Ice Mike - True 2 Da Game 2xLP
SWE in collaboration with Dust & Dope are excited to announce the release of legendary NOLA rapper/producer Ice Mike's debut "True 2 Da Game!" originally released back in 1992 on cassette only. All tracks were taken from the OG DATS to give you top notch quality. Let's get into the album a little deeper...
Fresh off the heels of producing for other New Orleans West Bank artists such as Bust Down and Mobo Records, “True 2 Da Game!” is the first full-length album from legendary New Orleans hip-hop pioneer Ice Mike. The follow-up to his 1991 debut as a solo artist is almost entirely self-produced (except for some co-production with DJ Lowdown & 8-ball The DJ). The writing, production, scratching, mixing, concepts, vocal and edit arrangements, piano and drum overdubs, and performances were all done by one man - Ice Mike. This feat is more impressive considering Ice Mike arranged and spliced the studio masters by hand with a razor blade and splicing tape, resulting in a level of mixing and editing that most couldn’t achieve until digital software was invented for computers.
The tracklist has been re-arranged and improved. An extra track has been added and the last 2 tracks of the original tracklist have been replaced. The love song "Good 2 U" and the shoutout outro "Atdasamtyme!" have been cut. Here's what Ice Mike had to say about "Good 2 U": "We were experimenting. I was the wrong artist to record it. Good song but, at the time I was recording all my ideas and back then i was trying to fill up the tape minutes as much as possible for the people with music in their mitsubishi trucks and somehow chose that one."
The Album also introduces Jr. Mack, Da Playa Bum & Kock Desil as "The Disturbed Young Hustlaz" on the the hard hitting "Still A WestBank Thang". This track received radio play back in the days and was used at live shows but never actually made it to an album due to street beef. "I Got Game" which originally was the B-Side of the "Doin' My Thang" 12" was added as well and then we have another previously unreleased gem called "Bad Attitude" which will surely please everyone.
From the raw raps on ‘Flow Down’ and ‘Bring Da Heat’, to the Pimptations-esque precursors ‘Fnalluslipnikkashoes’ and ‘Da Mack Game’, to the lyrically literal dope rhymes in ‘Man-N-Da-Hole’, “True 2 Da Game!” is an album packing a variety of concepts presented with polished analog production.
For the first time on vinyl, this edition will come housed in a beautiful gatefold edition and will be limited to only 250 copies. There will be 100 copies on transparent yellow vinyl and 150 copies on black vinyl.
Tracklist:
A1 Rollin' On Daytons
A2 Unoucantakdisdik
A3 Excuse Me World I'm Ice Mike
A4 Ain't Dat A Bitch
A5 Flow Down
B1 1-900-Hoe-Line
B2 Fnalluslipnikkashoes Feat. Jr. Mack
B3 Johnny
B4 Bring Da Heat
B5 No-Fuck-Ups
C1 Here Smoke This
C2 Da Mack Game Feat. Da Playa Bum
C3 Rekcilkcid
C4 Man-N-Da Hole
D1 Yo Pussy Stank
D2 Still A WestBank Thang - Introducing Disturbed Young Hustlaz
D3 I Got Game
D4 Bad Attitude (Previously Unreleased)
Shipping Date: March 15th, 2022