Curiosity drove me into picking up Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s sophomore effort “Riot Musik.” That and a ¢50 cent price tag at my local Rasputin Music Store. Released back in 2005, the album had very small promotion if any and wasn’t backed by a major label. No B.I.G, No Lil’ Kim, no Puffy, no Lance “Un” Rivera… why even bother? I even passed up this cd in the bargain bin dozens of times until I flipped the song list on the back and saw Jadakiss and Prodigy of Mobb Deep featured on the album. Yes, I was still curious and gave it a chance. The verdict… it was aiight but gave new breath to Lil’ Cease’s career. The beats weren’t sub-par, they were actually pretty good. Think of it’s production value of beats similar to other independent releases like AZ’s “A.W.O.L.”, Royce 5′9″s “Death is certain” or Cormega’s “The Realness” with Riot Muisk featuring beats by NY’s finest… The Hot Runners, Heat Makers, DJ Twinz and China Black to name a few.

The upside to the album… The beats no doubt. If there was an instrumental version I’d scoop that up with the quickness. 2nd, Lil’ Cease coming off tighter than expected. The lyrics are more consistant than his past solo release and it’s been a loooong time since I’ve heard Cease on the mic. Think of it as the second coming of Lil’ Cease. The bad part… MC Klepto and Banger (formally known as Larceny) join the ride with unispiring lyrics that flatten out the beats offered to the crew. Bland emceeing on their part. While Cease holds it’s own with hot production, Klepto and Banger flatten the albums value. It’s good to see JM back on the grind, and with the crew going their separate ways from Kim and going the independent route, I don’t think they were planning on making a huge splash… you can tell by how poorly promoted the album was.

Damn son! I’m sayin’… what’s wrong with ya’ hand!?!

I know that there are far more entertaining Yo! MTV Raps collections out there to cop but I just had to shine the light on this one for a second. (especially since I found it in the bargain bin section for ¢50 cents!) Compilations in the past have been overlooked by myself since I already own many of the tracks. These days, when the price is nice I collect these compilations for sound quality purposes or the simple fact some of these comps have exclusive remixes or tracks usually available on wax. The 1997 Yo! Mtv Raps compilation collects the bright spots of the mid 1990’s from 93-97. I love the mixture of tracks collected in this comp because its a great blend of dope Hip-Hop and commercial tracks I never really thought twice about as to today. I couldn’t be happier with a blend like this that brings back highschool memories of just chillin’ by the porch singing the chorus to the Wu’s “Cash rules everything around me… C.R.E.A.M.! get the money! Dollar! Dollar! Bill ya’ll! or getting tongue twisted over Bone’’s verses on “Tha Crossroads.”

It’s good to see A Tribe called quest’s “1nce again” and Outkast’s “Elevator’s” featured on the comp as well. They were always considered heavy hitters that were above average. I can’t really be mad by the Blackstreet featured “Get me home” starring Foxy Brown. It’s probably one of the only Foxy tracks I really like. They even threw in Method Man’s “The Riddler” track from the Batman Forever soundtrack. (a forgotten gem) It felt good hearing 2pac’s “I get around” get some rotation here as well- it’s always a good vibe to hear this particular 2pac track, he always sounded chill in that cut. The prized tracks in this compilation go to the J.Dilla remixed “Runnin’” track starring The Pharcyde. Hands down one of my favorite cuts ever. (it gets no chiller than this!) Who ever said “hey lets add this to the comp!” is a genius. Lastly, call me a sucker for summer jams, but I had a soft spot for LL Cool J’s “Loungin’” remix featuring Total. I think it was the beats and chorus that stuck to me, because Uncle L’s lyrics were somewhat forgettable!

Compilations and soundtracks have always been a recipe for disaster… while there are also a handful of Yo! MTV Rap cd’s out there, the series always comes correct. Who ever makes the track selections to these albums is doing a bang up job making it work.

Consider this album to be comedy at it’s finest! During the 9 years of this release I had always wanted to hear just what was inside this disc but didn’t want to fork over the $20 dollar price tag it fronted. Luck changed when I found it yesterday at Rasputins Bargain Bin for $1.95! Though the discs were extremely damaged, it was still burnable for my computer to rip. With all that said and done, The Chronic 2000: “Still Smokin’!” is a complete knock off effort that forced Dr. Dre to change the name to his album. (2001) While guest appearances from the likes of E-40, Scarface, DJ Quik and Richie Rich don’t serve it’s justice and although the beats are somewhat OG to West coast standards, the album is a complete knock off. Possibly one of the worst compilations of 1999, the album simply lacks any creativity. Been there, done that… It’s the new generation of Death Row!
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It took some time but I found em’! Well worth the wait! Overlooked, usually under priced “bargain bin” specials that are both out-of-print collectables and classic Hip-Hop gems. Don’t think twice. Cop em’.

With the change in music format from vinyl to cassette tapes to compact discs making way for MP3 collections, not everyone is benefitting from this change in format. I gotta say, The best place to find vintage and out of print Hip-Hop is at your local music store. Living out in the Bay area, these stores come a dime a dozen in which new trends like “The iTUNES store” and “mp3.com” have replaced retail giants like The Wherehouse, Tower Records and Sam Goodie. (all of which were completely over priced!) Yet these retail stores had pocketed sections of misused “gems” or “bargain bin sections” stores and misguided listeners did not appreciate. (Where’s the hot track featurings Puff Daddy?!?) With no complete market value- to the true Hip-Hop purist at heart, this is truly a “come up” in music.

