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 proud, mic skills centric hip hop and while highs and lows of Mos Def's work as the years rolled along – and it still stands as strong (then) underground hip hop that takes on the commercial leaning themes of the day and well beyond. Stand out cuts include "Definition" "Twice Inna Lifetime", "Children's Story", "Respiration" featuring Common Sense – and other tracks include "Brown Skin Lady", "Yo Yeah", "Thieves In The Night" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

In 1994 when everyone seemed to be turning hardcore, Common Sense wasn't having it – and gave the world this superb second album that formed a key part of his soon-to-be huge legacy! The album's very near and dear to our Chicago-born hearts – and is filled with introspective tales of growing up and living on the South Side, given perfect support by the production of No ID – a real overlooked hero of this generation! The album was made with little regard to trends of the time, and that's given it a timeless quality that really holds on over the years – maybe even more so than some of Common's later, bigger records. The set features two guest appearances by Y-Not aka Twilight Tone – and titles include "I Used To Love HER", "Book Of Life", "Chapter 13", "Nuthin' To Do", "In My Own World (Check The Method)", "Maintaining", "Communism", "Watermelon", "Thisisme", and "Sum Sh*t I Wrote". (And bonus trivia – Chicago station WHPK, a breeding ground for Dusty Groove, even gets a mention on the set!). This excellent 2LP deluxe vinyl reissue includes a side featuring 3 bonus tracks – "Resurrection 95", "Resurrection (Large Professor mix)", and "Resurrection (Extra P rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most lavish, loving books on hip hop that we've ever seen – a huge volume that manages to be a history of rap music, a photo book, a guide to key albums, and also a personal journey as well – all served up with a vivid, non-stop array of images that make the whole thing even more of a visual delight than digging in the crates! The volume is huge – stuffed with over 1000 images, most in color – photos of album covers, street art, hip hop DJs and MCs, and countless other subjects – all presented in loose chronological order, alongside a history and evolution of the music, plus a timeline of key records and moments – all guided by some personal reflections by the author as well. Chuck D gives the book some huge props in the intro – and this updated volume is a heavy 446 pages, in a softcover edition, filled with images throughout. (Books, Hip Hop) Book

The classic debut album by the DOC, from the glory days of Ruthless Records – one of the few records on the label to live up to the brilliance of NWA at their height! Dr Dre handles the production here – and there's a razor-sharp edge that really matches DOC's wordcraft – as powerful as the rest of the Ruthless crew, but in a different way too – almost more sophisticated, with the messaged buried a bit more in the lyrics. Titles include "The Formula", "It's Funky Enough", "Mind Blowin", "Lend Me An Ear", "Portrait Of A Master Piece", "Whirlwind Pyramid", "No One Can Do It Better", and "The DOC & The Doctor" – plus "The Grand Finale", which features guest work from Ren and Ice Cube. LP, Vinyl record album

The Flying Mojito Brothers didn't record in the 70s – but they love to take older records from the decade, mix them up, and create something really new in the process – contemporary cuts that are filled with echoes of classic AM Radio – but at a level that's often very much in the background, so that the funk and club touches of the Bros really dominate in the lead! The duo's edits have gotten great attention online, and are presented here in a limited package for DJ work – with titles that include "Do It Again", "Carry On", "Mudbone", "Riders On The Storm", "Tonight's The Night", "Union Man", "Keep On", "Nighttime In The Switching Yard", "Gold Dust Woman", and "Arizona Desert". (New Grooves, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic classic from the Cali scene of the early 90s – one of the key records that had the west coast going head to head with some of the smarter acts back east – a great balance to the up and coming genius of Wu Tang and Brand Nubian! There's a similar sense of message and play going on here – rhymes from Mikah 9, PEACE, Aceyalone, and Self Jupiter – set to beats that bounce nicely, but never in a way that undercuts the lyrics – nicely crisp production with assist from the Earthquake Brothers. Titles include "Inner City Boundaries", "Shammy's", "Everything's Everything", "Park Bench People", "Mary", "Cornbread", "Way Cool", "Heavyweights", "Pure Thought", "Hot Potato", and "Six Tray". CD

