After over two dozen Mike Mixes, I figured it was about time I dedicate one of them entirely to hip hop. It’s a substantial part of my music collection and so far has been grossly underrepresented in my mixes. I had some reservations about whether I could pull it off, but in the end I’m pretty happy with the results.

Mike Mix 31 features some of my all-time favorite hip hop tracks, including Nas’ anthemic “N.Y. State of Mind,” Black Star’s epic “Twice In a Lifetime,” and Goodie Mob’s soulful “The Day After.” Mixed among these classics are some of my more recent favorites, including Kanye West’s surprisingly heartfelt “Runaway,” Big Boi’s gritty “Hustle Blood,” and Lil’ Wayne’s egomaniacal “You Ain’t Got Nuthin.”

I should probably attach a huge parental advisory to Mike Mix 31. It definitely isn’t for the faint of heart (or those who offend easily). Fear not, my next Mike Mix will return to more familiar territory – you know, sad bastard indie rock. With that said, I strongly recommend listening to Mike Mix 31 in the order presented below. Stream or download the entire mix using the links below. Enjoy!

• 1. Kanye West – Runaway
• 2. Big Boi – Hustle Blood
• 3. Lupe Fiasco – The Instrumental
• 4. Clipse – Hello New World
• 5. Nas – N.Y. State of Mind
• 6. Black Milk – Hell Yeah
• 7. El-P – The Overly Dramatic Truth
• 8. Das Racist – Sit Down, Man
• 9. Lil’ Wayne – You Ain’t Got Nuthin
• 10. The Roots – Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’ New
• 11. Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek – Eternalists
• 12. Black Star – Twice Inna Lifetime
• 13. Goodie Mob – The Day After
• Download entire mix