Hip Hop -- In Stock -- CDs  

Early oughties underground gem from MHz -- a terse, moody, but still funky set from Copywrite, RJD2, Jakki Da Motamouth, DJ Tage and the Camu Tao! The MHz tracks have a deserved reputation as the blueprint material for some underground genius to come from the cast of characters, but it holds up... read more

Underground niceness from Moe Pope and Headnodic as Megaphone, with guest spots by Zion I, Oh No, and Gift of Gab, just to give you an idea of which brand of tennis shoes these cats are wearing. To our ears it's Headnodic's nice sample based beats that set this release apart from the every... read more

Space funk specialist Mr Chop takes on the beatcraft genius of Pete Rock on For Pete's Sake -- blueprint Pete Rock singles and benchmark beats -- refashioned as fuzzed out psychedelic funk instrumentals! It works out masterfully, and very much in the mold of some of our other favorite material by... read more

Georgia Anne Muldrow's cosmic funky soul keeps rolling on -- bring even more depth to her evolving, unstoppable creative energy with Umsindo! The album is a dedicated Afrocentric social awareness, but she steers clear of strident righteousness in favor of a funky, soulful elemental vibe -- mixing... read more

A mixtape style set of raw rhyme, free styles and more from Naledge of Kidz In The Hall. Features production by Black Spade, Nez & Rio, Sa-Ra, Tha Bizness and Double-O -- and appearances by Fooch, GLC, Jay Electronica and more. Titles include "In My Own Words" feat Fooch & Mick... read more

Beatmaker Newman of Giant Panda teams up with MC Shawn Jackson for New Jack Hustle -- from laidback, hazed out hip hop, to some bigger, more soulful and uplifting beats & rhymes, to straight up funky boom bap. Tres Records rarely steers us wrong, and this another strong set for the label -- as... read more

The second album from Gregg Nice & Smooth Bee -- an album that finds the duo rocking a bit more of a loopy, even kinda comic tone in spots despite the serious title -- and stands up strongly with the hugely influential teams best work! Features the early 90s classics "Hip Hop Junkies"... read more

Spacey soul soundscapes from Nicolay -- another big step for the unpredictable, but always soulful beatmaker, producer, and artist -- inspired by a consciousness awakening trip to Tokyo on Shibuya -- City Lights Volume 2! When we were first tipped to Nicolay's sounds, it was from a soulful hip hop... read more

Debut LP from Chicago's own No ID, who produced the first two Common Sense LP's, which was largely slept on, in spite of the nice rhymes and tight beats. With guest vocals by Doug Infinite, Common and Chicago's premier vocal duo - Syndicate. 15 tracks if you count the interludes, including "S... read more

Anthemic group hip hop from Notes To Self -- featuring producer & rapper Bronze One, MCs Swamp Donkey and Roshin, and DMC champion DJ Dopey -- bringing a sound that's funk beat steeped, and schooled in the blueprint school of classic underground hip hop. Titles include "Yellow &... read more

Oh No's given carte blanche to the the Now Again and Soul Cal vaults of obscure funk, psychedelic soul and more -- taking on the deep obscurities of those rarity reissuers for a tripped out hip hop funk instrumental set! Here Oh No has put together a record that rivals his underground hip hop... read more

Dope underground hip hop from People Under The Stairs -- their lucky seventh album -- still working as one of the finest neo classic hip hop crews in the game, and one of our favorite hip hop duos since the blueprint era! Thes One and Double K bring their A-games each time out, and this return to... read more

A mad bit of funk from the great Pete Rock! Pete's easily one of the best hip hop producers of the past decade -- and this album's a sublime batch of instrumental tracks that focuses on his talent for remaking an older groove. The set's one of the first on BBE's groundbreaking Beat Generation... read more

Fresh and soulful hip hop from Ohio bred MC Pryslezz -- with thoughtful lyricism and a nice vocal flow -- and a set that's the defies easy classification, in a way that we find quite praiseworthy. The sound is often spun around beats and keys beneath the vocal flow, often with style that would... read more

Raw and direct hip hop from Pseudo Slang -- the Buffalo & Chicago duo of Emcee Sick & Tone Atlas -- a straight up blend of gritty jazz & funk beats and solid wordplay -- laidback but forthright, solid, no BS, real world hip hop! The sound has a deft blend of jazzy sounds, but it's done... read more

A damn good record by Q-Tip -- his first official album of the new millenium (not counting the unfairly mooted Kamaal The Abstract) -- featuring both spacey keyboard grooves and some Native Tongues style boom bap! Q-Tip really does kind of pick up where he could have left off years ago, and it's a... read more

