The Smoking Section (Masthead) Respect Our Fresh!



















(I don't need any reason whatsoever to show you a pic of several types of beauty encompassed in one picture..."a picture says a thousand words.")

Every now and then, in between betting, visiting a few select shoe sites, scouring the net for music and chatting with my cohorts...I try to find time to visit other sites when I'm online.

I found some pretty entertaining tidbits I figured I would share.

No words for this one really...Nas et al. speaking on the making of Illmatic


Two things...

1. If you missed Big Daddy Kane performing on the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors thing, you missed a performance lol. My sister was at the house & when son did the hop over Scoob (or was that Scrap) we both yelled, screamed and got amped like we were at the damn show.

Peep the video of the performance here.

2. Russianmafioso has been tellin me but I've been slow to acknowledge. So for the record, yes, YouTube is the truth. The move that Kane does will bring back memories for the old heads because it was part of his old stage show. But if you need reference, I think the vid for "I Get The Job Done" is on YouTube and I'm pretty sure that's where I first saw him do it.


Moving forward...

T.I...the wait is about to be over.

























And since I don't watch TV I dunno if cats have seen it but the vid for
"What You Know" is out (click the link)...also I've heard the visual for "Front 2 Back" is out as well.

With Kanye saying that he's almost got Jay sold on doing another album, I felt this live chat Jay did on Rocafella.com was pretty interesting. Peep the transcript here for the full read.

















Also, this "A Memo Of Advice For President Carter" going more in depth about radio personality Ed Lover's comparison of the Jay-z vs. Cam battle to Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver fight & giving Jay some tips was worth a few minutes of my time.



Although I don't always agree with Byron Crawford, I must say he doesn't have a problem A.) speaking his mind and B.) keeping up with every goddamn thing internet related (who has the time lol?).

I've been wanting to tell you all about the white teacher using the N-word ("Free Paul Dawson") Oh man...lol. Just check it & be sure to watch the video please! It's ashamedly funny & Byron's take on it is what it is...."Can you lend a nigga a pencil?"

Personally I found Byron's "Least Tragic Hip-Hop Deaths" to be sorta lame, especially the Tupac nomination. But hearing him call some of these dudes "weed carriers" gave me a good giggle.



And since we can't cover every genre of music (we fuckin try though)...

Regnyouth, the champion's of musical blog sound and the prototype, has up a nice Aesop Rock feature.


e-junkie's got some treats in the form of some Dr. Dre Detox EP and Alanis Morissette (always a good look).


I Know You Got Soul has up some good jazz and other shit you haven't heard of but you should have.

The Charivarious Section always keeps it moving with a wide variety of things that you must learn.


Spliff Huxtable (how can you not love that name?) lays down what's real by displaying the word's usage in hip-hop songs.


That's enough for now.

We'll prolly drop some music later but we're gonna let you catch up with all the material we hit you with in previous posts.

In the meantime, click the ads to visit our sponsors & donate a few coins in the Paypal collection plate over there to the right. Oh yeah...keep the contributions coming.

Salute!

Gotty™




Request Time Again. Anyone have any DJ SHI'ITE Mixtapes? If so, give us a holler on the email. It's been on the want list for a while. Anyone able to hook us up, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, we're looking for C.O.G (Children of Ghetto)

Intelligence Innovation & Nuts...

























These three things are what lead all great creators in their endeavors.

Innovation inspires the creativity to try different things.

Intelligence is what is required to give wings to innovation & take
something out of thought & into being.

And Nuts...gazoobas...balls....courage...put it any way you want, it is what it is. You have to be able to, as the character Bishop said,"You gotta get the ground beneath your feet, partner..." and give it a try. Failure can be detremental to the spirit...only if you allow it to be. in the eyes of those with the foresight to see the big picture, ninety nine failures are just stops on the way to one major success. To go against the naysayers & give the improbable a try, takes self-confidence.

All great artists are the personifacation of these three ideals. They take
the risks of exposing their thoughts to the masses in hopes that their works are well received.

In 1987, when Rakim broke onto the scene, there was nobody like him.

Nobody spoke with such swagger, rhyme pattern & cadence....nobody was even
coming near dropping that type of intelligence, laced with knowledge of
self courtesy of the Nation of Gods & Earths.

Simply put...Ra broke the mold & set a standard which hasn't truly been
eclipsed since. Others have come close by taking bits & pieces of it &
made it there own.

But nobody has come close to creating the aurora of invincibility &
magnificence that the God graced the mic with. Son was like the 72-10
Bulls...yeah their were other competitors. But you'd have to be asinine to
bet against him because it wasn't a matter of who was the best. It was a
matter of who'd come in second & how badly Rakim would leave them behind.

Quoting the standards would be too easy..."I take seven emcees put'em in a
line..." it's almost blasphemous to be a fan of rap & NOT know the bars that
follow.

