“Saturday Night Live”
GENERAL By Gotty™ on May 19, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Words by Jimmy Valentime
If Camp Lo were to come out today, instead of in the the 1990′s, they’d be loved by internet hipsters more than The Clipse, Ghostface, and Lupe Fiasco combined. Camp Lo had a gimmick: their music and videos were filled with 1970′s references and clothing styles. Today, they would be given a cute genre name like “8-track rap,” have Youtube videos made about them, and guest star on “That 70′s Show”.
However, as fate would have it, they came out over ten years ago right at the time when rap was changed by the Bad Boy dance machine and when underground rap lost its sense of fun. Camp Lo had been well liked by some, but mainly ignored or dismissed. In the end, they would be another forgotten group, if Uptown Saturday Night had not been so spectacular.
Uptown Saturday Night, their debut album, sounded as if they merged Cuban Links and Midnight Marauders. The lyrics are tough and aggressive but the delivery and music is smooth. The disc is one of those clean the house or drive around late at night albums. The breezy jazz style gives a good ambience. As the occasional lyric or hook will enter your conscious and grab you.
The lyrics are mainly about The Bronx (My Hood) blunts, champagne, and designer clothing The music does not sound like some V.I.P room you can never get in to, it is more like a sweaty basement party where anything can happen.
Their sound is a credit to Ski, the main producer of the album Around the time that he was working on Uptown…, he was helping craft Reasonable Doubt . A song originally intended for Camp’s album was “Feeling It,” which was subsequently rerecorded for Jay’s album. In a interview last year, Hova even admitted to wanting “Luchini” for Reasonable Doubt.
It interesting the way these two set of artist lives would play out, but Uptown Saturday Night with it mix of style, production, and lyricism is still a fun place to vist.
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Bonus Beats
My favorite songs on the album “Swing” “Black Nastaljack” and “Coolie High”.
Rappers never die; they go to myspace .
Camp Lo Videos
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Ne-Yo – Spotlight
Trey Songz – Hustla
Common – Black Maybe (prod by Kanye West)
Common – Misunderstood (prod by Devo Springsteen)
Tech N9ne – Midwest Choppers
49 Comments
You guys need to up that Joe Budden library of legend thing that’s out. Forrrealll.
And I’ve actually never heard of Camp Lo, I’ll see what’s up.
“And I’ve actually never heard of Camp Lo, I’ll see what’s up.”
More proof of how old I REALLY am…
wow @ “i’ve never heard of camp lo”…
i’m 24, got the cd’s, 4 moons ago is one of my faves off the 2nd album, luchini was the jam, you play that beat at an open mic, the hip hop heads still go crazy off that…
they still get heavy rotation on my ipod…”get that glowwwwwwwww”…
Man I remember coppin Uptown the day it dropped. Still one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. How the times have changed…
i remember jammin to Coolie High back in the day. i put my boy from Cali on em, and he took it back to the Oakland area.
Cuban Linx x Mauraders? I don’t know about that though…
Luchini is still right, that beat is crazy. Props on the whole post.
Is anybody able to post a link to:
Cynda Williams – Harlem Blues
I really only need that song. I would like the whole “Mo’ Better Blues” soundtrack, but if anyone could post Harlem Blues it would be greatly appreciated.
“still one of the greatest albums of all time”
I agree thoroughly…..
I will say that its probably good that they dropped when they did. They hit us with something fresh and new even when there was still a huge amount of creativity in hip-hop.
someone please upload uptown saturday and put these youngsters on.
Anyone have any of the other Camp Lo albums for upload besides Uptown Sat.?
http://rapidshare.com/files/31607758/Camp_Lo_-_Uptown_Saturday_Night.rar
Pass = Luch1n1
Real Talk: I threw “Uptown Saturday Night” out the window….
http://www.zshare.net/audio/02-luchini-mp3.html
http://www.zshare.net/audio/camp-lo-feelin-it-og-mp3-1ub.html
both were zshare links in the story
one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time is pushin it just a little, don’t ya think. sometimes when people get excited about something they exaggerate.
It is in my top 40 ….
EXCELLENT post.
In my opinion, this album is the speakeasy of albums. A lot of people know about it, love it for what it is, but don’t really tell other people about it.
I STILL have my copy of Uptown Saturday Night. I remember listening to it over and over. I rememeber wondering why other people didn’t like, and not caring that other people didn’t like it. But I loved every video play that BET gave it (because credible was word that applied to them, more so than MTV!, at the time), and hearing the realest djs playing Luchini’s instruemntal while they talked.
