Walkman Rotation

DJs have blended their favorite 12-inch singles onto mix tapes for years, but it wasn’t until the mid 1990s that the mixes started getting pressed onto CDs with the blessings of the original artists on a regular basis. The Walkman Rotation compilation features 14 tracks’ worth of (largely) Seattle-area hip-hop mixed together by J-Rocc of the Beat Junkies–winners of the International Turntablists Federation crown in 1997–and it’s a remarkably tight collection of beats and rhymes. J-Rocc does a great job with his mix, but he’s got solid material to work with; the beats are consistently innovative, and these MCs have good voices–and they know the meaning of flow. While there are no bum tracks here, Eclipse’s two contributions, “World Premiere” and “My Position,” are clearly the standouts.