Diggin a little deeper..."Move the Crowd"

"Imagine me wit the heat that's made by solar,
It gets stronger everytime I hold a
Microphone, check the tone to get started
The line for the microphone is departed
So leave it up to me, my DJ is mixing
Everyone is moving or eager to listen
Your hands in the air, your mouth, shut!
Cuz I'm on the mic and Eric B is on the cut
For those that know me, indeed I like to flow
Especially when the music's going slow
It gives me a chance to let everybody know
It's time to bust out the Rakim show
I'm the intelligent wise on the mic I will rise
Right in front of your eyes cuz I am a surprise
So I'ma let my knowledge be born to a perfection
All praise due to Allah and that's a blessing
Wit knowledge of self, there's nothing I can't solve
At 360 degrees, I revolve
This is actual fact, it's not an act, it's been proven,
Indeed and I proceed to make the crowd keep moving
"

In the end, Ra's "greatness" has lost some of its luster. Why? A variety of
factors but most notably, Dr. Dre puttin him on the shelf for years as well
as his own self-imposed resignation from the spotlight.

But I'd dare to say that of all the old-timers, Ra is THE ONE who could
come out of retirement like Holyfield & whip some ass or drop a hot sixteen
on these suckers like MJ with the bad knees & all.

What sparked all this?

Simple.

Neil Armstrong's use of the Al Green track "I'm So Glad Your Mine"...which led me to think about the classic track "Mahogany" which led me to think about Rakim and that swinging light bulb in the "The Ghetto" video.

You know how the minds of us "artistic" mofos roll.


While we're touching on Neil pause, a few more identified originals that I liked...

PM Dawn - "Set A Drift On Memory Bliss" = Spandau Ballet - "True"

Jim Jones - "Around My Way" = The Police - "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"



A-Team fans..."Let me know if it's time to split ways..."

Guess that line wasn't just a random shot in the dark to start his verse.

No more Hitch & Ransom?

Ransom - "The Truth" from DJ Lust - Styles P VS Ransom.


Oh yeah...a Ghost track not on the advance...

Ghostface & Doom - "Angeles"


Lastly...


...Every few days, I have to go on DaVinci Code type hunts to find the material that I want to post on here.

Sometimes, it happens fast due to the network of associates I've developed.

Other times, it goes slow.

Long story short...I heard this track in the barbershop over a month and a half ago.

The barber who was playing the mix cd didn't know the name of it.

I hit up all the certified online blues junkies I know asap...Chari didn't know...Tone tried...I searched all the possible keywords I could think of...goose eggs.

Fast forward to Saturday morning as I'm rollin to the store to get my daughter some pancake syrup for her Eggos...early morning blues session was on one of the local radio stations.

Boom.

It's magic.


I damn near shed a tear of joy I was so happy (you know that feeling when "your jawn" comes on.)

But I caught the tail end of it and didn't get any info.

Call the station's request line six times, finally get through like the dedicated music head that I am....and the rest is history.

So let this joint bump and do a little two step.

Da Problem Solvers - "Same Things" (Running Out Of Lies)


Salute!

Gotty™



Request Time Again. Anyone have any DJ SHI'ITE Mixtapes? If so, give us a holler on the email. It's been on the want list for a while. Anyone able to hook us up, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, we're looking for C.O.G (Children of Ghetto)

Make a Paypal donation!. Leftover change from those eBay transactions? A few extra dollars lying around? Make a donation to help us maintain this place.

Support the artists!.

Props to those who contributed links.


Stray Shots



Nirvana - Nevermind

Nas - Stillmatic

Tru - Tru To Da Game

Madlib Beat Konducta Movie Scenes Vols. 1-2

The Fugees - The Score

Joe Budden vs G-Unit (A History Lesson) 2004

DJ Cosmic Kev Best of Beanie Sigel

John Legend - Get Lifted + Extra Tracks

Thelonious_Monk_Quartet_With_John_Coltra ne_At_Carnegie_Hall

Kenny G ~ The Essential (2006)

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me

Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony

Jagged Edge - J.E. Heartbreak

Shyne - If I Could Start From Scratch (2006)

Little Brother - The Minstrel Show Samples Text file


Not a habit around these parts but since the love for it was so overwhelming, gracing you cats w/a reup...

DJ Neil Armstrong - WarmFuzzy

Uncut Coke...





















:eek!


Ghostface - Fishscale (Advance)

Backup Link

Props to JJ & DJ for the good looks on passing this joint.


Oh yeah....MrC dropped some EP's and such. Mita!

More to come later...

Old School Mouse..

In recent months, a few mixtapes have gotten progressively better to me as I've been listening to them more and more.

One, Jeezy's Can't Ban The Snowman.

Two, Lupe's Revenge Of The Nerds.

And this man...































Three, Joe's Mood Muzik 2.


Joey says so much with his metaphors, each time listening can be a whole new experience.

I started off lovin' the beginning of the tape alot more than the end because the beats were so much rawer and uptempo.

But now, I'm starting to sample the latter part of the disc and appreciating the slowed down beats, with Joe still attacking the track. Prime examples - "For A Reason" & "40 Licks".

Joey's gotta have Tivo, OnDemand or some shit, plus the bootleg man's phone number on speed dial so he gets the latest movies, and mobile alerts for CNN or some shit.

