Hella West Coast Compilations AKA Cali Been Active

I’ve been hearing rappers from Cali talking about "the West fell off" for years now and I have no idea what the hell they’re talking about. From 1997 to 2002 arguably more of the best produced, most innovative and lyrical hip hop was coming out of the West Coast. When I think of all of the emcees, groups and producers that came out of the West during this era it further supports my position: Rasco, Planet Asia, Ras Kass, Crooked I, LMNO, Krondon, Mykill Miers, Encore, Defari, Xzibit, T-Love, Madusa, Saafir, Homeliss Derelix, Insane Poetry, Lootpack, Dilated Peoples, Styles Of Beyond, Visionaries, Self Scientific, The Associates, Abstract Rude & A Tribe Unique, Living Legends, Jurassic 5, Latryx, Blackalicious, Madlib, DJ Babu, DJ Rhettmatic, Alchemist, Peanut Butter Wolf, Kut Master Kurt, Evidence, DJ Revolution, M Boogie, Fanatik, Joey Chavez, DJ Shadow, Chief Xcel, Cut Chemist and the list goes on...this group of influential artists comprise most of the appearances on these compilations.

The lineup today consists up The World Famous Beat Junkies Vols. 2 & 3, DJ Revolutions’ R2K V. 1.0., M -Boogie’s Laid In Full, Sway & King Tech f/DJ Revolutions’ This Or That and Battle Axe Records’ (Swollen Members) Defenders Of The Underworld. The first 4 selections were all distributed by Blackberry/Ill Boogie Records and Nu Gruv Alliance out of San Francisco.

The World Famous Beat Junkies Vol. 2 was a double disc compilation mixed by DJ Rhettmatic chock full of underground classics from 1998. Included in the 32 tracks are hard to find gems like Rasco’s “What’s It All About”, Foot Souljahz “Hoes To Doughs”, “I’m Comin” by T-Love, “Radiant” by LMNO and the “Dynamic (Remix)” by Pumpkinhead featuring DCQ, CES, Pokaface, Meat Pie, The Bad Seed, and What? What? (Jean Grae) . Volume 3 was made in 1999 and mixed by Beat Junkie Melo-D. It features joints like Quasimoto’s “Microphone Mathematics”, Defari’s “Say It Twice”, Lootpack’s “Whenimondamic”, LMNO’s “Grin & Bear It” and “Guaranteed” by Dilated Peoples. This comp also had “Flagrant” by Choclair (this joint bangs to this day!), “Keep It Movin’’ with Saukrates & Xzibit, “Mingling With Mayhem” by Grand Agent and the college mix show banger “CT To NY (Uncut Action) by Chris Lowe f/Large Professor (you know...the live guy with glasses). Download these and get familiar with them like Clinton Sparks.

The next four comps were all created in 1999, starting with DJ Revolutions R2K V. 1.0. Rev included heat rocks from Bumpy Knuckles (“A Part Of My Life”), Big L (“The Heist”), Rasco (“Sophisticated Mic Pros”), Self Scientific (“Love Allah”), Insane Poetry (“Shroom Vision”) and he gets props for adding “State Of The Art” from Boston/MA’s own 7L & Esoteric. Buc Fifty, Droop Capone, Other-Wize, Rasheed and Cheif Kamachi and Lootpack also have joints on here as well. Laid In Full is 28 tracks deep and mixed by M -Boogie (who also produced most of the interludes), Dignified Soldiers’ “Themes, Schemes & Dreams”, Insane Poetry’s “Lyrical Catacombs”, Bedroom Produksionz “S.E.L.F.”, Master Of Illusion’s “Magnum Be I”, Mr. Supreme & Al’ Tariq’s “Run The Show”, and Joey Chavez & Evidence’s “Reservation For One” are among the slept on joints that are included on this CD. Classic posse joints “Ubiquity” by The Associates f/Key-Kool, Evidence & Divine Styler and “From The Ground Up” by The Associates f/Shaydie, LMNO, T-Love & Iriscience are also on here, but as M-Boogie remixes. The DJ interludes feature Kut Master Kurt, DJ Revolution, DJ Dusk, DJ Rhettmatic, DJ Melo D, & Peanut Butter Wolf.

