Artist: Time Zone
Title: The Wildstyle - 12"
Label: Celluloid - 1983
Producer: Afrika Bambaataa, Bernard Zekri
Time Zone is the name Bambaataa used when collaborating with other artists. Featuring rappers Beeside of "Change the beat" fame, Motivator, and Amad Henderson, this track was only moderately successful when it was released. What brought it to prominence was when Grandmixer DST used it on jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock's "Megamix" single, scratching and mixing it back and forth with Hancock's "Rockit." The original pressing had a picture sleeve featuring legendary graffiti artist Futura 2000.

Artist: Stereo Crew
Title: She's a Skag - 12"
Label: Epic - 1986
Producer: Lonzo Williams, Dr. Dre
This is an old school pairing of now legends Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. Cube rhymes with lyrics similar to "Don't Trust 'Em" but with a notably higher voice while Dre manages to drop a track as hype as usual, despite relying on the then common formula of the TR-808 and DMX drum machines. Cube's long time partner in rhyme on "She's a Skag" is Kid Disaster, now known as K-Dee. Incidentally, this is one of Cube's most widely heard records ever as it featured, albeit briefly, in Michael Jackson's "Bad" video.

Artist: Just-Ice
Title: Cold Gettin' Dumb - 12"
Label: Fresh - 1986
Producer: Curtis Mantronik
This record is a perfect example of what is so dope about Just-Ice. One of three self-proclaimed "Original Gangsters" of hip hop — along with Ice T and Schoolly D — Just-Ice goes much deeper than a gangster stereotype. Listen to Just's intricate, articulate lyrical patterns to hear what an innovator sounds like. Similar to G Rap — an influence to people from Nas to Raekwon — Just-Ice draws you into his rhymes. His mic skill is laid over the foundation of Mantronix's incredibly innovative TR-909 beats. Most will recognize this beat as it was later used by Eric Sermon for Redman's "It's Like That."

Artist: The World Famous Supreme Team
Title: Hey DJ - 12"
Label: Island - 1984
Producer: Stephen Hague
Probably best known for providing the cutting and scratching on Malcolm McClaren's classic "Buffalo Gals," the World Famous Supreme team made their biggest impact on wax with this big street and club hit in the spring of '84. This joint has been sampled and redone ad nauseam and is still a club hit, showing the significance of this cut. You might recognize too the sample "Hey DJ, get funky" from the Beastie Boys' "Hey Ladies."

Artist: Herbie Hancock
Title: Rockit - 12"
Label: Columbia - 1983
Producer: Material, Herbie Hancock
In the world of jazz music Herbie Hancock has always been an innovator, from his beginnings in Miles Davis' band to his groundbreaking use of keyboards in the early '70s. In the '80s he did it again by teaming up with avant-funk producers Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn of the group Material. On "Rockit" Herbie brings out his whole arsenal of keyboards including two instruments that were brand new to the time: the Fairlight computer and the EMU 4060 sampling keyboard. However, the crowning touch on "Rockit" is now famous scratching break by Grandmixer DST, which inspired more than a few people to invest in a pair of 1200s.

Artist: MC Mitchski the "Rapping Comedian"
Title: Brooklyn Blew Up the Bridge / Red Alert Is a Great Man - 12"
Label: Ski - 1987
Producer: Mitchski
This record is proof that jumping the bandwagon is nothing new in hip hop. This time it was an unknown Brooklyn MC named Mitchski dissing MC Shan and the Juice Crew amidst all the hype over the BDP vs. Juice Crew beef. With a chorus of "Brooklyn blew up the Bridge, South Bronx helped us out," Mitchski did some cheerleading for the Boogie Down. "He walked on stage like he was Casanova / When he sang 'The Bridge,' they said 'The Bridge is over' / when you hear this don't get all wild / 'Cause to me MC means you're my child / If you wanna battle me you must be dumb / 'Cause you can't even hang with KRS-1." Mitchski also jocked DJ red Alert on the B-side with "Red Alert Is a Great Man," describing how he faithfully tapes Red's radio show on KISS every Saturday.

Artist: DJ Polo & Kool G Rap
Title: It's a Demo / I'm Fly - 12"
Label: Cold Chillin' - 1986
Producer: Marley Marl
Over a set of James Brown samples, Jackson Heights, Queens native G Rap stakes his claim in the rap world with a rapid fire flow: "People in the audience, Kool G Rap is my name / I write rhymes and insert them inside your brain / And DJ Polo, the man up behind / operates the turntables while I'm rocking my rhymes." The lyrics are impressive, showing some of Kool G Rap's potential, including the often cut "psychopath on the phonograph" line describing Polo. "It's a Demo" also appears remixed on the Road to the Riches LP, but the remix isn't as raw. The B-side of this record, "I'm Fly," was a typical boasting cut with G Rap talking about Gucci wear, limos, and fly women. "I put my friends in the Benz / I put my girls in pearls / I got the finest epidermis with the silky curls." After this record Kool G Rap's name would never take second billing to DJ Polo again.

