DJ Missie "Hip-Hop, Volume 1" (Mixtape, 2005)

I'm a fan of all the mixes in Japan's DJ Missie's Hip-Hop mixtape series. This is Hip-Hop: Volume 1... it features golden era tracks from The Beatnuts, EPMD, Cypress Hill, Lords of the Underground, Common, 2Pac, Digital Underground, Diamond D, MC Serch, Original Flavor, Black Moon, LONS, Jungle Brothers, Redman, 3rd Bass, Main Source, Kool G Rap, De La Soul, Eric B. & Rakim, Zhigge, and more! Not necessarily the 'best' or most original track selection, but DJ Missie is an extremely technical and well-skilled DJ, making these mixes a pleasant listen. The mixtape scene in Asia is real strong, the tapes from DJ Missie move over there! Dig into Hip-Hop Volume 1 below, more to follow soon...

DJ Koco "Hydra: Underground's Finest" (Mixtape)

Hydra: Underground's Finest is an aural history of Queens, NY-based underground hip hop label Hydra Entertainment's 12" output from 1995 through 2005, selected and presented by DJ Koco; one of Tokyo's premier hip hop DJs. Hydra was a powerhouse in its day, holding its own with other mid-1990s independent labels Rawkus, Fondle 'Em, Eastern Conference, Game, Landspeed, Fat Beats, and D.I.T.C. An integral part of the East Coast underground hip hop movement from 1995 through 2005, Hydra is world renowned for sought-after singles by major label-affiliated artists Mobb Deep, Screwball, Cormega, and The Beatnuts, as well as the top tier of a burgeoning independent movement. This is the first CD release for most of these tracks, which were taken from vinyl and skillfully sequenced and mixed by Japan's DJ Koco (Donuts Record). Includes tracks by Mobb Deep, Screwball, The High & Mighty, Slade Savage, Godfather Don, The Beatnuts, Nick Wiz, Powerule, Ghetto Professionals; appearances from Cormega, MC Shan, Prince A.D., and production by Marley Marl, Pete Rock, The Alchemist, Godfather Don, Mike Heron, Ayatollah, The Beatnuts, Nick Wiz, V.I.C., and lots more. Props to Hydra co-founders Mike Herron & Jerry Famolari. Listen to the mix below...

Biggie & Craig Mack "Caught In The Middle" Interview (1994)

We've all read the rumors and seen the documentary on how B.I.G. & Craig Mack weren't the closest of friends, but back in '94, they were both featured in Kevin Beachman & J-Bird's short-lived Rap Zine, 'Caught In The Middle.' The zine raised awareness for all things hip-hop in Chicago and the December issue was the first of 2 issues produced; it had Common (Sense) on the cover. In the interview, B.I.G. shouts-out Nas, KRS, Black Moon, Da Bush Babees and trashes the 69 Boyz & the late-Biggie Smallz, who if you don’t know, I’ll have to do a whole other post about him. A lot of people argue whether B.I.G.’s short catalog was enough to consider him for the G.O.A.T. and think about what could have been … and how the industry might be different had he survived. Well, it’s interesting to see what his thoughts were for the future when asked in the interview. “I got a 5 year album deal. Once I finish it I’m mostly gonna chill. Hopefully, I’ll have a lot of money and I can just spend it. I can’t do this for my whole life. Too many fake motherf#ckers smile in your face while you’re the shit. I fuck around and make ‘Walk With A Panther’ like LL or something and people don’t wanna fuck with me no more. Then come back with a ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ and everybody’s just smiling back in your face again. That shit is phony. I hate that shit.” In explaining his album, Biggie adds "It's my life; it's just my life y'know. No gimmicks, no extra shit. The same shit playing on the tape is basically how it was. I was born, my mom and pops was arguing. Then my pops left, I started robbing and stealin', I got locked up and then started the rap shit. It's all there. That's basically it." People respect brevity, lol. Solid interviews in a publication not talked about nearly as often as it should; Zines were an important part of the culture. Props to Kevin Beacham and J Bird, who continue to pioneer amazing things at Rhymesayers and throughout the music industry.

DJ Suspect "Straight From The Soul" (Mixtape)

France's DJ Suspect is a member of the 45 Live and Dusty Donuts collectives. This latest mix is called Straight From The Soul, and it features a nice blend of hip-hop records from the early 90s. You'll hear tracks from Fu-Schnickens, Original Flavor, Heavy D, Kurious, Lords of the Underground, Chubb Rock, Rough House Survivors, Nice & Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, Poor Righteous Teachers, Beastie Boys, and lots more. Some nice background music to get you through the day. Listen below...

