Last week was a busy one for mixtape releases. We're starting to get backlogged, but we're not complaining, especially when most everything we're hearing is worth sharing. Choose your own adventure: Prince and his Minnesota fam, hip-hop artists starting with the letter J, Dilla (<-- see what we did there?), or an eclectic, live set by the late, great DJ Mehdi.
Wax Poetics - Issue 50 Mix:
To promote their recent 50th issue/10th anniversary, Wax Poetics released this mix of artists featured in the issue, most prominently Prince and a few of his hometown associates and former collaborators, including The Time, Jesse Johnson, Andre Cymone, and Larry Graham. FA did the actual mixing, and like everything else Wax Poetics has cranked out in the past decade, it's official. If you missed OKP head honcho Questlove's WP article, "33 Reasons Why Prince is Hip-Hop," here are 10 to get you started.
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Total Eclipse - "The J Tape"
Original X-Ecutioners crew member and recent BET Master of the Mix contestant, Total Eclipse just dropped this free mix featuring classics, breaks, mashups, and remixes from famous artists who share the same letter of the alphabet: J. Of all the letters to choose from, this one yields a massive amount of heat. J. Dilla, Jay-Z, Jay Electronica feature prominently in the mix. Some of the standout tracks include a mashup of Jay-Z's "Song Cry" with Dilla's "Don't Cry," and Dilla's "Laser Gunne Funke" with Jay-Z's "December 4th." Keep an eye out for a few of the mashups as downloadable loosies.
DJ Mehdi - Unreleased Set at Stones Throw vs. Ed Banger Party, 2009:
This uptempo party set by the late, great DJ Mehdi popped up just last week. It was recorded March 2009 at Le Bataclan in Paris (recently featured on OKP for hosting some seemingly epic Black Star performances). Re: the week, we suggest you set it off.
DJ GETLIVE! - Donuts Are Forever 6 Tribute Mix
Every February for six years and running, Rare Form has been hosting the NYC Dilla tribute, Donuts Are Forever. DJ GETLIVE! was one of this year's featured DJs at Brooklyn Bowl. Wouldn't ya know, he steady bootlegged his own set and posted it on Soundcloud for anyone who missed all the fun.
