The Rap Life playlist is home to hip-hop’s heavy hitters and its vanguard, which means that the Rap Life DJ mix has everything in hip-hop you need to hear right now. This month, the mix was helmed by DJ Skillspinz, a Columbus, Georgia, native who currently serves as tour DJ for West Coast legend The Lady of Rage. With a deep love for boom-bap and decades of experience already under his belt, the challenge here was connecting the dots between hit songs of today and the classics that have never failed him in a party. “My first rule is, just because two songs have the same tempo that doesn’t mean they would sound great together,” Skillspinz says. “It has to make sense and feel good. With me loving all types of music, though, it became easy for me to mix the new with the old, bridging the gap. An example of that would be Lil Tecca’s ‘Dark Thoughts’ and Kelis’ ‘Caught Out There’: I’m taking a 1999 release and putting it with a 2025 release. Talk about an age gap. [But] the melodies and basslines from the two hug each other so well.” The Rap Life DJ mix is the culture in action, so enjoy this set and check back each month for more one-of-a-kind mixes.