One of the most sonically intense albums to date from Aesop Rock – a set that matches his ever-sharp rhymes with the sorts of musical settings that really live up to the spirit of the title! The vocals come on with this really crispy sort of edge – partly the production, partly the ... read moreCD
(Blue colored polycarbonate CD pressing and with stickers!)
A career-spanning set of work from the Beastie Boys – one that features tracks from both their Def Jam and Capitol/Grand Royal years – in a way that really shows the continuing evolution of their sound! The tracklist is great – classics from every generation, and the kind of cuts ... read moreCD
A solo set from once and hopefully future half of Outkast Big Boi – and he delivers big here for Def Jam – classic Outkast level excellence from Sir Lucious Leftfoot! Production by Organized Noize, Scott Storch, J Beattzz, DJ Cutmasta Swiff and others, many songs with co-production ... read moreCD
The classic first solo album by Big L – with bedrock DITC production by Buckwild, Showbiz and Lord Finesse – perfectly framing the rhymes by Harlem's finest. Big L didn't leave a huge wealth of recordings before he was taking away from the world, but he started out strong, and this ... read moreCD
A solid, relatively underappreciated effort from Bishop Nehru and MF Doom – one we appreciate even more with bit of time on its side! Doom is more or less focused on the production side on this one while the former handles the majority of the rhymes – and having arrived at a time when ... read moreCD
Black Rock & Ron —
Stop The World ... CD RCA/Get On Down, 1989. New Copy ...
$6.9914.98
The rare, late 80s gem from Black Rock & Ron – dedicated to and featuring production by the late, great Paul C McKasty – along with some production by Jazzy Jay and Skeff Anselm. You can hear Paul C's influence in the edits, the tightness of the beats and the layering and chopping ... read moreCD
The title might seem familiar – given that Blundetto's first album was called Bad Bad Things – but this record really shows a strong evolution of his sound over the ten years since that release – the shifting sense of sound between hip hop, global roots, and more dynamic elements ... (New Grooves, Hip Hop)read moreCD
A blend of break beat and hip hop production prowess with a love of funky drums running through and through – an inspired batch from Scott Hendy, aka Boca 45! Boca 45 demonstrates a pretty broad palette of far-reaching funk and moodier rare grooves, kitschy psychedelic pop and soundtrack ... (New Grooves, Hip Hop)read moreCD
Nice mid period effort from the blast master. Includes "Blackman In Effect", "Ya Know The Rules", "Beef", "House Niggas", "100 Guns", "Ya Strugglin", "Breath Control II", "Edutainment", "The Homeless", "O ... read moreCD
A selection of late 80s South Bronx Teachings – classic Boogie Down Productions circa Criminal Minded! South Bronx Teachings focuses soundly on the class of '87 – so you get fistful of the Criminal Minded cuts and a few other blasts from KRS-One & Scott La Rock, nicely paced over ... read moreCD
One of those records that maybe snuck in a bit under the wire at the time of release – but a set that instantly went on to become a classic, and one of the greatest debuts of the early 90s! Not only is the production great – full of sophisticated samples and ways of putting them ... read moreCD
The funky titans are at it again! "Deuces Up, Double Down" is a killer new track from the group – an original tune written by drummer Miles Tackett, with a heavy scattershot beat at the bottom, and lots of loud, fast, honking horns over the top. The guitar player's licking away at ... (Deep Funk, Hip Hop)read moreCD
Includes "Just Begin" feat Raz Fresco, "Flute" feat Joey Bada$$ & CJ Fly Of Pro Era, "Clear Light" feat Chelsea Reject, "Red Alert", "We In Here" with David Dallas, "The Choice", "This Is My World" feat Steele of Smif N ... read moreCD
Tracks include "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See", "Dangerous", "The Whole World Lookin' At Me", "One" featuring Erykah Badu, "We Could Take It Outside" featuring Flipmode Squad, Rah Digga & others, "The Body Rock" featuring ... read moreCD
Classic minded but truly fresh duo hip hop from the Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks, aka the Cool Kids – billed as an EP, but a pretty generous one at 10 tracks and more than a half hour in length – a strong hint that these Kids are going to make a huge splash! The Cool Kids produce ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Curren$y & Harry Fraud —
Outrunners ... CD SRFSCHL, 2020. New Copy ...
