Most often, blend tapes (existing beats + existing acapellas) serve to frustrate me more than bring me utility. They’re typically assembled by some kid in their basement with an internet connection, Fruity Loops, no sense of rhythm, and plenty of time. The NastraDOOMus mixes (Nas + (MF) Doom) from earlier this decade were stellar, but the blend tapes circulating the internet since then have been mediocre at best. I had pretty much given up on this genre of mixtape until several credible sources on my blog aggregator raved about Memory Man’s Wu-Tang Clan Vs. D.I.T.C. The concept is simple, but the result is better than I had imagined.
The real star here, surprise, is Big L (R.I.P.), who IMO, rounds out the triumvirate of the greatest emcees who, incidentally, left this world before their time. Wu-Tang Clan Vs. D.I.T.C. is the next best thing to brand new verses from the deceased rapper, and it’s surprising how fresh his punchlines sound over Wu beats. You can bet that on my trip up to San Francisco next week, 1/6 of that drive will be spent bumping this tape.
