Whenever I'm at the barber shop, coffee house, senior citizens home, video rental establishment or Roberto's taco shop I find myself getting into some sort of "remember this Hip Hop cat or that Hip Hop group" debate. Usually we'd all let out a big "ahhhhhh yeah!" in agreement, then we crack a Kraft Cheese smile and start reciting lyrics from the artists we named. This goes over especially well at the senior citizens home. Them folks go buck when we're playing the remember game. They be all like, "remember that Chubby Checker remix" then I be like, "You gonna eat that green Jello or what cause it's been callin' my name since the 2 o'clock Fraiser re-runs". Good times.
Anyhow, whenever it's my turn to dig into my music treasure chest I bring up the Mountain Brothers. Hoping for the "ahhhh yeah!" reaction everyone else was getting, I usually get the half gas face, half confused second grader look. And it's not like the MBs were just some local group that some would only know if they were from Philadelphia. Their videos and music had distribution and praise on a bi-coast level. I bought my copy of Self Vol 1 at a Tower Records here on the left coast. If I ever meet a young tenderoni that remembers the Mountain Brothers I'm going to have to marry her strictly out off of GP. So in hopes of turning more gas-confused faces into "ahhhh yeah!" reactions I want to dig out some classic MB material for the 2011 audience.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptd2CuBR-Tg[/youtube]
Here's a little background info on the Mountain Brothers. Their first national release was Self Vol 1 in 1999. CHOPS is the deep voiced producer/rapper of the group. His production is well praised because he constructs his beats from scratch using mostly live instruments such as bass guitars, electric guitars, keyboards, drums and other percussion tools. CHOPS is the definition of a one man band and he's also the only member in the Mountain Brothers that is currently still active in the music industry. He's worked with many of mine and your favorite rappers and producers. Peril-L is the MB member that has the butter smooth flow. Word on the street is Peril-L retired from rap to become a doctor. Styles Infinite is the MB member with the choppy flow. It's not a bad thing, it's a great distinctive part of his style. Also, Styles' lyrics always include a slick line or three about how he loves the ladies. A characteristic that I personally find entertaining. Like Peril-L, it's rumored that Styles Infinite also retired from rap to become a doctor. The Mountain Brothers also had a gallery of pictures of them taking pictures with people while they were holding slices of cheese. No, that is not a corny attempt at humor, I am not joking. It was the greatest set of pictures ever.
Please enjoy and spread the love.
This is how the MBs ended their Self Vol 1 disc. Always a pleasure to hear that Miami Booty Bass.
Please take some time out of your Alaskan crab fishing season and follow me on Twitter at @CalebTCP. And while you're at it, stop by my website at RamenDays.com.
