wake up :: rerog edition

Wake Up will be a semi regular post, spotlighting a Dj friend of mine and 10 of their slept on albums, singles, tracks, restaurants etc.

The first edition of Wake Up features a good friend of mine Rerog, a super nice guy, excellent DJ and a true record nerd. Rerog has been doing his thing in the DFW area since around 1995, racking up multiple Spinmasters and Guitar Center DJ battle titles and touring the country and making beats with his MC homie Astronautalis. Rerog has selected some real hard hitting hip hop albums below, if you have not heard some of these records and you are a early 90's rap fan...start digging!

In no particular order...

Yaggfu Front - Action Packed Adventure
3 12"s from this album and a cassette version of this album is all I have, and all I need. These beats were somethin' else for back then, check the songs "Busted Loop" and "Left Field" for a sampling of what should have went down as a classic.

Jemini the Gifted One - Scars and Pain
Promo only vinyl action left many DJ's searching for this little known Ep from the guy who went on to fame with Dangermouse. I have to give it up to Baby G for putting me on to this by including the song "Can't Stop Rocking" from here on his Raw Deal vol. 2 mixtape back in the day. That man put me on to more records than anyone.

De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate
Everyone jumps up and down to tell you what a "sampling masterpiece" 3 Feet High was...and they are right. But for my money, If I was to be allotted one De La album for the rest of my life, no doubt this would be it. Every song is just sooo right on.

Tha Alkaholiks - Coast II Coast
You might like to know that this was Madlib's first production credits here... but beyond that hipster gripster bit of knowledge this is as solid of a hip-hop record as the West Coast had to offer in 1995. "Daaamn!" and "The Next Level" were skate video hits when this record dropped, and still take me back to those days when i hear them now...(Find the promo only Diamond D RMX of "The Next Level" if you can!)

Ice Cube - Kill At Will
Golden era Bomb Squad production and Cube at his most angry...7 songs of pure perfection.

Main Source - Breakin' Atoms
If I could pick one album that sounds like what "hip-hop" should sound like...This is it. Large Professor didn't need Sir Scratch or K-Cut, but it was nice he took them along for the ride. "Looking at the Front Door" is on my top 10 hip-hop songs of all time list.

Lord Finesse - Funky Technician
Lord Finesse is one of the rawest MC's of all time, he was only 19 when he recorded this but he has the swagger and and flow of any vet when he dropped this LP. And as a tidbit of trivia for the Dallasites reading this, this is the rapper who first made Astronautalis want to grab the mic.

Krown Rulers - Paper Chase
Don't judge this record by the lame Medieval theme on the cover, this is one of the jewels in Philly's rap crown. If "B-Boy Document" or "Kick the Ball" don't get you...then you can't be gotten.

The Nonce - World Ultimate
Laid back West Coast at it's best. My first car had 4 12"s in it, and between this record and Ol Dirtys first record, my 1996 windows down, cruising to the next skate spot soundtrack was set.

Ultimate Force - I'm Not Playin'
This album was recorded in 1990, but for reasons only the ghost of hip-hop classics past can explain, never saw the light of day until this year. 1990 brought us one 12", "I'm Not Palyin'", made famous by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist as the only rap song on the Brainfreeze mix. Worth the wait? Yes. But this record could have been so huge if it had came out when it should have.

Below are a few cuts from the albums above to get you started.

Lord Finesse - Funky Technician

Main Source - Looking At The Front Door

The Nonce - Mix Tapes

De La Soul - Ego Trippin' Part Two

Rerog and friends spin Funk & Soul every Saturday night @ The Monkey Bar and they also hold a record swap there the last Sunday of every month.

Super Soul Saturdays
Monkey Bar
408 Exposition
Dallas, Tx 75226

Sunday :: Record Swap