Forgotten Treasure: The Herbaliser “The Blend” (1997)

Oh wow this takes me back! I discovered this at a time when I was just starting to open up musically to other genres and scenes. As a hip-hop kid, I was very open minded but 90% of what I listened to was rap. So, it took tracks like this one to bridge the gap between the US more traditional hip-hop scene and the stuff that was coming out of the Europe and Japan.

It’s because of singles like “The Blend” that I then bought the record “Blow Your Headphones” from the UK duo The Herbaliser. It’s because of labels like Ninja Tune and Mo’ Wax that I started listening to 90% of the other stuff and only 10% of the US hip-hop scene instead.

The vocal was recorded as “featuring: What What” and it turned out to be none other than Jean Grae by far one of our female favorite MC’s along with Bahamadia and MC Lyte.

I had never seen the video, it’s pretty bad honestly… but still, the track is a certifiable classic nonetheless!

and the remix was dope too!

Lexis

Montreal-based DJ and the founder MusicIsMySanctuary.com (2007) and 24 Hours of Vinyl (2011).