The Clipse have since cornered their market and will never let it go, but I hear they are still big in Europe…?
I had no idea Jimmy Valentime was from the Bronx, go to know. I am from Co-op City and it just bought you more cred in my book…
I fuckin love the mall at co-op city
::Remembers old heads playing street fighter at co-op bagel ::
Great article, much thanks for the trip down memory lane fullas. Love that album, I had to big up you on our site. http://www.shotthen.com
DaMadHatter – I think I got that joint somewhere. Give me a day or two.
cheyah camp lo,uptown saturday night,classic material..
I hope you read this Gotty,and all SmokingSection staff/visitors….came across a movie called America:Freedom To Fascism….directed by Aaron Russo(Trading Places)…..this movie will blow your fucking mind,if you havent seen it already….it completely exposes the IRS and proves there is NO LAW that requires americans to pay a federal income tax…just check it out,we need more awareness of this New World Order shit spreading NOW…..those Radio Freequency Identification Cards are supposed to come into effect next May…yes,1 year from now..next May….check the movie out,its about 2 hours long,full movie available at youtube.com just type in “freedom fascism” in the search bar,and the full movie should pop up in the results….keep up the good work on the site,and go expand that brain,if you havent already peeped the whole shit…
look out for a new LP from camp lo in september/october on redefinition records / high water music.
Ski Beatz presents Camp Lo … Another Heist
I love Ski’s prodcution. Anyone have the Coolie High remix?! I had the cassette but lost it. I LOVED that track. Miss it. If anyone has it PLEASE post a link.
I remember Uptown Saturday Night, it was my favorite album for a long time and the first album i ever owned that didn’t require the use of my fast forward button. I had seen the Luchini video on BET one afternoon after high school and immediately became a fan. Kept the CD in my car in one of those sunvisor CD cases and sure enough a thief (with excellent taste in music) broke into my car one night and stole those CDs. I lost Camp Lo, C&N the War Report, KRS-One I Got Next and a bunch of other great albums from those days. And I’ve never bothered to go back and buy them again. It’s pretty lame but it “warms my heart” when i hear other people mention Camp Lo, but I have to bite my tongue and fight the urge to announce that I was into them before most other people in my area were into them.
Luchini’s a big tune still..
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MSeSVqanD4Q
To anonymous asking for the Coolie High Remix:
http://www.zshare.net/download/camp-lo-coolie-high-paradise-remix-12-inch-rar.html
found it on http://djespionage.blogspot.com/
after ten years of looking for it!
Also ya’ll hear those new teaser tracks popping up around “ticket for two” & “milky”(i think 9th wonder did this beat) they gonna kill it when their new EP drop this summer. Props to Sucio Smash for picking up the project. AND MUCH PROPS to Ski for stepping his game back up with the beats.
im turning 26 in august….i feel old.
“never heard of camp lo”
LAME. Go talk to one of your older brothers or something.
“never heard of camp lo”
LAME. Go talk to one of your older brothers or something.
===============================================
To that cat looking, there’s commentary in the post & links in the comments. Grab some stuff & roll. They have a new album dropping soon as well.
And to the cat who commented, to me, it’s either help’em or don’t say anything. Comments like that are what keeps the younger cats from even trying to draw on older artists and write most of their fans off “old fogeys stuck in ’94″.
Just my opinion.
I’ve heard of Camp Lo, but didn’t know a damn thang about them. And I’m the oldest. Haha. So I had to find out about them myself.
To the young ones – how are you going to know your future if your don’t know your past? 50, Em, Weezy, TI had to learn it from their past… As Clinton Sparks would say GET FAMILIAR!!!!!
True story, whereI grew up (Twin Shitties) UPtown Saturday Night was way more popular then Reasonable Doubt when they both dropped. I know mad people that own that album on the low on the strenght of Luchini. Funny how it all ended up for both Jay and Camp Lo. BTW good looking out on those two common tracks, the new album sounds dope.
Mo’Better Blues OST
http://rapidshare.com/files/32397006/MBBlues_OST.rar
I agree with Gotty. There should be a sense in satisfaction for you older hip-hop heads to teach these kids who can quote every Lil’ Wayne verse but can’t tell U nothing about Ice Cube. But my “Uptown Saturday Night” is still on the side of the freeway hahaha…
I ain’t that old
I just got a keen memory
Ya heard ! lOL
I think you want to make good points Jimmy, but please step your writing style up first, or get someone to proofread it.
