I read this thing saying smartphones have created a race of cyborgs by making the internet extensions of our bodies, even though it’s not sewn on.

My question is: if I want to smack people who diddle their iPhones all the time, does that make me a racist?

This is Robots Will Fuck Your Shit Up, v3.0.

Exit Multi Mode - Jel / Farewell To The Flesh - Jedi Mind Tricks / Untitled #17 & 18 - Mr. Dibbs / Error Data - Powell / Robot Reality - Taborshell / Do It Like A Robot (Hell Rocks The Equalizer Remix) - Princess Superstar / Cyborg - DJ Quest / We Can Build You - Techno Animal (feat. El-P & Vast Aire) / Cyborg Dread - Techno Animal (feat. Dr. Israel) / Les Petits Yeux Métalliques - Brain Damage / Deshominisation (I) - Alain Goraguer / Robots Forever - Lil B / She Scanned - Four Tet / T-electronique - Faust & Dälek / 0101001011001101011 - Attacks The Darkness / Man Or Machine - K-The-I??? (feat. Mestizo)

The word robot was coined by Karel Capek in his 1920 play, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). Know what it’s about?  Robots rise up and kill the whole human race, that’s what.  Y’all been warned.

This is Robots Will Fuck Your Shit Up, v2.0

Straight Outta Skynet / Stupid Robot - Company Flow / African Robotics - Super Chron Flight Brothers / Dirty Robots - Exile / Bladerunners - Mike Ladd (feat. Company Flow) / Blood of the Robot - Rick Rude, Phree Wil, Jewels Hunter, DJ WD4D & DJ Able / Mechanical Advantage - Deepspace 5 / Fuckin’ Robots - Sick Symphonies / War With Robots (feat. PW Singer) / Please Disperse Immediately - Nephlim Modulation Systems / Annihilator Robot - DJ T-Rock / Digital War Lessons - Rouh & Qrazsirs / Humanity Vs Technology - Orko The Sycotik Alien / Programmed To Hunt - Jel / At War With Robots - Solaris Earth Pipeline / Attaque Des Robots - Alain Goraguer / Dominant Species (Instrumental) - Rheturik / Y’all Been Warned - The RZA

It’s been 90 years since the word robot was coined, and they’re firmly embedded in our culture, art and subconscious…and they still don’t exist yet.

Most robot stories have the theme of empathy–of bridging the uncanny valley.  Either the robots are more empathetic than us, and we treat them like slaves, or they’re less empathetic metal killing machines.  Robots represent the idea of our highest achievement, to create something better than ourselves, but also reflect our worse failings–cruelty, xenophobia, hubris, exploitation.

This is Robots Will Fuck Your Shit Up, v1.0.

‘…In Love With Another Robot…’ - Jel / The Mechanikal Man (Scratch Robot) - DJ Grazzhoppa / Bboy Robot - Rouh & Qrazsirs / Robot - Marc D & JRAY; Fourward; KRS-ONE & Buckshot / Robot Love (Medicine 8 Remix) - Popular Tyre / Do It Like A Robot - Princess Superstar / From Tragedy - DJ Krush (feat. Tragedy) / Robot - Proe / Robots - Clokworx / Do The Robot In Cyberspace - Giant Panda / Robot - Dockta Valkus / Anything You Can Do My Robot Can Do Better - Close My Eyes / Vote Robot Remix - Climax Golden Twins / Do Androids Dream of Electric Boogaloo? / Theme From Automatons / Sympathy For The Database / The Robot Has Got the Blues - Worm Is Green

Just like the first one, this is some funky shit, on a suiting-up-montage tip and some climactic-fight-scene-ripping-through-all-the-bad-guys-like-butter type of grooves, finishing up with some says-something-sassy-and-cool-like-’Always bet on black’-and-drives-off-before-the-credits-roll beats.  Ya feel me?  It’s cinelmattic beatsploitation.

Mr. Holland’s Intro - Rob Swift & Richard Dreyfus / Rip Rip - David Holmes / I’ve Never Seen… & Boing Boing (Instrumentals) - The RZA / Killing In The Name Of - The Apples / Baseball Furies Chase - Barry de Vorzon / Troglodyte (Cave Man) - Jimmy Castor Bunch / The Stretch - Detroit Sex Machines / Get Up & Get Down - The Dramatics / Know How (Solid Steel Mix) - Young MC / Jimmy James (Original Original Version) - Beastie Boys / Nite Stalker - Afrika ‘Baby Bam’ / If I Had Wings - DJ Frane / Claim To Fame (Instro) - Oddisee / North By Northwest - Blue Scholars / Collie Stuff - The Chosen Few / Bonus Bill Beat - EarDrumz / Blowin’ Up The Spot (Instrumental) - DJ Premier / Key Master - High & Mighty / House of Rising Funk - Afrique / Double Dog Dare You - Beat Rabbi / Aural Pleasure (Instrumental) - Blackalicious / Cold Blooded (Instrumental) - Common & The Soulquarians

In honor of The Seventh Seal dropping-any-minute-now-really-honestly-really-it’s-coming-out-this-time, here’s some remixes and rare cuts.

