187 Proof (Spice 1) -1991- Dope Lika Pound or a Key (feat. DJ Pizo, The Coup, Mopreme...) (Wax that Azzs)

• First mini album by Spice 1
  
• One of the very first appearance of Mopreme Shakur
  

Link to Discogs page

Listen to the album here or there

  

A-Side

1. 187 Proof (Original Version) - Spice 1

2. Lights Start Flashin (Scratch Interlude) - Spice 1

3. Foul Play (Original Version) - The Coup

4. One Nation - Spice 1 (??), ???? (??), Female (?), Jay (?) & Mocedes (Mopreme)

5. Oakland California (interlude)

6. East Bay Gangster (Original Version) - Spice 1

 

B-Side

7. 976-Spice (Interlude) - Spice 1

8. Foul Play Remix (Instrumental)

9. 2 B Reel - Spice 1

10. One Nation (Jazz Appella) - Spice 1 (?), ??? (?), Female (?) & Jay (?)

11. 211 At 711 (Interlude)

12. Gangster Thang - Spice 1

   

Producer - DJ Pizo the Beatmaker

 

According to Boots Riley from The Coup, this album is a compilation featuring Spice 1, Boots Riley & Mocedes aka Mopreme Shakur, produced by Pizo the Beatmaker. In fact, 187 Proof is Spice 1 first name and the tape is filled of his early songs except for The Coup's first song.

Spice 1 second official release after his song in Dangerous Crew mini album with notably Rappin' 4 Tay who also made his beginnings, long time before "Only God Can Judge Me".

What a surprising title for one of the first official Mopreme records : "One Nation" !! after DJ Pizo was also the producer of his first songs with Tony ! Toni ! Tone !

Pizo the beatmaker will release a solo album in 1995, in which he will invite Spice 1, Money B, Pooh-Man and even Pee-Wee at the keyboards for one song...

Assassin & Friends (Sh'Killa, Rated R...) -1995- Strictly For The Streets : A compilation about the game (ICE Management)

• First project orchestrated by DJ Assassin probably recorded around the time of Me Against The World final mix in late 94 or beginning of 95.
  
• features Rated R, Sh'Killa, South Central Cartel, Lil Big, Bloody Mary and many others
  

 

Discogs page 

Listen it or grab it there

 

1. Intro - Lay Law (1:25)

2. Strictly For The Streets - Bernie Castro, Tone & Havikk The Rhyme Son (3:49)

3. Hustla's Convention - Gangsta Reese, Rated R, Bloody Mary, Havikk The Rhyme Son, Hot Dolla, Sh'Killa & Buddha (4:29)

4. The Juice - Sh'Killa (1:05)

5. 1-800-Bustah - Bloody Mary, D-Ruff & KM-WR (4:22)

6. Dha Game - Twon (4:44)

7. The Arrival - Ad Kapone (4:40)

8. My Nigga - F. Love (2:12)

9. Unforgiven - Bloody Mary, Sh'Killa, Jazz & Gangsta Reese (4:48)

10. Nina B Da Nine - Bloody Mary (3:41)

11. Don't Fuck Wit' A G - Don Cisco & Quiz (Ghetto Politix) (3:44)

12. Deacon Hemp & Pas-Dah Dank - D-Ruff, F. Love, Kphra & Noizman (2:37)

13. (Bitch) Perpin' Like She's Top Notch - Blackstreet Mentality & Ad Kapone (6:15)

14. Set Trippen' - Ad Kapone, Rated R, Sh'Killa, Havikk The Rhyme Son, Bloody Mary, Hot Dolla & A.M.W. (6:14)

15. Streets Is How We Comin' - Havikk The Rhyme Son, Chunk & Bloody Mary (3:20)

16. Pimp Catalogue - F. Love & Trickbaby (2:55)

Producer - DJ Assassin (1,3,4,9,10,14,15), Anthony Cannon (2,7,13,16), Frank Love (2,4,8,12,15,16), D Ruff (4,5,8,12), Frank Tebo of World Class Wreckin' Cru (5,10,11), John Orr (6).

