Although the majority of you will know these tunes inside out, there is always something highly satisfying about a mix that brings together some quality beats with skill and finesse. These are the sort of albums that I throw on when friends are around as they appeal to even casual hip hop listeners due to the high standard of cuts throughout. However, there is also something here for your more serious head as the mix puts a unique spin on otherwise familiar tunes. This Nervous Hip Hop compilation fits nicely into this bracket, with Kenny Dope selecting some classic Boot Camp joints and a few other bits and pieces to keep that head nodding.
I love the way that this mix has some extended instrumental sections that blend seemlessly with other cuts that have vocals over the top. Big beats and funky horn loops are the key link between the selections here and the mix as a whole is dope. In all truth I don’t have a great deal to say about this album, although perhaps ‘Six Million Ways To Die’ deserves a special mention. I love Nine’s gritty delivery and there are very few non-LP appearances by the man so this is a bonus in a quality mix. There is some nice back spinning at the beginning of the tune that extends the intro and when the vocals kick in it is as good as any track off ‘Nine Livez’ or ‘Cloud 9’. Skip to the bottom of this post for the link and enjoy.
MPC500:
Thought I’d chuck in a couple of other bits today due to the slightly short post. Saw this in a magazine aimed at those involved in the production game today and couldn’t resist sharing it with you. As I imagine is the case for many a diehard fan, the dream of delving into beatmaking at times seems all to appealing. This new mobile MPC would be top of my gadget hitlist if I had bottomless pockets and hours of time to kill pressing little rubber pads and pretending that I had moved up in status from avid listener to bangin’ producer. Fortunately I have enough awareness of myself to know that I have neither the record collection nor the musical ability to warrant owning one. Still, you can’t stop a man from dreaming and this battery powered unit has me sat on a late night train putting together beats that sound like Pete Rock c. ’94. Check out the Chocolate Boy Wonder doing his thing, close your eyes and imagine people…
FROM DA BRICKS 
