"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 bran…

"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…

"...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 ou…

"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 pla…

"...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 p…

"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 …

"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 bran…

"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 s…

"Come on and give me my props..." - Diamond Fifteen years! We started this ride in June 2009 and here we still are all these years later. Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you'll stay with me for as long as I'm able to keep putting these shows together. The point of this podcast has never been to prioritise new releases, or to only eve…

"Slashed all four tyres on the bandwagon..." - Pos The end of the fourteenth year of the show is here, with the numerically-satisfying number 180! It's been a good month for shows, with a highlight being seeing Edo G live for the first time, so I've included a couple of his tracks alongside some recent releases, a rarity or two, and some bonafide o…

"If you're wrong, you're wrong, and if you're right, you're right." - Malcolm X It's been a rough month in the Hip-Hop community, as we've said goodbye to Mister Cee, Rico Wade of Organized Noize, MC Duke, and Keith LeBlanc, all of whom are included in this episode's selection. Rest in peace to all, and thanks to them for all their contributions. D…

"...just to show how many come to the funeral." - Tee There's some very serious Hip-Hop in this month's selection - from the rugged to the smooth, and from some old and even unreleased material to brand new releases! Of course we pay tribute to Biggie, Phife, and Nate Dogg, with some music that may have passed you by previously. RIP Bo$$...I make a…

"Rockin' and rollin' like the myth of Sisyphus..." - Anthony Cruz More than any other month in the year, February is the one where we remember some of the greats that have passed on; as such, this mix includes tracks from J Dilla, De La Soul (RIP Dave), Big L, and Big Pun. The average ruggedness level is high, and we start off with a classic sample…

"I AM" - Chuck D Hope you've had a good start to 2024! While it's been a bit bumpy over here, the selection on the first episode of the year is strong from start to finish. If you know every single one of these tracks already...we should probably have a chat as you clearly have an ear for the good stuff! Mastodon : @[email protected] Twitch : …

"Speaking to the people that matter, with my mind." - Grap While a lot of December up this way has been surprisingly mild, but there was an absolutely vicious period - was lucky that the heating in the house only died after the worst had passed. Still, it's fixed now, so I didn't freeze to death putting this episode together! As we draw towards the…

"Ain't a damn thing changed boy, protect ya neck!" - RZA This month marks a full thirty years since the landmark date of November 9th 1993, when two of the greatest albums of all time - in any genre - were released. I've played many of the tracks from those LPs on the podcast over the years, but both do get a nod of respect in the selection here, a…

"...kick rocks or kick rhymes..." - Jean Grae The seasons are most definitely changing on this side, and the heavens have been pretty open the last couple of weeks while I've been putting the show together. Unfortunately during that time, we lost a couple of respected DJs and producers, DJ Mark the 45 King and Groove Damoast, both of whom are inclu…

"Do you wanna be dope, or do you wanna deal it?" - Common All Hip-Hop at a nice steady pace - but a varied platter of vibes - for this episode, as I celebrate my birth month! Great personal news : I'm very proud to be included in the new "Hidden Histories : Black in Manchester" resource by Parise Carmichael-Murphy - have a read! Twitter : @airadam1…

"Let me say it again, and say it with feeling..." - Jay Dee A big episode this month - both in importance and in number of tracks - as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Kool Herc party at 1520 Sedgwick Ave, Bronx, NY, that arguably sparked Hip-Hop! The format is slightly different from the usual, and the episode is centred around three …

"Tell Nipsey I'm still running laps." - Dave East We're past the halfway point of 2023 and summer in the UK is...variable. Instead of trying to go seasonal in the main, I've gone with a selection which is heavy on relatively-recent releases while excavating some absolute gems from the crates. There's almost no way anyone knows all of these tracks, …

"Paid my dues, now pay my fee." - Pete Rock Another year in the books! This is the fourteenth birthday episode of the podcast, and it's wild to look back at how different the landscape looked back in 2009 when I started it off. At least nowadays, I don't have to explain what a podcast is! I needed a selection worthy of the milestone, and I think yo…

