Danny Boy -1994-1996- Danny Boy (The DJ Quik Sessions) / It's About Time (Original) / The Remix Collection (Death Row Unreleased)

• Death Row recorded album 1994-1996 final mix in 1998
• circa 1994 : DJ Quik original sessions
• 1995-1996 : It's About Time sessions
  

 

This picture has been re-used by the unofficial "Advance" bootleg

it was probably the official anticipated cover

for the eponymous Danny Boy album in 1994 

1. Danny Boy (The DJ Quik Sessions) - circa 1994

A-Side * :

1. Call On Me

2. Innocent Dance (Dancefloor)

3. You Don't Have To Cry No More

4. Do Me

5. I Can't Wait

 

B-Side ** :

6. Blow Your Mind (Original Mix)

7. Sadie

8. Oh !

9. Lady

10. Love & Happiness

 

Bonus Track :

11. Come When I Call

 

Producer - DJ Quik 

Presumably recorded in 1994, maybe early 1995.

* A-Side follows the tracklist of the Promo Sampler (snippets of 2' from the A-Side) probably leaked in 1994 around the time of Murder Was The Case Soundtrack.

** B-Side doesn't have any particular order. Tracks were leaked in a bootleg titled The D.R. Sessions (Couldn't find it back).

Why these tracks from B-Side ? Except for "Blow Your Mind", none of them were included in It's About Time (WIDEAwake, 2010). So maybe they were not planned to be inside the original version of it, maybe Danny Boy still thought to release his eponymous first album in any form...

 

Front cover of the 2010 release

2. It's About Time (Original Mix) - circa 1995

1. Intro (Full Mix)

2. Blow Your Mind Away

3. How Many Times

4. Think It's About Time (Full Mix)

5. Between Me And U feat. DJ Quik (talkbox)

6. Break U Off (Full Mix)

7. So In Love

8. Church Interlude

9. Can I Come Over (Full Mix)

10. Just Ride feat. Jojo Hailey & Roger Troutman (talkbox)

11. If U Don't Mind (From Me To U) (Alternate Version) feat. female backing

12. It's All About U

13. Steppin'

14. Mama Used To Say (Full Mix)

15. Come When I Call (George Archie Remix)

16. Slip 'N Slide (Bonus Track)

Producer - DJ Quik (2-5, 7-9, 13-15), except 6 by Demetrius Shipp, 10, 11, 12, 16 by Devanté Swing (Jodeci).

 

WIDEAwake Release : Discogs page - Listen in Youtube or grab it here 

 

inside cover of It's About Time

3. Innocent Dance (The Remix Collection) - circa 1996

1. Follow Me

2. Do Me (New Version)

3. Innocent Dance (New Version)

4. Steppin' (Remix)

5. Caught Up feat. unknown

6. Break You Off (Remix) feat. DJ Quik (talkbox)

7. Freak of the Wreak

8. Share My Pain With You (Instrumental) feat. Stacey Smallie (?)

9. Drive By feat. unknown

10. Rock N Roll Bounce (with Intro)

11. Cupid

12. Slip N Slide (Reggae Remix) feat. unknown ragamuffin artist

13. You Don't Have To Cry (Instrumental) feat. Stacey Smallie (?)

 

Producer - ?

These tracks have probably been recorded/remixed in 1996, probably not produced by DJ Quik (except Track 6) nor DeVanté Swing (except Track 12), but more likely by Kurt Kobane, Demetrius Shipp & Reggie Moore...

His two first albums being recorded, Danny Boy was probably recording songs for other projects (2Pac's album, Gridlock'd soundtrack...), for his singles b-sides or to improve his album.

These are great songs which prove that Danny Boy was not a chorus guy and was not just a beautiful voice behind DJ Quik productions but a wonderful artist who try new things. It would be possible to add to this selection "Slip 'N Slide (Original)".

4. Slip N Slide EP (Advance) - Unofficial Bootleg Compilation (1994-1999)

1. Slip N Slide

2. It's Over Now / Keith Andes

3. All In The Club

4. I Can't Get Enough / Damon Thomas

5. Front Porch feat. Twista

6. Come When I Call

7. Slip N Slide (DPG Remix) feat. Dogg Pound

8. Peaceful Christmas

9. Nobody's Home feat. Do or Die, Johnny P

10. Beautiful Lady feat. K-Ci

Bonus Tracks :

11. Dysfunktional Family feat. Crooked I & Eastwood

12. Slip 'N Slide (Instrumental)

13. Christmas Song

14. This Christmas

This Advance / Slip N Slide EP has been unofficially bootlegged various times with slightly different tracklists (in the Advance Discogs version, "Slip N Slide Remix" is in the 11th position, and the B-Rezell's song "Horny" is mistakenly included in the 10th...). This is simply a compilation of the eponymous single with the officially released songs in various albums between 1994 and 1999.

