Words by DJ Arems, Deejay Theory and Jesse Serwer

It’s that time of year where we wheel up, rewind, and take stock of the year’s best in Caribbean music and culture. Over the next week, we’ll be rolling ut best-of lists covering everything from 2016’s toppa top dancehall singles, to the best books and movies.

This being a Monday, what better place to start then with mixtapes? Since 2010, LargeUp has brought you the best in Caribbean mixtapes every week with our weekly Mixtape Mondays round-up. This year, we stepped things up and launched our monthly LargeUp Mix Series (look out for December’s edition, from KickRaux and Ras Kwame, next Monday). It goes without saying that these in-house projects were some of our favorites this year, but there were plenty of other great mixes too, including artist projects from some of the biggest names in reggae, and creative DJ mixes from some of our favorite selectors.

In no particular order, here’s our favorite Caribbean mixtapes of 2016, all in one place.

Kabaka Pyramid x Walshy Fire, Accurate

Kabaka Pyramid had another very strong year in 2016, thanks in large part to this explosive collaborative mixtape with the don Walshy Fire. Not the first time Walshy has put a huge stamp on rising artists with these combination mixes – i.e. Chronixx, Jesse Royal, a dedication mix to Dezarie he also dropped this year – and he does it big again right here. Accurate! is the only word to correctly pin this down, with the Bebble Rocker and all-star friends flexing bere lyrics and dubs over reggae and hip-hop versions, new and old for a big mix all around. – Deejay Theory

Blacka Di Danca x DJ Gravy, Dancehall Warm-Up

Blacka Di Danca has broken down all types of barriers in his successful quest to take dancehall dancing worldwide, and he recently added another notch to his belt with the first-ever mixtape from a dancehall dancer. A collection of dance-inspired anthems from Mr. Vegas (“Tek Weh Yuh Self”), Elephant Man (“Gangsta Rock,” “Pon de River,” “Nuh Linga”) Ding Dong (“Bad Man Forward”) and more, Blacka’s Dancehall Warm-Up, mixed by LargeUp’s DJ Gravy, was made with dancers in mind. Whether you’re new to dancehall and just learning your steps, or prepping for a big night in the dance, this is prime practice material for getting your footwork in order. If you’re subscribed to Apple Music, there’s a playlist version of the mixtape on our channel there, but download the hosted version with Blacka’s instruction for the full effect. — Jesse Serwer

Randy Valentine x Tek 9 Movements, Radio Music

Though best known for reggae, the U.K.’s Randy Valentine has shown some nice diversity in his still-young career. On Radio Music, premiered right here in February, he reaches into his youth to show his love for ’90s hip-hop, freestyling on classics like “Juicy,” “Can I Kick It” and “Still D.R.E.” He pretty much kills every track, collectively offering his best release to date. — Jesse Serwer

DJ Jam Central, Afro Soca (LargeUp Mix Series, Vol. 1)

With Afrobeats blowing up worldwide and soca heading in new and exciting directions, the hybrid sound known as Afro Soca took flight this Trinidad Carnival season, via hits like Olatunji’s “Oh Yay” and Runtown, Wizkid and Machel Montano’s “Bend Down Pause.” We launched our monthly LargeUp Mix Series in March with this contribution from DJ Jam Central, running through all of the key tracks on both the Africa + Caribbean side of things. There’s no question, when it comes to Afro Soca, this is the definitive document of the movement. — Jesse Serwer

Jon Doe, Bashment Soca (LargeUp Mix Series. Vol. 5)

Bashment Soca — a raw hybrid of old-school dancehall and new-school soca indigenous to Barbados — took over waists and Carnivals around the region this summer and fall, thanks to tracks like Marzville’s “Bang Bim” and Stiffy’s “Tek Off Something.” Though new to some, Bashment Soca has been bubbling up in Barbados for years. After spending some time on the island this summer for our Music of Barbados series, we hit up Bajan DJ legend Jon Doe to put the Bashment ting in context. He delivered, and then some, with one of the hardest-hitting soca mixtapes we’ve ever heard, stacked full of dubplates, specials and Bajan baddddness. Read more about Bashment Soca in our feature on the genre here. — Jesse Serwer

Electric Punanny, Electric Punanny Vol. 6

New York’sElectric Punanny, consisting of duo Jasmine Solano and Melo-X, hit us with the sixth volume of their genre-blending mixtape series covering all kinds of different tropical angles. From UK Grime to Brazilian Baile Funk and Nigerian Afro beats, you’ll always find a lot more than just big dancehall chunes on their mixes. It’s always a treat when these guys drop a mix. – DJ Arems

