The other Prince Ice

Back when I was trying to figure out what Clash "T"'s "Non-Stop" was, I remember listening to the lyrics closely for clues and seizing on the references to "DJ Prince Ice" and "All City". My first thought (hope?) was that it was Prince Ice from the Bay.

Prince Ice spun for KMEL in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was a member of Sway & King Tech's All City Productions crew. Back in the day I used to go up to the Wake-Up Show regularly to kick it and bring Joe Quixx breaks and samples to play. Although Prince Ice wasn't the DJ for that show, he was often around, along with other guys like Fredwreck, Franzen, Alexander Mejia, etc.

I met Prince Ice plenty of times but didn't really trip until years later when I heard these two megamixes that he did:



DJ Prince Ice: "Dopemix Vol. 1" (Megajamm, 1988)



DJ Prince Ice: "Dopemix Vol. 2" (Megajamm, 1989)

I have really low patience for megamix records-- the only rap-related genre I hate more is cut & paste records-- but I love these two 12"s.

Drawing on what were probably the two best years ever for mainstream rap music, Prince Ice plays many of the hits as well as some slightly left-field stuff (Life-N-Def! Stezo! MC EZ & Troop! a King Tech remix of "Girls I Got 'Em Locked"!). Although both mixes drag a little towards the end, for the most part he flies through the selections in a way that's deft and super-smooth.

Kinda in the same vein, I saw that someone has uploaded a few more classic Dr. Dre mixtapes. I haven't had a chance to check them out yet but the previous ones I've heard were pretty face-melting.

2 Busy Saying Yeah - new rap music 3!

Since my last new rap show back in November there's been a slew of major rap albums released, as well as some great indie and mixtape stuff. I've sifted through as much as I could find time to listen to and gathered some gems.

It's a diverse selection of songs, covering Oakland, Alabama, Tennessee, New York, Louisiana, Houston, Atlanta, D.C., Virginia Beach and other places, and featuring everyone from buzz favorites to past-their-sell-date superstars. A disproportionate share of the music comes from Huntsville, Alabama, but that's just because they've been making a disproportionate amount of great rap music. Enjoy.

Episode 14 - New Rap Music 3!

Matthew Africa's Podcast

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1. Yelawolf: Box Chevy Pt. 3 feat. Rittz
2. Juicy J & Project Pat: Ike Turner Pimpin' feat. Slim Thug & New Generation
3. MJG: Dope Track
4. Webbie: Money Getting Taller feat. Pimp C & Lil Phat
5. G-Side: This Is Life
6. DJ Paul: Hi Way (I'm Gone)
7. Mia X: Grown Woman Shit
8. R. Kelly: Put Some Money On It feat. Rick Ross
9. Whitefolkz: Take a Picture
10. Wyld Money: G-Spot (Remix) feat. Gucci Mane
11. Korleon: Ray Charles feat. Bohagon
12. Mac Shawn: And You Do Know That
13. Drag-On: Money feat. Neo Da Matrix
14. Proton: Fuck the Economy
15. T-Boz: Get It Get It feat. Yung Joc & Too $hort
16. Tabi Bonney: Duhh
17. Souls of Mischief: Fourmation
18. Mos Def: 24 Hour Karate School
19. Kanye West: I'm So Appalled
20. Freeway & Jake One: Know What I Mean
21. G-Mane: 5th Wheel feat. Spyda, PT & Bentley
22. Z-Ro: Bottom to the Top feat. Mike D
23. RapTite: That's My Shit
24. J. Stalin: Pot of Gold feat. Mistah FAB & Kaz Kyzah
25. Messy Marv & DJ Fresh: In My Bloodline feat. J-Stalin, D-Lo & J-Mo
26. The Knux: Fuck You
27. Josie Stingray: Gotta Get It
28. Natural Elements: Off Beat Bop
29. Clipse: Counseling feat. Nicole Hurst
30. Jay Electronica: Glass Everywhere (Act I Encore)
31. Redman: Coc Back
32. OJ Da Juiceman: Frank Sinatra
33. Lil Jon: All the Way Crunked Up feat. Pastor Troy & Waka Flocka
34. Project Pat: Burglar Bars feat. OJ Da Juiceman
35. Cam'ron: Ooh Baby feat. Vado
36. 50 Cent: Strong Enough
37. Black C: Stay With Me feat. Hermanata
38. Betta Half: Cruisen
39. G-Side: In the Rain feat. Bentley
40. L.E.$.: Sittin' Low
41. Starlito: Magic Carpet Ride
42. Dude 'N Nem: McDonalds

