Treebeats A To Z Posting Compilation Of Really Dope Things. The Letter M

I’ve had about 5 different collections of M people. There are glaring omissions in this one. One of my main deciding factors is to try to get everything under 100 megs. With a letter like M, limiting that to around 20 groups is very hard. I get that this one is emaciated as far as what should be there. I just got tired of rearranging and adding and removing. So there it is. If you feel adventurous, put some of what you think should be there in the comments. I’m guessing about .00009% of you will do so, so don’t feel pressured. I hope everyone is having a swell December filled with visions of your said or applicable holiday. Although if you are not celebrating the official birthday of the son of the one true god then you probably will end up in hell with Satan. He has horns and a tail and a pitchfork. I’ve seen pictures.

01 - Mad Kap - Da Whole Kit & Kaboodle
Back in 93, I was living in Florida, flunking out of my first attempt at college and smoking far too much weed of far too low a grade. I had a shitty car, I thought Phillies made me cool and I was planning my move to Atlanta to make it big and let the world hear my name. I lost everything except for the shitty car. Mad Kap was part of the blossoming West Coast sound that was based on East coast sound. They just did it well and the cat on the trumpet, while gimmicky, blended really well. This was a really great first and last release by them and worth checking out if you like that kind of thing. If not, you aren’t a patriot.
02 - Main Source - Fakin' The Funk (Remix Feat. Neek The Exotic)
I had the “White Men Can’t Jump”/“White Men Can’t Rap” soundtrack and actually kind of liked it now that I think about it. It had this joint and Cypress Hill’s A to the K and a College Boyz song I can’t remember the name of and don’t like it enough to actually look it up now but I remember liking it then. Anyway, it was The Xtra-P doing his thing and the “Ba-Ba-Ba-b-Ba” (that’s my creative interpretation of how it should look) always got my pumped.03 - Mary J Blige - Sweet ThingMy favorite part of old school mixtapes was when they blended an R&B acapella with a Hip-Hop beat. It always made R&B more palatable for me. Puffy made his early career out of it. Back when he was trying to be grimy and rhyme like 3rd eye. This is off the Remix album of "What’s the 411." I liked this version a lot more than the original but I kind of liked the original too.
04 - Massive Attack - Teardrop
My man Matt over at Beats And Blood wrote a really good review of Massive Attack’s Mezzanine record that this is off of. You should really check his site out anywayPlus, I’m lazy and can admit when someone does a better job than me. Plus, I’m laz (so much so that I can’t even finish typing “lazy” get it?)
05 - Master Ace - Letter To The Better (Remix)
I love Ace. I love the Juice Crew All Stars. I love Marley Marl. I fucking love this record.
06 - MC Shan - The Bridge
C-L-A-S-S-I-C!
07 - MC Lyte - Cappuccino
I’m always a sucker for a good story and this was Lyte in her prime. No “Rap & Bullshit.” No trying to be pretty. Just Lyte being Lyte, which was what she did best. I read some interview of hers where she was complaining about how she was forced into different directions like the “Ruffneck” and clubby shit. She sounded sorry and pissed off and seemed to realize that she fell off. I like when people admit they fucked up.
08 - MC Serch - Back To The Grill (Feat. Chubb Rock, Nasty Nas, Red Hot Lover Tone)
I won’t make any “Next White Rapper” jokes because that show depressed the shit out of me. This is one of those “posse” cuts that I always loved. A lot of MC’s can’t really hold a whole song, let alone an entire album. It’s not their fault. They are forced in different directions like Lyte was. Look at Supernatural or Cannibus. Those cats would rip most anyone to shreds in a battle but can’t make a complete record to save their life. The Posse cut allowed you to murder 8–16 bars and everyone got a chance to not suck. If you didn’t come off with 4 or five other dudes then you stuck out like a sore thumb and everyone beat you with socks filled with D batteries. Or so legend has it.
09 - Metallica - Last Caress & Green Hell
There was a time when Metallica were:A. not a shitty band and B. trying to help their fans. They released the $5.98 (as printed on the cover) EP to make sure we weren’t getting our balloon knots torn open by record stores. This song is also a two-fer because they are covering Misfits’ songs. I never really liked The Misfits when they were out because I thought Danzig sounded like a pussy. I had never seen him. This was before interwebs. They were too mature for my taste. I wanted someone screaming into the mic. Anyway, Metallica released this cover of two Misfits songs and fused Metallica's early raw energy into what I felt was missing from The Misfits back then. It made me want to punch someone in the face in the best kind of way.
