J Dilla at his grittiest, most rugged & raw – in both the production and rhyme realm – with all beats and rhymes by the Dilla himself! This set originally opened our ears to a different side of Dilla, a harder hitting aesthetic, with beats and grooves from out of leftfield that draw you in and hypnotize. Ruff Draft was originally released as a vinyl only EP for the European market, and it was tough to get ahold of from the get go – so hats off to Stones Throw for giving it the reverent re-release it deserves – fleshed out with bonus tracks! Titles include "Let's Take It Back", "Reckless Driving", "Nothing Like This", "The $", "Make'Em NV", "Crushin'", "Wild" (a previously unreleased track that's nothing short of mindblowing – a minimalist masterpiece), "Take Notice" and more. 10 tracks. LP, Vinyl record album

A second great collaboration between Masta Ace and Marco Polo – the latter of whom really seems to bring a new sort of open, honest quality to the proceedings – at a level that helps Masta Ace get there as well! There's this down to earth quality to the proceedings that's totally great – and the record thematically follows some of Marco Polo's experience growing up in Richmond Hill outside of Toronto, while tying things to more contemporary issues as well. The album features lots of guest work – from Blu, Inspectah Deck, Stricklin Wordsworth, and others – on titles that include "Hero", "Life Music", "Brooklyn Heights", "Below The Clouds", "Heat Of The Moment", and "Jordan Theory". LP, Vinyl record album

Masta Ace does his inimitable, classic era-schooled, longtime mic master thing in peak form over beats by MF Doom! Coming out at time when Masta Ace was hungry to cement his legacy – as if he had and anything to prove – and Doom was a steady figure in underground hip hop, especially on the production side – it stands up strong alongside some of the better work by either figure. It also includes vocal cameo by Doom along the legendary Big Daddy Kane – plus appearances by Reggie B and Pav Bundy. 15 tracks on the 2LPs including "Son Of Yvonne", "Me And My Gang", "Fresh Fest" feat Reggie B, "Thing I Am" with Big Daddy Kane & MF Doom, "I Did It", "Dedication", "Da' Pro", "Slow Down", "Crush Hour feat Pav Bundy, "Store Frontin'" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool take on a classic hip hop album – one that's covered up from start to finish, as jazz musician Benny Reid serves up his instrumental reading of The Infamous Mobb Deep! All tracks are performed by Reid, who's clearly working in the studio, not live (as the title might imply) – and he layers some heavy drum beats with these dark piano passages, all topped with tenor solos that are nice and deep – and which don't make you miss the lyrics at all! If you know the original, you'll be wowed by this remake – and if you don't, but dig funky jazz, you'll find plenty here to love – on titles that include "Shook Ones (part 2)", "Survival Of The Fittest", "Temperature's Rising", "Up North Trip", "Trife Life", "Right Back At You", "Cradle To The Grave", and "Drink Away The Pain". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitar, bass, and drums – all used in a style that's lean and funky – and which mixes elements of 60s soul jazz with some of the hipper modes of the 70s underground! The guitar of Addison Rifkind has this warmly chromatic vibe – and a way of wrapping chords around a groove that maybe echoes the style of O'Donel Levy a bit – less longer solos, but plenty of great rhythm elements – next to the snapping snare work of Michael Duffy and the acoustic bass of Rene Camacho. Titles include "Afrenic", "Grease On The Range", "Cadillac Converter", "Son", "Slick", "818 Don't Hate", "Clapper Dapper", and "Lo Fi Beats To Study To". LP, Vinyl record album