DJ King Assassin is well known by Tupac's fans to have released the song "Real Bad Boyz" with Dee tha Mad Bitch in 1996 in his album Hitworks, Volume One (featuring many Bay Area artists like Digital Underground, Ryan D, Ant Dog...), and then to have heavily contributed to the fashion of unofficial 2Pac remix albums with dishonestly titled "The Way He Wanted It" volumes (mostly made of patched verses to new songs with new guests). Because of that, we tend to think that he was some kind of a liar capitalizing over Pac's death, and maybe even he had never met him... Dobbs The Wino, producer for Coolio, credited only as a co-producer of the remix, is sometimes said to be the original producer of "Real Bad Boyz" (cf. Honor Among Thugz)... 

Assassin was firstly a member of the group Ghetto Politix. They firstly released Don Cisco single "Audi 5000" in 1992, and two underground EP cassette in 1993 (Ghetto Life) and 1994 (Just Mob). The group is yet here with the song "Don't Fuck Wit' A G". 

When you consider this compilation you can understand that Assassin likes to give opportunity to female rappers to shine. So he could be the real producer of "Real Bad Boyz" by Dee Tha Mad Bitch (two verses) featuring 2Pac & Eddie. But the question of the date of recording remains mysterious, probably in the late '93 - beginning of '94 when Thug Life group started to record together.

The most interesting thing for 2Pac fans could also be the two featurings of Thug Life member Rated R. Apart of "It Don't Stop Radio Version" and maybe unleaked "Make No Mistakes" (cf. Dramacyde), Rated R has not recorded many things with 2Pac/Thug Life in 1994-1995 (maybe some other radio versions for Thug Life Volume One). With Macadoshis as Double Jeopardy, he will also appear in 1995 in Professor Jay's Da Nayborhoodz album Afta Dark, in Coolio's "Is This Me ?" in Gangsta's Paradise album and in Ray Luv second album Forever Hustlin'. After that he will more or less disappear mainly for being incarcerated for murder...

Therefore, like we can see in this compilation probably recorded in late 1994 beginning of 95, Assassin is mainly responsible for the emergence of female rapper Sh'Killa who was about to be featured in Dramacydal/Young Thugz shelved EP in "Don't Make Enemies With Me" featuring 2Pac & Live Squad (cf. Dramacyde) before recording her solo album Gangstrez of Da Bay mainly produced by South Central Cartel. One of them, Havikk The Rhyme Son, first verse in "Gansta Team" S.C.C./2Pac/Ice-T/MC Eight/Spice 1 (cf. Featurings), is also featured here in four songs of the compilation.

The compilation also heavily features Bloody Mary aka Nini X and kind of helped her to start again her career after leaving Dangerous Records after her awesome beginning with Blood & Crips in 1993 in Bangin' On Wax (that was also produced by DJ Battlecat...) and her first album She's Dangerous in 1994.

At last, this compilation features A.M.W. (American Most Wanted) group with Lil Big who will be featured in a late Nutt-So/2Pac song in 1996 : "Don't Sleep OG" (cf. One Nation part 2). After their first album in 1990 (Criminals), they were about to release their second : The Real Mobb with featurings of Nutt-So's Streethugs and a Blackjack beat.

Live Squad -1994-1995- Diary of a Poor Man / Ghetto Blues (2nd album project)

• Live Squad's second album project
• recorded at same period than Thug Life Volume 1
• delayed, remade and finally shelved because of Thug Life, Qad studios shooting and finally Stretch's death in '95
  

LISTEN

Tracklist :

1. Daddy Big Timers (Back Again)
2. Nobody Move
3. No Pause
4. Wrong Nigga
5. Whirlwind
6. It Hurts The Most feat. 2Pac & Mopreme
7. Cheese 
8. Moving Up In The World
9. Cashflow (Understand Me)
10. The Edge
11. Danger Times feat. 2Pac
12. Heat In My Hand
13. Shit List pt. 2
14. No More (Another Memory)
15. Pay Me - snippet
    
16. Life of a Hustler - snippet
17. Hectic - snippet
18. Diary of a Poor Man - snippet

Most of the tracks here are taken from Live Squad's The Tribute, The Forgotten Chapter (2010, Grand Imperial), except for #1 from Game of Survival (2001, Grand Imperial) which was a replacement for "Big Time feat. 2Pac" (was there a rest of eagerness ? a right problem ?). "Danger Times" and "It Hurts The Most" are from 2Pac's leaked originals. "Heat In My Hand" has recently been released in The Recruiters (2023, Grand Imperial).

