Hip Hop — In Stock — CDs  

This is the Aesop album on MUSH records before he got signed to Def Jux. It is a piece of raw, dark, poetic artistry that describes his hometown of NYC and the trials and tribulations in it beautifully. This album is a little rougher and his lyrical style is just a little more advanced on his... read more

The first proper Aesop Rock album in a few years – and his first for Rhymesayers – a logical next step for his uncompromising, darkness-tinged sounds and distinctive rhyme style of his early work for Def Jux! Aesop hasn't missed a step, and the sound is as dystopian, breathless and... read more

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Why these guys never got over bigger is beyond us! Between A Rock And A Hard Place is filled with dope rhymes, timeless beats, and a mellow, tuneful vibe that's as strong as just about anything we can think of from that fertile early-to-mid 80s scene. Titles include "Lower Da Boom",... read more

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15 tracks in all, including "Feel It In The Air", "One Shot Deal", "Gotta Have It", "Don't Stop", "Oh Daddy", "Change", "Bread & Butter", "Flatline", "Tales Of A Hustler Pt 2", "Look At Me Now",... read more

Hip hop lifers and genre-defiant pop art blenders The Beastie Boys deliver the Hot Sauce – either their 8th or 9th album in 25 years, depending on how you count the Mix Up instrumentals set – and it sounds to us like a return to the good times hip hop funk style-hopping that the Boys... read more

Big Boi's got plenty of help this time around – a huge array of guest talents that includes Sleepy Brown, Phantogram, TI, Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Killer Mike, Bosko, and many others – but there's still a nicely unified feel to the set – a strength of vision that holds on even in... read more

Rhymes and production from Detroit's Black Milk! The best cuts have solid, unpredictable and funky beats – rollicking, anthem style backdrops from the rhymes of Black Milk and guests such as Phat Kat, Guilty Simpson, Ty & Kory and others. Titles include "Popular Demand",... read more

A Native Tongues (more or less) hip hop classic from 1991! We hardly need tell you about this one, but in case you can't remember, this is the LP with "Flavor Of The Month", "Similak Child", "Pass The 40", "To Whom It May Concern", "Butt In The... read more

A solid duo instrumentals project from Georgia Anne Muldow and DJ Romes – working together as Blackhouse – and delivering one of the best records yet on the prolific Mello Music Group label! Georgia's a restless creative spirit, and true to form, the beats and production she delivers... read more

Tried-and-true underground hip hop mixed with more experimental beathead touches from Blu – with collaborations and production by Exile, Shafiq Husayn, Flying Lotus, Dibia$e, Daedalus and more – plus appearances by U-God, J*Davey, Co$$, Pac-Div and more. Titles include "Doin... read more

The classic Scott La Rock tribute album – with BDP classics and remixes – originally issued as a 2LP set that was put together following the South Bronx-repping hip hop pioneer's shooting death. Alternate versions, remixes and BDP medley's from their most classic late 80s period. 15... read more

A selection of late 80s South Bronx Teachings – classic Boogie Down Productions circa Criminal Minded! South Bronx Teachings focuses soundly on the class of '87 – so you get fistful of the Criminal Minded cuts and a few other blasts from KRS-One & Scott La Rock, nicely paced over... read more

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It took far too long for Cappadonna's Pillage LP to drop – finally hitting the streets in the late 90s – and it serves as one of the best Wu related efforts of the last couple years of the decade! The hazy, ominous and pulp cinema Wu sound is trotted out with continued relevance and... read more

NuHop? Common newcomers who buy Electric Circus for the single with Mary J Blige are going to be left with some head scratching – but if you like the spiritual/psychedelic Com that was hinted at on Like Water For Chocolate, this may be the follow up you were waiting for! This is still hip... read more

Common returns with a lean, filler free full length in Finding Forever – a set that's definitely the thematic follow up to the BE LP – and a solid one, with highpoints that equal Com's best work of the decade! The set is largely produced by Kanye, with some terse, harder hitting... read more