$13.9915.99
Curren$y and production partner Harry Fraud, outrunning a lot of their peers, even on relatively low key sets like Outrunners – with Curren$y's laidback flow in as fine of form as ever – and Fraud's production honestly rock solid track for track! The set is filler free and faultless, ... read moreCD
Cypress Hill's debut masterpiece – one of the biggest and best first albums in 90s hip hop – in cased here in skull for its 25th Anniversary! There's little we can add to the canon when it comes to describing this album's impact, but it's still pretty revelatory. Like other west coast ... read moreCD
(Note: Outside box has some very very light wear – but otherwise everything else is in great shape!)
The incredible follow-up to I Wish My Brother George Was Here – and a record that was initially underappreciated, mostly because it was such a radical departure from the George – but it's one that we loved from day one and we're thrilled is getting some love all these years later! ... read moreCD
An expansive exploration into the future of funky jazz – put together by DJ Smash, and even better than the first volume in the series! The set brings together recent tracks from a variety of Blue Note releases from around the globe – including a few from the ultra-tasty Blue Note ... (New Grooves, Hip Hop)read moreCD
Edan returns with a new set of his sample heavy wizardry – this time out steeped heavily in late 60s pysch out flourishes, yet still sporting the thickest breakbeats available. His rhyme style is both ridiculous and genius – with tongue twists that pay homage and blast forward ... read moreCD
EPMD's incredible full length debut – a straight up all caps CLASSIC late 80s effort – raising the bar for the genre and helping pave the way for so much of the best golden age hip hop to come! Bottom heavy funky soul beats and masterful use of samples anchor the production, and the ... read moreCD
Peven Everett & Upper Esh —
Star Studded ... CD Satelite Soundscape, 2003. New Copy ...
$11.9913.99
A wicked blend of hip hop and underground soul from Peven Everett and Upper Esh – warm Peven-styled beats and keys underneath, and rhymes by Asian A and Pretty Toan over the top! If you dig Peven's self-produced albums, you'll find plenty in here to like – as a lot of the tracks have ... (Neo Soul, Hip Hop)read moreCD
The timeless sounding underground classic debut of Frank-N-Dank – which is a strong first full length statement for the duo – and a significant milestone in the J Dilla production canon! It has more of a straight up, street ready rhyme style than was typical for Dilla productions at ... read moreCD
Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist —
Alfredo ... CD ESGN, 2020. New Copy ...
$11.9912.99
Freddie Gibbs's gradual ascent to the upper echelon of modern hip hop – and his impeccable choice in production partners, this time working from beginning to end with long serving beat king The Alchemist – shows no signs of slowing down! Lyrically, Freddie is riffing on mob lore on ... read moreCD
These guys are known by some as the backing band of Anderson.Paak, but they're a hell of a group on their own – rock-solid right at the core, and able to effortlessly craft a sweet blend of funk and soul – yet also leave room for plenty of guests along the way! The musicianship here is ... (Neo Soul, Hip Hop)read moreCD
Frighty & Colonel Mite —
Life ... CD Profile, 1990. Used ...
$2.99
Includes "Life (Is What You Make It)", "Ragamuffin Girl", "My Baby Just Cares For Me", "Realize", "Can You Handle It", "Maximum", "I Know You Know", "Don't Go" and "Jah Put It Deh". (Reggae, Hip Hop)CD
We'll forget about the first Fugees LP, this is the one that really launched the career of Lauryn Hill, both as an MC and a vocalist. And back then, even Wyclef and Pras were kinda dope. 13 tracks and 2 bonus remixes in all, including "How Many MC's", "Ready Or Not", "Kill ... read moreCD
Gang Starr at pretty close to peak level here on 1994's Hard To Earn – and rather than continue to ride the waves they made on the previous couple classic albums, Guru sharpens the lyrical tone just a bit – spitting some more incisive rhymes over apporpriately gritty soul jazz beats ... read moreCD
One of the finest early efforts from Premier and Guru – their second album – and it's not only one of Gang Starr's greatest, it's one of the greatest hip hop albums, period. Guru's mic presence is as sharply on point as ever here, and the Primo production is also at peak precision. ... read moreCD
A tight effort from Glue on Fat Beats – which rolls with a boom bap reverence and an uptempo raw vibe – they're the kind of crew that probably KILLS it live and brings that feel to the record! Producer Maker's quickly becoming a favorite around here with his hard-hitting approach ... read moreCD
(Out of print, digipack has some edgewear.)
