Amongst the many fantastic music releases that we were privy to in 2024, one of the year's most exciting elements was the release of new music from definitive hip-hop icons: LL Cool J's dream pairing with Q-Tip as producer delivered his fourteenth studio album in 'The FORCE' while Common partnered with Pete Rock for Part 1 of 'The Auditorium' and Snoop Dogg reconnected with Dr Dre to release 'Missionary'.

At a time where celebrations for hip-hop having turned 50 were rampant, it's interesting to consider these releases in line with comments made by Andre 3000 to GQ in November 2023 about rapping as a 48 year old man.  The OutKast rapper would famously go on to confirm sadly that he has no inclination to ever rap again and that he would actually feel "inauthentic" in doing so, even jokily citing colonoscopies and bad eyesight as potential topics.

His somewhat startling musical shift saw the revered Atlanta icon step away from being a flag waver for pioneering Southern hip-hop in favour of embracing improvised jazz - by way of the flute - to release 'New Blue Sun' in 2024.

As we said at the top of the article - despite our unwavering love, respect and admiration for Andre 3000 in whichever way he chooses to express himself - 2024 proved that rappers over 50 can still create genuine and authentic hip-hop with projects worthy of standing alongside the albums most synonymous with their respective catalogues.

In celebration of that fact, we've picked out five awesome tracks from last year that - if you were a 90s Golden Era listener - you really shouldn't let pass you by.

1. 'Outta Da Blue' by Snoop Dogg featuring Dr Dre & Alus
If somebody would've said ten years ago that Snoop Dogg's twentieth studio album would be released via Death Row Records and be produced by Dr Dre, they'd be laughed out of the room.  And that's not even taking into account the fact that Snoop now OWNS Death Row, which in of itself is mind blowing but in 2022, The Dogfather did in fact purchase the label along with the majority of its back catalogue.  Initially reticent to associate with the label again, Snoop has said that Dre required convincing to jump on board but in the end blessed the project as a producer for every track as well as providing guest verses for two songs.

​2. 'When the Sun Shines Again' by Common & Pete Rock featuring Posdnuos
With only a small amount of collaborations prior to this full-length album - including Common's guest verse on Pete Rock's debut solo outing 'Soul Survivor' (1998) - the hip-hop heavyweights combine for a full-length release in 'The Auditorium'.  Further billed as 'Volume 1', the inevitable follow-up should have listeners excited considering how well-received the first instalment has been even generating crossover success with both Common and Rock as featured guests on Kelly Clarkson's show.  With a handful of guests featured - including Jennifer Hudson, Bilal, PJ and De La's Pos - the album finds each in fine form with Common's introspective and socially-conscious perspectives finding perfect accompaniment with Rock's soulful soundscapes.

3. 'Murdergram Deux' by LL Cool J featuring Eminem
At the age of 56 - 57 at the time of this writing - the iconic LL Cool J has undeniably released his best album in years with 'The FORCE'.  Produced almost entirely by Q-Tip - a collaboration that would have been just as exciting twenty years ago - LL has humbly declared that the project encouraged him to learn how to rap again.  With nearly four years for the project to see the light of day - reportedly it nearly didn't - the album serves as a fantastic re-introduction for LL Cool J who would no doubt be invigorated for further release.  Boasting an all-star cast including Nas, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe and Rick Ross, it's the Eminem-assisted 'Murdergram Deux' that is the rightful scene-stealer here.

4. 'To Rock the Mic' by MC Lyte
Serving as the ninth studio album by the iconic MC Lyte, '1 of 1' is a project that may have perhaps slipped under the radar a little but it's an excellent project wholly deserving of your attention.  Holding the remarkable distinction of being the first female rapper to release a full-length album, MC Lyte's 'Lyte as a Rock' was released in 1988 and solidified her place within the pantheon of hip-hop's legacy.  Another entry on the list that showcases some excellent guest spots including Ghostface, Q-Tip, Raheem DeVaughn and STEVIE WONDER, the album marks Lyte's nine years since her previous album so fingers crossed it won't be another nine years until this album finds its successor.

5. 'Don't You Miss' by Redman
With the original 'Muddy Waters' initially unveiled in 1996, the sequel we didn't know we needed has hit the shelves nearly 30 years later.  'Muddy Waters Too' finds Redman rapping with the same wit and vigour as he did in the 90s generating some fantastic tracks as a result.  With guests including Method Man, Faith Evans and KRS-One, 'Muddy Waters Too' comes in at a whopping 32 tracks and was initially scheduled for release in 2013, if you can believe it, but seeing as this did eventually happen, hope would appear to remain for 'Blackout! 3' with Method Man.

Today's episode finds Tee-J playing quiz show host as the Close Encounters trio seek to unpack their wrestling fandom over a series of questions ranging from your openness as a wrestling fan, dream stables and reinventing AEW.  PLUS, there's an excellent 'guess the wrestler's entrance theme' rounf (with a dastardly twist!) and we ask how many chops from Gunther can you handle? 

​Welcome to Episode #10 of the 4ever in Electric Dreams & CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND co-production - Supple & Lean | A Geekcast.

Presented by Imran Mirza from London, UK, and Vahé Vishapakagh Koshayan from Melbourne, Australia, the duo delve into the cult phenomenon of 'The Room' (2003).

