T.R.O.Y.

Posted: 04 Jan 2009 09:30 PM CST

We were on an abbreivated holiday schedule for a minute, but we continued to bring you the goods. We're generous like that. Thank us later. We're just glad that you had a restful and festive holiday season and that you're steady bumping rap songs that sample sleigh bells, a whole mess of Prince Paul remixes, Kool & The Gang samples, the only existing video footage of the Lord Finesse vs Percee P battle, an unreleased DJ Mark the 45 King album, the best quality mp3 version of Large Pro's The LP, all the Ras Kass singles that matter, the career output of Easy Mo Bee, and Chad Sexington's Yacht Rap compilation. Yeah, that's our output when we're on vacation. Some of you bloggers out there are stand up people, but let's be real - you didn't have that many posts of interest all year. And we didn't waste our readership's collective time by reviewing the details of non-music beefs between c-level rappers or premiering the latest year-end snoozefest from fucking Mad Skillz. Show us love.

Don't front - we're running your iPods these days. When's the last time you even bothered making your own playlists? Exactly. Let it be known that T.R.O.Y. is back for '09. We'll be posting three times per day during the week, and twice per day on the weekend. Our first order of business is to bring you Fifty Remixes You Need To Hear. Ten per day, every day of the week. Should make your commutes, lunch hours, and wind-down hours after work that much more pleasurable. Those who have been down since day one - stay with us, we're just getting warmed up. We got lots more in store - more interviews, more compilations, more mixes, more essays. If you just discovered us, well, we're glad you came. Pull up a chair, sit down, and have a listen. -- Thun

Beats From No I.D. & Dug Infinite

Posted: 04 Jan 2009 10:00 AM CST

No I.D. is mostly known for producing almost all of Common's classic album 'Resurrection', most of 'One Day It'll All Make Sense', and about half of his debut 'Can I Borrow A Dollar?' Along with Dug Infinite, they dropped a very tight album of their own, 'Accept Your Own And Be Yourself (The Black Album)' in 1997. No I.D. has gone on to work with the likes of Jermaine Dupri, Jay Z, and Usher in recent years, but of course that's not the focus here.

The first record here was released in 2001. I copped for eight bucks at a record store that doesn't know much about Hip Hop, about a month ago. There are a couple of instrumental versions of cuts from their Black Album on here and a couple of others you should recognize,but most of the beats were new to me. If not for anything else,this is well worth copping just for the re-working of the 'I Used To Love Her' beat alone. Not a bad record at all for this century.

The second record here is a bit of a rarity from around 1996, I believe. It was released on Opposition Records as part of an instrumental series along with The Beatnuts and Vic from the 'Groove Merchants'. If there were more volumes in this series that you know about,please drop a comment. Those were the only three I had and remember seeing back then.

No I.D. & Dug Infinite - The Sampler Vol.1