I’ve always been a fan of hip hop.  When I was a kid, I would follow my Dad to the record shops (this was a time when only LPs and cassette tapes were sold) and as he shopped the classical and jazz aisles, I would wander over to the hip hop section.  I think I was drawn to Hip Hop (back then it was actually labeled as “Rap”) because of the eye catching cover art and the music itself.  For me, it started when my friend Wil and his older sister gave me a copy of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s, “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper”.  I loved the album and wanted to hear more.  I asked my Dad if he could buy me a record and that’s how it started. My first purchase was this (this was back in  1987):

Over the years, I continued to pick up albums.  Some of the early ones I recall were:  Run DMC’s “Tougher Than Leather”, Ice T’s “O.G.” and De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising”.

In 1993, I stepped into the world of DJing.  Back then, Toronto had a DJ record shop, Play De Record, that had a vibe that just sucked you into the culture.  The shop was a tiny place in the heart of downtown Toronto and was hidden behind a convenience store.  Once you got through the convenience store and racks of adult videos, you entered “Play De” at the back.  On any given Thursday (this is when new releases came out) or Saturday night, the smoke filled room was rammed and the music would be thundering.  All the local DJs would roll through, picking up their records and you would hear all the latest tracks being sampled on the sound system.  It was such a fun experience to witness and ultimately lead me to DJing.  With the change in the music industry, the store hasn’t quite been the same, but still exists today.

I remember starting to venture to DJing in 1993 since my very first album purchase from Play De Record was Soul’s of Mischief’s, 93′ Til Infinity.

 

Shortly after, I picked up Wu Tang’s “Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)” LP and was a fan of the Wu from then on.  The Wu was unheard of back then.  I remember a man on the subway asking if my Wu album was some traditional Chinese music?

Anyways, this blog entry was to highlight a recent purchase of mine relating to the Wu.  There’s been a lot of Wu remix/themed albums from dub step, to house to drum and bass but I found something I never seen before a few months ago.  A Wu, “Soul Instrumental” album.  The album is by El Michels Affair and is basically a collection of full adaptations of Wu-Tang Clan songs such as “Can’t it All Be So Simple”, “Protect Ya Neck”, “C.R.E.A.M.”, “Bring Da Ruckus” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”.

As I get older and start sounding like my pops (complaining that everything on the radio sounds like shit), I must say that I really like this album.  Its a nice, mature and soulful way of paying homage to some of the all time classics.  If you get a chance, check it out!