Captain Jack – “Sexy Sexy Girls“

from Sexy Girls 12″ (Rap-A-Lot, 1987)

“Sexy Girls” was the second 12″ on Rap-A-Lot and also the possibly worst thing in it’s catalog. And I know this is going to lead to one of those cases where Captain Jack googles himself and then finds this post and gets all bummed out so let me be clear – when I say worst I mean its the most uncomfortably un-Rap-A-Lot release. Most of the labels earliest output was all pretty shaky* but those early Ghetto Boys records were also clear stepping stones to their later sound. And yeah RAL went on to drop some duds in the later years – stuff like the Ghetto Twinz or bad late Outlawz records – but even those were a logical extension of the Rap-A-Lot ideal. “Sexy Girls” is just weird synth rap about sexy girls. The cut up moaning samples are kind of tight, fwiw. (more…)

Raheem – “5th Ward“

from The Invincible (Rap-A-Lot, 1992)
Raheem – “5th Ward (Radio)”

Raheem – “5th Ward (Bonus Radio)”

from 5th Ward 12″ (Rap-A-Lot, 1992)

One of the more painful cuts from that Complex RAL list was Raheem’s very slept on ode to “the nickel,” “5th Ward.” Raheem was part of the original original “Car Freaks” era Ghetto Boys but split to pursue a solo career once the group was reformed with Face and them. He was a beast of a rapper in his own right. “5th Ward” appeared on his second album The Invicible and is one of those weird cases where the 12″ doesn’t include the album version at all, but instead features two mixes with entirely different vocals. The “Radio” version changes up all the curses to less offensive words so “first motherfucker with a record out in Houston and the last motherfucker you should want to fuck with” becomes “first male rapper with a record out in Houston, make the soundtrack and do a video too!” Then there’s also the confusingly titled “Bonus Radio” version which is smoother with a Marvin-esque hook and again entirely different raps, this time sending some not so subliminals at Kris Kross for not being the original Mack Daddies.

We’re back again with another Complex/Vh1 Top 25, this time looking at the Rap-A-Lot legacy. I work in a field where I’m often asked to write lists and this was probably the hardest one I’ve ever had to put together. The RAL catalog is just so incredibly deep and rife with more fan favorites than really obvious megahits. In fact for a long time they weren’t even dropping many singles, but six track “Hot Club Wax” samplers, which left DJs to their own devices as far as what would become the hit. Already in looking it at it I’m noticing omissions. But what am I gonna do? Cry? No, instead I wrote a list of 25 mo’ good ones from off the top of my head after the jump. Look them up on Youtube and collect them all. Also be sure to hit the old Tumblr for more RAL randomness. (more…)

Kilo – “The Piz“

from A-Town Rush (Arvis, 1992)

Seagram f/ Gangsta P – “Straight Mobbin“

from The Dark Roads (Rap-A-Lot, 1992)

I finally managed to grab a clean mp3 of Kilo’s proto-futuristic tongue twister “The Piz”, which appeared on the original Arvis Records release of his second LP but omitted from the more commonly found Wrap/Ichiban pressing. The Atlanta rapper was toying with the izz suffix more than a decade before Snoop Dogg introduced the speech pattern to a generation of awkwardly ironic soccer moms. As were Oakland’s Seagram (who we’ve talked about before) and Gangsta P. This NYT article recognizes neither. Both are better than “Double Dutch Bus.”

Royal Flush – “I Never Made 20“

from 976-Dope (Yo!, 1991)

Allhiphop asked Bun B for his 5 favorite emcees. He makes some predictable choices (Scarface) and some unexpected (Jeezy) but one in particular stands out for its unabashed obscurity – Rick Royal aka King Ricardo of one time Rap-A-Lot signees Royal Flush. You can definitely hear the influence “Never Made 20″ had on early UGK. Quoth Bun:

“Rick Royal, from the Royal Flush on Rap-a-Lot Records, to me was one of the greatest songwriters, not just rapper, but really an incredible songwriter for himself and other people as well. Rick Royal wrote “Deeper” for Boss, and “Progress of Elimination.” But he wrote a song called “I Never Made 20” for Royal Flush, if you can find that song and tell me that that’s not one of the best written rap songs in your life… I would say I’d give you something, but people would just say no just to get something.

“But seriously, I’d really like to hear that song and see what year it was recorded and then tell me it ain’t one of the best songs ever. It was Pimp’s favorite rap song. Period. Hands down, nothing remotely close. When we actually heard the song I was 20, he was 19 and it really hit him, it really hit him hard. When you hear it you be like, “Wow,” this is a crazy record, and you couldn’t see that being anybody’s life. But it’s really a reflection of the paranoia that young Black men feel.