Don Scavone "Willie On Glock" (2000)

Not going back too far (or rare) with this one, but just finished a roadtrip, and this track was getting a lot of love. This Landspeed Records 12" initially appeared as a throwaway to me...between the artist name (another gangster?), song title (another gangster?), and cover art (ah, so it's a thumbprint, left by...another gangster?), I wasn't too optimistic. Lyrically, Scavone is average NYC underground fare, which wouldn't justify a post...which leads me to the production. The track is produced by Mista Sinista, and he digs up an ill bassline and pairs it with a downtempo break; shit is rugged. It goes from rugged to fire in the remix by DJ Sae-one with Sinista, featured here:

Don Scavone "Willie On Glock" 12"

DJ Sae-one's remix preserves all the strong elements of Mista Sinista's original track, but transforms it into a drum-n-bass mash at various points in the track (the transitions are fluid), making it a perfect track for anyone mixing the genres. The remix starts out essentially as Sinista's beat, then transforms by degrees into double time. It drops back down to the original hip hop break for the duration of the chorus, before taking off as a drum-n-bass joint during the ensuing verses. Don't sleep on this joint, there's not too many hip hop (or drum-n-bass) records that make the transition between the genres so seamlessly - literally, within the song itself. Includes vocal and instrumental for the Sae-one/Sinista remix.

[UPDATE, 7/1: Updated MP3 link to include original vocal and instrumental]
[UPDATE, 7/14, 1am: Re-archived, re-upped file]