in 2003, i was still a relative newbie to Okayplayer (even tho i’d been a member since mid-2000, i didn’t really start posting til years later which is i think the case with a lot of ppl). anyways, at some point in ’03 i got very sick of the music i was hearing and decided to start perusing OKP members’ links to their own work (rhymes/beats/whathaveyou). and after sifting through many a SoundClick page, i compiled my favourites into one project called: “The OKP Mixtape” (later changed to “THE LESSON MIXTAPE” at the behest of OKP management). the original intent was to spotlight the immense talent that existed/exists within the board community of Okayplayer, a pool of talent that only continues to grow. in total i compiled 6 of these damn things, the first two being solely from open links on SoundClick pages, the rest of them were planned efforts that either had themes or submissions. i recently managed to track down #006 and now present to y’all, for nostalgias sake if no other (well, there IS all the good music too): THE LESSON MIXTAPE SERIES (2003-2008).
Vahé (aka araQual) Presents…THE LESSON MIXTAPE #001 [2003]
tracklist:
01. chuckfoprez – the smoothness
02. donwill – right here (remix) (feat. dwele)
03. gravedigga jones & coffin ed johnson – step
04. the genesis experiment – free my style
05. von pea – love music (feat. thyrdday)
06. emc (a brother named george) – for you
07. eyesoulated mindz – klymaktik (prod. by illmind)
08. mbb – windchimes
09. chapter 13 – watchin’ my moves (prod. by rashid hadee)
10. esco – radio (prod. by pickled beats)
11. kn0wledge brown – slumber
12. infinite space (aka nfnt) – black orpheus
13. eye+eye – southern trees song
14. slopfunkdust – more
15. key – a red bird
16. marsone – dedication
17. skillz – niggaz
18. mc delta t – untitled
19. dela – jazz shit
20. obsidian blue – too strong
21. sepia tones – all that i am
22. treblefree – paul revere’s safari groove.
Vahé (aka araQual) Presents…THE LESSON MIXTAPE #002 [2004]
tracklist:
01. mepho brown – lusions of motion
02. dj n/a – untitled
03. chuckfoprez – november 16 (try 1)
04. eye+eye – milkystrings
05. trendone – sdb12revolution
06. dejavoodoo – somethin’ to bump
07. illmind – amazing
08. brainchild – countryside
09. kneegrow – playing (aka housetrack)
10. ilwil – sofar (feat. jameze) (prod. by nicolay)
11. kurtis carve – all for the fritos
12. little brother – freestyle
13. krewcial – the a.l.
14. mbb – mumbo jumbo
15. nicolay – indian summer
16. ear2ear – interlude
17. von pea – shake it baby (remix)
18. schematix – organic composition (prod. by treblefree)
19. rashid hadee – like it’s sposed ta be done
20. chuckfoprez – mixdown
21. reignzer – who’s that
22. the love professor – ya guut
23. kneegrow – clip 2
24. treblefree – c.i.m.h (instrumental)
25. vahé – think about you (instrumental)
26. kn0wledgebrown – relax
27. science fiction – 4 letter word
28. kayper – silent symphony (feat. lizz fields)
29. krewcial – u r u (feat. phonte & tanya saw)
30. bintu – ugly.
Vahé (aka araQual) Presents…THE LESSON MIXTAPE #003 – The Afterparty Sessions [2004]
DISC ONE
tracklist:
01. fuzz jackson – this is me (intro)
02. ricochet – the illness (prod. by pete mariott)
03. kurtis carve – kender chodes
04. manchild – late nights
05. obsidian blue – crosswords (feat. eye+eye)
06. vision productions – baby u gotta chill
07. tariq3 – frailty
08. knonsense – sit back, relax
09. jaymack – by the shore
10. pickled beats – public diplomacy
11. rhyson – sum shit i wrote
12. ascension – regardless (feat. asylum7)
13. les w – it’s love
14. jersey elite – we still
15. muddy waterz – dead wrong, live right
16. emc (a brother named george) – ya gotta
17. ilwil – black snow
18. kneegrow – dream sequence
19. skinny kenny – the math (feat. rashid hadee) (prod. by rashid hadee)
20. john the baptist – throwin’ (feat. lunchbox tha narcoleptic) (prod. by chrematic)
21. ear2ear – pod
22. spec – some shit (remix) (feat. lek & bennie guinness)
23. sole therapy – final destination
24. jp75 – the clouds.
