J.Period & Rakim "The Live Mixtape: God MC Edition"

J.PERIOD is celebrating his birthday with the release of The God MC Edition: Remixed [Live DJ Set], an exclusive 40 min mixtape featuring iconic verses from Rakim remixed with A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Nas, Black Thought, James Brown and more! This exclusive release - performed and recorded LIVE on New Year's Eve - features new J.PERIOD remixes from The Live Mixtape: God MC Edition + previously unreleased bonus content! Artwork by the legendary Dan Lish. Happy Born Day to one of the most prolific mixtape DJs, J.Period! I hope that the visuals from the live event are released one day, too! I regret missing the show with Rakim. Dig into it below...

DJ Invasion "PRhyme Star" (Mixtape)

PRhyme Starr is a fan made project that features Royce Da 5'9's vocals from his work with DJ Premier as PRhyme over Gang Starr beats, and Guru vocals from Gang Starr tracks over PRhyme beats. Got it? Ok... all beats on the mix are produced by DJ Premier of Gang Starr and PRhyme; all blends by DJ Invasion and artwork by Greg Rappa. I was hesitant to click play on this one - y'all already know DJ Premier is the Greatest of All-Time to me and Gang Starr has long-been my favorite group - but props to DJ Invasion for making it work! Hit the archives for his Roc Marciano projects, too. Download it using the Name Your Price option + back-up link is HERE. Listen below...

Phoniks "The Quarantine Tape" (Album Stream)

The good brother Phoniks is back with his latest release, The Quarantine Tape. The 12-track project boasts a collection of remixes from 2020, produced on Phoniks' SP-1200, MPC 2000XL and Maschine. The instrumentals are comprised of vinyl samples and live instrumentation, all compliments of the Portland beatsmith. You'll recognize vocals from Ahmad, INI, Erykah Badu, The Notorious B.I.G., The Pharcyde, Jay-Z, D.I.T.C., OutKast, De La Soul, Nas, Street Smartz, and more. A phenomenal tape, check it out below and click through to order the Instrumentals on CD, and more.

J.PERIOD "The Live Mixtape: Shaolin Edition" (1 & 2)

J.PERIOD Presents The Live Mixtape: Shaolin Edition. His Tribute to Wu-Tang Clan, Part 1, was recorded LIVE on August 3, 2020. The 90-minute tribute to Shaolin's finest features Wu exclusives, new J.PERIOD remixes, rare freestyles, demos tracks and lots more! Keeping up with his prolific pace of releases, J.PERIOD released a Part 2 a week later, and included additional remixes, featured tracks and more. These Live recorded mixes have added a new texture to mixtapes and certainly change the way we experience them. There are a few other DJs that have brought us similar experiences, such as Statik Selektah, DJ Evil Dee, MICK Boogie, DJ Mighty Mi and so on. All very dope! Click through to read the track lists for both mixes, or just listen to them streaming below...

Donnie Propa "Straight From The Crate Cave" (Rawkus Edition)

Donnie Propa has released his latest mixtape in his Straight From The Crate Cave series - this time shining light on the Rawkus Records catalog. The mixtape is available on double-cassette and features tracks from Mad Skillz, The High and Mighty, Pharoahe Monch, The Last Emperor, Shabaam Sahdeeq, RA The Rugged Man, B1, Sir Menelik, Kool G Rap, Missin Linx, Reflection Eternal, Saigon, Mos Def, Black Attack, Diamond D, Smut Peddlers, Akrobatik, Mr. Complex, Eminem, Company Flow, Dilated Peoples, Big L, Kool Keith, Copywrite, Cormega, Big Noyd, Styles P, Shadez Of Brooklyn, Thirstin Howl 3rd, L Fudge, Black Star and more! Yup, all that! You don't have to ask if these cassettes will sell out, it's just a matter of how quickly, so support this ambitious mix tape below...

J​.​PERIOD Presents "The Live Mixtape" (Ms. Lauryn Hill Edition)

Here is the latest installment in J.Period's The Live Mixtape series, which debuted last night and is now available for download in its entirety today, in celebration of Ms. Lauryn Hill's birthday! This former Fugee had the world in the palm of her slender brown hand with the release of her solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, never letting anyone forget: This is Hip-Hop. The formidable lyricist with the raspy voice of an angel delicately fused R&B, reggae, and hip hop into one powerful, cohesive piece of work. (Vibe, 2003) There's so much I could say, but nothing speaks to her talent better than the music itself, so please sit back, relax, and enjoy this great mix by J.Period and wish a very Happy Born Day to one of the greatest artists in Hip-Hop history, Ms. Lauryn Hill!

DV One x Hex Murda "Sean Price: Immortal" (Mix)

DV One from the Rock Steady Crew and Detroit's inimitable Hex Murda have created this dedication mix entitled Immortal for their mutual friend and beloved eMCee Sean Price who passed in 2015. Immortal is an hour-long mix of some Ruck classics, soundbites, and lots of drops from his family and peers. In the words of Rakaa, "Sean Price is a true inspiration because he kept getting better and better while carving out his own lane through this jungle. The animals and trees were no match. Hip Hop is now a little bit less fun, and we'll all need to pitch in to supplement the level of realness that he blessed the scene with. Incredible artist and person, so I have no doubt that his soul is at peace. It's just surreal. Strength and prayers to his family." Rest In Peace, Sean P aka You the worst aka the opposite of a fucking Duran Duran song. Listen to the mix below or click HERE to download. 

