EXTRA TIME #1: The DITC Tournament

Extra time. Extra time.

Welcome to Hip Hop World Cup Extra Time, our brand new post match show where we head back out onto the pitch for more hip hop discussion in the aftermath of our latest episode. I'm your host Danny Phillips and with me once again is Steve Hitchcock. Hi Steve. Hello. There's no Larry for this one here sadly. He's currently stuck in the Strait of Hormuz after an ill advised fact finding trip to the Middle East. But don't worry, if we need his opinion, we have the trusty Larry bot on hand. Let's just see if it's working, Larry.

But what do you think of the awakening by Lord Finesse? And I'll just say it's fine. Yeah, that seems to be working. That might come in handy later on, just in case we need to, you know, break any ties. Is that what the viewers would would think as is like catch phrase? I think so. I hope so. I'm hoping that people will start putting on T-shirts and shouting at shouting at him in the street. Yeah, that's cool. So, Steve, welcome. This is our brand new show. What have you been up to? Anything. Anything hip hop recently?

You've been to a Mobb Deep gig, didn't you? Yeah, I've been down to to Plymouth, to the demo to watch Mobb Deep. The home of hip hop. What? Yeah, yeah. And big, big hip hop heads down in Plymouth, down with the Janners. And obviously it was just Havoc from Mobb Deep, but Big Noid was also an appearance and he stopped the show. He was. He was, he was absolutely brilliant. He's a great underrated rapper. Very underrated, I think. Yeah, he just had the stage presence. The the, I think Havoc was kind of like hiding away.

I think he's probably a better producer than he is a a a stage rapper. Right. That's very nice. It was. Good. I think the the the 50 to 100 people that were there really enjoyed it. It's a good intimate night out with Mobb Deep, some intimate variants, acoustic classics, but down in Plymouth. Great, great group. Mobb Deep. Great stuff. We're no Mobb Deep in this episode, unfortunately. But what is this episode all about? What is Extra Time all about? Well, this is our new after show where we dig a bit deeper into the artist featured in our latest main episode.

We have a series of different segments which we'll do in each Extra Time episode, including quizzes, questions, discussions and games. But for this debut episode, we're going to go in hard with an idea that I like to call.

So following our shoot out between Lord Finesse and Diamond D, we thought it would be a good idea to stage ADITC Digging in the Crates tournament or a bracket for our American listeners where 16 albums from the DITC stable will compete to see which one is objectively the best. Those albums have been paired up at random and we're going to take it in turns to choose the winner in each match and give our reasons why we won't overthink it each time. I'll just be decided on gut instincts, but it'll be probably be based on a lot more than that to be honest, given the amount of notes we'll be both done.

We'll keep going all the way to the final when we'll decide between us which album is the winner. If we can't agree, then it'll be settled with a fight in a pub car park. Or if that doesn't settle it, we'll ask the Larry Bot. Exciting that we actually have got the Larry Bot loaded with all his with those opinions. All his opinions and his scores and everything so we can turn to him if we need to break the tie in the final. The level of training that's gone into that bot is is very impressive, so good and the.

Amount of water it's taken to to cool the data centres as well. Unbelievable. But but yeah, so he's there if we need him. And also joining us as an impartial adjudicator is Ian Beale from EastEnders. Are you Are you ready to go, Ian?

OK, well, Steve, I hope you've got something left for this, for this tournament. So without further ado, let's get to the first match in the round of 16. We're not going to read all the albums out upfront. We're just going to be be a bit of a surprise. So first match in the round of 16, which is you'll be very pleased to hear, Steve, that you're going first on this one. This is your first in this bracket. And it is Runaway Slave by showing AG or showbiz and AG versus funky technician by Lord Finesse.

Lord Finesse debut album with DJ Mike Smooth, 1990. Yeah. Have FIFA looked into how this draw was conducted, by the way, because it was normally drawn live on the show. It is, and I just thought I'd say it was a bit of time and do it beforehand. It was done using a computer. OK, it was done using a computer, but it's. A fair It's a fair draw, then. The the computer may have been told what to what to do. So yeah, the first match out of the hat was runaway slave versus funky technician. And this is your decision, Steve.

So you've got to make the decision. Well, I'm choosing between the two. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. This is you. You're up. Oh. Oh, brilliant. Yeah. So it's it's my choice then. OK. Right. So let's think about this then. So Runaway Slave 1992 album like you, like you said, showbiz when he was still called showbiz before he contracted his name to to show. Yeah, some really great tracks on on this album. If if, if you're out there and you haven't listened to Runaway Slave, I think it's it's well worth a listen And the best tracks that that because show show is a really good producer.

When he, when he goes hard with the drums and the bass, he's really, really good. But probably like 2 artists that go under the radar. Not many people will know about showbiz and AG, you know. I don't reckon, yeah. I'd agree with that. I think Show is one of the most underrated of the DRTC producers. He kind of gets the forgotten a little bit. Yep, so it's lovely production here. AG is quite a good rapper and I think if there's an opportunity to hear some tracks on here, the ones I really like are Fat Pockets Represent, which I think might be, I could be wrong.

Here's Big AL's first album appearance Appearance. So obviously Big AL's a crucial part of the DITC crew. And then there's there's 2 tracks that were kind of like they were produced before this, Amber or on them, A Party groove and Soul Clap Soul clap and both those tracks are just just fantastic. It's done if we can put a clip. Of the well, weirdly I can't. I haven't actually got it. I've just tried to find it. I haven't got it, yeah, which is shocking. And I can play it on Spotify, but I don't know if I can.

I've got the tech to play it through, I can try. Fair enough. But but yeah, no. Really worth a listen though. Isn't anybody out there hasn't listened to Sam? It's worth getting getting your hands on it and listening to it. It's not bad. It's kind of like it's nice, but it's a bit unremarkable. It's in that sort of 1992 style. It's very much of its era, isn't it? It's quite quite old school, quite basic. Yes. But at the time, it probably was, was quite, you know, considered a great, a good album.

I think at his time, it probably would have sounded a bit ahead of his time, like shaping a little bit of the the New York sound to come. Yeah, I think so. Shows, shows an interesting producer actually, because in this one it's a bit, his style was kind of like forming and it was a bit different. It was a bit more kind of old school. But as he went on to another album that we'll probably end up talking about later on, he's got some. He's actually quite a dark producer, isn't he? His choice of samples and like, he goes with lots of piano stabs and sort of eerie weird noises.

His beats are quite dark, which you don't know what necessarily associate with the DITC crew. It's very much jazzy. It's very, you know. Well, I don't know. I think I think Lord Finesse also has that in him. I think he also has the ability to be a bit more sinister and dark, but he's got quite a good range of production style, has has finesse. Yeah, that's true. So we're going to say what you're going to, you'll just say talk a bit about funky technician. I also this is this is this is where it really starts with the ITCI think we have to kind of recognise that Lord Finesse is really like the founding member of the crew.

