Hip Hop — All Formats  

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 later work, but all the same, it deserves massive praise here. Tracks include "Commencement At The Obedience Academy", "Drawbridge", "Big Bang", "Garbage", "Basic Cable", "I'll Be OK", "Attention Span", "Spare A Match", "Breakfast With Blockhead", "Fascination", "Skip Town", "How To Be A Carpenter", "The Mayor And The Crook", "Prosperity", and more. 2012 reissue of the out of print, dawn of the 00s classic.

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 later work, but all the same, it gets massive praise here. Tracks include "Commencement At The Obedience Academy", "Drawbridge", "Big Bang", "Garbage", "Basic Cable", "I'll Be OK", "Attention Span", "Spare A Match", "Breakfast With Blockhead", "Fascination", "Skip Town", "How To Be A Carpenter", "The Mayor And The Crook", "Prosperity", and more.

Greatest hits compilation from one of the true greats! Tracks include "Zulu Nation Throw Down", "Planet Rock", "Looking For The Perfect Beat", "Frantic Situation", "Unity Part 7", "What Time Is It", and "Funk You".

Rare single by Bam and the Soulsonic Force off the Beat Street soundtrack.

Underground hip hop from a focused duo – ascendant Detroit producer Apollo Brown and east coast underground heavyweight rhymer OC – a straight up effort that more than lives up to its potential! The beats are straight forward, classic styled boom bap and OC is in full command on the mic. No guest rhymers here – strong, consistent, rewarding stuff! Includes "Trophies", "The Pursuit", "Prove Me Wrong", "Nautica", "Anotha One", "Disclaimer", "We The People", "Signs", "First 48", "Angels Sing", "Just Walk", "The Formula", "Options", "Caught Up", "Fantastic" and more. 16 trophies in all.

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 flaunted so brilliantly in the period from Check Your Head to Hello Nasty! Hot Sauce was initially solicited as Part 1 to be followed by a Part 2, but the album was put on hold while Yauch battled cancer, which gave the Beasties plenty of time to finess the material and release it as the definitive project we have here. It's solid stuff and a Beastie Boys album through-and-through – and they're as immune to trends as ever. Guests include Nas, Santigold and Switch. Tracks include "Make Some Noise", "Nonstop Disco Powerpack", "Too Many Rappers (New Reactionaries Version)" with Nas, "Lee Majors Comes Again", "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" feat Santigold, "Tadlock's Glasses", "The Lisa Lisa/Full Force Routine", "Here's A Little Something For Ya" and more.

10-track e.p. including three different recordings of "Root Down" from Ill Communication, based on the Jimmy Smith's jazz/funk of the same name – the "Free Zone" mix, LP version and "PP Balloon" mix. Also some live versions of tracks from Check Your Head – "Time For Livin", "The Maestro", "Somethin's Got To Give", plus a live version of "Time To Get Ill" the rock track "Heart Attack Man", the funky instrumental "Sabrosa" and "Flute Loop".

"Skillz in 98", features Mad Skillz commenting on the then current state of underground hip hop. Hype vocals, mellow production by the Bedroom Wizard. The b-side features Booda Man, Don Caban and Bilal with more atmospheric production and stronger vocals.

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 the more commercially-tuned numbers, of which there are definitely a few that should push this one over the top! Titles include "Shoes For Running", "Apple Of My Eye", "CPU", "In The A", "The Thickets", "Lines", "Tremendous Damage", and "Descending".

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 the more commercially-tuned numbers, of which there are definitely a few that should push this one over the top! Titles include "Shoes For Running", "Apple Of My Eye", "CPU", "In The A", "The Thickets", "Lines", "Tremendous Damage", and "Descending". Deluxe edition features 3 bonus songs!

3rd LP by the man who put Chicago on the map as a hip hop center. 2 LPs strong, and with a lot of guest appearances by folks like De La Soul, Q-Tip, Chantay Savage, Erykah Badu, and Cee-Lo. No I.D. produced most of this, and a few tracks were done by Doug Infinite. Includes "1 '2 Many", "Reminding Me Of Sef", "My City", "Real Nigga Quotes" and "Retrospect For Life".

