DJ FORMAT vs. PHILL MOST CHILL – UK vs. PHILLY BATTLE

For those who may have missed it from the fall of 2013, me and my guy the omnipotent DJ Format did a nice little mix / battle for Ninja Tune‘s Solid Steel Radio Show pitting some of the UK’s illest random rap selections from the late 80’s – early 90’s era against a similar collection of gems originating from good ol’ Philly PA here in the U.S. of A. With Format repping the UK and me standing up for my city of brotherly love, natch. Although it was my job to make Britain look not so Great, I gotta admit Format pulled some serious heat out of those UK Hip Hop crates. I think I repped Philly pretty nicely with the obscure facemelters, though. You be the judge, who won the battle? Either way, when good rap schitt is dropped it’s a victory all the way around, and that’s what really counts.

Phill Most Chill twitter.com/PhillMostChill

Hip City Swingers _ I’m the Man _ B-Brothers Platinum Records
DJ Todd 1 _ The Jam _ Cut Up!
IBM Nation _ Brainiac _ Inner City Records
B-Fresh _ Watch My DJ Get Busy _ Raw Records
Courageous Chief _ Verbal Surgery _ Tirade
Phill Most Chill _ On The Hype Tip _ DWG
Plush Bros _ Back To The Lab _ Plush Records
MC Prelitique _ No More Lies _ Maine Records
Heavy Action _ He’s Treacherous _ Rough Cut Productions
Robbie B & Jazzy Jay _ Boogie Down _ R.B.A. Records
Legion Of Doom _ Live Bait _ Bill Collectors Inc.
Three Times Dope _ Improvin’ The Groovin’ _ Arista
Danger Zone Mobb Sqwad _ T.L. Back To Yell _ Sure Shot Records
AKR _ AKR Made It _ Park Place Records

DJ Format twitter.com/DJFormat4

Demon Boyz _ Lyrical Culture _ Music Of Life
Powercut Crew (feat. Mistri-D) _ God Made Me Funky _ Vinyl Lab Records
MC Mell ‘O’ _ Talk Dem Way _ Funki Dred
Gutter Snypes _ Flatline _ Liberty Grooves
Hijack _ I Had To Serve You _ Warner Bros
Krispy 3 _ Back It Up _ Kold Sweat
Unanimous Decision _ Simply Dope _ Kold Sweat
Son Of Noise _ Ill Justice _ Music Of Life
Bushkiller _ 92 Salute _ Danger Records
K.C.F Productions (feat. C-Madd E) _ Words ‘N’ Musik _ GTI Records
Dominant Force _ Criminals _ Gangster Records
MC’s Logik _ We’re On A Mission _ Submission Records
Shogun MC _ The Struggle Continues _ Blue Chip Records
Sunshine Power _ It’s Too Late _ Sing A Song Records

AS A SHORTY DOIN’ FLYERS FOR THE COLLINS BROS. SHOW

That’s a line from a Fabreeze Brothers song that didn’t make the album (the rhymes will be resurrected elsewhere, trust me on that)… but yeah, when I was a youngster in the earrrrrly days of Hip Hop I drew up some party flyers for Mount Vernon’s legendary Collins Bros. crew. For those who weren’t around or in the NYC area in those days, the Collins Bros. rocked with all the Hip Hop pioneers- see the other names on the flyer- and definitely paved the way for the next generation coming out of the Money Earnin’ / Now Rule area (Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Heavy D & The Boys, Brand Nubian etc.). My dude Mark Collins aka DJ Mark C recently posted a pic of this flyer from 1980 on Facebook and I bugged out! Haven’t seen this in 34 years. So it’s nice to see my own direct link to the original days of Hip Hop- I wasn’t rhyming or deejaying yet, but I was soaking it all in at the jams way back then and putting in work with the pen and ink even as a youngin’ (I love the creativity of writing lyrics, spinning records for mixes, making beats etc. but my natural god given talent is drawing pictures above everything else). This is my history right here- thanks to Mark C. for letting me revisit a time that helped shape who I am today.

ROAST MARSHMALLOWS OVER YOUR SPEAKERS TO THIS ONE

The new summer 2014 installment of Jorun Bombay‘s Funkbox Reload has arrived and geez, it’s pretty much off the meatracks. So much ill stuff from start to finish but I’m still scraping the contents of my cranium off of the floor just from hearing the Joeski Love / Steady B remix mashup that sets the whole mix off. Yes, you read that correctly- my head exploded. So please listen to this with caution, but whatever you do- listen. Nobody who loves Hip Hop wants to miss this, mainly because nobody else that I know of is doing it like this anymore. Dope on a rope, certified… that pretty much sums it up. Oh yeah, that new Rampagers 45 gets debuted in the mix too, so don’t miss out.

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.