Statistical shits & giggles

Songs by artists who were more popular in the 1990s: 12
Songs from the Bay: 6
Songs from New York: 6
Songs from Huntsville: 5
Songs from Atlanta: 5
Songs from Memphis: 4
Songs ripped from videos: 3
Songs by artists from New Orleans who don't sound like they're from New Orleans: 2
Songs featuring artists who were platinum in the 1980s: 1

Beauty's a ring of smoke

I've been meaning to put in a plug for a pair of free mixes my homeboy Phill Most a/k/a Phill Most Chill a/k/a the Soulman recently put out and, this, the shortest day of the year, feels like a good time for this wintry pair.

Phill's nice with the mic, the pen, the marker, beat machines and other stuff, but he's deservedly best known for his World of Beats tape series, which was among the first to mix rare beats and breaks. Throughout the 90s, Phill regularly dropped tapes featuring obscure original tracks sampled for recent rap hits alongside unknown gems. For many people, Phill's tapes were not just an introduction to the music their favorite songs were based on, they were a gateway to record digging.

Now, having said all that, I actually was never a huge fan of his World of Beats tapes. As much as I love a lot of the music he put on them and as much respect as I have for Phill as a digger and listener, I often found them a little choppy for my taste. Like the rap songs that popularized many of the records he mixed, Phill's tapes tended to focus on little four- or 8- or 16-bar sections-- drum breaks, basslines, loops-- and however hot these pieces were, I usually felt like they didn't stick with me the way songs do.

His two new tapes are a real departure in that respect. Each is a roughly hour-long collection of songs that are minimally mixed and flow naturally.


The first mix is devoted to psych, and it's largely made up of quiet, folk-ish tunes. Many are acoustic, many are female-fronted and quite a few are gorgeous. It's a great nighttime listen and it had me revisiting a few recent reissues that are in a similar style: Dirty French Psychedelics, Fuzzy Felt Folk and Folk Is Not a Four Letter Word and Folk Is Not a Four Letter Word 2. If you enjoy Phill's mix, all are really worth buying.

You can download Beautiful here.


The second mix is closer to traditional Soulman territory-- it's mainly made up of soul songs, although there's some jazz and a few other things in the mix, too. It's a little bit groovier than Beautiful but overall the tone is similar-- much of it is slow, pretty and reflective.

Come to Me Softly is here.

Is this Christmas? 'Cause everybody's rapping.

This week's 2 Busy Saying Yeah is a mix of 38 Christmas songs, mostly rap, but with some soul, too.

As a genre, Christmas releases tend toward the superficial, the exploitative, the quick cash-in, but they can be pretty entertaining. This week I play a lot of seasonal-themed crap and also some of my favorite Christmas songs.

The rap portion of the show (roughly the first 70 minutes) features a lot of stuff I enjoy because it is so clearly throwaway product-- strip-club songs dressed up with tinsel (the Ying Yang Twins x2!), Xmas trees flocked with filth (Jiggie Gee), perfunctory remakes (Jim Jones, H-Town) and stuff that's only connected to the holiday in the most arbitrary way (the Jacka & Husalah). In many of the songs, the disconnect is gleeful.

The latter half of the show features some more traditional holiday music. There are plenty more throwaways, many of which nonetheless hit a nerve, like the Miracles' gorgeous take on "Merry Gentlemen", Sun Ra's goofy doowop or James Brown's "Let's Unite the World at Christmas", a song that never fails to put me in a more benevolent mood.

