PH-1's Top 10 Favorite Posse Cuts

What up ppl? It's been 2 years & I'm finally releasing this list. Back in 2006, was when I first got recognized on myspace as the Hip Hop Guru after doing a series of blogs acknowledging my Top 10 Favorite lists.... I had a list for my favorite male emcees, one for favorite femcees & one for rap groups. Since it seems my time on myspace is limited, I figured it was time to finally release some of the blogs I've been holding out on for the past 2 or 3 years.

I still have a list of my top 10 Posses or Crews, DJ's/Beatmakers, but for now here are my top 10 posse cuts. For the record, this list is based on rap acts consisting of 3 or more emcees on one track. So don't expect to see groups on this list (e.g. Wu Tang Clan, respectively) or collabos with less than 3 solo rappers (e.g. Redman & Method Man, respectively).

POSSE CUTS/ COLLABOS

10. Leflaur Leflah Eschoshka
Fab -Five (Heltah Skeltah & Originoo Gun Clappaz)
I used to love just saying the title back in the days.... "Leflaur, Leflah Eshskoshka"!!! HAHAHA. I loved Headz Ain't Ready, but this was the joint that made me a bigger fan of the entire Boot Camp Clik.

9. Crooklyn Dodgers
Masta Ace, Buckshot & Special Ed.
Already a big fan of the movie, this joint & the Marc Dorsey single made me wanna rush & cop the soundtrack, until finding out they were the only new songs with a bunch of classic soul tracks. This joint actually introduced me to the Negro Leagues, another part of Black History that's never told. But aside from it being a salute to Brooklyn, being a 70's baby, I definitely related to this joint as well as the movie. Plus I was already a fan of Buckshot & Special Ed. This joint was what made me become a bigger fan of Masta Ace. Props to Jeru, OC & Chubb, b/c the sequel was tight... also. But gotta give it to the original.

8. I Shot Ya
LL Cool J. feat. Fat Joe, Prodigy, Keith Murray & Foxy Brown
The beauty of this song is that the hottest bar spitted was from Foxy Brown & not only was she the only female, but the only rookie. Taking nothing away from the bruthas, b/c they all killed it. LL's verse coulda been better. It was good, but not as fierce as his verse on 4.3.2.1. But over all, this joint as hot.

7. Flava In Ya Ear (remix)
Craig Mack feat. Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J., Busta Rhymes, Rampage)
I might lose cool points when I say this, but I think LL had the hottest verse on here. "Word to mama, I'll tongue kiss a piranha, electricute a barricuta, I'm hear to bring the drama." Plus, he shocked the world finally revealing his bald head after hiding his head under a hat for 10 years. That was historic to me. Biggie's verse was tight, but wasn't as hyped as it was made out to be. Even though I loved it when he said, "don't be mad, UPS is hiring." Funny shit there. To me Biggie didn't get better until later in his career.

6. Git Up Git Out
Outkast feat. Goodie Mob
The song that introduced Goodie MoBee, back when CeeLo actually rapped. Two of the best groups to come out of the South (& Atlanta period) on one track.

5. Ice Cream
Ice Cream - Raekwon featuring Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna
I almost left this out b/c I see Wu Tang as a group rather than a posse (although they are..... but I could make a top 10 with just Wu joints alone) But I figured since this came from Raekwon's album, I'm counting it as a posse cut. Plus, I fuckin' loved this joint back then. Everytime that beat dropped, I was on my feet with my hands waving to the rhythm while reciting Method Man on the chorus.

4. Scenario
A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of the New School
This is a no brainer here for me. The joint that made Busta Rhymes the superstar he is today. (Damn... 18 years ago... I'm old) Busta might be the star now, but Tip is still the man & the artist in my eyes. And those who've listened to "The Renaissance" album know what I'm talking about. Homey's music is timeless.

3. Buddy
De La Soul feat. A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Bros., Monie Love & Queen Latifah
The Native Tongue. I'd love to see a reunion of them. The original members plus Black Sheep, Chi Ali, affiliates like Digital Underground & Common, Jay Dee (R.I.P.)

