“Shout-out to all my crate diggers who feel the vinyl itchin, then stay up trying to scratch it all night long like Lionel Ritchie”
This is my display of vinyls that I keep at home. Each shelf is categorized and features one of my favorite hip-hop artists for a specific reason. Here’s the breakdown of what’s on each level and why.
Shelf 1
On the left side we have my girlfriend’s burgeoning record collection. She has a nice mix of artists from Tom Waits to the Beastie Boys to Otis Redding and Lady Gaga, flanked by some of her favorite movie’s soundtracks. On the right side lies my DJ and scratch tools that I keep at home and around the studio. Sound effects, scratch samples, breakbeats and various duplicate records for juggling are over there. In the middle is one of the first full albums I ever purchased on vinyl- 2Pac’s Greatest Hits. To me, 2Pac represents the deep content that hip-hop can offer. From socially conscious songs like Keep Ya Head Up and Brenda’s Got a Baby to extremely personal songs like Dear Mama and Me Against The World, 2Pac was never afraid to use this art form as a lens to examine real issues that affected many real people in the world.
Shelf 2
This is where I keep the singles that I don’t carry with me to shows. Singles on vinyl are cool because they usually include the instrumental of the song (just the music with no vocals) and sometimes even the accapella (just the vocals with no music), which are great ingredients for remixes. Showcased on this shelf is Outkast’s Stankonia, one of their most iconic albums. To me, Outkast has always represented the funk influences in hip-hop. From their Southern eccentricities to Andre 3000’s slow dive off the deep end to their production team Organized Noize’s deft talent at utilizing live bass and horns, I love all of the funk and soul that drips from every single Outkast album.
Shelf 3
This is the shelf for my full albums on vinyl. From left to right we got my first hand-me-downs to some cooler used records I dug in the crates for and then over to some artists that I’m really proud to own on vinyl. Steely Dan, The Doors, Queen, Kid Koala, Tonedeff, Aesop Rock, The Roots, Deacon the Villain and Heiroglyphics all live down here on the LP shelf. Displayed here is The Eminem Show, which I got just recently to complete my trifecta of hip-hop albums. To me, Eminem represents the lyrical style of it all. No other genre uses such an extensive vocabulary or so many poetic devices as Mr. Mathers. Take that insight and combine it with the content of 2Pac and funk of Outkast and baby, you got yourself some hip-hop!
Catch up with me next week for another one of my passions and tune in to me and my homie N8 Smith on tonight’s Hump Day Block Party!
DJ MC is a certified music nerd and can probably beat you at Street Fighter. Follow him on Twitter @DJMC1200 and tune in Wednesday nights for the Hump Day Block Party with #N8andMC!