Episode 13 - Holiday Special: A Very 2 Busy Saying Yeah Christmas

Matthew Africa's Podcast

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1. Run DMC: Christmas In Hollis
2. Jim Jones: Ballin' On Xmas
3. Ying Yang Twins: Deck Da Club
4. Hard Call Xmas: My Christmas Bells
5. B-Boy All Stars: B-Boy Christmas Shout Outs
6. Dana Dane: Dana Dane Is Coming to Town
7. C-Murder & Master P: Christmas In Da Ghetto
8. Kam: Holiday Madness
9. Poison Clan: Christmas Spliff
10. The Treacherous Three: Xmas Rap feat. Doug E. Fresh
11. Kurtis Blow: Christmas Rappin'
12. Super Jay: Santa's Rap Party
13. Jiggie Gee: Christmas Fuckin' Day
14. Juice Crew All Stars: Cold Chillin' Christmas feat. Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shante, MC Shan & Fly Ty
15. Sweet Tee: Let the Jingle Bells Rock
16. K-Nock: Where Dey At Yo! feat. 24-K
17. Snoop Dogg: How We Kick It On Christmas feat. Kokane
18. The Cold Crew: Rappin' Christmas
19. Audio Two: Christmas Rhymin’
20. Outkast: Player's Ball
21. Trick Daddy: Ain't No Santa
22. Ghostface Killah: Ghostface X-mas
23. Ying Yang Twins: Carol of Da Bellz
24. Snoop Doggy Dogg: Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto feat. Bad A$$, Daz, Nate Dogg & Tray Dee
25. The Jacka & Husalah: Halloween Christmas Gremlins
26. The Jackson 5: Christmas Won't Be the Same
27. Marvin Gaye: Purple Snowflakes
28. James Brown: I'm Your Christmas Friend, Don't Be Hungry
29. James Brown: Hey America
30. James Brown: Christmas Is Love
31. Chocolate Snow: Let Me Be Your Christmas Toy
32. The Emotions: What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas?
33. Lou Rawls: Christmas Will Really Be Christmas
34. Stevie Wonder: What Christmas Means to Me
35. Sun Ra: It's Christmas Time
36. James Brown: Let's Unite the World at Christmas
37. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
38. H-Town: Knockin’ Boots For Christmas

I'm kicking myself for forgetting to put this on:


Ice Cube: "Put It in Your Egg Nog" (St. Ides, 199?)

2 Busy Saying Yeah - Pimp C tribute mix

December 4, 2007 was going to be about the best day ever: my lady and I had fancy reservations to celebrate our first 6 months together, I had gamed my Netflix queue to get the first 3 discs of Season 4 of The Wire in the mail and two of my favorite rappers had albums coming out (Ghostface's Fishscale and Scarface's Made).

That morning I turned on the computer and saw that Pimp C had died and it knocked me sideways. The news hit me harder than most rap deaths because it was so unexpected and it seemed so unfair.

I've been meaning to do some kind of tribute mix ever since. A few days after Pimp C passed, I devoted a full KALX show to his music, but due to technical constraints, time constraints and the goddamn FCC, it wasn't what I wanted it to be. This is.

This week's show is not a best of or a greatest hits, it's just a mix of some of my favorite songs featuring Pimp C. I spent a fair amount of time on sequencing but mixed it live, so pardon me if it's occasionally choppy. Also, to keep the mix short and maintain the focus I had to omit a ton of great verses by Bun B-- don't forget him.

Episode 12 - Pimp C Tribute Mix

Matthew Africa's Podcast

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Here's what's on the mix:

