Throwback Archives

O.D.B. Steps Into The Booth & Blows Pharrell’s Mind In This Throwback Footage (Video)

In 2003, the Neptunes released a compilation album called Clones, which sported appearances from Busta Rhymes, Clipse, Nas, Snoop Dogg, and more. Though perhaps best known as housing Pharrell's single "Frontin'," Clones is also where Heads can find one of the final recordings from O.D.B., the Wu-Tang Clan MC who... Read more

January 10, 2017 Throwback

Ever See Leaders Of The New School Kick This Old School Rap Routine? (Video)

In the earliest days of Hip-Hop, MCs didn't just get on stage and rhyme. They kicked fly Rap routines, complete with elaborate costumes and coordinated choreography. Also, rather than rhyming one at a time, the MCs bounced back and forth, often completing each others words. Much of this took place... Read more

January 8, 2017 Throwback, Throwback, Video

This Is It. Hear Camp Lo’s Original “Luchini” Demo. They Have New Grooves Too. (Audio)

After a very busy 2016, Camp Lo recently released some pre-Uptown Saturday Night demo recordings, On The Way Uptown. It features this demo version of "This Is It (Luchini)." Presumably recorded in 1995-1996, this is the Ski Beatz-produced material that would catch Profile Records' attention, and make Sonny Cheeba and... Read more

January 6, 2017 Audio, Throwback, Video

1 Of DJ Quik’s 80s Underground Tapes Surfaces & It Bangs On Wax (Audio)

Hip-Hop Heads who pay attention know that DJ Quik's career goes back a long way before 1991's Quik Is The Name debut. The Compton, California MC/producer/DJ has always talked about his $10 "underground tapes" on records. In fact, the famed feud with MC Eiht and Compton's Most Wanted started long... Read more

December 28, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

An Official Mix Traces The Evolution Of Freddie Foxxx Into Bumpy Knuckles & It Punches.

On Gang Starr's 1998 single "The Militia," Freddie Foxxx rapped, "When you speak of who's the dopest MCs, I don't come up / But when you speak about who's the livest MC, I stay one up." In the midst of a career transformation, the Long Island, New York veteran knew... Read more

December 7, 2016 Audio, Mixes, Throwback, Throwback

A Tribe Called Quest & Many More Gave Hip-Hop Much To Be Thankful For In November (Audio)

November 2016 was one of the most tumultuous months in a generation. Regardless of one's political affiliation the world seemingly changed over one long night on November 8 for hundreds of millions of Americans. When not fixated on the news, many turned to music for relief from the onslaught or,... Read more

December 7, 2016 Audio, Throwback

DMX Made Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood Because Of A $1 Million Wager

In the span of seven months, DMX released two albums which combined went platinum seven times. It was 1998, and the Yonkers, New York rapper was taking the industry by storm, establishing himself as a domineering presence with uncompromising virility. First with May's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot and... Read more

December 5, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

This Unreleased Early 90s Del Feature Shows He Was Funky From The Start (Audio)

Producer/DJ Rob Flow, formerly DJ Robski of revolutionary-minded early ’90s Bay Area Hip-Hop group Freedom T.R.O.O.P. 187, recently posted a previously unreleased song of theirs featuring Oakland legend Del The Funky Homosapien. Besides Rob, the trio consisted of Adisa “The Bishop” Banjoko and the late Hi-Low. Banjoko is currently an... Read more

December 3, 2016 Throwback

This 1998 Track By Big L, Ma$e & McGruff Is “Dangerous” To Overlook (Audio)

The corner of 139th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York has been immortalized through song several times by the late, great Big L—and also falls on the same block where the “Street Struck” MC tragically lost his life in '99. Affectionately called the “Danger Zone,” the area was... Read more

December 3, 2016 Throwback

Ludacris Disturbed The Peace With This Never Before Released 2001 Freestyle (Audio)

In 2001, Ludacris was one of Rap's most exciting new stars. 2000's Back For The First Time kicked in the door for Def Jam South (then with Scarface at the helm) for a Top 5 charting, triple-platinum affair. However, the Atlanta, Georgia star with the carefully cut sideburns was not... Read more