Q-Tip's legendary unreleased jazz funk flavored Kamaal The Abstract album -- a wonderful record that should have come out in 2002 (!!!) -- but in yet another tribute to Q-Tip's genius, it sounds just as great all these years later! We remember well, hearing snippets of Kamaal The Abstract on a... read more

Madlib's debut LP headlined by the flip of his split personality -- the one-and-only weird and wacky sounding Quasimoto. Another Stones Throw hip hop classic, with Madlib producing and rhyming on the tracks, speakin about jazz, outerspace, and microphones. Tracks include "Bad Character"... read more

Forgive the lame packaging -- 'cause this is damn fine batch of some of the best early tracks by the pioneering Queen of hip hop -- at a great price! 10 tracks in all: "Ladies First", "Fly Girl", "Come Into My House", "Latifah's Had It Up To Here", "Danc... read more

Avant hip hop instrumental atmospherics from Radius -- raw beats, splintering funk and house flavored grooves with tripped out samples -- incredients that might sound familiar, but Radius has a way of spinning a hypnotic vibe that goes above and beyond! There's often a persistent beat underneath... read more

The long awaited Cuban Linx Pt 2 from Raekwon -- and one of those late model Wu Tang efforts that reminds us of how vital the Wu Tang were in their prime, as well as how sharp the still are when the moons align and the pieces fall into place! OBFCL Pt 2 is indeed one of those rare newer Wu sets... read more

Here it is after an arduous, nearly decade long wait -- Rakim's epically long in the making Seventh Seal -- released on his own label after the much discussed departure from Dr Dre! Rakim's authority and gravity on the mic is still second to none, and Seventh Seal's best tracks stark and... read more

Funky and eclectic beatcraft from DJ Regal -- a pretty moody set of funky boombap beats, heady bass lines and moody elements on the outer edges! Regal gets a variety of moods out on these tracks, from dusty soul beat hip hop backdrops, spacey bits of soul jazz keys and other echoey bits, spaced... read more

A mix of hip hop, live funk and midwestern soul from Rideout & Terry Cole -- really one of the best live band hip hop soul projects we've heard in a long time! This is the first project on Ohio's Colemine Records, and well worth a discovery. The key here is warmth -- a groove that's steeped... read more

Fresh hip hop from the All Natural, Inc team -- and one of the freshest female fronted hip hop albums we've heard in a while -- from Rita J! Rita J's rhymes are at the forefront and are top notch -- spurring the best from guest MCs and producers, which include Stoney Rock aka Black Spade, Kenny... read more

Nice stuff from Ritz -- rhymes by Apoc, beats by Rels, cuts by DJ Onceamonth -- gritty beats and solid underground style that reminds us a bit of grittier Rhymesayers records. Speaking of Rhymesayers, guests include the mighty Psalm One, plus Racecar of Modill, Brendan B, Moodswangz & Elfamail.... read more

RJD2's signature style epic hip hop! This time out -- no rappers allowed, which was a good move in our book, considering his production really shines when he doesn't cater to an MC. This effort has got a little bit of fusion flare, with wisps of synths on some tracks and space age ricochet drums... read more

We never know whether we should call this their second album or not. We know it's their second, but their first was so poorly distributed for years, and besides, this one's light years ahead of that in both the approach to production and rhyme style. A modern hip hop essential, that blew our... read more

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

Dancefloor jams, post disco soul, early NYC hip hop beats and straight up amazing 80s NYC progressive club genius from Arthur Russell -- a compilation of great tracks he performed on, authored, remixed, edited or produced for Sleeping Bag in the early-to-mid 80s! Includes underground classics from... read more

Samurai hip hop funk from the RZA -- in his comfort zone with this second volume of soundtrack work for and inspired by the animated Afro Samurai series and video game! This is the kind of thing you'd think the legendary Wu Tang founder and sonic architect could spin in his sleep, but the truth is... read more

Cosmic hip hop soul from Om'Mas Keith, Shafiq Husayn & Taz Arnold -- a long awaited proper full length from the Sa-Ra Creative Partners -- and an excellent one! Sa-Ra's signature spacey funk & beatcraft, hypnotic and boundless grooves have been critical behind the scenes for some of their... read more

Late oughties material from Sadat X of the legendary Brand Nubian! Sadat has stayed pretty busy over the years, and Brand New Bein keeps things raw, with production and scratches by DJ JS 1, and other cuts produced by JW -- with appearances by Lord Jamar and Grand Puba on the title track, plus C... read more

