HHV Exclusives 962 Items

Exclusive to HHV in Europe!

Strangers Of Necessity consist of young upcoming producer, CoryAyo from Iowa City, IA, and veteran rhyme sayer, Fooch the MC, from Chicago,IL. The two connected by chance via twitter, after Cory saw Fooch in a 319 cypher video on youtube. They linked up offline and quickly became friends, sparking an immediate chemistry and need to make quality hip-hop music together; hence the name Strangers Of Necessity. They instantly began recording music and doing shows locally, generating a small buzz in the area. With CoryAyo's affiliation with London, UK based netlabel, Hard Jazz 7, and Fooch being an artist on Mic Hand Recordings, they knew they had the launch pad needed to release their debut EP, Tangerine Avenue.

Their sound is best described as a fresh take on that golden era of hip-hop, blending tasteful jazz and soul samples, crisp snares, boomy kicks on wonky patterns with a soulful delivery, dense schemes and potent punch-lines that hit peaks before unseen. Strangers Of Necessity now better acquainted and constantly adding shows to their calendar, are hoping to bring you retro fresh beats and rhymes that speak to right now; giving you that feeling that can only be described as ""goose bump music."

Limited edition of 300 copies on CD in jewel case.

In the midst of North Carolina's Tobacco Road and ACC basketball flowed an eloquent and bizarre Hip Hop juggernaut known as Yaggfu Front. The genuinely warped minds of D'ranged & Damaged, Jingle Bel and Spin 4th fused to form this acronym, a simple edict declaring "You're Gonna Get Fucked Up If You Front".

The 1993 debut album "Action Packed Adventure!" runs deep in lyrics and thick in production. Some of the lyrics are well within the ballpark of MC comprehension, while some transcend left field for the parking lot and on out to the f*#@ing highway. Beat fiends will incredulously shake their heads as the production crackles like that of crate PHD's Diamond and Pete Rock.

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7", CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.

Limited edition of 300 copies on CD in jewel case.

"Down To Earth" marked the debut album by Chicago's very own Grav. Originally released in 1996, the deep-voice MC flows on productions by No I.D., Dug Infinite, Big Q and a young Kanye West. Album guests include Al' Tariq and Lil Ray as well as DJ Nu-Mark on the cuts.

Underground lyrical terrorist, Grav, is among Chi town's most jovial and modest rappers. His personality is a blend of tranquillity and sangfroid, whether he's belting out razor sharp metaphors or head-nodding in time with a hip hop DJ. He grew up in Harlem when hip hop's street poets began taking a firm hold on the minds and hearts of New York's disenfranchised urban youth. He often journeyed to a park within the Lincoln Projects at 135th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues to hear such emerging hip hop artists as Doug E. Fresh beat box or rhyme. Grav remembers a special camaraderie emanating from those park jam sessions. "Everybody just grew up being cool with everybody," he says. "It was like a second family." In 1992, Grav moved to the Midwest to major in computer animation and sound engineering at the Art Institute of Chicago. Once he got to the Windy City, Grav decided to settle in the section of town referred to as Wicker Park. Wicker Park is the Midwest equivalent of Greenwich Village with it's ultra bohemian clubs, art galleries, cafes, bookstores, and theaters. Grav was then introduced to the city's underground hip hop scene through his roommate, Free. Grav spent most of his days with his head buried deep in his university school books to master the heavy scholastic work load. But his nights were spent flexing in freestyle sessions and ripping ciphers to shreds at clubs with an open mic night. He took on the name "Grav" when he teamed up with rapper, Magpie. In 1993, the two of them organized the group Indigenous Theory. Commenting on his unique moniker, Grav says, "My name reflects my down to earthness with people and how they react to me when I perform. I'm not just up there kicking lyrics. There's something in my style that attracts people to me, like the force of Gravity." Eventually Grav went solo when the group broke up in 1994. During this time Grav decided to seriously enter the rap game and lie concentrated on captivating audiences with the machine gun rhythm of his incredible flow and delivery at the legendary B Side Café. Grav rapidly graduated from headliner to host, with shows on Chicago's underground rap circuit. His debut album "Down To Earth" adds to the handful of projects that Grav already has on his plate, like rhyming on countless underground mix tapes and contributing to producer No.ID album (beat maker supreme for Common, Al Tariq, etc.).

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7", CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.

Limited edition of 300 copies of "Mad Izm" backed with the Easy Me Bee remix of "Reprogram" in sticker sleeve.

