Tuesday, October 27, 2009

DJ Maz - Tribe Vibes Mix.



Got a story to tell... One of the illest nights i ever had...
This was like spring of '98 i think, at the end of junior year of college...
Me & my boys (Ant Rich, McKean Bolognese, Barnyard Cooney
& On the Go Joe) crammed into my Civic, headed down to Baltimore
to catch a show...Outkast was opening up for Rakim... Crucial right?
But it never happenend... Well almost... On the way down I-95 i was
skirtin & swervin in the whip (as i did in those days) & I cut off these
Jamaican cats real bad... So immediately they felt some type way
about it & had to return the favor... I was game for the challenge,
although not everyone in the car shared my same enthusiasm...
What ensued after that was the illest car chase i've ever been in
(just eclipsing when i tried to race these Asian cats in a souped up
Accord thru the Lincoln Tunnel early one morning after a long night
in NYC)... We was easily pushin 90-100 back & forth thru 4 lanes of
freeway traffic, eventually enticing 2 more cars to get in on it...
Sometimes you get into a zone & its just like a video game...
The illest part was it went on for like 30 min, miles & miles of
freeway, all 4 cars passing each other & laughing our asses off
(except the crazy lookin dude in the old benz, he was enjoyin too
much, like he was waitin for one of us to crash, like it was for real
for real for him)... So we get to UMBC for the show at dusk, all hype
after my Mario Andretti impersonation, and ready for some hip-hop...
It was a dope spring night when finally the chill in the air had worn
off, the stage was setup outside on campus, there was honeys out &
flexin their springtime outfits, all ingredients for an epic show right?
Outkast went on for like 10 minutes, the sound was so wack, we
couldn't hear shit, they didn't even finish their set... Rakim didn't
even bother... So now we're completely vexed and we're like aiight
lets go get bent (until we get straight again)... I was a team sober
all-star in those days, so i was always driving... So we scooped up
some 40s, drove right back to Philly and went to this low-key spot
called Paradise Alley, some graff writers were hosting a night there..
Well the night became legendary unbeknownst to us at the time...
Bambaataa was spinnin upstairs, all the b-boys was gettin down up
there, downstairs in one room i saw Dj Ghetto do the illest live set
with 3 decks & 2 mixers... Wish they had youtube back then.. All i
can remember is that he flipped some guitar sample & a breakbeat
& it sounded just like Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin' Ta Fuck Wit...
In the other room Mister Cee blew us completely out the box by
flipping an entire set a just breaks... He had everything, was
playing originals to like every crucial joint, Kane samples,
Rakim samples, Kool G samples... First time i ever heard a set like
that, no hip-hop, just jazz & funk samples... My mans Barnyard aka
B-Hovah and I were officially hooked... Around that time all the
Strictly Breaks & Dusty Fingers comps were surfacing, along with
cats like Soulman & Kon&Amir puttin out incredible mixtapes...
So that's how this mix came to be... Tribe was always my fav &
I picked up the Tribe Vibes comp soon after that night, me &
Barnyard stayed up one night, plotted & masterminded this mix...
Goes from People's Instinctive to Beats, Rhymes & Life...
Pulled from my original Maxell cassette, but still sounds pretty
crispy considering...
Enjoy y'all...

Monday, October 19, 2009

DJ Maz - The Golden Era Mix - Vol. 4.



Aiight the 4th installment... Most likely a 5th on the way...
This one looks at the Native Tongues sound & influence...
It had a major influence on hip-hop in terms of production,
sampling, lyrical content, consciousness & the overall feel...
Hip-hop slowed down, became jazzy & bugged out...
Similar to the transition in Jamaica in the 70's from ska to
rocksteady to reggae...
The Native Tongues movement was responsible for getting me
deeper into hip-hop at an impressionable young age, back in
like '88 when the Jungle Brothers came straight out the jungle...
Furthermore, I got deeper into music & culture in general...
I started diggin' for jazz & funk records from the liner notes of
all those seminal albums of the time...
Needless to say it was very formative for me as a young teen,
and its influence in hip-hop music, even today, is endless...
Enjoy y'all...

