DJ Fade "Gang Starr Video Wave" (Video Mix)

This is DJ Fade's Gang Starr 'Video Wave', paying tribute to the legendary Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal after his passing. The video mix runs through classic tracks from Gang Starr like "Just To Get A Rep," "Skills," "DWYCK," "Take It Personal," "Nice Girl Wrong Place," "Code Of The Streets," "Rite Where You Stand," "Step In The Arena," "Mass Appeal," "Full Clip," "The Militia," "Royalty," "You Know My Steez," and "Same Team, No Games." Man, I miss video shows like The Box and Yo! MTV Raps. I don't watch videos nearly as much as I used to, this was a dope visual trip down memory lane. Props to DJ Fade, and of course, the legendary DJ Premier. RIP Guru. Watch Fade's video mix below...

Sean Price "Jesus Price Supastar" (January 30, 2007)

Sean Price has always rapped with a hard-edged whimsy. He's earned a dual fan base of backpackers and indie kids like fellow East Coast old-heads Ghostface and MF Doom, but despite name-dropping Malachi York, Tony Atlas, and Hotel Rwanda on his second official solo album, he's never been quite weird enough to curry as much favor with the avant-garde. Instead, with an effortless delivery and mastery of negative space, the artist once known as Ruck of Heltah Skeltah spends most of Supastar boasting about "f#cking people up" and lamenting the idea that he's "the brokest rapper you know." As Sean P pledges, "All praises due to the rhyme," over revving motorcycle synths and an interpolation of Gap Band's 1979 "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up and Dance (Oops, Upside Your Head)," his altar runs red not only from blood of sucker MCs, but also from his sacrifice of song topicality. This is traditionalist boom-bap, mainly scored by North Carolina sample-choppers 9th Wonder and Khrysis. Guests like Little Brother's Phonte, Buckshot, and Sadat X nestle in comfortably. But when Price makes it all about himself--like on the breezy, guitar-loaded "Mess You Made"--complaints about "not having a hit since '96" and "making sure Elijah ain't bummy in school" prove that, despite appearances, Price has a vision beyond aggro one-liners. - Vibe (2/07).

The Jesus Price Supastar review in Vibe Magazine is below...

David Bars & Showbiz "Bars & Beats" (EP Stream)

Reppin' the Bronx, rapper David Bars has a nice buzz bubblin' up from the underground. Living up to the name, his wordplay and rhyme style represent the true school, and brings Bars 'back' to the forefront. From project hallways to his latest release with Showbiz of the Diggin In The Crates crew, we're seeing a case of future nostalgia with "Bars & Beats." The EP is entirely produced by Showbiz, who reminds us just how he gets down behind the boards. The project is currently available for free download through the DITC site - I take it they are using this project as a promotional stepping stone to something bigger. I'm here for it, but I hope that fans and media take this project seriously and give it the coverage that it deserves. Check out Bars & Beats below...

Camp Lo "Uptown Saturday Night" (January 28, 1997)

One thing you can say about Camp Lo is that the boogie-down Bronx duo of Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba have style. With confidence on par with most mic gripping veterans, these new jacks effortlessly spread their lyrics over the mostly intoxicating funk grooves of burgeoning producer Ski with never-let 'em-see-you-sweat-like panache that's hard to resist. As you can gather from the title of their debut album, these young soul brothers are big fans of the '70s blaxploitation film era. Unfortunately, like many of the flicks that hindered the genre, Uptown Saturday Night has its fair amount of highlights, but suffers from an influx of material that should have been left on the cutting room floor. Things start off well enough with a consistent and entertaining first half. "Luchini" is a champagne cork popping tale of the pursuit of riches; "Black Connection," the disc's strongest moment, spotlights inviting strings, while special star cameos also provide much needed assistance and diversity. De La Soul's Trugoy The Dove adds the Native Tongue touch to "B-Side to Hollywood," and Butterfly shines on "Swing," a kinetic duet with the Lo's Geechi Suede, who incidentally sounds strikingly similar to the Digable Planets' leader. Despite the help of these outside forces, as Uptown Saturday Night grows in length, the crew's appeal begins to dwindle with each subsequent musical scene. - The Source (2/97). Uptown Saturday Night was ahead of its time and often misunderstood, so the rest of the review and the 3-mic rating are off to me. Revisit it below...

