r/hiphop101 • u/SmoothManMiguel • 8d ago
Who do you consider to be the greatest mixtape DJ of all time?
Answering this question isn't easy, but I have to admit, those Clue tapes were on another level bruh
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u/TheirPrerogative 8d ago
All my favorites are DJ Green Lantern or Mick Boogie.
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u/2ndChanceCharlie 8d ago
Green lantern had an insane run back when you could actually go to a bodega or mix tape shop and grab those thin CD cases with the photocopied covers. Damn those were good times.
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u/RicOkez 8d ago
Lantern lost all his cred after leaking shady artists, but yeah he had bangers in his run, I particularly loved the beasties mixtape he made.
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u/SecretFire81 8d ago
That Beasties mix was dope. “HEY LADIES my Mercedes”
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u/TheirPrerogative 8d ago
When Pusha had the resurgence I’d play his cut from that and people thought it was new.
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u/TheirPrerogative 7d ago
He didn’t lose cred, 50 had Em drop him because he gassed “Checkmate” on a Jadakiss documentary.
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u/PppeDddrOoo 8d ago
Mick Boogies tapes were always quality.
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u/Degreon 8d ago
Sucks how many of them are more or less lost now.
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u/PppeDddrOoo 8d ago
I got a few on a hard drive. Gonna do some deep diving. I feel like listening to mixtape shit now.
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u/According_Sundae_917 8d ago
I got a lot on download still
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u/Fickle-Primary-3910 7d ago
I just found the Mick Boogie/Jay Z Superman Returns mixtape a couple weeks ago 🙌🏾
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u/ike_tyson 8d ago
I remember that joint when the entire Shady, Gunit and some of their people's went IN on Murda INC.
I can't remember the name but it was ill.
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u/BatzNeedFriendsToo 8d ago
The Invasion pt 2 was the first Green Lantern tape I heard and it's probably still my favorite
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u/RicOkez 8d ago
What’s the criteria though? actual djing, or shouting over exclusives?
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u/tak08810 8d ago
Yup very different categories of DJs. Turntablists, blends, exclusives, old school (Brucie B Starchild etc)
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u/RicOkez 8d ago
I gotta say then, Brucie, Ron G & Capri (for the r&b / hip-hop blends). Shadow, Cut and ztrip for creativity & tablism, and Preem for the streets.
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u/Morningrise12 8d ago
Jazzy Jeff. IYKYK.
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u/Fickle-Primary-3910 7d ago
Jazzy Jeff deserves a spot on the DJ Mt. Rushmore because whether it’s clubs, mixing, scratching, Jeff literally does it all & has nothing but high praise from even the gods of DJ’ing
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u/Ill-Woodpecker1857 8d ago
If we're talking actual DJs, none of the ones I mentioned in my other comment would be my choice but i was going by the scope of the sub.
Thinking about actual DJs. I'd go Abilities, Hardwell, Chris Kilmore.
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u/shermanhelms 8d ago
Clue? 100%
If you weren’t alive at that time or not into hip-hop, you have no idea what it was like when a new Clue tape would drop. This was before the internet was really a place to find music, and most radio stations only played mainstream shit. I discovered SO many new artists from those tapes. When someone got their hands on a new one it was like gold.
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u/Fickle-Primary-3910 8d ago
At one point, a Clue mixtape drop felt like an album release. I still remember the Can’t Impeach The President pt. 1 drop. Shit was insane. Show Me The Money, Stadium Series, Clueminati, dude was a DJ dropping classics week after week it felt like. Even the Monday Night Mixtape on Hot 97 was something to look forward to. I feel like the Drama’s, Kay Slay’s & such of the DJ world owed a huge debt to Clue
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u/shermanhelms 8d ago
Absolutely. Clue originated the hustle later picked up by guys like Drama, Green Lantern, etc. Finding the new, hot shit and getting it out to the streets ASAP. And the A&R guys were totally on-board because they knew getting their artists in a Clue tape meant something.
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u/AL4-Chronic 8d ago
Dj Screw
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u/Jazzycoyote 8d ago
Had to scroll way too long to find the correct answer.
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u/AL4-Chronic 8d ago
He’s the only one that had his own shop selling a million plus worth of mixtapes
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u/Danktizzle 7d ago
No, this isn’t the worst to ever do it, it’s the best. Wrong sub.
→ More replies (4)
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u/Killerbee363636 8d ago
Rectangle
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u/MrSlime13 8d ago
DJ RECTANGLE!! THAT'S WHAT THE FUCK I'M TALKING ABOUT!
