John Morrison’s Philly Top 5: That ’90s Late Night Mixtape Vibe

Here’s what caught the ear of our Culture Cypher Radio host this month.

This month’s column won’t be a space to recap the “best of 2025” or even my favorite releases of the year. Instead, I want to focus on a few cool and novel things that made this dark, cold month a little bit brighter and nicer. For as many new releases and experiences as I’ve enjoyed throughout 2025, this year has been about reconnecting with the past, archiving old recordings, and consistently considering and rethinking my relationship with music. I suspect that 2026 will bring more of the same. A good friend of mine, unfortunately, lost his studio and called me to come help salvage some of his old music before it all got thrown out. I left his house with bags of old sessions and recordings, and two safes full of music. While I can’t quite wrap my head around the time and effort that’ll be required to salvage this music, I am looking forward to spending the next year or so diving into it. In the meantime, here are 5 music-related things that caught my ear and kept me occupied in December. 

DEC4 — “I Deliver”

DEC4 is the musical pseudonym of Philly-born singer-songwriter Justin Zugerman; his latest release is the single “I Deliver,” a defiant meditation on breaking the cycles of ego, trauma, death and that seek to bind us in this life. When DEC4 sings “infinite light (life?). I feel right at ease…,” his vocal stands out like a flash amidst a swirling maelstrom of distorted samples. The video was shot and directed by Jonathan Arreola, and is equally gorgeous with surreal scenes playing out like a vivid dream. I can’t wait to hear what the album sounds like.

Phil Moore Brown — Baggage Smasher EP

In 2006, Philly experimental post-punk band Phil Moore Brown released their lone project, the now-crazy-hard-to-find Baggage Smasher EP. Groovy, innovative, and decidedly unhinged, Baggage Smasher mixes up No Wave, Punk and Funk for a truly unique sound. Songs like “Biomass,” “The Smallest Title,” and “Don’t Make Up Edison” are otherworldly gems that make me wish the band had released more. 

P.H.A. — “Don’t Take Time”

Before this year, I’d only heard Philly underground rap group P.H.A.’s “Don’t Take Time” once. I’m pretty sure that DJ Groove Damoast played it on Bahamadia’s radio show back when it came out in the late ‘90s. Built on a dark, nocturnal beat, the group trades slick bars and wordplay. “I Don’t Know (I Can’t Say)” is another highlight with its head-bopping bassline and flute sample. Having grown up on Philly late night mixshows in the ‘90s has proven to be a gift that keeps on giving, as it feels like no matter how many records I collect, I’m still rediscovering tunes from that era.

j the audiophile — Blaxploitation Friday

Crafted by Philly DJ/producer and record collector j the audiophile, Blaxploitation Friday is quietly one of the best Philly rap records to be released in 2025. This short but mighty 4-track EP finds a handful of the city’s top lyricists rocking over hard-hitting beats culled from ‘70s funk records. Eddie Nash, Dell-P, and Baby Blak all check in with stellar rhymes that meld perfectly with j’s production. Head over to j the audiophile’s Bandcamp page and grab a copy of this one, especially if you like fly rap records with rich samples.

D.J. Cash Money — Guess Who’s Comin’ To Dinner, Vol. 2 WKIS FM

About a month ago, I was commissioned to write a pretty detailed essay on the history of hip-hop mixtapes. Naturally, a big part of my research process has been revisiting old tapes that I rocked back in the day. DJ Cash Money’s Guess Who’s Comin’ To Dinner from 1996 is one such tape that got a lot of burn that still holds up beautifully. Featuring classic cuts like Raekwon’s “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” mixtape gems like K-Def & Larry O’s “Real Live Shit” and freestyles from Bahamadia, The Roots, Busta Rhymes and more, Guess Who’s Comin’… is a crystal clear snapshot of mid-90s hip-hop.