Let me go to where son gets the illest, on the track "Dumb Out"

"I'm the Mets, was suppose to be ill in '05
As ill as the flow gets, need a piller don't snitch
So if you can't tell, I'm prepared for '06
About to OD, anybody that know me
Can tell you I'm bout to make shit feel like it's '03
More like '99
No names should be mentioned but mine, unless you talkin' Big Pun in his prime
Maybe '96 Jay, before Dame was throwin' money around
Or 2pac without Humpty around
Or 50 before Em, Nas talkin' like a gun in his song
Cam'ron during "Children Of The Corn"
Beans before the cops came through and try to grill 'em
I'm talkin '95, Big L before they killed 'em
Em before 8 Mile, Shyne before the deal shit
Canibus, no album out before the L shit
Talkin' bout Kiss, DMX when he was fuckin' wit coke
Or Cuban Linx, with Raekwon and Ghost
I do it all, who blendin' so well in the game
Talkin' Fab, back when he was still spellin' his name
On my Diddy shit, Memphis, Grizzlie shit
Like back in the day when Clue swiped all of Biggie's shit
Rappers don't need trouble with I
Unless it's Rass Kass before the D.W.I
Or Talib with Mos, Common before "Be"
If they any less common, don't put 'em before me!"


(Oh yeah...download all those fourteen tracks and you should have you a dope mixtape to ride to.)

Truth be told, you could prolly do this with every track buddy spits on.

But it's Joe's informed opinion and interestingly funny yet precise mention of it that makes him prime listening material.


Salute!

Gotty™



Request Time Again. Anyone have any DJ SHI'ITE Mixtapes? If so, give us a holler on the email. It's been on the want list for a while. Anyone able to hook us up, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, we're looking for C.O.G (Children of Ghetto)

Make a Paypal donation!. Leftover change from those eBay transactions? A few extra dollars lying around? Make a donation to help us maintain this place.



Chocolate Factory (Chopped and Screwed by Boss Hogg Outlaws)

The Weathermen - The Conspiracy

DJ Rectangle - Who Framed DJ Rectangle?

DJ Revolution - In 12's We Trust

The Beatminerz - Brace 4 Impak

Hip-Hop Independent's Day Vol. 1

A Tribe Called Quest - Hits, Rarities and Remixes

H-Town - Fever For Da Flavor - (1993)

Ne-Yo - In My Own Words

Fu-Schnickens- Greatest Hits (1996)

Silk - Lose Control (1992)

Shai - If I Ever Fall In Love (1992)

Whodini -Greatest Hits

Lionel Richie & The Commodores - The Definitive Collection

Total - Kima, Keisha & Pam (1998)

Total -Total (1996)

Survivor - Greatest Hits [1993][CD+Vid+Covers]

Jay-Z & Nas - Perfect Strangers Mixtape

Jean Grae - The Grae Mixtape

Jean Grae - The Official Bootleg Mixtape

Jean Grae - Hurricane Jean Mixtape

Raekwon - The Vatican Mixtape

Ras Kass - The Re-Up Compilation

Andre Nikatina & Equipto: Gun-Mouth 4 Hire, Horns and Halos Vol. 2

Mac Dre - The Genie of the Lamp

Mac Dre - Ronald Dregan- Dreganomics

Mac Dre - Thizzard Of Oz

Mac Dre - Thizz Marley

Mac Dre - Thizz In Paradise

Mac Dre - Pill Clinton

Mac Dre - Dre Van Halen

Mac Dre - Mr. Furly

Mac Dre - Mac Muthafuckin' Dre

Mac Dre - Mac Drevious

Mac Dre - Bay Legend

My Field Trip...


































H. Rap Brown




I'll try to keep this short and sweet but I've had several inquiries about it so I felt the need to write it up.

A week ago, I had the chance to hear Kevin Powell speak about Black images in the media at a local university.

If you've been following us, you know that right about now, dude is prolly one of the biggest inspirations I have to write here and outside of here, mainly due to his book "Who's Gonna Take The Weight."

Hearing him speak was no letdown.

Trying to remain brief, I'll recap those things that were mostly relevant to today's music...

Hip-hop culture vs. hip-hop industry...real simple to see those without going into a full explanation. Basically, he mentioned how the powers that be got behind what began as a rebellious, "from the heart" music, picked and chose the pieces they wanted and thus you have the hip-hop that we see mass marketed today.

The Black Male Image In Media...He spoke on various Black images from the 70's...from TV to movies...George
Jefferson, Shaft & the whole Blaxpoitation era, James
Evans disappearing Black father act after a season on Good Times...basically how Van Peebles started with an honest Black image to say "fuck the system" by creating "Sweet Sweetback" (if you haven't seen, check your roots) & the system took it & made it "the negro image" similar to the how rap got flipped from rebellion to "the black image of today"...He also made a very poignant statement comparing Karine "Supahead"
Steffans to Venus Hottentot.

I had the chance to ask him his perspective on how Chapelle was the "crazy
nigga" last year, now Boondocks reps that torch...but how both use the word "nigga" so freely and openly..he answered real simple..."Is this the
image we want to look back on twenty years from now?" He referred to one of his earlier points on how Hustle & Flow's soundtrack was nominated for some award (Oscars maybe? I'm not an award-buff) all to say..."Will we look back on "It's hard out here for a pimp" and jump up how our parents jump when they hear Marvin Gaye at the family reunion or backyard barbeque? (wooohooo...let that sink in).

Another relevant point he made was that in 1993, The Chronic was the best selling rap record. Bring that forward to 2005 & the best selling album was The Massacre...all to say that as a movement, hip-hop industry had not evolved in terms of content (woohoo...think about that). While I haven't had time to check the facts on the records he mentioned, his point was well recieved.