What’s the deal with Rakim?  Greatest MC of all time to anyone not fucked in the head.  Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. Originator of spiritual MCing and the internal rhyme scheme.  And no new album in ten years.

Reading the few interviews around, all I can tell is: the death of his father really messed him up; he’s enjoying raising his kids; and Dre really jerked him around.  I’d bet he also has a really, really bad manager, probably his goofy brother-in-law or something.  I mean, what label is gonna turn down The God Himself?!

So I’m wondering how come the album is late.  Maybe he’s giving us time to get the last six straight.

The Coronation of Rakhnaten (Opening Ceremony) / I Know You Got Soul (Dub) / Put Your Hands Together (Parkside Mix) / As the Rhyme Goes On (Pumpin’ the Turbo - Chad Jay In Effect) / Follow The Leader (RJD2 Remix) / Complicatem (Pass The Hand Grenade Pt 2) / You Don’t Fool Me / Bring It (Turn It Up) / Casualties Of War (Jazz Version) / Don’t Sweat The Technique (Original) / Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em (Brixton Upso Mix) / Heat It Up / Run (Freestyle) / Last Resort (a.k.a. Paid Off) / When I Be Flowin (King Tech Remix) / After U Die (feat. Truth Hurts) / Guess Who’s Back (Buckwild Remix) / I’m Back (feat. Lil Fame) / Let The Rhythm Hit Em (Z-Trip Remix) / Microphone Fiend (Rage Mix) / The Coronation of Rakhnaten (Closing Ceremony)

Peep out Rap Dungeon and Hip Hop Is Read for more.

New single ‘Holy Are You’ just dropped; you can check it at The Message or here.

Nas has released 10 albums in 15 years, but everyone pisses and moans because 9 of them weren’t Illmatic. That’s like hating on George Washington Carver for not inventing something better than peanut butter.

Compared to a lot of MCs, Nas is still dropping steady heat (Exhibit A: “Queens Get The Money”).  But really though, every album has some weak tracks–and not just the horrible, horrible radio singles.  Nas’ problem has always been beats.

A solo rapper lacks the consistency a DJ brings to the sound and keeps the ego in check–the strength has always been in the triumvirate (Run-DMC, Cypress Hill) or the duo (Gang Starr, Eric B. & Rakim) or the everyone-into-the-phone-booth-thing (The Roots, Wu-Tang). Relying on beats-for-hire has made Nas’ direction waver all over the place; it’s that lack of a defined sound that makes people hate. Every Cypress Hill record is pretty much the same (just in ever-decreasing quality); every Nas record is different. To me, that’s a strength.  It’s just too bad he didn’t hook up with the right DJ early on and drop steady solid.  When he does pick a good beat, it’s fire.  When he doesn’t…that’s when the remixers step up.

So here we got an hour’s worth of Nas remixes, freestyles and unreleased cuts. Peep it.

Hope (Kenzo Digital Remix) / Sucker MCs 2007 / Made You Look (Elmattic #900 Remix) / Stillmatic (Paid In Full Mix) / DJ Clue Freestyle / The Foulness / Talk Of New York (Hard To Earn Mix) / NY State Of Mind Pt. 2 (Elmattic Meaning of the Name Mix) / Made U Look (DJ ABD Run Remix) / Got Ur Self… (MIDIMarc Remix) / No Idea’s Original (Kenzo Digital Remix) / Thief’s Theme (Q-Fish Remix) / Streets Disciple (Original Version) / The Setup (Q-Fish Remix) / Affirmative Action (Man Mantis Remix) / One Love (MF Doom Remix) / Every Ghetto (Goodwill Projects’ Minority Report Remix) / Ghetto (feat. Joell Ortiz) (DJ Green Lantern Remix) / Life’s A Bitch (DJ ABD C.R.E.A.M. Remix) / The Game (Dirty Harry’s Biggie Remix) / Silent Murder / Get Down (Nick James Remix)

Here we got some Biggie remixes, mostly from other mixtapes. If that’s too meta for you, get with the times.

Why do we celebrate Biggie on the day he died instead of today, his birthday? It’s that gangsta cult of death. Ask yourself: When Big was in that car, broken glass in his lap, bleeding out, do you think he was ready to die? Or did all that gat-poppin’ nihilism fly away and he would’ve given anything to keep breathing?

Mishima wrote: “Human life is limited, but I would like to live forever.” Big didn’t leave behind a huge body of work (just a huge body). But every time it gets remixed, flipped around over a new beat, the lyrics become new again. They even become more iconic, like words cut in stone. And Biggie lives again.

