Take a quick flip through the discs in the hip-hop compilations section of any used CD store and you'll see that loads of mediocre rap retrospectives and even more horrible ones which no one wants. You'll notice that most are built around either a particular label, scene, producer, subgenre where chart positions weigh heavy. Relatively few are stylistically diverse multi-label sets which include both popular faves and the influential street heat due to the prohibitive costs and legal hassles involved with licensing tracks from various sources. Consequently there has never been a definitive historical overview of the important recordings made during the late 80s and early 90s which many consider to be hip-hop's golden era.
A Toronto-born graffiti artist and hip-hop head who prefers to be known as "The Rap Bandit" (a tip of the Kangol to the notorious Source magazine columnist) grew up listening to the latest rap joints on CKLN 88.1 FM's The Powermove and CIUT 89.5 FM's The Masterplan and noticed that there weren't any comprehensive surveys of the music he loved available on the market.
What's inside of the no-frills cardboard long box is four fat-free discs of the culturally crucial joints by KRS-One, Nas, Diamond D, Main Source, Public Enemy, Gang Starr, Brand Nubian, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, Black Moon, Notorious B.I.G., Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Big L, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, The Beatnuts, The Roots, De La Soul, Showbiz & AG, Das Efx, Slick Rick, Pharcyde, Tha Alkoholiks, and many others along with a bonus 19-track remix disc along with a photocopied assortment of notes, interview features and reviews lifted from the rap mags of the day neatly condensed into an informative accompanying booklet.
Some may grouse about the lack of obscure regional "random rap" jams which currently command big dollars and others will quibble about the under-representation of historic Canuck game-changers but The Rap Bandit's ambitious attempt to bring together the essentials of the period in one place makes Rap Nuggets an incredible accomplishment nonetheless – even if some of the copyright holders strongly disagree.
Here's my interview with Toronto's Rap Bandit:
What got you interested in hip-hop?
While growing up I heard rap music being played around my neighborhood, the Birchmount and Finch area of Scarborough. The first record I bought was the Breakdance (K-Tel) LP from 1984 and my first cassette tape was the Colors soundtrack in 1988 which introduced me to Ice-T and Eric B & Rakim. I really got into the Source magazine and Rap Pages around 1991 along with Rap Sheet. But the biggest influence on me back then was listening to the Powermove show on 88.1 FM and the Masterplan on 89.5 FM. By 1992 I loved all of the DITC, Hit Squad stuff.
That's when I started buying 12" singles. Every Friday my friends and I would TTC downtown to Yonge and College after school to hit up Traxx, New York Connections and Play De Record to buy stuff like Masta Ace's "Jeep Ass Niguh" and Kurious's "Walk Like A Duck". The first concert I ever saw was Black Sheep and Naughty by Nature at the Spectrum in 1992.
We were also going down to College and Bathurst every week to hear what DJ Serious was spinning at Lola's Lounge. As far as I know it was the first weekly event in Toronto that played real underground hip-hop. By 1993 I was also heavily into graffiti and I kept at it for the next 10 years.
How did you arrive at the time frame of 1990 to 1994 to mark the "golden era" of hip-hop for Rap Nuggets?
I wasn't trying to define which years are the official golden era of rap. The recordings released between 1990 and 1994 had the biggest impact on me. Besides, there are a lot of compilations covering mid to late 80s stuff already.
What was the criteria for deciding which tracks to include and which to leave off?
I spent a lot of time going through my collection and old magazines. Once I had a list of songs that was a few pages long, I got a bunch of friends together at my house and we'd vote on each individual track.
Did you regret any oversights after the set was completed?
I'm constantly thinking of songs that should've been on it. This was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I created a blog (see link below) for the project and along with uploading the entire box set I've also put together mini-comps of songs that could've easily made the cut.
How was the package put together?
The boxes are from a company in Quebec which I used before on another project.
The material for the zine was compiled from all my old Source and Rap Pages magazines. I photocopied and assembled it myself. Every CD was burned individually on personal computers, every box was packaged and assembled by hand with help from some friends.
What difficulties did you encounter in the process of completing the package?
My main problem was maintaining the momentum. The whole thing was done completely in my spare time. I took a number of breaks from the project when I would go on hiatus. Eventually people I knew would start bugging me about it and asking me when the set would be finished. That would get me going again. So from a drunken idea to something I could proudly hold in my hands it was a total of three years. I made a total of 50 copies.
How has Rap Nuggets been distributed?
Word of mouth. By the time I finally finished more than half were already spoken for.
I put the rest in my car and on a couple of sunny Sundays I'd park in front of Sam James Coffee Bar on Harbord with the trunk popped and Rap Nuggets blasting away. They sold pretty quickly. It was a fun throwback to how these old rappers used to sell their tapes before they were signed.
Apart from Ghetto Concept's EZ On The Motion, Maestro's Fine Tune Da Mic and maybe Main Source's Live at the BBQ, there's a conspicuous lack of homegrown Canuck material represented. Why?
I really wanted to include the Still Caught Up remix by Saukrates. It's his first single but unfortunately it came out in 1995. Other Canadian songs were considered, but vetoed out. There was some amazing music being made in Canada at the time but a lot of it wasn't being released. Saukrates, Choclair and Kardinal begain putting out music after 1994. Dream Warriors and Organized Rhyme didn't really stand a chance up against Da King & I and Gang Starr.
Any plans for an all-Canadian version of Rap Nuggets or perhaps a comprehensive history of underground Toronto hip-hop from 1979 to present?
I'd love to do that. Although, I'd want to do it up officially, all fully legit instead of bootleg style. I'm glad 50 people have Rap Nuggets now but it was a hell of a lot of work.
What sort of feedback have you gotten?
From the people I've spoken to, it's been positive. I get the odd criticism for leaving out a track or including one, but I wouldn't want it any other way. It's a passionate debate for some people, including myself.
Any advice for those planning similar do-it-yourself archival endeavors?
Take your time and do it properly. Half-assed shit sucks.
LINK
Rap Nuggets blog http://rapnuggets.blogspot.com/
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