December 1, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

Phife Dawg Got His Own Street Today. Watch It Being Unveiled (Video)

"Back in the days on the boulevard of Linden, we used to kick routines and presence was fittin'." 25 years ago, those words opened A Tribe Called Quest's "Check The Rhime," from their album, The Low End Theory. Now, the same Linden Boulevard upon which Tribe kicked those rhymes has... Read more

November 19, 2016 Throwback, Video

A Newly Released ’96 Cypher Shows A Tribe Called Quest Schooling Phony Rappers (Audio)

This month, A Tribe Called Quest released their sixth and said to be final album. We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service appeared to shock to the music world, when it was revealed to exist, less than six months after Phife Dawg's March death. It had been... Read more

November 17, 2016 Throwback

Lauryn Hill Teams Up With Fela Kuti’s Son & Band For A Stunning Tribute (Video)

For many years now, Lauryn Hill has been re-arranging her classic songs during performances. At times, this leads to great frustration for fans who want to hear the hits they know and love performed as they were recorded. On other occasions, however, Hill's changes can lead to the kind of... Read more

November 15, 2016 Throwback

Wu-Tang Meets D.I.T.C. Two Legendary Crews Ain’t Nuthin’ To Mash Up (Audio)

Ever go Diggin’ In The Crates for some Wu-Tang? On this ambitious mashup of two legendary New York crews who both emerged at the onset of the 1990s, Memory Man shows us what would happen if you took members of the Wu-Tang Clan and D.I.T.C. and threw their styles in... Read more

November 8, 2016 Audio, Throwback

The Intelligent Hoodlum Had Felonious Flows On This 1989 Demo (Audio)

Although Tragedy Khadafi hasn’t released a new album since Pre Magnum Opus almost two years ago, an unreleased 1989 gem from the Queensbridge veteran has surfaced. Even before he was known as the Intelligent Hoodlum (and released the A&M Records LP of the same name), Trag' went by several other... Read more

November 5, 2016 Audio, Throwback

M.O.P.’s Billy Danze Reveals His Mother Inspired The Theme For 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Hardest Anthems

Between 1994 and 2000, M.O.P. was climbing up the Pop charts with each release. Lil Fame and Billy Danze released their 1994 debut To The Death on the same Select Records responsible for introducing Chubb Rock, U.T.F.O., and Kid 'n Play. While that effort did not chart, the Brownsville, Brooklyn... Read more

October 31, 2016 Throwback

Craig Mack Kicked 10 Minutes Of Freestyle Flavor In This Just Released 2000 Video

By Y2K, Craig Mack appeared to be an illustrious MC who was on his way out of the game. Once one of the breakout acts of Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records, Mack would drop his gold-certified Project: Funk Da World in 1994 and then mysteriously leave the label, and the... Read more

October 27, 2016 Throwback, Video

Hear Unreleased Snippets From RZA & GZA Demos That Birthed The Wu-Tang Clan (Audio)

Wu-Tang Clan's RZA and GZA each had careers prior to 1993's game-changing Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). While GZA's February, 1991 Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records release Words From The Genius garnered some hardcore interest, RZA (t/k/a Prince Rakeem) did not fare as well with his Tommy Boy Records maxi-single, Ooh,... Read more

October 14, 2016 Audio, Throwback

Guru, Roy Ayers, & Donald Byrd Brought Jazzmatazz To Life In This 1993 Performance (Video)

Beginning in 1993, Guru released a string of albums as a solo artist, spreading the wings he sprouted with DJ Premier in Gang Starr and exploring his deep love for live instrumentation. That departure resulted in four volumes of Jazzmatazz, a body of work which includes contributions from Erykah Badu,... Read more

October 12, 2016 Throwback

Kanye West Rocked Chaka Khan Like Nobody’s Business, Long Before Through The Wire (Audio)

In September of 2003, Kanye West made his solo debut with "Through the Wire," a song he wrote and recorded while his jaw was literally wired shut following a car accident. It famously samples Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire," a 1985 single whose profile with a new generation was raised... Read more

