DREAM TEAM 6: 1995 feat Big L, Dr Dre, GZA, Mobb Deep, DJ Quik and more!

In our final Dream Team episode of the series, we bring you a special show recorded in front of a live audience at St Paul’s Cathedral, London.  

Admittedly, the audience was there to watch BBC’s Question Time being filmed and they seemed confused – occasionally angry – but we soon won them round with our lively debate over the top hip-hop tracks from 1995. 

And what a year it was. On the east coast, the Wu-Tang boys spoiled us with classic albums from GZA, Raekwon and ODB, which cemented RZA as the dominant force in hip-hop – challenged only by DJ Premier, whose brand of quirky head-nodders made him the go-to guy for the best beats in the business. 

Meanwhile Dr Dre kept our heads ringin’, Masta Ace gave us da answer and Show & AG took us to the next level. Throw in lesser-known bangers from the likes of Shabazz The Disciple, Mic Geronimo and Double XX Posse and it’s easy to see why some consider 1995 to be the low-key greatest year of hip-hop's golden era.  

To celebrate the 30-year anniversary of these songs, Danny, James and Steve attempt to knock a squad of 22 down to 11 by drawing them against each other in a series of one-on-one matches and using the three-man vote to decide the winner each time.   

The 11 winning tracks earn a place on our Spotify playlist, the losers get an early bath. We also decide on the team's name, manager and star player. 

THE 1995 SQUAD:

1. 2Pac ‘Lord Knows’
2. AZ ‘Rather Unique’
3. Big L ‘Put It On’
4. D&D All Stars ‘1, 2, Pass It’
5. DJ Quik ‘Something 4 Tha Mood’
6. Double XX Posse ‘Money Talks’
7. Dr Dre ‘Keep Their Heads Ringin’’
8. E Bros ‘Funky Piano’
9. Group Home ‘Supa Star’
10. GZA ‘Liquid Swordz’
11. Ill Al Skratch 'Don't Shut Down On A Player’
12. Kool G Rap feat Nas ‘Fast Life’
13. Masta Ace ‘Da Answer’
14. Mic Geronimo ‘Masta I.C.’
15. Mobb Deep ‘Shook Ones Pt 2'
16. Nine ‘Whutcha Want?’
17. Ol’ Dirty Bastard ‘Brooklyn Zoo’
18. Raekwon ‘Ice Cream’
19. Shabazz The Disciple ‘Death Be The Penalty’
20. Show & AG ‘Next Level’ (Nyte Time Remix)
21. Smif-N-Wessun ‘Hellucination'
22. Tha Dogg Pound ‘I Don't Like To Dream About Getting Paid'

DREAM TEAM 1995 SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:   

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ApwFBhKQFq2RNvRJyLBWj?si=R6Hq6a2BSIaWQUwutcDuEw 

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Beats and stings by Danny Phillips: ⁠https://soundcloud.com/dannyphillips1978