An additional point he made during Q&A is that we as individuals should jump
out there, use the various mediums in our control to fight against the
image the machine is puttin out there. My first thought was "blogging" lol...but he said, start on a local level and use the outlets that you have in front of you...if you're a photographer, take shots of the images YOU want to see out there...if you're a poet, perform at local events doing the type of works YOU want have heard...

Oh yeah for you fans....He spoke on Dave Chappelle. Dave's doing one magazine interview and Powell's conducting it (son's journalistic roots are deep)...mainly, he reiterated or translated what Dave said on Oprah and what he's heard from Chappelle personally, saying he's not going to let them dictate
his flow.

Really a whole whole lot & I'm the worst at verbatim recollections...son is deep. Not too deep that the average cat couldn't read him but deep enough so that the intellectuals respect him. That's what I 101% love about the dude. If you haven't checked his book, read it . It's nothing earth-shattering but his points are solid, he comes at it as the thirty-something black male from this first generation of hip-hop...It's on point, it's searching, and it's one you can pass on to that brother you know that ain't "deep" but wants light, namean. (For a previous review of the book, click here.)

Whew...that was alot.

How will all that that I heard effect me/TSS?

Well...watch & see. Check me when I'm out of line. Commend me when I'm right.


Salute!

Gotty™


Request Time Again. Anyone have any DJ SHI'ITE Mixtapes? If so, give us a holler on the email. It's been on the want list for a while. Anyone able to hook us up, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, we're looking for C.O.G (Children of Ghetto)

Click some ads! We're $6 away from a payout. Also, we got the Paypal donation button poppin off now so feel free.

Support the artists & buy the album if you like the music.

Respect due to the cats who laced us with a contributions over the past few days.



Stray Shots


Keep checking back here because we'll continously update this section.


Edan- Beauty and the Beat

Third Sight - Symbionese Liberation Army

MF Doom - Special Blends 1 & 2

Inspectah Deck - The Movement


Part 1 Part 2 PW is SuperttoG81

VA-DJ_Kay_Slay_And_Busta_Rhymes-The_Point_Of_No_Return

Ice Cube - Death Certificate

DJ Rectangle - Ill Rated

Cee-Lo Green - ...And His Perfect Imperfections

The Artifacts - That's Them

Paris - Guerilla Funk

Redman - Muddy Waters

Zion I - Deep Water Slang

Big Pun - Capital Punishment

Part 1 Part 2 PW is SuperttoG81


Pete Rock - Soul Survivor


Part 1 Part 2PW is SuperttoG81

Afu Ra - Life Force Radio

Part 1 Part 2PW is SuperttoG81

Frank n Dank - 48 Hours

Ne-Yo-In_My_Own_Words-2006

Juvenile - Reality Check

Backup Link

Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (Underground Unreleased Version)

Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (Retail Version)

Jason Mraz - Waiting For My Rocket To Come

James Blount-Back To Bedlam

Lethal Bizzle - Against All Odds (UK Grime)

Godfather Don & Kool Keith - The Cenobites EP

Sweetback - Stage FYI - This is Sade's band

Scarface & Friends - The Product (One Hunid) PW is 3rd Coast

Old School Will Never Die...




















Retro coming right back at you loyal readers/leechers.


Now, if I can think of anyone that appreciates the old school as much as I do, it'd be Frank the Tank. This man is the epitome of a dude refusing to come to terms with the issue of his own mortality. His denial results in a ruined marriage and bouts of depression. But he was better off without that bird of a wife.

The result of returning to his roots? A drinking jedi master, womanizer of drunk college broads, restoring his "Red Dragon," and a legend at the biggest newest fraternity on campus. And in all reality, what heterosexual male can't nod his head in approval? In turn, I salute Frank, and with that comes another post dedicated to the older folks who refuse to grow out of their musical niche.































If anyone can carry the torch of Frank the Tank, it's gotta be DJ Neil Armstrong. I admit, I jumped on this bandwagon pretty late, but I'm all the happier that I've found his work. In his earlier mixtapes, he used old pictures of his childhood as cover art. The good ole days, when you could find something new out about life every day. Before the cynicism of a cold reality sets in as an adult. He's trying to bring that nostalgia back into us by blessing the tables with timeless blends of old soul, and new instrumentals. Or hip hop classics, and sampled classics. He flips the script in ways annoying radio/mixtape DJ's could only have wet dreams about.

DJ Neil Armstrong - Bittersweet


Gotty™ originally put me onto "Bittersweet," one of NA's more recent works, as he knew I was DEEP into the soul centric music. It tells the story of a relationship, broken up into 7 sequences, with interpolations of movie quotes thrown in there to drive the point home: Boy Meets Girl, Patiently Waiting, Till The Breakadawn, Every Waking Moment, Pain, Letting Go No Holding Back, and Back In The Saddle. Soon as I gave it a spin in the ipod, I was hooked. This man is seriously a master with song placement and digging in the crates for quotes and classics. He may not be scratch-heavy on the tracks, but noone really wants that on a soul-laced mixtape to begin with.


Not so much of a fan of old soul? Carry on to Filthy, Original, 2Original, or Nonstop. Blends of hip hop and the songs the artists sampled from are put together to put together a duet of sorts. Seamless transitions are what I personally think make these mixtapes great. This mofo has me singing along to damn near every song that comes on.



