Cool C I Gotta Habit bootleg/re-release?

[Flowjob]

We are overflooded by bootlegs and re-releases nowadays and this time I suspect Cool C I Gotta Habit to be a recent adding to this sorry list. As most of you know this CD has been very hard to come by the recent years even though it was released on Atlantic in 89. I have the vinyl version but the last months there are at least three different sellers listing it on ebay. I won this one a couple of weeks ago and based on the description I would assume that the seller has the OG:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140138562988

However, I got the CD today and the inserts are blurry, both the picture and letter borders. In addition, there are several marks on the white areas of the cover, as from a scanner. The "warner" logo on the back is also blurry. What makes this extra delicat is the number in the inner CD ring: 7-82020-2 SRC-01 M1 S1. The first numbers is the same as the CD number on the barcode and the spine back. Does anybody know anything about this potential bootleg? Has Atlantic re-released this CD? It may be something fishy going on when a rare CD suddenly shows up several times. Haven't got a scanner myself so I can't provide scans of this CD until next week when I'm back at work.

 

[Cashflow420]

You're right, there have been like 20 auctions lately for that Cool C album!

 

[diggler]

sounds like a boot to me, i had it once and remember the artwork was all clear and crisp. damn you ain't kiddin, i just checked finished auctions and there's 15 of em, looks like the same sellers that usually sells rereleases that you'll find on sandboxautomatic, so i'd expect to find them selling it there soon too.

 

[Flowjob]

Yeah, I have contacted the seller and he claims that he bought them legally and belived they were all originals. I smell a bootleg, but still, the tricky thing is that the digits on the inner ring of the disc are the same as the bar code number... I have read somewhere that the album was re-released in 2000. These could be from that batch, or alternatively they are all bootleg releases. I have the OG on vinyl so it's not all bad, but I won't keep a bootleg in my record shelves at all. Yes, another point, the plastic insert where you attach the disc are not just the common tabs, it also has this "cross". This certainly wasn't available in 89...
anybody else know?

 

[Flowjob]

Doesn't anybody know? I know many of yall here know your rare ish outside down south and the west coast.

 

[Cashflow420]

I ended up winning an auction for one of those Cool-C albums. I just got it in the mail today, can anyone tell me if this is the og or not? Here is the link to the auction I won.
Cool-C - I Gotta Habit eBay Item# 140138562988

Here are scans of the album...

 

[Flowjob]

I was considering buying from him too prior to bidding on the one I got. He stresses that it is the first pressing version in his description. It looks identical to mine. What are the numbers on the inner disc ring, on the data side? I can't completely read them but it looks like the same numbers as in the disc number, 7 82020 or something. My disc has those numbers. What are yours?

Also, if you check the "hilltop" logo on the back inlay, are there tiny black lines around the logo, like parts of a square?

How are the letters in the inlay text, on the thank you part etc? completely crispy and clear or slightly blurry on the edges?

If you check the red sweater and blue track suit on the guys that sit on front you can see parallel horisontal lines, reminiscent of a scan or a poor printer. Are such lines usual on OG cds?

also, what I have noticed on some white parts of the cover is that there are sometimes small marks/spots, just like dirt or almost transparent marks on the glass plate of a printer. Does your cover has such?

Then again, I can't decide whether this is the OG or not but it looks like mine. Can anybody else fill in with critical information on this one? Sincere?

 

[Flowjob]

Also, what is the paper quality like? Is the paper thicker than your average cover?

 

[Flowjob]

Are those small white spots on the dark clothes on the cover from your scanner or are they on the cover itself? Check the blue pair of trousers on the inlay card to see what I mean

 

[Flowjob]

Is it possible to make fake numbers on the inner ring at all? Like you can order what numbers you'd like or is it the best way to spot a bootleg release?

 

[Pushinbigbody00]

I had this OG, when it dropped..so I know mine was real..that looks 100% Legit too me..

 

[Cashflow420]

What are the numbers on the inner disc ring, on the data side?

7-82020-2 SRC-01 M1 S1

Also, if you check the "hilltop" logo on the back inlay, are there tiny black lines around the logo, like parts of a square?

Yes I just looked and there are small lines looking like a square like you said.

How are the letters in the inlay text, on the thank you part etc? completely crispy and clear or slightly blurry on the edges?

Its not crisp looking at all! Its blurry looking like you said.

If you check the red sweater and blue track suit on the guys that sit on front you can see parallel horizontal lines, reminiscent of a scan or a poor printer. Are such lines usual on OG cds?

I do see lines like this on the dude in front. I've never seen an OG that had poor print quality like this.

also, what I have noticed on some white parts of the cover is that there are sometimes small marks/spots, just like dirt or almost transparent marks on the glass plate of a printer. Does your cover has such?

I don't see any of the small marks like you're talking about.

 

[Cashflow420]

Also, what is the paper quality like? Is the paper thicker than your average cover?

The paper is of good quality and is thick, but nothing thicker than any other og release.

 

[Cashflow420]

I had this OG, when it dropped..so I know mine was real..that looks 100% Legit too me..

You're referring to the scans I posted right? Do you remember poor picture quality on yours? I hope all the answers I posted will help us find out if its the og or not.

 

[Flowjob]

It seems like we've got the same versions and you've got the same numbers on the disc as I have, which in fact is the same as on the barcode. It might very well be an OG release or an official re-release.
what I referred to as paper quality was that my cover has a thick paper, but when I checked my OG release of the what more can I say Cd by Audio two, which also was released on Atlantic, the paper was thinner and more rough, but with crispy photos.

I guess we won't find out until someone else gives us the correct reference information. Maybe we've got the correct OG release after all?

 

[Cashflow420]

I guess we won't find out until someone else gives us the correct reference information. Maybe we've got the correct OG release after all?

I won't be leaving positive feedback until I find out for sure if the album I purchased was legit or not. Sounds like we do have the exact same version though.

 

[caff]

good album i got the tape. im looking for the second album were he standing next to a ride.

 

[Flowjob]

good album i got the tape. im looking for the second album were he standing next to a ride.

That second one ain't as good as I gotta habit but it's worth having. It is on amazon and ebay fairly often at a decent price. But still the second album is way better than that C.E.B. album with him and steady b, LOL

 

[Flowjob]

I won't be leaving positive feedback until I find out for sure if the album I purchased was legit or not. Sounds like we do have the exact same version though.

I thought that myself. I have contacted the seller and he told me that he truly believed that his copies were legit. He got pissed when I confronted him with those details considering the cover art though. You bought from that dude claiming that he got his stuff from legitimate sellers in philly and NY, right? Well, words ain't worth shit on ebay for some sellers. But I wonder, is it possible to order your bootleg CDs to have just the same numbers as we have on the disc inner ring, which are the same as the barcode number?