Mixtape Review: Survival Kit

Last week, Mick Boogie, NVME, and Duck Down Records teamed up to release their Survival Kit mixtape.  The project pays tribute to hip hop greats, KRS-One and Buckshot.

Named after the recent Survival Skills album, the mixtape features nineteen of the game’s most talented emerging artists remaking classic records by the two hip hop legends.

Since the project is a modest ten tracks long, I suggest you find the time to give it a quick listen.  I applaud the creative concept and quality of the music put forth.

I’m going to highlight a few of the standout tracks below:

Sha Stimuli, Promise, J.A.M.E.S. Watts, Fashawn – “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know Remix”

Sha Stimuli kills the first verse of “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know.”

“If you don’t know me by now I doubt you’ll ever know me,
I’m not on Atlantic, I ain’t signed to Sony,
I’m not even sure how many labels are left,
But I’m labeled the booth assassin while the masses have slept…
Your flow ain’t as half as tight as like the way ya’ll dress.
And my knowledge reigns supreme, no I ain’t KRS.”

I know a lot of people are going to love that line about these new rappers having better style than rapping ability, ha!  Also, the comment about not knowing how many labels are left is pretty great, as it seems they’ve been having layoffs every couple of weeks!

Here’s KRS-One’s original track, which sampled Clifford Brown’s “Yesterdays.”

Torae & Skyzoo – “Talk Shit Remix”

Torae and Skyzoo put forth two of the best verses off the entire project with this track. If you’re still sleepin on these impressive Duck Down emcees, hopefully “Talk Shit Remix” will wake you up!

Here’s an excerpt from Torae’s verse:

“Killin every nigga in ciphers,
Couple dudes got more buzz, but none of ‘em nicer.
If you feel you can fuck with it, fuck it then bet your budget,
Nigga’s pen is pathetic, promise I prove it in public, youngin,
My family is OG status,
Shittin on who mattered when you was shittin in pampers.
And that’s an understatement,
What better label for the most underrated, than one that started under the pavement?
For this engagement, get your skullies on,
Timberlands, Champion hoodies, let’s get the gully on.
I’m label mates with apes, legends, and greats,
Duck Down’s what it is and ya’ll shit what it ain’t.”

Those first lines about being better than the dudes with buzz had me hooked.  The following excerpt is from Skyzoo’s verse that sums up his hip hop success:

“I became the talk of the city,
Whether blogs or the building,
From the server to the staircase, and all of that within it,
I’ve been saying this forever, so all of it’s a given,
The mixtapes was free throws, chalk it up to scrimmage.”

Here’s Buckshot’s original track which samples Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew.”

Cause, The Kid Daytona, & Chaundon – “South Bronx Remix”

I know The Kid Daytona had a great time goin in over this South Bronx anthem!  Here’s an excerpt from his verse:

“I was raised up the block from the house that Ruth built,
Raised off hip hop, shouts to Kool Herc, still,
Wonder how it used to feel,
To walk through the streets, with a boom box bumpin’ BDP.”

With lines like those, Cause, The Kid Daytona, and Chaundon capture the feelings of current Bronx natives who reminiscence over the borough’s hip hop dominance.

Other tracks to check out are: Christian Rich’s “Buck Em Down Remix,” Tanya Morgan’s “Gotcha Open Remix,” and Diz Gibran and Shawn Chrystopher’s “Sound of Da Police Remix.”

Download the whole project now, and experience the tribute!