Hip Hop — All Formats  

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, Ms. Dynamite, Flux Pavilion and more! There's a real love for genuine digital dancehall and diverse avant dancefloor, but with some tricked out atmosphere all its own and wildly unpredictable, yet still infection vibe that's pure Diplo. Titles include "You're No Good", "Jet Blue Jet", "Jah No Partial", "Scare Me", "Jessica", "Keep Cool", "Sweat", "Bubble Butt", "Reach For The Stars", "Mashup The Dance", "Watch Out For This (Bumaye)", "Playground" and more.

The old school rap classic from Marvelous Three & The Younger Generation – aka "Rappin All Over" – released here as a 2-part 45 version as mixed by Kenny Dope – who utilizes the original master tapes and genuine love for Brass Records original! The original funky drums and bass heavy groove, as produced by Terry Lewis, is well intact on this great 45 mix – and the early 80s party raps sound as fresh as they have in years! Great stuff by a legendary crew – one that features the Marvelous Three trio of Chief Rocker Busy Bee, DJ AJ Scratch and DJ Small.

The score to RZA's major motion picture directorial debut (and just how cool is it to be writing that)!– Whatever the creative and/or financial fate of the movie Man With The Iron Fists, RZA's score with collaborator Howard Drossin is a classic! You already know that RZA is a genuine student of Hong Kong and Hollywood martial arts music and movies – and if you don't know this, he's also a hell of a soundtrack composer! His work for Ghost Dog is one of our favorite hip hop-based soundtracks ever made – and Man With The Iron Fists lives up to that legacy. It's a bigger, more grandly-composed soundtrack than Ghost Dog – with tense strings and an epic, Hollywood-ready sweep – but it still feels totally and truthfully like a RZA record! Collaborator Drossin has worked on some great action scores over the past decade and he proves to be an excellent partner. Includes an "Opening Titles" makeover of the Wu classic "Shame On A N***a", plus "Jungle Village", "Emperor's Gold", "The Brothel", "Rodent Fight", "Alley Fight", "Snake Charmer", "Shipwrecked", "The Temple Monks", "Face Off", "The Man With The Iron Fists", "The Last Battle", "All Iron And No Rust" and more.

J Dilla's brother Illa J collaborates with Dilla for the Yancey Boys album – produced with a batch of Dilla's beats! This album could have gone wrong in a number of ways for a number of reasons – but truth be told it's a quality record that's actually worth checking out! Most importantly, Illa J's is a genuine talent – rolling with a mix of singing and rhyming is really unique – and the bright, spacey funk beats by Dilla are naturally top notch & timeless. Tracks include "Timeless", "We Here", "R U Listenin'" feat Guilty Simpson, "All Good", "Swagger", "Illasoul", "Air Signs" and 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, Ms. Dynamite, Flux Pavilion and more! There's a real love for genuine digital dancehall and diverse avant dancefloor, but with some tricked out atmosphere all its own and wildly unpredictable, yet still infection vibe that's pure Diplo. Titles include "You're No Good", "Jet Blue Jet", "Jah No Partial", "Scare Me", "Jessica", "Keep Cool", "Sweat", "Bubble Butt", "Reach For The Stars", "Mashup The Dance", "Watch Out For This (Bumaye)", "Playground" and more.

The movie maybe a goofy, if undeniably amusing pop culture relic, but the Polydor soundtrack is a genuine win! This is an album that doubtlessly brought breakdance and old school hip hop culture into the eyes of middle America – but what helps it stand the test of time are some solid non-hip hop cuts like "Ain't Nobody" by Rufus & Chaka Khan, "Freakshow On The Dance Floor" by The Bar-Kays, the smooth club hit "99 1/2" by Carol Lynn Townes, "Body Work" by Hot Streak and produced by Jellybean. Also includes "Reckless" by The Glove featuring vocals by Ice T.

Spacey, club ready remixes of ascending hip hop-gospel-soul spirits Washington Projects – plus the full Light Up The Dark album as a bonus disc! Washington Projects blend modern hip hop and R&B singing and rhymes beautifully well, with inspirational songs that are, well, genuinely inspirational. Space Time Continuum is filled heavily thumping, pulsing, floor-shaking remixes from the duos previous couple of albums. Titles include "Work (Intergalactic Public Transit Mix)", "Time (Spiral Galaxy Mix)", "My Dream (Wicker Park Mix", "Zephyr Wings (Chicago Discothaque Mix)", "Yesterday (Northern Lights Mix)" and more. Includes the Light Up The Dark album as a bonus disc, with "Light Up The Dark", "You Are Beautiful", "My Dream", "Stay", "Go", "Justus", "Momma", "Heaven Here I Come" and more.