You can read the full review in The Source below...

JR Ewing "Metro Veteran" (Mixtape, 1999)

This is JR Ewing's Metro Veteran mix tape from 1999 in France. The mix features tracks from KRS-One, Artifacts, Rasco & Peanut Butter Wolf, Krumsnatcha, C.O.D. Crew, Lord Finesse, Zion I, Rasheed, LMNO, Swollen Members, Yashua Da PoED, Company Flow, Cactus Jack, CRU, Fat Joe, Cover The Child of Destruction, Masta Ace, Tame One, The High & Mighty, Arsonists, Saafir and more! Both sides of the mix tape are below, so for the graff-writing heads out there, dig into this concept mix below...

Soulmade "Backyard Flava, Vol.1" (Beat Tape)

Backyard Flava, Volume 1 is an instrumental release from German producer, Soulmade. The project features over a dozen instrumentals, infused with raw, soulful vibes. I'm pretty sure I covered a separate beat tape from Soulmade called "One For" back in 2016... Both that and this latest project have crisp instrumentals, I've been enjoying listening to it. Not much more to say, dig in below...

Nas & Mobb Deep "Rap Exchange Freestyle" (January 25, 1995)

On January 25, 1995, Nas and Mobb Deep appeared on Tim Westwood's Radio 1 Rap Exchange up at Hot 97 with Funk Flex, as they kicked an impressive 10-minutes of trading (written) verses over the Infamous Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones Pt.2" instrumental. The homie DJ Step One shared the audio online and today felt like a good day to pass it along, too. We call these "FreeOfStyles," like Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One used to say back in the day. Enjoy this throwback below, and I'll see if we can dig up the full audio of Flex spinning that night with other special in-studio guests in 1995.

S.O.U.L. Productions: "5 Deadly Dutch Venoms" (Mixtape, 2012)

5 Deadly Dutch Venoms mixtape was released in 2012 and features some of the best DJ's from Holland: DJ Broky B, DJ DBS, DJ DNS, DJ Irie & DJ TLM. This mixtape is a tribute to the classic 5 Deadly Venoms Of Brooklyn mixtape featuring Tony Touch, DJ Premier, P.F. Cuttin, Mister Cee & DJ Evil Dee, and also a tribute to the art of the real mixtape and mixtape DJ's. The mix features tracks from Redman, Reflection Eternal, Group Home, East Flatbush Project, Nine, Crooklyn Dodgers, Organized Konfusion, Ice Cube, Tribe, Biggie, Craig Mack, Nas, Mobb Deep, Fat Joe, Black Moon, Kool G Rap, Royal Flush, Method Man and so much more! Listen to another classic mixtape below...

Revolutionary Rhythm "From The Soul" (Album Stream)

Revolutionary Rhythm is a Hip-Hop group from Los Angeles, California. They formed back in 2010 and consist of Kid Abstrakt, Predominance and DJ Million Faces. The group started off freestyle rapping in high school and hosting local hip hop events, then quickly started working on music together, making raw, jazzy, feel good hip-hop. Soon after, they released the highly slept-on mixtape "SoulVibes" which caught my attention and some of their favorite hip hop groups including Thes One of People Under The Stairs as well as The Pharcyde. "From The Soul" is their debut vinyl release, you can order a copy HERE! Pay real close attention to this group, I expect a lot more from them.