Microphone Murderer / Where Brooklyn At? (Live From Madison Square Garden) / C.R.E.A.M. Freestyle / Things Done Changed (vs. Wu-Tang) - DJ Semi & DJ KG / Party & Bullshit (vs. LOTUG) - DJ Semi & DJ KG / Party & Bullshit (vs. Nas) - DJ Vlad & Dirty Harry / Party & Bullshit (vs. Jimi Hendrix) - DJ Doc Rok / Party & Bullshit (vs. David Bowie) - DJ Muggs / Hypnotize (vs. Joan Jett) - TRVS DJAM / Frank White - DJ Sane720 & Dantana / Going Back to Cali - Se7en Productions / Everyday Struggle (vs. Dr. Dre) – Filth / Real Niggaz (Original West Coast Version) / If I Should Die (vs. 50 Cent) - Dirty Harry / Victory - DJ Rukiz / Young G’s (Remix) - Astronote / Things Done Changed - Golddragon / Can’t Knock The Hustle - MIDIMarc / Ten Crack Commandments – Kenzo Digital / Hypnotize (vs. Frank Sinatra) - DJ Cappel & Smitty / Kick In The Door - DJ Sane720 & Dantana / Hypnotize (vs. Boogie Down Productions) – Elmattic / Nasty Girl (vs. Big Daddy Kane) - Mick Boogie & Terry Urban / Everyday Struggle - DJ Lennox / Dead Wrong (Stop Schemin Remix) - Renegade / Sleepwalkers - Cooking Soul / Things Done Changed (vs. El-P) - Elmattic / A Dream (vs. MF Doom) - DJ LivingDead / You’re Nobody Till Somebody Kills You (Original Version) / Juicy (vs. Aphex Twin) - Spin Doctor Zaeus

…something something something, broke my sacroiliac.  Which means ‘ass-bone’. Only time an MC’s used proper medical terminology.  Kinda surprising since there’s so many ‘doctors’ (Dre, Ice, Octagon, etc.). But I guess nothing rhymes with things like ‘pancreas.’   Except…blancreas.

Really though, “The Message” is the well from where all conscious hip hop flows. 27 years later the beat is still tight. The lyrics drop some serious poetical gems. It’s real art and therefore eternal.

The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five / Hard Times - Run-D.M.C., Vordul Mega, Onra, Baby Huey / In The Ghetto - Eric B. & Rakim / Ghetto Misfortune’s Wealth - The 24 Carat Black / Dead Homiez - Ice Cube / I Been There - KRS-One / Streetlamp Confessions - WindNbreeze, Cryptic One & Alaska / Minimum Wage - Redshield / Rent Control - Super Chron Flight Brothers / A Tribute to Melle Mel - Breez Evahflowin / The Message - Nas / The Message (Remix Suite) - Roots Manuva, Cutting Edge, Ice Cube, Richie Rich, El-P, Mobb Deep, Willy Mason

Fetus - Nas / Birth - Ice Cube (feat. Khalid Abdul Muhammad) / The Birth - The RZA / Children of Children - The Black Market Militia (feat. Oscar Brown Jr.) / Wear Clean Draws - The Coup / Snoop Interlude / Grew Up Hard - Trife Da God & Solomon Childs / Young Man Grown - The Narcicyst / Message To Young People - Double Dee & Steinski / The Product - Ice Cube / Concrete Jungles - The Psycho Realm (feat. Crow) / Finger Painting - K-The-I??? / Home Work - Themselves / It’s Just A Playground - Dday One / Little Child Running Wild - Curtis Mayfield / Children’s Story - Slick Rick

[Update]

Really dope re-telling of ‘A Children’s Story’ by Hell Razah & Killah Priest here.

Reminiscing of another time: Parkside Ave and a bottle of wine…

Rain Dance - Arrowax / Make It Rain - Ultramagnetic MCs / Rain Drops - Jojo Pellegrino / Rain men - Deep Puddle Dynamics / Rain men (Remix instrumental) - Deep Puddle Dynamics / Rain Edit Interlude - Prefuse 73 / Rainy Dayz - Raekwon (feat. Ghostface Killah & Blue Rasberry) / Stormy Weather - Billy Woods / This Is It (Ain’t Gonna Rain) - Schoolly D / Rain - RJD2 / The Name of Every Raindrop - Tracy Jones / Rain - Autolect / The Levees Broke - Jay Electronica / A Sudden Rain Storm / Flood The Block (Instrumental) - Havoc

Last piece in the bucket moves from head-nodding to nodding out to head-scratching tracks.

Super Chicken Meets Ice Cube Uptown / PLO Styles (Odd Nosdam Mix) - Method Man (feat. Carlton Fisk) / 9 Hip-Hop Samurai - Kode 9 vs. Dead Prez / Hip Hop (DFRNT Dubmix) - Dead Prez / Skank In The Air - Chinese Man / Poison Dart - The Bug & Warrior Queen / Stone - Spectre / Easy Way Out - Strangebrew / Close to the Fire - Teledubgnosis / Always Late - Booka B / Genetic Weapon - Brain Damage (feat. Tena Stelin) / Eyupsultan (King Fader Mix) - Systemwide / Seeing n=0 - Mormon Freegan / Upsetter - Odd Nosdam

Missed this one, but check it out:

King Tubby Vs. Wu Tang - Macro-Dubplates Vol. 1

This one’s all instrumental, whacked-out sneakergazing dubstep, illbient, electronic dub type of shit.  Goes perfect with an opium-dipped joint and a big pack of Frito Lays.

There’s that thing in Neuromancer where a bunch of Rastas in the future are living in space, and this supercomputer convinces them to help…I forget, do a space rescue or some shit…by cooking them up a dub mix.  It would probably sound like this.

