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Dj Strictnine and Paranorm - Mic Reaction - 1999

 

12" - 1999 - Grand Royal  

This is a pretty good 12" that, frankly, doesn't cost very much. It was released in 1999 on Grand Royal Records by the duo DJ Strictnine and Paranorm, originally from South Bend, Indiana.

The record is the second installment in Grand Royal Records' series of 12-inch hip-hop singles titled "The Blow Up Factor". It features the lead single "Mic Reaction" (Original & Instrumental) on the A-side, and the tracks "Human Ebola", "Planet Wicked" and "Psychological Profiles" on the B-side. Their bandcamp includes some extra demo and remix versions, making it a good way to discover or rediscover this 12".

Mix : Spek the Architek - Brutalizm

 

"Not sure how many roughnecks out there are still keeping an eye out, ready to blast the 90's grimey indies. "Brutalizm" had been sitting in the stash since 2020, patiently waiting for me to do something special with it. Life got in the way and I never got around to arranging a proper treatment... It's time to share one of my phatest works, at least online. I was at the top of my game and dedicated a long time to compiling and fine-tuning Brutalizm. Coincidentally (or not), several of my collection's most hard-to-find 12''s are in there - all killer no filler mode. If you've been following my previous output you won't be disappointed. A solid 2026 to everybody. Salud " - Spek The Architek

Video : Coyote x Statik Selektah x Sirrealist - Shoebox Money - 2025

Coyote (The Yotes) and Statik Selektah drop their second single "Shoebox Money" featuring Sirrealist, taken from their upcoming collabo album "Machetes and Micheladas".

Devious & Juice - Daily Operation / The Plan - 1994

 

12" - 1994 - Criminalistic Records 

It’s not easy to talk about a record from 1994 when everyone involved is basically a mystery. There's no information on the two MCs Devious & Juice, the two producers Selector Seti & Cosey (Co-Dog) Gray, nor on the Brooklyn (Bushwick)-based label Criminalistic Records. The record contains two dope tracks, "Daily Operation" produced by Selector Seti on the A-side, and "The Plan" produced by Cosey (Co-Dog) Gray on the B-side. 

A few names are also mentioned in the shoutouts at the end of "Daily Operation", such as Big C-Moe, MBC Click… but unfortunately, that didn't help me much. I can't tell you anything more, except that if you ever come across a copy, don't think twice and grab it ! 

Demo : The Ill Delinquents - Unknown Demo - 1996

 

Here is another demo coming straight from Toronto, Canada, recorded in 1996 by a group called The Ill Delinquents. I'm not sure about the name of the demo but it may have been titled "Delinquency". There's no additional information about this group so if you're from Canada and you know or remember anything about this crew, please hit me back. Peace

GENERATION NEXT - The Gavin Report - 1994

 

From The Gavin Report - April 29, 1994

ST8OFMIND Demos - 1994

 

ST8OFMIND was a Flemingdon Park-based group out of Toronto, Canada. The crew consisted of three members: U.N.I the "Drunken Profit", Red Eye, and Jel "The Bad Guy" a.k.a. JL The Overseer who was an original member of the Get Loose Crew, known for being the first Canadian rap group to be signed to a record label in the 80s. 

In 1997, ST8OFMIND dropped an outstanding debut single titled "Moodswings", which appeared on the highly regarded compilation Beat Factory Rap Essentials Volume Two. The track earned them a nomination for "Single of the Year" at the 1998 Canadian Urban Music Awards.

After "Moodswings", the group teamed up with a group called The Unit (Bunks & Jawz), who released the "Play Your Position" EP in 1998 on Easpark Records, a record label owned by JL the Overseer. It was their last official appearance, but I can tell you that some ST8OFMIND unreleased demos exist !! Here are 2 exclusive Demos recorded in 1994 and titled "Under The Madness" and "Play Some Music". Sorry for the poor sound quality, but it's better than nothing... Peace

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Sperrow - Hold It Down (Instrumental LP) - 2025

 

LP - 2026 - Comin Tru Records

Swiss beatmaker Sperrow, one half of the duo Tru Comers, drops a self-produced 12-track instrumental album. The project is up for pre-order, with only 100 copies pressed. Shipping February 2026.

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New Joint : Big L - Fred Samuel Playground feat Method Man - 2025

 

Certainly the best song in my opinion, taken from Big L’s latest posthumous album, recently released on Mass Appeal. Here is the Lyric video !

New Joint : Key-Kool & Rhettmatic - Full Circle - 2025

 

The members of the LA-based crew The Visionaries, Key-Kool & Rhettmatic, are back with "Full Circle", the lead single from their latest album of the same name, entirely produced by DJ Rhettmatic, except for one track produced by Kutmasta Kurt. 

Emapea - Patera - 2025

 

Polish beatmaker Emapea is back with a brand new instrumental project entitled "Patera". It's available on CD (100 copies) and will be available soon on vinyl. 

