Bloggerhouse Hip Hop

Click HERE to DL 76-100 of Trav’s “Backpack Bangers”

The finale of our backpack classics. It’s been fun, I’ve learned a few things I didn’t know, like the catalog of Fondle ‘Em is like any backpackers wet dream, there is more dope shit out there than I can usually remember, don’t dare say that a beat was from a Prince Paul album when it was originally on a Big Daddy Kane album first and Shortie No Mass is pretty damn cute. I thought this last chapter would be difficult to put together, but all I really had to do was go through my crates (both digital and vinyl) and I found more than enough to fill this one up and maybe more (not that I’m going to, these things are time consuming as all hell). So here it is, in all it’s jansport glory and timberland goodness, my classics…..

De La Soul – The Hustle

Found On: “America is Dying Slowly”, (EastWest Records, 1996)

I had to figure out a way to get a De La song on these lists. I wanted to include the b-side only “Ego Trippin’ Part 3″, but it was released a year too early in ’93. But what better way to include De La than include them rhyming over some classic backpack production from the Beatminerz on “The Hustle”. You can’t argue about the dopeness found on this track. It seemed out of place on a compilation celebrating safe sex, but what the hell, anything that dope can be on whatever the hell it wants.

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That’s right, you get a double dosage of Backpack Bangers today! Being that the wife was outta’ town this weekend for Air Force duty, I just got in the groove late last night and churned another ‘go round out. I don’t think cats understand just how much time goes into each one of these posts, but it’s more than worth it as it allows each of us to revisit one of Hip Hop’s finest eras. So here we go 76-100 of my personal Backpack Bangers. Also, be sure to check our prior “lists” as I’ve been adding links for each “25″ at the top of each post. I’ve actually labeled zipped each file that will sort nicely (with each “25″ as an actual album) when added to your Itunes.

Download Eric’s 76-100 Backpack Bangers HERE
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Click HERE to DL 76-100 of Dart’s “Backpack Bangers”

This ultimate Hip Hop fantasy draft of the illest jawns between 1994-2000 has been huge for us over here @ Bloggerhouse. We’ve highlighted a bunch of unmitigated classics as well as some overlooked and forgotten gems from this pivotal transformative seven year period in Hip Hop. If you keep in mind that we’re covering a span of time in which I was aged 18 to 25 (which is a full age demographic) then you’ll understand exactly how many possible songs we had to choose from.

Some people have been confused as to why so many major label releases were on this backpack bangers list. It’s because “backpack” is more about aesthetic than being indie. Back in 1994, what got played on the airwaves, video shows and love in all the major Hip Hop publications normally was generally shunned by 1998. The vast majority of the jawns picked by us @ Bloggerhouse would’ve been met with blank stares if they were played in The Tunnel during this same era even though they supposedly embraced that gritty, raw street shit.

I used walk the mean streets of Boston playing jawns like Bushwackas “Rough, Rugged & Raw”, Ruggedness Madd Drama’s “For Real”, Fierce’s “Crab” and Jemini The Gifted One’s “Brooklyn Kids”. They were all considered underground raw street records. They were also all considered “backpack music”. In my estimation Cannibal Ox’s ‘The Cold Vein” was a street album. It was all about the living conditions of the inner city and related themes. Due to the world turning upside down the very same people that album was made for, the very people the album represented universally shunned it like it was a fuckin’ Jazz album.

That’s why this list was born. I’d be willing to put up any of the tracks I picked vs. any produced by Swizz Beatz, Dame Grease or SP Killa that was promoted as a “street record” vs. any “street record” produced by V.I.C., Godfather Don, Charlemagne, DJ Spinna, The Beatnuts, DJ Honda, DJ Muggs, Buckwild, Alchemist, Evidence, Da Beatminerz, Saukrates, El-P, Necro, Tommy Tee, DJ Babu, The ARE, Showbiz, J. Rawls, Shawn J. Period, True Master or 4th Disciple. ANY DAY.

Once again, it’s on! © Ice Cube

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Here it is, the final 75 from my personal fav’s list. Actually, there is one extra, mainly due to the fact that I can’t count. Actually I left an mp3 out of the folder while I was writing and didn’t catch it until I started uploading tracks. There are rumors about another 25, we’ll see what happens with that. Today’s batch features some fairly well known joints then of course some of my own peculiar tastes came into play. Play them loud is all I have to say……

Download 51-75 of Trav’s Backpack Bangers HERE
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Download Pt. III of Eric’s 75 “Backpack Bangers” HERE

Aww man! I had to throw up that header, simply because I was amped to uncover it amongst the tidbits of B.S. on my hard drive. Anyway, here we go, another 25! And we don’t stop..eh, eh (c) Sean Combs (insert: Dave Chappelle doin’ the Harlem Shake). Hit the jump for more Backpack Bangers..
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Get the complete link for Dart’s List HERE

Let me first clarify something, this post was not intended as an affront to the good people @ Complex nor the fans of said mainstream music of that era. What it is instead, is a celebration of some of our favorite Hip Hop tracks of this wondrous age of Hip Hop where the world seemingly turned upside down during it. Think of all the the things that not only changed in Hip Hop between 1994-2000 but also in society as a whole.

We went from the old Bush Administration to the Clinton Administration  to right back to another Bush administration. The Telecommunications Act Of 1996 was big but so was the advent of the Information Age via the proliferation of the internet. Then came several advances in technology and the birth of peer to peer sites. Some cats were coppin’ CD-R’s because they just got CD burners while others of us were digging for vinyl while still buying CD’s and arguing about if DVD’s and MiniDiscs will become industry standards or not.

