Gone but not forgotten.

When I first began this entry, it was just going to be part love note, part eulogy. You know, visit the grave and lay a solitary white lily on the headstone of Hip-Hop. Then I realized what I missed the most about Hip-Hop and immediately recalled the beauty of the timeless Posse Cut. That is where various artists form like Voltron to showcase their individual skills on a collective effort. Many come to mind so I decided to dig in the crates and compile a list of my favorites. So without further ado, here goes my Top Ten:

10. Show Business- A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian, Diamond D. - Not one of the standouts on the classic Low End Theory album, but definitely worth a nod. They take you through the underbelly of the shady show business. Here, Diamond D seals the deal with an obvious dig at how grimy one particular record label did some of their artists.
Quotable- "Get a good lawyer so problems don't pile. You don't want to make a pitch that's wild."

9. Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers- Chubb Rock, Jeru the Damaja, O.C. - Picking up the posse cut torch where Special Ed, Buckshot and Masta Ace left it blazing, the Kings County natives fill you in on them crazy-ass Crooklyn kids.
Quotable-"Ya watch Channel Zero wit dat bitch Barbara Walters. She'll have you believe Blacks invented crack- when President Lyndon had the formula way back."

8. Don't Curse- Heavy D, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Pete Rock, CL Smooth, Grand Puba, Q-Tip- Parental Advisory stickers were yet to be mandatory and the late C. Delores Tucker was not yet launching her personal Anti-Tupac vendetta, but these brothers took a preemptive strike against profanity...if only for one song. And Puba kept us up to speed with one line.
Quotable- "For those who can't follow and got stuck- kcuf flipped the other way means, ahem, hem, hem..."

7. Headbanger- EPMD, K-Solo, Redman- The Hit Squad was at their pinnacle with this joint. Everyone holds their own with rugged finesse. A pre-Method Man duetting Redman absolutely kills it and educates a few on the sound you might hear at a Cerebral Palsy center. Of course it's in bad taste. But all is fair in Hip-Hop and disabilities. The quotable here is delivered by the Incredible Letter Man.
Quotable-"The Fugitive's gone. Peace, I'm outta here, later. And here's a finger, to all you non-movin' spectators."

6. I Shot Ya (Remix)- LL Cool J, Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe, Foxy Brown- It's not so much the lyricism, but the variety of skill that impresses on this one. Everyone brings their signature A-game. This is also our first real introduction to the braggadocios brown Fox. She definitely held her own with the fellas, but her misconstrued boasts on sexual prowess made her the butt of a joke on Heltah Skeltah's Operation Lockdown. After that, there was no more talk of raw ass cheeks.
Quotable- "Illuminati want my mind, soul, and my body.Secret society, tryin to keep they eye on me."

5. Burn Hollywood Burn- Chuck D, Big Daddy Kane, Ice Cube- The trio sheds light on the stereotyping and racism that is alive and well in the movie making process.
Quotable- "Many intelligent Black men seemed to look uncivilized while on the screen. Like I guess I figure you to play some jigaboo on the plantation. What else can a n*gga do."
Fast forward 18 years...I have not yet witnessed Cube make a total buffoon of himself since Hollywood came calling. And on that note, let's pour a little liquor out for Flava Flav's dignity, shall we?

4. Scenario II (Remix)- Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School, Kid Hood-
Just when you thought they couldn't improve on a good thing, they showed us what they were gonna do in '92 even though they had fun in '91. Busta Rhymes orates that there are 7 emcees including a posthumous MC Hood present in spiritual essence who is undeniably the shining star.
Quotable- "Death on a phono- my skills are porno. You say, Oh no..."

3. Self Destruction- KRS-One, Heavy D, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee, Ms. Melody, Just Ice, Stetsasonic, MC Lyte, D-Nice, Public Enemy - Classic in its own right, this song was a call to action to stop the violence. I can't say that it really accomplished its endeavor, but Dammit it was a dope song. Now every time I hear someone say Let's have a moment of silence- I half expect it to be followed by a wicked beatbox. Also, MC Lyte (literally) pops out of nowhere and reps hard for the ladies. And thank God she did since Ms. Melody makes for the dullest moment on this otherwise historical track.
Quotable-"Aiyo, here's the situation:Idiocy. Nonsense, violence, not a good policy."

2. Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)- Craig Mack, The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Busta Ryhmes, Rampage- Let's be honest, this song was Bad Boy's crowning jewel. The beat is simple but carries every emcee effortlessly on this one. Cousin Rampage got a moment to flex- but he is so out of place here that it makes me giggle a bit. The tragic irony is Mack's prophetic verse. "You won't be around next year..." Little did we know he was talking about himself.
Quotable- "Ya mad cuz my style you're admirin'. Don't be mad. UPS is hiring."

1. Symphony- Marley Marl, Craig G, Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane- This one is for the purists. The ragtime piano loop and strong bassline is the backdrop for these Golden Era heavyweights. It's an arguably close call between Kane and G Rap on this one- and depending on the day, I might give the award to either of them.
Quotable- "I'll take you over like a greedy Executive..."


Honorable Mentions:

Buddy- De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Monie Love, Q-Tip- What can be better than a song about making each other feel good? It was like a hippie love fest with African medallions and crazy prophylactics.
"Let's stick out the Jimmy and see what we can catch..."

John Blaze- Nas, Fat Joe, Big Pun, Jadakiss, Raekwon- New York's Finest, doing what they do. Check out Belly's Taral Hicks delivering the mysterious attache case in the video. This Bug is still wondering what Mack 10's cameo was all about. Was he the only one that could push an 18 Wheeler? I don't get it.
"You ain't got no ends in mi casa. ¿Que te pasa? You ain't even in my classa."

LeFlaur Le Flah Eskoshka - Heltah Skeltah, Originoo Gun Clappaz- Any time the Duckdown family joined forces, they failed to disappoint. The last verse in which Tall Shawn and Hurricane Starang briefly trade line for line is the most noteworthy. Why don't people do that anymore? It was sick!
"Live like wires. Beast from the East. Who is he? When I roar like a grizzly they say, Damn he gets busy! Oh...''

Well I'm pretty sure I lost a lot of my readers midway with this somewhat elitist old school Hip-Hop entry- but that's okay. I get the paper so I don't care!