Directed, written, produced and starring the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau, 'The Room' has since gone on to live in an unprecedented level of infamy - initially hailed as one of the worst films ever made, it's unmatched level of storytelling, disjointed narrative and poorly-received performances and dialogue have incredibly secured a loyal and devoted following making something of a sensation of the film's creator in the process.  Famously immortalised by James Franco and company in the massively popular and award-winning 'The Disaster Artist' (2017), the film continues to find new audiences more than twenty years after its initial release.

With Vahé a long time fan of the film and Imran just recently having seen it, tune in for a great conversation discussing the film's lore and legacy as well some standout scenes. We're also very excited about the show's original music in support of the conversation so please listen out for another Supple & Lean original - 'Tommy's In Control (The Room)' featuring Denny Dennington III.

​Episode #70 of the Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind podcast sees Tee-J, Imran and Dan settle down to classic movies from the year 2000.

For the fifth in our 'catching up with the classics' series, each of the team pitches three movies they haven't seen to the group with them voting on which movie each person should watch. This go-round sees the team explore the glorious gems of the year 2000 as we seek to fill the gaps within our own catalogues. 

This is part 2 where the team discuss the films they saw including lengthy chat, laughs and analysis of BATTLEFIELD EARTH, BATTLE ROYALE and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

​Welcome to Episode #9 of the 4ever in Electric Dreams & CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND co-production - Supple & Lean | A Geekcast.

Presented by Imran Mirza from London, UK, and Vahé Vishapakagh Koshayan from Melbourne, Australia, the duo spend some time reconnecting with the 90s cult classic limited run series, The Maxx.

Initially unveiled in 1993 by creator Sam Kieth, The Maxx was swiftly picked up by MTV for a thirteen-part series forming part of their Oddities brand in 1995.  The premise focuses on a small group of characters and their interpersonal connections that impact them within the perceived real world and an alternate dimension entitled Pangea or The Outback.

Vahé and Imran delve deep into the show's backstory, its incredible characters, its unmistakable 90s aesthetic and relish in what is undoubtedly a timeless piece of enthralling fiction.  We're also very excited about the show's original music in support of the conversation so please listen out for another Supple & Lean original - 'The Life Of The Isz' featuring Monsignor D'Par Ted.

​Welcome to Episode #19 of the 90s State of Mind podcast - a collaborative project between 4ever in Electric Dreams and Blue-in-Green:RADIO. This podcast series typically sees Imran (London, UK) and Rhonda (California, USA) delve into some of their favourite releases from the 90s and for this episode but this episode sees the duo take the conversation in a slightly different direction than usual.

In terms of head-to-head confrontations this year, the world was blessed to see The Rock step back into a WWE ring again at this year's Wrestlemania and we have Mike Tyson's in-ring return scheduled for later this year against Jake Paul... both of course pale in comparison to the rivalry that erupted between hip-hop heavyweights Drake and Kendrick Lamar...

A feud that has permeated through into so many facets of pop culture, Rhonda and Imran take an in-depth look into the events that have unfolded between the two and assess whether the world is witnessing what The Ringer describes as "the last great rap beef" or whether this is, as Questlove describes, the beef that killed hip-hop.

Welcome to Episode #8 of the 4ever in Electric Dreams & CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND co-production - Supple & Lean | A Geekcast.

Presented by Imran Mirza from London, UK, and Vahé Vishapakagh Koshayan from Melbourne, Australia, the duo continue their revisiting of projects comprising Phases 4 and 5 all in a bid to rekindle Vahé's now floundering affections for the product.

Rounding out our trilogy of MCU-based chat are more in-depth conversations about Black Widow and Shang-Chi, both released in 2021.  We're also very excited about the show's original music in support of the conversation so please listen out for two new Supple & Lean originals - 'The Red Room' featuring The Janky Hoes and 'Dead Ringer' featuring Hawkesbury James.

​Welcome to Episode #7 of the 4ever in Electric Dreams & CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND co-production - Supple & Lean | A Geekcast.

Presented by Imran Mirza from London, UK, and Vahé Vishapakagh Koshayan from Melbourne, Australia, the duo continue their revisiting of projects comprising Phases 4 and 5 all in a bid to rekindle Vahé's now floundering affections for the product.

With Part 1 of our MCU series including talk about, this episode features a few catch-up points about those projects plus includes conversation about Marvel's The Eternals.

Aside from the MCU, there is also talk that revisits themes from our 'Axe Assassin Albertson' trilogy of shows featuring a foray into AI-generated music.  It's a fascinating conversation with a few very cool surprises included.  And as if this bumper-sized episode wasn't enough, Vahé continues the show's rich lineage of providing new and original songs - specific to each episode. So for this go-round, we're proud to unveil the R&B-tinged gem, 'Eternally Yours'.

​We want to extend a special thanks to our friends over at Blue-in-Green:RADIO for allowing us to share the enclosed audio.  Since the shocking, and frankly horrifying, events of last month, the radio station has made the difficult decision to end phone-ins during their live broadcasts.  Although a difficult decision to make, it is one that many have understood to be the only course of action available.

Despite the police maintaining that no laws were actually broken, the radio station has no recourse but to put the safety of its presenters and its listeners as its top priority.  

Blue-in-Green:RADIO have issued an official statement and understandably want to draw a line under the matter.  Releasing the full and unedited audio is the radio station's final comment on the matter.  Please note that should you decide to listen that discretion is advised as the recording contains extremely strong language and distressing scenes.

Blue-in-Green:RADIO is a London-based soul, jazz & funk radio station and you can discover more about the station at: www.blueingreenradio.com