BET: Nas On Rap City 1999 (Video)

At this time Nas is one hottest rappers on the planet. I mean it was him, Jay & X. That was the line up with Nore, Ja & Pun comin up next. Nas' at that time was comin off hiatus from his last LP, doin things with the Firm, clothing line Willie Esco (which was dope but i never had any) & and a dope actin debut in Belly. I dont care what yall say for a actor makin his 1st film, him & DMX did damn good job. Creatin classic lines like "One" & "Thats ya man", those were the days. On this episode Nas talks about his new LP which was I Am at that time, state of hip-hop at that time and future projects. I remember hearing "Nas Is Like" for the 1st time and losing my mind. I couldnt believe Premier did it again with a classic joint, that track was crazy when it came out! Ok yall lets go back to '99 in which to me was the last year hip-hop was still hot and exclusive.

Nas on BET Rap City 1999 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

MTV: Diary Of Jay Z 2000 (Video)

Yall remember when Jay Z was still grimy and gully? When he said he would wear a bandana & a doo rag to ur so-called awards shows with his chain & shirt out? Personally i miss the '96-'02 Jay Z alot cause at that time he wasnt Hollywood yet and was still acting like he was in the hood. He was arrogant and very boastful, plus a trend setter!! Whether it was AF1's, 1st person to rock platinum, 1st person to pull out the black American express card (4 Da Fam vid), one of 1st person to rock Iceberg clothing, 1st person to rock Evisu, bringing back button ups, wearing a t-shirt wrapped around ur head in a form of a doo-rag trend-starter.....I mean i can go on & on with the stuff this man done during that time period. If u go back and check the manuscripts, Jay Z was a different person from '96-'02 than '03- present date. I guess getting older have somethin to do with it, but the old Jay Z will have a good place in my hip-hop heart to me cause he was on top at every level. U want to see what im talkin about? Ok, well check this out and tell me the Jay Z from 10 years ago is different from now. And thats in more ways than one!! Check out classic hip-hop footage right here!! Lets Go Hova!!

Jay Z MTV Diary '00 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Looking For Old Shows of BET's Rap City & Yo! MTV Raps!!!

As yall may know i am old school to the max, and i am a avid collector of classic hip-hop whether its music, magazines or etc. But i am desperate need, in DESPERATE need of old Bet Rap City & YO! MTV Raps episodes for my collection!! I need yall help out there for this mission, i am countin on my fellow followers for support!!
If anyone has any BET Rap City episodes from 1994-2000 or Yo! MTV Raps episodes from 1988-1995, please lmk in the comment box, chatbox or please e-mail at dipsetgunit456@aol.com!!! I am willing to pay if it comes to that. I prefer them to be on VHS or DVD, that will be just fine. Please people, this project means alot to me and i am relying on u all to help me. Remember, please e-mail me or say somethin in the comment box or chatbox. Lets make this happen people, thanks again for ur help!!

MTV: Big L On Yo! MTV Raps 1995 (video)

Nowadays u see rappers dressin up and staying maddd GQ all the time. But there was a time when dressin up and stylin and all of that wasnt happenin. It was very grimy and gully and minimal to no ice wearing, but at the same time u still stylin cause some of the gear at that time was dope! Even when rappers was on TV back then, they was like fuck dressin up we are gonna do us and what u see is what u get. And the crazy thing was.....it was acceptable!!! Nowadays u would look like a damn fool by many. So let's go back to '95 with the legendary Big L, as u can see he stylin on his own level on national TV with a jersey (no undershirt), kangol hat, sweats and AF1's!! Now thats gully, but this was my era and that is what it was. L is in the da house promoting his 2nd single "MVP" and lettin the people know some tidbits about his upcoming LP "Lifestyles ova da Poor & dangaerous"!! Real classic footage right here, and u can only get this stuff right here on Recognize the Real. And props to other people out there in the internets world recognizing these vids i put up and making the views #'s shoot out the roof! Now if i can only get yall to DL more of the music im puttin up.............

