1. Run-D.M.C., Raising Hell (The video for "Rock Box," from the album Run-D.M.C., came out on a late-night NBC show when I was five; it was my first exposure to the hiphop culture.)
2. Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (My favorite album of all time, but listen to their entire catalog.)
3. Big Daddy Kane, Long Live the Kane (Check him out at Chop Suey Wednesday March 19 with Killah Priest and DJ Sayeed and see why.)
4. Eric B. & Rakim, Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (My favorite Rakim album; so many hits--like "Mahogany" and the title track--got me in my prepubescent days.)
5. The D.O.C., No One Can Do It Better
6. Boogie Down Productions, Sex & Violence (My favorite KRS-One album.)
7. Pete Rock & C. L. Smooth, Mecca and the Soul Brother ("They Reminisce over You [T.R.O.Y.]"--best song ever made.)
8. Nas, Illmatic
9. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (I can't think of one album that I played more in my junior high days.)
10. Smif-N-Wessun, Dah Shinin' (The best of the Boot Camp Clik albums.)
It's only fitting that I broke the news of my coming to The Stranger on my favorite hiphop show in the Northwest, KEXP's Street Sounds, which features two of the best DJs in town, Scene and B-Mello, and the hilarious sarcasm of Karim and Redskin. Their show is a staple in the hiphop community and should garner everybody's support--not to mention that the cuts they throw down are ridiculous.
Congratulations are also due to Scene's Yo, Son! counterpart, DV One, who, along with Dow Jones and R-Sin, has attained an incredibly dope timeslot every Friday from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. on 104.5 FM, the Mercer Island station that has been letting KUBE know they no longer monopolize the hiphop market. I think this will be a very good thing, so definitely show your support by peeping what these fellas got in store.
In industry news, big ups to Karim, Destro, and DJ Scene (AKA the Boom Bap Project) for getting on a compilation full of heavy hitters with "A League of Their Own." I guess it wasn't enough that these guys have the #1 song in college radio with the Vitamin D remix of "The Trade." They had to outdo it by releasing (with One Man Army of the group Binary Star) what is sure to be a classic, a Jake One-produced banger titled "Dickhead Tracy." More on this compilation to follow in future issues. Stay tuned.
Outside the Northwest, Ras Kass, who dropped the criminally slept-on classic Soul on Ice (no Charles, it's not possible for Ras Kass to be a racist in this country), is now on the run from the law since he failed to surrender to authorities following his third DUI offense. His long-awaited album Golden Chyld is what's keeping him from surrendering. I guess he thinks generating more news for himself will pressure Priority into finally doing something with the record, as its release date has constantly been pushed back.
As mentioned before, the icon, pioneer, and major influence on several popular MCs today, Big Daddy Kane, is going to be rocking all his old-school classics from Long Live the Kane and It's a Big Daddy Thing with Wu-Tang affiliate Killah Priest here in Seattle. Killah Priest, who has also worked with the celebrated Wu side project Sunz of Man, has definitely disappeared for a minute, with his 4 Horsemen project turning into a group of has-beens. Featuring Canibus, Ras Kass, Kurupt tha Kingpin (Dogg Pound), and Killah Priest, interest in the long-awaited 4 Horsemen has turned into the Large Professor syndrome--nobody cares anymore, especially about each of the aforementioned artists' solo careers. Killah Priest is definitely out to change all that, though, when he rocks the third installment of the Lyricist Lounge club concert series. He will always have a certified banger in Heavy Mental, and nobody can ever take that away from him.
Got some hot news that I am forced to sit on for the next issue, but it's in regard to the Seattle group Clockwork, recently signed to DreamWorks. Stay tuned. Y'all ain't ready for what I got in store with this. SAMUEL L. CHESNEAU
