Big Beat...

Big Beat was a New York record label that specialized in R & B and House but also dabbled in reggae (Sister Nancy, Don-T,Dawn Penn, Inner Circle with "Sweat" being their greatest commercial hit) but the label was well known for good quality Hip Hop too, through out the 1990's, Big Beat gave birth to many rap anthems and was also famous for cut and paste beat records, Nubian Crackers and Kenny Dope (as The Mad Racket) were both on this label at one stage.

A lot of the material on Big Beat, consisted of dope breaks, rough basslines and catchy hooks, along with a multitude of horn and piano samples, in the 1990's if you wanted quality Hip Hop then Big Beat was a trusted label and had Mad Skillz, Real Live,(the ill producer K-Def and Larry-O) Junior Mafia, MC Thick (R.I.P.),LA The Darkman, Double XX Posse, JVC Force who apparently recorded an album during the "Big Trax"/"Six Feet Back On The Map" studio sessions, but it has never been released.

Percee P, Artifacts (Tame One and El Da Sensai), DFC, OFTB, Down South (Shawn J Period's first group) the late, great Notorious B.I.G.'s old crew Junior Mafia, Foesum, DJ Pooh, Lil Kim, Many Fazes, Lucas, Mandigga (Lord Digga) Fat Joe and a few others all had a home on the Big Beat label, the label was also responsible for releasing the High School High soundtrack and the reggae/dancehall compilation Buyaka: The Ultimate Dancehall Collection.


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The following compilation is to celebrate the label and is a collection of what I think are the greatest tracks to represent the label.

1-Many Fazes-I'm Hip (1990) (produced by Cassio Ware & Derek Jenkins)
2-Double XX Posse-Not Gonna Be Able To Do It (1992) (produced by T-Ray)
3-Mad Skillz-The Nod Factor (1995) (produced by The Beatnuts)
4-Percee P-Now They Wanna See Me (1992) produced by Ekim)
5-ManDigga-ManDigga Comin Through (1996) (produced by Mandigga)
6-Artifacts-Wrong Side Of Da Tracks (1994) (produced by T-Ray)
7-Mad Racket Presents-Supa (Kenny Dope B-Boy Mix)(1992) (produced by Kenny Dope)
8-Sister Nancy-Big Beat Bam (1994)
9-MC Thick-T.H.I.C.K.-(1993) (produced by T-Ray)
10-JVC Force-Big Trax (1992) (produced by Curt Cazal)
11-DFC-Digga Bigga Ditch (1994) (produced by The D.O.C.)
12-Down South-Around The Clock (1994) (produced by The Beatnuts)
13-Nubian Crackers ft Fragga Ranks-Do You Wanna Here It? (A Minute To Mix No Time To Sleep) (1993)
14-Large Professor & Pete Rock-The Rap World (1996)
15-Junior Mafia-Players Anthem (1995) (produced by Clark Kent)
16-O.F.T.B.-Slangin Dope (1992) (produced by Tee K.O.)
17-Real Live-Crime Is Money (1995) (produced by K-Def)
18-RZA ft Method Man & Cappadonna-Wu Wear (1996) (produced by RZA)
19-Mad Skillz ft Dr Mindbenda, Javon The Medival,Kalonji, Lil Roc & Lonnie-B-Unseen World (1996)
(produced by EZ Elpee)
20-Many Fazes-The Gangsta Lean (1990) (produced by Cassio Ware & Derek Jenkins)

Jaz Presents The Big Beat Collection