A forgotten chapter fairly well released to the public

It could appear that Majesty released most of Live Squad 2nd album project in The Tribute - Forgotten Chapter (2010, Grand Imperial). But it is also clear that it is not like it was recorded with some new elements, notably new Majesty solo songs ("Forever", "Seems Like Yesterday", "Pain Tribute", "Rapumentary") and new verses by Majesty and E-Money Bags ("It Hurts The Most", "Wrong Nigga"). And probably Majesty kept some tracks for a new project...

Banned of Bomb1st forum confirmed that a sequence of the album called Diary of a Poor Man contains "Danger Times", "It Hurts The Most", "God Bless The Dead". Leaked version of "It Hurts The Most" has only Pac, Mopreme & Stretch. Forgotten Chapter's version adds Majesty & E-Money modern verses. Is there any other version with Majesty ? Original "God Bless The Dead" has only Stretch verse and two Pac verses... It would be strange in a Live Squad album. Maybe there is another version with Majesty and not with two Pac verses...

In the known handwritten tracklists, the album then called Ghetto Blues includes "Daddy Big Timers". It is clearly a sequel to "Big Time" featuring 2Pac that was supposed to be included in original Game of Survival (replaced by that one in Grand Imperial's 2001 release - probably it was still unbelievable for Majesty to release a Tupac song at that time). The song couldn't be included in this new release.

"Wrong Nigga" re-uses the music of "Judgement Day". Stretch probably decided to record his own song for his album because the song was a leftover track from Thug Life vol. 1 (maybe because Dee wasn't part of the group anymore and 2Pac didn't want the song). Majesty added or re-recorded a verse (at the end he says rest in peace Stretch & E-Money Bag).

Intro
1 Back Again
2 Daddy Big Timers
3
4
5
..10 [Incomplete]

Another on the bottom left:
1 Back Again
2 Wrong Nigga
3 Pay Me Feat Mopreme of Thug Life
4 Hurts Da Most Feat Tupac and Mopreme of Thug Life
5 Danger Times Feat Tupac
6 Heat
7 MNM ?
8 [Y'all?] all Fucked Up
9 [unsure] / Gotta Get It

And a third on the bottom right :
1 Back Again
2 Wrong Nigga
3 No Pause

 

Ghetto Blues handwritten tracklists (summer of 94) 

Two successive projects ?

According to Banned from Bomb1st forum, Diary of a Poor Man and Ghetto Blues are two different projects. Diary is said to have a complete sequence ready to be released with songs like "Under Pressure" and maybe "God Bless The Dead" (maybe more likely a Stretch kind of solo album). So this sequence was probably pre-Thug Life Volume 1. The song is not in Ghetto Blues tracklists, so it could mean that Ghetto Blues was a later project, post-Thug Life with also "Wrong Nigga" re-using the Thug Life unreleased "Judgement Day" Stretch music.

Both projects include songs with 2Pac and Mopreme : "Danger Times", "It Hurts the Most", "God Bless The Dead", "Under Pressure", unleaked "Pay Me" with Mopreme... First two were in both album projects so it is clear that Diary of a Poor Man turned into Ghetto Blues.

 

Johnny J -1994- I Gotta Be Me (Shade Tree)

• Johnny J also knew how to rap !!!
• Discover the funky and sexy west coast vibe of 2Pac most important producer
• Fully produced by Johnny J, featuring Y?N-Vee, Syke...
  

In front, three members from Y?N-Vee with their specific dressing
Capucine Jackson, Johnny's wife, in red, Syke in the background

Discogs page of the album

LISTEN or grab it there

 

1. Something She Can Feel

2. Diggin' Um Out

3. I'm A Better Man

4. Why You Want Me Now ?

5. Get Away From Me

6. P.O.P. (Got Control Of Me)

7. Better Off feat. Mel-Low, 213 & Fire/Fly (chorus)

8. It's A Wonderful Day feat. Dangerous D, Tara Kessler & Lil E

9. Shake Dat Ass

10. Say Whatcha Gotta Say feat. Nic Nam & Vayne (Y?N-Vee), Boe, Big Syke, Maniak & Tim-Tee, MC TNT

11. Love's The Way

 

