So...this time I decided to put together a selection of back-to-back classics from what some people call the "Golden Age" era of Hip Hop. As Q-Tip put it on "Buggin' Out" on "The Low End Theory", this is a selection from a time "back in the days when I was a teenager, before I had status and before I had a pager...".Although I am not a fan of pigeonholing, it could be argued that the years between 1985 and 1992 mark a hugely influential period in the evolution of the music. LL Cool J released "Radio" in 1985, and Run DMC followed in 1986 with "Raising Hell", both of which played a major role in Hip Hop's commercial breakthrough after it had largely been confined to the "underground" since the mid-Seventies. The following years saw some of the most classic releases by artists like KRS-One, Ultramagnetic MCs, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B & Rakim, Biz Markie, Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Masta Ace and EPMD. If you listen to these tracks today, the haven't aged a minute... timeless material.
It was really hard to limit myself to this selection, even though it still clocks in at about 2 1/2 hours total. There are tons of other tracks I would need to throw in there to even get close to doing the era and the artists justice, so it shouldn't be viewed as an exhaustive selection, but rather as a short introduction.
Although many Hip Hop records being put out these days lack in substance if you ask me, there there is still a lot of quality material being released by people all over the globe...for everyone who is helping keep Hip Hop fresh - the DJs, the MCs, the B-Boys, the writers, the listeners - this set is for you.
- DJ Boss Latte
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