may_08.

it really is… so listen up.

spring is going strong right about now – not that anyone in florida could ever tell the difference between seasons. nevertheless, around this time of year i like to spin a more smoothed out variety of hip hop in my headphones. this way, i can save the “rolling boil” of head banger tracks until the heat of summer. plus, i mist say that i really enjoyed the songs this month… mixed in with songs that are now considered “old school” there was a lot of new material from classic indie hip hop acts, and thats never a bad thing.

preview here / download here

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keith murray & redman – funkmaster flex freestyle
clipped from the original funk flex mix cd, def squad’s finest over a classic wu-tang beat sounded like the perfect way to get things going this month.

the beatnuts – watch out now
remember when there were actually latino mc’s who weren’t garbage? who the hell else could possibly work the phrase “dimelo cono” into a hook?

shad – i don’t like to
canadia stand up. shad’s “the old prince” cd is wearing out my itunes rotation lately mostly because he’s clever on the mic in the same way mf doom is.

the roots – criminal ft. saigon & truck north
yes, MKS… its *that* saigon from “entourage.” but mostly, this song is about black thought and the roots maintaining their rep for being consistent and brilliant.

santogold – shove it
yeah, it’s trendy, but i’m a full out santogold jocker. if i was still burning trees like a champ, this track would keep my thumb on the repeat button.

lyrics born – top shelf
it took me a while to warm up to this song because lyrics born had always been so badass on the mic going back to the solesides/latyrx days. comparatively speaking this song is candy – but good tasting candy, so its all good.

lil’ sci – higher ft. tiffany paige
i forgot how much i used to rock scienz of life back in the late 90s. lil sci hasn’t lost a step at all, and the production here is soulful enough to compliment him perfectly.

c rayz walz – see you thin
speaking of mc’s bringing it back to the late 90s, c-rayz teaches class on this song. nobody has ever successfully transitioned from brilliant to doofy to brilliant in one verse any better.

cannibal ox – mecca and the ox
vast aire & vordul mega… with pete rock on the production. this song is a nyc hip hop nerd’s wet dream. no homo.

jazz liberatorz – ease my mind ft. tre hardson, fatlip & omni
the jazz liberator’s record “clin d’oeil” is one of my favorites of 2008. the contributions from buckshot, raashan ahmad (of crown city rockers), and j-live were all amazing. but semi-reuniting THE PHARCYDE with a classic track? those kids outdid themselves.

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favorite lyric in this mix:

“quality music getting quality spins, ya’ll make second rate chingy’s at the quality inn. and that’s a joke to a real rapper, i could decrease the skill factor and i’d still make you feel wacker. aw gee, now you got me sounding cocky – cats say “you the illest” and i’m like nah b, nah b, nah b… well, ok probably. but thats just only cause i rap like it’s my hobby, not a jobby job all sloppy and off key… ya’ll mad as march tryin’ to knock off the top seed. i’m in the mix like roxy, so hot – i even get props from neo-nazis…”
– shad, “i don’t like to“