The classic Scott La Rock tribute album – with BDP classics and remixes – originally issued as a 2LP set that was put together following the South Bronx-repping hip hop pioneer's shooting death. Alternate versions, remixes and BDP medley's from their most classic late 80s period. 15 tracks in all: "Advance", "D Nice Rocks The House", "Red Alert (Criminal Minded)", 'Doc Mix (Criminal Minded)", "Super Hoe #4", "Word From Our Sponsor #8", "BDP Medley #5", "Poetry" (#s 1, 2 & 3)" and lots more! CD

The soundtrack to the action flick with DMX and Jet Li. Tracks include "X Gon Give It To Ya" by DMX, "Go To Sleep" by Eminem & DMX, "What's It All For?" by Bazaar Royale, "Follow Me Gangster" by 50 Cent & G-Unit, "Stompdash**outu" CNN feat MOP, "Do Sumptin" by Comp, "My Life (Cradle 2 The Grave)" by Foxy Brown feat Althea, "Fireman" by Drag On, "Drop Drop" by Joe Budden, "I'm Serious" by Clipse, "Right/Wrong" by DMX, "It's Gon' Be What It's Gon' Be" by Jinx & Loose, "Hand That Rocks The Cradle" by Big Stan, "Won't Be Coming Back" by Baby, "C2G" by Fat Joe feat Youngn' Restless, "Focus" by Kashmir, "Slangin' Dem Thangs" by Profit, "Off The Hook" by Jinx Da Juvy, "Getting Down" by Bloodline Records Kennel (DMX, Big Stan, Kashmir & Bazaar Royale). LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

(New Grooves, Hip Hop) 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Produced by Grandmaster Flash. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

The follow up to the classic first LP! Listening to Kurtis Mantronik productions all of these years later is a definite educational experience, given the huge influence the crisp synth sounds had on the future of hip hop – not only as a matter of necessity, given the cost of sample clearance, but also as an aesthetic choice. Archeological chin-scratching aside, it's a straight up good time, with a shiny electronic bounce – one that holds up well! Tracks include "Music Madness", "Who Is It?", "Ladies (UK rmx)", "Scream", "Listen To The Bass Part" – plus 5 bonus tracks including "Scream" original 12 inch club and dub versions, "Who It Is?" original 12 inch freestyle USA club and UK club mixes, and "Who's Dub Is It? (original 12 inch dub)". CD

... CD

A landmark hip hop album from Stones Throw MC and producer Oh No – one that's assembled almost entirely of samples from the work of jazz funk pioneer Galt MacDermot – with a reverent roster of guest vocalists that include Pos of De La Soul, AG, Vast Aire, MED, Dudley Perkins, Frank N Dank and more! In a way, this is the first album of it's kind in the history of hip hop. The Stones Throw label has never made secret of just how deeply influenced they are by Galt's oeuvre – and this LP is not only a great show of respect to the composer, it's the best work Oh No's done to date. Fresh and funky all the way through! Titles include "Beware" feat Cali Agents, "Black" feat Wise Intelligent, "To Be An MC" feat K Jay, "Keep Tryin'" feat Roc C, "Know Better" feat Wordsworth, "Second Chance" feat Aloe Blacc, "Low Coastin'" feat AG, "Cut Session" feat DJ Romes, "Smile A Little Bit" feat Posdnuos, "Keep It Lit" feat MED & Wildchild, "In This" feat Murs, "Hank" feat LMNO, "Lights Out" feat Frank N Dank and more! CD

... CD

Classics from the mid 80s east coast hip hop master class – BDP, Just-Ice, T La Rock, Skinny Boys, Tricky Tee and Mantronix – benchmark singles, circa '86! This compilation was put together by Five Day Weekend as a soundtrack inspired by Big Fun In The Big Town – the little seen documentary by Dutch filmmaker Bram Van Splunter. Includes "South Bronx" and "9MM Goes Bang" by Boogie Down Productions, "Cold Getting Dumb" by Just-Ice, "Breaking Bells" and "Back To Burn" by T La Rock, "Jockbox" by Skinny Boys, "Leave It To The Drums" by Tricky Tee and "Bassline" and "Ladies" by Mantronix. CD