"Station Identification" marked the 1995 debut album by Channel Live with productions mostly handled by KRS-One next to Salaam Remi and Rheji Burrell. The duo comprised of Hakim Green and Tuffy created a certain impact on the scene with tracks like "Mad Izm" or "Sex For The Sport", and also remixes by the likes of Buckwild and Easy Mo Bee made the release a fan favorite amongst Hip Hop heads worldwide.

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7" ("Mad Izm Buckwild Remix b/w Buckwild '95 Remix"), extra 7" of "Mad Izm b/w Reprogram (Easy Mo Bee Remix)" in original sticker sleeve, CD in jewel case and cassette.

Limited edition of 300 copies in jewel case incl. 3 bonus tracks.

"Station Identification" marked the 1995 debut album by Channel Live with productions mostly handled by KRS-One next to Salaam Remi and Rheji Burrell. The duo comprised of Hakim Green and Tuffy created a certain impact on the scene with tracks like "Mad Izm" or "Sex For The Sport", and also remixes by the likes of Buckwild and Easy Mo Bee made the release a fan favorite amongst Hip Hop heads worldwide.

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7" ("Mad Izm Buckwild Remix b/w Buckwild '95 Remix"), extra 7" of "Mad Izm b/w Reprogram (Easy Mo Bee Remix)" in original sticker sleeve, CD in jewel case and cassette.

Limited edition of 300 copies on CD in jewel case.

"Beyond Flavor" is the sophomore album by Original Flavor, the group then consisting of Ski, T-Strong and DJ Chubby Chubb. Lyrical animation over Jazz-infused beats is the formula with an overall New York vibe. Guests include young cats such as Jay-Z, Sauce Money and Dame Dash.

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7", CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.

Limited edition of 300 copies of "Reachin (For My People)" backed with "When I Flow" featuring Jeru The Damaja.

Originally released in 1995, "Riverside Pictures" marked the debut album by Walkin' Large creating buzz far beyond Germany. O.N.O.'s lyrical talent paired with DJ Ara as well as Roe Beardie behind the boards still remains timeless, same goes for the features by Fabe and Jeru The Damaja.

Available in a limited run on 3LP, extra 7" of "Reachin' (For My People) / When I Flow" in original artwork sleeve, 2CD in jewel case, double cassette and digitally on all major platforms.

Limited edition of 300 copies on CD in jewel case.

Hot off the DAT's by Marley Marl himself plus original picture material from his archives, here's the unreleased Kamakaze album "Head On" that was supposed to drop in 1995. 14 tracks in total including additional demo versions of "Head On" and "Bridge '95" plus the classic remix of "Spread It Around". The production was handled by Marley Marl and K-Def as well as Black Cat.

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7", CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.

Limited edition of 300 copies on CD in jewel case.

Originally released in 1995 on cassette-only via Misfit Records, "Bomb Threat" showcases the variety of talent during the mid-90's in Portland, OR. Representing the Lifesavas and Frontline crews, the "Bomb Threat" collabo was a blueprint for Golden Age hip hop in the North West pairing that special boom bap sound with an hardcore feel to it.

Available in a limited run on 1LP, CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.

Limited edition of 300 copies on CD.

Originally released in 1993 via Rowdy Records, Illegal's debut release "The Untold Truth" finally gets the reissue treament. Productions and features include artists such as Diamond D., Erick Sermon, A.G. & Lord Finesse, Biz Markie, Spearhead X and many more.

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7", CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.

Limited edition of 300 copies of Pete Rock's remix of "Fades Em All" backed with the instrumental version. Comes in original picture sleeve.

Originally released in 1995 via Rowdy Records, Jamal's solo debut "Last Chance, No Breaks" finally gets the reissue treatment sporting three unreleased tracks from the demo version. Productions and features include artists such as Redman, Erick Sermon, Pete Rock, Keith Murray, George Clinton and many more.

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7", extra 7" of "Fades Em All (Pete Rock Remix)", CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.

Limited edition of 300 copies on CD in jewel case.

Originally released in 1995 via Rowdy Records, Jamal's solo debut "Last Chance, No Breaks" finally gets the reissue treatment sporting three unreleased tracks from the demo version. Productions and features include artists such as Redman, Erick Sermon, Pete Rock, Keith Murray, George Clinton and many more.

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7", extra 7" of "Fades Em All (Pete Rock Remix)", CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.