DJ Nu-Mark, Cut Chemist, Ben Blackwell, Z-Trip, Egon, Pete Rock, Just Blaze, Da Beatminerz, and more talk about some of their best finds for a special Record Store Day edition of Crate Diggers.

Produced by the world-famous Hip-Hop pioneers Da Beatminerz. From the upcoming album Chico Town.

Taken off the vinyl 7″ single “Sumthin’ (Beatminerz Remix) / Another World (Beatminerz Remix #2)” and the digital/cassette EP “Sumthin” on Ill Adrenaline Records. 7″ vinyl available on limited (100 copies) coke bottle clear vinyl and official black vinyl.
Coke bottle clear vinyl and cassette version exclusively being sold on the Ill Adrenaline website: www.illadrenalinerecords.com. Digital version available at iTunes.

iTunes link:
itunes.apple.com/us/album/sumthin/id780179567

Three floors full of vinyl.

Produced by DA BEATMINERZ! From The EP FACE VALUE.

DJ Evil Dee gives fans an inside perspective on the unusual recording practices he took while mixing Black Moon’s debut album ‘Enta Da Stage.’ Hear more stories like this from the group tomorrow, Sept 29th, at South Paw as they’re taking part in a Red Bull Music Academy Q&A at 5PM. Following the Q&A is a Big Daddy Kane & Black Moon performance backed by a 6-Piece Live Band.
]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/10/02/black-moon-talks-recording-enta-da-stage-lp/feed/ 0 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/09/03/pete-rock-smif-n-wessun-feat-freeway-roses-video/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/09/03/pete-rock-smif-n-wessun-feat-freeway-roses-video/#comments Sat, 03 Sep 2011 10:01:18 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=37947

New video for Da Beatminerz produced banger.

New video from Apathy produced by Da Beatminerz. Apathy’s latest Honkey Kong is out now.

Da Beatminerz give us their top 5 producers.

The story on the above photo is actually when Kris came to HipHopSite to promote his Keep Right album. Dude in the hat is who we like to call “The Other Paul Rosenberg” – a local fitness trainer that is pretty much responsible for whipping the entire Las Vegas deejay community in to shape. The kids are not from the children’s hospital, but some younger siblings of some old HHS employees. We were just breaking balls with that caption.

Anyway, here goes some new KRS action, produced by The Beatminerz. Kris really gets in the ass of commercial rappers on this one. Oh, you sending The Wolf?

Listen: KRS-One + Da Beatminerz – “Wolf”

Chopped Herring Records will release the third in their unreleased Bushwick series of vinyl EP’s with the Shadez Of Brooklyn’s “Pandemonium” EP, produced entirely by Da Beatminerz at D&D Studios in 1996/1997. The group is best known for their underground classic “Change”, which is included on the EP, along with five other tracks including ‘Everyday Livin” which only ever appeared on the Evil Dee Mixtape 1 and never on wax until now. The vinyl is limited to 300 copies and can be copped from choppedherringrecords.com.

What up Walt and Evil Dee how are you doing today?

Mr. Walt:  We are good, how are you?

Good, can’t complain. So what have you been up to lately, what projects have you been working on?

Mr. Walt:  We have an album out; it came out last Tuesday “Fully Loaded with Static” on Studio Distribution.  We have been trying to stay real busy; we got a radio show popping off, www.futureflavasonline.com, Beatminerz radio.  We are actually getting ready to do a new Black Moon album.

So we are going to see another Beatminerz produced Black Moon album?

Mr. Walt:  Hopefully if things go right, yeah.

Evil D:  Yeah

Mr. Walt:  If things go right, we will be producing the entire thing.

Any particular emcee you have been working closely with?

Mr. Walt:  Last Emperor, Wordsworth…a lot of them (laughing).  Shorty No Mas of course, you know there are a lot of them.  We have been doing some thing with Jean Grae.

Speaking of Shorty No Mas, I’m a fan of hers will you be working with her more in the future.

Mr. Walt:  We have been working with her; we have actually been working with her since she was with De La.

Evil D:  We have always been with her.

Mr. Walt:  All the artists on this album our artists we have relationships with.   We don’t really have to go find cats; we have so a lot of relationships and those are the people that end on the projects.

Do you feel that the new jacks don’t pay homage to the old school like they should?