The fantastic first album from LL Cool J – one that really kicked off a whole new school of hip hop – the early Def Jam era! Radio features straight up excellent early Def production from Rick Rubin and loads of tight tracks from LL – whose charisma continued to flow for the next couple of decades – even if his later records could never approach this benchmark level. Tracks include "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "Rock The Bells", "Dangerous", "That's A Lie", "You'll Rock" and "I Can Give You More". A piece of history – and an album that changed hip hop forever! CD

Maybe one of the last moments of genius from Public Enemy – and a set that still has their power and politics very much at the top of their game! The message may even be more powerful than the music at points – no surprise for Chuck D and crew at this point in their career – but in comparison to so many other weaker records from the time, the whole thing's still held up very well with age – and has managed to slide strongly into the rest of their previous catalog. Titles include their popular "Bring Tha Noize" duet with Anthrax – plus "Get the F–- Outta Dodge", "Can't Truss It", "By The Time I Get To Arizona", "Nighttrain", "Shut Em Down", "A Letter To The New York Post", "1 Million Bottlebags", and "More News At 11". CD

The massive third album from Run DMC – made at the top of their game – an pivotal effort that brought them to peak popularity and helped break hip hop in a huge way in the pop culture landscape! Part of the album's strength is its guitar-heavy sound on some of the grooves – produced by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons with a classic early Def Jam vibe, in the same manner that helped the Beastie Boys get their records in the hands of folks who'd never buy hip hop otherwise! That sound comes to culmination on the album's hit collaboration with Aerosmith on a remake of "Walk This Way", resulting in the commercial breakthrough, but the real triumph here is the increased complexity in both the lyricism, and the way Jam Master Jay serves up their beats – which makes for a stone classic all the way through, on tracks that include "Peter Piper", "It's Tricky", "My Adidas", "Proud To Be Black", "You Be Illin'", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The first full length classic from Spice 1 – an MC who came up in the wake of Too Short on the west coast, but has definitely found his own style by the time of this set! Some tracks almost have an Ice Cube mix of biting social commentary and view from the streets – while others are maybe more in the crossover gangsta vein that would rise strongly in years to come. Samples are all obvious, but well-used – records from Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and Isaac Hayes – and the album also features some tight mixing and production from Ant Banks. Titles include "In My Neighborhood", "187 Proof", "Peace To My Nine", "Welcome To The Ghetto", "Money Or Murder", "City Streets", and "Break Yourself". LP, Vinyl record album

Sinister sounds from MF Doom – working here under his Viktor Vaughn identity, yet serving up the same fantastic blend of hardness and wit as in the other records under his own name! There's a lean, mean quality to the record that's wonderful – thanks to production from King Honey, Max Bill, and RJD2 – who help Doom find the best sort of spirit for these tracks. Titles include the wonderful "Open Mic Night", with some great Last Poets energy – plus "Vaudeville Villain", "The Drop", "Lactose & Lecithin", "A Dead Mouse", "Raedawn", "Modern Day Mugging", "Never Dead", and "Popsnot". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of tracks from the documentary on the man behind Mo Wax Records – Unkle/James Lavelle – an artist in his own right, and a creative force who helped shape the sound of a generation! The package includes not only some key cuts from the Mo Wax catalog, but also tunes that predate the label, and show the impact of their style in later years – a lineup that includes "See & Don't See" by Marie Queenie Lyons, "Doin Damage In My Native Language (Shadow's legitimate rmx)" by Zimbabwe Legit, "Blue Flowers" by Dr Octagon, "Kemuri" by DJ Krush, "Back & Forth" by Unkle, "Swan Lake" by Blackalicious, "Return Of The Original Art Form (DJ mix)" by Hiroshi & Kudo, "Friends & Countrymen" by The Wild Bunch, "Contemplating Jazz" by Attica Blues, "Organ Donor (ext overhaul)" by DJ Shadow, "Food Of My De-Rhythm" by RPM, and "Ravers Such Our Sound" by LA Funk Mob. (New Grooves, Hip Hop) CD