The Titan - Kill-A-Gram album was a demo album for an album that was supposed to be on Boomin’ Records in 1993 after the Ruff N Rugged album. The Kill-A-Gram album was supposed to be the debut album for Titan. DJ Clay engineered the whole Kill-A-Gram album himself. Titan’s parents actually helped invest in this album.
However that never happened and Titan’s album was never released. This was due to issues with contractual terms. DJ Clay’s contract didn’t make Titan’s father feel comfortable to his liking. Something didn’t seem right to him about the contract with Boomin’ Records. It was a fair contract to Titan and Clay. However Titan loving music as much as he does continued to pursue finishing the album. Still the album remains unreleased today.
His demo album was issued on cassette only. Less than 10 of these demos exist today. Only a few people have the 1993 Kill-A-Gram demo album. His album remains unreleased today and exists only on cassette format.
It’s too bad Titan’s solo album never came out on Boomin’ Records in 1993. It’s never to late to release the album now. However his album wouldn’t sell due to the dated sound and couldn’t compete with todays music. Although in the event if his album were released, it might still appeal to or attract old school heads (old heads).
There are a few strong reasons/guesses as to why Titan’s debut solo album never was released. Not just solely one reason or two reasons.
Reason #1. DJ Clay focusing his time on Ruff N Rugged.
Many Flint rappers and groups used DJ Clay’s Boomin’ Studios to record their songs at. This left Clay with not enough time on his hands to shift focus on one artist. Focusing his time and energy on one artist would not have left him to engineer and produce songs for other artists. This would not have allowed him to fully operate a recording studio.
Another reason why Titan’s solo album never was released was due to DJ Clay focusing much of his time and energy on his group Ruff N Rugged with C Lo D (now Carlito810). Ruff N Rugged was constantly touring throughout the United States and Canada leaving Clay no time to be hands on with engineering for artists who used his studio. To put things simply, there was much focus on Ruff N Rugged from 1993 to 1995.
Reason #2. Issues with contractual terms on the contract.
Issues with contractual terms on the contract is a huge reason why Titan’s solo album never was released. Terms of the contract didn’t make Titan’s father feel comfortable to his liking. Something didn’t seem right to him about the contract. DJ Clay even sat down with Titan’s parents to discuss the contract and everything. It was a fair contract to Titan and Clay.
Reason #3. Titan focusing on King Hood Cykoz and their demo album.
Titan was part of a rap group called King Hood Cykoz which lasted from 1991 to 1995. King Hood Cykoz was from the King neighborhood near Civic Park in Flint, Michigan. King Hood Cykoz often recorded their songs at Boomin’ Studios off Dort Highway. They were recording a demo album around the same time Titan was recording his solo album. This led Titan to shift his focus on King Hood Cykoz.
Reason #4. The subject matter.
Much of the material and subject matter on his demo was very dark and obscene to many people. This might have caused DJ Clay to not release his album. Titan’s parents objected the content of material and subject matter of his debut album.
Mr. Billy Club was a song that dealt with police brutality. Titan takes a stance against police brutality in this song. Sadly nothing has changed when it comes to police brutality.
The great Titan Kill-A-Gram aka Titan wrote Mr. Billy Club himself in 1993. Today this song is regarded as a classic to its own right. The song has a gangsta rap meets Cypress Hill and Body Count type of vibe. What stands out the most about this song is thick layers of beats. This song also appeared on the demo for King Hood Cykoz.
The shooting incident is reference to a real life shooting event. Someone got shot on the hood of Titan’s minivan at the CLC Skating Rink (CLC) in Burton, Michigan. Burton, Michigan is located south of Flint, Michigan.
No Screwz is about living with an insane unsound mind. It’s no screwz, no rules. Living life with homicidal tendencies and suicidal tendencies is highly disturbing. The lyrics “I’ve got a head with no screws in it” tell all of what exactly needs to be heard in a less descriptive manner.
Southern rap influenced the creation of No Screwz. Notice how some of the samples used excerpts of Geto Boys songs. No Screwz used the samples of Scarface - Mr. Scarface, Geto Boys - 6 Feet Deep, and 20-2-Life - Inside Looking Out.
Episodez uses a touch of hip hop hence the turntablism. The song featured C Lo D from Ruff N Rugged. The song samples Dr. Dre - Ain’t Nothin’ But A G Thang. Hip hop meets gangsta rap with a touch of East Coast rap on Episodez.
As the skin gets to life, as the pen gets to writing. A brotha named Titan from the North goes off. Still making hits. Every jam he writes gets phatter (fatter). Just a totally damn good poet. Titan goes on about how good of a rapper he is. He’s into wrecking many sets and flows with episodes.
C Lo D is next. Dope as you saw. C Lo D is coming at your ass straight jackin’. Quickly making this shit a hit. He is down with DJ Clay. Don’t even play. It’s time to get ill.
Struggle in tha Jungle is about trying to survive in the ghetto. You tell just by listening to the hodgepodge of collected samples which DJ Clay used and the beats that were used, this song is from the early 90s. Some of the breakbeats give that away.
People try to survive and live in the ghetto. Gunshots from the streets keep people awake as they try to sleep. It’s time for Titan to jet. Titan is going to school trying to get his GED. It’s a cold heartless world out there in the ghetto as the ghetto is a cold place.
