With the omnipresent heavy editorializing of the current so-called “24 hour news cycle” with Cable News stations that appear to be less about objective reporting and more about over-simplified, eye-catching headlines it seems that the average newspaper reader is even less bothered by the circulation hungry, attention grabbing, sensationalist headlines (and content) of today’s tabloid newspapers.

Personally I am not shocked since I have no expectations. Instead it is with glee and much delight that I indulge in absorbing the liberties of so many of these so-called “news” outlets take these days with their editorializing. Best of all has to be the two main NYC tabloid dailies – the Daily News and the New York Post.

About a week or so ago one heading in the Daily News about a stabbing in Long Island had this glaring headline: “Knife-wiedling goons stab S.I. teen to death.” Goons? Talk about colorful language and talk about innocent until proven guilty! Ha ha ha. Of course the Murdoch (he of FOX News etc) owned New York Post is even worse, or better (in terms of guilty pleasures) when it comes to vivid language that veers far a field from objective reporting. 

One weekday about two months ago in the New York Post’s NYPD Daily Blotter five borough crime report, written by Jamie Schram and Matthew Nestel, under the Brooklyn section was this colorfully report of the scurrying, armed, pistol packing, i-Phone jacking, 11 muggings, creeping thug of a prowling punk. Wow! Have you ever read so much colorful language in so few words? Anyway here is the actual report as it was published:

Brooklyn–An armed thug prowling Bed-Stuy is responsible for 11 muggings in the last month, cops said yesterday.
The punk always strikes from behind, displaying a pistol before snatching loot and scurrying away.

The first attack took place at 7:40 p.m. on Dec. 9 on Macon Street near Nostrand Avenue. The robber crept up and threatened, “Give me your iPhone,” before snatching the device and fleeing on foot. Most recently, the punk mugged two people on Putnam Avenue and another on Hancock Street on Jan. 5, each time escaping with their wallets. The attacks took place 10 minutes apart just after 6 p.m.

Published in the Source magazine issue number 19 (March/April 1991) this is the Hip-Hop Slam Top Ten Chart from Feb 1991 – a time when the weekly Hip Hop Slam radio show broadcast on KUSF San Francisco. This chart included the still amazing sounding Tragedy/Intelligent Hoodlum track “Arrest The President” plus Bay Area/NorCal joints from the likes of Paris, Consolidated,  Homicide,MC Tom Slick, Audi & Mike Dee, Diceman P + DJ Ronski (the pick hit) and Digital Underground with the number one song (“Same Song”) that featured a then hardly known rapper called 2Pac. 

1) “Same Song” Digital Underground

2) “Dead Homiez” Ice Cube

3) “Step In The Arena” Gang Starr

4) “The Hate That Hate Made” Paris

5) “To My Donna” YBT

6) “Gots To Be Faithful” Audi & Mike Dee

7) “Arrest the President” Intelligent Hoodlum

8} “This Is A Collective” Consolidated

9) “The Melody” Homicide

10) “Crime Story” MC Tom Slick

PICK HIT: “Tommy Said” Diceman P & DJ Ronski

This review written by Billy Jam of the (then new) Bay Area Playaz compilation appeared in the underground Bay Area rapzine No Joke in its November 1995 issue back  when Mr Cee of RBL was still alive (he was killed on New Years Day 1996 about seven weeks after this was published) and when the most prolific Bay Area rap scene was at a real high point in both popularity and creativity. It was a different time for many reasons including the fact that people still bought (not download for free) their music – a time when CDs were popular but so too were cassettes and (to a lesser degree in terms of Bay rap releases) records.
  

Bay Area Playaz, the much anticipated compilation    about to drop from Anonymous Records, is the  ultimate Bay Area rap compilation containing as it  does, the best rappers and producers from the greater  Bay Area all delivering their very best (all original)  tracks! This impressive playlist, which tops all the  previously released Bay Area compilations, reads like a  who’s who of Bay Area rap. It includes triple-dope tracks from the likes of RBL Posse, Knumskull of the Luniz, JT The Bigga Figga, Master P and TRU, The Delinquents, Totally Insane, Guce, Sean T, GLP, Young Cellski, Hitman, The Link Crew, Mr. El, Sh’killa and talented newcomers, Street Thugs, whose song “Deep In The Game” could well be an underground smash.

From start to finish, Bay Area Playaz is one of those records that grabs your attention and never lets go. “It’s the sort of tape that you never want to hit fast forward on,” enthused project producer T. Cee. One of the reasons for this is the variety of sounds found on Bay Area Playaz courtesy of the various producers such as K-Lou, DJ Fuze, Cellski, Sean T, The Enhancer and JT.

With preview demo copies of Bay Area Playaz already a hot item on the rap underground circuit, pundits are picking their favorite tracks. Most seem to agree that RBL Posse, the popular Hunters Point duo comprised of Black C and Mr. Cee, have delivered one of their best tracks with “Miz Me” while the fun and cleverly scripted “Captain Wreck-A-Hoe” from Knumskull has already become other’s clear favorite on the compilation. Another crowd pleaser is the instantly engaging JT The Bigga Figga’s “X-Filez” which is also a tribute to KMEL, the station that helped launch the Fillmore rapper and his crew (the GLP) to national fame and fortune.

