Akinyele —
Aktapuss ... CD Jive/Volcano, 1999. Used ...
$4.99
Akinyele keeps up the potty-mouthed sex raps that put him on the map first go 'round, but this LP's only got 2 beats by Large Pro (plus one by Lord Finesse, and one by Buckwild), which is what made the first album worthwhile. But it does have the huge hit "Put It In Your Mouth", plus ... read moreCD
(Out of print. CD case and barcode have a cutout hole.)
Tracks include "Man's Final Frontier", "Mama's Always On Stage", "People Everyday", "Blues Happy", "Mr Wendal", "Children Play With Earth", "Raining Revolution", "Fishin 4 Religion", "Give A Man A Fish", " ... read moreCD
The highly anticipated full length from the Minneapolis hip hop RhymeSayers crew. Slug rhymes like a storyteller, in his prime when weaving songs of demented heartbreak, his voice pushes forth in a tortured singing style, hook friendly, ironic, and angry (dude still hasn't gotten over Lucy). Ant ... read moreCD
16 tracks, counting the intro, including "Duck Season" by the Beatnuts, "Watch Out" by De La, "Cake" by Pete Rock, "Behold My Life" by Defari, "Microphone Mathmatics (rmx)" by Quasimoto, "Center Of Attention" by Dilated, Souls Of Mischief ... read moreCD
(Out of print. Barcode has a cutout hole.)
Beans —
Only ... CD Thirsty Ear, 2006. Used ...
$3.99
The 5th album by the Beastie Boys – and a prime example of a modern classic we didn't appreciate enough the first time time around – the wholly excellent Hello Nasty! We'll admit we were suffering a little Beasties fatigue by the time Hello Nasty came out in '98, but it sounds nothing ... read moreCD
What can we say? The Beasties continue with the live jazz/funk/garage (as in rock, not house) sound and keyboards by Money Mark. With the classic "Get It Together" featuring Q-Tip. And you can't go wrong with any LP that samples Ramelzee and K-Rob's "Beat Bop." Other tracks ... read moreCD
Nice one! Even at their weakest vocal moments, we've always dug the Beastie Boys' firm committment to funky instrumental backing. Their albums are filled with lots of nice interludes, instrumentals, and backing grooves that always seem to get buried amidst all of the tracks with vocals. Now, ... read moreCD
The Beasties' masterpiece – and one of the original nightmares for sampling opponents everywhere. Tracks include "Hey Ladies", "Shake Your Rump", "High Plains Drifter", and "Shadrach". CD
A greatest hits package with ""World Famous", "Watch Out Now", "No Escapin'", "Off The Books", "However Whenever", "We Got The Funk", "Reign Of The Tec", "Props Over Here", "Beatnuts', "Get Funky" ... read moreCD
Another nice one from the Beatnuts. The production on just about every track is tight, as the Beatnuts continue to develop their style of straight-ahead hip hop steering clear of any of the current gimmicks. Stand out cuts include "Slam Pit" with Common and Cuban Link, the singles " ... read moreCD
Except for their crossover attempt, "Give Me Tha A**", Juju and Les (minus Al Tariq) use loads of David Axelrod samples to create more of the classic Beatnuts sound. "Thinkin' Bout Cash" features Hostile and Poet of Screwball (yep, it's the same MC Poet from "Beat You ... read moreCD
The Beatnuts didn't have a whole heckuva of a lot in the way of lyrical ideas by '01, but this underrated LP for Loud is well worth the purchase price anyway, thanks to the 'nut's continued mastery of beats and samples. They virtually ignore perfunctory trends and stay firmly rooted in the ... read moreCD
Biz's second LP from 1989 – what can we tell you about the Biz that you don't already know? As far as we're concerned there's a lot of MC's that could learn a lesson or two from the Biz, and producers too. Good time middle school hip hop, with nice sample based production and a great sense ... read moreCD
Biz's second LP from 1989 – what can we tell you about the Biz that you don't already know? As far as we're concerned there are a lot of MCs that could still learn a lesson or two from the Biz, and producers too! Good time mid school hip hop, with nice sample based production and a great ... read moreCD
2 LP set of Biz's classic tracks for Cold Chillin, including "Vapors", "This Is Something For The Radio", "Biz Is Goin' Off", "Just A Friend", "Pickin' Boogers", and lots more. Stunning Marley Marl production, and a very goofy cover. CD
(Out of print.)
