... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

9 tracks in all, including "Sex Machine", "Breakdown", "Rapp Symphony (in c-minor)", "Beat Box, Part III", "In The House" and "Beat Box Is Rockin'". LP, Vinyl record album

The RZA's fine second phase career as a top notch soundtrack maestro continues with Afro Samurai – the music for the anime/blacksploitation hybrid starring Samuel L Jackson – and a varied batch of tracks that's really a lot more than the typical Ghost Dog/early Wu Tang style beats you might be expecting! Naturally, RZA does bring plenty of martial arts style and soul beat instrumentals, but there are also a lot of vocal cuts – which run the gamut from raw freestyle-like bits to atmospheric r&b. GZA drops in, as do pioneers Big Daddy Kane and Q-Tip! Titles include "Afro Theme" with rhymes by RZA, "Certified Samurai" feat Talib Kweli, Lil Free & Suga Bang, "Just A Little Dude" feat Q-Tip & Free Murder, "Oh" and "The Walk" feat Stone Mecca, "Cameo Afro" feat Big Daddy Kane, GZA & Suga Bang, "Take Sword Pt 1" with RZA & Berretta 9 and more vocal tracks, plus the instrumentals "Afro Intro", "Afro's Father Fight", "The Empty 7 Theme", "Afro Samurai Theme (First Part and Second Part)" and more. Several bonus tracks, too, billed as Bobby Digital! CD

A well-titled set from the lyrical king – the mighty T La Rock, one of the key mid 80s MCs who helped introduce a whole new level of sophistication to hip hop! T La Rock maybe never hit the heights of KRS-One, Rakim, or other contemporaries – but this set has all the sharp fire and intensity that made that moment of new creativity so great – from the edgey production work and scratches by Louie Lou, to the extra help from Mantronik, and even the album's early appearances by Special K and MC Serch – which further the sense of collaboration from the streets that made some of the Fresh Records sets so great. Titles include "Lyrical King", "Back To Burn", "Three Minutes Of Beat Box", "Bust These Lyrics", "This Beat kicks", "Big Beat In London", and "It's Time To Chill". LP, Vinyl record album

A solo set from once and hopefully future half of Outkast Big Boi – and he delivers big here for Def Jam – classic Outkast level excellence from Sir Lucious Leftfoot! Production by Organized Noize, Scott Storch, J Beattzz, DJ Cutmasta Swiff and others, many songs with co-production credit to Big Boi, and we would take that seriously. The way his deft, charismatic rhymes meld with spacey thumping funk beatcraft doesn't feel like a batch of commissioned productions, but a unique, flowing tapestry that's got Big Boi written all over it. Fantastic and heartening to us to see a hip hop veteran and longtime favorite delivering this sharply and adventurously after all these years. 15 tracks: "Daddy Fat Sax", "Turns Me On" with Sleepy Brown & Joi, the instant classic single "Shutterbugg" feat Cutty, "General Patton", "Tangerine" feat TI & Khujo Goodie, "Hustle Blood" feat Jamie Foxx, "Be Still" with Janelle Monae, "Fo Yo Sorrows" feat George Clinton , Too Short & Sam Chris, "Shine Blockas" feat Gucci Mane, "Back Up Plan" and more. CD

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". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare demo work from Heiroglyphics legend Casual – done before the release of his classic album Fear Itself, and presented here as a great prequel to that much-loved record! The tracks have a great edge – spare samples that work perfectly with the straightforward beats – as the man himself spins out well-crafted rhymes that maybe seem to have even more bite without the heavier production of a bigger studio! Titles include "Me O Mi O (Domino rmx)", "Gotta Lotta", "Fear No Evil", "Where They At", "Can You Feel It", and "Rippers", which features work from Opio and Tajai. LP, Vinyl record album

