This ’90s Hip-Hop Mix Reminds Fans Why They Were Ready to Die for H.E.R. (Mixtape)

In the mid-1990s, Hip-Hop underwent a bit of a transition. Some of the most skilled MCs on the scene (Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Grand Puba, Andre 3000, Scarface, etc.) started trading rowdy, raucous production for the laid-back cuts. Producers like Easy Mo Bee, DJ Clark Kent, Pete Rock, Da Beatminerz, and the whole D.I.T.C. collective benefited from projects aiming to go a bit more subtle.

Songs about mind elevation, low-key afternoons on the couch, and cruising around the city made for some great Hip-Hop. One Ambrosia For Heads reader, San Francisco, California-based Shaun D (a/k/a Wicked), compiled a far-reaching mixtape in Wicked’s Laid Back 90s Hiphop Shit Mix (1992-1995). With a straightforward title, this mix weaves in some higher-profile joints from Biggie Smalls, Nas, and Gang Starr. However, while those selections may hold you, the charms lie in deeper excavations, such as MC Supernatural (from his days on EastWest Records), Mic Geronimo, and Saafir (the Saucee Nomad). Lots of promo wax makes this make hard to replicate. So just lay back, like the theme, and enjoy.

Here’s the tracklist:

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