Cook Classics cooks up one of the best sets so far in the Now Again Music Library Series – part hip hop instrumentals, part Sound Library funk – built from samples culled from the Now Again catalog! Cook Classics Vs Now Again works as both a prime example of the Cook Classics as a... read more

Hell, Boots, it's not a bother – we actually dig Sorry To Bother You as much as any Coup music since Steal This Album! There's a great vibe on Sorry To Bother you – with rebellious, progressive lyricism, of course – but musically, this one surpasses the preceding Coup album, in... read more

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The Digables certainly weren't the first or most innovative hip hop group to rely upon cooled out jazz for the backbone of their sound. In fact without Tribe Called Quest's second album, Digable Planets probably wouldn't even have existed, at least not in anything close to the same form. What... read more

Double LP from 1998 DMC mix champ, DJ Craze featuring long, mostly instrumental tracks, with, of course, lots of nice dj work and some well-chosen vocal samples. Most of the tracks are low- to mid-tempo, but one of our favorites is the triple speed "Miami International Break". 12 tracks... read more

The lyrically focused set in the 2 Stepping Stones compilations from DJ Krush – part remix album, part retrospective – featuring Company Flow, Black Thought & Malik B of the Roots, Mos Def, Aesop Rock, Zap Mama and others! Lyricism kind of finds Krush in his most hip hop reverent... read more

Finally a strong full-length from Nu-Mark – the myriad strengths of which were amply hinted up via the epic 10" series that led up to it – and an album that packs plenty of diverse, timeless beatcraft and stellar guests on the mic! Nu-Mark's got a sharp, crisp edge with his beats... read more

The stellar remix version of DJ Shadow's early 00s masterpiece Private Press – made for the Japanese market and never released in the US – featuring remixes, b-sides and more – with mixes or appearances by Unkle, Roots Manuva, Mos Def, Z Trip and others! 14 tracks in all: "S... read more

A great set of archival DJ Shadow instros from the early-to-mid 90s – from back when his primary means of production was the Akai MPC sampler – along with his endless arsenal of vinyl and limitless creative inspiration! This is formative, but essential material for fans of classic... read more

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Genius from the mind of Kool Keith aka Big Willie Smith aka Poppa Large aka Dr. Octagon. Since his days with Ultramagnetics, no one has mastered the abstract lyrical style like Kool Keith, self-proclaimed inventor of all rhyme styles. 20 tracks, with dope atmospheric features by the Automator and... read more

Solid team-up/all star effort produced in full by the mighty Alchemist – with a core lineup of Tristate, Planet Asia & Killer Ben – and guest appearances by Prodigy, Evidence, Chace Infinite, Phil Da Agony and others. Includes "DRDC Theme", "Fish Meat" feat... read more

Includes the tracks "1st Transmission (original mix)", "Because The Night", "Invinite M", and "Soup Or No Soup".... read more

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Solid work from one of the longest running players in the game – the mighty Edo G! Longtime hip hop fans surely know Edo's name, but his longevity and consistently strong output make him one of hip hop's more unsung careerists. Intelligence & Ingorance features production by Oh No,... read more

Bill Laswell on bass.... read more

The second album of heavy east coast funk and slow rolling rhymes from the brothers from Brentwood. Nice, fat trunk rattling production and Eric and Parrish's trademark back and forth rhymes keep this set fresh,even today. Loaded with classics: "So What Cha Sayin'", "Get the... read more

CD version of Fashawn's tight Champagne & Styrofoam Cups project – which finds the Cali rhymer working over beats by Exile, Jake One, Evidence and others. Includes "Hola Santiago" and "Heard It All Before" produced by Exile, "Coogi" feat Mr Mfn Exquire and... read more

Gritty underground hip hop from Lil Fame & Termanology – working to together as Fizzyology! Fizzyology the album has production by Lil Fame (as Fizzy Womack), DJ Premier , Alchemist, Statik Selektah and J-Waxx – and appearances by Busta Rhymes, Freeway, Bun B and others. Strong... read more

