Roxbury's Finest

Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs - I Got To Have It (video)

Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs - Bug-A-Boo (video)

Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs - Be A Father To Your Child (video)

With my trip to Boston MA iminent, it felt appropriate to tip my hat to one of Beantown's hardest working emcees - Ed O.G.

His first lp "Life Of A Kid In The Ghetto" was a confident debut, full of conscious lyrics with a kind of old skool delivery, alongside jazzy breaks plus a touch of humour here and there. In some respects a similar approach to Brand Nubian's Grand Puba.

His debut spawned 3 singles, whose videos got mad airplay on Yo! MTV Raps in 1991. His next lp (Roxbury 02119) didn't materialise until the beginning of 1994, but was unfortunately overshadowed by the heavyweight lp's of that year from the likes of Nas, Biggie, O.C., Jeru & Gangstarr to name but a few. "Love Comes and Goes" & "Skinny Dip" did get some MTV exposure, however.

Ed kinda fell off the radar in the latter part of the nineties, only to resurface this decade without his Bulldogs crew, courtesy of collaborations with the likes of Masta Ace, Guru, Diamond and Pete Rock, which were featured on a selection of new lp's. Ed's success was not limited by his ability, but possibly by staying in Boston and repping Beantown to the fullest, rather than following Guru down the coast for a bite at the Big Apple.

With a new generation of Boston acts coming through like the Kreators, Mr Lif, 7L & Eso and The Almighty RSO, crate diggers are keen to rediscover Ed's early work which has acted as a foundation for todays Beantown sound.

Boy I can't wait to get over there!

Classic Material #1

Black Boot Stomp (Taken From Years Of The 9 Lp)

Professor X Tribute Mix

First in a regular series charting the best lp's that dropped in '91.

To coincide with the untimely passing away of Proffesor X, we salute his debut lp Years Of The 9, On The Blackhand Side. A more soulful offering than X-Clans' To The East Blackwards, it dropped very early on in 1991 when afrocentric hip hop was at it's peak.

Rest in peace Lumumba Carson, you were truely a vanglorious brother.

There Goes The Neighborhood

Jackin For Beats Video

Steady Mobbin Video

True To The Game Video

Strictly speaking Ice Cube's breakout year was 1990, with the release of his first and greatest lp Amerikkka's Most Wanted. Cube capitalised on this success one year later in fine fashion. Firstly his Kill At Will EP dropped bombs at the turn of the year, his second lp Death Certificate followed later on in '91 and cemented his reputation in Hip Hop's A-List. Finally, he made his silver screen debut in John Singleton's seminal gangsta/hip hop film hit Boyz In The Hood. Ice Cube enjoyed varying success with further albums and films throughout the 1990's, becoming one of the most recognisable faces of west coast hip hop around the world.

Here Come The Drums

Yeah Boyeeee, we had to start with Public Enemy!!!!

Step In The Arena

Hey yo,

It's clawdada repping it for the '91 baby!

This new blog will dedicate itself to one of the phattest years in hip hop history, so stay tuned for videos, mp3's, & more - '91 style.