Picture it, the time was the mid-2000s. Hip-hop, for all intent and purpose, was a thing of the past. Radio had all but abandoned it for violence oriented rap; music videos were slowly but surely being replaced on music channels by scripted programming that had zero to do with music. The hip-hop of my formidable youth had now become antiquated, settling like dust in the bottom of a bargain bin or a late night oldie but goodie Time Life infomercial.

In this musical tragedy was the loss of singles (and its big brother maxi-singles)  in their entirety, as well as the old school mixtapes that were so coveted in the 1990s. In part to general consumers being pushed the recording industry to consume musical preferences on electronic devices (and abandon cassette tapes, vinyl, and compact discs collectively), numerous lawsuits that saddled artists and producers over sample clearance, plus the ever death spiral of radio that floated on the horizon, mixtapes were all but dead and buried. The damage had taken its toll on the genre, stunting any further musical progression in the medium.

Wading in the middle of a sea of hopelessness was J. Period, who dropped an unexpected mixtape.

By luck I came across J. Period Presents Best Of The Isley Brothers: Remixed. I did not know if it was a legitimate release, a bootleg, a local DJ throwing something together for a party or what, but when the hip-hop gods bless you with a CD of good music you do not ignore it. In a self-described effort described on the album cover as remixed, reinvented, and revisited, J. Period Presents Best Of The Isley Brothers: Remixed is the hip-hop mixtape that should have revived the mixtape genre. The thirty-eight track tribute to the R&B group features a collection of heavy hitting lyricists and the legendary hip-hop songs that famously sampled The Isley Brothers and their signature sound.

I can say with good authority I played this album out at the time until it cracked.

Whether you love or hate mixtapes, J. Period had done quite a magical feat introducing The Isley Brothers to younger audiences while maintaining the sensibilities their core following expect of the group. Following the classic mixtape song arranging, J. Period has made a flawless collection of songs that not only celebrate The Isley Brothers’ influence on hip-hop, but give a new, refreshing twist on classic songs and crowd favorites. Unlike a traditional mixtape that rarely separates tracks with space, each song is skippable on the compact disc while flowing seamlessly in one playthrough.

Now let’s get down into the semantics of what makes this album do what it do.

While there are hundreds of hip-hop songs that have dipped their toes into The Isley Brothers’ pool, J. Period has selected the most memorable, beloved, and cherished songs that does the funk outfit from Cincinnati, Ohio justice. The impressive roster of performers that includes, but is not limited to, Slum Village, Papoose, Master Ace, Mos Def, Nas, LL Cool J, 50 Cent, Aaliyah, CL Smooth, Mobb Deep give the listening audience something old and something new, something borrowed and something for the crew. Various interlude Cameos from Big Daddy Kane, Lil’ Eazy E, and Big Daddy Kane put some respect on the mixtape and bump it up a notch in the validity department that its more than just another DJ remixing songs of their choosing but a serious compositional rework.

The standout of the mixtape is what I affectionately call Between The Sheets suite; led by the original track, J. Period gets down on the 1s and 2s mixing in the most memorable and funky cuts that sampled one of The Isley Brothers biggest hits. And yes, while the original sets the tone, all it takes is a small tempo change in A Tribe Called Quest’s Bonita Applebum to set the course. Notorious B.I.G.’s Big Poppa follows, dropping off dead into the coldest song Jay-Z and Cam’ron ever did together, Summer In N.Y. Lightening the mood after that is Keith Murray’s classic hit The Most Beautifulest Thing In The World, which sets up Da Brat’s Funkdafied for a strong finish and a segue into The Isley Brothers’ other songs. The Between The Sheets suite should be an EP all of its own, and left on repeat because it goes just that hard every single time.

Don’t get it twisted, there are other noteworthy cuts on the album.

Ludacris, in a rare moment of lyrical prowess that isn’t gimmicky, snaps out with his album exclusive I Turned You On, a cut that was made for a nice car ride in the summer time. Black Thought, departing from the signature sound of The Roots, shows up and shows out in the cautionary relationship tale And Then You’re Gone (which coincidentally syncs very well with the snippet of The Isley Brothers’ Ain’t I Been Good To You). Both hip-hop heads and gangster rap aficionados alike will dig Ice Cube’s classic cut It Was A Good Day, with its feel good vibe of the perfect day when nothing goes wrong as well as Bone Thugs-N Harmony’s Crossroads remix, which fans will remember was not featured on E.1999 Eternal to our frustrated chagrin.

Like I said, this is the mixtape that should have put the genre back at the top of the heap.

No cap, I was pleasantly surprised with J. Period Presents Best Of The Isley Brothers: Remixed and almost twenty years later it is still on my list of must have albums to take into my old age. In a time where sample clearances can be upwards into the mid-six figures, I have to admire his ability to do such a massive collection such as this, and be able to release it without being sued into insolvency. Due to its age and its lack of commercial release, it is incredibly hard to find on physical disc. Rest assured J. Period is still out there doing mixtapes, and has J. Period Presents Best Of The Isley Brothers: Remixed on Bandcamp as an digital release if you are interested in hearing snippets, asking questions about it, or just flat out buying it off the strength of it being fire.

The Isley Brothers should be proud of this collection and revere it every chance they get.

“J. Period Brings The Isley Brothers To Hip Hop” an article by Tia Ja’nae from ARTICULATE MADNESS. Images are in the public domain and researched by by ART | library deco editorial staff. Album Cover & Mixtape Provided by J. Period Presents Best of The Isley Brothers: Remixed, Courtesy of Artist Website; The Isley Brothers Cover Image in the Public Domain.