It has been way too long since my last post, but being an 8th grade public school teacher has taken over my life for the last six months or so. The time has come for me to come correct yet again. 90s Jam for all. Come out to Middlesex Lounge in Central Square, Cambridge to shake your ass with the rest of us.

October 25th, 2008: Remix the Mixtape SUBSCRIBE or search for “Ross The Boss Radio” in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Track List:

DJ Elyte and I put this mix out on CD in July when we moved the 90s Dance Jam from Redline to Middlesex Lounge. It was basically designed to play on blast at house parties. Elyte and I had a lot of fun with all of the blends and mixes. Some of my personal favorites are going from Naughty by Nature’s “Everything is Gonna Be Alright” to Father MC and Jodeci’s version of the song, Jade’s “Don’t Walk Away Boy” into Cece Penniston’s “Keep On Walking”, and SWV’s “Right Here (Human Nature Mix)” into Nas’s “It Ain’t Hard to Tell.” Hopefully this mix will help you reminisce and remind you of a time where are all we did was “Party and Bullshit.”

I dug out an old mix tape and some of my favorite vinyl off of it and decided to remix the mixtape. I originally made this tape in ‘99 under the name DJ Rook, but instead of remixing the whole tape I just selected my favorite songs and blends for your enjoyment.

January 23rd, 2008: Remix the Mixtape SUBSCRIBE or search for “Ross The Boss Radio” in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Handelin’ Business- Planet Asia
Whirlwind Thru Cities- Afu Ra
I Feel You- Ed O.G.
Monumental- Last Emperor
Likwit Fusion- Lootpack
Ruff Enuff- Akrobatik
Hold Mines- AG
Crosstown Beef- Medina Green
Triangular Warfare- Mr. Lif
Like They Used to Say- Common

As you can see from the photo’s of the original mixtape I basically threw this tape together with a photo of a piece by Juan2, miscellaneous DJ photos, microsoft word, scissors, transparent tape, and a color photocopy machine courtsey of the folks at Gnomon Copy in between Central and Harvard squares. In high school that’s all I really had to work with. However, it was still a pretty fresh tape and since I still have all the vinyl that I used to make it, I took some of my favorite jams out of the crates and remixed the mixtape. Just to keep it old school I made sure to do a lot of backspins, juggles, and funky cuts for the party people out there. If you remember any of these tunes then give me a shout dammit!

This is the long overdue best of hip hop 2007 Ross The Boss mix. These tunes were in constant rotation in my house, car, and headphones all year long.

January 17th, 2008: Boss List 2007 SUBSCRIBE or search for “Ross The Boss Radio” in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Track Listing:

Wood Grain- PRGz
Ohhh!- Kay L
They Know- Shawty Lo
La Era de la Copiaera- Calle 13
I’m a G- Lil’ Keke ft. Birdman
What a Job- Devin The Dude ft. Snoop and Andre 3000
La La La- Lil’ Wayne
Crushin’ (yeahhhh)- J Dilla
Hustle On- Keith Murray
Da Art of Storytellin’ Part 4- Outkast
Saigon Meets Just Blaze- Saigon
Popo’s- Turf Talk ft. E-40
Rediscover Me- Wale
Break My Heart- Common
Get Off Me- Dyme Def
Paper Planes- M.I.A.
The World is Listening- AG
Syce it- Tabi Bonney
Success- Jay-Z
Gun Will Go- Wu-tang Clan
Taking What’s Mine- Busta Rhymes
Yolanda’s House- Ghostface ft. Method Man and Raekwon
Flashing Lights- Kanye West
More or Less- Talib Kweli
The People- Common
2007 Wrap Up- Mad Skills

I threw this mix together today in a very short amount of time so some of the blends are a little rough, but I felt I had to share my favorite jams of 2007 with ya’ll as soon as possible. I put Weezy F. Baby’s picture up top because he definitely ruled 2007 with countless hits and priceless verses. I could have probably done an hour mix of all of the fresh tunes that he put out this year, but instead I just put one of my favorites, “La la la.” I also included a lot of songs from the south as they definitely continued to come with some great (as well as really wack) tunes in 2007. This is my first real podcast in almost three months since I have been busy grinding out my grad degree in education. I apologize for the delay and hopefully I will get back on track for 2008. Much love to all my fam, may the new year bring you blessings.

