Here today, gone tomorrow. 15 minutes of fame or at least something that closely resembles fame. A quick, sizzling, greasy hot flash in the pan. At the time there is no way of knowing it, but throughout all facets of life and music especially, in this in particular case Hip-Hop is full of flashes.

Who knew that Chino XL played a role in the East coast-West coast rivalry, be it a small and trivial one, but a role none the less. Well I did, but I’m a junkie.  In 1996 New Jersey’s own Chino dropped a monster album entitled “Here To Say You All”, that I still bump to this day. The album was fronted by the single “No Complex” in which Chino commences to rip and shred apart rappers, celebrities and any other public figure worth mentioning. The line “I’m trying not to get F**ked, like Tupac in jail” is the quote that got Chino involved in the bi-coastal beef. Music was in the family, Chino is the nephew of Parliament Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell. Best know for his MC battles, freestyling on the Sway & Tech radio show and extreme egotism. Chino moved to Hollywood, got buff, released a couple more albums, nothing to hot and pursued acting. These pursuits led to some cameos in Reno 911. Pooooooooof.

Pink: Chino XL – No Complex (download)

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The west coast Project Blown clique that included all the Freestyle Fellowship crew is how The Nonce first came to my attention. Also, the single “Mix Tapes” video on Yo MTV Raps was in rotation enough to catch my ear. In 1995 they released “World Ultimate” which had a laid back, jazzy old school vibe. It was OK, nothing special but “Mix Tapes” has always been classic to me. I think they released something else, but honestly I just don’t think they had enough talent to hang around. One of the members was found dead on the side of a freeway, cause of death unknown, but investigators say it could have been career related. Pooooooooooooooof.

Pink: The Nonce – Mix Tapes (download)

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The SD50 (Simulated Dummies) production crew led by Dante Ross backed the Long Island group Hard 2 Obtain, which put out “Ism & Blues” back in 1994. The whole album is solid as hell and is a summertime staple in my rotation. A ton of talent, banging beats, raw vocals and POOOOOOF!!!

Stink: Hard 2 Obtain – Joker’s World (download)

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Until next time,
Love, Peace & Chicken Grease.
PoppaDop.