ARTIST: 39 Stepz

TITLE: I Keep It Swingin'

FORMAT: 12"

YEAR: 1993

LABEL: Big Time Records

Good news for all of you who buy records and cassettes on the world’s largest auctionsite. You really don’t have to max out your creditcard(s) and live on bread and water for months to outbid certain (notorious) sellers, just because you want this or that record. All you need is a lot of patience, a lot of luck and (preferably) a seller that doesn’t really know the value of the item he is selling. Chances are slim, I know. But so are the chances of winning the lottery and at the end of the day there’s always someone on this planet who just became a millionaire. So I guess it pays off to take the odds.

ARTIST: MC Roni D

TITLE: N*ggaz Get Paid On 15th Avenue

FORMAT: Cassette

YEAR: 1993

LABEL: Vision Records

Earlier this year I promised to do more features on female emcees and while I did write articles about Princess Tee, LeShaun and Shazzy this year, I feel I could have done way better. A week or two ago I was planning to do a feature on either The Poetess or Bombshell, but then I came across this ill cassette by a girl named MC Roni D and I just had to write a little something about it.

ARTIST: Crusaders For Real Hip-Hop

TITLE: We Love The Hotties

FORMAT: 12"

YEAR: 1993

LABEL: Profile Records

After my recent Spiritual Wisemen article I felt it was only right to do a feature on one of Trenton, New Jersey’s true pioneers, the late great Tony Depula, better known as Tony D. I decided to go for the second single from his crew Crusaders For Real Hip-Hop, “We Love The Hotties”, taken from their criminally underrated “Déjà Vu - It’s ‘82” LP. Remember the days when artists and record labels still released action packed 12’s, filled with some dope ass remixes or even better, exclusive tracks? Well, this single right here is one of those action packed singles.

ARTIST: Kronic

TITLE: Da 4 Foot Attack

FORMAT: Cassette

YEAR: 1994

LABEL: Kaper Records

Remember when Masta Ace dissed The High & Mighty - Mr. Eon and DJ Mighty Mi - on “Acknowledge”, a track featured on his dope “Disposable Arts” LP? Among other things he said “And I heard your album, this must be something you’re new at / Cause I rather hear a Lil’ Wayne / Lil’ Zane duet”. Fans of commercial rap (or pop rap, or whatever you call it) will probably recognize both names, or at least the first one (because Wayne’s ugly mug is on the tv non-stop these days!). Lil’ Zane’s career is probably not as impressive as Wayne’s, but he also has a couple of hit singles and -albums under his belt. And not only that, he also had roles in box office (hit) movies like The Fighting Temptations (with Beyoncé and Cuba Gooding Jr.), Finding Forrester (with Sean Connery) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (with Eddie Murphy). Now I’m probably not the only person in the world who doesn’t give one bit about the man’s (pop) rap or acting career, but I was somewhat curious when I found out that Lil’ Zane was one of the members of the kiddy rap group named Kronic.

ARTIST: J.G.

TITLE: Put Down The Guns

FORMAT: 12"

YEAR: 1993

LABEL: Gasoline Alley Records

Now I don’t know if there’s something like an annual Hip-Hop Blog Of The Year competition, but if there is I bet Werner von Wallenrod’s Humble, Little Hip-Hop Blog has won all competitions so far. Not only is his blog one of the most informative out there, it also has a certain goofiness to it that makes it so unique and always puts a smile on your face. Try to think of the weirdest or most obscure record you know and you can be sure that Werner wrote a little something about it. No one out there would ever think about doing a Father MC feature, let alone half a dozen or more. Things are a little bit different in Werner’s world I guess. How about I don’t know how many articles on Buck 65? Or the man’s vlogs (video logs)? Who would ever come to the idea of having his cat making guest appearances? Heh heh. Or who would step into his car to drive around town for a driving vlog? I don’t check too many blogs regularly, because in all fairness they bore me to death but Werner’s is one I check on a daily basis. So big up to the big man from New Jersey!

ARTIST: Flatbush Natives

TITLE: Big Up Big Up

FORMAT: 12"

YEAR: 1994

LABEL: Cypher Records

It should be a common fact by now that Vinyl Addicts is a website based in the Netherlands. And you know what they say about the Dutch… we’re some CHEAP ASS BASTARDS! Of course this generalization doesn’t apply to all fellow countrymen and -women, but I’m man enough to admit that I’m a cheapskate. At least when it comes to buying records. I’m just always looking and searching for the cheapest deal possible, even if this means that I’ma have to wait years before finally get this or that record. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I can’t pay top dollar for certain records, I just refuse to do so (most of the time at least). Now with the exception of maybe the über-rare (not sure if that’s an actual word, but you know what I mean) records out there, I believe that all records can be found for only a few bucks, Euros, pounds or whatever currency. For me it’s all about buying at the right time for the right amount. Every so often though I ‘reward’ myself for my patience and the time and effort I put into finding the right deals by buying a few records for amounts I normally wouldn’t pay. So that’s how I ended up with this single from the Flatbush Natives.