DJ Neil Armstrong - Filthy


DJ Neil Armstrong - Original


DJ Neil Armstrong - 2Original



DJ Neil Armstrong - Nonstop pt 1


DJ Neil Armstrong - Nonstop pt 2






Now, it may seem like I'm riding dude a little hard, but I feel he's definitely slept on as an artist on the tables/tapes. But there's a reason he's gotten shoutouts from Vibe and Rolling Stone. He doesn't roll with 5th Platoon for nothing. So, give his records some spin and enjoy it as much as us at Smoking Section have. And a BIG BIG BIG shoutout to every who's helped me out, your work does not go unappreciated.



DJ Neil Armstrong - Extraordinary


DJ Neil Armstrong - Sweeet


DJ Neil Armstrong - Smoove



DJ Neil Armstrong - Warmfuzzy




DJ Neil Armstrong - Rocafella Holiday Mix (Unreleased. BIGUPS SNOOP!)



Retro Out


The Almighty 5th Platoon



No Stray Shots today folks. This man deserves a post of his own.


Click some ads! Cats have been clickin their asses off and it's showing pause. Also, we got the Paypal donation button poppin off now so feel free.

Support the artists & buy the album if you like the music.

Respect due to the cats who laced us with a contributions over the past few days.

Got music you want to share? Email us at smoking.section@gmail.com and include the artist, album, filesharing link & password (if applicable). Your contributions are what keeps this joint moving.

• Come see us @ Myspace and be sure to join the group. We try to circulate update info & some extras thru there.

Essaywhuman?!!!??!













“Bass check! 1,2 !...”

*Leonard Hub strums the upright*

“Keys check! 1,2 !...”

*A few key strokes from a young Scott Storch*

“Drums check! 1,2 !...”

*A single hi-hat from the enigmatic ?uestlove*

“It’s The Roots…”


Just like the song says, sit back and relax to hip-hop’s illest rhythm section. The Roots crew is one of the dopest acts in music, bar-none. The ability and creativity are matched by none in hip-hop. Let’s see, we haaavvvveee…Black Thought, who is one of the most complete MCs of all time, plus tracks that stay bangin’ like vatos locos. Seriously, how can you put on a LP like 1995’s Do You Want More?!!!??! and NOT rock with this shit?!!!??!

“You are all about to witness…some organic hip-hop jazz…”


On this LP, we have Black Thought and Malik B exchanging rhymes. Then, you got the band…?uestlove on the drums, Leonard Hubbard on the bass, and Scott Storch on the keys. This is The Roots in their natural form…no samples or other artificial additives. First, you got the singles: “Proceed,” and “Distortion to Static” where Thought and Malik straight spit it out, goin’ back and forth over vibes that scream ATCQ a la The Low End Theory. Then you get something like “I Remain Calm,” where Hub infiltrates your mind with the bass-line, and Storch’s keys seem to hover over a track that Black Thought simply manhandles. You get that left-wing, doo-wop shit with a track like “Datskat,” takin’ it back to that Stetsasonic feel(w/ help from trumpeter Graham Haynes).

Then they get very, very live, with tracks like “Essaywhuman?!!!??!,” where Thought goes back and forth with each instrument using onomatopoeias and straight vocal cords, or “Do You Want More?!!!??!” where BT and Dice Raw flow heavy over a simple track that ignites with the use of bagpipes by way of Rufus Harley. On “Silent Treatment,” BT puts together a story about a chick who can’t stop playin’ games over an intricate track featuring a soothing saxophone riff at the end. The Roots hone all their skills on “Mellow My Man,” where Thought confirms the fact that the “Roots is really true to this rap shit,” then flips the chorus on some Das EFX tip at the end. Not to mention they throw in a full jazz breakdown which is simply redic. On DYWM?!!!??!, you get 64 minutes of The Roots on their own shit...that laid-back, funky-ass, melodic hip-hop jazz. They just came through with their own style, and delivered it with no remorse. Truth is I do want more, and you should, too...

“ I wonder if we lost us // It’s bigger than me and you, it’s monstrous… “


In a world where “hip-hop records are treated as though they are disposable,” The Roots have constantly broken hip-hop’s Code of Geneva by bringing new styles every time they drop. They’ve been hushing critics since their inception, and they bring so much to the culture that I could probably talk this shit about the group all day. Fact is...The Roots are pioneers of that next level of hip-hop, and one of the best acts of our generation, not just the band who backed Jay on MTV’s Unplugged. I ain’t even gonna act holier than thou, because I wasn’t even checkin’ for The Roots myself in 1995 when they first dropped this gem, but I DO fully understand their concept and the importance of what they come with…

“ Because if you love music, and you love the good shit, you definitely fuckin’ with this… “


As far as the future, they recently put out two “Home Grown…” compilations (put together by ?uestlove himself) to close their deal with Geffen. Now, they’re the first act on Jay-Z’s new imprint, Def Jam Left. I’m sincerely hoping that The Roots revert back to that live shit on Game Theory, their upcoming release. Plus, I wouldn’t be mad if Malik B decided to stop fuckin’ with the water and return to the group. Either way, Black Thought will still be droppin’ jewels, and the band is still The Roots…You know, what the game’s really been missing.

The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??!

Peace

DonCarter


Contributing Writer/Official Co-D




Click some ads! Cats have been clickin their asses off and it's showing pause. Also, we got the Paypal donation button poppin off now so feel free.