Biz Markie —
Greatest Hits ... CD Cold Chillin, Late 80s/Early 90s. Used ...
$9.99
An essential collection of Biz Markie's greatest, including the classic cuts "Nobody Beats The Biz", "Vapors", "Just A Friend", "Young Girl Bluez", "Busy Doin Nothin", and more. 14 tracks in all. CD
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
A selection of late 80s South Bronx Teachings – classic Boogie Down Productions circa Criminal Minded! South Bronx Teachings focuses soundly on the class of '87 – so you get fistful of the Criminal Minded cuts and a few other blasts from KRS-One & Scott La Rock, nicely paced over ... read moreCD
A classic lost album that has the Brand New Heavies backing up an assortment of great hip hoppers, including Main Source, The Pharcyde, Black Sheep, Kool G Rap, Gang Starr, and Masta Ace. Filled with good cuts that mix hip hop and live jazzy playing, and includes the titles "Who Makes The ... read moreCD
A classic lost album that has the Brand New Heavies backing up an assortment of great hip hoppers, including Main Source, The Pharcyde, Black Sheep, Kool G Rap, Gang Starr, and Masta Ace. Filled with good cuts that mix hip hop and live jazzy playing, and includes the titles "Who Makes The ... read moreCD
Bush Babees —
Gravity ... CD Warner, 1996. Used ...
$6.99
While we did like the Bush Babees first LP, it veered a bit further into the commercial realm than we care for on some cuts, probably due to Jermaine Dupri's involvement. This second effort, available only as a promo on vinyl, is the one to check for. There's less of the ragga style here, and ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Busta Rhymes —
Big Bang ... CD Aftermath/Flipmode, 2006. Used ...
$1.99
Busta Rhymes delivers the debut full length release for Dr Dre's Aftermath imprint – after a few records for old Clive Davis and J Records – and like most Busta Rhymes albums, it features at least one sure-to-be classic track! Busta is not only one of the most reliable generators for ... read moreCD
Now that he's seemingly over the apocalypse thing, Busta sounds completely re-energized on Genesis, and even if it's about a half hour longer than it needs to be, some of Busta's dopest work ever can be found here. Hell, even Diddy can't ruin the mega-bouncing "Pass The Courvoisier"! ... read moreCD
Cee-Lo took a sideways detour into messed up funk n' soul on the last album, but he steers straight back into the freaked out MC guise he perfected earlier with the Goodie Mobb for the interestingly titled . . . Is The Soul Machine album. (Did he choose that title before he decided to largely ... read moreCD
Cherrywine —
Bright Black ... CD Dcide/Babygrande, 2003. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
The new group from Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler from Digable Planets! Cherrywine is a bit less of a hip hop project than the Digables were – it's actually a four piece band that melds spacey 70s jazz, funk and soul, 80s synth groove, and late model programmed beats for a thoroughly ... read moreCD
Another platter of angry, uppity freak funk & radical hip hop from Boots Riley & The Coup! Tracks include "We Are The Ones", "Laugh/Love/F**k", " "My Favorite Mutiny" feat Black Thought & Talib Kweli, "IJUSWANNALAYAROUNDALLDAYINBEDWITHYOU",&q ... read moreCD
The Coup's third and arguably their best album – the late 90s classic Steal This Album! STA is much funkier than some of the later work from Boots and the Funkstress, but with just as sharp of a political vision. Now paired down to a duo, it's a tighter vision, and Boots vivid storytelling ... read moreCD
Boogie Down Productions DJ D-Nice steps out masterfully on Call Me D-Nice – his first solo album and solid dawn of the 90s hip hop album that stands up strongly today! D-Nice doesn't attempt to carry the socio-political tone of BDP or KRS-One for the most part – "Glory" being ... read moreCD
An early 90s classic that set a new standard for post-Daisy Age jazzy hip hop. Includes "Where I'm From", "It's Good To Be Here", "What Cool Breezes Do", "Time & Space (A New Refutation Of)", "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)", "Escapism ... read moreCD
Tracks include "Same Song", "Tie The Knot", "The Way We Swing (remix)", "Nuttin Nis Funky", "Packet Man (Worth A Packet remix)", and "Arguin On The Funk". CD
Em's fourth album hits many of the same notes as its predecessor, signaling a bit of a comfort zone for the former Slim Shady. The beats largely fall on the darker-toned lilt of the now instantly identifiable sound. Tracks include "Just Lose It", "Mosh", "Evil Deeds" ... read moreCD
Eminem's 2nd LP, where the sh*it REALLY hits the fan. What's still striking and genuinely exciting about this record, which is hardly worth even describing considering the mountains of opinions, protests, and moral grand standing, is Em's willingness to keep instigating the people he offended. ... read moreCD
To be honest, we probably prefer the production on Eminem's earlier independent ep, but the vocals here are still up to par, with the perfect combination of ultra-violence and demented humor. Tracks include "Just Don't Give A F*ck", "Role Model", "I'm Shady", "Bad ... read moreCD
Eternia & Moss —
At Last ... CD Fat Beats, 2010. Used ...