10 - The Meters - Cissy Strut
We all have to start somewhere and if you’ve never heard The Meters, than you are wrong because you have silly. The Neville brothers and co. have been sampled to death and helped define that nasty southern funk. It's really an integral part of musical history that you should explore. Interestingly enough, they opened for the Stones on one of their tours.
11 - Method Man - Bring The Pain
The first solo Wu and one of the best. Meth still sounded interesting and thirsty to me. He wasn’t doing movies or deodorant commercials. Rza was always a favorite of mine because we both used an ASR-10 and therefore I thought he would probably show up to my parties or call me on holidays. He never did. He did make a fine ass series of beats (again) for Meth to flow over. Sure, the songs a gimme, but there is a reason for that.
12 - M.I.A. - Bucky Done Gun
My coming out song. I don’t really care how homosexual this song makes me. It’s really gay! I feel like I should be in a Cheerleading competition on ESPN4, wearing tassels. But not red because that makes me look fat. There is just something about those horns that I bug out to. The rest of her album was one of my top records last year too. Her new one is also really worth checking out if you are not musically limited.
13 - Minor Threat - Straight Edge
I think I’ve talked before about how many similarities I feel there are between the hardcore punk scene and the hip-hop scene. If I didn’t, then pretend I did and it was eloquent and convincing. Minor threat was a DC band led by the one and only Ian McKay and rocked your ass off. There was such a raw energy and emotion in these songs that completely appealed to the 13 year old in me. Plus, the lyrics came with the record and they said shit and fuck a lot, which made it even cooler.
14 - Mississippi John Hurt - First Shot Missed Him
My dad introduced me to Mississippi John Hurt and the blues at an early age. Mississippi John Hurt was on a lot. This is off of his last sessions when he was nearly 70's and you can hear him forget lyrics and just kind of hum melodies. He still sounded like two dudes playing the guitar though. It’s really someone worth checking out if you like southern folksy-blues.
15 - Moby - Flower
Granted, it’s very chic to hate Moby now. I certainly don’t want to have a cookout with him but he made some pretty well crafted music for what he does. This is from the "Play" B-sides. Along with being a sucker for a chick over a fat beat, I really like the counterpoint of having some old blues or gospel or something like that over a fucked up break or digital kind of back drop. It appeals to some part of me a great deal.
16 - Morcheeba - Tape Loop
"Wow, that’s weird. Another Portishead clone makes your list?" Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m just a sucker for a chick singing over a fat beat. I freely admit my fault. There’s nothing I can do about it. The group was properly named and forced me to purchase their namesake to truly appreciate their music and the wonders of incense and lava lamps.
17 - Morphine - Good
Representing Beantown, we have the greatest Drum/Bass/Sax trio to ever perform. Mark Sandman had one of those voices that was depressing and low and made you want to listen. They sound like no one else. Unfortunately, Sandman died from a heart attack and they only made a couple records but there’s a lot of extra material out there. If you are willing to let something sink in, I really recommend these cats.
18 - Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
When I heard the song it was sampled from, I fell in love with the beat. Mos Def is one of those cats that are pretty consistently dope, extremely talented and willing to take risks musically. Not all of it is great but his body of work, on a whole, is pretty fantastic. Plus, did you see him in that Carmen re-make with Beyonce!? Amazing!
19 - Murs - D.S.W.G. (Dark Skinned White Girls)
There are so many women from my past and present that fall into the three categories in this song that it gives me chills. I also felt it was a powerful/empowering song for a lot of them too. It hasn’t ever really been covered like this before and I found it refreshing and dope. I like when people do cool things.
20 - Muse - Time Is Running Out
I saw these guys, knowing that I would be disappointed by a three piece set trying to sound as big as they do on record. I am happily an idiot though and typically wrong and witnessed one of the better shows I’ve seen. A small venue and these guys sounded like a slew of dudes on stage. A really good group. This is from my favorite album of theirs but all their stuff is pretty dam good.
Pace.

