The classic first solo album from Kool Moe Dee – pivotal solo rap from the onetime Treacherous Three rhyme slinger – formative stuff that works nearly as well, to our ears anyway, as his platinum breakout How You Like Me Now! 9 tracks on the original album: "Go See The Doctor", "Do You Know What Time It Is", "I'm Kool Moe Dee", "Dumb Dick (Richard)", "Monster Crack", "Little Jon", "The Best" and "Rock Steady". This great, necessary reissue has the bonus "Go See The Doctor (Uncensored Version)". CD

Before the LL Cool J and Canibus battles on wax there was LL vs. Kool Moe Dee. "Let's Go" is one of Kool Moe Dee's entries in the battle, with some good punchlines, and is one of his best later tracks. Released around the time of the "How Ya Like Me Now" LP, never made it on that LP. 12-inch, Vinyl record

The classic first solo album from Kool Moe Dee – pivotal solo rap from the onetime Treacherous Three rhyme slinger – formative stuff that works nearly as well, to our ears anyway, as his platinum breakout How You Like Me Now! 9 tracks on the original album: "Go See The Doctor", "Do You Know What Time It Is", "I'm Kool Moe Dee", "Dumb Dick (Richard)", "Monster Crack", "Little Jon", "The Best" and "Rock Steady". This great, necessary reissue has the bonus "Go See The Doctor (Uncensored Version)". CD

A huge dip into the history of hip hop – in a set that's something of a groundbreaking effort from the folks at the Smithsonian! If we're honest, we'll tell you that we're old enough to remember a time when folks thought that hip hop was just a fad – when it was a musical style that would disappear in just a few short years. But now, all these many decades later, the form has had such an impact on American culture that the Smithsonian Institute is giving it some official sort of due – something we never would have believed back in the 80s! The package is huge – 9CDs with a whopping 129 tracks in all, and a 300 page book that supports the recordings with an insane amount of notes, photos, and all sorts of other information – alongside a track list that was put together by folks who include Questlove, 9th Wonder, Chuck D, Jeff Chang, and MC Lyte! The set is especially great on old school tracks up through the golden era hip hop years – but also moves into the 21st century too – and artists include Treacherous Three, Afrika Bambaataa, Fearless Four, Cold Crush Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Run DMC, Fatback, Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Funky Four +1, T La Rock, Schoolly D, Beastie Boys, Kool Moe Dee, LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim, Mantronix, Stetsasonic, Audio Two, Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, Marley Marl, Tone Loc, Jungle Brothers, NWA, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, 3rd Bass, De La Soul, Queen Latifa, DOC, 2 Live Crew, Dr Dre, Sir Mix A Lot, Digable Planets, Positive K, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Naughty By Nature, Black Sheep, Tribe Called Quest, Geto Boys, Pharcyde, 2Pac, Warren G, Gang Starr, Notorious BIG, and many many more! CD

One of the last really all-star sets from Quincy Jones – and a record that reprises the format of some of his big records of the 70s – like Mellow Madness or Body Heat – in a way that has Quincy surrounding himself with top-shelf artists of all sorts, from jazz soloists, to hip hoppers, to R&B vocalists. Kool Moe Dee & Big Daddy Kane rap on a version of "Birdland" that also has solos from Miles, Diz, and James Moody; Take 6 sing on a mellow version of Ivan Lins' "Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)", Bobby McFerrin sings goofily on "Wee B Dooinit", Siedah Garrett and Al B Sure sing on "The Secret Garden", and a whole choir joins in on "Tomorrow". CD

Remixes of Whodini, Tribe Called Quest, Kool Moe Dee, Stone Roses, Boogie Down Productions, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. CD

Includes selections by Annie Lennox & Al Green, Natalie Cole, Buster Poindexter, Robbie Robertson, Dan Hartman & Denise Lopez, Miles Davis, Kool Moe Dee, New Voices Of Freedom, and Mark Lennon. CD