October 11, 2016 Throwback

Snoop Dogg’s “I Am Hip-Hop Award” Acceptance Speech Shows Why He’s An Icon (Video)

It's hard to believe that Snoop Dogg, an artist who has been a pop-culture icon for decades, holds the record for most Grammy Award nominations with no win. Seventeen times, the Long Beach, California legend has been up for such an award, but he has yet to take one home.... Read more

October 5, 2016 Throwback

While Fallon Played With Trump’s Hair, The Roots Went For The Jugular (Video)

For the last 36 hours, the Internet and social media have been aflame with outrage at the way Jimmy Fallon handled a recent appearance by Donald Trump on The Tonight Show (9/15). Fallon, unlike David Letterman, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, is typically friendly and jovial with all of his... Read more

September 17, 2016 Throwback

15 Years Later, J-Live Reflects On His Gripping 9/11 Commentary On “Satisfied”

Today marks the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Within hours 2,996 people lost their lives that tragic day, as a result of four plane hijackings and subsequent crashes in New York, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. For all who lived through it, the events and their impact continue... Read more

September 11, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

A New Documentary Shows The Amazing 29-Year Journey Of De La Soul (Video)

De La Soul have always been about looking forward. That attitude has kept them relevant in Hip-Hop for nearly 3 decades, and made them trendsetters for much of that period. In 2016, they've been the subject of conversation as much as at any time in their career, as their record-setting... Read more

September 8, 2016 Throwback

Mayer Hawthorne’s Early Rap & Disco Mix Is Perfect For Back To School Season

Most people know Mayer Hawthorne as a retro-styled Soul singer down with the Stones Throw crew. However, the Michigan native first burst on the scene as a DJ for the Athletic Mic League conglomerate (which also spawned 14K). Even though he's become a pop culture sensation with his voice, the... Read more

September 7, 2016 Mixes, Throwback, Throwback

Cypress Hill Explain Passing On “Jump Around” & Why It Remains A Good Decision

In 1992, an emerging Hip-Hop group named House Of Pain became overnight mainstream sensations, thanks to single "Jump Around." The Tommy Boy Records song, belonging to the group's subsequent self-titled debut, would reach #3 on the charts. The Irish American-themed trio of Everlast, Danny Boy, and DJ Lethal would score... Read more

September 4, 2016 Throwback

This Ghostface, Cappadonna & Jeru Freestyle From 1996 Still Does Damage (Audio)

In the mid-90s, there were few more dominant crews in Hip-Hop than Wu-Tang Clan and Gang Starr Foundation. Unlike today, however, where it's more common than not to have guest artists on tracks, in that era crews stayed more self-contained and collaborations outside of the collectives were more rare. As... Read more

September 1, 2016 Audio, Throwback, Throwback

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Approved This Best-Of Mix & You Will Too (Audio)

Not many groups (in any genre) can warrant a "Best Of" off of just two albums and an EP. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth are a clear exception. Between 1991 and 1994, the New York City Hip-Hop duo released just a few handfuls of songs. That material left a lasting... Read more

August 30, 2016 Mixes, Throwback, Throwback

Hear One Of The Earliest Rap Battles Ever Recorded From 1981 (Audio)

The Rap Battle has become a pop culture institution. The sport of two (or more MCs) competing has excited Hip-Hop culture since the art of rapping stepped to the front. Some of the most successful and acclaimed MCs began their careers through battling, and distinguished their legacies with combative moments... Read more

August 27, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

J Dilla Pieced Together Some Of His Musical Influences In This Mixtape (Audio)

August 22 marked the tenth anniversary of The Shining, the J Dilla album released only a few months after his passing in 2006. Tributes to the LP could be seen across social media and elsewhere online, proving that even after death, the iconic Detroit producer continues to delight and inspire.... Read more

August 24, 2016 Mixes, Throwback

With A New Album Coming, Revisit A Tribe Called Quest’s Rare Erykah Badu Collabo (Audio)

