Dead Homiez

This is the Soundtrack to the movie Dead Homiez from 1997 which is a tribute to all the fallen homiez. It contains a gang of heavyweights like Volume 10, Sinister, DK Toon, B/Cartoon, Ganjah K, Abstract Rude, Buccet Loc, Quan, Skubie, Flowood, G.O.D. and Dutch. Here you can find the different version of "Front Row" from the Abstract Tribe Unique album "South Central Thynk Taynk".

Dead Homiez OST

DJ D - The Workers Union

The Workers Union

Who Framed The A-Team?

You might have heard the A-Team on the Project Blowed compilation for the first time on the track "Maskeraid" for example. Here they (Abstract Rude & Aceyalone) are again but this time with a full-length album. There is another Heavyweights track on it, so that you can find all the released ones on this blog.

A-Team

Beneath The Surface...

This is one of the few albums that still amazes me after rotating it since 1998.

It casts LA's most prolific rappers paired with Omid's deep going beats leading you to a 82 minutes lasting journey. You just have to enter the bus and to enjoy the ride...

Additional note:
The compilation was first self released by Omid himself in a limited run in form of a 3xLP and a CD in 1998. In 1999 came a 12" EP, a 3xLP and CD on Celestial Recordings. The full length Celestial Recordings releases have a different track listing than Omid's self released ones. On the first release there are the tracks "Surveillance", "What Up" and "Outsider" which aren't on the second release while on the 2nd there are "Subterranean Service" and "To The Turn Of The Earth" which aren't on the first release. Furthermore the second press vinyl consists of 3 records where only 2 records contain the vocal versions while the third has some instrumentals! Some people say that there was also a repress of the 2nd 3xLP. Later on, there also came a CDr and a 2xLP with the instrumentals and a re-release of the first CD.
Taking the instrumentals from the 2nd 3xLP version and the Instrumental CDr there are only 3 instrumentals missing: "You are in my clutches", "What Up?" and "Outsider" which is the same beat as on "Line Postin' in Pedro". For "You are in my clutches" I can remember that I once read that Omid doesn't know where his original ADAT recording is, so we probably will never see this one :(

Beneath The Surface ( all tracks )
Beneath The Surface (OG release)
Beneath The Surface (Celestial Release) 
Instrumentals

DK Toon Interview

My man Jack Devo over at Beetbak had the chance to get an exclusive interview with the Massmen member DK Toon. It's interesting to read and it sheds some light on another Good Life / Project Blowed member who haven't been on the radar for years. So check it out y'all

DK Toon Interview

Project Blowed

Being originally released on tape in 1994, I think, there is also a vinyl and a CD version. It sets the land mark between the shutdown of the Good Life sessions and the introduction to the upcoming open-mic sessions at the Project Blowed.
The album contains the second Heavyweights track out of four and a lot more to explore. On Philaflava you can find some tracks flying around which were on the original release and left out on this release for whatever reason. There is also a difference between the vinyl and the CD version because the vinyl version also contains the monumental "Mix Tapes" song from the Nonce.

The tracks are all very dope starting with the track "Jurassick" having a word play by the track name which implies the sick styles of the featured rappers which have lots of experience by being long in the game(jurassic). Followed by a "knock, knock, who's there?" from Self Jupiter introducing the "Strength Of ATU" with a dope-ass beat and having the CVE said "What a pity, I'm living in New York City" and am not able to watch these cats. Figures Of Speech speak out a warning that you better "Don't get it twisted" because it's "Hot", maybe too hot! Tray Loc is followed by Dolla Holla who really sounds like he is Snupe who raps about a "Beautiful day in the neighborhood" and who is followed by "Solo is so low" from DK Toon and B/Cartoon and you know the track, I do it and I think everybody does who is old enough! "This evening" introduces the "Heavyweights Round 2" featuring PEACE, Aceyalone, Nefertiti, Self Jupiter, BJ, Ganjah K, Medusa, Ko Ko, Mikah 9 and Volume 10 interrupted by a "Funky Commercial Break" and followed by some more dope tracks featuring Aceyalone, Ab Rude, CVE and Ellay Khule. Pure Hip-Hop history that's all I can say!