Support the artists & buy the album if you like the music.

Respect due to the cats who laced us with a contributions over the past few days.

Got music you want to share? Email us at smoking.section@gmail.com and include the artist, album, filesharing link & password (if applicable). Your contributions are what keeps this joint moving.

• Come see us @ Myspace and be sure to join the group. We try to circulate update info & some extras thru there.



Stray Shots


Keep checking here because we'll constanly update this section.

VA-Big_Mike_Carmelo_Anthony_David_Bling-Big_Boy_Game_11

Sly & The Family Stone - Greatest Hits

Carlito's Way Original Score

Curtis Mayfield - Live

Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer

Masta Ace - Disposable Arts

Masta Ace - Slaughtahouse

Papoose Unfinished Business Mixtape

Coldplay-X_&_Y-2005

Nas - Re-Edits Classics

Kanye West- Freshmen Adjustment

Roy Ayers - Coffy

The Four Horseman - The Horseman Project

DJ Q-Bert - Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Muzik

Saul Williams - Amethyst Rock Star (2001)

Saul Williams - Saul Williams (2004)

E-40 - The Bay Bridges Compilation

Royce Da 5'9-Politics Mixtape

"Can You Dig It?"























"Caannnnnn youuuuuuuu digggggggittttt!?!"


We've got some definitely good reading material coming up in terms of posts.

But right now, I can't say much more except we're busy...too busy to write.

I will say...well, I'll let you see some of what I been listening to...

Just check my Last.fm Profile.

As you can see, these Common mix cds are dominating my playlist.


DJ Risky Business - Uncommon Classics

DJ Risky Bizness - More UnCommon Classics ("Return Of The Big Illinois



DJ Risky Bizness - Uncommon Classics pt 3: Full Circle


Neil Armstrong overload coming soon.

Some Roots shit too, locked and loaded.

In the meantime, we've been getting lots of link-love from you cats so we wanted to go ahead and share.

Click some ads to entertain you (and pay us!) while you download. Oh yeah...we added a Paypal donations button as well. Feel free to donate as the spirit moves you. That leftover change you got sittin in there...send it haha! It adds up, little by little, and helps us maintain this place.

Salute!

Gotty™



Click some ads! Let us make a little paper if you want to support us spending time here on the daily. You all have done an ungodly good job at this the past few days so keep it up...please! lol.

Support the artists & buy the album if you like the music.

Respect due to the cats who laced us with a contributions over the past few days.

Got music you want to share? Email us at smoking.section@gmail.com and include the artist, album, filesharing link & password (if applicable). Your contributions are what keeps this joint moving.

• Come see us @ Myspace and be sure to join the group. We try to circulate update info & some extras thru there.



Stray Shots


Keep checking here because we'll constanly update this section.

9th Prince - Granddaddy flow

Sunz Of Man - Saviour's Day

Dom Pachino aka PR Terrorist – Operation Warface

Sunz of Man presents: Hell Razah and 4th Disciple - Freedom of Speech

Murs & 9th wonder- Murray's Revenge

Too Short - Short Dog's In The House

Sham & The Professor - Split Personalities


Royce Da 5'9'' - Rock City 2.0

Children Of The Corn - Collector's Edition

"Got Yourself A...."

































Late nite television had quite a bit of fun with the Dick Cheney shooting.

So, for lack of dedicated writing material (i.e. it's the weekend and we're all lazy), we figured we'd take the time to share some of the highlights from the various comments.


Craig Ferguson

"He is a lawyer and he got shot in the face. But he's a lawyer, he can use his other face. He'll be all right."

"You can understand why this lawyer fellow let his guard down, because if you're out hunting with a politician, you think, 'If I'm going to get it, it's going to be in the back."

"Apparently the reason they didn't release the information right away is they said we had to get the facts right. That's never stopped them in the past."


Jay Leno

"Cheney also admitted that he'd been drinking. He said he had one beer. Okay, it was a 40-ounce Colt .45, but just one."

"Here's my favorite part of this whole incident. After Cheney shot the guy, the police later showed up at the ranch where Cheney was staying and wanted to talk to him, but was told to come back the next morning. And that's what they did, they came back the next morning. Kev, that ever happen in the hood?"

"See, this is why Republicans have to commit white collar crimes to steal money. They're just not good with guns, they don't know how to handle them."

"They were in a car, they drive along, they get out of the car, he shoots his friend in the face, then they get back in the car and they go hide for 18 hours. That’s not hunting ... that's an episode of 'The Sopranos'"

"President Bush says he is standing behind the vice president. Way behind him."

"And you know what's really scary about all of this -- what if it turns out all this time Bush was the smart one?"


David Letterman

"Until Democrats approve Medicare reform, we have to make some tough choices for the elderly."

"Rumors are that the reason Dick Cheney didn't say anything about the hunting accident for about 24 hours was because he had been drinking. And I'm thinking, well jeez, he was probably drinking when we planned the invasion of Iraq."

"If this story gets any bigger, pretty soon they're going to have to tell the president."



Jimmy Kimmel


"But all kidding aside, and in fairness to Dick Cheney, every five years he has to shed innocent blood or he violates his deal with the devil."

"Cheney said he did have a beer during lunch. One beer, and the only reason he even drank it was to wash down the three hits of ecstasy."

