Why post the front cover when this tape is all about the tracklisting? Murs and the L.A. Leakers deserve plaudits for this essentially flawless compilation of seminal West Coast gangsta’ rap. The other Nick Carter says it best in his introduction: “when we were younger, this is what we were listening to on the West Coast…all these songs were my shit…if you don’t know, all you young uns need to get educated on how gangsta’ rap changed the world.”
Growing up in Los Angeles, these songs were inescapable on KDAY and later Power 106 and 92.3 The Beat. Consider Damn, It Feels to Be a Gangsta, the khaki-clad sibling to my G’Z Up, Prose Down Summer Jamz from last year (link still active). What’s most striking is that both tapes only share “Nuthin’ but a G Thing,” which speaks to how deep the left coast talent pool was from 88-95.
Unsurprisingly, Damn It Feels Good….features the usual suspects: Dre, Snoop, MC Eight, Dogg Pound, N.W.A., Quik, ‘Pac, Mack 10. But what makes it great are the deep cuts from Suga Free, W.C., 2nd II None, Hi-C, Mausberg, and Kam. They even got that Kurupt track where he was mad at DMX for snatching Foxy Brown, a song that violated his tenet of giving a fuck about a bitch and thus, always being broke and never having no motherfucking indo to smoke.
More importantly, any tape evidencing such impeccable curatorial skills as to include “Bangin’ on Wax” from the Bloods and Crips unity effort and Toddy Tee’s “Batterramm,” gets my vote of confidence. In these Drake-dazed days, it seems impossible to think that they used to play Toddy Tee (and Vaughn Mason and The Gap Band) on terrestrial rap radio, but it’s true. Then again, they used to spin KWS’ “Please Don’t Go,” so you win some and you lose some. But if you were born between ’75 and ’83 in the city of Angels, this was the best we ever had.
Download:
ZIP: LA Leakers & Murs-Damn, It Feels Good to be a Gangsta (Left-Click)
4 comments
Alex Ludovico says:
July 30, 2009 at 7:01 am (UTC -7)
Listening to Murs talk over gangster rap has made for my favorite mixtape of 2009.
Also, before this tape, I’d never heard Suga Free.
I mean I heard OF HIM.
But that song is amazing, as is practically every song they picked.
Jere says:
July 30, 2009 at 5:25 pm (UTC -7)
Interesting that this would pop up. Just the other day I was thinking of what a great track “Deep Cover” is. I’m a bit surprised to see that out of print; you’da thunk The Chronic would’ve gotten a deluxe edition that included “Deep Cover,” an unreleased track and a bunch of shitty remixes by now.
Jasper says:
August 3, 2009 at 2:38 am (UTC -7)
I´ve heard rumors that the original batterram track that Toddy Tee used to sell on cassette out of his trunk had a rougher beat than the version pressed on vinyl. Could any of you LA-heads confirm that and possibly upload the original version?
Coop says:
August 19, 2009 at 2:37 pm (UTC -7)
Man, I haven’t heard/seen Kam’s Peace Treaty in FOREVER!