Project Blowed Compilation

Alien Nation - Earth Defenders

It is Alien Nations second album but it is the Aliens first officially released album. The Millenium album was meant to be released on Pallas Records in 1994 but wasn't. "Earth Defenders" in contrary was released on Celestial Recordings around 1999 on CD and I have heard there exist multiple versions with different colored covers. A 12inch record also exists with the track "Return To Cybertron" and a vinyl only track called "Unicron" which is only performed by Phoenix Orion.

On the Earth Defenders album appear Cosmic Ray, Phoenix Orion, Supernatural, Naptron, Orion South, Darkzeid, P.E.A.C.E. and also DK Toon on "Infinite Cypher" at 1:35. Infinite Cypher btw is a really dope track. The appearance of P.E.A.C.E. and DK Toon could lead to the theory that Infinite Cypher and the track "Secret Wars" from Phoenix Orions Secret Wars album were recorded in the same studio session.

Alien Nation - Earth Defenders

Secret Wars

Following the tradition of the Zimulated Experiences album this one is all spaced up except that it contains more features like Darkzeid with his dark and powerful voice, DK Toon, Neb Luv, Dandelion, Big Foot, the almighty P.E.A.C.E. and Quantum Gamma Zenith aka Orion South. For Orion South I was wondering for years if he really is a different person because it is difficult to distinguish him from Phoenix Orion's voice. I think they are cousins and I once heard that Phoenix Orion and Orion South didn't talked to each others for years but got reunited again. But as Phoenix seems to live in Vegas now it looks like that they currently don't do music together...
For this album there is also a very nice 2x12" with one record rotating at 331/3rpm containing Hip-Hop music and the other one rotating at 45rpm and containing Drum'n'Bass music.

Secret Wars

Albums, I better shouldn't have sold/lost Part VI

Another compilation but this time its with a totally different cast! Celestial Recordings only label based compilation brings you the Alien Nation, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter, DK Toon, Ellay Khule and others from Vortex Recordings a subsidiary of Celestial. One very interesting thing about it is the hint inside that they already had the Zimulated Experiences II in the works. The track "Close Encounters" appears here and there. You can also find tracks from the Beneath The Surface compilation, the Alien Nation album "Earth Defenders", Naptron's "Styles Of Madness", Hive's "Working With Sound", Phoenix Orion's "Zimulated Experiences", Supernatural's "Armageddon At Your Door 12" "  and from some Vortex releases I think which are Drum'n'Bass and not Hip-Hop.

Celestial Squadron

Painting A New Picture

Next stop P.A.I.N.T.     ATU doesn't exist anymore in the way we knew it from before. Abstract Rude, Fat Jack and Zulu remained while DJ Drez joined in. Abstract Rude got more dominant in the group as you can see on the cover, that the group isn't stated as Abstract Tribe Unique anymore but Abstract Rude + Tribe Unique. You can also realize this fact in the album itself, it is not solely produced by Fat Jack, but also Daddy Kev, Rob The Viking and Kenny Segal. Vocally there are also a lot of features on the album of rappers that didn't belong to the Tribe, for example Awol One, the Heavyweights, Slug, G&E, Moka Only, LMNO, Busdriver, 2Mex, Xololanxinxo, Eyedea and some fine female artists. The overall sound got more clean and is probably meant to address the masses and not only the headz but maybe it was necessary to get a record deal on Battle Axe, the label of the Swollen Members who partly  serve a different audience. It is more clearer on this album than it was on the South Central Thynk Taynk, there the sound also got more clean and lost a bit of its roughness. You can say that ATU switched the station (oh what a coincidence!) to target a greater audience by reinventing themselves and painting a new picture with this album...

P.A.I.N.T.

Instrumentals

South Central Thynk Taynk

This is the second ATU album which I count to my favorite albums. The overall music is moodier than on the Mood Pieces album but it is mixed in a similar way. Unfortunately I don't have some more detailed information about this release except that the record is a treaty because of its rareness and that both records are colored differently. Wait, now I remember one think! The song Front Row was also on the "Dead Homiez" Soundtrack with a different mix and lasting 5:54 instead of 4:44 minutes. I think I also have to mention the appearance of DK Toon and of Orion South. Last but not least I can just wish you a relaxing listening experience....

South Central Thynk Taynk