Bazooka Joe Presents "Large Professor: The Extra P Era" (Mix)

"Picking up where I left off the 1st part of the ‘Fresh Produce’ series, this one is numero dos….still all about Large Pro productions once again but focused on the mid/late90’s and beyond including a lot of his solo material post Main Source, as well as some of the less obvious productions he’s done over the years. I could have easily made 3 or 4 volumes of this because he has so much classic material but if you like what you hear do some research on his solo projects and so on… if you know... you know. Got some mean features/tracks/verses from folks like Tragedy, Havoc, Pete Rock, Nas, Lord The Arkitec, Mad Skillz, Common, Ghostface, Raekwon, Roc Marciano, Busta Rhymes, Slick Rick, The U.N., X-Ecutioners, Grand Puba, Killa Sha, Fashawn, Styles P, AZ, Jeru Tha Damaja, Keith Murray, DJ Koss, Powerule, Mic Geronimo, Reks, Timeless Truth, Neek The Exotic, Black Rob, Cormega & Senor Kaos ft. P.So… rockwiddit!" - Bazooka Joe. Much respect to the Extra P, listen below...

Trends Of Culture "When Trend Men Come" (Album Sampler)

Originally due to be released in 1995, the lost 2nd album from Trends of Culture, 'When Trend Men Come,' has finally arrived courtesy of GRR/Heavy Jewelz and is a must-have for 90s rap fanatics! Featuring the original 11 track album (remastered from the impossible-to-obtain promo tape and sounding great) PLUS 3 bonus demo tracks from the same era (the demos are pretty rough but have been restored as best as possible). I've been waiting on this album since '95 when they dropped the 12" for "Make A Move," not to mention their cult-classic debut "Trendz..." and the remix to "Who Got My Back," which convinced me a follow-up was definitely coming soon. Approaching 25 years later, the wait is over, check out the snippets of "When Trend Men Come" and the archives.

DJ Crossphader "The World Traveler" (Mixtape, 1999)

DL presented another banging underground tape in 1999 - this one is Chris Crossphader, The World Traveler. The mix tape includes a bunch of indie, gritty hip-hop from artists like Paw Duke, Godsunz, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Guru, Casual, Ran Reed, Severe, L-Fudge, Lone Catalysts, Unspoken Heard, Prince Po, Mass Influence, J-Live, Mos Def, Afu-Ra, The Last Emperor, MF Grimm, Grap Luva, Souls of Mischief, Talib Kweli, Encore, and lots more. Check the archives for more mixes, and listen below...

Peanut Butter Wolf "My Vinyl Weighs A Ton" (CMJ, 1999)

Released on this day in 1999, Peanut Butter Wolf's debut studio album "My Vinyl Weighs A Ton" is one the most important releases to come out of indie hip-hop in the late 90s. In the March (1999) issue of CMJ New Music Monthly, Brian Coleman reviews the album saying, "San Francisco's Stones Throw label has been pumping out amazing underground hip-hop for over two years now, and it's about time that the label's proprietor, DJ Peanut Butter Wolf, finally get his chance to shine. As he proves on his debut full-length, he's not only Stones Throw's CEO and A&R Director, but also its best musical resource. As a producer, Peanut Butter has an obvious love for both hard drums and tossing changes into a track mid-song, making damn sure that you're paying attention. Outside of the three supreme DJ-centered tracks (including the breathtaking epic "Tale Of Five Cities," which features Kid Koala, Rob Swift, Shortkut, Cut Chemist and J-Rocc, among others, cutting like mad), it's the vocalists who make this the truly props-worthy package. Planet Asia kills on "Definition Of Ill" and "In Your Area," Rasco rips up "Hold Up" and "Run The Line," the skills of the late Charizma are remembered with "Keep On Rockin' It," and the Lootpack and Kazi represent solidly on "Styles, Crews, Flows, Beats" and "Breaks 'Em Down," respectively. For the best of what the left coast has to offer, you won't do much better than this." Listen to it HERE, and the original review is below...