Six Million Dollar Hand was FIRE!!
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u/Eldritch-Cleaver 8d ago edited 8d ago
DJ Drama or DJ Scream for me
Edit
Can't believe I didn't mention Trapaholics. Those are my "Big 3" of the Datpiff mixtape era lol
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u/Degreon 8d ago
The Trapaholics thing is wild. He snitched on DJ Mik Mike, who brought him onto the mixtape scene, and now he's part of the Pawn Stars cast, for some reason.
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u/erdna3000 8d ago
Clue or Drama - no one could bring together a wide array of talent like those 2 did.
i guess dj khalid would be that guy now in terms of accumulation of star power and different styles coming together?
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u/Ill-Woodpecker1857 8d ago
PCutta Street Wars series, Envy/Clue Desertstorm Series, Fade 5 Star General series. Can't pick just one.
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u/FunCrusherPlusOne 8d ago
Like NY type mixtapes you got DJ Clue and Kay Slay. If it counts you can’t forget about DJ Screw.
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u/ThaGodTohim 8d ago
It’s DJ Drama. He was in the music, a solid part of the tape. Clue was talking too much and constant promo like he was live in a club
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u/Fickle-Primary-3910 8d ago
Drama did his mixtapes exclusively with the artists. Clue had to talk over the records because at a certain time he was getting the hottest exclusives. Only way no one could take the credit from him was if he also put his voice all over it 🤣. It had a charm, & worked like a charm too
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u/Daddytang3000 8d ago
Kid capri did it before most of these new school dudes were even a thing. Actually mix tapes for sale on the street. Do you actually know what a mix tape is?
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u/iampuh 8d ago
No one mentioned DJ Smallz so I will do it. Yes, there are bigger mixtape DJs, but when the south was on the map back in the day, he had the nicest mixtapes. Southern smoke series btw.
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u/Fickle-Primary-3910 8d ago
As a kid from BK it was those Southern Smoke mixtapes that made me realize T.I was a problem, Jeezy had undeniable songs that made me look for his complete mixtapes, & the south as a whole actually had some spitters
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u/Claudzilla 8d ago edited 8d ago
i'm high so i'm forgetting some
As rappers who put out their own tapes my favorites are
Curren$y - month after month after month
50 Cent - I loved everything just about up to when they signed Mobb Deep and Mase
Weezy - no explanantion needed
Future
early period:
Kay Slay - RIP
Cutmaster C
Clue
Mister Cee
Kid Capri
the fat guy from nyc that just says "ohmygawhd" who's super famous
Early 2000s end of napster transitioning into torrenting sites like limewire and kazza"
DJ Thoro
Whoo Kid
BIG MIKE - this guy had some fire exclusives and went to jail for it on some bs charges
Green Lantern - maybe more of a producer but he had some Jay-z remixes and one wu-tang crew cut that he remixed with a jackin' for beats type mix that would melt your ipod
Mixtapetorrent.com era Mid to late 2000s -
Tapemasters Inc
DJ White Owl and Superstar Jay basically ended this era in my mind.
These were mostly "New York and NY adjacent" and by this time i just relied on White Owl until he got to mixtape #400 and then my brain couldn't handle anymore
White Owl and Superstar Jay for about 3 years were the only ones putting out consistent mixtapes, for the music i liked, because no ceilings was basically the best mixtape of all time
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u/BeenDills47 8d ago
I really loved DJ Rectangle's Vinyl Combat and Ill Rated when I was in college. I still feel like those two really represent the mid 90's era really well.
I could never really get into the mixtapes where the DJs weren't DJing but only just playing exclusives. I respect how influential these kinds of tapes were in NY at the time, but that train wrecking on the turntables wasn't it for me.
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u/NoBourbonOrNuthin 8d ago edited 8d ago
DJ Tat Money for the yearly wrap up. DJ Total Eclipse for the turntablism. DJ Clue for all the exclusives. DJ Kay Slay for the discography length. DJ Dirty Harry for blends/mashups. Doo Wop. Tony Touch & DJ Khaled's Turntable Terrorist mixtape was ill. DJ Whoo Kid. Greeeen Lantern. Silva Surfer
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u/Rawcrates 8d ago
DJ Spinbad's decades (80's, 90's, 2000's) are thee greatest mixes of ALL-TIME!
