2. Back in the Dayz by Doug E. Fresh and the New Get Fresh Crew (1992)
The same year Ultramagnetic put out their first album in four years, the legendary Doug E. Fresh also had a brand new project, four years after his last one, The World's Greatest Entertainer (1988). Entitled Doin' What I Gotta Do, Doug E. Fresh had returned along with his two DJs, Chill Will and Barry B, and a new member named Miss Jonz, the stage name of Tarsha Jones, the singer and future radio personality who would work with various other hip-hop artists like Common, Pete Rock, and Das EFX.
While Doin' What I Gotta Do was released in '92, "Back in the Dayz" is a live performance possibly from as far back as 1989. The Get Fresh Crew take the stage after being announced by the emcee of the event, Kool DJ Red Alert of Kiss FM fame, who references the 1989 posse cut "Self Destruction," which Doug E. Fresh appeared on.
Along with the titular "Stop the Violence" song by Boogie Down Productions, "Self Destruction" was the anthem of the Stop the Violence Movement in the late '80s, initiated by BDP's KRS-One to speak against violence in the black community, including the incident which took the life of his mentor and DJ, Scott La Rock, in 1987.
In any case, after Red Alert's introduction, Doug E. Fresh immediately begins working the crowd, beat boxing and getting the whole crowd to clap their hands on beat, chanting, "Go Doug E.! Go Doug E.!" With the crowd sufficiently hype, he begins the main bulk of the routine with the lines, "This is when rap was at that stage, going through a phase of craze. Back in the days."
Like Ultramagnetic on "Bust The Facts," Doug E. Fresh is recalling a by then bygone era of hip-hop, queuing Chill Will and Barry B to play through an assortment of some of the most well known dance records, within hip-hop circles, from the '70s and early '80s, effectively asking the crowd if they remember the sounds of their younger days, and how much fun they had dancing to this music.
While Doug E. Fresh does raps and routines with the crowd, Chill Will and Barry B play sections from "Heaven and Hell Is on Earth" by the 20th Century Steel Band, "Get Up and Dance" by Freedom, "You'll Like It Too" by Funkadelic, "UFO" by ESG, and "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid, the latter song being interpolated for "Whites Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" by Melle Mel.
This section of the routine effectively ends after Chill Will plays 1981's "Before I Let Go" by Frankie Beverly and Maze, prompting Doug E. Fresh to encourage the crowd to sing along to Beverly's iconic vocal flourishes. This is another very enjoyable and nostalgic track that will make you feel like an audience member.
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