"...yo' ass lie like the president!"

- Ice Cube

This month marks twenty years since the death of Biggie Smalls - and yet it somehow doesn't feel like that long ago. The B.I.G man's influence still looms large over the culture and this show is no exception. Several Biggie tracks and others inspired by him dot the episode, alongside choices from the discographies of the late Phife and Nate Dogg. Besides those, a few classics and some fairly modern gems you may have missed!

Catch me DJing at Eastern Bloc Records on April 22nd for Record Store Day and then stay out for their big party in the evening! Just over a week later, check DJ Andy Smith at Whiskey Jar for a Sunday night session :)

Twitter : @airadam13

"All that happy, 'let's be friends' shit? Yo, this is the opposite."

- Konny Kon

As usual, we pay tribute to J Dilla, Big L, and Big Pun this month, but also two giants from a previous generation who both made a massive impact on Hip-Hop; Clyde Stubblefield and David Axelrod, who both passed in the last few weeks. Besides that, we have some great recent tracks from Manchester, some US classics and a few tracks that may have passed you by! Let's get it going...

Twitter : @airadam13

"...make you feel as if the Bill of Rights was counterfeit."

- Cuban Link

This month has just been hitting us over the head with "WTF?" moments on a daily basis, but in between I managed to put the show together - as you can tell, the finishing touches only made it in close to the end-of-month buzzer! While this is an all-Hip-Hop episode, I feel fairly confident that there won't be many people who know every track, so there'll be at least one new gem here for everyone. Let's run down this month's crate excavations...

Twitter: @airadam13

"Children of a lesser god when your melanin's got a tint."

- Pusha

I don't think I'm alone in being glad to see 2016 out of the door. We close out the year with some of the best tracks of the last twelve months mixed in with a bunch of older heat from the collection. Let's hope 2017 has some better days in store for us...

"I've seen the streets... you're walking down."

- Tyler

"Power to the people and the beats"

- Chuck D

What a month. The result of the US Presidential election has the world in turmoil, and legions of hateful people now feel emboldened to act out in public - it feels like the Brexit result turned up way past 10. On a personal note, I had to relocate the whole podcast studio and music library, but committed to getting an episode out on time and have just about managed it; this month of all months, I couldn't let things go by without a musical comment.

RIP Sharon Jones and David Mancuso... all love.

"Penitentiary's the plan to plant the new plantation."

- Treach

I'm currently getting ready to relocate the podcast studio but still got this episode out on time. Round of applause? As the autumn begins, the feel starts to get a little darker - not a full-on Halloween episode, but touching on everything from zombies to the upcoming US election (well, kind of) and finishing with a track from a long-time supporter of the show!

As promised, here are some charities helping Hurricane Matthew victims;

Lambi Fund

Haiti Communitere

Medicins Sans Frontieres

Shows to make this month;

Large Pro & Diamond D, November 10th

Slick Rick, November 25th

"We're an ice machine."

- Grace Jones

A combination of the tail end of summer and the recent upgrade of my car audio has prompted me to put together something I've been wanting to do for a long while - a low-tempo mix to ride slow to! The obvious thing would have been to go heavy on the Houston, Screwed Up Click style, but there's actually only one tune here that really fits that description; overall it's a very varied selection which will hopefully keep you entertained and impressed all the way through!

(I don't have the car in the cover art anymore, but I just had to use this photo. Check that colour coordination.)

"You get that, money?"

- Sean Price

Back with another episode, fresh off a trip to the Mecca of Hip-Hop, New York City! I didn't pick up any new vinyl on the trip but I did get a bunch of inspiration for the selection this month - I think you'll enjoy it. As promised, here are some of my photos from NYC, and here is a full album just of the Tools Of War Diggers Delight jam - it deserved its own extended coverage!

"I speak to your soul, and that's above money..."

- Pusha T

A rough month out there. With yet more ...ings of unarmed Black people by police hitting the news and galvanising protests worldwide, the issue feeds into some of this month's selection. Overall, I've got a couple of good local tracks, one song almost everyone will know...and a stack of stuff you probably don't! It's certainly not an exclusively human rights/political selection, so hopefully I'm not out of line with this month's cover art.

Don't forget to get your ticket for Pete Rock & CL Smooth in Manchester in September!

"Bombs in the city centre and we rebuilt it."

- Strategy

Wow, here we are at the seventh birthday episode! I had this title in mind way back, long before I knew if it'd be realistic to record for so long, but we got here :) Thanks to you all for your support, and please do introduce anyone whose listening game needs a step up!

A couple of links, as mentioned during the show;

"Put It In The Air", Oddest, July 30th

Pete Rock & CL Smooth in Manchester, September 3rd