Hip Hop -- Recently Added -- LP  

A tight, timeless take on classic hip hop -- featuring the paired up talents of Kista and 45 Prince -- plus guest appearances by Tableek of Maspyke, Sumkid, DJ Format, PEACE, OCB, DJ Bazil & others! Straight up boombap with funk, soul & jazz beats -- and each name gets a half! 16 tracks ...

The second solo album from the Blackalicious MC -- produced by Dnaebeats -- and very well, we might add -- with the Gifted one sounding as sharp and dexterous as ever! The sound is flavored by spacey soul, as fine a foil for Gift Of Gab's flow as any record he's done since prime Blackalicious, ...

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, ...

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 ...

The second album by So Cal's great PUTS. "Crazy Love", "Youth Explosion", "Suite For The Creeper", "Sterns To Western", "Code Check", "Blowin' Wax", "Stoned Youth Truth", "King Kuff", "Stay Home" and the rest. ...

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 ...

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 ...

A bit past their prime, but still with enough redeeming moments to make it worthwhile to you even if you're not a completist or hip hop historian, like "Sucker DJ's", "What's It All About", "Back From Hell" and "Livin In The City". ...

The second post Mantronik set from the frequently slept on 80s rap genius Just-Ice -- featuring production by none other than KRS-One -- with a few righteous and ruthless tracks that stand up with the best from the earlier classic LPs! The rugged and raw KRS backdrop serves Just-Ice's gruff ...

Their massive second album, and the one with the mindkillin' tracks that shot Public Enemy from an imposing threat to cultural force! There's little we can add to the pantheon in regard to this album. Just know that it's as essential as any album of the era! "Bring The Noise", "Do ...

KRS first solo lp, with production by Premier and Kid Capri, has him trying to break out of the formula of the last BDP LP. OK, about half the material is forgettable, but the tracks that hit, more than make up for it. With the hits "Outta Here", "I Can't Wake Up", "Black ...

Includes Boogie Down Productions' amazing "Essays On BDP-ism" that was never released on another LP or single. Supposedly one of the last songs produced by Scott La Rock that was left off Criminal Minded. With 9 other tracks including Run-DMC "Raising Hell", Kool Moe Dee " ...

The long promised solo debut from Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 -- a pretty solid yet, featuring production by J5 co-hort DJ Numark, plus DJ Babu, Vitamin D, Jake One, Emile and more. Chali's instantly recognizable baritone delivery is as resonant as ever, and the beatcraft is appropriately timeless. ...

Previously unreleased material and a few brand new tracks from Rhymesayers mainstay Brother Ali -- including a DVD featuring a live homecoming performance from the Undisputed Truth Tour at First Avenue in Minneapolis, videos and more! Tracks in the 2LP set include "Real As Can Be", ...

A Stones Throw sci-fi masterpiece -- one that was destined for greatness from conception, but we're still pretty well blown away by the final product! MC Doom and beatmaster Madlib couldn't be better suited for a collaboration. As much as we've dug the best of Doom's material of the last couple ...

A mad funky suite from the Beat Konducta -- Vol 5 in the evolving, unpredictable series of deep, crackling beatcraft -- this one a tribute to Dilla! Dil Cosby Suite is as solid as any of the volumes to date, compellingly funky and in more of Madlib's heady hip hop mode than some of the more ...

J Rawls & John Robinson -- underground hip hop mainstays with a love of jazzy beatcraft -- team up for the most jazz concious hip hop project of their careers to date! Mellow, jazzy atmosphere and funk beats steer the sound on this one -- and it may pay tribute to 60s jazz geniuses, and a ...

Madlib returns as Beat Konducta for the second volume of his Movie Scenes program -- a straight up aural film festival on wax -- and perhaps the most hotly anticipated sequel since Return Of The King! There's really no going wrong with Movie Scenes. Madlib's beats on both volumes are short, and ...

