French DJ and producer DJ King Flow returns to Scientific Sound Asia with another edition of Mixtape Addict with Jay Royale, continuing his focus on independent and underground Hip Hop. Scientific Sound Asia operates as an international radio station, promoter, DJ agency and music news platform, giving space to artists connected with the foundations and continuing development of Hip Hop culture.
DJ King Flow began DJing at the age of fourteen and developed a style firmly rooted in Boom Bap. The influence of 1990s Hip Hop remains central to his approach, although his selections consistently bring newer underground artists into the same framework rather than treating the music purely as nostalgia.
That ability to connect different generations has become an important part of his identity as a selector and producer. Classic drum programming, sample-driven production and lyric-focused records sit alongside contemporary independent releases from artists continuing those traditions around the world.
His career has included collaborations with established names including Ras Kass, Tragedy Khadafi, O.C., Juicy J and Khujo Goodie. These projects reflect a long-term commitment to Hip Hop foundations while keeping his production work connected with artists active in the present underground scene.
In 2015, DJ King Flow launched Mixtape Addict as a platform dedicated to independent Hip Hop. What began around mixtapes and radio has developed into a wider project combining regular broadcasts, artist interviews, new music and direct support for rappers, DJs and producers.
The interview side of Mixtape Addict has become particularly important because it allows artists to discuss their work beyond the limits of a conventional radio playlist. Conversations sit alongside the music, giving listeners more context around the people, labels and independent networks responsible for many of the records featured on the programme.
DJ King Flow's wider activity can be followed through Facebook, X and the Mixtape Addict YouTube channel. These platforms extend the project beyond the radio show and provide space for interviews, videos, releases and other material connected with the international underground.
Production has also become an increasingly visible part of his work. His instrumental album The Adventures of F.J. Parker combines jazz-influenced melodies, soulful textures and deep grooves with the raw drum-led character associated with classic Hip Hop production.
Trill Legacy (Instrumentals) further developed that side of his catalogue and placed the emphasis entirely on his beatmaking. Without an MC at the centre, the project gives the arrangements, samples, drums and melodic ideas more space to demonstrate how his production style operates independently.
His collaborative releases continue to connect that production work with underground rappers from different scenes. Warzone featuring Ice Crimi, Win or Lose featuring Imam T.H.U.G. and Money with Lex Lakaiser demonstrate how his beats can provide a foundation for contrasting vocal approaches while retaining a recognisable Boom Bap core.
More recent work includes Back To Basics (Mixtape Addict) featuring Faf Larage, Napoleon Da Legend, Relo and DJ Djel. The project brings several voices together around the musical principles that have remained central to DJ King Flow's work since his earliest years behind the decks.
Bills (Remix) featuring Khujo Goodie extended his connection with established American Hip Hop figures, while Laser Rouge with Omaz and Joe Mack returned to the collaborative underground format that runs throughout his catalogue. The Movement featuring ISH-ONE added another international connection and reinforced the global outlook behind Mixtape Addict.
That international direction also appears through Legacy with Dnzl Izm and Northwest Flow with Seattle emcee King Khazm. Rather than concentrating exclusively on French or American Hip Hop, DJ King Flow uses the platform to connect artists from different locations through a shared commitment to independent rap and Boom Bap production.
Interview Guest: Jay Royale.
Jay Royale is an East Baltimore MC whose work is firmly rooted in underground Hip Hop, Boom Bap and the lyrical traditions of the 1990s East Coast. His music draws heavily on Baltimore street narratives and golden-era production aesthetics, combining detailed writing with rugged drums, samples and a deliberate refusal to chase mainstream trends.
His early catalogue established that identity through projects including The Ivory Stoop and The Baltimore Housing Project. The latter featured appearances from artists including Skyzoo, Ill Conscious, Willie the Kid, Ransom and Termanology, placing Royale alongside a strong cross-section of the modern underground rap scene.
Royale has also worked with artists connected to the wider Griselda orbit, while his writing remains closely tied to the environment and stories of Baltimore. Interviews around his work have highlighted the influence of the city itself, with crime films, street history and real experiences frequently providing the framework for his storytelling.
His catalogue has continued to expand through releases such as Criminal Discourse, The Bea Gaddy Soup Kitchen, C.W.2. The Register Collection and Jacked For The City. Rather than abandoning his original approach, these projects have allowed him to refine a style centred on dense lyricism, cinematic detail and classic underground production.
