Funkmaster Flex / Cipha Sounds "Big Dawg Vol.1" (Mixtape, 1998)

Another Tape Kingz release, from 1998, with Funkmaster Flex presents Cipha Sounds, Big Dawg Vol.1. Nothing exceptionally rare or anything, but a nice mix of East Coast flavors from the late 90s. Joints from Busta Rhymes, DMX, Cam'ron, Smif-N-Wessun, The LOX, The Notorious B.I.G., Mad Skillz, Charlie Baltimore, Gang Starr, Jay-Z, Black Rob, Mase, The Firm, and more. I've been feeling a lot more lately how nostalgia is a true mindf#ck, because it's not necessarily fond memories of the music itself, but those Tunnel days were just so important to what was happening on the streets and in the mixtape culture. Flex and Ciph were tearing it down and these are just some of the records that were blasting off. Noreaga credits "I'm Leaving" -- off The Firm Album -- as the track that jumpstarted his entire solo career. "All For The Love" by Jadakiss (The Lox) was so serious, not to mention "Stop Being Greedy" by DMX and "Black Trump" by Smif-N-Wessun and Raekwon. When you listen to these tracks through that lens, it adds another layer to the music/memories. Dig in...

The 75 Greatest Tunnel Bangers (Playlist)

Tun·nel bang·er (noun): Circa 1994-2000, a record—often hardcore and aggressive—that whipped the crowd into a frenzy during the prime-time hour after 1 a.m. at the NYC club’s Sunday-night party. To truly understand the definition of a “Tunnel banger,” you first need to know about the Tunnel itself. Peter Gatien’s NYC nightclub was a hotspot for house music and techno in the early ’90s, but it wasn’t until the creation of a Sunday-night party called “Mecca” that the Tunnel would cement its place in hip-hop lore. When Funkmaster Flex took over the party’s prime-time slot—roughly 1 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.—in the mid-’90s, the “Tunnel banger” was born. So what was the Tunnel like on a Sunday night? As Flex’s warm-up DJ (along with Big Kap), Cipha Sounds was there for it all. The crowd? “The thugs, the drug dealers, the fucking jail dudes. Even the security guards were hustlers,” says Ciph. The mood? “It wasn’t a ‘dance’ club, people weren’t really dancing,” he says. “But records would just make people go crazy, hands in the sky, jumping.” And the music? “The records you would not hear at any other club because they were too hard,” says Ciph. “Street records, which would usually just be album cuts, became their own genre.” Yep: Tunnel bangers. This all sound kinda crazy? Well, it was—the Tunnel was shut down nearly every year because of violence, and eventually closed for good in 2001. All that remains are the memories…and the music. With a Flex co-sign, Cipha Sounds went back to the good ol’ days—when hardcore rap and NYC still mattered—for this epic countdown of the 75 Greatest Tunnel Bangers. Now take your shoes off and get in a single-file line… - Complex / Cipha Sounds. The Tunnel: 220 12th Avenue (1986-2001).

Capone-N-Noreaga "Ya Heard! Vol.1" (The Penalty Mixtape)

A dope promo tape from Capone-N-Noreaga in '98, featuring released and unreleased tracks from "The War Report," as well as tracks from Noreaga's "N.O.R.E" album and a few other joints thrown in. The tape is awkwardly called "Ya Heard! Vol.1: The Penalty Mixtape;" mixed by Cipha Sounds & hosted by Funkmaster Flex who comes loud as can be on the mix, lol. Pics by me, but fortunately DJ Step One already has a nice copy of it on Mixcloud, so props to him for saving me the time ripping it, head over to his page for lots more content. Blast off with Funk Flex & Capone-N-Noreaga, enjoy "Calm Down," "Married To Marijuana," "Blood Money" and other dope throwbacks. Listen to it below...

This was one of my favorite promo tapes at the time.