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Search Result for Genre HIPHOP
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CD
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RP 003CD
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$16.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/4/2018
"A crucial founding member of the Northern Cali-birthed Solesides / Quannum collective -- which included DJ Shadow and Blackalicious, among others -- and one half of the groundbreaking Latyrx duo (with Lateef The Truthspeaker), Lyrics Born opened a lot of ears and minds with his 2003 solo debut, Later That Day... On this very open-minded and chiefly self-produced long player, Lyrics Born and his crew (including Joyo Velarde, on vocals; guitarist Tommy Guerrero and Germany's funk masters Poets of Rhythm) bring it from the funk side, boasting a warm soul stew instead of colder drum machine-based beats and chopped samples. As shown since his earliest days, the incredibly versatile Lyrics Born mixes his flow up depending on the track, from tongue-twistingly fast to conversationally mundane, and concepts are usually at the forefront -- 'Cold Call' is an amusing take on telemarketers, featuring Gift of Gab; 'Before And After' is about friends growing apart; 'Bad Dreams' is a groovy apocalyptic shaker. The infectious 'Callin' Out' rides the party train and 'Stop Complaining' timeshares between funny and serious. 'Do That There' features DJ Cut Chemist with liquid cuts that work around LB's verbal floor routine. And even after all of the other musical fireworks, the album's crescendo most assuredly comes on track eleven, 'The Last Trumpet': operatically dramatic and powerful, with Lyrics Born and Latyrx-mate Lateef trading verses like 'the only action / we can profit from / is movement towards / the positive / progressive thought / that's rooted up / in consciousness' at breakneck pace."
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2CD
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PJ 015CD
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$15.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/4/2018
"When Ruff Draft saw its initial release in 2003, J Dilla possessed production skills on par with anyone in hip-hop -- technically and creatively. 'At the top of his game,' says longtime friend and collaborator, Karriem Riggins. After years of building while modestly deferring to others of both greater and lesser notoriety, Dilla finally completed the first solo endeavor on his own label, entirely on his own terms. The significance of such an autonomous success often gets overlooked, and partly accounts for why Ruff Draft is one of the lesser-referenced entries in Dilla's oeuvre. 'It's a mysterious little project,' says his mother, Maureen Yancey. 'But out of his entire career, that was the happiest time.' Prior to recording the EP, Dilla found himself at a crossroads. Estranged from his label, MCA, and separated from the mother of his youngest daughter, frustration abounded both personally and professionally. Dilla spent parts of 2002 and 2003 working on an album for MCA that featured his rapping over contributions from other producers with whom he had connected and whose music he respected. At the time, he was known primarily for his beats, yet reviled for his MCing by most anyone not from his hometown of Detroit. The project was to be an intentional freak of the industry. The project would go on to spur his collaborative album with Madlib, Jaylib, and would first showcase the template that he would take to his greatest heights with 2006's Donuts. The Stones Throw reissue of Ruff Draft from 2008 featured remixes of the songs from the album, done without Dilla's involvement. This version of the album takes Dilla's recently discovered mixes of the album and restores his vision for the project. 'Straight from the mothafuckin' cassette,' as he phrased the sound he was going for on the EP's intro. The CD issue is buttressed by unreleased tracks and includes the music from the EP as it was originally released, the alternate version that Dilla had for the project and complete instrumentals. Author Ronnie Reese expands upon his original liner notes to further tell Dilla's story, in a booklet complete with never before published photographs from the Ruff Draft photo session. This CD issue features first Dilla's original sequence of the EP and then presents Dilla's alternate sequence, with tracks unreleased in 2003, as well as instrumentals. Author Ronnie Reese expansively details Dilla's trajectory at this crucial point in his career, in a booklet complete with never before published photographs from the Ruff Draft photo session."