Jacked For The City, released in March 2025, took direct inspiration from the atmosphere of New Jack City while grounding the concept in Royale's own perspective. The project includes Big Noyd and Tek of Smif-N-Wessun, with production from contributors including Ray Sosa and Anibal Beats and cuts from DJ Grazzhoppa.
His output remained active into 2026 with Woes Of The Creator, a project featuring P.U.R.E., Sule, Jae Skeese, RJ Payne, Ansolu and Elzhi among its guests. That release continues the same emphasis on bars and carefully chosen collaborations rather than shifting towards more commercial rap structures.
Jay Royale therefore fits naturally within Mixtape Addict and DJ King Flow's focus on Boom Bap, East Coast Hip Hop and contemporary underground rap. His work connects the sound and discipline of golden-era Hip Hop with a current Baltimore perspective, making him another strong interview guest for a programme built around independent lyricists and producers.
DJ King Flow puts Jay Royale at the beginning of Mixtape Addict 108, opening with "Glory", "Skemes" and "Baltimore Slang" before moving into a wider selection of rugged Underground Hip Hop. The Baltimore MC has built his reputation around raw lyricism and a style strongly connected to the traditions of East Coast rap, making the three-track opening a natural introduction to the interview that closes the programme.
T.F and DJ Muggs continue the hard-edged direction with "Poor Sports", while The Musalini and 9th Wonder bring the soulful knock of Boom Bap into focus on "Salt Box". That track pairs The Musalini's street-level writing with 9th Wonder's characteristically rooted production approach, fitting comfortably beside REKS, DJ Mickey Knox, Rome Streetz and Crimeapple in the deeper part of the selection.
The programme does not remain exclusively on the East Coast, with Kurupt, DJ Battlecat and Snoop Dogg bringing a distinctly West Coast Hip Hop flavour through "Me N The Boyz". Battlecat's production draws directly on the region's G-funk lineage, while the later appearance of Spice 1 alongside The Game and Twista gives the tracklist another connection to established West Coast rap before the mix turns back towards the underground.
Nino Man, DV Alias Khryst, the two REKS and DJ Mickey Knox cuts, Obleak and Yotto Beatz, Jamal Gasol and Casablanca The Gawd keep the wider Hip Hop selection centred on lyric-driven records rather than a single regional style. DJ King Flow then finishes Episode 108 with his interview with Jay Royale, bringing the programme back to the artist who opened it and giving the guest space to speak after a set grounded in contemporary underground rap.
DJ King Flow welcomed Baltimore MC Jay Royale to Mixtape Addict for a conversation centred on underground Hip Hop, mixtape culture, artistic development and the work required to build a lasting audience. Jay Royale explained that continually pushing his pen and finding new ways to approach lyricism remain important to him, particularly in a scene where he feels too many artists follow the same formulas.
Asked to name his favourite DJ, Jay Royale chose DJ Grasshopper because of the support he received while establishing himself as an artist. Grasshopper was one of the first DJs to recognise his potential and actively become part of his movement, leading Royale to extend his appreciation to the wider network of DJs who have continued playing and supporting his records.
That relationship led into a wider discussion about the traditional responsibility of Hip Hop DJs to discover and break records rather than simply follow established playlists. Jay Royale praised DJs willing to give independent artists opportunities, recalling DJ Kay Slay as another figure prepared to put his reputation behind new talent and stressing how important that kind of support can be during an artist's development.
The mixtape era remains particularly important to Jay Royale, who described it as an extraordinary period for discovering rappers outside the material being promoted by labels and mainstream radio. He remembered mixtapes as a place where MCs could display their lyricism more freely, creating a direct relationship with listeners while rivalries, freestyles and exclusive recordings gave the culture its competitive energy.
Jay Royale explained that the disappearance of major mixtape outlets removed an important route through which independent rappers could circulate music and maintain connections with their audiences. He believes much of his own style still comes from that raw and unapologetic period, where an artist could record something because it felt right without worrying about fitting neatly into mainstream expectations.
His experience of searching for underground records also shaped the way he approaches collaborations, describing himself as someone who has always looked for the musical equivalent of a hidden prospect before everybody else discovers them. That mentality taught him to consider who is working, developing and creating something interesting rather than simply chasing whichever artist happens to have the largest profile at that moment.