A 90s hip hop masterpiece from Diamond D – and like some of the rest of the best of the decade, a set that was slightly slept-on at the time, but which has gone to have massive impact over the decades – still sounding completely fresh in comparison to bigger hits of the time! Diamond D comes from the same DITC underground as Showbiz & AG, Big L, and Lord Finesse – and like those others, when he got his time in the spotlight, he really took off – with beats that had an influence on so much more to come – and a very collaborative spirit that opens the door for contributions from Fat Joe, Mark The 45 King, Brand Nubian, Lakim Shabazz, and some of his old partners in DITC. Titles include the classic "Best Kept Secret" – with its fantastic Kool & The Gang sample – plus "Sally Got A One Track Mind", "I'm Outta Here," "Check One Two", "Freestyle", "Stunts Blunts & Hip Hop", "Pass Dat S**t", "What You Seek", "Confused", "A Day In The Life", "Step To Me", and "Shut The *!*! Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky Divas is right – as this classic album by En Vogue is one that had the group really redefining the sound of girl group soul for a whole new generation! The girls do a wonderful job of blending together hip hop beats and warmer mainstream soul – at a level that marked one of the key bridges between R&B and hip hop in the 90s – almost making the group kind of a trans-generational healing force in African American music. After all these years the beats are still pretty great, and the vocals even better – and titles include "My Lovin (You're Never Gonna Get It)", "Free Your Mind", "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", "Give It Up Turn It Loose", "Hooked On Your Love", "Love Don't Love You", "This Is Your Life", "Desire", "Hip Hop Lover", and "It Ain't Over Till The Fat Lady Sings". LP, Vinyl record album

A very different record than previous releases from Mansur Brown – as the musician really takes the "mixtape" in the title seriously, and blends plenty of beats and production touches with some jazz instrumentation at the core! That instrumentation is mostly in the background – so that the record is less of a jazz-solo-over-beats affair – and more in that post-jazz approach that so many of Mansur's London contemporaries have unlocked – pushed even father here in the mixtape approach, with a vibe that's hinted at by the hip hop styled image on the cover. Titles include "No Way", "My Luck", "Fever", "Rise", "Me & You", and "Mission". LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful reedman Tenderlonious plays flute this time around – but as always, it's the overall sound that makes the record so great – not just the solo bits on flute, but all the keyboards, basslines, and beats – stretched out in this cool 21st Century take on funky fusion! The music is jazz at the core, but more electrified too – with a straightforward funky groove on some numbers, and some more enigmatic modes on others – all a great blend of keyboards and flutes, which often share the same tonal range. Titles include "Dale's Corner", "Autumn Leaves", "Ghana", "Odeo Bushi", "In A Sentimental Mood", and "Song For My Father" – and the three tunes with familiar titles are actually originals by the man himself. LP, Vinyl record album

An instant party in a single package – a set that brings together a whole host of rare singles from back in the day – all work that's almost an equal blend of old school funk and early hip hop! The work here comes from the Spring label and related Posse imprint – a company who were around on the New York scene to issue plenty of soul and funk during the 70s – then made the move into hip hop at the end of the decade, yet in a way that also brought some of their funky currents forward! Where other labels were maybe using a lean approach and more records as the basis for cuts, Spring already had access to some great groups to back up the MCs – and the result is a batch of funky cuts that are already primed for a party crowd in the South Bronx! As the 80s move in, the cuts use more beats and electro elements – yet that older ear for funk is still nicely in place, and really keeps things moving throughout. Titles include "Money (Dollar Bill Y'All) (long version)" by Jimmy Spicer, "Charley Says (Roller Boogie Baby)" by King Tim III, "The Beach (long vocal)" by Afrika & The Zulu Kings, "Go For What You Know" by The Bally Boys, "Tearin It Up" by D4, "Rockin It" by MC Flex & The Crew, "I'm Hot" by The Rangers, "Magic's Message" by Mr Magic, "To Whoever It May Concern" by DJ Hollywood, "Cars (Zulu club mix)" by Afrika & The Zulu Kings, and "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by Fatback – a cut that some folks call the first-ever hip hop single! LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning array of rare sounds from Togo – a tiny West African nation, but home to a real hotbed of grooves in the 70s and 80s! As with the first volume, the music here is a real revelation – sounds very different than those in nearby Nigeria, often with a slight tropical vibe in the rhythms – almost if there were Caribbean currents flowing east to infect the scene Lome with a very unique sound! Guitars are often right down in the rhythms, but in ways that are different than highlife – funkier, with almost a James Brown influence – but one that's been very changed up in the process! Some of the 80s cuts bring in a bit more beats, basslines, and keyboards – but still in really unique ways – and titles include "Misiqui" by Roger Damawuzan, "Agaza Gbona" by Agboti, "Yansama" by Ali Bawa, "Fati Waka" by Mamo Lagbema, "Kissakpiou" by Napo De Mi Amor, "The End Of All" by Deg Dos, "Habie" by Gregoire Lawani, and "Assini" by Palete Wawa. LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a sharp set from Black Milk – a record that seems to really refine the vision of his previous records, and send him forth into very soulful territory too – maybe no surprise, given that he's got guests along who include Phonte, Karriem Riggins, and Raphael Saadiq! The production is nice and spacey, but never sleepy – a crisp edge, even when laidback – as keyboards wrap their arms around some of the rougher edges in the beats, cradle them nicely, and set up this wonderful presence for the vocals! Titles include "Is It Just Me", "The Black Surf", "Downs Got Up", "Wait Til Fate", "God Willing", "Feelings Don't Feel", "No Wish", "Fews & Trues", and "Yeah Really". LP, Vinyl record album

