Free of Style

This is a great little mixtape for those golden age nostalgists out there.  Instead of being the usual mix of classic tracks from established artists, this mix infuses a number of short freestyles over a selection of both well known, and not so well known beats all mixed together by DJ Sav One and DJ Dyllemma.

Dubbed the FreeOfStyle Mixtape - The Underground Come Up: 90's Edition, the whole mix lasts around 45 minutes and kicks off with a nice Lord Finesse track.  There are other DITC offerings from the likes of Big L and A.G. (who goes over a classic Jeru beat to great effect), along with some unexpected inclusions such as Dead Prez and Children of the Corn etc. 

A couple of the freestyles will be familiar to some (hasn't every freestyle by Eminem, Big L, Biggie etc been used to death?), but nonetheless there are plenty of unheard or relatively unknown tracks in here too.  These are frequently coupled with beats that you wouldn't expect, but work well and make for an enjoyable mixtape.  Check Guru over Mobb Deeps Quiet Storm instrumental for example.  The embedded music player and full tracklisting is after the jump.

Mike Check

DITC Interview

I can't remember the last time I saw an interview with a hip hop collective where every member spoke out.  Normally it's one or two predominant members speaking on behalf of the collective, and leaving you with the distinct feeling that their views are slightly biased or that someone didn't really get a mention.  Not here.

This interview tracks down each member and reflects on what they are currently doing, their DITC history and they each pay tribute to Big L.  It's an interesting insight into what has probably been the most consistent collective of MC's and producers in the last 20 years. 

http://www.waxpoetics.com/2011/01/d-i-t-c/