NU_NO_SUAVE DIRT DOGS

"If you see a dope record- BUY IT! 'Cuz you never know if you'll see it again!!"

Hip-Hop history was for sale in Toronto's record stores each and every Thursday from 1994 to 1997. The hip-hop artists in New York City were busy changing the entire aesthetics of modern music and the competition was fierce. As a young DJ (without the help of label servicing), you'd be faced with 3-5 superdope records to buy each week @ $9.99 a pop (+ 15% tax). In reality, most were so dope that'd you'd need at least 2 copies... Your little allowance money, or part-time job, never seemed to cover the spread... So, you'd have to choose....

Back then, the 'B.I.G.' corporate labels (Warner, Sony, BMG, Virgin, etc) didn't know what the fuck to do with hip-hop; it was uncharted territory and Puff Diddy had yet to take the whole thing 'aboveground'. So, if an MC had a hint of buzz, labels would sign him, his crew and also any other rappers who lived within a 5 mile radius... The label would then pay Premier, Pete Rock, Diamond D, Buckwild, Erick Sermon, Q-Tip, or Extra P thousands of dollars for sick beats and lovingly put out records that they'd never, ever co-sign today. If a song had mixtape buzz, or was already planned as an actual radio single, then soon there'd be plenty of full-colour retail copies (at least initially), and perhaps you could put a couple off until payday. Unfortunately, most 'white label' 12" singles were very, very, limited and it you slept, you wept:(

The quality of the Thursdays inside Play De Record, Traxx & DJ Depot varied after the disappointment of Wu-Tang Forever, and the 'disbanding' of A Tribe Called Quest, but here is a sleeper that I slept on, and just now found again:

Choclair Featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard & Saukrates: SUAVE DIRT DOGS!!

This record was supposed to be on Choclair's 1999 debut 'Ice Cold', but was reportedly shelved after Elektra Records demanded upwards of $100,000 for the Dirt Dog's appearance... I guess they wanted that 'Ghetto Superstarr' money... In any event, the production on this track is courtesy of Saukrates, who also produced Choclair's illest track, 'Rubbin'.

**Fans of the late great J-Dilla should note Saukrates' parallel, progressive interpretation of Erick Sermon's bass-heavy 'P-Funk' style and relentless, prodding-metronome drum programming. Big Sox continues to be slept upon...

Download 'Suave Dirt Dogs' (320 kbps MP3 file)