In celebration of 1996, a year that sits squarely in the middle of what some have called hip-hop’s “golden age,” we enlisted one of the most revered DJs and producers the culture has on hand, Statik Selektah, for a mix highlighting the names and voices we hail as all-time legends today. “’96 was a big year for me and one of the best ever for hip-hop,” Statik says. “I started doing radio in ’96 during my first year of high school. The only hard part was not getting to play as many songs as were available. There’s just too many classics from that year!”