@ BOBBYBUTTERSOFT
Appreciate it!! Except the cassette remix was different from the vinyl. Remember those days? When maxi singles and the vinyl sometimes both gave u something new. Thats why I doubt I’ll find it cause the few who have it on cassette still arent trying to digitize it and put it on the net.
i’m 30 so 94 was my shit but i like to keep it movin. too many of my friends are “”old fogeys stuck in ‘94″ and its a shame cause they miss out on alot cause they prejudge all new music before even really listening to it cause its not like 94!
What the hell is w/ everyone trying to turn the writers at TSS into mini-friggin’ Gladwell’s? Y’all act like TSS writers come off w/ less coherency than Cam’ron on an O’ Reilly Factor interview. Jimmy’s piece makes his point well, and if someone misses a comma, semi-colon or period here or there, fuck it and roll on.
Everybody’s a former high school newspaper editor all of the sudden.
****
And @ Anon
Since you went there, the sentence would read more correctly if you’d put a comma after “points”.
Props on that Soundtrack Gotty… really ‘preciate it.
Stephen – Don’t trip it. Since ain’t nobody cuttin no checks, it’s no sweat LOL.
And from the looks of the comments, Jimmy got his point across VERY well in my opinion. And funny thing is, I learned a secret last week that makes the easiness w/which his points go over that much more amazing to me.
Speaking of Gladwell, I started reading Blink yesterday.
Probably one of the best produced albums of all time. The lyrics were probably some of the most stylish and flavorful in a while. The fact that alot of the lyrics made no sense made the flows hotter and made you listen more closely. On some “rewind that…what’d they say?” I’ve had many an argument about ‘Lo, but I’ll always ride for them.
What’s the secret? And I’m not tryin to hate at all (although looking back at my post it prob seems that way…my apologies Jimmy). I enjoyed the post and said he has good points. I just think that to make the points with a little more ease it’d be cool if he ran it by someone first, nothin serious – jus lettin a friend read it before it went up or something. I haven’t been reading TSS for a long time, but I think what I have seen so far is dope. Since I’m not a veteran reader or anything, I guess I can’t comment, but it seems like you guys will get and probably are getting lots more readership, so its cool if it reads well. I’m not saying you need perfect grammar (as this post should be evidence of). I’ve read the main page where Gotty puts stuff often and his shit isn’t formal, but i thoroughly enjoy it. I’m not sayin that Jimmy sucks, in fact it was nice to see something on Camp Lo, I’m just saying run it by someone cus it seemed a little awkward at times. Even a joke isn’t as funny if the delivery isn’t there. And being that this is a hip hop site, I feel like I shouldn’t have to say much more on the importance of delivery. Whether it’s Gladwell or ODB, yu can still make it sound tight.
*you …cus I know stephen will call me out
can some1 just upload “park joint” that’s the only song i’m missing. i don’t need the whole alb.
Honest to god I am not a writer…. I am a rapper…..Iike a actual rapper
who done some shyt …
I’ve had radio rotation… I been mention on xxlmag.com …I been on a
Dj.E.nyce Mixtape (He did Lupe Fiasco ..Touch The Sky Mixtape…).
I preformed at Speed … Nuyrican Café…. Etc Etc
I am a rapper who rather talk about the shit I love about hip-hop
.
Then be on some crab in the bucket … I hate this ….I hate that Etc, Etc,
I am not the best but honestly I am like rocky weather rapping or writing
I put my best effort and my heart in to it and people like it cause they
see the honesty and the effort even if it s not 100 yet…
But I am working on the writing anyway cause I want to flow better on the writing tip…But thats for me not for you….
It’s easy to sit there and try to over annylaze everything
But If you ain’t got the heart to do what I am doing… keep it moving
@ Gotty: E-mail me the secret, STAT!
@ Anon.: It’s cool, cousin… i’mean, i even proof comments in an attempt to make sure my words don’t come out too harsh. Even though i wasn’t here from the beginning, i believe in this site and don’t want it slide into a world of OKP snark.
@ Jimmy: Taking the time to learn something new, and exposing yourself to the world (no R. Kelly) while you’re going through the process is admirable. While the teaching somewhat formal, Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style” is a good (and thin) book about how to write.
anybody got the Luchini remix (I think) with Jungle Brown?… or was it another track from Camp Lo.. all I know it was fire!! and was definitely a remix… was on one of their singles… and no, not the aforementioned Coolie High Remix
I know I’m old but this album is.. I repeat IS one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time…I agree with whomever said that above.. and thats no stretch. Give it a hard listen if you haven’t heard it yet.. heads always give it 2 thumbs up if they know the name U.T.S.N. and Camp Lo- always in rotation after 10 years..one of the outstanding gems in the silver age of hip hop