Big L on Yo! MTV Raps '95 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

BET: Nas On Rap City 1996 (Video)

It could be argued that for a brief time in '96, Nas was the top emcee. His LP It Written went double plat., and that right there broke all types of barriers for him. People knew he was that nigga at time with Jay just comin out and Biggie layin the weeds workin on his 2nd LP. People over the years i found to realize always killed It Was Written, why? I do not know. They say he went away from his style from Illmatic. Yall got to realize, '94 was way different from '96. U got to go along with the times. It was no more Nasty Nas, its now Nas Escobar. No more minimal ice wearing, its now Big Willie style! And the mafiaso culture was in full effect. Nas to me went hard around this time. I miss Nas Escobar, i wish he can comeback sooner or later. It Was Written to me when it 1st dropped was a monumental LP man. I was in the 9th-10th grade when it came out and i remember like yesterday everybody jammin it. It was a great time man. Seeing MTV & BET playin If I Ruled The World & Street Dreams videos continuosly was not that bad back then compared to now seein the same old wack songs again & again. Like i always said before, if u would of told me back in '96 hip-hop would be at where its at now i thought u was joking. A bad joke at that. So check out this vid and lets remember the good times man. And check the gear Nas wearin, pretty fly man!!!

Nas on BET Rap City '96 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

MTV: Diary Of Kanye West 2004 (Video)

As u can see Kanye West is making headlines with his newest short film that was shown over the weekend and new LP which is upcoming. To say the least, this man went thru his fair share of ups and downs in his career. And he steadily evolving as a artist, but ill be honest with u to say i never seen this coming. Go back to '04 when he 1st came out. He was like a breath of fresh air to the hip-hop game, cause everybody was doin what 50 was doin. And he went in his own lane. He brought back out the Polo's and the paper denim jeans and his whole style was dope. All he wanted to do was to make real good music, but many bumps on the road was headed his way on the horizon. But lets take it back to the beginning when College Dropout was gettin ready to drop and he was that dude ready to change the game!! Lets go!! And i hope one day he will go back to the Polo game.

Kanye West MTV Diary '04 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

BET: Ghostface Killah on Rap City 2000 (Video)

Man, when Supreme Clientele dropped in the beginning of 2000 it was a huge following behind it. At the time, Wu tang was slackin a bit and the only person holdin the name down was Ghostface. He carried it on his back! I remember when this dropped i was in NJ, and once i put it in the CD player i was blown away cause the quality of this LP was flawless and the production was top notch. Right away i was thinkin that this was a classic, i mean it was perfect. Hot 97 was playin mad cuts off the LP and receiving alot of support. Great times.

Now this episode of Rap City was a classic one in which the way this show played out, but at the same time it was this show that kinda sparked the controversy between Ghostface & Big Tigger. I dont know if it was because of this show or another after this but these two had some kinda beef. Why? I dont know, but all i know was that after this show everytime Ghostface came to Rap City Big Tigga was not there. I think this went all the way up to 2004 when they eventually was on the same show together. So there goes some hidden info for ya. Enjoy the show!

Ghostface on BET Rap City 2000 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

MTV: Def Jam Survival Of The Illest Tour 1998 (Video)

Well back in '98 Def Jam was back to reclaim its throne as one the premier record label!! Jay Z went 5x platinum, Ja Rule is blazin, DMX basically like Jay Z said "DMX'd the game" (in reference to what 50 did back in '03), Def Squad was poppin and Onyx came back with a vengence with a very solid 3rd LP!! And i didnt even mention Foxy, Meth & LL. So Def Jam was like OK, we gonna give back to the streets with this Survival Of The Illest Tour. Now this tour aimed to perform at the gullest, grimiest venues that tours really dont go to at all. And remember, hip-hop at this point wasnt getting any major tours poppin cause violence was related to it and sponsors wasnt supportin it. But that all ceased cause a year later with the Backstage Tour & in 2000 with the Up In Smoke Tour. But before all that, it was this and who else to go out rock these ill places but none other than Def Squad, Onyx & DMX! And as u can see by this preview it had its bumps on the road but all in all its great hip-hop being done and this not even comin close being done today. Once again i ran across this on MTV while i was flickin the channels cause MTV was showing somethin about Janet Jackson and her tour which was upcoming (dont ask why i was watchin this in the first place), but i glad i did watch so i could catch this classic footage. Great times man, and the last year of the golden era!

