I downloaded this tape from Get Right Music expecting a classic Ghostface extravaganza but was sadly dissapointed. What I got was some barely mixed random selections of Tony Starks singles and album tracks, withouth b-sides, rarities or freestyles.

The second half of the tape handled by Mondee however was a total bonus of rare and underground 90′s joints tidily mixed by the New York DJ. All I know about Mondee is he discovered Yak Ballz and produced his first album but now we know he loves his 90′s. The best thing about this tape was trying to remember the names for the tracklist, I ended up stuck on a couple even after asking my hip hop braintrust for help we couldn’t get em… comment if you know em!

Tracklist

15. Lady of Rage – some shit

16. Mood – hustle on the side

17. Royal Flush – rotten apple

18. Omniscence – amazin

19. The B.U.M.S – take a look around

20. The Legion – legion Groove

21. Diamond D Ft Sadat X & Lord finesse – you can’t front (shit is real)

22. YZ – so far

23. Jamal – I keep it real

24. Finsta Bundy – don’t stress tommorow

25. Ill Biskits – god bless your life

26. ???

27. Godfather Don – piece of the action

28. ???

29. ???

30. Big Shug – crush

31. Lord Finesse ft O.C & Krs 1 – brainstorm

32. Jamal – fades em all

33. Mic Gernonimo – shits real (remix)

34. Erule – listen up

35. Blackattack Ft Al Tariq & Problemz – verbal attack

36. Blackattack Ft Al Tariq & Problemz – verbal attack

37. Kukoo da Baga Bonez – real Kukoo

38. Raekwon – rover sport

Download here

or get the original Ghostface show

First up is Memory Man’s Wu tang VS D.I.T.C tape which is totally self explanatory and totally amazing. What could be more perfect as a blend than Ghost and Rae going over Diamond D beats and Big L dropping 16′s on Rza joints? Anything that blends better than that is already a controlled substance for sure. All I can say is read the tracklist download and enjoy.

1. Da Mystery of Soul Clappin’
2. C’mon, Fall Back or Protect Ya Next Level
3. Breaker, Breaker, Fuck What U Heard
4. Can I Take It Back to Daytona 500, Yes, You May
5. Step to Criminology
6. You Know I’m A Bad Mutha, I Spend It on Pain
7. More Than One Way to Shimmy
8. Thick Guillotine
9. NYC Hold Ya Head
10. Time Ain’t Nuttin’ Ta Fuck Wit
11. Release Yo Secret
12. Capicu Bellz Work Is Neva Bad
13. Strictly for the Uzi
14. Size Up the 4th Chamber
15. Flow PLO
16. Success In Hand
17. Add On Day
18. Return of the Buck 50
19. Mighty One
20. Shadow Water
21. You Can’t Front on the Bizarre
22. Put It On Incarcerated Scarfaces
23. Brooklyn Score

Download

I love Green Lantern, no homo/pause/proceed as he would say himself (I follow him on twitter so know this is true). Ever since he did the Nas tape and GTA IV soundtrack he has been on a roll and he shows no signs of er slowing his roll. This tape however is made great by Joell Ortiz’s lyrical dexterity, all round 90′s knowledge and chameleon flow.

For those that don’t know Ortiz already, he has been steadily making a name for himself on the underground after an initial buzz that saw him signed to the majors and then dropped. He is now lyrically bonafide and part of 1 of the most exciting conglomerates in hip hop Slaughterhouse, which also includes lyrical heavyweight Royce 5″9.

Back to Covers the Classics though which is a high speed ride through some of the defining moments of 90′s hip hop revamped by Mr Ortiz for 2009. The interesting thing here is Joell goes over the old beats and often imitates the original flow, rides off the original lyrics or simply redefines the original like on Rican Ebonics 09 an update on Big L’s classic. The cover of the tape is amazing too, just makes me wanna dig through my old shoeboxes full of cassettes.

01. Intro
02. Rappers Delight (feat. DJ Enuff)
03. Know The BK Ledge
04. Somethin for Hot 97 (feat. DJ Camilo)
05. Strictly the Bizness
06. Treat Me Right
07. Industry Enemy #1
08. Brooklyn Children’s Story
09. I Can’t Go Broke
10. Live At Cooper Day BBQ
11. Uptown Anthem
12. U.N.I.T.Y.
13. T.R.O.Y.
14. Primo Tribute
15. Just To Get A Check
16. Mass Appeal
17. Act Like They Don’t Know
18. The Whut (Animal Shit)
19. BK Get Money
20. Got My Mind Made Up
21. Drop A Gem On ‘Em
22. Intercourse
23. Cell Therapies
24. High Roller
25. Brooklyn Ghetto Child
26. What They Do (Root’s Tribute)
27. Renee’s Revenge
28. Goin To Miami (feat. DJ Khaled)
29. What Happened To Hip Hop
30. 4,3,2,1
31. Recognize
32. 24HRS
33. Rican Ebonics 09

Download

Back in the pre interweb days when music was disseminated through the radio, TOTP and borrowing your mates new purchases, play and record was common parlance. Thats because when I were a lad you had to burn to cassette and literally hold play and record to start the recording. There was no burn to MP3 bollocks or setting the quality and  high speed dubbing was something your posh mates had.

