Steady Bloggin' » The T.R.O.Y. Blog

Some very old never heard Redman/Tame One gems via the TROY forum

steadybloggin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:53:50 +0000

This right here is a good example of why the TROY forum is the shit… These tracks popped up on a soundcloud page of a producer named Rhino CMZ, then were relayed to TROY by The Custodian Of Records. These kinds of random unearthings happen on the forum frequently…

9. A Day Across The Water-Jam C, Tame, Redman by RHINO CMZ

3. The Niceez Pisces-feat Tame One by RHINO CMZ

These two jumped out at me initially but there’s more good stuff to be found on that soundcloud page, GO HERE. Huge props to RHINO CMZ for sharing them and The Custodian Of Records for the heads up.

Cannibal Ox – Selected Rarities and B-Sides

steadybloggin — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:35:38 +0000

This compilation was created by collaboration between Steadybloggin, The TROY Blog and members of the Philaflava forums. Words by Thun, cover by John Turner Jr. Full tracklist is below the writeup. Enjoy

DOWNLOAD: Cannibal Ox: Selected Rarities and B-Sides

Although Cannibal Ox’s critical reception remains generally positive, the duo’s talent is underrated and as a result, their music is misunderstood. Their only album — 2001′s The Cold Vein— and its official singles are subjected to greater scrutiny than the rest of their discography: a scattered collection of cameos, freestyles, compilations cuts, b-sides, and assorted rarities. This is inevitable and understandable but also unfortunate. Critics focus their praise on producer El-P’s efforts to construct a cohesively dark, dissonant, cohesive vibe for the album, in the process diminishing the contributions of emcees Vast and Vordul. The duo’s larger body of work, which both anticipates and deviates from the sound and vision of The Cold Vein, is only further obscured as a result. The reception culture of The Cold Vein spins false binaries out of thin air in an effort to pin The Cold Vein‘s distinct feel to the influence of its immediate predecessor, Company Flow’s Funcrusher Plus. The logic employed suggests that since the mostly El-P-produced Funcrusher Plus is a salvo aimed at an increasingly glossy, shallow, ephemeral mid-90s east coast rap scene, then the The Cold Vein —and by extension the entirety of Cannibal Ox’s discography— is inextricably linked to the the aesthetic and philosophy of the loosely defined “underground.” The flaws of this line of thought are numerous, and yet most reviews of the group’s music position a short list of the album’s perceived positives — e.g., its “griminess,” “social consciousness,” “spaciness,”— against their diametric opposites, which must logically rule the “mainstream.”

But Funcrusher Plus —and the fabled DIY/Indie/Underground scene that is associated with that album— is hardly the only influence that is evident in Cannibal Ox’s music. Their sound and style is not the surprisingly tidy result of a controlled collision between science-fiction and the streets, or the mindsets of “backpackers” and “gat packers” as Peter Shapiro once quipped, either. Their fascination with the streets as a perverse version of biblical heaven and hell is shared by occasional chart-climbing, decidedly spacey middlegrounders like Mobb Deep; their disdain for inferior emceeing is shared by all of their everyman peers in the “underground. Their style, however, is much messier, much more unruly than any of these influences; their non-Cold Vein output testifies to an ability to adapt their free form cipher styles to a variety of situations without camouflaging their idiosyncrasies.

A perusal of their best non-Cold Vein song reveals incredible diversity in terms of sound, mood, and message. It is true that even apart from El-P’s orbit, Vast and Vordul’s lyrics are often concerned with the integrity of the art form of rap and filled with nerdy references to genre fiction, and that many of their beats sound dusty and dystopian, if you will. But their lyrics are also concerned with breaking free from the bleakness of both their literal surroundings and, perhaps more importantly, the destructive outlooks that these surroundings nurture. The sentiments that Vast and Vordul express on their songs alternate between militant anger, melancholic brooding, and wishful serenity, and their are moments of levity and eccentricity sprinkled throughout. Their backing music shapeshifts just as severely and frequently; it isn’t all dark cosmic chasms and cacaphony.