Evil D:  You know one thing I will say is that it is like a double edged sword.  The new cats should definitely pay homage to the old school, yet the old school has to make sure that people know who they are.  They have to put it out there about who they are and what they do.  You just can’t assume that everybody knows who they are and what they accomplished.  A lot of old school cats are disgruntled, so yes you should know your history but at the same time the cats that made the history should be out there educating the new cats about the history.  Up here in New York a lot of old cats are angry and bitter, it’s not my fault they are angry and bitter, you know?  They should have been out there doing what they do.  Like Red Alert has been doing it for mad long and he’s still here.  He’s still doing it and he’s still relevant, if you go on the internet and look up Red Alert, you know what he’s doing, you know what he’s accomplished, and you know what groups he’s brought out.

Do you feel that old school artists such as yourself, Pete Rock, DJ Jazzy Jeff and numerous others still have a place in the minds of the youth?

Mr. Walt:  We just make music, to make music.  If it reaches a bigger genre than our fans, then that’s cool, you know.  Listen, there is something out there for everybody, we don’t downplay anybodies stuff, whoever is hot then they are hot for the moment, but everybody get their chance to shine.

Evil D:  Exactly, I listen to all types of music and all types of artists.  When Black Moon was up in the forefront, the south was still there.  There is always a place for everything, there is always going to be that need, always going to be that want.  There’s always a place.

So no matter what, Da Beatminerz are going to do Da Beatminerz.  They aren’t making music for anybody else, if it reaches other people fine, but you guys are still going to do you.

Evil D:  Exactly

Mr. Walt:  You can’t make everybody happy, that’s a problem that we have when we get on these message boards.  Everybody is commenting on this and commenting on that, but at the end of the day you can’t make everybody happy.

Evil D:  Exactly

Mr. Walt:  If we can make the majority happy, then I’m good.

Let’s talk about the album, “Fully Loaded with Static” is on Copter Records, is this your label or how did that relationship come about?

Mr. Walt:  That is not our label; it’s just a label we are signed to.  Basically they came at us and they wanted to do a record with us.  They saw how fast we cranked the beats out and they were like, “can we get an album poppin”?  So we were like yo, man it’s good because it gives a chance for us to put some music out so the people can hear what we are doing.

Evil D:  It’s a guy from Queensbridge name Hodge and it’s his joint.

The album is out now and the single features one of my favorite emcee’s, The Last Emperor.  He was on your first album on Rawkus, how did you guys meet up?

Mr. Walt:  We have actually known Last Emp for almost 10 years and we have been affiliated with every project he has ever put out or attempted to put out.  Everything from Aftermath, to Interscope to Rawkus, to the album he dropped last year, we have been on everything.

He deserves more credit than he gets.

Evil D:  Yes he does, definitely.

The album also features some up and comers, such as David Banks, Terrell Rockwell, and Sha Lumie.  Are these artists signed with Da Beatminerz or just cats you have met along the way?

Mr. Walt:   Terrell Rockwell is my son and he just did the “Outro”, Sha Lumie is actually Killa Sha.  He was with Marley Marl and affiliated with Mobb Deep.  David Banks was on the last album and he is the singer in the crew.

There is a posthumous track with Headcourterz (RIP).  How old is the track and was it reworked or was that original recording?

Mr. Walt:  It was the original song.  Headcourterz was always our man, he was like family.  All I did was take his vocals from an old Krumbsnatcha record and put it on this one.  Because you know he was all our boy, you know.  If you would have ever met him, he was one of the nicest dudes in the world man.  What happened to him was so unfortunate.  If we get a chance to put out more Beatminerz records you will hear a lot more Headcourterz stuff on there.  He was affiliated with us and he was with us, but I remember going on the road with this guy and he would put this heat on in the summertime.  It would be hot as hell watching “Baby Boy”.  (Laughs)

Do you see yourself mentoring up and comers and stepping out of producing in the future?

Mr. Walt:  Oh yeah, we are already doing that, we mentor lots of people.

So owning your own label is down the road?

Evil D:  We actually do own our own label, but the thing is we don’t really take the label thing that serious.  I’m not sitting back and trying to crank out records like crazy.  I’m not trying to kill myself, you know.  We have a lot of other things going on, from outside production to the radio show.

So where do you see yourselves in say, 5 years?