Gnarls Barkley —
St Elsewhere ... CD Atlantic/Downtown, 2006. Used ...
$1.99
A synthy soul funk project from the team of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo – a set that's just trippy enough – and it's possibly the best full length from either party, ever! You don't need us to tell you that DM has had a finger in a handful of the best fringe pop/leftfield hip hop projects ... read moreCD
Jon Hassell on trumpet & keyboards, Pete Scaturro on keyboard bass & electric bass, Brain on drums, Joe Gore on guitar & BLK Lion on keyboard samples & programming. (Jazz, Hip Hop)CD
(Out of print, promotional stamp on booklet cover.)
These two amazing cuts, produced by Pete Rock, sound as dope as the first Pete Rock/CL LP. INI had a whole LP of material set to be released, but for some reason, he was dropped by Elektra and the single was pulled right after it was released, making it nearly impossible to find. This version ... read moreCD
More straight up solid hip hop from Iomos Marad – who contributed one of the nicer full lengths in the ever-growing All Natural Family Tree of releases with his Deep Rooted LP – and delivers another dynamic opus in the Go Head EP! Production by Fifth Element, Yuani, and Grade-A-Beats. ... read moreCD
Formative Dilla beats – raw SP-1200 and Akai MPC material created and cataloged by the legendary producer over the years and served as blueprint/building blocks for some of his most revered productions throughout his career! This being the work of master, it doesn't play like a mere beat ... read moreCD
J Dilla at his grittiest, most rugged & raw – in both the production and rhyme realms – with all beats and rhymes by the Dilla himself! This set originally opened our ears to a different side of Dilla, a harder hitting aesthetic, with beats and grooves from out of leftfield that ... read moreCD
Jahari Massamba Unit (Madlib & Karriem Riggins) —
Pardon My French ... CD Madlib Invazion, 2020. New Copy ...
Just Sold Out!
A tremendous collaboration between Madlib and drummer Karriem Riggins – both artists who are great enough on their own, but who really hit some new territory in this funky instrumental project! Riggins plays live drums, and Madlib throws in all this other instrumentation that really changes ... (Deep Funk, Hip Hop)read moreCD
Jay-Z —
Blueprint ... CD Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam, 2001. Used ...
$5.99
Ok, it's not underground at all, but to our ears this is one of the best LP's of 2001. The only commercial LP with true hip hop production (he could afford to pay for the samples...) and honestly, better production than most underground LP's. (The only unfortunate thing about the LP is that as ... read moreCD
Jay-Z brings in a huge ensemble of producers including Kayne West, Just Blaze, Dr. Dre, Neptunes, Timbaland, No ID and more. There are also more guests than any other Jay-Z album, including Faith Evans, Notorious BIG, Beyonce Knowles, Big Boi, Rakim, Lenny Kravitz, and more. Tracks include "H ... read moreCD
(Out of print clean version. Stickers over slipcover barcode, clear promo sticker on case, barcode has a cutout hole.)
Just-Ice —
Masterpiece ... CD Fresh/Traffic, 1990. New Copy ...
$7.9915.98
A later set by Just Ice – produced by Grandmaster Flash – and record that sounds a lot better than we remembered! Tight, hard hitting dawn of the 90s beats from Flash and that gruff, tight rhyme delivery from Just-Ice. It might not be a masterpiece on par with Kool & Deadly, but ... read moreCD
A nicely done compilation of the some of the best of Just-Ice – culled from the legendary Fresh, Warlock and Sleeping Bag recordings – a solid entry point for hardcore hip hop pioneer if you don't already own those records! Includes some the most legendary Mantronix productions, the ... read moreCD
Kazi & Madlib —
Blackmarket Seminar ... CD Below System (Netherlands), 1996/2021. New Copy ...
