rest well, donald byrd

One of those jazz cats you wish everyone knew how special they were. Your music will live on forever, Mr. Byrd. You'll be missed.

rip conrad bain

rip andy williams

It might be 89 days till the most wonderful time of the year, but today, I found it fitting to play my favorite Andy track. Thanks for the records, Mr. Williams.

classic recipes.

In this course, Marley Marl talks LL Cool J's classic combeback cooker, Mamma Said Knock you Out. Enjoy.

the good sh*t

Saturday mornings seem to be a calling for the good stuff. 70's music and earlier. Blast up the pure shit. While your pancakes are on the frying pan, sing to Frank, Sammy and Dean. Brat Pack Weekends. Let's do it..Here's a good first offering for you.

muppet show pitch

Here's the pitch that one of the most creative minds of our time came up with to get the iconic Muppet Show on-air. Absolutely Brilliant.

classic: divine styler

At the beginning of the last decade my homie Ryan Somers aka Fritz the Cat did a show called In Divine Style. Before that he had a magazine called In Search of...The Divine Styler. Back then, thinking that I knew a great deal about the culture and the music I surrounded my life around, had no idea who The Divine Styler was. Ryan taught me. Now, almost ten years later, I'm a full fledged fan. For those who don't know about Divine Styler, here's some education for you. You're welcome, but you should thank Ryan first.

He first emerged as part of Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate. His first LP, Word Power, was hailed by critics and fans, but was not a commercial success. His second album, the wildly experimental Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light, also failed to sell well. In 1998, Divine Styler hooked up with the Quannum Records crew, teaming up with his dear friend and fellow Rhyme Syndicate alumni Everlast, Styles of Beyond, and the Beat Junkies. The latter also appeared on his third LP, Wordpower, Vol. 2: Directrix (Featuring Exceed), which trafficked in information-age paranoia.

Divine Styler is a convert to Sunni Islam after a number of years spent in the Faradian Islam offshoot known as the Nation of Gods and Earths; he influenced the decision of Everlast to become a Muslim. Many of the songs on Spiral Walls Containing Autums of Light are songs of praise to Allah, and the 1999 song "Make it Plain" (recorded for the Funky Precedent compilation) details the joy he feels at having finally found a way of life he loves after decades of uncertainty and woes.

Aside from those major albums his tracks are scattered among other artists' albums and projects. He has done several tracks with John Tejada but they're scattered on several compilations and albums by Tejada. He appeared (along with Sadat X and Cockni O'Dire) on several tracks on the final House of Pain album Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again. His most recent work has been with Len, Swollen Members, and DJ Shadow, as well as with guitarist, bassist, and emcee Gabe Rosales.


Albums
Word Power (1989) Epic/SME
Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light (1992) Giant/Reprise/Warner Bros.
Word Power, Vol. 2: Directrix (1999) DTX Recordings
EPs
Ain't Saying Nothing (1988)

Appears on
Truth Crushed To Earth Shall Rise Again (1996)
Strength Magazine Presents Subtext (1999)
The Funky Precedent (1999)
Hell's Kitchen (2002)
Razor Tag (2007)
Reseda Beach (2008)

classic: throw your hands in the air - cypress hill feat. eric sermon, redman, mc eiht

classic: that's how it is - casual - anonymous twist remix

Jon Owens (born 1970s), known by his stage name Casual, is an American rapper.

Born in Oakland, California, Owens is a member of the influential alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. In addition, he has released five full-length LPs over the span of his twelve year career. Although none of his solo releases have achieved significant commercial success, Owens has garnered a following amongst devoted hip hop fans, partially due to the rise in popularity of Bay Area hip hop.

classic: enjoy yourself (it's later than you think) - the specials

The most popular version of the song, recorded by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, was made on November 27 (some sources give November 28), 1949. The recording was released by Decca Records as catalog number 24825. The record first reached the Billboard charts on January 13, 1950 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #10.[1]

Another recording, by Doris Day, was made on January 13, 1950 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 38709.

Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra made a recording on February 2, 1949 which was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3375.

classic: tears - da king and i

Da King & I, whose members include MC Izzy Ice and DJ Majesty, were signed to Rowdy Records in 1992 and were often compared to another MC/DJ duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The duo's first release was the five track maxi single entitled Flip Da Scrip, which was released on November 24, 1992. A few months later on July 13, 1993, Da King & I's first and only album, Contemporary Jeep Music was released, containing the singles, "Flip Da Scrip" and "Tears". Although the album did gain many positive reviews, the success and poularity of Gangsta rap led to the album becoming a commercial failure. The duo disbanded shortly after the release of the album.

classic: my mind is playing tricks on me - geto boys

Mind Playing Tricks on Me was a single by the Geto Boys, featured on their 1991 album We Can't Be Stopped. It was the only number 1 single (chart: Hot Rap Singles) ever released by the Geto Boys. It reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the highest charting single by the Geto Boys. It was also certified Gold by the RIAA