i received my first combination cd/cassette boombox from my grandparents when i was around 8 or 9. the gift came with 1 cassette, heavy d & the boyz' "nuttin but love", and 1 cd, salt-n-pepa's "very necessary."

hip-hop & r&b have played a huge part in forming a big portion of my music tastes and appreciations and this week's daily mixtape pulls a small sampling of key tracks from my more formative years, 1993-2000.

15 tracks