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LP
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GET 51284LP
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$26.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/4/2018
"Spice 1 is an undisputed West Coast legend, who first hit the scene after the N.W.A. and -- closer to home -- Too $hort explosion of the late '80s. As history showed, he continued that bloodline with finesse and authority. His nasal flow is menacing and strong, and fans have been consistently captivated by his 'hood tales since his self-titled debut in 1992. If you want thematic range with your MCs, Spice isn't that dude -- he is all about crime tales and the perils of ghetto life. And he attacks that storytelling sweet spot with each new cut. Spice 1 boasted four singles by the time it was all said and done, and breezed to Gold status on the strength of cuts like the catchy 'East Bay Gangster'; the heartfelt tales and truths of 'Welcome To The Ghetto'; and the thick, grooving 'In My Neighborhood.' He even produced the alcohol-themed '187 Proof,' another of the album's singles, and the hands-down cleverest vocal outing on the LP. Sonically, the backdrops on Spice 1 range from plunky, keyboard-bassline funk to deeper, fuzzy '70s samples -- and he sounds strong on top of both. "Break Yourself" is fueled with an electro-funk drive; '1-800 Spice' brings reggae flavor; and 'Peace To My Nine' gets chunkier, with a well-placed P-Funk 'One Nation Under A Groove' sample. Presented here on official retail vinyl for the first time since its initial release 26 years ago, Spice 1's debut holds the test of time and carries the California gangsta flag with pride. Some colors just don't fade."
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2LP
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TEG 78508LP
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$25.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/4/2018
"The self titled record called The Beatnuts, or more affectionately referred to as Street Level, is the full length debut album by the Queens trio. It was released on June 21, 1994 by Relativity Records just a year after their impressive debut EP, Intoxicated Demons had turned the Hip Hop world on its ear. The cutting edge production is supplied by Juju and Psycho Les themselves, with contributions from V.I.C. and Lucien (A Tribe Called Quest). It features guest appearances by Grand Puba (Brand Nubian), Miss Jones and DJ Sinister (The X-Exutioners) amongst others. It is with great pride that Sony Music and Traffic Entertainment Group team up to present The Beatnuts' self titled LP available for the first time remastered on double vinyl and housed in a deluxe 'Tip On' style vintage gatefold sleeve featuring extended artwork and liner notes written by hip hop historian Noah Uman (WFMU)."
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LP
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GET 51325LP
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"The Alkaholiks, like their LA peers Cypress Hill, had three important things going for them -- lots of charisma, top-shelf rhyme skills, and a sound that perfectly straddled both East and West Coasts. Their deep funk and hard-as-nails beats and overall production put them in a perfect position to make an impression with fans, no matter where those fans were. The group boasted a triple threat of MCs -- E-Swift (who also produced), Tash and J-Ro -- and they packed a strong punch with their 1993 debut, 21 & Over. It will surprise no one from names of the group and the album, but drinking takes up a lot of time here, including classic tracks -- which doubled as album singles -- like the rolling, ultra-funky 'Make Room' and the hilarious 'Only When I'm Drunk,' the latter fueled by the classic block-party break 'Seven Minutes Of Funk.' One lesser-known element of the group's debut was the introduction of the now mythical producer and MC Madlib, who produced the dusty 'Mary Jane' and the ridiculously funky, churning 'Turn Tha Party Out' (under the name The Loot Pack, with DJ Romes). Both tracks are dope as hell, and perfectly fit the group's sound, showing that they also had an ear for up-and-coming talent. An interesting old-school angle on the album is that several tracks feature LA legend King Tee on production and vocals ('Last Call'; 'Soda Pop' and 'Bullshit'). Tee was an early supporter of the trio who helped to oversee the album for Loud Records after they appeared on his banging 1992 single 'Got It Bad Y'all.' There's not a bum track in the bunch here, and younger rap fans just getting hip to them will undoubtedly be asking where the Alkaholiks have been all their lives."