Def Jam Survival Of the Illest Tour '98 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Was The Firm Really A Flop?

“All you niggas that said that I turned pop/ Or the Firm flop/ ya'll are the reason Dre ain't been getting no sleep!” That’s a little sample of what of the Dr. thought back in ‘99 . So let me ask u, was the Firm really a flop? If u take in account of how it came about and the final result, was it really a flop? To me….hell no!! Was the album sales were what they expected? No, but we all know u don’t judge a LP being dope by album sales. For most of you, the tale of the Firm is unknown cause it happened oh so long ago. But the rest of us know how it went down and how it ended. Let me dive into it and try to clear up something’s and from there u can draw up ur own opinions.

How it started? Well let me mind u, the name The Firm, never existed. None of the members never even mentioned that name for group until Foxy Brown did on the classic I Shot Ya Remix. Nas said himself that nobody never even heard of that name until she dropped it on that song. Now we all know the orig. members of the group which included Nas, AZ, Cormega & Foxy Brown. From what I know, Foxy Brown was included with Nas & the crew cause they were label mates plus Trackmasters had something to do with it. Not to mention Steve Stoute who was the mastermind of this thing, but played a big role of destroying it. They were plenty of affilates that wanted to be down with this next big thing goin on at the time like Jay Z, Noreaga, Mary J. to name a few. So by 1996 this wheel will start to be in motion. The 1st track all 4 appeared on? Affirmative Action of course. This track on Nas’s It Was Written LP, was a preview of what a dynamic team this could be. At the time its was the 1st of its kind that 4 MC’s of that caliber could be all in group! It was a very exciting time in hip-hop! The next track was the remix to Affirmative Action then it was the rare unrealeased gem La Familia! Im telling u now, after hearing that track I was ready for the Firm. Ill put that track up against any top posse cuts of all-time and ill bet it will rank up there as one of the best. By late 1996 the annoucement is heard ‘round the world, The Firm LP will be coming in 1997 with production by L.E.S, Trackmasterz and……..DR. DRE!!! Now when people 1st heard about this they were speechless!! Dr. Dre is working on a East Coast product? He and Nas will be workin together? This cant be true right? It was a huge hip-hop moment and many hip-hop headz were waiting for a classic to drop. So its safe to say that at this point everything on is on the up & up right???

Enter 1997, Puff & Mase is ruling it. Jay is comin on strong. The Wu is in full force. Busta is puttin everybody hands up where they can see. And now its time for the Firm to come thru! But the 1st chink is now delt. Word got out that Cormega is ousted in the group. He was a major player in the group and held his own lyrically, plus that’s Nas’s right hand man. But remember Steve Stoute is behind the scenes pulling the strings. Cormega earlier that year had signed a deal to Def Jam & and he had solo LP which would droppin that year also (but we all know, it never came out). His singles was already bubblin on radio & mixtapes. Now why didn’t Stoute didn’t include him in the group after that? Just because of that, the deal with Def Jam. Cormega would have signed with Columbia / Trackmasterz but they took too long offering up the deal. Cormega says that he needed the money bad at the time cause he just gotten out of jail not too long before ago and the money Nas set aside for him wouldn’t last that long. Stoute said to him that he would sign him but never came thru with the offer and Def Jam was hollerin, so he took it. So that made Stoute mad, and refused to incorporate him in the group no more. Now Nas tried and pleaded with Stoute to keep Mega in the group but Stoute wasn’t havent it. Sadly enough the relationship between Nas & Mega wouldn’t be the same after that. But this movement had to go on. Who would replace him? Nature of course. The latest QB emcee under Nas’ camp was now thrown in the for front and he had a alot to live up to. So now the anticipation for the LP is in full force and the Firm is flooding the mixtape scene with dope tracks and freestyles.

