A career-spanning set of work from the Beastie Boys – one that features tracks from both their Def Jam and Capitol/Grand Royal years – in a way that really shows the continuing evolution of their sound! The tracklist is great – classics from every generation, and the kind of cuts that maybe hold up more strongly than some of their others as the years go by – a 20-track testament to the genius and wit that set them apart from the pack! Titles include "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win", "Fight For Your Right", "Ch Check It Out", "Intergalactic", "Pass The Mic", "Shadrach", "Hold It Now Hit It", "Root Down", "Body Movin", "Sabotage", "Brass Monkey", "Get It Together", "Jimmy James", "Hey Ladies", "No Sleep Til Brooklyn", "So What'Cha Want", "Shake Your Rump", "Paul Revere", "Sure Shot", and "Make Some Noise". CD

Low Budget Hi Fi Music from Madlib – the eleventh entry in his epic Madlib's Medicine Show series – 28 tracks of hip hop unofficially dubbed the Dirty Demos! The set feature sample enriched instrumentals by Madlib as Loop Digga and collaborations with Strong Arm Steady, J Rocc, Madlib & Oh No as The Professionals, Guity Simpson, AG & Frank Nitt. It's great stuff, natch – finding Madlib in a straighter hip hop mode production wise – but straighter Madlib production has unexpected twists and turns! Loads of funky samples, some recognizable others otherworldly – and beats that range from dusty funk to dramatically soulful. Includes "The Sound Of Champions" (inst), "Charlie Hustle" by Strong Arm Steady, "Sam", "Snakes 101" by MED, "Girls" by J Rocc, "Love/Hate" (inst), "The Adventurs Of Soul Bra And Docta Dick'em Pts 1 & 2", "Hold Up" by The Professionals, "Thoughts Of An Old Flame" by Guilty Simpson and others. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Best Part Of Me Pt 2" by Mya & Jay-Z, "Keep It Thoro" by Prodigy, "My Mind Right" by Memphis Bleek, "Who Did You Expect" by The Lox, "Wanna Take Me Back" by T-Boz, "Millionare" by Hot Boyz feat Big Tymers, "Funkanella" by Outkast feat Slim Calhoun & Killa Mike, "Come & Get It" by Redman & Lady Luck, "Gotta be A Thug" by Fabulous, "Don't Wanna Beef" by Capone-N-Noreaga, and "People's Court" by Jay-Z. 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