Royale also looked back at his own early mixtape work, including Crown Royale and The Decline, explaining how changes in distribution and sample clearance eventually required some material to be rebuilt over original production. Far from being an artist who appeared only after social media made self-promotion easier, he recalled physically handing out mixtapes, networking and travelling through the traditional promotional circuit to establish the Jay Royale name.
Discussing his current music, Jay Royale highlighted Woes of a Creator, created with producer Nebu Beats, and explained his preference for collaborating with hungry producers rather than automatically pursuing the biggest names. Identifying himself with the underdog mentality, he wants ability and chemistry to determine his collaborators while maintaining the standard listeners have come to expect from his catalogue.
He also spoke about working on further fully produced projects alongside other collaborative material, believing that concentrating on one producer can give an album a stronger individual character. At the same time, his Collab Work series gives him room for more spontaneous records and collaborations, allowing him to experiment and enjoy what he described as the side missions surrounding his larger projects.
Jay Royale said maintaining that enjoyment is essential because he still approaches writing as something creative rather than simply another job. His motivation to continue comes from constantly finding new subjects to address, and he described himself as someone whose pen still has plenty of ink left in it.
Looking back at the development of his career, Royale explained that he eventually decided to take music seriously after repeatedly being told that his verses stood out and that listeners wanted to hear more from him. Instead of immediately forcing himself into the spotlight, he developed gradually, learning how to assemble cohesive projects and using collaborations to introduce his voice to audiences beyond his immediate circle.
That process also taught him the difference between impressing other rappers and developing genuine supporters. Royale compared audience building to performing for the one person nodding along in a room, arguing that one listener can become two, four and eventually many more when the connection is genuine and people recommend the music to others.
He emphasised that personality and humility matter alongside lyrical ability, particularly when meeting listeners after performances or interacting with people who support the music. Royale does not like reducing those people simply to the word fans, instead viewing Hip Hop as a large cipher in which everybody has their moment and artists should respect the people around them rather than behaving as though the entire culture revolves around themselves.
Towards the end of the interview, Jay Royale returned to the importance of following an individual path instead of becoming distracted by what other artists are doing. He explained that music can provide an escape and a form of creative writing, while unexpected relationships and opportunities can come from treating people with respect because an artist never knows who may already be listening or who they may encounter later.
Royale closed by directing listeners towards Woes of a Creator, describing the album as a reflection on the mental pressures and struggles experienced by an emerging Boom Bap artist. He encouraged listeners who value lyricism, metaphors, punchlines and records that reward repeated listening to support the project and introduce his music to others who appreciate the same approach.
King Flow finished by encouraging listeners to seek out Jay Royale's work and promising continued support for his forthcoming releases on Mixtape Addict. Royale thanked King Flow for the opportunity and reminded listeners that his music can be found across the major streaming and social platforms, closing the conversation with appreciation for everyone continuing to support his journey from East Baltimore outward.
The live broadcast is scheduled for Thursday, August 20th, 2026, from 8 to 9 PM Indochina Time (ICT), with a replay set for Saturday from 8 to 9 AM (ICT).
DJ King Flow, Jay Royale Mixtape Addict Episode 108
Jay Royale & Anibal Beatz - Glory
Jay Royale - Skemes
Jay Royale - Baltimore Slang
T.F & DJ Muggs - Poor Sports
The Musalini & 9th Wonder - Salt Box
Larry June - Casual Monday
Kurupt, DJ Battlecat & Snoop Dogg - Me N The Boyz
Nino Man - Minks In Harlem (38 Spesh Diss)
DV Alias Khryst - NXXX SHXT
REKS & DJ Mickey Knox - Abilities
REKS & DJ Mickey Knox - Vision Board
Rome Streetz - 22 (Prod. Havoc)
Obleak, Yotto Beatz, Lord Goat & DJ Grusm - Concrete Slippers
Crimeapple - Trick Shot
Spice 1, The Game & Twista - The Ghost Of The Trigga
Obleak, Yotto Beatz, Novatore & DJ Grusm - Chi Town Classics
Jamal Gasol & The Standouts - Tell Me Bout It
Casablanca The Gawd - Greatest Weapon
DJ King Flow - Interview With Jay Royale
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