#TBT: Ranking the Classic Bad Boy Mixtapes

We talked about the classic Bad Boy Mixtapes in this week's Throwback Thursday installment.

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Complex Original

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Puffy started Bad Boy Records in 1993 after being fired by his mentor, Andre Harrell, and he hasn't looked back since. Once Biggie's Ready to Die went platinum, Diddy and Bad Boy went on a run that changed rap forever, positioning the genre as a real force in popular culture. Puff did everything big, from videos, to clothes, to cars. During this time mixtapes weren't free albums with original production, they were a means of promoting new music. So, being the astute businessman that he is, Puff decided to host a string of tapes alongside New York's hottest DJs. 

The first tape was mixed by DJ Clue?, then an up-and-comer out of Queens who was on his was way to being one of the first mixtape DJs to get a major label record deal. Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 1 featured some of the most memorable songs ever that were heard for the first time on that tape. The same can be said about Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4, each one hosted by veteran DJs Doo Wop, Stretch Armstrong, and SNS, respectively. They made names for themselves by being able to get exclusive records before anybody else. Before the Internet really took over, this was how hip-hop heads got their hands on new music.

I used to play these tapes until they popped. Walk with us as we rank these classic tapes in terms of the mixing of tracks (extra points are given for Puffy's shit-talking).

*I included download links to these gems, so you too can enjoy these magical sounds in lo-fi the way the rap gods intended. I also included timestamps just in case you need to know how much you can fit on your cassette.*

FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY

Angel Diaz is a staff writer for Complex Media. Follow him @ADiaz456.

4. Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 1 (1995)

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3. Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 2 (1995)

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2. Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 3 (1996)

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1. Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 4 (1996)

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Mixed by: DJ SNS

Puff Daddy - "Intro" (4:33)

Gina Thompson - "The Things That You Do (Bad Boy Remix)" (4:13)

The LOX - "Freestyle" (2:04)

Akinyele - "Put It In Your Mouth" (2:11)

Nas - "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" (4:01)

Shai - "I Don't Wanna Be Alone (Remix)" (2:56)

Jay Z - "Can't Knock The Hustle" (3:48)

Monifah - "You (Remix)" (3:37)

112 - "Come See Me" (2:39)

De La Soul - "Itzsoweezee (Hot)" (4:03)

Cormega - "Freestyle" (1:20)

Biz Markie - "Studda Step" (3:22)

Heltah Skeltah - "Therapy" (3:12)

Puff Daddy - "Shout Outs" (2:04)

Puff Daddy - "Stop Yappin' Niggaz" (4:00)

The Notorious B.I.G. - "Freestyle" (0:57)

DMX - "Niggaz Done Started Something" (5:17)

Ghostface Killah - "Daytona 500" (3:54)

Black Rob - "Freestyle" (1:33)

112 - "Only You (Bad Boy Remix)" (4:27)

Inspectah Deck - "Semi-Automatic: Full Rap Metal Jacket" (4:21)

Jay Z - "Brooklyn's Finest" (4:09)

That intro is fucking eerie. Puff is talking all kinds of shit over Pac's "Hit 'Em Up," laughing and mocking him, as if it was just a game at the time. He even has an entire track titled "Stop Yappin' Niggaz" in which he fans the flames of the beef. I wonder if he regrets it. If you ever need a reminder of the type of shit Puff was on at his height, listen to this tape. SNS and Puff really gave us one of the most important rap tapes ever to pop in a yellow Sony.

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