Call it country gangsta rap. No, it’s not Garth Brooks meets Snoop Doggy Dogg. It’s Cool D. (Darrick Burel), a rapper from Raceland, LA, with a new single, “Life N Tha Dope Game.” It’s the first single from his upcoming LP, The Unexpected, on Mr. Tee Records. “People figure ‘cuz I’m from the country that I don’t know a lot about life, or I’m soft,” says Burel. If you’re expecting soft rap from this country rapper, think again. The Unexpected is hardcore street rap based on Burel’s personal experiences in the dope game. He has a message for kids tempted by the money and expensive cars: “It isn’t worth it. You end up dead or in jail.”
U.N.L.V. is taking “gangsta bounce to another level,” says Tec 9 (Reginald Manuel), one of three members of the local Cash Money Records rap group. “We’re changing the triggerman style, upgrading the lyrics, keeping it bounce, but puttin’ a gangsta swing to it,” says Manuel.
So what do you get when you cross bounce music with gangsta swing? “Eddie Bow.” What is an “Eddie Bow,” you ask? Well, it depends on who you ask. Some say it’s a dance. Others say it’s a take off on the Eddie Bauer clothing store. Ask a local record store manager and he’ll tell you it’s one of the hottest selling records in his store. According to Manuel, the “Eddie Bow” is a dance that U.N.LV. group member Yella (Albert Thomas) made up last year at school, and the name of a cut from their album that’s got people of all ages doing the dance and singing, “Do the Eddie Bow, Do the Eddie Bow.” It’s the second project for Manuel and Lil Ya (Yaphet Jones), who released “Another Trick” last February.
“Don’t Get Caught Slippin'” by Condition Red is a controversial rap record spreading across the country despite complaints that the record is too suggestive. The rap warns about the dangers of having unprotected sex, but critics say it promotes sexual activity among young people. Sir Tron and Gangsta Red, rappers from Ocala, Florida disagree. While admitting their lyrics may seem crude, they believe their message is a realistic one that kids can relate to. With the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and the rise in teen pregnancy, the group hopes that more rap artists will address sex education in their music. Condition Red’s LP Don’t Get Caught Slippin’, on O-Town Records, was released last month.
II D Extreme was in town last month for a gig at Lexus. Randy Gill (Johnny Gill’s brother), D’Extra Wiley and Jermaine Mickey stopped by radio to promote their new single, “Up on the Roof,” the follow-up to “Cry No More.” Their self-titled debut LP on Gasoline Alley/Uni is due out this month.
New Releases…Priority Records and Tercer Mundo, Inc. have signed an agreement to release four classic albums by Parliament-Funkadelic. One Nation Under A Groove, Uncle Jam Wants You, Hardcore Jollies and Electric Spanking of War Babies have been out of print for thirteen years and are now available for the first time on CD. Thanks to current artists like Dr. Dre, who sample Parliament-Funkadelic in their music, a whole new generation of P-Funk fans are emerging. Remixes of “One Nation Under A Groove” and “Knee Deep” are being released to promote the catalogue. Footage from P-Funk’s 1975 “Mothership” tour is also being distributed.
Rhino Records releases a four-CD box set on Otis Redding. It includes all of his Top-10 hits and previously un-reissued tracks.
And local label Kokoko Records releases “Shake That Booty”, the first single from MC Swift’s Do You Know Where I’m Coming From.
