Top Shelf 8/8/88

doomdoom 305 Posts
edited August 2007 in Strut Central

  Comments


  • jaymackjaymack 5,199 Posts
    def fake. you can tell by kane and ace alone from their flows and voices.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    some of the older songs do sound vintage though, no?

  • HamHam 872 Posts
    why would it be fake? has someone written something about it being fake or is it just obvious to everyone

  • dayday 9,612 Posts
    def fake. you can tell by kane and ace alone from their flows and voices.

    Nah, it's them and this looks like some rich kid paid all his favorite rappers to make a super album. This sounds new so don't expect most people like Kane to have the same flow almost 20 years later. Suprisingly, Lyte sounds the same which is dope - speaking of, anyone check that new song she put out with Premier? It's not bad.

  • jaymackjaymack 5,199 Posts
    i know its them, i'm just saying its more of a "concept" thing getting rappers from 88 to rip vintage sounding tracks, and then creating a back story of some missing tapes.

  • dayday 9,612 Posts
    From the CD insert

    ???Introduction: 17 years ago a small recording studio, TOP SHELF, located in the basement of a brownstone in the East Village section of New York, was looted during the Thompkins Square riots of 1988, displacing the recordings of many soon-to-be Hip Hop stars. The studio had been the meeting place for many rappers, neighborhood kids, and producers that would later be responsible for the greatest period of the Hip Hop age, ???The Golden Era.??? A search commenced soon after the recordings were lost, but nothing was ever found. So sought after were the tapes, they soon acheived Holy Grail status amongst Hip Hop circles. Despite years of searching, and dozens of hopeless crusades, the tapes remained lost. No one was quite sure who took them or where they were??? until now.

    After an extensive investigation and search that lasted two years, the recordings have finally been recovered by Fab 5 Freddy and myself (Benjy Grinberg). They were found dozenss of miles from the site of TOP SHELF in an abandoned strage faciilty in North Jersey [woot! Jersey represent!]. ???We sought after the lost recordings of TOP SHELF because they were rumored to be among the hottest songs from that era, and we thought it was a tragedy that the world never got to hear them. It turns out that these two-inch tapes are truly a treasure chest???a time capsule of the energy and excitement of 1988 Hip Hop.???



  • dayday 9,612 Posts
    i know its them, i'm just saying its more of a "concept" thing getting rappers from 88 to rip vintage sounding tracks, and then creating a back story of some missing tapes.

    I thought you meant it wasn't even them.

  • cdrs88cdrs88 48 Posts
    I posted up a post at my blog about this, please have a read.

    http://coldrockdaspot.blogspot.com/2007/08/hmmmmsomething-just-isnt-right-about.html

    I love the Special Ed joint, the MC Lyte,Craig G and Masta Ace the most, I just don't get why their is a fake story to this album.


  • dayday 9,612 Posts
    This is the dude behind it

    http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=20485722

    If you ask me, I think it's just like I said above; he paid them to record and made up a lame story to go along with it.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    This is the dude behind it

    http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=20485722

    If you ask me, I think it's just like I said above; he paid them to record and made up a lame story to go along with it.

    I don't get why distro is so limited.

  • AserAser 2,351 Posts
    Because japanese labels are content to sell their wares to the local market. The amount of work required to sell internationally vs the profit returned is much lower compared to the domestic market. Why bother dividing a measley 2000 cd's to 15 distros all over the world when they can sell 5000 quickly w/ their established network.

  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    If you ask me, I think it's just like I said above; he paid them to record and made up a lame story to go along with it.

    Thats what I assumed from the get-go... bunk-ass stories like this used to hype up product initially just leave lame associations with it forever though AFAIK... I'm less inclined to even check this out now than I would be if it were presented as was it is.

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    heres my question, and probably the most important one:

    do you guys like the album?

  • PABLOPABLO 1,921 Posts
    I went in with a negative attitude due to the cornball back story but it's actually pretty enjoyable.
    It's like Hip Hop's Sha Na Na (now that J5 aren't around to claim the title).

    IMG SRC=http://www.wantitmusic.com/images/sha na na st cd .064135.JPG>

    P.S. I am in no way inferring I enjoy the stylings of Sha Na Na.

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    its obviously not from 88, thats all im gonna say. theres no question.

    but i really think its some pretty good energetic shit!! i wonder what peoples opinion of this album would be if it didnt have the fake story to go along with it...

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    heres my question, and probably the most important one:

    do you guys like the album?

    Yeah, it has some of the better performances I've heard from some of these folks in the last few years. The Craig G is

  • doomdoom 305 Posts
    yeah great album, would like to see more projects like this.

    anyone know if this is gonna be avalible on vinyl?

  • heres my question, and probably the most important one:

    do you guys like the album?

    Yeah, I think its great. Not one weak track IMHO. The bogus lost tapes story doesn't impact on my enjoyment at all (its obvious from the production sound that it ain't from 1988).

  • some tracks sound like edan productions. i really like it.

  • heres my question, and probably the most important one:

    do you guys like the album?

    Yeah, I think its great. Not one weak track IMHO. The bogus lost tapes story doesn't impact on my enjoyment at all (its obvious from the production sound that it ain't from 1988).

    One of the better albums that I've picked up recently...

  • cdrs88cdrs88 48 Posts
    heres my question, and probably the most important one:

    do you guys like the album?

    Yeah, I think its great. Not one weak track IMHO. The bogus lost tapes story doesn't impact on my enjoyment at all (its obvious from the production sound that it ain't from 1988).

    One of the better albums that I've picked up recently...

    Up...

    That Special Ed joint is nuts, I love the production and his flow "redrum and then some" if that is how Ed sounds now, then I want more, his last album was sadly weak.

    The Craig G, MC Lyte, Masta Ace, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz are dope as hell as well, the whole album is very solid and well worth checking out and owning.

  • Sun_FortuneSun_Fortune 1,374 Posts
    grand master caz absolutely kills this shit. gotta be the best rap song ive heard all year easily.

    sayin'
    Hello!

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    some tracks sound like edan productions. i really like it.



    My thoughts from that real deal 'field:

    I'm liking this! I ain't mad at the fake back story either, it seems like they're just trying to have fun with it.

    I like how most of the rappers play along too, using the appropriate slang and pop culture references for that era. Craig G especially:

    That's why your chick really wants to hawk this
    Controlling my delegates like Michael Dukakis


    Fresh.
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