Don’t Say Nothin'

Been gone for a while. Planting time & a big Anniversary for me has had me busy. The pause has had me rethinking a lot of things.

Thinking about Rebirth...here's the Rebirth of Cool series from 4th & Broadway / Island. There are innumerous variations on these muthas, so I'm just giving ya what I personally have in my collection. They get progressively better IMO & by Phive it's definitely alive.

Various - The Rebirth of Cool, 4th & Broadway 512 238-2, 1992

any decryption codes in comments

I've Lost My Ignorance (& Don't Know Where to Find It) - Dream Warrior & Gang Starr
Raise the Flag - X Clan
Senga Abele (Lion Roar) - Manu Dibango & MC Mell'O'
Cool & Funky - Ronny Jordan
I Should've Known Better - Mica Paris
Welcome to the Story - Galliano
Family - McKoy
Try My Love - Lalomie Washburn
Kickin' Jazz - Outlaw
Step Right On - Young Disciples
Joe's Jam - Statemaster Tate
Witness the Drift - Laquan
I Come Off - Young MC
The Slow Jam - Dodge City Productions


Volume Too duplicates material from the original release as well as adding new tracks. In this case I have posted both the complete volume & the edited volume with only the new tracks. That way you can decide if you want it as released or without the redundancy. I'll try to make the choices obvious, but the choice you choose is fully & truly yours. Completist versus drive-space...you decide. I'm just here to make things more confusing.

Various - The Rebirth of Cool Too, 4th & Broadway BRLPD 582, 1992.

I've Lost My Ignorance - Dream Warriors & Gang Starr
La Raza - Kid Frost
Senga Abele (Lion Roar) - Manu Dibango & MC Mell'O'
Cool & Funky - Ronny Jordan
I Should've Known Better - Mica Paris
All for One - Brand Nubian
One to Grow On - UMC's
Family - McKoy
Try My Love - Lalomie Washburn
Kickin' Jazz - Outlaw
Looking at the Front Door - Main Source
Free Your Feelings - Slam Slam & Gang Starr
Go With the Flow - Pete Rock & C. L. Smith
Set Me Free - The Bygraves
Black Whip - Chapter & the Verse
The Slow Jam - Dodge City Productions

 Various - New on Too (edited tracks)

Various - The Rebirth of Cool 3, 4th & Broadway BRCD 590, 1993.

Chameleon - Jazz Warrior
Life Goes Around - Courtney Pine featuring Juliet Roberts
Taurus Woman - The Subterraneans featuring Mardou Fox & Jonzi
Dominican Girdles - Dana Bryant
Don't Say Nothin' - Opaz
Fever - Stereo MC's
Bad Brother - Ronny Jordan
Good Lover (Touch mix) - D-Influence
Caroline - M.C. Solaar
Big Idea (Shortwave) - The Brecker Brothers
Did You Pray Today? (Extended R&B mix) - Lisa Taylor
Man Talk (Talkin' Loud mix) - Greg Osby
Revival (Rebirth edit) - Martine Girault
People (Come On) - Dodge City Productions
Loud Minority (Club mix) - United Future Organization
Inner City Boundaries - Freestyle Fellowship

 Various - The Rebirth of Cool 4 Most, 4th & Broadway BRCDX 607, 1994.

Just Wanna Touch Her (Stoned Jazz mix) - DJ Krush
Play My Funk - Simple E
Cantamillia - Tranquility Bass
My Favourite Things - Ronny Jordan
Aftermath - Tricky
Earthsong - Batu
Crazy - Outside
Spock with a Beard - Palm Skin Productions
World Mutation (Made in His Image) - Tone Productions
Tree, Air, & Rain on the Earth - Mondo Grosso
Great Men’s Dub - Burning Spear
Soul of the People - Bread & Butter

Various - The Rebirth of Cool Phive, 4th & Broadway BRCD 617, 1995.

Friendly Pressure - Jhelisa
Eine Kleine Hed Musik - Coldcut
Karmacoma (Portishead Experience) - Massive Attack
Boundaries - Leena Conquest & Hip Hop Finger
Whipping Boy (remix) - Ben Harper
Deep Shit (Parts 1 & 2) - Kruder & Dorfmeister
Hell is Round the Corner - Tricky
Turn On, Tune In, Find Joy - Freak Power
Revenge of the Number - Portishead
Bug Powder Dust (La Funk Mob remix) Bomb the Bass & Justin Warfield
United Future Airlines (Astral Hi-Jack mix) - United Future Organization
Iniquity Worker - D-Note
Release Yo Delf (Prodigy mix) - Methos Man
Kosmos (Lynch Mob bonus beats) - Paul Weller
Nouveau Western - M.C. Solaar
Get It Together - Beastie Boys

Various - The Rebirth of Cool 6, 4th & Broadway BRCD 620, 1996.

Underwater Love - Smoke City
Claire - IO
To Forgive but Not Forget - Outside
You Are Heaven Sent - Nicolette
Cotton Wool (Fila Brazillia mix) - Lamb
Horizons - L.T.J. Bukem
Migration - Nitin Sawhney
Ponteio - Da Lata
Jazz Garage - Akasha
Feel the Sunshine - Alex Reece
Surfin' - Ernest Ranglin
Who Could It Be (Jungle Brothers radio edit) Luciano meets The Jungle Brothers
Bittersweet - Lewis Taylor
Street Player - DJ Pulse & The Jazz Cartel
Rudiments - Dave Angel


Then 4&B'way parent Island takes over & shit goes downhill fast. Chris Blackwell (the Assassin of Cool) had already sold out to Polygram UK by 1988 but hung around for ten more years before finally splitting.

Cool 7 was one of the last stabs into a dying corpse. 4th & Broadway was shut down in 1998, shortly after Blackwell left Island Records but before the merger of the PolyGram & MCA label families that became Universal Music Group. 4th & B'way's remaining hip hop artists transferred to Def Jam Recordings, but that’s another story for another day.

Various - The Rebirth of Cool 7 2xCD,  Island Records 524 487-2, 1998

CD1 

Get Another Plan (Extended mix) - Abstract Truth
Mokey Jazz - Ian O'Brian
My Beat - Blaze
Size of an Elephant - Universal Being
Contrazoom - Spacer
The Redeemer - Underwolves
Where My Mind Is At - DJ Skitz alongside Roots Manuva
My History / Feel the Spirit (Afro History Pt 11) - New Sector Movements
Escravos de Jo - Kerrie & Joe
African Elation - Dean Fraser

CD2

 Tears for the Yazd - The Amalgamation of Soundz
Chemical Imbalance (DJ Die mix) - Karime Kendra
Elephant Ride - State of Bengal
Life (Da Lata mix) - Luciano
Plans & Designs - Faze Action
Na-Da (Featuring Manorama Prasad) - Tala Quintet
In at the Deep End - Bill Riley
Ballet Dance - Roni Size
Impressions - Fused Up
What Is It? - The Mighty Strinth

Enjoy,

NØ