Toine "Antoine Jameson" (Album Stream)

"Antoine Jameson" is the solo release from Toine of DTMD (Dunc & Toine Makin' Dollas). The 12-track set features production from Slimkat78, Dunc, Drew Dave, 00genesis, Dirty Church, and among others, a nice feature from Kenn Starr. As a group, the Maryland duo DTMD released their debut album "Makin' Dollas" on Mello Music Group in 2011 and self-released a quick EP earlier this year called "3 & Out." For his solo release, Toine represents the MC side of the group and with that, the heart of this album is the lyrics and blue collar mentality of Toine... An every day MC sharing his frustrations with his place in life, the industry and the commas in his bank account. A quick glimpse at the artwork tells you this is a project you can relate to and appreciate. Dig into it below...

Fat Joe "This Shit Is Real" (DJ Premier Remix, 1994)

Represent was the debut studio album from Fat Joe, then known as Fat Joe da Gangsta. The first two singles to promote the album were "Flow Joe," produced by Diamond D, then "Watch The Sound," also produced by Diamond D, who features on the record alongside Grand Puba. The third single was "The Shit Is Real," originally produced by The Beatnuts and later remixed by DJ Premier. The famous remix would push Fat Joe to new heights in his career and land on his classic sophomore album, "Jealous One's Envy," in 1995. For an interview with Complex, Fat Joe recalls, “He (DJ Premier) threw me for a loop because when I was like, ‘I want you to do the remix for this,’ the beat was slow. It didn’t sound like a Premo beat. If you heard it, you would be like, ‘Yo, Premo ain’t do this.’ I remember we were all sitting in front of the projects, and I played it loud, and by the second or third time I heard it, I was like, ‘This shit is crazy!’ So I got excited ... We shot the video for that version and all that. That shit was hard. It’s probably the hardest record I ever did in my whole career. And the whole shit was real. That was the whole point. I shot the video in my neighborhood, in my building, and in my projects. All over the hood. I always represented." Watch the video below.

DJ Superix "Dreams Of 1992" (Mix)

At the time this mix was originally released, the 2012 Summer Olympics were being held in London, UK. In tribute, DJ Superix rewound to one of his favorite times in both Olympic and musical history with his ‘Dreams Of 1992’ mix. "As you can see, the cover pretty much explains all you need to know about the incredible music that soundtracked the year that The Dream Team went to Barcelona – now 20+ years ago. From Mary J. Blige to Naughty By Nature to Gang Starr to Michael Jackson to Jodeci to Pete Rock & CL Smooth and the rest, this was the Hip-Hop and R&B Dream Team of the age, and these are just some of the tracks that defined 1992, a truly amazing year in music! This mix is 100% jams from front to back." Artwork this creative, you know you wanna hear this mix!

Fat Beats "What Is Fat Beats (A Brief History)" (Video, 2008)

Fat Beats was established in 1994. The clip below is a brief history of Fat Beats - it includes select in-stores, television appearances and live shows. Without hesitation, I can tell you that nothing I've accomplished in the music industry would've been possible without Fat Beats. As a customer, it was an amazing place to shop and chop it up with like-minded folks, but when I started working there, that's when it opened up doors to so many other things and introduced me to some of the best friends I've ever had in life. Fat Beats was the meeting place; the bridge to connect to me to so much more. I mean, I've been around the world; released several projects; met some of my heroes, and been inspired beyond my limits. Watching the video below just brings all those memories back to me. I hope you have some of your own from Fat Beats. Much love and thanks to DJ Eclipse, DJ Jab, DJ Boo, BBAS, Arsonists, Juggaknots, Eternia, and too many others to name, but I appreciate, too.

