Criminal

In 1987, before mustached track bike hipster dicks, before Vice Magazine, Disney's dick in Times Square, and national tragedies, New York City was still a rough place, even rougher if you were young, black, and talented. The BDP crew knew this all too well, and when BDP member, Derrick "D Nice" Jones, was harassed and bullied by some toughs from the Highbridge projects in the South Bronx, he brought his most reasonable and respected neighborhood friend, Scott Monroe Sterling aka DJ Scott La Rock to help him smooth over the situation. It is unclear as to exactly what was said that night of August 27th, 1987, but as D Nice's Jeep Cherokee left Highbridge, it was sprayed with gunfire, and Scott La Rock was hit. When he arrived at Lincoln hospital he was conscious and was quite lucid, his friends and family had no reason to believe that he wouldn't survive the ordeal. However, DJ Scott La Rock was pronounced dead within an hour of the shooting, he died at the hospital, but did he have to? I don't want to open a can of worms as to the racial implications and disparity of treatment in medical facilities, I wish to avoid conspiracy theories, conjecture, and "what if" scenarios. Let's just leave it that it was a tragedy that probably needed not occur, a tragedy that truly robbed the world of a vibrant and creative performer on the verge of true greatness. I know I am not alone in wondering what Scott La Rock would have achieved had not a bullet and an avalanche of shitty decisions intervened so.

So what about the album that was left behind? Criminal Minded is a classic of proto hip hop and a perfect snapshot of life in the South Bronx at the end of the '80s. Criminal Minded can also boast a number of firsts, firsts that are now staples in hip hop and gangsta rap; it was the first rap record to feature the mebers brandishing firearms on the cover, the first to adopt a Jamaican toast-style delivery, the first to carry a first person crime narrative, and the first to carry any real beef/boast numbers with "South Bronx" and "The Bridge is Over" which were levelled directly at Queens based rappers Juice Crew. KRS One's voice is crisp, his delivery forceful and deliberate. The beats are simple and samples minimal. The end result is a primitive, early piece of hip hop history that alludes at bigger things to come, but still remains highly enjoyable two decades later. In my opinion, BDP's masterpiece was By Any Means Necessary, but it would have never come to be if not for Scott La Rock and Criminal Minded.

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A Tribute To Euronymous

By now you all know the tragic story of Euronymous, the fallen godfather of Norwegian Black Metal, and eventually a big Hollywood movie will have throngs of muggles in the know as well. But before that happens, allow me to present this excellent primer in early Scandi-Dark, The Necropolis Records Tribute To Euronymous compilation. The idea was to gather the forerunners of the budding Norwegian and Swedish Black Metal scenes in order to showcase this exciting new happening in the north of Europe, however before the comp was finished Varg Vikernes struck that fateful blow (23 times) that forever changed the course of Black Metal and the focus of this record. The end result is a tribute to Euronymous that doesn't include Burzum or Darkthrone. This was my first experience with Thorns, Abruptum, and Mysticum, it came at a time when there were few chances to hear real Black Metal records in America, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to find this used at Record Finder in San Francisco. I'm sure some of you have these songs on the band's releases or various bootlegs but this is one of those seminal, genre-defining comps, like Jellybeans was to Punk, and that makes it an interesting document. R.I.P. Euronymous.

Scandinavian Hunger

Good Music, Bad People: Blazebirth Hall

Blazebirth Hall is the name of a tight-knit group of radical right-wing black metal bands from Russia including Forest, Branikald, Ravendark, Rundagor, Vargleide, and Nitberg, as well as a few fringe members. The Blazebirth Hall is notorious worldwide for its violent ideology, criminal activities, and frequent jail sentences. Founding member Ulv Gegner Irminsson, a member of Forest, was stabbed to death in October of 2005. The details surrounding his murder remain unclear. One needs only to look at the snapshots shown above to get an idea of how truly sketchy these folks are. Despite their extremely ugly and narrow worldview, the Blazebirth Hall bands tend to make some astoundingly beautiful and reflective music, especially Branikald and Forest. In 2005 (shortly before Ulv Gegner's death) the Hammerkrieg compilation cd was released by Hakenkreuz Records. Hammerkrieg is the official statement of the Blazebirth Hall, and it provides an excellent glimpse into a shadowy world of nationalist thugs and elite black metal. Warning: This is only for those who have come to grips with the fact that black metal is not a nice place, and aren't squeamish about dubious political agendas.