A.J. Munson "Cigarettes & Coffee" (Album Stream)

A.J. Munson, the CA beatsmith, recently released "Cigarettes & Coffee," a 16-track LP featuring Verbal Kent, Pawz One, Rapper Big Pooh, Reks, Chris Orrick, Ruste Juxx, M-Dot, Tha Soloist, Recognize Ali, the homie Jason D, and lots more. I'm not a fan of cigarettes or coffee, but I'd imagine it took a lot of both to get through the process of producing for - and collecting verses from - all these talented MCs on his debut vinyl release. There are a total of 19 MCs and 3 DJs! More importantly than that, it doesn't sound like a compilation, each track & the project as a whole sounds cohesive. For the vinyl lovers, 350 copies will be pressed, the bulk of which will be traditional black wax & are available over at Vinyl-Digital (not sure if there is a US distributor in place). I've worked with Vinyl Digital indirectly for the One Be Lo (Binary Star) releases they had over there, they do solid work so order with confidence. In the meantime, stream "Cigarettes & Coffee" below.

The Good People "Good For Nuthin" (Album Stream)

Brand new album from The Good People - 'Good For Nuthin', their strongest release to date! Emskee and Saint are back with some of that freshly baked New York hip hop featuring some heavyweight collaborations with Large Professor, Sadat X, Cella Dwellas, Kool DJ Red Alert, Lil' Fame (M.O.P.), Napoleon D Legend and G-Roc Gayle. Peace to the good brother Emskee; he's been doing this for years! Check out The Good People's latest 13-track offering, Good For Nuthin, below...

What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire? (Documentary)

Roberto Minervini’s “What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?” is a documentary portrait of working-class African-Americans in New Orleans mired in struggles for social justice and preservation of their cultural identity. Shot in a high contrast black-and-white, in-your-face style, the film forces the audience to contend with anger and fear. Minervini wants that confrontation to facilitate a much-needed discussion on race, racism, and privilege in America. Assembled from nearly 150 hours of footage, the film captures a black community in Louisiana that mirrors many others as it comes to grips with the effects of a history scarred by racism, and facing an administration that seems to root against its success. That past includes two events that shook the state and the nation: Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the death of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, who was shot by Baton Rouge Police Department officers in July 2016. What audiences will experience is an intense, deeply moving documentary, capturing the stories of people navigating despair and precarious paths, whose only desire is to better the world they inhabit. Minervini wants the experience to create brutally honest discourse around the issues his film highlights. “I don’t want us to be so cautious anymore,” he said. “Where do we go from here, is a question we must ask ourselves. The answer lies beyond cinema, which can only serve as the trigger. But we must find a way forward together.” Click HERE for more information via IndieWire. Watch the trailer below...

KLIM Beats "Last Call" (Instrumental Album)

ANOTHER instrumental release from Ukrainian beatsmith KLIM Beats is called "Last Call." The project includes 10 smooth and soulful instrumentals. Some samples will sound familiar and rightfully so, but KLIM Beats adds his own unique flavor and the outcome is a real solid listen. To hear more, dig into the tags below the post; I've posted several of his past beat tapes/instrumental LPs.

Big Ghost Ltd. "Built To Last" (Mix)

The 'Built To Last' Radio Show is hosted by Corrado and I Joe, each Thursday from 8-9pm on Radio campus FM in Toulouse, France. The latest mix in their series of tributes to classic emcees and producers shows love to Big Ghost Ltd, who has established himself as a student of the game and a beast behind the boards. One of the culture's most unique personalities, I respect all that he's brought to the culture and all the light he's shined on other creatives. You should dig into the tags and listen to all the other quality mixes from Built To Last. The finest selected and mixed below...

