Positive Posse Cuts

Positive: a constructive or optimistic attitude.

Posse Cut: When a group of MC’s get together to create a song.

Positive Posse Cut: When a group of MC’s get together to create a song which promotes an optimistic or constructive attitude.

Here are 5 of the best!

Need I explain more?

5: Stop the Violence Movement – Self Destruction

Featuring: KRS-One, MC Delight, Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte, Wise, Daddy-O, D-Nice, Ms Melodie,
Doug E Fresh, Just Ice, Heavy D, Fruit-Kwan, Chuck D & Flava Flav

Year: 1989

Label: Jive

Stop the violence movement came after an audience member was beaten to death at a Boogie Down Production + Public Enemy show. This spurred KRS to start the Stop the Violence Movement.

If you couldn’t tell by now Self Destruction is a track addressing the issue of black on black violence and how it needs to end. Not much else can be said about this track apart from the fact it’s an extremely solid track.

All funds made from the track were donated to the National Urban League, an organisation dedicated to helping the urban community through education, employment, housing and healthcare.

4: The All-Stars – Where Ya At?

Featuring: Mobb Deep, Ice-T, Chuck D, Smooth B, Insane, RZA, Killa Priest, Shorty, DA Smart & Kam

Year: 1995

Label: Solar

To those ignorant to the facts, 1995 was the year Louis Farrakhan organised the famous Million Man March. This was an event, when on October 16^th, one million black men (it ended up being around 800, 000) would march to Washington DC to protest the Governments detrimental effect towards the urban community. With that in mind hip hop’s most notorious MC’s got together to spread word. And you know they mean business when Smooth B appears on a joint! The artists take different approaches to convince you to attend the event, Ice T talks about gang violence, DA Smart hammers home that sense of injustice and Kam comes in with that calm and collected revolutionary demeanour.

The track is an absolutely killer!

3: Hip-Hop Against Apartheid – Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa)

Featuring: Afrika Bambaataa, Arthur X, Brand Nubian, Busy Bee, Dot La-Rock, Don Baron, Dynamic Force, Funk Queen, Melle Mel, Harmony, Joeski Love, Jungle Brothers, Kid Seville, Kings of Swing, Kool Rock Steady, Lakim Shabazz, Little Stitchie, Lin Que (AKA Isis), Revolucion, Lumumba, Malibu Rappalot, Milk D, Mr Biggs, Nu Sounds, Overlord X, Paradise (The Blackwatch), Positive K, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Solo, Tashan, Three Yards Men, Triple Entity, U.T.F.O., Ultramagnetic MC's, Wildcat and X-Clan

Year: 1989

Label: Warlock Records

With increasing pressure for South Africa to end its apartheid, Afrika Bambaataa decided to get as many of his Zulu Nation brothers and sisters together to make a record, raising awareness and helping add to that pressure.

The track itself is the hip hop equivalent of a stern letter to the prime minister, demanding change to end apartheid and free Mandela. The chorus is a re-interpretation of Miriam Makeba’s Ndodemnyama, replacing Henry Verwoerd with then current prime minister P.W. Botha.

The song itself was recorded in 1989; however the record wouldn’t be released until 1990. By this time Nelson Mandela had been freed and the African National Congress had been unbanned. So rather than shelving the track, Bambaataa decided to release the record with all funds going to the African National Congress.

It should be noted that there are multiple versions of this song, with some versions having variation in order and the roster changes up a bit, adding or removing artists.

2: Human Education Against Lies – H.E.A.L. Yourself

Featuring: Harmony, Kid Capri, Big Daddy Kane, Freddie Foxxx, LL Cool J, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, KRS-One, Ms. Melodie, Run-DMC

Year: 1990

Label: Jive

H.E.A.L. Yourself is all round better than Self Destruction. The production is tighter, the lyrics are tighter and conceptually a far better idea. Rather than everyone discussing on a similar topic, each MC discusses a different part of the urban community that they feel needs “healing”. MC Lyte talks about education and black identity, Ms Melodie discusses broken homes & families and Run-DMC (in this case DMC & Jam Master Jay) talk about AIDS. Furthermore the music video itself is extremely impressive as it is one long take, which means that there are no cuts or edits, what happened was one long running sequence.

The money would go to charity organisations to help combat the problems brought up in the song. Along with this there would also be a book published, which would be given out for free educating on black culture and history, of which is not taught in school. This was in hopes that it would convince the school system to change their education structure to accommodate, other cultures histories rather than Europeans. So it is essentially You Must Learn the Book.

As a side note there is a making of video for H.E.A.L. Yourself if you are interested in seeing the thought process for each MC along with how the video was made.

1: West Coast All-Stars – We Are All In the Same Gang

Featuring: King Tee, Body & Soul, Def Jef, Michel’le, Tone Loc, Above the Law, Ice-T, MC Ren, Dr Dre, JJ Fad, Young MC, Digital Underground, Oaktown 357, MC Hammer, Eazy-E

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Year: 1990

Gang violence in the 90’s was a real problem and there was no sign of it stopping.

Wanting to make a difference and promote positivity the West Coast’s biggest and best got together to try and make a change. The track itself is a straight up killer, with a funky as fuck bass line and straight to the point lyrics. Every MC brings their A game, from King Tee's harsh beginnings to the classic Eazy E outro.

However what really pushes this track over the edge is the music video. While every other music video just had a compilation of the MC’s rhyming, this music video cuts between the MC and telling its own tale of the negative impact of gang violence.

It’s a straight up classic!

Something that should be noted is that Def Jef and Young MC are not from the West Coast they are both from New York. It could be due to the fact they were both signed to Delicious Vinyl, which had other artists like Tone Loc and Body & Soul appear on the track, as well as being based out in Los Angeles.