1993

Download the mix here.

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Punk disappears one year back from ‘94, and hip hop takes a step back to what was basically the state of the art in the early nineties. Digable Planets, Pharcyde, and Souls of Mischief give us some great singles that crossed over big with white audiences, but of course the biggest crossover was Snoop’s Doggystyle, which had spillover success from Dre’s Chronic.

Beck had what is still his biggest hit, the Pumpkins jumped on the grunge bandwagon (though they hardly belonged in the category), and Nirvana put out their best – and last – studio record. Kurt would be dead the next year, but at this point it really seemed like the trend still had legs on it. Pearl Jam broke Soundscan records with Vs. and had a few huge hits, including the stellar “Daughter,” and The Breeders showed grrl power on the larger scale that a better, but more radical, band like Bikini Kill couldn’t ever get to.

Still, there are signs of the future on this mix. Bjork appears on the scene to infuse vocal pop with beat-centric electronic flourishes, and The Flaming Lips get playful (though they wouldn’t truly break through for nearly another decade). But then there’s probably the most important song on here, “C.R.E.A.M.” which signals the emergence of the Wu Tang, who would completely change the face of hip hop in so many ways it deserves its own book.

Some songs I left off the mix: Stereo Mcs: “Connected”; 4 Non Blondes: “What’s Going On?”; Belly: “Feed the Trees”; Naughty By Nature: “Hip Hop Hooray”; Porno For Pyros: “Pets”; Sheryl Crow: “All I Wanna Do”; Snow: “Informer”; Tag Team: “Whoomp! There it is “; Us3: “Cantaloop”; Morphine: “Cure For Pain”; and anything from Black Moon: Enta Da Stage.

1. Today - Smashing Pumpkins - 3:19
2. Heart Shaped Box - Nirvana - 4:41
3. Sober - Tool - 5:03
4. Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill - 2:37
5. Loser - Beck - 3:55
6. Insane In The Brain - Cypress Hill - 3:32
7. Gin And Juice - Snoop Dogg - 3:31
8. Shoop - Salt N Pepa - 4:08
9. Mesmerizing - Liz Phair - 3:55
10. Cannonball - Breeders - 3:36
11. Passing Me By - Pharcyde - 5:03
12. '93 'Til Infinity - Souls Of Mischief - 4:46
13. C.R.E.A.M. - Wu-Tang Clan - 4:12
14. Halftime - Nas - 4:20
15. Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) - Digable Planets - 4:21
16. Daughter - Pearl Jam - 3:50
17. She Don't Use Jelly - The Flaming Lips - 3:43
18. Venus as a Boy - Bjork - 4:42
19. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star - 4:55