This is an album from 1990. And, and, and I think coming out of the 80s, there's some really progressive beats on here, some really raw ones, but also some that lean back into the 80s, which does make it sound a bit kind of like, you know, dated at times. And Lord Finesse is a really good battle rapper. He's he's he's, you know, it's also interesting. Some of the tracks you get, you hear the shout outs. The whole DITC crew at this early stage, they're all on there. They're all they're all getting shout outs and there's some great tracks on there.

So there's baby, you nasty, funky technician slaves to my sound wave Bad mother. This it's good. Yeah, so you want to say before I decide? No, no, I think you've covered Funky Technician quite well there. I mean a runaway Slave, I think the best tracks when I had another listen, it's still digging and I quite like Diamond DB. It's quite nice. 40 Acres are quite like nice jazz loop on that one and Soul Clap. Obviously we did that in our in our episode in 1992. I think we did. I think. I think it's a bit dull in places, but AG is a nice MC and I often find like with these these albums, I kind of lump this in with stunts, blunts and hip hop.

They're kind of like an A-Z of all the familiar samples and break beats and you hear all the same things being used, you know, but it's great. It's great to hear them. It's well done. It's just kind of it's showing its age a little bit. But anyway, it's not my choice on this one. This is your your choice. So you need to. Give me responsibility, OK, I'm going to go for it's really close. I'd score them as a dead heat with runaway slave, just with I think some of them all stand out tracks. I'm going to go runaway slave.

Go runaway slave. OK. All right. We're going to give it one of these.

Back of the net, Back of the net. I couldn't remember what button it was. OK, let's move on to the next one. This is me now, the next match. The east side of the drawer now. No, we're going down. We're going to do all the West side of the drawer, the sort of left left side we're going to go. The next two out of the hat were Represent by Fat Joe de Gangster before we dropped the Gangster from 1993 and Word Life by OC Extraordinary match up here. Represent was the first kind of exposure I ever had to Fat Joe.

I remember Flojo coming out, so I can't saw that on MTV and I really loved it. So I had to get the album. I do find a Fat Joe. There's particularly on this album. He's he's a very kind of simple rapper. He's I call him a meat and potatoes rapper. He just gets the job done, does his lines and goes home. But you know, at the time I did, I did quite like it. And this was kind of like the first. I know that Lord Finesse albums were, you know, and then the Diamond D, but this was kind of like the first All Star producer line up kind of all coming together in that proper golden age.

You know, you've got Lord Finesse on there, Diamond D, Showbiz, all of them. I don't think there's any buck wild on there, though. I don't think he was involved. He's funny. He gets more involved later on, doesn't he? He does. I think all the best tracks on here produced by Diamond D though. I'm going to say that. Yeah, yeah, watch the sound, Flojo, all of those. So I loved it. I did like it when it come out. And unfortunately, I think OC came out a year later in 1994. And I mean, it was so much more up my street OCOCS album.

And that was where I first became properly aware of Buckworld because obviously Time Up, Time's Up, he's all over it. Time's Up was massive. The title track Word Life was was brilliant with that jazz sample Born to live with the Kenny Burke loop. And OC on this album is just incredible, I think, and I think a lot of people compared this to Illmatic, and I think it lived in Illmatic shadow. I'm not staying for a minute that OCS sort of anywhere near Illmatic Nars, but I do think he was kind of hovering around somewhere I couldn't.

Agree more listening back to this album I realise how good it is. It is near. It is near classic I think. Yeah, because. We've been talking about recently that to me there's only one let's the side down. I think it's that one, the Constables, I think that run from the start or the way through to that track is is amazing. Don't like that one. But then it kind of, it does take a bit of a dip and it falls away towards the end of the album, but they are all still quite a consistent level so. And there's one good track on the by Finesse where he does he drops in with Go ahead.

I had, yeah. We talked about that in the main episode. Yeah, we did. That's I love that track. And as I said on the episode, that is the quintessential Lord finesse beat to me. So yeah, absolutely love that. Play a little clip of that. Yeah, let's have a listen. Those drum rolls in the films, just so good. And the horns. And then, of course, you've got going to live. Yeah, brilliant album. Yeah, so good. Interesting what you said about Fat Joe there with the kind of like meat and potatoes wrapper, but he's he's has got a good long string of albums.

So he's done pretty well for himself considering and he's he's been there from the start with with the ITC. Yeah, he has. Yeah. Yeah, he's all over. A lot of these albums aren't, isn't he? Like he's guest spots on lots of him. He's been there and I do feel like as he went along, like the next album was jealous ones envy, his style did evolve. He got better. He sounded a bit more natural, you know, tried a bit different, you know, he went more commercial. Let's face it. He did. He did go with the Terror Squad.

Yeah, absolutely. Anyway, so I think it's my decision on this. I think it's got to be Word Life, isn't it? I mean Word Life is one of my favourite hip hop albums of all time so. If you didn't choose that, I think we'd be going to the pub car park right now to have. I think so, yeah. We might do that anyway, to be fair. Yeah, why not? OK. So that's two through to our quarterfinals. The next match, Oh, let's give, let's give OC one of these.

Back of the net. Yeah. So our next match on the West side is we've got Big L's Big Picture. And this is you, Steve. We're taking interns. Don't forget this is Big L's the big Picture in from 2000 up against Fat Joe, Don Cartagena. Oh, you can't do this to me. Included at your request, I'm. I hasten to. Yeah, we're doing a bit of horse training here. Yeah, we did. Because I really like Don Cartagena. Yeah. So this is you. It's all you. Yeah, so I, I bought Don Cartagena in New York City when I was visiting there.

Yeah, went on a football tour of United States and pick this, pick this up. And I think it has a little bit of sentimental value, but it's also a good album. There's there's there's plenty of good, good tracks on here. And interestingly, we talk about the ITC guest produce production on here as well. I'm going to go, I got to go through a couple of these. See what you think. Yeah. So first of all, there's only one Buckwild and one Primo track. So we include Primo as a DITC member because he kind of as as time went on honorary, he kind of became a member and.

Didn't he produce a lot of Finesse's first album? He yes, he did, yes. Yeah. And he produced a lot of the the the main DITC album and the later Big Al. Stuff, and I hope to say it, but a lot of these albums, his tracks are the standouts, you know? But that's why he's but that's why he's the best. So sorry, go on. So, yeah, so tracks that kind of stand out with some other producers that there's a crack attack by Elias, then you've got the hidden hand. Now then, if you looked at this in your notes, first produced by someone I've never heard of before, I know you would have heard of this producer.

