not bad the S&P tune...this mixtape is miles better than h's. (sorry mate)

theAudience said:

"King Of The Beats" is probably the most complex track of them all, so that makes sense. Thanks for checking it out. :manhug:

Matronik said:

Yeah I am pretty sure that's where they got it too.

Matronik said:

Missy's "Work It" ends with a part from Run-DMC's "Peter Piper" (2:07 in). It's just that "Peter Piper" used Bob James "Take Me To The Mardi Gras", the same sample that Mantronix played with on "King Of The Beats".

Never heard this track before. The whole list is nice but I'm really diggin this

honeypot69 said:

Very nice Cinnie

honeypot69 said:

Thanks for listening.

These selections were pretty interesting, but what I most appreciate about this project is the obvious respect you hold for hip hop with your encyclopedic knowledge. You treat the genre like the legitimate art form that it is in its best moments -- when other folk are increasingly jumping ship.

On your mix:

Kane - Call me a communist, but Kane's flow is hit or miss for me. I think he was brilliant on parts of his first album -- and all over It's a Big Daddy Thing -- but his other stuff is just fair to me. I guess I've just never been big on the Juice Crew. "The Big Payback" can be a darned powerful sample when it's used correctly, so when I hear it I hold a song to a very high standard. Its use here just doesn't do it for me -- too choppy, productions are too sparse, and the track overall just gives me a terribly dated vibe.

Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - Not a bad version of this cut at all, but even as it is clearly edgier than the mainstream reworking, it's still a bit too "safe" productionwise as it didn't showcase Jeff's way underrated turntable work! Also, I never before realized how much Will Smith jocked the Get Fresh Crew's rhyming style, but I'm glad it was less obvious on his later stuff.

Steady D - Nice. Good flow, great showcase of his DJ's scratching work.

Michee Mee - I apologize in advance, but I HATED this, Cinnie! I can't say much more than I've always thought she was wack as all get out! The "Heartbeat" sample is fair and the beat (which sounds to be the same as later used in BDP's "Why is That?") is hot, but Michee does neither justice. As an aside, KRSONE consistently has been pretty supportive of Canadian hip hop, it seems. This past March he appeared as a keynote speaker at Canadian Music Week, discussing ways to invigorate the northern hip hop scene, and I've also seen him give props to Canadian acts like Kardinal Offishall and the Circle in interviews.

Beasties - The only BB album I've ever liked enough to buy was Check Your Head, but I do think they churn out some of the most underrated productions in all of hip hop. Their samples are always inspired. Such is the case here. Voicewise, though, only Adrock gets my attention here, but he's darned-near buried.

L.A. Star - I'm definitely feeling her flow... and her quirky pronunciations are really fun! The music track, though, is just fair to me. Sounds like some moderately inspired 45 King stuff. I'd have liked to see where she'd have gone if she'd been around longer.

Mantronix - I absolutely, unequivocally acknowledge Mantronik's studio talent... but I was just never personally moved by his stuff. This track pretty much fits that pattern.

Sugar Bear - A tie for my favorite track! I'd never heard of this M.C. But his flow is hot, and the Lyn Collins/ Talking Heads mash-up arguably is the best use of either of those samples I've heard.

Salt n Pep - My other favorite track! There's nothing I don't like about this one, and this is perhaps the best vocal performance I've heard from Salt.

L.L. - I only begrudgingly liked him as a kid, but I really can see why he was respected now. I think I may prefer the better-known version of "Rock the Bells," but this track just as well showcased a flow that wasn't particularly artful, but was legendarily dominating! I think if this were released today as a battle track, he would crush just about all of today's charting M.C.s

Thanks, Cin!
[Edited 7/13/08 9:30am]

nice!

no idea how 2 listen to it but what a great sticky!

now lemme do mine!

jonylawson said:

Just click a song title and it starts streaming. Click a second time to pause if you like.

After the song is finished playing, Muxtape will automatically start streaming the next one.

Lammastide said:

Holy CRAP you are right! Especially on this song. Did you know when US Immigration was ready to deport Slick Rick back to the UK, Will Smith wrote a letter endorsing Slick Rick's good character? The least he could do after bitin' his style in `86 I guess.

Lammastide said:

TAT MONEY
TAT MONEY
TAT MONEY
TAT MONEY

Lammastide said:

I appreciate your honesty! Do you know her hit "Jamaican Funk Canadian Style"? Or her 1988 shit on First Priority Basement Flavor? I didn't know KRS spoke at Canadian Music Week. Cool.

Lammastide said:

I know, right?!

Lammastide said:

Thank YOU!

Cinnie said:

I know neither of those. Maybe I'll check them eventually. What is she up to these days?

Lammastide said:

Around my Canadian friends, I usually say "I don't know - she lost me after Raggadeath" which was the rock band she led in the 1990s and that gets a chuckle.

Under new management, doing more live shows, hosted Rap City on Muchmusic recently, but her "latest projects" seem to revolve more around acting than music.

Here's her Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/michiemee2007

Cinnie said:

You amaze me.

This mix really captures an era. I wouldn't say hip hop was better then, but it was certainly funner. I also think it was more genuine. You say they were allowed to smile, but I don't think they smiled unless they meant it. There were serious themes from the beginning.

So many of the samples are familiar. The flows are simpler, as are the arrangements, but the songs have so much personality. It was a time when I was still excited about hip hop.

