"...the come-up ain't without a price."

- Rapsody

We go up and down in waves of energy this month, as we start aggressive, cool down to some chilled soulful vibes, then go up and up all the way to a high-energy ending! With a selection dating from 1990 (as we pay tribute to the sadly departed DJ Go Mack) and coming right up to this past month, there's a real range of flavours for you to sample. Let's get into it...

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Twitch : @airadam13

"Still refuse to sell my spirit to eat..."

- Phonte

A lot of midtempo business this month, as we combine the remembrance of Biggie Smalls and Phife Dawg with some era-appropriate classics, a few obscurities, and then blend in some brand new material that shows how the true artistry of the culture continues to flourish!

I just finished adding all the links into the show notes and then my veteran computer hung...so have tried to replace them all! Besides those, here's my Instagram post on the closing of the Hip Hop Chip Shop, which I mentioned on the episode...it'll be much missed.

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Twitch : @airadam13

"I don't need a reason."

- Che

February is here once again, and as always we pay tribute to many of our Hip-Hop community who have transitioned; J Dilla, Trugoy, Big L, and Big Pun are all in the mix this month. Of course, it's also important to show love to the legends who are still with us while they can smell their flowers, and we have some brand new releases from veterans right next to some classics that still stand up to this day. The short length of some of the tracks brings the episode length down a touch, but it's concentrated dopeness...

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Twitch : @airadam13

"My heart is a drum, art is my tongue..."

- Chalk

It's always a treat to have a guest in the studio, and we're starting 2025 by hosting one of the most dedicated artists in our local scene, the MC/producer/DJ Chalk! You may know him as a soloist or as part of some of the crews and collectives he's worked with, but for all but his closest circle you'll hear at least one thing about him and his craft that you didn't know before. We feature several of his tracks from the span of his career alongside some excellent recent releases and some venerable headphone favourites of mine. Enjoy the show!

Catch up with Chalk at his Bandcamp page which features his whole solo catalogue, or on Instagram.

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Twitch : @airadam13

"...and we don't make the f-ing pistols..."

- Kool G Rap

Sometimes the episode number compels me to follow it to provide an overall theme for an entire show, and this month is one of those! With 187 famously being the California Penal Code paragraph number/police code for murder, and via Hip-Hop becoming widely known and used as a signifier well outside that jurisdiction, I decided that for this episode we'd lean into that as a theme - sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical, often pure creative writing, and at other times rooted firmly in reality. With that in mind, this episode might not be to everyone's taste, but for everyone else, it's certainly a journey thematically and sonically from the first track to our closer, which is truly a great piece of writing.

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Twitch : @airadam13

"The sonic still iconic..."

- Dr. Dre

I was all ready to go with a plan for this episode, and was just waiting to have a guest into the studio for interview and to talk about the tracks of his that I'd included in the selection...and then I got COVID. As such, having anyone visit the house was out of the window, and I had to shelve the original plans and cook up an alternative episode in about a week! All things considered though, I think it's a strong selection and one with an assortment of flavours. Hope you enjoy it, as I wait to test negative and fight off the lingering fatigue so that I can rejoin the world...

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Twitch : @airadam13

"...I'd be filthy rich if not for integrity."

- Ka

The title and theme of this episode came into focus after the second of two tragic losses to the Hip-Hop family this month, both from the same borough - first the peerless wordsmith Ka, and then the legendary producer and DJ Clark Kent. Both Brooklyn natives were held in the highest esteem by all practicioners of their respective arts as experts, and more importantly, spoken highly of as human beings. We feature the music of Ka and Clark Kent in this month's selection alongside some deep cuts from my crates...lock in.

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Twitch : @airadam13

"Traumatised, but full of pride..."

- Bashy

Thanks to the short length of some of the tracks, the total running time of this episode isn't as long as some others, but it's a high-potency forty-eight minutes! We start with one of the realest, toughest tracks I've heard in ages, low-tempo to make sure you catch every word, end on a new track by some of the most dedicated veterans in the culture, and hit some incredible notes between those two points. Let's get it going...

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Twitch : @airadam13

"Posthumous ain't the wave..."

- Mega Ran

For this month's cover art, I couldn't resist calling back to one of the most unexpectedly popular stars of the Olympics I was glued to earlier in the month, and going a little Griselda with it 😁 Music-wise, we're almost entirely Hip-Hop this episode, but visiting a lot of different chambers - got some brand new stuff, some tracks that are older than I realised, and we open up with a gem that never got a commercial release...

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Twitch : @airadam13

"I never did a dance for a dollar..."

- Buckshot

This month we don't shift into high gear in terms of tempo at any point, topping out at around 90, so those of you experiencing actual summer don't overheat! We've got some absolutely fire new releases in the mix alongside some versions that you might never have heard, plus some deep album cuts. We start things off with just such a track - if you don't own the album, I'd be willing to bet you've never heard it...never let it be said this is a show that leans on the obvious records!

Still a few tickets left to see Phat Kat at The Hip Hop Chip Shop on August 4th, plus me playing a special Detroit warmup set!

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Twitch : @airadam13