Sure, you've already got a lot of their classic albums – but this huge set of tracks contains some great stuff from singles, b-sides, rare sources, and even a few unreleased tracks! There's a whopping 42 cuts in all, and the whole thing's packaged in a heavy slipcase with an 80 page booklet! ... read moreCD
Although this is well into Big Daddy Kane's career, he still displays some skills here. Tracks include "How U Get A Record Deal?", "Very Special", "Stop Shammin'", "Here Comes Kane, Scoob & Scrap" and "Nuff Respect (remix)". CD
The classic first solo album by Big L – with bedrock DITC production by Buckwild, Showbiz and Lord Finesse – perfectly framing the rhymes by Harlem's finest. Big L didn't leave a huge wealth of recordings before he was taking away from the world, but he started out strong, and this ... read moreCD
A full length from QB's Big Noyd – with production by Havoc, Alchemist, Ric Rude and Masberg. Tracks include "Hu, What", "Most Famous" feat Godfather III & Prodigy, "Come Thru", "Hoody Like That", "Louder" with Prodigy, "All My ... read moreCD
The legendary debut of Black Moon – and a landmark indie hip hop classic from the early 90s east coast scene! Beloved by the deeper digging hip hop heads back in the day, and making a few waves commercially with the singles "Who Got Da Props?" and "I Got Cha Opin", this ... read moreCD
A Native Tongues classic from 1991 – one that sounded great way back when, and has held up beautifully over the years – and rightly considered amongst the greatest hip hop albums ever! Wolf In Sheep's Clothing is playful rap at it's best, with funky and and funny cuts galore – ... read moreCD
Pure greatness from Brand Nubian at their early best! The Nubes' have made a handful of solid-to-great albums, but none could top this essential debut. Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar are on point with the politicized rhymes over classic early 90s jazzed up, funky beats, built from now well ... read moreCD
Tracks include "Some-O-Next Sh*t", "I'm The Man", "Pop 'Nuff Sh*t", "Don't Drink The Milk", "The Hatred", "Lost In The Storm", "Which Way Is Up", "Black Trek IV The Voyage Home", "The Funky", "3 Men At ... read moreCD
The first Clipse album to see release – and a neo-electro/drug rap/crossover hip hop masterpiece produced by the Neptunes – the debut LP on their own Star Trak label. Malice and Pusha T arrive as smooth, confident rhymers with plenty of standout moments, while the Neptunes reach an ... read moreCD
(Clean edited edition, punch through barcode & small sticker on booklet cover.)
"I rap with the Passion of Christ, Ni**a, cross me!" BE isn't exactly a back-to-basics LP in the vein of his classic work for Relativity – but it is indeed a return to a focused, genuinely soulful, no BS approach – and it's a very welcome one at that! It seems like Com was a ... read moreCD
The second LP from Cypress Hill, and as far as we're concerned, the last good one. Muggs' beats get a bit darker on this album, but are still sharp enough to cut through even the thickest clouds of smoke. 14 tracks in all, including "I Wanna Get High", "I Ain't Goin' Out Like ... read moreCD
Danger Mouse feat Jemini The Gifted One —
Ghetto Pop Life ... CD Lex, 2004. Used ...
$6.99
Beat architect Danger Mouse and MC Jemini pair off for Ghetto Pop Life – a pretty solid full length that's actually getting the notice it deserves, thanks to DM's much celebrated Grey Album. Prince Po, Cee Lo, Alkaholiks, J-Zone and Pharcyde (who's Delicious Vinyl sound is a clear influence ... read moreCD
By this point, De La Soul seemed to be looking for a direction, after "Three Feet High..." was the Daisy Age and "De La Soul Is Dead" was the death of the daisy age, though they hadn't split with Prince Paul yet. Still, they manage to come up with some nice, if underrated, ... read moreCD
The Diplomats are Jimmy Jones, Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, and Freeky Zeeky. Tracks include "Un Casa", "Who I Am", "Ground Zero", "Real Ni**as", "More Than Music", "Beautiful Noise", "Dipset Anthem", "Gangsta", "Hell ... read moreCD
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince —
Homebase ... CD Jive, 1991. Used ...