Produced by Johnny J, co-produced by Charlie Mack

Featuring chorus by Boe (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 11).
Additional vocals by Capucine Jackson (1,2,3,6), Y?N-Vee (2), Nikki (4,6), Prop'a Vee (4,5)

 

West Side G-Funk producer

Before producing for Tupac, Johnny J early produced for West Coast artists : most of the first album of MC TNT (here featured) in 1988-1990, the two first albums of MC Candyman with his superhits "Melt in your Mouth" and "Knockin Boots" in 1990-1991. Then some songs for the latino rapper Biggy Smallz and of course the whole Evil Mind Gangsta's album (Big Syke, Mental & Domino).

At the time of recordings of his album (1993-1994), Johnny J had produced half of the first project of Thug Life album (cf. Thug Life Original, only a small part will be published in mid 94).

 

Music given to 2Pac

"Better Off" has the beat that Johnny J will re-use for "Picture Me Rollin'" in 1996. Johnny J will also give the beat of "It's a Wonderful Day" to 2Pac for "Everything They Own", a song recorded for his second Death Row album (cf. Euthanasia Supreme).

Let's notice that Johnny J had produced the Mel-Low song "Return of the Player" for his eponymous album in 1993 (it seems that the promo album edited by Def Jam and with Redman participation in 3 tracks, never knew an official release before 2017...), a song that uses the same music than Outlaw Immortalz "Penitentiary Bound" (is there a Pac verse ?). In the same way, he gave 2Pac a beat he used in "Nobody Rides 4 Free" for the original Biggy Smallz, a latino rapper (not the Live Squad member who died in early 94). And it became the unreleased "If There's a Cure" with Snoop Dogg.

So we could say that Johnny J gave everything he could to 2Pac. It was sure that like many, he felt that 2Pac would be one of the most important hip hop phenomenon.

 

 Thanks to "Thuglife living nigga 2Pac"

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...

Evil Mind Gangsta's (Big Syke, Mental, Domino & Johnny J) -1993- All Hell Breakin' Loose (Organize Records)

• Big Syke's first group with Mental Illness, Domino & Johnny J !
• Recorded from 1990 to 1992
• Released as a street tape in the streets of Inglewood in 1992.

Discogs page

Listen in YouTube

Side 1 :

1. Intro

2. Livin' in the Edge

3. Get It Strait *

4. Got To Get Paid *

5. I'm That Nigga (Domino)

6. Not My Girl *

7. Riden A Double Murda Beef

Side 2 :

8. I Wish U Would *

9. N Misery (Mental)

10. What Else Cana Nigga Do *

11. Evil Mind

12. U Tripin' Bitch *

13. All Hell Breakin' Losse

 

Produced by Johnny J, Charlie Mac & Big Syke.

Probably recorded mostly in 1992.

* solo tracks by Big Syke

Big Syke's beginnings are less known than his later works, although it is probably better, more fresh and rough, closer to Thug Life style. The "closest road dog" is already the deep voice we know (just listen to "Riden a Double Murda Beef"). He is the prominent persona here with 6 solo tracks and 4 other songs. He's taking an important part in the production too.

Johnny J has already produced significant tunes for MC T.N.T., (Bustin' Out, Mr. Dynamite album), Candyman's (album Ain't No Shame in my Game), but he is the main ingredient here in the sound identity. You can hear the departure from N.W.A. old L.A. sound to a more funky/soul even jazzy thing like in "U Tripin' Bitch" that will characterize 2Pac later sound.

 

Mental Illness : Probably you already heard that name in Tupac's songs ("Mental, rest in peace"). He died not a long time after the release of the album, in August of 1993. What is particularly interesting, if you listen to his verse in "Livin' in the Edge", you will hear this famous sentence re-used many times by 2Pac :

 

My only fear of death is coming back reincarnated.
Mental, "Livin' In The Edge"

 

It seems that Mental's style and text (you can hear a bit of Eazy-E) had important influence over Tupac, over the Me Against the World intimate mood :

Will I live today and live in sorrow (?)
Or will I get love and die tomorrow ?

Mental, "All Hell Breakin' Loose"