In 1994 when everyone seemed to be turning hardcore, Common Sense wasn't having it. Introspective tales of growing up and living on the South Side that fit perfectly with No I.D.'s mellow production and spiced up with two guest appearances by Y-Not aka Twilight Tone. Classic LP, solid all the way through. Being in Chicago, people always ask us for this one, but the original is impossible to find, even here. Now back in print with original cover art. With "I Used To Love H.E.R.". "Book Of Life", "Chapter 13 (Rich Man vs. Poor Man)", "Nuthin' To Do", "In My Own World (Check The Method)", "Maintaining", "Communism", "Watermelon" and seven more.

A modern hip hop classic, the rhyme that really put Common on the map, that should need no introduction or explanation from us.

Features the amazing non-LP b-side "Can-I-Bust" that's got all the energy of the tracks from the "Soul By The Pound" LP and even better vocals plus a dope, rare, appearance by Twilight Tone aka Y-Not with this three-mansions-and-a-yacht rhyming style. Plus a nice and mellow remix of "Soul By The Pound".

Lots of extra goodies, in keeping with the usual De La 12" format!

With Redman.

With Phil The Agony, Xzibit and the Liks on the a-side.

We're not always the biggest Digital Underground fans, but Shock G/Humpty comes close to the funky goofiness of their earlier hits – with a definite Parliafunkadelicment edge (it samples "Aqua Boogie", but without the heavy sound that drowns a lot of the later west coast hip hop production.

Ed OG's nice debut, with a slightly jazzy touch on the production and literate, intelligent lyrics. We really couldn't get with "Bug A Boo", but besides that, this first LP's solid from start to finish, from the days when that wasn't so uncommon. Drop the needle on this and head back in time to a day when backpacker wasn't necessarily a derogatory term, a beat wasn't a straight loop of a common sample, and rhyme skills included being able to follow the beat, which was typically at least a little bit funky. With the now classic "Be A Father To Your Child", plus standout tracks like "I'm Different", "Speak Upon It", "I Got To Have It" and "Life Of A Kid In The Ghetto". 12 tracks in all, also includes "Gotta Have Money", "Feel Like A Nut", "She Said It Was Great", "Dedicated To The Right Wingers", 'Let ME Tickle Your Fancy" and "Stop (Think For A Moment)".

Their second (or third?) single that has the tight old school back-and-forth MC'ing style (we think is still dope) than the social commentary stuff, like "The Message", that they did for Sugarhill. The music is uncredited, but sounds similar to Sugarhill's Doug Wimbush, Keith LeBlanc rhythm section.

We couldn't fit all the mixes in the title above, so for "1-800 Suicide" the mixes are: "New vocal version", "New vocal acapella", "Flip Squad mix", 'Gangsta mix", "Poisonous mix", "Poisonous mix inst", "Guillotine mix" and the "Dig Deep mix" and for "Mommy What's A Gravedigga?" the mixes are: "RZA mix clean", "Rza mix inst", "Uptight Cratedigga mix" and "Uptight Cratedigga inst".

A really strong debut from Iomos Marad of the Family Tree/All Natural family! Fans of J-Live, Talib Kweli, Relativity-era Common and Stakes Is High-era De La Soul should find much to love here. Like the best of other records from the All Natural and Molemen teams, the production style is timeless hip hop; it's stable, thumping soul beats and scratches that provide a firm back end for out front rhymes that actually have something to say. Features production from the should-be-huge Dug Infinite, plus nice work from All Natural's Capital D, G (riot), UNI, Memo from the Molemen and others. 16 tracks including "I Stand Alone", "I Confess", "Anotha Late Night", "Show & Prove", "Tight", "The Steele", "Deep Rooted", "Elevate", "Wildstyle", "Appetite To Ride" featuring J-Live, "Free" with Chicago soul chanteusse Tanya Reed and 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 surrounding its release, and all too easy to over praise, but this record is filled timelessly inventive production – and passionate rhymes from the honored guests. A lot of the more leftfield, abstract touches that create most of the character on the Donuts LP are really on the outskirts of the sound here – a much richer, deeper, funky drum influenced batch of sounds. We're speechless. There's one more official posthumous LP in the can, and thank goodness for that. Tracks include in-your-f**kin' face intro "Geek Down" with Busta Rhymes, "E=MC2" feat Common, "Love Jones", "Love" feat Pharoahe Monch, "Baby" feat Madlib & Guilty Simpson, "So Far To Go" feat Common & D'Angelo (come back D', the world needs you), "Jungle Love" feat MED & Guilty Simpson, "Dime Piece (Remix)" feat Dwele, "Love Movin'" feat Black Thought and "Won't Do".