October 21 1997 the LP drops. Now for me the only letdown was choosing Firm Biz as the first single. Me personally, I wasn’t really with it. It was kinda annoying. I wish they would went with Firm Biz Remix as the 1st single. Cause it was that version of the record that they would be performing live on their tours. So when I 1st heard Firm Biz I was kinda skeptical of getting the LP and that’s why I waited until years later to actually cop it. But when I heard the 2nd single which is the now classic Phone Tap, that when I said this is it right here! That track is timeless with the ill violin/ piano sample plus the phone sounding vocals. Its one of the most creative hip-hop tracks of our time. Then u hear other classic tracks like Executive Decisions, Im Leaving, Firm Family, Desperados & Fuck Somebody Else. I mean this LP was loaded with dopeness. But for some reason the people was expecting too much from them & Dre. For its time it was the best that they can do. And I applaude them for even attempting to make this happen because at the time it was unheard of. Remember we never got to see the Commission come to life cause of BIG’s passing. So the Firm is closest we got to a super group coming together. So go back and look at this LP and anaylze it. You’ll see that it was pretty great compared to today’s standards of what a LP should sound like. Its sad that the group just went their separate ways after this LP dropped and anytime somebody mention’s the word Firm they relate it to a flop. But what if they came out with a 2nd LP that they was supposed to do in ‘99 in which Nas referenced to in the XXL magazine. I think if they came out with a 2nd LP in ‘99 it would have probably been better received since around that time crews were staring to pop like Cash Money, Murder Inc & The Roc. AZ mentions that he had big plans for the Firm like clothing lines, television and the whole nine. So who know what could have been, but go back to 1997 and see how huge this movement was. Listen to old Clue tapes and etc. back then to hear how The Firm was dominating the mixtape scene. It’s a time ill never forget and neither should u. So was the Firm really a flop? U tell me…

How Can U Mention Who's One The Best, Without Mentioning Lord Finesse?

You know over the years u hear other artists or people in the hip-hop industry mention their top MC’s & Producers all-time. And u always hear the standard answers all the time, like for MC’s its Jay, BIG, PAC & Nas. Then for Producers its Primo, Pete Rock, Dr. Dre, Marley Marl and etc. Me personally I have no problem with those names, none at all. But lets take a further examination and open it up a little bit. It blows my mind that The Imperial Lord Finesse isn’t mentioned in any of those categories! Now this is my personal opinion, so if u have any problems with this article we take it up later. But this dude to me deserves his name to be mentioned up there with the best of the best.

The crazy thing is, is that this man only wanted to be a DJ! He didn’t wanna rap, he wanted to be one of the illest DJ’s around. So he worked hard at it and he was becoming one of the nicest. But his partner at that time, DJ Mike Smooth, was like yo u need to step away from the turntables and focus more on rhyming. Finesse was like naw, I wanna be a DJ but Mike Smooth was telling him yo we cant be both DJ’s in this group somebody has to rhyme. In the upcoming months Finesse took heed into what he said and started to perfect his craft in the art of rhyming. By ‘89-90 he was one of the nicest MC’s in the game that was unsigned!! He was killin cats in Rap battles and blowin the hip-hop insiders minds in the Rap Seminars. His name spread everywhere. Heck, when Finesse was on his way goin to high school he used to get always stopped by Diamond D. He heard about him a couple years earlier thru others cause of his rhyming style. Diamond used to ask him, “hey what u doin today?” Finesse be like “yo im goin to school” Diamond says “yo, chill with me today and lets make a tape!” When Finesse heard that he was mesmerized, cause he got a chance to rhyme over beats that Diamond made to further get his name out there. By ‘90, Finesse was the one of the illest MC’s that was not signed and that year there was a Rap battle or Seminar goin on (cant remember which one) and u had to be signed to get in. Gangstarr was in attendance and they knew him cause of the status he built as a rhymer, and Guru suggested to a rep that was workin at Wild Pitch that was there that they should sign him. But that representative was kinda hesitant to do it cause he thought the company couldn’t market him. So somehow right after that he heard Finesse spit some dope rhymes and he was sold right after that. Then before u know it, Finesse was at Primo’s apartment goin thru loops to use for his 1st LP. That’s is when the producing seeds were kinda born right there. Not to mention he was already messin around with Diamond D who a dope producer in his own right. By Finesse’s 2nd LP he was already goin behind the boards craftin his own beats and the rest is history.

