Funk Master Flex comes through with a tough mix in celebration of Jam Master Jay’s 47th  birthday, January 21st. Born Jason William Mizell, he became DJ to the groundbreaking rap group Run DMC, started the Label Jam Master jay Records and put out Onyx’s album Throw Ya Gunz. He also created the Scratch DJ Academy educating the people about DJ’ing and producing. Jam Master Jay and Run DMC were the first rap group to go mainstream and paved the way for future hip hop acts to come. Jam Master jay is a  hip hop pioneer and legend. Please pay tribute to a legend on the game, a  true KING.

Shouts to stupidDOPE.com for the heads up.

Be sure to follow My Mind Spray on Twitter  and Facebook.

As always I’m up to date on the new DJ Demon ‘ish so check out his latest remix entitled “Ghostface Demon”. 7 tracks by the legendary Wu-Tang leg (they form like voltron) Tony Starks. Listen to it right here, download it right now, and please share it with your friends! Then check out my interview with DJ DEMON.

Track List:

01. Ghostface Killah – Apollo Kids
02. Ghostface Killah – Mighty Healthy
03. Ghostface Killah ft. Ne-Yo – Back Like That
04. Ghostface Killah – Run
05. Ghostface Killah – Daytona 500
06. Ghostface Killah – Special Delivery
07. Ghostface Killah – Holla

SGM Downloads | 2012-01-23 | Demon – Ghostface Demon

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

Go over to https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/  now to learn more and sign the simple petition.

This guest post is by Tom Cooney of a.tom.called.cooney.

The J.B.’s are best known as the backup band for James Brown in addition to backing up Bobby Byrd, Lyn Collins and other members of the James Brown Revue.  The band was formed in 1970 after walking out on Brown because they felt they weren’t getting paid enough.  Original members include William “Bootsy” Collins, Phelps “Catfish” Collins, Bobby Byrd, John “Jabo” Starks, Clayton “Chicken” Gunnels, Darryl “Hasaan” Jamison, Robert McCollough and Johnny Griggs.

The original members are responsible for some of James Brown’s most popular jams such as “Super Bad”, “The Grunt”, “Soul Power”, “Sex Machine” and “Talkin’ Loud Aint Sayin’ Nothing”.  Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley joined the band in December 1970.  Soon after, Bootsy Collins, his brother, and many of the original band members left to join George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.

Together, the J.B.’s have recorded several hits like “Gimmie Some More”, “Pass The Peas”, “Breakin Bread” and “Cross the Track” which is one of my favorites.

There have been a number of hip hop artists that have sampled the J.B.’s.  Some more notable names include Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Ultramagnetic MC’s, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Geto Boys, and De La Soul.

Recently, I have been bumping a lot of the J.B.’s.  However, for some reason I haven’t been playing them a lot during my gigs… that will all change tomorrow night.  I have a special Matt Pina tribute birthday set in the lineup loaded with funk classics.

Be sure to follow My Mind Spray on Twitter  and Facebook.

This guest post is by Tom Cooney of a.tom.called.cooney.

The Bar-Kays first played together in 1966 as a backing band on Stax Records.  There were 6 original band members; Jimmy King, Ronnie Caldwell, Phalon Jones, Carl Cunningham, Ben Cauley, and James Alexander.  Just as their career was taking off King, Caldwell, Jones and Cunningham along with Otis Redding and his manager, were killed in a plane crash over Lake Monona.  Cauley and Alexander were on a separate plane since there was only enough room for 8 passengers.

After some time, the remaining members began to rebuild the band.  They found success playing for Isaac Hayes on his albums “Hot Buttered Soul”, “Shaft”, “Movement” and “To Be Continued”.  The Bar-Kays were immediately recognized as a band with a lot of talent and were eventually signed to Mercury Records.

Soul Finger was released in 1967 and reached #3 on the R&B chart.  Other hits include Son Of Shaft (1972), Shake Your Rump To The Funk (1976), Lets Have Some Fun (1978), Hit & Run (1981), and Freak Show on the Dance Floor (1984).

Many hip hop artists have been influenced by The Bar-Kays such as; Cypress Hill, Ice Cube, De La Soul, Edan, Public Enemy, and The Beastie Boys.

I first heard the Freak Show On The Dance Floor when it was featured in the movie “Breakin”.  I thought the song was kind of cool, and the chorus was catchy.  As I got older I was able to appreciate the talent of the entire band, both new and old members.  Hit & Run is constantly in my playlist whenever I play out.