Damn! The MASSIVE collaborative album from the dynamic duo of Madlib and J Dilla! Essentially, Madlib handles the production on the even numbers in the set with Dilla on the vocals, and the roles are reversed on the odd numbers. Each producer does his own thing, as only he can do it -- Madlib ...

Hazy beatcraft steeped in Indian soundtrack style funk, strings and percussion from the indefatigable Madlib -- Volume 3 in the increasingly adventurous and conceptual outings of the Beat Konducta! This time out Madlib, er, Beat Konducta is conducting beats, strings & things from India and/or ...

A platter of Madlib beats -- the first in a series of instrumental hip hop from 'Lib's Beat Konducta (formerly Beat Conductor) moniker! Madlib's production work has always had a filmic groove, and this set collects and assembles the most cinematic of said beats into an (unsurprisingly) incredible ...

The long awaited sides C & D in Madlib's incredible blend of Bombay soundtrack-styled funk, blunted Eastern beats, and all round stunning Middle Eastern accented hip hop instros! This time out Madlib, er, Beat Konducta is conducting beats, strings & things from India and/or otherwise East ...

Stripped down, hazy, funky hip hop from Dudley Perkins -- rolling in heavy funk beats, spare piano particles, and in a gritty hip hop mode for the most part! It seems to us the Dudley is rhyming more in this solid effort than singing, and he's bringing in more social and spiritual conciousness, ...

Remastered reissue of Peanut Butter Wolf's debut, originally recorded as tracks for a Hollywood Basic LP with his MC partner Charizma back in the early 90s, and then released in 1994 -- dope instrumental tracks include "Summer's End", "Dopestyle", "Gold Diggin", "S ...

Rhymes by Blaq Poet, beats by DJ Premier! Titles include ""Gittin", Ain't Nuttin Changed", "What's The Deal", "Legendary Pt 1" feat Nick Javas & NYGz. "Hood Crazy", "Voices", "Hate" feat NORE, "SOS", "Let The ...

Includes Snoop's "Gin & Juice", "Lodi Dodi" & "Doggy Dogg World", Dre's "Let Me Ride", "Nuthin But A G Thang", & "Keep Their Heads Ringin", and Rage's "Afro Puffs" and all the rest of the G-funk hits. ...

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 ...

A stunner from DJ Mitsu The Beats -- the reigning spacey soul beatmaker of the Japanese scene -- following up the near classic A New Awakening LP and the tight work with is group Gagle with this equally wonderful set featuring a who's who of underground MCs and spacey soul singers! Word To The ...

A stunner from DJ Mitsu The Beats -- the reigning spacey soul beatmaker of the Japanese scene -- following up the near classic A New Awakening LP and the tight work with his group Gagle with this equally wonderful set! Word To The Wise stays mostly within the spacey hip hop soul sound he's made ...

The Horror of early aughties RJD2 -- when he had really hit his creative stride on Def Jux -- stellar stuff from one of the most exciting underground hip hop figures of the decade. Includes the great single "The Horror" plus a host of b-sides, outtakes, remixes, & exclusives tracks ...

Tommy Boy collected a bunch of producers and musicians for this collection of 8 quality breakin/b-boy tracks that aren't available on any other LP or single. The tracks are complete 4 to 5 minute instrumental 'songs' not just a series of loops. With "Yeah Right!" and "Sweet ...

Instrumentals version of the legendary first album by the third star in the original Native Tongues trinity! Pre the first De La and Tribe LPs, and a hint of all the great stuff that was to come, you know -- jazzy beats, straight butter all the way through! This version also includes an amazing ...

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 ...

The third entry in the 80s era future funky street sounds, then freshly titled Electro -- quintessential grooves from Newcleus, Divine Sounds, Boogie Boys, Davy DMX, Fresh 3 MCs, and Imperial Brothers. Electro 3 has some of the linchpins of the broad genre -- fresh, sparkling, pulsating number ...