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 surrounding its release, and all too easy to over praise, but this record is filled timelessly inventive production – and passionate rhymes from the honored guests. A lot of the more leftfield, abstract touches that create most of the character on the Donuts LP are really on the outskirts of the sound here – a much richer, deeper, funky drum influenced batch of sounds. We're speechless. There's one more official posthumous LP in the can, and thank goodness for that. Tracks include in-your-f**kin' face intro "Geek Down" with Busta Rhymes, "E=MC2" feat Common, "Love Jones", "Love" feat Pharoahe Monch, "Baby" feat Madlib & Guilty Simpson, "So Far To Go" feat Common & D'Angelo (come back D', the world needs you), "Jungle Love" feat MED & Guilty Simpson, "Dime Piece (Remix)" feat Dwele, "Love Movin'" feat Black Thought and "Won't Do".

Their first single, "Anotha Ho" is a kinda funny novelty track where JJ Fad dis most of the other female MCs from around that time (Roxanne Shante, Real Roxanne, Sparky D, Salt & Peppa), with a chorus "Anotha ho bites the dust" based on the Queen sample. Of course, "Supersonic" later went on to be the huge commercial radio hit.

By this point, Naughty by Nature's best material was behind them, but the remixes are still really nice.

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 more modern. This is one of those records that's hard to describe the appeal of without making it sound like other albums, but the thing is, this one's much better than most! Highly recommended. Includes "My Comet", "My Mind Is Gone" by Oliver Daysoul, "Rock On", "Hight Hopes" feat Reggie B, "Moving", "Wonderland", "Jeeps", "Liab" and more,

Prince Paul's first solo set – with the same dope production and sense of humor that have made all his other projects classics – even if this one's way overlooked in his canon! It's a bit of a concept album – with tracks that play out as chapters in the state of a messed-up hip hop mind state – over timeless beats with that slightly off kilter Prince Paul approach. 18 tracks in all, counting the interludes, including "Drinks (Escapism)", "Psycho Linguistics (Convergent Thought)", "Vexual Healing (Vacillation)" "Introduction To Psychoanalysis (Schizophrenia), "Beautiful Night (Manic Psychopath), "Open Your Mouth (Hypothalamus)", "That's Entertainment!? (Aversive Conditioning)", "In Your Mind (Altered States)" and "Booty Clap".

"Nature of a Sista", produced by Luis Vega has sort of Bomb Squad wall-of-sound feel.

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 Music", "Grits", "Leonard I-V", "I'm Out Deah", "Essawhamah? (Live At The Soulshack)", "Popcorn Revisited", "Common Dust", "The Session (Longest Posse Cut In History)", "Carryin' On", "Peace", and 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 Music", "Grits", "Leonard I-V", "I'm Out Deah", "Essawhamah? (Live At The Soulshack)", "Popcorn Revisited", "Common Dust", "The Session (Longest Posse Cut In History)", "Carryin' On", "Peace", and more.

"Supersonic" later went on to be the huge commercial radio hit – and it's got production by Dr Dre and the Arabian Prince! Other tracks include "Blame It On The Muzick", "In The Mix", "Let's Get Hyped" and "Time Tah Get Stupid".

