MF Doom left our planet all too soon, and he left behind a great legacy of music, too – including a previous collaboration with the Czarface collective, nicely matched by this posthumous set! The balance here is great, and the set brings the metal man of mystery into great play with his collaborators and guests who include DMC, Kendra Morris, and Del The Funky Homosapien – all coming together on an album that's every bit as fun as the first time around, and maybe even more essential, given that we're not going to hear that much more from the unissued archives of MF Doom. Titles include "This Is Canon Now", "So Strange", "Young World", "Mando Calrissian", "Doom Unto Others", "The King & Eye", and "Czarwyn's Theory Of People Getting Loose". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "Ride Or Die", "Can I Get A..." with Amil & Ja Rule, "Money, Cash, Hoes" with DMX, "It's Alright" and "Coming Of Age (The Sequel)" with Memphis Bleek, "Money Ain't A Thing", "It's Like That", and more. 14 tracks in all. CD

Tracks include "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "Ride Or Die", "Can I Get A..." with Amil & Ja Rule, "Money, Cash, Hoes" with DMX, "It's Alright" and "Coming Of Age (The Sequel)" with Memphis Bleek, 'Money Ain't A Thing", "It's Like That", and more. 14 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "Ride Or Die", "Can I Get A..." with Amil & Ja Rule, "Money, Cash, Hoes" with DMX, "It's Alright" and "Coming Of Age (The Sequel)" with Memphis Bleek, "Money Ain't A Thing", "It's Like That", and more. 14 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of work from a real golden age in hip hop – a period that you'll probably guess from the image of the Native Tongues posse on the front – served up here in a compilation that brings together classics from De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers, Monie Love, and many others! The set list is superb – and while most of the tracks are well-remembered gems, and not the kind of rare cuts we usually hear from Ace Records – taken together, they're a tremendous reminder of a time when hip hop really came alive – bursting with wit, wisdom, and a whole new sense of musical imagination! As usual with Ace, the liner notes and other details are great – making this way more than just a slap-dash mix of hits – and titles include "You're Not Coming Home (Mase's funkay recall mix)" by Groove Garden, "Age Ain't Nothin But A #" by Chi Ali, "Bonita Applebum" by Tribe Called Quest, "Sunshine Men" by Freestyle Fellowship, "Peachfuzz" by KMD, "K Sera Sera" by Justin Warfield, "It's A Shame" by Monie Love, "Doin Our Own Dang" by Jungle Brothers, "OPP" by Naughty By Nature, "Doowutchyalike" by Digital Underground, "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays" by De La Soul, "The Choice Is Yours" by Black Sheep, "All For One" by Brand Nubian, "My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style" by Dream Warriors, "Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children" by Queen Latifah with De La Soul, "Where I'm From" by Digable Planets, and "We Run Things (It's Like Dat)" by Da Bush Babees. CD

A fantastic collection of work from a real golden age in hip hop – a period that you'll probably guess from the image of the Native Tongues posse on the front – served up here in a compilation that brings together classics from De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers, Monie Love, and many others! The set list is superb – and while most of the tracks are well-remembered gems, and not the kind of rare cuts we usually hear from Ace Records – taken together, they're a tremendous reminder of a time when hip hop really came alive – bursting with wit, wisdom, and a whole new sense of musical imagination! As usual with Ace, the liner notes and other details are great – making this way more than just a slap-dash mix of hits – and titles include "You're Not Coming Home (Mase's funkay recall mix)" by Groove Garden, "Age Ain't Nothin But A #" by Chi Ali, "Bonita Applebum" by Tribe Called Quest, "Sunshine Men" by Freestyle Fellowship, "Peachfuzz" by KMD, "K Sera Sera" by Justin Warfield, "It's A Shame" by Monie Love, "Doin Our Own Dang" by Jungle Brothers, "OPP" by Naughty By Nature, "Doowutchyalike" by Digital Underground, "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays" by De La Soul, "The Choice Is Yours" by Black Sheep, "All For One" by Brand Nubian, "My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style" by Dream Warriors, "Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children" by Queen Latifah with De La Soul, "Where I'm From" by Digable Planets, and "We Run Things (It's Like Dat)" by Da Bush Babees. LP features two bonus tracks – "Case Of The PTA" by Leaders Of The New School and "What's Up Doc (K-Cut's fat trac rmx)" by Fu Schnickens. LP, Vinyl record album

Ahhh. . . Nice! Wonderful intelligent, spiritual rhymes, full of Islamic prayer references, blunt antagonist rhymes, a battle with the ugliest of inner demons and broken artist poverty all hugged by catchy bouncing hook filled choruses. And all the production is handled by Ant, a true autuer akin to Pete Rock, now becoming more comfortable with his art with each release: tight organ loops, snapping drums, bright horns and nice upright basslines. "Soulful" is the key adjective here. Tracks include "Star Quality", "Pay Them Back", "Shadows On The Sun", "Forest Whitiker", "Room With A View", "Back Stage Pacin", "Missing Teeth", "Dorian", "Soul Whisper", "Champion", "Prince Charming", and more! CD

