Gang Starr with Nice N Smooth- dwyck


I hate saying "there are so many songs to choose from" etc etc but I really went back n forth with what track to feature that showcased Nice N Smooth. They were my runnin soundtrack last winter. They are straight up party shit but throw in the knowledge here and there and before you know it, boom you learn something. Anyway, DJ Premier is nothin to mess with and this track is just effortless. I get surprised that of all hip hop acts, Nice N Smooth never cracked creeped or cruised into my sheltered teenage world. They are sneakily PG but their formula is perfectly universal and and infectious. I guess what I'm saying is that it's a surprise they aren't more prominent in the mainstream as examples of 90's pioneers. Anyway, I enjoy it and though I'm not as well-versed with Gang Starr's catalog as a true hip-hop fan may be, I have nothing but respex.

Boogie Down Productions- Poetry


As far as I'm concerned, this is the heighth of hip-hop and all its offshoots. KRS's style is unflinching and hard. I could spout off endlessly about my favorite tracks, about what I've learned by listening to his trax, etc etc but really, it wouldn't be anything that ain't already been said. All I can really add is that the lines he delivers here apply to ALL forms of Poetry, especially "...All you seem to understand is the annihilation and destruction of another man. That isn't poetry; that is insanity... Poetry is the language of imagination, Poetry is a form of **positive** creation". Just genius. Just speechless.


We Can Get Down



Well, then, we have here an act that not only pervaded and invaded my youth, but dominated it. Low End Theory destroyed all other music I ever heard. Except maybe Ramones records. But really, these guys defined hip-hop and east coast for me from the outset. I do believe Phife Dawg is a very underrated MC with skills for miles. And again, as cheezy as it is, I had issues deciding on a track to share with everyone, but seeing as this is about our summer joints, here's one I'm rollin back and forth all day every day. Just smooth and energetic, or as has been said before, "The beats are hard but gentle."