Mixtape Shmixtape

Local mixtape purveyors might well be setting the bar for the rest of the country, with thought-out releases that defy the factory mentality. Maybe it has something to do with the creative juices flowing out here -- where else but the Yay Area would spawn something called "New Wave thuggin'"?

Kirb and Chris
Niggaz and White Girlz
www.rapitalism.com
Waxing lyrical about their favorite breezies (aka the aforementioned white girlz), Kirb and Chris set their honey traps (i.e., traps for catching said girlz) by rapping over DJ Icewater's backdrop of '80s beats, such as the Cure, Gary Numan, and the B-52's. They snagged this white girl for life when they rhymed over the Smiths' "This Night Has Opened My Eyes." We might not hear something more original all year. Holla!

DJs B. Cause & Ross Hogg
Slump & Grind 2
www.italselection.com
The highly anticipated follow-up to 2004's Slump & Grind mixtape from S.F. DJs B. Cause and Ross Hogg (aka SF Weekly contributor Ross Viator) is worthy of its predecessor. From radio heavy hitters like Frontline's "Bang It" and underground cuts like "Three Freaks" (DJ Shadow's eye-raising collaboration with Turf Talk and Keak Da Sneak) to Comedy Central-ish ditties like Little Bruce's "P.I.M.P.," this mix is all-bay goodness. Those attuned to technique will particularly appreciate the DJs' witty cuts and seamless mixing.

DJ Rick Lee "The Dragon"
Yay Area's Most Wanted Strikes Back Hosted by Chuy Gomez
www.welcometothizzworld.com
We've recommended Lee before; his name is a stamp of quality. Check the bonus disc of songs from the late Mac Dre, which have been "chopped & screwed" (a DJ/remix style of pitch and soundbite manipulation from the South).

Seth Spins
Smash Ups Vol. 2
www.sethspins.com
Spins takes a producer's approach here, creating his own beats to blend with songs from Bay Area MCs like Messy Marv, Frontline, and the Team. It's a clever showcase for a burgeoning talent, a variation on what is normally strictly a turntablist's affair.

Get in the mix! Send your mixtapes to this address, and maybe we'll review 'em:

Mixtape Shmixtape
c/o Garrett Kamps
SF Weekly
185 Berry St., Suite 3800
San Francisco, CA 94107