Friday, April 10, 2009

Mr. Magic Week # 5 (Friday)- "The Production Alias"

I might just be a knucklehead, but this is something I never picked up on until I heard it from Magic directly: He used to produce under the alias M². I had seen that credit on Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde's "A.M. / P.M." single, but for some reason had always just assumed it was Marley Marl.

So Magic was messing with the Linn Drum huh? Oh... word?



Check out "A.M. / P.M." below

Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde- "A.M. / P.M."



Also, for no particular reason, I decided to put Magic's "A.M. / P.M." Linn Drum beat to Mandrill's "Love Song" on my "Commercial Rap" CD from last year. I called it "M Squared," probably because I didn't know how to make the ² symbol at the time (tricky, tricky). Peep it



"M Squared"



I'd just like to say that the photo shoot for "Commercial Rap" was quite fun. It was more like an elaborate scheme to justify playing with toys again. That's really all "Commercial Rap" was.

Am I just kidding? Check this 'outtake' photo


If you wanna cop "Commercial Rap," you can pick it up at Underground Hip Hop

Anyways, after I found this out, I started noticing the M² production credit, or simply Mr. Magic production credits, on some other records (aka, I looked on discogs).



Force M.D.'s- "Let Me Love You (Vocal)"



Force M.D.'s- "Love Beats"



Magic (appearing straight up as Mr. Magic) was co producer with Tom Silverman on this classic Force M.D.'s 12". You can't front on it.

One of my favorite joints to play at random times, "All Night Long (Waterbed)" by Kevie Kev is another keeper that Magic produced on Sugar Hill Records for Kevie Kev (Waterbed Kev). It's actually pretty funny, when I played this for Magic he made the funniest face. He hadn't heard it in ages, and forgot that he actually appears on the record trying win over a girl. I mean, he closes out the record saying that he's just "maxing and relaxing, getting ready to do the wild thing". Of course he made a funny face... caught him off guard like a prick



I just need to stress this- "All Night Long" is an INCREDIBLE record. Any song that begins with a rapper saying he "touches self to prove that he's a freak... I can't hold it back the paint flowing over... touch it why don't cha??" is a winner in my book. A lot of people call that poor taste. Meh. I also love how it's a song about getting girls, but the first rap gets political

"Candidates cut each others throats / Just to get poor people out there to vote!"

Who would guess that one of the adjacent lines is...

"If you look at the sky at the stars above / It reads 'Waterbed Kev, he was made for love!"

Forgive me if my quotes are a little bit off, I'm doing this by memory. Yeah, I've listened to it that many times.

Kevie Kev (Waterbed Kev)- "All Night Long (Waterbed)"



Sorry, I'm trailing off a bit here and there in this post. "Fast Food Nation" is on the IFC. I've seen it before, but sometimes the damn television sucks me in. Mr. "Duck Rock" himself, Malcolm McLaren, produced the film. Or at least some guy named Malcolm McLaren did... I put two and two together.

Getting sidetracked here, but Jeckyll and Hyde's "A.M. / P.M." 12" is paired with Kurtis Blow's classic "Fast Life" production.

Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde- "Fast Life"



Best use of the Jeckyll and Hyde "Fast Life" 12" ? The Vinyl Reanimators remix of Kool G Rap's "Fast Life"

Kool G Rap Feat. Nas- "Fast Life (Vinyl Reanmators Remix)"



Whoa now... trailing off. Check in tomorrow!

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for checkin' homeboy

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  2. that kev e kev record says engineered by shameek? Could that be King Shameek?

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  3. Damn man, got me, that'd be dope though! That's a session I woulda loved to be a fly on the wall for. I'm intrigued by basically anything Sugar Hill

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  4. hey WIll C, I love the tunes you are dropping on my cranium. people must be hitting the nyquil because all i hear is zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZzzz

    Thanks a lot for spreading the knowledge!

    ReplyDelete