Ca$ablanca & B-Sun "Executive Decision" (Album Stream)

Ca$ablanca is based out of Dallas, Texas and here is his latest 9-track offering with production from B-Sun aka Bastard Sun Beats entitled, Executive Decision. The project features additional lyrics from Jay Holly, DQ and Mr. Ripley. The artwork is a little low budget and the mixes leave some quality back in the studio, but all in all, this is a fine underground album representing hard-bitting beats and potent rhymes. I'm just getting put on, so click HERE for some of his back catalog, too.

KLIM Beats "Crystals" (Instrumental Album)

"Crystals" is the latest full-length instrumental album from Ukrainian producer, Klim Beats. I've posted a handful of his past projects, and he continues to release music consistently. It feels like there's a new beat tape in my playlist twice a month, and they do stay in rotation. This latest LP is 13 tracks strong, more of that crisp production you've grown accustomed to from Klim Beats. Dig into the archives for some of my favorites from his back catalog and definitely support the limited edition vinyl that's presented by Village Live Records. Ok... listen to Klim Beats' "Crystals" below.

Justo The MC & Maticulous "Mind Of A Man" (Album Stream)

Justo, who came up under the Gang Starr Foundation, has worked with Lord Finesse, Rockwilder, Marco Polo and DJ Skizz, releasing numerous projects, most recently “Black Ops,” produced entirely by Showbiz of DITC. maticulous, who came up under Fat Beats NY, has delivered several producer albums and instrumental projects having produced for the likes of MF Doom, Masta Ace, Your Old Droog, Lil' Fame of M.O.P., Blu, RA the Rugged Man and many more. After a chance meeting at SiriusXM studios, the duo started to craft what would become “Mind Of A Man.” This album showcases the feeling of Brooklyn hip hop that stands firm on tradition, giving you that true school flavor you’ve been missing. The LP features guest appearances by Kev Brown and Rasheed Chappell; cuts by DJ Eclipse, and soulful vocals from Davenport Grimes. Listen to "Mind Of A Man" below...

Bang Belushi "Adventures of Bang Belushi" (Album Stream)

If the movie Animal House had a 90’s boom bap soundtrack filled with Popov Vodka, Weed, ESPN, and panty raid references you would have “The Adventures of Bang Belushi”, By Detroit Emcee (¼ Of The World Famous Fat Killahz) Bang Belushi. Bang swaggers over 15 Foul Mouth heaters leaving multi-colored Air Force one footprints on every track. The duo create a sound that calls back to golden era producer/rapper combos. This sophomore release on Detroit’s Middle Finger Music Imprint adds to the labels emergence as one of the go-to spots for independent hip-hop. The Adventures of Bang Belushi oozes authenticity to the point where you can almost smell vodka and chili fries coming out of your speakers. The album features Detroit’s A Minus, Guilty Simpson, King Gordy, Nolan, Aztek The Barfly and Issac Castor. It's a solid project, check out the album below...

HouseShoes "Magic 2018 Rap Shit Wrap-Up" (Mix)

Broken into two parts, HouseShoes has shared a mix of his favorite rap tracks as a wrap-up for 2018. Trusting his ear and ability to get his hands on stuff I may not be up on yet (especially out of Detroit), I'm always open to what HouseShoes has to offer, and it's always on point. The wrap-up includes tracks from PRhyme, The Alchemist, Freddie Gibbs, Vic Spencer, Westside Gunn & Conway, Roc Marciano, Jamal Bufford, 14KT, Estee Nack, Denmark Vessey, Illingsworth, Dibia$e, and so much more; you have to dig through it to appreciate it. Listen to Shoes' best of 2018 mix below...

