Gold Money (Pee Wee & Bigg Money Odis) -1992- A Day in the Life of a Player (TNT/Tommy Boy)

•  Pee Wee from The Underground Railroad
  

 

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 Listen the album

Tracklist :

 

1. Youngblood

2. Cop N Blow feat. Foe Doe Caddy

3. Money feat. Shock G

4. Momma Mia

5. Mnniggaahh

6. W-E-E-D

7. Daddy Never Left Ya

8. Nothin'

9. The Hoooof

10.Standin' Ovation

11. Young Black Teenagers

Produced by Pee Wee

Vocals by Bigg Money Odis & Pee Wee

Backing Vocals by Foe Doe Daddy, Jeremy "JZ" Jackson, Money B, Atron Gregory and many others... 

 

Let's notice that the album is released in the label TNT Recordings like Digital Underground's first four albums, 2Pac's first two albums, Funky Aztecs first album, Syke & Johnny's Evil Mind Gangsta's album, Smooth's two second albums and Big Syke's first solo album when he left Death Row !!  

Bigg Money Odis, like Tupac, appeared for the first time in Digital Underground's This is an E.P. release (1991, TNT/Tommy Boy), but in "Nuttin' Nis Funky". And the funny thing is that he is replaced by 2Pac in some live records of the song. But his career will be short.

As a mentor, like for 2Pac's first album, Shock G appears in the second track of the album. And like for "Trapped", they released a video.

See the video of the single "Money" feat. Shock G

Pee Wee was a member of the Underground Railroad, a group of producers constitued mainly for producing 2Pac's first album 2Pacalypse Now (Most of them were members of the Digital Underground - Shock G, Money B, DJ Fuze -, the rest were Tupac friends : Stretch, Jeremy JZ Jackson and Big D. Pee Wee himself produced "Trapped" and "I Don't Give a Fuck". 

 

Pee Wee is also featured as a rapper in "I Don't Give a Fuck" !! But almost nobody knows because it is never written anywhere (people thinks it is the man called Pogo but it is Pee Wee's voice and style)... He also makes the backing vocals in "Something Wicked". Giving so the identity of three songs, he is an important part of this first album. 

He will be again featured alongside 2Pac in the "DFLO Shuttle" in Digital Underground's second album Sons of P (1991, TNT/Tommy Boy), recorded the same year than 2Pacalyspse Now, released one month earlier.

 

Pee Wee and Bigg Money Odis will be featured also with Tupac, Money B in Funky Aztecs first album Chicano Blues (1992, TNT), in which Pee Wee also produced 6 tracks (with two other by Jeremy Jackson)...

After that, Pee Wee will be featured with Too Short, Ant Banks, Juvenile Committee, Too Short's Dangerous Crew and will produce tracks for Too Short, MC Breed, Juvenile Committee, Goldy, Dangerous Crew. Too Short's friends.

 

 

Ray Luv (Strictly Dope) -1992- Who Can Be Trusted (Strictly Business)

 Ray "Tyson" Luv, 2Pac's partner in Strictly Dope (cf. The Lost Tapes)

 

 

 

 Discogs page

Listen in Youtube

 

1. Intro (with Ant Dog)

2. Get Ma Money On !

3. X Check It Out Ya'll !

4. Commercial (skit)

5. Smokin' Indo

6. Commercial (skit)

7. Who Can Be Trusted

8. 1 Fo Ya Ass "Raymond's Dead"

9. 1991 R.I.P.

10. Shout Out (with Ant Dog)

11. Instrumental by Khayree

Produced by Khayree. Scratches by DJ Cee (not the well known mixtape producer).

Ray Luv was the partner of Tupac in Strictly Dope (1988-1990, cf. Beginnings, The Lost Tapes), the group who was produced by DJ Chopmaster J of the Digital Underground. They were touring, opening, featuring live with the funky group (cf. "Nuttin' Nis Funky" live featuring Tupac), what led 2Pac to record "Same Song" with them. Ray Luv has been featured in Shock G's album in 2004, in Digital Underground's in 2008.

A funny thing to notice is that the only guest, Ant Dog, will be as well featured in two songs of Illegally Insane in 95, the Bay Area group of Ryan D, other early partner of Tupac (they formed the group One Nation Emcees and recorded together "Fantasy", "U Don't Wanna Battle" and early versions of "Panther Power" and "Never Be Beat").

Tupac and Ray Luv met in Bay Area when 2Pac was living there. Ray Luv will be invited in 2Pacalypse Now in the backings of "Rebel of The Underground". Another track, Ray/Pac duet, was planned to be in the album : Scared Straight '91 (cf. Tales of the 90's N.I.G.G.A.). A pity that the track wasn't included here. But the most interesting thing is that "Trapped" was initially a Ray Luv song, he wrote a text and throw it in rubbish. Tupac took it, reworked it and it became the song we know (that's why Ray Luv is credited for having written it).

Video singles : Get My Money On

Ray Luv will be featured in En Vogue b-side single "Free Your Mind" (1992, EastWest), and then in many Bay Area projects : Mac Dre, Mac Mall, JT Tha Bigga Figga, Young Lay, Khayree...

