IT’S FORMAT Y’ALL… AND PHILL MOST Y’ALL

I’m slightly frazzled right now, what with handling a bunch of social networking and other online biz connected with my latest new release (seems I have a gang of ’em right about now), the 10 track full length lp by UK modern day legend DJ Format and myself, Phill Most Chill, titled “The Foremost” (get it? I knew you would). It’s been a busy day, but I’m more than happy to do whatever has to be done because I am freaking ecstatic about this album! Matt (that’s DJ Format to you) has been a beat making monster for years, and I can honestly say that in my honest opinion he honestly outdid himself with the beats on this record. Honest. 
Before I get superfluous with the superlatives, which I can do at times, let me just direct you to the brand spankin’ new promo video for the album, courtesy of the uber-talented creative folks at Paintshop Studio (and yeah, I’m really ecstatic about this video too!)-

Release date is October 28th, should be easy enough to find online but if you have any troubles catching a copy hit me up right here and I’ll help you out with that. And we are trying to promote the heck out of this jawn, so if any of y’all bloggers or websiters or radio show peoples is interested in conducting an interview you can contact me here or on my Facebook page and we’ll try to make that happen if at all possible. More info to come… right now let me get a couple hours of sleep before my brain explodes all over the inside of my skull like the batteries in my Columbia GP-3 did.

THAT LEGENDARY WILLIE D VS. MELE MEL CELEBRITY RAPPER FIGHT YOU’VE ALWAYS HEARD ABOUT

 Talk about your lost classics- I’ve heard about this slug fest between microphone greats Mele Mel and Willie D from May 24th, 1992 ever since… well, not too long after May 24th, 1992. The accounts of Mel going down due to an inadvertent head butt look to be accurate but it’s hard to see, Willie might’ve snuck that sneaky left in there and tapped Mel’s jaw phantom style, like Muhammad Ali sockin’ the sh*t out of Sonny Liston with that good ol’ anchor punch that Stepin Fetchit taught him how to throw. Maybe Bushwick Bill taught Willie a similar punch? I know, I’m grasping at straws but anything’s possible. 
Well, like I said I first learned about this fight not long after it happened but I think this is my first time seeing it. For the rest of you who’ve never seen it, here ya go. You can also read the original Source magazine article about it here. To the cat who dug this footage up, if you’re out there and you have the Freddie Foxxx-administered legal azz-whuppin’s that took place at this event please post them as well when you get a minute. Every rapper talks about how they’ll f**k somebody up, but it’s always nice to see them actually do it.   

PRE-XMAS SNOWSTORM OLD SCHOOL YOUTUBE REAL SCHITT MEGABLAST

I’m snowed in my crib on a Saturday watching the Cowboys put it on the Saints (could this be the end of the unbeaten season? )… seemed like a perfect time to post some raw mid 80’s hip hop courtesy of Youtube…

So dope…

RAPPIN’ TO THE BEAT: 20/20 SPECIAL ON HIP HOP, 1981

I often say that the internet is both great and terrible… well, here’s one of those times when it is really, really great. Back in 1981, the ABC television program 20/20 ran what I guess was the first ever nationally televised news piece on rap music / Hip Hop (if someone knows of anything that predates this please let me know… this certainly was the earliest thing that I remember seeing). All I can say is that this was a BIG deal when it originally aired. We see and hear rappers everywhere today- tv, radio, movies, magazines, internet, you name it. I wish I could get away from these muthaf***as nowadays. But back then it was all brand new and m.c. sightings were scarce. To this day I vividly remember watching this show and losing my mind over it all. To see the Furious 5 and the Funky 4 on channel 7? MAN. You can’t even imagine how huge that was to a b-boyin’-ass kid like me at the time. Anyway, big ups to Rap Radar and whoever unearthed this joint (EMZ? Dan Charnas?) for posting this up and letting me relive a nice little slice of my youth. AWESOME.

