Dedi - Every Man For Himself (aka The Original Baby Pa) (shelved, 1995)

Today's post concerns a very mysterious nickname: Why does Sylvester James by day and Dedi by night call himself The Original Baby Pa? Was he the person who coined the term? Or is it yet another attempt to distinguish oneself from the rest of the herd of MCs trying to make it? Join us up next on (drum roll) A waste of everyone's valuable time!

Now, Mr. Dedi here thought everything was set for him in the rap game. Why shouldn't he? He was a member of one of the hottest underground cliques in 90s boom bap: Heavy D & The Boyz, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, InI and more. That meant he had the luxury of affording the beats of one Peter Phillips aka the aforementioned Pete Rock, who is one of the godfathers of crate-digging boom bap. Period. By that point, Pete had already made epic strides in the industry, mainly with his three collaborations with his forever-underrated former MC, CL Smooth. The All Souled Out EP, Mecca And The Soul Brother & The Main Ingredient are three timeless contributions to hip hop that deserve to be revered within the genre, each for their very own unique reasons. That's almost more than what the two late hip hop giants Biggie and Big Punisher were able to achieve in their regretfully-short lifetimes combined. Think about that the next time you try to make one of those dumb-as-all-fuck top 10 lists hip hop heads and critics like to throw around. And by the time Dedi's turn came about, Pete was just as active outside of his camp, working with legends such as Das EFX, AZ & Def Squad's Jamal. So, there was no reason for Dedi to fret.

Except Dedi forgot that he was in the music industry: A cutthroat wasteland ruled by numbers and stats. Enter one Sylvia Rhone. This skeletal witch from Hades made it her mission to oppose any and all hip hop acts selling under 500,000 units. Unfortunately, Pete Rock had an entire roster of such acts under his then-fledgling vanity label Soul Brother Records, and Dedi was the second act scheduled for release. The first, InI, barely got through with releasing a single and one measly video for it after Sylvia was done with them, and even then it was only because they were approved by her predecessor and she couldn't do anything about it. Regardless to say, InI's album The Life I Live has been in release hell ever since, being bootlegged to kingdom come as Center Of Attention for 20 years straight. After all that, what chance did poor Dedi have?

Well, aside from a feature still remembered 20 years later on Sadat X' Escape From New York, (which is an absolute classic song, might I add) you guessed it. Dedi's entire planned catalog of releases was shelved. Until Pete Rock attempted to salvage some cash for him and InI by negotiating with a label called BBE/Rapster, a label he'd already done business with when he released the first Petestrumentals album of, you guessed it, Petestrumentals. What he didn't count on was that as soon as he delivered the original studio files he had in his possession to them, they royally screwed him, InI and Dedi for all those tracks were worth by releasing the two shelved albums in an incomplete form without including Pete and co. in the monetary deal. Meaning that whatever success the fake-ass "Lost & Found: Underground Soul Classics" makes, neither Pete nor those two acts will see a dime of that money. Understandably, that resulted in me refusing to buy the InI album and resorting to listening to an unearthed version of the true intended mix from 1995 on YouTube here, while hoping there was some way Pete and co. could benefit from this directly.

Unfortunately, Dedi's shelved album has seen no such treatment, and what the world's left with is simply the BBE release tracks. Adding insult to injury, they called him Deda on their bullshit album cover displayed above. Friggin' Deda. Sounds like something a spoiled rich baby would say after he hurt his arm. Granted Dedi sounds exactly the same but still, this mistake caused the entire hip hop industry to mistake his name for Deda. Check Discogs if you don't believe me. It might not be that important to you, but put yourself in his shoes: You're a struggling rapper and you've exerted X amount of effort to establish a nickname that you want to build your brand over and provide for your family through. Now imagine some third-rate label changing that nickname without your consent (robbing you in the process, might I add) and plastering that shit all over their fake release of your hard work. Finally, imagine that lie being the one thing people associate your rap career with anymore. Enough said. Hell, I thought Deda was his name! Not anymore, obviously. Grap Luva, InI member and Pete's younger brother, has graciously pointed out a rhyme in which Mr. Dedi spells his name correctly, so thanks YSB.

In the interest of documenting Pete Rock's growth as a producer, I'll review these tracks but let me make this perfectly clear: In no way am I endorsing the 2003 BBE/Rapster release. These types are the scum of the earth.

EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF (FEATURING PETE ROCK)
We begin the evening with Pete taking an incredible initiative through combining samples from Hubert Laws and Milt Jackson that showcase his masterful ear for xylophones yet again. I noticed that Pete started using scratched vocal samples more frequently for his tracks with Dedi, this song's choices being prime selections from Biz Markie and the late Guru. Dedi and Pete share verses that give a braggadocious performance each. Both definitely seem amped by the beat which makes the song work, at least. This was pretty good.

PRESS REWIND (FEATURING PETE ROCK)
Here Pete's younger sibling introduces Dedi as if the latter's the Grim Reaper, to which Dedi responds by bringing Pete along for another song. This time, all Pete gets is one verse and yet he still leaves his mark while Dedi runs away with two verses. Yet another BNB performance by both gentlemen. Sampling Dedi and Nas for the hook, Grap's Les McCann loop is yet another example of how the Younger Soul Brother is pretty dope behind the boards himself. This song did its job.

BLAH UNO
Receiving its title form a single bar off Dedi's contribution to the timeless posse cut, Pete Rock & CL Smooth's The Basement, I'm almost willing to bet my left nut that this song was intended to be an important single for the shelved album, if not its lead one. I must say that Pete really continues his form admirably with the subtle-yet-memorable John Klemmer loop he presents to you. Dedi sticks to his guns in an admirable effort to stay consistent with his approach, delivering yet another performance with him feeling himself the way each and every up-and-coming MC back then did. Also present here is the second time Dedi attempts to tell the world the correct spelling of his nickname. It's there for everyone to examine in the beginning of the third verse. Yet another reason to send a healthy fuck you towards BBE/Rapster, who are still whoring out Pete's material by the way.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
I'm starting to think Dedi's forcing Pete to scratch his hooks Primo-style. And I have to say, Pete's pretty friggin' good at it, borrowing a suitable Big Daddy Kane line here to accompany his Dorothy Ashby-Cannonball Adderley Quintet-sampling beat. Dedi can only play along as the Petestrumental guides him to giving a textbook posturing performance the way a genius beat should. This was effective.

THE ORIGINAL BABY PA
The Soul Brother really earns his nickname on this beat as he conjures a mean-ass combo of a John Klemmer sax sample and a George Benson lick sample, sprinkled with some exquisite CL Smooth samples, and they all mesh beautifully, resulting in one of the most vibrant beats Pete ever produced and my joint-favorite beat of his on this collection. Dedi decides that such a sonic masterpiece is fit for yet another braggadocious display, but this time he brings an extra dose of conviction to his shit, which elevates the song somehow. This was impressive, really.

HOW I'M LIVIN`
This is the second song from this collection that qualifies for my earlier statement on Blah Uno. I'm also betting that this song here was intended as a cave-in to Sylvia Rhone's demands for a Comby-sounding single, because the Dazz Band sample-heavy beat unfortunately sounds exactly like that for all intents and purpose. Dedi, surprise surprise, brings you yet another BNB serving in an approach that's really starting to get old. I'd much rather listen to Pete's boring productions than to this horseshit.

CAN'T WAIT
It will take a Herculean effort for me to shake off the previous sewage masquerading as a song. Pete certainly gives such an attempt behind the boards with the majestic Ahmad Jamal Trio sample mainly forming the Petestrumental. Dedi infuriatingly sticks to the exact same shit he's been doing so far, bragging his ass off.  At least, he isn't shit on the mic. I mean, his flow isn't the worst in the world. But what really saves the song is Pete's Primo-esque scratch of various lines from Main Source's Vamos A Rapiar, with a smooth Jeru The Damaja touch later on in the song. Nice! The second joint favorite of mine here. Yes, there's a third one.

I ORIGINATE
Pete's really pulling all the stops to make sure his man Dedi doesn't fall flat on his fucking face, with yet another inspired beat, courtesy of a sick bass loop from Donald Byrd and some of his signature xylophone findings, seasoned with a flute cut from Hubert Laws and some scratched bars from Wild Style and from Greg Nice's most famous verse. Yes, the one from DWYCK. I'm aware that Large Professor uses the same Greg Nice sample in 2002 producing for the Beatnuts, but I don't lose any sleep over it and neither should you. Dedi's still chugging with the BNB, as you can see.

