BadMeaningGood Volume 1 compiled by DJ Skitz

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  • BadMeaningGood... it was around 1988 when Michael Jackson brought the term to international fame with his song "Bad" (which meant "good" at the time) and now everyone in the hip hop and urban street scenes are all using it. Now it is being used to name a compilation series - that's some bad shit man! Volume 1 is compiled by UK DJ Skitz, not to be confused with Australia's own hi-nrg DJ, Skitz has put together some serious classics in the world of hip hop, funk and reggae. Being a hip hop compilation this one starts off with a cut & paste intro, outlining the songs used throughout. The haunting and very moody Wilford's Gone by the Blackbyrds starts off the compilation. Slow grooving blaxploitation funk to start things off then moving into Donovan's Get Thy Bearings, which is more of a sleazy style funk tune - one for the strip club. The reggae section comes in next and starts off with Two Big Bull Inna One Pen by Anthony Redrose and King Kong. Not really a tune to smash buildings and beat your chest to, this one is more for passing a joint around and nodding your head to. Afu Ra's D&D Soundclash continues the reggae vibe and busts some furious rhymes on top of a familiar reggae beat. If you haven't got either of his album's then you are seriously missing out. Witness by Roots Manuva is fast becoming a hip hop classic, not just in the UK but world over and is complimented well by the Fu-schnicken's Ring The Alarm, which showcases Chip Fu's faster than a speeding bullet rhyme style. Comical rhyme stylings from Slick Rick appear in the form of Mona Lisa. Talk about cheesy, this track has it all! English like rapping style, resung elements of Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa" and Dionne Warwick's "Walk On By", cheesy lyrics... I could go on but if you don't like this track then you seriously need a hip hop styled slap in the face... and it's got the phattest beat. Wu-tang's Method Man a 94 hip hop classic gets the remix treatment and sounds almost EPMD-ish. Following on is King Just's tribal sounding Warrior's Drum and Talib Kweli and Hi-tek round off the tribal theme with Africa Dream. If you haven't heard their Reflection Eternal album then you must as it incorporates a wicked MC in Kweli and an awesome producer in HI-Tek. What is a hiphop compilation without the Tribe? It's not. A Tribe Called Quest make an appearance with their classic Check The Rhyme and is a personal favourite as well. Reggae comes back with Black Sheep's Butt In The Meantime and is a nice cut & paste ragga mash up. Goodie Mob's Cell Therapy is that Atlanta Funk similar to Outkast that should be included and Masta Ace Incorporated's Born To Roll flows on from that old skool vibe that he used to rock with the Juice/Cold Chillin' crew back in the day. Nitty Gritty's Hog In A Minty continues with that reggae vibe that is so prominent in this release and finishes off with Kool & The Gang's Summer Madness which is a slow mo, funky track that has had it's share of being put through the sampler to make a hip hop tune. Sadly this compilation is unmixed however each track is chained to the other... this does mean there are missed beats throughout this CD. No matter, this CD wasn't meant to be a mix CD, just a musical journey. The CD cover explains it all and this is one "bad" release!
RA