Also we all know this man has a ear for talent. In 1992, he was in Harlem (I think) doin something up there when he got word that there is this local cat he needs to hear that has been blowing up the spot with his crazy lyrics. So u already know Finesse had to check this out. He went up in the back of this record store and saw one of the best MC’s of all-time doin his thing in full motion. Finesse was blown away by his style, delivery and his whole flow. He told duke right then and there yo u rollin wit me! Then later on that year Finesse dropped the now classic remix to the track Yes You May! It featured the man himself and Percee P (who was a dope emcee in his own right), but the man who stole the show was the legendary Big L! The verse he dropped on that joint put him in the driver’s seat as one of the next upcoming greats to come in the game. The man that Finesse u to call “Mont-Mont”, tragically died in 1999 and I know that took a lot of out of Finesse cause he saw up close the talent this man possessed was second to none.

My fascination with Lord Finesse kinda started the way u wouldn’t expect but it is what it is. Back in ‘95 I was at the crib watchin TV, then a 1-800-Call-AT&T commercial comes on. These are the ones that used to come on with Bill Bellamy was in them, and on this commercial I was jamming my azz off cause the beat they was playin in the background was pure dopeness. In my mind I was thinking yo AT&T sure do know how to make a slammin commercial cause I never heard nothing like that before. So for the next couple of weeks I was kinda stumped cause I wanted to know where did that beat come from. I was askin friends at school about the commercial and they felt the same way I felt about it but they didn’t know what beat that was. Then finally a person I knew at the rec center where I used to play ball at told me yo, it’s a Lord Finesse joint. I was like Lord Finesse? Remind u, I had no idea who he was at that time. My hip-hop knowledge was very limited at that time. My friend didn’t know the name of the song but he knew it was from Finesse. So I was gonna make sure I was gonna get that track some way some how, but coincidentally a couple of days later I caught a episode of Rap City that night and I saw for the 1st time Lord Finesse’s vid for “Actual Facts”. To say the least, I was blown away. The whole vibe of track was mesmerizing to me and I was hooked. Come to find out that was the 2nd single for his new LP at the time The Awakening. Again, I was determined to find somebody with this LP. I finally tracked a down a friend who had it, and when I heard it I was in pure hip-hop heaven. The beats were so melodic and the rhymes was picture perfect. As I was skimming thru the LP, up came that track I was looking for from that AT&T commercial a couple of weeks later! The track was called “Hip 2 Da Game”!! Im telling yall, I must have played that song like 10-15 times straight that day. That track was and still is my shit!! And that’s where my fascination with Lord Finesse started.

Over the years as my hip-hip knowledge grew I had done mad research on him and lookin for more of his previous work. That’s when I knew that this dude is one of the illest that ever done it in producing and rhyming. Have u ever heard S.K.I.T.S? Have u ever listed to those classic freestyles he laced on Stretch & Bobbito’s show back in ‘97 when he brought in his own SP-1200? Did u know he helped out Dr. Dre on some samples for his Chronic 2001 LP? His 1st 2 LP’s on vinyl will cost u a couple hundred dollars because of the rarity, did u know that? I mean cmon son, I can go all day on this cat. Remember now, he only dropped 3 albums but if u a true hip-hop head then those LP’s have to be included in ur collection! Now go back to what I said earlier: How Can U Say Who’s One Of the Best Without Mentioning Lord Finesse?
Need more proof? Check out the vid below of the Imperial one!