Super Chicken Crosses The Road / Gun Too Hot - Dub Syndicate / Headmash - V-Neck / In Heaven, A Devil - Teledubgnosis / Hospital, Come In!  - Labº / Going Around Dub - Kobe / Spiritunational Remix - Vibronics / Balalaika Dub - Manuela Krause & Pole / Crusher Dub - Vex’d / Freak Freak - The Bug / At War - DJ Wally / J Dub - Boxcutter / Pre-emptive Psychosis (in Dub) - Alter Echo / Ice - Brain Damage / Anansi Abstrakt - DJ Spooky

Revenge of Super Chicken / On Mission (Super Chicken Version) - Talib Kweli vs. Niney the Observer / Skanky Panky - Kid Koala / The Damn Number - Toots & The Maytals vs. Killah Priest / Lucifer (Paul Nice Remix) - Jay-Z / Hardcore Freestyle - DJ Cam (feat. Otis) / No No No - Ghostface Killah / Black Survivors - Bob Marley & Chuck D / Justice - Belief (feat. Vordul Mega & C-Rayz Walz) / Concrete Jungle - Bob Marley & Rakim / Just To Get A Rep (Super Chicken Version) - Gang Starr vs. The Upsetters / Forest Whitiker (Instrumental) - A.N.T. / MPE (Mr. Wyse Remix) - Public Enemy / International Broadcaster - Lee “Scratch” Perry (feat. Roots Manuva & L.S.K.) / Mr. Brown (Globemallow Spike Remix) - Bob Marley & The Upsetters

Biggie & Meth vs. Niney The Observer.

So Notorious is out.  It looks pretty boring.  Not to hate, but biopics are all the same, blah blah childhood blah blah first big break, blah blah oh shit I’m so famous now, and in the background you get different decades’ lamps and news clips and shit.

Someday we’ll get a hip-hop film that’s as interesting visually/narratively as the music is sonically/lyrically: Krush Groove meets I’m Not There or 8 Mile meets Natural Born Killers.  Or Wild Style meets Naked Lunch.  Or Juice meets I Am Cuba, that would be the shit.  In the meantime we’ll have to settle for Mephistophididdy’s latest cash-in.

This one goes out to MZW, holding down the BKK/Lexico/Thaitaly axis.

Kool Herc brought the islands to the Bronx to invent hip-hop.  This mix brings it back around again.

Super Chicken Lays A Dub / Champion (Remix) - Brother Ali / Niggas (BDP Remix) - Notorious B.I.G. / Clientele Kids (Reggae Remix) - Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Inspectah Deck / Chains - R.A. The Rugged Man (feat. Masta Killa & Killah Priest) / Shining Interlude (feat. Mumia) / Telegram (Parts 1 & 3) (Catchdubs Remix) - Saul Williams / Badder Than - Sibot (feat. Teba) / Scalp Dem - Super Cat Vs Method Man / Progression Vers Sion - Djins / Jackals & Vipers, Part 9 - Sixtoo / Babylon Rhythm Exorcism - Musaics (DJ Sole) / Killa Instinkt - Sub Dub / Mr. Brown - Styles Of Beyond / Mr. Brown (Spahn Ranch Remix) - Bob Marley & The Upsetters

Also peep these out:

Perfecta - Reggae Reggae Wu

Mista D’s Music Blog: Hip-Hop Inna Reggae Stylee

All mashup edition.  Most mashups are ass ups: let’s take two shitty pop songs and put them together!  Now they blow twice as much!  These are fire, though.

I know this mix is going for the lowest common denominator, but I’m trying to learn to flip a tight mix. Like how Mondrian was a realist painter and then started taking things out, until all that was left was squares and lines. Not like I’m gonna be the Mondrian of beats or anything. The Mondrian of beats is…uh, I don’t really know who that would be. Pete Rock, maybe.

But if this don’t rock your New Year’s Eve party, you took the wrong drugs.

Psycho Ill Logical Intro / Jay-Z vs. Jimi Hendrix - TimG / Kurupt & Roscoe vs. Jimi Hendrix - DJ Muggs / Notorious B.I.G. vs. Jimi Hendrix - DJ Doc Rok / Beastie Boys vs. Jimi Hendrix - CosmoKramer / Ludacris vs. Led Zeppelin - DJ Redeye / Public Enemy vs. Led Zepplin - Z-Trip / The Gravediggaz vs. Metallica - DJ Topcat / Jay-Z vs. The Beatles - DJ Danger Mouse / M.O.P. vs. The Stooges - Elmattic

Ten best underground bangers of 2008.  I know you slept on some of these.  I can see ya pajamas.

Absolute Value - Akrobatik / Hoobity Blah - El-P / The Saga Begins - Almighty / Brooklyn Zu - Brooklyn Zu / Straight Through - KRS-One / The Anthem - The Mighty Underdogs / Dots & Dashes - Doomtree / Breakfast - Fresh Daily / Claim to Fame - Oddisee / Deadly Blades - DJ Muggs & Planet Asia (feat. Prodigal Sunn & Tri State)

Honorable Mentions:

#11. Sabbath Faster - K-The-I??? (feat. Busdriver)

#12. Deathbed Doctrine - Jedi Mind Tricks

#13. So Far - Edgar Allen Floe*

*bonus points for the name. I guess William Cargopants Williams and Herman MelvILL were taken.  There is an actual MC called Mo B. Dick.  Is that gonna be the new thing for 2009?  Hip-hop with allusions to 19th century literature?

