The HedRush Episode #36 - Ultimate Beats and Breaks, featuring Thes One

It's time for a special episode of the HedRush, our celebration of the classic Ultimate Beats and Breaks collection. And this time, we've got a little help in breaking down the importance of and the context for all 144 tracks of dopeness: MC/producer/crate digger extradinaire,Thes One of People Under the Stairs. Thes graciously took time out of his busy schedule to let us interview him (at an earlier date) about what makes the UBB collection so damn dope. All that, plus we play more music that ever before. It's an all around banner episode for the Podcast.

Below is the playlist. Note that we included the music we played during the interludes as well, as the songs are either tracks from the collection, or instrumental versions of the tracks.

Here's the playlist:

Jimmy Castor Bunch - It's Just Begun
The Politicians - Free Your Mind
Freda Payne - Easiest Way to Fall
Friends and Lovers - Reach Out to the Darkness
Marvin Gaye - T Plays It Cool
- Interlude
Stanley Turrentine - Sister Sanctified
Bobby Byrd - I Know You Got Soul (Inst.)
Olympic Runners - Put the Music Where Your Mouth Is
- Interlude End
The Monkees - Mary, Mary
The Emotions - Blind Alley
Herman Kelly & Life - Dance to the Drummer's Beat
Melvin Bliss - Synthetic Substitution
The Honey Drippers - Impeach the President
- Interlude
James Brown - Funky President (inst.)
- Interlude End
Eddie Bo - Hook & Sling
The VIllage Callers - Hector
Brother Soul - Cookes
Johnny Pate - Shaft in Africa
Lightning Rod - Sport
- Interlude
The Meters - Hand Clapping Song (inst.)
- Interlude end
Esther Williams - Last Night Changed it All
Dyke and the Blazers - Let a Woman Be a Woman, Let a Man Be a Man
Joe Tex - Papa Was Too
Lyn Collins - Think (About It)
The Winstons - Amen, Brother
- Interlude
Thin Lizzy - Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed (inst.)
John Cougar Mellencamp - Jack & Diane (inst.)
- Interlude end
James Brown - Funky Drummer
Syl Johnson - Different Strokes
The Mohawks - The Champ
Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanor
The Jackson 5 - It's Great to Be Here
- Interlude
Galactic Force Band - Space Dust
The Whole Darn Family - Seven Minutes of Funk
Incredible Bongo Band - Bongo Rock
Billy Squire - Big Beat (inst.)
Wilson Pickett - Get Me Back On Time, Engine #9 (inst.)
- Interlude end
Boobie Smith - Lovomaniacs (Sex)

And click here for the episode.

Enjoy the music and the analysis and tell a friend.

The HedRush Podcast Episode #35 - Head Cracks and Love Trax

For this episode, we go for an odd little mix of tracks, going from highly entertaining drunken ramblings of a future rap mogul to hip-hop love songs to a few more slightly left of center hip-hop tracks. Side note: I used to hate a least two of the songs we played on this episode.

Click here for the episode.

And here's the playlist:

Russell Rush – Cold Chillin in the Spot
Original Concept – Charlie Sez
- break –
Dangerous Dame – I Call Your Name
Brotherhood Creed – Helluva
Antexx – Understand Me Vanessa
Lil Shawn – Hickies on Your Chest
- break –
UltraMagnetic MCs – Travelling at the Speed of Thought
Jemini the Gifted Ones – Funk Soul Sensation
Mr. X & Mr. Z – Drink Old Gold
The Alliance – Kibbles and Bits
Sir Mix-A-Lot – Something About My Benzo
- break –
Tracey Lee – The Theme

The HedRush Podcast Episode #34 - Cold Gettin' Dumb

I was feeling slightly goofy when JB and I recorded this episode, coming off of a long day at work, but the music is still banging, and the convo stays interesting. For this episode we went from old school electro-hop to straight boom bap to mid-'90s gangsta shit. A fun lil' podcast.

Click here for the episode.

Here's the playlist:

Raw Fusion f/ Shock G & Big Money Odis – Funkintoyear
MC Shan – I Pioneered This
Larry Larr – That’s What They Call Me
- break –
Just Ice – Cold Getting’ Dumb
Mantronix – Fresh is the Word
Akinylele – The Bomb
Broken English Klik – Here Come the Hoods
- break –
M.O.P. – Rugged Neva Smooth (rmx)
Street Smartz f/ O.C., Pharoahe Monch, & F.T. – Metal Thangs
Method Man – The Riddler
Yeshua – The Head Bop
- break -
DFC – Dig a Bigga Ditch

The HedRush Episode #31

So here's the 31st episode of the HedRush. It was actually ready to go a week or two ago, but ya know, life interfered. Another good little mix of the rugged, the goofy, and the outright weird. Plus a little convo on the talent and how the best make it all look easy.