Just yesterday is when he found out his brother started slanging stones (selling crack). Moms is steady beefing with the cats he’s bringing home. Is it because she’s jealous of the fellas? The bitch ain’t got no class. Slave to the system while being in a struggle of the jungle. The ghetto is a cold place. Out there is a ghetto hell. It ain’t no fairytale.
It’s another day, another dollar. He cannot tell if the day is going to be bad or good. The cops still beat us. What else is new? Titan refers to police as devils dressed in blue. Police harass and intimidate people because of their skin color. It’s an ‘us against them’ mentality in the jungle.
Titan is another brother caught up in the rap game. Struggling to make it without being in the drug game. If he wasn’t rapping, he would be jacking. Never putting up a front. Titan knows who he is.
At the end of Struggle in tha Jungle, Titan tells us the way to get out of the ghetto is to get an education. Not being in the dope game. Being in the dope game gets you caught up in the wrong shit. Go get you a job.
I thought U knew uses a touch of jazz hop. The song was recorded in 1993 at Boomin’ Studios on Dort Highway. Titan was going by the name Bone when this song was written.
Once again it’s on. I thought you knew. It’s 1993 and Bone is back on his feet. There’s only one Bone known on Death Street. He is coming real for all the OGs though. Ya’ll don’t hear him though.
Kicking more drama. Color Bone Badd as he is still black and struggling in this ghetto hell. Mr. Billy Club is all on his ass. One time still gaffling since he’s black. They must think he’s selling drugs since he is creeping in a droptop convertible Mercedes Benz. Bone tells police he is not drug dealing. He reaches to grab for registration only to have police overreact.
Color Bone Badd is a reference to the 90s all-male pop group Color Me Badd. They were 3x multi-platinum selling group with international popularity back when this song was written. The all-male group was at the peak of their career.
There’s a struggle in the jungle due to this skeezer. Bone knew he had to please her. He spotted her sorry ass. A hoe got caught in the midst of this mix. What you wanna do, punk bitch? I thought you knew.
Titan thought you knew that a nigga snaps even without his crew. He still reminisces about the year of 1992. Pain of the pill is still there. A true cyko has a heart despite the rumors. It’s on. Bone ain’t no fucking joke. Playing with a half deck and best believe he’ll go for broke. It ain’t over until it’s over. Bone thought you knew.
The song How We Do has a more East Coast rap/hip hop sound similar to the song Much Too Much and the song Don’t Be Sad. The sample used and beats give this away. Titan recorded this song in on a tape deck recorder.
Titan discusses how we all want to be free in the lap of luxury. Being free is what people want. Maybe then we won’t be our own nightmare. Money and growing pains give him gray hair. The sky is the limit to what we can achieve in life. Everything is everything.
Say Goodbye 2 Tha Bad Guy is Say Goodbye To The Bad Guy revisited from the King Hood Cykoz demo. The difference is that Titan raps through the whole song instead of Leathaface. However you can hear rap verses from Leathaface at the very end as Say Goodbye 2 Tha Bad Guy samples Say Goodbye To The Bad Guy from the King Hood Cykoz demo.
This version is a more polished higher quality version of that song which uses a more reggae dancehall sound. You can hear the reggae dancehall sound in some of the instruments used. Different beats were used in this version.
This bitch has a plan to steal his demo tape out of Titan’s minivan while he’s in the record store. So he’s out to find a person named Little Man. He hears from Little Man that his demo tape is being sold out on the street. This bitch is making money off of counterfeit copies and bootlegs of Titan’s demo and the King Hood Cykoz albums. Titan hates this shit.
Next thing you know, Saginaw rappers are beginning to sound like Flint rappers. Saginaw rappers are taking away money from Flint as that is where all the music was sold. Bootleggers are getting paid instead of the actual artists. Bootleggers are getting attacked by the artists.
Titan is coming back harder with rhymes that are too legit. The key is to lay low. The niggas he hangs with are wanted by vice cops. He is taking no chances at all. He is making advances as he’s in it to win. What that means is Titan is thinking things through by making plans beforehand. These plans of his will surely work. He is killing at will.
Titan was rolling 4 deep through King Hood. In his minivan is a loaded Mac 11. Some vice cops drove by. Vice cops have them on the run. Eventually they get pulled over and surrender. Vice cops begin searching the vehicle. Questions were asked as police think they sell dope.
Titan disses former Flint Police officer Harlon Green in these lyrics. “Crooked ass punk bitch/Just because a nigga’s rich/The game is so played like it’s they fault that Green switched” “Green is so cracked up/He couldn’t handle us”
Yes, this is the Harlon Green that Jake The Flake used to brag about. The same the Harlon Green that Jake The Flake used to rap about killing.
Eventually they are let go and the vice cops leave. The next day, there was a shoot out with Flint Police.
You can hear rap verses from Leathaface at the very end as Say Goodbye 2 Tha Bad Guy samples Say Goodbye To The Bad Guy from the King Hood Cykoz demo. Leathaface raps “I’ll never hesitate to put a cop in a grave/Pass me glock so I can kill me a vice cop”
I rate this album 4/5****!
No comments:
Post a Comment