I mean, I do put stuff up here, but being that Myspace has kind of become the place where "bands" just add other "bands" I decided to take it back to the essence (or as my man Smooth B says "To the jams in the park, ahhhh - effervescence.")

ANYWAY, I got my regular website and have been blogging it up over there now. Check it out:

www.cosmobaker.com

HOLLER if you hear me.

In commemoration of the release of Raphael Saadiq's latest album "The Way I See It" I'm pleased to announce the release of my brand new CD...

Cosmo Baker Presents "Genius: The Sound Of Raphael Saadiq"



I'm from Philly and of course you know us folks from the 215 have a rich history in soul music. On top of that, Philly was one of the epicenters of the great "neo soul" movement of the 90s and beyond. Of course Raphael embodies all of that, so of course when I had the opportunity to work with material from someone who I consider one of the greatest living artists today in the world, I jumped at the chance.

When I was talking to The God Rehani and I was telling him about this mix and about Raphael's new album he was incredible enthusiastic. And, as someone who has worked with him on music, the first words that came out of his mouth were "Genius. That man is a genius." At the time I had been struggling with coming up with a title for the mix, but the term "genius" immediately struck a chord with me. I also had been struggling on how to actually make the mix considering that there's so much material out there that the man had his hands directly on. What to include, what to cut, the decisions were excruciating, and if it were up to me I would have made this a 5 CD box set and still wouldn't have had enough space to include everything.

This mix is a representation of Raphael Saadiq's sound - from the early days of Tony! Toni! Toné! through his solo work and the neo-soul era, to his latest endeavors - including music from his latest album. Solo records, collaborations, guest appearances, productions, remixes, exclusives and more... I hope I did Raphael some justice.

Tracklist:
Charlie Ray Intro
Raphael Saadiq "Still Ray"
Erykah Badu "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip-Hop" feat. Common
Raphael Saadiq "Never Give You Up" feat. Stevie Wonder
Earth, Wind & Fire "Work It Out"
Joss Stone "Music" feat. Lauryn Hill
Devin The Dude "Just A Man" feat. Raphael Saadiq
Lucy Pearl "Without You" (J Dilla Remix 2)
Kelis "Marathon"
Raphael Saadiq "I Want You Back" feat. Teedra Moses
Raphael Saadiq "I Want You Back" feat. Teedra Moses (DJ B.Cause Remix)
The Roots "What They Do" feat. Raphael Saadiq
A Tribe Called Quest" Stressed Out" (Raphael Saadiq Remix)
Bizarre "Coming Home" feat. Raphael Saadiq & Kuniva
Raphael Saadiq "Body Parts"
DJ Quik "Well" feat. Raphael Saadiq & Mausberg
Joss Stone "Proper Nice"
Raphael Saadiq "Get Involved" feat. Q-Tip
Raphael Saadiq "Skyy, Can You Feel Me" feat. Rosie Kaye (Yam Who's Spiritual Rework)
Nappy Roots "Leave This Morning" feat. Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq "Big Easy"
Tony! Toni! Tone! "Let's Get Down" feat. DJ Quik
Raphael Saadiq "Detroit Girl"
Amp Fiddler "Faith"
Lucy Pearl "Don't Mess With My Man"
Raphael Saadiq "100 Yard Dash"
Raphael Saadiq "Faithful" (Disoriental Remix)
Mashonda "Ask Of You" feat. Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq "Ask Of You"
Real Live "All I Ask Of You (Commin' Thru)"
Raphael Saadiq "Be Here" feat. D'Angelo
Total "Kissin' You"
Snoop Dogg "Waste Of Time" feat. Raphael Saadiq
Jaguar Wright "Free" feat. Freeway
D'angelo "Lady"
Tony! Toni! Tone! "Whatever You Want"
Raphael Saadiq "Oh Girl"

The mix can be copped here. Thank you for your support!

Hi, So I'm about to head out on the road with Redman for a week. Should be cool for sure. If we're coming to your town (Raleigh, Atlanta, Houston, Austin) then you should come out.

ALSO - I'm retiring this blog officially. For now on, all the action is going to be right smack dab on the front page of my website www.cosmobaker.com so please check it out.

