Let's face it, you're not buying an album entitled "B!tch Betta Have My Money" for lyrical depth. For better or worse, this one's earned its place in the hip hop history books, and we'll be the first to prop up "Vertical Joyride" as a funky guilty pleasure, and guaranteed floor ... read moreCD
(Out of print, traycard artwork has some light staining.)
Art Of Noise —
Daft ... CD ZTT, 1983. Used ...
$5.99
A brilliant collection of work from the earliest and greatest years of Art Of Noise – sessions recorded during 1983, at a time when Trevor Horn and Paul Morley were still key members of the group – and when AON was working in a groundbreaking use of sound samples, beats, and other bits ... (Soul, Hip Hop)read moreCD
A win for wily hip hip mainstay Big Boi's growing legacy as a solo star! The onetime more subtly innovative half of the Outkast – subtle as compared to Andre 3000's more flamboyant presence, anyway – succeeding mightily out front now, backed with solid, wisely timeless Organized Noize ... read moreCD
(Small cutout hole through CD case and tray card.)
The first full-length from Mos Def and Talib Kweli together as Black Star – a benchmark moment in hip hop history, and one of the finest duo vocal hip hip records of the 90s – and one of the best ever on Rawkus! In hindsight, it's all the more rewarding given Talib Kweli's longevity in ... read moreCD
Classic Boogie Down Productions circa '89 – with prime street poetry from KRS, perfectly raw beats and overall peak end of the 80s production! Blueprint is an apt title for a couple reasons – the beats aren't what we'd call spare, but they're raw and unvarnished – a perfect ... read moreCD
Cavanaugh (Open Mike Eagle & Serengeti) —
Time & Materials ... CD Mello Music Group, 2016. Used ...
$6.99
Two of post millennium indie hip hop's most distinctive rhyme stylists – Open Mike Eagle and Serengeti – teaming up as Cavanaugh, and it's as inspired of a project as we'd hoped! There's a dark, hazy mood here – particularly in the thick waves of synth in the production, but the ... read moreCD
3rd album by the man who put Chicago on the map as a hip hop center. 2 albums strong, and with a lot of guest appearances by folks like De La Soul, Q-Tip, Chantay Savage, Erykah Badu, and Cee-Lo. No I.D. produced most of this, and a few tracks were done by Doug Infinite. Includes "1 '2 ... read moreCD
The 2008 mixtape that launched modern rap icon Danny Brown – given the deluxe treatment here for this 2014 edition – featuring a bonus instrumentals CD. Includes "Leve One", "Dance", "What's Up Doe", "Swagger To The Max", "Rese-Vor Dogs" ... read moreCD
Nice one from 1996! Contains the great cut "The Bizness", with a guest appearance by Common and "Big Brother Beat" with help from Mos Def. Other cuts include "Supa Emcees", "Itzsoweezee", and "Betta Listen". CD
Instrumental versions of 12 tracks from the Deltron 3030 album, with a new remix of "Turbulence" by Mark Bell, plus "3030", "Memory Loss", "Madness", "Love Story", "Mastermind", "Time Keeps On Slipping", "Positive ... read moreCD
Heavy beats and funky grooves from DJ Cam – recorded back in his more formative years, when his sound was rougher, and more "in the crates"! The album's got a great mix of open-ended samples and jazzy instrumentation – sounding almost like early Greyboy work, but without as ... (New Grooves, Hip Hop)read moreCD
(Out of print special silk-screened edition.)
DJ Krush —
Holonic ... CD Mo Wax (UK), 1998. Used ...
$9.99
A great mix album where Krush revisits his classic tracks from the Mo Wax years in a non stop set that also features short vocal cameos from MCs, producers and graff writers like Stash, Futura 2000, Finsta Bundy, DJ Cam and Shawn J Period, and some nice turntable antics from Krush himself. ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo —
Ki-Oku ... CD Instinct, 1998. Used ...
$6.99
While most collaborations between hip hop producers and jazz players have been mediocre at best, neither really being able to get invloved enough in each other's music, this collaboration between Kondo and Krush is almost entirely successful. Kondo's played in just about every style from all out ... read moreCD
Diminishing Returns finds DJ Shadow in his element – nothing but live mixer madness and scratchy hip hop production genius – originally broadcast on the BBC's Radio-1 in March 2003, laid out in it's entirety, including John Peel's adulatory intro! 80 minutes of DJ Shadow doing what he ... 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
DJ Shadow at his most stylistically sprawling –doing his thing as distinctively as ever, unpredictable from one track to the next, but very much himself whether it's a sample and scratches cut reminiscent of the Entroducing era or beats-enriched avant jazz or keyboards-heavy tracks! Lots of ... read moreCD
A fresh EP from feverishly creative moodscape & beatcrafter Flying Lotus! FL has been on such a furious win stream in the late 00s, it's tough to keep up with him, but that's a good thing – pretty much everything he puts out is of such consistently forward progressing quality. If you're ... (New Grooves, Hip Hop)read moreCD
Fudge (Prefuze 73 & Michael Christmas) —
Lady Parts ... CD Lex, 2016. Used ...
$3.99
A tight duo venture from producer Prefuze 73 and rhymer Michael Christmas! Prefuze 73 has been exploring all kinds of abstract production ideas for years, usually carrying his tired-and-true sputtering beats and tripped out atmopsherics, but his straighter hip hop productions really tighten things ... read moreCD
One of the most unified albums we've ever heard from Greyboy – an excellent little set that perfectly bridges his two loves of funk and hip hop! The core style is in the hip hop-infused mode of earlier years – with lots of programming and scratches by Greyboy himself – but there's ... (Deep Funk, Hip Hop)read moreCD
A recommitted Jay-Z is back on his game with American Gangster – referencing the '07 film in spots, but this is no soundtrack – it's a return to solid hip hop from the biggest name in the game! American Gangster takes a couple minutes to get rolling, but once the hard hitting "Hell ... read moreCD
"This here is the victory lap," raps Hove midway through The Black Album, his supposed career-capper (for this stage, anyway), and if nothing here immediately dazzles us to the core the way the best of his past singles have done, overall this is probably the most consistent front-to-back ... read moreCD
Jay-Z —
Blueprint ... CD Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam, 2001. Used ...