DJ Cappel & Smitty "Blue Eyes Meets Bed-Stuy" (Mixtape, 2006)

Produced and arranged by DJ Cappel and Smitty, this is their infamous Notorious B.I.G. and Frank Sinatra mash-up mix, entitled "Blue Eyes Meets Bed Stuy." It was released in 2006 and I don't know if it was the Biggie acapellas or the notable Frank Sinatra songs, but one or both set off a chain of events that sent shocks through mixtape vendors around NYC. Whether the artists know it or not, I'm not sure, but stores like (redacted) were allegedly contacted, asking if they had the mixtape for "sale" ... the ones that said they had it, were paid a visit from the alphabet boys. Record stores didn't SELL mixtapes, they sold stickers (or other misc items) and you could get a FREE mixtape with it, lol. Get it? But, you could get caught slippin'... Anyhow, it's still a dope project and the fact that it's readily available on the net (and on exclusive vinyl) reeks of irony, lol. Seeing the opportunity now, I'm sharing it with y'all, listen to it below... (Update, you can also download it HERE.)

Nas x Statik Selektah "The Prophecy Volume 2" (Mixtape, 2006)

Released in 2006, this is the second collaboration between Nas and Statik Selektah in their mixtape series called The Prophecy. Volume 2 includes a handful of exclusives, remixes, and slept-on gems from the incredible Nas catalog. There's features with Jay-Z, The Game, Jadakiss, Papoose, Lauryn Hill, Common, AZ, Kool G Rap, Termanology, as well as Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Hi-Tek and more. The mixtape was advance promo for the release of Hip-Hop Is Dead and was subtitled "The Beginning Of The N." If you don't have this in your collection, it's a must-listen, so stream or download it below...

Matthew Africa "The Best of Gang Starr" (Mix, 2010)

“Gang Starr is one of my favorite acts from the 1990s. There is no rap group I listened to more in that era, although De La Soul, Outkast & A Tribe Called Quest all run pretty much neck and neck. Still, in recent years I haven’t listened to Gang Starr much... Maybe it’s because in the last decade the school of hardcore hip hop that they defined stagnated and played out so hard. For me, this mix was about rediscovery... After reading about Guru’s health troubles, I devoted a 2-hour episode to Gang Starr’s music. It was my first time mixing a lot of the songs in years and it felt so good, so natural, that I knew I had to turn it into tape... I drew tracks from all six of Gang Starr’s albums, and each is represented more or less in proportion to how much I like it: 1992’s Daily Operation tops them all with 9 selections, although 1990’s Step in the Arena, 1994’s Hard to Earn and 1998’s Moment of Truth all feature prominently with 7, 6 and 5 tracks, respectively. The first and last albums got kind of short shrift, although there were more songs I would have included from each if I hadn’t run out of space. They have one of the strongest catalogs in rap music and there were a lot of additional songs, verses and scratch parts I wish I could have included...” - Matthew Africa, 3/16/10. A moment of silence for the legendary Bay Area DJ, Matthew Africa, who was tragically killed in a car accident on 9/3/12. R.I.P. to him and Guru, who were taken from us far too soon.

Jazz Spastiks "DJ Premier Mix" (Mixtape)

The Jazz Spastiks are an Edinburgh, Scotland based producer/DJ duo. They've released several beat tapes and mixes, as well as landing numerous production credits over the years. Their jazzy hip-hop drum loops, cuts and vocal chops carry with it a sound reminiscent of the best days of hip-hop. Today's mix is a tribute to DJ Premier, featuring a mix of some of their favorite Premo-produced tracks: M.O.P., Gang Starr, Bahamadia, Jeru The Damaja, KRS-One, Group Home, Fat Joe, Gang Starr, Rakim, The Notorious B.I.G. and lots more, check it out below... and you can also download it HERE. 

DJ Sav One & DJ Dyllemma "FreeOfStyle" (Mixtape, 2012)

We put this mix together (in 2012) reminiscing on the days of golden era CASSETTE mixtapes. It should bring you back to that analog vibe with the sound, substance and live mixing. The theme is an ongoing debate over the two meanings of “Freestyle”: off the top of the head verses and/or unreleased writtens (discussed by Big Daddy Kane in the Intro as ‘FreeOfStyle’). The mix is 40 minutes long (all golden era content) and is 1 side of a forthcoming cassette release with original content on the flip-side. The sources are old cassettes, white label vinyl and an occasional CD. Peace to the all the DJs who laid the foundation and pushed the culture forward - this tape is as much an ode to those pioneering DJs as is to the MCs who held it down on the mic. - DJ Sav One (Update: Got a takedown notice, so a new post to update the embed link below). One-track version is HERE.