It's called Spunk Bigger. Oh, yeah. Spunk Bigger. Yeah, that was my alias for quite a while back at university. That's cool. Yeah. And a hidden hand. Spunk bigger is obviously. Yeah. Where's he hiding? Yeah, it's a, it's a big hand, yeah. And then My Prerogative, performed by Armageddon, who's also kind of an in slopper. So loads of really lovely tracks ahead. The the middle is a bit like Damp and Squidgy. It's not not quite so good, but the start, it starts well and it ends well. It's a really nice album.

So it's just an album you ever listened to before? I had to listen to it for the first time to do this, as you would expect, it was 98. So I was kind of falling off the hip hop bandwagon. And as I was saying to you earlier, it's reminds me why I stopped listening to hip hop. It's exactly the sort of thing I think it's awful to me. I know you've probably got a fun place in your heart for it, but I really don't like it. Awful album. I can imagine. I tell you why. It's not just, you know, because I'm not familiar with it.

It just has that horrible kind of 1998 sound. It's too polished. It's thin, the snares are different. It doesn't. Really sound like a DIT scam. Does it really? Absolutely not. Snuck it in there because I just like it. No, I know, I know, I know. Sometimes you just can't help it and you've got an attachment to these things, but just sort of stepping back and, you know, come into it new. I just like. And as you said, only one digging in the crates. Producer on it. Buck wild. And what the hell happened to him?

I mean, after I've got a story to tell off Biggie. I mean yeah. Oh, I suppose in 1970 duels as well. But like after that everything I've heard from Buckwell from that point on you I'm think he started doing keyboard beats. It just just sounds. Yeah, we're going to get where he's getting his own episode. Yeah, he is. And we're going to focus very much on the on the good era. Blown away by by that. Absolutely. And to be fair, there's, there's some great stuff on here from him, so, you know, but yeah.

Big Pun makes makes a couple of appearances so he's only rapper that is fatter than Fat Joe. Yeah, maybe. Maybe what are the fat rappers are there? Heavy D Oh, Heavy D, Yeah. Sadly no longer with us. Same as Big Pun. Yeah, there's a pack emerging. But, yeah, but, you know, you can tell he's going for a more commercial sound. Polish this Chinese suit bit Mafioso. Yeah, but there was some, you know, half decent stuff John Blaze produced by Ski with a nice Method Man sample. Yeah, you've got nails in there.

Yeah, Jadakiss and Rayquan as well. Quite like that one big fan of ski as well. Did their presidents earlier in the 90s. And of course, yeah, as you say, the DJ Premier track, that gangster shit. Thank God for Primo on here. Otherwise it'd be nothing really. But it's. Not that bad. It's worth listeners. It's worth listening. It's worth listening. Yeah, so anyway, I didn't like it. But anyway, this isn't my well, you've got Big L those. Is that another one that's dear to your heart? Yeah, it is, yeah.

And as you've already alluded to, I'm actually I'm going to say this second, it's missing DITC production on here except for Primo, and Primo does all of the good tracks. There's so on here, we've got Ebonics. It doesn't have the Primo remix, which is the best. Which is on the DITC album. Which is the best one? It's got David Combinations which features 2 pack which is which is great. I bet, yeah. When I was listening to that, I was saying you'd be all over. Yeah, I love that. Yeah. I bet you I. Love that there's a freestyle in this group 98 freestyle which is well worth listening to.

Lord Finesse was that hotline. Produced by Finesse, yeah. Was that it was like the IT was taken from Hot 97 or something. I think it's a famous freestyle. Yeah, and there's a track on here. I hope you caught this because it's one of my favourite tracks. Well, holding it down, it's produced by none of them than your favourite Pete Rock. Pete Rock, Yeah, it's. A lovely track. Yeah, there is some good Pete Rock stuff on here holding it down. I've got I've got a list of the best tracks off here, obviously the Primo ones that you mentioned holding it down by Pete Rock and who you sliding With by Pete Rock as well, which is quite nice beats.

I think this is again outside of Pete Rock's greatest theory. Did his style kind of changed a bit at this point in the 90s? You. Tell it's Pete Rock, but it's not. Yeah, his typical stuff. Yeah, absolutely. The enemy is really good, which has got a fact. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's really nice. Really hard one, Yeah. Flattening pass. Plus which big daddy came? There's another. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I've got got lots of premade tracks in here, Big Picture Enemy and Platten plus they're my favourite 3.

But it has to be said, there's a lot of shit beats on here as well. Again, they've got that horrible 90s sound. There there's a lot of there is a lot of skippers, skippers on here. Yeah, the the good tracks, really good. And then there's some that really does so which is which probably leaves me nicely insane. I think actually I preferred Don Cartagena to be. I think it's going to be. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I will just add on the big picture as well. Ebonics and there's a there's a remix of this that's on.

Should we talk? About that when we get. Yeah, when we get to it, but if Onyx on this, even this one, the lyrics are crazy. The concept is crazy, really good, really good. The way weaves it all together like just make blows your mind. Big L is just so good. Yeah, it didn't really. I haven't really. We haven't really kind of like said that enough. Why don't we talk more about him when we talk about lifestyles of the of the poor and the dangerous? Because it's best. If it's in this, we don't know mystery.

All right, well, let's move on to the next match then, which is this is my decision now. Oh, well, before we do that, let's give Don Cartagena this.

Nobody saw that cover. That's upset the upset. The odds of bookies have gone absolutely ballistic with that.

So yeah, we're going to move on to match 4, which is OCS duels versus Lifestyles of Poor and dangerous Big L. So it is in there and two big albums going head to We've it's come across our. You know, it's just brilliant. On the show, loads of times. It's such a great album, loads of Lord Finesse, some of his best stuff. St Struck MVP, which we discussed on the main episode. It's just an absolute banger. Not all good, not all gold is a couple of couple of duds, but yeah, you've got, you know, the first track.

Put it on Buckwild. If I had to compile the top 10 Buckwild beats, put it on. It's got to be on there, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Is the first track? Is MVP the first track? No, no. But put it on to the first track, then MVP. Yeah. In fact, no. I think MVP might even be track three. I can't remember, so yeah. What what are your thoughts on lifestyles? I mean, is the one that's. What an album. Yeah, it's only one that was actually released in his lifetime, so it feels like it's it's only proper album.

I mean, the big pictures was probably stuff they picked up from the cutting room floor. And I like it more every time I listen to it because I think it's got he's obviously amazing. He's so funny. He's untouchable always. Like if you think about Finesse as a punchline rapper, I've said this before, Big Al is just puts him into his pale insignificance. Really. Definitely listen to the graveyard, which I love, which got Lord Finesse and and lots of really good featurised. Like Jay-Z. Yeah, Big Al just beats them all.

He's just, he's just so, so good. His punch lines are so clever. And I mean, he is, he can definitely be a bit of a bigot, can't he? But he he, he's also got some funny stuff and then stuff that you just never think of. Yeah, you're so clever. So I mean, these guys are poets. They're there are two. It's just, it's so. Unbelievable. He's a killer poet, isn't? He he's really good. Let's have a little listen to one of these. I wanted to play this one St Struck because we didn't get to play this one on the Oh yeah, yeah, on the main episode.

