Category Archives: episodes

MIXTAPE 97 – WEST COAST WINTER

Posted on by
19


MIXTAPE 97 – WEST COAST WINTER

Why is it so cold? Anyway, order other news: Giveaways, rx son!

Yes, I do have 5 copies of 2K Sports’ NBA 2K8 for XBOX 360 (USA version) up for grabs. Merry Christmas, etc. Listen to the show to get details on how to grab your own copy and then post up your ideas in the comments. And as I said, 3 of them will be going out on the site, and two will be going out on the Mixtape Show Facebook Group – you gotta be in it to get the info on how to win one (click here to join up).


Massive, massive shouts to DJ Spaceboy at 2K for making this possible.

This ep – just West Coast all over the place. You’ll like it, I promise.

Tracklist

Strong Arm Steady – Steady Mobbin feat The Game. And Will Blast screaming random ignorant things in the background. No bad feelings though, that just adds to the bananas-factor of this joint. The funky Dago connection is in the house. I love this song. CHUUUUCHmyspace.com/strongarmsteady

Tha D.R.E. – Wild Child. I can’t necessarily vouch for the rest of the record, but for anyone who appreciates Bay Area rap, this cut is a gem. Oddly enough, dude is from Milwaukee.

Unagi – Mo Champagne feat Motion Man. Unagi hit me with this cut and I think I played it 8 times back to back. The dude really is just dope with the loops. unagi442.com.

Johnson&Jonson – La La La. Yes, Blu is in here. Seriously, how are they going to clear these samples? Jon, can you shed some light on this? Either way, this is really dope. (You’ve heard – and seen – Johnson & Jonson here before, by the way). Something to look forward to ’08 – the Powders and Oils album. myspace.com/jandjbabyproducts. I’m not pretending to understand the name, though.

Spice 1 – Playa Man. Again, get well soon, dude. I’m really just now getting into this cat’s music. myspace.com/spiceone.

Double F – Weed, Greed, and Chases at High Speed (prod. Dilla). This off his mildly controversial 2006 Welcome to Cali Jay Dee tribute tape (which almost made it onto the First Impressions tape). Short, to the point, and, well, great. myspace.com/mystadub

Dam Funk – December Sun – At some point the two of us are going to link up and just give you all a ridiculous show. Dam is just too funky with the beats. I know I talked all over this one, but you can go get yourself a listen at his myspace. Check for him on the new 2K8 soundtrack, too. myspace.com/damfunk.

Kam – (Untitled)?. This comes off of a Naam Brigade mixtape (the only one I have, actually). Yes, the Message revamped. You can hate all you like, but I actually dig this song a lot. Naam Brigade somehow pulls of these throwback beats that show the roots of this music without sounding contrived – on the contrary, a lot of their tape goes really, really hard. Kam is pretty great on this cut, and the combination of the NoI references, the commentary on the West Coast gangster rap market, and the parallels to the original cut are pretty interesting. In that vein, the “fag” lines are a little abrasive at first, until you remember that the original cut dropped them the same way. myspace.com/westcoastkam1

Hope you all dug this one. Good luck in the contest, and be on the lookout for a few special editions of the Mixtape Show coming your way very soon…

And on a related note, I know I’m kinda opening myself to the flames by calling anything a “West Coast” episode. Too much great music out here – again this is just a slice of the diversity out here. Feel free to let the recommendations fly in the comments.

MIXTAPE 96 – FIBONACCI

Posted on by
33


MIXTAPE 96 – FIBONACCI

So for this one, cardiologist most of the commentary is in the episode. Thusly, infection I’ll keep the commentary short.

The Fibonacci sequence, or the Mātrāmeru , refers to a sequence in which the given number is the sum of its two preceding numbers; e.g. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, etc. So this episode is in such a sequence:

0 Tracks
by P Diddy. Duh.

1 Track:
Suburb – The Main Ingredient flip. Some day this kid will finish his album. Until then, I’ll continue digging in the archives of stuff he probably doesn’t even remember sending me.

1 Track:
UGK – Use Me Up. Rest in peace, Pimp C. This was not good news at all.

2 Tracks:
Jay Electronica – A Prayer for Michael Vick & T.I. (We Love You Family). (Prod. J Dilla). Brilliant. Surreal.
Jay Electronica – Dimethyltryptamine. Surreal. Brilliant.

And I’ll say it again: JAY ELECTRONICA IS A GOVERNMENT PLANT

3 Tracks:
Percee P – Lung Collapsing Lyrics feat Pharoahe Monch. This cut is just too much.
Percee P – Yes, You May feat A.G. and Lord Finesse. The internal rhymes before anyone even knew what that was. I’m not sure why anyone would choose to dispose of those that chose to go to their shows, but if he says it, I believe it. Shouts to Percee. I hear he has a new record out.
Percee P – 1991 Freestyle feat Lord Search. The beatboxing on here is just comedy, but if you actually listen past that, you’ll hear the lyrical mastery.

Interludes by: Kenny Keys. (first one is called “Cut”, second is called “Tight Rope”, third is called “Bump”). Good to hear from you again, Ken.

This was a good episode for lyrics, wasn’t it?

ps – here’s the link for the Mixtape Show Hip-hop podcast facebook page. You should join it, giveaways popping off very soon…

MIXTAPE 95 – DILLAGENCE

Posted on by
20


MIXTAPE 95 – DILLAGENCE

Oh, ascariasis my.

Once again, I have to give full credit to Mick Boogie, Busta Rhymes, and of course J Dilla. This is a distilled version – my favorite tracks – from the just-dropped Dillagence mixtape. All joints are brand new. This is just stupid good. Stop reading right now and listen. If you want the full version, grab it at mick’s site - though the servers there seem to be struggling with the traffic (part of the reason I did this ep).

