My favorite thing about working this mixtape is it really allowed me to dig in the crates and break samples and loop out original beats. “It Was a Good Day” will most likely make people think Ice Cube, but the sample comes from the Isley Brothers “Footsteps in the Dark”. “10 Rap Commandments” is going to have people thinking Biggie, but the original sample came from Les McCann’s “Vallarta” and of course you can’t forget the sample of Public Enemy, which later led to a lawsuit won by Chuck D and Public Enemy for copyright infringement. To me, that is hilarious considering Public Enemy built their entire music catalog on samples and the work of the Bomb Squad. Imagine if James Brown’s estate sued Public Enemy for all the uses of JB samples PE used over their musical lifespan! “It Aint Hard To Tell” is immediately recognizable as a rip of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” but listen closer and you’ll hear some Tupac and Kool G Rap and DJ Polo “Truly Yours” which is actually built on the drums from “NT” by Kool and the Gang. Some of the songs are stripped down to just raw beat breaks like “Definition of a Monster” which samples BDP and Tech 9ine. I bet a lot of people have no idea that Pharcyde’s “Running Away” samples the Stan Getz “Saudade Vem Correndo”. I bet a lot of people have never even heard of Stan Getz. Google Stan and “Saudade Vem Correndo” then slide to the 2:05 mark and you’ll immediately recognize the break. Grabbing jazz breaks and samples from R&B albums is cool, but I really appreciate when people snatch samples from obscure places. I’m sure Seals &Croft had a nice run in their day, but I’m positive most Hip-Hop fans have NEVER heard any of their music. You think Busta Rhymes actually created the hit “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” with his own melodic ear? Hell no; that’s Seals & Croft “Sweet Green Fields”. Peep Uzi’s cadence and delivery too – daed on for the Busta Rhymes cadence and I loved that. Between the breaks and all the cuts laid in these tracks there must be somewhere around 50 various samples and breaks in just 14 songs. “No More Trash Can Music” is the only original production piece of this mixtape. This mixtape is a celebration of the Golden Era of Hip-Hop and I love that X.E.L. put so much work into bringing the songs back for a rebirth. My top pick from the mixtape is “Definition of a Monster” because X.E.L. ripped that lyrically. Make sure you listen to the skit at the beginning and end of “No More Trash Can Music” too. Classic.
01 XEL - WHERE IM FROM
02 XEL - IT WAS A GOOD DAY ft DEZYNE
03 XEL - 10 RAP COMMANDMENTS
04 XEL - QUEEN WIDOW ft DA BLACK WIDOW
05 XEL - IT AINT HARD TO TELL
06 XEL - DEFINITION OF A MONSTER
07 XEL - FEEL MY PAIN
08 XEL - BROOKLYN ZOO
09 XEL - RUNNING
10 XEL - ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE
11 XEL - GOTTA KEEP BUILDEN
12 XEL - BK FINEST ft PRINCE SIAH
13 XEL - EVERYBODY GET ON THE FLOOR ft UZI
14 XEL - U ME HIM & THEM ft DOLLA QUICK, JAY HOSTILE, DA DREAK
15 BONUS TRACK: XEL - NO MORE TRASH CAN MUSIC
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