Digging in crates is better than digging in my nose...

Star Studded Strutters - Neckwork (1983)

2011-10-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

And here it is! The one that started it all! This is the first 'rap' record to come out of Dallas-Fort Worth! Not to be confused with the first Dallas 'hip-hop' record "Super Def Rhymes" by Fresh Brothers Inc. Released way back in 1983 (coincidentally the year I was born), the Neckwork 12" is the work of legendary (and I do mean legendary) Dallas DJ Ushy Eron king of the Funk-n-Roll movement! For being the first 'rap' offering from our scene, it's really a great record. Hell, it's just a standout record, period. Containing nearly eight minutes of rap, funk, and electro, this project was a wonderful precursor to the DFW hip-hop. Side B features an instrumental version with a different, but equally great, mix to it. And check out that awesome picture cover! "Sounds of a serious Dallas party." This is one of those records that seems like a snapshot in time! Historic, essential piece of DFW history right here. RIP DJ Ushy.

Lance Romance - Touch of Romance/Brother with Soul (1988)

2011-10-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

We can't forget about Lance Romance, now can we?? The squeaky clean golden boy of DFW hip-hop relocated from NYC to Dallas in the 80's and contributed some really nice records to our scene. This is his 1988 debut single released on small, private label Lance Romance Records. What I personally find cool about this is that the address listed on this record is located in my hometown of Denton, Texas! My guess is that Mr. Romance goes going to school at University of North Texas at the time this record was released. Otherwise, while Denton is only 30 miles north of DFW, it is kind of a peculiar location to establish your hip-hop empire. Also, I need to give props where props are due. Back in the day (pre-Google Street View) many artists would put a mailing address or fan mail and booking info. A lot of the times you would find a "Suite #" in these addresses. Well, big surprise, a lot of these low-budget artists did not actually have enough funds to rent office space, but rather these "suites" were actually their apartment they were operating out of. I know exactly where this apartment complex is and I've passed it a thousand times without realizing the history that was made there! So, props to Lance Romance for keeping it real and just putting it out there that he was expanding his empire from the doorstep of his apartment! I know that's a random thing to dwell on, but it's just another little detail that makes these obscure records even more interesting to me! With all that being said, this is a great record! Much respect to Lance Romance for his contributions to the scene!

Epitome - Party Thang (1992)

2011-10-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Here's another record from the Epitome M.C., only he chose to drop the "M.C." for the 9-2! Fear not, folks, for this is another dope release! This is the follow-up 12" single to his 1991 untitled LP. This record was released on small, private label Scott Records, which would go on to release an album by a Dallas gangsta rap group called South Coast. That group featured a young DFW legend Kottonmouth before he went solo! Anywho, this record features two versions of the single 'Party Thang," a "Hyped Version" and a "Funky Version." The Hyped Version is a nice upbeat track typical of the era. The Funky Version is the superior of the two track with a more mellow, unique beat. I wish I had samples to share with the World Wide Web, but alas, I do not. So, for now, you will just have to find your own copy of this one!

Fresh Brothers Incorporated - Super Def Rhymes (1986)

2011-10-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

You can't speak about DFW hip-hop without mentioning this record! I just won't allow it! It's generally accepted that this is the first Dallas hip-hop record ever produced, with Fort Worth's Debonair Dimension's "Free Bass 9000/Sound Attack" record holding the title for first DFW hip-hop record! I should note that while Star Studded Strutters' 1983 record "Neckwork" did feature raps, it was not so much a hip-hop record. But I digress, back to the FBI boys. This record is great for a number of reasons. For one, it was released on Twilight Records, which was a small, private label associated with Pleasant Grove's Twilight Skating Rink, an early hip-hop/funk/soul venue in its later years. FBI consisted of MCs Dallas-D and 15 year old Snoopi, and DJ T-Lowe. While Dallas-D did not actively pursue hip-hop after recording this record, MC Snoopi went on to make music with legendary DJ Willie Fressh for his Fresh Roc Productions label. Another great aspect of this record is the lyrical content. The majority of this song contains an inordinate references to food. It's great! You can just tell these guys were just having fun recording this record! I don't think that's something you find too often these days.

In September 2011, I had the opportunity to meet up with MC Snoopi himself to discuss DFW hip-hop history and swap stories. He was kind enough to sign my copy of SDR! Much respect to him!

Listen to the short version of Super Def Rhymes below. This version scraps nearly four whole minutes of greatness from the original version which runs 8m44s long! If you want to hear it in its entirety, you'll just have to cop the record for yourself!

D-Crew - Cool M.C. (1990)

2011-10-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

Classic, classic 12" single produced by Dj Snake out of Dallas from the Devastating Crew, D-crew! "Cool M.C." samples Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" and was released the same year as their 8-track album "Breakthrough." This 12" is pretty hard to come by, but their full-length album seems to be even harder to find for some reason. The B-side features a dope non-album track "Jake and the Snake." And can we please talk about how cool this album cover is? From the fonts and colors to the wind breakers and the burned out apartment building to the 5.0 Mustangs, this is what you would call a "period piece!" From what I've been told about D-Crew, these guys were really making big moves locally back in the day. Looking at and listening to these records, you can definitely see why! Much respect to D-Crew for their contributions to the scene!

D.J. Snake - Till Bass Do Us Part (1994)

2011-10-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

DJ Snake, best known for his work with Nemesis, played an essential role in the development of the DFW hip-hop scene. Take a look any random Dallas hip-hop project from the 80's and 90's and half the time it seems you'll find 'DJ Snake' credited in the liner notes somewhere. Released on Youngsta Records in 1994, "Till Bass Do Us Part" is a 6-track bass-centric instrumental EP and Snake's first solo project. Snake would go on to do a lot of work with Youngsta Records (home of Texas legendary rap group P.K.O.) in the 90's as they moved the small record label's operations from San Antonio to Irving. Much respect to DJ Snake for his contributions to the scene!

