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

A late 90s classic from that moment when Dan The Automator was stepping out from his role as an underground hip hop hero on the west coast – and into superstardom in a range of different guises! Here, Dan's working as Nathaniel Merriweather, alongside the Chest Rockwell of Prince Paul – the latter of whom ensures that there's some extra-dope production on the set to really send things home! The list of guest stars is huge – Del, Grand Puba, Sadat X, DJ Shadow, Money Mark, Biz Markie, and many others – almost a whole generation of hip hop on one record – and titles include "Metaphysical", "Waterworld", "Truth", "Projects", "Sunshine", "Runway Song", and "Rock N Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)". LP, Vinyl record album

The mindblowing debut of De La Soul – a set that's inarguably one of the most important records in hip hop history – overflowing with playful, endearingly oddball trio rhymes and Prince Paul production at it's most sprawlingly sampled and creative! The set has classic songs that stand out well enough on their own – but they're all also wonderfully linked together as a whole, making the album one of the first really well-thought out full length albums in hip hop – filled with loosely connective skits with recurring characters that are vital to the experience of listening to the record as a whole! Additionally, the set is especially fascinating given its 1989 release year – a time when so many of the contemporaneous crews and solo MCs on both the east coast and west coast were going grittier, darker and more profane – but it doesn't feel like a conscious reaction to that, as much it feels like sharp trio and a brilliant producer carving out their own damn creative niche. Includes "Me Myself & I", "The Magic Number", "Plug Tunin", "Say No Go", "Tread Water", "Eye Know", "Buddy" and much more! LP, Vinyl record album

A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely wonderful record from De La Soul – a set that's sometimes eclipsed by its legendary precursors, but which would easily stand as the best record in the catalog by any other group! Prince Paul's production is impeccable – leaner than before, likely due to new restrictions on samples – but with a focus that really hones in on the incredible word play that De La have developed even more strongly than before! That strong sense of whole album presentation the group really helped forge in hip hop is definitely in place here – on titles that include the classics "Ego Trippin' (Part 2)" and "Breakadawn", "Eye Patch", "En Focus", "Patti Dooke", "I Be Blowin'", "3 Days Later", "Area", "I Am I Be", "In The Woods", and "Stone Age". LP, Vinyl record album

If De La Soul took the world by storm with their groundbreaking debut, they definitely pushed hip hop even farther ahead with this killer second album – a record that refines all the best impulses of the first set, and has the trio coming across with an even greater command of the space of a full length set! After a decade or more where most hip hop albums were just a string of singles and other cuts, De La (along with Public Enemy and a select few others) really helped the medium move into the realm of the album – weaving together cuts that are killer enough to be singles with all sorts of skits and album tracks, all with a vibe that has the whole thing flowing together wonderfully! The humor and wit of the group in their youth is still very much on point, as is the production work of Prince Paul – and the album bubbles over with longform imagination and careful execution that many groups could still hope to match! The samples are superb, nice and funky – and titles include "Oodles Of O's", "Talkin Bout Hey Love", "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays", "Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa", "Ring Ring Ring", "Keepin The Faith", "Bitties In The BK Lounge", "Pass The Plugs", "Pease Porridge", and "Fanatic Of The B Word". LP, Vinyl record album

De La Soul take on the world of hip hop with a record that's very much at the top of their game – leaner in production than before, but at a level that also brings a bit more bite to their rhymes – a good thing too, as the group take on some of their contemporaries as they assess the state of hip hop in the shadow of the 21st Century! The shift from previous records is almost like that taken by Tribe Called Quest on Low End Theory – focusing their music, while still throwing in some of their trademark skits – and maybe even making the group sound more serious, yet never in some of the "too hard" styles that they rail against on the set. The set has two key moments for the up-and-coming generation – great cut "The Bizness", with a guest appearance by Common, and "Big Brother Beat" with help from Mos Def – next to other tracks that include "Supa Emcees", "Itzsoweezee", and "Betta Listen". LP, Vinyl record album

The mindblowing debut of De La Soul – a set that's inarguably one of the most important records in hip hop history – overflowing with playful, endearingly oddball trio rhymes and Prince Paul production at it's most sprawlingly sampled and creative! The set has classic songs that stand out well enough on their own – but they're all also wonderfully linked together as a whole, making the album one of the first really well-thought out full length albums in hip hop – filled with loosely connective skits with recurring characters that are vital to the experience of listening to the record as a whole! Additionally, the set is especially fascinating given its 1989 release year – a time when so many of the contemporaneous crews and solo MCs on both the east coast and west coast were going grittier, darker and more profane – but it doesn't feel like a conscious reaction to that, as much it feels like sharp trio and a brilliant producer carving out their own damn creative niche. Includes "Me Myself & I", "The Magic Number", "Plug Tunin", "Say No Go", "Tread Water", "Eye Know", "Buddy" and much more! LP, Vinyl record album

