WEEKENDMIX 3.2.12: OLD SCHOOL HIP HOP SMACK DOWN

A couple weeks ago, we featured legendary Kool DJ Red Alert, a long time fav, as our DJ of The Week. The customary mix we included in the feature was originally recorded in 1995. I’ve been on an old school kick ever since.

It would be easy for one to say, that when you’re getting older you may be bias against the new school of music. It would likewise be easy for one to think that I favored the Hip Hop I grew up simply because, well, it’s the soundtrack of my youth, and that despite this bias, it doesn’t mean it actually is better. Except, it very may well be.

Whether it’s because of the sheer success the genre has experienced over the last 15 years or so and the resulting commercialism, or the unchanging, repetitive and increasingly mundane subject matter, today’s Hip Hop, though perhaps higher and better in production quality, just doesn’t have the same power it once did. And I wish I could say it’s just my opinion, but it’s one shared by most people I talk to my age or older and would you believe, many much younger.

I’d go as far as saying and would be willing to bet, that if there was some sort of scientific tool out there, one that could measure such things, void of opinion or based on record sales, or some other arbitrary method, we would find that the quality of Hip Hop, particularly that late 80’s to mid 90’s variety, is simply without equal.

Maybe, this is all useless speculation; after all is said and done we might not have the power to bring Hip Hop back to its glory days; things change, and we need to move on. But there are a couple things we can do, we can avoid buying any of the crap we’re currently drowning in and we can always just take a trip down memory lane and press play! And you can do exactly that with the following two old school mixes. One of these mixes, 90’s Hip Hop Golden Era – Throwback Mixtape by T.H.E Menace from Brooklyn, NY really was recorded back in the day, on cassette! If that aint keeping it real, I don’t know what is. Finally, we have a mix by DJ Mike Mission from the UK. He takes us back with a mix titled NewJackSwingerPartyMix.

Both of these mixes feature artists most of us are familiar with, some are pioneers, some one hit wonders, some forgotten, some now movie stars, but without question, all worth revisiting. Get ready for some LL CooL J, Redhead Kingpin, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Grand Puba, Das EFX, Mantronix, Cypress Hill…the list goes on and on and will have you old school heads reminiscing hard, while all you new jacks, well, don’t take this old man’s word for it, press play and see what I’m talking about.

T.H.E Menace

90’s Hip Hop Golden Era – Throwback Mixtape

DJ Mike mission

NewJackSwingerPartyMix