BY THE TIME WE GET TO ARIZONA… Y’ALL IN TROUBLE

Tomorrow my beloved Philadelphia Eagles will invade University Of Phoenix Stadium to lay a colossal whuppin’ on the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game and propel themselves into the Super Bowl (where they will then proceed to pop open another huge motor oil-sized can of azz whup on whoever represents the AFC, probably the Pittsburgh Steelers but it could be the B-More Ravens instead… who cares? They’re all just cannon fodder). In honor of this inevitable happening, I am dropping a couple of different mixes of Public Enemy‘s “By The Time I Get To Arizona” and also some of my favorite versions of the classic “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”. You’ve had a nice run, Redbirds, but it’s time to return to the reality that you and your miserable fans have been living like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day” for the last 70 years or so. The reality of FAIL. Enjoy the music, and I’ll enjoy the victory cigar tomorrow night.
BTW, the PE song is so appropriate seeing that the day after the Eagles’ victory will be the King Holiday AND the day after that will be the inauguration of my president, Barack Obama. Two things I must add- one, on Monday, to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King (and to just be a good person) I advise everyone out there who can do it to participate in a Day Of Service and volunteer your time somewhere in your community for a few hours. And two, to all the folks going to D.C. on Tuesday to get your revelry on, please keep it civil and wonderful and all that schitt. No drunken line dancing in the streets, please. This is gonna be a cool next few days.

BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX-
Dorothy Ashby

Willie Tee

Mighty Doug Haynes

Moses Dillard

Azymuth

The Gaylads (pause)

(special thanks to Willie Fugal, Reynaldo and my pals at Soulstrut for song suggestions)

CHECK THESE VIDS IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE MEANING OF DOPE

I’m usually not a bitin’ azz dude, but today I’m like f**k it… I saw some dope schitt and I’m bitin’ it. Courtesy of The Meaning Of Dope blog (so I guess technically I’m not really biting since at least I’m giving credit where it’s due)… very ill site and a friend of the room, no doubt. The homies at TMOD recently put up some rare real schitt footage featuring some of the golden age greats, and I was in such a OH SNAP! mood over it that I had to snatch the vids up and post ’em up here. So check out the flicks then head over to The Meaning Of Dope and check out all the other stuff they have to offer (they have a lot).
BTW, what is Q-Tip wearing in the live ATCQ performance vid? I want one of those… whatever it is.

AND IT WON’T BE LONG ‘TIL EVERYBODY’S KNOWIN’ THAT FLASH IS ON THE FOX NEWS CHANNELLLL…

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BMC IN THE PLACE TO BE

Yo…. i know y’all checked the def short film on the life of Hip Hop pioneer Chief Rocker Busy Bee Starski that I posted a couple of months ago… did you know that said short film was done by Barry Michael Cooper? Yeah, THAT Barry Michael Cooper… the man behind flicks like New Jack City, Sugar Hill (that was my SCHITT, yo) and Above The Rim. My man was one of the first, if not THE first hip hop journalist back when he was puttin’ it down for the Village Voice (BTW, I just dug up some old issues from my vaults, so I will have some other Voice-related posts coming soon). BMC is still puttin’ it down… peep the 20 part web drama BLOOD ON THE WALL$ featuring appearances by a number of well-known faces, now running on the Baltimore Citypaper website. Here’s webisode 1… you can see the other parts at http://citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=13984 (they’re up to webisode 15 as of right now).

Big homie also is working with some Philly rap folks… keep an eye out for the upcoming The Hu$tle Diaries online documentary that deals with the real life trials and tribulations of an indy rap label in the 2000’s. You can check the trailer /video featuring Philly Swain here.

And just to keep things in the real schitt realm, here’s part 2 of that Busy Bee flick showin’ how homeboy gets down with the stickiest of the icky…

You should also google up my man BMC and read up on some of his true hollywood stories… the Oliver Stone encounter was truly an OH SNAP moment!

CHIEF ROCKER BUSY BEE: THE ARCHITECT MC VOL. 1

Here’s a def little short film about one of the true pioneers of Hip Hop music, the Chief Rocker BUSY BEE STARSKI. Nice video footage from back in the day, some stuff I never saw before. I’m hoping more film of those old school parties will surface in the near future… the world needs it, for real (and if the world don’t need it, I need it! Holla at ya boy if you got some authentic footage… I got $$$$).