$14.9915.99
A rare studio set from Kazi and Madlib – recorded way back in the mid 90s, but with the kind of crispy intensity that would make Madlib so influential for years to come! The title and the occasional skits on the set refer to a search for a "blackmarket seminar" – an ... read moreCD
Tough, righteous rap from King Sun – 1989's XL – a set that still looms large after all these years! King Sun dropped knowledge from a Five Percenter influence with a flow that's as smooth, solid and authoritive as any Bronx rapper of the day – and the production by Sun Born ... read moreCD
The classic first solo album from Kool Moe Dee – pivotal solo rap from the onetime Treacherous Three rhyme slinger – formative stuff that works nearly as well, to our ears anyway, as his platinum breakout How You Like Me Now! 9 tracks on the original album: "Go See The ... read moreCD
Includes "Lost Ones", "Ex-Factor", "To Zion", "Doo Wop", "Superstar", "Final Hour", "When It Hurts So Bad", "I Used To Love Him", "Forgive Them Father", "Every Ghetto, Every City", "Nothing Even ... read moreCD
Includes "Lost Ones", "Ex-Factor", "To Zion", "Doo Wop", "Superstar", "Final Hour", "When It Hurts So Bad", "I Used To Love Him", "Forgive Them Father", "Every Ghetto, Every City", "Nothing Even ... read moreCD
The amazing debut of those most hyperactive of the Native Tongues, the short-lived, ultra fresh Leaders Of The New School! Busta & Co. splintered apart after just two albums, but this will always be a shiny trophy in the mantle with the all time freshest East Coast hip hop. It sounds great to ... read moreCD
A second volume of classic LL Cool J cuts – from benchmark mid 80s jams produced by Rick Rubin to the best of his mid 00s cuts – stellar cuts all the way, be they trailblazing old school classics or unpretentious, well crafted mainstream ear candy. LL has done it all, All World Volume ... read moreCD
Madlib/Kieran Hebden —
Sound Ancestors ... CD Madlib Invazion, 2021. New Copy ...
Just Sold Out!
A hell of a collaboration – core sounds by Madlib, which are then re-arranged by Kieran Hebden – at a level that seems to open up new dimensions in both artists! The sound is definitely Madlib's, but there's also a sense of majesty that seems to flow through the whole thing – ... read moreCD
The first release in the Madlib Medicine Show series of releases from the prolific genius that is Madlib – this one 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 ... read moreCD
(Limited edition. Please note image shown is from LP.)
Raw crackling hip hop funk beatcraft at its deepest from mighty Madlib – working in his Beat Konducta style for this third entry in the epic Madlib's Medicine Show Series! Beat Konducta In Africa is a hazy hip hop instrumental set from 'Lib (lest you thought it might be a funky compilation ... read moreCD
Formative Madlib beatcraft – music made by 'Lib from 1990-2000 – crafted into a tight full length album that feels as fresh as ever! History Of The Loop Digga features funky hip hop instrumentals made at a time when he was producing underground beat tapes for himself and the Crate ... read moreCD
A freak funk mix set from the mighty Madlib – No 6 in the Medicine Show series – a global psych mix of messed up prog, mad mod sounds, tropical funk, krautrock, Afro rock, funk & soul from Nigeria to who-knows-where – mixed masterfully and peppered with oddball vocal samples ... read moreCD
Low Budget Hi Fi Music from Madlib – the eleventh entry in his epic Madlib's Medicine Show series – 28 tracks of hip hop unofficially dubbed the Dirty Demos! The set feature sample enriched instrumentals by Madlib as Loop Digga and collaborations with Strong Arm Steady, J Rocc, Madlib ... read moreCD
Beats and mixes by Madlib & rhymes by unnamed rappers – an unplanned appendix to the Madlib Medicine Show series – The Black Tape! Number 13 finds Madlib flipping the script on the hip hop DJ mix racket – applying his deep-digging, adventurous style to rhymes by a broad ... read moreCD
Madvillain (Madlib & MF Doom) —
Madvillainy ... CD Stones Throw, 2004. New Copy ...