This is when I had to leave on the cutting room floor. But I wanted to include this because this I love this snares. I mean that that is Finesse's snares. Let's do the good thing about Sam. You get Finesse, Buckwell and Showbiz 3. You know, main. Absolutely get them all on that. This is this is a bit. For some reason I always love this when it hits the snare 3 times. Oh God, I love that so much. That's. Brilliant. Album So we're moving over to duels as well, and this is an album that like we haven't really had a chance to talk about much.

I know there's lots there's lots of buck wild on here, this Lord, there's one Lord finesse. There's a total track and lots of showbiz beat miners. It's like it's like an All Star album came out in 97. So my interest in hip hop was still bubbling away. But it's you know, I love this one and this is some of primo's best stuff on there. You've got war games, you've got Win the G, you've got Mug and of course, My World. Like my world, so you like this more than I do. This is definitely an album that I I'm, I don't go back to this.

I think you get, it's always good rapping and there's a really good range of producers. I think I think the reason you like this and I put this in my notes. I think it's a more soulful album. I think so, yeah. Choice of samples is, well, my street. The beats. I really like the I really like Dangerous, which is produced by Mr Mr Walt. See, that's the one I don't like. I know That's the one I don't like. I like. I like most of it. I tell you what you want to do like is, oh, there's a bit at the beginning of the Chosen One that it's like a throwaway beat by Buck Wild that it sticks in my head absolutely low.

I think you remember this. This one.

Yeah, that is, It's just a head nodder. I love it but it's just, it's just the intro but then you get onto the chosen 1 and this will be on our backward episode when we do it because I love this one as well. So soulful and smooth. Yeah. It's like it's a Japanese jazz sample. I know I've got it. It's really cool. It's got white clouds. That's quite different from the normal DOTC sound, yeah, more so. Yeah, I think so. Too soulful for why I like. It. Yeah. Well, you're a bit of a harder, yeah. And then, of course, you've got this.

Anyway, so that's good album. So it's good album. So anyway, it's down to me then I've got to decide. It's going to have to be Lifestyles of the Poor and Damien. Isn't it has to be fighting in the pub car park? Yeah, I mean, if I didn't choose that, it'd be something wrong with the world. But you know, Joel's is a really, really strong album. I just, I can't sort of not pick lifestyles. It meant so much to me when it came out. I listened to it so much more. It's a really, really good album. Yeah, absolutely.

So Big Al gets one of these. Rest in peace. But we're going to move over to the east side of the drawer. We've got the east side of the drawer now. So this is the eight teams on the other side of the drawer. And we have your choice, Steve. Match 5 is Diamond DS Hatred, Passions and Infidelity Up Against the Awakening by Lord Finesse, his 1996 album, his third album. So that's your decision to make this you. Know I feel this should be your decision because these are definitely tabs I think you like way more more than me So well, Diamond D, I'm not.

I don't really listen to this album very much at all. It's not one that I, I, I go back to, which is, which is weird because I do obviously really like Diamond D Yeah, but probably more of this kind of earlier stuff and it, it is a nice hammer. I think I definitely should listen to it to it more. I really, I really like and I really always have like 5 fingers of death. I don't know why. I don't. Yeah, I've heard. But that's but that's weirdly is produced by Kid Capri, produced by Diamond. I was going to say that's weird.

I don't know. Yeah, I marked that one out as like, I was going through the best charts. Oh, this is a good one. This is like Kid Capri produced it. Yeah. Which doesn't make any sense because Diamond is obviously a fantastic producer, but the 2 tracks I like apart from that I really like flow in and MCS is my ambition. Dramatically suspect, but it's a good track nonetheless. But yeah, so it's just, it's an ad what I think I should listen to more, but it's never really grabbed me. So I can't really like say too much too much more about that one.

OK, well, before you move on to the other one, I'd say a few bits about it, but I think it's a solid album. I was surprised by how much I did like it. I was expecting it to be kind of like a very 90, sort of late 90s affair, like with all the other producers, kind of moving in a different direction. But I well, this is quite a solid album. I quite enjoyed it. I don't fully understand why I didn't buy it at the time either because, you know, I'm still kind of into a Diamond D. Yeah, me too. And it's got some great tracks.

Yeah. So just it kind of passed me by. Yeah. Best tracks, I'd say 5 Fingers of Death, which is the ITC posse cut, which is incredible. And on stage, which was a book while production. And no wonder, I think they they they kind of stood out as I was going through it. And it's got some nice appearances by Fife. Nice to hear Fife popping up on one of the tracks and Pete Rock as well. It's unusual for Five to be to be offered a guest appearance because he's not. You're not the best as he bless him well.

There's a lot of people would say he's the best thing about Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders. Wow all. Right, Debbie, gone in the head. No, I mean, I'm not one of them, but yeah, I think he's held in quite high regard anyway. So yeah, solid album, some great tracks on it. So it's up against The Awakening, which is, you know, were you like big on this one or? No, this is a bit of a disappointing. So again, it's like it's not a bad album, I'm just not so into this one as the DITC crew. It's got one massive track on their hip to the game, which everybody, everybody will know.

But I really like the track on there with KRS-one and OC which is Brainstorm PSK. Right. Yeah. Yeah, and speak your piece. I really, really like that one. That's that's rap that this featuring Marquee. I don't even know that is, but Diamond and AG are also that one. Yeah. So it's just, I don't know, after after after some of Lord Finesse's like earlier stuff. It just doesn't. It just doesn't. I'm just not not so into this album. I think. I think you like this one though, don't you? I'm sure this is an album that's come from.

You. Yeah, I do. I do kind of like some of it. And this is Write the Sweets to what sweet spot for Lord Vanessa's production. I mean, it's some really great examples of his production style on here. But I never had it in 1996. I never bought it. I've only recently bought it on CDI. Knew Hip to the Game for some reason because I heard it on, you know, whatever. Westwood isn't it? Yeah, although all those shows and MTV, but I love that one. But it's not not an album I was particularly, you know, blown away by.

And I think the main problem for me listening to it is just the amount of skits. I think we might have said it in the in the main episode, but the amount of skits on this album is insane. Like it just breaks the flow. They're not enjoyable to listen to. So the good stuff on here is kind of a bit hard work to get through so. Feel like a very neat album in that respect. No, but I've got a really cool version of it was like the 25th anniversary or something, and it's got a disc of all, like all the instrumentals and cool, a couple of remixes and stuff.

So it's pretty cool, but but hip to the game sort of makes it all worthwhile That that's kind of like redeems. It's really, really. Classic. Absolutely banger. So yeah, not not a massive fan of it, but never mind what I think it's what you think that matters. So what's winning? Do you know what I'm going to have to look at what how I rank them?

