Action Bronson's first proper full length in a while, and his most high profile to date, released by Atlantic and Vice! Mr Wonderful sports allstar production credits for Mark Ronson, Alchemist and others – plys some strong guest appearances by Chance The Rapper and more – but make no mistake, it's AB's show! Action Bronson spits venom when duty calls, but he's also got a playful style that keeps it easygoing and entertaining. Good stuff. Includes "Brand New Car", The Rising" feat Big Body Bes, "Actin Crazy", "Baby The Blue" feat Chance The Rapper, "Galactic Love", "Easy Rider", "Only In America" feat Party Supplies and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

"AM-PM" has that classic old-school freestyle lyrics over heavy beats sound. Produced and cowritten by Kurtis Blow. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Kendrick Lamarr waited quite a long time to give the world a follow-up to his classic DAMN – and for good reason too, as the rapper's been on a long personal journey that's documented strongly on the record! The Kendrick heard here is much more introspective than before – and that's saying a lot, given his previous approach – and tunes here deal with issues of personal struggle, healing, and redemption – but all with the kind of sharp edges and sense of fragility that keeps the record from ever feeling to smug or full of itself. Opinions started flying about the record right from the start, and there's plenty here to build your own understanding too – on titles that include "Father Time", "Die Hard", "United In Grief", "We Cry Together", "Count Me Out", "Purple Hearts", "Rich Spirit", "Crown", "Savior", and "Silent Hill". LP, Vinyl record album

Kendrick Lamarr waited quite a long time to give the world a follow-up to his classic DAMN – and for good reason too, as the rapper's been on a long personal journey that's documented strongly on the record! The Kendrick heard here is much more introspective than before – and that's saying a lot, given his previous approach – and tunes here deal with issues of personal struggle, healing, and redemption – but all with the kind of sharp edges and sense of fragility that keeps the record from ever feeling to smug or full of itself. Opinions started flying about the record right from the start, and there's plenty here to build your own understanding too – on titles that include "Father Time", "Die Hard", "United In Grief", "We Cry Together", "Count Me Out", "Purple Hearts", "Rich Spirit", "Crown", "Savior", and "Silent Hill". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a record from the early 80s scene – a set that many folks slept on when first released, yet a record that's gone on to be every bit as classic as work from De La Soul or Tribe Called Quest in their prime! Of course, part of the album's fame has expanded over the years – as the launching board for Daniel Dumile, soon to be MF Doom – yet the record's got all sorts of fantastic energy of its own – all the wit of some of the trio's hip New York contemporaries, but spun a bit differently – and really linked together in a way that makes the record a masterpiece from start to finish! Brand Nubian guest on "Nitty Gritty" – and other titles include "Who Me", "Peachfuzz", "Humrush", "Figure Of Speech", "Trial N Error", "Soulflexin", "Gasface Refill", and the hilarious "Mr Hood At Piocalles Jewelry/Crackpot". LP, Vinyl record album

Kool Keith in fine form and in firm control, spinning wildly profane comic and cosmic wordplay as deftly as he has in years! Junkaz Lou is a solid production partner, laying down funky beats, lean, bright bits of keys and just spacey enough of an overall sound to frame Keith's freewheeling rhymes. Pairing lewd rhymes with creative metaphors, rolling from laugh out loud hilarious put downs to no one in particular to well-earned boasts on his own mic supremacy, Keith is at later era high point here. Includes "Cosmic Power", "Peter", "Rotary Engine", "Back Home" with Big Sche Eastwood, "Ultraman", "Push", "The Pivot", "She Can Play" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Deep, thoughful and soulful hip hop from Mr J Medieros – produced with a lean, thumping vibe by Stro The 89th Key – with singing by Tara Ellis and a number of tracks. Mr J is doing his own thing on his own label, and it's solid, worthy stuff. Titles include "Children", "Last Stars", "My Own", "Holding On", "Apples Apples", "Brutus", "The Balance" and more. CD