$6.99
Massive collection of Gang Starr's greatest hits – plus three new tracks and some b-side only tracks that didn't appear on any of their LP! 20 full-length tracks on 2 CDs. New tracks: "Full Clip", "Discipline", "All For The Ca$h", Non-LP tracks include the ... read moreCD
Ghostface (just Ghostface, thank you) drops his first set of tracks for his new home at Def Jam. Ghost is still probably our favorite solo Wu Tang MC, and if Pretty Toney isn't the bonafide classic that the Ironman and Supreme Clientele albums are, it's still great to have him out there with new ... read moreCD
More soul than before, with guest work by Angie Stone, Erykah Badu, Macy Gray, Les Nubians, The Roots, Donell Jones, Herbie Hancock, and Isaac Hayes. Tracks include "Keep Your Worries" featuring Angie Stone, "Plenty" featuring Erykah Badu, "Who's There?" featuring Les ... read moreCD
A hard-nosed, funky masterpiece from Ice Cube – who hooks up with Bomb Squad for the incredible production! When Ice Cube left NWA he took a lot of the more sobering lyrical aspects of that landmark crew with him, and with the addition of the Bomb Squad's cut & paste rhythms and ... read moreCD
A hard-nosed, funky masterpiece from Ice Cube – who hooks up with Bomb Squad for the incredible production! When Ice Cube left NWA he took a lot of the more sobering lyrical aspects of that landmark crew with him, and with the addition of the Bomb Squad's cut & paste rhythms and ... read moreCD
Cube's anger goes full throttle on his second post NWA full-length. He takes every aspect of his social commentator standpoints to another level from his solo debut – the roles of the angry and educated leader, and the finger-pointing blamer each get their say here, and so do those ... read moreCD
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
Includes "Hello", "Supreme Hustle", "24 Mo Hours", "Until We Rich", "You Can Do It", "Roll All Day", "Can You Bounce?", "Record Company Pimpin'", "Waitin' Ta Hate" and more. CD
Ice T's 3rd LP. Includes "You Played Yourself", "The Girl Tried to Kill Me", "Freedom Of Speech", "What Ya Wanna Do?", "Lethal Weapon" & "The Hunted Child". CD
Ice T's 4th album, a bit past his prime, but not nearly as bad as the Body Count stuff. 24 tracks, including "New Jack Hustler", "Straight Up Nigga", "OG Original Gangster" and "Lifestyles Of The Rich & Infamous". CD
Jacky & Ben J —
Le Bilan ... CD Sony (France), 2000. Used ...