Producer - DJ Quik (6), Danny Boy, Reggie Moore & DeVanté Swing (1, 12), Daz (7), Kurt Kobane (10), Damon Thomas (4), Keith Andes (2), Kevyn Lewis for D.R. (8, 13, 14), The Legendary Traxster for Rap-A-Lot (3, 5, 9)

• Track 6 is taken from Murder Was The Case O.S.T. (1994)
  
• Tracks 1 & 7 are from the single Slip N Slide (1996)
• Tracks 8, 13, 14 are taken from Christmas on Death Row (1996) 
  
• Tracks 2 & 4 are taken from Gridlock'd O.S.T. (1997) 
• Track 2 and cover's pictures are taken from It's Over Now single (1997), image itself probably reused from the 1994-1995 unreleased album
  
• Track 10 is from Chronic 2000 (1999), probably recorded circa 1996-1997
  
• Track 3 is taken from Caught Up O.S.T. (1998) 
• Tracks 3 & 9 are taken from Do Or Die's Headz Or Tailz LP (1998)
  
• Track 5 is taken from Twista's Mobstability LP (1998)

When you consider this bootleg, it seems Danny Boy took a similar way than Snoop Dogg or Kurupt, leaving Death Row around the same time (c. 1998) to get closer to Rap-A-Lot and then to go back to Death Row circa 2001-2003 with a handful of featurings with Eastwood & Crooked I but a similar fail to release any solo album.

 

Force One Network (Chopmaster J & Dave Hollister) -1992- The M M E Program 1 (Qwest)

• Produced by Chopmaster J from Strictly Dope & Digital Underground
• Main voice by Dave Hollister of Blackstreet
• features Saafir
  

Discogs page

Listen to the album here

 

1. Introduction

2. Force One Theme

3. Force One Sign On - interlude

4. Sista Sista feat. O'Shun (written by Money B)

5. Love Vapors feat. Saafir

6. Pick 'N' Choose feat. E Divine

7. Somethin' About You

8. Miss You

9. Another Night

10. What About the Children - interlude

11. Big Brutha's Theme

12. Back 'N' the Dayz feat. Saafir

13. Network Shouts - interlude

14. One Drag

15. Is It Wet ? - interlude

16. Knock A Lot
17. E.W.T.B.B. (Part 1)

18. Losing You

19. Insecurity

20. Spirit (Does Anybody Care ?)

Produced by Chopmaster J, Ocea & Willi Mac

Force One Network is :
- Jimi Dright aka Chopmaster J from Digital Undergroun / Strictly Dope
- Dave Hollister aka "The Black Angel", member of Blackstreet in 94
- Will Waller aka Willi Mac aka "Big Brutha Soul", producer and singer (strong voice).
- Darrell Savage aka Ocea, producer and singer (?)

 "Spirit" will be the theme song of Boyz N The Hood John Singleton movie, out in July of 1991. So the album has probably been recorded mainly in 1991, at the time of 2Pacalypse Now.

 

Early times : a producer team ?

Force One Network has probably been first conceived as a Digital Underground side project for Chopmaster J. He produced part of Strictly Dope songs in 1989. And Willi Mac and Ocea seem to have something to do with the production of  "Static" and "Case of the Misplaced Mic" (cf. The Lost Tapes). Maybe at that time they were only producers or maybe the reggae rappers of "Static" and chorus of "Fade Away" Cooley Ranks & Wycked J were also members (eventually forming with Strictly Dope a "Force One Crew").

Dave Hollister as main singer

Dave Hollister had a good radio single with Larry Heard and Blakk Society in 1989 : "Just Another Lonely Day". In 1990, he is backing some R&B albums by Glenn Jones, Hi-Five and Father MC. He got a great single hit as a featured artist for Groove B Chill : "Swinging Single". In 91-92, he recorded a hand of superb songs with 2Pac : hit singles "Brenda's Got A Baby" and "Keep Ya Head Up", B-side "Nothing But Love" and unreleased song "Don't U Trust". Chopmaster J convinced him to join the group to be the main singer. After the fail of the album, he formed Blackstreet with Teddy Riley and will have a great success. But he will also leave them to have a solo career that will never be successful...

Digitial Underground side project

In addition of Chopmaster J being the leader, if you listen carefully to the album, you will have the feeling that it has some Digital Underground funk kind-a-like sound (Humpty Hump aka Shock G speaks a few words at the end of "Somethin' About You"). Saafir who was initially a dancer for the group, appeared in Raw Fusion album credits for backing vocals and had his first verse in the 2Pac/Raw Fusion side song "Pass the 40", has two new verses here before becoming a member of Digital Underground for their third album Body-Hat Syndrom in 1993. The group also is credited in "Network Shouts".

The female rapper O'Shun featured in "Sista Sista" has been ghostwritten by Money B. If you think to the time of this album composition, could it be the same girl than the unknown Mysta/Sista/Yonnie who was supposed to work with Tupac and The Kidz (project called Ghetto Gospel / 4 Colored Girlz Only) ?

Willi Mac is probably the producer of "Static" (original or remix version ?). He will release albums (or compilations) in 1997 and in 2002 under the name of Big Brutha Soul. Ocea has not been credited a lot elsewhere, except for producing some spare songs like the comic "Rap to Me" by The Rapping Grand Mommas or a b-side for an Oakland rapper called Premo.

Interesting fact is that the album is published in Qwest records, the label of Quincy Jones, not with Digital Underground's TNT recordings. It has some importance because Quincy's son QD3 will produce a bench of songs for the late 2Pac and his two daughters Kidada Jones and Rashida Jones will have respectively an argument and then a friendship with Pac and the last love affair with him...

They will publish another albums in 1997 and 2000 but there are more kind of compilation of old records than albums of new material.

 

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...