$4.99
12 tracks in all, including "I'm All That", "Summertime", "The Things That U Do", "This Boy Is Smooth", "Ring My Bell", "A Dog Is A Dog", "caught In The Middle (Love & Life)", "Trapped On The Dance Floor", "Who ... read moreCD
It seems like when this came out, critics, and even DJs liked to drop the term "Trip Hop" whenever possible, and this album was held up as the watershed mark. A few years down the line and it still holds up, but as an instrumental hip hop LP, as much as a rock album (Shadow's gone on to ... read moreCD
The classic album by the DOC from the glory days of Ruthless Records – really up there in excellence with NWA in the gritty west coast canon – with timeless production by Dr. Dre! Nice mic skills paired with tight, funky production from Dre when he still hungry and on the ascent. 13 ... read moreCD
50 returns for his hotly-anticipated second album – setting up another year of bangin' singles with unrivaled charismatic rhyme delivery, and a fresh crop of beefs! As on 50's Shady/Aftermath debut, he does more with street hop thug archetypes than just about anyone out there, and he does it ... read moreCD
Game —
Documentary ... CD Aftermath/G Unit/Interscope, 2005. Used ...
$2.99
The Game, Dr. Dre, and G-Unit make a wise investment with the west coast MC's debut LP – ignoring new hot trends and laying out blueprint street rap that'll have a satisfying sound for years to come! Tracks include "Westside Story", "Dreams", "Hate It Or Love It" ... read moreCD
Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge team up for this intriguing collaboration – one with a promising concept and they deliver on it in full – shadowboxing their way to a knockout! On the mic tip, Ghostface is in his comfort zone here – spitting lyrics laced with martial arts, ... read moreCD
Did this LP come before or after the Real World? Is being the star to the first reality TV show or this actually pretty dope LP Heather B's biggest claim to fame? What ever happened to her anyway? Beats by Kenny Parker and the Beatminerz. 10 tracks: "Da Heartbreaka", "All Glocks ... read moreCD
(Out of print. BMG Direct pressing.)
Ice Cube —
Predator ... CD Priority/Lench Mob, 1992. Used ...
$4.99
Cube's last truly great full length, from 1992, when he was leaving the gangsta stuff behind and had grown into an incredibly sharp social commentator and ghetto portrait painter. The rhymes, and even the liner note acknowledgements ("Ice Cube wishes to acknowledge white America's continued ... read moreCD
Jay-Z brings in a huge ensemble of producers including Kayne West, Just Blaze, Dr. Dre, Neptunes, Timbaland, No ID and more. There are also more guests than any other Jay-Z album, including Faith Evans, Notorious BIG, Beyonce Knowles, Big Boi, Rakim, Lenny Kravitz, and more. Tracks include "H ... read moreCD
Jay Z picks up pretty close to the point where he left off for Kingdom Come – his first album in 3 years – and you can only call it a comeback if you really thought he'd stay away! For Kingdom Come he uses a number of the same production geniuses as he did for the Black Album and his ... read moreCD
Tracks include "Speech Cobras" featuring Mr. Lif, "Words From Mr. Len, Part One", "Deer Hunter" featuring Chief Kamachi, "Words From Mr. Len, Part Two", "Trinity" featuring Louis Logic and L-Fudge. CD
Another batch of fine, underground sweetness from the Jedi Mind Tricks! Tracks include "Tibetan Black Magicians", "Canibus", "Blood In Blood Out", "The Rage Of Angels", "Crypt", "The Warchild Of Outerspace", "Demonwomb Interlude" ... read moreCD
Key Kool & Rhettmatic —
Kozmonautz ... CD Up Above, 1995. Used ...