Featuring Lil Fame of MOP. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Instrumentals from rising production talent Calvin Valentine! CV shows a real love for sampled soul throught Plush Seats, along with spacey keyboard texture, some nice nods to classic scratch work and other classic touches. Having recently crafted a full set of beats for an Illa J project, you might guess something of a J Dilla influence, but Calvin's got his own vibe for sure. Includes "76", "CTRL S", "Vanilla", "444U", "Secondary", "Point Place", "Ovr", "PCH", "Ras Trent", "Green Fields", "LA", "Starr", "Glen Robinson", "Mazel Tov", "Croptober", "Tabernacle", "Plush Seats" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Unfiltered portraits of the artist formerly known as Red Pill – delivering the goods under his own name on a solid set for the Mello Music Group! Real life, self searching and personal statement making hip hop from a voice rooted in classic 90s school craft – not so much with a neo-classic sound as much as a strong commitment to beats, rhymes and life experience. Good stuff! Includes production by Nolan The Ninja, Apollo Brown, L'Orange, Onra and Exile – and given the self-protrait mission the guest rhymes kept to a minimum, with just a couple worthy appearances, courtesy Verbal Kent and Fashawn. Titles include "Self Portrait", "Stories", "Design Flaw", "Lazy Buddies", "Escape Plan", "Bottom Feeders" w/ Fashawn, "Barfly", "What Happens Next", "Mom" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Parisian beatmaker Dela attracts some of best MCs in underground hip hop for his long awaited US releases Changes Of Atmoshere – a steady mix of soulful and jazzy beatcraft and headnodding funk boombap – including Talib Kweli, Elzhi of Slum Village, J-Live and many more! Titles include "I Say Peace" feat J-Live, "Live The Life" feat J Sands, "My N@#a" feat Elzhi, "Long Life" feat Talib Kweli, "Vibrate" feat Blu, "The Plan" feat Dynas, "It Is What It Is" feat Naledge, "Chill" feat Large Professor & Meemy Nelzy, "Changes Of Atmosphere" feat Supastition and more. CD

... CD

Nice joint effort from a couple of diverse figures – Texas producer Gensu Dean and Detroit producer/MC Denmark Vessey! Denmark is on the vocals here and Gensu is on the beats, with just a couple guest appearances, and pretty solid sound throughout! Strong stuff for sure. Includes "The Meek", "Whole Food", "Saturday", "Black Love" feat 7even Thirty & Iman Omari, "Gun Emoji (Bang)", "Broken Petal", "Biscuits & Gravy", "Ode To XX Chromosome", "Racka Lamb" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Ghostface in his raw and direct mode once again, sounding pretty great after a string of collaborative and more theme oriented efforts – definitely more in the vein of his work around Supreme Clientele and Fishscale that more recent records in which he shared billing with producers and players like Adrian Younge and Badbadnotgood. Nothing fancy, just rock solid raw hip hop with sharp dart rhymes by a legend – with appearances by Method Man & Cappadonna, Sun God & Shawn Wigs, Eamon, Solomon Childs & Inspectah Deck. Titles include "Me Denny & Darryl", "Burner To Burner", "Flex", "Conditioning", "Fly Everything", "New World", "The Chace" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Wu Tang stalwart Inspectah Deck back in the Shaolin style on Chamber No 9 – complete with Asian action cinema soundbites, an ODB tribute track, and the flying guillotine on the cover – and whether you want to chalk it up to nostalgia or not, it's pretty nice to hear him revisiting his roots! Deck's always been one of the Wu's underrated figures, but he's been one of the most consistently solid over the years, too – be it on the all too rare solo albums or with his latter day group Czarface. This one is a straight up Wu Tang offshoot, and titles include "Shaolin Rebel", "Russell Jones", "Chamber No 9", "Certified", "24K" with Hellfire & Cappadonna, "Game Don't Change", "Who Run It" feat Hellfire & Streetlife and more. 12 tracks and no filler. LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Mr. Len. 12-inch, Vinyl record

