The bugged sci fi maestro MF Doom's mid 00s masterpiece – and a straight up tie with Madvilliany for the championship title of best Doom-related LP since his immortal debut! As you'd guess from the title, this album has a running theme with food, each title funnier than the last, but stays fresh throughout the 15 tracks thanks to tight production, masterfully spliced samples, and a verbal flow that's cooked and spiced to some kind of freakish perfection. The great "Hoe Cakes" single gets served early in set, and it sets the tone for a truly strong album. "Boss like King Koopa. . .". Includes "Beef Rap", "Potholderz" with Count Bass D, "One Beer" produced by Madlib, "Poo Poo Platter", "Fillet-O-Rapper", "Gumbo", "Fig Leaf Bi Carbonate", "Kon Queso" produced by PNS, "Vomitspit", "Kookies" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

(Soul, Hip Hop) 12-inch, Vinyl record

While most collaborations between hip hop producers and jazz players have been mediocre at best, neither really being able to get invloved enough in each other's music, this collaboration between Kondo and Krush is almost entirely successful. Kondo's played in just about every style from all out free jazz to hard bop, and Krush's spare and slightly abstract approach to both the turntables and with his beats creates just the right backdrop. We got open on "Ha Doh", "Sun Is Shining", "Fu Yu" and "Ki gen". 13 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Probably the most hyped hip hop album by rock critics of the last decade – but don't hold that against Stankonia, because these ghetto grooves from planet P-Funk were exactly what world needed in 2000! The millenium blowout party jam feel throughout is surely a nice change of pace from all the doom and gloom out there, but they still manage to spit out enough reality to keep things feeling true – particularly in the playful battle of the sexes showdowns. Dre, Big Boi and Organized Noize continue to innovate, even if they are at the top of the charts – and we can't wait to see where they take it all next! Tracks include "Gasoline Dreams", "So Fresh, So Clean", "Ms. Jackson", "Spaghetti Junction", "I'll Call Before I Come" featuring Gangsta Boo & Eco, "B.O.B.", "Xplosion" featuring B-Real, "We Luv Deez Hoez", "Humble Mumble" featuring Erykah Badu, "Red Velvet", "Gangsta Sh*t", "Toilet Tisha" "Slum Beautiful", and "Stankonia (Stanklove)". CD

A really great chapter in the career of Madlib, and one that shows the really diverse musical inspirations that have informed his contributions to hip hop – served up here in a set of instrumentals based on samples from rare rock tracks from a hip variety of sources! For the project, Madlib dug deep into the worlds of psych, prog, and other scenes from years back – shuffled, restacked, and presented with that denseness that makes Madlib's production so great – and which likely also hides some of the sources for the music as well! The CD version compiles every track from the Part 1 and Part 2 vinyl releases, and more – no tracklist, but who cares – it's all about the experience. Madlib in mix master mode, blending diverse, seemingly disparate material into a distinctive whole – to put it succinctly, it's Madlib at his best! 48 tracks on 2CDs! CD

Two tracks from the "America Is Dying Slowly" LP. 12-inch, Vinyl record

An album that should, by any means, not need any introduction from us. One of the high water marks in hip hop's history, raising the bar for lyrics, rhyme style, beats and song concepts. Too many classics here to name, including "Fudge Pudge", "Walk Into The Sun", "Releasing Hyp-notical Gasses", "Prisoners Of War", "Rough Side Of Town", "Organized Konfusion" and "Who Stole My Last Piece Of Chicken". CD

Hazy beatcraft steeped in Indian soundtrack style funk, strings and percussion from the indefatigable Madlib – Volumes 3 & 4 in the Beat Konducta series of the increasingly adventurous and conceptual outings – 2 volumes on 1CD! This time out Madlib, er, Beat Konducta is conducting beats, strings & things from India and/or otherwise East – but the way in which the beats bluntly thump is quintessential Madlib – you know it and love it from the first beat! 'Lib really breathes fresh life into this approach – going miles deeper than anyone out there doing the Bollywood-hip hop hybrid – coming up with a sound all his own. CD version includes the complete Volumes 3 & 4. Masterful! Titles include "Enter Hot Curry", "Indian Hump", "Onthanewthing", "Indian Deli", "Rumble", "Dancing Girls Theme", "Piano Garden", "Dark Alley Incidental Music", "Early Party", "Fifth Chant", "The Rip Off (Scene 3)", "Sitar Ride", "Get It Right", "More Rice", "Indian Bells", "Smoke Circle", "Sha Sound", "Another Getaway", "Raw Ground Wire", "Main Title" and more. CD