Sharp stuff from Providence MC Shawn Jackson -- rhyme centric, but not lacking in murky funk beatcraft. Another winner for Tres Records! Tracks include "First Of All", "Fix Ya Face", "Traveling Salesmen" feat Comel of Time Machine, "Backstage", "Strate... read more

One of the best rappers most people never heard of, Virginia's Skillz has ghostwritten for the biggest names in the game and does his annual "Rap Up" for underground hip hop heads -- and after a few false starts the Million Dollar Backpack CD dropped in summer 08! Longtime fans Freeway,... read more

Keys, laidback beats and hip hop soul from Slakah The Beatchild -- a nice blend of percolating beat craft, soulful vocals and rhymes -- featuring a host of vocal collaborators for a fresh approach that's unpredictable but flows quite seamlessly! The sounds roll out nicely prominent keys and... read more

The celebrated Speech Therapy album from Speech Debelle -- it's worth it! The live, jazzy instrumentation in the production gets your attention -- but it's Speech Debelle's focused & forthright storytelling that really gets this one over. Pretty solid stuff, and a record you'll go back and... read more

Lyrically and spirtually fresh wordplay from Superstar Quamallah -- working with blueprint era funky hip hop beatcraft, done with a timeless style! Titles include "You Need Knowledge", "88 Soul", "Black Shakespeare", "For My People. . .It's Spiritual", "... read more

Tanya Morgan's second proper album -- the duo's Moonlighting was one of the freshest, most soulful and resonant hip hop albums of 2006 in our humble opinions, and Brooklynati is even better! It's tough to describe Tanya Morgan -- the trio of Von Pea, Ilyas and Donwill -- without falling into soul... read more

UK boom bap and heavy hip hop from Steve Ellington, aka Tha 4orce! Mind The Gap finds the 4orce bringing a fairly hard hitting beat aesthetic with a host of UK talent on the mic and in the studio -- with keys by Tim Baxter, bass by Pete Terry, drums by Dom Bannister and more. There's a killer... read more

A nice mix of club & dancefloor funk and hip hop from the Thunderheist duo of Isis & Grahm Zilla! GZ's bass, handclaps and electro atmosphere in the mix get it going nicely, and the production really has no agenda beyond dancefloor ready beatcraft -- and it succeeds! Isis both sings and... read more

The first album by The Tom Tom Club -- the strange little offshoot of the Talking Heads that featured Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz -- and one of the most influential records of the early 80s in both the mainstream and the avant pop underground! Legendary status aside, the album a weird mix of... read more

A pretty fresh record from Tough Junkie -- bringing a golden age reverence to a fresh set of modern hip hop -- built on blueprint funky and soulful beats -- and rhymes that roll from easy going abstract to sharp, straight forward storytelling. Tough Junkie's rhymes are both tough and playful, and... read more

Beats, Rhymes & Life -- crucial aspects of Tribe Called Quest and hip hop in general -- and the fourth album by the inimitable Tribe! After a couple or three years of down time following Midnight Marauders, the Tribe returned with this extra stripped down sound, collaborating with Jay Dee and... read more

The last Tribe Called Quest LP -- one of those "end of an era" type experiences for sure -- and record that was fairly slept on it the time given the dizzying heights of their earlier record -- and holds up today as an essential! The tracks are all produced by The Ummah featuring J... read more

The second album from the immortal Tribe Called Quest -- one of the absolute essential hip hop LPs, and a record that should be an anyone's shortlist of the best albums in several subsections of hip hop -- just a straight up masterpiece anyway you cut it. The album is so high up on the ladder, we'r... read more

The first LP in a well over a decade from the Ultramags. Titles include "The Plaques", "Late Nite Rumble", "Mechanism Nice (Born Twice)", "Ain't It Good 2", "Pop Bottles", "Nottz" feat Goody 2, "Porno Star Pt 2", "Underwear... read more

There's a heavy hip hop element on this set from US3 -- rhymes on nearly every number, delivered by either Brook Yung or Sene -- and supported with lots of jazzy work from US3 mainman Geoff Wilkinson! Geoff's still got an ear for a groove that's as great as during his years on Blue Note -- and... read more

Verbal Kent continues to pave the underground with some of the best hip hop in the Chi -- now with the venerable Molemen, Inc.! Much of the album flows one track the next without pause -- which really brings a nice sense of urgency -- and Verbal is an MC that isn't lacking in intensity. Very... read more