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CD
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SDGPUMP 1991CD
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Snow Dog Records present a reissue of South Central Cartel's self-titled debut album, originally released in 1991. Los Angeles's South Central Cartel were pioneers in the West Coast gangsta rap genre, in the same league as Dr. Dre, NWA, Eazy E, Ice Cube, Compton's Most Wanted, Above the Law, Da Lench Mob, Mac Dre, and Kurupt. South Central Cartel (S.C.C.) was one of the first West Coast groups to gain national popularity in the immediate wake of groundbreaking and controversial releases by NWA and Eazy-E, and they're still etched in hip hop's collective memory for pushing the envelope with their unapologetic embrace of gang affiliation, automatic weapons, violent crime, and prison and car culture. South Central Madness is their debut album, originally released on Pump/Quality Records, with subsequent albums released on Def Jam West in a deal between their G.W.K. (Gangsters Wit Knowledge) imprint and the West Coast division of Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons's label. Over a now-classic bed of sample sources (Delfonics, The Temptations, Barry White, Funkadelic, more), with lyrical sample drops of their hip-hop contemporaries (MC Breed, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, NWA, Geto Boys, Big Daddy Kane), lyricists Havoc, Havik, Prodeje, and Young Prodeje along with singer L.V. (later featured on Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise") deliver a solid bridge from hip-hop's established East Coast chart-dominating status quo toward the West Coast-centric "G-Funk era", Crips vs. Bloods subtexts and the definition of what it meant to be hard. Videos for the singles U Gotta Deal Wit Dis (Gangsta Luv)/Ya Getz Clowned (1991) and Papa Was A Rolling Stone (1992) feature up-tempo Havoc and Prodeje in black baseball caps, shades, and curls that Eazy-E should have trademarked, riding and further extending the ominous Compton MC legacy. "Ya Getz Clowned" actually samples MC Breed's "Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'", released just months before, tightening a food chain of club/radio DJ/producer sample/remix culture that was evolving fast in 1991. An interesting and maybe still unresolved footnote is that an unrelated up-and-coming duo from Queensbridge named Mobb Deep with members Havoc and Prodigy who would release their debut Juvenile Hell in 1993.
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LP
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SIL 003LP
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LP version. "Rising from the wreckage of a war-torn planet, Czarface joins forces with MF DOOM in the epic Czarface Meets Metal Face! Blending DOOM's trademark abstractions and Czarface's in-your-face lyrical attack, this album is ripe with cartoon violence, societal observations and pop culture musings. Over banging beats provided by The Czar-Keys, the armored team give you the witty unpredictable treats any hip-hop fan can sink their fangs into. Expect beats, rhymes, and metal as Czarface controlled by Wu-Tang Clan powerhouse Inspectah Deck and 7L & Esoteric team up with everyone's favorite villain, MF Doom. With track titles like 'Nautical Depth', 'Meddle With Metal', 'Astral Traveling' to 'Madness of Badness' this album packs a punch with 16 brand new tracks. Add that with features from Open Mike Eagle and Jedi Mind Tricks' Vinnie Paz, we promise you mind-bending metaphors and brain-melting beats as this powerful pairing sounds off!"
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PIC. DISC
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GET 58017EP
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"With the celebrated return of Dr. Octagon (Dan the Automator, Kool Keith and DJ QBert) in 2017 -- including their first-ever live performances -- fans are sure to keep gobbling up the space weirdness that first surfaced more than 20 years ago. Get On Down presents a unique picture disc, featuring the original Octagon album artwork by the legendary artist Pushead. The infamous doctor's head and lower torso reach above and below the actual 45rpm playing surface, as if trying to escape their two-dimensional status. On the A-side is a brand-new Dr. Octagon song, 'Octagon Octagon,' which picks up where the original energy left off. It's a dark and grooving glimpse into Keith's rubberband mind, jumping abstractly from line to line, chock full of equal parts charisma and dementia. On the flip is the song for which the group is most well-known, 'Blue Flowers.' The version presented here is the amazing 'Prince Paul's So Beautiful' remix, which first appeared on a Mo Wax 12" in the UK in late 1996. It was the first meeting of the two great production minds from different eras -- Dan the Automator and Prince Paul would go on to collaborate many more times over the next decade, most notably as the group Handsome Boy Modeling School. This is another great trophy for any self-respecting Kool Keith and Dan The Automator fan, combining the old and the new in triumphant fashion."
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Cassette
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SIL 003CS
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Cassette version. "Rising from the wreckage of a war-torn planet, Czarface joins forces with MF DOOM in the epic Czarface Meets Metal Face! Blending DOOM's trademark abstractions and Czarface's in-your-face lyrical attack, this album is ripe with cartoon violence, societal observations and pop culture musings. Over banging beats provided by The Czar-Keys, the armored team give you the witty unpredictable treats any hip-hop fan can sink their fangs into. Expect beats, rhymes, and metal as Czarface controlled by Wu-Tang Clan powerhouse Inspectah Deck and 7L & Esoteric team up with everyone's favorite villain, MF Doom. With track titles like 'Nautical Depth', 'Meddle With Metal', 'Astral Traveling' to 'Madness of Badness' this album packs a punch with 16 brand new tracks. Add that with features from Open Mike Eagle and Jedi Mind Tricks' Vinnie Paz, we promise you mind-bending metaphors and brain-melting beats as this powerful pairing sounds off!"
