Slum Village - Can I Be Me

Slum Village is a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.

The group was formed by three members: MCs Baatin and T3, plus MC and producer Jay Dee (J Dilla - deceased).



Jay Dee left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records and was replaced by Elzhi, after which Baatin also left due to health complications.

The group has played a vital role in the careers of several Detroit-based Hip-hop artists, such as Frank-N-Dank, Platinum Pied Pipers, Dwele, and Black Milk.

Verbal Threat - Reality Check Feat. DJ Premier

Verbal Threat is a hip-hop duo, which exploded on to the hip-hop scene in 2006 with this debut single "Reality Check" produced by DJ Premier.

They went on to record the album "The Golden Era" (released 2008) working in the studio with Primo, Da Beatminerz, Mathematics, 4th Disciple, Bronze Nazareth, Babu from Dilated Peoples; with collaborations from Kool G Rap and Sadat X.



Verbal Threat represents a return to the "Golden Era" of hip-hop (1988-1992) where lyrics and originality were a necessity. The video for Reality Check has been praised as the return of the legitimate hip-hop.

They have toured with Guru from Gangstarr, Kool Keith, KRS ONE, rocking shows over the years with Method Man, Jeru The Damaja, Dilated Peoples, Dwele, Slum Village, Blackalicious and others.

The Black Market Militia - Gem Stars

The Black Market Militia is comprised of Killah Priest, Timbo King, Hell Razah, Tragedy Khadafi and William Cooper.

They released their debut self titled album in 2005, through Nature Sounds Records.



Before doing so they released two underground mixtapes, The Black Market Vol. 1, and Vol. 2: Dead Street Scrolls.

Souls of Mischief - Cab Fare

Souls of Mischief is an alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California, that is also part of the hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The Souls of Mischief formed in 1993 and is composed of emcees A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai.



Oakland native Tajai began rhyming with future band mate A-Plus at age 8, while both were in elementary school.

Tajai and Phesto met later in junior high school. Tajai later introduced A-Plus and Phesto to the remaining Souls of Mischief member, Opio, and the group informally formed in high school before making their major-label debut on Jive Records with their well-received album 93 'til Infinity, in 1993.



Cab Fare was unreleased and features the loop off the Theme from the TV show Taxi.

Get Your Copy of Trackups Volume 1

I've had a few enquiries from people wanting hard copies of the tracks they hear on the newsletter each day, so while stocks last, place your order for TrackUps Mixtape Volume 1 for $5 mixed by Krect. christian@catch.com.au

Track Listing:

Jemini and Dangermouse - The Only One
Slick Rick - Frozen (feat Raekwon)
The Roots - Respond React
De La Soul - Oooh (featuring Redman)
Non Phixion - Say Goodbye To Yesterday
Hieroglyphics - At the Helm
NWA - Express Yourself
Reks - Say Goodnight
Elzhi - Fire
Akrobatik - Say Yes Say Word
Blahzay Blahzay - Danger
Jemini the Gifted One - Scars and Pain
F.A.T.A.L. Fountain - All About Wars
Shabaam Sahdeeq - I Still Love Her (Hip Hop)
All Natural - Queens get the money
D&D All-Stars Cypher - 1, 2 Pass It (LP Version)
Saukrates - Money Or Love
Latyrx - Lady Don't Tek No

Heltah Skeltah - Art Of Disrespekinazation

Heltah Skeltah is a hip hop duo consisting of members Rock (aka Tha Rockness Monstah) and Ruck (aka Ruckus and Sean Price). The two are members of New York Hip Hop supergroup Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C..



This track comes off the Sep 2008 Released Album D.I.R.T. (Da Incredible Rap Team).

Black Star - Definition

Black Star is a rap group formed by MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Affiliated with the group is DJ Hi-Tek, who formed producer/MC duo Reflection Eternal with Kweli for the album Train of Thought and produced a portion of Black Star's debut album.



Black Star is part of the Native Tongues Posse, a collective that contains, amongst others A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, Da Bush Babees and Common.

Black Star arose from the underground movement of the late 1990s, which was in large part due to Rawkus Records, an independent record label stationed in New York City.



They released one self titled album. Though the record achieved little commercial success, they (and other members of the Native Tongues Posse) helped shape underground alternative rap and helped bring it further into the mainstream eye.

Both have gone on to greater commercial and critical success in separate solo careers.



Talib Kweli, is an American MC from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip hop. Talib in Arabic means "student" or "seeker"; Kweli in Swahili means "true".

For more on Mos Def click here: http://trackups.blogspot.com/2008/08/mos-def-biography.html

88-Keys feat. Redman - The Burning Bush

Charles Misodi Njapa, better known by his stage name 88-Keys, is an American record producer and MC.

Born in Long Island, New York to West African parents, 88' first took an interest in hip-hop after hearing Prince Paul's production on De La Soul’s 1989 critically acclaimed album 3 Feet High and Rising.



In the early '90's, 88' met A Tribe Called Quest’s front man Q-Tip, Pete Rock and producer Large Professor working as an intern at West Hempstead’s The Music Palace recording studio.

It was Large Professor who gave Charles his 88-Keys moniker after witnessing his skills on the Ensoniq ASR-10 keyboard.

Oddisee / Little Brother - Delusional

Little Brother is an American hip hop group from North Carolina that consists of Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh. Producer 9th Wonder was a part of the group since its inception, but left before recording the album Getback.



Their debut album The Listening (2003) was highly acclaimed, and was followed by The Chitlin Circuit 1.5 mixtape in 2005 and the group's second album, The Minstrel Show, also released in 2005 and received a "XL" from XXL magazine and 4.5 Mics from The Source.

The group tours frequently with their official DJ, Flash. In an interview with MVRemix.com, Phonte explained the origins of his group's name: "Tribe, De La, P.E....were like our big brothers in the game so now we are the little brothers of that movement...carrying on the tradition of good music."



Oddisee is a Washington based, Sudanese-American Mc and Producer who has worked alongside Talib Kweli, Asheru, and J-Live, and is a member of the Low Budget Collective.