"Only in America could you find a way to earn a healthy buck and still keep your attitude on self-destruct." - the hottest shit ever, as spoken by Zeb Love X aka Metal Face Doom.

I don't know. That shit just came on my iPod. Fuck it, I'm delirious and haven't slept in days. I'm still stranded in Hong Kong because of Typhoon Nuri. I did a show at Volar on Thursday that was pretty fresh, but that night and the next day this "Level 9" typhoon smacked Hong Kong directly on it's ear and it shut the city - and the airport - down completely. I walked around Hong Kong yesterday and the city was practically deserted. All the stores were closed and they all had tape up on the windows. The hotel that I'm staying in has sandbags at the front door. Fucking next level.

So that means my flight to Bangkok was cancelled yesterday. Now today I've been at the airport since the early morning but there's been no way for me to get to BKK in time for my show at 808. Right now I'm at the airport just waiting to see what happens. I haven't eaten anything and I'm exhausted and mad stressed.

This sucks.

Back in the days there used to be a certain formula to doing albums - meaning there were distinctive types of records that you just had to put on your album. There was the single, the rap for the girls, the club (or hip-house) jam, the DJ cut, the slow jam, the reminisce record, the shout out dedication song at the end of the record, the list goes on and on. But for the record my favorite type of record was the posse cut. This was the record where the artist would invite some of his boys to drop verses on a song, and the end result usually ended up sounding like teh best rap party that ever. Sometimes it was a crazy combination of rappers that you would never think would even bless the same city, much less the mic. Sometimes it would end up being the jump start to a legendary career. Whatever it would be, the posse cut always brought the fire.

Here is a collection of some of my favorite posse cuts of all time. The initial list I had was much longer but in the end I had to trim it down. I had to make sure that (for the most part) the entire song played on this mix - I didn't want to leave anyone out. So here it is - let's go!

COSMO BAKER "TOO MUCH POSSE"

CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOAD (UPDATED LINK)