Dabrye returns with more a richer, fuller set of spacey hip hop than the preceding One/Three – this one with a stellar roster of guests including Jay Dee, MF Doom, Beans, Vast Aire, Waajeed of Platinum Pied Pipers, Big Tone, Phat Kat and more! This one stood out for it's unique mix of straight forward, timeless rhymes from the guests and Dabyre's production – reinterpreting classic headnodding boombap with lean, but prominent beats and spacey synth atmosphere – and it's just as fresh all these years later! 20 tracks in all: "The Stand" feat Wildchild, "Air" feat Doom, "Machines Pt 1", "Encoded Flow" feat Kadence, "That's What's Up" feat Vast Aire, "Tell Dem", "Nite Eats Day" feat Beans, "Jorgy" feat Waajeed, "Bloop", "Piano", "Get It Together" feat Invincible, "My Life" feat AG, "Get Live" feat Big Tone, "Machines Pt 2, "Game Over" feat Jay Dee & Phat Kat and more! CD

The early 90s hip hop masterpiece from Diamond D! Along with Showbiz and AG's first EP, and Lord Finesse's first couple releases, this record helped introduce the world to one of the most solid crews in hip hop, DITC – who reigned supreme for years, making top quality records one after another. The classic and oft-imitated Diamond beats laid the blueprint for so much hip hop to follow – and the titles include "Sally Got A One Track Mind," "Best Kept Secret," "I'm Outta Here," "Check One, Two", "Freestyle (Yo That's The Sh..)" and more! Loads of great guest stars, like Lakim Shabazz, Big L, Fat Joe, and Brand Nubian. LP, Vinyl record album

Peak period DMX – coming pretty quickly on the heels of the breakout It's Dark And Hell Is Hot – and a prime set of rough, raw Ruff Ryder hip hop circa '98! DMX's rhymes are nearly as brutal as that bloody cover photo, but he has such a knack for delivering even the most hardcore rhymes in the form of shout along anthems, he managed to take 'em to the top of the charts. The top notch production is a big part of that, too, plus first rate guests Mary J Blige, Jay Z, Swizz Beats and Lox. Includes "Coming From" featuring Mary J Blige, "Blackout" feat LOX & Jay-Z, "Dogs For Life", "Omen", "Slippin", "Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood", "Heat", "Keep Your Sh*t The Hardest", "It's All Good", and others. LP, Vinyl record album

The late 90s debut of DMX – a huge hit for Def Jam, the Ruff Ryders camp and especially DMX himself – whose next few albums would top the charts! Rough, raw and hardcore lyrical imagery, and top notch Ruff Ryder production from Swizz Beats and PK, plus Dame Grease on a number of cuts. Still impressive work from one of the most uncomprimising stars to breakout so big in the late 90s/early 00s. Includes "Ruff Ryder's Anthem", "Look Thru My Eyes", "Let Me Fly", "How's It Goin' Down", "Crime Story", "I Can Feel It", "Stop Being Greedy", "Ni**az Done Started Something", "For My Dogs" and more. 19 tracks including skits. LP, Vinyl record album

With liberal use of Biggie's "Unbelievable" beat on the b-side. (Soul, Hip Hop) 12-inch, Vinyl record

El Michels return again to the Wu-Tang chambers – and the results this time might even be better than before! Wu-Tang forged their initial sound out of a love of offbeat samples and unusual funk – so it's only fitting that one of the hippest funk groups around strip the music right down to its roots – performing new live interpretations with their wickedly sinister groove – all at a level that makes the whole thing a slow funk masterpiece from start to finish! El Michels has always been one of the few real standouts in the deep funk scene – and it's records like this that keep us loving them so much. And even though the set features vocals from Lee Fields on two tracks, and Lady Wray on one more – the instrumental groove is what dominates and draws our ears, on tracks that include "Tears", "Sipped Up", "Shadow Boxing", "Iron Man", "4th Chamber", "Shaolin Brew", "Drums For Sale", "Verbal Intercourse", "Tearz", and "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin Ta F Wit". (Deep Funk, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from EPMD, and the second triumph! Unfinished Business continues in the style of the classic debut, but that's anything but a problem at this point, there was really no one at their doing like Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith at the time! Their style of heavy east coast funky soul beatcraft and slow rolling rhymes was seriously distinctive at the time – sticking to what they do best – and better than most of their peers – on both the production ti[ and in the back and forth rhymes was the way to go, completing a pair of back-to-back classics. Includes "So What Cha Sayin'", "Get the Bozack", "The Big Payback", "Please Listen to My Demo", "Snappin' Necks", and "You Had Too Much To Drink". LP, Vinyl record album

