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Puffy started Bad Boy Records in 1993 after being fired by his mentor, Andre Harrell, and he hasn't looked back since. Once Biggie's Ready to Die went platinum, Diddy and Bad Boy went on a run that changed rap forever, positioning the genre as a real force in popular culture. Puff did everything big, from videos, to clothes, to cars. During this time mixtapes weren't free albums with original production, they were a means of promoting new music. So, being the astute businessman that he is, Puff decided to host a string of tapes alongside New York's hottest DJs.
The first tape was mixed by DJ Clue?, then an up-and-comer out of Queens who was on his was way to being one of the first mixtape DJs to get a major label record deal. Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 1 featured some of the most memorable songs ever that were heard for the first time on that tape. The same can be said about Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4, each one hosted by veteran DJs Doo Wop, Stretch Armstrong, and SNS, respectively. They made names for themselves by being able to get exclusive records before anybody else. Before the Internet really took over, this was how hip-hop heads got their hands on new music.
I used to play these tapes until they popped. Walk with us as we rank these classic tapes in terms of the mixing of tracks (extra points are given for Puffy's shit-talking).
*I included download links to these gems, so you too can enjoy these magical sounds in lo-fi the way the rap gods intended. I also included timestamps just in case you need to know how much you can fit on your cassette.*
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Angel Diaz is a staff writer for Complex Media. Follow him @ADiaz456.
Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 1 (1995)
Mixed by: DJ Clue?
Puff Daddy - "Intro" (1:37)
The Notorious B.I.G. - "Young G's" (Verse) (2:10)
Mobb Deep - "Give Up The Goods (Just Step)" (3:45)
Mobb Deep - "Survival Of The Fittest" (2:58)
Mary J. Blige - "Be With You (Remix)" (4:07)
Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" (3:26)
Puff Daddy - "Interlude" (4:34)
The Notorious B.I.G. - "One More Chance" (4:10)
Grand Puba - "I Like It" (3:39)
Mic Geronimo - "Masta I.C." (2:54)
Mary J. Blige - "I'm Goin' Down (Remix)" (3:19)
Onyx - "Walk In New York" (4:06)
Lost Boyz - "Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz" (3:41)
Faith Evans - "You Used To Love Me" (4:39)
Sadat X - "Come On" (4:13)
Soul IV Real - "Every Little Thing I Do" (3:52)
Junior M.A.F.I.A. - "Player's Anthem" (3:31)
Puff Daddy - "Shout Outs" (1:40)
Total - "Can't You See" (3:53)
Mary J. Blige - "I Love You (Remix)" (1:39)
Puff Daddy - "Outro" (0:36)
Diddy explains the purpose of these tapes--to promote new Bad Boy artists--in the intro, and we wish he and Clue made another one. I would rather take Clue and/or Puffy talking shit over records than Flex dropping bombs every two seconds and running the damn track back 1,500 times. Puff asking what the fuck ODB is talking about over the speaking in tongues part of "Shimmy, Shimmy Ya" is one of the greatest moments in mixtape history. I can picture Diddy doing his dance in a studio while spitting Cristal on the floor while hosting this tape.
Peep how many classics are on here. These tapes were our Internet back in those days. I used to listen to them on my cassette Walkman as I walked 10 miles uphill in the snow just to get to school.
Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 2 (1995)
Mixed by: Doo Wop
Puff Daddy - "Intro" (1:14)
The Notorious B.I.G. - "Me & Craig Freestyle" (4:18)
Boyz II Men - "Vibin' (Kenny Smoove Remix)" (3:12)
Fat Joe - "J.O.S.E." (3:44)
AZ - "Your World Don't Stop" (2:37)
Lost Boyz - "Lifestyles Of The Rich And Shameless" (Remix) (2:36)
Lord Finesse - "Hip 2 Da Game" (3:27)
Special Ed - "Lyrics" (2:59)
Monica - "Don't Take It Personal (One More Chance Blend)" (3:41)
Kool G Rap - "Fast Life" (3:37)
Craig Mack - "When God Comes" (2:55)
Ms. Jones - "In Our Small Way (Blend)" (1:35)
Kool G Rap - "Blowin' Up In The World" (3:29)
Soul IV Real - "Every Little Thing I Do (Remix)" (3:10)
Montell Jordan - "Somethin' 4 DaHoneyz (Human Rhythm Remix)" (1:27)
Boyz II Men - "Vibin' (The New Flava)" (4:02)
Puff Daddy - "B-Side Intro" (0:16)
Faith Evans - "You Used To Love Me (Remix)" (3:37)
D'Angelo - "Brown Sugar" (2:14)
Lost Boyz - "Get Up" (2:04)
Grand Puba - "A Little Of This" (2:17)
Naughty By Nature - "Clap Your Hands" (3:44)
Kool G Rap - "4, 5, 6" (2:24)
Lil' Shawn - "Dom Perignon" (2:39)
Keith Murray - "Dip Dip Di" (1:53)
Raekwon - "Knowledge God" (2:57)
Method Man - "I Get My Thang In Action" (2:22)
Jay-Z - "In My Lifetime (Remix)" (3:13)
Method Man & Redman - "How High" (1:01)
Fat Joe - "Success" (3:47)
Puff Daddy - "Interlude" (0:50)
King Just - "Round 'Em Up" (3:13)
Mic Geronimo - "Train Of Thought" (2:47)
This tape was 33 tracks deep and had a nice mix of the best rap the East Coast had to offer and R&B cuts that turned out to be classics. I first heard Monica's "Don't Take It Personal" and D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" on this tape. People like to mention Doo Wop's legendary '95 Live mixtape, but I personally enjoyed his blend tapes much more. Mixing raps over R&B beats and vice versa is a lost art form, sort of the the mid-range jumper. This was a great tape even though Puff was relatively turned down compared to the other ones. Still, the nice mix of rap and R&B gives this edge over the first tape.
Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 3 (1996)
Mixed by: Stretch Armstrong
Stretch Armstrong - "Intro" (0:40)
Total - "The One (Remix)" (2:57)
The LOX - "You'll See" (6:27)
D'Angelo - "Lady (DJ Premier Remix)" (3:02)
Nas - "On Da Real (Remix)" (3:58)
Lost Boyz - "Renee Remix" (4:33)
Mobb Deep - "Microphone Master" (4:08)
R. Kelly - "You (To Be Happy)" (3:43)
M.O.P. - "Raise Hell" (3:45)
The Fugees - "Fugee-La" (3:27)
Total - "No One Else (Remix)" (3:23)
Redman - "Freestyle" (3:44)
Redman - "Takin' It To The Streets" (2:28)
Blahzay Blahzay - "Danger Pt. II" (4:42)
Puff Daddy - "B-Side Intro" (0:59)
Busta Rhymes - "Freestyle/ Whoo Ha (Got Y'all In Check)" (5:44)
Wu-Tang Clan - "Winter Warz" (4:35)
Jay-Z - "Dead Presidents" (3:36)
AZ - "Freestyle" (1:02)
Mobb Deep - "Still Shinin'" (3:30)
Jay-Z - "Freestyle" (1:45)
Ghostface Killah - "Motherless Child" (2:51)
Foxy Brown - "Freestyle" (1:14)
Erick Sermon - "Maintain" (2:45)
Heltah Skeltah - "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" (4:19)
O.C. - "Love & Affection" (1:40)
Mobb Deep - "Recognize & Realize" (3:01)
This comes at No. 2 just because the first track is "Bad Boy, Bad Boy" with the Lox and Biggie on it. That song is easily one of the best things Bad Boy ever gave the world. The Yonkers trio were rookies rapping like veterans, standing toe-to-toe with Frank White. Vol. 3 also featured a rare version of Nas' "On the Real." Puff was really feeling himself during this period. Biggie's success allowed him to expand the roster. Total and 112 were introduced around this period, and Bad Boy was releasing platinum albums left and right. You can feel the label's rise through his shit-talking and it would all come to a head on Vol. 4.
Bad Boy Mixtape Vol. 4 (1996)
Mixed by: DJ SNS
Puff Daddy - "Intro" (4:33)
Gina Thompson - "The Things That You Do (Bad Boy Remix)" (4:13)
The LOX - "Freestyle" (2:04)
Akinyele - "Put It In Your Mouth" (2:11)
Nas - "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" (4:01)
Shai - "I Don't Wanna Be Alone (Remix)" (2:56)
Jay Z - "Can't Knock The Hustle" (3:48)
Monifah - "You (Remix)" (3:37)
112 - "Come See Me" (2:39)
De La Soul - "Itzsoweezee (Hot)" (4:03)
Cormega - "Freestyle" (1:20)
Biz Markie - "Studda Step" (3:22)
Heltah Skeltah - "Therapy" (3:12)
Puff Daddy - "Shout Outs" (2:04)
Puff Daddy - "Stop Yappin' Niggaz" (4:00)
The Notorious B.I.G. - "Freestyle" (0:57)
DMX - "Niggaz Done Started Something" (5:17)
Ghostface Killah - "Daytona 500" (3:54)
Black Rob - "Freestyle" (1:33)
112 - "Only You (Bad Boy Remix)" (4:27)
Inspectah Deck - "Semi-Automatic: Full Rap Metal Jacket" (4:21)
Jay Z - "Brooklyn's Finest" (4:09)
That intro is fucking eerie. Puff is talking all kinds of shit over Pac's "Hit 'Em Up," laughing and mocking him, as if it was just a game at the time. He even has an entire track titled "Stop Yappin' Niggaz" in which he fans the flames of the beef. I wonder if he regrets it. If you ever need a reminder of the type of shit Puff was on at his height, listen to this tape. SNS and Puff really gave us one of the most important rap tapes ever to pop in a yellow Sony.