I know it has been a long time since I last posted and I promise that some very fresh mixes are on the way. In the meantime, I thought I would upload a Roc Raida old school mix from 1996 to keep the people happy. Raida is coming to the Good Life Bar in Boston this Thursday the 17th so as he shows Boston love, Ross The Boss shows him love in return. I ripped this from a tape that DJ Elyte bought in ‘96 so the sound quality took a hit, but it still bumps.

I drew from worlwide musical influences for this eclectic mix of good music plain and simple. Brazilian, Latin American, African, and European styles are all here for you to enjoy.

October 12th, 2007: Good Music SUBSCRIBE or search for “Ross The Boss Radio” in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Track Listing:

Hey Pocky Away- The Meters
Real, Real- Nina Simone
Ain’t No Sunshine- Kashmere Stage Band (J. Rocc Remix)
La Cumbia Cienaguera- Cimaloquera
Mais Que Nada- Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66
Joven- Cuco Valoy
N.E.S.T.A.- Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra
One Note Samba- Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66
Creature Feature- Billy Preston
Seasons (Dhundee Remix)- Grey Reverend
Dim Light- Manolo Escobas
Magic Number (Todd Terje Edit)- Herbie Hancock
Gatekeeper- Feist
Technologystolemyvinyl- Moodyman
The Angels- Dom Um Romao

I wanted to make another mix that wasn’t all hip-hop ever since I posted our old Jazz mix from high school. So I gathered records from my fathers collection, hit up some local record stores in Cambridge (only a few still exist), dug into my own supply, and borrowed some more jams from DJ Elyte. The only criteria that I had for this mix was that I must enjoy the music and there should be a heavy percussion element in most of the songs. I liked what this criteria was doing for the mix, but I decided to throw in a Feist track with no percussion just to keep the listener off balance. You will hear that there is a large Latin American and Brazilian infuence to this mix and I think this stems for my days living in San Juan and the types of music I encountered there. A little something different from Ross The Boss. I hope you like it.

I went Diggin in the crates for this all vinyl classic 90s hip hop mix. No Serato or mp3s with this one. Strictly vinyl, strictly 90s. Shout out to DJ Elyte for opening up his crates to add to my own collection.

September 15th, 2007: Diggin in the 90s SUBSCRIBE or search for “Ross The Boss Radio” in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Track Listing:

Intro: Straight From the Heart
Smif & Wesson- Stand Strong (‘95)
Mad Skills- Skills in ‘95 (‘95)
Gangstarr- Mostly Tha Voice (‘94)
O.C.- Word Life (‘94)
Artifacts- Wrong Side of the Tracks (‘94)
Large Professor- I Just Wanna Chill (‘96)
Group Home- Tha Realness (‘96)
D&D Project- 1, 2 Pass It (‘95)
D.I.T.C.- Day One (‘97)
Lords of the Underground- Funky Child (‘92)
Das EFX- Mic Checka (‘92)
A Tribe Called Quest- Lyrics to Go (‘93)
Jeru The Damaja- Can’t Stop the Prophet (Pete Rock Remix) (‘94)
Nas- One Love (‘94)
Method Man ft. Mary J. Blige- All I Need (‘94)
Mobb Deep- Give Up the Goods (‘95)
Common Sense- Resurrection (Large Professor Remix) (‘95)
Showbiz & AG- Next Level (‘95)
Black Thought & Malik B- Meiso (DJ Shadow Remix) (‘96)