It was a crazy time. It was a great time. The print media was still alive and I had a variety of record and video stores to choose from. The economy was booming so much that dudes were rockin’ shiny suits with platinum jewelry & driving around in Bentleys with factory stickers still on them all over MTV and BET. Meanwhile my boys & I had boxcutters and butterfly knives on us just in case someone tried to jack our CD players or record bags from us @ 2 AM around Downtown Crossing. I also miss all the “fuck Guliani” song coming out of New York back then…

In any event, here I go again. Y’all may recognize far more of these selections than previous lists but trust that I will be doing a final 25 to make it an even 100 so if you haven’t seen the songs you expected to yet I’m sure that between myself, Eric & Travis they WILL turn up. Enjoy (or don’t):

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I was always one of those dudes that came “fashionably” late to the party and usually I was already three sheets to the wind. Keeping up tradition, I’m arriving a little late to our backpack jams gathering this week. None the less I brought along some party favors in the form of some of the dopest jams from my personal favorites to bring some of that party mood for the weekend. I even got a couple drinking jams, because hell, backpackers need to twist the cap and toss a few back. Shall we get to it? Like Slick Rick said, “Heeeeeeeeeeeereeee we go!”

Download 26-50 of Trav’s “Backpack Bangers” HERE

Neek The Exotic – Muthaf*ckin Man

Found On: “Backs N Necks” EP (Large Entertainment, 1999)

With the backing both with the promotion and on the production tip, you figured Neek The Exotic would have made much more noise in the underground rap game than he did. In some ways, I always found his delivery and flow somewhat cumbersome, but it was something I grew to accept and almost like. He seems a lot more precise on the lead track for his Backs N Necks EP, “Muthaf*ckin Man”. His voice was unique enough to make up for any other annoyances. The Large Pro beat is a true banger with it’s laid back synths which is perfect for the New Jack City-ish hook.

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Here we go, yet again, with another serving of “Backpack Bangers”. Damn, they oughta’ be getting pretty full right about now, ehh? On this outing, I dug just a bit deeper than I normally would to uncover a few selections that you may not be too acquainted with. Again, we’re (Trav, Dart and myself) gonna’ keep going until we each reach 75 “Bangers” each. Now, that’s 225 tracks of pure rawness. Fu*k a “75″ we do it “3XDope” over here son! Anyway, I’ve inserted .rar links of the compiled files at the top of each respective opening list of “25″, I’ll keep ‘em updated as we go. Enjoy!

Download 26-50 of Eric’s “Backpack Bangers” HERE

“Klockuz”-Dead Poetz Society

Found On: “Klockuz” / “Lick A Shot” / “Lick A Shot” (Remix) 12″ (1996, Challeys Records)

To tha, tick-tock, tock-tick.  Don’t get it twisted, Dead Poetz Society’s ’96-banger, “Klockuz” was the furthest thing from Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex You Up”.  A track that I didn’t hear until many years after it’s initial release, “Klockuz” featured raps from 7storm8, Grym and Tahborn Ba-Mik over 7storm8′s horn-laden production that displayed an obvious D.I.T.C. influence.  About seven levels below “underground”, “Klockuz” is a definite must-have for all you 12″ collectors out there.

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We’re back again in what has been not only a highly successful post but a classic Hip Hop fantasy draft of sorts for myself, Eric & Travis over here @ Bloggerhouse. With each successive post we must cross off some of our picks & go back to the lab to come up with jawns the other two of us won’t select. This is made all the more hilarious by the fact that it seems that we all may share a brain in some aspects.

These 25 picks are representative of the tracks that I heard banging on the radio, in walkmans, on turntables, in CD players, cars, via computer speakers (as RealAudio files from Sandbox or 88 Hip Hop) or Sony MiniDisc players between 1994 and 2000. Just keep in mind that some folks were jammin’ to Cam’ron’s “357 (Pull It)” some of us were like “Is he rappin’ over the fuckin’ “Magnum P.I.” theme song? What’s next? “Night Court”?”. Here’s part two of my list. Enjoy (or don’t):
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Click HERE for link to Trav’s 25 Backpack Picks

From my standpoint, the term “backpacker” has changed greatly over it’s first derived roots. Even the time period we are discussing, 94-2000, the term went from being term coined (at least this is who I give credit to) by Black Moon as describing the underground hardrock timbos with a Jansport on their back to almost a geeky, over zealous, tru-ist that despised anything they deemed not “real” hip hop by the time 2000 rolled around. Despite the labels, which I do usually avoid using, some of the gritty boom-bap/backpacker inspired hip hop is among my favorite the culture has to offer. Following up Diggidy Dart and E left me scrambling for tracks when a good chunk of my list was already given it’s proper exposure, but in true Trav form, I dig around for my favorites that probably only myself would ever think of including on such a list as mighty as this.

Thirstin Howl III – Brooklyn Hard Rock

Found On: “Brooklyn Hard Rock”/”The Message”/”Spit Boxers” 12″ (Rawkus, 1999)

Pretty much anything found on Rawkus, Fondle ‘Em, and even Stones Throw in this time period will fit in the backpacker label. Myself, I first heard this disgustingly nasty track on the Soundbombing 2 compilation (the backpackers bible) and immediately was my favorite track from it. Thirstin has that ODB type of rawness to his voice and delivery, backed by his Lo-Life crew, it was just straight up rawness that hasn’t been duplicated too many times. The story of Thristin is one that is probably worthy of a post all on it’s own, but if dude never does nothing else, “Brooklyn Hard Rock” will always be a classic Jansport joint in my book.
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