I never listened too much to Kane, but I have always been aware of him. I was so young in the 80's there are a lot of holes in my knowledge. A single song went a lot farther back then. I can just make out that sample of JB's The Payback, long before En Vogue used it as the bulk of their song.

Weird to hear Will Smith and how he fits right in here. I almost forget sometimes that he even was a rapper, and while he wasn't the best, he was a smart and entertaining kid.

That beat at the very very beginning of the Beastie Boys song (maybe it's the end of the previous song even?) has been used a lot, what is that? The one place I definitely hear it is in Sinead O'Connor's I Am Stretched On Your Grave. Bizarre how the vocals don't quite fit over one another The B.B.'s didn't change that much, at the same time they have grown enormously. I haven't heard Paul's Boutique in probably almost 20 years, I'm gonna have to dig that out.

LL was one of my favorites back then. Smart, brash, offensive, but always in service of the song. And he had such an ability to build over the couse of a song where he was in a frenzy at the end. I don't know if I'm getting old, but I think it was more refreshing when not everyone was nasty, and one or two people like LL broke the rules.

NDRU said:

"Funky Drummer" by James Brown. (The drummer playing that part is Clyde Stubblefield.)

NDRU said:

That's right! Love that one actually.

In 1986, a James Brown compilation called In The Jungle Groove featured "Funky Drummer" as well as an edited piece called "Funky Drummer Bonus Beat Reprise" that extended the famous break.

NDRU said:

I agree. That's one of the reasons I wanted to feature that song.

Matronik said:

i knew this was gonna be off tha hook.

Stymie said:

Thanks S

Thanks Cinnie for bringing these to us ~ can't believe you weren't going to. I am certainly being "schooled" and loving it! My favourite after only the first listen is L A Star ~ Fade To Black. Absolutely love it. Makes me feel like movin all over the place. There is one with a commercial at the opening (can't access it right at this minute). It reminds me of old downtown Detroit ~ back in the 60's and 70's. There were all these cool stores ~ one that sold hand made suits and another that was all hats. I used to stand in front of Hudsons and just watch all the people dressed to the nines coming in and out. That song just feels like those times ~ great fun. I'll post again when I'm a bit more familiar but I'm really liking this!

MoonSongs said:

Cinnie said:

Love blinds...

babump

babump make your speakers pop!

Have listened, will write review soon!

Like moonbeam said, I am being schooled!

Sander said:

moonsongs ~~~~ moonbeam is one of the great teachers

MoonSongs said:

Whoops! How could I confuse the both of you!?

I want errbody to know I really enjoyed sharing this mix with you and I am looking forward to the following weeks' mixes!

Old school! For me the golden age of hiphop was the beginning of the nineties. I really liked Digital Underground and the 'Do-Good' rappers, like De la soul, Arrested Development, and later Pharcyde, Common. In the mid-nineties I loved Dr Dre and Snoop, especially because of the samples used and trying to figure out which P-funk song was sampled. Lately, I've lost hiphop completely. Since this comp is mostly from before I knew about hiphop, I can say I didn't know any of those tracks, bar 'girls ain't nothing but trouble'. I love being schooled a bit in the ways of early hiphop. Thanks a million, Cinnie!

Big Daddy Kane "Somethin' Funky"
I only know one song of him. This is much more listenable and I can hear kinda why he's considered such a big influence on hiphop... Love the Payback sample. I (usually) love it when I recognize a sample from a song I like.

D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble"
Reminds me of Digital underground. It's just that Will doesn't quite match Humpty. Anyway, it's a fun little track!

Steady B "Use Me"
Musically, this track is ahead of it's class. Well, maybe I just like the bass-loop. As Lammastide said, like the samples!

Michee Mee & L.A. Luv "Elements Of Style"
Here comes the hotstepper! Hehe, I wonder what track they took the bassline from.

Beastie Boys "Caught In The Middle Of A 3-Way Mix"
Wow, hiphop and a reggae beat! Pretty cool. I know I should pick up some Beasty boys, I just get turned off by their constant shouting. Maybe I should start with 'the in-sound from way out'.

L.A. Star "Fade To Black"
I like the horns, pretty funky, but the song don't seem to be going anywhere... Mid-way through it sounds like KrisKros

Mantronix "King Of The Beats"
I don't understand why certain hiphop has this need for irritating, usually high pitch, repeating sounds. The song has some nice beats, but is kinda all over the place. It doesn't really matter though, 'it's cool to act a fool' every now and then... Ohhh yeah, that piano sample at the end (3:45)! Where is that from?

Sugar Bear "Don't Scandalize Mine"
My fave of the comp! I have no clue what he's on about, but I like it!

Salt-N-Pepa "I Am Down"
Somehow you included some big names but used songs that expand my appreciation for them! Love this. Usually not a fan of voices on the verge of cracking, but it really works on this song. Love the guitar riff.

L.L. Cool J "Rock The Bells
Love the crackling of the vinyl throughout. I always liked LL. Great energy.

Great mix, an eye-opener on some accounts! Thanks again!

I promise I'll get to this! I spent my free time working on my mixtape, which will be up soon, but I can't wait to dig in here!

Sander said:

Yeah Ini Kamoze used the same sample.. "Heartbeat" by Taana Gardner

Sander said:

It's just a shorter portion of the same sample that you can hear play out at the 3:00 mark.. "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" by Bob James

Sander said:

I guess that really aggressive vocal style I enjoy in rap. People pushing their vocal cords to the limit. I like it in punk music too.

Sander said:

Ha! Well that's just um the vinyl copy I have. I ripped most of these from my records eh?