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Combat Jack Presents: True Stories Behind 25 Rap Classics.

Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
edited September 2010 in Strut Central
http://www.complex.com/blogs/2010/09/24/combat-jack-presents-true-stories-behind-25-rap-classics/

Another one of those stupid ass 'click and scroll through a bunch of pages' formats that Complex is notorious for, but personally I think it's worth the effort. There's quite a bit in here that I didn't already know or had already forgotten, my favorite being the CNN "LA, LA" story:
"Tragedy had just had me draw papers up for his latest act, Capone-N-Noreaga. Trag had printed up these realistic looking "wanted" flyers, one with Capone's face and one with Noreaga's. The mock "wanted" flyers had a list of each of the rappers' ???rap sheets,??? offering a reward of like $100,000 for each, dead or alive. He had put hundreds of these flyers up on trains, on buses, wherever. One day, he was in the train station by the Queensbridge projects when he overheard these two thuggish cats studying one of the flyers, speaking on the reward and how 'they couldn't wait to see this nigga in the hood' so that they could bag them to collect that reward guap!!! Trag immediately did his best to take down all them flyers. Reflecting, he told me 'I forgot how thirsty Queensbridge cats are. Any types of reward ads look real to them brothers. I didn't want one of them ruthless wolves to do some type of damage to my new artists, especially behind some realistic marketing plan that I came up with.'

  Comments

  • CinisterCeeCinisterCee 863 Posts
    I know we're talking memories from 21 years ago, but the story about Jingling Baby doesn't make much sense, since the original version appeared on Walking With A Panther.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    The piece specifies that it's the remix, rather than the album version, that he's referring to. The remix gave back LL some of the heat he lost after Walking With A Panther, and probably helped create the momentum for Mama Said Knock You Out.

    It's a great piece, though. Lots of revealing industry-insideur shit, but framed in a way that makes it enjoyable to read for non-industry folk.
  • speakmumblesspeakmumbles 447 Posts
    that hall and oates sample..;)
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    speakmumbles said:
    that hall and oates sample..;)

    Hahaha, yeah, way to dis Seals & Crofts. Obviously nobody at Complex was enough of a record geek to catch that one. Ouch.
  • CinisterCeeCinisterCee 863 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:
    The piece specifies that it's the remix, rather than the album version, that he's referring to.

    OOF yeah see it now. I thought I noticed the "Get Money" entry seemed to be about the remix version too (mentioning Biggie singing), but if I point it out now, it will be correct when I go back, haha.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    CinisterCee said:
    I know we're talking memories from 21 years ago, but the story about Jingling Baby doesn't make much sense, since the original version appeared on Walking With A Panther.

    What's the inaccuracy? The lp version wasn't that memorable but after Marley remixed it: BOOM. It's like "Nappy Heads" and the Fugees - the original was on the LP no one remembers but once it got remixed by Remi? Whole new ball game.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Liked this anecdote: "Years later, 'Brooklyn's Finest' has become, and remains, one of my favorite songs of all time. Years later, I still feel some kind of way about Jay and Big not shooting a video for that. Can you even imagine how ill that would have been?""

    And really, most of these stories just confirm how much "success" in the music game isn't due to any kind of industry-side craftiness but rather, accidents of history and perseverance.

    When we gonna get Dr. Brown's Celery's Behind the Rap Classics post?
  • CinisterCeeCinisterCee 863 Posts
    mannybolone said:
    CinisterCee said:
    I know we're talking memories from 21 years ago, but the story about Jingling Baby doesn't make much sense, since the original version appeared on Walking With A Panther.

    What's the inaccuracy? The lp version wasn't that memorable but after Marley remixed it: BOOM. It's like "Nappy Heads" and the Fugees - the original was on the LP no one remembers but once it got remixed by Remi? Whole new ball game.

    Like I said OOF - I forgot Marley Marl had no involvement with the original, even though the "Scorpio" riff stayed intact.
  • Mongo_SladeMongo_Slade 999 Posts
    Thanks, Herm-- he has some great stories.

    This caught my attention:

    For the record, 'In My Lifetime' was Jay-Z's second official solo single. His first was 'I Can't Go For That,' which Dame and 'em dropped from out the back of their trunks a year prior.

    Is he talking about the b-side of this or something different?

    http://www.discogs.com/Ja??-Z-In-My-Lifetime-I-Cant-Get-Wid-Dat/release/307820
  • kicks79kicks79 1,338 Posts
    "Watching this on T.V. in real time, Puff was livid, and felt that Stoute dissed him. Puff immediately 'allegedly' stormed over to Stoute's office, got into an argument with him, then banged him across the head several times with a champagne bottle. That must have hurt. Because champagne bottles are damn near impossible to break. And Steve Stoute, if you know him, has a huge-ass head.

    This had me laughing my ass off.
  • LokoOneLokoOne 1,823 Posts
    Mongo_Slade said:
    Thanks, Herm-- he has some great stories.

    This caught my attention:

    For the record, 'In My Lifetime' was Jay-Z's second official solo single. His first was 'I Can't Go For That,' which Dame and 'em dropped from out the back of their trunks a year prior.

    Is he talking about the b-side of this or something different?

    http://www.discogs.com/Ja??-Z-In-My-Lifetime-I-Cant-Get-Wid-Dat/release/307820

    You can catch a video for I Cant Gop For That on youtube...its some low budget Jay semi fast rapp[ing...
  • LokoOneLokoOne 1,823 Posts
    Mongo_Slade said:
    Thanks, Herm-- he has some great stories.

    This caught my attention:

    For the record, 'In My Lifetime' was Jay-Z's second official solo single. His first was 'I Can't Go For That,' which Dame and 'em dropped from out the back of their trunks a year prior.

    Is he talking about the b-side of this or something different?

    http://www.discogs.com/Ja??-Z-In-My-Lifetime-I-Cant-Get-Wid-Dat/release/307820

    You can catch a video for I Cant Go For That on youtube...its some low budget Jay semi fast rapp[ing...
  • LokoOneLokoOne 1,823 Posts
    Mongo_Slade said:
    Thanks, Herm-- he has some great stories.

    This caught my attention:

    For the record, 'In My Lifetime' was Jay-Z's second official solo single. His first was 'I Can't Go For That,' which Dame and 'em dropped from out the back of their trunks a year prior.

    Is he talking about the b-side of this or something different?

    http://www.discogs.com/Ja??-Z-In-My-Lifetime-I-Cant-Get-Wid-Dat/release/307820

    You can catch a video for I Cant Go For That on youtube...its some low budget Jay semi fast rapp[ing...
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