Video : Apollo Brown & Ty Farris - Ctrl Alt Del - 2025

Visuals for Apollo Brown & Ty Farris's latest single "Ctrl Alt Del", taken from their collaborative album "Run Toward The Monster", released on vinyl in November on Escapism Recordings. 

Video : Dillon & Paten Locke - No Bluffin ft. Large Professor & J Scienide - 2025

 Dillon & Paten Locke deliver the visuals for "No Bluffin" featuring Large Professor and J Scienide, taken from the album "Rations" available on 2xLP Vinyl, CD & Cassette via Full Plate Records.

Dredknotz - Under Pressure - 2025

 

90's Tapes / HHV 

" Shelved since 1995, the Dredknotz debut "Under Pressure" is finally here! Under the guidance of DJ Richie Rich (formerly of 3rd Bass), the Flatbush-raised trio consisting of Benz, 50 Grand and Big Ezo created a powerful album that stands the test of time. Cryptic, hardcore beats blend with a cool, eerie sound that connects on multiple levels. The rhymes come from the street and the heart. Straight up, hard, telling like it is. Entirely produced by DJ Richie Rich and Big Ezo, engineered by Rich Keller at legendary Chung King Studios. " - courtesy of 90's Tapes

Available in a limited run on 4LP (500 copies), 2CD in jewel case (300 copies), 2MC (100 copies) and digitally on all major platforms.

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Basick Mentality - Basick Mentality - 2025

 

90's Tapes / HHV 

"This album was born in Southeast Washington, D.C., in the winter of 1992 — a place where music was survival, loyalty was everything, and talent had to fight for air. That’s where a young rapper named Eric Jones, soon to be known as Vice Versa, began carving out a legacy that never got the shine it deserved. Vice Versa came up with his childhood friend Stan, a local DJ with crates full of vinyl and a hunger that matched his own. They spent nights in basements looping beats and freestyling until sunrise - sharpening a sound that mixed D.C. grit with New York lyricism. Word spread. Battles were won. Open mics were crushed. A voice was rising out of Southeast. 

Everything changed when a street-connected visionary named Baron “B” Flemings stepped in with money, ambition, and a belief in Vice’s raw talent. Alongside him came E-Boogie (Eric Kennedy), a young industry insider with D.C. roots and New York access. Together they formed Rage One Recordings - a label funded by hustle, heart, and the kind of grind nobody teaches in music school. The sonic backbone of Rage One was Scotty Beats, a gifted engineer/producer who lived inside Horizon Studio and transformed raw ideas into polished records. With Scotty behind the boards and Vice Versa behind the mic, the crew began shaping the project that would become Basick Mentality. 

Tracks like “Paradise,” “All Around The World,” “Guts & Glory,” and “Let Your Nuts Hang” were born during this era - created with passion, pressure, and the belief that D.C. had something to say. The team opened for legends like Busta Rhymes and EPMD, rehearsing day and night, chasing the breakthrough they knew was coming. The self-titled album has been released in limited quantities on CD only in 1997. But real life hit harder than any beat. As the team expanded its operations to Los Angeles and met with major labels, street life and circumstance took their toll. Jail time, mismanaged funds, broken trust, and life’s responsibilities pulled the crew apart just as the music was reaching its peak. 

Then tragedy struck. In the same year, both pillars of this project - Scotty Beats and Vice Versa - were murdered. Two brilliant lives gone. Two futures erased. Two brothers lost forever. Scotty was killed protecting his property. Vice Versa was killed in a robbery in the same neighborhoods he once electrified with his voice. For years, the music was lost - buried in memories, scattered across cities, carried only by those who refused to let the story die. 

This re-release is more than a project. It is a resurrection. A tribute. A testament to a crew that gave everything. To Vice Versa. To Scotty Beats. To Rage One. To the dream that lived, died, and now lives again. 

This is Basick Mentality. The world finally gets to hear it." 

- Eric "E-Boogie" Kennedy 

Available in a limited run on LP (500 copies), CD in jewel case (300 copies), MC (100 copies) and digitally on all major platforms.

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20 SIDES Demos

Here are some demos from a group called 20 Sides, from the Toronto,Ontario, Canada indie hip-hop scene. I don't know much about them, except that they were part of the Sassafras Click and another crew called Countless Endeavors. Stretch & Bobbito were the first to play one of their demos titled "20 Questions" in December 1995. The other demos, "Let Me Go" and "Assorted Nuts", were played in June and July 1996 on the Mastermind Street Jam radio show on Energy 108 (107.9FM), which served the Hamilton, Burlington and Toronto areas in the mid to late 90s.

Nas & DJ Premier - Light-Years - 2025

 

2xLP - 2025 - Mass Appeal

Here is the first edition of Nas & DJ Premier's long anticipated album, entitled "Light-Years". It's available on double vinyl, CD & Cassette on Mass Appeal.

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