Track Listing:

Lord Finesse - Food For Thought
Lord Finesse - Speak Ya Peace Ft. Marquee & Dia
Lord Finesse - Check The Method
Lord Finesse - S.K.I.T.S. (Remix)

Track Listing:

Masta Ace - Me And The Biz
Jungle Brothers - Doin’ Our Own Dang (Do It To The JB’s Mix)
Grand Puba - That’s How We Move It
Lord Finesse - Hip 2 Da Game
Lord Finesse - Gameplan
Percee P - The Man To Praise
Percee P - The Lady Behind Me
Laster - Searching For Meaning

Image: Jordan Todd

Step 1. Read our post Reggae Top 10 of All Time.

Step 2. Sit back, roll a number, spark it and hit play. Enjoy!

Track Listing:

Jacob Miller - Backyard Movements
Bob Marley - Keep On Skanking
The Congos - Children Crying
Desmond Dekker - 007/Shanty Town
Sugar Minott - Oh Mr. DC

Auditory lessons on work ethic.

Track Listing:

Gangstarr - Work
El Da Sensi & Tame One - The Interview
Gangstarr - The ? Remainz
Choclair - Twenty One Years

Random snippets from old ’80s mixtapes.

Track Listing:

The Cure - In Between Days
The Psychedelic Furs - The Ghost In You
Echo & The Bunnymen - Never Stop
The Smiths - Hand In Glove

Track Listing:

Talib Kweli Ft. Kanye West and Roy Ayers - In The Mood
Wu-Tang - Take It Back

Photography by: Adrian Gismodi

Track Listing:

The Pharcyde - Ya Mama
De La Soul - Magic Number
Black Sheep - Similak Child
A Tribe Called Quest - God Lives Through
The Roots - I Remain Calm

Here’s some nourishment for the soul.

Track Listing:

The Avalanches - Tonight May Have To Last
Quasimoto - Basic Instinct
Sound Advice - Smiley Faces Hypnotize
Sound Advice - Crazy Butt
Roots Manuva - Strange Behavior
Common - Communism
Mr. Scruff - So Long

One of the best parts about traveling is meeting new people, especially those you establish an instant connection with. In Paris this isn’t the easiest thing to do as the language barrier and the sheer vastness of the city (NYC looks small in comparison) makes finding the local party spots extremely difficult. Luckily, I was in the right place at the right time and had the good fortune of connecting with the boys from Quartiers D’Ete. They got Karistan and I on the guest list to the most happening party in the city at a club called Paris Paris. The event we attended there is held about once a month, and the venue is partly owned by one of the founders of Colette.

Unlike Vancouver’s hipster infested hotspots, there is no cover to get in, the DJ spins classic hip-hop and funk records (not 80’s mash ups on Serato), and the scene isn’t coked-out. Because of the ridiculously high price of liquor (8 Euros per bottle of beer and ten plus per mixed drink) most people just go to dance and rock out with their friends. Inside the club, the roof is illuminated with pulsating carousel lights that strangely add to the excitement of being crammed like a sardine in such a small space. In Paris Paris, by 1:30 AM it’s impossible to hear the person screaming in front of you or dance without knocking someone out.

The event’s crowd is good looking too – they’re modern hippies with style. The girls are natural, tight bodied, and not dressed like whores. They each have their individual style and are a far cry from Vancouver’s Aritzia clones with fake tits, bleached hair and fat lips. (Oh, and Lululemon pants? Hell no, haven’t seen a pair yet.) The dudes are much the same – they select an era and create their own look around it. It’s unique. The energy and vibe is relaxed and accepting, pretentiousness is minimal, and it’s rude not to politely greet one another (male or female) without a kiss on each cheek.

The music was hype: early ‘90s classics from Wu-Tang, Redman, The Beastie Boys, and Nas blasted from the speakers. The party really came to life when Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by Us3 was played and everyone started playing the air saxophone.

This got me thinking: if Europe is typically two years ahead of what is considered cool in the west, than this ’80s craze in North America is going to be over real quick. ‘90s hip-hop is the new shit (again)!

Here’s a sample of what Canadian Hip-Hop was all about during the early ’90s before its seasonal transformation into commercial oblivion.

Track Listing:

Ghetto Concept - U.S.L
Down To Erf - Learn To Earn
Citizen Kane - Structurem Foundation (What’s The Plan)
Rascalz - Fitnredi
Black-1 - No Lawz