Somehow I missed this the first time around back in 2012. Maybe you did too?

I’m generally not a huge fan of the mashup genre, which far-too-often seems try-hard and forced. And maybe you could make the argument that these mashups of classic punk and rap tracks are kinda forced, but the end result is so listenable that they get more than a free pass. When something is done this well it should be celebrated and shared.

These tracks from producer Max Tannone, part of his Mic Check 1234! series, combine some of the greatest riffs of 70s and 80s punk and hardcore with the lyrics of legendary rap emcees.

In this series Tannone has mashed Dead Prez with the Sex Pistols, Black Star with The Ramones, Eminem with The Clash, Black Thought with the Dead Kennedys, Lupe Fiasco with The Damned, Tupac with X, Nas with the Adolescents, Public Enemy with Black Flag, and Kanye West with Reagan Youth. The results are, more often than not, spectacular.

Check these out. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I’m torn between the Nas/Adolescents mix and the Black Flag/Public Enemy. Absolutely sick.

You can check them out here or on Max Tannone’s website.