$6.99
Kool G Rap's comeback album for Rawkus came pretty damn close to never seeing the light of day, thanks to all that bungled Rawkus/MCA business. Here 'tis, thanks to some licensing from Koch. Production by Buckwild, Younglord, Ghetto Pros, Amar, Rockwilder, and others. 14 tracks including "Th ... read moreCD
Stone classic LL Cool J! There was a time we didn't really rate this one on the same level as Radio, but listening with fresh ears after all these years – prime old school Def Jam with an energy that's really missing in so much of the hip hop to follow in the next couple years – and ... read moreCD
We know we spend a lot of space on these pages propping up early 90s hip hop, but you have to admit it was the salad days of the east coast. Finesse's second LP's no exception, with tight lyrics and beats – keeping it real before it became a cliche – a DITC classic that we never grow ... read moreCD
Furious, battle-tested early 90s mastery from Lord Finesse – with pitch perfect production by DJ Premier, Diamond D, Showbiz and Mike Smooth – an east coast golden age classic! Funky Technician is mysteriously slept on in too many discussions of the best hip hop of the era, but it's ... read moreCD
Tracks include "Get Back", "#1 Spot", "Put Your Money" feat DMX, "Virgo" feat Nas & Doug E Fresh, "Hopeless" feat Trick Daddy, "Blueberry Yum Yum" feat Sleepy Brown, "Two Miles An Hour", "Pimpin' All Over The World" ... read moreCD
The first release in the Madlib Medicine Show series of releases from the prolific genius that is Madlib – this one a full scale collaboration with no nonsense rapper Guilty Simpson – sort of a prelude to Guilty's OJ Simpson LP with Madlib in the production booth! The set is a pretty ... read moreCD
Formative Madlib beatcraft – music made by 'Lib from 1990-2000 – crafted into a tight full length album that feels as fresh as ever! History Of The Loop Digga features funky hip hop instrumentals made at a time when he was producing underground beat tapes for himself and the Crate ... read moreCD
A mad disco soul mix – No. 10 in the epic Madlib Medicine Show series – 76 minutes of sprawling, eclectic, funky mid-to-late 70s Black Soul – adventurously mixed and sequenced by Madlib! The set features 9 separate unlisted tracks, each one a mini mix set in itself, all together ... read moreCD
Beats and mixes by Madlib & rhymes by unnamed rappers – an unplanned appendix to the Madlib Medicine Show series – The Black Tape! Number 13 finds Madlib flipping the script on the hip hop DJ mix racket – applying his deep-digging, adventurous style to rhymes by a broad ... read moreCD
This album was produced entirely by Kutmasta Kurt, featuring rhymes by Kool Keith and Motion Man. Yep, ANOTHER Kool Keith project! This one has it's hilarious moments, as they all do, but Kutmasta Kurt's the star of the show this time around, with head nodding production throughout. Includes ... read moreCD
Featuring Too $hort, Tupac, Pimp C of UGK & DFC, and Mr. KU. CD
(Out of print.)
Sergio Mendes —
Timeless ... CD Concord/Hear Music, 2006. Used ...
$2.99
A new record by the legendary Sergio Mendes – bursting into the 21st century on a catchy wave of Will I Am production – reworking gems from the Brazilian songbook and more with guest appearances by Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, India Arie, Black Thought, Chali 2Na, Marcelo D2, John ... (Brazil, Hip Hop)read moreCD
Lastest official full-length release from The Infamous Mobb Deep. Like a lot of recent double LP's they could have stuck to one LP, but still some nice tracks in the usual Mobb Deep style and guest appearances from Nas, Raekwon, Big Noyd. CD
A heap of the production is handled by M-Boogie. Includes 'Do The Math" with Iriscience, "Triggernometry", "The Illest", "Wanna Be An MC", "Who Am I", and "It's Been A Long Time Coming". CD
Nas's stop gap LP of odds & ends from 2002, and actually a better full length listen than Stillmatic, at least to our ears! With "Doo Rags", "My Way", "U Gotta Love It", "Nothing Lasts Forever", "No Idea's Original", "Blaze A 50", ... read moreCD
A stone classic from the west coast scene – and a record that just seems to get better and better over the years! What sounded like a disappointing, and way too calculatedly provocative follow-up to Straight Outta Compton back in 1991 now sounds to us like the peak of Dr. Dre's career as a ... read moreCD
A nice retrospective of the ATL's Yin and Yang – but only essential if you don't already own at least two of the proper albums. The set does include three brand new tracks – "The Whole World", "Funkin' Around" and "Movin' Cool (After The Party)" plus 13 ... read moreCD
