How Awesome Is This? Original Guru Demo Tape Release

Man, I can remember a couple years ago, when a rap blogger (damn, I wish I could remember which blog it was!) posted pics of a cassette he found in a shoebox full of old cassettes: A crazy looking, handmade demo tape by Guru, back when he was going by the name of Keithy E. Man, that was the source of some serious online envy! But then it was nearly forgotten, as news broke of Guru's hospitalization, the beef between Solar and Premier and Guru's family, and eventually his tragic passing.

But it wasn't completely forgotten, because The X Label got a hold of it and is releasing replica copies of that original cassette, with the original music and artwork. The X Label is run by Justin Elam, Guru's nephew, who you probably remember from these videos.

Now, I talked before about the early, pre-Premier recordings of Gangstarr on wax, starting in 1987, and the different sounds they had with DJ 12BDown on the boards. Well, this is even before that - this tape dates back to 1986, and it's even further removed from the sounds we know as Gangstarr's. There's no Premier or 45 King, but Beatmaster Jay providing the music (as well as DJ 12BDown on the turntables and Damo D providing some human beatbox).

And I'm not going to front, it's really rudimentary. While those early 12"s showed us a birthing Gangstarr looking for its signature sound, this tape brings us them learning how to make rap records period. I'm not saying it's wack, but it's definitely very amateurish and clumsy, with cheaply recorded vocals over drum machine loops. And sound quality? Well, I think their focus was more on preserving than restoring here. It sounds like the hand-made demo tape they're presenting it as, not original recordings restored from their masters. And while other early demo releases by classic artists we've seen released (i.e. OC's on No Sleep, or Main Source's on DWG) have been as good if not better than most of their classics, this is definitely not the case here. This is a tape to be listened to and appreciated as a piece of history by a classic artist, but not so much for being a gripping musical masterpiece.

But it's still a pretty dang awesome release. It's a six-track EP, with five songs. The opening track is a radio interview with Guru and DJ 12 B Down as guests, which is pretty great to have, too. And one of the songs should sound familiar - it's "The Lesson," the first 12" they released on Wild Pitch. But, this is a completely different mix. The lyrics are the same, but the music is different with lots of keyboards, and in general it's kind of lighter, more pop.

The other four tracks are "Epitome Spree," "Cold World," "Not You" and "People Unite," none of which have ever been released before. Interestingly, in the radio interview, one or two other early Gangstarr songs are discussed that we don't hear here. So that means there's actually even more vintage, unreleased Guru music left to be unearthed (possibly 12 B Down has it?), "So What" and "Fresh Avenue." X Label, maybe that could be your next release. =)

This EP is only available on cassette, a full-on replica of the original tape, including the labels on the tape itself. There is one interesting change however. On the back of the original, it said "COPYRIGHT 1986, K. Elam, J. Johnson," with J. Johnson's name crossed out. In the pic to the right, the original is on top, and the new version underneath. I assume J. Johnson is Beatmaster Jay. Not only did The X Label add their own logo, which you'd expect; they also 'shopped out J. Johnson's credit. A little touch of rewriting history, I guess.

Anyway, these are reasonably priced at $15 - just slightly more than what you'd've paid for a tape release back in the day; and they're available directly from the label's site: thexlabel.com. Really, I don't know how anybody could look at that picture and not just immediately decide, "I need that!" But seeing it online does bring up some questions, so I hope I answered them all, and if this is your first time hearing about this release... pretty awesome, ain't it?

Gangstarr Without Premier

(Youtube version is here.)

Gangstarr Adjusted

Gangstarr's "Gotta Get Over (Taking Loot)" was originally released as part of the soundtrack to Trespass, one of those movies made during that brief time-period where soundtracks were so lucrative, that whole films were produced on the cheap just so they could market the albums. I did see it at the time - as I recall, it was about a couple of guys (including a less famous Bill Paxton) who discover gold in the middle of some drug dealing gang's territory... eventually everybody shoots everybody, and the deep message is "greed is bad and some people really shouldn't have guns."

But forget about the movie (the rest of the world has); the important part, as I say, is the soundtrack, on Sire Records. Now, it's mostly a west coast affair, featuring artists like Ice-T, WC and The Penthouse Players' Clique (which I'm not saying is a bad thing, mind you - I'm a PPC fan), but it includes two stand-out east coast songs, Lord Finesse's "You Know What I'm About" and Gangstarr's "Gotta Get Over." Sire Records put out a single or two (AMG's "Don't Be a 304" was the big one), but "Gotta Get Over" was such a stand-out track that Gangstarr's label, Chrysalis Records, picked it up and released it as a single themselves.

"Gotta Get Over" features one of the most memorable basslines in hip-hop history. Couple that with Guru being on a more hardcore, street edge than usual, and Premier's pro cuts and horn samples, and you've got a Gangstarr classic that rivals any of their greatest singles. But this 12" takes it further, and includes, in addition to the album version, a brand new Large Professor remix. Now on a song this great, a remix really isn't needed - who's going to stop playing the original, which nailed it perfectly, to spin an alternate version? But now many years have passed, I think we can go back and this excellent production by Extra P. No, of course it doesn't top the original; but taken on its own, it's a great track. It keeps the aesthetic of the original, dominating the tune with a dope, memorable bassline. It's not the same bassline at all, but it's used in the same spirit and is similarly accentuated by Guru's voice. But in this case, the remix really comes to life on the hook, when these ill samples come in... it actually reminds me of the kind of stuff RNS provided for the first UMCs album.

So you've got both versions of "Gotta Get Over" on here, plus the remix instrumental. But turn it over and you've got another Gangstarr cut. This time it's for "Flip the Script" off the Daily Operation album. You've got two mixes on here: the Album Mix and the "Remix/ Minor Adjustment Mix," also by Premier. "Flip the Script" was always one of my favorite cuts off that album, the loop has this really hard chop to it that's almost broken but sounds great. And this new version maintains that. In fact, considering the name, you might think that the "Minor Adjustment" remix would be one of those where you have to keep your ear to the speaker just to suss out the distinction; but actually it's apparent. The piano keys that make up the bassline are switched out with new ones comprised of more notes, giving the song a richer vibe, almost more like live music. The other big difference is the addition to a new high-pitched, heavy metal guitar sample being scratched and looped into the track. It's hard to single out one as better than the other, really; I think it just boils down to a question of whether you prefer a busier, more complex beat or the rawer, simpler original.

Regardless, this is a pretty sweet 12", and right up there with Gangstarr's classics. It's a good thing Chrysalis was smart enough to license the song and commission release, or we fans would've really missed out.

Remembering the Gifted

Following the recent loss of one of hip-hop's most esteemed MCs, Guru, we're celebrating his work over at DWG with a series of reviews of classic Gangstarr 12"'s. Mine just went up now. I picked a more recent one than you might expect, but hopefully you'll find it a fitting choice.