A new dive into the Secret Stash with DJ Cagefather through rare vinyl & gems.
Digging through his collection of records for rare gems to include into the 11th episode of Secret Stash series on the Ninetofive®
We made it through ten episodes and celebrating the 11th one today with DJ Cagefather’s rare selection of hip-hop tracks throughout his collection of truly hidden gems and rare finds. Diving deep in his vinyl collection, carefully moving and lately reorganizing his entire collection into a new home.
The process alone took over a month, a testament to his dedication to the craft and the culture. For Cagefather, this isn’t just about spinning records - it’s about preserving the history of hip-hop one rare pressing at a time.
Starting off: If there’s one track on the list that represents the Secret Stash spirit perfectly, it’s Da Minds of Sol - “Ink Wars.” This is the type of record that barely exists outside small circles - no music videos, almost no interviews, no official digital release, and just scattered forum posts from people asking, “Does anyone have a rip of this?”..
What makes it fascinating is how many groups like Minds of Sol existed in the 90s: artists with talent, identity, and a sound that could’ve taken them far… yet they left behind only a single 12” or demo. “Ink Wars” feels like the final transmission from a group that vanished right after making something great.
They dropped a single “Binded by the Light” in 1997 funded by themselves and although an album was promised, it never materialised.
Some tracks in the underground feel less like releases and more like something you stumble upon by accident, like a signal coming from a forgotten corner of the 90s. C.O.M. UNIT (Atlanta, US) – “Confusion” is exactly that kind of record. It’s one of those names you almost never see mentioned anywhere, and when you try to find info, all you run into are scattered comments, half-remembered stories, and people asking the same question: “Who were these guys?”
The funny thing is that the music itself doesn’t sound like a one-off or a demo. “Confusion” hits with the confidence of a crew that had something real going on. The production carries that unmistakable mid-90s indie feel - dusty drums, looping basslines, everything slightly rough around the edges but full of personality.
The flows are sharp, hungry, and straight to the point. It feels like a snapshot of a crew in their prime, captured on a record that barely circulated beyond their city.
And then they disappeared. No follow-up. No album. No footage. Nothing. Just this one track that survived through a few vinyl copies and whatever digital rips people managed to keep over the years.
C.O.M. UNIT might not have the legacy of bigger underground names, but the mystery around them only makes “Confusion” more special. It’s a reminder of why digging still matters: because sometimes the rarest and most interesting stories come from the artists who left just one piece of evidence behind.
Thank you everyone that’s showing support & leaving comments and following the channel in purpose of enjoying the Secret Stash series - It helps us a lot to improve and make new ones to highlight & archive rare hip-hop. /Luciano