You’re gonna dig this one.

Tracklist

Busta Rhymes – Dillagence.

Busta Rhymes – Takin’ What’s Mine. And yes, you’ve heard this beat on this show before, but I just had to do this one again. Stealing somebody’s lunch, their lunch money, and then making them buy their lunch back from you? That’s horrible. Did I say Busta wasn’t funny anymore? I take it back.

Busta Rhymes – Step Up. This beat is just ridiculous.

Busta Rhymes – Words from Ma Dukes. Dilla’s moms speaks to the people.

Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, and Talib Kweli – Lightworks. One-upping the version on the 2K8 soundtrack. I remember my first time at the Do-Over and seeing people just go bananas to this song. Not this song, actually, just the instrumental. Like 1:30 of the Lightworks instrumental off of Donuts, and just wow. I was absolutely blown away.

Busta Rhymes and Rah Digga – Best That Ever Did It. RD is just crazy on this track. References to Portishead, Benzino, Eminiem’s drug habit all in the same verse? Busta’s just a given here.

Busta Rhymes and M.O.P. – Classic. Dig what he says at the end about Dilla’s production and EQing, which is something I’ve heard a lot. For those who this doesn’t seem like a big deal to, talk to anyone who’s ever been on deadline for an album and the studio lost the Protools files. Not fun.

Busta Rhymes and Rah Digga – The Range. As much as I loved that Plastic Cups remix (anyone who came to my last house party knows that one took on special significance!), this one is really just that dope. I have apparently been sleeping on Rah Digga:

That’s why I go to the range
I see some rednecks with shit I can’t even name
Saying to myself I better do it the same
Revolution coming, shit it already came
They called it a hurricane
That’s why I go to the range…

Damn. DAMN.

Busta Rhymes and Rah Digga – Not Right Now. Beat on this one is ridiculous. That “not right now” hook is alternately cool and hilarious.

Busta Rhymes, Cassidy, Papoose – Psycho. Somehow this makes me think of Cypress Hill. Cassidy has some pretty ridiculous lines on there, but Papoose with that “I’m the new era like a mistake on your computer”, and the “www” lines is just too much. And you know what, I miss Cassidy.

Busta Rhymes – Dillagence Outro. The end of this is absolutely priceless. I won’t ruin it for you.

That’s it. If you want the full version – go get it, there’s plenty on there that wouldn’t fit here.

MIXTAPE 94: TRAVIS

Posted on by
20


MIXTAPE 94: TRAVIS

You could probably say that there is some sort of skewed-ass social consciousness theme in theme in here, find but no official concept this time. This is the Travis Episode, because my friend Travis is in the hospital and I want him to get healed up soon so we can continue partying. Stay strong, famo.

On to the episode.

Tracklist

Intro Beat: Beewirks – Make It Happen. This isn’t the first time dude has placed on a Mixtape Show intro. myspace.com/beewirks.

Sha Stimuli – The N Word. Two dollars says most of you didn’t realize what was going on until a few bars into the first verse. This is inevitably going to bring up controversy, which is brilliant. What do you all think of this one (the theme, I mean – musically it’s beyond dispute that dude has talent). As far as n-word alternatives, I’m a fan of the word “family” in all its iterations – famo, fam, etc – or “dude”, as anyone who reads this site often can probably surmise. “Brah”, however, is not okay unless you are an islander, period. myspace.com/shastimuli.

Duo Live – Caught Up (feat Talib Kweli). I coulda cut the outro short on this one, but it’s just too nice. This is my first time hearing of dudes, but apparently they are really on their grind nowadays. Sounds good to me. myspace.com/duolive.

M.I.A. – Paper Planes (remix feat Bun B and Rich Boy). All three of these artists should be on your “man hol up these people go hard” list. I gotta say, after Arular dropped I was a little mild on M.I.A (Piracy Funds Terrorism went way harder) but this last album is just the business. Then you add Bun B AND Rich Boy to the mix? Too much. Plus this is at once the catchiest and most violent hook in recent memory. I gotta do a post about M.I.A.’s show sometime soon. miauk.com.

Guru – Cuz I’m Jazzy (feat Slum Village). Well, the production on this cut doesn’t exactly belie the title. Apparently this was a very good week for music. Dig the synth violins in the chorus. gurusjazzmatazz.net.

Scienz Of Life – Build Wit Me (feat Baretta 9). John Robinson is one of the most positive people I know. This is an old 2001 cut from the ATL days, showing us all that you don’t need to go crazy with the drums because sometimes the sample just wants to be left alone. And what’s with the bonus beat outro? myspace.com/scienzoflife.

Nicolay and Kay – Stop My Way (feat Mic of The Legendary KO aka K-Otix). As seen before way back in Ep 16, Mic graces the B-side for the N&K concept project single. I wasn’t quite sold on this cut until that whistle synth came in – then it was game over. Great cut. Too bad I didn’t get hold of this one in time for the Love Episode. And the outro is some of the most ignorant shit I’ve heard in like two days. myspace.com/nicolay.

Outro Bonus Cut: Bomani – Read A Book Remix (feat Hueman Prophets) (snippet). If you wanna hear the full version, you’ll have to check Bomani’s myspace! I think most people remember the video and song from this, but not too many people actually know who is behind the song. This song is totally different from the original, but for some reason the end of the last version is really hilarious to me. I’ve got to admit that I haven’t read most of the books on these dudes’ lists. Somebody should make a dance to this song.

And we should start a Mixtape Show Book Club.