TBT this week takes us back to 2008 with our History of Hip-Hop mix. This interesting year of rap was peppered with a number of interesting tracks and trends. “Royal Flush” noted the beginning of the end of Outkast as a group project, even though the tune itself was so tough. Rick Ross really started to spread his wings as a super star with “The Boss”, which also featured T-Pain who was in the midst of a multi-year flex. Lil Wayne was securing his place as the “best rapper alive” with “A Milli”, arguably his most important tune ever. Acts like Pitbull, John Legend Common, Flo Rida and Snoop Dogg all started experimenting with dance-y tunes and faster tempos. Yes hip-hop was alive and well in 2008. Revisit this mix with the stream above and the free download below.

History of Hip-Hop 2008 (right-click, save as)
artwork by Rhek (Sharks & Hammers)

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The Rub’s Hip-Hop History 2002 Mix by Brooklyn Radio on Mixcloud

#TBT this week to The Rub’s History of Hip Hop mix from 2002, the year in which The Rub was conceived. Of course, leave the 2002 version of this series to be one of our favorites. Seriously though, 2002 was an amazing year for rap with Cam’ron’s Rocafella debut, Clipse flipping everyone on their ear with their first officially released LP, Scarface dropped a classic in The Fix and so many of the big party cuts became instant classics…all of which helped build the foundation that became The Rub then and now, 15 years later. Revisit this stellar mix with a stream above or a download below.

History of Hip-Hop 2002 (Mixed By DJ Eleven) (right-click, save as)
artwork by Rhek (Sharks & Hammers)

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The History of Hip Hop 1995 by Brooklyn Radio on hearthis.at

TBT this week to 1995 and a very strong argument year for the “golden era” of rap. Like legitimately, there are too many classic tracks and albums that dropped in 1995 to justifiably mention. Featured here are forever anthems from Mobb Deep, Luniz, Bone Thugs, Biggie, ODB, Three 6 Mafia, Junior M.A.F.I.A, GZA, 2Pac and this track list gets ridiculous in a hurry. With this deft mix of 80+ tracks that absolutely matter, ’95 gets a proper shine in what was one of the most influential years in the history of hip-hop. Stream in full above and grab the download below as well.

Download: History of Hip-Hop Vol. 17: 1995 (right-click, save as)

Artwork by Rhek for Sharks and Hammers

Tracklist after the jump!

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TBT this week takes us back 30 years (jeez that’s a long time) to our history of Hip-Hop mix from 1987. Lots of years can be arguably the best years in Hip-Hop. ’87 may not be THAT year but with the debut of N.W.A. along with outstanding releases from EPMD, The Jungle Brothers, Kool G Rap, Public Enemy, LL Cool J and Eric B & Rakim…it was certainly a fantastic year for Rap. Stream this mix loaded with classics in full above and cop the free download below.

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Tracklist:
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TBT today to our History of Hip-Hop Mix from 1997. This year is easily identified as a cornerstone year of golden era hip-hop. Some of the greats laid down some bonafied classics in this 12 month period and they are clearly represented in this mix. Biggie flexed with the release of “Life After Death” right after he was lost to a senseless murder. Wu Tang returned with their second full length as fans went full blown nutso. Gang Starr dropped another classic LP. Master P solidified a full blown No Limit movement with the release of “Ghetto D”. Mase, MF Doom, The Beatnuts, Redman and more solidified their place in the scene with top shelf tunes as well. Check the mix in full below by stream or download.

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TBT this week as we go into Rub Saturday and we look back to our Hip-History Mix from 1999. Real question here: Is there a year in the last 20 years of hip-hop that had as many forever anthems drop than ’99? This mix is loaded with so many of them from start to finish from the likes of Nas, Mobb Deep, DMX, Dr. Dre, Trick Daddy, Juvenile, Hot Boys, The Beatnuts, Jay-Z, Nelly, Q-Tip, Black Rob and this list goes on when you dive into that next level of more “conscious” bangers with Dead Prez, Mos Def, Gang Starr, Common, The Roots, Slum Village, Lootpack, Handsome Boy Modeling School, MF Doom, etc all bringing massive heatrocks that you still hear out in clubs (if you go support dope djs that is). Like 1999 may not be the best year ever for hip-hop, but it might be the most important ever for DJ weaponry. Revisit this mix and keep a tally how many anthems from ’99 get dropped this Saturday at The Bell House.

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The History of Hip Hop 2004 by Brooklyn Radio on hearthis.at

TBT this week looks back 12 years to 2004 with DJ Ayres in the mix for this episode of our history of hip-hop series. You’ve got so much going on in this episode that’s so notable today it’s kind of crazy. “College Dropout” Kanye was all the rage but absolutely none of us knew what Yeezy would mean to music in 2016. Snoop swooped in with a massive comeback single with The Neptunes (of course) on the beat. Fabolous released arguably his best single ever in “Breathe”. Lil Jon fever was owning the clubs all over the country. Lil Wayne was showing signs of becoming more than just a Cash Money afterthought and just maybe he might be a dope rapper. And there was that collab album from Madlib and MF Doom blew everyone’s mind who heard it. That’s just scratching the surface on 2004 but you can revisit it all in full with the stream above and the DL below.

Download: History of Hip-Hop 2004 (Mixed By DJ Ayres) (right-click, save as)

artwork by Rhek (Sharks & Hammers)

Tracklist after the jump!

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TBT this week is our History of Hip-Hop mix outlining the greatness that was 2001. It’s definitely making us feel a bit old that these songs are 15 years old now and the fact that some of these have been DJ set staples for that long just seems crazy. There is simply a flood of legendary material from 2001 in this mix from the likes of Aaliyah, Missy Elliot, Ludacris, Outkast, Eve, Nas, Mystikal and Jay-Z. The Neptunes and Timbaland were in top form this year too. It’s ridiculous how much they both provided the soundtrack for everything. Revisit this killer year in Hip-Hop below.

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Tracklist:

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