Remember, dead air is a crime. I think I'm going to go for hatreds and. That doesn't surprise me. Fidelity because I don't think I like the awakening enough to put it through, even though it feels like it should be the better. Yeah, no, that totally, totally. I think he shot himself in the foot with all the skits. Yeah. We'll, we'll, we'll put it down to that. Yeah. All right. Well, Diamond D, you get one of these.

Back of the net. So it is now my turn to choose. And what came out randomly, I didn't, I didn't alter these, didn't fiddle with it at all. It just came out randomly. Was Fat Joe's Jealous Ones Envy, his 1995 follow up to Represent and the DITC album from 2000. So yeah, Jealous ones envy versus DITC. So jealous ones envy again. I do not understand for the life of me why I didn't buy this. I was buying hip hop CDs in 1996. I like to represent, but for some reason this one just completely passed me by.

It's got premiere on it. It's got other people on it that I would have been really into Diamond D. KRS ones on it. KRS ones on it and I just didn't buy it and I think maybe that thing I was saying about Fat Joe being a bit of a basic rapper, maybe I just didn't fancy listening to another album of. It yeah, I agree. And I wasn't hooked by a single either. I know success is on here and there's a remix of The Shit Is Real, but I wasn't hooked by a single, so yeah, I didn't. I just didn't buy it at the time.

So I sort of checked it out for this and it's a decent album. I think it's got that. But I think there's a fair summary because I think in 1995 this is just a very average album. Yeah, in 1995 it was. It got lost, probably. It's worth listening to, but in 95 you your money was best best spent elsewhere. Oh, I mean, you've got, well, you've got Raekwon, you've got Wu Tang, you know, putting up bangers. That's. Probably 20-30 albums in 95. Exactly. Got Mob Deep. There's so much more going on and no wonder it got a little bit overlooked.

But there are people who kind of like success and so but it still it still has that kind of classic 90s production style. It hasn't. He hasn't quite moved into that sort of shiny suit, polished sound of the later albums. There's one track on I love part. Part. Duh. Which is produced by Domingo. I don't know if you like like that track, but I absolutely love. It yeah, it was OK. Is it like a part of the sequel to kind of Flow Joe? I don't know, play it. I haven't actually got it. I. Haven't got it.

No. I can't play it, no. No, I can't play it. But yeah, I'll tell you one that one thing though, that does dramatically reduce my how it is standing in my head, envy. What you. Absolute shite. Is that the one that's a little bit more kind of like R&B? Yeah, the sexual healing sample, I mean, that was lazy in 1995, you know, let alone listen to it now. It's absolutely criminal. So that's that's shocking. So that's going to really count against it in the decision. But in general, I think this is the lab one that is War is worth listening to because the beat the beats on here are actually quite good.

They're all right. Yeah. You've got things like Bronx tail, which is. I like Bronx. That's a diamond chaos one. Shit is real, watch out, it's not. A Diamond 1 yet? Yeah, and success, the original 1 and the remix, so it's not bad. There's enough good tracks there it's worth looking at I think. I would have been quite happy with this coming home from this coming home with this from HMV.

On the other side of the match is yeah, the ITC and the the album that I again, I I kind of I had a copy of it off our friend met end of the show and it's not a good album. I. You don't like it? I mean, there's some good, there's some all right stuff on it. Basically, it's a terrible album with a couple of bangers. So you've got. So I'm just going to moderate that slightly because I'm going to moderate this very slightly. I think it's mostly good with some great tracks. But I agree there's also some stuff there that's just that needs to be skipped, right?

It should be better. It should be better, it should be better. The talent that's available there, the lineup, the lineup. Yeah. All the, I think the best tracks on here are all produced by Showbiz, which is, which is, you know, something that I wouldn't have kind of like imagined really. Yeah, yeah. I just think the amount of talent and put the personnel on this is unforgivable. There isn't an absolute banger, you say. It's just absolutely. You've got producers, you know, people who should know better, producers who should know better.

Finesse, Buck, Wild, showbiz, You know what happened to these people. This is not that long after the golden era. I don't understand why it all changed. But there are some great tracks on there. So the the the Ebonics remix by Primo. Yes, decent. Probably the best. The best, yeah. Thick. It's good. It's good. That's not the Primo one. Yeah. Way of Life by show. It's good. Day One was produced by. Diamond day one. We discussed that in our main episode, didn't we? I won't discuss this one because this is going to be my buck while entry into his his his competition.

Champagne thoughts. OK, love it, absolutely love it. Drop it Heavy, which is which is with chaos one and Big pun is another show show track. I liked the enemy by by Primo and then stand strong, which is another show 1. So I think if it was just those tracks on the album, it would be brilliant. There's there's some filler on that. I mean skippers that you just. Think some unforgiveness. Going on. Yeah, some unforgivably bad beats on here where you're at Way of life I've got as a bad beat as well, but you obviously.

I know like way of life. Well, let's have a listen only if they. Bring in the beat, hip hop. Yeah, it's, it's just those snares. They're just so thin and weedy. Yeah, just for me, this is because it's ingrained in my hip hop journey. It's one that was that just thought, oh shit, I like this. Yeah, this is what you were getting in 2000. This is there wasn't much alternative to this. Yeah, but then when you hear this, this is those drums, isn't it? Just get your head, nod in. It's so distinctive, but you just know a Primo beat, we can hear it good.

That's much. Anyway, I don't play too much of that are. You going to put through then? Right. Well, yeah, it's a difficult one. It's a difficult one. I think I had more familiarity with the DIT. So even though I said it's terrible, I did have more familiarity with and I love day one. Bigger tracks, thick. There's some bet the good ones are better than the good ones on jealous ones. Envy. You've got to put that through. So I'm going to, I'm just through, you know, loyalty to an album that I knew better.

I'm going to put the ITC through despite everything I said. That's fair enough. So that's that one. OK. So we're going to go on to the next match after we give the ITC this.

Back of the net. Again, just to stress, absolutely randomly drawn. I didn't fiddle with it, I didn't organise these to make them really difficult choices for you Steve. But the next choice out of the hat that came up randomly just to stress that again is Return of the Funky Man by Lord Finesse against stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop by Diamond D21992 albums. 2 formative albums from the early days of digging in the crates and that is your choice to get. You get your laughing, get around that. Yeah, OK, right.

Return of the Funky Man. Let's start, let's start with this one. Well, so this in like the, the DITC chronology, this, this is, this is, you know, 2 Lord Finesse albums in a row, you know, getting, getting things off to a kind of a strong start.