$8.999.98
A Stones Throw sci-fi masterpiece – one that was destined for greatness from conception, but we're still pretty well blown away by the final product! MC Doom and beatmaster Madlib couldn't be better suited for a collaboration. As much as we've dug the best of Doom's material of the last ... read moreCD
The classic first LP from Kurtis Mantronik & MC Tee – early hip hop and funky electro at its mid 80s finest – richly expanded with a wealth of bonus material! We'll never tire of style here – electronic funky beats, synthesizers and vocoder vocal effects, and those benchmark ... read moreCD
Prime early electro hip hop genius from Mantronix – fresh beats and rap from Mantronix, including tight singles, 12" mixes and some classic production work for T La Rock, Just Ice and more – 2CDs that cover the vital mid 80s period! Includes those classic early hits with the ... read moreCD
Marcelo D2 —
Hip Hop Rio ... CD Net (Brazil), 2002. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
MC Lyte —
Eyes On This ... CD First Priority/Traffic, 1989. New Copy ...
$6.9914.98
MC Lyte's second full length record – a bit overlooked in the grand scheme, if only because the preceding Lyte As A Rock was a tough act to follow – so now's a great time to catch up with it! To our ears, Eyes On This is every bit as nice as the debut, and it that last of Lyte's no ... read moreCD
Remixes of tracks from Ill Suono, Pepe California, Busdriver, Her Space Holiday, Mia Doi Todd, The Free Design, The Postal Service, Clearlake, Build An Ark, Presto, and more. CD
Seasonal, largely instrumental freshness from Oddisee for the always interesting Mello Music Group label – a pretty ambitious set that's groups tracks by season. It may indeed be music for Autumn, Spring, Summer and Winter, but we're thinking it'll sound good for years to come. Includes ... read moreCD
Still the Atlanta duo's high water mark – and yes, we did love Stankonia. Relentless hype, Grammys, and the Village Voice be damned! Tracks include "Rosa Parks", "Skew It On The Bar-B" featuring Raekwon, "Aquemini", "Synthesizer" featuring George ... read moreCD
(CLEAN VERSION. Punch through barcode and small promo sticker on booklet.)
Pick any 10 words out of any Outkast album description on our pages at random, and you'll see how dearly we've loved these boys throughout the years – but truth be told, deep down we didn't think that they would be able to pull off the double album/solo album project(s). We were seriously ... read moreCD
(Cover art varies slightly, as slipcover is not included.)
Pete Rock & The Soul Brothers —
Petestrumentals 3 ... CD TruSoul, 2020. New Copy ...
$12.9915.98
Killer funky work from Pete Rock – a set that's still rooted in the hip hop traditions he helped form over the past few decades, but which also has a strong degree of instrumental funk as well! Pete did the set with the Soul Brothers quartet – a great group with riffing guitars, funky ... read moreCD
Tracks include "In The House", "Carmel City", "I Get Physical", "Sun Won't Come Out", "I Got A Love", "Escape", "The Main Ingredient", "Worldwide", "All The Places", "Tell Me", "Take You ... read moreCD
PE's third LP, and their last with full on Bomb Squad production. With classics like "Fight The Power", "Burn Hollywood Burn", "Welcome To The Terrordome", "Power To The People", "911 Is A Joke" and the title track. CD
Public Enemy gave us plenty of knowledge and power back in the day – and we maybe need their message more than ever in 2020 – a year that marks their return to their original home at Def Jam! The group have help from plenty of guests here – maybe more so than they would have had ... read moreCD
The long awaited Cuban Linx Pt 2 from Raekwon – and one of those late model Wu Tang efforts that reminds us of how vital the Wu Tang were in their prime, as well as how sharp the still are when the moons align and the pieces fall into place! OBFCL Pt 2 is indeed one of those rare newer Wu ... read moreCD
A much stronger set than Rappin Hood's debut from a few years back – and that's saying a lot, because that album was pretty darn compelling! As before, the style here is conventional hip hop, with lyrics in Portuguese – but the record's free of some of the booty beat cliches that are ... (Brazil, Hip Hop)read moreCD
Who is this man, yoy might ask? It's John Robinson, a stellar MC with a busy, thoughtful and dexterous mic flow – who's had this tight album finished since 2004, and it's only now seeing the light of day in the US! It may have languished due to the usual politics of the business, but in ... read moreCD
(Produced by MF Doom.)
