An excellent full length set of beats & genius from J Dilla – put together by fellow beatmaker extraordinaire Pete Rock, with all Dilla beats – a surprising triumph! Call us jaded, but honestly, we weren't sure how deep the well could go of ready-to-go beats from Dilla, but this stuff is truly top shelf – nearly as strong as the instant classic Donuts from a few years back! Pete Rock crafts the set as if it's a radio show or mixtape, but his skill in so doing is well above and beyond the norm – neither Pete's interjections nor the guest rappers ever get in the way of the flow, it's as smooth as can be. Vocal guests include Ma Dukes (the album was made under Ma's auspices), plus Lil Fame & MOP, Black Thought, Frank Nitty of Frank N Dank, Doom, Illa J & Cue D, Blu, and others. Titles include "King", "I Told Yall", "Smoke" feat Blu, "CaDILLAc". "Fire Wood Drumstix" feat Doom, "Big Day", "24K Rap" feat Havoc of Mobb Deep & Raekwon, "Coming Back", "Mythsysizer" and more. 28 tracks in all, about an hour of unreleased Dilla! CD

A landmark album – both for Outkast and the Atlanta scene too – as the set soars forward from the territory of their debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik – with crazy, free flowing, inventive rhymes and soulful outer space grooves that still manage to stay grounded enough to aptly reflect the darker realities of the ATL scene! While some of that city's work would soon lapse into cliche, that's definitely not the case here – as Dre and Big Boi rhyme over these wonderfully laidback grooves that have a wicked southern fried vibe. Titles include "ATLiens", "Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac)", "Wheelz Of Steel", "Jazzy Belle", "Babylon", "Millennium", and "13th Floor/Growing Old". LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely laidback album from Pugs Atomz – not at a level that feels lazy or thrown together at all – but which befits the confidence that Pugs can bring to his music after so many years – all with a quality that makes the whole thing seem as effortless as it is well-grounded! Tusk 57 handled much of the production – alongside Waffle King and Hexsagon – and the easygoing flow of the set is great, still holding strong even through guest appearances from the likes of Killah Priest, Rockie Fresh, Awdazcate, and Hexsagon himself. Titles include "Cash Ap At The Toll Road", "Malcolm 64", "Test Drive", "Green Means Go", "Cadillac On Michigan Ave", and "Sunsets In The US". LP also features added bonus tracks – "Testdrive (DJ Vadim mix)", "Green Means Go (Ed Seven rmx)", and "This Life Time (Inkswel)". LP, Vinyl record album

The mid 90s instant classic! Outkast's debut set them up as one of the most distinctive hip hop duos ever, right out of the gate, but it also helped to established the freewheeling, funky dirty south sound, thanks to genius Organized Noize production! The Outkast sound would get bigger and more wildly eclectic on the records to follow Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, but the consistent, funky southern swagger on this one holds up incredibly well. It sounds fresh to this day! Includes breakout hit "Player's Ball", "Crumblin Erb", "Git Up, Git Out", "Claimin' True", "Funky Ride", "Soouthernplayalisticadillacmuzik", "Ain't No Thang", "CallOf Da Wild", "Hootie Hoo" and a couple of interludes. CD

The mid 90s instant classic! Outkast's debut set hem up as one of the most distinctive hip hop duos ever, right out of the gate, but it also helped to established the freewheeling, funky dirty south sound, thanks to genius Organized Noize production! The Outkast sound would get bigger and more wildly eclectic on the records to follow Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, but the consistent, funky southern swagger on this one holds up incredibly well. It sounds fresh to this day! Includes breakout hit "Player's Ball", "Crumblin Erb", "Git Up, Git Out", "Claimin' True", "Funky Ride", "Soouthernplayalisticadillacmuzik", "Ain't No Thang", "CallOf Da Wild", "Hootie Hoo" and a couple of interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

Valid and Stretch show that the Detroit scene is alive and well when it comes to hip hop – and can deliver a record like this, with a vibe that's gritty, but never too overplayed or postured! The set uses media snippets between tracks to link the cuts nicely, and almost create a sense of historicity to the music – as does the strong use of 80s elements from time to time – bits of retro pop that make the whole thing bristle with this playfully fresh quality that really fits the rhymes! Production is by Pig Pen, J Mac, Chuck Cross, Eddie Logix, and others – and titles include "Game Film", "89 Cadillacs", "You Know I Like It", "Revenge", "Eastern Conference Finals", "Drink With Me", "Sentimental", "The Girls", and "Commentate". LP, Vinyl record album