"The man who was shot is named Harry Whittington. He's a high powered Republican lawyer, he was very lucky. They say the only reason that he wasn't killed is he was wearing the body armor that never got shipped to our troops."



Random but quotable

"He got faulty information on where the target was."


What song could be more appropo....


A3 - "Woke Up This Morning"



And might I suggest Neo-Souljah & Sean's Hangout for some homecooked soul. Give'em a look. Personally, I like what they're doing over there on both sites with a nice mix of artists and musical offerings.

After a few weeks of wondering if this "Big Brother" in action or not, I finally said eff it and created a Last.fm Profile. Feel free to keep track of what I'm listening to...just try not to laugh too hard at me.


I had to relist so...buy my speakers. Paypal now accepted (courtesy of Retro).


Click some ads! Let us make a little paper if you want to support us spending time here on the daily. You all have done an ungodly good job at this the past few days so keep it up...please! lol.

Support the artists & buy the album if you like the music.

Respect due to the cats who laced us with a contributions over the past few days.

Got music you want to share? Email us at smoking.section@gmail.com and include the artist, album, filesharing link & password (if applicable). Your contributions are what keeps this joint moving.

• Come see us @ Myspace and be sure to join the group. We try to circulate update info & some extras thru there.



Stray Shots


Keep checking here because we'll constanly update this section.



Talib Kweli - Right About Now (The Official Sucka Free Mix CD)


Atmosphere - Overcast

KOs - Exit

Krumb Snatcha - Respect All Fear None

Rev Run - Distortion

De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead

Madlib - Blunted in the Bomb Shelter

MF Doom - Operation Doomsday

J Dilla - Donuts

Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves

9th Wonder - God's Stepson

The Roots - Do This Well (Remixes & Rarities 1994 - 1999)

Disc 1

Disc 2

Disc 3

Tony Hussle - Sexy, Freaky, Electric EP (in m4p format)

Saigon - Abandoned Tracks Volume 1

Saigon - Abandoned Tracks Volume 2

DJ Whoo Kid DJ Kay Slay - The Best Of Saigon AkA The Yardfather Vol 1 - 2002

Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep

Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food

tha dogg pound lp

Too Short – Married To The Game

E40 – Federal

Nate Dogg – G Funk Classics Vol 1 & 2

Tribe Called Quest – Tribe Vibe

Vol 1

Vol 2

Vol 4

Run DMC - Tougher Than Leather

Big Shug – Who’s Hard?

Jeru – Divine Design

Jeru The Damaja - Wrath of The Math



If needed, PW is SuperttoG81

We Asked...


















...We recieved.

You all gave wholeheartedly.

We appreciate it.

The links you see below are your contributions.

But I feel like a preacher steady passing the collection plate on Sunday morning.

Don't stop here because this is how it usually goes down.

We rant. We rave.

You give.

Then it's a drought.

My grandma used to say "Beggars can't be choosers"...

Just because it's old, "different," "too underground," "too _____ Coast," whatever...if you got it and enjoy it, there's prolly at least one, two or two hundred others who do...so share it!

We've got more commentary coming up (oh Lord do we lol)...but for now, just enjoy the music.

Be steadfast oh hip-hop warriors...be steadfast.

Keep the contributions coming. Send'em to smoking.section@gmail.com

Salute!

Gotty™

Retro's Request...Anyone have any DJ NEIL ARMSTRONG mixtapes? I already have "Bittersweet," "Warmfuzzy," "2 Original," "Original" and "Filthy." Looking for Sweet, Smoove, and Non-Stop. Much props to the folks that have already hit me up. I cant thank you guys enough. A post for him coming soon, even if I have to go to eBay to find his works.

Also, we're looking for any 5th Plattoon or Stretch Armstrong joints.Thanks




Click some ads! Let us make a little paper if you want to support us spending time here on the daily. Please click the Crown Du-Rags ad in specific because we're testing to see if it'll perform like AdBrite predicts it will.

Support the artists & buy the album if you like the music.

Respect due to the cats who laced us with a contributions over the past few days.

Got music you want to share? Email us at smoking.section@gmail.com and include the artist, album, filesharing link & password (if applicable). Your contributions are what keeps this joint moving.

• For the umpteenth time, if you have a request, contribute something first. Otherwise, personally, I'll be ignoring you unless it's something I have handy or want to share. Your contributions are what keep this spot going.

• Come see us @ Myspace and be sure to join the group. We try to circulate update info & some extras thru there.



buy my speakers...


Please support the "Buy Shurie a bed because she's tired of sleeping on a loveseat" fund and donate a dollar or two. Shurie's a good friend of ours at smokingsection and it'd mean a lot for her broke ass.









(Disclaimer: Shurie is in no way affiliated with smoking section or it's music. She's just a friend that needs help, so give!)


Pharoahe Monch - Internal Affairs


KRS One - KRS One
pt1
pt2

KRS One - Kristyles


U-God - Golden Arms Redemption

pt1
pt2

Oh No - The Disrupt


Jean Grae & 9th Wonder - Jeanius


Young Jeezy - Let's Get It Thug Motivation 101
pt1
pt2


Password for above 7 = SuperttoG81


---------------------------------------


Hiero Live Full Circle tour CD



Dilated Peoples - 20/20


-froz1


J-Dilla - Donuts 7" Picture Disc 45


Grand Theft Auto 3 Soundtrack (all stations including commercials)

DJ Vinroc - Dancehall Flavaz


Roy Ayers - The Millenium Collection

Roy Ayers - Everybody Loves The Sunshine


Roy Ayers Ubiquity - Lifeline


Lil 1/2 Dead - Dead Has Arisen


----------------------

Rufus - Rags To Rufus


Ras Kass - Soul On Ice


El Da Sensei - Relax, Relate, Release


Mad Skillz - From Where?