01 - Mad Kap - Da Whole Kit & Kaboodle
02 - Main Source - Fakin' The Funk (Remix Feat. Neek The Exotic)
03 - Mary J Blige - Sweet Thing (Remix)
04 - Massive Attack - Teardrop
05 - Master Ace - Letter To The Better (Remix)
06 - MC Shan - The Bridge
07 - MC Lyte - Cappucino
08 - MC Serch - Back To The Grill (Feat. Chubb Rock, Nasty Nas, Red Hot Lover Tone)
09 - Metallica - Last Caress & Green Hell
10 - The Meters - Cissy Strut
11 - Method Man - Bring The Pain
12 - M.I.A. - Bucky Done Gun
13 - Minor Threat - Straight Edge
14 - Mississippi John Hurt - First Shot Missed Him
15 - Moby - Flower
16 - Morcheeba - Tape Loop
17 - Morphine - Good
18 - Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
19 - Murs - D.S.W.G. (Darg Skinned White Girls)
20 - Muse - Time Is Running Out

Masters of the universe indeed!

Mixtapes Suck.

I hate “the mixtape” culture. I just don’t get it. I’ve been “down” as much as my melanin deficient dermis allows since the early 80’s and I get the point that cultures need to evolve. I’m not saying it was better back in the day. It was by the way. But the whole mixtape thing. It is you rhyming over someone else’s beats, typically. They are rushed and sloppy and lack direction and substance. I understand there are a few that are done well but I don’t need to be inundated with new material from MC Magoo or DJ Magee every few months. It doesn’t make you prolific, it makes you irritating. In my opinion, the only time one should rhyme over someone else’s beat is on the legendary and sadly extinct “posse cut” or at a battle. Otherwise it’s biting. You are straight jacking some shit. Rather than put the rhyme you wrote last night on 2” or into your computer. Take some time with it. When I started rhyming I didn’t really understand that other people made your beats. I just thought you wrote the rhyme, made the beat and, I guess, engineered the session yourself. Naïve? Maybe. But I had to learn how to do it all myself. It was a lot more work, but I got a lot better at making everything gel together.
End transmission
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p.s. I refer to the rapper "mixtapes" not a bunch of songs from a bunch of artists. That would just make me a hypocrite.

Happy Thanksgiving...

What up people? I finished the mix and I'm posting it along with this. I got eveything you guys reccomended except for the Jungle Brothers' "I'll House you" Sorry Mook. I really tried. I'm posting it early so y'all can check it out. Voting hasn't started yet and I'll updateyou guys when voting is up. I did the whole thing with Acid so there's some time stretch effect on a lot of it but I tried to minimize it so it isn't too distracting. If y'all are feeling it I'll do more. I'll probably do more anyway. It's been a few years since I really concentrated on some music creation and it felt good. So that's about it. I'll get back to the alphabet and try to get some mixes (not by me) and some cover stuff done too. Holidays are crazy though. Enjoy the mix bitches!!
Pace.



01 - Wendy Carlos - Title Music From A Clockwork Orange
02 - The Beatles - Why And Because (Treeked)
03 - Little Brother - Slow It Down
04 - The Roots - Proceed Pt V (Beatminerz Mix)
05 - DJ Krush & Esthero - Final Home
06 - Blu & Exile - Dancing In The Rain
07 - Camp Lo - Swing (Feat. Ish Aka Butterfly)
08 - DJ Shadow - The Number Song (Cut Chemist Remix)
09 - Notorious Big - Party And Bullshit
10 - Soul Coughing - Super Bon Bon - (Propellerheads Remix)
11 - Free Speech - Everything Is Different Now
12 - Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows (Treemix)
13 - Nas, Krs-One & Rakim - Better Than I've Ever Been (DJ Premier Remix)
14 - The Jaz - The Originators
15 - Doves - Firesuite
16 - Lovage - To Catch A Thief
17 - PSY/OPSogist - Enjoy It While It Lasts
18 - Smashing Pumpkins - Eye
19 - Tom Cat - Muddy Waters (David Holmes Mix)
20 - Rehab - Step Away
21 - Portishead - Humming

Let me know what you think.

