Mixtape Mondays: LargeUp Exclusive Premiere of DJ Child & PGM’s “Revolutionary Culture”

Words by DJ Theory

Sometimes when a project is so major we need to put our regularly programmed Mixtape Mondays on hold to give it the proper shine. Revolutionary Culture from Oakland’s DJ Child and his Project Groundation Massive (PGM) is a prime example. We’re privileged to feature the exclusive world premiere here on LargeUp of not one but two full-length mixtapes Child is giving to the people for free. I can tell you with no doubt that these projects have been a long time coming and if you’re familiar with any of PGM’s 50-plus previous mixtape installments you should already know what you’re in store for with these brand new gems.

Even if these projects didn’t feature first-class hosts they would still stand out among the ranks of today’s reggae and dancehall mixes, but when you factor in the three artists Child enlisted from the PGM fam to host and lace the mixtapes with exclusives and excess fire? Well, that just spells legendary in our book. The artists I’m referring to are M1 from a little revolutionary hiphop group called dead prez, Brooklyn/Guayanese soldier and LargeUp favorite Jahdan Blakkamoore, and one of Jamaica’s brightest young voices, Konshens.

This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve featured Child on LargeUp. Always a beast on the mix, Child gets more thorough with his projects year after year. The track selection, exclusive specials, gathered snippets and sound effects create a seamless collage that can be felt around every corner, from the familiar to the unknown. To seal it up proper, Child’s own, always on-point graphic design complements every project. Revolutionary Culture features dubplates and remixes (most recorded and mixed at the PGM lab in Oakland) meshing with original tunes from Sizzla, Collie Buddz, J Boog, Lutan Fyah, Jah Cure, Anthony B and a handful of other strong voices and riddims, including an exclusive remix of Jahdan’s “Quick Money” )originally produced by yours truly). Aside from roots and culture you’ll find a refreshing blend of current and classic hiphop, dubstep, traditional African music and brand-new dancehall from yard. While Book 1 starts off on the culture and one drop he’s known for, Child opens Book 2 with a bang, flipping dead prez’s iconic anthem “HipHop” over Boogie Down Production’s timeless “9mm,” blended with verse two over “6 foot 7.” Jahdan murders the Cory Gunz section riding the riddim in crucial style. Considering a lot of these vocals are true freestyles or specially crafted for this project, Jahdan, Konshens and M1 definitely put their stamp on this one, and a lot of other “mixtape” DJ’s should be grabbing their notepads as well.  Pretty much a wrap right here.

Download PGM Vol 32, Revolutionary Culture, Book 1 here.

Download PGM Vol 33, Revolutionary Culture, Book 2  here.

Purchase physical copies of these projects and other fine PGM mixtapes, apparel and more here.