There are some nice beats and some nice rhymes. There's some good stuff on it, yeah. But it's not a step up from funky technician. If I think it's a step, step back, there's there's a track as you were just playing this before, before we came on air called yes, You May, which features Percy P and Percy P. He only has like 1 album he's ever released. There's lots of guest appearances, but he's he's a really good rapper. So I love, I love I love that I love the production there. And then show me how we do things Is a is a is a well regarded one.

But yeah, I have to say I'm I don't know whether you're going to agree this or not, but I think this is the weakest album in the DITC catalogue. Yeah, that's quite a. Would you agree with that or not? I mean, I don't, I don't think so, not if we're including Don Cartagena, but. Yeah, that's sorted in the quarter finals. Yeah, I know. Yeah. So I wouldn't go that far. And yeah, it might be even be better than things like Runaway Slave. I don't think it's better than stunts, runs and hip hop, but I don't.

I think it's a stretch to say it's the worst one in the DITC catalogue, but it isn't brilliant. I think the main problem is that it has so many similar sounding tracks. Finesse, while he is a really good punchline rapper and really good lyricist, like it does wear a bit thin given after you've reached how many tracks are on this 1718 or something like that. So it does kind of get a bit thin and it's quite old school. It's a bit I don't know. Yeah, it doesn't move it forward, doesn't. No, it doesn't move anything forward.

So yeah, it's not the worst, but it's certainly not the best. So yeah, let's move over to the other one. Then so this. Is your. You won't be surprised to know that I absolutely love this album. This is this is what I've already spoken about in the in the main podcast. It's one that I, I bought in the, in the kind of probably like 9798 and just just fell in love with it. There's so many tracks now that I love. It's it's a really formative track for the whole of the DITC crew, as I said in the kind of the main episode.

There is no, there's no planet that this is not that exists, that this isn't going to go through the next round. Yeah, so much, so much good stuff on this. I know it really means a lot to you this. Album. Yeah, it's come up, come up quite a lot. Let's see what Harry Redknapp has got to say about that absolute load of nonsense. Yeah, that's what is how Steve feels. So you can't really. It's. Objectively speaking, it's far, far superior to return the funky. Yeah, I'd have to go along with that, so.

Many classic tracks on there. Yeah, I know it's not my decision. I'm not involved, but it's yeah. But I think it's much by far the better album. I'm just looking ahead to see who you're going to pair up with in the next round. Yeah, let's just see what the Larry bot thinks of stunts, blunts and hip hop, and I'll just say it's fine. OK, Good to see it's still working. Surprise, yeah. So let's go on to the last match of the east side of the draw, which is self-titled and Buckwilds 1990 now from 2010 up against Sharon AGS Goodfellas.

What a match this proved to be and this is my decision this time. So we included Buckwild a self-titled because even though it came out in 2010, the beats were produced in 1994 and 95. So it's got the very much got a kind of a golden age sound to it. So it's a it's a throwback to Buckwild's 1990 sound. And obviously, along the course of time, self-titled got involved and thought he could spit over these beats. Yeah. I mean, that's quite a privilege to for Buckwild to let him do that. I. Reckon he really is.

He's not. Really a prominent rapper, No, He's done a few things with like apathy and things, but he's not, I mean, he's not a bad rapper, but he's not, he's not got like a lot of what would you say provenance is? That right word that's, yeah, that's a good word. So he's not somebody you were familiar with before this, was he? Or was this was this? Yeah. No, he appears. He appears on a lot of like, backpacker rap underground stuff here and there. So I knew I knew who he was. And he's he's he's fine.

But yeah, what what privilege to be able to be given these beats by Buck? Really must what it was like Christmas like kid in a candy shop when he was giving them. And it does sound like 1990 as well. It's, it's, there's some really, really good, good beats on here. Yeah, no, it does. It's there's some really good, good stuff on it. I hadn't heard obviously before we started to do the research for this this episode. So and I was listening to it going, God, yeah, this is so good. Oh, good. Yeah, I did.

I really like it. I mean, I'm a massive fan of this era of Buck Wild, and I really, really wish this come out. These had come out in the 90s with perhaps a better rapper on them. You know, like, they sat like Big O, Big O Yeah. Piggy. Big O was the best best rapper in that crew. Isn't yeah even AZ dare I say Yeah AZ Imagine AZ on some of these. Well, yeah, yes, I'm not gonna say no more about that. So I would have been all over it. The the beats I think are really incredible. Not all of them, obviously, it just tails off a little bit.

But yeah, I mean. There's some filler. There's definitely. Some filler. Yeah, Yeah. Which which ones you really like? So my I've got under my best tracks list I've got there will be blood, which is a bit of an All Star line up. So that ex grandpa yeah, AGOC and Diamond D So again, kind of a DITC posse cut with a bit of Brand Nubian thrown in for good measure. The deal maker, which is a classic Buckwild beat. I mean the samples and everything. And yes, I've included the track. Fuck master sex primarily.

I didn't like, love the track, but I think there's an Angela Bofill sample and I when I heard the beat come in, I was like, oh, I know that sample because I love, I love the album, the Angela Bofill album. So. It's no surprise to say that that none of those tracks were featured in my. Favourites, really. So which? We never, we never agree. On this, no, we never do well and I won't remember any of the ones you say that probably, but go on. What's this of yours? My favourite was step correctly. Step correctly.

Which has got that kind of step correctly. But. Correctly hardcore data and there's a track called a razor heads which has got Vinny powers who's from from Jedi mind. He plays for Wimbledon. He played. He played up front for Jedi mind tricks. That's right. But they're more of the kind of hard head banging ones which which I which I like. But yeah, really good. And if listeners haven't listened to this album, you've got got to listen to. It's well worth listening. This There is something about. There's loads of bangers on there.

Yeah, really worth checking out. So moving over to Goodfellas, which was an album I was very, very familiar with. I got it on the CD, bought it when it came out in 95, and yeah, I really liked it. This, this is like the quintessential showbiz or show as he was called by this point on album. And when I was talking about his dark production style, this is very much what I'm talking about. Weird, eerie jazz samples, strange baselines. Baseline. This is brilliant, incredible through. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

My notes. Really good and some of my favourites on here you you know now and the one the bit and this is really weird that the most thing I love most. Is it you know now or you now know? You know now, if you didn't know before then you will know now. This is show. So at the end it repeats the chorus for quite a while. And then at the end it just repeats that woman the the female rappers. It's how it's going down, going down, going down. And then it comes in with the next track, which is for some reason, I always loved that when they messed about like that.

I love add on, which is Lord Finesse production. Yeah, we didn't include it in our Finesse. It's proper episode. Brilliant on that one. Yeah, that's on my list. Add on is is a is a DITC classic. Yeah, really good, love that one and there's loads of. And then you've got 2 versions of Next Level, the nighttime mix, the famous DJ Premier Remix which. We, which we've talked about, yeah. We've talked about, which is one of his classics. Yeah, and the original with the W Montgomery sample. I love that to bits.