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CD
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SIL 003CD
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"Rising from the wreckage of a war-torn planet, Czarface joins forces with MF DOOM in the epic Czarface Meets Metal Face! Blending DOOM's trademark abstractions and Czarface's in-your-face lyrical attack, this album is ripe with cartoon violence, societal observations and pop culture musings. Over banging beats provided by The Czar-Keys, the armored team give you the witty unpredictable treats any hip-hop fan can sink their fangs into. Expect beats, rhymes, and metal as Czarface controlled by Wu-Tang Clan powerhouse Inspectah Deck and 7L & Esoteric team up with everyone's favorite villain, MF Doom. With track titles like 'Nautical Depth', 'Meddle With Metal', 'Astral Traveling' to 'Madness of Badness' this album packs a punch with 16 brand new tracks. Add that with features from Open Mike Eagle and Jedi Mind Tricks' Vinnie Paz, we promise you mind-bending metaphors and brain-melting beats as this powerful pairing sounds off!"
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CD
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MONO 103CD
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Wildly surreal experimental hip-hop group Curse Ov Dialect return with the socially conscious, zonked-out Twisted Strangers, their first album since 2009's Crisis Tales (STAUB 096CD/LP). Renowned for their non-conformist costumery and political ethos, the enigmatic Australian group has garnered a strong worldwide cult following. Twisted Strangers sees them continue further down their own unique musical path, reveling in the openness of their eclectic sample concoctions paired with hard but twisted beats. The conventions of hip-hop are used as a foundation to build a unique voice that broaches no comparisons.
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Cassette
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SIL 005CS
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Cassette version. Instrumentals. "Rising from the wreckage of a war-torn planet, Czarface joins forces with MF DOOM in the epic Czarface Meets Metal Face! Blending DOOM's trademark abstractions and Czarface's in-your-face lyrical attack, this album is ripe with cartoon violence, societal observations and pop culture musings. Over banging beats provided by The Czar-Keys, the armored team give you the witty unpredictable treats any hip-hop fan can sink their fangs into. Expect beats, rhymes, and metal as Czarface controlled by Wu-Tang Clan powerhouse Inspectah Deck and 7L & Esoteric team up with everyone's favorite villain, MF Doom. With track titles like 'Nautical Depth', 'Meddle With Metal', 'Astral Traveling' to 'Madness of Badness' this album packs a punch with 16 brand new tracks. Add that with features from Open Mike Eagle and Jedi Mind Tricks' Vinnie Paz, we promise you mind-bending metaphors and brain-melting beats as this powerful pairing sounds off!"
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CD
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SDGSDE 1991CD
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Snow Dog Records present a reissue of MC Breed & DFC's debut album, originally released in 1991. An often-overlooked debut by Flint, Michigan MC Eric Breed, leader of DFC (Da Flint Crew, Dope Flint Connection, Da Funk Clan), who went on to collaborate with Tupac, Too Short, George Clinton, Slum Village, Jazzy Pha, Pimp C, Kurupt, The D.O.C., Hurricane (Beastie Boys), Amp Fiddler, Erick Sermon (EPMD), Bootleg (Dayton Family), and Esham. MC Bred & DFC peaked at #142 on the Billboard 200, #38 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #3 on Top Heatseekers, impressive for an independent debut. The single was also a radio hit, getting run from KMEL in San Francisco to New York, leaving listeners hearing Breed's voice for the first time confused, unable to pin down his neutral accent, Flavor Flav's "to the beat, y'all" stabbing intermittently, and the West Coast-flavored beat confusing matters further. The album relies heavily on James Brown samples ("The Grunt", "Make It Funky", "Funky Drummer", "Funky President"), a can't-miss formula with Breed's voice over the beat, but the standout single from the album, "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'", a certified club anthem, is an inspired take on two already-established sample sources ("Funky Worm" and "More Bounce To The Ounce"), but flipping the Zapp tune differently than listeners were accustomed to, providing a bass-heavy, atonal, lazy, and almost non-music backdrop for Breed's lyrics, which in turn ran a line between incisive, funky and a fast drawl, sounding like an edgier Tone Loc, with apparent influence by EPMD or Audio Two. The end result was the first Midwest-originated "hit" rap record, even the sampled artists (Zapp and the Ohio Players) were from Ohio. A surprisingly apt comparison is Cypress Hill's self-titled sample-heavy debut, also released in August 1991, both feature odes to marijuana, utilize a then-emerging "dusted" sample style, feature audible clicks-and-pops on their sample sources, and were the first major crossover successes from their respective regions. And they're both solid albums, start to finish, with minimal guest features (none). Breed died in 2008 from kidney failure, unexpectedly ending his well-respected career at 12 albums, and after having paved the way for other Midwest artists Eminem, Common, Slum Village, Bone Thugs & Harmony, Proof, D12, and others.
