Tuesday, August 15, 2006



Most people know of Steady B's infamous rep. The bank robbery with C.E.B. running mate Cool C, the shooting of a female cop; the life-sentence; Cool C's Ed Rendell-cosigned lethal injection ticket; but how many have actually peeped some of the Hilltop Hustlers' material? A starting point would be here on this extra grimey 11-cut LP released in '88 on the once-proud Jive records. Hooking up with then label-mate KRS-One, Steady's third album is a no-frills fist to the grill that only a Lansdale Ave vet (18 years old to boot) could toss. The record kicks off with the titilar cut, with Steady ripping over a familiar JB lick. With a voice that slightly resembles MC Shan with a rougher edge, Steady licks shots like: "You better speed on/before you get peed on/cuz when I piss/I don't miss" leading up to a viscious call and response that likely had those west philly rowhouses shaking: "PHILLY-got the hustlers, NEW YORK-got the hustlers, LA-got the hustlers." The record refuses to let up, or pussy out, throwing some wild kicks on the speaker-blowing "Certified Dope," whose running bassline sinks to a crushing knock (mmeeeeeeerrr). Kris' bizarre adlibs pepper both the ragga-tinged "The Undertaker," and "Serious," both standout cuts, with the blastmaster in Diddy-mode, throwing in "bluck!" and "seen!" in his trademark faux-patois. It's a damn shame that real criminals like Jive records never let Steady reach his peak, and thus made him turn to fucked-up bank heists.


Coming out of Tommy Boy's brilliant mining of Jersey talent (Latifah, Naughty by Nature) Apache came with a decidedly vulgar approach on his debut "Apache Ain't Shit" (note how the title is omitted from the cover and spine, instead leaving the "Gangsta Bitch" ad at the bottom). Each song is another lewd, outragious knock on society, sex and slangin' as the ever-obnoxious Apache battles white people ("A Fight"), describes his dick as his sidekick ("Tonto"), and teaches the children the wisdom of being a total and complete fuck-up ("Do Fa Self"). The record is quite hilarious front to back and boasts an impressive producer list (Extra P, Q-Tip, and Diamond D). The lone hit "Gangsta Bitch" was always a fun ode to what I always thought were lesbians ("When we fuck/She makes me scream out her name") and appearances by the dynamic Treach in his rapid-fire prime are always appreciated. I knew Apache was on another level once I heard the brilliant interlude "Kill D'White People," where a singer pines "Kill all dee white people, but buy my record first..." Hilariously innappropriate and offensive.

Posted by Arenas Is God @ 10:09 AM