DISC TWO
tracklist:
01. ascension – formal introduction
02. obsidian blue – helpless romantic
03. mc delta t – spanish session (vocal)
04. rx, young p & expedite – still underground (prod. by juice fresh)
05. pig & ear2ear – whatever you do (remix) (feat. syntifik)
06. the genesis experiment – wishful thinking
07. marsone – other poems (feat. derrick the gemini)
08. manchild – full colour
09. los79 – afterparty
10. vahé – all-ways
11. esco – brick 2 (feat. mqj) (prod. by pickled beats)
12. ricochet – in the building (freestyle)
13. sesion31 – tell the world
14. vision productions – shuffle
15. drugiepokolenie – beat 7
16. dj augdawg – my friend
17. chuckfoprez – summer
18. dj destruct – something beat
19. the logic – summer love
20. wale oyejide – people make the world go round
21. donwill – fool (key’s mix)
22. dj joey joe – lessons from the ghetto (joey’s ummah remix demo)
23. brainchild – sweet
24. ear2ear – sustain
25. jaymack – missed out again
26. lunchbox tha narcoleptic – tears of winter
27. bassclef – breeze reprise (happy music).
Vahé (aka araQual) Presents…THE LESSON MIXTAPE #004 – Collabo [2005]
tracklist:
01. vahé – intro
02. the black community – luv of my life (prod. by illastrate & jay fab)
03. deloach – labor of love (oneself salaam mix) (feat. bavu blakes & poisoned fetus)
04. fakts one – born for this (feat. chan)
05. sayua artise (of the packslangers) – connect (prod. by radius)
06. billy kincaid – raw soul (prod. by jp)
07. fusion unltd. – up2u (feat. big tone) (prod. by fusion unltd.)
08. jesse thorn drop (okp polarbeartoenails)
09. dumhi – talk (feat. mash comp & shameless plug)
10. stamina – watch your step (feat. zeps) (prod. by logrithmic)
11. averajamerican – suburban black boy 2 (prod. by kurtis carve)
12. che grand & esco – premonition (feat. lerhuan) (prod. by big nann) (recorded & mixed by haji rana pinya)
13. qualo – coco (co-starring ace)
14. dvs – focus high (prod. by obsidian blue)
15. mr. wiz – mr. dj (prod. by radius)
16. dj. tony tone – tone interlude
17. pig & ear 2 ear – globetrotter (nicolay remix)
18. t-scar – battle raps (feat. okwerdz) (prod. by domingo)
19. presidential – what you want (feat. calico)
20. knonsense – mic villains (feat. illus) (prod. by knonsense)
21. domestic exchange (shamelessplug & encyclopedia brown) – movin’ on (prod. by anonymous)
22. right time – old folks (interlude)
23. pearl – this ain’t cool (feat. pig & von pea) (prod. by ear2ear)
24. haj – one eye open (feat. mash comp, shameless plug, flud & eq)
25. spread – you and eye (feat. bones) (prod. by spread)
26. radius – interlude
27. bintu – measure of a man (prod. by vahé & bintu).