You've got the one off the next level which got your back. I used to love Got Your back. In fact, it made a few compilation tapes back in the day. Love that. One of the jazz sample on that one too. So I really, really love this album. I love All Out as well, All Out and You All Out and the last track you won it. It's just yeah, yeah, this is this right. So for listeners, I, I nearly had a tantrum because I didn't think this was on the list. I was like, can we have Goodfellas? Yeah, Yeah. Oh, I hadn't read the list properly.

Yeah, it's yeah. Really great album. Go and listen to this one. Absolutely. Go listen to it. So it should come as no surprise. It's my choice. I'm going to go for Goodfellas as the winner. And so he gets one of these.

Back of the net. To see what Kevin Keegan thinks of that decision, I've kept really quiet. But I'll tell you something. He went down in my estimation when he said that. Yeah. All right. Fair enough, Kev. A bit hot headed. Today, yeah, he's very hot headed. Hot headed. OK, OK. So that completes the lineup for the quarterfinals I've. Just worked out which ones you're going to get. Choice from the courts. You're a slow bastard. Well, I might have mixed it up though. OK, I might have mixed it up. OK, can we flip a coin?

So you go first. No, the FIFA computer throughout a very specific order I'm. Sure, setup batter needs to get a bung from me or something at some point. Right. So we're going to move on to. Go decide The Who gets the semi final. We are. Yeah. We're going to decide to get the central. Just check in on Ian B. We'll see if he's OK. Oh God.

Nothing you. Didn't have anything left earlier. He's hanging in. There all right. He wants to know. So match, this is match #9 this is the first quarter final. This is your decision. And it is Runaway Slave versus Word Life by OC Yeah. Go so we yeah, I mean, we've already debated what what the qualities of these albums. So yeah, it's it's very easy really isn't. I think word life is a near, near classic album. Runaway slave definitely worth worth listening, but love it. Word Word Life 100%. Could not agree more.

There you go. Could not agree more with that decision. Yeah. I could get to choose next. Yeah, there's no, there's no debate with that with me, I think it's my father. Superior Album came out in the year 94 when hip hop would really hit maturity I think, and it really found its feet and. Got yeah, proper golden age. Golden Age chip up. Absolutely, and it was such a great year. It really did. It really did stand out. All right, so moving on to the second quarter finals, this match #10 and this is dumb Carter, Gina by Fat Joe.

Who's going to win this? Versus Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous by Big Al. I wonder if anyone can guess what I'm going to vote for? You don't need long do. You No, I don't need long. I'm Yeah, I'm putting lifestyles of the poor and dangerous through it. It's just so much, so much superior. Not only in terms of the beats, not only in terms of sort of, you know, the production, but also the lyricism. Big Al is twice the rapper Fat Joke could would have ever been. It's a great DITC. Album so we give it one of these so that means the first semi final is complete.

It is a word life versus lifestyle. So the poor and dangerous, I mean, that is. That's going to be. That's going to be tricky. It is going to be. I'd say they are. They are two of the the showcase the ITC albums word Life versus. Life, I think, get on the same side of the drawer. FIFA Computer. No, yeah, sorry. I keep for going. I keep for going. In fact, Sepp Blatter is here. I think we might not. He might not be here anymore. He's not here. He's not with us anymore. He's off spending that money you gave to him to rig the straw.

Absolutely. And that was that. That was very expensive. How much? I'll tell you who is here, though. Gianni Infantino, the new FIFA president. Oh yeah, today I feel OK, OK. And the second no. What was? It the second-half of the quarters, the second. Half of the quarters we have Diamond DS, hatred, passions and fidelity up against the ITC. Is this my choice? This is no actually I did it in a different order. OK. So this is my choice. Rigged in a different way? OK, who are you going to go for? I'm going to go for hatred, passions of infidelity.

Already written D ITC. That's how much they thought that was going to get in there. That's that. Are you sure about that? Are you sure that there's? No, I'm not go and put D ITC through because of the because I because it was new to me hatred. I just, I remember enjoying listening listening to it more than I did re listen to it more than I did the ITC. It's got it's got too many good tracks on it DITC, even though it's not good enough as a as a as an expectation. If it was an EP and it had just had those good tracks that we talked about earlier on, you know, thick day one, I think we'd be it would be much more highly regarded.

But but it's going through anyway, you know, and The thing is, it's also it's like an All Star. It's an All Star DITC kind of affair as names their album and. Primo does a lot of good work, yeah. So the. Reason. Yeah, the reason I switched them around. Yeah, you don't decide this. Well, the reason FIFA switched them around, I should say is because the next quarter final is stunts, blunts and hip hop diamond in the second. See why we're? Going to be fighting in the pub later, yeah? Versus Goodfellas so.

So two, yeah, two really good albums and I objectively probably very equal, but I have to do what you always do. And all the podcasts, I'm going to go with my sentimental good lad, gut instincts. We're just stunts, blunts. Good lad, you're going to get this. There are so many good tracks that day in the life. Sally go on track. Mine feel the vibe red light, green light. OK, I'm interested. No, actually. Are there any more good tracks on it? Yeah, there's not many bad tracks on it. Yeah, I mean, Sally, go on one track.

Mine best kept secret. Well, I'm Goodfellas, we just rattled off like the two next levels. So step to me love that F what you heard I'm out of here. Another great one day in life is classic red light green light brilliant. I went for mine check 1-2 another brilliant one with some production 45 King confused. Love that freestyle stunts, blunts and hip hop feel. The vibe. There's just so many good tracks there. It's got 23 tracks. It is. Yeah, but that's too many. And also we were just rattling them off.

You got, you know, now add on Next Level Nighttime mix, the other version of Next Level. Got your back. You want it all out? Got the flavour? Yeah. I mean, it's good down. It's just not as good as stunts plans. It's not going to get there. My mind's made-up, right? Can I tempt you with this one? It's so good. It is good, but there's nothing to me. It's going to be stunts, blunts. There's a, there's a situation, the final where you're going to put me in a position to choose and I I think it's going to be very difficult.

We'll get through it, Steve. We'll get through it OK. Don't worry about it. Right, so the the the semi final lineup is complete. The first semi final is word life against lifestyles of the poor and dangerous. The other semi final is the ITC versus stunts, blunts and hip hop. I have been. I don't know if you think this is kind or not, but I've given you the word life lifestyles semi final no? Way have. You. Yeah, I've given you that and I've got the other. One, Are you sure? Are you sure I'm a swap?

Absolutely sure. No. And like you can't because it's we'll face corruption accusations if we do that. So yeah. So word life lifestyles are the poor and unfortunate. What? No lifestyles are poor and dangerous. Are the poor and dangerous? OK, Very, very close. When I was doing my notes earlier, I thought if these two arrive in the final together, I'm going to find it very difficult to choose between them. Yeah. So I did do a little, a little scoring for both of them. And I'm going to say I think I'm just checking.