"I was a seventies baby, raised in the eighties..." - Scarface An appropriate quote for this month's episode, in which we keep a constant speed all the way through - an unbroken chain in the low-80s BPM range! A little rugged, a little smooth, some old and some new, and hopefully something for each of you 🙂 Remember, you can always see a list of my…

"We on they mood board, though they livin' in denial." - Solace This month's selection came together slowly and then all at once! It's turned out to be a great combination of deep album cuts, some lesser-known bonus tracks and remixes, as well as some brand new nuggets you can and should add to your collection! Of course I had to give you some Guru…

"Godbodies behind bars, y'all see the barcode." - Pharoahe The month went from the ridiculous to the sublime, but as always, here we are right on time! This episode we pay homage to Phife and Biggie Smalls, and bring out some great recent releases alongside some older tracks that I think will have escaped the notice of many - after all, there's so …

"Too old to rhyme? Too bad, too late." - Dave This month marks a huge loss for the Hip-Hop community, and the music world more widely, as Dave, aka Trugoy The Dove of De La Soul, passed away. As part of the group, he was a perfect match with Pos on the mic, and was one of those low-key people that no-one ever had anything but good to say about. De …

"...baking soda, get it crackin' when you mix me with Kane." - Checkmark If you're like me, every time you write 23 this year you're thinking it! The first episode of 2023 is here, and we go mostly on the downtempo tip and mix up the genres in a big way, so there's almost sure to be something new for everyone in the mix! RIP to Laylaw and Gangsta B…

"...while she was waiting for her son to shine." - Mystro Ok - last month was a bit chilly but this one was ridiculous! As 2022 ends, we loosely have a winter/Xmas theme scattered through the selection, some brand new releases that deserve sharing, and many other gems including a Grand Daddy IU production after he passed away this month - RIP to hi…

"This might be God speaking, it's just my mouth is moving." - Ka The weather might be cooling, but there is some heat on this one. We pay respects to two Hip-Hop stalwarts who sadly and unexpectedly left us this month - Tame One of The Artifacts, and Hurricane G. We include music from both in the mix, along with some material from their contemporar…

"Great Britain is a myth right now..." - Strategy Two different occasions combine for this month's episode; it's Halloween, and (0)161 is the Manchester area code, and so we lean towards the dark, sinister, and eerie, as well as including a good chunk of Manchester music in the mix. In several cases, we manage to find both aspects in the same track…

"Whose ways are strange when it's time to survive?" - DOOM My birth month comes around once again, but times are getting rougher out there, so this is a pretty rugged selection on the whole - which, to be fair, fits the changing of the season too. Looks like I'm going to be pulling the hoodies and boots out... RIP Coolio, who passed away just after…

"...today, we choose violence..." - Da-Neek Last month we had a nice, chilled, downtempo selection, gliding through several different genres. This month, we're flipping the script and rooting ourselves in pure beats, rhymes, and cuts! Twitter : @airadam13 Twitch : @airadam13

"If you move, I'll fall." - Traditional I've been away for most of the month dealing with a family emergency, but I've just about managed to get an episode together with the few days of the month I've been in Manchester. I spent a few of the days away trying to do my day job in some absolutely punishing heat, and so ended up listening to a lot of l…

"I only ride with the MFers that I used to walk with." - Suga Free Another milestone passed - this is the thirteenth birthday episode! Thank you all for staying with me over the long road travelled since that first pilot show. For this month's episode, we once again visit the old and the new, starting with a brand new release from one of my favouri…

"...'cos it's the right thing to do." - Sensei Of Soul With no particular theme I wanted to integrate this month, there were all kinds of directions available to go in! I've gone with a selection that has some stellar remakes, one or two old and overlooked gems, and an overall pacing that starts you off storming the barricades and ends at deep conc…

"...you can rally troops, but I play the awesome defence..." - Guru 155 brought to mind the famous Rucker Park on 155th St and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem, which is the home borough of a recently departed legend - DJ Kay Slay, aka Dez, aka The Drama King (aka Slap Your Favourite DJ. But don't, please). Closer to home, we wish a peaceful …

"Where the venom corrodes the street..." - Large Professor We have a great mix of the old and new this episode, and I all but guarantee that everyone will hear one new track, and hopefully one that will send you to the shop to add to your collection! Some of the tracks were fitting together as though it was meant to be, so I hope you enjoy the flow…

