Nas & DJ Premier - Light-Years - 2025

 

2xLP - 2025 - Mass Appeal

Here is the first edition of Nas & DJ Premier's long anticipated album, entitled "Light-Years". It's available on double vinyl, CD & Cassette on Mass Appeal.

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Video : ILL Conscious - Mark 8:36 - 2025

 

Baltimore-based MC Ill Conscious delivers his latest single, taken from the album "The Aggregation Of Marginal Gains" produced by Alcynoos and DJ Parental, which is still available to order on double vinyl via HHV Records.

Sperrow & DJ STR - Smashin' Bricks Vol. 2 (7") - 2025

 

7" - 2025 - Comin Tru Records / STR Records 

" “Smashin’ Bricks Vol. 2” brings Sperrow and DJ STR back together with two heavy remixes and their instrumentals. Side A delivers DJ STR’s flip of Dilated Peoples – “The Platform”, while Side B features Sperrow’s rugged take on Big L – “Shoulda Used A Rubba”." - courtesy of Comin Tru Records / STR Records

100 copies only ...

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Highlights on AK SKILLS

In the mid-90s, when New York's underground was overflowing with raw talent, few names stood out with such an impact in so little time as AK Skills. Hailing from Edgemere Projects in Far Rockaway, Queens, he dropped only a handful of records, but what records they were !! Released on the cult imprint Tru Criminal Records, his two 12-inches are now considered essential pieces for any hip-hop vinyl collector.

The first, "Check The Flava / Nights of Fear" immediately set the tone... razor sharp rhymes over heavyweight productions. With Lord Finesse behind "Check The Flava" and Buckwild lacing "Nights of Fear", the record stands as a perfect snapshot of the D.I.T.C. golden era sound.

12" - 1996 - Tru Criminal Records 

Both songs are available in their Clean, Dirty and Instrumentals versions. The 12" was reviewed in the Sure Shot Singles section of the Source Magazine in June 1996, and in the Please Listen To My Demo section of Beat Down Magazine. 

The follow-up, "One Life Ta Live / East Ta West" only reinforced his reputation. "One Life Ta Live" is a raw Queens anthem, while "East Ta West" carries a heavy rolling vibe that resonated far beyond New York's borders. Both tracks were produced by Eddie James (of Mad Pack). 

12" - 1996 - Tru Criminal Records

Eddie James shared a lot of information about AK Skills and the production of this 12" in an article written by Gino Sorcinelli in 2018. You can read it here.

What makes these two records so remarkable isn't their rarity today, but the way they capture a moment in New York hip-hop where underground talent thrived outside the mainstream spotlight. Tru Criminal Records, which was an independent record label founded in 1996 by Lee "Skill" Resnick and one of his friend named Alex Groothius a.k.a Gru Da Mastamind, may not have had a massive catalog but their releases are revered and AK Skills sits right at the heart of that legacy. Moreover, AK Skills dropped another single,"One Thing Or Another" produced by Buckwild, on the dope Tru Criminal Records EP released a year later. It also includes tracks from other groups that were part of the Tru Criminal Records roster : Street Smartz & God Sunz. 

EP - 1997 - Tru Criminal Records 

By the way, the Rap Is Outta Control Radio Show, with DJ Eclipse and DJ Riz, recently did a tribute show to Tru Criminal Records, which aired on December 7th 2025. AK Skills, FT of Street Smartz, Smokescreen of God Sunz and Lee "Skill" Resnick were in the studio. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, I definitely recommend it... they drop some cool stories about the crew members and the record label. They also played some unreleased material.

For record collectors, all these 12"s above are mandatory digs, not only do they represent the essence of 90s East Coast underground rap, but they also preserve the voice of an MC who deserved far more shine than he got. If you stumble upon these records in the bins, don't hesitate... they're true classics of 90s indie hip-hop. Peace

Video : Coast Contra - IT'S ALL HAPPENING (The Table) - 2025

 

Coast Contra (Ras Austin, Taj Austin, Rio Loz & Eric Jamal) are back with a brand new video. The production is handled by Ras Austin & RioLoz.

Detail - Blue Eyed Soul - 2025

 

2xLP - 2025 - Gramofix Records  

"Straight out of Copenhagen, Denmark back to 1997. Detail presents a pure hip-hop gem. After dropping the EP Peep The Detail in ’94, three years later he released his first and only solo album: Blue Eyed Soul. Produced by Detail, Merry Tee, the Copenhaniacs Typhoon, and DJ Sek. The album is finally getting the treatment it deserves: a 2LP reissue in a refreshed gatefold sleeve, complete with an additional track." - courtesy of Gramofix Records

260 copies only .... Don't Sleep !!! 

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Tek-9 - Wake Up Dead Nigga - 1992

There are plenty of mysteries in the 90s hip-hop world...a lot of unreleased material, unknown groups, unreleased demos or unknown MCs... TEK-9 from Queens, NY is one of them. All I know about this artist is that he was a member of the group 4 Deep, who released an excellent EP in 1992 on the Goldfinger Records label, and he also released a six-track tape titled "Wake Up Dead Nigga" in 1992 on that same label.

This is the one we're going to talk about now. The tracks included on this cassette are "Difficult Dialect", "Murder-ah", "Blunt Music" featuring 2 other rappers called Buddah Bless and D. Grimm, "Wake Up Dead Nigga"(Original & Alternative version) featuring Onyx. All productions were handled by Chylow Parker a.k.a Chyskillz (RIP), who was also a member of 4 Deep, before becoming affiliated with Onyx. 

Fredro Starr - Chyskillz (RIP) - Suave - Big DS (RIP) & Sticky Fingaz

I don't know if we can consider Tek-9 as being affiliated with the South Ozone Park-based group but it certainly looks that way. We can consider the track "Wake Up Dead Nigga" as, in a way, the original version of "Throw Ya Gunz" released by Onyx the same year, which is the first single from their debut album "Bacdafucup" entirely produced by Chyskillz. 

Another question came up when my man Tim Burton sent me this Rap Sheet magazine review from December 1993, which mentioned that the single "Murder Ah" was released on the Phat Wax Records label. The track "Blunt Music" and an unknown track titled "Kill The Master" also appear on this release.

By looking a bit further, we found a magazine ad about this single on that label, including another unknown track titled "Niggaz Can't F*#% With This".

No doubt that it was planned, but we don't know if it ever really came out... As for me, I've never seen it with my own eyes. Maybe someone out there has ? 

After that, Tek-9 released "The Beyond" in 1994 with D. Grimm & Buddah Bless on Goldfinger Records, and then vanished from the NYC hip-hop scene, with no further releases or guest appearances. As for the "Wake Up Dead Nigga" cassette, I believe very few copies were ever made, so if you ever come across one, don't hesitate for a second. 

Mad Props to Hakan Dougpark for the tape rip & Tim Burton for the magazine review. Peace