Can you rock it like this? I can rock it like that. Can you rock it like this? I can rock it LIKE. THAT.

Go Hard - Dub Trio, Gift of Gab & Z-Trip / Tougher Than Leather - Run-D.M.C. / Rockstar II - Z-Trip / Live @ Scribble Jam 2002 - Mr. Dibbs / Lightning Strikes - Cypress Hill / I’m Destructive - Dr. Octagon / Unpleasant Thoughts - DJ Shortfuse / Rock Hard (12″ Version) - Beastie Boys / Dope Beat - Boogie Down Productions / Rocked By Rape - Evolution Control Committee (feat. Dan Rather) / Who Owns Culture? #2 - Double Dee & Steinski / Decay - Jel / Untitled #10 - Dert Floyd / Rock & Roll - Edan (feat. Dagha) / Ladies & Gentlemen…Always - Teledubgnosis / Destroyer - Money Mark / Shut This Down - Odd Nosdam

One time my boy Maestro plugged his bass amp into the stereo, put it in the bathroom for the acoustics, and we did whipits listening to “Tougher Than Leather” on a loop while waiting for the mushrooms to kick in.  So this mix goes out to him.

More fire than Krakatoa.  If Krakatoa was on fire, plus with the spitting lava all over the place.

The Very Disconcerto / We Speak Animal - Sharkey & C-Rayz Walz / Step It Up - Akrobatik / How Low - R.A. The Rugged Man / Stained Glass Freestyle Pt. 4 - Killah Priest / Made You Shit Your Pants - Copywrite, Yak & Cage / Home of the Brave (Remix) - paWL (feat. Mr. Lif) / Seat Yourself - Roots Manuva (feat. Ricky Ranking) / Brand New Vandals - Rob Sonic / None Shall Pass - Aesop Rock / The Network - Qwel & Maker (feat. Mestizo) / 1000 Degrees - MF Doom & MF Grimm / Victory (MF Doom MoMix) - The Notorious B.I.G., Amerie & 9th Wonder (Lee Plenty Remix) / Watcha Got - Brother Ali / On A Rampage - Stig Of The Dump / Don’t Get It Backwards - J-Live & Supa Dave

Every day is a gift. It’s just…does it have to be a pair of socks? -Tony Soprano

Ghost Dog’s Lament / RZA’s Theme / Walken’s Lament / What’s Your Life Worth? - Fatal Hussein / Lose This Skin - The Clash (feat. Tymon Dogg) / Soprano’s Lament / More Than My Breath - Solaris Earth Pipeline / We’re Still Standin’ Here - El-P / Phantom - Mr Lif / Feel Like A Ghost - El-P / Scarface’s Lament / Son of Public Enemy (Flavor Whop Version) - Public Enemy / Pigeon - Cannibal Ox / Chef’s Lament / Ghosts I/6 - Nine Inch Nails / Dark Was The Night (Cold Was The Ground) - Blind Willie Johnson (Synthetic remix) / Almost There - Killah Priest / Ghosts Of Things To Come - Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet / Barris’ Lament

I feel that artists’ responses to 9/11–in film, music, literature–that I’ve seen haven’t really been able to successfully interpret it, or bend its resonance into something else. I think the only way to get at its impact is to stick with the thing itself, confront it in all its raw emotion. So that’s what I tried to do here.

Discoverlude - Twilight Of The Idols / It’s Over - Killah Priest / Boxcutter Emporium, Pt. 1 - Sixtoo / The Violence Of The Lambs - Paris / Bin Laden - Immortal Technique, Mos Def & Eminem / Makeshift Patriot - Sage Francis / America’s Fallen Heroes - The Lost Children of Babylon / Profiled - Abu Nurah / Jihad Remix - Badawi & DJ Spooky / WMD - Jel (feat. Wise Intelligent) / Jihad (Edit) - Slayer / Shock & Awe - Z-Trip (feat. Chuck D) / Guy Fawkes - Super Chron Flight Brothers

Kicks off with some hip hop blues, then gets into some avant garde shit. These cats went diggin’ in the crates and came up with Leadbelly. These cats went diggin’ in the crates and came up with Baudrillard.

PJ’s - El Michels Affair & Raekwon / Accepted - Autolect / .45 Caliber Blues - El-P / Rain Water - Brother Ali / Low Tide/Epilogue: Rain - Super Chron Flight Brothers / Play With Toys - Basehead / Old Soul - Malkovich Music / Asphalt Static - Red Ants / Crow Topped Walls - Twilight Of The Idols / Images Of .44 Casings - Dälek / Fallen Angels - Mentol Nomad / We Came From Lego Blocks - Faultline (feat. Vordul Mega) / Escapisms Pt II - Qwel & Silence / Temple Of The Mental - Material (feat. Killah Priest)

Picture me cooling out on the 4th of July, and if you heard I was celebrating that’s a worldwide lie…

Amerintro / The Pledge (of Resistance) to Patriotism - Saul Williams vs. Rob Swift & DJ Quest vs. Beat Junkies & Company Flow / Om Nia Merican - Saul Williams / Cause of Death Freestyle - Immortal Technique vs. Saul Williams / Hitler Day - Public Enemy / White America - Eminem / Gasoline Dreams - Outkast / Piss On Your Grave - The Coup / Amerilude - Steinski / Uncle Sam Goddamn - Brother Ali / Typical American - The Goats / America (Remix) - Allen Ginsburg vs. Company Flow vs. Kurtis Blow / Scar Spattered Blather - Hendrix vs. RATM vs. Minor Threat vs. a nation of millions / Thanksgiving Prayer - William S. Burroughs / The End of an American Dream - Lee “Scratch” Perry / Dead Flag Blues - godspeed! you black emperor / Who’s America?

