring up a myriad of issues that are plaguing the world without preaching or judging. And he puts it all together in very interesting ways. I don't know. He kind of took me by surprise. Dude is killing it right now.




"Something He Can Feel" - Aretha Franklin. Okay. This doesn't really count. It's a best-of collection. But the shit was like two dollars so I bought it. And it has Aretha's version of "Something He Can Feel" which was repopularized for our generation by the Hangin' With Mr. Cooper Theme Song-Singing En Vogue. Both versions are crazy nutritious. I like that I found this as a place holder first because honestly, my Aretha collection is null and void. Non existent. Kaput. Slow. Low. Anyway. There are some great cuts on here.


"Call Me" - Aretha Franklin. I was 0-2 on genuine finds for Aretha last night, but I had to grab "Call Me". If Dilla's works are called "donuts" what can we call Kanye's? Ego strokes? This is the ego stroke sample for Slum Village's "Selfish". Boy is it fun! It's really just the intro/diana part of the song on some loopage. But boy is it ever so tender and sweet!! All attacks on his personality aside, there are few people in Kanye's league right now. Like, maybe 5 or 10. He's at the top of this production game. And his own records are pretty landmark.



DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER - Dee Dee Bridgewater. 1976. Atlantic. So here's the story. I was digging with Dwine and Jahbryll a few years ago and I picked up this Frank Foster record on the strength of the album cover. It was Foster, with a saxaphone around his neck, killing a hanging mic in the studio. He had more fury in his eyes than "Busta Rhymes doing lines of coke. Woo Ha! That's all she wrote!"... Anyway. I took it home and it was oh, the funkiest record ever recorded. Or one of 'em. And the name of Foster's collective was called The Loud Minority. I was hooked. Had it on repeat for a few months. Anyway, I commemorated the work by naming a struggling indie-hiphop label after it. One of the vocalists was Dee Dee Bridgewater. I've found some great solo works by her. This is one of them. Her version of Hall & Oates "He's Gone" is so damn slumpish that its not funny. And I'm gonna get my sample flipping on with "My Lonely Room" and "It Ain't Easy". I've yet to spend time with the b-side as I just got this record, but I'll let you know how it sounds.

"Sweet Misery" - Martha Reeves, MARTHA REEVES. 1974. MCA. This jelly-filled, chocolate covered treat is kind of the shit. An opening break that was just out there got updated to be one of the sleeper pastries. Anyway... The gem on this record is really her rendition of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers To Cross" which I was pleased to find was on this same album. I've been searching for some time. And to find 3 copies for 2 dollars each was quite the reward. I got the beatmaker one copy and kept two for self. Oh the juggling fun!


This is the first time in a LONG time that I've found something worthwile at the Berkeley Amoeba.

Amoeba Hollywood Needs to Step Up Their Bars

So I'm in Los Angeles right now post-BRIDGES which is a bi-weekly hip hop event thrown by our dear friend Trek Life. This week's show featured Pacific Division (who killed it), Pusher Price (who I wasn't really paying much attention to because I was selling merch), and Oddissee (who killed it). Oh, and Tanya Morgan who, well... killed it. A few things about this show:


1. It was packed. Like PAAAAACKED. The venue has 3 rooms, two downstairs and one upstairs that we were in. All three were packed. All night.

2. Oddissee is just about the coolest dude in the world. Thanks for the love, man. See you at Scribblejam when we gang up on the freestyle battle and share our "rhymesayers" tent.

3. Trek Life is definately tied with Oddissee right now. I've officially thrown 2 shows now. Nothing fancy. And I've been a part of countless shows. Never have I seen anybody throw as dope a show without ANYthing going wrong. If anything DID go wrong, he kept his composure like a motherflipper. And bought us drinks. And snuck us on the bill. I don't know. Trek Life for president man. AND he killed the instore. Shiiiiiiiiiit.

I must send love to the following people: Ralph and DT, Kat and Julius, Trek Life, Mariam for hopping on AIM so I could e-holler, Mario from The Basement in Sherman Oaks, Triune, Dvooa, Natalie from the WE BE shoot and her dog and her friend, Eric for holding us down in the bay right now since i'm useless while driving around, Harmonia and Alfie for the floor and the good times, Natural Mystic, Ladyboss 07, and all the okayplayers who came out, dude who wanted to buy Sunset EP. I forget his name but his myspace is www.myspace.com/willrapforfood. How dope is that?

I tried digging for 15 minutes at Amoeba Hollywood and came up super dry. And yes, I expected to find something worthwhile in 15 minutes. I was moving so damned fast. Soul? Nothing. Rock? Nothing. DVD? Nothing. Laserdisc? Nothing. I'm looking for Menace 2 Society on Laserdisc for iD. Just putting it out there. If you find it, cop it and send it. Thanks.

