Whooliganz – Put Your Handz Up

The Whooliganz were a 1990s hip hop music group consisting of Scott Caan and Alan Maman aka, Mad Skillz and Mudfoot. Caan and Maman met as teenagers in the wealthy neighborhood of Beverly Hills, California. The duo began performing throughout the Los Angeles area and gained widespread recognition. Maman’s childhood friend, Evidence, introduced the group to Quincy Jones III and they began work on a demo where they eventually caught the attention of B-Real of Cypress Hill. B-Real invited the teens to join the collective Soul Assassins which consisted of Cypress Hill and House of Pain. The Whooliganz toured the country with the Soul Assassins and their connection helped them land a record deal with Tommy Boy Records.

The Whooliganz recorded their debut album, Make Way for the W and the first single released was “Put Your Handz Up”, produced by DJ Lethal and released in 1993, under the Positiva record label. A second single, “Don’t Mean Nothin'” was planned but then Tommy Boy decided to drop the group and not release the album. Another song, “Whooliganz”, was released as a single in 1995 in the UK on Positiva Records but the duo had already gone their separate ways. Caan followed his father, James Caan, into a successful acting career, whilst Maman turned to making beats and became one of the most successful producers in hip hop history The Alchemist.

Diamond D – Hatred, Passion & Infidelity

Veteran, legendary  hip-hop producer and emcee Joseph Kirkland, better known to the hip hop world as; ‘Diamond D’, from 165th St in the Boogie Down BX, has produced tracks for a multitude of rap music’s most critically acclaimed LPs, including A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘The Low End Theory’ and The Fugees’ ‘The Score’. In 1992, he recorded his first solo album, the underground classic Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop (which was released as by Diamond & the Psychotic Neurotics).  In the period between his album releases, Diamond spent much of his time producing for a number of artists, including Brand Nubian, Cypress Hill, Fat Joe, The Fugees, House of Pain, KRS-One, Lord Finesse, Tha Alkaholiks, The Pharcyde, Illegal, and Xzibit. A host of top-flight rappers returned the favor for his sophomore album, Hatred, Passion & Infidelity, including Busta Rhymes, Phife Dawg (A Tribe Called Quest), and Pete Rock. 

 His lyrical dexterity on his second effort is incredibly exciting and raw providing originality (key to a hip hop emcees success) and a swift narrative which carries the listener willingly from song to song. Sideman John Dough adds strong lyrics to “Flowin’,” “J.D.’s Revenge,” and “On Stage.” Reggae style chanter Don Barron (of Masters of Ceremony fame) gives an interesting touch to “MC Iz My Ambition.” Phife (of A Tribe Called Quest) and lyricist/producer extraordinaire Pete Rock are both featured on “Painz and Strife.” Diggin’ in the Crates family members Fat Joe, Big L, Lord Finesse, and AG join Diamond on “5 Fingas of Death” for a dark and ominous posse cut. Legendary MC Sadat X of Brand Nubians and K. Terroribul join Diamond on “Never.” K. Terroribul also appears on “K.T.” and “On Stage.”  Hatred, Passion & Infidelity is a masterpiece display of Diamond D’s skills on the microphone and behind the mixing board, an album a serious fan should have. As also should be noted, Diamond D is a  Grammy award winner for his work with The Fugees on The Score…and was nominated for another in 2007 for his work with Natalie Cole on the song  “Daydreaming”. As standard, click the pics and enjoy the beats.