Wanna sound like you know what the hottest new shit is? Watching MTV Jams all day ain't gonna cut it, kid. If you want to stay on top of the latest joints and the next 'bout-to-blow artists, there's simply no better guide than mix tapes. Take a trip down to your friendly neighborhood tape spot—be it ARS in Columbia Plaza or Platinum Records and Respect Records on Cap Hill—and take a look at what's under the glass. Local heavy hitters are keeping shelves stocked with everything you need for the car, crib, and coitus. Support your local DJ, and cop a few mixes next time you're at the record spot—I promise you'll thank me. Here are a few selections...
Don't Talk About It
If there's anyone who's been killing it on the mix-tape scene for Seattle in the last few years, it's definitely Seattle's Heavyweight, DJ Scene. Starting with the original Fuck the Frail Shit tape, former DMC champ Scene has been murking mixes with his beyond-bananas scratchwork, ingenious blending, and a ravenous work ethic best summed up by the long version of the phrase that titles his latest tape: "Don't talk about it, be about it." Scene is most definitely 'bout it, 'bout it with this exclusively Dirty South slab, hosted by none other than Houston's Swishahouse soldiers Paul Wall and Mike Jones. From such Top 40 smashes as Paul Wall's "Sittin' Sidewayz" to new cuts from Trillville and Pitbull, Scene keeps this edition light on blending and turntablism, heavy on the bangers; this is definitely a New York–style mix tape, minus the annoying shouts. If you've ever copped a Scene tape, you know he's thorough—I ain't gotta tell you shit; ol' boy always has some heat. This joint is perfect for the whip; drive slow, homie.
The Mash Tape
DJ Bles One should be a familiar name to all and sundry that's up on the happenings of the thriving b-boy scene; from his essential DJ Bles vs. Bboys and Massive Monkee Soundtrack mixes to contributions to Grayskul's The Wand and the Gun CD, homie is on his grizzly for real. The Mash Tape serves as a nine-track introduction to his crew, Mash Hall, with another bonus b-boy mix—entitled "Protect Ya Fuckin Neck"—thrown in for good measure. The whole shebang is produced and mixed by Bles—and his floor-rocking pedigree gives him a great understanding of the drums that move feet and asses. The intro, "Back Muthafuckas," is raw as fuck—looping up Prince's solo from the end of "Let's Go Crazy" with some ill sound-FX and hard-ass drums. The MCs rock the beats pretty damn well, with some pretty fuckin' funny one-liners—"My name is Bruce Illis, I'm a hiphop legend/every four years I get a '97 Legend." Bles keeps everything wildly entertaining with bugged sounds and ill samples from just about every hood movie you can imagine. It all sounds like a basement full of blunt smoke, brews, and sarcastic, shit-talkin' breakers. Overall, this is both an innovative mix tape and a great debut from the Mash Hall clique... an ideal house-party set, ya heard me?
Velour Vibes 3: Sunroof Top
Topspin is a Seattle legend, and has been putting in major work since the early '90s. He's consistently blessed us with Top-quality joints, notably his long-running 101.1 KTOP FM tapes and his trademark double-disc mixes, which all showcase Top's discriminating song selection, rhythmic scratching, and peerless blending skills. Velour 3 is no different, and focuses on smooth soul and R&B. This wouldn't normally be my cup of tea (I ain't R&B smooth, I ain't a R&B dude!), but seriously, Top kills it from the jump with only the finest cuts. There's not a bammer song to be found on either disc, and Top elevates the whole situation with his famous blends; you'll definitely be feeling Faith Evans over Slum Village's "Thelonious" and Teedra Moses over the tribal drums of Bobby Valentino's "Slow Down." This tape is absolutely packed with unreleased joints and exclusives—it's worth the price of admission just for the Platinum Pied Pipers am-I-high reworking of Marvin's "I Want You" and "No More" by buzz-drenched Los Angelenos J*Davey. The action on this tape is so smooth, it is a straight-up essential for all your "quality time." Light a candle up in here!
hiphop@thestranger.com