Children Of Zeus "The Winter Tape" (Album Stream)

Some more dopeness from UK's favorite duo of Konny Kon & Tyler Daley, better known as Children Of Zeus. "The Winter Tape" is a free 14-track project, featuring production from Detroit's Black Milk, DJ Green Lantern, Beat Butcha & more, plus a nice feature from Milano Constantine. A thoughtful present to the fans to kick off our Christmas Eve, bundle up and lock in with The Winter Tape, available to stream in full and/or download below. Happy Holidays, y'all... stay safe and blessed! 

Phoniks "Down To Earth Remixes" (Album Stream)

A remixed version of Phoniks' first full-length solo project. Originally 2 years in the works, Phoniks dug through over 250 hours worth of recorded material when piecing together his solo debut. The album was comprised of jazz-tinged lo-fi head nodders with crunchy 12-bit drums, spaced-out filters, and delays + a sprinkling of horn loops and soul vocals. The remixed version of "Down To Earth" utilizes records from Nas, Mood, Outkast, Big L, Biggie, Capone-N-Noreaga, Jadakiss, Wu-Tang Clan and more, to further help bring these instrumentals to life. Stream/Download it below...

DJ Smooth Denali "Still King Of NY" (B.I.G. Tribute Mix)

The talented DJ Smooth Denali puts his foot in this tribute mix for the late Notorious B.I.G with "Still King of NY!!..." Smooth Denali's mix includes a few demo tracks, freestyles, rare and live cuts, as well as classic album cuts from B.I.G.'s catalog. Ya know, Biggie didn't have music that was left on the cutting room floor so we've heard just about everything by now - what tribute mixes for Biggie come down to is skills behind the 1s and 2s... DJ Smooth Denali has always had that in abundance. 

Mick Boogie "93 Til Infinity" (Mixtape, 2010)

NYC-based Mick Boogie, known for his eclectic DJ sets and amazing mixtapes, is also an avid basketball fan and a video game junkie. With the return of the classic 90’s arcade game NBA JAM (refreshed and remixed in 2010), Mick was inspired to put together a mixtape of classic and rare 90s remixes that serve as the soundtrack to where we were back in the day. Being that NBA JAM dropped in 1993… Mick’s decision to call the mix ‘93 ‘Til Infinity was the only appropriate choice. The mix includes remixes from Das EFX, Souls of Mischief, Grand Puba, A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Gang Starr, Naughty By Nature, De La Soul, Erick Sermon, De La Soul, Nas, and more. Listen below...

DJ Smooth Denali "When It Mattered" (Vol.1, Mixtape)

When It Mattered, Vol.1 is a 90s-themed mix from DJ Smooth Denali. The tape features tracks from A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Main Source, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, O.C., Jamal, Redman, Das EFX, Nas, The roots, Da Bush Babees, Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., Gang Starr, Lords Of The Underground, House of Pain, Brand Nubian, and more. Smooth Denali's mix tapes are always solid, so throw it on and let it rock! Health and blessings to the good brother, listen/download below...

David Begun "A Sense Of Blu" (Album Download)

This newest mashup album combines the lyrical verses from California's own Blu with mid-90's boom-bap instrumentals from Common's Resurrection to create "A Sense of Blu." A production classic featuring works from No I.D. and Y-Not, Resurrection was a seminal hip-hop album and a classic in every sense of the word. Blu's style has always been considered a throw back to this same lyrical period and this project imagines what it would be like if he truly were thrown back into 1994 and the golden era. A phenomenal mash-up, stream (or download) the full project below immediately!

J.Rocc Presents: Sade & Mobb Deep "Thug Ballads"

Only a mastermind and skilled technician like J.Rocc of the World Famous Beat Junkies could come up with the idea AND execute a mashup of tracks from Mobb Deep and Sade. The blending of Sade's melodies and Mobb Deep's dunn language is incredible to hear. For the most part, it comes off effortless, although not quite flawless. I won't tease you with which tracks are used, go ahead and dig into J.Rocc's Thug Ballads mash-up mix below, which also comes up with 6 fine instrumentals (Update: the bandcamp link is now an exclusive-only, so I included a Mixcloud link instead). Dig below...

DJ Matman "Classic Material: 1995" (Vol. 1-2, Mixes)

"It's nineteen ninety-five..." DJ Matman dropped these 2 flawless mixes in 2011, representing some of the best tracks from 1995. On his Mixcloud, he provided some backstory: "Earlier this year (2011), I was asked to DJ a guest slot at London's Classic Material, a club night dedicated to chronicling the history of Hip-Hop, year by year. I was asked to spin at the 1995 event, a great year for hip hop and of particular relevance to me as it was around this time I started my addiction to buying Hip-Hop records, spending all my spare cash and lunch money on LPs & 12's! I ended up playing over 2 hours at Classic Material, and these mixes represent how I put it down that night, and in roughly the same order." The 2 volumes feature tracks from Big L, Lost Boyz, Blahzay Blahzay, Boot Camp Clik, Camp Lo, Show & AG, Heltah Skeltah, Biggie, Das Efx, Masta Ace, Mobb Deep, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, KRS, Group Home, Tribe and so much more. I recommend and support all his mixes; his track selection is dope and skills are always on point. Both mixes are below.