David Begun "Premier Magic" (Nas/Premier Blend Album)

The idea of this mash-up/remix tape had me excited off-rip.... Here, David Begun has blended the vocals of Nas (from his latest album, Magic) and the classic production of DJ Premier for his latest offering, Premier Magic. If you've been following along, over the years you've seen similar tapes like Blu and No I.D., The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest, MF Doom and J Dilla, Nipsey Hussle and 2Pac, Black Star and Madlib, Pete Rock and Eminem, and even Nas with Quasimoto. Many of these can be found in the archives. As for Premier Magic, unfortunately since I've posted this, the mash-up tape was removed from Bancamp... however, at last it was re-released through his YouTube account, at the time of this update. Enjoy it while you can! Listen to David Begun's Premier Magic...

DJ Filthy Rich "The Low End Theory" (30th Ann. Mix)

Celebrating 30 years of A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory, Toronto's DJ Filthy Rich is back with another phenomenal anniversary mix! How do you follow up a 5-mic debut album?? With a 5-mic sophomore LP! Everything about this album is a MASTERPIECE... from the abstract cover art, to the jazz-infused production emphasizing the LOW END, to the rhymes traded effortlessly between Q-Tip and Phife (R.I.P.). Genius-level artistry. Filthy Rich shares, "This album represented a defining moment in hip hop, so I HAD to pay tribute with a mix incorporating the original samples, remixes, and blends." 30 years! Wow, it feels like yesterday. Dig into this 30th Anniversary mixtape below...

Hex Murda "Hex Hates U" (Mixtape, 2012)

In September of 2012, Detroit legend Hex Murda presented the Hex Hates You mixtape in conjunction with District 81 and Burn Rubber. It was mixed and hosted by Statik Selektah and Sammy Needlz of Showoff Radio. The mix featured tracks from Random Axe, Proof, Sean Price, Bumpy Knuckles, Ras Kass, Black Milk, Fat Ray, Glasses Malone, D-12, Royce Da 5'9 and more. Hex Murda is a larger-than-life personality that I came to loosely know through Black Milk and his connection as a signed artist to Fat Beats Records. Up in the warehouse, at the store, or at live events, Hex was a presence, to say the least. When a fight broke out at Southpaw, I think Hex took it personally that the idiots were interrupting Black Milk's set... so much so that you didn't realize Hex was the DJ, how'd he get to the foot of the stage so quickly? He had to be held back by another Detroit homie. Anyhow, after a Pontine Stroke almost took his life, things changed but his spirit and reputation remained in tact, perhaps even stronger having survived a stroke with such a high mortality rate. That said, people know him a lot better than the short hellos we exchanged in passing, so I don't want to say too much. Sometimes I revisit projects that seem to be left behind by time, but revisit this mixtape for a lot of dope shit out Detroit and surrounding areas. Oh and a reminder from the caption sent along with the mix, "Fuck George Zimmerman." Also, if you're asking, does Hex give a shit what we think? His answer is probably, "No." (c) Hex. Salute that man. Listen...

DJ Clue "The Ruler's Back Part II" (Mixtape, 1999)

The Ruler's Back Part II was released in 1999 by Queens' own, DJ Clue?. As I said when I shared Part 1, DJ Clue was at the top of the mix tape game at the time, in my opinion. We've made it clear that he wasn't the most technical DJ, and his mixes were FAR from DJ-driven, they were impactful on the streets because of the exclusivity of the music. He had his go-to guy, Fabolous, drop an exclusive freestyle, then he took it back to Queens for tracks with Noreaga, Nas, Mobb Deep, Run DMC, 50 Cent, and Mic Geronimo, as well as other tracks from Puff Daddy, The LOX, Foxy Brown, Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Eve, Major Figgas, Raekwon, G-Dep, DMX, Black Rob, Half-A-Mil, Method Man & Redman and more. Maybe it's the nostalgia speaking, but this one got burn throughout Queens for obvious reasons, and I like revisiting that feeling by running it back. You can do the same below...