Going out by request! Here is The Firm-era freestyle by Nas & Foxy Brown over Tha Alkaholics “Hip Hop Drunkies” instrumental. You may have heard it first on The Firm’s sampler cassette, or more likely DJ Clue’s Platinum Plus mixtape.. or just maybe even on DJ S&S’s It’s Not a Game. But this recording, taken from Cutmaster C’s Cut vs. the World mixtape, is special. Sandwiched between Fox & Nas’ verse, conspicuously so that Esco’s adlibs appear at both ends, is a seldom-heard 24 bar verse from Nature! Most likely recorded after the fact, it’s indicative of Nate’s hunger and eagerness to shine with his unique brand of wordplay. Although I wouldn’t say the verses from the original version of this freestyle are as phoned-in as some of what appeared on The Firm album, it’s clear listening to any of Nature’s material from this time period who the stakes were highest for.

The Firm - Hip Hop Drunkies Freestyle Pt.2

Inspired by his appearance on “Ocho Cinco,” a strong contender for song of the year thus far: let’s take it to Brooklyn with Chef Boy Izzar. This is Trackmasters-era, early 2003 RC (damn.. I can’t believe this tape is 10 years old!) Hosted by DJ Kool Kid, Shakedown Vol.1 is, to my knowledge, Café’s first solo mixtape since parting ways with The Franchize. An amicable split, of course: peep Gravy’s cameo alongside Gilly Da Kid & Ab-Liva on “Hungry Niggaz.” Sure, there are a few interludes that go absolutely nowhere, but this is a thorough mixtape overall. If nothing else, noteworthy for its contribution of the term ‘Tarzan bitches’ to the lexicon.

Download Red Café - Shakedown Vol.1 mixtape

That’s right, only 6 more shopping days until the next ALL OUT! Haven’t been posting about these as aggressively as I could have, but I try to keep the self-promotion in check whenever possible. I can say, with all humility, that the past few months have been incredible. It’s really been a pleasure supplying the soundtrack to such good times. Always an eclectic crowd, so we try to match that with a mix that’s just as unpredictable. Looking at my crate right now: I got A-Mafia through Yvette Michelle covered. Not to mention whatever my man No Go Go brings to the table. Turn up!

I know everybody’s waiting for Mister Cee tomorrow, but for those of you who can’t get enough of this sort of thing- check out Flex’s hour-long tribute from last night’s radio show on Hot97. A tasteful collection of classic records and rarely heard recordings (when do you ever get to hear Cease’s verse from The Wake Up Show freestyle??), and of course Flex goes into storytelling mode. Don’t sleep on this mix, trust me!

Unofficial remixes are like cops, they never seem to be around when you need one. The thing is: when I’m DJ-ing, I strive for integrity in what I play. I really try to avoid spinning anything that personally makes me cringe, even if it’s clamored for. Maybe I’m selfish. Maybe my standards are too high, but I find Wiz’s verse on this inexcusable. If any R&B-assisted smash record was begging for a jackmove, it’s this one. And yet, despite some vigorous googling, I struggled to find any work from the usual suspects. (Papoose? Young Chris, where you at?) That’s not to say I came up completely empty-handed. Pause.

Read More