The beat in the background is “Interstellar” from Milan jazzophiles The Dining Rooms, from their “Do Hipsters Love Sun Ra” LP released in 2015.

RIP Phife Dawg AKA Malik Izaak Taylor

Nov 20, 1970 – Mar 22, 2016

Jive

1991

I kicked this off with Phife building over Vibes n Stuff instrumental – Always loved this Grant Green sample, and the interview is from MTV, years back.

Jive

1996

This is one of the very few Phife acapellas in existence. I just wanted to drop the beat out for a sec and hear the brother do his thing before getting into the whole mix below.

Bootleg

1994

This came out on bootleg vinyl around 94 or so. I think it was intended as a remix of The Chase Pt II, but who knows. The sonic quality is adequately bootleg, but nothing beyond that.

Jive

1992

Any Phife fan can rap every verse of this verbatim. It is etched into my brain alongside The Beatles “Help” and The Clash’s “Death or Glory”. You know it too, don’t you?

Bootleg

2006

A short edit of two verses from a track he made in 1996 with the NY Giants’ Rodney Hampton for the “NFL Jams” Compilation (seriously). The Dilla beat is awesome, yet again, and any chance to rhyme Vince Lombardi with “party” is a good thing IMO. Rodney Hampton’s verses were straight garbage LOL and had to be edited out.

Jive

2003

Props to Neil Whiting for reminding me about this track from the High School High soundtrack. Such a dope Q-Tip beat. This particular type of sonic simplicity was Tip’s real genius IMO. And it was the DNA Dilla seemingly absorbed in whatever of toxic waste accident gave him dem super powers.

Jive

1993

This too came out on bootleg before surfacing as a B-side of an “Oh My God” promo. I think it got an official release on a Love Movement bonus LP. I kept Tip’s verse in cuz I always loved the way he shouted out Riker’s island cell blocks and followed it up with a Spacely Sprockets ref. Seriously. Nobody ever did that before (or since). Recognize.

Jive

1993

“And to top it off, Starks got ejected” – This one line embodies everything that I loved about Phife. He spoke in the language of every person in NYC. Peep the original Brasilian break. This is some real romantic candle-light dinner in an 80s movie type track.

Jive

1993

One of the many remixes of this track – this one from the domestic 12”. No Busta on the chorus, and I think Phife re-recorded his lyrics for some reason.

Jive

1990

One of my favorites from the first album. Feels like it was the first time we really heard Phife step out front. Built on a great sample from Grover Washington Jr’s “Loran’s Dance” from his 1978 Reed Seed LP.

Jive

1993

The final track on 1993’s utterly flawless Midnight Marauders LP. I always loved the slightly syncopated rhythm of the bassline on this track. It just gives each measure this slight push and pull. And the JB’s vocal loop is pure Q-Tip genius.

Jive

1993

Another thing about Phife that always spoke to me was his connection to the West Indies. It was forever woven throughout his lyrics. Sometimes his Trini accent would come through, just when he needed to emphasize the point. Sometimes not. Like in this song when he says “This is dedicated to all then honeys that be Boglin’ ” – The Bogle dance was all the rage in reggae clubs at the very moment the song dropped. The Bogle Dance was a creation of Gerald Levy aka Father Bogle aka Wacky. He took the name from the famous Jamaican deacon and activist Paul Bogle – leader of the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion. People would make gun fingers in homage to how gangsta Paul Bogle really was in standing up to his downpressors.

Jive

1996

Sweet Jesus this beat is FIRE. This has Dilla written all over it. The man was a master of subtlety. I mean, there’s almost nothing there, and yet there is something there. Just enough, in fact. The perfect amount of funk. This was his gift.

Jive

1991

I can barley describe how much of a big shot I felt like when I got my first skypager. Pre-cellphone. Pre-two way pager. It was the thing that told the Hip Hop world you were so important that people HAD to be able to reach you, no matter where you were on the globe. Not that I was ever important, but it felt that way, and that was enough.

Pro Era

2016

East Flatbush represent! Joey Bada$$ released this on the 2016 anniversary of Biggie’s death. Statik Selektah has been absolutely KILLING IT on production for the last few years, and the streak continues. The chorus, sung so badly it’s almost good, is kind of a throwback to those days when rappers like Grand Puba weren’t shy about singing off key for the right hook.

Capitol Records

1994

I was in the studio with them the day this song was recorded, and I’ve been saying ever since that Digable’s entire “Blowout Comb” LP is the most slept on Hip Hop record in existence. Fucking LOVE this shit.

Dymond Mine Records

2014

That’s right. One of the greatest producers ever, Diamond D, is back! With an entire album, no less. OK this actually came out awhile back, but who cares. It’s great. No, really. Dude hasn’t lost a step. And his rhymes are what they always were – just good enough to make you like him, but never stepping on his A-list roster of guest vocalists. The sample is lifted from the Ohio Players’ “Pride & Vanity”, which you will recognize from a classic Mary J track if nothing else.

Self-released

2013

Did Lord Sear have a kid in Boston back in 1994? Cuz I swear Michael Christmas could be that kid. Just 22, Michael Christmas is repping lovely for nerds and outcasts of all stripes. He even made a video.

Wreck Records

1995

Threw the acapella over an old Dilla beat (“Sounds Like Love”) he made for Illa J and voila!