"Seasoning drippin' off of my style, I dress tastefully..." - Meyhem Lauren It's Feburary once again, and so we dig into the catalogues of J Dilla, Big Pun, and Big L as we mark the anniversaries of their passings. Alongside those gems. we have some excellent brand new releases and some rarities from the vaults. You should definitely have some tune…

"...and if they don't understand, then they ain't fam, simple as that." - Nature This month's episode is dedicated to the memory of a great friend who also happened to be a serious DJ - Obelix of Too Many Cooks (second from right in the photo), who tragically and suddenly passed away this month. He was known to many as part of the crew that organis…

"Don't quit now, you're just a heartbeat away..." - Spitta No copy-paste, back of the store cupboard mix business, this show always aims to give you an episode crafted around recent listening (which doesn't necessarily mean recent releases), events, and ongoing conversations. The work level is real! This month's episode includes a classic track fro…

"It's the song for those who've finished singing." - Talib Kweli One of those nice round-ish numbers on the episode count this month, so I've broken out a couple of numerically-appropriate selections along with a segment I've had on my mind for ages! On top of that, I've included some tracks by two artists I somehow ended up DJing for this month - …

"We set out on our travels, we do the best we can..." - Mos The autumn is firmly with us here in the UK, but spending even more time in the house means more time to dig through interesting picks for the show! This month we've got some serious old classics alongside a good chunk of new Manchester music, and a flow that takes some unexpected turns bu…

"Tryna make it from the bottom, pull everybody up." - Ka Finally, all the parts of my DJ setup are fully operational, and so I get to use the new mixer and freshly-serviced turntables for the first time on my birth month episode! There are some old classics in the selection alongside some lesser-known modern underground material, and I think the mi…

"Reminiscing 'bout my style, before it was yours..." - Snoop Dogg First things first - RIP to Zumbi of Zion I, who passed away unexpectedly this month. He penned some incredible music in his too-brief lifetime, and he will be missed by all who knew him in the Hip-Hop family. This episode was tough to put together - it seemed like some of the most c…

"Put on the wings of the morning and fly." - Capleton It somehow feels like an awful long time since the last episode - the new job has been keeping me extra-busy and the speed of world events just seems to keep accelerating. Sadly, one of those events was the passing of Biz Markie - another legend lost too soon. I've selected one of his most famou…

"Appetite for construction..." - Swigga We celebrate another birthday for the podcast this month, marking twelve full years since that inaugural experimental episode! This month's mix includes new tracks from artists who are setting themselves new standards, as well as some deep album cuts, B-sides, and unreleased gems. Sadly, we also mark the pass…

"It ain't f-ing sensible." - Strategy I ended up completely changing the selection this month when, taking the lead from a few tracks I was considering, I decided to go with an all-downtempo selection - a continuous unbroken mix once the first lyric hits. That said, there's a serious mix of genres so you get a bunch of variety inside the hour-long …

"...you will remember my name." - DMX It's been a grinder of a month. It shook the world when DMX passed away at 52, only for his former contemporary Black Rob, who himself had recorded his best wishes for X towards the end of his life, to pass only a week later. With everyone still wrapping their mind around those losses, the sudden death of Digit…

"We all need...some fresh air." - Tobe This month has been pretty exhausting, but I did have some good ideas for this episode, and once I hit stride with the recording I decided to try and keep the pace up and get it released on a weekend day! The selection has turned out to be heavy on artists who are no longer with us, but left us some great musi…

"Go buy me a drink if you didn't buy the CD." - Double K February rolls around once again, and so we pay tribute to Big L, Big Pun, and J Dilla in the selection, as well as the recently-departed Double K from Los Angeles' People Under The Stairs. There are some very well known tracks in the mix as well as some new and somewhat obscure ones, combine…

"Either unmarked or engraved - hey, who's to say?" - MF DOOM Wow, January has been a long year (!) On the very last day of 2020, the Hip-Hop world was stunned to hear of the passing of Daniel Dumile, later known as Zev Love X, and eventually as the legendary MF DOOM. It had actually happened some time before but his family wanted to maintain some p…