I think that's half a point in it. No, no, I've scored in the same. Oh. No, I'm going to have to go on my gut instinct here. What? Thickens.

There we go. I'm going to choose the one that I think you would like to see in the final. Right. OK, I'm going. To choose word life. That's very kind of you. Is that the one that you would have gone for? It certainly is, yeah. It's by far to me the better album. So soon as I've done that for you, can you now do me a favour? Right. So yeah, the other semifinal D ITC versus stunts blunts, hip hop, I'm going to do you a favour, but at the same time stay true to myself and what I would actually pick.

I'm not just picking it for the for the hell of it, I would actually pick stunts blunts over the ITC. So yeah, go me. Wow. Yeah, that this pretty easy decision, that one. I mean that the ICC album, as I said earlier, it's a terrible album with some absolute baggers, Yeah, but for some reason you've tricked me into making it go through to the semi final and that's fine. But I think this is where the road ends. Yeah, OK, OK. Yeah, so. I, I, I, I can agree with you in the final, yeah. I don't think we're going to need to have a fight.

Right. So in the final, do we need to hear anything? You know, do we want to hear do. We hear one track from. Each all right. Well, while I find it, you tell us, you talk, you feel some of your favourite favourite tracks. OK, stunts, Blunts. If we can pick one from stunts blunts, I well, I think feel the vibe is the one that I said in the main episode, which is which is which I really like. But why don't you play day in life? Because I think that's that's one that people will will consider a classic.

Over The Beatles some of course. Back to basics. Chicken shit in ASICS. It's one of those lovely storytelling raps.

Do you join in or? Join in you're. Going to join in. You're going to wrap. It up probably doing a few of the. It's got some. It's got a lot of coastals, actually, yeah. Would you like to know what Larry gave this album? Oh, it would. He'd be. Well, maybe I should reveal that. Did we do the? Yeah, I know, but. I can only say he'd be annoyed that this is made it for the final OK then in Word life. I think we played a bit of that earlier on, but let's let's have another quick. One can you play well?

The finest track on there is. Time's Up is easily the best. All time classic. But can I put put put no main topic or let it slide on? I think those two that don't get a lot of their recognition, but I love them.

No mates. Yeah, again, this, this is part of the sort of the the downturn of the album, isn't it? It's kind. Of like, yeah. The beats good. The beats good, but you know, I used to listen to this. It was a listening experience start to finish, yes. So I accepted the ones I didn't like as much as part of the listening experience of the album. Yeah, which is the sign of a truly good athlete. You can. You can tolerate some of the slightly weaker ones. Yeah, absolutely. And then you got let it slide.

Oh, and one of these buck wild throw away beats and start. Just showing off. Absolute classic. OK, so that's enough pissing about. We need to decide who's going to win this the ITC tournament in this edition of. Nice. So. Yeah, well, I contemplate this earlier. I thought that there's a chance, isn't there, that I will sneak such stunt blunts into the stunts blunts into the final. And it will come up against word like because Word Life clearly is, I think the best, the best album. So I will go with with my brain and this one, not my heart.

And I I'd like to choose Word Life as the as the best DITCM. Unbelievable. You're going to get one of those because it should surprise no one that I agree with you, basically. It deserves it to win, doesn't. It, I think it does it. It's, I don't know what it is. I think it's the most singular vision perhaps of all of the albums here, yes. It's. Yes, it's focus. You've got OC is the main kind of thread through the middle of it, but you've got Buck while producing most of the tracks. Which helps I think.

Which helps, it just feels a bit more focused than than a lot of the other albums, so and we think. We might also have an argument when we get to the Buck wild. So if you take Prima out of this as kind of like an associated member, he he, he probably is the best producer in the crew. Yeah, in the golden, in this era, the 9495 era, I think perhaps he was, but. You look at his output. Yeah, definitely. He's getting his own episode because his output is so strong. Yeah, 100%. I think I think Stunts Blunts deserves to be in the final because it's a very formative album in in the story of hip hop, in the story of Diamond D and the DITC crew.

So there's no I don't think there's any shame in it getting to the final, even though Larry probably gave it. What is it? Did he rate it out of five and a? True. What did he what you talking? Stunts, blunts. Yeah, he gave it three and a half 3.5 and he gave word life 4.25. Not quite sure what's going on with the .25, but that's what he's gone for. But if you ask him about it, he'll just say and I'll just say it's fine though. But anyway, so I've got some Lawry's other comments you read. Should just read some of them.

Just giggles right here we go. So we gave, well here are the ones that have got comments next to them. You've got the DITC album. You give two out of two out of five. He's a severe case of 2000 itis of the beats, which is 100% what I said about some of the tracks on it. He's given You weren't like this. He's given the Big Picture 1. Here the picture to 1. Yeah, risible stuff. What it deserves more than one. Well, you're like this, he says. Makes life after death sound like Illmatic. Love that good stuff Larry.

And then hatred Passions 3.5 sounds like 1 I could get into. I think this echo is pretty much what we've seen it's like. Yeah, it's one to go back and listen to. Yeah, I think I would have got into that if I'd had it in the day. The self-titled album Waste of Good beats 3 out of five. Because of self-titled. Yeah, pretty much wasting them pretty much. And the highest score in one of all of the ones on here was Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous 4.75. We've adopted 1/4 point scale and this true score now.

If Larry was here and lifestyles point I had one, I don't think anybody would have would have worried about that. We'd I wouldn't have lost any sleepover. No, it's fair. It's fair, you know? Yeah. I'm so sad that he he got, he got gunned down, didn't he? Well, we think he did. We haven't heard anything. He was on a, he was on a ship. He went over there to do some deals. Are we talk about Larry or Big L here? Oh, I thought you talk about Larry. No, Larry's still with us, thankfully, but he's stuck somewhere in the Strait of Hormuz, so.

Yeah, he hasn't been gone down yet. No, he hasn't been. Not yet. No Big L has gone down. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, Larry's mum's not listening. Although they are both Big L to us, Big Larry. Yeah, right. So yeah. Good, good fun that. So well done word life. You OC, you win the ITC tournaments and you get one of these. And yeah, that's fun, Steve. Well, I enjoyed doing that. Yeah, that's good. That's a good format. Yeah, yeah, we should do it again sometime. Rapid fire. Just yeah. Quick decisions, yeah.

So we'll do it again. But until then, please subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already. Check us out on social media at Hip Hop World Cup. We're on all the platforms and we've also got Patreon, not many people signing up to it yet. So if you want to have more stuff like this, sign up to it. We bunk stuff on there every now and again. And yeah, just thanks for listening. We really appreciate it. If you want to drop us comments on social media, please do, but otherwise we'll catch you on the next episode.

Peace. Absolute load of nonsense.