Maxx Axe

Red Money - 6 15’z (Arvis, 1995)

Classic ode to aftermarket subwoofers from Red Money, who as far as I know wasn’t named after the Bowie song. The first rapper to rhyme Base with Bass, Red was the longtime DJ and producer for Kilo, who stole him from Raheem. That’s him scratching on the “Cocaine (America Has a Problem)” Street Mix. II Much Red, his only LP, is a great record, even if there are more copies in Germany than Atlanta at this point.

ATTN: Rick Rubin, a “6 15’z” cover could be a valuable addition to the ZZ Top catalogue.

DSGB - DSGB (Universal, 2003)

With anticipation for Pastor Troy’s new movie, which may or may not be a remake of We Were Soldiers, at an all time high, I thought I’d take a look back at one of his best performances. I’ve always wondered how the Reverend conned Universal into bankrolling a posse album, or at least I’m wondering that now, but this video proves the group’s chemistry / energy if nothing else. Also, it’s tough to overstate how strong his Georgia following was at the time. As he told Vibe, ”We stopped putting the emphasis on Atlanta so much and took it out to Macon, Albany, and the whole area.” I bet they wish they had Twitter back then, am I right? Now rappers can stay in the safety of their own homes and shower bloggers with Hulkshare links. All in a day’s hustle.

Money Makin Nique - F.A.X. Machine (2012)

File this guy with the eXquires, the A$APs and the Fat Tonys, I guess, with one foot in the ‘post-regional’ blog-rap marsh and one in the other-ground Atlanta tradition (per Maurice Garland). The video, for which they just threw a release party at Museum Bar (a converted church with above-average fish tacos), plays like a soft-core parody of Eyes Without A Face, and Nique takes care to dedicate the track to Tina Turner (by her birth name). Fans of rap songs about obsolete technologies will be let down, but I think it’s worth a listen. Grap the whole tape (Gas Money) if you want.

Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz - Shawty Freak A Lil’ Sumtin’ (Ichiban, 1997)

Lil Jon’s father, like thousands of other metro Atlanta residents, worked for Lockheed Martin, a global aerospace & defense contractor with ties to the Pentagon. So when Jon wasn’t getting high to Bad Brains or spinning reggae & dancehall records at the Sound Factory, he was subliminally absorbing details about his dad’s day job designing Trident missiles, DSCS-3 satellites, and F-22 fighter jets. 

This is the kind of upbringing that inspires a career in Bass. When he was tapped by Jermaine Dupri to host the first So So Def Bass Allstars compilation, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t thinking just as much about internal combustion engines and the principles of jet propulsion as he was MC Shy-D and King Edward J. Still, back before The Year Crunk Broke, Jon could slip in and out of the ‘sonic warfare’ mode of production at will, being perfectly capable of dialing back the dissonance and delivering a solidly traditional Bass anthem.

I like the almost Warhol Factory vibe of this video (can’t help thinking Lee Marvin is about to pick a fight), and the beat from Jon and DJ Toomp is “on some smooth shit” in the Witchdoctor sense of the phrase. Jazze Pha seems like he’s having a good time, as does Ludacris, who shows up for a brief cameo at the beginning—this is back when he was DJ Chris Lova Lova at Hot 97.5, now Hot 107.9.

Ghetto Mafia - In Decatur (Fully Loaded, 1998)

“Species: Ghetorias Mafioso”

If only remakes were as common in music videos as they are in Hollywood, this thing could have spawned its own micro-franchise by now, Invasion of the Body Snatchers style. The back-up dancers in scrubs, the animated cigars, the look on that cloning doctor’s face when he hears his patient is from Decatur…

“we stole Big Boi’s car, and got our strip on”

Big Boi wasn’t about to let this sort of boast go unanswered, though his response was dispassionate and cryptic. By Aquemini’s release, Ghetto Mafia must have hardly seemed worth the effort, as they lacked anything comparable to the Dungeon Family’s Arista / LaFace marketing and distribution network and would never break nationally. Nino clarified the beef in an old issue of Murder Dog, calling out local rappers who “bite our shit then get in a magazine and give props to Outkast” and claiming, “we are finna hit em hard. We hold the title for everything. Ring Kings. We hold all the belts.” 

Da Connect - Belly of Da Beast (ONP, 2003)

Portrait of the artist as a young Meathead. Before he spaced out and stepped up, Future was a nonessential member of the shockingly obscure, second generation Dungeon Family group, Da Connect, alongside ChamDon, Boulevard International, and Infinique. He takes the lead on this one, proving he can muster more than (awesome) autotuned sound poetry.

I’ve been thinking lately that there’s something kinda poignant about naming your record Pluto, once the smallest planet in the solar system and now denied even that distinction. It’s apparently not a star either.

“The cosmos is a receptacle for the spectacle of my ascension” -Big Rube

SGDB ft. CNA - Sideline (2012)

How do you eat money without hot sauce and Rémy Martin? I don’t think it’s possible.