... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Heavy beats and scratch happy turntablism from DJ Z Trip – featuring Soup of Jurassic 5 on "Listen To The DJ". 12-inch, Vinyl record

CD version of the 2 LP companion to Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists. They did a good job of including a lot of amazing old school tracks (1983-1989) that maybe not everyone knows about – but should, including some that are nearly impossible to find on 12". Every track here is worth it, and most haven't been on other compilations. Tracks include "Holy War (Live)" by Divine Force, "My Mic Is On Fire" by Lord Shafiyq, "Marly Marl Scratch" by Marly Marl featuring MC Shan, "Get Retarded" by MC EZ & Troup , "Get Down Grandmaster" by Grandmaster Caz, "Step Up Front" by Positive K, "This Cut's Got Flavor" by Latee, "Droppin' It" by Bizzie Boyz, "I'm Not Playing" by Ultimate Force,"Do It! Do It!" by Alliance, "Brooklyn Blew Up The Bridge" by MC Mitchski, and "Beat Bop" (full 10-minute version) by Rammelzee vs. K-Rob. CD

The MC Gift of Gab serves your ears melodic, driving, challenging wordplay at it's best on this album from the Quannum Projects label out of the Bay Area, who brought you DJ Shadow and Latyrx. The jazzy, soulful, reflective, bouncing music is entirely produced by DJ Chief Xcel and features cameos by Lyrics Born and Lateef from Latyrx on two separate tracks ("Do This My Way" and "Smithzonian Institute Of Rhyme", respectively.) It also includes the single "Deception" and the tracks "Searching", "The Fabulous Ones", "A To G", "Cliff Hanger", "Shallow Days", "Ego Trip By Nikki Giovanni", "You Didn't Know That Though", "Trouble (Eve Of Destruction)", "Reanimation", "Beyonder", "Making Progress", "Sleep", and more. CD

A sharp Statement Of Intent from DJ Format – whose format is timeless boombap and deft live instrumention on this solid set – which includes collaborations with Sureshot La Lock, Phill Most Chill, Nostalgia 77 and others! Classic craft, though timelessly inventive. The spacey sci fi funk of the Nostalgia 77 collabos is as hot as you'd expect, as are the other diverse sounds at play here. Includes "Staetement Of Intent", "A Quick Ego Trip", "Dope Pusher" and more with Sureshot La Rock, "Spaceship Earth" feat Edan, "Notes In Quotation" and "The Long Goodbye" feat Nostalgia 77 Quintet, "Terror" feat Mr Lif, "Beyond Disco" with The Simonsound, "Live At The Place To Be" with Phill Most Chill & Sureshot La Rock and more. LP, Vinyl record album

It may not be the BeAllEndAll that the Matador hype machine is trying to cook up, but Large Professor's waaaay too long in the making first LP (first to be officially released, anyway) is a very solid effort, and a strong, raw head bumper all the way through. Nothing fancy, just tried and true hip hop, with a loud and clear, confident verbal flow and stable beats and samples. A welcome trip back to not so distant era of hip hop that the Professor first made his mark (Breaking Atoms, Illmatic, etc) without sounding self-consciously retro. Includes "'Bout That Time", " Kool", "Blaze Rhymes", "Stay Chisel" featuring Nas, "In The Sun" featuring Q Tip, "Born To Ball", "Alive In Stereo", and more. CD

A really cool cut from the Chicago scene – a bassy boogie number, but one with a bit of a rap as well – a great tribute to our Windy City home, backed with a very catchy chorus! There's plenty of bass in "Sexy Lady" too – very old school, snapping, and with a rollerskating pace – in support of lyrics that are sung and spoken, often with some very cool processing to trip things out (Funky 45's, Hip Hop) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Hip hop soul from Nneka – a fresh perspective given her diverse background, and a fresh sound, too – rolling from rhymes to soulful singing over gritty soul beats and live band instrumentation. The facts of Nneka's life, born in Nigeria and raised in Germany – are bound be the lead of most intro bio and reviews, and it's a interesting stuff that should be noted – but we're just as impressed with her ability to mix rhymes and singing so deftly. She's a natural for both, and Concrete Jungle is well worth the trip. Titles include "Showin' Love", "The Uncomfortable Truth", "Mind Vs Heart", "Heartbeat", "Come With me", "Africans", "Suffri", "Fro Africa 2 U", "Walking", "Focus", "God Of Mercy" and more. (Neo Soul, Hip Hop) CD

