With edited and instrumental tracks by Wu-Tang Clan, Three 6 Mafia, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Trick Daddy, Devin The Dude, Kool G Rap, Lord Jamar, Talib Kweli, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A hip hop masterpiece from Prince Paul – his second album as a solo act, but one that builds on years of top-shelf experience in the east coast scene – including his roots with Stetsasonic and production of De La Soul! The record came up at a time when there seemed to be a new sense of self-awareness in hip hop – maybe not a postmodern sensibility, but a gentle play between the real role of the artist and imagined pop presence – handled here by Paul with a lot more care than most, and presented in a concept album format that's full of great surprises along the way! Breeze Brewin of Jugganauts handles the main lyrics, but the story has lots of famous guests along the way – almost a Wizard Of Oz sort of journey that includes Kool Keith, Big Daddy Kane, Chubb Rock, Biz Markie, and many others. Titles include "MC Hustler", "The Other Line", "Pain", "Steady Slobbin", "War Party", "Weapon World", "Handle Your Time", "The Men In Blue", and "Mood For Love". CD

Promo single off the Oz soundtrack. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A set that's almost a back to basics effort for DJ Shadow, yet one that's also a strong step forward too – basic in that it's a record that's almost all instrumental, with no guests at all – but forward because it's got a leaner groove, and a style that shows just how far Shadow has moved past the more hip hop/turntablist style of his roots! There's almost a cinematic vibe to the music at times – a mode that fits the action adventure of the title, with plenty of cuts that would be right at home on classic soundtracks, especially of the 80s crime/cop/action style – served up with just the right sorts of beats, basslines, and keyboards to echo that era! Titles include "A Narrow Escape", "You Played Me", "Time & Space", "Forever Changed", "She's Evolving", "Reflecting Pool", "Free For All", "Ozone Scraper", and "Witches Vs Warlocks". CD

A relatively short album, at least in terms of hip hop records that can span multiple discs and dozens of tracks – but that also marks the sharp focus that's made Freddie Gibbs such a powerful force in the music – an MC who gets right to the point, and never needs to hide his ideas behind intros and skits! Production here is by a variety of talents – Badbadnotgood, Teddy Walton, Speakerbomb, and others – shifting from track to track, in a nicely varied way – all unified through the subtle majesty of Gibbs! Titles include "Phone Lit", "Homesick", "Alexys", "Amnesia", "Dear Maria", "Crushed Glass", and "20 Karat Jesus". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge array of photographs from the golden years of 90s hip hop – all captured within a few short years by Peter Spirer, at a time when he was diving deep into the scene to really document the sort of energy that's made this stretch such a legendary one for the music! These photos are way more than standard portraits or stage shots, as Peter managed to really penetrate the everyday lives of the artists, to a point where you'll find some very surprising, and very striking images of figures who aren't always captured without striking a pose. The book features over 130 photographs, with subjects who include Dr Dre, Das Efx, Biz Markie, Busta Rhymes, Notorious BIG, Method Man, Nas, Q-Tip, Tupac, Guru, KRS-One, and dozens of others – and the heavy hardcover book is 240 pages in length – with added text from Soren Baker, and an introduction from Ice T. (Books, Hip Hop) Book