A record that really has Busta Rhymes coming into his own – taking all those charms that had been bubbling in the underground through years of guest appearances, and finding a way to really shine in the light of the mainstream! The album's not Busta's first solo effort, but has a sense of identity and confidence that really steps forward – with all those brash, in-your-face sort of rhymes you'd expect from the man himself – set to production by DJ Scratch, The Ummah, and Rockwilder – all at a level that's held up very well over the years! The set features guest work from Flipmode Squad, Rampage, Mase, Anthony Hamilton, and Erykah Badu – Tracks include the singles "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See", "Dangerous", and "Turn It Up" – plus the cuts "The Whole World Lookin' At Me", "One", "We Could Take It Outside", "The Body Rock", "Things We Be Doin' For Money", "When Disaster Strikes", "Get Off My Block", and "There's Not A Problem My Squad Can't Fix". LP, Vinyl record album

A righteous album recorded in memory of the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 – done to showcase the continued vibrancy of culture in the city, and handled with a collaborative spirit that really makes the whole thing shine! The recording features contributions from over 50 different artists from the current scene in Oklahoma – rappers, producers, singers, and other creative talents – all coming together to deliver a very positive message, and show the world that the legacy of Tulsa and Greenwood has not been lost over the years. But even without the legacy behind it, the album's got a mighty nice vibe – summed up on titles that include "Our World", "Reparations", "Creme Of The Crop", "North Tulsa Got Something To Say", "Brunch At The Brady", "Young & Free", "City Of Dreams", "Shining", and "Been Through It All". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic classic from the Cali scene of the early 90s – one of the key records that had the west coast going head to head with some of the smarter acts back east – a great balance to the up and coming genius of Wu Tang and Brand Nubian! There's a similar sense of message and play going on here – rhymes from Mikah 9, PEACE, Aceyalone, and Self Jupiter – set to beats that bounce nicely, but never in a way that undercuts the lyrics – nicely crisp production with assist from the Earthquake Brothers. Titles include "Inner City Boundaries", "Shammy's", "Everything's Everything", "Park Bench People", "Mary", "Cornbread", "Way Cool", "Heavyweights", "Pure Thought", "Hot Potato", and "Six Tray". CD

The album that really has Ice T and Afrika Islam moving forward in a wonderful way – stepping things up from the already-great previous record, and pushing Ice well into the kind of superstar role that he'd follow up in coming years in so many ways! At the time, Ice T was part of the rising voice of the west coast – but also had more wit and focus than so many of his contemporaries – able to turn his rage and street experience into sly critiques that get past just swagger – and really thinking of things in the space of a full length album. Titles include "I'm Your Pusher", "Heartbeat", "High Rollers", "Girls LGBNAF", "Grand Larceny", "The Syndicate", "Radio Suckers", "Soul On Ice", and the iconic Glen Friedman cover! LP, Vinyl record album

The album that really has Ice T and Afrika Islam moving forward in a wonderful way – stepping things up from the already-great previous record, and pushing Ice well into the kind of superstar role that he'd follow up in coming years in so many ways! At the time, Ice T was part of the rising voice of the west coast – but also had more wit and focus than so many of his contemporaries – able to turn his rage and street experience into sly critiques that get past just swagger – and really thinking of things in the space of a full length album. Titles include "I'm Your Pusher", "Heartbeat", "High Rollers", "Girls LGBNAF", "Grand Larceny", "The Syndicate", "Radio Suckers", "Soul On Ice", and the iconic Glen Friedman cover! LP, Vinyl record album

The last full album ever put together by Tupac – a set issued under the name Makaveli, which may have become a wider-used stage name – had the rapper not been taken from the world before the album saw the light of day! Yet unlike some other posthumous albums, this one was still fully put together by the man himself, and showcases the growing tension that was coming through in Tupac's music – and the whole thing became sort of an instant classic – but in great part due to the controversy surrounding his death. Titles include "Hold Ya Head", "Toss It Up", "Hail Mary", "Bomb First (My Second Reply)", "Blasphemy", "Krazy", "White Manz World", and "To Live & Die In LA". LP, Vinyl record album

Nas was a bit of an under-recognized figure at the time of this second set – but the record soon catapulted him to the top of the hip hop game – and really ensured that Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones would be around for a long time to come! The record's got an epic vibe in terms of the presentation and production – maybe fitting for the title, and handled by Trackmasters on most tracks – yet still with enough of a stripped-down, laidback vibe at times to tie Nas back to NYC sounds from a few years before. The Firm posse of AZ, Cormega, and Foxy Brown drop in on "Affirmative Action" – while Dr Dre produces and appears on "Nas Is Coming" – and Lauryn Hill makes a famous appearance on "If I Ruled The World". Other cuts include "I Gave You Power", "Street Dreams", "The Set Up", "Black Girl Lost", "Shootouts", "Live Nigga Rap", "The Message", and "Take It In Blood". LP, Vinyl record album