I have recently been inspired by our 90s Dance Jams at the Redline in Harvard Square and also by the unbelievable live 90s mixes by Funkmaster Flex on the radio. I just had to dig into my own record collection and borrow a couple of tunes from DJ Elyte to mix some of my favorite Hip Hop tracks from the 90s. I grew up listening to 90s Hip Hop and the raw drum sounds and horn samples that came out of that era will forever be with me. The lyrics were also much more inspired and original during this era and for me the 90s style is one that is truly missing from Hip Hop today. This mix is the first of two mixes dedicated to the 90s. Look out for the second one in which I will collaborate with DJ Elyte for a more commercial, booty shaking, danceable, 90s mix. It will even feature some great House jams from that era. I’m out like shout. Aiight chill.

Here is Side B of the DJ Rook and Elyte Jazz mix from 1999. Highlights on this one include a lovely Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie tune, Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” and “A Love Supreme” by John Coltrane. Yes we were that fresh in high school.

July 15th, 2007 Episode 6: Jazz We Got Side B SUBSCRIBE or search for Ross The Boss Radio in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Track Listing

Intro- Jazz We Got
Dave Brubeck- Take Five
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman- My One and Only Love
Modern Jazz Quartet- Bags Groove
Eric Dolphy- Epistrophy
Clifford Brown & Max Roach- Doxy
John Coltrane- A Love Supreme (Acknowledgement)
Milt Jackson & Wes Montgomery- Deliliah
Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie- Honeysuckle Rose
Thank You

The second side is jut like the first but way more fresher, with way less effort. Lot’s of good tracks here. Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” deserves a closer look, so I stole a point of view and pasted it below.

The Classic Quartet produced their most famous record, “A Love Supreme”, in December 1964. A culmination of much of Coltrane’s work up to this period, this four-part suite is an ode to his faith in and love for God (not necessarily God in the Christian sense – Coltrane often mentioned that he worshipped all gods of all religions). Its spiritual concerns would characterize much of Coltrane’s composing and playing from this point until his death in 1967. The fourth movement of the suite, “Psalm,” is, in fact, a musical setting for an original poem to God written by Coltrane, and printed in the album’s liner notes. Coltrane plays almost exactly one note for each syllable of the poem, and bases his phrasing on the words. Despite its challenging musical content, the album was a commercial success by jazz standards, encapsulating both the internal and external energy of the quartet of Coltrane, Tyner, Jones and Garrison. They only played the suite live once – in July 1965 at a concert in Antibes, France.

A link to the original liner notes is here.

DJ Elyte and I made this Jazz mix in 1999 and gave it to all of our friends for the winter holidays. It’s a collection of our favorite tunes hosted by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. All vinyl, all borrowed from our fathers.

July 2nd, 2007 Episode 5: Jazz We Got Side A SUBSCRIBE or search for Ross The Boss Radio in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Track Listing:

Bosstro
Words from Rahsaan
Dexter Gordan- A Night in Tunisia
Eric Jackson- A Tribute to Miles
Miles Davis- ‘Round Midnight
Sonny Rollins- St. Thomas
John Coltrane- In A Sentimental Mood
Brown & Roach- Take the A Train
Thelonius Monk- Well You Needn’t
Nat Adderley- Work Song
Charlie Parker- Ornithology
Carmen McRae- I Didn’t Know

Not too long ago DJ Elyte gave me one of the rare copies of this mix on tape so that I could transfer it to digital and upload it onto my podcast. As you can tell from listening to this mix it was obviously transferred from tape and I wasn’t able to get rid of the underwater sounds that resulted from wear and tear. However, the soul of the tape is very much intact and most of the songs still sound very good.

Elyte and I were into some very heady Jazz when we were in high school and we obviously had a liking for the saxophone as many of the most famous saxophone artists dominate this mix. We liked sax and piano solos that were considered a little out there or were even sometimes intentionally off key. We were into Be-Bop that was trying to be different and set itself aside from the mainstream jazz that was messing up the scene. Monk and Coltrane were pioneers in the Be-Bop movement and were a big part of our lives in high school. They made us realize that Jazz was an art of true geniuses and we could only hope to play it at a very basic level. Nonetheless, Jazz and DJing were important creative outlets in our adolescence and have shaped the people that we are today.

