June 21 - Father Knowz Bezt

Everybody knows about Tupac and Biggie, but MC Freaky Nutz was arguably more talented and visionary than both of them put together. And the fact that he remains perhaps the biggest almost was in hip-hop history owes more to timing and luck than any lack of drive or talent.
Nutz's crew, G Bomb Stank was one of the most notorious and respected posses in Memphis, Tennessee's Central Coast Collective, an underground movement that merged the G funk of West Coast rap, the militancy of East Coast rap, and the filth of the Deep South into a muggy, angry, dirty hip-hop stew.
As the biggest name in the biggest crew, MC Freaky Nutz attracted the most attention, and he milked it for all it was worth. He knew the East Coast/West Coast rap war was by far the biggest narrative--and driver of sales--in hip-hop and he wanted in on the action. And the only way he knew how was by dropping Lyrical Bombz, G Bomb Stank's '96 album, a hip-hop sucker punch aimed at the most prominent names on both coasts. On incendiary tracks like the NWA baiting Bitchez 4 Life, the Dre taunting Ain't Nothing But a G Bomb Thang, and the Tupac dissing No Eyez on You, MC Freaky Nutz and G Bomb Stank all but begged for trouble from all takers.
But Freaky Nutz was more than just an entertainer, he was also a family man, happily married to R & B diva Nefertiti. They were expecting their first child--a son--when Lyrical Bombz dropped. And for all his thug life posturing, Freaky Nutz was actually a fairly traditional father figure. The only reason for all his feud baiting was to generate enough hype and sales for Lyrical Bombz to provide for his family.
The only problem was it quickly started to work too well. In addition to respectable album sales, there were credibility enhancing but otherwise unwanted threats to him and his family: menacing lyrics directed toward him, unknown cars lingering outside their house in the middle of the night, gang signs, etc.
It wasn't long before Freaky Nutz began to genuinely fear for his life. He took out massive insurance policies, but that wasn't enough. He wanted to provide for his son spiritually as well as financially. That was the impetus behind the creation of Father Knowz Bezt, a collection of tracks he recorded especially for his son. Each song was created for a different situation, and in the event of Freaky Nutz's untimely demise, Nefertiti could cue up whichever song fit any number of occasions that were likely to present themselves during the upbringing of their son. For instance, I'm Disappointed in You could be played if their son got a speeding ticket, underperformed at school, or let his mother down. Do the Right Thing could be played when he faced a situation involving a big moral decision that would have ramifications for years to come. Get Your Ass in Bed could be played when he was up past his bedtime.
By design, Father Knowz Bezt would only ever be played if Freaky Nutz were dead. Unfortunately, this would significantly undermine the deterrent message inherent in tough love tracks like My Foot, Your Ass and This Gonna Hurt You More Than Me. After all, if Freaky Nutz weren't around to administer the punishment that was promised in those tracks, they would be meaningless--unless Nefertiti could raise their son to believe in the possibility of punishment from beyond the grave.
Toward that end, they agreed that when and if the time came Nefertiti would work with G Bomb Stank's production crew to create realistic and terrifying seances complete with smoke, flashing lights, thunder and lightening, and Freaky Nutz's voice (actually his brother's) letting their son know that even though he wasn't around he was watching his every move.
With those plans in place, everything was set. Freaky Nutz was fully insured, Lyrical Bombz was doing decent business, and all the other contingency plans in the event of Freaky Nutz's murder were in place.
And then . . . nothing happened, at least not in Memphis. Tupac was murdered. Biggie was murdered. Their cases were never solved, but both stars went on to enjoy greater posthumous success and notoriety than they ever had when they were alive.
But what about G Bomb Stank and Freaky Nutz? They did OK, but without incurring any casualties in the East Coast/West Coast rap war, interest in the entire Central Coast Collective (G Bomb Stank and Freaky Nutz included) dried up, and the rap world moved on to the next thing.
Around that time, Freaky Nutz left G Bomb Stank, and both he and Nefertiti retired from the music business to raise their son. By then, with the respectable sales of Lyrical Bombz, prudent investments, wise business decisions, and royalties from Nefertiti's R &B album sales, they'd put together a modest but ample nest egg to live off of for several years, which they did quietly and free of controversy, which is why you probably hadn't heard of them until now.
As for Father Knowz Bezt, Freaky Nutz was adamant about not releasing it, saying it was created solely for an audience of one. Even still, you can find bootleg copies of most of the tracks online if you know where to look.