Self-released

2015

Just when you want to give up on Hip Hop for good, along comes a kid like A F R O aka All Flows Reach Out. He was discovered at 16 in a Youtube rap contest that R.A. The Rugged Man put together. Download his “Tales From The Basement” mixtape. It does not disappoint. MCing is alive and well in 2016. If you don’t know, now you know.

Self-released

2019

The pride of Lawrence, Mass – a ghetto wasteland akin to Bridgeport, Conn – Termanology continues to hold it down. What he lacks in original subject matter, he makes up for in sheer lyrical flow. The dude is just nice with his. And more importantly, he invariably has great beats – thanks to cuts like this 2013 gem from Statik Selektah, who delivers, as always. I randomly met Statik hanging out with Dante Ross in a strip club in LA some years back, so its clear that I run with classy mother fuckers.

Mixtape

2016

Slow, Nyquil-esque Hip Hop is not really my thing, but my GOD did Alchemist put his foot in this beat. Get yourself some proper speakers and turn it up. YES! Let the sub-bass flow through you!

Glorious Dead

2016

After years and years of mix tapes, the Flatbush Zombies finally release an album – 3001: A Laced Odyssey. I give them props for the Kubrick pun alone. Being 21st century kids, most of the record is real downtempo, with some trap type beats the kids are so crazy for these days, but rest assured, lyrically it delivers. And the album cover art is straight up bananas.

Glow365

2016

The Slum Village veteran from the D never fails to bring it. This came out 2 weeks ago. Jazz drummer Karriem Riggins made the beat and it’s Land-O-Lakes quality butter.

Roc-A-Fella

2001

UK producer Jimmy Green made a whole mixtape back in 2009 called “What if Dilla produced The Blueprint?”. I guess some beats were actually submitted to Jigga for the LP, but he passed. Good thing he released those acapella albums so we could find out.

Bootleg

1981

Wreck Records

1994

I threw a snippet from the legendary 1981 Kool Moe Dee VS Busy Bee Harlem World Battle at the front of this track, just to remind de yoot dem where this all comes from. Pretty sure that’s DJ Hollywood shouting out Blimpie’s.

Affine Records

2015

Speaking of Dilla, without him, I highly doubt you’d have Jazz cats from Vienna like Sixtus Preiss making weird instrumental songs like this. That snare is just slightly early for a reason.

Interscope

2016

Kendrick’s new album is great. Not as mind blowing as his last, perhaps, but it’s full of originality and wit and dopeness and street wisdom on a level that almost nobody else is operating. Seriously. When future historians write about Hip Hop in the second decade of this millennium, they will be talking about Kendrick, while most everybody else will be completely forgotten. Put that in your time capsule and smoke it.

Epic Street

1995

G Rap and Nas acapella over a recent edit of James Brown’s “Blind Man Can See It”, from the Black Caesar soundtrack. When Kool G Rap gets moving, as he does here, he’s unstoppable. The original track was a very half-assed loop of Mtume’s “Juicy”, and I always felt like the lyrics deserved better.

Self-released

2015

Somebody took the original JB’s cut “The Grunt” and replaced all of the bomb squad samples. Still one of my all time favorite songs, no matter how you slice it. And the energy and impact of the original JB’s song still holds up.

Self-released

2011

Slept on smoothness from Slakah’s 2011 Something Special LP on BBE. Has a real Raphael Saadiq thing going on. Makes me want to dance right now.

Self-released

2019

An old school-ish party track from Termanology’s Cameo King III.

Bad Boy

1997

Valencia’s Cookin Soul aka Big Size & Zock never make a bad mash up. These dudes should hook up with The Weeknd and make some magic.

Warner Bros.

1973

The original Lalo Schifrin song from the Enter The Dragon Soundtrack is so great, I just had to tease it in a little. Busta was in top form in 1997, as you can clearly witness here. Props to Chilly Willy, the only penguin in the North pole.

Priority 

1997

Slept on OST track.

Self-released

2017

Carolina MC Chox-Mak, whose whole crew is called “90s Flow”, dropped this track in 2014. The lyrics are kinda whatever, but I just love this beat.

Stones Throw

2004

MF Doom made a whole mixtape of Sade beats. It’s as weird and random as you would expect, but I do like this track. He only put drums in the left channel LOL.

Dymond Mine Records

2014

Another lovely track from that Diamond D album. And Alchemist can spit, for realz.

Self-released

2014

As I said above, get this mixtape. This dude is the truth. And this beat is murder. And I’m getting tired of writing these liner notes.

Eighth Dimension

2002

Turns out Orlando had a rapper back in 2001 or so and he made some nice tracks. This is news to me but never too late to shine some light on good music. The album cover is so fucking 2001 Photoshop rave flyer you’d almost think it was a throwback parody.

Pay Day

1993

In my top 10 90s tracks fo sho. Maybe DJ Premier’s greatest beat? I dunno, but it’s up there. The drums are just so hard on this shit.

Original Cultures

2016

Did I mention I’m tired of writing these liner notes. Just sit back and enjoy this beat.

Tommy Boy

2000

I was going to end the mixtape with the previous track, but then I remembered that my man DJ Whyteout from the Chi had posted this sleeper from De La’s 2000 LP Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump on FB, and after a few listens I was like “I’ll be damned… this shit is really really good!”