There’s a select few of us out there who still dig for music. While vinyl diggin’ has been around for quite sometime. There are a number of cats doing the same thing with CD’s. (for me, I love buring singles and placing them in my iPOD) CD singles in bargain bins are such a steal in stores like Amoeba’s, Rasputins and Street Light records, and while it may seem like a quick buck for them (usually its a quick ¢50 cents!) the rewards are even more for the collector. You usually get a dope song from back in the days. Included with the single is the instrumental version, a clean version for the kids and a remix track featuring someone out of the ordinary. I recently picked up The Beatnuts “Watch out now” for a quarter. The instrumental alone is a steal to have. With DJ’s making the jump to Serato for their mixing, I’m sure diggin’ in bargain bins have increased. Singles aren’t the only gems hidden in that pile of clearanc CD’s. At times, the staff at The Wherehouse don’t know what they put in there. Back in 98′ I found Blackalicious’s “Melodica” debut CD in a pile of crap for $3.99 and when they rung it up it was only ¢98 cents. This is how I see things… what’s there loss is my gain and I would totally appreciate the music found way more than a store willing to take my few dollars for it.

After the jump, I’m gonna share with you guys a few of favorite albums I found in these “bargain bins” and how they shouldn’t have been there in the first place!
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Of all albums… Mr’ Lif’s Mo’ Mega should not have been in Rasputin Records bargain bin! (brand new and for a buck ninety five!) I’ve always come to believe the theory of the Bargain Bin… “What’s someone’s loss is strictly the finders gain.” With that in point, let me first apologize to Mr. Lif himself for finding an incredible album in a discount section that should not have been… and for also reviewing the album almost a year late! When Mo’ Mega was released last year (courtesy of Definitive Jux) My wife and I were strapped down in buying a number of things, upon Mo’ Mega’s release I couldn’t buy the album because we were saving to buy a house. 11 months later, we got the house and your album resurfaced. Better late than never, for those who have slept on Mo’ Mega… read on- the review and the album is spectacular!
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Bargain Bin Bangers returns with Erick Sermon’s last 2 solo releases “React” and “Chilltown, New York.” Now I know you guys have seen these releases go straight to the bargain bins. With a lack of hype and ear to the street, sad to say- The green Eyed bandit lost his touch with these two releases. No disrespect at all to the man, alongside partner Parish Smith, formed EPMD creating a string of influencial classics like “I shot the sherriff”, “You’re a customer”, “You gots to chill”, “I’m Housin’” and “The Crossover.” So how does his last 2 releases fair to their early success, mainly as a solo artist? (and dope producer) I gotta say, a lotta people (including me, didn’t give these 2 releases a chance. With low record sales and a lack of interest no wonder these albums are all over bargain bins across the country… I these albums at Rasputin Music for a buck each… it’s time to see what went wrong. For 2 bucks, you can’t go wrong.
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It’s a Compton Thang! …and it was ¢50 cents at Fry’s Electronics! Above the Law was founded in 1989 by members Cold 187um, KMG the Illustrator, Go Mack, DJ Total K-Oss and Kokane, under the supervision of Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. Now, how could I pass up an album that’s the same vein as N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton?!? Growing up in the suburbs of San Jose, I was a cool kid. I listened to my parents, got descent grades. I liked the same things you probably liked as a kid. Hulk Hogan, Transformers, Shasta Cola. But when the headphones went on my ears and the tape deck started playing… my hustle below the image I portrayed was straight Gangsta’! I loved Gangsta’ Rap when I was growing up… It was so hard to get, Moms knew what was up, she never let me buy albums like CMW, ATL or NWA.Back than those days, those guys were tough as hell and so thugged out I forgot they were Emcee’s I just called them Gangsta’s! To this day I love that Compton old school. It’s the BEST thing to listen to in the office… submerged in a ton of projects? Listen to Above the Law, it’ll make time fly by and get you thinkin’ of other things than work… like busting a cap.
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Bargain Bin Classics continue! THIS ONE’S A COME UP! Yes, Diamond D had a follow up album to his CLASSIC DEBUT “Stunts blunts and Hip-Hop.” That Album was called “Hatred, Passion & Infidelity” and was released August 1997. Call the album, if not Diamond D himself underated as f*ck! The album is going for $70-$90 dollars on both ebay and Amazon, and I found it for $3.95! Now you know why I love Bargain bins! Ma and Pa shops just don’t know what treasures are hiding in those bins!

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What is a Bargain Bin? Practically every Music store has a “Bargain Bin.” Whether its in the back of the store or the side, a “Bargain Bin” is, a bin (if you will) or aisle within a store that basically sells a lot of crap at a very low and discounted price. Such items include clean version cd’s, cd singles, damaged cd’s, 1-hit wonders, and Lord Tariq and peter Gunz’s debut album “Make it Reign.” (Up-town baby!)

The Bargain bin is also where the good sh!t is found… those unreleased gems and out of print classics stores take for granted… stuff like Blackalicious’s “Melodica” or Show and AG’s now out of print “Runaway Slave” (usually for less than a buck!)

No matter what the case is… the bargain bin is a place where you make or break certain CD’s you thought twice about… Would you pay $13.99 for this cd? or wait for it to end up in a Bargain Bin a couple years later? MC “Such-n-Such’s” album really sucked… no matter… You got it for a Buck in the bargain Bin. “MC Goodwill Hunting’s” album was the bomb! and you got it in the Bargain Bin…

Welcome to The Bargain Bin. A Section on our site where both good and bad cd’s are bought at whatever price and than evaluated.

Here is our first review…

Hangar 18 “The Multi-Platinum Debut Album”

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