Take the time to soak in this compilation, presented to you by the good denizens of TROY, Steady Bloggin’, and Philaflava. We feel that it reflects the very best of Vast and Vordul’s non-Cold Vein output as a duo and showcases their versatility while sounding surprisingly cohesive. Enjoy. — Thun

DOWNLOAD: Cannibal Ox: Selected Rarities and B-Sides

Tracklist:

Cosmos (Cannibal Ox & Rob Swift, Cosmos 12″)

Atoms All-Stars (Atoms Family, The Prequel)

Swing Blades (Jean Grae, Hater’s Anthem 12”)

Mecca & The Ox (Vast Aire, Deuces Wild)

Not For Promotional Use (Atoms Family, The Prequel)

Cold Vein -Cold Cryptic Remix (Cannibal Ox, Return of the Ox: Live @ CMJs)

Classic Freestyle #1

Metal Gear (Cannibal Ox, F-Word EP)

Cannibal JFK (Vordul Mega, Yung World)

Handle That (Vordul Mega, The Revolution of Yung Havoks)

Bloodsport (Mighty Joseph, Empire State)

Life’s Ill (Cannibal Ox, F-Word EP)

Classic Freestyle # 2

Brothaz remix (Mr. Lif & Cannibal Ox, Various Artists, Definitive Swim)

From The Planet of Eat (Cannibal Ox, Return of the Ox: Live @ CMJs)

F-Word (RJD2 Remix) (Def Jux Bucket of B-Sides)

Carry On (C Rayz Walz ft. Karniege, Quan Grimy, Cannibal Ox, Glorian Light, Free Rayz Walz)

In The Mirror (Vordul Mega ft. Vast Aire, Megagraphitti)

AK-47 (Vordul Mega, Megagraphitti)

Angels and Insects (ft. Kasm) – (Angels and Insects compilation)

T.R.O.Y. Blog’s 100 Best Native Tongues Songs (MP3s)

steadybloggin — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:06:15 +0000

You wanted it, now you’re getting it! We’ve been bombarded with this request since T.R.O.Y.‘s list dropped so without further ado here are the mp3s (+ bonuses) for you all. Remember the to best way to stay tuned into all of TROY’s updates is by subscribing to their feed, which you can do by clicking here. –Philaflava

Click to read The TROY Blog Presents 100 Greatest Native Tongues Songs @Complex.com

The zip files are below (2 files), all mp3s are not tagged; however you get 105 total. Make sure you check out Complex for the entire list and spread the word.

Greatest Native Tongues Songs (Part 1)
Greatest Native Tongues Songs (Part 2)

The Greatest & Most Comprehensive Native Tongues List You’ll Ever Read

steadybloggin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:33:16 +0000

Our big brother (no, not B.I.G.’s brother) T.R.O.Y. dropped ether on the internet today. In collaboration with Marc Ecko’s Complex they came up with not 50, but 100 of the Greatest Native Tongues Songs of All-Time. No bias, well maybe a little, this is easily the most comprehensive NT list ever in existence. Our favorite Complex list to date. But we’re not being too bias. –Philaflava

Click to read The TROY Blog Presents 100 Greatest Native Tongues Songs @Complex.com

…beyond their flamboyant presentation and bohemian sensibility, the Native Tongues were about constructing haunting, beautiful songs out of the fuzzy, bassy, scratchy, nearly forgotten remnants of virtually every black American musical tradition that ever seduced mainstream audiences. With a focus on the core members, we got the good folks from The T.R.O.Y. Blog to figure out The 100 Greatest Native Tongues Songs…

Visit The T.R.O.Y blog.

The T.R.O.Y. Blog Returns

steadybloggin — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 21:35:16 +0000

Not nearly as pretty as Minka but eye candy for sure. Bookmark, subscribe, check out the return of our big brother T.R.O.Y. and watch how we ball. –Philaflava

Click here to subscribe.

