hey there. happy new year. it's 2008 and you can expect more blend sessions outta me this year, for sure. with the amount of hip-hop tracks that i found over at ioda promonet, plus the material that i was sent by the good people at foundation media, a continuous mix was absolutely necessary. about a third of the selections in this mix are off the rawkus 50 label, a strictly digital campaign by rawkus records, reinventing themselves for a new generation of hip-hop listeners and a constantly changing music business.

the mix kicks off with a soulful cut from doujah raze, founding member of trilogy records. from there it's on to intricate minds, a five-member crew straight outta alberta, canada. after that, we head down to the "d"...as in detroit, for a track from finale, an mc that j-dilla allegedly referred to as "the best mc in detroit," according to the liner notes on the rawkus 50 sampler. keep an eye out for d. huston's album dropping later this year. if his debut single is any indication of what we have to look forward to, he's gonna be a contender in the game. think twice takes us back up to canada for one of my favorite songs in the mix. as a producer, he definitely has that early '90s boom bap down pat and he proves to be a double threat with lyrics to boot. meanwhile, the together brothers back up the time-tested slogan "don't mess with texas." the houston duo brings a little pimp swagger to the session, flipping donald byrd's "wind parade" with neck-snapping results.

the1shanti lives in brooklyn and helped start the soulspazm imprint for rawkus as well as his own flatbush junction label. interesting quote from his myrawkus page: "Last year, Afrika Bambaataa dubbed me India Bambaataa for being the first emcee to break hip hop commercially in India." pretty damn cool when you think about it. quick stop over to dirty jersey for a sweet instrumental from maleet, which segues into a joint from zimbabwe legit, one of the first african rap groups to gain international acclaim. mike g of the jungle brothers joins them for a guest spot. after that, a pair of instrumentals to add a different vibe: the first from the flavor foundation, the second from modaji (aka dodgy mo). the former has a hint of middle eastern influence while the latter is that midtempo soul, a understated funkiness to it all. can't explain it - it's just hot, trust me.

gotta do better about representing for my heads around the way in 2008. with that in mind, the last part of the mix showcases some freestyle skills via my man baba israel. following that is the first single from duo live's latest album, which features talib kweli spittin' a verse. had to include scavone's joint, which is dedicated to all my heads who have ever been stopped by the police for no good reason. and then there's the cut from mick boogie's dillagence mix tape, featuring busta rhymes doing his thing over dilla's beats. there's so much backwards masking on this version that you'll swear satan himself was rhymin' in a zone, but i'd rather have the radio edit than deal with busta's usual string of "niggas" and "bitches" uttered throughout the track. his usage of both terms is just plain overboard, to the point where he uses them like the rest of us say "man" or "woman." i know i have a podcast and therefore i don't have to worry about keeping it clean for radio and all that, but i wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if i put the dirty version on here. i chose to save your ears from that, and at the end of the day i feel better for it.

closing out the mix is a quick bit from the blastmaster, krs-one, as well as a great introspective cut from ellis (that beat is crazy - dark and kinda paranoid-sounding) and one more mick boogie mixtape selection. sounds like he remixed jay-z's american gangster album using primarily marvin gaye samples. that whole project's available for free download, so if you're curious, just check the track listing below for the link towards the free goods. hope you enjoy this one, and again, expect more blends sessions from me in 2008, be it hip-hop, house, techno, or a mixed bag of different genres...

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1. doujah raze - "where you are" {buy via amazon or emusic}
2. intricate minds - "your neighborhood" {buy via amazon or emusic}
3. finale - "the back story (feat. bilal salaam)" [buylink listed below]
4. d. huston - "so good (feat. kenn starr, rob swift, and kev brown)" [buylink listed below]
5. think twice - "stars" [buylink listed below]
6. together brothers - "fly guys" [buylink listed below]
7. the1shanti - "do your thing" [buylink listed below]
8. maleet - "come on down" [buylink listed below]
9. zimbabwe legit - "where i'm at (feat. mike g of the jungle brothers)" [buylink listed below]
10. the flavor foundation - "the journey within" {buy via itunes}
11. modaji - "don't explain" [buylink listed below]
12. baba israel and yako - "freestyle with jesus" {buy via cdbaby}
13. duo live - "caught up (feat. talib kweli)" {buy via amazon or emusic}
14. scavone - "arrestin' me" {buy via amazon or emusic}
15. busta rhymes & j dilla - "step up"{free mixtape download}
16. krs-one - "the pad and the pen" (from free cd included with his book, ruminations)
17. ellis - "one man set up" [buylink listed below]
18. jay-z and marvin gaye - "hello brooklyn 2.0 (feat. lil' wayne)"

promonet links:
Finale
"The Back Story feat. Bilal Salaam" (mp3)
from "Rawkus 50 Presents Develop"
(Rawkus 50)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
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More On This Album

D. Huston, Kenn Starr, DJ Rob Swift, Kev Brown
"So Good" (mp3)
from "So Good (f/ Kenn Starr, Rob Swift, & Kev Brown)"
(Mello Music Group)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

Think Twice
"Stars" (mp3)
from "With a Loop and Some Swing"
(Public Transit Recordings)

Buy at eMusic
Buy at Napster
Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

Together Brothers
"Fly Guys" (mp3)
from "Rawkus 50 Presents Together Brothers"
(Rawkus 50)

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More On This Album

the1shanti
"Do Your Thing" (mp3)
from "Rawkus 50 Presents the1shanti"
(Rawkus 50)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
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More On This Album

Maleet
"Come On Down" (mp3)
from "Many Moods of Maleet (Instrumentals)"
(Perspective Music, Inc.)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
Buy at Amazon
More On This Album

Zimbabwe Legit
"Where I'm At feat. Mike G of Jungle Bros." (mp3)
from "Where I'm At"
(pH Music, LLC)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

Modaji
"Don't Explain" (mp3)
from "Speaker Quake"
(Altered Vibes Ltd.)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
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More On This Album

Ellis
"One Man Set Up" (mp3)
from "Lean Style"
(Fish and Crown)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Amazon
More On This Album

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