Dilla beats and an allstar roster of guest Detroit MCs – and a strong debut full length from Ruff Draft Records! Posthumous releases by favorite departed figures can be a dicey proposition – and much to our relief, Rebirth Of Detroit delivers – with both high quality beats & rhymes, and positive mojo! Dilla didn't cop to current trends in his time on earth (except for the ones he started in the first place) so it stands to reason that the beats he had in the can before he departed would hold up strongly years later – and they do! The guests here bring their A-games, plus full respect and admiration for Dilla. Includes "The New Installment", "Detroit Madness" with Phat Kat, "Big Things" with Esham, "Let's Pray Together" with Amp Fiddler, "Requiem" with Allan Barnes of The Blackbyrds, "My Victory" with Boldy James, "Do It For Dilla Dog" with Illa J and Frank Nitt, "Jay Dee's Revenge" with Danny Brown and cuts by DJ Dez, "Houseshoes Was Spinnin'" with Quelle Chris and more. CD

Aesop Rock teams up with producer Tobacco as Malibu Ken – and one the best Aesop projects in years! There's a sly humor to Malibu Ken that doesn't play quite as cynical as at can on some the more dystopian sci-fi sounding production Aesop Rock has rhymed over going all the back to the Def Jux days. There's still nicely futuristic vibe, courtesy Tobacco with squalling synth sounds and beats like a digital engine revving up, but there's a more playful kind of vibe, too. Here's hoping this is only the first Malibu Ken LP! Includes "Corn Maze", "Tuesday", "Save Our Ship", "Sword Box", "Dog Years", "Acid King", ""Suicide Big Gulp", "Churro", "1+1=13" and "Purple Moss". LP, Vinyl record album

The Neptunes, who did the beats for ODB's "Got My Money" & Mystikal's "Shake Ya A**" before they became the huge producers of the moment drop the first release under their own pseudonymous name. The music and verses are completely different from their big hits (and any hip hop we've heard lately.) We're still not sure what they're up to here – are they serious and making music they love or thumbing their noses at the music industry with a huge inside joke? Either way, it's good to hear some dope original hip hop that doesn't fit into any of the the normal club/radio/underground/abstract hip hop categories. 13 cuts including "Lapdance", "Intro", "Things Are Getting Better", "Brain", "Provider", "Truth Or Dare" (feat. Kelis & Terrar), "Run To The Sun", "Stay Together", "Baby Doll", "Tape You", "Am I High" (feat. Malice), "Rock Star - Poser", "Bobby James". There are two versions featuring the same vocals, but completely different music: The original "electro" version that features mostly studio/synthesizer beats and music and the "live" version that features mostly live instruments. Both versions feature the same songs except the electro version has a bonus track "Intro". NOTE: This is the original "electro" French version, the version not released in the US. CD

Spacey soul soundscapes from Nicolay – another big step for the unpredictable, but always soulful beatmaker, producer, and artist – inspired by a consciousness awakening trip to Tokyo on Shibuya – City Lights Volume 2! When we were first tipped to Nicolay's sounds, it was from a soulful hip hop perspective, and he still carries that vibe, but the scope of colors he's composing with is broad – using them to craft material that's both intimate and hypnotic. Fresh beats, Rhodes, Moog, bass, strings and drums flavor the sound. Much of the material on this set is instrumental, but several tunes featuring lovely vocals by Carlitta Durand – with lyrics penned and vocal arrangements by frequent collaborator and Foreign Exchange partner Phonte Coleman. Titles include "Lose Your Way", "Saturday Night", "Wake Up In Another Life" and more with Carlitta Durand, "Shibuya Station", "Crossing", "Rain In Ueno Park", "A Ride Under The Neon Moon", "Bullet Train", "The Inner Garden", "Departure" and more. (New Grooves, Hip Hop) CD