So Shifty, Summer Ting

If So Shifty‘s mixtapes aren’t somewhere in your playlist, you are sadly losing out in life. This duo from Germany always dig to find those Afro, soca and dancehall gems you won’t hear on other mixes, but always deliver the fiyah big chunes as well. It might be a Summer Ting, but we still have this one on heavy rotation. – DJ Arems

Mighty Crown x Raging Fyah, Official Mixtape

Kingston’s Raging Fyah have been churning out positive reggae music since 2008 and finally signed to VP Records last year. Enlisting the help of Japan’s champion sound Mighty Crown, this compilation consists of some of their best track off their latest release “Everlasting”. Big vibes and powerful chunes make this one a not to miss mix. – DJ Arems

DJ Blass x Equiknoxx, The Link Up Mixtape

This crossover collab from PR boss DJ Blass and Jamaica’s mighty Equiknoxx Music family was on steady repeat this year. Really one of the baddest Latin-meets-dancehall mixtapes out there with an all-star cast of specials and exclusives from both corners of the Caribbean voiced over reggae, dancehall, hip hop and dembow riddims. Straight fuego. – Deejay Theory

https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/263682827

DJ Private Ryan, Soca Brainwash

DJ Private Ryan is the undisputed king of the soca mixtape. The diverse Trini selector has a mix for every mood, fete and Carnival, it seems. This year he really went into overdrive, dropping more mixes than ever. The marquee franchise is still Soca Brainwash, an annual roundup of the best Trinidad Carnival songs, tied to Ryan’s popular fete by the same name. This year’s mix, Soca Brainwash 2016, was as jam packed as ever, going in for a full two-and-a-half hours, with all the big tunes from Machel, Bunji, Kes and the T&T soca massive. — Jesse Serwer

Willy Chin, Uh Gosh Vol. 3

With his long-time Black Chiney partner Supa Dups busy producing hits for people like Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR, Willy Chin is keeping the Miami sound system’s legacy of game-changing mixtapes alive with his Uh Gosh soca series. Nothing is ever normal with the Black Chiney crew, and Uh Gosh V3 is no different, starting things off with a mash-up of Miami Bass and groovy soca that takes Shal Marshall’s “Party” to Miami by way of a certain 2 Live Crew classic. — Jesse Serwer

Noise Cans, Badmon Rave (LargeUp Mix Series, Vol. 6)

The fusion of Caribbean and electronic dance sounds was as prominent as ever in 2016, and one of the major players keeping these vibes moving forward was Bermuda’s Noise Cans, via singles “Bucka” (feat. Mr. Vegas) and “Do It Like Ah Pro” (with Skinny Fabulous and Danielle Viera). Recently, we tapped the mysterious producer for a dose of Badmon Rave vibes as part of our LargeUp Mix Series. Check out Noise Cans’ upcoming roundup of the year’s best Badmon Rave tunes for more on what’s happening in this arena. — Jesse Serwer

Chronixx x Federation Sound, Roots & Chalice

You didn’t think we could do a mixtape wrap-up without including this scorcher from Chronixx and Federation Sound, did you? These camps have been building together since day one, but took their collaborative efforts to new heights with impeccable co-produced singles like “Sell My Gun” and “Spanish Town Rocking” in late 2015, leading up to the release of the critical Roots & Chalice mixtape early 2016. This mix, which features the aforementioned tracks, along with other freestyles and originals like Chronixx’s latest single “Majesty,” makes a great appetizer for the artist’s just-announced Chronology album. – Deejay Theory

Mixpak, Culture Clash Dubplate Mix

If you follow dancehall culture even casually, you caught wind of Brooklyn-based collective Mixpak and their monumental win at the Red Bull Culture Clash this year in London. Championing over Eskimo Dance, UKG, and Taylor Gang, Mixpak brought out Popcaan, Spice, Kranium and a whole slew of UK guests to take the trophy home. Red Bull just released a mix of all the dubs in the box, some made it in the clash and some didn’t but they’re all here for you to consume – yes even Drake’s “One Dance” dub. Another congrats to the Mixpak family on the W! — Deejay Theory

King I-Vier, Ganja Special
Dave Nada, Sweet II Bad
Jamie Rodigan, British Invasion

It was lots of fun getting together some of our favorite DJs to put out mixes for the LargeUp Mix Series this year. Here’s three mixes for the price or two, featuring Ganja specials from Cali’s King I-Vier (with NY-based herbalists RSNY on hosting duties), a mad mix of DC Go-Go, cumbia and soca from Dave Nada, and a strictly U.K. bashment mix from Jamie Rodigan featuring Don Andre. — Jesse Serwer