Inspirational soundtracks.

Yebo kiddies in scratch and music land.

I'm always asked to give my favourite run down on music. I'm gonna list my favourite which serve as constant inspiration and that has contributed to hip hop, scratch music, hip hop deejaying and music in general in my view.

It's aim is not to serve as guide but just as a list of essentials. Here goes:

Old school artist:

Growing up in Mitchell's Plain hip hop had an profound effect on the youth when it was introduced. My first hip hop video I was was "Hey DJ" by World Supreme….Team.

The rotation of cassette was on it's highest in neighbourhoods and back then in our area at the time we had a number of 3-5 new releases floating around per week with this new music we "discovered" , related to but didn't understand.

It wasn't till the advent of seeing the "Breakdance" movies hearing "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaata and Soulsonic Force, "King Tim III" by Fatback Band and other old school releases that this music form that we in our neighbourhood found that we understood it.


For me growing up in the Cape Flats round '84 - '85 was one of the most profound stages of my life and musically it was exciting times as well and there was so much to digest musically, culturally and politically.

The 80's was a good era for music in general for it has just moved from the disco era. Pop music was fresh, so was rock and it was also the era where house music flourished and gave rise to today's classics. All these influences also helped shape the hip hop sound at the time, fat basslines, nice snyths, and the famous 808. For us at the time it was a lot to digest, it was so fresh and def.




The artist that was on hot rotation at the time while we were swapping cassettes in the form of TDK's, BASF and the no name ones were:

Fat Boys - just the beatboxing was ill!
Cold Crush Brothers
Cowboy
Doctor Jeckyll and Mr.Hyde
Ice T - yes 6 in the morn was a classic!
Full Force
Howie Tee
Kurtis Blow
Surgarhill Gang
Neclues
LA Dream Team
Koas and Mystro
Rodney O
Whodini
Treacherous Three
Sequence
Mantronix
Schooly D

The list is endless with names forgotten. These artist and the many not named was our introduction here in Cape Town. At the same time a "hip hop movement" was already flourishing with "heads" already participating and practicing the various elements.

With the political situation and state of emergency in our country and specifically Cape Town coupled with the rise of conscious rap music in the form of BDP, Public Enemy, etc young men and women's political views and consciousness in hip hop were shaped that gave rise to the scene as we know it today in Cape Town.

Anyway let's stick to my hitlist and leave the history lesson for a documentary.

Top 20 hip hop albums :

Extremely difficult !!!

1.) Breaking Atoms - Main Source
2.) L.L. COOL J - Bigger and Deffer
3.) Run D.M.C. - Run D.M.C & Raising Hell
4.) Beastie Boys - Licence to ill
5.) B.D.P. - All their releases - come on it count as one!
6.) Slick Rick - The Adventure's off…
7.) Public Enemy - Yo Bum rush the show
8.) Erik B and Rakim - Paid in full
9.) De la soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
10.) X - Clan - To the East Blackwards
11.) Bizz Markie - Going off
12.) Big Daddy Kane - Looks for a job for…
13.) EPMD - Strictly Bussines
14.) Rass Kass - Soul on ICE
15.) Pharcyde - 93 till infinity
16.) Organised Konfusion - S.T.R.E.S.S.
17.) A.T.C.Q - Low End Theory
19.) Del - Wish my brother George was here
20.) P.O.C. - Age of truth

TOP 5 MIXTAPES:

1.) Cash Money - Old School hip hop vol1- vintage hip hop
2.) DJ BABU - Comprehension - released 94/5
3.) DJ Q bert -Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze
4.) MELO D - A.M Sessions
5.) DJ Shortkut - Kuts Foundation

Top 10 turntabilism albums :

1.) D-Styles - Phantazmagorea
2.) Q-bert -Wavetwisters
3.) Babu & Rhettmatic - Wildstylus
4.) DJ Revolution - In 12's we trust
5.) Ricci Rucker - Sketchbook
6.) Mr.Dibbs - Turntable Masacre
7.) Deeper Concentration Compilations
8.) Kid Koala - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
9.) DJ Shadow - Entroducing
10.) Return of the DJ VOL 1-4

TOP 6 old school dj showcase tracks:

1.) Public Enemy - Terminator X to the edge of panic
2.) E.P.M.D - Funky Piano feat DJ SCRATCH
3.) HIJACK - Stylewars
4.) Gangstarr - DJ Premier in deep concentration
5.) Fresco & Mizz - We don't play
6.) P.O.C - Muder on Stage

There's more hip hop albums and music that serves as continual inspiration for me. Hope this can be a guide or reference for aspiring and up and coming deejays who want to enter the world of hip hop deejaying and turntabilism.