The Final Adventure of Murs & 9th Wonder as a duo – until the reunion, anyway! (Folks can hope, right?) It's been a pretty solid ride for this partnership – with 9th Wonder's raw, gritty and soulful hip hop serving is a hella strong foil for Murs' creative rhymes and distinctive rhymes. Solid stuff from a reliable unit – whether they truly hang up the dynamic duo work or not. Includes "Get Together" with Rapsody, "Funeral For A Killer", "Tale Of Two Cities", "Better Way", "Where You Are", "Dance With Me", "It Over", "Baby Girl (Holding Hands)" and more. CD

A batch of some of the sharpest material we've heard from Thaione Davis – a shining light of the Chicago hip hop underground scene – produced entirely by Rashid Hadee, who brings some some hard hitting soul to the beats! Thaione is one of the best MCs and producers on the Chicago scene, and working here with a strong production partner, he's free to focus sharply on the rhymes, and it pays off! Rashid (of Chapter 13) has produced for Little Brother among others, and brings that emotionally resonant, but hard hitting approach to soulful beatmaking to this project. Very solid hip hop from Chicago! Titles include "Still Hear", "Inside Your Mind", "Tradesman", "Bottomline", "Observation Incomplete", "Problems", "The Gambit", "Confessions Of An Adolescent", "Subliminal", "Face Of The Hood", "Onetwo", "Leaving Babylon", "Deception", "Highest Regards", "Purpose". LP, Vinyl record album

Top notch Central Texas hip hop collaborative produced by Adrian "AQ" Quesada (Grupo Fantasma, Brownout, Echocentrics, Spanish Gold) – with "Reflection Of The Times" feat Reggie Coby, the title track with Mellow Man Ace, "Justice Or Else", "Yanga's", "Soul Force" feat Da'Shade, Riders Against the Storm, Bavu Blakes & Vocab (plus a vinyl-only remix) and more! 12 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

There's nothing abstract here – as the set's a fantastically-focused tribute to the late Jay Dee – put together in a style that's mostly jazz, but which also has some great vocal touches too! The music's roots are in hip hop, but the presentation here is awash in strong work on saxes, trumpet, and trombone – used over rhythms that are played live, and which have this warm glow that's like 70s jazz funk, filtered through the hop hop generation! Emphasis is on horn solos, but the set also features twin female singers – who provide some chorus vocals, and a warm link between the instrumental modes in a really great way. So maybe consider this both a soul and a jazz remake of the world of Dilla – and a great one too. Titles include "Welcome To Detroit/The Diary", "Dilla Mix 1", "Official/Fall In Love", "Love", "Angel"," King", "Two Can Win", "Raw Sh*t", "Workinonit", and "Stop". (Jazz, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

Here's a record that goes straight to the heart of the music of Madlib – not just his Madvillain collaboration with MF Doom, but all the great jazziness he's brought to his many projects over the years! The set's all instrumental – a larger jazz ensemble taking off on tunes previously recorded by Madvillain – but really transforming them with a funky flair, maybe partly a modern update on the way that older school bands used to serve up their own renderings of funk and soul tunes back in the 70s! The vibe here is more contemporary overall, though – and maybe a bit more complex – as the live drums and bass really open things up, while four saxes, three trumpets, and four trombones really create some great colors over the top. There's keyboards on most numbers, and titles include "Madmix 1", "Great Day", "All Caps", "Curls", "Fancy Clown", "Raid", and "Accordion". (Deep Funk, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

A really great take on the music of Madvillain – that famous collaboration between Madlib & MF Doom – served up here in a mostly instrumental mode that's heavy on funk and jazz! You'll definitely recognize the tunes in the set, but the presentation is very different – almost as if someone's gone back to the music, stripped it down to core samples, then worked those back up again with a new sort of energy! The group's directed by Rob Mitchell – clearly the genius behind the whole project – and solos are by James Russell on tenor and flute, Simon Bobby Beddoe on trumpet, Jim Corry on alto, and George Cooper on piano and keyboards. Titles include "Meat Grinder", "Eye", "Figaro", "Can't Reform Em", "Madmix 3", "Rainbows", "Fire In The Hole", "Rhinestone Cowboy", "Operation Lifesaver", and "Borrowed Time". (Deep Funk, Hip Hop) CD

