25/09/2026
The remix used to fu***ng matter.
In the ‘90s, a remix wasn’t always the same song with a new verse slapped on it. There were a bunch of reasons you got one. Maybe the label wanted to help sell the single. Maybe it was a favor for a rapper or producer you wanted to help put on. Sometimes it was the label using its in-house production. And sometimes it was simply about breathing new life into a song.
And a lot of times, the remix was better than the original.
Not always. But the best ones could make you forget there even was an original. New beat. New verses. New energy. Sometimes the only thing left was the fu***ng title. Hello Scenario!
Back then, the remix was also a great way to get your name out. The Beatnuts hustled the remix game, working with damn near everyone who came calling. Even well-connected dudes who were still genuine hip-hop enthusiasts were getting busy. Berry Gordy’s son Kendal Gordy, aka Redfoo, was rapping with Dre Kroon and Evidence years before LMFAO and was very much involved in the West Coast scene making remix bangers.
Then you had Quincy Jones’ son QDIII, who was a fu***ng magician during that G-Funk era.
The usual suspects had the game on lock like Pete and Preem, but Large Pro and Da Beatminerz were killing it too. Then you had crews like Dome Cracker with Spinna and Joe Max, and Groove Merchantz with Godfather Don and V.I.C., making names for themselves.
It was just a great fu***ng time for hip-hop.
So rather than give you 100 remixes everybody already knows, I stayed away from a lot of the obvious s**t and picked 100 ‘90s hip-hop remixes I think deserve more love.
These aren’t necessarily better than the originals. Some definitely are. That’s not really the point.
The point is there was a time when the remix wasn’t an afterthought. Sometimes it was a whole other fu***ng record.
Here’s 100 reminders.
Swipe ⬅️
