Hip-hop mixtapes at 8tracks
Sunday, February 7, 2010
On the heels of my first three 8tracks mixtapes, I created a couple of hip-hop mixes at 8tracks. One is an alternative hip-hop mix with a sci-fi/samurai theme using songs from my college days (1995-2000). The other is a Definitive Jux label retrospective (2001-2009).
12 Memories: Futuristic Flow 2000
Twelve tracks including music by Del Tha Funky Homosapien, DJ Shadow and Mos Def. An alternative hip-hop mix with a sci-fi/samurai theme from my college days. Songs released 1995-2000.
- GZA (Genius) – Liquid Swords
- RZA – Samurai Showdown (Raise Your Sword)
- UNKLE – Guns Blazing (Drums of Death, Pt. 1)
- Dr. Octagon (Kool Keith) – 3000
- Deltron 3030 – Things You Can Do
- Del Tha Funky Homosapien – Offspring
- Mos Def – Mathematics
- Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli) – Thieves In the Night
- The Roots – Adrenaline! (Feat. Dice Raw & Beanie Sigel)
- Handsome Boy Modeling School – Magnetizing
- DJ Shadow – Midnight In A Perfect World
- OutKast – Chonkyfire
12 Memories: Definitive Jux 2010
Twelve tracks including music by Aesop Rock, El-P and Cannibal Ox. El-Producto announced in early February that the Definitive Jux label is going on hiatus and he’s stepping down as artistic director. So, here’s a 2001-2009 retrospective of some favorites.
- RJD2 – The Horror
- Aesop Rock – Night Light
- El-P – Delorean (Feat. Aesop Rock)
- Cannibal Ox – Raspberry Fields
- Cage – Blood Boy
- Despot – Look Alive
- RJD2 – Clean Living
- El-P – Smithereens (Stop Cryin)
- Despot – Get Rich or Try Dying
- Cage – I Never Knew You
- Aesop Rock – Frijoles
- Cannibal Ox – Pigeon
Definitive Jux Records is definitely my favorite underground hip-hop label. El-P, founder of Def Jux, is a master of unique, complex beats with a futuristic and progressive feel. As a rapper, El-P has a very raw, personal lyrical flow. He is one of my favorites, along with Aesop Rock. Some refer to the kind of music on the Definitive Jux label as art-rap or prog-rap. Not sure how apt this description is, but I seem to enjoy many artists that get classified as such.
In addition to Def Jux and all of the artists above, I have also gotten into a number of Anticon artists, such as Doseone and Sole. I listened to a lot of cLOUDDEAD a few years ago. Was obsessed with Quannum Projects (DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, Latyrx) for a couple of years. DJ Shadow is still one of my favorite artists. Just to mention a few more: Glue, Anti-Pop Consortium and Bliss N Eso have all put out excellent music. And so on and so forth. There are a lot of great artists out there, hiding outside the Top 100 charts.
With labels like Definitive Jux around, at least there’s an alternative to assembly-line hip-hop and exploitative, materialistic rap. Here’s hoping Def Jux and all worthwhile record labels figure out a way to reinvent themselves in this era of the dying music industry. (For more thoughts on the music industry, see this post from a couple of weeks ago: “Conan O’Brien and City Lights Records: A eulogy?“)