A pair of gems from Amerigo Gazaway on cassette! Endless Summer is fresh summer breeze of a hip hop instrumentals set from Amerigo Gazaway! AG sets the summer themed mood from the start, and it holds true throughout, with persistent headnodding beats under sampled soul vocal, breezy bits of guitar organ and bass that really help the theme take flight without soaring to far out of compelling beat tape mode. Includes "Summertime", "Hold Me Tight", "Til Next Time", "Silly Love Song", "Music City Madness", "Game Over", "C'Mon Baby" and "She Said". No Free Beats is the jazzy soul-steeped beats for the graffiti documentary No Free Walls! It captures the spirit of 90s era hip hop and graff culture incredibly well with the persistent headnodding beats, a way of capturing jazzy bits of bass and horns that wouldn't be out of place on a classic Gangstarr LP, and occasional turntable scratches. Strong stuff! Includes "Get Out", "Step Up", "Word Life", "Breakszilla", "98 Posse", "Feel The Groove", "Represent", "The Chase", "Lost Tribe" and more. (Cassettes, Hip Hop) Cassette

A timeless, crackling soul and west coast funk-inspired hip hop instrumentals set from Melting Pot Music supergroup Betty Ford Boys – the triple threat production trio of Suff Daddy, Dexter and Brenk Sinatra! Each one manages to serve up what we've dug to date from their earlier, separate productions – from the Moog-flavored funk of Suff Daddy, to the classic G-Funk-inspired funk of Brenk Sinatra, to the hip hop funk electicism of Dexter – and it's all held together nicely thanks the intoxicating concept and the thematic vocal samples. Includes "The Time Has Come (4 Us To Be One)", "Hero Heroin", "Icky", "Papa Was ( A Junky), Too", "Everyday", "Tell Her", "Sippin'", "Legalize Every MF Thing", "Hold Up", "Making Love Good", "Coco Puffs", "I Need A 40", "Snow Soul", "Till The Wheels Fall Off", "Drinkin' Hennessy" and more. CD

Production and music by Ali Shaheed Muhammad. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Uptempo production by 1988 DMC mix champ Cash Money – one of mightiest DJs of the late 80s Philly hip hop scene this side of Jazzy Jeff, and the proof is on the cover! With Marvelous on the mic the duo paired deft turntable skills with playful rhymes and a deft sense of humor. Nice! Tracks include "Find An Ugly Woman", "Play It Kool", "Is It Real", "Time Is Up", "A Real Mutha For Ya", "Marvelous' Drawers", "Ugly People Be Quiet (rmx)", "Ugly People Be Quiet", "The Mighty Hard Rocker", "The Music Maker" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Childish Gambino once again transcends anything you might be expecting from an actor/musician – this is not some vain star trip at all, but a worthy, boundary-busting effort – and a pretty sizable step away from idiosyncratic, yet accessible hip hop into spacey pop funk! Strong stuff, following his own path in respectable, highly rewarding fashion. Includes "Me And Your Mama", "Have Some Love", "Boogieman", "Zombies", "Riot", "Redbone", "Terrified", "California", "Terrified", "The Night Me & Your Mama Met" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A neo-electro/drug rap/crossover hip hop classic produced by the Neptunes, and the debut LP on their own Star Trak label. Malice and Pusha T are smooth, confident rhymers with some stand-out moments, but the Neptunes are driving this train, much in the way Prince Paul commandeered early De La Soul productions. Like Paul, The Neptunes' fingerprints are evident on just about every second of every track, but it doesn't diminish the role of the rappers in the least. This is a true hip hop record from beginning to end, something the 'Tunes had shied away from around the same time with the hard rockin' NERD. Their production style saturated pop music at the time, but this may be the Neptunes first album-length masterpiece. Tracks include "Young Boy", "Ma, I Don't Love Her" featuring Faith Evans, "Ego", "Comedy Central" featuring Fabulous, "Gangsta Lean", "Let's Talk About It" featuring Jermaine Dupri, and more. Includes exclusive "Grindin'" remixes. LP, Vinyl record album