2. Symphony
Marley Marl feat. Masta Ace, Craig G., Kool G. Rap & Big Daddy Kane
Besides the Krush Groove joint in 84 or 85, this was the first posse cut that fell in love with. I had just started watching Yo MTV Rap in late 88, & this video made me an instant fan of Big Daddy Kane (this & "Ain't No Half Steppin'") Kool G. Rap was fire, too. I admit though, although I loved Masta Ace's verse, I slept on him until the late 90's. Kane & G. Rap might've been the most acknowledged, but even 21 years later, Ace is still repping for the underground.

1. Self Destruction
Boogie Down Production feat. Stetsasonic, Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte, Just-Ice, Heavy D & The Boyz, Public Enemy, Doug E. Fresh
My favorite posse cut of all times. The song that started all the conscious posse cuts like West Coast All-Star, H.E.A.L.... but the Stop the Violence Movement is kinda what inspired me to want to be a rapper at that time to help contribute to ending Black on Black crimes. Sadly, 20 years later... it's needed twice as much since now even white kids are shooting up schools & killing themselves.


HONORABLE MENTIONS
1. Don't Curse (Heavy D feat. Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Big Daddy Kane, ATCQ, Grand Puba,
2. Respiration (Mos Def, Talib Kweli & Common)
3. I Wanna Be Down (remix) MC Lyte, Queen Latifah & Yo Yo
4. Cowboys (Fugees feat. The Outsidaz & Rah Digga)
5. It's All About the Benjamins
6. Crooklyn Dodgers 2
7. We're All in the Same Gang
8. HEAL Yourself
9. The Basement (Pete Rock & CL Smooth feat. Grand Puba, INI, Heavy D)
10. Live At the Barbecue (Main Source feat. Nas & Akinelye)
11. La Familia (remix) (Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown & Cormega)

Posse cuts

The Real Golden Age

This is one of the new illustrations I created this past weekend. I actually wrote a piece to go with it this morning. But I'm sure this art is controversial enough without the writing to match. LOL.

The one thing I do hate about blogspot vs. myspace is that image size is limited. But I guess that's a good thing considering some folks get image happy with their pages. So it's all good.

This actually inspired me to start working on a Black History calendar for 2010. Too late for this year, plus it gives me more time to do more works to add to it.

Fashion.. Never No Mores

Is It Just Me.... But Kanye West's new Louis Vuitton looks like them wack ass -knuckle tennis shoes my mom used to buy at Family Dollar or K-Mart when we couldn't afford nicer kicks. And this shit is retail priced at $840? Are you kidding me? sigh.... Oh well, kids. Y'all gotta go through this phase just like us now adults had to. Loving it now... wearing them while others sweating you & gassing your head up. 10 years later, you're embarrassed to even claim that past. Don't worry.... We all go through it.

Here's some of my 5 Never No Mores.....


1. crazy hair cuts... from high right/low left, shag, S-Curl kit, hair color tint, bunny tail in the back.... that f..king mo-hawk that celebs like Bobby Valentino & Kanye West trying to bring back. If you're not Mr. T (the originator)... let it go. I could do an entire top 10 off bad hair styles, but that'll be a whole other blog.


2. steel-toed boots... I got hooked to them when I first joined the military & got discharged to come to find out they'd become popular in the early 90's. This was during the Jodeci (baggy denim shorts & steel toed boots phase.) & later the Boot Camp Clik (baggy jeans & steel toed boots). I ain't gonna front, I loved it back then along with the loose button down, plaid or flannel shirts & so on. But I don't think I can go back to having sore & sweaty feet again.

