Redman : I Get Down Like That (from Dat Underground Shit !!!! 12")

Redman & Roz : I Get Down Like That
Redman : Def Squad Japan Tour

Let's finish this Hit Squad month with this bootleg looking b side by Redman. I have no idea how legit that record was, I doubt that Def Jam released this as a promo. This 12" mysteriously appeared after Dare Iz A Darkside and before Muddy Waters and has an odd tracklisting with a couple of remixes of Can't Wait, a track called Montage which is an edit of various verses from different songs and this incredible track.

Red is freely flowing over an incredible production, with a little guest spot from an MC named Roz, who later rhymed with the funk doctor on Bricks 2 and Close Ya Doorz. If anyone had any doubt that Redman was the best rapper alive, just listen to this long track.

As I said the other track on the 12" is not anything new to any Redman fan, but it reminded me of a mix of some of Redman best cameos that was put together on a Def Squad under the title Def Squad Japan Tour (with the same kind of thing on the other side with Erick Sermon and Keith Murray). It's a 20 minutes mix with a lot of verses that you probably didn't remember.

K Solo : System (from Excalibur 12")

K-Solo : System (Funkology, 1998)

Kevin Madison also know as K-Solo was an original member of the Squad. Even before there was EPMD Parrish invited him to join his Rock-Squad crew in the early 80's. The professional trained boxer and aspirant MC then got involved in an ugly fight with a couple of motorcyclists and K Solo was sentenced to jail. He got released in time to appear on "Unfinished Business" and Parrish soon signed him on his management company and he fully produced his debut album "Tell The World My Name".

His friendship with Parrish Smith didn't last too long since he was the first to leave the Hit Squad and to sever his ties with Shuma Management. Apparently he was pissed off that Parrish did not took time to produce his second album, and he had very harsh words about his business practices. After EPMD's break-up he started working with Dr Dre, but you how it is when Dre works with a talented rapper (Last Emperor, Rakim, King T)...

Around 1997 he briefly reappeared on the scene, trying to diss DMX who supposedly bit his new style exposed in Redman's "It's Like That". There's nothing more pathetic than an underground MC dissing a mainstream rapper who don't even care to answer.

Last time we heard of K Solo, he was throwing chairs at Keith Murray in a club somewhere in NY.