The first ep from the West Coast MC, from back when he was really, really underground! Features "On The Corner (part 1)", "Handlin Business", "Cali Breeze", "Moonlight Melodic Rush", "Kalidascope", "Schoolyard Riders", "Perfection Is ... read moreCD
PE's third LP, and their last with full on Bomb Squad production. With classics like "Fight The Power", "Burn Hollywood Burn", "Welcome To The Terrordome", "Power To The People", "911 Is A Joke" and the title track. CD
The massive second album by PE – and the one where where the hit their full creative stride, and their politics and philosphy hit at full force – moving Public Enemy from an imposing threat to both the hip hop and pop music status quo to a straight up cultural phenomenon! There's ... read moreCD
Sixteen tracks in all, from the Flipmode's female MC. Guest spots by Busta Rhymes, the Flipmode Squad and a few others, and beats by Primo, Rockwilder, Pete Rock, the Nottz and others. Includes "Do The Ladies Run This. . .", "Tight", "Harriet Thugman", "What ... read moreCD
The debut of Ras Kass – kind of a watershed mark of the intellectual/complicated rhyme style for the mid 90s era, if you will – finding the west coast MC bursting out of the starting gates with some his best ever work! Includes all of the early singles and some classic level deeper ... read moreCD
Mostly produced by K-Def, with some help from Marley Marl. 15 tracks in all. Includes "Pop the Trunk", "Real Live Sh*t", "Iceberg Slick", "The Gimmicks", "Ain't No Love", "Crime Is Money", "Real Live Sh!t Remix" and "The ... read moreCD
The classic self-titled LP that changed hip hop (and much of modern pop) forever! There's little we can add to the canon for this record. Run DMC ushered in a new era in contemporary urban culture, a harder hitting style of rap the bust out of the inner cities and into consciousness of an entire ... read moreCD
The impossible to get debut from the only noteworthy member of the Hobo Junction crew, Saafir. The Saucy Nomad drops sideways abstractions and in-your-face battle rhymes over beats that often remind us of the Beatnuts around the same time, hard but with a jazzy feel from the horn stabs and ... read moreCD
These aren't the original recordings, but new versions, recorded with a live band. Schoolly's classic tracks from the old days – and it's way better than you'd ever expect. Kind of like a super ghetto version of Jay-Z Unplugged, albeit quite, well, plugged. "Saturday Night", ... read moreCD
Slick Rick's first solo LP – a hip hop classic, and essential to everyone's collection! MC Ricky D introduced the world to a whole new rap style on Doug E Fresh's "The Show" and by the time this album dropped the world was more than ready for a full LP of his unique flow. The ... read moreCD
A sweet little groover of an instrumentals set from Chicago's Thaione – a newer version on CD! April January is a mellow, trippy, sampledelic platter of soundscapes from start to finish, cut with some nice dialogue samples that set the cool, cool vibe very nicely. All told, it's a jazzy, ... read moreCD
Maybe one of the most sharp-edged albums in years from Thievery Corporation – if not ever – thanks to the presence of a fair bit of hip hop guest stars, in a large roster of talent that includes Mr Lif, Raquel Jones, Zee, Notch, Lou Lou Ghelichkhani, Shana Halligan, Elin Melgarejo, and ... (New Grooves, Hip Hop)read moreCD
The crossover rap classic from Tone-Loc! Temporary pop phenom this is not – the biggest couple of hits are still ubiquitous decades later – and Loc himself, with that raspy voice and smooth charisma, still stands as one more unique voices of late 80s hip hop. On top of those ... read moreCD
A pretty great follow up to the previous hits package Retrospective – this one with many of the Tribe's OTHER hits, plus 2 previously unreleased nuggets! Alternate mixes, out of print soundtrack and 12-inch cuts, plus album tracks that weren't ingrained into the mainstream consciousness ... read moreCD
The manaical Chicagoan Mr. Tung Twista, who's contributed so much life to so many hits as the guest rhymer, cuts by Ludacris, P. Diddy and others is finally poised to have one of his own damn albums go platinum! Kamikaze features the hits "Slow Jamz" with Kanye West and "So ... read moreCD
The second album from Chicago's Typical Cats – far-and-away our favorite album yet from Chi's Galapagos4 label, and a rock solid set of timelessly funky, tersely rhymed group hip hop! Qwel, Denizen Kane, and Qwazaar have the pass-the-mic routine down like clockwork, each with their own ... read moreCD
Old school, true school, golden age, random rap, west coast, east coast, independent, southern, and midwestern hip hop -- as well as some commercial classics!
Afrika Bambaataa & Family —
Decade Of Darkness – 1990 to 2000 ... CD 