The Bar-Kays are still available for booking and will be playing at the Monterey Blues Festival on June 24^th.  They still put on a pretty dope show and are worth checking out if you get the chance.

This guest post is by Tom Cooney of a.tom.called.cooney.

Barry Eugene White was born in Galveston, Texas in 1944.  His family eventually moved to South Central Los Angeles where he began playing piano at an early age.  White started gang banging with his brother Darryl and eventually was locked up for stealing over $30,000 worth of Cadillac tires.  While serving 4 months in jail he heard Elvis Presley sing “Now or Never” on the radio. That moment changed his life.

White began his music career in the 60s with several music groups.  His found success in 1972 when he produced the all female group Love Unlimited.  Their first album, From A Girls Point of View, We Bring to You… Love Unlimited sold over a million copies.

His solo career began in 1973 with singles “I’ve Got So Much To Give” and “I’m Gonna Give You Just a Little More Baby” which quickly soared to the #1 spot on the Billboard R&B chart.  Soon after, White recorded a number of hits including “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe”, “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up”, “What Am I Gonna Do With You” and “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me”.

Sadly, Barry White died in 2003 after struggling with obesity during most of his adult life.  He was posthumously inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2004.

Quite a few hip-hop artists such as N.W.A., Rodney O and Joe Cooley, Nas, O.C., Black Moon and CMW have sampled Barry White.

I was introduced to Barry White as a young child in Boston, MA.  My mom had an extensive record collection and I can distinctly remember the I’ve Got So Much To Give album cover, which I was lucky to inherit.  My favorite Barry White song is the unmistakable baby-maker “Playing Your Game, Baby”.  Big ups to my man Rory Pendergast, the biggest Barry White fan I know.

This guest post is by Tom Cooney of a.tom.called.cooney.

Thirteen original band members formed the New York City Players in the early 70s.  By 1974 they had changed their name to Cameo to avoid confusion between them and a similar funk band, The Ohio Players.  By this time the band was carrying 24 members led by Larry Blackmon.  They were eventually signed to Casablanca Records in 1976.

Cameo started out as a funk band with singles such as “I Just Want To Be”, “Find My Way” and “Rigor Mortis”.  When synthesizers became big in the 80s, Cameo capitalized on the movement.  They changed their style to a more disco/dance genre and saw huge success with songs “She’s Strange”, “Single Life”, and their two biggest hits; “Word Up” and “Candy”.

The band’s success faded in the late 80s and into the 90s.  Although they were still releasing albums major labels Mercury and Reprise, they had pretty much fallen off.  They released their most recent album Sexy Sweet Thing in 2000.

Several members of the band are still making music today.  Aaron Mills (bass), Jheryl Bright (Trombone) and Kevin Kendrick have been hired by the hip hop group OutKast for live and studio sessions.  Aaron Mills actually recorded the bassline for “Ms. Jackson”, one of Outkast’s big hits.

Hip hop artists such as Brand Nubian, Above The Law, The Beastie Boys, King Tee and Kool Moe Dee have sampled Cameo.

I became a Cameo fan back in the day when I first heard “I Just Want To Be”.  That jam is so funky!  After a little break, the release of “Candy” and “Word Up” had me hooked once again.  I play at least one Cameo joint every time I play out.  No matter what the crowd is, I always get a good response.  Ooow!

This guest post is by Tom Cooney of a.tom.called.cooney.

Leon Haywood started his career in the 1960’s in Houston, Texas as a singer/songwriter.  After relocating to Los Angeles he recorded over 20 US R&B singles on Decca Records, Columbia Records, and MCA Records.  His most popular single is “I Wanta Do Something Freaky To You” in 1974 which he recored on 20^th Century Records.  The single reached #7 on the R&B chart and #15 on the Pop chart on 1975.  His song “Push It, Don’t Force It” was a Top 40 hit single in the UK in 1980.  Haywood is also credited with writing the 1981 song “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” recorded by Carl Carlton.

Haywood is considered a one hit wonder by most.  However, his one hit is one of the funkiest songs of all time.  “I Wanta Do Something Freaky To You” is one of the most recognizable funk tracks ever, as it was sampled by Dr. Dre on “Nuthin But A G Thang”.  This was the first time I had ever heard of Leon Haywood.  Although he is improperly cited on the album as L. Hayward, it wasn’t long before we all figured out who he was.  Public Enemy, Bloods & Crips, Redman, Masta Ace, Aaliyah and 50 Cent have also sampled this song.

