Tony Touch - Tape #55: Power Cypha 2

All three 50 MCs mixtapes are classic, but this one’s a favorite.

Aug 31, 2023

As Brooklyn DJ Tony Touch explains inside the pages of the Do Remember! book, the 50 MCs mixtape series was born out of the work Doo Wop put in with the extended-intro on his 95 Live tape, where he had multiple MCs from across the five boroughs kick back-to-back freestyles. Tony upped the ante by making his 50th hip-hop tape drop feature nothing but freestyles by 50 different MCs, a brilliant yet daunting concept that he brought to life beautifully in ‘96 for the first installment of his Power Cypha.

The tape was so loved in the streets that Tony Touch decided to run it back in ‘97 with a second volume for Tape #55. And not to take anything away from his first Power Cypha, but this volume was particularly special—even Tony told us it was his favorite of the three-part series. Here’s an excerpt from the book:

Tony Touch: Out of all three of them, Volume 2 was probably my favorite one. The momentum was really strong off of the first one. I had a little more clout, so I was able to get a couple more big dogs on there. Another reason it’s my favorite is because it has the Big Pun session and the Big L on the same tape. That was some timeless shit. And we had Redman, and also the whole Diggin’ In The Crates crew on that. That shit was definitely official.

And here’s an outtake from our Do Remember! interview with Lord Finesse where he talks about rapping on Power Cypha 2:

Lord Finesse: I think I recorded at D&D in the A Room. I went into it from a certain standpoint that it’s going to be out there and everybody’s talking about the first 50, so when I’m on this one, I want everyone to talk about the verse I’m going to drop. It was a hell of a verse.
“Benjamins” was the hottest beat out at the time, and I knew I was going to kill that.

With freestyles by newcomers like Noreaga and Canibus, plus fire from Big Daddy Kane, Black Thought, Masta Killa, the Artifacts, and many more, Tony Toca took the 50 MCs series to new heights with Volume 2. Even his Diaz Brother Doo Wop shows up for the bar-heavy shindig. And let’s not forget to mention that the beat selection throughout es muy perfecto.

Stream Power Cypha: 50 MCs Volume 2 below, and stay tuned for more 50 TAPES posts as we make our way toward the release of Do Remember! The Golden Era of NYC Hip-Hop Mixtapes, out October 3rd via Rizzoli.

Tony Touch - Tape #55: Power Cypha 2 (SIDE A)

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