The mindblowing debut of De La Soul – a set that's inarguably one of the most important records in hip hop history – overflowing with playful, endearingly oddball trio rhymes and Prince Paul production at it's most sprawlingly sampled and creative! The set has classic songs that stand out well enough on their own – but they're all also wonderfully linked together as a whole, making the album one of the first really well-thought out full length albums in hip hop – filled with loosely connective skits with recurring characters that are vital to the experience of listening to the record as a whole! Additionally, the set is especially fascinating given its 1989 release year – a time when so many of the contemporaneous crews and solo MCs on both the east coast and west coast were going grittier, darker and more profane – but it doesn't feel like a conscious reaction to that, as much it feels like sharp trio and a brilliant producer carving out their own damn creative niche. Includes "Me Myself & I", "The Magic Number", "Plug Tunin", "Say No Go", "Tread Water", "Eye Know", "Buddy" and much more! LP, Vinyl record album

The great solo debut of Big Noyd – an MC who'd gotten an earlier hand up from Mobb Deep, whose Havoc and Prodigy really help out on the set! Part of that help was due to the fact that Noyd was behind bars while the album was in process – but his contributions here are key, really echoing that energy he brought to his appearance before – and set up with that nice sense of darkness that Havoc could bring to his production! The approach is great – leaner and less full of itself than west coast work that might hit similar territory – and titles include "The Precinct", "Recognize & Realize", "All Pro", "Infamous Mobb", "Usual Suspect", "Episodes Of A Hustla", and "I Don't Wanna Love Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Only the third album from RuPaul, and the living legend is ready to take on Christmas – maybe an example of the way that the singer would come to dominate popular culture in the coming century! The set was mostly recorded in RuPaul's living room, but has a surprisingly vibrant vibe – lean rhythms and instrumentation, but plenty groovy with a house-inspired vibe that's very much like the singer's non-seasonal music – as are the lyrics, as RuPaul camps things up nicely, by throwing in all sorts of variations on traditional Holiday lyrics! Tunes include "All I Want For Christmas", "With Bells On", "All Alone On Christmas", "Christmas Train", "Santa Baby", "Funky Christmas", "Here Comes Santa Claus", and "You're A Mean One Mr Grinch". LP, Vinyl record album

Early 90s greatness from Brand Nubian – and proof that the group had a lot of life in them, even after Grand Puba set out on his solo career! Sadat X and Lord Jamar acquit themselves nicely on the mic, and the beats are head-noddingly satisfying too – work from DJ Sincere this time around, but very much in the best Brand Nubian mode! The whole thing's a landmark from that moment when the 5% movement had a big impact on hip hop – which means there's a few dated opinions at points, although the set's got more than enough strength to stand as a lasting classic. Titles include the singles "Allah U Akbar", "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone", and "Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down" – plus the cuts "Travel Jam", "Steal Ya Ho", "Steady Bootleggin'", "Black Star Line", "Meaning Of The 5%", "Ain't No Mystery", "Pass The Gat", 'Allah & Justice", "The Godz", "Brand Nubian Rock The Set", and "Black & Blue". Features a bonus 7" single with the tracks "Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down (single mix)" and "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone (rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

All hits and almost no misses – starting with "Oooh", easily the best single of the '00, featuring some nice quotes from classic hip hop tracks ranging from the Funky 4 + 1 to Mos Def, and some of Redman's best verses in a while. De La Soul basically started the whole skits-between-songs concept, or at least they perfected it, and (unlike too many other artists) here they get it right again – even the three hilarious "Ghostweed" skits featuring cameo appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, and Black Thought hold up to repeated listenings. Also includes "My Writes", "Thru Ya City", "All Good?", 'Words FromThe Chief Rocker" and the "Art Of Getting Jumped" – 17 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

An early 90s classic from Naughty By Nature – still very much at the top of their game, and representing the New Jersey scene with that new sort of vibrancy that made Garden City hip hop rival some of the best NYC material for a few short years! The album's the group's third, and features unified production throughout from Kay Gee – and key guest appearances from Queen Latifah, Heavy D, and Freddie Foxxx. Titles include the classic anthem "Hip Hop Hooray" – plus "Ready For Dem", "Written On Ya Kitten", "It's On", "The Only Ones", "The Hood Comes First", "Daddy Was A Street Corner", "Hot Potato", and "Sleepin On Jersey". Lots of great bonus tracks too – including "Hip Hop Hooray (Pete Rock rmx)", "Hip Hop Hooray (ext mix)", "Written On Ya Kitten (Q Funk mix)", "Written On Ya Kitten (Shandi's smooth mix)", "It's On (Beatnuts rmx)", and "It's On (Sunship edit)". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue return to form for this legendary compilation series – and one that presents a huge number of rare cuts, with a very cool approach! Side one is vocal, and side two is instrumental – and together, both sides serve up the kind of hard-edged material that make the New Orleans scene of the late 60s/early 70s such a treasure trove for lovers of funky 45s – maybe even more fantastic in this generation than in the better-known Crescent City scene of the early 60s. There's loads of killers here – vocal tracks that include "Get On Up (part 1)" by Chuck Conway & The Amars, "Sooky Feeling (part 2)" by Brotherhood, "Fly In My Pie" by Tommy Ridgley, "You Got To Do Better" by Lonnie Jones, "Little Boy Blue" by Buck Sinegal, and "You Don't Know How To Turn Me On" by Deacon John – and instrumental tracks that include "Funky Jaws" by Larry Jones, "Bumping" by Tyrone Chestnut, "Accept What You Expect" by Louisiana Purchase, "Don't Change Nothin" by The Scram Band, "Getting To The Middle (part 2)" by Eddie Bo, and "Hard To Handle" by Anthony Butler & The Invaders. LP, Vinyl record album