FLY YOUR WHOLE CABBAGE TO PARIS… oh god I hope I’m hearing this right

DOWNLOAD: Ghostface, Roc Marciano, Killa Sin – The Black Diamonds

It’s rare when a mashup or a bootleg remix outshines the original, but here the original isn’t particularly well produced and the Shirelles song is beyond classic and fits Ghost’s sentiments in the lyrics, so this version wins.

DOWNLOAD: Ghostface – Tooken Back VS The Shirelles – Foolish Little Girl (Created by Frail Limb Purity)

via FLP

If Dre was the sound of G-Funk and Snoop was voice, then Nate Dogg was surely the harmony. Tying together lush production and smooth vocals with his rich, raspy melodies, Nate brought a defining quality to the music. Raised as a gospel singer in East Long Beach, he crashed onto the regional scene with his work on Mista Grimm’s “Indo Smoke” and Dr. Dre’s “Lil’ Ghetto Boy,” but it was his appearance alongside Warren G on “Regulate” that pushed him into the national spotlight. When Death Row Records collapsed under it’s own misdeeds, he took his talents from coast to coast, never failing to impress as the go to guy for that Californian vibe whilst giving career defining hits to the likes of Ludacris, Fabolous and 50 Cent. Many have tried to imitate him and some have even tried to snatch the crown as the king of the rap hook, but to no avail. They can come closer than close. Original they never could be.

Over the past five years Nate had suffered two separate strokes and was struggling to gain a sense of normalcy in his life. The first stroke had partially paralyzed him temporarily and the second meant that daily physical rehab would likely be a fixture for him for the rest of his life. That life came to an all too soon end on March 15th, 2011. Nate passed away, aged 41 as a forefather of G-Funk with a legacy of hits. With this somewhat chronological compilation, we celebrate both the music Nate brought to hip-hop, and also his unquestionable impact upon it. Three sides, 42 tracks and whole lotta G-Funk. Regulate In Peace.

— Snoop Bloggy Blogg

Nate Dogg – Nobody Does It Better
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101 – Nate Dogg – Nobody Does It Better ft. Warren G
102 – Nate Dogg – Lil’ Ghetto Boy ft. Dr Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg
103 – Nate Dogg – Indo Smoke ft. Warren G and Mista Grimm
104 – Nate Dogg – Ain’t No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None) ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg, Kurupt and Warren G
105 – Nate Dogg – Gz Up, Hoez Down ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg
106 – Nate Dogg – One More Day
107 – Nate Dogg – Regulate ft. Warren G
108 – Nate Dogg – Big Pimpin’ ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg and The Dogg Pound
109 – Nate Dogg – Just Doggin ft. The Dogg Pound
110 – Nate Dogg – OG ft. Daz Dillinger and Snoop Doggy Dogg
111 – Nate Dogg – I Don’t Like to Dream About Gettin’ Paid ft. The Dogg Pound
112 – Nate Dogg – Let’s Play House ft. The Dogg Pound
113 – Nate Dogg – All About U ft. 2Pac, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dru Down
114 – Nate Dogg – Skandalouz ft. 2Pac

201 – Nate Dogg – These Days Ft. Daz Dillinger
202 – Nate Dogg – Never Leave Me Alone Ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg
203 – Nate Dogg – Just Another Day
204 – Nate Dogg – XXplosive ft. Dr Dre, Hittman, Kurupt and Six-Two
205 – Nate Dogg – The Next Episode ft. Dr Dre, Hittman and Snoop Dogg
206 – Nate Dogg – Bitch Please ft. Snoop Dogg and Xzibit
207 – Nate Dogg – Nah, Nah ft. E-40
208 – Nate Dogg – Oh No ft. Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch
209 – Nate Dogg – Lay Low ft. Snoop Dogg, Master P, Butch Cassidy and Tha Eastsidaz
210 – Nate Dogg – Bitch Please II ft. Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Xzibit
211 – Nate Dogg – High Come Down ft. Chico and Coolwadda
212 – Nate Dogg – Can’t Deny It ft. Fabolous
213 – Nate Dogg – Area Codes ft. Ludacris
214 – Nate Dogg – The Streets ft. WC and Snoop Dogg