A really cool take on a classic hip hop album – one that's covered up from start to finish, as jazz musician Benny Reid serves up his instrumental reading of The Infamous Mobb Deep! All tracks are performed by Reid, who's clearly working in the studio, not live (as the title might imply) – and he layers some heavy drum beats with these dark piano passages, all topped with tenor solos that are nice and deep – and which don't make you miss the lyrics at all! If you know the original, you'll be wowed by this remake – and if you don't, but dig funky jazz, you'll find plenty here to love – on titles that include "Shook Ones (part 2)", "Survival Of The Fittest", "Temperature's Rising", "Up North Trip", "Trife Life", "Right Back At You", "Cradle To The Grave", and "Drink Away The Pain". (Jazz, Hip Hop) CD

A really cool take on a classic hip hop album – one that's covered up from start to finish, as jazz musician Benny Reid serves up his instrumental reading of The Infamous Mobb Deep! All tracks are performed by Reid, who's clearly working in the studio, not live (as the title might imply) – and he layers some heavy drum beats with these dark piano passages, all topped with tenor solos that are nice and deep – and which don't make you miss the lyrics at all! If you know the original, you'll be wowed by this remake – and if you don't, but dig funky jazz, you'll find plenty here to love – on titles that include "Shook Ones (part 2)", "Survival Of The Fittest", "Temperature's Rising", "Up North Trip", "Trife Life", "Right Back At You", "Cradle To The Grave", and "Drink Away The Pain". (Jazz, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

12 tracks in all, including Kool G Rap "Real Life", Xzibit & King Tee "You Better Believe", GZA "When The Fat Lady Sings", Goodie Mob "This Some'n Too", Kurupt "Armageddon", Cypress Hill "Don't Trip", Everlast "Razor To Your Throat" and Kurupt & Rasco "When The Pain Inflict". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the principal albums in trip hop's ascension into the mainstream, and the bright, extroverted flipside to Portishead's darker vision of the late 90s scene. Mo Wax honcho James Lavelle's longstanding Unkle project got a massive makeover when DJ Shadow became the prime sonic architect for the Psyence Fiction LP. Shadow throws everything but the kitchen sink into the thing, working with a wide range of vocalists and collaborators from hip hop innovators (Kool G Rap, Mike D) to whiny alternative rockers (Richard Ashcroft, Thom Yorke). With a project as busy as Unkle, the law of subjectivity pretty much dictates that you're gonna love parts, and hate parts – but Shadow was so on top of his game at the time, he somehow manages to hold it all together. It may not be his best ever work, but Psyence Fiction certainly holds up, and it's an essential piece of the puzzle! Tracks include "Main Title Theme", "Guns Blazing", "Blood Stain", "Unreal", "Chaos", "Rabbit In Your Headlights", Lonely Soul", and more. (New Grooves, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

Essential! A hard to find compilation of seminal grooves, the long-out-of-print first volume to the legendary Headz compilation! This one blew everyone's mind back in the mid 90s, and it shaped the world of beathead production dratically for the next few years. Loads of great titles, including "Slipper Suite" by Palmskin Productions, "2000" by R.P.M., "In Flux (alternative interlude '93 version)" and "Lost & Found (SFL)" by DJ Shadow, "They Came In Peace" by Tranquility Bass, "Stars" by Nightmares On Wax, "Contemplating Jazz" by Attica Blues, "The Time Has Come" by UNKLE vs Major Force Orchestra, "Head West – Gunfight At The OK Corrall" by Howie B, "Destroy All Monsters" by Skull, "Lowride" by Autechre and 'Ravers Suck Our Sound" by La Funk Mob, plus a bunch of other smoked out trip hop grooves! CD

Part of the series that helped turntablism really jump off. Loads of amazing trickery at the hands of some of the finest & freshest: Beyond There, Mr. Dibbs, Radar & Z Trip, Roc Raida, Kid Koala, and some skilled folks whose names are a little lesser known. CD

An unusual project from Butcher Brown – a set that was originally written as a hip hop project for MC Tennishu, and which only gets plenty of instrumentation from the Butcher Brown combo, in their best funky jazz mode – but also has an added large ensemble really bumping up the sound! There's still plenty of hip hop on the record, but instrumentation is all live jazz and in a mode that so many others tried to do years back, but maybe never got this right. Titles include "Lawd Why", "Breevin", "Cusian", "Unbelievable", "777", and "Git Along" (Deep Funk, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to believe this is the fifth project together between Curren$y and Harry Fraud – and definitely a standalone project, despite what you might guess from the title! The album was originally supposed to be a deluxe take on Outrunners, but the duo are so quickly collaborative, they ended up creating a whole new work in the process – often with the kind of cool crispness of the previous record, but with fresh material throughout – and guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, Trippie Redd, Styles P, and Larry Lune. Titles include "White Ashes", "Work Too Hard", "Vintage Haze", "180 Days", "Quicksand", "Kitt", "New On Mute", and "The Crow's Nest". CD

