BREAKBEAT TUESDAY

Breakbeat Tuesday: I have so much going on right now that I can't get into a full in-depth thing about this next record. All I know is that it's a MONSTER, and that I played it somewhere and sometime in my set on Sunday to thunderous effect. I first heard this in the form of Kool G Rap's "Untouchable Remix" of "On The Run." Someone told me it was a Ray Bryant record so I spent the next 6 months buying every record by dude I could find, until I copped "Up Above The Rock." Like so many soul jazz records of the late 60s it was chock-filled with tepid standards of the time like "Little Green Apples" and Burt Barcharach jawns. But the title cut? Damn... So ill, and it's been a favorite ever since in my sets. The production is very unique in it's sound, as it's on Cadet and they had a very distinctive sound and feel to their records at the time, courtesy of producer Richard Evans. The composition of the song is very cinematic and matched perfectly for the storytelling prowess of G. Rap's mafia fairytales. And to me this was one of the first productions that made me think the Trackmasters had taken their shit to the next level. Anyway, a Philly DJ living in Brooklyn plays a jazz song by a Philly pianist sampled by a Queens MC at a party in Los Angeles, and all because of that, it being give to you.


Ray Bryant "Up Above The Rock" (Cadet, 1968)



And for good measure,


Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "On The Run (Untouchable Version)" (Cold Chillin', 1992)


Yeah I've been slacking on the posts. Whatever, man. It's summer. Who cares? Shouldn't you be outside instead of reading this? Anyway, if you've gotten this far, let me take the time to let you know I'm about to hit the road for a few days. Tomorrow I will be in Calgary rocking with DJ Fashen and the Smalltown DJs. Friday I will be at Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver. Saturday I return to Seattle to rock at HG Lodge (formerly known as War Room) with the homie Fourcolorzack. Then Sunday, I'm off to Los Angeles for a few days, starting with me DOING a special top-secret daytime event in Hollywood. Whatcha Want To Do? Hit me on Sunday to find out... And peep the Events Page for all the details of the trip. Other than that, I am "this much closer" to the launch of the new site. Like probably to 4 weeks from now. Super psyched. The new site is crazy and going to change the game.


In the meantime me and The Rub crew have been full steam ahead with our History Of Hip-Hop series. We started chronicling our favorite rap songs for each year in hip-hop starting from 1979 and going all the way to 1999. 20 mixes in all, and we've just relaunched the series to tackle the first decade of the 21st Century. So peep us at www.itstherub.com for a new year every Thursday, and check out the archive of past years here.

Posted in: