"Ghostface Killah and Ultimate Breaks & Beats" (Mixtape)

Ghostface Killah and Ultimate Breaks & Beats is a shockingly on-point mash-up of classic Ghostface Killah and Wu-Tang material with some of hip-hop’s most revered breaks. Ever wonder what “C.R.E.A.M.” would sound like over The Godfather’s “The Big Payback”? How about the blistering verbiage of “Run” over Jimmy Castor‘s “It’s Just Begun”? The Skillz Beats-helmed (and President Obama-hosted) Ghostface Killah and Ultimate Breaks & Beats has all the answers, Sway. -via OKP. It's rough in spots, but an entertaining listen nonetheless. Artwork is great! Give it a spin down below...

Fredfades & Ivan Ave "Fruitful" (Album Stream)

The dynamic duo from Oslo, Norway FredFades and Ivan Ave step in with a solid 12 track album “Fruitful,” out now on Germany’s Jakarta Records. The sound is rooted in hip-hop’s Golden Age of the early to mid 90’s. The chemistry between the production of FredFades and Ivan Ave’s vocal bring us back to acts like Pete Rock & CL, DJ Premier & Guru, J Rawls and J Sands (Lone Catalysts) and the more recent classic “Below The Heavens” from Blu & Exile. Beautiful, jazzy and soulful production from Fred Fades + intelligent lyrics and incredibly smooth flow from Ivan Ave. That’s all you really need to know. Pure rap music with no gimmicks. - via Music Is My Sanctuary. Listen...

Black Sheep "Non Fiction" (Vibe, 1/95)

"If you're looking for another A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, forget it. But the bad boys who were down with the mostly defunct Native Tongues and Flavor Unit crews are back after a three year hiatus. And with the new Non-Fiction, Black Sheep show another side of themselves. Right away, in the "Non-Fiction Intro," the Sheep - Dres and Mista Lawnge - inform you that Non-Fiction is "something else." Their second album is way less humorous and "honey"-conscious than the first. And Black Sheep's music has shifted: it's simpler, more eerie, and more jazzy. On tracks like "Who's Next?" and "Gotta Get Up," they hold off on Wolf's signature cowbells, while bass lines and horns get muffled and sped up. "Summa tha Time" has a nice Latin mellowness - the piano and flute strut behind vocals from the (Black Sheep-produced) girl group Emage. Not just another hip-hop / R&B jam, "Summa" is a real, head-nodding groove." Check out the album, Non Fiction, and continue below...

"The way Black Sheep rhyme, however, has not changed. In the aptly titled "Autobiographical," Dres flips the script on himself, recollecting his badass days and flowing in a non-hyper, Native Tongues-style, storytelling manner. It's a detailed, almost visual vignette about a boy who constantly lives close to trouble. And on "Let's Get Cozy," Mista Lawnge describes an explicit sexual prelude, reassuring fans that the "Sugard#ck Daddy" can still be as nasty as he wants to be. Tunes like "Peace to the N!ggas," "Me & My Brother," and "We Boys," though, suffer from sophomore slouchiness. The production on these cuts is lazy - hooks aim high and miss. But mercifully, on Non-Fiction Black Sheep seldom fall into playing the tired game of who's-hard-and-who's-not. Does hard necessarily equal hoodlum? For Black Sheep, it's just not that simple." - Vibe, January 1995.

Marley Marl & Pete Rock "Future Flavas" (Hot 97, 1/22/95)

Another classic drop from the OG, DJ Eclipse, who shares: "Took me a while to figure out the date on this one. I had it written on the case insert, but my good friend Al Lindstrom who I lent this tape too (and a few others) would give them back to me without the case inserts and he would make his own labels and apply them to the tapes (gee, thanks Al). This may actually be the earliest Future Flavas show I have with Marley Marl & Pete Rock, and one of their earliest shows period (they started in January/95 just not sure which week). On this one it starts with an alternate version of Pete Rock & CL Smooth's "I'll Take You There" which I don't recall hearing before. And then CL freestyles a familiar verse later in the show (49:45)." Dig into this classic episode of Marley Marl & Pete Rock's Future Flavas on Hot 97, January 22, 1995 ... Da Bush Babees, O.C., Showbiz & AG, Channel Live, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Rottin Razkals, Method Man, Funkdoobiest, LL Cool J and more...

Brand Nubian "One for All" (25th Anniversary Mixtape)

“This Weekend (4th December 2015) marked the 25th Anniversary of the release of Brand Nubian‘s classic debut album ‘One for All’. Notable for its use of unconventional sample material (see use of Edie Brickell’s ‘What I Am’ on the smash single ‘Slow Down’), this landmark release of the afro-centric era treads an unlikely path between political commentary and humorous braggadocio. In celebration of the album’s 25th birthday, we’ve teamed up with Wax Poetics to present an exclusive mixtape containing tracks from the album, alternate versions, remixes and, of course, original sample material used in the album’s production.” Chris Read's mixes are always dope, check it out below...

Jeru The Damaja "Can't Stop The Prophet" (The Source, 12/94)

"For all of the unfair criticism Jeru caught over "Bitchez," the fact that he's a hip-hop philosopher with long term visions on how to master and improve the game was never lost on anyone who got past Premier's beats on The Sun Rises In The East. If the original version of "Prophet" earned Jeru mad respect from hip-hop intellectuals, then the Pete Rock remix should silence detractors and bring glee to the primitive. Peep the production credits. Look at them again. Yes, both Premier and Pete Rock - arguably the flyest beat ministers in the hip-hop cathedral - worked on "Can't Stop The Prophet." After Doug E. Fresh's "The Show" provides an intro, Pete chops up the bassline, and allows hollow vibes to echo up and down the track ... The arresting track is a perfect backdrop for Jeru's clever comic-book-styled metaphor. In Downtown Brooklyn, he tells us, a battle wages - between Ignorance and the Prophet. Using his razorsharp lyrical knives to get through Ignorance's henchmen Animosity and Envy, the Prophet is forced to kill Ignorance's girl, Jealousy. Jeru's use of an extended metaphor to prove a point - that intellectual strength could triumph over the root causes of plagues cuffing our community's growth - represents the future of hip-hop." The Source, 12/94. (Updated, 2018: I included an official version of the video + Jeru The Damaja discussing the roles Danny Hastings and Chris Cortes played in the classic visuals for the album). Watch it below...

If you'd rather read it directly from the source - or save a copy - check it out below.

Dephlow "Deph Threats" (Album Stream)

Last year, Dephlow made his debut with Dephacation - a collaborative album with fellow Virigina emcee Awon and Porland, ME producer Phoniks. He later reappeared on a pair of tracks on Awon and Phoniks' Knowledge Of Self LP. And now, it's time for the Hampton, VA native to release his debut solo album. Produced by Phoniks, Deph Threats clocks in just under an hour with 14-tracks that focus on inequality, social injustice, and self-reflection. Features include Awon, Anti-Lilly, Envy Hunter, F. Draper, Tiff The Gift, Nehemiah Bell, and My Main Man Keion. Dephlow adds, "This album was started during a period of my life that should've made creativity impossible. I dedicate this album to my father Leon, my best friend's father Joe, to my sister's mother Katherine, and to everyone who has lost someone they love to cancer. I wanted this album to sound aggressive and angry, but I believe God had another plan and a message of resolution and strength for me to deliver. I have no other way to describe how I put those thoughts together. I couldn't make this album the same way today. I will never forget hearing the masters for the first time. I took a ride and eventually had to pull the car over and just sit there and listen. I knew we achieved something that could live forever even if I never put another solo album out. This album is that powerful."

DJ Platurn "The Best of A Tribe Called Quest II" (Mixtape)

Volume 1 of The Best of A Tribe Called Quest came out roughly 10 years ago. It made its way around the world and back, influenced countless other Native type mixes, and even played a role in the editing of the Tribe documentary, Beats, Rhymes & Life, itself. It was only right for DJ Platurn to bring Michael Rapaport in put his unique touch on Volume 2. DJ Platurn shares that Michael Rapaport talked "the perfect amount of shit and wisdom" on the mix. Enjoy these vibes and stuff. (Updated: the audio link from DJ Platurn's Bandcamp is down, so I've updated the audio below). Dig...