And now I leave you with this:

This picture is posted for 2 reasons. The first being that I haven't uploaded an image of myself in this room yet. The second being that even though I don't have a photo of ME in this room, I had to post one just out of spite towards my good friend BILL who refuses to visit the bay. Bill, you should ask what was found in this room. Oh my god. Each of those boxes is about 3 feet deep, perfectly organized and alphabetized. Like this is the coolest 12 cubic feet in North America. Neener neener neener.

Addicted to blogging.

This is what I look like when I'm out trying to buy records. More particularly when I'm actually finding records that I'm looking for. Notice the playful craziness? Yeah. When I was looking for Apollonia's "Sex Shooter" maxi-12" I wasn't really in the best of moods. This is more the "I just found Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' 'A Legend In It's Own Time' for dirt cheap" look.



And This is the "Dom just ran out of gas at the top of one of the tallest hills in San Francisco so now we have to walk everywhere to kill time while we get a gas can. My god he's a fucking idiot." face, brought to you by none other than 2/3 of Tanya Morgan, Von Pea (L) and Donwill (R). They chose to wear matching sweatshirts so they'd be easily identifiable if the group split up. Cute!



The Roots' "Can't Stop This" and J Dilla's "Time (The Heart Of The Donut": Jackson 5 - "All I Do Is Think Of You", MOVING VIOLATION. Mowtown. As listed in the liner notes of The Roots' 2006 Def Jam release, GAME THEORY (no snitch-o, Bill), J Dilla (RIP) used this melodic cut for what has been touted by many as the best of all the donuts. I'm a fan too. This record doesn't boast any of the bonafide Jackson 5 hits that you'd find on their earlier records but its a keeper nonetheless. One of their better late releases, save for VICTORY.

J Dilla - "One Eleven": Smokey Robinson And The Miracles - "A Legend In It's Own Time", FOUR IN BLUE. Mowtown. My favorite Donut. Can't really say that Dilla did too much with it, but again, just goes to show you the worth of the man's ear. There's another cut on this record that I imagine The Beatmaker will be turning into one of your favorite beats of 2007 very shortly.



Mos Def - "Brown Sugar": Norman Connors - "Invitation", INVITATION. Okay, so the remix beat was whatever. The original beat for this soundtrack title track standout was pretty dope if you ask me. And the original from which Kanye lifted the sample is clean as all hell. I'd been looking for this for, oh, EVER. and I just came across it while SQUEEEZING in some digging time with Von and Don on Sunday night. We bumped into Jake One as well at the store. That was super cool. Anyway, Mariam loves this cut as well. I have to give the rest of the album a solid listen. See what else is on there.

These Are The Breeeeaaaaks!

Goapele's "It Takes Two": Gladys Knight - "And This Is Love", Angie Stone's "No More Rain": Gladys Knight - "Neither One Of Us", NEITHER ONE OF US, 1973. Mowtown.
So it seems that female soul singers are living vicariously through the performance of Ms. Gladys Knight. If only their records held up. This album is nuts. If you are breaking up, have broken up or will break up, this is a must-listen. She's got some angst in her and it came through on every song. The lyrics are somber, the breaks are funky and the arrangements are dizzope. Classic shit, yo.

George Duke - "Dukey Stick", DON'T LET GO, 1978. Epic.
No Bootsy-o. This record is fantastic. The A-side's 4th cut, "Dukey Stick" has played soundscape for westcoasters like Spice 1 and Paris. And its one of the funkier cuts that Mr. Duke ever peiced together. I've been looking for this casually for about 3 years now since my boy Dwine put together a partial shopping list for me. Thanks buddy!





Little Brother's "Welcome To The Minstrel Show": Floaters - "No Stronger Love", FLOATERS, 1977. ABC Records.
Yes, the record features "Float On". A 12 minute staple for any collector's collection. But it also has on it a not-so-special break that became special recently when it was used as the basis for Little Brother's introduction to their sophomore release. If you've got the LP already, check for it. Side b, track 4.




The Dells - "Stay In My Corner", GREATEST HITS. 1968. Cadet.
This record may not be anything special to you. It's a pretty basic doo wap r&b song from The Dells. The Beatmaker used it for a Nonameko joint though and for that, I had to put it up here. I didn't co-produce the song but I did tell The Beatmaker to include the bridge which I think peiced it all together much nicer.




No comment.