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LP
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SDGSDE 1991LP
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LP version. Snow Dog Records present a reissue of MC Breed & DFC's debut album, originally released in 1991. An often-overlooked debut by Flint, Michigan MC Eric Breed, leader of DFC (Da Flint Crew, Dope Flint Connection, Da Funk Clan), who went on to collaborate with Tupac, Too Short, George Clinton, Slum Village, Jazzy Pha, Pimp C, Kurupt, The D.O.C., Hurricane (Beastie Boys), Amp Fiddler, Erick Sermon (EPMD), Bootleg (Dayton Family), and Esham. MC Bred & DFC peaked at #142 on the Billboard 200, #38 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #3 on Top Heatseekers, impressive for an independent debut. The single was also a radio hit, getting run from KMEL in San Francisco to New York, leaving listeners hearing Breed's voice for the first time confused, unable to pin down his neutral accent, Flavor Flav's "to the beat, y'all" stabbing intermittently, and the West Coast-flavored beat confusing matters further. The album relies heavily on James Brown samples ("The Grunt", "Make It Funky", "Funky Drummer", "Funky President"), a can't-miss formula with Breed's voice over the beat, but the standout single from the album, "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'", a certified club anthem, is an inspired take on two already-established sample sources ("Funky Worm" and "More Bounce To The Ounce"), but flipping the Zapp tune differently than listeners were accustomed to, providing a bass-heavy, atonal, lazy, and almost non-music backdrop for Breed's lyrics, which in turn ran a line between incisive, funky and a fast drawl, sounding like an edgier Tone Loc, with apparent influence by EPMD or Audio Two. The end result was the first Midwest-originated "hit" rap record, even the sampled artists (Zapp and the Ohio Players) were from Ohio. A surprisingly apt comparison is Cypress Hill's self-titled sample-heavy debut, also released in August 1991, both feature odes to marijuana, utilize a then-emerging "dusted" sample style, feature audible clicks-and-pops on their sample sources, and were the first major crossover successes from their respective regions. And they're both solid albums, start to finish, with minimal guest features (none). Breed died in 2008 from kidney failure, unexpectedly ending his well-respected career at 12 albums, and after having paved the way for other Midwest artists Eminem, Common, Slum Village, Bone Thugs & Harmony, Proof, D12, and others.
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AWATE 001LP
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With infectious melodies and razor sharp bars, rapper AWATE flows over psychedelic funk by producer Turkish on debut album Happiness. The rapper, producer, and MOBO supported artist weaves together stories from Maiden Lane Estate in Camden and his refugee experience to build on his reputation as one of London's most visionary artistic forces. Happiness was written and recorded on bail over a two-year period while AWATE was on bail for four cases which he was eventually cleared. Honing his craft from the age of 12, he made a name for himself at the legendary hip-hop spot, Deal Real at the age of 15. AWATE learned from mentors such as Poisonous Poets rappers, Stylah and Lowkey, BBC 1Xtra's DJ Semtex and one of his heroes, Yasiin Bey. As a refugee from Eritrea via Saudi Arabia, AWATE's lyrics are a complex train of thought on subjects like self-esteem, racism, pride, and class. Building a reputation as an electrifying and engaging live performer, AWATE has toured worldwide with Lowkey since 2010 and has supported the likes of Jay Electronica, Ghetts, Big Daddy Kane, and Blackstar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli). He has also headlined and performed regularly at The Roundhouse as a resident artist at the iconic venue. AWATE's long-awaited first release, 2016's Shine Ancient EP was premiered on Complex with features on Noisey, Huck, AFROPUNK, OkayAfrica, and premieres on BBC 6 Music with Gilles Peterson, Jamie Kennedy on Radio X as well as support from DJ MK and Shortee Blitz on KISS. RIYL: Chris Franck, Turkish.