This Or That was a compilation put out on Interscope Records by the hosts of the legendary Wake Up Show, Sway & King Tech. They brought along DJ Revolution for the ride (and he produced all of the tracks with guest appearances). This comp was part mix CD, underground compilation and feature joints with original production over 32 tracks. The mix CD has old classic joints on it (“I Know You Got Soul”, “Looking At The Front Door”, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”, “Court Is In Session”, “So What Cha Sayin” & “Ugly People Be Quiet”), the underground joints are “Rework The Angles” by Dilated Peoples, “Above The Clouds” by Gangstarr, and the “1.9.8.6. Remix” by Ill Advised & Rahsheed f/Black Thought & Malik B of The Roots. The original joints produced by DJ Revolution were “The Anthem” f/RZA, Tech N9NE, Eminem, Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch, Kool G Rap, Jayo Felony, Chino XL & KRS One, “Underground Tactics” f/Heltah Skeltah, Crooked I & Planet Asia, “Improvise” f/Jurassic 5, “Ego Trippin’ ‘99” featuring Kool Keith & Motion Man, “3 To The Dome” featuring Big Daddy Kane, Chino XL & Kool G Rap, “Get You Mad” featuring Eminem (mind you, the sign of a true lyricist is someone who can make me listen to the lyrics over a beat I’m not feeling...you’ll see what I mean when you hear it), and “Clientele” featuring Dirty Unit (what the hell happened to these dudes?). RZA also appears as Bobby Digital on the self produced “Belly Of The Beast” as well as freestyles by Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Canibus, Redman and Sonja Blade (I see her on MySpace but what happened?). The final track is Wake Up Show Trivia. Solid mix of the old and the new.

The final upload is Defenders Of The Underworld, a compilation put out by Battle Axe Records. Battle Axe is the indie label started by Swollen Members (Madchild & Prevail), a Canadian hip hop duo that managed to make a shitload of friends on the West Coast. I was never a big Swollen Members fan (because they sound like two dudes that just came from playing D&D and went straight into the vocal booth), but I have all of their vinyl when they have mad guest appearances on them (like “Bottle Rocket”). This CD has joints from Buc Fifty (“Worst Enemy” and “Dead End Street” were probably on every comp made in 1999), Defari (“Cookin’ Up Your Brain”), Psycho Realm (“Pow Wow”), Del (“Hoe”), Son Doobie (“Buck Fifty 2 Ya Face”) and Aceyalone (“Super Human Hip Hop Head”) also drop joints on here. My favorite joints from this comp are Non Phixion’s “The Full Monty”, Arsonists “Fat Laces”, Pep Love’s (Hieroglyphics) “Trinity Lost”, and the before mentioned “Bottle Rocket” featuring Evidence, Madchild, Everlast, & Divine Styler.

In conclusion, please download and enjoy these joints and remember that regardless of what Game said the West NEVER fell off. Next time I upload some compilations they’ll be from OM Records Deep Concentration series. Congratulations to the New England Patriots who are returning to the AFC Championship game for the 5th time in 10 seasons and happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day to everyone.

All uploaded albums are Zip files. For cover art, full tracklistings and more info, check http://www.discogs.com or do a regular Google search. Here are the links, enjoy ‘em:

The World Famous Beat Junkies Vol. 2 Double CD (Featuring DJ Rhettmatic) (1998)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/3v8w3b

Disc 2:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/wrhudc

The World Famous Beat Junkies Vol.3 (Featuring DJ Melo-D) (1999)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/7vpu3t

R2K Version 1.0 (Mixed by DJ Revolution)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/tja165

Laid In Full (Featuring M Boogie) (1999)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/jso99g

Sway & King Tech f/DJ Revolution (Wake Up Show)-This Or That (1999)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/g425xb

Defenders Of The Underworld (Battle Axe) (1999)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/nfku09

One.