The Source "The Best Hip-Hop Albums of 1995"

Let's do it again ... using The Source's system as a base, I'll go row for row and narrow it down to my favorite album of the year. Row 1: these are all phenomenal albums so I feel okay no matter what I pick but if I had to do a scenario where I pick one and all the others don't exist, I'd pick "Tical" because without the album version, the remixes of "All I Need" probably don't exist and that's one of the best songs of all-time. Otherwise, I go with "Dah Shinin" because I still love listening to it from start to finish, it puts me in a New York vibe, lol. Row 2: I easily rock with 2Pac's "Me Against The World," which I consider to be Pac's greatest and most personal album. R.I.P. Tupac Shakur. Row 3: Hands down, "The Infamous" by Mobb Deep. Quite possibly the greatest comeback album of all-time. Two of the greatest back-to-back singles too with "Shook Ones" and "Survival of the Fittest."

Row 3: I was never solo-KRS's most vocal supporter; something about his solo work never struck a chord with me, but I did love his self-titled album. That said, it doesn't stand a chance against Raekwon's solo debut "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx." GZA's "Liquid Swords" was released in November, which is past the cut-off date to make this list or we'd have a tough argument right now, lol. Row 5: The Show soundtrack is incredible, but I don't count that. Between "Jealous One's Envy" and "4,5.6," I am rocking with Fat Joe, and I'm STILL salty I picked the Das Efx album over J.O.E the first time I saw it in the record store, lol. Save that for another day. In the end, it comes down to "OB4CL" and "The Infamous." Depending on the day of the week, my choice might change, but today I am going with ... The PURPLE TAPE, that's like having your # retired & what's more Infamous than that? lol

The Combat Jack Show "Pete Rock Episode"

"From Run-DMC to Kanye West, Soul Brother No. 1 been the go to guy to to make classic material. On top of that, how many countless producers he inspired, from legends like J Dilla and Kanye West to innovators like Madlib? #NeverForget the rap giants he helped birth, like NaS, and the Notorious B.I.G. Pete talks being raised by mentor/family member, the late, great Heavy D, and being encouraged to rap by Grand Puba, the true soul that went into producing "They Reminisce Over You", and the uncredited classic hits you know but didn't know was a Pete Rock production. Another session of Rap History is in effect, pull up a seat and learn about your culture." Listen to it below...

A Tribe Called Quest "Bonita Appleum" (Review, 1990)

"Bonita Applebum" is the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. "The original version of "Bonita," already an incredible song, has been greatly enhanced by the "Hootie Mix." In trying to improve the original they had their work cut out for them. Did they suceed? - most definitely. Using the Isley Brothers early 80's classic "Between The Sheets" as a foundation, The Tribe easily proves to the world that the LP was not a fluke and there is plenty more where that came from. All new lyrics from the smooth flowing Q-Tip and an all new groove make this single a welcome addition to an already classic album." Interestingly enough, the "Hootie Mix" is playing during the drive-in movie theatre scene in Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson & Q-Tip ... just before Tip get his head blown off. Listen to the Hootie Mix below...

The 12" also included the LP version, as well as the song called "Mr. Muhammad." Whether you feel the original version of "Bonita Applebum" or the "Hootie Mix" more is entirely subjective. I'd consider the original to be a classic and the remix as a bonus, realizing it had different lyrics that you probably don't recall enough to recite. It's like hearing the sample to a song you're already familiar with, "oh THAT's where that came from?" lol. To that end, years later DJ Mighty Mi would sample A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum" for a remix to Ghostface Killah's crossover hit, "All That I Got Is You." That cycle of creation is what makes sampling so incredible. Right? Wrong?

Your Old Droog "Your Old Droog" (EP Stream)

I tend to be far removed from social media and what's "buzzing," but even I caught wind of people chattering about this mysterious rapper by the name of Your Old Droog, who people speculated could actually be Nas, recording under a different name (for label reasons). Yet, no one aside from the homie DJ Skizz knew the artist the internet was talking about, lol. Now that the rumors have been debunked by all major news outlets and people with common sense, there's the question of what will Your Old Droog do with the rock now that he's go it? When it comes down to the music, any comparison to Nas means you've done a lot of things right, so no one can deny the talent here. It's a matter of next steps and how he carries the comparisons. I'm eager to see! In the meantime, you can stream the EP below and form your own opinion on the music. I dig the EP, check it out...