Eminem "Live At Tramp's, NYC" (January 9, 1999)

On Jan. 9, 1999, Eminem performed at the now-defunct Tramps in New York City. You'll notice DJ Eclipse and DJ Riz were the DJs; Bobbito was the host and MF Doom and Sir Menelik were also on the bill for $15. Eminem's set list included tracks like "My Name Is," "Brain Damage," "Nuttin' To Do," "Scary Movies" (with Royce Da 5'9"), "Low Down Dirty," "'97 Bonnie & Clyde," "Just Don't Give A Fuck", a freestyle over Shabaam Sahdeeq's "5 Star Generals" and a joint by Missy, too. Em definitely paid his dues on the road, performing for fans who weren't yet familiar with his music and won most of them over with his technical rhymes, flow and delivery. The Slim Shady LP came out a month later, and the rest is history! The flyer above is from Ev Boogie & Stretch Armstrong's No Sleep book. The video below is being updated to this post to provide some visuals, if it gets taken down, let me know and I'll add back the original content I had originally included with this post. Peace and love...

DJ Rei Double R & G-Bo The Pro "Tape #18" (Mixtape, 1994)

DJ Rei Double R & G-Bo The Pro were a nasty duo, they dropped some of the most slept-on but deadly mix tapes released in the mid-90s. Tape #18 was released in 1994 and featured a mix of Hip-Hop, R&B, and Dancehall cuts from King Just, Wu-Tang Clan, Now Born Click, Gravediggaz, Nas, Smif-N-Wessun, De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, Jeru The Damaja, Notorious B.I.G., Black Moon, Shaggy, Mega Banton, Supercat, Dawn Penn, Buju Banton, Fat Joe, Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest, SWV, Zhane, Gang Starr and more. Props to DaileyMaddawg76 for the better audio rip, check out the mix below...

Loop.Holes "Loopstrumentals" (Instrumental Album)

The production crew loop.holes have blessed us with another powerful and relaxed instrumental album, Loopstrumentals. The compilation-style album is a selection of their works from the past decade. Some tracks date back to their early Soundcloud days, where the whole instrumental hip hop renaissance started, while other tracks are freshly mixed in their lab. Much respect to Loot Fattig, Marshtini, Henc, Filliboom, Type Raw, Uncle Filth and Blunt One for all their contributions to this 14-track project. If you're not familiar with their sound or past work, dig into the archives for some additional releases and production credits. In the meantime, listen to Loopstrumentals below...

Grown Man Rap Show "Scratch Hooks Mix"

The Grown Man Rap Show is hosted by veteran DJ Toast and broadcasted live every Sunday night 10pm-12 midnight (ET) from 91.5 WRPI in Albany, NY. DJ Toast brings you 2 hours of the best in vintage and contemporary true-school Hip Hop. This is Episode 196, which spotlights records with scratch vocal hooks. The mix includes tracks from Eric B. & Rakim, Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth, Bumpy Knuckles, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Gang Starr, KRS-One, Real Live, Nas, De La Soul, Thirstin Howl III, Raekwon, Sean Price, Double XX Posse, Fat Joe, Special Ed, Bahamadia, The Notorious B.I.G., Group Home, Large Professor, Street Smartz, Intelligent Hoodlum, Craig G, A Tribe Called Quest, EPMD and more! Of course, much respect to the DJs who held it down on those records! This is a great tribute, because I miss DJs cuttin' on hooks for records these days. Enjoy the mix below...

DJ Sandman "Tape #119" (Mixtape, 1995)

I remembering hearing the white label freestyles from the Sandman tapes before I'd actually heard the full mix tapes around '95. This is DJ Sandman's Tape #119, which features exclusive freestyles from Masta Ace, Lost Boyz, R.A. The Rugged Man, and tracks from Cypress Hill, LL Cool J, D'Angelo, Total, R. Kelly & Biggie, Redman, Jeru The Damaja, Method Man, Goodie Mob, Fat Joe & KRS-One, Smoothe The Hustler, Lord Finesse, The Fugees, Sadat X & Akinyele, AZ & Nas, Capleton, and more!