Just when you thought Prince Paul and Cat Power would never make a record together PRESTO – it's the new Handsome Boy album! HBMS takes a bit more of a chillout tack with this long overdue second opus – with lots of laidback beats and samples, and a surprising amount of live instrumentation! The gleeful, sarcastic comedy of the stellar first album remains intact, with some genuinely amusing skits (including one with Jay Z appearing under the pseudonym Hines Buchanan), and the deep range of guest vocalists isn't as surprising as how strong their work is in the best tunes. It would have been pretty easy for Prince Paul and Automator to find a bunch of interesting names to flesh out their big pop culture frappe, but something else altogether to make trippy hip hop tracks featuring Cat Power and the Hieroglyphics make sense on the same record. A pretty solid set from the most adventurous pseudo duo in the game! Guests include Del The Funky Homosapien, De La Soul, RZA, Lord Finesse, AG, Rahzel, Jazzy Jay, Qbert, Mike Patton, Casual, Hieroglyphics, Grand Wizard Theodore, El-P, John Oates, Pharrell, Kid Koala, and George W. Bush (just kidding). Tracks include "If It Wasn't For You" with De La, "Are You Down With It" with Mike Patton, "The World's Gone Mad" with Del and others, "It's Like That" with Casual, "I've Been Thinking" with Cat Power, "Rock And Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Pt 2" featuring Lord Finesse, Qbert and others,"First. . .And Then" featuring Dres from Black Sheep, "A Day In The Life" featuring RZA, AZ and others and more, plus intro/outro by Father Guido Sarducci. LP, Vinyl record album

The highly anticipated solo album from Def Jux CEO and Company Flow vet El-Producto is all that and a bucket of black hole warp speed 9 intensity. Excellent, dark, space age, new millennial hip hop.. This album flows from many songs without breaks between them, with jagged, scattered beats and lush synth-scapes. At points it sounds very cinematic, yet very grounded in thick, pounding break beats. The whole thing is produced by El-P himself, with Rhyme Sayer Entertainment's DJ Abilities on all the scratching, with many Def Jux guests like Aesop, Lif, CamuTao, and Vast. Ill Bill, C Rayz Walz, Rob Sonic, and Cage also make appearances. Songs include "Deep Space 9mm" with the raw Rawkus dis, "Tuned Mass Damper" with awesome scream samples, "Dead Disnee", "Delorean", the biting "Stepfather Factory", "Lazerfaces' Warning", "Constellation Funk" and more! 3LPs! LP, Vinyl record album