Aarophat & Illastrate as Black Noise, The LP (2009)

"Both Aarophat and Illastrate decided to merge as a group to generate a remedy for the lack of quality in Hip-Hop music. After listening to the album, it's hard to imagine that they actually met 14 hours before recording a single note. Aaro bonds his intense, intricate rhymes to Illa's nostalgic, boom-bap soulscape. The album consists of rugged instrumentals, along with aggressive percussion and heavy bass that allows Aaro to strategically map out his lyrical takeover while pulling listeners in. Using his insightful lyrics and an effortless flow, Aarophat gracefully walks the tightropes while Illastrate's production is gritty, yet friendly and inviting. The chemistry between the two is undeniable and the world will soon agree." You can and should stream it below. Instrumentals, too.

Apathy & O.C. "Perestroika" (Album Stream)

"Apathy (Demigodz, Army of the Pharaohs) and O.C. (D.I.T.C. - Diggin' In The Crates) combine forces to form 'Perestroika', a supergroup inspired by the cold war being waged on the rap industry. Anti-mainstream propaganda has become a bit of a cliche, so instead of speaking out against the unflattering direction that today's hip hop music has gone in, Apathy and O.C. have taken action by building a pillar in the ruins of what's left of true school hip hop. Picture the first time you heard Wu-Tang Clan's debut album "Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers" and were immediately swept up in to a dark Kung Fu movie, with the sound effects and painted visuals - "Perestroika" is intended to have the same effect... except it transports you to Cold War, Soviet Russia. From the Kremlin, to small villages affected by the economically devastating times of Perestroika, this album is a salute to the underdog and all those who are able to survive the coldest winters. Not entirely conceptual however, the album allows both wordsmiths to flex their greatest strengths over solid head-nodding East Coast-styled production. Showing up for the cause, guests Celph Titled, Slaine, Marvalyss, Kappa Gamma and Jus Cuz add to the palate alongside production that is mostly handled by Apathy, with MoSS and Illinformed (The Four Owls) contributing tracks as well. In a time of worldly political conflict and scandals, this project plays as the perfect soundtrack to the madness." - Apathy

Mastermind "Tape 34: Droppin' More Gems '97" (Mixtape, 1997)

This is Tape 34 aka Droppin' More Gems '97 by Canada's DJ Mastermind. The tape includes gems from The Notorious B.I.G., Sauce Money, Jeru The Damaja, O.C., Rasco, O.C., Redman, Saukrates, Boot Camp Clik, PMD, Kardinal Offishal, Cru, Mobb Deep, Tracey Lee, GP Wu, Nonchalant, Cappadonna, Jay-Z, KRS-One, Black Attack & Problemz, Choclair, Lost Boyz, The Beatnuts, Big Pun, Jungle Brothers, Diamond D, Tone Hooker, Rampage and more! Dig into another classic '90's mixtape  below...

A Tribe Called Quest "The Low End Theory" (9/24/91)

One of the great artifacts from rap's coming of age, this second album by the breeziest of the Native Tongues groups was self-aware enough to claim a jazz heritage, yet spry enough to rap about booty, not Dizzy. Bursting with happy, horny life, rappers Phife and the butter-voiced Q-Tip skip along through free associations and Queens reminiscence -- letting the '50s saxes and airy guitar chords behind them invoke the larger context of their travels. "It was never our intent to make a jazz hip-hop album," said producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad in 1991. "We chose the samples because we like the music." But more than any other rap group, Tribe made the beats-and-life aesthetic feel like a knotty, groovy, completely organic outgrowth of a profound musical tradition. Powered by dark acoustic bass lines and cracking snares, songs such as the percolating "Excursions" offer some of the most electrifying spaces that rhyme tales have ever enjoyed. "I knew people were sampling jazz musicians, but Q-Tip actually knew who Charles Mingus was," says jazz bassist Ron Carter, who played a live, loping groove on the album's "Verses From The Abstract." "Tribe had a sense of what the music could mean, and they were using it to make their poetry do something." And it did, blazing a trail of enlightened, unapologetically musical hip-hop from the Roots to the Fugees -- funky, raw, smart without being soft, and full of banging possibility." - Spin, 9/99.

A copy of the review in Spin Magazine & more is below...