$4.99
Ok, it's not underground at all, but to our ears this is one of the best LP's of 2001. The only commercial LP with true hip hop production (he could afford to pay for the samples...) and honestly, better production than most underground LP's. (The only unfortunate thing about the LP is that as ... read moreCD
Tracks include "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "Ride Or Die", "Can I Get A..." with Amil & Ja Rule, "Money, Cash, Hoes" with DMX, "It's Alright" and "Coming Of Age (The Sequel)" with Memphis Bleek, "Money Ain't A Thing", ... read moreCD
Jovanotti —
Boun Sangue ... CD Universal (Italy), 2005. Used 2 CDs ...
$8.99
On his second solo LP, KRS wisely brings in producers Premier, Diamond D, Showbiz and others to liven things up. Except for "Free Mumia", less politics than his earlier LPs. 14 tracks including "MC's Act Like They Don't Know", "Rappaz R N Danja", "Represent the ... read moreCD
A nice compilation of rare beats from the Lord Finesse archives – made up of beats he made back in the early 90s blueprint era! It's that near-perfect mix of golden age, gritty beatcraft that's stood the test of time incredibly well – crafted with the trusty SP-1200 drum ... read moreCD
17 tracks, plus the intro, almost all produced by KRS-One: "Double Trouble", "Nine On My Mind", "Own Destiny", "Crazy", "Bad Luck", "Real Ting", "Body & Shape", "Baby Father" and "Stop Dat Sh*t". CD
(Out of print, small amount of writing in pen inside booklet.)
Major Lazer & La Roux —
Lazerproof ... CD Polydor, 2010. Used ...
$11.99
Chicago beatmaker Maker's third trip through the Now Again catalog the craft his own heady hip hop instrumentals – and it's the farthest reaching, funkiest yet! Give a no nonsense producer the keys to a vault as deep as Now Again's – rich with drum heavy funk, fuzzy psych, and heady ... read moreCD
Biggie's masterpiece! There's very little we could possibly say about this east coast landmark that isn't already etched in stone in the annals of hip hop history. Biggie's a master storyteller, whether he's spinning tales of violent street nihilism, his skills beneath the sheets, or blistering ... read moreCD
A long overdue retrospective of the amazing run of 90s classics by Pete Rock and CL Smooth – a CD only set, but whatayagonnado? The set is a pretty great compendium of the best parts of The All Souled out single/ep, Mecca And The Soul Brother, The Main Ingredient, Pete's Soul Survivor LP, ... read moreCD
A moody, uncompromising album of experimental, yet accessible and downright hypnotic textures from Prefuse 73 – with less fractured, stuttering beatcraft and more spacious, droning atmosphere! It's pretty tripped out stuff for a record as Prefuse 73, which makes it all the more rewarding. A ... read moreCD
Includes "Resurrection" with Masta Killa, "He Got Game", "Unstoppable" with KRS-One, "Is Your God A Dog", "House Of The Rising Son", "Politics Of The Sneaker Pimps", "Go Cat Go", "What You Need Is Jesus", "Game ... read moreCD
Excellent cuts from Pugs Atomz – one of Chicago's longtime hip hop champions! This set of bright, largely uptempo soulful tracks were cut over the past couple years – including one produced by the mighty Hi Tek, plus production by Colin Response & Big D– and appearances by ... 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
Beats, Rhymes & Life – crucial aspects of Tribe Called Quest and hip hop in general – and the fourth album by the inimitable Tribe! After a couple or three years of down time following Midnight Marauders, the Tribe returned with this extra stripped down sound, collaborating with ... read moreCD
The raw, gritty modern east coast classic from The UN – featuring Roc Marciano, Dino Brave, Mike Raw, and Laku – who we first heard as a unit on Pete Rock's Petestrumentals set before delivering this underground gem in the early 00s! Includes "Buildin", "Mind ... read moreCD
A fresh serving of genius from Madlib – served up here in yet another manifestation of the Yesterday's New Quintet combo! Sound Directions have a groove that's quite similar to YNQ, but which focuses a bit more on the skittish percussion of Otis Jackson and "Sloppy" Joe Johnson ... (Deep Funk, Hip Hop)read moreCD
A brilliant set of early 80s post-punk club tracks – from those magical crossover years on the New York scene! The set focuses on stuff that got a fair bit of play at the Mudd Club in NY, and that wasn't out of place at the Danceteria or the original Limelight either. And while some of the ... (Funky Compilations, Hip Hop)read moreCD
A collection of Unwrapped "flips" in the Hidden Beach Presents Unwrapped series – Back 2 Basics for lucky number 7 in the series – in which producer & songwriter teams up with a group of players to cast some classic and neo classic hip hop as jazzy soul instrumentals! ... (Neo Soul, Hip Hop)read moreCD
As with the other Rawkus compilations, you probably know already how dope this is, and the list of MC's and producers on these 20+ tracks says it all. Common Sense, Mos Def, Pharoahe Monch, Diamond D, Q-Tip, High & Mighty, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Prince Paul, Reflection Eternal, Bahamadia, and more. ... 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!
Art Of Noise —
Daft ... CD 