$0.99
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 heavy grooves from Keith LeBlanc, still working with the Adrian Sherwood and the On-U crew, plus old Sugarhill cohorts Skip McDonald and Doug Wimbish. Loads of vocal snippet samples collide with dubby effects, and 80s electronic touches, and while you can definitely place this ... read moreCD
Pre-MF Doom/Metal Fingers, et al, classic from then-Zev Love X and DJ Sub Roc. The last chance before everybody had to be hardcore. Humor, knowledge and pure niceness, on par with the first De La album, though it never broke as huge. A whole other side of the man who'd become Metal Face, before ... read moreCD
A tasty helping of material from Justus League flagship Little Brother – who lit the underground ablaze a couple years ago with their debut on ABB – and hope to do the same in '05 when the Minstrel Show drops on Atlantic! Chitlin Circuit features unreleased tracks, remixes and b-sides ... read moreCD
Little Brother —
Left Back ... CD Hall Of Justus/Traffic, 2010. Used ...
$4.99
Phonte & Big Pooh's weren't Left Back in our minds – they were at the forefront of timelessly soulful hip hop throughout the aughties – and their possibly final full length is just as strong! Lots of solid production work by Khrysis, plus some cuts produced by Zo, S1 and others, ... read moreCD
Lupe Fiasco —
Lasers ... CD Warner, 2011. Used ...
$5.99
Lupe Fiasco proves again why he's one of the most discussed figures in hip hop on Lasers – running the show here, but with some guest spots by Skylar Grey, Trey Songz, MDMA and others. Lupe is that fascinating figure who is more likely to be heard plotting a route out of the rap game than he ... read moreCD
The missing piece of the epic Madlib's Medicine Show series – No 9 in the eclectic soundscape architects year-long effort to release full length albums on a near-monthly basis ended up following No 11, but the collaboration with MC Frank Nitt is worth the wait! Nittyville is funky hip hop ... read moreCD
The better of the 2 post-3rd Bass solo projects. Includes "Back To The Gril", "Daze In A Weak", "Hits The Head", "Here It Comes" and "Return Of The Product". CD
(Out of print.)
MIA —
Matangi ... CD NEET/Interscope, 2013. Used ...
$2.99
A tasty plate with some stellar cuts by the one-and-only Missy Elliot – proving once again that she's one of the best generators of great hip hop singles of the past decade – with or without Timbaland! Cookbook as a whole goes down a little bit smoother than This Is Not A Test! did, ... read moreCD
Beats by Afrika Baby Bam and the Beatnuts, amongst others. 13 cuts, including "It's A Shame (My Sister)", "Don't Funk Wid The Mo", "Ring My Bell", 'R U Single", "Just Don't Give A Damn" and "Read Between The Lines". CD
Mos Def's first for Downtown after a weird few years on Geffen that saw many a bumped street date, the hit & miss New Danger, and finally, the semi aborted release of the controversial True Magic – back with a top shelf, excellent album in 2009's The Ecstatic! It may not be Black Star or ... read moreCD
Mos Def is back doing hip hop after the thick stylistic mulch that was his previous LP – with production by Pharrell, Minnesota and others – with loose, nimble rhymes and straight up, raw, unfussy production. True Magic finds Mos Def in a laidback zone – generally without the ... read moreCD
A nice one from Rawkus, one of their dope underground singles with "Body Rock" by Mos Def, featuring a guest appearance by Tip and some nice lines from the Alkaholiks' Tash. Nice jazzed out beats by Shawn J. Period, with "Manifesto" by Talib Kweli from Reflection Eternal on ... read moreCD
The Neptunes' first release as NERD! The music and verses are completely different from their big hits productions for others in the early 00. All these years later, ee're still not sure what they're up to here – are they serious and making music they love or thumbing their noses at the ... 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
Obie Trice —
Cheers ... CD Shady, 2003. Used ...
$1.99
50 Cent raised the bar pretty frickin' high for the rest of the Shady/Interscope roster, as far as sales figures go. We don't envy the task of having to try to live up to the commercial expectations Universal must have for this album. Bottom line aside, Obie's album is rock solid, timeless hip ... read moreCD
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. CD
Pharcyde's 3rd installment finds them without Fat Lip, with a lot of the production being done within the group. This doesn't quite capture the jazziness of Labcabincalifornia, or the party vibe of Bizarride, but there are a few nice tracks on here. Tracks include "Trust", "Network& ... read moreCD
Beatnuts —
Stone Crazy ... CD 