301 – Nate Dogg – Till I Collapse ft. Eminem
302 – Nate Dogg – Multiply ft. Xzibit
303 – Nate Dogg – 21 Questions ft. 50 Cent
304 – Nate Dogg – Ooh Wee ft. Ghostface Killah, Saigon and Trife
305 – Nate Dogg – Groupie Love (Warren G-Funk Remix) ft. 213
306 – Nate Dogg – Another Summer ft. 213
307 – Nate Dogg – Never Enough ft. Eminem and 50 Cent
308 – Nate Dogg – Time’s Up ft. Jadakiss
309 – Nate Dogg – Boyz n’ tha Hood ft. Daz Dillinger
310 – Nate Dogg – Shake That ft. Eminem
311 – Nate Dogg – Dollar Bill ft. 213
312 – Nate Dogg – Why
313 – Nate Dogg – How Long Will They Mourn Me ft. 2Pac and Thug Life
314 – Nate Dogg – Teardrops and Closed Caskets ft. 2Pac and Tha Outlawz

Today’s (pretty decent) Rick & Rae team up got me thinking about this far superior Rick & Rae combination. As a friend of mine always points out, starting at around the 1:50 mark Rae breaks into such a heady stream of free associations and non-sequiturs that Rick has no choice but to cheer him on with stunned ‘yeah yeah yeah yeah’ from somewhere in the background.

DOWNLOAD: Slick Rick – Frozen

Then of course there’s this, even more appropriate since Molasses also features Ghost.

DOWNLOAD: Ghostface Killa – The Sun ft Slick Rick, Raekwon, RZA

BONUS FEATURES: I always wondered where this ‘so-so beat’ that Slick Rick made monstrous originated. Turns out it samples a piece of Bill Conti’s OST from For Your Eyes Only. The sample is at about 20 seconds in.

This pic has been making rounds on the net lately, I think it started from realniggatumblr. For whatever reason, the first thing that came to mind when I saw it was this random homegrown remix. I have no idea where I found it, nor why the title was changed from healthy to deadly. The sound of this one goes directly against the grain of the original, dusty chopped weirdness replaced with easy smoothness that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Curren$y or a Camp Lo song. Works like a motherfucker though.

DOWNLOAD: Ghostface Killah – Mighty Deadly (Siik’s Forces Of Nature Rmx)

After listening to Ghostface’s In Tha Park feat. Black Thought, first posted on T.R.O.Y., I have come to realize it might be impossible NOT to include Black Thought among the 5 best rappers today. Follow me on this one, go back to ’94 when A&R extraordinaire Wendy Goldstein signed them to Geffen Records. Months later (Jan ’95) they dropped their major label debut Do You Want More?!!!??!.

Many consider that very album to be a true blue classic with stellar tracks such as Proceed, Silent Treatment, Distortion to Static and The Lesson, but it wasn’t until later in his career that Black Thought truly developed into one of the best all-around emcees in the game. Like vintage wine, he got better with age. It happened to Steven Tyler, Phil Collins to even rappers like Lil Wayne and MF Doom.

Ghostface Killah -In Tha Park feat. Black Thought

If you go back to the mid-90′s (technically The Roots dropped in ’93 w/Organix), think of all the rappers who stayed consistent and actually got better. In 2011, you probably won’t even be able to think of 5 rappers that has consistently put out great music and aged gracefully with each passing year. Redman? Nope. Ghostface Killah? Need I remind you of the last 3 years of his career? Nas? LOL. Pharoahe Monch? Nah. Think about it, many rappers peak and quietly fall into hip-hop obscurity. Some continue to embarrass themselves with failures at reinventing themselves or keeping up with the status quo.

For years many people wrote off Black Thought as being lyrically lyrical and ain’t saying nuthin’. Well, a lot of those people had to change their mind when they heard Thought @ Work, Web or the sociological tracks on Game Theory. Since then Black Thought hasn’t dropped a weak verse.

It’s true Black Thought doesn’t have that one song like Rakim does, like Big Daddy or even Biggie. Black Thought has a plethora of great songs, great albums and phenomenal guest appearances. AND he is still doing it! While there are many great emcees today like Jadakiss, Jay Electronica, Pusha T, Andre 3000 & Lil Wayne, not many have catalog, consistency and most importantly the longevity that Black does.

