Twofer

Hip Hop's Cool Again (The Mixtape)

( HIP HOP )

If you read this blog you probably know that I have a bit of a man-producer crush on Oddisee from the Low Budget crew that reps the east coast, primarily Maryland and DC. What? I can't help but be inspired but the music made by him, and indeed by all of the artists on this tape. It features a couple tracks off of what I described as the best hip hop release of '09 (Exile's album 'Radio'), rappers like Blu (who is awesome), yU, Trek Life, Fashawn, and so on. This particular mix was put together as a release to build some hype for a big Paris show they did recently. Take advantage of the fact that it is still up! Get it and pump it like a Jersey shore guido.

DJ JS1 - Monster Megamix

( HIP HOP / TURNTABLISM / BREAKS )

JS-1 is a cold killer on the tables. On this tape he goes in hard, with apparently thousands of phrases, records, segments, cuts, juggles, and so much more. It all adds up to a smooth and mind-blowingly intricate experience, a sick musical journey through so many kinds of good. This tape is a rare find and the sheer amount of work that would have gone into something like this guarantees that not many could attempt it, let alone pull it off. First time I heard JS-1 was on a record I picked a while back - on one side was a sick cut with O.C. of D.I.T.C. fame ('Beyond') and a battle routine; the b side had the classic track 'Arrogant' featuring underground rappers Pack FM, Tonedeff, and Rise. Since then he had consistently popped up again and again with the true school hip hop I love. Obviously he has the chops to make nice beats, he can hold down the tables, he's made his own sample/sound effect records, he represents the Rock Steady Crew, he's released tapes and albums... basically he can do it all. And on this mix he does a whole lot so check it out.