Vahé (aka araQual) Presents…THE LESSON MIXTAPE #005 [2007]
tracklist:
01. vahé – the lesson mixtape #005 intro (feat. soulbrotha)
02. mario dones (of the sole vibe) – good to give (prod. by jfish)
03. ipl – freedom (dollar whine)
04. ipl drop
05. f.e.w. – good times
06. khon el – naughty
07. arcane – gone
08. black ego – son
09. a.v. (of the sole vibe) – this is 4 u (prod. by zaire)
10. eye+eye – frigid (prod. by obsidian blue)
11. a love supreme – herbie fingers
12. dumhi – the world’s largest posse cut (feat. jermacide, trek life, von pea, brown, chris roc 07, shamelessplug, signifire, maxwell shell, ilyas, che grand, john blake, jive the universal, hyphen one, donwill, vex blizzy, flud & mash comp)
13. firebrand drop
14. athena – mental development (prod. by the moth)
15. dolla d – da truth (feat. jp) (prod. by 9th wonder)
16. aswahdan (aka tha egyptian conniption) drop
17. soulbrotha – broken spirits (prod. by darubeats)
18. a.v. & jfish (of the sole vibe) – for your thoughts (prod. by jfish)
19. shamelessplug – yao ming (remix)
20. royals101 – lesson tribute
21. steel town sounds – steel town representin’
22. ryen david – magi
23. hellfire club (poisonous dart & buctayla) – even guns jam… (prod. by buctayla)
24. che grand – work flow (the beatmaker clock-out remix)
25. islasoul drop
26. apex – change (radio)
27. lunchbox tha narcoleptic – promise (prod. by buildingblock)
28. xcacist – the backstreet of my hood
29. presidents – all we know (feat. little brother) (prod. by 9th wonder)
30. smd – up all night (feat. j-hustle & sirreal mc)
31. logic marsalis – black codes
32. mic specialist drop
33. toy box scholars – three friends
34. actual fact – late night adults (prod. by apex)
35. nekaybaaw – buttafly bloom (butta’s theme) (feat. mf doom)
36. spread – untitled.
Vahé (aka araQual) Presents…THE LESSON MIXTAPE #006 – Fuck The Box [2008]
DISC ONE
tracklist:
01. chachi mandela – whatchadoin (feat. soulbrotha)
02. cee knowledge, sabrina cuie & poesh wonder – menaj a trois (prod. by quiroga)
03. blinx – lately (feat. willie dudat)
04. carlis p. – que groove
05. zaire – solay veebay
06. dawhud – who’s next! (feat. fash 1, ak-write & just be)
07. dub spt drop
08. duble treble – treblefreebasin’ (rough mix)
09. frank black – sidewalks (feat. the ubolts)
10. random – boss battle metalman (the megas remix) (prod. by the megas)
11. maxwell shell & real soon – rockin’ with the king
12. rhyson & the heist – still raw
13. anu-sun – gr8ful dead
14. totalrequestlovelive – dilla’s lawn mower
15. holdin caufield – candy flippin’
16. islasoul – i am the riot, the one man army
17. kouhei & athena – invite only
18. kentucky prophet – i sell drugs to celebrities
19. undefined – shorter days
20. korga – phispeed
21. nekaybaaw – nude
22. shameless plug – anthem
23. kite – fading fast (feat. billy kincaid)
24. everything that’s fly – backyard (rough).
DISC TWO
tracklist:
01. malachi the nutcracker drop (pt. 1)
02. athena – i alone (remix) (prod. by orphan)
03. live manikins – anywhere
04. made in japan – babyspace
05. m.c. logic – progression
06. preach – dance (radio)
07. mr. sun – in the lobby
08. e major – you don’t understand (feat. madaz godfree)
09. little vic – my own curse (prod. by k-v)
10. honor flow productions – the master plan
11. dj chuck ‘the old soul’ drop
12. meis – electric underground
13. kiar – whatever u wanna do (feat. mar-var) (prod. by mar-var & g code)
14. kidd – so sincere
15. safe sounds crew – irie members
16. q-swag & jon reyes – imagein (feat. 5th ave & dj kwan)
17. malachi the nutcracker drop (pt. 2)
18. milly july – good (prod. by curiosity)
19. key – kay sara
20. fermented spirits – can’t lose
21. lebadi – yawning
22. ayana soyini – rock steady (raw mix)
23. black disciple – peace of mind
24. tap genius – light in the day of… (feat. dr. martin luther king jr.).
CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND 
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