Tupac will always stay true to the Bay Area rappers : Ray Luv, Young Lay and Mac Mall will be featured in unreleased "Amerikkka Eatz Itz Youth" and its released remix "Gotta Survive", both produced by Khayree. And 2Pac will invite E-40 and B-Legit in "Ain't Hard 2 Find" (cf. All Eyez on Me).

 

Single "Last Nite" released in 93, Video with 2Pac (it is said even directed by him !!!!!)
 

Fatal (Hussein of the Outlawz) -1998- In the Line of Fire (Relativity)

• Fatal Hussein from the Outlawz first solo album
• Released in March of 1998
  

Discogs page

Listen in YouTube or DL here

 

Tracklist

1. Intro / Buff Williams & Courtney Burgess

2. M.O.B. feat. Freddie Foxxx  / D'Anthony Johnson

3. Everyday feat. Antoinette Roberson / Darrell Delite Allamby

4. Friday feat. Dirty Bert & Smooth aka Imperial S1 (Jerzey Mob) / Quimmy Quim (Jerzey Mob)

5. I Know the Rules / Reef

6. Outlaws feat. Mac Mall & Merciless X / Baby Paul (Beatminerz)

7. Time Wastin' / Steve Pitts

8. What's Your Lifes Worth feat. Dirty Bert (Jerzey Mob) / Darrell Delite Allamby

9. Ghetto Star feat. Tame One (Artifacts) / Reef

10. Take Your Time / Steve Pitts

11. The World is Changing / Femi Ojetunde

 

Bonus Tracks :

12. Shit Goes on (Promo Exclusive)

Niggas In The Street (Capone-N-Noreaga diss) unreleased

Video of Everyday, in which he speaks about what happened with 2Pac

After the violent deaths of Tupac in September and Kadafi in November, Fatal ran away from Death Row and left the Outlawz (they were then ending their album, cf. Retribution). He said that he was then close to suicide. He returned to the anonymous hip hop life in New Jersey.

There is no 2Pac/Outlawz presence here. Only some titles can remind of the Death Row adventure : "M.O.B." that was often claimed by 2Pac in his tracks with the Outlawz, "Ghetto Star" that was the planned title for the last 2Pac/Outlawz album before Pac's death, and of course "Outlaws". You can hear here and there some excerpts from his old Outlawz verses.

 

In this early promo cassette, you can see the Outlawz name biffed,
"Shit Goes on" as side B last track, and a mysterious "Staring at the World" 

(The Pac/Outlawz known song doesn't include any Hussein verse...)

 Could it be the diss track "Niggas in the Street" ? Not sure...

Freddie Foxxx and Mac Mall who are well known and have already worked with 2Pac in 1993-1994 ("(Don't Fuck Wit' a) Killa" and "Dusted N Disgusted", "Amerikkka Eatz itz Young"). Apart from Baby Paul of the Beatminerz who is famous for his work with the Boot Camp Clik, especially for the Smif N Wessun superhit "Wrekonize Remix", people who are working here with Fatal are new to Pac fans and unknown.

 

 

In fact, the other names there are people from New Jersey. The New Jersey Mob is a supergroup that will be close to the Outlawz (Dirty Bert was also a member from the underground group The Antidote). The Artifacts (Tame One, El Da Sensei & DJ Kaos) was a famous underground group who released two beautiful albums, especially the classic Between a Rock and a Hard Place (in 1994, Big Beat, featuring Redman, Busta Rhymes, produced by Buckwild and T-Ray). In second album That's Them (1997, Big Beat, featuring Lord Finesse, Lord Jamar, produced also by Shawn J Period), you can also see production by Reef, Baby Paul & Mr Walt (from Da Beatminerz) and Courtney Burgess.

Y?N-Vee (Natasha Walker's group) -1994- Y?N-Vee (PMP Records, Rush Associated Labels)

• Natasha Walker's group
• October 18, 1994
• Recording dates : November 93 - July 94
  

Discogs page

Listen to that album in Youtube or DL here

 

Tracklist

 

1. Even When U Sleep

2. All I Wanna Do

3. 4 Play

4. I'm Goin' Down

5. Screamin'

6. Sonshine's Groove

7. Chocolate

8. Stra8 Hustler

9. Tricks-N-Trainin' feat. ???

10. Y?N-Vee feat. Abstract Rude

11. Real G

12. Gangsta's Prayer

13. We Got A Good Thing

 

Bonus Tracks :

14. Baby If You Want It (Promo Cassette Exclusive n#6)

15. Don't Leave (leftover track) feat. 2Pac - snippet

Produced by Doug Rasheed, Oji Pierce (1, 13), Brian G & Dobbs The Wino (9, 11) Aaron Pointer & DeJuan Smith (10) and Alvin Oliver (6).