"Wages Of Sin" features Talib Kweli. "Street Team" features Pharoahe Monch & DCQ. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Very cool album of unreleased instrumentals from the Wildstyle soundtrack – played by a live band that has Chris Stein on guitar and effects, and Lenny Ferari on funky drums. Fab 5 Freddy produced, and the album's filled with short instrumentals like "Yawning Beat", "Cuckoo Clocking", "Down By Law", and "Busy Bees". Lots of cool drum work, and a prime old school sound! LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record, and maybe one of the few hip hop soundtracks to get at the real feel of the music on the streets – maybe no surprise, as the film for which it was created did the same thing! This isn't a fluffed-up Hollywood take on hip hop, with mainstream soul thrown into the mix – as the record was put together by Fab 5 Freddy and Chris Stein – the latter of whom really invests in his hip hop cred away from Blondie, and also provides some cool guitar bits and effects in the music too! There's some great freestyle bits and turntable tracks that really get at the underground side of the music that was alive and well at the time – and titles include "Wild Style Theme Rap 1" by Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein, "Basketball Throwdown" by Cold Crush Bros & The Fantastic Four, "Stoop Rap" by Double Trouble & Rodney Cee, "Rammellzee & Shock Dell at the Amphitheatre" with Grandmixer DST, "Wild Style Subway Rap 2" by Grand Master Caz & Chris Stein, and "Cold Crush Brothers At The Dixie". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that no hip hop home should be without – the debut album from Main Source, but a set that's more than strong enough to stand next to the best from contemporaries like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, and Black Sheep! Like all three of those groups, these guys have a way of bringing together fresh rhythms and samples, sharp-edged writing, and a keen sense of wit – all part of that next-generation level of intellectual hip hop that made them so groundbreaking at the time – and which still makes this album a fantastic delight all these many years later! The album introduced the world to the genius of Large Professor – and continues to shine for decades, thanks to tunes that include "Snake Eyes", "Looking At The Front Door", "Live At The Barbecue", "Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball", "Peace Is Not The Word To Play", "Watch Roger Do His Thang", "He Got So Much Soul (He Don't Need No Music)", and "Just Hangin Out". CD

A record that no hip hop home should be without – the debut album from Main Source, but a set that's more than strong enough to stand next to the best from contemporaries like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, and Black Sheep! Like all three of those groups, these guys have a way of bringing together fresh rhythms and samples, sharp-edged writing, and a keen sense of wit – all part of that next-generation level of intellectual hip hop that made them so groundbreaking at the time – and which still makes this album a fantastic delight all these many years later! The album introduced the world to the genius of Large Professor – and continues to shine for decades, thanks to tunes that include "Snake Eyes", "Looking At The Front Door", "Live At The Barbecue", "Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball", "Peace Is Not The Word To Play", "Watch Roger Do His Thang", "He Got So Much Soul (He Don't Need No Music)", and "Just Hangin Out". LP, Vinyl record album

The long-gestated follow up to the breakout Lord Willin' record by Clipse! Hell Hath No Fury may have been on ice for years, but it appeared as an instant classic, WAY up at the top of the list of greatest hip hop LPs of the mid 00s. The Neptunes beats are very spare and chilly, despite the fiery title – while the Pusha T & Malice style of precise storytelling and detached deliveries probably make them one of the most natural duos in the game. A gritty rap masterpiece. Tracks include "We Got It For Cheap", "Momma I'm So Sorry", the masterful "Mr Me Too" feat Pharrell, "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" feat Slim Thug, "Dirty Money", "Ride Around Shining" feat the Re-Up Gang, "Key's Open Doors", "Chinese New Year" feat Rosco P Coldchain, "Nightmares" feat Pharrell & Bilal and more. LP, Vinyl record album

That's quite an image on the cover, and Curly Castro follows through strongly with all the Afro-Futurist expectations it might trigger – not just in his words, but in the way the album comes together – as some sort of a moody, unified document – powerful words in the frontline, but all this sort of darkly shimmering static at the back! The intensity of the record never lets up, and contributions from Billy Woods, Mr Lif, Margel The Sophant, and Breeze Brewin only seem to add fuel to the fire – on tracks that include "Kill Her Priest", "Freehuey Fitteds", "Killmonger Was Right", "Khujo Taught Me", "Bleek Shadows", "F Stands For Hampton", "Black August", "Weapon 13X", and "Raynathan & Romello". LP, Vinyl record album

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Kid Koala, and Dan The Automator pool their skills for this dawn of the 2000s sci-fi hip hop classic – the masterful Deltron 3030! The guest list is almost too long to get into, but Money Mark, Prince Paul, PB Wolf and Mr. Lif are all here, along with many others. One of the benchmark albums in the leftfield underground hip hop canon – and a hugely influential set that burst the doors wide open for the more creative spirits in the hip hop and even experimental pop. Tracks include "State Of The Nation", "3030", "The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza", "Things You Can Do", "Positive Contact", "St Catherine St.", "Virus", "Mastermind", "National Movie Review", "Time Keeps On Slipping", "Turbulence (remix)", "Battlesong", "Memory Loss" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty much worth it for only one track, but what a track. . ."It's 187 On An Undercover Cop. . .". Also includes "Love Or Lust" by Jewell, "Down With My Nigga" by Paradise, "Mr Loverman" by Shabba Ranks, "I See ya Jay" by Ragtime, "Nickel Slick N!gga" by Ko-Kane and more. CD