A nice selection of songs featured in the hugely successful NWA biopic – with classics by the group and both formative and later solo material Ice Cube, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre – plus earlier funky classics that inspired them by Parliament, Funkadelic, Roy Ayers and Steve Arrington! Spanning eras, it's one classic track after another, be it party funk or gritty gangsta rap – with "Straight Outta Compton", 'Gangsta Gangta", "Dopeman (Remix):, "F*** Tha Police", "Quiet On The Set", "Express Yourself" and more by NWA, "We Want Eazy" by Eazy-E, "No Vaseline" by Ince Cube", "Nuthin But A 'G' Thank" by Dre & Snoop, "Flash Light" by Parliament, "Every Body Loves The Sunshine" by Roy Ayers Ubiquity, "Weak At The Knees" by Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The somewhat slept on second album by Das Efx – and in hindsight, it's just as solid as Dead Serious – maybe even more consistently strong than the breakout debut! Dray and Skoob keep up the loco syllabic tempo and tongue tripping rhymes on this one – over the head nodding Solid Scheme beats that sound great to this day – but wisely put the focus on the rhyme craft rather than going overboard with the manic style. You've heard us an just about anyone else with an opinion about hip hop history go on and on about the golden years of the early 90s, and this rock solid effort deserves as much acclaim as many of the better remembered records of the day. With the tracks "Baknaffek", "Wontu", "Check It Out", "Undaground Rappa", "Gimme Dat Micraphone", "It'z Lik Dat", "Host Wit Da Most", "Rappaz", and "Freakit". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Knowledge-heavy hip hop from the Texas trio of Easy Lee, MexStep, and DJ Chicken George – working here with some heavy help from a lineup of guests that includes Black Pumas and Grupo Fantasma! Producer Adrian Quesada, the powerhouse between those two acts, is on hand as producer for a fair bit of the record – bringing in his special blend of funk and soul roots, with that genre-stepping quality he's known for – perfect here for the conscious rhymes of Third Root. The whole thing hearkens back to an early 90s level of edutainment – and features additional production from El Dusty, and guest work from Madine and Kam Franklin too. Titles include "Born To Rhyme", "Spring Groove", "The Next Kendrick", "BBG", "MexStep 4 President", "Summer Groove", "Fantasma Horns", and "The Last Triumvirate". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic debut of Whodini – a duo who were maybe seen by some as too pop back in the day, but whose music here still really stands the test of time way back to the old school! Jalil Hutchins and Ecstasy combine new beatcraft and catchy hooks at a level that maybe made them one of the first groups to really push hip hop into the mainstream – and there's some surprising studio talent on the set, which includes production from both Thomas Dolby and the Willesden Dodgers – plus work by Conny Plank at the legendary studios of Can in Germany! That mix of modes really comes through in the set – which is maybe one of the first records to inscribe that love of overseas sounds that Afrika Bambaataa was first bringing to the mix – on cuts that include their classic "The Haunted House Of Rock" – in both regular and vocoder versions – plus "Magic's Wand", "Nasty Lady", "Underground", "Rap Machine", "Yours For A Night", and "It's All In Mr Magic's Wand". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most sonically intense albums to date from Aesop Rock – a set that matches his ever-sharp rhymes with the sorts of musical settings that really live up to the spirit of the title! The vocals come on with this really crispy sort of edge – partly the production, partly the presentation – with the words exploding alongside all these spare, but eerie musical elements – off-tuned keyboards at one moment, weird guitar at another, layered by never too deeply – so that there's a lean vibe overall that really matches the straightforward presentation of the lyrics. Titles include "Button Masher", "Dog At The Door", "Boot Soup", "Coveralls", "The Four Winds", "Marble Cake", "Fixed & Dilated", and "Sleeper Car". CD

The classic from Afrika Bamaaataa & The Soul Sonic Force – one of the most revolutionary pieces of formative hip hop history! "Planet Rock" is straight up legendary for a number of reasons. It's one of those early hip hop hits to bring the genre to greater popularity, the deft use of Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra inspiration with a NYC party rocking vibe is pure genius, and the overall effect on hip hop, house, electro and pop music to come is seriously huge. Vital! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A record that was originally billed as an EP, really a double EP – but one that stands as maybe one of the best full length set by Atmosphere! The production allows for plenty of room for live musicianship – blended with beats, but strong enough to ensure the crossover potential of the set – which is filled with the kind of narrative rhymes that always set Slug apart from the pack! Titles include "Scalp", "The Major Leagues", "Hope", "The Loser Wins", "Americareful", "Commodities", "Shotgun", "Freefallin", and "The Number None". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most ambitious set so far from the duo of Blu & Exile – an expansive double-length set, delivered after a hiatus of new material for a number of years – and a record that really shows just how much the pair have grown during that time! Hip hop is still at the core of the set – thanks to rhymes from Blu and always-great production from Exile – but there's all these other musical elements in the mix, too – never forced or overdone, but used in a way that really helps expand the Cali soul quality that's always been at the core of their music. Guests on the record include Gappy Ranks, Ishe, Jacinto Rhines, Jimetta Rose, Iman Omari, Aloe Blacc, Miguel, Fashawn, and Choosey – and titles include "Miles Davis", "Bright As Stars", "Music Is My Everything", "Miles Away", "Roots Of Blue", "To The Fall But Not Forgotten", "Requiem Of Blue", "African Dream", "Spread Sunshine", and "When The Gods Meet". CD