Artist: Junkyard Band
Title: Sardines - 12"
Label: Def Jam - 1986
Producer: Rick Rubin
The cut was actually the B-side to a song called "The World," but "Sardines" is by far the better cut of the two. With a strong go-go flavor, an unknown MC flexes skills, interspersed with a females vocalist over a bass heavy synth riff and fat bongo drums. An underground classic at the time, it sadly went right over the heads of most people and was slept on for years, by which time they were off Def Jam and their planned LP never happened. The well known intro of this song was favored by DJ Cheese as a part of his scratch show when he was rocking sets with Word of Mouth.

Artist: MC G.L.O.B.E.
Title: Get Ridiculous - 12"
Label: Body Rock - 1986
Producer: MC G.L.O.B.E.
G.L.O.B.E. of the mighty Soulsonic Force stepped up on the solo tip for this fiery call and response party jam. Although it would generally be categorized as Washington D.C. style go-go, in lyrical structure and format this is pure hip hop. True to the song's title, the rhymes are unstructured, unrelated, and totally off the wall, but G.L.O.B.E. comes off well doing it. Although overshadowed by the rest of the Soulsonic Force, G.L.O.B.E. shows on this record that he can hold his own.

Artist: MCA & Burzootie
Title: Drum Machine - 12"
Label: Def Jam - 1985
Producer: Jay Burnett
This is a rare solo project from MCA of the Beastie Boys. Whereas most rappers at the time were speaking on their nice rides, their money, their fly girls, or their DJ, MCA was bragging about his drum machine. Spitting science on what equipment needed to recreate the old school sound, it is obvious MCA was allowed full creative control over this ill structured track. There's no choruses or gimmicks, and Burzootie's drum programming is ill complex.

Artist: Biz Markie
Title: Vapors - 12"
Label: Cold Chillin' - 1988
Producer: Marley Marl
This is a typically excellent old Biz joint, and perhaps his biggest, longest enduring hit ever. With a James Brown "Papa Don't Take No Mess" loop that compliments his rolling lyrical style perfectly, Biz tells stories of how he and his crew were mistreated before their days of fame. Whether he's rhyming, impersonating a record being scratched, or comparing himself to "a wet food stamp," Biz really Shines on this one. This is one of few guaranteed old school party rockers.

Artist: Sean Baby & Ninja D
Title: K.G. Dance (Wop) - 12"
Label: B-Boy - 1987
Producer: KRS-1, Scott La Rock
What makes this record significant is that with the exception of one song on the B-Girls compilation for labelmate Babydoll, this is the only project on wax that both KRS and Scott La Rock produced together. Lyrically the title is self-explanatory — Sean Baby and Ninja D rap about the wop dance which was popular during the mid to late '80s. Musically it's classic Criminal Minded sounding material. A cameo appearance by KRS-1 at the end shouting, "Fresh for '87...The Bridge is over, the Bridge is over" ices the cake. An interesting side note on B-Boy records is that it was widely reputed to be a front for organized crime.

Artist: Two Live Crew
Title: What I Like - 12"
Label: Fresh Beat - 1985
Producer: Two Live Crew
While the rest of the country's hip hop evolved, somehow Florida got left behind, sticking with the up-tempo bass heavy beats influenced by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. This inspired a new genre of rap: bass music. And no group dominates bass quite like Two Live Crew. "What I Like" lays claim to being the first single ever released by Two Live, back before Luke Skyywalker joined the group and even before the "2 Live Crew" spelling. In fact, this precedes Brother Marquis as well; Fresh Kid-Ice runs this one solo with the help of DJ Mr. Mixx. Kid-Ice holds his own surprisingly well on this track, flowing at what must be his all time best: "When I go to parties, I never fight / 'Cause my only ambition is to rock the mic." 2 Live's usual over exaggerated sex rhymes are absent here — this is a gimmickless B-boy cut. However it is really treach DJ Mr. Mixx's cuts that make this track so nice. All throughout Mixx bombards the wax with scratch after scratch. There's even a instrumental scratch version on the B-side with Mr. Mixx cutting the entire joint. This is the epitome of Miami bass music. If you're searching for an original copy, make sure it's on Fresh Beat records because it was later rereleased out of L.A. by Macola.



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