Anderson.Paak heads to Ventura for this one – and something about that sunny coastal city brings out his soul influences after the primarily hip hop-leaning Oxnard! Paak leads on his raspy sung style for this one, an easygoing hip hop soul sound that's built to last, and again bringing in a heavy hitting of roster guests – including Andre 3000, Nate Dogg, Lalah Hathaway, Brandy and even Smokey Robinson – on tracks including "Come Home", "Make It Better" with Smokey Robinson, "Reachin' 2 Much", "King James", "Goodheels" with Jazmine Sullivan, "Yada Yada", "Jet Black" with Brandy, "Twilight" and "Chosen One" with Sonyae Elise and more. (Neo Soul, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful revolution from Common – a set that's maybe got more of a message than most of his music of the past decade – but which also comes across with a more interesting musical palette as well! Part of the album's sound comes from heavy contributions from PJ – singer Paris Jones, whose well-crafted soul vocals make for a nice match with Common's rhymes – as PJ appears on six of the album's nine tracks, and could well be billed as a co-star on the set! Other guests include Lenny Kravitz Chuck D, Black Thought, and Stevie Wonder – on titles that include "What Do You Say", "Say Peace", "Fallin", "A Place In This World", "Riot In My Mind", "Don't Forget Who You Are", and "Courageous". LP, Vinyl record album

De La Soul take on the world of hip hop with a record that's very much at the top of their game – leaner in production than before, but at a level that also brings a bit more bite to their rhymes – a good thing too, as the group take on some of their contemporaries as they assess the state of hip hop in the shadow of the 21st Century! The shift from previous records is almost like that taken by Tribe Called Quest on Low End Theory – focusing their music, while still throwing in some of their trademark skits – and maybe even making the group sound more serious, yet never in some of the "too hard" styles that they rail against on the set. The set has two key moments for the up-and-coming generation – great cut "The Bizness", with a guest appearance by Common, and "Big Brother Beat" with help from Mos Def – next to other tracks that include "Supa Emcees", "Itzsoweezee", and "Betta Listen". CD

A record that forever changed the role of the DJ and turntable when it was dropped on the world – certainly not the first record to feature an artist building sound out of a mixture of old records and his own creation, but definitely one of the most hyped and most exposed over the years! For some reason, Shadow was able to find a way to take all the skills that hip hop DJs had been developing for 20 years, mixing them with some of the darkness of the European production scene – and then getting a wider audience to really appreciate both his own talents, and all the other inspirations that drove him – something that still seems to resonate all these many years later, as Shadow opened the door for many others to appreciate all the sounds that we'd been loving in the underground! And despite all his later work, this classic full length set might still be his best – a well-deserved classic, with titles that include "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt", "The Number Song", "Changeling", "What Does Your Soul Look Like (pts 1 & 4)", "Mutual Slump", "Organ Donor", and "Midnight In A Perfect World". LP, Vinyl record album

The regal image on the cover really fits the spirit of the record – as Shafiq Husayn seems to be channeling some sort of subtle majesty throughout – really focusing his already-great talents, and maybe winning himself a rightful spot at the head of the table of the contemporary soul underground! Way back when, Shafiq's work made Sa-Ra Partners sound great – but he's so different here, so much more developed – and fiercely collaborative in a large lineup that features appearances from Anderson Paak, Peyton, Jimetta Rose, Didda Joe, Sharis, Ivory T, Coultrain, and others! There's a crisp, cosmic vibe to the whole record – rising in righteousness on titles that include "No Particulars", "All Night", "Little Miss Petty", "Magi's Love", "Supastar Youngin", "Thorns & Roses", "Maybe Baby Winter", "Crush You", and "Unconditional". (Neo Soul, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

Illa J seems ready to live up to his long legacy on the Detroit scene here – almost with a vibe that has him refining his sound even more than before, while also opening the door to some of the younger talents on the scene as well! We love the crisply cosmic energy of some of the beats – that way that post-techno roots, Detroit artists have of letting some of that earlier electronic magic flow through their music, but in a very subtle way – qualities that are also augmented by some of the guests on the set too! Tracks have features from Amp Fiddler, Dank, Kid Gotti, Frank Nitt, Maine Soul, SAM, Harleighblu, and others – and titles include "Doin It", "No Traffic", "Off The Tap", "Relapse", "Not Ever", "Shine Your Light", "Snaps", "Boom Bap", "Funny", "Showin Love", "OG Funk", "Good Life", "Plaques", and "Star Struck". LP, Vinyl record album