DJ Ev - Hotter This Year part 2 (1997)

Man like Diablo came through with another box of tapes out of his insane collection so guess I've got enough reasons to keep this blog active for the foreseeable future*. DJ Ev mixes are always good so this was one of the first tapes I went for...

As with every mixtape from 1997 it includes You Know My Steez which is no bad thing. I heard that LL and Busta collab on a Westwood tape recently and it's not half bad all things considered which makes me wonder if the Phenomenon LP is actually a bit slept on. I mean, it has Father on it which prevents it from any kind of classic status even if the rest is 5 mic stuff but I might give it a listen at some point.

Speaking of Westwood, the mixcloud archive is still very much on and popping (and not every tape will get posted here) so keep an eye on that and get in touch if you have any shows to share


*The 1000th post where I said I'd probably stop was the most hits and comments in ages, the posts since then were back to normal. I don't do it for the comments but that's still weird to me. You lot are weird.

Max & Dave - Kiss FM Rap Show 28.09.94

Max & Dave's Wednesday night show from September 1994. On this tape you get part of the chart (and what a selection that is) and then the second half of the show (from 8pm onwards) is a UK special with tracks selected by the listeners. Full playlist is on Mixcloud, or on the Hip Hop Radio Archive where you can also download it.

Red Alert on Kiss FM (28.12.90)

Kool DJ Red Alert on WKRS in December 1990. Another one where I'm not entirely sure of the original source as I just found it on a CDR with some other bits from 2007.

DJ Riz on WKCR (10.08.00)

Not sure where or when I originally downloaded this but I discovered it on a hard drive recently and it's great. Riz appears on Bobbito's CM Famalam show back in 2000 and goes in with an hour of unreleased/bootleg/promo only joints. All that under the counter, in the know, holy grail shit that alot of us hadn't even seen until the internet arrived.

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DJ Step One - Reminiscence

Found myself with enough time to have a little mix earlier and this was the result.  Given the nature of this blog it's probably no surprise that nostalgic raps* and autobiographical raps are one of my favourite themes/sub genres so here's some of the better ones...

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Troubleneck Brothers - Back To The Hip Hop (remix)

Dred Scott - Back In The Days

2Pac - Old School (B.Cause remix)

Missy Elliot ft Jay Z - Back In The Day

Game ft Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Pusha T, Bun B, Young Buck & Keisha Cole - Pain (remix)

Nas - Surviving The Times

Large Professor - Dreams Don't Die

Rakim - Remember That

LL Cool J - The Truth

Dr Dre - My Life (aka Smokin Weed For Hours)

Ice Cube - Growin Up

Choong Family - Memory Lane

Kyza - Lucozade Bottles

Blak Twang - 19 Long Time

Wan Cee - Rememberance

Marco Polo ft Masta Ace - Nostalgia

Ghostface Killah ft Black Thought - In The Park

KRS ONE - My Life

Nas - Where Are They Now (90s remix)

*Just to clarify, nostalgic raps about Union Square, Latin Quarter and Dapper Dan are fine, new rappers trying to recreate the 90s and giving it the 'hey guys who remembers Illmatic?!' and wetting themselves with glee and over-rapping their hearts out when Premo tosses them one of his recent dry as fuck beats, not so much.

The greatest blog of all time started on March 9th!

Only Built For zShare Links is now officially 10 years deep, deep like the mines of Minolta (is that even a place?) and I've satisfied my mild OCD by making the anniversary coincide with the 1000th post! Having been conceived as just a good name for a blog, when zShare was still a popular file hosting site, I then came up with the concept based around "what if Nah Right was around in the 90s?"

Ironically I've outlasted Nah Right and most other hip hop blogs and given it was old stuff to begin with, the posts from 10 years ago are (mostly) still as relevant now as they were at the time. Originally it was a case of finding the highlights on tapes of old rap radio and uploading freestyles and DJ mixes, which then evolved into posting full shows, as well as a load of mixtapes, obscure vinyl rips in the form of bootleg remixes and unreleased heat, plus my own mixes. I exhausted my own collection of tapes some time ago so big up to Tobes, Rio, Dise One, Diablo, MK, Richard, Cratedigga, Mr Lawson, Grime & Lime and anyone else who hooked me up with gems from their collection to share. Thanks to everyone that checks in regularly or contributed in some way and if you're one of those randoms that sends anonymous impolite emails that just say "ayo re-upload all your Clue and Kayslay shit" please stop. You ain't got no wins in mi casa. 

As I mentioned recently, I'm not sure if I'll continue on with the site at the moment. I've got another project that needs my attention as well as the small matter of a new born baby (Step 2?) to look after, although it turns out that waiting for him to go back to sleep at 4am is kind of an ideal time for blogging. I've not got too many tapes to post right now but do have a couple of connects waiting to hook me up. It's just a matter of having the time to meet up with them, and then getting a new cassette deck. In the meantime I'll still be posting things up on the Mixcloud page and adding to the Westwood Archives and the Hip Hop Radio Archive. If anyone knows a suitable alternative to Audiomack (ie one with a stream and download option) let me know. Alot of the links on the old posts are still good so if you're a late comer or fancy some nostalgia of nostalgia feel free to go back through it all.

Finally, as it's March 9th (one of the few rap anniversaries I acknowledge) here's a great mix of Biggie blends by J Period and G Brown...

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I was planning to drop a Westwood show from '99 where Biggie's mum is the studio guest but the motor on the tape player had other ideas.

[NB: Before anyone checks, the first post was on March 8th but that's not a thing is it? Technically it started after that I guess but I didn't do the anniversary yesterday due to the aforementioned baby and also I was only at 998 posts.]

DJ Filthy Rich presents Hard To Earn (2019)

Filthy Rich continues to bring the heat with his themed mixes, this time dedicated to what is probably my favourite Gang Starr album, and definitely the one with the best singles. Check the technique...

tracklist
DWYCK ft Nice & Smooth [Filthy blend]

Comin’ for Datazz [Filthy blend]

Mass Appeal (ft Quran, Lord Finesse) [Filthy blend]

Brainstorm

Now You’re Mine (Chumps Get Beatdown) [Filthy blend]

Code of the Streets [Filthy blend]

Speak Ya Clout (ft Jeru, Nutcracker, Lil Dap) [ReFix]

Blowin’ up the Spot

Tonz ‘o’ Gunz (ft Lil Vicious) [Filthy ReFix]

The Question Remainz 

Borough Check (w/ Digable Planets)

F.A.L.A. (ft Big Shug)

Suckas Need Bodyguards

Alongwaytogo

Mostly Tha Voice

Doe In Advance (OG Unreleased version)

Serious Rap Shit (w/ Group Home)

The Planet