let's rewind to around the end of the summer of '07. i had just come back from new york for just one measly week; before a power move to the bahamas for my father's 50th b-day party, and then school started the week after that. i'm riding around shining, while i can afford it (a la clipse), and i meet up with my homie alex mitchell. she slides me an ill mix for roaming around the district in my '02 sentra, so i can shake the wackness of the commercial bull$!t i heard every day at the office.

this mix CD was more refreshing than a shower. and like, i look at a shower as the one place a person can completely respawn, regenerate. you can be more raggedy than a homeless person, and one power shower can leave you squeaky clean. i digress. i'm just saying that i didn't even know what was on this super mixtape, which is one of the best feelings in the world for me. it's like the whole thing is on a super shuffle (a la pandora.com), and half the songs on the joint you've never heard in your life. 4 or 5 particular songs stood out to me, and after i confronted ms. mitchell, she finally spilled the beans, and told me that they were supreeme and M1_platoon songs, respectively.

let's talk about that M1, because they are DC representers.

"why dem n****as talk like that!? i'on know!" - "welcome," M1 invasion

the tracks i heard were full of that distinctive DC drawl, meaning not quite southern, but almost there. rockin bammas, stylin' on em and stuff, young. that kinda stuff. but not only was the slang all there, the intelligence was, too. people sleep on DC, but these young lyricists prove that M1 isn't about to be labeled as your average radio nonsense. it was legitimately quality music. like, no recycled rhymes, no simplistic, dumbed down beats. original and unique.

i'm kinda cool with one of their crucial members, and in-house producers, mr. arafat yates. he's the guy in the green polo in the pic on the top of this entry. backwards cap, and his eyes crossed like he's tryna see the tip of his nose. i hit him up immediately after alex put me on to get some more tracks, and some track names, because the stuff was that crucial, but it was untitled! he e-mailed me ASAP and i was jamming them on the radio in no time. thanks mr. yates. oh, and did i say that 9th wonder produced some of the tracks that they are rapping on throughout this mixtape!? north carolina's finest producer (known best from his work with rappers pooh and phonte, aka little brother) has M1_platoon on his squad. isn't that crazy!? you can't tell me that's not a major power move.

oh, and the craziest thing? they maintain the cohesiveness of DC while studying at colleges in north carolina. granted, north carolina is like an extension of DC (even i have family members down there), but still…the fact that they made this joint in NC, yet its entire feel is like each verse was laid in a basement studio off of georgia ave or something…every line embodies the character of a kid out of the DMV (non-DC'ers: dc, maryland, virginia) to perfection, and that's wild.

i know, i know. this is just a bunch of rambling. but i'll get to the MEAT of the post. which is essentially a simple message: download their mixtape. because it is actually fire. i'm still in the A, but that hasn't stopped me from being invaded by the M1_platoon. at all. i already put the joint on the iPod, and have been pushing my cousin's nissan exterra (that has no power steering. oh boy.) with the M1_platoon mixtape blasting out of it. yzr. i had to post this up because the movement is too strong to resist…

this is a ".rar file"

*******In order to open this, u need a program like winzip, winrar, or stuffit (that's for mac's, y'all). these programs will extract all the music files from the .rar file.*******

notify us if u need help (dctobc@gmail.com)! these programs are at download.com if you don't already have them.arafat told me to put this on the blog:

SPREAD THIS SH*T!!!

Help support the m1 platoon by lettin ur friends know that this is some certified sh*t!!!
good music should be shared…feel free to friend us and eave comments on our myspace page.

STAYED TUNED 4 MORE M1P SH*T!!!

The M1 Invasion Mixtape

01. Jay Fattz Intro
02. Lets Make A Mixtape ft. Phocuz (Prod. by Arafat)
03. How 2 Make A Hit ft. Rapsody of Kooley High (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
04. My Sneaks Is All That (Prod. by Beat Justice)
05. BOOYYEE!!! ft. Lord Fuego (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
06. Its Cool ft. Phocuz and Young Swift (Prod. by Arafat)
07. Get It On ft. Lord Fuego (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
08. Horton's Clergymen Interlude
09. Paper Boys ft Erroll (Prod. by Arafat)
10. Check Me Out (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
11. Welcome (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
12. Just Another Day ft. Phocuz (Prod. by Arafat)
13. Rep 4 Tha Gorrillas ft. Nathaniel Grey and Lord Fuego (Prod. by Napalm)
14. How U Gon Front? (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
15. Ridin Music (Prod. by Arafat)
16. Give It A Wave (Prod. by Arafat)
17. Firehouse Confessions (Prod. by Ka$h)
18. Harvey Aire's Herion Interlude
19. Herion (Prod. by Arafat)
20. Dont Stop (Prod. by Beat Justice)
21. Mobbed Out ft. Jozeemo (Prod. by Arafat)
22. Be Like ft. Carlitta Durand (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
23. Phocuz's My Boy Interlude
24. We Came 2 Let Yall Know (Prod. by Arafat)

All Tracks Written By Tha M1_Platoon
All Scratches by DJ Gonzo
All interludes and intros produced by Arafat
Recorded in "Yates Room" and "De Stu" at NCCU
2008 Its A Wonderful World Music

yerp. get it get it get it. i'm fairly sure DC to BC is the first blog out there to feature these dudes, but definitely not the last. they are honestly one of the best things i've heard in a minute. i've been listening to the mixtape while i wrote this entire entry.

other bloggers, steal this post and give me the crucial credit and put the mixtape up on your sites, too. the joint is extra crucial, forreal. i plan to play tracks from it on the next show, too, so tune in and listen to the M1 soldiers spit hot fire like dylan from chappelle's skit. and DC heads…spread the word. we may finally have a hip hop scene developing like some black and white film in the dark room. yzr. don't believe the hype? frank the tank has one of their tracks spinning AS WE SPEAK! it's called "how u gon' front," and it's classic.

- modi