This was all still highly illegal so it was a bit risque to tell your listeners to press play and record as you were about to drop a new exclusive on your radio show. But that was what one of the cooler DJs used to do as he brought the freshest releases to the whole nation, sometimes using his 3 hour show to play whole albums or sick mixtapes  he’d picked up in New York.

Most of you have probably guessed who I’m talking about by now. But if you’re the kind of person who gets down to your 90′s hip hop at ‘Work It’ with your Nathan Barley fashionista  mates dressed in colour co-ordinated Kurt Cobain lumberjack shirts, then I’m on about Tim Westwood. Yes that Tim Westwood. Big dawg Tim Westwood.

Before it was socially acceptable, and then later trendy, to be into hip hop in the UK Westwood was using his Radio 1 show to feed the hip hop hardcore with equally hardcore beats from the NY underground. There were no commercial tracks played, plenty of b-sides, always the explicit versions and tons of rap royalty would pass through the studio. Westwood’s show was the only source of new hip hop for many people who weren’t fortunate enough to live in the big smoke.

So let’s take a small moment of time to remember a guy who did his bit for UK hip hop and helped a bunch of US artists make it big. He may’ve turned into a total prick later on and a caricature of himself but his place in history is well earned.

It also illustrates the point that you can ‘quick study’ music nowadays and become an expert on a genre in a night thanks to torrents, wikis, discogs etc but back in the day you had to really love music to get your hands on anything that wasn’t mainstream chart or NME/Melody Maker fodder.

That love would extend to saving cash to buy analog recordings, recording radio shows through the dead of the night, stealing from record shops or convincing your mates to buy something then burning it off them.

To mark that tumultous rant here are a few mixtapes that I got my hands on back in the day by fair means or foul but usually by that tried and tested method; Play and record.

First up is one of my all time favourites which is quite a claim for a mixtape. This has 5 of the best DJ’s of the time mixing some of the biggest vinyl plus some innovative blends and an old school section from Premier. It doesn’t get more classic than that.

download it here DL

Here is the tracklist:

PF Cuttin:
5 Deadly Venoms Of Brooklyn – Intro
Verbal Hoodz – I’ll Be Damned
Dr Dre & B-Real – Puppet Master
Breeze Evahflowin – Forsaken
Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Wild Hot
Camp Lo – Say Word
The Dutchmin – Surrounded
Powerule – Bright Lights Big City

Mister Cee:

Zhane – Request Line (Mister Cee Blend)
KRS One – Raptures Delight
Yvette Michelle – Not Feelin You (Mister Cee Blend)
The Veterans (Brucie Bee, Luvbug Starski & DJ Hollywood) – The Medicine
The Notorious B.I.G. – Hypnotize
Frankie Cutlass, Kool G. Rap, Mobb Deep & M.O.P. – Know The Game
Mobb Deep – Young Luv

Tony Touch:
Tony Touch – Deadly Freestyle
Steele Kat One & Lil Noc – Freestyle
Freddie Foxxx – Freestyle
Sunz Of Man & Makeeba – Freestyle
Guru – Freestyle
Channel Live & Benny Boom – Freestyle
Jeru The Damaja & Lil Dap – Freestyle

Dj Premier:
Grand wizard Theodore & Kenny-Kev Rockwell – Military Cut(1982)
Busy Bee vs Kool Moe Dee – Live at The Harlem World (1981)
Double Trouble – Live At The Amphitheater L.E.S. (1982)
Cold Crush – It’s Us (Live 1982)
T La Rock – It’s Yours (1984)
LL Cool J – I Need A Beat (Jazzy Mix 1984)
Malcolm McLaren & World Famous Supreme Team – Buffalo Gals(1983)
MC Lyte – I Cram To Understand (1986)
Divine Force Crew – Holy War (1987)
DJ Premier – Ending Interlude

Evil Dee:
Black Skavengers – Poison Pill
Jeru Tha Damaja – Me Or The Papes
M.O.P. – Downtown Swinga
Krumb Snatcha – Gettin Closer To God
Shamus & FLU – Tight Team
AK Skills – East To West
Shades Of Brooklyn – Calm Under Pressure

Next up is another straight classic this time wholly handled by Premo featuring some of the rarest joints from 1997. Just reading the tracklisting will drive you down memory lane as sadly most of the names on here have been slept on ever since. This tape still stands up against anything out today just for the sheer dilligence in Premiers crate digging selections and also the unobtrusive hosting of graf artist Haze.

download it here DL

here is the tracklist:

The Retro Kidz live up to their name with this track ‘New Era’ thats getting much play in America right now.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out their debut appearance in Armand Van Helden’s promo for his ‘I want Your Soul’ video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

MIA Okley Run

Annoying darling of the fashion world and not much else MIA has released her own clothing line surprise surprise. Take a peek at her ‘Okley Run’ line but be warned I’ll personally merk you if I see you wearing this crackheads clothes.

MIA Okley Run

The Wackness Mixtapes

A film about mid-90′s New York, hip hop and weed sounds like a dream come true. Add to that it stars Sir Ben Kingsley (no, no, no no, rowntree yes! grosvenor yes!), Method Man and an Olsen twin and this should be interesting. Even if its dripping in wack juice the soundtrack is gonna be tight and we’ve got the official movie mixtape mixed by D-Nice and a bootleg to boot.

Official tape on the DL

Bootleg

on the DL