A double disc CD & DVD package showcasing one of our favorite souful acts on the contemporary landscape – Nicolay & Phonte's brilliant and ever-evolving Foreign Exchange project! Dear Friends showcases an acoustic concert performed for a private audience –- the great touring... read more

Foreign Exchange and friends get some remix love! As impressive and eclectic as Nicolay and Phonte are as the flagship FE duo – and given the depth of their excellent +FE Music catalog – you probably expected them to attract the crème of the crop of cosmic soul remixers, and that... read more

Foreign Exchange and friends get some remix love! As impressive and eclectic as Nicolay and Phonte are as the flagship FE duo – and given the depth of their excellent +FE Music catalog – you probably expected them to attract the crème of the crop of cosmic soul remixers, and that... read more

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The timeless sounding underground classic debut of Frank-N-Dank – which is a strong first full length statement for the duo – and a significant milestone in the J Dilla production canon! It has more of a straight up, street ready rhyme style than was typical for Dilla productions at... read more

We'll forget about the first Fugees LP, this is the one that really launched the career of Lauryn Hill, both as an MC and a vocalist. And back then, even Wyclef and Pras were kinda dope. 16 tracks in all, including "How Many MC's", "Ready Or Not", "Killing Me Softly"... read more

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Cali mic veteran Planet Asia – paired up producer Gensu Dean! A tight, purposefully trend-skirting collaborative effort from a duo concerned with making high quality music that'll stand the test of time. Tracks include "Thoroughest", "Bar Mitzvah", "Chochise",... read more

One of the instant classic Wu Tang solo projects – Ghostface Killah's essential, early peak Ironman – and a a record that stands strongly among the best hip hop albums of the its era! Produced by The RZA at a point in which it seemed there was little he could do wrong. An absolute... read more

Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge team up for this intriguing collaboration – one with a promising concept and they deliver on it in full – shadowboxing their way to a knockout! On the mic tip, Ghostface is in his comfort zone here – spitting lyrics laced with martial arts,... read more

Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge team up for this intriguing collaboration – one with a promising concept and they deliver on it in full – shadowboxing their way to a knockout! On the mic tip, Ghostface is in his comfort zone here – spitting lyrics laced with martial arts,... read more

Once again the GZA shines as the true Genius of the Wu Tang Clan. He continues to move in a more straight ahead rhyme direction, but there's still some nice metaphorical, numerological and knowledge dropping moments sprinkled in between the all-up-in-your-face Wu attitude alongside his acronym... read more

How many different personalities does Dan the Automator have? Way better than we'd expected, but we were only expecting a sort of joke one-off project. We should have known better, given that Prince Paul's themed projects (like Prince Among Thieves) have been pretty dope. Guest spots by just... read more

Electro funk, boogie soul and spacey hip hop from Hawthorne Headhunters – completely delivering on the promising earlier EP and rivaling the best of their similarly-traveling peers – particularly Plug Research labelmate Shafiq Husayn, along with leftfield leaders Dam Funk and Georgia... read more

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The dizzyingly creative rhymer Homeboy Sandman's first full length for Stones Throw – an MC who makes no bones about his against the grain stylistic approach – and it's one of the rare hip hop albums of the past couple of years to benefit from sprawling list of producer credits! ... read more

Tight hip hop from the superhero team of Inspectah Deck with 7L & Esoteric – mostly produced by 7L, with a most welcome guest producer in the legendary DJ Premier – and it's a strong statement from the underappreciated Wu Tang gamer and the ever-creative DJ 7L! On the production... read more

The female member of the X Clan posse weighs in with the title track, "Face The Bass", "Great Pimpstress", "Wizard of Optics", "State of Mind" and 6 others.... read more

A glorious send off from J Dilla – with some of the most soulful productions Dilla's ever laid down – and appearances by Common, D'Angelo, Pharoahe Monch, Madlib, MED, Black Thought and others! It's impossible to listen to The Shining without considering the sad circumstances... read more