01: Ice Cube "Colorblind" feat. Deadly Threat, J-Dee, Kam, King Tee, WC & Coolio
02: Jadakiss "Why" Remix feat. Styles P., Common, Nas & Anthony Hamilton
03: Jungle Brothers "How You Want It (We Got It)" feat. A Tribe Called Quest & De La Soul
04: LL Cool J "I Shot Ya" Remix feat. Fat Joe, Foxy Brown, Keith Murray & Prodigy
05: Luniz "I Got 5 On It" Bay Ballas Remix feat. Dru Down, E-40, Humpty Hump. Shock G, Richie Rich & Spice 1
06: B--s Blasta "The Rhythm" feat. Fat Joe, Godfather Don, Juju & Lord Finesse
07: Real Live "Real Live Shit" Remix feat. Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, Killa Sin, Larry-O & Lord Tariq
08: Craig Mack "Flavor In Your Ear" Remix feat. Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Notorious B.I.G. & Rampage
09: Nice & Smooth "Down The Line" feat. Asu, B--s Blasta, Guru, Melo T. & Preacher Earl
10: Black Sheep "Pass The 40" feat. Mista Lawnge, Chi Ali, Chris Lighty, Dave Gossett & J. Jones
11: D&D All-Stars "1 2 Pass It" DJ Mighty Mi Remix feat. Mad Lion, Doug E. Fresh, KRS-One, Fat Joe, Smif-Wessun & Jeru The Damaja
12: Eightball "Pure Uncut" feat. Master P., Silkk The Shocker, Mystikal & Psycho Drama
13: Noreaga "Banned From TV" feat. Big Pun, Cam'ron, Nature & The Lox
14: Red Hot Lover Lover Tone "For My Ni**az" Remix feat. Notorious B.I.G., Prince Poetry & M.O.P.
15: Big L "Da Graveyard" feat. Grand Daddy I.U., Jay-Z, Lord Finesse, Microphone Nut & Party Arty
16: LL Cool J "4321" feat. Method Man, Redman, Canibus, Master P & DMX
17: Pudgee Da Phat Bastard "Think Big" feat. Notorious B.I.G. & Lord Tariq
18: Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "Money In The Bank" feat. Ant Live, Freddie Foxxx & Large Professor
19: Marley Marl "The Symphony" feat. Craig G., Masta Ace, Kool G Rap & Big Daddy Kane
20: Above The Law "The Last Song" feat. Eazy-E, Dr. Dre & MC Ren
21: Showbiz & A.G. "Represent" feat. Big L, Deshawn & Lord Finesse
22: EPMD "The Head Banger" feat. K-Solo & Redman
23: Marley Marl "The Symphony Pt. 2" feat. Craig G., Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, Little Daddy Shane & Big Daddy Kane
24: Cool Breeze "Watch For The Hook" feat. Outkast & Goodie Mob
25: Heavy D & The Boyz "A Buncha Ni**as" feat. 3rd Eye, Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Rob-O & Guru
26: The Flavor Unit MCs "Roll With Tha Flava" feat. Treach, Chip Fu, D-Nice, Dres, Freddie Foxxx, Heavy D & Queen Latifah
27: Del Tha Funkee Homosapien "Burnt" feat. Souls Of Mischief & Casual
28: Big Daddy Kane "Pimping Ain't Easy" feat. Ant Live, Scoob Lover & Nice & Smooth
27: De La Soul "Buddy" Remix feat. A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah & Monie Love
29: MC Serch "Back To The Grill" Remix feat. Red Hot Lover Tone, Chubb Rock & Nas
30: A Tribe Called Quest "Scenario" feat. Leaders Of The New School
31: A Tribe Called Quest "Scenario" Remix feat. Kid Hood & Leaders Of The New School
32: Heavy D & The Boyz "Don't Curse" feat. Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth & Q-Tip
33: Main Source "Live At The Barbeque" feat. Akinyele, Joe Fatal & Nas
34: The West Coast Rap Allstars "We're All In The Same Gang" feat. Above The Law, Body & Soul, Def Jef, Digital Underground, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice-T, J.J. Fad, King Tee, MC Hammer, MC Ren, Michel'le, Oaktown's 3-5-7, Tone Loc & Young MC
35: The Stop The Violence Movement "Self Destruction" feat. KRS-One, Public Enemy, D-Nice, Daddy-O, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee, MC Delight, Just Ice, MC Delight, Ms. Melodie & Wise

So me and my wife got invited to my man DJ Tat Money's birthday party a few weeks ago in Philly. It was dope because that's my homie and his wife called me up saying it was going to be a surprise party for him. So my wife and I rolled down from Brooklyn to the World Cafe Live just in time to set up and get situated for the surprise. It was dope - he totally didn't expect it. His was under the assumption that he was spinning a party for Red Bull and came with all his gear en-tow (people, TAKE NOTES.)

But yeah it was great seeing the dude, and although it was an intimate party (probably about 100 people or so) there were mad heads up in there from the old school. I'm talking about Schoolly D, Yvette Money, Lady B, Monie Love, Kwame, Air Smooth, DJ Wiz, Colby Colb, Gary O, Dana Dane, DJ Spinbad, Kamal from The Roots and more.

Big up to Mr. & Mrs. Tat Money, Mr & Mrs. Schoolly D, Air Smooth and Daddy Air Smooth, Jay-Ski (who was DJing) and everyone else who came out.

So then, there people started to perform and wax poetic and roast my man, talking about Gumby haircuts and Alpina shades and shit. It was hilarious and definitely took me back. I wasn't planning on doing any recording but then Schoolly started rapping "Gucci Time" and it went off from there. He did "Saturday Night," "Parkside 5-2," "P.S.K." and maybe something else. Monie Love got up and did "Monie In The Middle," "It's A Shame (My Sister)," "Buddy" and "Ladies First." Then Dana Dane got up and did "Nightmares," "Cinderfella," "Dana Dane With Fame" and a bunch more. I ran out of batteries before I could get Kwame's performance but it was ILL. He did "The Man We All Know And Love," "The Rhythm" and "Only You." Too ill.

Excerpt: Schoolly D "Saturday Night" - He's right when he says "You a bunch of OLD motherfuckers" hahah...