With the Large Professor remix. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Probably the most hyped hip hop album by rock critics of the last decade – but don't hold that against Stankonia, because these ghetto grooves from planet P-Funk were exactly what world needed in 2000! The millenium blowout party jam feel throughout is surely a nice change of pace from all the doom and gloom out there, but they still manage to spit out enough reality to keep things feeling true – particularly in the playful battle of the sexes showdowns. Dre, Big Boi and Organized Noize continue to innovate, even if they are at the top of the charts – and we can't wait to see where they take it all next! Tracks include "Gasoline Dreams", "So Fresh, So Clean", "Ms. Jackson", "Spaghetti Junction", "I'll Call Before I Come" featuring Gangsta Boo & Eco, "B.O.B.", "Xplosion" featuring B-Real, "We Luv Deez Hoez", "Humble Mumble" featuring Erykah Badu, "Red Velvet", "Gangsta Sh*t", "Toilet Tisha" "Slum Beautiful", and "Stankonia (Stanklove)". CD

A really great chapter in the career of Madlib, and one that shows the really diverse musical inspirations that have informed his contributions to hip hop – served up here in a set of instrumentals based on samples from rare rock tracks from a hip variety of sources! For the project, Madlib dug deep into the worlds of psych, prog, and other scenes from years back – shuffled, restacked, and presented with that denseness that makes Madlib's production so great – and which likely also hides some of the sources for the music as well! Volume 1 features 19 tracks in all – short instrumentals that pack plenty of punch! LP, Vinyl record album

A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". LP, Vinyl record album

Still the Hot-lanta duo's high water mark – and yes, we did love Stankonia. Relentless hype, Grammys, and the Village Voice be damned! Tracks include "Rosa Parks", "Skew It On The Bar-B" featuring Raekwon, "Aquemini", "Synthesizer" featuring George Clinton, "Mamacita", and "Liberation" featuring Cee-Lo. 16 tracks total. LP, Vinyl record album

Essential 90s material from Smif N Wessun – one of those key records that was not only great in and of itself, but also as part of a larger tapestry of top shelf talents finally getting to shine in the spotlight! Previously, Smif N Wessun had shown up on Black Moon's first album – and here, they take center stage, but also give key exposure to Boot Camp Clik – in a standard-setting album that features great production from Beatminerz, who really keep things at the right level for the harder-edged lyrics of the set! The album cover is a bit of a Roy Ayers reference – and the set makes a key early use of the Ayers classic "We Live In Brooklyn" on the track "Home Sweet Home" – amidst other cuts that include "Wrekonize", "Timz N Hood Check", "Wrektime", "Wontime", "Sound Bwoy Bureill", "Shinin Next Sh*t", "Wipe Ya Mouf", "PNC", "Bucktown", and "Let's Git It On". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Check The Rhime" by A Tribe Called Quest, "Slow Down (Radio Version)" by Brand Nubian, "Fudge Pudge" by Organized Konfusion, "Blue Cheese" by the UMCs, "Tonite" by DJ Quik, and 10 more. CD

Oh No's given carte blanche to the the Now Again and Soul Cal vaults of obscure funk, psychedelic soul and more – taking on the deep obscurities of those rarity reissuers for a tripped out hip hop funk instrumental set! Here Oh No has put together a record that rivals his underground hip hop funk classics Exodus Into Unknown Rhythms, in which he utilized the Galt MacDermot catalog, and Dr Know's Oxperiment – in which he worked with deep Middle Eastern and Mediterranean psychedelia – bringing an insistent, head nodding experience to say the least. The Now Again catalog includes everything from sinister underground funk to tripped out global psychedelia, while Soul Cal has issued underground funk and soul as great as anything out there – and Oh No reigns the diverse vibes in just enough to keep it tight and funky. He's sort of paying homage to Sound Library funk compilations, laying out 29 short tracks, honestly right up there with Madlib's Beat Konducta series! Titles include "Flight", "What We Need"., "Price Is Right", "Out West", "Coffee break", "Starlight", "Not Nice", "Raw Stew", "Soul Surgery", "Phantastic" and more. (Funky Compilations, Hip Hop) CD

