DJ Skully – Top Shelf Material (2003) (CD) (320 kbps)

Ex UK DJ Champ DJ Skully has dropped what is proposed to be a bi-monthly series of mixtapes on CD. You have to have been sleeping if you have not heard of Skully by now, but never mind, this CD is a great introduction to his skills and tune selection. The track list is impressive with a fair few specials and some quite up to date tracks which is always impressive knowing the lead times that producing product like this requires.

The opening intro is real powerful and is a real show opener with hard core trumpets and of course the hard core scratches which hail Skully’s arrival, then it is straight into the first exclusive from Headkrack.

Snoop Dog & Marvin’s Dance Wit Me is a bit too much on the RnB vibe to appear so early in the set and switches the vibe quite drastically. As the tracks mix there are numerous vocal shouts and bombs. The selection is varied and heavy tracks from major artists like Nas’s Thieves Theme and Eric Sermon’s Street Hop sit alongside special Skully instrumentals which he cuts up a frenzy over showcasing those skills which have made him a crowd favourite. More jiggy bouncy tracks are on here as well like Milano’s Morir Sanando and the sublime J-Zone whose Standing Room track gets spun. The UN’s Mash Up with its frequently changing beat keeps the pace of the tracks moving along. Resurgent Jay Z’s interlude does indeed offer a bit of a break in the middle of the 25 track CD.

The UK is represented with three or four tracks. An artist everyone is mentioning due to his potential is Lowkey and Skully manages to capture a sweet freestyle from him. He raps with rhymes and knowledge beyond his years and really is impressive. SkinnyMan the latest artist Low Life have helped to propel’s contribution is well timed to be on here right in the midst of the noise regarding his outstanding Council Estate Of Mind LP. The track is his collaboration with Karl Hinds – Lets Have It. Typical keyboardey Karl Hinds production for me lets down this track which could have been so special because both of the MCs spit great charismatic verses. The remaining UK contributions are an exclusive from Klashnekoff’s Terra Firma who drop in their own inimitable style and Doc Brown’s Donnies Lament is the final UK contribution. Doc Brown has always produced nice shit, but seems to never get the props he is beginning to deserve after a few years in the game. This track makes use of the instrumental from last years Xmas number one and sounds rather good.

Always hot the Beatnuts maintain their high rating on the thermometer. Yesterdays fad Talib Kweli is included with his Beatles sampling Lonely People track as it the current fashion item – Kanye with the Apologise track. Grimeyness is covered by Celph Titled and Ghetto Child with clever wordplay espoused by Chino XL.

The whole CD rounds off with the hard Queens crew MOP who are currently doing their damnedst to retain their title after a fallow period. This is the wind down after a hectic hour and a quarter.

Overall, the mixing on this is smooth and sophisticated as you would expect from a world champion. The packaging is basic to say the least and therefore disappointing. The idea is to make the CD look like a white label release, but the typeface used doesn’t really grab me. Regardless, it is the musical content that this is all about and if you judge this on those criteria then you should enjoy this.

1. Skully – The UK Champ (Intro)
2. Headkrack – Exclusive
3. Snoop Dogg – Dance Wit Me
4. Fusion Vs Skully
5. Nas – Thiefs Theme
6. Skully – Get Up
7. Erick Sermon – Street Hop
8. Milano – Morir Sanando
9. J-Live – Standing Room
10. Skully – Rockin’ With The Best
11. The UN – Mash Up
12. Lowkey – Freestyle
13. Karl Hinds& Skinnyman – Let’s Have It
14. Beatnuts – It’s Hot
15. Terra Firma – Exclusive
16. Jay-Z Interlude
17. Celph Titled – So Cold
18. Chino XL – Wordsmith
19. Smiley The Ghetto Child – Powerful
20. Pete Rock & Talib Kweli – Fly Till I Die
21. Kanye West – Apologise
22. Supastition – Williams
23. Doc Brown – Donnies Lament
24. Talib Kweli – Lonely People
25. M.O.P – Slow Record

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