Is Black Thought a Top 5 MC today? I don’t see how he isn’t. In fact, he is probably flirting with Top 15 all-time status with each verse he lays. –Philaflava

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Tracklist:
1. Criminology 2.5 – Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man
2. Mef vs. Chef 2 – Method Man & Raekwon
3. Ya Moms Skit – Method Man & Raekwon
4. Smooth Sailing Remix – Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Solomon Childs & Streetlife
5. Our Dreams – Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man
6. Gunshowers – Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck & Sun God
7. Dangerous – Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man
8. Pimpin’ Chipp – Ghostface Killah
9. How To Pay Rent Skit feat. Tracy Morgan
10. Miranda – Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man
11. Youngstown Heist – Ghostface Killah, Trife, Sheek & Bully
12. It’s That Wu Sh*t – Ghostface Killah & Method Man

While most of these lame ass blogs were rushing their “best of…” lists in the final months of 2009, I kept mine on ice. You know, just in case Detox 2 was to secure a prosperous December 31st release date or something. But now that the 00s are a distant memory of crunk, emo and rappers not wanting to be rappers, it’s the perfect time to take a hindsight look over the best 5 releases of the decade.

Please note: the opinions herein do not represent a consensus from Steady Bloggin’. Nay, it’s just me bluffing my way through 10 years of hip-hop history and pretending to know things through a delicate mixture of disjointed hyperbole, speculative thought and advanced cliche. Enjoy!

1. Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001)

The flawless production from Just Blaze and Kanye. The thumping juggernaut that was “Takeover.” The swagnificent delivery that tied it all together. Take your pick from the myriad of reasons as to why this album not only tangibly transformed rap music upon its release, but has ostensibly stood the test of time. Granted, a large portion of props should be directed towards Kanye for bringing back the sped-up soul with a spot of polish – wait a second, is it rap taboo to bring up the notion that Just Blaze shamelessly ripped off West during this time? It’s not like he was a slouch with the style and they’ve both grown into their own distinctive sounds, but how did he not receive more criticism for this? In 1999 he was making monophonic ring tones, then he works with West on the Dynasty album in 2000 and suddenly is pushing identical beats? Answers in the comments section please. Either way, this was the album that restored Jay as a darling of the underground. Backpackers discontent with their post-Rawkus landscape becoming unbearably vanilla (and as a hilarious consequence, off-rhythm) latched on with glee as he paraded around MTV in a Che Guevara shirt with a ?uestlove cosign. The lyricism may not have been as spectacular as his efforts on subsequent releases like Blueprint 2 or the S. Carter Collection (in no small part due to him being surrounded by a new crop of hungry emcees, specifically Young Chris), but tracks like “Lyrical Exercise,” “Girls, Girls, Girls rmx” and “U Don’t Know” are a clinic in wordplay and metaphor. Then there’s “Renegade,” the joint where he was supposedly “bodied” on his own shit – a ridiculous notion considering two things: 1. I never heard ANYONE say that until Nas said it somehow making it gospel and 2. the only line most people even remember from it anymore is a Jay-Z lyric. As close to a perfect album we’ve had this decade.

2. Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele (2000)

In 1997, The Wu-Tang Clan dropped their landmark sophomore LP Forever selling 2 million units in the US alone. It was a year that capitalized on the clasisc-after-classic build-up of the group’s solo debuts, but the year also marked the end of RZA’s “5 year plan.” He instantly stopped overseeing all Wu-Tang material and as a result, the market was flooded with a plethora of Clan-related releases, mostly from unmemorable affiliates. The brand, once renowned for its quality output, had become woefully over-saturated. As Melody Maker magazine succinctly put – “another month, another Wu-Tang side project.” Even releases from core members were lacking. Immobilarity, Tical 2000 and Uncontrolled Substance all failed to rekindle the spark. It got to the point that by the end of the decade, critics genuinely began to ponder whether the Wu was dead. Re-enter Starks Enterprises. Initially delayed due to a robbery bid, Starks bitchslapped rap into 2G with a dose of acerbic wit and Stapleton swagger. His stream-of-consciousness style, spread heavy over the fantastic production provided by Mathematics, RZA and Juju, turned the sophomore jinx theory on its head. The Wu was back. Packed with memorable performances, from the prepubescent story-tale on “Child’s Play” to the ill poetics of “Mighty Healthy,” Supreme Clientele became a reference point of recovery. So much so that even Freddie Foxx had to say “I’m about to save hip-hop like Ghost saved the Wu.” I mean he didn’t, but still.