Schoolly D "P.S.K. (What Does That Mean?)" and "Parkside 5-2"


A pregnant ass Monie Love "Monie In The Middle" and "It's A Shame (My Sister)"


Dana Dane with a bunch of joints and routines. My wife says it was like being back in 7th grade.


Tat can't believe it! And check out that birthday cake.


Mrs. Tat toasting the man of the hour.


Schoolly Schooll has still got so much swagger.


PEACE TO ALL MY PHILLY OLD HEADS!

What's good, y'all!! We're back at it again, and I'm pleased to say that we've picked up out "History Of Hip-Hop" series again this year.

We started the series with 1979 and took you on a journey though the first decade of hip-hop as seen through the eyes of The Rub. In no way is this to be considered a "Best Of" but more of a collection of personal favorites and songs that we feel really represented the year properly. But guaranteed you will be getting some of the best hip-hop songs ever created.

And so with no further hestiation, let's get to it!



BrooklynRadio.net Presents,

The Rub History Of Hip-Hop Volume 12: 1990 (Mixed by Cosmo Baker)

CLICK TO STREAM

CLICK FOR PODCAST

Above The Law "Another Execution"
Ice Cube "Once Upon A Time In The Projects"
Brand Nubian "Who Can Get Busy Like This Man?"
Main Source "Just Hanging Out"
Eric B. & Rakim "Mahogany"
Compton's Most Wanted "Give It Up"
CPO "Ballad Of A Menace"
Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth "Here I Come"
Omniscence "Lost In The Music"
Gang Starr "Love Sick"
Digital Underground "Freaks Of The Industry"
Lakim Shabazz "The Lost Tribe Of Shabazz"
King Tee "Played Like A Piano"
K-Solo "Fugitive"
Kool G. Rap "Streets Of New York"
Masta Ace "Me & The Biz"
The Geto Boys "Gangster Of Love"
A Tribe Called Quest "Bonita Applebum"
A Tribe Called Quest "Push It Along"
Freshco & Miz "Ain't You Freshco?"
Eric B. & Rakim "In The Ghetto"
Main Source "Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball"
Nice & Smooth "No Bones In Ice Cream"
Dooley-O "Watch My Moves"
D-Nice "Call Me D-Nice"
Boogie Down Productions "Material Love"
Special Ed "Living Like A Star"
Poor Righteous Teachers "Rock This Funky Joint"
Big Daddy Kane "YounG Gifted And Black"
Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth "Funky Technician"
Third Bass "Product Of The Environment"
LL Cool J "Eat 'Em Up LL, Chill"
The Geto Boys "Scarface"
Above The Law "Murder Rap"
Low Profile "Playing For Keeps"
Ron B "Stitch By Stitch"
Main Source "Snake Eyes"
Chill Rob G. "Let Me Show You (Prince Paul Remix)"
K-Solo "Your Mom's In Our Business"
The Flavor Unit "The Flavor Unit Assassination Squad"
415 "Lavish"
Too $hort "The Ghetto"
Three Times Dope "No Words"
Special Ed "The Mission"
Main Source "Think"
Third Bass "3 Strikes 5000"
KMD "Gasface Refill"
360 Degrees "Somebody Like Me"
Gang Starr "Just To Get A Rep"
Public Enemy "911 Is A Joke"
YZ "Sons Of The Father"
Brand Nubian "Drop The Bomb"
Lord Alibaski "Crunch Time"
X-Clan "Heed The Word Of The Brother"
Kinds Of Swing "Nod Your Head To This"
Special Ed "Ready 2 Attack"
Special Ed "I'm The Magnificent (Remix)"
Gang Starr "Who's Gonna Take The Weight"
Three Times Dope "In Effect"
A Tribe Called Quest "Youthful Expression"
Brand Nubian "Ragtime"
415 "415in"
X-Clan "Days Of Outrage, Operation Snatchback"
Ice Cube "Amerikkka's Most Wanted"
Kid Frost "La Raza"
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "Talk Like Sex"
Monie Love "It's A Shame"
A Tribe Called Quest "Pubic Enemy"
Intelligent Hoodlum "Trag Invasion"
N.W.A. "100 Miles And Running"
E.P.M.D. "I'm Mad"
E.P.M.D. "Rampage"
LL Cool J "Jingling Baby (Remixed And Still Jingling)"
Public Enemy "Welcome To The Terrordome"

Yo damn right. Fuck all the dumb shit, motherfuckers need to make sure that they just don't LOSE FOCUS.