A glorious send off from J Dilla – with some of the most soulful productions Dilla's ever laid down – and appearances by Common, D'Angelo, Pharoahe Monch, Madlib, MED, Black Thought and others! It's impossible to listen to The Shining without considering the sad circumstances... read more

Dilla beats and an allstar roster of guest Detroit MCs – and a strong debut full length from Ruff Draft Records! Posthumous releases by favorite departed figures can be a dicey proposition – and much to our relief, Rebirth Of Detroit delivers – with both high quality beats &... read more

The first of BBE's forays into current hip hop – and a wonderful debut in the series! The album started as a breakbeat project from Detroit's Jay Dee, but soon morphed into a full-on hip hop album – complete with real instrumentation on Fender Rhodes, trumpet, keyboards, and drums,... read more

A compilation of pivotal mid 90s Dilla productions and remixes – classics and rarities from the Pharcyde, N'Dea Davenport, and the Brand New Heavies with guest appearances by Q-Tip and Mos Def – great stuff from the prime Delicious Vinyl years! It's full of bedrock jazzy funk from Jay... read more

Bhangra.... read more

Janeiro Jarel and MF Doom – united as JJ Doom – and it's one of the fresher Doom collaborative projects of the past couple years! As unique as MF Doom is on the production tip, we gotta say we dig his joint efforts more when he's on the rhymes and another producer is behind the beats. ... read more

The album that catapulted Jurassic 5 from the underground! Quality Control is one of the great hip hop albums, a record that's filled with great tracks, yet flows along as the ultimate headphones experience. The rhymes by Zaakir, Chali 2na, Akil, and Marc 7even are top notch in group dynamics and... read more

A nicely done compilation of the some of the best of Just-Ice – culled from the legendary Fresh, Warlock and Sleeping Bag recordings – a solid entry point for hardcore hip hop pioneer if you don't already own those records! Includes some the most legendary Mantronix productions, the... read more

A mostly instrumental Exhibit from the mighty K Def – and a top shelf slice of timelessly inventive, head nodding hip hop production! Great stuff with prominent beats that pull you right in, but there's a lot more going on in the mix – sinister bass lines, moody keys, bits of guitar... read more

Dreamy hip hop funk from underground production mainstay Kankick – and one that finds him going deeper into a jazz funk inspired realm than ever before – yet still delivering the hazy hip hop beatcraft he made his name on a decade or so earlier! Beats are prominent in the Kankick vibe,... read more

Sparely funky, yet heavily atmospheric hip hop productions from unsung titan Kankick – made up mostly of late 90s material – and it's right up with some of our favorite leftfield producers of the period! Kankicks was perhaps best known as a Lootpack affiliate around this time, and sure... read more

Jazzy Bay Area hip hop from producer/MC double threat Kero One – an unabashedly rearward leaning hip hop head from the left coast – with skills on par with the Soul Providers, Lightheaded and others on the scene! It's no secret that we have eager ears for hip hop that's schooled in the... read more

Trademark Mannie Fresh production on this Cash Money outing, with guest spots from BG, Juvenile, the Hot Boys, and the Big Tymers. 17 tracks in all, including "Drop It Like It's Hot", "Tha Block Is Hot", "Whatcha Wanna Do""High Beamin", "Lights Off"... read more

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Madlib invades Blue Note! He gets free reign of the catalog for this mix of sampler genius and live band interpretations, too, as/with Ahmad Miller, Yesterdays New Quintet, Malcolm Catto, Medaphoar, and others from the Stones Throw camp. This one's truly a conceptual triumph, if there ever was... read more

Diplo's back as Major Lazer – which is now a full-fledged all star project – and still steeped in big, boundary-busting, floor-shaking dancehall influences – with appearances by Santigold, Bruno Mars, Vybes Kartel, Amber from Dirty Projectors, Elephant Man, Wyclef, Shaggy, Opal,... read more

Probably the best track off the second Mantronix LP. The 12-inch version fills out the trademark Mantronix sound with more syth and effects and the Freestyle dub is the more spare version. And then everything drops out but the bass kick and high hat on the 'bonus beat' version.... read more

