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!!

The Joint of The Day: Krumbsnatcha- Gettin Closer To God

In the meantime while yall still decide what shall i do, i gots to put up the joint that i been bangin to alot lately. This joint came out in '97, and Primo produced this track. Now when i 1st heard this i didnt even know he did cause it didnt sound like a Primo track. But this song is very eerie and what the brother speakin is real life shit if u been in that situation. I thank god that i havent. So peep the manuscripts and anaylze this!!