Blend tape creator DJ Critical Hype has mashed up the work of J. Cole and The Neptunes for his latest creation. The veteran DJ has released In Search Of… COLE, a 30-track project reinterpreting some of the Dreamville MC’s standout tracks using the production of Pharrell and Chad Hugo.
“I always wanted to do a blend with Cole vocals and trying a few possibilities, he just sounded really dope over Neptunes beats,” Critical Hype tells HipHopDX. “Cole doesn’t rap on high energy beats with big drums often like the type that Neptunes typically produce. It’s a cool change of pace for Cole and nice to hear him on those old classic hard-hitting Neptunes beats.”
He adds, “Also, North Carolina and Virginia are really close, so it seemed like a great fit. A lot of people don’t know how many big records the Neptunes produced, so I always wanted to shine a light on the amount of hit songs the Neptunes produced.”
The new tape joins Critical Hype’s ever-growing catalog of blends, which include The Damn. Chronic (a Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre mashup) and More 9th (a Drake and 9th Wonder pairing).
View Critical Hype’s In Search Of… COLE stream, cover art and tracklist below.
1. Green Ranger
2. 1985
3. Love Yourz
4. Brackets
5. Mo Money
6. Lights Please
7. Wet Dreamz
8. Album of the Year
9. Just Begun
10. KOD
11. Dead Presidents II
12. Back to the Topic
13. Come Through and Chill
14. Be Freestyle
15. The Cut Off
16. Lost Ones
17. Once an Addict
18. Cold Blood
19. Revenge of the Dreamers
20. Forbidden Fruit
21. Louis Vuitton
22. No Role Modelz
23. LAnd of the Snakes
24. Purple Rain
25. Is She Gon Pop
26. Blow Up
27. Foldin Clothes
28. Serenade
29. The Cure
30. Last Call