THUG LOVE x NEW MIX

Remember when Hip Hop was cool? When film clips were imaginative journeys through the dust, Mad Max style ( yes, we’ve all read THAT letter when Tupac and Dr.Dre first discovered Burning Man). When lyrics stretched beyond planting a ripe purple one on a chick. When songs started movements, stood for people and their beliefs.

Or were just simply a call to part-ay.

Growing up, this was the hip hop of my youth. I remember when radio would bleep out the swear words, but we still knew what was up and then snigger as we tried to boldly repeat them at school in front of our teachers. Sure, Sydney was a far cry from the streets of Compton but us youngins in the immigrant South West felt some sort of brotherhood. Kinda. A little.

So came the time to make a hip hop mix of all those songs that I still "get down" and "shake my booty" too. It ain't all about house, and yeah I know that half the deep house tracks I play are sampled from Warren G, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, etc. ( In fact I'm writing an article about that too, stay tuned. )

For some reason Biggie and Diddy –when he was still Puff, their film clip for “Mo Money Mo Problems” stood out in my young impressionable mind. All that flying around defying gravity and when rappers still attempted to dance in choreography. We all wanted to be that young kid jumping around in "Jump".

TLC flew the flag for tough young gals. Salt-n-Pepa for sexual liberation. Lauryn Hill, well she is the real Queen here. 

At the risk of looking like a hypocrite, Dr.Dre does feature heavily on this mix. But his beatings of women aside, you cannot erase this mans talent and influence on the hip hop industry. Those piano quavers that majestically introduce "Still Dre" still send shivers down my spine. He did, after all, pioneer the first white rapper who subsequently overtook in sales and platinum hits than most of the "Rap Gods" put together.

So come on ride the train, hey ride it! 

Thug Love by Izy on Mixcloud