Nemesis - To Hell and Back (1988)

2011-10-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the debut album from Nemesis. Well, let me be clear, this is their first release under the name "Nemesis." These guys released the Oak Cliff/Snake Beats 12" on the same private label (Get Off Me Records) the year before in 1987 under the name 'Something Fresh." From what I understand, they decided to change their name to portray a 'harder' image. Either way, if you know anything about the DFW hip-hop scene, then you know about Nemesis and their impact. They were really one of the first DFW acts to get signed and make noise nationally. This album was re-released the following year on Profile Records with an altered cover concept and track listing. While the '89 version is cool in its own respect with the partial Dallas skyline in the background, it's kind of tough to beat the cool factor of the '88 version shown above! As mentioned, the track listing differs between the original pressing and the re-release with 9 tracks on the '88 version and 13 tracks on the '89 version. Most of the songs were kept from the original album with only two being scrapped for the re-release. While the deepest aspect of any given Nemesis record was undoubtedly the bass lines, they were certainly pioneers of our scene. Much respect! R.I.P. Big Al.

The music video for Pusherman to promote the 1989 re-release.

		Get Off Me Side
A1		Time Keepers
A2		Jezebell
A3		E-Nuff Said
A4		2 Hell And Back
A5		Last Night
		Get Me Off Side
B1		Pusher Man
B2		Blackout
B3		S.A.C.'s In The House
B4		Get Stupid (Hype Effect)

Determination - Untitled E.P. (1990)

2011-10-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

Oh, man, this is a neat one here! Very rare, obscure electro hip-hop record out of Fort Worth! You can definitely tell this project was done on a budget, but that's what makes it even more interesting! Three of the four songs on this EP are about staying away from drugs and staying in school, but the B-side features a great 8-minute long love rap with help from an unnamed female. This record still has the original Sound Warehouse sticker on it from 1991, which is always a nice bonus on these finds! Very cool, unsung hero of DFW hip-hop history hero! Love it!

Epitome M.C. - Untitled (1991)

2011-10-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is a really cool 1991 release out of Dallas by Epitome M.C. Very hard to find and does not pop up often. The backside of this album has a really cool hand-drawn black and white graffiti-style picture of Epitome M.C. in front of the Dallas skyline! Classic D-town record!

Side One

1. Epitome

2. Rampage

3. Prelude

4. Earl in the End

5. Vigilante on the Mike

Side Two

1. Epitome (Remix)

2. Sign of Love

3. Me My D.J. and I

4. One Day at a Time (Remix)

5. If You Don't Know Me By Now

It should be noted that this album was also released on cassette format which features two bonus tracks, "It's a Shame" and the original mix of "One Day at a Time." The cassette version does not feature the awesome back cover artwork.

Gee-I-Joe - This Is A Test... (198?)

2011-10-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

Gee-I-Joe - This Is A Test...

Check out this 12" mega-mix from the Dallas DJ super-group consisting of DJ Lattin Lovver, Dj Gee Rock, and Jammin Haman! Great picture cover in front of the Dallas skyline and excellent posse photo on the back. The mix is really good too and is repeated on Side B.

Side A

1. MegaMix

Side B

1. MegaMix (repeated)

Ron C - Trendsetter (1989)

2011-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Ron C - Trendsetter

This 5-track EP released on Mack Time Records in 1989 is Ron C's debut project! This is without a doubt one of the coolest front and rear covers out of Dallas! It's like a snapshot in time with the (now) old school Nissan mini-trucks. Love it! Also, something else notable about this EP is the title track. Listen to that track below to hear Ron C and DJ Snake slow down the track midway through...keep in mind, this was years before DJ Screw became popular for "screwing" records!

Radio Side

1. Do Dat Danze

2. Make It Funky

Street Side

1. Funky Lyrics

2. Good To Go

3. Trendsetter

Highly Dangerous - Rock Hard (1989)

2011-10-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

Highly Dangerous - Rock Hard

Here's a nice 12" single private release from 1989 featuring D-Man from early, early DFW hip-hop act The Fresh Ones! This record seems to get slept on a lot for some reason, but I think it's great piece of early DFW hip-hop!

Side A

1. Rock Hard

Side B

1. Rock Hard (Club Mix)

Top Cat - Slingin' The Caine (198?)

2011-10-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

Top Cat - Slingin' The Caine

This a 12" single from the late 80's from early DFW pioneers N-Fini-T Productions! A little known fact about N-Fini-T is that they gave Dallas singer Erykah Badu her start back in the 80's when she went by the moniker Apples. Only 1,000 of these were ever pressed, so it was a very limited release and I don't imagine there are too many more of these still floating around in this condition. Great record with an awesome picture cover!

Side A

1. Slingin' The Caine

Side B

2. Slingin' The Caine (Instrumental)

Something Fresh - Oak Cliff/Snake Beats (1987)

2011-09-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Something Fresh - Oak Cliff/Snake Beats

Two-track single privately release in 1987 on Get Off Me Records. In 1988 this group released an album called "To Hell and Back" under the name Nemesis on the same label. Nemesis would go on to release several albums on Profile Records and become leaders of the Dallas rap scene in the late 80's and early 90's.

Dis Side
1. Oak Cliff

Dat Side
2. Snake Beats