I have to give thanks to my drum teacher in elementary school, Keith Gibson, for introducing me to Jazz and hooking me up with discounted lessons at the Longy School of Music. Wayne Miller, my first piano teacher for encouraging my interest. Peter Casino, my first real Jazz piano teacher for teaching me most of what I still know. And of course, Bob Ponte, the Jazz Ensemble teacher in High School who was mostly an asshole but was truly dedicated to his students.

This mix features my favorite women in hip-hop showing off their lyrical skills. Shout out to all the women who made guest appearances on this mix.

June 15th, 2007 Episode 4: Ladies Love RTB SUBSCRIBE or search for “Ross The Boss Radio” in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Track Listing:

U.N.I.T.Y.- Queen Latifah
Lost One- Lauryn Hill
Nickel Bag of Funk- Ladybug
Set The Mood- Indeed
Queen Bitch- Lil’ Kim
Ching Ching- Miss Jade ft. Nelly Furtado
Waterfalls- Left Eye
Twice Inna Lifetime- Jane Doe
How Many Mics- Lauryn Hill
(Holy Matrimony) A Letter to the Firm- Foxy Brown
Put Ya Lighters Up- Lil’ Kim
What They Call Me- Rah Digga
Gotta Man- Eve
Let’s Talk About Sex- Salt-N-Peppa
Hat 2 The Back- TLC
Ain’t Too Proud 2 Beg- TLC
Paper Thin- MC Lyte
Let it Bump- Missy Elliot
Sunshowers- M.I.A.

There are way too many great female emcees to fit them all on one mix, but I tried to fit in most of my favorites. Bahamadia, Apani B. Fly Emcee, Jean Grae, and Lil’ Mama (yeah that’s right, she’s ill) are just a few of the deserving emcees who didn’t make the cut.

This mix marks the first time that guests have appeared on Ross The Boss Radio, but what is a radio show without guests? Much love goes out to those beautiful guests who do so much in their lives and still make time to listen to Ross The Boss Radio.

If you like any of the free music on these podcasts or posted on this site please support the featured artists by buying their music.

Bringing it back in time with this RTB aka DJ Rook mixtape from 1997. These are my high school skills people. Fresssshhhhh.

April 19th, 2007 Episode 3: Back to 1997 SUBSCRIBE or search for “Ross The Boss Radio” in your itunes music store. It’s free.

Track Listing:

Side A
Many Styles- DJ Rook
If You Can Huh You Can Hear- Mos Def
2000 Seasons- Talib Kweli
Madness in a Cup- Mr. Lif
It’s Your Life- L the Head Toucha
Respiration- Blackstar
The Unassisted- Rasco
Woman- Akrobatik
Three Emcees- Kool DJ EQ ft. Casual, Del, and Xzibit
Orion’s Belt- Virtuoso ft. Esoteric, and Mr, Lif
Manifesto- Talib Kweli
Feelin’ Mad Drama- Patrick ft. DJ Rook and Marc

Side B
Check Me Out Ya’ll- DJ Rook
The Weight- Indelible Emcees
8 Steps to Perfection- Company Flow
Universal Magnetic- Mos Def
I Got Your Back- Night Breed
What If?- L-Fudge ft. Mad Heads
What You Wanna Do?- Rasco
The Five Perfect Exertions- Army of Pharaohs
Hidden Crate- AG
Peoples Choice- Defari
Shit is Hot- Natural Resource
Outro- DJ Rook

I made this mix in 1997 using my turntables and a 4-track tape recorder. Since this mix was ripped from one of the original tapes it might sound like it’s underwater, but that old tape sound is sometimes a refreshing break from this digital age, so enjoy it. I really put the Radio in Ross The Boss Radio with this mix so if you want to know how cool we were in high school you will just have to listen.