The sound of the future -- circa 1984 -- served up in this great volume in the legendary Electro series from Streetsounds UK! Although an import series, the Electro collection almost did more to help define the sound of 80s electro than any albums coming out in the US -- as it brought together ...

Funky and psych-rock-soul instrumentals from the Beastie Boys -- essentially working as a quintet for much of the set -- with Money Mark on Rhodes and Farfisa, and Alfredo Ortiz on percussion! The Beasties manage to blend 70s soul, jazz, Latin and sound library style grooves with a catchy aplomb ...

Number in the excellent Electro series of compilations on the UK Street Sounds imprint, a great batch of prototypical hip hop and beeping electronic funk from the days when this stuff looked like the sound of the future, and for all intents and purposes practically was! Nothing but classic early ...

One of the brilliant -- and long out of print -- Streetside UK collections of early 80s electro from the US, compilations that almost helped define the genre more than records coming out in the US at the time! Most of the tunes need no introduction -- and it's a fresh reminder of some of the best ...

Block rockin' beats and ray gun funk -- the debut in the pivotal 80s Electro series! Electro 1 features classics by Newcleus, West Street Mob, C-Bank and more -- really genre defining material, a straight up, unfussy presentation on 2 sides of wax. Part encapsulation of the of the future looking ...

The first full length from MF Doom -- busting out the future of underground hip hop -- capping off the 90s with a record with more jazzy soul in the beats, and some semblance of straightforward, if busy rhyme mastery from Doom & his guests -- taken to the outer limits! What really pushes this ...

A compilation of pivotal mid 90s Dilla productions and remixes -- classics and rarities from the Pharcyde, N'Dea Davenport, and the Brand New Heavies with guest appearances by Q-Tip and Mos Def -- great stuff from the prime Delicious Vinyl years! It's full of bedrock jazzy funk from Jay Dee -- a 3 ...

An excellent full length set of beats & genius from J Dilla -- put together by fellow beatmaker extraordinaire Pete Rock, with all Dilla beats -- a surprising triumph! Call us jaded, but honestly, we weren't sure how deep the well could go of ready-to-go beats from Dilla, but this stuff is ...

Madlib invades Blue Note! He gets free reign of the catalog for this mix of sampler genius and live band interpretations, too, as/with Ahmad Miller, Yesterdays New Quintet, Malcolm Catto, Medaphoar, and others from the Stones Throw camp. This one's truly a conceptual triumph, if there ever was ...

In the universe of Kool Keith projects, this one is maybe closest to the Sex Style LP lyrically -- but the production is better than both Sex Style and Dr Octagon. We're guessing the reason is that Kool Keith had more to do with the production on this one. There's more variety in the beats, and ...

A huge creative leap forward from the debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, with crazy free flowing, intelligent rhymes and soulful outer space grooves that still manage to stay grounded enough to aptly reflect the darker realities of the ATL. Most tracks have a laid back southern fried groove, ...

A Native Tongues (more or less) hip hop classic from 1991! We hardly need tell you about this one, but in case you can't remember, this is the LP with "Flavor Of The Month", "Similak Child", "Pass The 40", "To Whom It May Concern", "Butt In The ...

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 ...

Sweet LP of the Furious Five backed by the classic Doug Wimbish, Keith Leblanc and Skip McDonald band that you know so well from other Sugar Hill recordings from the period. Includes the timeless "The Message" as well as "Scorpio", "It's Nasty", "She's Fresh" ...

An incredible new project from Carlos Nino -- a hip hop effort, but one that's got the same deeply spiritual vibe as his jazz productions! Lyrics and vocals are by Lil Sci, who appears to be a great companion for Nino on this unique musical journey -- and the music is from Carlos and other members ...

Keith Murray's finest moment, introducing the word to his mic skills, the most complex of the Def Squad MC's. Erick Sermon provides the bottom heavy east coast funk style on the beat side. Includes the single that got everyone open on Keith "The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World", ...