Full length collabo between Chi vets Verbal Kent & Kaz1 -- with guests including the ever ferocious Ill Bill, plus Wordsworth, Cold Hard of Crucial Conflict, Alltuisms, Braille and more! Straight up, hard hitting underground hip hop. Titles include "Dedicated", "Wars R Us"... read more

Pretty sharp stuff from Wale -- the Interscope debut after some pretty hot underground attention -- doing his thing with smarts and quality flow over a varied backdrop of production! Wale has a reputation for bring some influences of DC's go-go sound to the table, and for this major debut,... read more

Solo set from William Cooper of Black Market Militia -- featuring guest appearances by Black Market Millitia fellow Hell Razah -- plus heavyweights Kool G Rap, Killa Priest, Ill Bill, 9th Prince and others! Titles include "The Day Of Light", "In America" feat Killah Priest &... read more

Funky psychedelic hip hop from Willie Isz -- aka cosmic hip hop beatmaker and Khujo Goodie of the legendary Goodie Mob -- a set that manages to be both hazy and tripped out, but pretty hard hitting, too! It was hard to get around a Stankonia-or-later Outkast or Gnarls Barkley comparison when we... read more

A compilation of Wu Tang Clan tracks and live funky soul backing by Brooklyn combo The Revelations -- put together by The RZA and featuring rhymes by Ghostface, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and U God, plus guest MCs Masta Ace, AZ, Cormega, Sean Price, Havoc, Kool G Rap, Tre Williams and Sadat X. Titles... read more

The classic first album with The RZA, The GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspektah Deck, U-God, Ghostface… you know the rest. The start of a generation, and of the hip hop enterprise that overshadowed a lot of the mid 90s! 12 tracks, including "Can It All Be So Simple", "Method... read more

RZA takes a trip to the Shaolin Temple -- and organizes a surprisingly strong set of Wu Tang material to celebrate -- featuring appearances by all of the Wu Tang (except for the departed ODB), plus the Killa Bees MCs, and guests. No new epiphanies here for fans, but it's pretty strong set of... read more

Throw away all your 70s electric funk records -- because the classic sound is back, and fresher than ever! Yesterday's New Quintet is a side project from hip hop producer Madlib -- and the group's firmly steeped in a love of the mellow funky sound of 70s labels like Kudu and CTI. Vibes collides... read more

One of the most legendary albums of recent years finally gets an official release -- and about time, too! The set is a loving tribute to the genius of Stevie Wonder -- and features a batch of instrumental readings of Stevie's 70s classics, all performed by Madlib with a sweet mix of keys, vibes,... read more

Crossover pop chart hip hop from the tailend of the 80s -- the Delicious Vinyl classic Stone Cold Rhymin from Young MC -- boisterous, funky good time rap with production by the Dust Brothers and exuberant, fun, uncomplicated, stone cold rhymes from Young MC! Includes the unforgettable hits "Bu... read more

Oakland underground MCs Zion I -- who had a fliratation with the majors that didn't pan out -- back doing the indie hip hop scene proud on Takeover! The production flourishes are a little bit outer there at times, but never clunky or too self conciously sci fi, and the sound which works very well... read more

Another absolutely essential collection from Soul Jazz, this time out heading straight for the outer boroughs of the Bronx, Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens to document the fresh, fly, wild and bold rap tracks that rocked block parties and roller rinks from '79 on! 16 amazing tracks from the dawn of... read more

We weren't certain whether this dope little compilation qualified as a soundtrack or not, but we are certain it might as well be considered THE soundtrack to the first half of the oughties, with the cream of the Stones Throw stable lacing this collabo with the Adult Swim network with pure niceness... read more

A beautifully packaged box set if we've ever seen one -- celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Def Jam hip hop -- each disc featuring a well chosen sampler of classic tracks from a 5 year period of the labels history! It's no easy task programming a set like this, and we could argue for 25 more... read more

Def Jux Presents -- diverse underground hip hop par excellence -- for the this fourth edition that gives a taste of the skills of its roster -- including the Def Jux all star crew Weathermen, Cage, Mr Lif, Yak Ballz, Camu Tao, Rob Sonic, El-P and others. Titles include "Reports Of A Possible... read more

Crackling funky soul and beats put together for Mochilla by Kutmah -- a mix of obscure jams blended into a slow burning, moody masterpiece of hypnotic grooves! Kutmah spins together a set esoteric with an emphasis on tripped out funky beats, but with plenty of underground soul swirling in and out,... read more

We're not sure what "equidity" means -- but the grooves here are so great, we're hardly going to ask for a definition! The package is filled with plenty of the funk promised in the title -- but often in ways that are really odd and offbeat -- just what you'd expect from a mighty trip... read more