Vinroc - Reconstruction

1a 1b 2

----------------

112

The Saga Continues (Mixtape) [change extension to rar]

Pleasure and Pain

Hot and Wet [change extension to rar]

















So Fat Joe says he doesn't respect Nas for signing to Def Jam.


I agree.

Squashing the whole beef thing is cool & good for hip-hop.

But, breaking bread with the man who aired you out on wax?

Not gangsta.

Sure, Jay doesn't "own" Def Jam...

Sure, Nas wasn't with his baby mother anymore...

Sure, he's getting a huge advance & album budget, plus he'll get proper promotion...

But what good is it for a man to gain the whole world but sell his soul in the process?

I put Nas number one on my list in regards to his artistic work, even with some of his weaker albums.

As a man though, you gotta question this dude's character.

First, I understand the idea of growth and agree that every great artist should go thru it.

But Nas done flip flopped his whole career on various issues.

And by the looks of it, him & nobody in Queen's get along...but then again, none of those Queens dudes seem to get along well for long so that's not a major strike.

Time has passed...the beef is over...everybody's all hugs...

Fuck that.

Now, while I might forgive some of my past enemies and their transgressions, I'll never be hugged up with them...unless I was plottin' to make a move on them lol.

Forgive but don't forget.

This that same man that totally disrespected you as a man by tellin the world how he smutted out your bird and spoke negatively about your mother.

At this point, Nas won the battle (face it..he ripped Jay)...but Jay has seemingly won the war.


In musical news...I need more Saigon pause.

Son is a beast...I've said it before and I'm saying it again.

Points of reference...

A. This particular track with True Life. It's prolly the closest we'll get to hearing Sai do a "radio-friendly" or "club track"...bouncy beat, understandble flow & playful vibe...although he outshines True Life, I'd like to see them do more because True sorta offsets Sai's style well.

Saigon & True Life - "Yep Yep"


B. Here, he asks some pointed questions & takes some swipes at a few folks...*cough*lesbians & B.I.G.*cough*

Saigon - "Contraband 2"


C. The full version of "My Favorite Things" where the second verse is just as strong as the first

Saigon - "My Favorite Things"


D. The boom-bap of this track, the mean sample and the lyrical come-up described...

Saigon - "Repercussions"


Plus, let me take a moment to get some shit off my chest.

We started this shit, not to be Napster...we don't do all these requests you cats are asking for.

We do this to share...share what we think is hot; allow you to share what you think is hot, whatever...musical, political, social, anything artistic; to share new material or artists we run across or others point out to us or an artist that we feel needs more shine.

When we ran a contest for you (the visitor) to particpate in by contributing your links in return for a chance to win something...FOUR FUCKIN PEOPLE contributed...FOUR.

That's the wackest shit I ever heard of or been apart of.

We got a good team of cats that show their support by passing us links, posting their thoughts and comments, passing the word to boards they visit, telling friends, etc.

And we love those people.

But, out of 3600+ visitors per day...we'd like to see a more active community to say the least.

We've got more planned in terms of contests, giveaways, and the like.

But we're not doing this for naught.
























(Please note - This post doesn't apply to those cats who truly been showing love and reppin right along w/us the whole way, sending links, commenting and passing around the url. You already know we appreciate you folk without a doubt)


Retro's Request...Anyone have any DJ NEIL ARMSTRONG mixtapes? I already have "Bittersweet," "Warmfuzzy," "2 Original," "Original" and "Filthy." Looking for Sweet, Smoove, and Non-Stop. Much props to the folks that have already hit me up. I cant thank you guys enough. A post for him coming soon, even if I have to go to eBay to find his works.

Also, we're looking for any 5th Plattoon or Stretch Armstrong joints.Thanks




Click some ads! Let us make a little paper if you want to support us spending time here on the daily. Please click the Crown Du-Rags ad in specific because we're testing to see if it'll perform like AdBrite predicts it will.

Support the artists & buy the album if you like the music.

Respect due to the cats who laced us with a contributions over the past few days.

Got music you want to share? Email us at smoking.section@gmail.com and include the artist, album, filesharing link & password (if applicable). Your contributions are what keeps this joint moving.

• For the umpteenth time, if you have a request, contribute something first. Otherwise, personally, I'll be ignoring you unless it's something I have handy or want to share. Your contributions are what keep this spot going.

• Come see us @ Myspace and be sure to join the group. We try to circulate update info & some extras thru there.



buy my speakers...


Please support the "Buy Shurie a bed because she's tired of sleeping on a loveseat" fund and donate a dollar or two. Shurie's a good friend of ours at smokingsection and it'd mean a lot for her broke ass.









(Disclaimer: Shurie is in no way affiliated with smoking section or it's music. She's just a friend that needs help, so give!)

Latest from The Smoking Section

Smoking Section Twitter

Smoking Section Facebook