Featuring Brandy. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Just when you thought Prince Paul and Cat Power would never make a record together PRESTO – it's the new Handsome Boy album! HBMS takes a bit more of a chillout tack with this long overdue second opus – with lots of laidback beats and samples, and a surprising amount of live instrumentation! The gleeful, sarcastic comedy of the stellar first album remains intact, with some genuinely amusing skits (including one with Jay Z appearing under the pseudonym Hines Buchanan), and the deep range of guest vocalists isn't as surprising as how strong their work is in the best tunes. It would have been pretty easy for Prince Paul and Automator to find a bunch of interesting names to flesh out their big pop culture frappe, but something else altogether to make trippy hip hop tracks featuring Cat Power and the Hieroglyphics make sense on the same record. A pretty solid set from the most adventurous pseudo duo in the game! Guests include Del The Funky Homosapien, De La Soul, RZA, Lord Finesse, AG, Rahzel, Jazzy Jay, Qbert, Mike Patton, Casual, Hieroglyphics, Grand Wizard Theodore, El-P, John Oates, Pharrell, Kid Koala, and George W. Bush (just kidding). Tracks include "If It Wasn't For You" with De La, "Are You Down With It" with Mike Patton, "The World's Gone Mad" with Del and others, "It's Like That" with Casual, "I've Been Thinking" with Cat Power, "Rock And Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Pt 2" featuring Lord Finesse, Qbert and others,"First. . .And Then" featuring Dres from Black Sheep, "A Day In The Life" featuring RZA, AZ and others and more, plus intro/outro by Father Guido Sarducci. LP, Vinyl record album

A late 90s classic from that moment when Dan The Automator was stepping out from his role as an underground hip hop hero on the west coast – and into superstardom in a range of different guises! Here, Dan's working as Nathaniel Merriweather, alongside the Chest Rockwell of Prince Paul – the latter of whom ensures that there's some extra-dope production on the set to really send things home! The list of guest stars is huge – Del, Grand Puba, Sadat X, DJ Shadow, Money Mark, Biz Markie, and many others – almost a whole generation of hip hop on one record – and titles include "Metaphysical", "Waterworld", "Truth", "Projects", "Sunshine", "Runway Song", and "Rock N Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With some nice beat boxing alongside the raw early production. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Off the Baby Boy soundtrack, featuring Tyrese and Mr Tan. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With CL Smooth on the bad boy remix. (Soul, Hip Hop) 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Unfortunately, it's not still working – Tommy Boy hasn't released a hip hop masterpiece like they routinely cranked out in their glory days in a long, long time – which is a great reason to buy this hits package featuring singles that are not simply Tommy Boy's greatest, but actually some of the best hip hop singles ever made! 16 cuts including "Planet Rock" and "Looking For The Perfect Beat" by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, "Me, Myself And I" and "Buddy" by De La Soul, "Ladies First" by Queen Latifah & Monie Love, "Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty By Nature, "Sally" by Stetsasonic, "Gangsta Bitch" by Apache, "Jump Around" by House Of Pain and more. CD

Tommy Boy Records takes a new step into the hip hop archeology game with this series of essential hip hop hits – tracks ranging from late 70s bedrock slabs of essential old school to the 90s party movers – going well beyond Tommy Boy label staples to include pioneering tracks and hugely influential hits from across the hip hop spectrum! 12 tracks in all: "Rebel Without A Pause" by Public Enemy, "Nobody Beats The Biz", by Biz Markie, "Goin' Back To Cali" by LL Cool J, "Looking At The Front Door" by Main Source, "Cinderfella" by Dana Dane, "Be A Father To Your Child" by Ed O G & The Bulldogs, "Just Buggin'" by Whistle, "F**k Compton" by Tim Dog and more! CD

With CL Smooth on the Bad Boy remix. (Soul, Hip Hop) 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Magnificent", "Ken Boogaloo Freestyle", "Crushed Velvet", "Amateurs Get Hung", "Never Underestimate", "The Norm", "The Next Degree", "Dummy", "The Path Is Narrow", "A Changed Man", "Universal", "Daily Intake", "High On Nothing" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the best debuts in the history of hip hop – and one of the most important albums the genre ever produced! Criminal Minded is a landmark for a number of reasons. Among the biggest is, of course, that it was recorded with the late great DJ Scott La Rock – and he was soon to fall prey to the very street violence that BDP documented with such raw brilliance by KRS-One. Importance aside, Criminal Minded is simply a great, timeless record that no true fan of gritty classic hip hop should be without. The track list alone is a full chapter in the hip hop book of legends – with tunes like "Poetry", "Elementary", "South Bronx", "Super-Hoe", "Bridge is Over", and the "P is Free" remix. Also includes "Criminal Minded", "Dope Beat", and "9mm Goes Bang". CD

