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

Common newcomers who buy Electric Circus for the single with Mary J Blige are going to be left with some head scratching – but if you like the spiritual/psychedelic Com that was hinted at on Like Water For Chocolate, this may be the follow up you were waiting for! This is still hip hop – with production by the Neptunes, Jay Dee, ?uestlove and others, but it's definitely a boundary stretcher. The mood runs from Roots style soul bumpers to Hendrix and Eugene McDaniels style feedback heavy freakouts. There's a guest on nearly every track, mostly from the Okayplayer camp and NuSoul titans, including Bilal, Omar, Pharrell Williams, Cee-Lo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab and others. We won't lie to you, we miss the Chicago hip hop Common that kicked insight over raw and soulful productions, but you can't fault the guy for being an artist, and he really has crafted something original here. A great cover – a kind of rainbow drenched cut and paste photo collage of the contributors and inspirations with Com out front, sort of reminding us of Tribe's Midnight Maurauders, and even Sgt. Pepper. Tracks include "Ferris Wheel", "Soul Power", "The Hustle", the first single "Come Close", "New Wave", "Star *69", "Jimi Was A Rock Star" and more. CD

A massive collaborative effort – one that features the talents of Buckshot, OGC, Heltah Skeltah, and Smif N Wessun – all bringing forward a 90s New York indie vibe, and with a power that seems to resonate even more strongly as they work together! Production here is top shelf, and nicely varied – handled by Pete Rock, Large Professor, 9th Wonder, and Da Beatminerz – all of whom also share a sense of contemporary changes in hip hop, and work with the MCs to really keep things urgent and upfront throughout. Titles include "He Gave His Life", "Everybody Knows Now", "Soul Jah", "Hate All You Want", "Don't You Cross The Line", "Take A Look In The Mirror", "Here We Come", "Let's Go", and "Yeah". LP, Vinyl record album

An instant classic from Slum Village – one of those records that kind of snuck out into the world, then became legendary as the years went on! Of course, with work from Jay Dee, there's no surprise that the album's got plenty of staying power – as he does a killer job here, throughout, really elevating the work of T3 and Baatin with a mix of influences from soul, deep funk, and mellowed-out jazzy touches! In addition to the core Slum crew the record features D'Angelo, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and Jazzy Jeff – on titles that include "Conant Gardens, "I Don't Know", "Jealously", "Fall In Love", "Get Dis Money", "Once Upon A Time", "Go Ladies", "Hold Tight", "What's It All About", and "Fourth & Back". Also includes the bonus tracks "Thelonious" and "Fall In Love (Remix)". LP, Vinyl record album

Just when you thought Prince Paul and Cat Power would never make a record together PRESTO – it's the new Handsome Boy album! HBMS takes a bit more of a chillout tack with this long overdue second opus – with lots of laidback beats and samples, and a surprising amount of live instrumentation! The gleeful, sarcastic comedy of the stellar first album remains intact, with some genuinely amusing skits (including one with Jay Z appearing under the pseudonym Hines Buchanan), and the deep range of guest vocalists isn't as surprising as how strong their work is in the best tunes. It would have been pretty easy for Prince Paul and Automator to find a bunch of interesting names to flesh out their big pop culture frappe, but something else altogether to make trippy hip hop tracks featuring Cat Power and the Hieroglyphics make sense on the same record. A pretty solid set from the most adventurous pseudo duo in the game! Guests include Del The Funky Homosapien, De La Soul, RZA, Lord Finesse, AG, Rahzel, Jazzy Jay, Qbert, Mike Patton, Casual, Hieroglyphics, Grand Wizard Theodore, El-P, John Oates, Pharrell, Kid Koala, and George W. Bush (just kidding). Tracks include "If It Wasn't For You" with De La, "Are You Down With It" with Mike Patton, "The World's Gone Mad" with Del and others, "It's Like That" with Casual, "I've Been Thinking" with Cat Power, "Rock And Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Pt 2" featuring Lord Finesse, Qbert and others,"First. . .And Then" featuring Dres from Black Sheep, "A Day In The Life" featuring RZA, AZ and others and more, plus intro/outro by Father Guido Sarducci. LP, Vinyl record album

An instant classic from Slum Village – one of those records that kind of snuck out into the world, then became legendary as the years went on! Of course, with work from Jay Dee, there's no surprise that the album's got plenty of staying power – as he does a killer job here, throughout, really elevating the work of T3 and Baatin with a mix of influences from soul, deep funk, and mellowed-out jazzy touches! In addition to the core Slum crew the record features D'Angelo, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and Jazzy Jeff – on titles that include "Conant Gardens, "I Don't Know", "Jealously", "Fall In Love", "Get Dis Money", "Once Upon A Time", "Go Ladies", "Hold Tight", "What's It All About", and "Fourth & Back". CD

If you've ever wondered why The Beatnuts sound so great, check their list of sources – an incredible range of hard to find soul, jazz, library, and easy tracks – many of which are served up by this excellent set! The package features 24 tracks on 2LPs – and even though we know our samples, we've got to say that there's a few here that really blew our ears off! Titles include "New Dance Craze" by Five Stairsteps, "Black Night" by Eddy Driver, "And I Love Her" by Enoch Light, "Gracias Mi Amor" by Danny Rivera, "Think Twice" by Clive Hicks, "Late Start" by Power House, "Giving Up" by Zulema, "The Look Of Love" by Dick Hayman, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by George Semper, and "First True Love" by Jimmy Ross. (Funky Compilations, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

The classic soundtrack to Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing – lead, of course, by Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" – and beyond that is a pretty wonderful, and not always as intense cross-section of some of the finer urban soul and New Jack Swing, circa '89, breezy vocal-centric R&B, a touch of Latin and Afro-Carribbean pop. The Bed-Stuy melting pot bubbles over to tragic consequences in the film, but the diverse soundtrack is plenty harmonious, and sounds fresh to this day. Includes "My Fantasy" by Teddy Riley featuring Guy, "Never Explain Love" by Al Jarreau, "Party Hearty" by EU, "Tu Y Yo" by Ruben Blades, "Can't Stand It" by Steel Pulse and "Don't Shoot Me" by Take 6. CD

An incredible pairing of talents – and a record that proves once again that the vibes of Roy Ayers are maybe one of the most powerfully soulful forces in the universe! It's no surprise that Roy's old records have formed the building blocks of key hip hop tracks over the years – and year, Ayers serves up vibes alongside fresh production from Oh No – in a set of all instrumental tracks that are overflowing with sweet vibes from the master, plus a blinding array of beats, samples, and other great production elements! Tracks are short and to the point, yet still deliver plenty – and titles include "Another Two 4", "Ice Cold Coolers", "Penthouse Elevators", "Intended Mayhem", "Short Tempers", "Dead Ringers", "Unbeautiful", "Leeches" and "Problems & Solvers". CD

An incredible pairing of talents – and a record that proves once again that the vibes of Roy Ayers are maybe one of the most powerfully soulful forces in the universe! It's no surprise that Roy's old records have formed the building blocks of key hip hop tracks over the years – and year, Ayers serves up vibes alongside fresh production from Oh No – in a set of all instrumental tracks that are overflowing with sweet vibes from the master, plus a blinding array of beats, samples, and other great production elements! Tracks are short and to the point, yet still deliver plenty – and titles include "Another Two 4", "Ice Cold Coolers", "Penthouse Elevators", "Intended Mayhem", "Short Tempers", "Dead Ringers", "Unbeautiful", "Leeches" and "Problems & Solvers". LP, Vinyl record album