At HipHopDX, we are some certified, dust-under-the-fingernails diggers. While there’s a lot of folks talking about samples and breaks, and plenty of deejays focusing on exclusives and lost verses, we wanted to profile some of the releases that aren’t ever discussed, videos played or songs aired. These are the discs and albums that you’ll often see at swap meets, pawn shops and in lots on eBay.
We’re simply here to reminisce, revisit and remind those of you who may care, that these are actually…pretty damn good. Bargain Bin Classics live on!
Platinum Game by CJ Mac (Hoo Bangin’/Priority, 1999)
Currently on Half.com for $12.99.
When Mack 10 launched Hoo Bangin’ Records, MC Eiht was his veteran acquisition, Techniec was his youthful energy, but CJ Mac was his certified gangster. The bald-headed rapper had segued from a deal with Rap-A-Lot Records including a debut most remembered for its attack on Dr. Dre for lack of street cred in 1995’s “Powder Puff.”
Four years removed, the Crip-affiliated Compton rapper delivered an album that would-be today what we’re seeing from Blood Raw, Uncle Murda or Bleu DaVinci. CJ Mac is hardly an emcee, but his street convictions drive what he says into the microphone, especially when it’s over a dope beat. With production from Battlecat, Crazy Toones and 2Pac affiliate Johnny J, CJ Mac’s Platinum Game was a hard-edged album that was distributed widely, but never gained much interest based on the fact that Mac was just a figure of the streets. Although cherry-picked for The Thicker Than Water Soundtrack and Hoo Bangin’ Mixtape Volume 1, “King of L.A.” stands as a testament to how hard Mac really rocked it. Pieced together by WC’s brilliant brother Crazy Toones, CJ Mac tongue-in-cheek attacks posers nationwide, shouting, “I love The LOX but can’t stand Mase.” For a brief moment, Mac was on the radar of Ice Cube and Fat Joe, and he had enough gull to stage a beef with Dr. Dre and Eminem over God-knows-what. The sentiments would land CJ Mac a brief stint on Death Row Records before heading north to align with C-Bo‘s West Coast Mafia.
CJ Mac was a disciple of Just Ice and a trailblazer for Uncle Murda – the guy you hope doesn’t show up at the party, but his street exploits might run deeper than his penmanship. Platinum Game fell a far cry short of its name, as did all of Mack 10’s hopefuls of the era, but of the Hoo-Bangin’ catalogue that may never get written about extensively, or kept it print, CJ Mac’s sophomore release remains a bargain bin classic for its hood demeanor and unwavering left coast production. – Jake Paine
Strictly Ghetto EP by King Sun (Cold Chillin’, 1994)
Currently on Amazon for $14.00
Five Percenters were in no short supply in the early ’90s; Brand Nubian, KMD, Leaders of the New School, Poor Righteous Teachers and the lesser-known King Sun. While Sun‘s first two albums (’89’s XL and ’91’s Righteous But Ruthless) were heavily steeped in the Nation‘s ideologies, his stellar ’94 EP was indeed Strictly Ghetto. The Dominican Bronx-bred emcee wasn’t the most lyrical cat out, but he more than made up with it with his commanding presence and rugged production.
Years before the east/west coast beef really jumped off, Sun Born took a chunk out of Ice Cube on the classic “Suck No Dick;” accusing Cube of jacking his hit single “Wicked” from a demo he passed him. Despite the controversy and other gems like “Humm These Nuts,” “BNS Sex and Robbin’ of Da Hood,” the EP was heavily slept on. Strictly Ghetto was the second to last release from Cold Chillin Records, and The Bronx Never Sleeps Crew has been napping ever since. – J-23
Electro Funk Breakdown by Afrika Bambaataa (DMC, 1999)
Currently on Amazon for $4.78
Afrika Bambaataa is name-checked often in Hip Hop music. Outside of two hit singles (“Planet Rock” and “Zulu Nation Throwdown”) most people within the culture have largely avoided Bam’s creations. Instead, since the early ‘80s, it was the Electronic community that warmly embraced one of the forefathers of this thing of ours.
Beyond his Tommy Boy Records greatest hits compilations, few ever think to buy Bambaataa music. However, of his offerings, this 1999 production/mix/medley is an outstanding complement to any workout tape or road trip. I see this often in bargain bins, and I’ve bestowed it upon many a white girl (shout out to E-40 and Juelz), who, perhaps unaware of Bambaataa, adore the work for its musical strengths and unavoidable tempos.
This compilations was eight years before Timbaland’s Shock Value, and the sonic vision of the two is strangely parallel. Bambaataa’s gentle update of his own theme shows the timeless of the music that he birthed. In addition, Electro Funk Breakdown is a blatant reminder that Hip Hop has always been able the art of moving butts, and with quietly hidden samples amidst sprinkles of Chicago House, Miami Freestyle and Techno, this gem is a tucked-away guilty pleasure for anybody’s iPod and one step closer to a truer understanding of the executed vision of Hip Hop’s most dynamic visionary. – Jake Paine