This mix is so hard, you can go out and hammer nails with it all day, and it’ll still hit right on target every time.

Beautiful - Beat Rabbi / Quiet Village - Lalo Schifrin / Respect the Name - Noddable Industries / Call Me D Nice (Instrumental) - D Nice / Playin’ Bellevue - DJ Mark the 45 King / Reflector - Medeski Martin & Wood / 33% God - Beastie Boys / The Comin’ Is Near - Blade / I Can Do My Thang - DJ Frane / Bullit - Sparo / I Just Want To Celebrate - Rare Earth / Cloud Nine (Instrumental) - Temptations / Untitled #27 - Dert Floyd / Colleen - Heavy / La La La (Instrumental) - Blueprint / Come In Out Of The Rain - Parliament / Give Me Your Love - Curtis Mayfield / The Meaning of the Name (Instrumental) - Gangstarr / Say Yes Say Word (Instrumental) - Akrobatik / As High As Wu-Tang Get (Instrumental) - The RZA

Ol’ Dirty Bastard vs. Bonobo by way of my ill technique.

By ‘ill’ I mean ‘off beat and poorly mixed.’ But ODB ain’t never on the beat, just always on point.

And drunk. And high. And severely unbalanced. Damn, I miss him.

Peep my mix over at The New Worck:  Beats & Breaks & Breaks & Beats.  It’s hotter than a dromedary you found on Craigslist, for real. Direct download here.

I Need A Beat - LL Cool J / Beats & Pieces - Coldcut / Strong Beats From A Strong Man - DJ Mark The 45 King / The Perfect Beat - Talib Kweli (feat. KRS-One) / Jimmy’s Bonus Beat - Jungle Brothers / Just A Beat - Eric B. / Master’s Bonus Beats - Master O.C. & Krazy Eddie / Beats - DJ Shadow & DJ Krush / Bonus Beat - DJ Premier / Bonus Beat - RJD2 / Bonus Beats - Odd Nosdam / Beats Within - Spectre / Beataholic Reformatory - Ryu (feat. Beat Knuckles) / Mary Break - Disrupt / Break - Saul Williams / Cowbell Break - Boiler Room Collective / Break That Break - Wu-Tang Clan / Break - Cut Chemist / Breaks - Rob Swift / The Break Witch Project - DJ Junk

Another set over at The New Worck: An Antique Fork, How Long Will It Last? Straight jack the download here.

It’s banging, dark, grimy beats with VERY PECULIAR titles. Some turnablism, some downtempo, some illbient, some you can put in your don’t-know-what-he-said-book. Like mashing Yes and Schoolly D, what fucking genre is that? I guess mahfuckas get way too high after recording and take a brooding beauty and name it Barbecue Island. Some people are inspired to paint the Sistine Chapel, others are inspired to make a song about broccoli. Or cockroaches. Or bathing. Or unicycles. You figure it out.

As Schobbejak, the New Worck’s maestro, put it: We started soepel and we will stay soepel! Word to your soepel.

Crazy Hebrew Shit - Beastie Boys / Say Yes to Schoolly - DJ Riko / Harvard Mouth - Wal Martian / Broccoli Wars - Noisy Stylus / Searching For The Space Monkey - Chinese Man / Hello Flat Foot Have You Had Your Fish Yet? - Sibot / Frank Miller Tank Killer - Esoteric / Cockroach Omen - Red Ants / Possi Purple - DJ Wally / Advice From God On Getting A Face - Corporal Blossom / Barbecue Island - Mnemotrauma / The Nightmare of Ungah (Sandro in Effect) - DJ Krush (feat. Noah & Stash) / Spectre Meets The Psycho Priest In The Temple Of Smoke - Spectre / Laid in Soyetyland - Mike Boo / No More Mosquitoes - Four Tet / In The Bath - Lemon Jelly / Physics Of a Unicycle - cLOUDDEAD / Mon-Mon Hills - Phox

But yo, they didn’t care: they turned it out. I know a few will understand what I’m talkin’ about…

In The Ghetto (Drums Mix) - Eric B. & Rakim / Prelude To A Come Up - Cypress Hill (feat. MC Eiht) / Throw Your Guns - AZ & Nature / Arise - Mr. Lif / Come Clean/Channel One Suite - Jeru The Damaja vs. The Cinematic Orchestra (DJ Food & DK Mix) / Shook Ones (Original Version) - Mobb Deep / The Dark Ages - Mighty Joseph (Vast Aire & Karniege) (feat. Murs) / Madd Buttons - Vordul Mega / Facts Is Facts - Autnoyz / Wit Da Evilz - Boom & Science / The Final Call - The Black Market Militia (feat. Abiodun Oyemole of The Last Poets) / Lonely People - Talib Kweli / Ruby Ragdollenne - Qwel & Maker / America Is Dying Slowly - Wu-Tang Clan (feat. Killah Priest) / What Goes Around - Nas / Livin’ in the Jungle - Schoolly D / Biggie’s Dream - Jay-Z & Biggie vs. Sage Francis (Goodwill Projects Mix)