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LP
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SDGPUMP 1991LP
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LP version. Snow Dog Records present a reissue of South Central Cartel's self-titled debut album, originally released in 1991. Los Angeles's South Central Cartel were pioneers in the West Coast gangsta rap genre, in the same league as Dr. Dre, NWA, Eazy E, Ice Cube, Compton's Most Wanted, Above the Law, Da Lench Mob, Mac Dre, and Kurupt. South Central Cartel (S.C.C.) was one of the first West Coast groups to gain national popularity in the immediate wake of groundbreaking and controversial releases by NWA and Eazy-E, and they're still etched in hip hop's collective memory for pushing the envelope with their unapologetic embrace of gang affiliation, automatic weapons, violent crime, and prison and car culture. South Central Madness is their debut album, originally released on Pump/Quality Records, with subsequent albums released on Def Jam West in a deal between their G.W.K. (Gangsters Wit Knowledge) imprint and the West Coast division of Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons's label. Over a now-classic bed of sample sources (Delfonics, The Temptations, Barry White, Funkadelic, more), with lyrical sample drops of their hip-hop contemporaries (MC Breed, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, NWA, Geto Boys, Big Daddy Kane), lyricists Havoc, Havik, Prodeje, and Young Prodeje along with singer L.V. (later featured on Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise") deliver a solid bridge from hip-hop's established East Coast chart-dominating status quo toward the West Coast-centric "G-Funk era", Crips vs. Bloods subtexts and the definition of what it meant to be hard. Videos for the singles U Gotta Deal Wit Dis (Gangsta Luv)/Ya Getz Clowned (1991) and Papa Was A Rolling Stone (1992) feature up-tempo Havoc and Prodeje in black baseball caps, shades, and curls that Eazy-E should have trademarked, riding and further extending the ominous Compton MC legacy. "Ya Getz Clowned" actually samples MC Breed's "Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'", released just months before, tightening a food chain of club/radio DJ/producer sample/remix culture that was evolving fast in 1991. An interesting and maybe still unresolved footnote is that an unrelated up-and-coming duo from Queensbridge named Mobb Deep with members Havoc and Prodigy who would release their debut Juvenile Hell in 1993.
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2LP
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MONO 023LP
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Double LP version. Wildly surreal experimental hip-hop group Curse Ov Dialect return with the socially conscious, zonked-out Twisted Strangers, their first album since 2009's Crisis Tales (STAUB 096CD/LP). Renowned for their non-conformist costumery and political ethos, the enigmatic Australian group has garnered a strong worldwide cult following. Twisted Strangers sees them continue further down their own unique musical path, reveling in the openness of their eclectic sample concoctions paired with hard but twisted beats. The conventions of hip-hop are used as a foundation to build a unique voice that broaches no comparisons.
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BEC 5543272
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Guizmo has for many years left a strong imprint on the French rap scene with his unique personal universe and an acknowledged gift to writing. Three years after release the album Dans Ma Ruche (2014) and the surprise street album GPG 1 in 2016, the singles of his fifth album Amicalement Vôtre are already receiving praises from the fans and the media, paving the way for another success for the 26-year old rapper. Guizmo is a viral sensation and strategizes his own social campaigns to reach his fans directly. He's gathered 400,000+ followers on YouTube and 160,000,000+ views, 730,000+ Facebook fans, 100,000+ Twitter followers, and more than 95,000+ followers on Instagram. Wow! Includes 24-page poster booklet.
