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Actual 'Facts - From OhWord, Your One-Stop Artifacts Outpost · by R.H.S.
The Artifacts (Tame-One, El Da Sensei, and DJ Kaos) hail from Newark, New Jersey, and are fondly remembered for their highly skilled rhyming, their nearly impeccable taste in rugged beats (courtesy of Buckwild, Showbiz, Shawn J. Period, and T-Ray, among others) and their espousal of all things graffiti, b-boy, marijuana, and Brick City. Although their discography as a duo is not especially vast, the majority of their output, especially their 12” vinyl, is highly coveted by that particular breed of rap fan that luxuriated in the bountiful scene spotlighted weekly by Stretch and Bobbito but never really felt at home in the oversaturated quasi-indie market that sprouted following the release of the Lyricist Lounge compilation.
Although both Artifacts albums (1994’s Between A Rock And A Hard Place and 1997’s That’s Them) are near-classics and certainly worth owning (and still easy enough to find on CD), some of their greatest performances appeared on b-side remixes, and they also have a number of guest appearances and demo recordings (from both their pre-debut LP days, the time between the two LPs, and in the years before they ventured off into solo careers) to their credit (including a brief stint on Rawkus as “The Brick City Kids.”) The digital age has been kind to us Artifacts completists, and with the help of Drizzle, Roy Johnson, Schenectadyfan, and Anyman 187 from Philaflava.com’s T.R.O.Y. board and blogs like Konstant Kontact, Wake Your Daughter Up, Time4SumAksion, and Dirty Waters I present for your listening pleasure three (3) Artifacts downloads that, along with their two LPs should pretty much satiate even the most die-hard backpacker’s appetite for wreck:
1. Artifacts Freestyles – a bunch of freestyles, mostly culled from Stretch & Bobbito, as well as an ill live set from 1993’s Rocksteady Reunion in NYC.
2. Artifacts Remixes – from their official 12” singles and assorted white labels: “Art Of Facts (Vinyl Reanimators Remix),” “It’s Getting Hot (K-Def Remix), “It’s Getting Hot (DJ Spinna Remix),” “C’Mon Wit’ Da Get Down (Buckwild Remix)” ft. Busta Rhymes, “Dynamite Soul ii (Lip Service Remix)” ft. Mad Skillz, “The Ultimate (Jay Dee Remix),” & “The Ultimate (Showbiz Remix).”
3. Artifacts Rarities And Demos – “What Goes On,” “More Facts,” “Check Da Fine Print” ft. Brand Nubian, Brick City Kids – “Brick City Kids,” Brick City Kids – “Brick Mindset,” Nubian Crackers ft. Artifacts “Do You Wanna Hear It?”, “Flexi Wit Da Technique (Demo),” Hard 2 Obtain “A Lil’ Sumthin’” ft. Racquel and Artifacts, Boulevard Connect ft. El Da Sensei, Tame One, & DJ Kaos – “Haagen Daz,” Brick City Kids – “What What,” “Who I Am,” “Wrong Side Of The Tracks (Demo).”
Who loves ya?
*****P.S. Bonus Track: Attack Of New Jerusalem (original demo version)***** Big up to Andyman187 for the hook-up.Comments for "Actual 'Facts - From OhWord, Your One-Stop Artifacts Outpost"
great post man. thanks a lot for those freestyles. real tight
— zk Nov 15, 05:08 PM
Forget Where I Got It From But I Have The Demo For Attack of New Jerusalem. Check It:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/49368086ced0dc/
— Andyman187 Nov 15, 10:09 PM
^Just added it to the post itself. You get ‘nuff props, the track is ridiculously ill.
— R.H.S. Nov 15, 10:11 PM
I think that Rocksteady shit is from my vinyl rip that I posted years ago.
Or not.
— Robbie Nov 16, 11:21 AM
I never heard that New Jerusalem Demo, dope, nice blog if you want to exchange links hit me up
http://dirtywaters.blogspot.com/
— dirtywaters Nov 17, 09:52 AM
Wow, great post. These guys are way too underrated for me.
— Derek Nov 17, 02:43 PM
Great idea to pack all Artifacts rare stuff in a single post!
Thanks for visiting us, man, appreciated you dropped a comment.
If you’re interested in exchanging links, it’ll be a pleasure for us.
Keep spreading the word of good hip hop!
Peace
— jopparelli Nov 18, 01:52 PM
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
— SKEME Nov 19, 12:03 PM
Any chance for a re-up of this dopeness????? I hate to have missed it the 1st time around! Much thanks.
— BHM Jul 26, 01:44 PM