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Junkies, Scumbags, & Lycanthropes

By now everyone should know the sordid history of Sammytown and his band of self-proclaimed "Berkeley heathen scum," better known as Fang. Everyone knows about how Sammytown murdered his girlfriend, Dixie, over some missing money. Drugs, murder, prison. All very interesting indeed but Fang's first release, 1983's, Landshark is a thousand times more unsavory and fascinating to me. Fang presented themselves as terrifyingly fucked up individuals, junkies, rapists, and even werewolves. The album kicks off with The Money Will Roll Right In, where Sammy declares "I won't care how I feel, and I'll get to fuck Brooke Shields." Then Fang launches into the title track which, as it would seem, is about a car. Law & Order is a typically slunky Fang number with portentious lyrics about the penal system. Sammy intones monotonously, "My mother was a junkie, my father was a faggot. I grew up in the Tenderloin where the streets are filled with maggots." The Tenderloin he speaks of is a particularly seedy part of San Francisco, I used to live there. Most intriguing is the track "An Invitation," in which the listener is urged to join Sammytown in his dark world of sex and suicide. In a sultry croon, Sammytown sings, "In the corner I see you there wired to an electric chair. I run over and jump in your lap. They throw the switch and everything turns black." I imagine that French surrealist philosopher, Georges Bataille, who wrote many essays on the relationship between sensuality and death, would have had a field day with the prose of Fang's enigmatic frontman. Landshark closes with the rousing singalong Skinheads Smoke Dope, and that, according to Fang, "ain't no fucking joke." The follow-up to Landshark, Where The Wild Things Are, is an equally disturbing affair. Fang went on to make two more forgettable albums before Sammytown's incarceration, Spun Helga and A Mi Ga Sfafas (Yugoslavian for "Give Me Head") Upon his release Sammytown reformed Fang with an all new line-up and recorded an album titled American Nightmare. This incarnation of Fang still gigs around the Bay Area and features former members of Crucifix and Oppressed Logic. Fang were special, they were real, and they solidified the notion that rock is supposed to be dangerous and is best left to bad people. Landshark was the world's introduction to the twisted psyche of an outlaw named Sammytown and that alone makes it significant.

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The Hammer Falls In The Southern Lands

You might expect quite a bit from the band that calls itself "Evil," I think you will not be disappointed. Evil, from Brazil, play extremely weird lo-fi black metal. "Iron and Thunder" is perhaps one of the most poorly recorded black metal albums ever (which is really saying something), instantly making it one of my all-time favorites. These are songs collected from a demo titled "Revenge of Iron and Thunder" and a split with German cult horde, Moonblood. Evil used to be a full band, but quickly dissolved into the concern of sole member, Warlord. This was due in part to jail sentences (in one case a murder charge) and general bad trips. The music ranges from simple Beherit like black metal to RAC influenced punk all coated in static and fuzz. So fucking cult and primitive. Released in very limited numbers on the now defunct, and once great label, Autistiartili. At the time of this writing Warlord has decided to discontinue Evil, citing pressure from Brazilian authorities as his reason for quitting.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0DZP0Y3J

To Speak The Truth

Absurd are probably best known for being the teenage murderers of a classmate and for later adopting an extreme racist viewpoint, but those gawk factors aside, Absurd were a great high school punk band. "Facta Loquuntur" is by no means a musical monument. However there exists an undeniable charm and purity to this album. Absurd had limited musical ability, and living in East Germany, limited access to outside influences. This is perhaps is why musically Absurd are more punk than black metal. As awkward as their age and as depressing as their country, "Facta Loquuntur" is pure primitave teenage cult angst. Though Absurd have always existed in some form another, to me, this is their only "real" record. It has been reissued a few times by various politically motivated record labels but here we have the original No Colours pressing from 1996.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=503UBLI6

I Am The Black Wizards

A couple of Emperor rehearsals from Autumn 1992 here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H6FJ0BEO