Introlude: 1987 - Chuck Chillout / The Corner - DJ Rerok (feat. DV Alias Khryst, Ras Kass, DJ Doo Wop & Termanology) / Little Ghetto Boy - Donny Hathaway (Arthur King & Uncle T. Mix) / Ghost Deini (Original Version) - Ghostface Killah / Sometimes the Neighborhood (instrumental) - Call O’ Da Wild / Code Of The Streets - Gang Starr / Shot in the Dark - RJD2 / Telemundo - El-P / Play This Only At Night (Instrumental) - Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew / City Under Siege - The Geto Boys / Dough - Blockhead / Represent People - ID4Windz / Bottom To Tha Top (instrumental) - Timbaland / Bricks Crumble - Dälek / Endless Railway - DJ Krush (feat. ?uestlove) / Quiet Storm - Havoc / So ‘N So - Mike Ladd / Concrete Reservation - Syl Johnson

“I tell everybody, ‘Kiss your girl, blast your favorite song, and have a cheeseburger because tomorrow, it will all be gone’. We will be in some Mad Max shit over gold and oil. It will be like Tina Turner and Mel Gibson over gold and black gold. It is pathetic. We could have been using electric cars and solar powered toothbrushes. The powers that be and the dynasties are involved. The leader of the metal industry is going to marry the leader of the plastic industry. These groups are not trying to lose their power. It is going to be this way until it falls. I do not see this utopian, peaceful, compassionate world. I see this world just burning out until it is done.” –Vast Aire

Pity Of War - Jedi Mind Tricks / It’s Just Begun - Rakim vs. The Jimmy Castor Bunch (Elmattic mix) / On The Eve Of War - Jedi Mind Tricks (feat. GZA) / That’s War! - Dead Prez / Casualties Of War - Eric B. & Rakim / Battle Without Honor Or Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei / War Within A Breath - Rage Against The Machine / War At 33 1/3 - Public Enemy / Friendly Fire - Vast Aire & Mighty Mi / The Nang, The Front, The Bush & The Shit - El-P / Dogs of War, Gods of Raw / Undeclared Wars - Vordul Mega / Third World - RZA/GZA / Battle Of 2001 - Cypress Hill / Ghetto Vet - Ice Cube / Street Platoons - The Psycho Realm / Chinese Invade - Philip Glass / Ready To Die - The Notorious B.I.G. / The Empty Foxhole - Ornette Coleman / Col. Santiago Outro

Happy 5th birthday, Iraq war.  You smell like burning meat.

A Twisted Sense Of God (Part 1) - Fine Arts Militia / What Would You Do? - Paris / The President Is Speaking - Rob Swift / Dear Mr. President - The Lost Children of Babylon / Dear Mr. President - The S.T.O.P. Movement / Impeach The President - The Honeydrippers / Impeach The President - DJ Green Lantern (feat. dead prez, Saigon, Immortal Technique & Just Blaze) / Arrest The President - Pedestrian / First Time - Pyro & Q (Cpl Watts & HN Givens, 1st Batt 4th Marines) / Don’t Understand - Pyro, Amp & Q (Cpl Watts, Sgt Hodge & HN Givens, 1st Batt 4th Marines) / September 12th - Saul Williams / Mosh - Eminem / Bin Laden (Remix) - Immortal Technique (feat. KRS-One & Chuck D) / Q’uraan and The Kolishnikov - The Lost Children of Babylon / The Age Of Sacred Terror - Jedi Mind Tricks / Death To America - Cilvaringz / A Twisted Sense Of God (Part 2) - Fine Arts Militia

Worst. President. Ever.

One Finger Of Victory / Guns of Kabul - DJ Alibi / Heavy Artillery (Instrumental) - Mr. Lif / The One About The War - C-Mon & Kypski / Drill Sergeant - J.Rawls / Blues For Gitmo / Torture - The Infamous / Bin Laden - Spectre / Bin Laden (Instrumental) - Immortal Technique / Bin Laden (Remix) (Instrumental) - Immortal Technique / Song For John Walker (Sticky Mix) - DJ Krush (feat. Anticon) / Empire - The Reavers (feat. Priviledge, Goldenchild & billy woods) / War Ensemble (Instrumental) - Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind / The Problem With Michael Jackson / Bloody Oil - Medeski, Martin & Wood / Beaten Metal - Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra / Land Mine - Oh No / Tired Soldiers – Badawi

I get my swerve on like a narcoleptic race car driver on the autobahn in monsoon season. 

flow my beats, the DJ said (part 4) / Masters of the Scratch - Master O.C. & Krazy Eddie / Starfish Poplock - DJ Frane / Duke of Hazzard - Blockhead / Nigga What’s Up (instrumental) - Jake 1 / 3PM Migraine - DJ Stoic / Danger Interlude - DJ Cam (feat. DJ Djam & DJ Jmdee) / More Beats & Pieces - Coldcut / Electric Vindaloo - Steinski (feat. Dan The Automator) / States Of Abuse Mix - Platform / Horehound - MF Doom / Check One, Two (instrumental) - Diamond / Mind Deep (instrumental) - Public Enemy / Get Down (instrumental) - Nas / Bus Stop Bitties - RJD2 / Boxed Social - Wal Martian / Davy’s Midnight Ride (The DMX Will Rock) - Davy DMX

This is for the kids worried about the apocalypse: do something, prepare yourself, and stop talking shit. 