That's first of all. SECOND OF ALL - Sabbath In The Motherfucking Park.

So bye bye to 2007 and remember that shit is realer than you could ever imagine.



SABBATH IN THE PARK WICKED MIX 666 (Click to download)

74 Minutes of Guitar Licks & Darkness, mixed by Cosmo Baker

Sabbath Wicked Mix Track List:
N.I.B.
The Wizard
Rat Salad
Supernaut
Gypsy Woman
Killing Yourself To Live
Looking For Today
Fairies Wear Boots feat. Sick Dog
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Children Of The Grave
Paranoid
Symptom Of The Universe VS Rob Scavone
Planet Caravan
Sabbath Volume 4 Radio Spot
An Interview With The Founders
Iron Man
A National Acrobat Meets The Queen The Canuck
Sweet Leaf feat. Pubes
Behind The Wall Of Sleep
Hand Of Doom
War Pigs

Who's a boss?

Digging In The Crates - it's just as the name states. It's the art of scavenging. The bottom-feeders, the ones who search for scraps in the heap to find the gems. The rapidly disappearing art of searching for the dusties is as much a part of hip-hop, but in this day and age when everything is readily available at a few clicks of your keyboard, some may have forgotten when you actually had to put work in to find "joints." Now it seems as though I've been digging since forever - in a away we all have. But back in the day, when I first started DJing, for some reason I felt an incredible draw to find a way to fit old funk and soul records into my hip-hop repertoire. Initially it was the 45s of my moms that I found in my grandparents basement. Then it was dollar bin records at The Exchange. Before I knew it, I was a full on dusty crates aficionado, being known for having the "originals." That's never really changed I guess, just grown. But if there's anything that I appreciate, it's to be able to draw the parallel lines, to see the lines of connection, to see where we have come from, in order to see where we're off to.

There are a few people who definitely influenced me with my crate digging - King Britt who I met while I caught his eye while I was buying a Cymande record at the Odunde Festival (He asked me "Hey are you from New York,") DJ Jazz for staying one step ahead of me at all times, the god Joy who would bring records down from Harlem to listen to at smoke-filled sessions, Chino from Funkomart and Bob Dickie at 9th Street for always saying "No, you don't want that record, you want THIS RECORD." But above everyone probably my man Espo. He was the first guy to turn me on to the real serious Funkadelic records, and of course the one and only Gil Scott Heron.

Back in the day in Philly, Espo started a now legendary magazine called "On The Go" and he asked me if I would write for it. Jumping at the chance, I started a column called "Digging In The Crates." My man Ray Hayes came up with the name and, being that we all spent a lot of time around each other getting stoned and listening to old records incessantly, it definitely was a group collaboration. But being that I was a DJ, I spent every day of my life going to different shops and finding strange places to cop vinyl from, looking for anything that was groovy.

So I wrote the DITC column for the first few years while On The Go was based out of Philly. When I first started to visit New York I somehow linked up with my good friend Ben Velez. Ben was just like me - a digger. But he without a doubt ended up putting me onto so much more shit that I didn't even have a clue about. Ben eventually took over the duties of writing the DITC column and he took it to the next level.

So here they are, as much as I have. My scanner game could be a little more on point, but fuck it - this is it, from all of us involved, to all of you to enjoy.


- Cosmo Baker, Winter 2008



On The Go Issue 2, 1992




On The Go Issue 3, 1993




On The Go Issue 8, 1994




On The Go Issue 9, 1994




On The Go Issue ?, 1995




On The Go Issue ?, 1995




On The Go Issue ?, 1996




On The Go Issue ?, 1996





On The Go Issue 14, 1996





On The Go Issue 15, 1996





On The Go Issue 16, 1996





On The Go Issue 17, 1997





On The Go Issue 18, 1997