A plee to my fellow bloggers...

I realize all of you have fantastic taste in music and care a great deal about it. Why else would you have a music blog!? However, my tastes are not always yours. I don't need to have your music playing while I'm at your blog. I'm there. I get it. I'm interested. Yet even more frustrating is the placement of them. The bottom of the page? halfway down on the right or perhaps a quarter of the way down on the left hand side. If you need to have one (you don't) and if you use one (please don't) then at least make it the first thing that I see on the screen so I can press "mute" or "pause" or "stop" immediately. Then I can make the choice and your ultra rare remix of Spice 1 doesn't create the aural chaos that is inevitable when played in tandem with my Kenny G.

And Happy Veterans Day

I Need Your help...

As I've said before, I am without wit and devoid of any interestingly creative bones, juices, or complex internal structures. I therefore hope that you will help me. I have won my round of the mix competition and have moved to the second. Honestly, I didn't think I would win but now that I did I want to. The first mix was thrown together pretty much except for the I Get Top Billin (and even that was a little lame) and now I'm competing with some cats that are more serious. I'm not scared of the, I just don't know what to do for a mix. This is where you come in. Now, I don't have turntables setup (baby took over my room) so there will not be any scratching but I can still tweak some shit, mash some shit up and I have stuff I've done over the years. Here's what I don't want to do:

1. a mix of all contemporary hip-hop (there's not enough really that would make a mix to win, if that makes sense to you.)
2. A mix of all old school (it just seems cliché and lame.)
3. A dirty south or hyphy mix (A: I don't really like it, and B: see #1)
So, what I was thinking was making a mix of rock that's more hip hop-y and hip hop that's a little more eclectic. What do you think? Do you have any requests for me to put in? Also, any requests (that I have or you can provide for me) I'll put in. It probably won't be the whole song but some element of it will be there. I promise. So, there's my dilemma. Help a brova out. The picture has nothing to do with anything, I just like her bum.
Pace.

