Back in the early 2000’s, the hip hop scene in this country was burgeoning at an exceptional rate. Building on the foundation laid by the likes of Task Force and Mud Family a few years before, artists like Jehst, Supa T and Klashnekoff were leading the charge on a new era of UK hip hop. In the midst of this, while the internet was still turning into the monster it is today, there were a few mixtape series that kept fans like me stocked up with freestyles, exclusives and remixes from some of the best artists at work at the time.

One of the most important was from DJ MK, who was already a legendary name on the scene back then. His London Underground series was the perfect showcase for the era, drawing on the gritty feel of 90’s New York rap tapes, while shining a light on the wealth of talent that was emerging around the UK capital. Now the first tape from the series is available to stream on Bandcamp, meaning old fogies like me can be transported back to our younger days, and the newer generations can get a sense of what it was like to be a UK hip hop fan back then. There are tracks and exclusive freestyles from the likes of Farma G, MysDiggi, Verb T, K-Lash and Skinnyman, plus a few special interludes from MK himself. You can stream the tape in full below.

While you’re here… If you’re a regular visitor to my blog and would like to show your support for the work I do, you can now do so via my Patreon page. You will also get access to exclusive content, including original recordings from my interviews.