Say hey, people people. Time for another round of dusty digging as we return once again to the wonderful world of cassingles. Submitted for your approval: two quality cassettes spanning a decade I like to call the 90’s. It was a good one. And if you were tape-copping back in those dulcet days, maybe you’ve still got these in that shoebox under your bed. So without further ado, let’s break out the beats.

First up we have a major release from 1992, Brand Nubian’s “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down”. This song, long-since certified classic, was kind of a shock when it came out. Grand Puba (the dominant voice on the first Brand Nu album, “All For One”) had gone on to pursue solo stardom with his “Reel to Reel” LP, leaving Lord Jamar and Derek (now known as Sadat) X to carry on the Brand Nubian name. And instead of following up their relatively light-hearted, positive, and god-conscious debut with more of the same, Jamar and Sadat basically said “fuck that” and came back hard. Real hard. And that’s not a switch most rappers make successfully. But, like other positive/aggro acts after them (Dead Prez comes to mind), Brand Nubian simply took the consciousness of their early work in a more militant direction, allowing them to be (to borrow a phrase) revolutionary but gangster. For whatever reason, it worked. “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down” solidified the legendary status that Brand Nubian has enjoyed ever since, and both Sadat and Jamar continue to be active in the rap scene.

Now, all that history aside, the real reason we’re talking about this tape today is not the A-side. No, that song is dope, but what really sets this single apart is the B-side remix featuring Diamond D. That’s why you plunked down your dollars on this particular piece of plastic. Diamond D, the self-described “best producer on the mic” (although there’s plenty of contention for the title nowadays), was always good for a memorable (if uncomplicated) guest verse, and this song is no exception. Plus, since he produced the original as well, Diamond’s hot remix is actually that–a re-mix of the beat’s elements, flipped differently and with some added horns…a combination of the new and the familiar. But don’t take my word for it…listen for yourself. Fun fact: A number of samples from this song popped up on other releases. Can you name them?

That shit was from an era when a remix of a Brand Nubian song–or any popular song, for that matter–was a major event. Now, the day after the new Jay-Z single drops, there’s 50 different “remixes” available, and none of them (even if they’re “official” or, rarer still, if they’re actual re-mixes where the beat and/or lyrics flip) has the impact that this one Brand Nubian song had back in 1992.

Alright then. Our second slab of 90’s soul comes to us from the other end of the decade–1999, to be exact. Now, you may know Mr. Dante Smith as an actor (I particularly liked “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”); as a crooner (I mean, I guess that’s what you’d call it…and if I never hear “Umi Says” again, it’ll be too soon…no offense to anyone’s Umi); or as the former co-owner of a bookstore in Brooklyn. But way back in ‘99, the mighty Mos Def was just a really, really dope rapper (yeah, I know he was a regular on “The Cosby Mysteries” before that, but some things are better forgotten). And he was about to drop his solo LP, “Black On Both Sides”.

Well, we all know what happened after that. The A-side of this tape, “Ms. Fat Booty”, was one of the singles from his “highly anticipated debut”, and it was definitely a success. Matty Eye rapped over that beat for the first Rec-League mixtape, so you know it’s a classic. But, in the immortal words of Chuck D, the B-side wins again. And that’s because of a track labeled simply “Mos Def Freestyle w/ DJ Cipha Sounds, Hot 97″. I really don’t want to say too much about this one…you just have to listen. But after hearing it, I think you’ll agree that Mos Def’s reputation as a lyricist par excellence was well deserved.

Damn!!! Wasn’t that ill? I couldn’t agree (with myself) more. Now if only I could find a store that carried his last album…

Alright then, friends. That oughta tide you over for today. So grab your head cleaner and your Q-tips, get that boombox pumpin’, and stay tuned for another edition of Back in the Day: Cassingles, exclusively at routinefly.com! Until then…

In the PJ’s my blend tape plays,

Grip