THE MUGGS COLLECTION

The influence of Soul Assassins mastermind Lawrence “DJ Muggs” Muggerud on West Coast hip-hop shouldn’t be underestimated. Originally a native of Queens who moved to LA as a teenager, the ill Italiano got his chops in the late ’80s DJing for short-lived Geffen Records rap group The 7A3 (as DJ Grandmixer Muggs…he’s the one on the left). KDAY’s Julio G introduced him to rappers B-Real and the the Reyes brothers (Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace), a partnership that led to the formation of Cypress Hill.

The massive success of the group, fueled by Muggs’s unique, playfully dark sound, blazed a new trail for West Coast rap. The producer’s sample-heavy, New York-influenced beats made the group’s first two album hip-hop classics, and before long he was one of the genre’s most in-demand beatmakers, working with heavyweights like Ice Cube and mentoring newer Soul Assassins artists like Funkdoobiest, House of Pain and a young Alchemist. The rise of the West Coast underground scene in the ’90s owes a massive debt to Muggs’ unorthadox work, which proved that music that was decidedly not g-funk could still represent Cali correct. I compiled a grip of must-have Muggs classics for this week’s second Uggh…Nice Watch collection…

UGGH…NICE WATCH PRESENTS:
THE MUGGS COLLECTION
[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]

1. Cypress Hill “How I Could Just Kill A Man” (1991)
2. KRS-One “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” (1996)
3. David Morales & The Bad Yard Club “The Program (S.A. Mix)” (1993)
4. Xzibit “The Foundation” (1996)
5. House of Pain “Jump Around” (1992)
6. Ice Cube f/ Das-EFX “Check Yo Self” (1992)
7. Mellow Man Ace “River Cubano” (1989)
8. Cypress Hill “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That ” (1993)
9. MC Eiht “Can I Get Mine” (1997)
10. Mitchy Slick “I Know” (2005)
11. Manu Chao “Merry Blues (DJ Muggs Remix)” (2001)
12. Funkdoobiest “Bow Wow Wow” (1993)
13. Cypress Hill “Hand On The Pump” (1991)
14. The 7A3 “Goes Like Dis (7″ Remix)” (1989)
15. Yo Yo “It’s A Long Way Home” (1992)
16. Wayne Smith f/ B-Real “Under Mi Sleng Teng (Soul Assassins Mix)” (1993)
17. Goodie Mob “Inshallah” (1998)
18. DJ Muggs VS GZA “Those That’s Bout It” (2005)
19. Ingrid Schroeder “Paint You Blue” (1996)
20. DJ Muggs f/ Wyclef “John 3:16” (1997)
21. La The Darkman f/ Killah Sin “Heist Of The Century” (1998)
22. Super Cat “Warning” (1995)
23. Simply Red “Never Never Love (DJ Muggs Master Mix)” (1996)
24. Ice Cube “We Had To Tear This Mothafucka Up” (1992)
25. Muggs f/ Everlast “Gone For Good” (2003)
26. Funkdoobiest “Rock On” (1994)
27. Cypress Hill “Insane In The Brain” (1993)

ALL SONGS WERE PRODUCED, REMIXED, AND/OR PERFORMED BY DJ MUGGS!