I purchased Jedi Mind Tricks' The Thief and the Fallen and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s All Souled Out EP at Rough Trade NYC in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

This is my first time going to Rough Trade, although I have heard of the place before. They specialize in vinyl but they also have a respectable amount of CD’s, particularly of the Indie variety. Vinyl records have become really trendy over the past few years and lots of mom-and-pop vinyl shops have sprung up in Brooklyn as a result.

The store is quite spacious and is well air conditioned. In comparison, Fat Beats was about ¼th the size and was very hot inside. Also, unlike Fat Beats, Rough Trade sells various genres whereas Fat Beats mostly stuck to Hip Hop.

Rough Trade also doubles as a concert venue. They’ve had artists such as Action Bronson

and Large Professor perform live.

Their prices are a bit high though. That definitely reminds me of Fat Beats, who used to sell CD’s for $16 and $17. It didn’t bother me so much to pay that amount for the JMT album but it was a bit steep for an EP. I bit the bullet though, I needed to own All Souled Out. Also, the JMT album came with a free beer can holder with the cover image on it.

The first time that I went to Fat Beats, I also purchased a JMT album (Violent By Design). That didn’t occur to me until after I left the store. My two initial visits to vinyl stores end up with me buying a JMT CD.

I like that this store offers a bit of information about the artist and album on the shrink wrap. Most stores don’t do that. If you’re discovering a new artist, a bit of info is always handy.

I would definitely go again although it’s really a pain in the ass getting there. The closest trains are the L or G train and they’re a bitch to get to from Manhattan or from Queens (where I’m from).

I don’t know what happened here. This was a Rap group out of Brooklyn (I think). I know one of the members is Mos Def’s cousin. They released the single, “It’s All Real”, in 2004. It was produced by DJ Premier. It has his signature sound and honestly, it’s one of my favorite Premo beats of all time.

https://vimeo.com/22289997

I first saw the video while in college sitting around a lounge area in between classes. They used to have couches and a big screen TV with BET or MTV usually on. When the video played, I was impressed. To be on BET in 2004 with a song like that was incredible. However, the rest of the album doesn’t even compare to the lead single. I know Premo did another beat on the album but trust me, “It’s All Real” is the only song you should hear from this group. The rest of the album is pure caca and as somebody who actually bought this album, I felt cheated out of my money. If ever there was a case for downloading an album for free before buying it, it’s this album.

First time I heard of this album (and these artists) was in the early 90’s, when I was a kid. I went through my uncle’s CD collection and found this album. I didn’t hear it right away but the cover always left an impression on me. Most of the photo is in black and white and it shows the grit of New York. But then in the middle, you see this bright symbol that resembles the sun. When the time was right, I went out and bought a copy for myself and I was hooked ever since. Pete Rock’s versatile production drew me in right away. He could go from jazzy to funky in an instant. CL Smooth’s delivery perfectly complemented these beats. If the beat was hard, CL rocked it that way. If it was mellow, he went mellow.

The album’s most popular track is “T.R.O.Y.”, a song that was dedicated to their childhood friend, Trouble T-Roy, who accidentally fell to his death while on tour with Heavy D. & The Boyz (Heavy D. and Pete Rock were cousins).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiOcVWQY2bc

An incredible track but I think people are doing a disservice to the album if this is the only song they’re listening to. How could you deny the horns on “Straighten It Out”?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhDb8LoScpI

Or the Sister Nancy “Bam Bam” sample on the posse cut, “The Basement”?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0-fIK668TE

The first time that I heard the beat drop on “Can’t Front On Me” I nearly snapped my neck:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4evdeW2Jy50

Everything came full circle when I saw the duo perform live (for free) in Central Park at The Rock Steady Crew’s 36th Anniversary concert on 7/28/13. I told my uncle, who first introduced me to this group, about the concert. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it. Nonetheless, I still had a great time. Pete Rock & CL Smooth had a great set and brought out some special guests as well (DMC, Psycho Les, Camp Lo). Despite the rain that day, they had a triumphant reunion and the thousands in attendance were content.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT2qcxRXtIY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhEgNFlNMdE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJQhQgJbYbA

The Beatnuts are a rap group from Queens, NYC. The members include JuJu (from Corona, Queens) and Psycho Les (from Jackson Heights, Queens). There used to be another member named Fashion (aka Al Tariq) during their early years but he left the group after the first couple of projects.

My real introduction to the group came from my uncle who was always mentioning their track “Reign of the Tec” from their debut EP, Intoxicated Demons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeypq9dWAA

I’ve always related to the Beatnuts because I’m of Dominican descent like JuJu and I’m from Queens too (I used to live in Corona also). Even though I was aware of some of their earlier work because of my uncle, I didn’t really get into the group until their 2nd full length album, Stone Crazy, which came out in 1997. By this time, Bronx Puerto Rican rapper, Big Pun, was on the rise. He collaborated with The Beatnuts as well as his fellow Terror Squad member, Cuban Link, on the track “Off The Books” from Stone Crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYV7FkoUNPY

This is one of the first Pun and Cuban tracks that I’ve ever heard and I became a fan of both rappers as a result. I also became more of a Beatnuts fan because of it. The fly beat, the fact that you have 4 incredible Hispanic rappers from NYC, representing different Latin American countries (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Colombia respectively). They really added a lot of authenticity to Hispanic involvement in Hip Hop back then. That’s why it was such a treat to see Cuban Link and The Beatnuts perform “Off The Books” last year at the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) concert in Central Park. Unfortunately, Pun passed away in 2000 which is why they performed his verse in his honor. One of my favorite late 90’s songs performed with almost all of the participants isn’t bad at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH4hm8-k8ZI

A Dream Deferred is considered to be Skyzoo’s 2nd full length album, even though he has a ton of other projects that came out before this one. I found out online that he was doing an instore at the New Era flagship store in the East Village of Manhattan on 10/3/12.