Roforofo Jazz —
Fire Eater ... CD Office Home (France), 2021. New Copy ...
$19.99
A French group, fronted by an MC from Chicago – working here in a style that's every bit as striking as the cover! The core sounds blend together older Afro Funk elements with jazz – in a groove that's nice and lean, and which provides a really unique setting for the rhymes of Days ... (Global Grooves, Hip Hop)read moreCD
The classic critical breakthrough from The Roots – the one that really cemented their legacy as one great hip hop live bands ever, and help paving the way for many fascinating records to come! Do You Want More is a modern hip hop essential, chainging the way we looked at hip hop, and ... read moreCD
The Roots first major label release, not issued as such in the US – and only released on Talkin Loud overseas, at the time they hadn't yet inked the deal with Geffen that would really put them over. Only six tracks, but "It's Coming" was only issued here as a non LP, promo only b-si ... read moreCD
The classic self-titled debut LP from Run-DMC – one that not only changed hip hop, but much of modern pop and rock forever! There's little we can add to the canon for this record, but the way Run-DMC ushered in a new era in contemporary urban culture, a harder hitting style of rap that ... read moreCD
A fantastic meeting of the minds – as director Jim Jarmusch makes a film that's a nod to the old martial arts films of the 70s that inspired the Wu-Tang Clan in their music – and RZA gets a chance to contribute to the soundtrack, with help from the Clan as well! The music is maybe the ... read moreCD
A smoking Rhymesayers debut from Sa-Roc – one of the most inventive female MCs of the past decade, and an artist who just continues to explode with fresh energy on each new release! The album's mostly produced by Sol Messiah – Sa-Roc's longtime musical partner, and a talent who really ... read moreCD
(Nice package – gold-laminated sleeve, and 16 page booklet!)
A smoking Rhymesayers debut from Sa-Roc – one of the most inventive female MCs of the past decade, and an artist who just continues to explode with fresh energy on each new release! The album's mostly produced by Sol Messiah – Sa-Roc's longtime musical partner, and a talent who really ... read moreCD
(Nice package – gold-laminated sleeve, and 16 page booklet!)
A fantastic second album from Chicago's Sen Morimoto – and, like the first, a set that really moves beyond simple definition! Sen's got years of experience in jazz and rock – and those elements come into play with his hip hop production, in ways that make for a real genre-crossing ... read moreCD
Shabazz Palaces takes spacey hip hop further out then they've every done before, while still somehow holding ground in hazy, headnodding beats and rhymes – delivering 2 separate albums loosely centered around a cosmic character called Quazarz! Far out as concept is and as thickly atmospheric ... read moreCD
(Mark through barcode.)
Shad —
TSOL ... CD Black Box, 2010. Used ...
$2.99
... CD
(Mark through barcode.)
Slum Village —
Yes ... CD Ne'Astra, 2015. Used ...
$7.99
Slum Village co-founder T3 and producer Young RJ deliver – with some J Dilla beats, along with the solid work of RJ – strong line up of guests appearances, including Bilal, De La Soul, Phife of Tribe Called Quest, BJ The Chicago Kid and more! Titles include "Love Is" with ... read moreCD
Slum Village teams up with the hip hop-reared jazz funk collective Abstract Orchestra for this worthy revisit/live band rework of the legendary Fantastic Vol 2 – a soulful Detroit hip hop classic and a vital piece of the late great J Dilla's legacy! A few cuts have prominent vocals, others ... read moreCD