Mix tapes have come a long way. Forget your old, gray, pause-button Maxell’s, or even those please-date-me emo tapes you used to press ol’ girl with. Nowadays, we’re talking about colorful, slim-cased CD-Rs, boasting the hottest, newest, most exclusive joints you won’t hear on bullshit Clear Channel radio or, sometimes, anywhere else. They often bear the legend “For Promotional Use Only” as a nod to the fact that they’re not really supposed to be for sale. But fuck the RIAA; these mix tapes aren’t bootlegs, buddy—they’re the lifeblood of this hiphop shit, so support your local tapesmiths and cop a few at a time, damn it!
FunkDaddy
Street Mix Exclusive
Like Bussa Buss says, let’s take ’em back to the club right quick. You should already be familiar with FunkDaddy from his platinum resumé, working with E-40, Mac Dre, and Sir Mix-A-Lot, among many others. What you might not know is that Funk drops mix tapes on the regular, from these Street Mix tapes to his all-R&B Ear Candy mixes. This particular street/club mix is bringing that club-type heat, and as such is heavily South-oriented, with a heavy dash of R&B. I can deal with Bubba Sparxxx, Ying Yang Twins, and Bun-B but I can’t fuck with Bow Wow or Dem Franchise Boyz, but maybe that’s my latent hate of all things Jermaine Dupri talking. Oh, and I can’t forget ESG’s (the H-Town OG, not the old-school Bronx no-wave crew) bullshit “Ballin’,” whose annoying-ass hook gets no love here. This definitely had some heat on it, however, so if this is your twist, cop one. If you are looking for a mix packed with commercial-minded club hits and deep 808 hits, this tape is your guy right here.
B-Mello
The Rat Pack Mixtape
Four MCs—B-Boy Fidget, Clockwork’s Lace Cadence, T-Time, and Young Murph—are the Rat Pack, who hope to bring the lady-killer swag of Dino, Frank, and Sammy to the 206-hiphop sphere with this B-Mello-helmed showpiece. Indeed, there’s a lotta work put in here for the ladies, and many will likely appreciate the smooth stylings the fellas perpetrate. Now, you might be puzzled when you pop this in and you hear James fucking Taylor start playing, but when Fidget’s beat for “I Know How It Goes” drops, it all comes together. The rappers all showcase their varying styles, on group cuts and solo joints, over production that varies from hot to a’ight. Although the quality level here is pretty good, poor mixes on a couple songs may throw you off. There are a couple of standouts, particularly Fidget’s “Hustle,” whose ESPN-flipping beat had heads seriously ringin’ at the last Big Tunes beat battle, and “Lose Control” with Fidget and T-Time. Clockwork’s bumping kush anthem “Dubs to Blow” from their After Midnight LP is included, but shame on you if you don’t already have their album.
DJ Hyphen
Beats, Rhymes, and Life Vol. 4: This Ain’t No F*ckin’ Game!
DJ Hyphen spins the wax on KUBE 93’s Sunday Night Sound Sessions with Jonathon Moore, and although he dropped this Super Mario Bros.–themed heatrock a couple months ago, it still sounds Ziploc fresh. Off the top, the exclusive from newcomers THETHYRDAY and J. Rosevelt is an attention getter; the tape just gets better from there, with a crazy diverse mix sporting bangers from Aftermath rookie Bishop Lamont, the Cunninlynguists, and Z-Ro, to name just a few. The real headcracks here are the belligerent “Where You Been” by the Clipse, and “Disrespectful” where Busta Rhymes, Spliff Star, and the Jabba the Hutt–sounding Labba set fire to Wu-Tang’s “7th Chamber Pt. II.” After all that straight-no-chaser boom bap, Hyphen breaks you off with the shimmery soul of the Platinum Pied Pipers’ “Open Your Eyes,” which also enlists the pipes of Detroit crooner Dwele. Proper.
DJ Risk One
Joints & Jams Vol. I
Risk, a protégé of DV-One, comes out swinging haymakers with this collection, balancing great song selection (Ghostface! Bossman! Brother Ali!) and skills, in true mix-tape tradition. This tape features a nice assortment of underground cuts, and is a jamming panacea to anyone sick of Ciara, Paul Wall, and D4L clogging up your ear holes. This guy keeps it moving and keeps it jumping, making him another cat to keep your eye on.
Lastly, DJs! Send me your mix tapes. You like free promo? A’ight then! n