I’ve been to this store many times. I even met Chicago Bulls Center, Joakim Noah, at the store (it just so happened to be the same day as the Ill Bill and DJ Muggs instore at Fat Beats). Strangely enough, I never bought a single thing from this place. I’ve always felt that for a flagship store, they should have the best merchandise. I’ve purchased better hats at places like Lids. That reflects poorly on New Era.

Anyway, the main reason I wanted to attend this instore was for the performance. I love documenting concerts, especially if it’s free. At the time of the instore, I still didn’t own a copy of the album, so I couldn’t get it signed. None of it mattered anyway because there was no performance. I asked Sky if he was going to get on the mic but he was running late and I guess he wasn’t in the mood. I wish they didn’t indicate that there would be a performance if there wasn’t going to be one. It was a bit aggravating, especially waiting on Sky to show up, he was late. The annoying staff at New Era kept asking me if I was attending the instore signing. I wish I had a flyswatter every time one of those bastards asked me that question. It was a waste of time to be honest but at least I got a poster signed. Whoopty fucking doo.

I did get the album weeks later at the Best Buy in Long Island City, Queens. I called beforehand and placed it on hold since there were was only one copy. Unfortunately, NYC got hit with a freak snowstorm that day and it was a bitch and a half to make that trek from Manhattan to LIC to my crib, just for a Skyzoo album. It’s not even my favorite Skyzoo album (The Salvation is my favorite) and yet I endured a ton of bullshit for it. Ehhhhhhh.

DJ Eclipse signed these albums on the last day of Fat Beats NYC on Saturday, 9/4/10. I got to the store early and saw him there (he used to be the store’s manager). Even though he doesn’t rap, Eclipse is a huge part of Non Phixion as a DJ and manager. I asked him for his signature and he was more than willing to sign.

As far as Ill Bill’s signatures are concerned, check out the Ill Bill annotations on this page.

I collected these signatures at Fat Beats NYC but on different dates.

Ill Bill released his first solo album, What’s Wrong With Bill, sometime in May 2004. It was produced by Necro (Bill’s brother) and Bill and it was released on Necro’s Psycho+Logical Records label. Bill was the first member of Non Phixion to release a solo album so the event was a big deal. Necro, Mr. Hyde, Sabac, DJ Eclipse (who also worked at Fat Beats) and Q-Unique all showed up for the event. I was still relatively new to the album signing thing, so I only brought the What’s Wrong With Bill CD insert with me. Both Necro and Bill signed it. Bill signed the back page of the insert while Necro signed the advertisement for his Pre-Fix For Death album that was going to drop. In the picture, he’s groping porn star, Lanny Barbie, who was featured in Necro’s porn directorial debut film, Sexy Sluts: Been There, Done That (I further censored the picture for the purpose of this annotation).

I took a photo of them before I left. In the photo, you see Necro, Bill and Uncle Howie (RIP) in the background. I don’t know what happened between Necro and Bill over the years. I know they’re not speaking to each other. It’s a shame because they’ve made some great music together.

At the signing, there was a performance by Bill and company. Necro made sure to keep things brief because Bill was performing after the instore at a proper music venue. I didn’t attend that show. I did appreciate the fact that they got on the mic though, despite the brevity of the performance.

The rest of the CD inserts were signed at Ill Bill and DJ Muggs' Kill Devil Hills instore signing in 2010. Bill was cool unlike DJ Muggs (check out the Cypress Hill annotations on this page). He signed everything that I had. I also got The Hour of Reprisal signed by Bill but unfortunately I lost it at the store. After the event was over, I called Fat Beats from my home and spoke to J57 (rapper/producer from Brown Bag All Stars and former assistant manager at Fat Beats) and asked him if he could find it. He tried his best but couldn’t locate it.

Slaine is a rapper from Boston who is part of La Coka Nostra (a rap group that at one point included Danny Boy, Everlast, DJ Lethal and Ill Bill). Slaine is also famous for his acting roles in movies such as Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Killing Them Softly.

I met Slaine at the Ill Bill and DJ Muggs Fat Beats NYC instore signing for their collaboration album, Kill Devil Hills. I shook his hand and gave him props for his role in Ben Affleck’s movie, The Town, which was released in theaters the following month. He thanked me and signed his picture in the A Brand You Can Trust CD insert.

This is Masta Killa’s first solo album. It was released on 6/1/04. Killa was the last member of Wu-Tang Clan to drop a solo album and also happens to be the last member to join the group as well. If I recall correctly, promotion of this album was weak. It sort of lived up to it’s title. For a long time, there was “no said date” for this album but people knew that it was coming at some point.

Fat Beats NYC held an instore signing event for this album. I think it was on the day of the album release, I don’t remember. What surprised me though was that when I got to the store, there was only about a handful of people there. I know Killa is the least visible member of the group but I figured people would come out simply because of Wu. Maybe it was because the CD was poorly promoted or maybe the event itself was poorly promoted but it was kind of weird to see such few people show up for one of the original members of such a legendary and influential group like Wu. Anyway, Killa signed my CD and a poster (which I can’t find at the moment).

See Jay-Z- The Blueprint annotation on this page.