Click here for the show.

And here's the playlist:

Schooly D - Gucci Again
Smooth Ice - Do It Again
Dr. Octagon - Earth People (remix)
- break -
Joeski Love - Joe Cool
Lord Finesse - Funky Technician
S.O.P. - Bok Bok
Steady B - The Undertaker
- break -
Maestro Fresh Wes - Certs Wid Out the Retsin
Frankenstein - Rain Is Gone
Mr. Live & Tony Bones - Hungry Strike
Future Sound - The Bop Step
- break -
The Nonce - Who Falls Apart?

The HedRush Episode #30 - Of Boom Bap and Happy Rap

The new episode of hip-hop goes from rough-and-rugged hip-hop, to upbeat party tracks, to meditations and life and death. Shit is heavy, son. But, as always, the tunes are sharp and the discussion is a little humorous. Well, at least we think so.

Check out and dowload the episode here:

http://hedrush.podomatic.com/entry/eg/2010-05-31T17_58_22-07_00

And here's the playlist:

Boogie Down Production - Gimme Dat (Woy)
Craig G - Take the Bait
Big Daddy Kane - Put Your Weight On IT
- Break -
Kid 'N Play - Gittin' Funky
Heavy D - Money Earnin' Mt. Vernon
Guru - Loungin' (rmx)
Masta Ace - Go Where I Send Thee
- Break -
To Da Core - We Got It Goin On
Da Wascals - Class Clown
2 Face - Hey Hey Hey
Dream Warriors - My Definition...
- Break -
Geto Boys - Six Feet Deep

HedRush Podcast - The Jazz Episode

The new episode of The HedRush podcast is up. It's our jazz episode. Most of the music featured in this episode is from the "fusion" period of jazz music, late '60s/early '7os, etc., with an emphasis on funky jazz. There's also a few blues songs. Though neither JB or myself would ever call ourselves jazz "experts," we do thoroughly enjoy the music. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Click here to download the episode.

And here's the playlist:

David McCallum - The Edge
The Blues Project - Flute Thing
Reuben Wilson - We're In Love
Jimmy McGriff - The Bird
(break)
George Benson - Footin' It
Ronnie Laws - Tidal Wave
Roy Ayers - Feel Like Making Love
Ahmad Jamal - Misdemeanor
(break)
Joe Sample - In My Wildest Dreams
Galt MacDermott - Coffee Cold
Junior Parker - The Tax Man
Lou Donaldson - Wig Blues
Joe Williams - Get Out My Life, Woman
(break)
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - My Way Home

The Hed Rush: in mp3 form

One of the great sources of joy I’ve had in my life is having the opportunity to host my own radio show. Multiple times. Without getting into an in-depth history I’ll say that I’ve done radio (either live or Internet) on and off since 1994.

So now, after an over four year hiatus I’ve got my own show again, thanks to my long-time homie/high school potna, JB d’Mulatto. Only this time the show is in podcast/mp3 form. Recorded in JB’s studio, aka Ma’s House, I present to you, Hed Rush, the radio show.

Here’s the 411: The Hed Rush Radio Show features myself and JB playing and conversating on hip-hop from the late '80s through the '90s. We also discuss in-depth some of the trends and context that surrounded the music when it was released, and how it reflects hip-hop today.

It’s lots of hip-hop that I grew up on, and lots of JB and I talking. And cracking corny jokes. So if you like hip-hop from that era, and want to hear a couple of cats shoot the shit about it, you just might enjoy these podcasts.

Here’s the link Pt. 1 (about an hour):

http://rapidshare.com/files/200855493/1-01__1__Pt._1.mp3

And here’s the link to Pt. 2 (about 70 minutes):

http://rapidshare.com/files/200869147/01__1__Pt._2.mp3


The only problem now is that it’s going to be at least another month until me and JB can record another one of these podcasts. JB is currently on the road, helping manage the cross-country tour of The Whitest Kids You Know. As soon as he’s back, there’ll be more music. I’m hoping this is the first podcast of many. I certainly have a lot more music I want to play. Eventually I’ll figure out how to hook this up on iTunes or something. And I also promise that I’ll also start updating this blog with more music.

Until then, listen and enjoy. And let me know what you think.