MTV: LL Cool J Career Retrospective 1996

In anticipation of LL's Mr. Smith LP, he sat down with MTV to discuss his career up to that point in 1996. Very great stuff in this interview. I ran across this special when i was just flickin thru the channels and instantly pressed record when i seen it. Like i said, this is when MTV was heavily in hip-hop and it was a great time! I miss those days man, so its time to go back to '96 in 10th grade and relieve some of LL's prominent moments! To me he should have retired right after the G.O.A.T LP in 2000, that would have been a perfect ending. And one more thing i have to admit, back in '96 when MR. Smith dropped i thought it was one of the illest LP's i ever heard (still think that way), that some of my friends had a conversation at school and we were asking each other, who is ur fav. all-time rapper? my answer? i said LL Cool J! Just based off this LP, remember now BIG was in his prime and Jay was only out for a month and for some reason i didnt even think about Nas at the time. Crazy right? BIG will always be my nigga but LL holds a special place to me. Ok, lets move to the vid!! Check the Vanson LL has on, what yall know about Vanson leathers??@!!

MTV: LL Cool J Retro 1996 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

MTV: High School High Movie Premiere Party 1996

Yall do remember that movie right? I thought it was ok, the best part to me was the part when the DJ was cuttin up that Country record and scratchin that shit all up. Hilarious stuff. But neither than that, thats it. What made this movie standout tho was its Soundtrack. To me this one of the best Sountracks ever for a movie, ill stack it up against Belly or The Show soundtracks. This joint had hit after hit, mad classic records. Well when this movie came out in 1996, MTV thought it was a great idea to have a concert show featuring some of the artists that featured on this Soundtrack. The line-up included Lil Kim, Lil Cease , Wu-Tang, KRS-One & Tribe Called Quest. Now thats one heck of a line-up and this was during the golden era so already know what it is. The only thing that concerned me was the crowd activity, they was really not into it at times. Which is shockin cause this was back in '96 when everything was hot. I bet they look back on this now be like man what the hell was i thinkin not being so involved? I wish i would been there, i woulda been off da hook for real! Great times man. So please check out this rare concert and enjoy cause we all know MTV dont even come close to do this anymore! Holla!

High School High MTV Premiere Party 1996 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

The Lox on BET's Teen Summit 1998

Now at this point the world is starting to know who the Lox is instead of only NYC. They paid their dues with countless mixtapes appearances and guest spots on other joints, and in '97 they blew up big time with All About the Benjamins. We all know that joint went worldwide and is a certified classic. So in '98 they was preppin for their 1st LP release and the 1st single was If U Think Im Jiggy. Like i said before that joint was always poppin to me but i could understand why people didnt like it cause of who the Lox were. But back then, when that joint came on everybody was on the dance floor!So check out the Lox doin their thing '98 style!! Check out the gear yall, mad jerseys and Fubu gear!! Word up!

The Lox on BET Teen Summit 1998 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Common on BET's Teen Summit 1998

As I keep the classic vids goin.....here's a goodie from Common givin the fans the epitome of a live show! He givin them mad energy and alot of emotion in this one. Remember now, his 3rd LP just dropped not too long ago. And to me One Day It Will All Make Sense is right behind Ressurection in Common's discography. I hope people can go back and analyze that LP to see how classic it is. Ok enough of me babbling, enjoy the vid and more to come soon! ONE!

Common on BET's Teen Summit 1998 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

MTV: Pete Rock & CL Smooth Live Performance at the Who's The Man Premiere Party 1993

Here's another trip down memory lane for yall. U do know the movie Who's The Man right? This was huge for hip-hop at time cause basically hollywood was recognizing that our artform was coming thru in full blast. Plus Ed Lover & Dr. Dre was givin a chance to be in a movie......with no prior acting experience! But they did a great job and the film was a huge success! Also they looked out for everybody who was in hip-hop at that time, cause there were maddd cameo's in this joint but thats the way u supposed to it! Now u know it wouldnt be right to celebrate this without a premiere party and thats what MTV did. It was basically live performances by artists who was on the soundtrack. I wish i had a chance to see this when it actually came on but back in '93 i was in the 6th grade and i was outside 90% of the time so i missed all of this. This vid right here is Pete Rock & CL Smooth performin "Whats Next On The Menu", a very underrated track by them if u ask me! I hope u enjoy and check the gear they was rockin!! Classic shit yall!