1. One Day (UGK)
2. Playaz from the South (UGK)
3. Suicide Doors (David Banner)
4. Like That (Remix) (UGK)
5. Pourin' Up (Pimp C)
6. Chunk Up the Deuce (Lil Keke)
7. Sippin' On Some Syrup (Three 6 Mafia)
8. The Game Belongs to Me (UGK)
9. Big Pimpin' (Jay-Z)
10. Gravy (UGK)
11. Something Good (UGK)
12. Pregnant Pussy (UGK)
13. I Left It Wet for You (UGK)
14. Use Me Up (UGK)
15. I'sa Playa feat. Bun B (Pimp C)
16. Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) feat. Outkast (UGK)
17. What Means the World to You RMX feat. Trina (Cam’ron)
18. I'm In Love With a Stripper RMX feat. Paul Wall (T-Pain)
19. Cause I'm a Playa (Project Pat)
20. 3 in the Mornin feat. DJ Screw (UGK)
21. I'm So Bad (UGK)
22. Freaky Deaky (Willie D)
23. Swang (Trae)
24. It's Supposed to Bubble (UGK)
25. Ridin' Dirty (UGK)
26. Swishas & Erb (UGK)
27. Comin' Up (Pimp C)
28. Ain't That a Bitch feat. Devin the Dude (UGK)
29. Havin Thangs (Big Mike)
30. Havin' Thangs feat. Big Mike (Pimp C)
31. Let Me See It (UGK)
32. Dirty Money (UGK)
33. Da Game Been Good to Me (UGK)
34. Get Crunk (Crooked Lettaz)
35. Murder Man Dance (Spice 1)
36. A Thin Line (Pimp C)
37. Cocaine in the Back of the Ride (UGK)
38. Talkin Smart (Project Pat)
39. Front, Back & Side to Side (UGK)
40. Used to Be feat. E-40 & B Legit (UGK)
41. Fuck You (Lil Boosie)
42. Choppin' Blades (UGK)
43. Murder (UGK)
44. Pocket Full of Stones (Port Arthur Remix) (UGK)
45. Overstand Me (Pimp C)
46. Look at Me (UGK)
47. I Don't Owe U feat. Ronnie Spencer (918)
48. Akickdoe! (C-Murder)
49. Family Affair (UGK)
50. Holdin’ Na (UGK)
51. Knockin Doors Down (Pimp C)
52. Bumpin’ My Music feat. Project Pat (Ray Cash)
53. They Down With Us (Scarface)
54. Pinky Ring (UGK)
55. Heaven (UGK)
56. I Miss My Homies feat. Silkk the Shocker (Master P)

2 Busy Saying Yeah - new rap music 2!

This week's 2 Busy Saying Yeah is a mix of 37 new songs that remind me why I love rap music-- an ATL ex-stripper goes ballistic, Huntsville does what it does, a few old favorites show they can still rip, 50 Cent and Plies drop songs I can't front on and I finally stop sleeping on Curren$y and play four of his songs. In short, just another week of 2 Busy Saying Yeah.

2 Busy Saying Yeah 11 - New Rap Music 2

2 Busy Saying Yeah/Matthew Africa

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1. DJ Benzi: Pop Them Thangs feat. Donnis
2. Brisco: Thinking to Myself feat. Lil Wayne
3. Curren$y: The Jets Son feat. Dee Low & Jean LaPhare
4. Young Dro: Don’t Know Y’all feat. Yung L.A.
5. Pill: Coastin’
6. All Star: Weed Smoker Music
7. WarrenJae: Sleep feat. Playboy Trae
8. Gucci Mane: Follow Me
9. Z-Ro: Rollin’ On Swangas feat. C-Ward
10. Freddie Gibbs: Iodine Poison
11. G-Side: I Remember
12. B.o.B: Paper Chase
13. Aisha Sekhmet: White Man’s Bitch
14. 50 Cent: So Disresepectful
15. Beanie Sigel: All For It
16. T.D.: Going Off 2009 feat. Peedi Crakk
17. Fashawn: Bo Jackson feat. Exile
18. DoDat: Hot Spitter
19. De La Soul: La La La
20. Phil Adé: Try Out
21. KD: Someday
22. Curren$y: 16 Switches
23. Hit Boy: Ahh Shyt feat. Chase N Cashe
24. Kurupt: Bacon & Eggs
25. A.P.B.: Betta Chick
26. Del the Funky Homosapien & Tame One: Special
27. G-Side: My Aura feat. PT of Untamed
28. GLC: Let the Pimpin Commence feat. Cory Mo & Mistah F.A.B.
29. Curren$y: The Seventies
30. Jay Electronica: Suckas
31. Sean Falyon: Wonderful Life feat. Playboy Tre & Scar
32. Sandman: Here & Now
33. Plies: The Letter
34. Natureboy Rowe: Thanking Thowed
35. Bentley: Where I’m Comin From
36. Fly Gypsy: 2 Step
37. Curren$y: Rapper Weed

Many of the songs on here are things I first heard on one or another of the rap blogs I check regularly-- Cocaine Blunts, Southern Hospitality, Fool's Gold's Rappin Ass Thursdays, Burn One's BLVD St., etc.-- so props to them.