Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
We already knew we weren't the only ones wishing someone would loop up and repurpose the sad sack boom-bap of Peter Bjorn & John’s "Amsterdam" (aka the group's other whistle song). First Plastic Little dropped it in the middle of their set - whole song, straight up - while performing at Studio B a few weeks ago. Then our dude at Def Jam kept raving over IM about how he wanted to burn it on a CD for Ghostface. Now we check the inbox this morning, and lo and behold: a mixtape version of "Amsterdam" courtesy of BK emcee Spec Boogie, tacking on appropriately bummed-out verses at the beginning and end. Great minds think alike - The Fader.com
So we were at a dance-party at SXSW, and the DJ (think it was A-Trak) was going over fairly well until he played “Young Foks" at which point the crowd proceeded to lose their shit and sing along at the top of their collective lungs. The DJ's response? "Fucking hipsters." On a semi-related note, we found this little gem: Spec Boogie drops his introspective and lovelorn verse(s) over Peter Bjorn & John’s "Amsterdam," thereby rendering this remix approximately 100x better than the original, and making us fast fans of the Brooklyn MC. - Gorilla Vs. Bear
[Spec Boogie’s “Grow”] single is everything I love about music! Starting with the cover art, instead of the same old photo of some guy lookin’ hard, the Staple Design group went for a more creative look. The A-side “Grow” is an incredibly heartfelt tune about life in the hood. Spec Boogie kills it, and instead of braggin’ about sellin’ crack, he speaks of how it kills him to watch his friends grow up only to kill their own. “Grow” reminds me of that early Common stuff (before he lost his Sense). - Mugshot Magazine
Former art school student and current Brooklyn rapper Spec Boogie found Pharrell’s On My Mind's instrumental tracks and set about making them good…Spec is a rapper with charisma to spare and an obvious sense of humor, and not just an opportunist with Garageband and a Myspace page. God damn, this is miles and miles better than Pharrell's. I don't use the word "vainglorious" enough on this site, so I will now. This shit is straight vainglorious. It takes chutzpah to take another man's work, rejigger it and claim it's better. It's way better. - Marathon Packs
Remember the interview I did with underground NYC rapper Spec Boogie? Well, his label Loosie Music is at it again with Champion Hoods, the new Loosie project. The concept: Loosie’s stable--Spec Boogie, Von Pea of Tanya Morgan and Elucid—take the mic over their favorite mid-90’s beats, breaks, and loops. Sometimes they’re clearly freestyling, others they crafted verses, and sometimes, to great effect, they take the original rhymes and tweak them slightly, making them their own…I found myself again impressed by the quality of the Loosie roster. This is a label to watch, and this mixtape should (if there’s justice in the world!) help them stake out their turf. - Berkeley Place
Spec Boogie, Von Pea and Euclid gobbled up a shitload of classic '90s instrumentals ("Can't Stop The Prophet", "Shadowboxin'", "Tried By 12", and one of my personal favorites, "Last Dayz") and just spat flame over the whole thing. I mean, for you legions of mid-90s stuck Hip-Hop fans (I'm looking at you, okayplayer) this is a fucking gem of a treat. Whoa. Serious throwback music, nuff respect. - Rock The Dub
What we have here is one of those low-key debuts that will hopefully help this crew flourish just like crews ala Time Machine. “Grow” kicks things off with a deep wired jazz flow with Brooklyn emcee Spec Boogie dropping some common sense lyrics about being true, like prime CL Smooth. Lush. “Hardcore” kicks the tempo up for a tougher delivery though the production is still chilled, mad piano rushes, bumpin' mid-tempo beats and bass - all buzzed out. A very impressive debut, more please. - Boomkat
So, rap music is awesome, in case you didn't know. There's beats and rapping and girls. All good things. Loosie is a small crew from Brooklyn, who I assumed were set to blow up after putting out a great little remix of Peter Bjorn and John's "Amsterdam." But lo and behold, even in this recent period of PB&J hysteria, they seem to have flown under the radar. Well, it isn't for lack of trying. As far as I can tell, Spec Boogie, Elucid and Von Pea are more prolific than Rainer Werner Fassbinder on crystal meth. And they're giving away most of their shit for free. Although, not for long, I suspect. The sound is like De La Soul meets RJD2 meets something streety like The Clipse. And they do have a way with the remix, so I'm gonna post the Amsterdam Remix, a Mark Ronson/Lily Allen remix and a Loosie Allstars original, "Wump Wump". Also, they put out this clever little send up to 90's hiphop called "Champion Hoods" for free download. It's the Loosie MC's rapping over classic 90's beats from Wu-Tang, Fugees, Black Moon, etc. – Golder Ears (July, 2007) - Golden Ears
Discography
"Grow": vinyl single with Staple Design
"Fresh Out The Box": mixtape with Digital Gravel and Scifen Clothing
"On My Grind": mixtape that used beats from Pharell's solo album
"Brass Knuckle Rap Hustle": mixtape with Digital Gravel and 10 Deep Clothing
Most recently, Spec Boogie's remix of Peter Bjorn & John's "Amsterdam" was featured on the Fader website and played during their weekly show on East Village Radio.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Hailing from the same Bed-Stuy blocks where The Notorious B.I.G. once roamed comes Spec Boogie, a master storyteller and one of the most versatile young talents in contemporary Hip-Hop. Equally adept at both razor-tongued braggadocio and introspective commentary, he is an artist that shadowboxes his way out of easy classification. Neither preachy nor sensationalist, Spec Boogie’s remarkable sincerity is the thread that weaves together his music -- even the songs that deal with less-than-weighty subject matter inherit the trait of real honesty. Whether boasting about his sneaker collection or somberly recounting the tragic moments his young eyes have seen, you believe every word Spec Boogie says.
A former member of The Sandhogs, a group which included indie favorite Tes-1, Spec Boogie relocated to The City of Brotherly Love in his late teens and eventually connected with Philadelphia heroes ?uestlove and the Grammy Award-winning Roots crew. Polishing his live stage show under the tutelage of the masters, he performed in both Philly and New York during the wildly successful 2000 Okayplayer Tour.
But Brooklyn beckoned. Spec Boogie returned home and helped found Loosie Music, a fiercely independent record label and online magazine. The fledgling label hooked up with Lower East Side boutique Staple Design to release the “Grow” single, a track that earned Spec Boogie a deluge of critical acclaim and immediately put him on the radar of indie Hip-Hop aficionados as far away as France and Japan. The buzz proved justified, as his subsequent mixtapes, 2004’s Fresh Out the Box, 2006’s On My Grind and 2007’s Brass Knuckle Rap Hustle were lauded as evidence of his emerging talent. Spec Boogie has become a recent favorite of the blogosphere as well: his remix of Peter Bjorn and John's "Amsterdam" gathered acclaim from The Fader (and was called “great” by Peter Bjorn), and previous projects have been lauded by berkeleyplace, marathonpacks, nahright and other popular music sites. An exceptional live entertainer, Spec Boogie has delivered memorable performances at venues such as Nokia Theater, Southpaw, The Knitting Factory, Hammerstein Music Hall and Wetlands alongside artists including The Roots, Mark Ronson, MF Doom, Big Daddy Kane, Little Brother and Platinum Pied Pipers. He hosted the Spankrock/Ghostface show at the High Line in May, 2007. Spec Boogie’s debut album, Introspective is slated for release in Fall 2007 on Loosie Music.
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