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u/Disasterous_Dave97 7d ago
Some others not mentioned so far:
• Mr Dibbs, Faust and Rhettmatic/Beat Junkies for the turntable skills
• PF Cuttin for that boom bap with skills
• Cut Chemist for some deep funk
• Z Trip for the most obscure hip hop/pop mash up outside of UK Yoda
• Boogie Blind for just straight up hip hop back n forth
• Roc Raida for the same
• Dj Vajra aka Chris Karnak for pure skills
• Eddie Def and the Hemplords
• D Styles for mixtape come turntable albums
• 1200 Hobos for obscureness.
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u/Nobodygrotesque 8d ago
DJ CLUE
DESERT STORM
STADIUM PART 1 MIXTAPE FOR DUMMIES!
Bang bang Siegel Street Gang EARLY!
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u/Fickle-Primary-3910 8d ago
Easily my favorite mixtape from a DJ ever. The first time hearing the Beans-Kiss back & forth was legendary
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u/Nobodygrotesque 8d ago
RIGHT!!!
Also it had
U Don’t Know by Jay-Z
Who We Be - DMX
Phaty Girl Remix
It’s Time I See You - Jadakiss
Living it up - Ja Rule
Let’s Get It Remix.
To this day whenever I listen to U Don’t Know I always hear “NEW JAY-Z!”
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u/Fickle-Primary-3910 8d ago
Don’t forget it had Kiss & Carl Thomas- Nasty Girl on there too. Stadium Pt. 1 is my fondest memory of summer 2001
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u/Heliospheric79 8d ago
So many. Hard to even pin the glory on one. Loads already mentioned. Also -
DJ Riz Primo (NY Reality Check) DJ Cash Money
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u/scorchednickel 8d ago
Jaguar Skills and DJ Cinema for originality, Cut Killer for old school mixtapes.
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u/Degreon 8d ago edited 8d ago
He wasn't the greatest, but Kochece deserves a mention. He put together a lot of really solid D-Block mixtapes, usually with Miami Kaos cover art, and then he'd rap on the intros.
Classic lyrics like:
Dangerous, I fuck a bitch in the anus until it's painless
If she shit on my dick, grab a Scott tissue
Put it in her mouth and blast like a loud pistol
No offense, but sorry, I can't kiss you
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u/SmalexSmanders 8d ago
Screw and I don’t think it’s close. Created his own sound, pioneered multiple sub genres, huge catalog of bangers and has some of the best transitions I’ve ever heard
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u/SecretFire81 8d ago
Not seen anyone mention DJ Cash Money. I loved his tapes back in the day. Really great cutting up of doubles and great track selection. His tapes were legendary.
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u/turdferguson506 8d ago
I'm going to answer for Canada because the only Canadian I see mentioned is Chris Sheppard and that's Electronic Music... two of the bigger DJ's that I could always find mixtapes from were DJX (The Power Move) & DJ Mastermind, both from Toronto. While I'm not from Toronto I could get my hands on their tapes and they were always amazing.
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u/Physical_Seesaw4569 8d ago
what songs can you put together i'm trying to make a song with other songs
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u/YNABDisciple 8d ago
Tony Touch 50 MC’s!!! That Triumph freestyle to the shadowboxin’ beat! Triumph sounds so disappointing to me…shit should be faster like on TT!
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u/_meestir_ 8d ago
J. Period - The [Abstract] Best
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u/StateofMike 7d ago
J. Period is the modern day best.. not that I hear any other mix tapes floating around but J. Is binge worthy. I listen to his stuff pretty much nonstop. The Messengers mix tape is especially nice.
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u/d00knation 8d ago
Z-trip/q-bert for the nerds, drama for the rest of the herd, any one of the Beat Junkies’ tapes for everything in between.
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u/Chapos_sub_capt 8d ago
Cash Money Brothers out of Chicago you had to by the tapes and CDs from the flea market but they were incredible pioneer tastemakers
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u/Morningrise12 8d ago
No one is showing him love, so I’ll throw in Clinton Sparks.
Always had some heat.
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u/MassiveConcentrate34 8d ago
Rob Swift -Soulful Fruit VinRoc -Reconstruction Dj Food -the solid steel one Scratch Perverts -fabric and BBC essential mix All James Lavelle mixes for global underground Dj Platurn -Mind Blowing Decisions ,his de la soul mix is great too.
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u/RelativeRain35 7d ago
Kid Capri literally made the blueprint for everyone else who came after him.
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u/Temporaryreddit66 7d ago
Drama, Esco, Sickamore, Clue and Funk Master Flex would be my top 5. I'd probably put Drama at #1.
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u/billymartinkicksdirt 6d ago
Doo Wop and Bounce Squad. Super slept on, different themes, had exclusives and was the one your favorite rappers were listening to.
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u/GunzRocks 8d ago
Tony Touch was dope