A lasting classic from Digable Planets, and a record that really helped push the bar forward for hip hop at the time – at a level that's still kept this one strong all these many years later! Digable Planets weren't the first group to bring in some influence from jazz to their work – but they definitely found the right balance here, and a way of setting things up that was real and organic, instead of maybe just a nodding reference to the past that always felt a bit out of place. The use of live instrumentation next to samples is also key to the record's sound – common now, but pretty important at the time, especially in a world of declining sample access. The trio of Butterfly, Ladybug, and Doodlebug have a wonderful way of tripping through the lyrics – and titles include "The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug", "Black Ego", "Dog It", "Jettin", "Borough Check", "Highing Fly", "Dial 7", "The Art Of Easing", "KBs Alley", "Graffiti", "Blowing Down", "9th Wonder", and "For Corners". LP, Vinyl record album

Neo-classic boombap from Dilated Peoples –a team rooted strongly in time-honored group rap, compelling beats and turntablism – setting out to live up to the classic craft rather than re-invent the wheel, and deliver the goods track for track here! Not quite as nostalgic as the more straight-up throwback rappers of the late 90s and early 00s, which proves Dilated Peoples all the wiser, as this one has hardly aged a day. Tracks include "Right On" featuring Tha Alkaholiks, "The Shape Of Things To Come" featuring Aceyalone, "No Retreat" featuring B Real, "Work The Angles", "The Last Line Of Defense", "Annihilation", "Ear Drums Pop", "Expanding Man", "Triple Optics", "The Main Event", "Service", "The Platform" and four more. CD

The Mo Wax version of Divine Styler's third LP, with a super fancy fold out sci-fi cover design! As always, the Styler unleashes his sharp, intellectual rhymes in a complex vernacular, following up on the promise of the original Word Power LP, without the weird excursions he'd dabbled in on Spiral Walls, with a nanotech approach for the new millenium. 18 cuts on the first two LPs, including "Satan Dynasty Killer", "Triple Irons", "One Self Duel", "Before Mecca", "Directrix", "Nova" and "Make It Plain", plus a third album with 15 instrumentals too! CD

Elucid's image on the cover and the title of the record are a great hint at what's within – a deeply personal album that comes at a pivotal time in his music – a debut full length set, but one that also feels like those moments in the career of a more longstanding artist when they decide to clean house, strip things down, and step forward with a lot more power in their music! Elucid's there right at the start, and mostly self-produced the album – at a level that really augments the mood and spirit of each track, even when guests show up – the set features appearances from Billy Woods and Psychic Twin. Titles include "Obama Incense", "No Such Thing", "NY Blanks", "If You Say So", "Bleachwater", "Blame The Devil", "Burn Sugar", "Son Still Shine", and "No Grand Agenda". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the toughest, leanest, tightest and most on point efforts from Freddie Gibbs to date when it came out – and still one of the best! Despite the dead on perfect homage to the Teddy Pendergrass's quiet storm soul classic Teddy with the cover art here, make no mistakes, the material is Freddie Gibbs at his most finely honed, perfectly backed on the production side by Kenny Beats for the most part. Lean beats and thick rattling bass back some of Freddie's sharpest performances from track-to-track we've ever heard. Includes "Weight", "Automatic", "Death Row" feat 03 Greedo, "2 Legit", "FLFM (Interlude)", "Triple Threat" "Set Set", "Toe Tag", "FBC", and "Diamonds 2" feat Cassi Jo Craig & Irie Jane Gibbs. LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". Deluxe edition vinyl 3 bonus tracks: "The Recipe" with Dr. Dre, "Black Boy Fly" and "Now Or Never" with Mary J Blige. LP, Vinyl record album