The instrumental/dub versions of all the tracks from the Criminal Minded LP – one of the most important albums in the history of hip hop – the first full LP from KRS One, and a landmark batch of tracks recorded with the late Scott La Rock! The track list alone is a full chapter in the hip hop book of legends – with tunes like "Poetry", "Elementary", "South Bronx", "Super-Hoe", "Bridge is Over", and the "P is Free" remix – plus "Criminal Minded", "Dope Beat", and "9mm Goes Bang" CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "U Can Do (Life)", "My Writes", "Oooh", "Thru Ya City", "IC Y'all", "View", "Set The Mood", "All Good?", "Declaration", "Squat!", "Words From The Chief Rocker", "With Me", "Copa (Cabanga)", "Foolin", "The Art Of Getting Jumped", and "U Don't Wanna BDS"! LP, Vinyl record album

De La Soul take on the world of hip hop with a record that's very much at the top of their game – leaner in production than before, but at a level that also brings a bit more bite to their rhymes – a good thing too, as the group take on some of their contemporaries as they assess the state of hip hop in the shadow of the 21st Century! The shift from previous records is almost like that taken by Tribe Called Quest on Low End Theory – focusing their music, while still throwing in some of their trademark skits – and maybe even making the group sound more serious, yet never in some of the "too hard" styles that they rail against on the set. The set has two key moments for the up-and-coming generation – great cut "The Bizness", with a guest appearance by Common, and "Big Brother Beat" with help from Mos Def – next to other tracks that include "Supa Emcees", "Itzsoweezee", and "Betta Listen". CD

With Black Rob and Jim Jones. (Soul, Hip Hop) 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Black Rob. 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Mario Winans. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Includes "Livin' The Life", "Money, Power, Respect" featuring DMX and Lil Kim, "The Heist", "Everybody Wanna Rat", and "We'll Always Love Big Poppa". 21 tracks total including interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Hip hop for the Gainsbourg fan? This Handsome Boy Modeling School spin off has Nathaniel Merriweather, aka Dan The Automator, working in his smoothest, sexiest, loungiest mode ever! Like Handsome Boy, Lovage is packed to the rafters with mysterious guest appearances, including the turntable and mixing skills of Kid Koala, Chest "Prince Paul" Rockwell, Afrika Bambaataa, and Maseo of De La Soul. Guest vocalists include Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields, Damon Albarn, and Mike Patton. Tracks include "Ladies Love Chest Rockwell", "Pit Stop (Take Me Home)", "Anger Management", "Everyone Has A Summer They Want To Remember", "To Catch A Thief", "Lies And Alibis", "Book Of The Month", "Strangers On A Train", "Sex (I'm A)", "Tea Time With Maseo", "Herbs, Good Hygiene, & Socks", and the best song named after a bad Burt Reynolds movie ever, "Stroker Ace". CD

Greatest hits compilation with the best from the NBN glory days. Tracks include "Hip Hop Hooray", "OPP", "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", "Feel Me Flow", "Clap Yo Hands", "1, 2, 3", "Guard Your Grill", and the classic "Uptown Anthem" from the Juice soundtrack. Plus some World Trade Center references (from the first time...) on "Wickedest Mad Alive." CD

Tracks include "Dangerous MC's" featuring Snoop Dogg & Busta Rhymes, "I Really Want To Show You" featuring Nas with K-Ci & Jo-Jo, "Rap Phenomenon" featuring Redman & Method Man, "Tonight" featuring Mobb Deep, "Let Me Get Down" featuring Missy Elliott, Craig Mack, & G-Dep, "Come On" featuring Sadat X, "Big Booty Hoes" featuring Too $hort, "Dead Wrong" featuring Eminem, "Notorious B.I.G." and "Would You Die For Me" featuring Lil Kim & the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, "Biggie" featuring Junior M.A.F.I.A., "Can I Get Witcha" featuring Lil Cease, "Who Shot Ya", and "If I Should Die Before I Wake" featuring Ice Cube, Beanie Sigel, & Black Rob. LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Biggie, and a set that was instantly poised to catapult him to superstardom – even before his tragic death ended up doing that before the release of the record! And yes, the title's a bit cryptic – and given the fact that the material came out after BIG was shot, it might seem like a cash-in collection of left-behind tracks – yet it's not that at all. The long path to the album's creation represents a step forward to almost build a bridge between underground hip hop and mainstream soul – maybe in a way that would have calmed some of the coastal beefs that were taking place at the time – as the late, great one works here with an array of guests from both the worlds of hip hop and R&B – 112, Jay-Z, R Kelly, Puff Daddy, Lil Kim, Too Short, and others – in a classic set of tracks that includes "Hypnotize", "Kick In the Door", "Mo Money Mo Problems", "Notorious Thugs", "Going Back To Cali", "Sky's The Limit", "Miss U", "Ten Crack Commandments", 'What's Beef", and "Nasty Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

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 sadness and regret. This thing sounds as great in the new millennium as it did at the end of the previous one. All the classics: "Things Have Changed", "Gimme The Loot", "Machine Gun Funk", "Ready To Die", "Warning", "The What" featuring Method Man, "Ready To Die", "Juicy", "Big Poppa", "Respect", "Friend Of Mine", and the Premier-produced "Unbelievable". This is the original version of the CD with the baby on the cover and 17 tracks in all. CD