Treebeats A To Z Posting Compilation Of Really Dope Things. The Letter L

Fall is falling. The air is crisp. The Red Sox are champions of the entire world. You might have 5 more minutes to vote for the mixes on Dumpin.net by the time this is posted. Dancing is coming back to Hip Hop. Sadly, I hate it and all the people that snap, wiggle, walk and superman. Hope you are all well.
Enjoy the letter L
01 - Lamb - Lusty
I don’t really know about overseas, but one of the bands that got slept on a great deal here was Lamb. Andy Barlow, a.k.a. Hipoptimist (not to be confused with the Hip Hopatamus), and vocalist Lou Rhodes made up one of the more experimental and interesting groups that resulted from Portishead’s fame. While groups like Morcheeba did more of the same, Lamb explored breaks and made, at times, straight up noisy tracks that sounded fucked up and different. I liked them a lot, but I also liked Sean Cassidy doing “Do Run Run” so what do I know? The track here is easier to listen to than when they got totally fucked but also isn’t the Amen Brother break chopped with a distorted bass. I really think this was their best album, but I typically like when groups are more raw and unrefined then when they get polished.
02 - Laquan - Now’s The B Turn
I’m not sure if he released anything after this but it was the height of the New Jack Swing movement and besides Redhead Kingpin, I felt this record did it best. Some people think New Jack Swing was totally worthless but I hate them and if you were into hip-hop at that time it was hard to ignore. You can say what you want now but if you lived in the North East in the late 80’s, Teddy Riley was the man. And I know I am constantly defending the fact that I liked Teddy Riley, but Fuck you. You’re ugly and stupid.
03 - Laura Veirs – Galaxies
Hippie indie folk rocker Laura Viers grew up in Colorado, camped with her family and was a patchouli wearing hippy freak. She studied rocks and Mandarin in college. “Year Of The Meteors” was the third release she had and the first record of hers I heard. She’s got a great voice and sings about science a lot but this is basically a love song wrapped in a high-brow ribbon. Galaxies has a great hook and would have been a big pop record if The world was right.
04 - Lauryn Hill - The Sweetest Thing
The bitch is crazy but she was really talented. This song helped me get many women naked. “Oh yeah, I think she’s amazing. There’s so much pain and beauty in her voice. Why don’t you take off your pants?” Now she doesn’t let people walk in front of her and prays to alters drenched in chicken blood, or some such nonsense.
05 - LCD Soundsystem - Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up
The blog-nerd darling that I never really liked but felt pressured to listen to since everyone said it was such an amazing record and I don’t have the ability to think for myself. I didn’t like and/or get “Daft Punk Is Playing In My House” but I really liked this track which is nothing like the rest of the disc and therefore, I think it’s awesome cause I’m counter-culture and really cool.
06 - Leaders of the New School - Case Of The P.T.A.
Before Busta-Bus had a 32 inch bicep and Dinco and Charlie went on to…They released 2 records as the Leaders of the New School and blessed the shit out of us with their participation on “The Scenario” which could be the best “posse” cut ever besides “The Symphony”. This is off their first release, when they were still young and thirsty and more interested with the idea of getting on and rocking shows than whatever happened to them after.
07 - Led Zeppelin - Hey Hey What Can I Do
Zeppelin is one of my favorite groups of all time and spent many years in high school taped to my walls next to pictures I cut out of Word Up and Rap Pages magazines.
There was a time when the only way to get this song in the States was either in the bootleg “Destroyer” which my brother had, or as an import single as a b-side of “The Immigrant Song.” It was officially released on the 4 disc boxed set in 1990, and thusly all of the wind was removed from my pompous sails and the steed from which I toted my “Zoso” superiority broke all four legs, collapsed and decomposed instantly.
08 - The Libertines - Horror Show
When I went to go see these guys, Pete Doherty, in true form, stumbled on stage and nearly knocked the mic stand down with his guitar (he may have been intoxicated.) They proceeded to rock the rest of the set. I’m not a huge Babyshambles fan but I thought the first Libertines release was some get-in-your-ass rock and roll. This was, by far, the song that slammed your anus until it was raw and blistered.
09 - Lightheaded – Orientation
So Lightheaded is part Omega Watts, part Braille, part Othello and part Muneshine. A collective of really talented cats whos only problem is they are Christian Rap. Now it’s weird how bad a rep Christian rap gets. I’ve spent nearly 30 years listening to idiotic interpretations of Islam like 5% douche bags and somehow I’m a big Brand Nubian fan. But, put “Jesus” or “church” in a rhyme and I start bugging out. It’s stupid, I know, but that’s just the way shit is. God bless.
10 - Lily Allen - Nan You're A Window ShopperI thought this song was funny. I thought her debut was a great record but then my wife played it until it was dead and I hated it. It’s too bad she eats and pukes now because I thought she was cute enough as she was.
11 - Little Brother - Slow It Down
This was the Little Brother album that I really liked and this was the song off of it I liked the most. The beat is sick (9th Wonder I miss you.) Phonte and Big Pooh catch wreck. It’s just one of those songs that work really well.
12 - L.L. Cool J - I'm Bad
My High School Soccer and Basketball teams started every game with either this or “Cut Creator”, “Ace Of Spades” by Motorhead, or “We Got The Beat” by the Go-Go’s. Does that make us gay? I’m one of those cats that’s not mad at LL. He made seriously monumental tracks in rap history and besides “The Bitch In You” wrote my favorite dis record ever.
13 - Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth - Track The Movement
I went to school with this kid Mike Johnson. He was from Harlem and I spent a couple vacations at his house. I think the official tally of times that we listened to this record was nearly Elventy bazillion. It was the beginning of the DITC crew for me and my real taste of Premier as a producer outside of Gang Starr. We also cuddled to this song.
14 - Louis Armstrong - That Old Feeling
Satchmo is another one of those cats that gets kind of slept on. I mean everyone knows him. His voice was unmistakably unique, but most people think of “What A Beautiful World” and not a really good jazz musician. He was a band leader. He appeared in a slew of films, he recorded 3 records with Ella Fitzgerald. The dude was really amazing and somehow his accomplishments have kind of faded into obscurity. Take some time and check him out. The dude was ill.
15 - Lovage - Strangers On A Train
I really liked this record a lot. Jennifer Charles is sexy as shit (in a world where feces is unbelievably sexy) and her, Dan and Paul make up a majority of what made Lovage work. I wish I liked Mike Patton more but I don’t and I hope he gets hit by a bus.
16 - Low Profile - Funky Song
I got this record when it came out. I also had the Rhyme Syndicate record but I didn’t really check for them on it. Anyway, MC WC and DJ Alladin made the best debut of any of the Syndicate and then broke up. I don’t really remember hearing this a lot, but I went to boarding school in the Berkshires and everyone else that listened to Hip Hop there was pretty much from New York and they weren’t interested in it. I was. I loved this whole joint. WC ended up with Coolio and Alladin spent more time making out with Ice-T. I highly recommend this record if you enjoy late 80’s Hip-Hop and are cool.
17 - Lupe Fiasco - Daydreamin' (Feat. Jill Scott)
If you’ve ever read anything that I wrote, you know I have a crush on Jill Scott. Not enough to go to a Tyler Perry freak show of a film mind you, but me likey. You might of heard of this Lupe cat too.
18 - Lyrics Born - Bad Dreams
Oddly enough, the last show I remember going to was the Quannum tour with my wife, who was my “friend” at the time. Both of the last groups I saw started with “L.” Now, “L” is the 11 letter of the alphabet and there are two 1’s in 11. If you add those you get 2 and “B” is the second letter. Which is where these mixes actually started since “A” was just one group. If you take the 1 from “A” and the 2 from “B” you get 3, and that’s a magic number. I hate mathematics and I think they are stupid. Lyrics Born is dope though.
Pace.

