August 05, 2022

DJ Clue "The 4,5,6 Goin' For Broke" (Mixtape, 1996)



Right now, I'm revisiting DJ Clue’s 1996 mix-tape, The 4,5,6 Goin’ For Broke. DJ Clue set it off with a freestyle with Nas and Nature, then classics from Mobb Deep, Ghostface Killah, Lil’ Kim, Akinyele, KRS-One, Nas, Keith Murray, Capone-N-Noreaga, M.O.P., Raekwon and another freestyle from Jay-Z. On the B-Side, Clue smoothes it on the R&B tip with tracks from 112, Keith Sweat, D’Angelo, Monica, and Mona Lisa before jumping back into hip-hop with other cuts from Dr. Dre, Redman, McGruff, Big Noyd and more. I remember the first time I heard Mobb Deep's "Drop A Gem On Em," and thinking they came correct going at 2Pac. They pushed the song to radio and had plans to do a video, but then 2Pac died, and rightfully so, they switched the single to the title track from Hell On Earth. Nevertheless, smart as he was, DJ Clue front-loaded all of his mix-tapes with the rawest shit and set it off lovely! It was definitely a moment, so dig back into The 4,5,6 Goin' For Broke below...