... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A synthy soul funk project from the team of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo – a set that's just trippy enough – and it's possibly the best full length from either party, ever! You don't need us to tell you that DM has had a finger in a handful of the best fringe pop/leftfield hip hop projects of the mid 00s, and Cee-Lo has been threatening to deliver a strange soul classic for years – and he brings it with Gnarls Barkley. The sound runs from stuttering synth funk, to bubbling hip hop soul, to funky modern pop in a way that equals any other genre blending cats out there – and probably betters them! Tracks include "Go Go Gadget Gospel", "Crazy", "St. Elsewhere", "Gone Daddy Gone" (Yup, THAT "Gone Daddy Gone"), "Smiley Faces", "The Boogie Monster", "Feng Shui", "Just A Thought", "Transformer", "Who Cares?", "Online", "Necromancer", "Storm Coming" and "The Last Time". CD

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 Ship, "A Day In The Life" featuring RZA, AZ and others and more, plus intro/outro by Father Guido Sarducci. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Early production from The Neptunes. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A crossover classic from the late Nipsey Hussle – the kind of record that should have marked the beginning of a big new wave of fame, had he not been taken from us all too soon! There's a nicely crispy vibe here – both in the compact production, which never sounds too stripped-down, but never overwhelms either – and in Nipsey's vocals, clear and sharp, and maybe with a bit more of the bite of the generation before! The set features guest appearances from Ceelo Green, YG, Kendrick Lamar, Buddy, and others – and titles include "Rap N****s", "Victory Lap", "Status Symbol 3", "Succa Proof", "Keyz 2 The City 2", "Million While You Young", "Grinding All My Life", "Real Big", and "Loaded Bases". LP, Vinyl record album

(Reggae, Hip Hop) 12-inch, Vinyl record

From Urban Legend. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Soundtrack from the movie 187 starring Samuel L Jackson, which honestly we remember nothing about, but we can say that about most of the films with hip hop related soundtracks. A bit of an odd one – mostly typical score instrumental tracks, but also featuring Method Man "Release Yo Delf (Prodigy rmx)", DJ Shadow "Stem", Everything But The Girl "Flipside", and Massive Attack "Karmacoma" and "Spying Glass". CD

A record for a movie that seemed like a bit of a joke at the time of release – but one that's gone on to have surprising staying power with new generations over the decades – as has the mix of music that makes up the soundtrack! The set's from the big 90s anthology soundtrack moment – and features cuts that include "All Of My Days" by R Kelly with Changing Faces & Jay Z, "That's The Way" by Spin Doctors with Biz Markie, "Fly Like An Eagle" by Seal, "The Winner" by Coolio, "Space Jam" by Quad City DJs, "I Believe I Can Fly" by R Kelly, "I Found My Smile Again" by D'Angelo, "Givin U All That I've Got" by Robin S, "Basketball Jones" by Barry White & Chris Rock, "I Turn To You" by All 4 One, "Buggin" by Bugs Bunny, "Upside Down" by Salt N Pepa, and "Hit Em High (The Monsta's Anthem)" by B Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man. (Soundtracks, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

Not quite up to the standards of the Jonzun Crew classics, with production by Maurice Starr. Still a little of the electro sound, but it sounds more like something from Atlantic Star. 12-inch, Vinyl record

An offshoot of the 4AD rock scene from the UK, this number sampled Rakim from "Paid In Full" to great effect – and it made quite a bit of sense that the track was issued on 4th & Broadway in the US (probably also a legal move, so that the label wouldn't sue 4AD for copping a sample from one of their artists! The record features a bit of scratching by CJ Mackintosh, with a bubbly beat that made it huge on both sides of the Atlantic. (Soul, Hip Hop) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Mantronix ("Mantronik" on this one) uses his trademark production style, along with a small Santana sample, for a single that's as dope anything on his first LP. 12-inch, Vinyl record