Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to go back and listen to all of our favorites, at the click of a button, there is also a ton of great music still being made by artists, young and veteran alike…if you know where to look.

To help with that task, we’ve created two playlists. One features more recent music—songs that have been released within the last year or so—while the other is throwback, focused on the 1980s and ’90s. We update each of these playlists regularly, so, if you like what you hear, subscribe to follow us on Spotify.

Two years removed from the release of Lucky 7, the increasingly ascending DJ/Producer aficionado Statik Selektah returns with 8, his fittingly-titled eighth studio album. An absolute staple in the production sphere, Statik, who in May even further enhanced his resume by signing a management deal with Roc Nation, has been apt to attract a robust roster of MCs for guest features on his albums in recent past. Undoubtedly staying the course, Statik enlists an abundance of acclaimed lyricists on 8, including the late Prodigy and Sean Price, Raekwon, Royce 5’9, The LOX, Run The Jewels, Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, 2 Chainz, and Joyner Lucas among a scattering of others.

Everlast, Sick Jacken & Divine Styler Declare War Alongside B-Real, Vinnie Paz & More (Mixtape)

Towards the end of the project, Statik Selektah appoints two veteran Soul Assassins in B-Real (of Cypress Hill) and Everlast (of House of Pain) to merge lyrical efforts on the track “Shakem Up.” Statik perfectly sets up a high intensity, drum-slapping, bass-heavy arena in which B-Real’s nasally attack immediately thrives in (reworking the opening to Biggie’s “Juicy”). Everlast follows suit with a fast reference to Nice & Smooth inside his barrage of raspy bars. Statik’s ability to stay honest to his production identity while tweaking just enough to cater to an MC’s comfort zone benefits the entire album, but specifically allows “Shakem Up” to hover in that early ’90s DJ Muggs-helmed space upon which B-Real and Everlast successfully assembled their fruitful careers.

In addition to some new Statik Selektah joints, the playlist has been updated with highlights from Eminem, Jaden Smith, CyHi The Prynce, Scarface, Rapsody, Talib Kweli, Evidence, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Big K.R.I.T., Wu-Tang Clan, MED, Blu, Madlib, and a host of others.