Biggie's second LP, and while the production on some of the tracks features a fair bit of Puff Daddy's gloss, they'll still get your head nodding along to Biggie's incomparable flow. It was definitely hard to follow up Ready To Die, but the best cuts here manage to live up to the promise of his debut album. 24 tracks, including "Hypnotize", "Kick In the Door", "Mo Money Mo Problems", "Miss U", "Ten Crack Commandments", 'What's Beef?" and "Nasty Boy".

Talib Kweli references has reputation as the concious rap torch carrier – and the perceived restrictions therein on Prisoner Of Concious – and delivers some of his best tracks in years. With a guest appearance by Nelly and featuring appearances by as varied a guest list as Miguel, Curren$y, Busta Rhymes and Kendrick Lamar, you might think he's casting his net too wide, but it's actually pretty consistent! Even on tracks that flirt with a commercial radio ready sound, Kweli's pen is as sharp and his flow as busy as ever. Solid work from one the more active legends in the game. Includes "Human Mic", "Turnt Up", "Come Here" feat Miguel, "High Life" with Rubix Cube & Bajah, "Ready Set Go" feat Melanie Fiona, "Hold It Now", "Push Thru" feat Curren$y, Kendrick Lamar & Glen Reynolds, "Hamster Wheel", "Delicate Flowers", "Rocket Ships" feat Busta Rhymes, "Upper Echelon", "Favela Love" feat Seu Jorge and "It Only Gets Better" feat Marsha Abrosius and more.

Talib Kweli references has reputation as the concious rap torch carrier – and the perceived restrictions therein on Prisoner Of Concious – and delivers some of his best tracks in years. With a guest appearance by Nelly and featuring appearances by as varied a guest list as Miguel, Curren$y, Busta Rhymes and Kendrick Lamar, you might think he's casting his net too wide, but it's actually pretty consistent! Even on tracks that flirt with a commercial radio ready sound, Kweli's pen is as sharp and his flow as busy as ever. Solid work from one the more active legends in the game. Includes "Human Mic", "Turnt Up", "Come Here" feat Miguel, "High Life" with Rubix Cube & Bajah, "Ready Set Go" feat Melanie Fiona, "Hold It Now", "Push Thru" feat Curren$y, Kendrick Lamar & Glen Reynolds, "Hamster Wheel", "Delicate Flowers", "Rocket Ships" feat Busta Rhymes, "Upper Echelon", "Favela Love" feat Seu Jorge and "It Only Gets Better" feat Marsha Abrosius and more.

Solid material from UK hip hop veteran Ty – on a tight 10-inch EP from Record Breakin and Tru Thoughts! Rhymer Ty and producer partner Drew Horley have been working together for quite a while now, and they're as strong as ever production wise – with beats and scratches that show love for classic hip hop – and they bring quite a bit of live instrumentation into the mix , too. Synth, keys and piano by Drew, plus live drums, some horns and other live instrumental flourishes (including clavinet by Amp Fiddler) – along with some soulful backing vocals on the hooks. Ty's lyrics are strong on both the self-reflection and social commentary tips. Good stuff! Tracks include "Lets's Start", "Like You Never", "Knock Knock" and "Well Well Well".

8 tracks from the New Jersey Drive Soundtrack including a couple not available elsewhere. Tracks include OC & Organized Konfusion "You Won't Go Far", Mad Lion "Own Destiny", Jeru "Invasion", Black Moon & Smiff-N-Wessun "Headz Ain't Ready", Biz Markie "Nobody Beats the Biz", Naughty By Nature "Connections", E. Bros "Funky Piano", Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap "Flip Squad's in the House."

What can we say? The Beasties continue with the live jazz/funk/garage (as in rock, not house) sound and keyboards by Money Mark. With the classic "Get It Together" featuring Q-Tip. And you can't go wrong with any LP that samples Ramelzee and K-Rob's "Beat Bop." Other tracks include "Sure Shot", "Futterman's Rule", "Shambala", "Sabotage", "The Scoop", "Do It", "Heart Attack Man", "Bodhisattva Wow", and "Root Down".