One of those classic late 90s hip hop albums that initially got lost in the shuffle of record label politics and other issues – finally out for the rest of the world in the following century! The record's from a time when King Tee was allied strongly with Dr Dre – who produces part of the set, and also makes an appearance alongside other Cali all-stars – like MC Ren, DJ Quik, and Too $hort – royalty, for sure – but don't forget that King Tee was also on the scene pretty early himself! And while there were some issues that may have held the record back, the set's still a key part of that legacy that Tee brought to the west – with titles that include "Speak On It", "Stay Down", "Skweez Ya Ballz", "Monay", "Da'kron", "Big Boys", "Let's Make AV", "Tha Game", "Reel Raw", "2Gs from Compton", "Shake Da Pot", "Nna Moenin", "Step On By", "Big Ballin", "The Original", "Nuthin Has Changed", and "Where's T". LP, Vinyl record album

With guest appearances by Nate Dogg, Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Defari, KRS One, and more. Production is handled by Dre, Rocwilder, Soopafly, DJ Quik, Eminem, Erick Sermon, and others. 16 tracks, including "Been A Long Time", "X", "Front 2 Back", "Best Of Things", "Don't Approach Me", "Double Time", "Get Your Walk On", "Rimz & Tirez", "F#*kin You Right", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of those classic late 90s hip hop albums that initially got lost in the shuffle of record label politics and other issues – finally out for the rest of the world in the following century! The record's from a time when King Tee was allied strongly with Dr Dre – who produces part of the set, and also makes an appearance alongside other Cali all-stars – like MC Ren, DJ Quik, and Too $hort – royalty, for sure – but don't forget that King Tee was also on the scene pretty early himself! And while there were some issues that may have held the record back, the set's still a key part of that legacy that Tee brought to the west – with titles that include "Speak On It", "Stay Down", "Skweez Ya Ballz", "Monay", "Da'kron", "Big Boys", "Let's Make AV", "Tha Game", "Reel Raw", "2Gs from Compton", "Shake Da Pot", "Nna Moenin", "Step On By", "Big Ballin", "The Original", "Nuthin Has Changed", and "Where's T". CD

"This here is the victory lap," raps Hov midway through The Black Album, his supposed career-capper (for this stage, anyway), and if nothing here immediately dazzles us to the core the way the best of his past singles have done, overall this is probably the most consistent front-to-back listen of all his albums. One of the nicest things about the Black Album is the brevity. As tight as the best of his recent output has been over the last couple of years – from singles, to album tracks, to guest spots – Jay-Z's simply been TOO productive, which has diluted the overall power of his presence. That issue is addressed right off the bat here – with a very manageable 14 tracks, no guest rhymers, and a consistent overall sound and mood thanks in part to strong production by Kanye West, 9th Wonder, Neptunes, Timbaland, Eminem (who's baroque synth productions are getting dangerously close to going stale, but it fits Jay-Z's dramatic finale theme very well), Rick Rubin and DJ Quik. It's a wildly disparate cast behind the boards, but this thing flows incredibly well thanks to Jay-Z's predetermined mission to make a great album, not just a hot record. We may still have to lean towards Blueprint as his late masterpiece, but this is way up there. "December 4th", "What More Can I Say?", "Encore", "Change Clothes", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Threat", "Moment Of Clarity", "99 Problems", "Justify My Thug", "Lucifer", "Allure", "My First Song", and a couple of brief interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

With DJ Quik and Xzibit. 12-inch, Vinyl record

The heartbreak in the title is very well-put – as Vince Staples goes back to the Ramona Park neighborhood from which he sprang – relating the vibe of his youth filtered through the sharper lens of his recent work – all at a level that makes for one of the strongest contemporary Cali statements in years! That nicely muddled SoCal production is perfect here – not just for the way that Staples puts over a lyric, but almost as the fog of a flashback dissolve, which almost has the album's guests coming in through some sort of a dream state – adding nice touches along the way, in a set that includes "Papercuts", "Aye", "Magic", "Nameless", "East Point Prayer", "Slide", "DJ Quik", "Rose Street", "Bang That", "Spirit Of Monster Kody", and "Player Ways". LP, Vinyl record album