 

Y?N-Vee (or Y.N.V.) is :

Sonshine aka Natasha Walker - main singer

Vayne aka Tescia Harris - backing vocals, deep voice, slow rap
Nic Nam aka Nicole Chaney - backing vocals, gangsta rap
Yesz aka Yenan Ragsdale - backing vocals, rap with a lighter voice.

 

PMP Records is well known to have published Montell Jordan's famous first album This is How We Do it, one year after this album, on which you'll find some of the same Doug Rasheed's producing team. They also mainly produced Coolio albums. Doug Rasheed became world famous for "Gangsta's Paradise" in 95. He also produced 2Pac's "Ratha Be Ya Nigga" and "Only God Can Judge Me".

 

See video sinlges "I'm Going Down", "Chocolate", "4 Play"

Video "I'm Going Down" is directed by Jada Pinkett, the all time best friend of Tupac... Could it be possible that she presented the group to Tupac ? More probably the reverse...

The album will be less commercially successfull that expected, despite the good singles "I'm Going Down" and "Chocolate". And despite the very suggestive style of the four women. The way of wearing their pants lower than their underwear could recall the fashion style of the Kriss Kross in 1992 (pants on backwards). But maybe it is a part of the bad success, like Mopreme said in an interview, when they toured with Thug Life in prisons, people were less interested in their singing talents than in their dances and costumes...

 

The group Y?N-Vee seems to have been formed by PMP. Their first collective appearance is on Johnny J's solo album I Gotta Be Me (Shade Three, the 10th of February 1994).

The song "Don't Leave" known to be a Y?N-Vee's song featuring 2Pac is still unleaked, except for a little 10 seconds snippet (thanks to Banned from Bomb1st Forum). Regarding to the dates of recording of this album, it has probably been recorded for it. And maybe like for Madonna's "I'd Rather Be Ya Lover", it has been taken off from the album due to the coming Tupac's procedure for rape... A pity, because it could have totally changed the commercial success of their album... and their career.

 

 

Natasha Walker has been a very important chorist for 2Pac, probably a good friend too, from Thug Life times to Death Row, with huge hits like "Bury Me A G", "Shit Don't Stop", "Pain", "Lord Knows" and "Check Out Time" and also many unreleased songs like "How Do U Want It OG", "What's Next OG" and "Letter 2 My Unborn OG" (in All Eyez on Me times, cf. When I Get Free and Thug Life Volume II), "Is it Cool 2 Fuck OG" and "Time 2 Get My Drink On" for his original Thug Life album and then "Nothing 2 Lose", "Bury Me A G OG", "Where Do We Go From Here" and "R U Still Down OG" (maybe "It Ain't Easy OG" but it is now thought it is more likely a chorist friend from Tony Pizarro who produced the song).

Apart of that, Natasha Walker made her first appearance alongside Nanci Fletcher in Big Daddy Kane's "All of Me" in his album Taste of Chocolate (1990), and with Nic Nam and Nanci in three tracks of K-Dee (Ass, Gas or Cash album out in 1994, probably recorded in 1993). Whilst 2Pac was in prison, she was featured in one song of Watts Gangsta's album The Real, then in two songs of Kausion's album South Central Los Skanles, again alongside Nanci Fletcher. Also with her, she will give vocals for the French rap group Assassin's "L'État assassine", title song of the movie La Haine (cult "hood" movie in France, where the brother of the leader of the group, Vincent Cassel - known for Matrix, Ocean's Twelve, Black Swan, Monica Belucci's husband - plays as the main character who wants to kill a cop - so a Juice kinda like movie, cf. trailer). Again with Nanci, Natasha sings in two songs of the soul/r'n'b singing kid's eponymous album J'Son (published in February of 96 - one of the two song being produced by Johnny J - another song features vocals or just lyrics written by Nic Nam and Vayne) and in one in Long Beach rap group Foesum's album Perfection (1996). She this time alone gives vocals to Twin Loc's first EP It's On and Crackin', as OG Cell-E Cell, a member of the Crips rap group. She almost disappeared after that (she gives vocals for two songs of Macadoshis album Tha Come Up in 2007)... like if the assassination of Tupac killed her career too...

So she was probably a close friend of Nanci Fletcher. And she was also Dr. Dre's girlfriend around that time (c. 93) but she was never featured on a record with him (the fact she was heavily working with 2Pac could have made Dr. Dre jealous and make him deciding to reject "Pain" from Above The Rim movie and soundtrack... that wouldn't be the first jealous).

Nic Nam is said to be the strong voice in "Uppercut OG" (often confused with other female rappers from that time like Yonnie Stokes from Thug Life or Sister Souljah), recorded for 2Pac's scrapped album Mr. Middle Finger. She also raps in "Fake Ass Bitches" (we thought for a time it was Yesz). Like said above, she appeared a few times with Natasha Walker in the albums of K-Dee and J'Son, as well as Natasha Walker (another track) and Johnny J (who produced another song).

Yesz (unfortunately died in 2015). It seems she was maybe more a dancer...

Vayne also very very rare appears in one track of J'Son, and will be singing in Snoop Dogg's "Gangsta Like Me" in Ego Trippin' in 2008...