Mr. Walt:  We will of course still be doing the beat thing; we aren’t going to give that up.  We will probably more on the executive side, sitting down and running the business.

Any last words?

Mr. Walt: For real, support us if you can, it’s all good.  Go out and get that new Beatminerz record “Fully Loaded With Static” on Studio Distribution.  Let’s get it poppin, be on the lookout for a new Black Moon record and we have a lot of things that will be coming out under Da Beatminerz umbrella.

“Open” was never really one of the best cuts on Da Beatminerz LP to begin with – Caron Wheeler just doesn’t have the vocal ability to make the same kind of impression as, say, Vinia Mojica or even Jonell. And Pete Rock’s cameo comes and goes without most even turning their head to notice. The remix tries to shore up the weak buttresses in the song with a revisit to “Eric B. Is President” but the problem was never the track – you need to juice up Wheeler’s paper-thin voice before you worry about the beat. Likewise, “Anti-Love Movement” could have been a winner if Total didn’t totally f*ck up the hook, taken from Betty Davis’ original “Anti-Love Song”. They’re just so out of their league, it’s a shame, especially since Talib Kweli does his part just fine. As for “Live & Direct”, I was bored of its thuggish rubbish the first time I heard it and I’m not inclined to change my mind the second time around. – O-Dub

While the B.C.C. remains lost, Da Beatminerz hope to reestablish their credentials with Brace 4 Impak. With Brace 4 Impak, Da Beatminerz obviously wanted to flaunt new wrinkles to their East Coast fashioned sound, and they do so on the sublime Caron Wheeler and Pete Rock assisted “Open”. However, a few of the crews other attempts to showcase diversity ultimately fail to deliver. Yet this blame does not fall squarely on Da Beatminerz shoulders, as the Cali throbbing of “Bentley’s & Bitches” f/ Jayo Felony & Ras Kass, and the coffee shop aura (bluesy guitar licks) of “Drama” f/ Shadez Of Brooklyn demonstrate further growth. But these selections lack a tangible symmetry, as Shadez lack the lyrical wherewithal to augment “Drama”, and the always-impressive Ras Kass outshines his mismatched partner Jayo Felony. This lack of symmetry is also prevalent on Lord Tariq & Royce Da 5-9′s “Intro: Live and Direct/Brace 4 Impak” which falters due to the track’s flat minimalist arrangement, and Cocoa Brovaz  “Extreme Situation”, which lazily tries to rehash the same Rastafarian magic the duo had with “Sound Bwoy Buriell”, with no success.

When Da Beatminerz stick to the script, and revisit the gritty hardcore steez we have come to expect from them Brace 4 Impak prospers. Embracing familiar connects, Black Moon, and Lord Have Mercy lyrically blitzkrieg “Devastatin’…”, and the Flipmode Squad  turns in another energetic performance, over the buzzsaw like effects of “Take That”. Tapping into Rawkus’ talent pool, Last Emperor  continues to build anticipation for his forthcoming solo-LP with, “Hustler’s Theme”, and Talib Kweli waxes about the complexities of romance on the aptly titled “The Anti-Love Movement” f/ Total. Yet, the true buck em down shit comes courtesy of Real World alum Heather B., and Freddie Foxxx on the ominous “How We Ride”, and the braggadocios “Shut Da Fuck Up”, f/ Apani B-Fly Emcee, and What What.

Similar to Hi-Tek’s Hi-Teknology (“Tekzilla” & “The Blast Remix” f/ Erykah Badu) Brace 4 Impak’s bottom line is hampered by tracks that are mysteriously excluded. Early samplers of the LP included two tracks, “Da Connection” f/ Ghostface Killah, Kool G Rap  & Cappadonna, and “We Run NY” f/ M.O.P. & Teflon that were last minute casualties. These two tracks certainly warranted placement, and their presence would have subtracted the fluff that was included in their place.

While Da Beatminerz’s signature D&D snare kicks, and thick drumbeats are a welcomed change of pace from all of the electronic dabbling that dominates contemporary hip-hop. The crews sonic constructions are less intense, and do not include the same neck-nodding capabilities as pervious endeavors. Has time diminished Da Beatminerz production value? No, as Brace 4 Impak is still a very diverse collection. It is just one that sways to far away from the quintessential boom-bap their earlier work exuded. Maybe a return to basics is in order, but you could say that about the entire B.C.C. collective.