Originally the first release in the Madlib Medicine Show series – this one is a full scale collaboration with no nonsense rapper Guilty Simpson – sort of a prelude to Guilty's OJ Simpson LP with Madlib in the production booth! The set is a pretty sharp confluence of Guilty's heavy-toned street knowledge and Madlib's hazy funk atmospherics – kind of a strange bedfellows situation, but it works fully well! Many tracks are billed as OJ Simpson remixes, possibly tripped out and funked up versions as a taste of what's to come – with appearances by MED & J Dilla. Titles include "Ode To The Ghetto" (OJ Simpson rmx), "Yikes" (OJ Simpson rmx), "Further", "Lucky Guy", "Pigs" (OJ Simpson rmx), "Life Goes By", "The Paper", "Looking For Trouble", "Young Guns" feat J Dilla, "American Dream & Future" (OJ Simpson rmx) and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Exactly the kind of record that reminds us why we love Oddisee so much – and why he continues to be one of the freshest talents around – both from a lyrical and musical perspective! At some level, the album's as understated as the look of its cover – with a stripped-down vibe that never needs to push too hard, and which just moves perfectly with the vocal flow that the man himself delivers – with a simple, subtle quality that almost takes us back to that early moment when MCs were starting to break free of simple patterns in the 80s, and also allow some of themselves into their lyrics too. Titles include "Waiting Outside", "Rain Dance", "Things", "Built By Pictures", "Hold It Back", "Digging Deep", and "Things". LP, Vinyl record album

The only LP from this First Priority family member who released a couple of nice tracks as singles on the label, especially his duets with MC Lyte. This major label album somehow managed to get lost, though it's one of our favorites from the early 90s, with stripped down funky beats and a tight flow and intelligent rhyme style that won't leave you scratching your head. 16 tracks in all, counting the shorter intros and interludes, including "Pass The Mic", "One 2 The Head", "How The F*ck Would You Know", "Carhoppers", "A Flower Grows In Brooklyn", "Nightshift", "I Got A Man", "Ain't No Crime" and "It's All Over". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The Stones may be old, but they ain't dumb! Mick & co. must have noticed the huge shot of artistic credibility Justin Timberlake received after the Neptunes hopped aboard, which is something the Stones haven't had in a couple of decades. The 'Tunes do a pretty great re-imagined take on the classic rock staple – adding some sitar and Eastern string touches on top of their patented minimal claps, snaps, and thumps. On top of the full length Neptunes mix and an edit you get Fatboy Slim's mix, also in epic form plus radio edit. Cook's is a fine, bubble gum club mix with a Happy Mondays kind of vibe. The Full Phat mix strays the most from the original, keeping Mick's vocal and the whoo-whoos, but completely strips the band and adds all electronic beats. The original version is here for you kids who didn't realize there was one! (Rock, Hip Hop) CD

A stunning underground set from back in the day – a record that was originally released on the label run by Schoolly D himself, then was picked up by Jive Records – because Schoolly had a runaway hit on his own! The whole thing is great – one of the first really hardcore records, told from the streets – in a way that's lean, stripped-down, and a very powerful answer to some of the pop hip hop that was coming up the charts in the mid 80s. The centerpiece of the album is the legendary track "Saturday Night" – a tale of a wild night that still blows us away, despite its slightly dated politics – and other cuts include "B-Boy Rhyme and Riddle", "Housing The Joint", "We Get Ill", "Parkside 5-2", "We Get Ill", "It's Krack", "Dis Groove Is Bad", "Get N' Paid", and "Do It Do It". LP, Vinyl record album

A remix-heavy version of a record that may have the year 1993 permanently locked into its title – but a set that's got more than enough strength to survive strongly over the decades – the first great statement from Cali giants Souls Of Mischief, and a record that would set the tone for the Hiero Imperium scene for years to come! The set's filled with jazz inspired, headnodding boom bap production at its finest – topped with some of the finest ensemble rapping of the time, all at a level that breaks new lyrical boundaries! This set is a mix of instrumentals and 12" tracks – with titles that include "93 Til Infinity (12" remix)", "That's When Ya Lost (I ain't trippin rmx)", "Never No More (78 Seville mix)", "Good Feeling (12" version)", "Make Your Mind Up (rock on mix)", "Never No More (LP inst)", "That's When Ya Lost (LP inst)", and "93 Til Infinity (rmx inst)". LP, Vinyl record album

An East Bay classic from Spice 1 – and a great little record from that time before the west coast became a bit too much West Coast! There's a thuggish, early gangsta vibe that runs through the whole set – but as with some of the more enduring Cali hip hop of the time, the set's got a stripped-down vibe that is maybe more down to earth – a focus on core elements that help shape each track in a slightly different way, in a set that's very song-focused, and doesn't lose its way too much in a mix of shouts, skits, and samples. Production help comes from Ant Banks, Too $hort, and others – and there's some nice guitar in the mix from Rob Bacon too. Titles include "Dumpin Em In Ditches", "187 He Wrote", "Don't Ring The Alarm (The Heist)", "Smoke Em Like A Blunt", "I'm The Murderer", "The Murda Show", "RIP", "Clip & The Trigga", and "Trigga Gots No Heart". LP, Vinyl record album