“I Wanta Do Something Freaky To You” sets the crowd off every time I play it.  I had one dude say to me “Are you really playing Leon Haywood right now?”  Yes my friend I am, and I will continue to play that single until my days of DJing are over.

There are some moments when I regret leaving San Diego in 1998 to pursue a degree in photography. The beginning of the hip hop era in San Diego was just taking off. Dj Mike Czech and Dj H.O.P. have been putting down the Strictly Hip Hop shit for many years. This is one of their early collabs entitled “Neck Exercize”. I feel lucky to know these two cool dudes and have gotten the opportunity to photograph them as well. Sleeping Giant Music has dug deep in the crates and made this mixtape the first of it’s new weekly posts entitled Rewind Wednesdays. I can’t say “Don’t sleep on this mixtape” since it was released over a decade ago. But feel lucky that you can cop it now.

Classic tracks by some of San Diego’s finest: Roundtable MC’s, and ICONS.

This is a FREE Download

SGM Downloads | Mike Czech � Neck Exersize

01. Intro Montage
02. Jurassic 5 – In the Flesh
03. Cappadonna – Slang Editorial
04. Hi-Tech – Tech’s Technique
05. Orfeus – Mithalaje
06. The High & The Mighty – Open Mic Night
07. Self-Scientific – Degrees
08. Icons – Inner Sanctum
09. Fatal – Geto Star (ft. Tame One)
10. L-Fudge – Show Me Your Gratitude
11. A.G. – Hidden Crate
12. Cocoa Brovaz – Black Trump (ft. Raekwon)
13. Asheru & Blue Black – It’s About Time
14. MC Lyte – I Cram to Understand You (Sam)
15. Nas – It Ain’t Hard to Tell
16. Method Man – PLO Style
17. Intro
18. Del – Left Field
19. Icons – Freestyle Intro
20. Styles of Beyond – Killer Instinct
21. Hi-Tech – The Music
22. Jay-Z – Friend or Foe ‘98
23. Choclair – What It Takes (Remix)
24. Big L – Work Is Never Done
25. The Alkaholiks – All Night
26. Talib Kweli – Manifesto
27. Roundtable MCs – SD Chargers
28. Outro

This guest post is by Tom Cooney of a.tom.called.cooney.

Brothers Roger Troutman, Larry Troutman, Terry “Zapp” Troutman, Lester Troutman, and Tony Troutman formed Zapp in Dayton, Ohio in 1978.  Their blend of funk and soul, mixed in with the classic “hand-clap” snare drum made their sound unmistakable.  Bootsie Collins (childhood friend of Roger Troutman) introduced the band to George Clinton who immediately signed them to his label “Uncle Jam Records” in 1979.  They released their first album entitled Zapp in 1980.  The record label folded in 1980.  Both bands signed with Warner Brothers.

Prior to the signing with Warner Brothers, Roger had been working with George Clinton on a solo project.  Warner brothers offered Roger more money, so he decided to sell the rights of the music, which would later be known as The Many Faces of Roger released on Warner Brothers.  As a result, George Clinton sued Roger Troutman and Warner Brothers, which resulted in George Clinton leaving the label.

The band continued their success into the 80’s with the release of “Zapp II”, “Zapp III”, and “The New Zapp IV U”.  By 1985 they had 5 gold records, including singles “Doo Wa Ditty”, “Heartbreaker”, “So Ruff, So Tuff”, “I Can Make You Dance”, and the famous baby makers “I Want To Be Your Man”, and “Computer Love”.  Each song features Roger Troutman using the talk-box on his vocals.

Tragedy struck the band in 1999 when Larry murdered his younger brother Roger, and then took his own life.  Many believe that Roger had mentioned to Larry that the band was looking for a new manager and this drove Larry over the edge.

Zapp has had a major influence on the Chicano/Cholo community and anyone owning a lowrider.  Their music has been sampled by EPMD, X-Clan, Rodney-O and Joe Cooley, Fu-Shnickens, Bloods & Crips, Quasimoto, and Slum Village.

I have always been a huge fan of Zapp.  I love the combination of the hand-clap and Roger on the talk-box.  Their unique sound has created some of my favorite hip hop tracks from the late 80’s and early 90s.  You can guarantee that anything featuring a Zapp sample will keep your head bobbing and the track on repeat.