Another Priority Records artist, Richmond’s Master P and his posse TRU, also deliver some of their best work with the track, “I’m A Gee.” Other standout tracks include East Oakland power duo The Delinquents killer track “Can’t Be Stopped,” The Link Crew’s “The World In My Eyes” which is the album’s first single, East Palo Alto rapper Sean T’s “M Dash One” and Hitman’s “Everyday.” Bay Area Playaz is definitely the ultimate Bay Area rap compilation.

INSANE & D-MACK's Released in late 1995 by In It Fo Da Money Records

14 years ago, back in 1996 Hip Hop Slam was in the midst of producing the “Pirate Fuckin Radio” show – a 100 part underground, micro-broadcast radio series that was heard on such stations as Free Radio Berkeley, SF Liberation Radio, Free Radio Santa Cruz, KBUD Mendicino, 89.1FM Seattle, Flavor 919, and 909 The Bomb in Miami. Not surprisingly the focus was on Bay Area hip-hop of all styles. Here is the chart from almost exactly 14 years ago – from the week ending February 27, 1996 which included such releases as (in the #39 slot) the cassette full-length pictured above – by Insane & D-Mack “Lookin’ Fo Da DOPEMAN” which was released in late ‘95 on Fresno indie rap label In It Fo Da Money Records.

HIP HOP SLAM BAY AREA TOP 50 (2/27/96) (*=New Release)

1) 2Pac “All Eyez On Me” (Death Row)
2)* IMP “Ill Mannered Playas” (In-A-Minute)
3) Richie Rich “Half Thang” (41510/Shot)
4) Peanut Butter Wolf “Step On Our Ego” (South Paw)
5) Lil Gangsta P “meet the lil gangsta” (Erin)
6) The Dangerous Crew various (Dangerous/Jive)
7) Askari X “Message To The Black Man” (Slow Motion)
8  Hobo Junction “E.P.” (South Paw)
9) Various “The Dark Side EP” (Tough Street)
10) MadFace “Black Attracts Heat” (Corn Field)

11) Rappin’ 4-Tay “Aint No Playa” (Rag Top/Chrysalis)
12) The Click “Game Related” (Jive)
13) Conscious Daughters “Gamers” 12″ (Priority)
14) N.O.A. “forilla” (120)
15) Various ³”Bay Area 4080 Nation Wide” (promo-only tape)
16) Dr Octagon (feat Q-Bert) “Dr Octagonocologyst” (Bulk)
17) The Solesides Crew Presents (Solesides tape)
18)* Celly Cel “It’s goin’ down” (Sick Wid It/Jive)
19) The M.O.B.B. ³never trust them h*¹s² (Bounce)
20) Spice 1 “1990 Sick” (Jive)

21)* Funky Aztecs feat 2Pac “Slipping Into Darkness” (Conspiracy)
22) Kinfolks various (Extortion)
23) Game Related “Soak Game” (Big K)
24) JT The Bigga Figga “Dwellin’ in the Labb” (Get Low/Priority)
25) Suga T “Recognize” (Sick Wid It/Jive)
26) Get Low Playaz (GLP) “What we known fo” (Get Low)
27) Ironic “De Vallejo” (Conspiracy)
28) Tabb Doe “Reality Check” (Incognito)
29) Underground Rebellion “A-1Immaculate Funktism” (Treasure Line)
30) Souls of Mischief ³No Man’s Land² (Jive)

31)* Milkman feat Da Goonz “It’s on” (Major Music)
32)* Sacred Hoop demo tape (Miasmatic)
33) Silent Cries From The Ghetto/The Soundtrack various (Trigga Happy)
34)* Gansta Rhyme Posse “Skunk” (Strapped 4 Life)
35) J. Dubb ³Game Related² (Relentless)
36) Street Thugs “Not to be fu.?ed with” (Snake Pit)
37) Ant Banks (MC Breed) “Money…” (Jive)
38) Totally Insane ³Back Street Life² (In-A-Minute)
39) Insane & D-Mack “Lookin’ Fo The DOPEMAN” (In It Fo Da Money)
40) Tha Dangla (G-Note)

41) Bay Area Playaz various (Anonymous)
42) RBL Posse¹s Hitman ³Solo Creep² (The Right Way)
43)* Marv/Mitch & LeMay “Livin In THa Strange” (Out Tha Drout)
44) Tha Fast 1 (G-Note)
45)* Land Of Da Lost (Lic N’Snot Records)
46) Hook Boog “Kreepin while ya sleepin” (Abyssal Giantism)
48) Marty James “This is how it goes” (Black Diamond)
49) Mr X “One time at the door” (Jungle)
50) Skip Dog “Ist the money,then the power” (BodyBag)