The Donut Shop (Part II)

9th Wonder's beat 3: Billy Paul - "I Want 'Cha Baby",
9th Wonder's "Let The Dollar Circulate", Steve Spacek's "Let The Dollar Circulate": Billy Paul - "Let The Dollar Circulate". WHEN LOVE IS NEW. 1975. Philadelphia International Records.
A triple threat. It's McFadden and Whitehead. It's Gamble & Huff. It's Billy Paul. It's a great record. "When Love Is New" is pretty much the joint. And before R. Kelly was "going half", Billy Paul was "making". "Let's Make A Baby" is another great album cut. This is a must-have.



Cat Stevens - "Was Dog A Doughnut?". IZITSO. 1977. A&M.
So this is a crazy ass break that I'd had on an unlabled mp3 for quite some time. Thanks go out to Bill who put me on. I've got most of Cat Stevens' earlier works. The TEA FOR TILLERMAN era folky stuff. And It pretty much stays locked up. This, however, is great. Unfortunately, "WDAD" is a stand out track, but the arrangement on songs like "To Be A Star" and "Sweet Jamaica" are listenable.




Junior MAFIA's "Get Money", 2Pac's "Hit Em Up": Dennis Edwards' "Don't Look Any Further", DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER, 1984. Gordy.
This man is a criminal. He's the mastermind behind the east coast - west coast beef of the mid-late 1990s. Yup, I said it. Something subliminal is going on here. Something is stirring up hatred between the Bad Boy and Death Row camps. Is it his sultry, Pendegrass-esque vocals or the cheesy distorted riffs of the ever-basic guitar solo at the bridge? I have no idea. But its the jam. Let's all wop it out, shall we?


J Dilla's "Workinonit": 10cc - "Worst Band In The World", 100cc. 1975. UK Records.
Okay, so this doesn't REALLLY count. It's a greatest hits collection, but I'll replace it with the album ASAP. I promise. The basis of one of the funkier donuts, "Worst Band In The World" was originally intended for The Roots (find "Workinonit" by Black Thought ft. Dice Raw at your nearest mp3 sharing site now!). Von Pea brought it to my attention that the name of this song was destined to get sampled for The Roots specifically. Quite the sense of humor.


J Dilla's "Waves": 10cc - "Johnny Don't Do It", 10cc. 1973. UK Records.
Much like their other semi-hit "Donna", 10cc exhibits their fasination with American 50s pop rock on this sarcastic, "Earth Angel" butchery. You gotta love the shit though. On some "Leader Of The Pack" shit, it tells the story of a high school boy named Johnny who took his steady girlfriend for a ride on his hog. There is a newsman reporting about the death during a melodic bridge that became the third donut. It's pretty cool. Check it out.

The Donut Shop (Part I)

Some other goodies that I found this weekend include:

Dilla Says Go: Trammps - "Rubber Band". 1972. Buddah Records. Also the sample for The Game's "Hate It Or Love It". Suburb's favorite Donut. And for good reason. This record is sick as all hell. From The Legendary Zing Album. Again, I've yet to find it so I'm stuck with another 45 but oh well. It'll hold me over. The Trammps are responsible for some of the most terrible disco ever. And have some ridiculous gems as well. Go figure.





Hi: The Three Degrees - "Maybe". 19??. Longitude Music Co. Originally formed in Philadelphia in 1963, The Three Degrees were one of those groups that kept up with the times. They started with gritty, straight-ahead soul, much like this cut, and transitioned through disco, pop and more. They're still together today. This donut barely counts, if at all. Its a reissue from Collectables. This is hella fake. But I got it. The b-side is the funky "You're The One" (DOPE FUCKING BREAK 3/4 of in). Also one of the group's earlier recordings, I beleive it features all of The Three Degrees' original members, Fayette Pickney, Shirley Porter, and Linda Turner.

Glazed: Gene & Jerry - "You Just Can't Win (By Making The Same Mistake)". 19??. Mercury. The intro is the shit. The rest of the song is very straight-ahead soul much like that of Sam and Dave's more popular stuff. A great cut. Gene Chandler and Jerry Butler's One & One is still M.I.A. from my collection but my eyes are open. Dilla went on to use another Jerry Butler joint for another wonderful donut (see below).




U-Love: Jerry Butler - "Just Because I Really Love You". 1968. Mercury. Gamble & Huff strike again. This record is ridiculous. Jerry Butler, who dubbed his self "The Iceman" showed his ass on this one. The piano and brass really takes the lead in parts, and although Dilla didn't do anything too avant garde with this record, its an example of the man's great ear. This, like Joe Simon's "It Be's That Way Sometimes" and David Porter's "The Masquerade Is Over" have become bigger for me than the songs that used them. Taken from "The Iceman Cometh".