
DJ J-Scrilla is no stranger to the mixtape concept, whether he’s releasing his own compilations or promoting those from his peers. From the late ’90s to the early aughts, Scrilla’s tapes paired veteran MCs with lesser-known talent. “I want my tapes to be more like ‘digs’ for the listener, rather than a rack of joints they know,” Scrilla writes in an email. “This particular series will do that, just with a DMV twist to it.”
Now, the leader of the D.C.-based InnerLoop record label has released Capitol Punishment, an ambitious 31-song, 80-minute collection of Scrilla’s favorite DMV hip-hop songs from the past year, complete with scratches and shout-outs from the rappers he includes on the project. There are also some exclusives on here, including X.O. and AB The Pro‘s “How Could You,” and 431‘s “Mona Lisa.”
Released today, Punishment mostly dusts off some familiar bangers, like “Blasphemy,” an exceptional posse cut featuring Pro’Verb, K-BETA, yU, Lyriciss and RAtheMC, and “Wreck,” featuring Kane Mayfield. And the project is properly sequenced: Street-heavy lyrics from Fat Trel and Whitefolkz are paired up, while brainier songs—-Oddisee‘s “I’m From P.G.” and Gods’Illa‘s “Sal’s Pizzeria“—-are coupled.
Download Capitol Punishment for free on DatPiff.