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Of all the MCs to emerge from the extremely rich French hip hop scene of the 90s, MC Solaar has certainly been the biggest – and this is the album that broke him out of the box worldwide. Titles include "Nouveau Western", "Prose Combat", "Relations Humains",... read more

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Debut album from the much hyped MIA. 13 tracks total including "Pull Up The People", "Galang", "Bingo", and "Bucky Done Gun".... read more

Mos Def's first for Downtown after a weird few years on Geffen that saw many a bumped street date, the hit & miss New Danger, and finally, the semi aborted release of the controversial True Magic – back with a top shelf, excellent album in 2009's The Ecstatic! It may not be Black Star or... read more

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The latest audio dispensary system from Oh No – who's carved a pretty solid niche as an unpredictable, indefatigable hip hop conceptualist – this one a suite of tracks inspired by snake oil style newspaper, radio and television advertisements from decades past! Oh No is on the beats... read more

The first we've heard from Chicago's Omega McBride – and a solid little EP with with a unique vibe! McBride has a flow that reminds us a bit of vintage, pre-superstar Kanye West – as does the lyrical odes to real life issues – but beyond that, the sound here isn't exactly like... read more

Niceness from Parisian producer Onra – a mix of spacey, cosmic soul bounce and a wavering, fading in and out flow to the beatcraft that's sinks in and doesn't let go! There are strains of 80s electro funk & soul that are totally intergral, but with a splintering, broken beat vibe that's... read more

Was it this one or Atliens that got 5 mics from the Source? An instant classic either way, but we don't need to tell you that. Includes "Player's Ball", "Crumblin Erb", "Git Up, Git Out", "Claimin' True", "Funky Ride", "Soouthernplayalisticadi... read more

Pick any 10 words out of any Outkast album description on our pages at random, and you'll see how dearly we've loved these boys throughout the years – but truth be told, deep down we didn't think that they would be able to pull off the double album/solo album project(s). We were seriously... read more

Rhymes by Muscle Shoals rapper Gene The Southern Child and production by Parallel Thought. Titles include "Wanna War", "Never Been", "Collecting 100s", "Trippin'", "Just Like A Girl", "Still iLL", "Drive Wisely" fet Shocc, "... read more

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A box set edition of the 90s classic by The Pharcyde – the group's high water mark – and one of the greatest hip hop albums of the era! Along with Del and the Souls Of Mischief, Pharcyde were one of the few west coast units to achieve any kind of widespread popularity using the... read more

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Top shelf Chi underground hip hop from Galapagos4 veterans Qwel & Maker – with Q on the rhymes and M on the beats – with guests Quazaar, The Grouch from Living Legends, Swamburger of Soliloquists Of Sound, Scud One, Scarlet Monk and Wes Restless. Pretty much everything we've heard... read more

After having built his reputation with some amazing performances during The Roots non-stop live performances, the Roots human beatbox releases his first solo LP, and does a respectable job on the mic, rhyming that is. Beats by Marley Marl, Pete Rock and Scott Storch, guest spots by Meshell N'Degeoc... read more

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The Alone Together project from producer, beatmaker and instrumentalist Karriem Riggins – who's a brilliant jazz drummer, when that's what he wants to do – and he's also a beat-heavy hip hop production guru when duty calls! Alone Together finds Karriem wearing his hip hop... read more

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The first, independent, Roots LP with so many classics that never made it to their later import and major label releases. What more can we say... Tracks include "The Roots Is Comin", "Pass The Popcorn", "The Anti-Circle", "Writers Block", "Good... read more

What can we say? Another nice one from Philly's finest, including guest appearances from Mos Def, Common, Erykah Badu and JazzyFatNastees. Includes "The Next Movement", "Step Into The Realm", "The Spark", "Dynamite", "Without A Doubt" "Ain't... read more

Solid work from Roots Manuva – a diverse range of styles, most of it fairly immediately engaging and not as all out experimental as some of the past couple records – with some moody, string-backed atmosphere and more straight forward thumpers. Roots Manuva's been one great, most... read more

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