Last week, Epic Records CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid made a bold revelation. The seasoned executive and TV personality confirmed that a sixth album from A Tribe Called Quest is coming soon, and is both "great" and "something special." The news broke care of a Rap Radar Podcast episode, with limited... Read more

August 23, 2016 Throwback

This 1977 NYC Party Mix Shows How The Earliest Hip-Hop Parties Sounded (Audio)

Thanks to the series "The Get Down," many are newly fascinated with 1970s New York City and the genesis of Hip-Hop. DJ'ing, rapping, graffiti, and breakin' came together harmoniously in an overall form of expression that reflected the complexities of city-dwelling at a specific time in fashion, music, visual art,... Read more

August 20, 2016 Mixes, Throwback, Throwback

This Cypress Hill Anniversary Mix Shows Why Their Music Still Kills 25 Years Later (Audio)

Twenty-five years ago this month (8/13), Cypress Hill released their debut eponymous album. It was both a critical and commercial success, going on to sell over two million copies. Beyond its reception, the album represented a major milestone for Latinos. Despite the contributions of Latinos to Hip-Hop from its earliest... Read more

August 17, 2016 Throwback

This 1994 Biggie Interview Shows How He Turned an Everyday Struggle Into Rap History

Nearly twenty years since his passing, the Notorious B.I.G. continues to inspire contemporary art, from music to television, and beyond. Just this month, Biggie served as the inspiration behind "Nobody," a tribute song from rising Atlanta, Georgia spitter Nick Grant. Just a few days prior to its release, Mass Appeal... Read more

August 15, 2016 Throwback

Method Man, O.D.B., & RZA Proved That In ’97, Wu-Tang Could Freestyle Forever (Audio)

In June of 1997, Wu-Tang Clan kicked the summer off at the top of the Hip-Hop class. Whereas 1993's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) just missed the Top 40 (to eventually reach platinum), its follow-up Wu-Tang Forever would debut at #1. A double album, the Loud/RCA Records release of the... Read more

August 11, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

This Unreleased ’95 Red & Meth Freestyle Shows How High They Truly Fly (Audio)

In the summer of 1995, Def Jam Records dropped The Show soundtrack. The Top 5 charting work featuring music by Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., and A Tribe Called Quest introduced a duo that was still years away from fully forming. On the song "How High," Def Squad's Redman and Wu-Tang... Read more

August 4, 2016 Audio, Throwback, Throwback

“Game, Blouses:” The Real Story Behind Dave Chappelle’s Prince Basketball Skit

Despite the fact that its final episode aired 10 years ago this month, Dave Chappelle's Chappelle's Show remains one of the finest sketch comedy shows ever produced. It spawned a host of legendary skits and characters, from the depictions of the blind Black White supremacist Clayton Bigsby to revelations about... Read more

July 31, 2016 Throwback

Big Daddy Kane Says He Intentionally Released “Two Trash Albums” After “It’s A Big Daddy Thing”

For fans of late 80s and early 90s Hip-Hop, there were few, if any MCs who commanded more respect than Big Daddy Kane. His first two albums, Long Live The Kane and It's A Big Daddy Thing, stand among the greatest of all time, in any era. However, many of... Read more

July 31, 2016 Throwback

This 1998 Ma$e & Guru Freestyle Brings 2 Different Sides Of Hip-Hop Together (Audio)

Six months from each other Ma$e and Gang Starr moved the Hip-Hop needle in 1997-1998. To some, that needle went in two directions. Released on October 28, 1997, Ma$e's Grammy-nominated, quadruple-platinum debut Harlem World certified the newest Bad Boy Records superstar. On March 31, 1991, Gang Starr released its first... Read more

July 28, 2016 Audio, Throwback, Throwback

Ever See This 1990 Freestyle Session Between Kool G Rap & Biz Markie? (Video)

Back in 1988, Marley Marl's Juice Crew served the world with one of Hip-Hop's all-time great posse cuts. Featuring Big Daddy Kane, Masta Ace, Craig G and Kool G Rap, "The Symphony" was a lesson in lyrical dexterity that endures today. More than recording together, members of the crew often... Read more