Rhymes on "All In Together" by Baby Black, Mr Eon and Pauly Yamz, on "Captivating" by Rasheed, Mr Eon and Ill Advised and "Know A Little Nig" by Ill Advised. Beats by Mighty Mi of High & Mighty. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A classic set of sample-heavy wizardry from Edan – and a record that's every bit as psychedelic as you might expect from the cover! There's plenty of great psych flourishes in the samples, grounded in some heavy breakbeats that keep things on tracks – while the rhythms mix touches of madness and genius, with tongue twists that pay homage and blast forward simultaneously. Guests include Mr Lif, Insight, and Percee-P – and titles include "Funky Voltron", "I See Colours", "Torture Chamber", "Promised Land", "Time Outt", "Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme", "Making Planets", "Murder Mystery", "Rock & Roll", and "Smile". CD

Good ol' Chicago hip hop from the All Natural camp. Tracks include "Wildstyle" by Iomos Marad, "Talented Tenth" by Mr. Greenweedz & Spotlite, "Paragon" and Flavor" by Daily Plannet, Candy Store" by Bam-Ski The Bigot, "No Doubt" by All Natural, and "Mr. Greenweedz". The second LP is all instrumentals. LP, Vinyl record album

Joe Harrison starts out this set with a reference to David Axelrod, and the set just keeps getting better and better after that – as Joe mixes together vibes, mellotron, guitar, organ, flute, and lots of other cool instrumentation – but all with a lean vibe that's definitely more on the hip hop instrumental side of the spectrum! A few other players add in bits too – pedal steel, violin, bass, and guitar – but Harrison keeps things lean throughout, and served up one of the more hip hop-inspired entries in this great series from Madlib Invazion – maybe one that's most in keeping with the production giant who lends his name to the label. Titles include "Shuggie", "Axelrod", "Five Point Palm", "Donuts", "Frodo", "Cochiloco", and "Mr Rogers". (Sound Library, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

With Mr Short Khop and Master P. 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the funkiest entries in this killer Madlib sound library series – thanks to some mighty heavy drums from J-Zone! The set begins with a rock-solid break right from the start, then keeps on going strongly in a similar mode – mixing warmer keyboards, guitar lines, and even a bit of kalimba into the mix from time to time – but all with a lean energy that shows the influence of beatmaking on the process of live funk, and not the other way around! The vibe is much less slavish to 70s sound library material, but equally funky – and the shift makes for a real standout session, with titles that include "Shiva Strut", "Mr Mean", "Seebourg", "Intoxicated Skull", "Oyster Sammich", "Truck Stop", "Gangsta Boogie", "Side Eye", "Nasty Popcorn Ceiling", and "Shirley Got Bigger". LP, Vinyl record album

How can you resist an album with a picture of a baby on the cover with his hands and face covered in tattoos?! The set is maybe the biggest album in Lil Wayne's career – a set that was delayed a bit in the midst of big album leaks of the oughties – then really came on strong once it hit the record racks! Titles include the big hit single "Lollipop" – plus "Mr Carter", "Tie My Hands", "Mrs Officer", "Dr Carter", "La La", "You Ain't Got Nuthin", "Dontgetit", "Shoot Me Down", "Let The Beat Build", and "Got Money". LP, Vinyl record album

Mos Def's landmark late 90s solo debut – a rock solid classic that stands up today as one of the best hip hop albums of its decade – and for all the dizzying creative highs and lows of his career to follow, it stands strongly among his best work ever. His preceding duo work with Talib Kweli as Black Star set a pretty high bar creatively, and stunningly, Mos manages to clear it. It's all the more impressive given the stylistic diversity, ranging from bed rock boom bap, to leftfield funk, to Bad Brains-inspired punk. Incredible stuff. Tracks include "Ms Fat Booty", "Hip Hop", "Know That" featuring Talib Kweli, "Mr Ni**a" featuring Q-Tip, "Mathematics", "Brooklyn", "Umi Says", "Do It Now" featuring Busta Rhymes, "Fear Not Of Man", "Habitat", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the early 00s "commercial" LP's that's at least as dope as our underground favorites – real hip hop that still keeps the party people movin', with a number of cuts produced by the Neptunes & Swizz Beats. Tracks include the instant classic "Nothin", plus "Hit Me Slime" featuring Nas, Ice-T, Nelly, & others, "God's Favorite", "Grimey", "Nahmeanuheard" (original and remix), "Mr. CEO", "Live My Life" featuring Ja Rule, "Full Mode", "Love Ya Moms" featuring Capone & others, "Head Bussa", "Wanna Be Like Him", "Black Clouds", "Banned From Another Club", "Now I Pray", "Consider This" featuring Kelis, and the bonus track "The Life Of A (Gangsta) Capone". LP, Vinyl record album

