I love A Tribe Called Quest. So when I saw a best-of mixtape, I thought I’d give it a chance. I have all of their records but I thought it might be nice to bump this mix in the car.
I’m so glad I downloaded it.
This mixtape starts off perfectly. DJ M-Rock cuts some classic Tribe lines and scratches some braggadocio lyrics to show that he definitely has skills on the turntables.
It’s obvious that he has a passion for hip-hop, this group, and the art of deejaying. You can almost hear how much fun he is having delivering this mix. Not only that, he gets really creative with how he puts together the tracks.
M-Rock isn’t just content with lining up the greatest hits of a Tribe Called Quest. Instead, he finds connections between the tracks and leaps through their catalog in ways that make you take notice.
One of my favourite parts of this tape is when M-Rock takes “Find My Way” and loops it to perfectly segue into another song. Listen to this tape around the 11 minute mark to hear what I mean.
Q-tip has a line in that song where he mentions that a girl is so hot, it makes him stop and pant like a dog. He then takes a moment to breathe emphatically before he continues his rhyme. That’s what usually happens when listening to the song. However, M-Rock brilliantly loops up that two seconds of breathing and uses it to transition into Q-Tip’s solo song “Breathe and Stop.”
I must admit I was never a fan of that solo joint but what M-Rock did with that mix made me jam to that song in a way I never had before.
M-Rock continues to cut, scratch, and blend tracks in very innovative ways. He is able to find lyrics that connect one song to another and then transition to them in ways that make you throw your hands in the air and cheer. I seriously did that when listening to this mix. I don’t think he heard me though.
But guess what?
He heard me. I love Twitter! I wasn’t following him prior to this either.
The Best Of a Tribe Called Quest by DJ M-Rock is the best mixtape I’ve heard in a long time. You can download it for free, stream it with the player below, and check for some other great mixes from DJ M-Rock.
Enjoy!