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2LP
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RP 004LP
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"20 years after its initial release, the Bay Area uber-classic Latyrx: The Album -- lyricists Lyrics Born and Lateef The Truthspeaker, with production from DJ Shadow, Chief Xcel and Lyrics Born -- still stands as a seminal recording. It has gone on to resonate with successive generations of listeners, and influence countless artists. Recorded over a two-year period, it was the first full-length release from the legendary Solesides collective, and encapsulates a highly creative and influential time in hip-hop, frequently dubbed 'The Golden Age'. Over the course of the original release's 42 minutes, not only can you hear Lyrics Born and Lateef literally growing into themselves as artists, but you can also hear the germination of the Solesides sound, first given birth at California's UC Davis in the early '90s, driven by brothers-in-beats-and-rhymes Blackalicious and DJ Shadow. Partially by design, and partially out of necessity, Latyrx -- and the Solesides crew as a whole -- became trailblazers. Lyrics Born remembers (in this set's lengthy liner notes), 'We really wanted to explore. New styles, new subject matter, new textures, new vocabulary. It came down to even wanting to do words in the English language that you had never heard in a rap song before. It was all about pushing.' This deluxe, double-LP issue of Latyrx: The Album is a must for longtime fans and newly-initiated listeners alike, with in-depth liner notes by veteran Bay Area journalist Eric Arnold (including input from Lyrics Born and Lateef The Truthspeaker) and packaged in a gatefold format."
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7x7" Box
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MF 1999-7
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"As the '90s came to a close, hip-hop music was thriving in two separate ecosystems. On one side, Puffy's Bad Boy Records, Roc-A-Fella and the rest of the major label world was pumping plenty of shiny music by bling-ed out, made for MTV stars. These pop stars sold truckloads, but it felt like a lot of 'empty calories.' On the other side of the coin, a very strong underground scene had emerged in the mid-1990s worldwide. Hungry, innovative artists who had no use for the major label system thrived artistically in this ever-growing pond, ranging from Dr. Octagon and Jurassic 5 in Cali, Atmosphere and the Rhymesayers crew in the Midwest, and Company Flow and Definitive Jux in the East, among others. As the decade closed, from somewhere even beyond both of those poles, a man who would come to rule many corners the underground universe for the next two decades appeared from depths that were darker than most of his fans would ever know: MF DOOM. The artist formerly known as Zev Love X of major-label-but-underground heroes KMD had disappeared from most fans' view in around 1994 -- after his brother and artistic co-producer Subroc was killed, and the group's Black Bastards album was shelved by Elektra. By 1997, DOOM started peeking his head up from the grime, with no-distribution singles on Bobbito Garcia's Fondle 'Em label like 'Red & Gold' and 'Dead Bent.' As other appearances and singles trickled through the underground, by 1999 the album Operation: Doomsday appeared seemingly out of nowhere, again on Fondle 'Em, and fans who actively ran from the glitzier side of rap music ate it up like they had been on a hunger strike. Musically raw and at-times off-kilter, former Fondle 'Em singles like the aforementioned tunes plus 'Gas Drawls,' 'Hey!' and 'Go With The Flow' were joined by a whole slew of new tunes. It all sounded familiar but new at the same time. It shouldn't be overlooked that in addition to the dusty, wobbling music, the former Zev Love X completely changed up his vocal style on the tracks that would land on Doomsday, chopping his flow up and bringing a whole new approach to his formerly liquid, and often humorous lyricism. Standouts on this bonafide underground masterwork are honestly hard to pick, since fans each have their own DOOM faves. But 'Doomsday,' 'Rhymes Like Dimes,' 'The MIC,' the experimental 'Tick, Tick...' (with MF Grimm) and 'Red & Gold' (with King Ghidra) are great examples of how stretched-out this visionary album is. This new 7-Inch collection edition via Get On Down includes seven 7-inches that run in order of the songs from the original issue (including interludes). The records are housed in a custom black leatherette outer-box that is laced with silver-foil renderings of DOOM's legendary mask and bubble graffiti logo on the outside, and a never-seen-before DOOM drawing by the legendary Lord Scotch, the original artist behind the Operation: Doomsday art, on the inside. In addition to holding the 7-inch vinyl, the box also contains two metallic-silver colored 45 adapters, each a 3D rendering of DOOM's gladiator mask. Picture sleeves for each of the seven pieces of wax all feature brand new work by Lord Scotch (Blake Lethem aka KEO aka Scotch79th) as well: new hand-lettered track listings on one side, and incredible new color illustrations on the flip that, when laid side-by-side, fit together like puzzle pieces, to form one large image."