Off the Baby Boy soundtrack, featuring Tyrese and Mr Tan. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Includes "Stoplight", "Lollipop" with Jay-Z, Soopafly, & Nate Dogg, "Hourglass" with Mr Kane & Goldie Loc, "From Long Beach 2 Brick City" with Redman, Nate Dogg & Warren G, "You Got What I Want" with Ludacris, Goldie Loc, & Uncle Charlie Wilson, "The One & Only", "Batman & Robin" with Lady Of Rage & RBX, and "Wasn't Your Fault". 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of THE landmark hip hop albums – and the full length debut of great Tribe Called Quest! We hardly need to tell you about this classic – but it will always bear repeating. De La Soul might have kicked the door open on leftfield, anything goes artistry about a year or so earlier, but their friends and fellow Native Tongues Tribe's debut was a crucial reminder that the east coast was spinning out of one of the greatest creative growth spurts in hip hop history at the time. Pure excellence. Tracks include "Luck Of Lucien", "Footprints", "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo", "Bonita Applebaum", "Can I Kick It?", "Rhythm (Devoted To The Art Of Moving Butts)", "Mr Muhammad", "Description Of A Fool" andmore seminal, jazzy middle school tracks! 25th anniversary edition – remastered, with bonus tracks "Footprints (rmx with Ceelo Green)", "Bonita Applebum (Pharrell Williams rmx)", and "Can I Kick It (J Cole rmx)". New 2015 remaster – beautiful sound! CD

A nice sampler of Chicago hip hop surrounding the All Natural Family Tree! It's tough to find a fault with this collection. This is not only a fine set of tracks from a strong stable of Chi underground hip hop acts, but it's also really an excellent listen from beginning to end – featuring some of the choicest cuts from the collective! (But that's no excuse to skip the full length efforts of the artists – they're all worth your dime!) 15 tracks on the CD: "Hate" by Capital D, "Warm Up" by Rita J, "Raw" by Primeridan, "You Know My Name" by All Natural, "Virgo" by Family Tree, "Things Change" by Stoney Rock feat Black Spade, "You Make Me" by Mr Greenweedz feat Cosmos Boekell, "Dreams & Aspirations" by Rita J feat Stoney Rock, Adad & KP, "Do Me Right" by Eulorhythmics (Adad & Kenny Keys), and "The Knock" by Pacifics and more! CD includes enhanced footage – live video of Iomos Marad "Live & Direct". CD

Rare cuts by Divine Beings, Young Zee, Darc Mind, Legion Of DUME, Mr Mic Rippa, Prophets Of The Ghetto with Bahamadia and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks from Lil Jon featuring E-40 & Sean Paul, Chamillionaire featuring Lil Flip, Pitbull, Ying Yang Twins featuring Pitbull, Lil Wayne, Lil Scrappy, Ice Cube featuring Snoop Dogg & Lil Jon, B.G. featuring Mannie Fresh, Mike Jones, Bubba Sparxxx featuring Ying Yang Twins & Mr. Collipark, and more. CD

An instant party in a single package – a set that brings together a whole host of rare singles from back in the day – all work that's almost an equal blend of old school funk and early hip hop! The work here comes from the Spring label and related Posse imprint – a company who were around on the New York scene to issue plenty of soul and funk during the 70s – then made the move into hip hop at the end of the decade, yet in a way that also brought some of their funky currents forward! Where other labels were maybe using a lean approach and more records as the basis for cuts, Spring already had access to some great groups to back up the MCs – and the result is a batch of funky cuts that are already primed for a party crowd in the South Bronx! As the 80s move in, the cuts use more beats and electro elements – yet that older ear for funk is still nicely in place, and really keeps things moving throughout. Titles include "Money (Dollar Bill Y'All) (long version)" by Jimmy Spicer, "Charley Says (Roller Boogie Baby)" by King Tim III, "The Beach (long vocal)" by Afrika & The Zulu Kings, "Go For What You Know" by The Bally Boys, "Tearin It Up" by D4, "Rockin It" by MC Flex & The Crew, "I'm Hot" by The Rangers, "Magic's Message" by Mr Magic, "To Whoever It May Concern" by DJ Hollywood, "Cars (Zulu club mix)" by Afrika & The Zulu Kings, and "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by Fatback – a cut that some folks call the first-ever hip hop single! CD