Act III, Scene 2 (Catchdubs Mix) - Saul Williams & Zach de la Rocha meet Nas / Rock Box - Run-DMC / Housing The Joint - Schoolly D / Go Cut Creator Go - LL Cool J / W.K.Y.A. - Saukrates & Redman / Bang Bang - Dr. Dre (feat. Knocturnal & Hittmann) / Ooh! Ooh! - Vast Aire / Razor To Ya Throat - Everlast / The Grand Prix - Muggs, GZA, Raekwon, RZA & Sen Dog / Last Day (Criminology Remix) - Notorious B.I.G. & Nas / Ghost Is Back - Wu-Tang Clan / Juice (Know The Ledge) - Eric B. & Rakim / Bring That Beat Back - Public Enemy / Truancy - El-P / And So It Burns - Jedi Mind Tricks / Made From Scratch - Kid Koala / 99 Problems (Instrumental) - Jay-Z & Rick Rubin / Act III, Scene 2 (Shakespeare) - Saul Williams & Zach de la Rocha

Remember Saturn 3?  The killer robot scared the shit out of me when I was a kid.  That was a messed up movie.  Harvey Keitel, Kirk Douglas and Farah Fawcett, with a script by Martin Amis, yet it sucked.  Actually, my mom took me to see The Man Who Fell to Earth around then and that scared me a lot more.  I was down with it until David Bowie took his skin off and his freaky eyeballs were showing.  Then we had to leave.  Anyway, let’s kick back and listen to the music.

Antimatter - Radar / Mind Over Matter - DJ Faust / Battle For The Mind - Mixmaster Mike / Web - The Reavers / Worldwide Computer God Secret Containment Policy - Francis E. Dec vs Qaballah Steppers (Elmattic Reassembly) / One Source Reality - Dan Gardner / Parallel Universe Dub - The Nothing / Synaptic Dissonance - DJ Spooky / Interrupted Data - Qaballah Steppers (feat. Likkl Jerr) / Voices Of The Ether - Dalek / James Woods Is Bugging / Death Wish - Katana / Burner - Odd Nosdam / Survivalism - Vitamin String Quartet / Go Tell It On The Mainframe / Cellular Antiquity - DJ Espionage / Animal Expansion - Low In The Sky

I run up in ya like a porn star cheetah.

Hard Knock Radio Freestyle - Immortal Technique / Hideyaface - Prefuse 73, Ghostface Killa & El-P / Slow Blues - Vast Aire, Timbo King, Prodigal Sunn & Byata / Gotta Give The Peeps What They Need (Original Demo) - Public Enemy / Awaiting The Hour - Ill Bill & Killah Priest / Heavy - Oh No / Too High (Instrumental) - Bear / Walk On (Instrumental) - Versatile / KRSLightly (Instrumental) - Vast Aire

The utterly cold, vast emptiness of outer space induces a deep psychic loneliness in the human spirit.  Also, never let Dennis Hopper drive the spaceship.  He’ll crash that shit.

Destination Altair 4 - The L / Earth People! - Dr. Octagon / Intergalactic - Beastie Boys / No Guts No Galaxy - Material (feat. Ramm Ell Zee & phonosycographDISK) / We Have Met The Martians And They Is Us / Galactics - Killarmy / Solar Powered - Binary Star / Above The Clouds - Gangstarr (feat. Inspecta Deck)

Cats who say hip hop is dead just aren’t fucking paying attention to all the ill shit that’s coming out.  It’s evolving, it’s fragmenting, it’s shooting off in all kinds of crazy directions.  Kinda like your moms.

Part 1: Evolution

Bongo Rock - Incredible Bongo Band / Dis Groove Is Bad - Schoolly D & Code Money / Have You Seen Davy? - Davy DMX / Supa Wyde Laces - Mixmaster Mike / Quest Represent - DJ Quest / Chakra Khan - Kalyanji Anandji (feat. Dan The Automator) / Pagina Dos - Prefuse 73 / Holidisk Inn - DJ Disk aka phonopsychographDISK

Part 2: Variation

Flow My Beats, The DJ Said / Lazy Hip - Live Human / How You Say - DJ Espionage / Mr. Brown (Dub) - The Upsetter / Natural Suction - Wagon Christ (feat. cLOUDDEAD)

The Greater Good (Instrumental) - Nine Inch Nails / Triumph (Instrumental) - Wu-Tang Clan / untitled 13 - Odd Nosdam / Saraba - We / Slow Sex - El-P / Girl of the Well - Adventure Time

You wanna know why? Because I’m…