Pete Rock & CL Smooth Live Performance at Who's The Man Premiere Party 1993 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

MTV: Puff Daddy & The Family- No Way Out Tour 1997

To me, 1997 marked the change in hip-hop of how the music sounded and looked like. As we all we know hip-hop has gone thru phazes in the past leading up to now. In the early to mid 80’s it was all fun and dancing goin on. The late 80’s to early 90’s it was political, black power & stand up for ur rights movement. Then like in ‘92-’93 it was straight gangsta. From ‘94-’96 it was keeping it real & big willie style. Then ‘97 rolls around and Puff Daddy (and Will Smith also) starts the beginning of the Jiggy Era. People wanted to dance again and have fun again, cause with the untimely passings of Pac & BIG people wanted to move away from that negativity. Whoever was a who’s who in hip-hop at that time fell victim to the jiggy era, u can go down the line to Jay, Nas, Busta, the Lox (even tho I like If U Think Im Jiggy) and the list goes on & on. Me personally, I had no problem with this era. I mean it was kool to dress up in ur flyest wear and get ur groove on wit the ladies and all of that, but the shiny suits is another story tho. But Puff Daddy was the president in hip-hop in 1997, he straight up dominated it. Along with Mase, they formed a great duo in providing a lot of classic tracks in hip-hop history. I just remember being in 10th grade man and coppin The No Way Out LP, it was like listening to a music motion picture. I used to jam this LP everyday, it was very well put together from top to bottom. They don’t make LP’s like that any more, its like an lost art. This is the Puff that I liked, when he was focused just on the music and not being involved in Hollywood. I still think if BIG was still here, he would be still focused on the music and not crossing over to other things.

Now up to this point in ‘97, hip-hop tours was damn near extinct. It was getting too rowdy and shoot-outs always happened. That’s why other cities was hesitant to have hip-hop shows comin to their town. But Puff has to receive credit for reviving big tours available for hip-hop again. And on this one he brought everybody who was the shit in 1997. Who u ask? Jay Z (even tho he left after a couple of dates cause he didn’t like the way things was set for him), The Firm, Busta Rhymes, Mase, 112, Lil Kim & Usher. That’s one helleuva bill if u ask me. So u know MTV had to be there to give us the public the behind scenes access footage and that’s what im giving yall today. This is rare stuff right here, MTV don’t even do things like this anymore. Its also kinda crazy to see certain artists hangin out with each other even tho they would have beef a couple years later (or in the case of Foxy Brown & Lil Kim, during the tour!). I hope yall enjoy this and I have more comin ur way soon!

Puff Daddy & The Family No Way Out Tour 1997 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Gangstarr on BET's Teen Summit 1998

Once again on the check in with another vid from the stash!! On this one it features Gangstarr performin "You Know My Steez" from their classic Moment Of Truth LP!! Man, i remember when i was younger watchin Teen Summit on Saturday afternoon's!! The theme song from the show was off the hook, they took Da Youngsta's "Mad Props" instrumental and made a little joint with it. As of matter of fact, it was that theme song that put me on Mad Props! I was so hooked on that joint that i wanted it bad, but this was back in like '94 and i had no idea who did the song or what. Good memories man. Now as u see Gangstarr performin, u can tell crowd didnt know how to react to a song like that. Plus its a younger crowd and its real hip-hop that they are listenin to, no catchy hook or singin in it so is it a glimpse into the future? Hmmm..... well back in '98, it was during the golden era so i would never thought hip-hop would take the turn it did. But thats another story. RIP Guru 24/7! And once again if the syncing is a little off its my bad cause i was using a different decoder than i am now.