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2LP
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GET 51327LP
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"When it comes to authentic, ride-or-die hip-hop, few crews have as much resonance as Mobb Deep. Featuring two double-threat MCs who also produced -- Havoc and the sadly-departed Prodigy -- the crew changed the hardcore rap game in 1995 with their sophomore classic The Infamous, and went on to rule the dark corners of hip-hop for the second half of the 90s and well into the 2000s. After multiple Mobb Deep platters in the '90s, Prodigy entered the 2000s as a solo artist with force, rolling over a stomping, piano-freaked backdrop laced by producer The Alchemist, with 'Keep It Thoro.' It has held up over time, proving itself as an anthemic classic that the streets and clubs still respect. Flaunting a smooth-but-menacing flow, Prodigy's no-nonsense lyricism on 'Keep It Thoro' is prototypical modern age brag rap. Countless MCs have followed his flow, from Fabolous to Joey Bada$$. The song is short and sweet, clocking in at just over three minutes. There are no wasted verses, just hardcore rhymes that stay with you. But 'Thoro' was the tip of the iceberg on what proved to be one of the more coveted rap full-lengths of the era. The album boasted other charting singles, including 'Rock Dat Shit' and 'Y.B.E.' (featuring B.G.), but it can be argued that the album's real gems are buried deeper. 'Genesis,' 'What U Rep' (featuring Noreaga) and 'Three' are all sinister yet pensive. 'Wanna Be Thugs' and 'Delt With The Bullshit' are strong and evocative Mobb Deep cuts, featuring production and vocals by Havoc. And alongside other standouts, perhaps the deepest cut of all -- especially in light of Prodigy's way-too-soon passing due to complications from Sickle Cell Anemia -- is 'You Can Never Feel My Pain,' which details the health issues and challenges this talented MC and producer had been facing his whole life. H.N.I.C. was Prodigy's first solo album, but it is perhaps his best. Among fans he will never be forgotten, for his skills, his storytelling and his no-B.S. approach to the art of MCing."
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7"
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GET 918EP
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"Wu-Tang Clan struck Gold (and then Platinum) with their debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). In addition to astronomical sales, the release has been dropped into list such as NME's Top 100 Albums of all Time, Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of All Time, Q's 90 Best Albums of the 901s, Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time and 100 Best Albums of The 90s, Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century and the Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. And that's the short list of lists. Get On Down will now be issuing every single cut from Enter The Wu-Tang as a 7" single."
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2CD
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NMG 17751CD
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"Rapper/producer Young RJ has been working behind the scenes of hip-hop for a long time, but has now stepped out of the shadows and into the forefront. With a long history of production credits, and as a member of the revered group Slum Village, Young RJ now releases his debut solo album. Blaq Royalty delivers a classic old school sound, harkening back to RJ's 'Slum' days, married with a modern, radio-friendly vibe. Not to mention a bounty of A-level features on joints like 'Issues' (Featuring BJ The Chicago Kid), 'Wait' (Pete Rock & Boldy James"), and 'Motion' (Joyner Lucas & Statik Selektah). Featuring production by Young RJ himself, as well as abandoned beats from the legendary J Dilla. A classic in the making."
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7"
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GET 919EP
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"Wu-Tang Clan struck Gold (and then Platinum) with their debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). In addition to astronomical sales, the release has been dropped into list such as NME's Top 100 Albums of all Time, Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of All Time, Q's 90 Best Albums of the 901s, Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time and 100 Best Albums of The 90s, Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century and the Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. And that's the short list of lists. Get On Down will now be issuing every single cut from Enter The Wu-Tang as a 7" single."
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7"
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GET 915EP
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"Wu-Tang Clan struck Gold (and then Platinum) with their debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). In addition to astronomical sales, the release has been dropped into list such as NME's Top 100 Albums of all Time, Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of All Time, Q's 90 Best Albums of the 901s, Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time and 100 Best Albums of The 90s, Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century and the Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. And that's the short list of lists. Get On Down will now be issuing every single cut from Enter The Wu-Tang as a 7" single."
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