Pick any 10 words out of any Outkast album description on our pages at random, and you'll see how dearly we've loved these boys throughout the years – but truth be told, deep down we didn't think that they would be able to pull off the double album/solo album project(s). We were seriously wrong – Speakerboxxx/Love Below is HUGE in every way, and both halves are great all the way through! If you were worried Big Boi's Speakerboxxx half would be lazy southern hip hop without Andre's freaky presence throughout, you can put those fears to rest right now. Speakerboxxx is a deeply soulful electro hopping pounder from front to back – every bit as innovative as Andre's half! Tracks include "Ghettomusick" (which features one of just two appearances by A3000 on the whole disc), "Bowtie" with Sleepy Brown, "Bust" with Killer Mike, "Church", "Tomb Of The Boom" with Konkrete, Big Gipp and Ludacris, "Flip Flop" with Jay-Z, "The Way You Move" and more. A lot of press has been given to the assumption that Andre 3000 has largely forsaken hip hop on his half (The Love Below) and has instead dived head first into cosmic future funk. Well, the rumors are true. There's lots of straight up jazz piano and horn bits on the Love Below, with Andre's half serious, half tongue-in-cheek romantic soul cabaret croon way over the top. It's steeped in the classic Outkast party vibe, but with lots of Sign Of The Times-era Prince (complete with androgynous distorted vocals), Parliament and Cameo thrown into the mix. Sick, energetic genius! Tracks include the deliriously great "Hey Ya!" single, "She Lives In My Lap", "Love Hater", "Happy Valentine's Day", "Roses", "Good Day, Good Sir", "Behold A Lady", "Pink And Blue", "Spread", "Dracula's Lady" with Kelis, and more. Who the hell knows what they can possibly do to surprise us after this – but wherever Andre 3000 and Big Boi go from here, they each have yet another classic in the discography! CD

Pick any 10 words out of any Outkast album description on our pages at random, and you'll see how dearly we've loved these boys throughout the years – but truth be told, deep down we didn't think that they would be able to pull off the double album/solo album project(s). We were seriously wrong – Speakerboxxx/Love Below is HUGE in every way, and both halves are great all the way through! If you were worried Big Boi's Speakerboxxx half would be lazy southern hip hop without Andre's freaky presence throughout, you can put those fears to rest right now. Speakerboxxx is a deeply soulful electro hopping pounder from front to back – every bit as innovative as Andre's half! Tracks include "Ghettomusick" (which features one of just two appearances by A3000 on the whole disc), "Bowtie" with Sleepy Brown, "Bust" with Killer Mike, "Church", "Tomb Of The Boom" with Konkrete, Big Gipp and Ludacris, "Flip Flop" with Jay-Z, "The Way You Move" and more. A lot of press has been given to the assumption that Andre 3000 has largely forsaken hip hop on his half (The Love Below) and has instead dived head first into cosmic future funk. Well, the rumors are true. There's lots of straight up jazz piano and horn bits on the Love Below, with Andre's half serious, half tongue-in-cheek romantic soul cabaret croon way over the top. It's steeped in the classic Outkast party vibe, but with lots of Sign Of The Times-era Prince (complete with androgynous distorted vocals), Parliament and Cameo thrown into the mix. Sick, energetic genius! Tracks include the deliriously great "Hey Ya!" single, "She Lives In My Lap", "Love Hater", "Happy Valentine's Day", "Roses", "Good Day, Good Sir", "Behold A Lady", "Pink And Blue", "Spread", "Dracula's Lady" with Kelis, and more. Who the hell knows what they can possibly do to surprise us after this – but wherever Andre 3000 and Big Boi go from here, they each have yet another classic in the discography! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare studio set from Kazi and Madlib – recorded way back in the mid 90s, but with the kind of crispy intensity that would make Madlib so influential for years to come! The title and the occasional skits on the set refer to a search for a "blackmarket seminar" – an underground source for music this great, which Madlib especially helped bring to a wider audience in years to come. Yet back in 1996, the sound was plenty fresh, and nice and raw – and still sounds tremendously so all these years later. The set features guest work from Wildchild, MED, and Oh No – and titles include "Called Your Bluff", "Sleep If You Want", "Corrections", "Snake Eyes", "Friendly Fire", "Tha Unstoppable", "Down 4 The Kaz", "OX Veterans", "Put Your Title To Waste", "Make Yo Ears Bleed", "Battle Drills (rmx)", and "Mind State". LP, Vinyl record album

Essential 90s material from Smif N Wessun – one of those key records that was not only great in and of itself, but also as part of a larger tapestry of top shelf talents finally getting to shine in the spotlight! Previously, Smif N Wessun had shown up on Black Moon's first album – and here, they take center stage, but also give key exposure to Boot Camp Clik – in a standard-setting album that features great production from Beatminerz, who really keep things at the right level for the harder-edged lyrics of the set! The album cover is a bit of a Roy Ayers reference – and the set makes a key early use of the Ayers classic "We Live In Brooklyn" on the track "Home Sweet Home" – amidst other cuts that include "Wrekonize", "Timz N Hood Check", "Wrektime", "Wontime", "Sound Bwoy Bureill", "Shinin Next Sh*t", "Wipe Ya Mouf", "PNC", "Bucktown", and "Let's Git It On". LP, Vinyl record album