The jazz/hip-hop relationship hasn't been nearly as fruitful or long-established as you'd think it woulda; if funk and soul are hip-hop's parents, jazz is kinda like an uncle who drifts into town now and then, sleeps on the couch, bums hip-hop's cigarettes and tells stories about the good old days. Trouble is, we look at him like he's a played out rummy bum-ass, but back in the day uncs had skills, scared people just as much as hip-hop does/did, and had seriously bad-ass musical chops.

Maybe there's no definitive jazz/rap LP because hip-hop's never been about being definitive. Is there a definitive hip-hop anything LP? Hip hop's more about being interpretive, allusive, and using whatever's at hand. This here's a comp of some of the best cuts.

Scratchoetry - Alien Army
The Brew Out - Wu-Tang Clan (DJ 2-Tone Jones remix)
The Gift - The Whitefield Brothers (feat. Edan & Mr.Lif)
Jazz Thing (Movie Mix) - Gang Starr
Freedom Jazz Dance (Remix) - Nas, Miles Davis & Olu Dara
Human Language - Mumbles
Heat It Up (Album Version) - Rakim
Mystery (Reprise) - Miles Davis & Easy Mo Bee
Applesauce - DJ Quest
Dark...

Bil Basmala (formerly known as Autolect) came in hard this year with his four volume Nobody Beats series...he asked me to take the slew of funky, soutronica, neo-hop, authentically deep tracks and create a best of in my usual style. (Meaning lay samples all over the place.) Peep it out and get the upcoming Nobody Beats box set of all five volumes when it drops.



Wake Up

Shots

Prophet (vs. Jeru Tha Damaja)

Vortex

Measure

Yesterday

Floating Lazarus (vs. Malcolm X)

Time Lapse

Nice

Miles A Head (vs. Miles Davis)



Sort of hosted by Gary Farmer and Johnny Depp.

So much of 9/11 is Icarus: Mohammad Atta, the planes, the jumpers, the towers, America.

This year's remembrance swirls around what has changed, what hasn't changed, what have we learned, what haven't we learned. Forget all that noise. Listen. Remember. Try to grasp it.

This is not a mixtape. This is aural history.

Chapter 1 - A.M. Breakups
005 - MHE
9:03am - Clint Mansell/Kronos Quartet, Autolect, cLOUDDEAD
Clouds of Smoke (instrumental) - Call O' Da Wild
Icarus Falling Reprise - PSY/OPSogist
9:59am-10:28am - Chris Craft, Brain Damage
Dead Flag Blues - godspeed! you black emperor
Snow (instrumental) - Roc Marciano