3. Nas – Stillmatic (2001)

It seems that with every Nas release following It Was Written came an expectant return to the style and sound of his debut, Illmatic. I Am became an over-hyped microcosm of the mediocrity that reigned in rap circa 1998/99. Nastradamus barely merits a mention. And QB’s Finest? Well, that’s more notorious for transforming a whispering disagreement into a full-fledged conflict. By 2001, Nas’ reputation had become so tarnished that he had in fact “went from top 10 to not mentioned at all.” Obviously Stillmatic in no shape managed to duplicate Illmatic, but rather than merely a return to formula, it was a return to form. Nas’ rhymes, revitalized by the adrenaline of battle and matched with the production of DJ Premier, Large Pro and LES gave Stillmatic a cohesive sound with minimal skips. The conceptual storytelling of “2nd Childhood” and “Rewind,” transcendent lyricism of “You’re Da Man” and social analytics of “My Country” reminded everyone as to why Nas should be a permanent fixture in GOAT conversations. The album’s flagship track, “Ether,” shell-shocked the seemingly undaunted swagger of Jay-Z to the point of a crucial misstep in their formerly cold war of words. Perhaps the greatest honor was that “Ether,” or “ethered,” gained a victorious entry into the vocabulary of rap, much the same way the liberal suffix of -gate has in political scandal post-Nixon. Those that gave rotation to this album when it dropped still love it to death. Those that didn’t are still coming up with half-assed reasons as to why it’s not a classic. Do yourself a favor and revisit it, you’ll be surprised how well it’s aged.

4. Kanye West – The College Dropout (2004)

What Kanye started with Blueprint, he effectively ended with College Dropout. The three year dominance of sped-up soul was given its last rites by its re-inventor’s debut. During the initial period of the craze, West was remarkably unable to secure himself a recording contract. It took a near-fatal road accident and the surging buzz of “Through the Wire” for Jay-Z (aka one of the worst ears for talent in hip-hop) to agree to sign him. The uncertainty of the debut release allowed West to hit the mixtape circuit with I’m Good, a project that contained teaser snippets of what would be on the forthcoming album. His followers were not let down. Featuring alongside ready-made hits like “Jesus Walks” and “Slow Jamz,” Kanye showed off his billionaire backpack styles flippin’ from the conscious “All Falls Down” to the BET-accessible “New Workout Plan.” With this, West provided the missing link between what was considered jiggy hip-hop and the declining neo-soul rap movement. Working with, and in some cases pairing off, artists like Jay-Z, Mos Def, Ludacris, Common, Dip Set and Little Brother, Kanye helped blur the lines between the culture’s sub-genres, providing successful examples and precedents that would bridge the gap with great music. And yet, despite the obvious vulnerability to barbs decrying hypocrisy, the album comes across as surprisingly unpretentious and sincere. More than what could be said about his subsequent LPs. I still don’t understand how anyone puts Graduation even close to this. Not even in the same league, stratosphere, universe, comparative exaggeration etc.

5. 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003)

Music moves in cycles. Action-reaction. In 2002, the dominant sound in hip-hop was the R&B-driven, catchy-hook with semi-sang rhyme of Ja Rule. In the inevitable backlash, 50 Cent was the answer. Gritty, gangsta rap with a blaxploitative invincibility, his mixtape buzz afforded him a debut album cosigned by Eminem and executive produced by Dr. Dre. Ironically, Get Rich or Die Trying ended up being a soundclash of his sidewalk style and the R&B sound of his defeated nemesis. The gun-in-your-face braggadocio both captivated and shocked mainstream America in a fashion unseen since the glory days of thug life. For better or worse, the album took Jay-Z’s gangsta rap Blueprint and dumbed it down to pre-pubescent levels. 50 in turn, watched the money pile up. In some ways, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ would grow to be his own personal Illmatic – a grandstanding obelisk that would overshadow each successive release. Unable to out-gangsta his last efforts, his formula became as repetitive, sterile and predictable as Ja’s before ultimately suffering his own public embarrassment at the hands of Kanye West.

— Snoop Bloggy Blogg