New Mixtape: Re-Living Thing / Peter Bjorn and John with Mick Boogie

My favorite mixtape DJ Mick Boogie has just curated another innovative, genre-mashing mixtape, taking tracks from Peter Bjorn and John's Living Thing and turning them into hip hop anthems. Unlike previous Boogie tapes, these are not mash-ups but new tracks with a host a hot verses from the likes of Bun B, Talib Kweli, U-N-I, GZA, Wale, and tons more. My personal favorites: Jazzy Jeff's "Stay This Way" featuring Big Pooh, Chaundon & Phil Nash and The Kickdrums' "Lay It Down" featuring Trouble Andrew and GLC. Download it over at Get Right Music.

Review: Kanye Essentials: First Semester (The Reissue) / Mick Boogie

On the heels of Kanye West's eight Grammy nominations, and the success of the Second Semester mixtape, Mick Boogie has reissued their initial collaboration, with a brand new cover. While this year's follow-up mainly showcased unreleased tracks and artists on the G.O.O.D music label, First Semester paints a portrait of the path that lead West to his 2004 debut. Hearing Mos Def introduce West as the "future of hip hop" in the beginning shows just how far he has come in the past two years; the majority of the tracks display West's sped-up soul style, a trademark he all but abandoned on Late Registration. The real treat is the skill with which Boogie has mixed the tracks together, limiting each song to a verse or two, achieving a steady flow. He occasionally throws in the original version of a song sampled by West; hearing Luther Vandros' "A House is Not a Home" (from "Slow Jamz"), and Chaka Khan's "Thru the Fire" (From "Through the Wire") at regular speed faded into the sped-up sample is a nice touch. The highlight, though, is Lauryn Hill's "Mystery of Iniquity," (the basis for "All Falls Down") mixed into an alternate version of "All Falls Down" - here called "Self Conscious."

It's bizarre hearing West, Twista and Dame Dash celebrating the Roc-a-Fella label on "We Are the Champions," given the fact that Dash and Jay-Z are no longer business partners. Also odd is hearing the occasional homophobic slur, given Kanye's recent anti-homophobic stance. I'm proud of West for standing up against homophobia, and letting go of his prior prejudices; hearing the slurs hear is the one thing I do not like on the record. Full of additional freestyles and remixes (including "Get By" with Mos Def), First Semester is primarily for the hardcore West fan. For those fans - myself included - it is a real treat.

3.5 STARS (out of 5)

::2 Related Links::
1 Review: Second Semester: Kanye Essentials 2 (mixtape) / Mick Boogie & Kanye West
2 Mick Boogie bio

Review: Second Semester: Kanye Essentials 2 (mixtape) / Mick Boogie & Kanye West

When Kanye first hooked up with Cleveland DJ Mick Boogie in 2004, it was for the Kanye Essentials mixtape, a disc of rarities to accompany the newly-rleased College Dropout. A lot has changed since then, and Second Semester is a bit of a victory lap. That being said, you won't find much that comes close to Late Registration, instead a showcase of freestyles, works in progress, rejected beats and lots of guests; it's not a record per se - it's more of a lesson in artistic process. More-than-casual fans will enjoy an intro that cuts bits from Kanye's interview with Barbara Walters over his most famous beats, which then leads to a stellar live version of "Diamonds..." In this version, Kanye drops verses from the single and the remix, establishing the bling vs. political conscience dynamic better than the two songs do on their own. Other high points include the James Brown-sampling "Brand New," "Back to Basics" with Common, and Lupe Fiasco's "Kick Push." Fiasco proves himself a gifted MC over an old-school snare, piano and strings beat that recalls A Tribe Called Quest. For those who remember the much-hyped collaboration with John Mayer that didn't make "Registration," "Bittersweet" is included here as a bonus track. While Mayer fans may rejoice, the track proves Adam Levine is a lot more likeable.

3 STARS (out of 5)