The huge creative leap forward for Outkast – and one of the greatest hip hop albums ever! The duo laid some incredible groundwork with the debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, but this one is really their first (and stunningly, not their last) masterpiece. Timeless and soulful outer space grooves lace teh production and beats behind crazy good, free flowing, inventive rhymes that still manage to stay grounded enough to aptly reflect the darker realities of the ATL of the time. Most tracks have a laid back southern fried groove, and Dre and Big Boi's rhymes are as great as ever here. Essential! Tracks include "ATLiens", "Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac)", "Wheelz Of Steel", "Jazzy Belle", "Babylon", "Millennium", and "13th Floor/Growing Old". 14 cuts in all. LP, Vinyl record album

Laidback beats with plenty of boom – just the right sort of mellow setting to allow the rhymes to flow in the best way possible – core lyrics from Emcee Sick, with contributions from Cudtry Cadillac, Dheema, and Jon Blazini! There's a nicely jazzy current – almost in an early 90s Tribe Called Quest style, but more individual, as the best instrumental touches are live, and less tied to the historical references that samples might provide. Both the rhythms and lyrics are nicely straightforward – again a nice sort of throwback, but hardly retro at all – on titles that include "Pstabull", "Finesseful", "Basso", "Indestructible 92", "Big Bad Signal", "Anotha Monday Nite", and "Wanderverse". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty big Canadian hip hop record in the years before Drake – served up by a group who were a bit late in the game, but definitely follow the best true school modes of American work from the early part of the decade! Production is by Kemo, who provides the beats – and titles include the hit "Northern Touch", plus "Dreaded Fist", "Soul Obligation", "Blind Wid The Science", "Mood Swings", "Chat Bout", "No Idea", "Temptation", "Solitaire (rmx)", "Clockwork", "Shock Therapy", "Way With Words", "Strange Brew", and "Fitnredi". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great Stones Throw debut from Twilite Tone – a Chicago beatmaker who's been one of our local heroes for years, and who finally gets the wider exposure he's deserved for way too long! Tone's done some big name work for Common, Kanye, and others – but here, he's very much at home inside his wonderful little shell – creating these endlessly creative sounds that really move past the obvious, and which showcase the kind of richer sonic palette we would have guessed from his record shopping habits over the years! There's a few 80s electro modes that come as a great surprise, mixed with harder core elements too – and there's occasional moments of sweetness, too – a emotional range that comes across nicely, on titles that include "N'Loveagain", "Tuff Love", "The Sound", "Do It Properly", "Taxi Cab Confessions", "The Lite", "Baby Steps", and "Ancestors & Angels". CD

A really great Stones Throw debut from Twilite Tone – a Chicago beatmaker who's been one of our local heroes for years, and who finally gets the wider exposure he's deserved for way too long! Tone's done some big name work for Common, Kanye, and others – but here, he's very much at home inside his wonderful little shell – creating these endlessly creative sounds that really move past the obvious, and which showcase the kind of richer sonic palette we would have guessed from his record shopping habits over the years! There's a few 80s electro modes that come as a great surprise, mixed with harder core elements too – and there's occasional moments of sweetness, too – a emotional range that comes across nicely, on titles that include "N'Loveagain", "Tuff Love", "The Sound", "Do It Properly", "Taxi Cab Confessions", "The Lite", "Baby Steps", and "Ancestors & Angels". LP, Vinyl record album

The mid 90s classic from Underground Kingz – they're commerical breakthrough, with all the uncompromising grit of their first few records on the lyrical tip, albeit with a stripped down soulful resonance to a lot of beatcraft. The gritty rhymes is the unifying element here, with tracks that split the difference between lean, crisply bouncing, hard-hitting production and surprisingly soul and funk steeped tracks. It works great on both sides of that style divide, and it's little wonder that made such a big impact at the time. Stands the test of time, too. Titles include "One Day", "Murder", "Pinky Ring", , "Touched", "F*** My Car", "Diamonds & Wood", "Good Stuff" and "Ridin' Dirty". LP, Vinyl record album