Gang Starr on BET's Teen Summit 1998 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Method Man on BET's Rap City 1994

Well here's vid #2 from my personal stash and many more to come. For me 1994 was the beginning of a whole new era in hip-hop. It started in '92 but by '94 things started to get real and the creativity was at a all-time high. And who else better to represent '94 than Method man aka Jonny Blaze. He really started to blossom into a rap superstar by this time and it doesnt help to be apart of 2 classic LP's already with his 1st Lp & WU's 1st LP. So on this clip he's lettin the people know what to expect on his 1st LP and let's u inside in his world in what he's thinkin at that time in 1994. This hip-hop at its rawest form right here. It was all about keepin real or like what Kenny Smith says on Inside the NBA, "dont keep it real keep it right!" Nuff said, enjoy yall!
One more thing, im sorry that the audio & video syncing is a little off, but i was using a different decoder than im using now. So it is what it is yall.

Method Man on Rap City 1994 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Kobe Bryant On BET's Rap City 1996

Well here is my 1st vid from my personal collection that i will be sharing with u all. The 1st of many let me tell u. I hope enjoy it and i hope itt akes u back when it was all good in the days of hip-hop's past.
Now to set the backdrop on this, this is when Kobe 1st got drafted in the summer of 1996. My 1st impressions of him back then (when i was in the 9th grade) was that he was a great athlete but could he play in the NBA? He had alot of hype plus not to mention some dope Adidas commercials. So i just was as curious as everybody else to see how well he can do, and as u can see he dissapoint one bit. But let me remind u in the beginning it wasnt all gravy for him, in his 1st year he barely played. He did win the Dunk Contest and shoulda won the Rookie Game MVP but that was it.
But as u watch this vid u can see his competitive fire and passion for the game was strong early on and it was just a matter of time before he let world know it. I recorded this during the summer of '98 if im not mistaken, cause during the summer's of '98 & '99 BET used to show old episodes of Rap City from like '94-'96 in its usual time slot. Im just mad i didnt record more, but im on the hunt for them now. Ok, well i hope u enjoy this and more will be comin soon! ONE!

Untitled from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

In Memory Of My Man Guru

One Love To Guru

As yall may know, one of the dopest emcees on the planet has passed away. And as u see by the pic i put up, i wanted to show both premo and guru cause they was a team.
I will never know what happened between the two and why things turned out the way they did but they made history together. Guru's rhymes was perfect for premo's beats cause of the way his voice sounded. Like he said himself he had that monotone style.
The 1st time i heard Guru rhyme that i remember was on a episode of Rap City Ol' Skool Wednesday back in late '95 when they showed the "Mass Appeal" video. I blown away by that, Guru definetly ripped that joint. Everything he spoke on that track was real!! But i became a bonafide fan when i heard "Watch What U Say". That song will always remind me of how Guru was. He was a very laid back style of rhymer, and on that track he really flowed right along with the beat. But when he wanted to get a point across he can go extra hard like he did on "U Know My Steez". His flow was incredible on that.
So Guru will be missed by me and his music will always live on by me. I read his final letter he wrote and he never mentioned primo in it. but im not gonna blame that on him, i dont pay that no mind. Him & Primo will always be a team no matter what. I know in his heart he still had love for Primo, i know he did. So remember Guru for what he did on tracks not none of this other drama, he is still Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal!!

The Tunnel Documentary (Trailer)

This is what im talkin about right here, this is that real hip-hop shit right here. This is what we all came up on! For yall that dont know, The Tunnel was the hip-hop night spot in NYC. Every dope and prominent hip-hop MC from 1994-2001 performed there even some R&B acts (including Aaliyah!!) This was not a spot to get ur shine on and all of that, u had to keep ur 3rd eye on every minute u was there cause anything could pop off!! I never been there, but i heard endless stories about it! Funk Flex held it down every Sunday and kept things jumpin off all night! Im definetely coppin this DVD when it comes out, this will be an excellent addition for my vintage hip-hop collection! Legendary footage right here man!!