NASTY SCENE
I'm sure you're getting a little impatient with Dedi's lyrical ventures. I wouldn't blame you, because the fucker is completely missing the bones Pete's been throwing him throughout this collection. Nowhere is this issue more glaring than on this song, where Pete sets up a magnificently sombre beat from both David Axelrod and Bob James, whose musical catalogs have basically sustained 90s boom bap by their very lonesome. Add that to the menacing lines scratched on the hook from both AZ and Guru, in his second sampled appearance here. The beat practically screamed "storytelling", and what does Dedi do? If you guessed "deliver an intricate lyrical tale filled with the metaphors, imagery and similes that make for a timeless experience" I oughta smack you. You bet your putrid friggin' colon, he continues with the BNB he's been forcefeeding you throughout the rest of this collection. Shame.

NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS
This Freddie Hubbard loop with the dope Buddy Montgomery interlude in the third verse was the equivalent of Pete saying 'Yo, man. You want to stick to grabbing your nuts? Fuck it, yo. Go crazy.' because sure enough, Dedi comes in with another three verses all about his superiority over the competition. Oddly enough, this song didn't piss me off as much, coming off as 'meh' rather than 'screw this piece of audio manure' that might be attributed to Pete's wizardry.

TOO CLOSE
Finally, Dedi somehow manages to recapture some of the conviction amid his BNB. Maybe it's because of the mind-numbingly good Petestrumental behind him that sees Pete going absolutely crazy on the same Hubert Laws source he sampled for Every Man For Himself and I Originate earlier. The Erick Sermon scratched sample simply adds to this song's imposing feel. My final joint-favorite song of this collection.

RHYME WRITER
Pete makes the final beat in this collection a memorable one, with the Monty Alexander sample forming a bloodpumping loop, allowing Pete to scratch two bars from Dedi's contribution to The Basement yet again with Biz Markie and Spoonie G thrown in for good effect. This results, by far, in Dedi's most enthusiastic performance from the entire set. He finally sounds like he's evolved from his showings on The Basement and In The Flesh, and it's the delivery, not the subject matter that did it. Pity that there are no more songs in the collection that reflect this. And we're done.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Dedi presents you with his MO for these tracks: For better or worse, the man only knows how to brag in his rhymes, talking about absolutely nothing else for the entire release. Which is why all these tracks might feel like they blend into each other. And it's certainly not like Dedi is a punchline genius like, say, the following: Big Daddy Kane, Lord Finesse, Redman, Edo G, Akinyele, Das EFX, Big L, Sticky Fingaz, Keith Murray, the late great Scientifik, Heltah Skeltah, Starang Wondah, etc. However, Pete productions here, save for one glaring exception, continue his amazing form. They also occasionally provide Dedi's delivery with huge spikes of energy, which amplify the song overall. Keyword: occasionally. Furthermore, Dedi is certainly not the best MC, but he's no Melachi The Nutcracker, either. Which has to be a positive. Right? I must say that releases like this teach you things about yourself. Because many people claim to be fans of lyricism above all, while defending the legitimacy of mainstream rap's impact on the culture. I'm not ashamed to admit that I pay attention to the beat before the rhymes mostly. But that doesn't stop me from requiring a level of lyrical excellence in my songs. Ultimately, I prefer a song that has a killer beat but crap lyrics over one with a crap beat with killer lyrics. That's something I did not know by myself until I listened to albums like this one.

WORTH IT? It really depends on whether you're a fan of the beats more than the lyrics. If you prefer the beats more, then you should definitely burn all of these. (Don't think I forgot, BBE/Rapster) Pete Rock provides you with some of the best beats you'll ever hear. However, if you prefer the lyrics more, then steer clear. I'm sorry, but Dedi never really distinguishes himself from any other rapper-to-be from the 90s, aside form a few exceptions.Unfortunately, that small number isn't enough.


TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (SADAT X TRACK FEATURING DEDI AND PETE ROCK)
I've already mentioned this song various times, but this is where I elaborate: Pete uses the same beat he introduced during the short intro for his & CL's track In The Flesh and stretches the Modern Jazz Quartet loop out for a full song, naturally spicing it up some more to make it feel, for lack of a better term, bigger. Tell you what, the additions friggin' worked wonders, as Derek X and Dedi trade BNB as if they've been doing so all their lives. This song also serves the purpose of proving that Dedi works infinitely better when sharing mic-time with someone else, whether in a duet or a posse cut. And we're done.

For more releases in the Soul Brother's catalog, here.