There’s an argument to be made that 2012 was one of the greatest years in hip-hop. The Rub’s History of Hip Hop 2012 mix argues the case forcefully, with wall to wall bangers in a plethora of regional styles.

LA’s DJ Mustard produced approximately 99.9% of the songs on hip-hop & R&B radio, and Kendrick Lamar dropped a masterpiece of an LP. Future, Macklemore, and Trinidad James blew up, Big Sean, Meek Mill and 2 Chainz had monster radio records, and Kanye’s G.O.O.D. music compilation kept him on the airwaves (alongside Jay-Z and Pusha T). NOLA bounce saw a big resurgence: Nicky Da B went from local artist to international sensation with “Express Yourself,” and the “Triggaman” beat found its way into big club singles by T.I. & Lil Wayne, Trina and Meek Mill among others. ATL-style hip-hop trap and EDM-style trap began to play nice together, and DJs like Bauuer, Diplo, Lunice & Hudson Mohawke, RL Grime and Cashmere Cat all had big hybrid hip-hop-R&B-EDM-trap records. The Bay area scene also produced a bunch of hits, especially HBK Gang. Throw in a NY renaissance – French Montana, Nicki Minaj, ASAP Mob, Action Bronson, El-P, etc – and you’ve got yourself a banner year for hip-hop.

Listen to all of 33 of The Rub’s History mixes, from 1979 to 2012, at http://www.itstherub.com/category/history-of-hip-hop/.

DOWNLOAD The Rub – Hip Hop History 2012

Tracklist: Read the rest of this entry »

As The Rub’s History of Hip Hop mix series moves into the teens, the range of styles ever widens, touching on everything from classic soul samples to weird dubstep beats. (Watch The Throne had both.) Drake, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross were featured on everything; Juicy J. was putting out mixtapes at an astonishing rate, and Meek Mill had a couple of career-defining hits. J. Cole, Big Sean, Future, A$AP Mob, Odd Future and the Black Hippy crew were the new kids on the block, and Kreayshawn and YC were the year’s biggest one hit wonders. In R&B, both The Weeknd and Frank Ocean debuted in 2011. All told, it’s a pretty incredible year to revisit!

So enjoy this blast from the recent past, and remember you can catch up on all of The Rub History of Hip Hop mixes (1979 – 2011) at http://www.itstherub.com/category/history-of-hip-hop/.

DOWNLOAD The Rub – Hip Hop History 2011

Tracklist: Read the rest of this entry »

Fans of The Rub’s History of Hip Hop series have been asking for new episodes since 2009, and your dreams have finally been fulfilled! We pick up right where we left off, and we’ll be dropping another year every month until we’re caught up.

2010 was dominated by a few big stars – Young Money’s Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne were on the radio and in clubs nonstop, along with huge hits by Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, and Kanye. Yelawolf, Big K.R.I.T. and J. Cole were the hot up-and-comers. It was Ludacris and Jeezy’s last really stellar year, and we also got surprising comeback singles from Dipset, Lloyd Banks, Nas and Big Boi. And 2010 was a great year for producers, including Lex Luger, AraabMuzik, Clams Casino, Stargate and of course Kanye West and Swizz Beats.

So enjoy this blast from the recent past, and remember you can catch up on all of The Rub History of Hip Hop mixes (1979 – 2010) at http://www.itstherub.com/category/history-of-hip-hop/.

DOWNLOAD The Rub – Hip Hop History 2010

Tracklist: Read the rest of this entry »