DJ S&S "N!@@az Ain't Nice" (Mixtape, 1994)

Today's tape is from DJ S&S, a classic mix tape from 1994 called N!@@az Ain't Nice. S&S hits us with classics from Onyx, Slick Rick, O.C., Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Mary J. Blige, Craig Mack, Ill Al Skratch, Jeru The Damaja, Lords of the Underground, Eddie F, Method Man, M.O.P., The Legion, The Notorious B.I.G., Redman, Group Home, Keith Murray, LL Cool J, Gang Starr, RZA, Shyheim and more! DJ S&S is a classic mix tape DJ, click play on this great mix tape below... Props to DJ Step One on the upload.

Fabolous "Best Of Fabolous Sport" (Mixtape, 2001)

Reppin' the Breevort Houses in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Fabolous entered the game through a freestyle on DJ Clue's radio show on Hot 97. In those early years, he went by the street name Fabolous Sport, a salute to the Polo clothing line. He was signed to Clue's Desert Storm Records and lit a fuse to every Clue tape he touched at the time. This mix represents the best of Fabolous, mostly those exclusive freestyles and tracks, which featured Joe Budden, Paul Cain, Nature, Cam'ron, The Lox, Nate Dogg (R.I.P.), Mase, Lil' Kim and more. Not sure if this was an official release or just something another DJ pieced together, but it's a nice rundown of those early Fab smokers. Dig in...

PSA: Why "Blog" In 2019?

For kids old enough to remember Doogie Howser... you remember how every episode ended with the lil' dunn at his computer, sharing a journal entry. When people ask why I have a music journal in 2019, I say it's just something I try to do (at least) once a day, to keep track of the new music I'm listening to and share memories and information about artists I came up enjoying. It's entirely possible to put energy into something and not be married to - or measure - the results of its impact. I don't tweet out links; I don't police people that borrow content for their own purposes; I don't have the link in my bio and I genuinely don't think much about it beyond wanting to leave Google something behind that reflects what Hip-Hop has meant to me over the years. I've been doing this off and on for 15 years, long before blogs were cool, and now, it seems, long after it's beneficial to have such a labor of love. If you weren't outside at the time, maybe this site doesn't generate the same level of nostalgia for you that it does for me. That's okay. I try not to be too mindful of others reading these posts, or else the lizard brain might keep me from sharing anything at all. Anyhow, I hope that answers the question of WHY I'm still blogging. Now you can move on to more pressing questions, like, why is Jadakiss as hard as it gets? If you've got other questions, let me know, and in the meantime, I hope that you enjoy the content on the site. It'll be our lil' secret.

DJ B-Mello "Blowin' Up Worldwide" (Mixtape, 1996)

Seattle's DJ B-Mello set it off with Blowin' Up Worldwide (Part 1) in 1996. The mix tape includes heavy joints from Heltah Skeltah, Royal Flush, Akinyele, Real Live, Large Professor, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Smoothe Da Hustler, Camp Lo, Jigmastas, The Arsonists, AK Skills, Raekwon, Nas, Sadat X, Frankie Cutlass, Saukrates, Artifacts, Wu-Tang Clan, Xzibit, Onyx, Company Flow and more. A nice mix of underground gems and some slept-on joints keep this mix still sounding especially good today because these weren't the overhyped and overplayed cuts being played everywhere else. A nice shout-out to my Fat Beats family, DJ Eclipse and DJ Jab on this one. Listen to the mix tape below...

9th Wonder "Zion III" (Instrumental Album)

It's been a long time since 9th Wonder won over the nation with his production skills as a part of Little Brother. His soulful samples and electrifying percussions paint pictures before any given rapper begins laying down their lyrics on the beat. That's why when 9th comes through with an instrumental project, the world rejoices. Last December, 9th dropped off Zion II, and now he's returned with a third entry into the series. King Draft and Swank are the only two featured artists on the project, which is amazing because the album spans 42 tracks. Some of the instrumentals are shorter than you'd like, but the entire album pulls together nicely to create a retro aura that will light up your speakers. - HNHH. I'm a week or two late on this, but Happy New Year everybody!