A Tribe Called Quest - Verses From The Abstract
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - In The House
Black Sheep - Without A Doubt
The Nonce - Keep It On
The B.U.M.S - Elevation (Free My Mind)
Big Daddy Kane - The PJ's
Kurious - Uptown Shit
Hard 2 Obtain - L.I. Groove
Organized Konfusion - Why
Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs - I'm Laughin'
No I.D. feat. Common Sense - State To State
Lord Finesse - Hip 2 Da Game
Beatnuts - Props Over Here
Da Bush Babees - We Run Things (It's Like Dat)
Leaders Of The New School - What's Next
De La Soul feat. ATCQ - She Fe Mc's
King Tee feat. Tha Alkaholiks - Got It Bad Y'all
Tha Alkaholiks feat. ODB - Hip Hop Drunkies
Tha Alkaholiks - Make Room
Tha Alkaholiks feat. Q-Tip - All The Way Live
Mobb Deep feat. Q-Tip - Drink Away The Pain
Xzibit feat. Mobb Deep - Eyes May Shine (Remix)
Redman feat. Method Man - Do What U Feel
Erick Sermon feat. Keith Murray - Tell 'Em
Jamal - Fades 'Em All (Pete Rock Remix)

DJ Maz - The Golden Era Mix - Vol. 3.



I start this one off with some of Pete Rock's production highlights...
Next I spotlight some of my fav Q-Tip guest appearances & verses...
Then I segway into some joints from the Hieroglyphics supercrew...
I bring it back to the east coast & end it on the smooth gangsta tip...
If you need a refresher course in the best period of hip-hop period,
get it below...

INI - Fakin' Jax
AZ - Rather Unique
Jeru Tha Damaja - Can't Stop The Prophet (Pete Rock Remix)
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - One In A Million
Rough House Survivors feat. CL Smooth - Can U Dig It?
A.D.O.R. - Let It All Hang Out
Das Efx - Jussumen (Pete Rock Remix)
Craig Mack feat. Q-Tip - Get Down (Remix)
Big Daddy Kane feat. Q-Tip - Come On Down
A Tribe Called Quest feat. Busta Rhymes - 1,2 1,2
A Tribe Called Quest feat. Large Professor - Keep It Rollin'
Del feat. Pep Love & Q-Tip - The Undisputed Champs
Casual feat. Del - A Little Something
Casual feat. Pep Love & Del - Who's It On
Kurious feat. Casual - What's The Real
Extra Prolific feat. Pep Love - Go Back To School
Souls Of Mischief - Make Your Mind Up
Da Youngsta's - Incredible
The Roots - Distortion To Static
Mad Skillz - The Nod Factor
Mad Skillz feat. Q-Tip & Large Pro - Extra Abstract Skills
Rottin' Rascalz - Oh Yeah
Cypress Hill - Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk
Black Moon - Buck 'Em Down (Remix)
2Pac feat. DJ Quik - Late Night

DJ Maz - The Golden Era Mix - Vol. 2.



This one is pretty straightforward all the way thru...
On that gritty city, hooded up, rob you on the train...
Take ur Nike Airs and ur lunch money type ish...

O.C. - Time's Up
Kool G Rap - Ill Street Blues
Pudgee feat. Kool G Rap - This Is How We F*ck It Up
Red Hot Lover Tone - 4 My Peeps (Buckwild Remix)
M.O.P. - How About Some Hardcore
M.O.P. - Blue Steel
Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep
Lord Finesse - Return Of The Funkyman
Beatnuts - Reign Of The Tec
Eric B. & Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique
Grand Daddy I.U. - Represent
Big Daddy Kane - Stop Shammin'
Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin'
Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane
Main Source - Fakin' The Funk
Main Source - Live At The BBQ
MC Serch - Back To The Grill
Grand Puba - What Goes Around Comes Around
Grand Puba - This Is How We Do It
Brand New Heavies feat. Grand Puba - Who Makes The Loot
Casual - Thoughts Of The Thoughtful
Beatnuts - Let Off A Couple
Gang Starr - B.Y.S.
Black Moon - How Many Emcees
Smif 'N' Wessun - Bucktown
Jeru Tha Damaja - Da Bitchez
Notorious B.I.G. - Unbelievable
Da KIng & I - Tears
Intelligent Hoodlum - Grand Groove (Remix)

Sunday, October 18, 2009

DJ Maz - The Kev Brown Mix.


I hope nobody who reads this still ain't up on my
mans here, my mid-atlantic brethren...
Quickly moving up my list of all-time fav producers...
Sets himself apart in very elite company by being nice
on the M-I-C as well (Dilla, Diamond D, Pete Rock)...
Made this mix years ago while the kid was still bubbling...
Low Budget... Raw Gritty... Nuff Said... Don't ask questions...
Just peep it...

Friday, October 16, 2009

DJ Maz - Brasil Beats.



A lil' gumbo pot of some different Brasilian flavors from
my trip down there a couple years ago...
Hip-Hop, Favela Funk, Reggae, Rock, Freestyle...
Enjoy...
(Also peep my Fresh From Rio mix on this blog)