Joint Contrast

THE DELFONICS – “Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love)”

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Let’s assume everyone is familiar with the 1996 version made famous by the Fugees. The fact that Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras did it better on “Ready Or Not” doesn’t take away from the original 1969 version from this Philly-bred trio. Hell, The Delfonics have been getting jacked for quite awhile now. I’m sure it pays out nicely though.

THE ROOTS – “Streets Of Philly”

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How obvious a choice to blend a track from The Roots with Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets Of Philadelphia” (doesn’t The Boss look like Ben Affleck the morning after a bender?) Too bad we couldn’t get an official track with Black Thought flowing over this instrumental. Until that day, this J. Period version on Best Of The Roots from 2006 will have to do.

NAT KING COLE – “Day In – Day Out (Cut Chemist Mix)”

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Released in March 2009, Carole Cole spearheaded her father’s tribute album Re:Generations with a focus on reintroducing Nat’s music to a much younger, hip-hop audience. And most of it is works surprisingly well. There’s Cee-Lo, The Roots, Just Blaze, Nas, and more, making contributions. Yet among those offerings, it’s up for debate how many tracks stand up to this one, or that of the legacy of Nat King Cole himself.

MOS DEF (w/ Slick Rick) – “Auditorium”

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Already receiving the highest of praise from critics and fans alike, the new album from Mos Def (The Ecstatic) features one particular song that’s bound to ware out the repeat button on your stereo. Mos and the legendary Slick Rick rock out over an addictive Madlib beat that’ll have heads noddin’ from hear to the Middle East.

ZION I (w/ Brother Ali) – “Caged Bird Part 1″

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Back in February, Zion I (made up of AmpLive and Zumbi) released The Take Over with this Brother Ali-assisted track included. And if not for Ali making this appearance, there would be very little worth holding onto from the album itself.

SHAPE OF BROAD MINDS – “Changes”

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You’ve likely never before heard of this creative collective that goes by the name Shape Of Broad Minds. And you’ve probably never had the pleasure of seeing and staring at the album artwork of 2007′s Craft Of The Lost Art, or many of the other artsy covers pushed out periodically by the Lex label. The imagery matches the music.