3. parachute pants.... thank God they didn't last long. They made too much noise while walking. But what was visually worst.....??? Hammer pants.... sigh.. . This was before the baggy jeans phase. Although I loved the comfortability & they weren't really Hammer pants, just baggy "cargo pants", sigh.. Never no more... Strictly jeans (slightly baggy,) slacks, shorts down to my knees & sweats for me. I'm just glad I didn't get caught up with those multi-colored hammer pants with the matching fanny pack that a lot of grown men at the time used to wear.... ( a la Hulk Hogan) LOL



4. Polka dots. I'm not gonna front. I actually liked them back in the days & wouldn't be mad if they came back in style.... but just more irregular sized instead of proportioned. But I wouldn't wear em though.


5. Shoes with velcro instead of shoe strings. I can't believe I ever wore shoes with the flaps you attach & detached to put them on & off. The only excuse I can think of I was too lazy to tie my shoes.


In conclusion.. young ppl. Enjoy your styles & your fashion. Just think & remember that what ever you sport today, can be used against you 10 years later down the line & we will laugh at you. LMAO.

Question: What are some fashion hell-no's do y'all remember?

The Homecoming 2009 _ SkechoPhellah presents

I told myself in 2009 that I wanted to start back adding color to my illustrations. Being a year out of work might've had it's rough moments. But one thing it did was bring me back to why I love being an artist & why even if I didn't make a career out of it, I'd still be doing something with it.. even for mere self-gratification. I spent the last 2 days working on 2 entirely different pieces from my old archive.

This is one of the 2 illustrations.... called "The Homecoming."

I came up with the original concept back in 2002, & sketched out about 3 or 4 different versions since then. The last version was inspired by a joint by Supastition called "Worst Enemy" which re-triggered the concept back in my head. I combined the 2 previous versions & came up with this.

It's pretty much self explanatory, acknowledging how college grads are shunned upon in the streets as more gratification is towards the ex-felons, cons & thugs. In other words, how we gravitate towards the negative.

Hip Hop Heads Up Vol. 1

Hip Hop Heads Up vol. 1




What up ppl.? The Hip Hop Guru has returned. This was something I planned for 2009, before the myspace recession that I decided. Throughout the past 3 years, I've spoken about my stance & my love for music, especially hip hop. But one thing I've done rarely & wish I would've done more in the past was introduce ppl to some of the albums I'm checking & listening to.

It's been said over & over that hip hop is dead, & whatever. And I've declined that statement. And although I've given ppl a reason why it isn't, I never "showed" them why it isn't.

Well, I just happened to be fishing through youtube & after revisiting my love Apani B. Fly (the femcee on 2 joints of the duet dedication (one with MF Doom & J. Rawls & Mr. Complex), I discovered a new joint which was released on an album produced by 3 producers out of France called the Jazz Liberators. And believe me, they live up to their name.

This is probably the best combo of jazz & hip hop since the Jazzmatazz days of Guru, US3. The album is called "Clin d'oell (don't ask me what that means), but has some great instrumentals & some nice collabos from Tre & Fatlip (both originally from Pharcyde), J-Live, J.Sand, Asheru (another underground fav. of mine.), Buckshot, & some I've never heard, but I'll be looking for them in the future. Anyway, here's some samples if you wanna check it out.

Here's there page on myspace : http://www.myspace.com/jazzlib

I Am Hip Hop (ft. Asheru)


When the Clock Ticks (ft. J. Sands)


The Process (ft. Apani B. Fly)


NOTE: ads on top is from JazzLib's myspace page, so I can't take credit for it.

New Black History Chronicle banner & header

click on the banner above to peep my new Black History page on blogspot.

Making History Again....

What up ppl? I reniged on a promise to self to continue reposting my Black History blogs. I felt like after 2 years of doing it on top of the demise of ppl, I felt like what's the point. Instead, I opened up a new blogspot page just for them. I haven't put all of each month on yet, but I have put the previous 3 months thus far. I see it as doing it easier this way, b/c I won't have to fish through over 350 blogs to find them since dividing them by category doesn't work anymore.

Anyway, for those interested (or care)... it's located at http://blackhistorychronicle.blogspot.com