I Let My Tape Rock ‘Til My Tape Popped: A Look At Some Classic Demos Posted by Lucas Garrison on 09/05/13 | Filed under Mixtapes, Rap Nerdery, Brother Ali

Brother Ali is one of the hardest working, most well-respected emcees in the game. While he might not be on the level of the Jay-Z’s or the Kanye’s he is just as famous to those who are true hip-hop heads. So, what the fuck is he doing releasing a demo? Well it’s not “technically” a demo, but he and Jake One teamed up to bring us a “demo-tape style” mixtape called Left In The Deck. A message with the stream from Ali read:

As we embark on the War And Peace Tour with my brother, Immortal Technique, I'm excited to release a new musical project. "Left In The Deck" is a collection of 10 raw, grimy recordings made in basements and hotel rooms around the world. This demo-tape style release was produced entirely by Jake One. It hasn't been polished up for the market or cleaned for the radio. These songs were left in their original demo form and are intended only for my family of direct supporters. The beats are grimy and I feel like this is some of the best rhyming I've ever captured on tape. I want to release this directly to you. 

As important as mixing and mastering are, especially to independent, up-and-coming artists, sometimes a little but of grimy, raw hip-hop hits the spot. Left In The Deck also got me thinking about rapper’s demos and how much has changed since the cassette game. Now a days, anybody can record a song with their computer, but back then, it cost an arm and a leg to record and even then the quality was pretty horrible. It is amazing to hear some of our favorite rappers sound so young and raw; these days everything is polished and clean that you forget these guys were once average joes waiting for a big break. Check out these demos from some hip-hop's big names

 

Common- UnAmerican Caravan Demo Tape

 

Way before he was starring in movies and getting his albums produced by Kanye, Common, known then as Common Sense was just another hungry rapper from Chicago. Listening to this is like watching the high school footage of Allen Iverson. They are young and different (hell Iverson was playing a different sport) and aren't so different compared to their prime, but even in the early years, you can tell there is something special about them. Common’s style was so 90’s and is way different that what it is today, but is still very impressive. I was also amazed at the quality of this demo. Most demos you hear sound like they are recorded in a hurricane, but Common’s is studio quality.

 

UGK—“Underground King”

Believe it or not, there was once a time that Bun B and Pimp C were not rapping together. It might seem crazy to think about because Bun B sans Pimp C, and vice versa, is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the jelly. Partly why this demo (which is as old as me) is so strange is because it isn’t Bun rapping along side Pimp C, but a guy named Mitchell Queen. The other strange thing about this demo is that it isn’t distinctively southern, like 99.9% of UGK’s later stuff. Hard to believe there was a time that that distinct southern style didn’t exist.

 

Notorious B.I.G- “Microphone Murderer”

What a piece of history this is!  Listening to this demo from Biggie feels like holding the constitution. It might be fuzzy and grainy, but even in a demo, B.I.G kills it. I could only imagine what it was like for an A&R to hear that flow, it was (and still is) one of the most distinct, recognizable flows in the game. Even with the low-quality production, this jam is so smooth; B.I.G really was a special talent.

 

Kanye- The Prerequisite

For any Kanye lover this is a must have. It has some unreleased material as well as some alternate versions of some of his early classics. “Wow” is the hook he mentions at the end of “Last Call” and “Home(Windy)” is an early version of “Homecoming”, and there are even different versions of “Jesus Walks” and “All Falls Down”. Hearing how different the studio versions are is surreal, especially because I have listened to both so many times. It really shows you how raw and unpolished these demos are; if Kanye had released these versions who knows if he becomes a chart topper, but with some studio magic he has the two of the biggest singles of his career.

Big K.R.I.T- See Me On Top

Click here to listen and download.

I know this is technically a mixtape, but with the internet, this kind of project is as close to a demo as we are going to get. K.R.I.T’ s 2005 debut tape, See Me On Top is a mixtape by name but it has the vibe of a demo. When I look at a collection of projects from an emcee I always look for growth and maturity to show their sound is coming along. K.R.I.T has been fun to watch grow and develop in the last few years ans while See Me On Top isn’t bad (“My Life Ain't Rosey” is dope), it sounds like a demo when compared to Live From The Underground. 

Looking back at these demos makes me appreciate the art of A&R-ing so much more. It’s hard enough picking talent but having to do it when the recording quality is so low it really takes a keen ear to find talent. Now its not “easy” but since everyone can make a studio quality song with their computers—though not all do—it definitely takes a lot of the heavy lifting and guesswork out of it.  It is also nice to know that even the most famous, iconic figures in hip-hop were once just like you and me...except they can rap.

See Also:  How Did I Miss This Nas “Pre-Illmatic Demo” Tape?
See Also:  Holy Rap Nerdery! You Must Check Out This Unreleased Demo Tape From Kanye West (Listen)