A gift…

Download

The T.R.O.Y. Blog

steadybloggin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:26:26 +0000

The newly redesigned T.R.O.Y. featuring O.G. squad members is about to make a triumphant return to the blogosphere. Stay tuned for our big brother to do his damn thing. TheTroyBlog Dot Com coming to a bookmark near you! –Philaflava

T.R.O.Y.’s – Sounds Like The 90s Vol. 13

steadybloggin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:19:05 +0000

Our big bro is back in this bitch with Vol. 13 –Philaflava

T.R.O.Y. Presents – Sounds Like The 90s Vol. 13

1. Freeway & Jake One â€“ Throw Your Hands Up
2. Black Thought â€“ Contract On The World feat. Dice Raw & Porn
3. The LOX â€“ Slow Down (Youâ€™re Killinâ€™ Em)
4. Smiley The Ghetto Child â€“ Iâ€™m Legend (prod. DJ Premier)
5. Freddie Gibbs â€“ The Ghetto
6. U.G. â€“ Beat Yo Ass
7. Big Noyd â€“ New York Lights
8. Meyhem Lauren â€“ 7000 Thoughts
9. Roc Marciano – Snow
10. Mobb Deep â€“ Whole Lotta Thug (prod. Alchemist)
11. Sadat X â€“ Turn It Up feat. Pete Rock
12. Consequence â€“ Let U Live feat. Pharoahe Monch
13. Ski Beatz â€“ Prowler 2 ft. Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz & Mos Def
14. Wu-Massacre – Dangerous
15. U.G. â€“ My Soldiers feat. Steele & Casual
16. Open Mike Eagle â€“ Unapologetic feat. Nocando
17. Planet Asia & Goldchain Military â€“ Organic Food (prod. Large Professor)
18. Tanya Morgan – Cheesesteak
19. Meyhem Lauren â€“ Treat Her Like A Prostitute feat. Thristin Howl III
20. Brotha Lynch Hung – Meat

Download
Download #2

Most Underrated Rapper of All-Time (Round 3)

steadybloggin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:34:54 +0000

Who will survive the sweet sixteen? Tragedy Khadafi vs. Chubb Rock? Casual vs. King-Tee? MC Ren vs. Aceyalone? Breeze Brewin vs. Godfather Don? Your vote counts! –Philaflava

Download New Bracket
Vote

T.R.O.Y.’s Sounds Like The 90s Vol. 12

steadybloggin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:00:24 +0000

Our big brothers, big compilation. Don’t sleep on the Best of Sounds Like The 90s and if you have been you can catch-up on all 12 volumes below. –Philaflava

Download Vol. 12

Download all 12 volumes here.

Props to Strategy for the tagged version, Blake Reznik and Tal Danan for yet another sick cover.

Early Christmas from T.R.O.Y.

steadybloggin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:47:33 +0000

Every day this week our big brother T.R.O.Y. blog is dropping 25 joints (100 total) of their latest compilation, 100 Tracks You Need To Hear (’97-’99). –Gloss

1997-1999. You swear it wasnâ€™t that long ago, but you know it might as well have been eons ago. Depending on your outlook, this is either the tail end of a gilded age or the beginning of the apocalypse. During this time, the hip hop artists born circa 1970 who catapulted the genre forward as teenagers and young adults in the â€™87-â€™94 heyday are beginning to mellow out or gloss it up. Sampling laws are enforced more than ever but the indie labels are resolute in refusing to go the glittery route. Radio is dominated by obvious samples and tales of upward mobility and debauchery, while the underground mixshows stay saturated with eccentric rhyming clinics and surreal poetics. The divide is not entirely clean, however. In this era you can find surreal poets waxing profound on diamonds and champagne, gritty crime narratives on major label releases, and a whole host of songs that defy categorization (and a few that even defy simple explanation). This series is for those of you who know that the late â€˜90s is deeper than just Organized Konfusion, Ras Kass, Mase, Nas, and Company Flow (no disrespect intended of course). This is for those of you that know that great hip hop comes from all corners of the USA and around the world, that the b-sides of overlooked 12â€s and the album cuts of long forgotten tapes contain true gems. Songs that speak to our hunger for dope beats and lyrics and manage to stand out from the crowd. We made a special effort to seek out songs that you probably havenâ€™t heard or donâ€™t really remember too clearly, while making sure that each selection hearkens backs to the last era in which musical diversity and quality could be taken for granted. You need to hear this. Enjoy our 100 picks, coming at you at the rate of twenty five per day just in time for the holidays.

So what are you waiting for? Go open up your gifts…