TWO MAGIC DISCO MACHINES WITH THE CROSS FADER SITTIN’ IN BETWEEN

For those of you who heard the incredible Rock The Discotek and Rock The Discotek Vol. 2 mixes by the incomparable Jorun Bombay (and if you didn’t you really, really need to take care of that asap before people start thinking you’re dumb), you may have heard a couple of songs with me supplying the raps (me being Phill Most Chill, random rap icon and prime minister of THAT REAL SCHITT). A number of people dug those tunes and suggested that it would be cool if they could make it to a vinyl release sometime in the near future. Ladies and gentlemen… the future is now.
Available for preorders is the latest release on the AE Productions label (Mr. Fantastic‘s imprint. also the home of the Phill Most & Mr. Fanta “Superfunk” 12″) by the aforementioned duo of Jorun Bombay and Phill Most Chill, teaming as one to become Jorun-P.M.C. Titled “The Magic Disco Machine”, this nice piece of vinyl features those two songs I already spoke about, “Can’t Won’t Don’t Stop” and “The Champ”, as well as a new joint, “Magic Disco Machine”. And although we may be rockin’ a disco break or two, this record is pretty damn far from being disco. Make no mistake, this is hardcore b-boy music, the type of stuff that people just don’t make anymore. We might as well had stepped into a time machine, set it to like 1986-87, grabbed the illest Hip Hop we could find once we got there, then returned back to the present with The Magic Disco Machine E.P.
As a bonus, there’s also an exclusive 7″ with alternate versions of “The Champ” available for those that cop the full bundle (and there may also be some stickers for people who frequent the DWG forums, but I’m not so sure how all that works so head straight for the DWG forums and try to get some info if you want some dope azz stickers too). Full color sleeve as well (see the second pic up top).
And be prepared- if you dig this one Jorun and I are busy working on a Jorun-P.M.C. full length album for 2014, and I can pretty much guarantee that you’re gonna like that one, too. So stay tuned.
If you’ve heard enough and feel compelled to cop, please feel free to make that donation and preorder the wax right here. And if you haven’t heard enough and need to hear more (like, maybe the music itself), take a listen at the snippets over here. 
And just so y’all know, ANOTHER Phill Most project of massive real schitt interest is coming within a few weeks, so put a couple of dollars away now… you won’t be happy if you miss any of the new stuff. 
BONUS: whoever can name the most records that are pictured on that Jorun-P.M.C. cover wins a free mystery prize.

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.   

SLOW DOWN, BABY

For those who may have slept on it, the world’s greatest record label DWG recently put out a promo-only sampler EP featuring some of the best tunes from their extensive “random rap revisited” catalog (I got a few features on this jawn!) entitled “DWG Sampler One (A Journey Through The Crates)”. A fine slab of wax, highly recommended even if you have to spend a fortune on eBay to obtain it.
The highlight of the album (well, other than maybe Kool G Rap‘s “I Declare War”) for a lot of people was the collabo track “DWG Rampage” featuring myself and a few other super talented DWG vets, Emskee and Oxygen on the mic and equally super talented Jorun Bombay on the beat.  Jorun has been shocking the world by crafting his own homemade instrumentals of classic Hip Hop records (see here and here for a couple of examples), so DWG decided to bring him together with us three mc’s and drop some rhymes over one of those instros. Out of all the recreated beats that Jo had done, EPMD & LL Cool J‘s classic “Rampage” seemed like the perfect joint.
Since it’s getting late and I’m falling asleep all over my PC keyboard I’m gonna cut the story short, but you WILL hear more from The Rampagers very soon, that’s my word. All leading up to that Rampagers’ European Tour in 2014? I say hells yes, let’s do it! I’m down.

CLAP YA HANDS WITH FANTASTIC, COME ON COME ON, Y’ALL

Thirty years after the seminal Hip Hop movie Wild Style hit theaters, it’s great to see the Fantastic Romantic Five (Kevie Kev, his brother Master Rob, Rubie Dee, Prince Whipper Whip & Dot-A-Rock) still rockin’ the stage like they did back in the days. In a word… fantastic.

ON THE HYPE TIP

Mad pics of the PMC ACRR bundles poppin’ up on Facebook and the DWG site, among other spots… super ill. Mr. Cratedigger, I want that fly v-stitch goose, my brother! For those that missed the bundles but still want to cop, you knew it was gonna happen- eBay is calling your name. I may have to bid on that bad boy my damn self.

PHILL MOST CHILL – ALL CUTS RECORDED RAW DOUBLE VINYL LP PRE-ORDERS BEGIN ON MONDAY JUNE 6TH

Pre-orders for the limited edition Phill Most Chill “All Cuts Recorded Raw” DOUBLE VINYL LP (ill unreleased joints from the 1987-1990 “On Tempo Jack” era) begin on MONDAY JUNE 6th- be sure to check the Diggers With Gratitude forum for more details right here. I’m gonna keep it funky with y’all… I know these limited edition joints may be a little steep for some folks’ budgets, but if you can at all afford it I’d advise you to spring for that full bundle. Not because it’s gonna put loot in my pocket but because we tried to lace y’all with a package that hopefully would be worth the money spent and then some. I really think we succeeded. MAN. I’m extremely excited myself in anticipation of getting the finished products in my hands… can’t wait like Bart Scott.