July 23, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

20 Years Ago, Muhammad Ali Lit a Torch That Continues to Shine Brightly (Video)

In 1996, Atlanta, Georgia, hosted the Summer Olympics, but it wasn't just a once-in-every-four-years occurrence. Also known as the Centennial Olympic Games, it was historic for many reasons, including its being the first time the Olympics divided Summer and Winter games into different years. Kicking off on July 19, the... Read more

July 19, 2016 Throwback

Juice’s Director Reveals The Original Ending Hollywood Did Not Want

Earlier this month, The Roots' Black Thought hosted a special event, celebrating the 1992 movie Juice. The afternoon consisted of a screening of the film, a panel discussion moderated by Black Thought, featuring director and co-writer Ernest Dickerson, co-writer Gerard Brown, and actors Khalil Kain (Raheem) and Jermaine Hopkins (Steel),... Read more

July 17, 2016 Throwback

Swizz Beatz Reveals DMX Did Not Want To Do “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” (Video)

"Stop. Drop. Shut 'em down, open up shop." As Heads know, those words open "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," one of the biggest Hip-Hop anthems of all-time. However, the song almost didn't happen. As part of the new BET series Inside The Label, Swizz Beatz detailed the making of the song for... Read more

July 13, 2016 Throwback

Jay Z’s 2000 Westwood Freestyle Portrays An MC In Stride For The Throne (Audio)

Right around the year 2000, Jay Z found himself in London, promoting his first #1 album, Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life. As the album was approaching 3 million units sold (it sits at more than 5 mill scanned in 2016), Shawn Carter hit Tim Westwood's radio show. In a new position,... Read more

July 7, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

A Founding X-Ecutioner Moves The Crowd With Dance Hits That Can’t Be Faded (Mix)

Mista Sinista (f/k/a Joe Sinista) made a name for himself working as an elite scratch-master alongside Common, the Beatnuts, and dead prez. Since 1989, the DJ/turntablist (and onetime MC) was part of X-Ecutioners, alongside the late Roc Raida, Rob Swift, and DJ Total Eclipse. There, the group would become mix... Read more

July 6, 2016 Mixes, Throwback, Throwback

Vinyl Archeologists Will Dig This 1995 Demo Of Cut Chemist Turntablism (Audio)

In late 1998, Los Angeles, California's Jurassic 5 burst on the scene with a self-titled EP. First released on the Pan imprint, the 37-minute project would eventually be re-released through Interscope Records, as part of the major label's commitment to Underground Hip-Hop, which also included Eminem and Planet Asia. That... Read more

July 2, 2016 Audio, Throwback, Throwback

Flavor Flav’s 1984 Mix Shows What Time It Is (Audio)

Public Enemy's Flavor Flav is one of Hip-Hop's all-time most recognizable personalities. While he only released one solo album, the man born William Drayton, III has brought mad flavor to classic P.E. records since the Long Island, New York group's inception. He is a hype-man extraordinaire, and an MC, but... Read more

June 30, 2016 Mixes, Throwback

Celebrate 25 Years Of Pete Rock & CL Smooth With A Souled Out Mix (Audio)

While the mid-90s often get lots of credit for the numerous Hip-Hop classic albums that were released during that period, 1991 was a pivotal year in which many artist debuts laid the foundation for what was to come. Among some of the acts that released their first albums were Tupac,... Read more

June 29, 2016 Throwback

The Firm’s Nature Bags Up Rarities Featuring Nas, Pete Rock & AZ (Album Stream)

It has been nearly 20 years since The Firm released its one and only album. The collective of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Nature would sign with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment for a chart-topping LP (called The Album) that is seemingly misplaced by time. Dre would place six of the album's... Read more

June 29, 2016 Audio, Throwback

Kanye West Not Only Produced This Consequence Hit, He Once Rapped On It (Audio)

In 2016, Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music is vastly different than it was in the last decade. Around the time 'Ye was gearing up for Graduation, completing his initial collegiate album trilogy, Getting Out Our Dreams boasted the likes of Common, John Legend, and GLC. Queens, New York MC Consequence was... Read more

June 27, 2016 Throwback