A fantastic tribute to the Fly Girls of hip hop -- a filler free collection of some of the funkiest female fronted singles of the 80s -- included a few genesis cuts from the 70s and a couple of important 90s numbers -- blueprint rap from JJ Fad, Sweet Tee, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Bahamadia, Sparky... read more

The blueprint for Kanye West's incredible work of the past few years -- served up in an all-legit package of original tunes sampled for his own albums and productions for other artists! The range of styles here is really amazing -- and the set runs through old soul, pop, jazz, and R&B -- all... read more

A massive package of tracks -- 3 CDs' of music from the Unwrapped series, plus a great bonus disc too! The core work is a batch of smooth, jazzy instrumental takes on hip hop hits -- from Hidden Beach Records! If you scratch just a little bit below the surface of the Hidden Beach roster, digging... read more

The wonderful Hidden Beach groove continues -- smooth, but never slick -- and a great attempt at bringing instrumental work to a much younger generation! There's a really jazzy sensibility here that's moved far beyond the roots of the series -- a style that completely transforms the hip hop tunes... read more

Plenty of drums here -- both played and programmed by Tony Royster Jr, the standout star of this set! The groove's a bit funkier than other Unwrapped volumes -- still in the smoother soul territory of the Hidden Beach style, but giving the drummer more space to get down as well -- which sounds... read more

Unfortunately, it's not still working -- Tommy Boy hasn't released a hip hop masterpiece like they routinely cranked out in their glory days in a long, long time -- which is a great reason to buy this hits package featuring singles that are not simply Tommy Boy's greatest, but actually some of the... read more

Previously unreleased funky old school hip hop and disco breaks -- and you don't stop, keep on body rockin' to Live Convention 79 -- live material from the Jamaica Queens Armory! Live Convention 79 features audio captured from the soundboard of this benchmark era throwdown, with 13 unlisted tracks... read more

Live old school hip hop and funky disco breaks from the first school -- previously unreleased material recorded straight from the Ecstasy Garage Disco sound board at the dawn of the 80s -- party rockin' rhymes from a loose collective of "Ecstasy Garage All Stars"! Live Convention 80... read more

Funky hip hop from the Cali scene and beyond -- both produced and assembled by Madlib the Beat Konducta as the rumored final installment of BBE/Rapster's Beat Generation series! This set does a pretty good job of showing Madlib's skill as an expert producer for others -- pairing the right beats... read more

Rap classic 45 edits by Peanut Butter Wolf -- a stellar set of benchmark singles by Fearless Four, Just Ice, Marley Marl & MC Shan, Big Daddy Kane & Biz Markie, Mantronix, JVC Force, Boogie Down Productions and more! The Wolf mixes the tunes perfectly, no jumpy edits or too abbreviated... read more

Rare 80s funky east coast hip hop -- great tracks by Most Wanted, The Heartbeat Brothers, Sport G & Mastermind, Phase And Rhythm and and others -- great tracks cut for the Enjoy, Elite, Street Walk, Pelon and other labels with production throughout by the late Paul C! Paul C is better known... read more

A masterful mix set from the Scratch Perverts -- working with the essences of a deep selection far reaching material -- from gritty underground hip hop, to furiously bumping electro funk, cosmic club grooves, deep dubby cuts, and loads of all around trippy beatcraft ! A hazy, darkness tinged but... read more

Heavy grooves from Sugarhill Records -- lots of old school hip hop cuts, plus a few clubby groovers too! The 2CD set is the last installment in this excellent look at the label -- one that set a whole new standard for Sugarhill reissues -- one that's sadly not been matched as much in recent years -... read more

Essential stuff, a story we've been waiting to get told for some time now! Tommy Boy's spot in the history book doesn't need to be laid out by us or anyone else for that matter, but this double disc set puts the history lesson neatly together in one great little package. You get every imaginable... read more

A blistering mix by DMC Champ DJ Kentaro, known to the world for his incredible scratching, juggling and mixing skills, which he puts to good use here, getting busy on the 1's and 2's with Pressure Sounds bouncing back catalog! The emphasis is a bit on the dub side of their vaults, taking pure... read more

A tight set of sometimes jazzy, sometimes funky, sometimes cerebral, always dope hip hop steeped cuts from the Tru Thoughts & Zebra Traffic family -- great tracks from Quantic, Freddie Cruger, Bamboos, Life, TM Juke & many more! This is the first straight up genre item from Tru Thoughts,... read more