Mi & Shecky Take It Way Back.

I’ve just been listening to this mix and thought that some of you would appreciate it.  DJ Might Mi (Smut Peddlers) and Shecky Green (co-founder of the The Source magazine) drop a two hour session of golden era hip hop.  “So what” I hear you say, lot’s of people do these kinds of mixes, why is this one any better?

Well, apart from it feeling like it was actually recorded 15 years ago, the track selection is top notch with a good number of forgotten gems thrown in, and the mix choices of instrumental and acapella kept my interest throughout.  But the cream of the crop has to be the Juice Crew vs Wu-Tang section.  On paper it sounds like it should be awful, but some of these mash ups work exceptionally well.  If only the radio was still like this….



Full track listing after the jump....

We Bring The Smac!

Smac 19 were a big part of the UK's early B-boy history.  Hailing from Sheffield, the crew were a force to be reckoned with and along with several other crews from the midlands and the north, they showed that the UK had a lot to offer.

After many years of memories, the Smac 19 name has now been revived to give a new generation of B-boys and B-girls something to live up to.  Check out the new Smac crew...

I dedicate this to Moyinka who grew up in the original Smac 19 era.

93 Culture

 

This is something a little bit different, but definitely worth a listen and download.  Imagine finding an an album of the dopest instrumentals from unreleased tracks that were made in the 90's, and you won't be far off imagining what this sounds like.  I've embedded the bandcamp player for ease of checking it out, but I'd recommend downloading it for a proper listen as it works much better as a mix.

 

In the words of the producer Jaz Infinite:

 

93 Culture is my ode to the golden era of boom bap hip-hop. To keep it authenticate as possible I created this album using only the techniques and tools typically used in the early 90s. DJ Chorizo Funk mixed the instrumentals in that classic mixtape format and Dinco D of the Leaders of The New School came through on the hosting tip to keep the vibe going.

Equipment used:
ASR-10
MPC 60II
Akai S-950
Mixed in ProTools, bounced to casette, then digitized again

***The bandcamp player adds gaps between songs when playing.  To hear the mix without the gaps, download the album and play it in your usual music player (iTunes etc.)***

History & Hunger

I'm pleased to see the stress and chaos of Christmas well behind me, now its time to focus on music and blogging.....
Here's some interesting stuff the internet has thrown up over the last few weeks:

Boombox History

 

In this era, where virtually everything from the early days of hip hop has become either a collectable, iconic, valuable, or captured in some kind of documentary, it never occurred to me that nobody has every really given any shine to the good old boombox.  You know, before the man bag, the record bag or the back pack, the must have accessory was a boom box (or 'ghetto blaster' in some local dialects).  So it's great to see that Egotripland picked up this article which looks back at the power sucking radios that so many of us first heard the latest Electro album on way back in the 80's.

 

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/how-boomboxes-got-so-badass/

 

 

Chief Rocker History

The original soloist on the mic breaks down a little history in this short biopic.  There's some nice old school footage to accompany the Chief Rocker's narrative of his early years, and he touches on his clashes with Kool Moe Dee and Lovebug Starski.

 

 

R U Gonna Eat That?

I'm really feeling this Dopplegangaz joint of the recently released Marco Polo LP - PA2: The Director's Cut, and now it's got a video!   Marco's smooth thumping beat really fits the Dopplegangaz flow and makes the perfect recipe.  Yep, you should certainly digest this.

 



Madiba

Whenever I see something new by Rakim I approach with extreme caution, as so often I'm left feeling underwhelmed.  I still burn a torch for him in the hope that one day he returns with the right producer and blows me away again.  Unfortunately, this track wasn't the one, but it's a timely tribute to Nelson Mandela and for that reason alone it should get some shine.