01 - Lamb - Lusty
02 - Laquan - Now’s The B Turn
03 - Laura Veirs – Galaxies
04 - Lauryn Hill - The Sweetest Thing
05 - LCD Soundsystem - Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up
06 - Leaders of the New School - Case Of The P.T.A.
07 - Led Zeppelin - Hey Hey What Can I Do
08 - The Libertines - Horror Show
09 - Lightheaded – Orientation
10 - Lily Allen - Nan You're A Window Shopper
11 - Little Brother - Slow It Down
12 - L.L. Cool J - I'm Bad
13 - Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth - Track The Movement
14 - Louis Armstrong - That Old Feeling
15 - Lovage - Strangers On A Train
16 - Low Profile - Funky Song
17 - Lupe Fiasco - Daydreamin' (Feat. Jill Scott)
18 - Lyrics Born - Bad Dreams

Them's fightin words...

Alright, if you haven’t been to Dumpin.net then you need to for two reasons. First, it’s one of my favorite blogs out there. It’s one of the few that make me laugh out loud, a lot. And not in a douchey LOL way either, those cats are funny as shit.. Second, they are currently running a mix contest that I’m in. It’s four groups of four mixes and my group is currently up. Check out the other mixes (Dart’s in my group, if you haven’t gone to his spot, stop fucking around) and then vote for mine even if you don’t like it because they promised me a pony show that I played a special part in.

Check mine here

Track List:
01 - Mr. Cooper - Amongst Strangers 01
02 - OC - Times Up
03 - Zion I - Critical
04 - Mass Influence - Twenty 20
05 - Joe Beats - Don't Front
06 - Arts The Beat Doctor - The Anthem (Feat. Pete Philly)
07 - Shithop Interlude
08 - 50 Cent & Milk D - I Get Top Billin (Treemixified)
09 - Black Moon - I Got Cha Open (Remix)
10 - Blue Scholars - North By Northwest