The Mix Tape, Vol. 1: 60 Minutes of Funk

Performer: Funkmaster Flex
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Producers include: Funkmaster Flex. Engineers include: Kieran Walsh. From his central post DJing at New York's Hot 97, Funkmaster Flex found himself in the perfect position to stamp his imprint on hip-hop. He did it with his MIXTAPE series, which played out like parties where the Bronx-born Flex held sway as all the biggest names stepped in. It all started on this original volume, with the DJ spinning classics from the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian, and Eric B. & Rakim. Meanwhile, a roster of VIPs including Redman, Fugees, Erick Sermon, Busta Rhymes, and Method Man dropped original flows into the mix. Flex even invited fellow DJs such as Mark the 45 King and DJ Kool along to show off their stuff. With THE MIX TAPE, VOL. 1, Funkmaster Flex introduced the mixtape as an important gathering ground for the hip-hop universe. Funkmaster Flex's The Mix Tape, Vol. 1 recalls hip-hop's past while pointing toward its future. Featuring a wide array of hip-hop styles graced by amazing freestyle raps by some of the '90s top MCs, the album sounds like a mixtape compiled from the radio and 7" singles -- there's simply nothing but first-rate music, with no filler whatsoever. Although there are elements of old-school rap as well as modern funk, the daring production and stunning rhymes make The Mix Tape a rarity of mid-'90s hip-hop -- it's a record that sounds like none of its competition. It announces itself as an instant classic. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Spin (3/96, pp.114-115) - 6 (out of 10) - "...these sonic collages are one of the last few bastions of raw hip-hop culture....The inspired layering of Mobb Deep's `Shook Ones Pt. II' over `The Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin' ta F' Wit' recalls the best of Flex's homegrown stuff..." Melody Maker (2/3/96, p.41) - "...Combining fluid timing, intuitive scratching and guest-star freestyles...Flex knows how to make a mix tape...into something akin to a journey, a concept....the most accessible chance you'll get to hear his transmission from hip hop's cutting edge..." NME (Magazine) (1/13/96, p.34) - 8 (out of 10) - "...in the land of all things groovesome...the mix tape makes perfect sense....a carefully balanced combination of no-nonsense chatting and big tunes that...occasionally lapse into commercial R&B....The Funkmaster has quite clearly earnt his title."

Funkmaster Flex first came to prominence in the 1990s as a DJ at both the powerful New York City rap station Hot 97 and the legendary club the Tunnel. However, Flex became a brand unto himself when his name grew to be practically synonymous with hip-hop mixtapes. No one person has had more influence in the world of rap compilations than the Bronx-born turntablist, and from his first collection, simply titled FUNKMASTER FLEX PRESENTS THE MIXTAPE VOL. 1, he has brought together a wide swath of the hip-hop world, running the gamut from True Schoolers like A Tribe Called Quest to ghetto fab gangsta rappers like Juelz Santana.

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