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“Einsteigen Bitte!”

After more than six years of collaboration between label and artist, Feines Tier and Luca Musto bring to you the highly anticipated first full length LP “Nice Place, Bad Intentions”.

Musto’s first LP “Nice Place Bad Intentions” departs from the conventional 4/4 time signature. Instead, the album’s structure and the tracks themselves are reminiscent of a 1990s/2000s Hip Hop long play release. This becomes evident in the fact that the LP not only features 17 tracks, including skits and interludes, but also that they make up the framework of a conceptual album. Here, listeners will be encouraged to follow the track list and listen to “Nice Place, Bad Intentions” in one go.

“Nice Place, Bad Intentions” was produced over a period of 1,5 years. Besides the majority being original samples and vocals from Luca Musto, the LP also features a number of studio musicians, including bass players, trumpeters and guitarists. Cologne-based guitarist Simon Bahr can be found on several tracks, including the three singles “Infiltrate”, “Boogie Angst” and “Real Name, No Gimmicks”. Moreover, the skits and interludes are spoken by professional voice actors from the US and Canada.

The Berlin-themed album follows the characters Mick and Richie, who are all about partying and come to the city for one weekend in hopes to have the time of their lives. When the characters’ expectations meet reality, their naiveté (or bad intentions) lead them to getting screwed, robbed and even arrested. These stories about their journey through Germany’s capital are found in the interludes and skits. Listeners can follow them passing infamous places and metro stations in the city based on sampled BVG announcements, which gives the album a radio play vibe.

Sound-wise, Luca Musto’s unique sounds include scratched hooks that meet original lyrics and melodies, resulting in distinctive genre-bending tunes. As Mick and Richie stumble through some of Berlin’s most in-famous places, their expectations repeatedly clash with the reality of the capital’s nightlife. Similarly the liste-ners’ expectations are twisted and turned. Yet, the soundtrack underlining the characters’ journey never disappoints and brings its listeners on a rhythmic trip of old and new sounds. From rapping on downtempo as in “City of Grind” to merging the classic structure of electronic music with funky guitar licks and unconventional chord transitions as in “Infiltrate”, the LP feels at once like a daring experiment and like the beginning of a developing new genre.

Rochester New York’s very own Super group Da Cloth member Illanoise delivers once again!!!

This time he is teamed up with some of Hip Hop’s Underground elites to bring you The Fisherman. This Cinematic style project is filled with lethal lyrical doses over pure Dark & Dirty Production reminiscent of the 90’s provided by New Jersey's Halo.

A sure thriller and authentic Hip Hop Head must listen!!!

Limited Cassette Edition Handnumbered to #75

Guerilla Warfare, the second record by the New Orleans hip-hop group Hot Boys, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a vinyl reissue. The album was originally released under Cash Money Records on July 27, 1999.

Hot Boys was a super group formed in 1997 by Cash Money co-founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams. The project was composed of a teenaged Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., and Turk; Original member Bulletproof AKA Lil Derrick left the group shortly after recording the group’s first album, 1997’s Get It How U Live! The success of Hot Boys’ debut contributed to Cash Money’s historic publishing and distribution deal with Universal the following year.

The platinum-certified Guerilla Warfare was Hot Boys’ most commercially successful album. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 142,000 copies in its first week of release. Produced by Mannie Fresh, the album features singles like “We On Fire,” “I Need a Hot Girl,” and “Too Hot.”

The members of Hot Boys frequently appeared on each other’s solo projects, including tracks on Juvenile’s 1998 classic 400 Degreez, Lil Wayne’s 1999 debut Tha Block Is Hot, and B.G.’s 1999 album Chopper City in the Ghetto.

Jenova 7 emerges once again as a beacon of auditory innovation with his latest opus, Lost Sci-Fi Movie Themes. Released under the banner of Cold Busted, this collection of 16 tracks serves as a time machine, whisking listeners away on a journey through dimensions both familiar and uncharted since his last foray with 2019's Dusted Jazz Vol. 3. Jenova 7 has meticulously crafted an album that resonates with the essence of ‘90s trip hop nostalgia while propelling us into the cosmos of futuristic soundscapes. The album's standout tracks—“The Future 1995,” “My Zero G Love,” and “Downtown Lost In The City Of Lizards”—are masterclasses in genre-blending and atmospheric storytelling. "The Future 1995" envelops one in a nebula of boom-bap beats, cosmic sound effects, and b-movie vibes, creating a sonic experience that feels like intercepting radio signals from a distant, funk-infused galaxy. Meanwhile, “My Zero G Love” floats the listener through the velvety darkness of space with its sexy lounge feel, portamento synth lines, and the undeniable funk that glimmers under starlight—evoking the sensation of grooving in weightlessness. Then, there's “Downtown Lost In The City Of Lizards,” a track that saunters through the urban jungle with sparkling keys, evocative guitar spurts, and strutting jazz bass, painting a picture as vivid and surreal as its title suggests. Jenova 7's skill lies in his ability to fuse moody, jazz-inflected samples with grooves that draw one into a distinctly atmospheric sound—a cinematic journey through time, space, and emotion. His tracks are experiences, wrapping the listener in a cocoon of vibrant soundscapes that are both introspective and expansive. Lost Sci-Fi Movie Themes is an invitation to explore the unknown, to lose oneself in the depths of imagination and emerge on the other side transformed. For DJs looking to transport their audience to another dimension and for music fans yearning for a taste of nostalgia wrapped in the allure of the future, Jenova 7's latest release is a must-discover treasure. Dive in and let the odyssey begin

Solemn Brigham is 1/2 of the group Marlowe. His music has been featured on Gatorade's G is for Greatness ad campaign, 7-Eleven's Harmony Korine (Kids, Gummo, Spring Breakers) directed low rider bike campaign, and NBA2K22. South Sinner Street is his debut solo album coming Sept 24th.

About the Album:
It is no secret that things are getting worse. By virtually any metric––economic or medical, or ones more abstract and spiritual––American society is in decay. The feeling permeates daily life in innumerable ways, giving the present a gnawing, ambient dread.

Solemn Brigham is not content to leave this at a low hum. On his dazzling new album, South Sinner Street, Solemn examines this decay through the prism of his hometown: Albemarle, North Carolina, where the blocks he grew up on are crumbling like everything else. “What was once a vibrant area now survives as a reminder that the only thing eternal is change,” Solemn says when describing the project’s genesis. “Trash and debris flood the streets, relics of the many lives lived––each piece with a story to tell.” South Sinner Street not only traces the degradation of the world around us, but documents the way communities can come together to stave off that slow death, lifting its members up in the process.

Solemn is uniquely equipped to animate the relics of a once-thriving neighborhood with the specificity they deserve. The rapper, whose work with his fellow North Carolinian, L’Orange, as the duo Marlowe has been critically acclaimed, is one of the most vocally acrobatic working today, able to contort himself into a dizzying array of different flows and inflections, accomplishing alone the sort of musical variety that sprawling collectives try and fail to achieve. Take “Couple Towns,” where Solemn moves from a seesaw pocket into a flow that cascades over the ends of bars; contrast this with the bonus track “Relax,” where each bar sounds as if it’s the final thought spilling out of his mind at the end of an impassioned phrase. The end of “Vice North” even recalls the technically stunning runs of One Be Lo, the Michigan rapper who in the 2000s became one of the genre’s chief chroniclers of a similar country-wide disintegration.

But this is not merely a showcase for verbal acrobatics. South Sinner Street is deeply personal, juxtaposing personal growth with the decay that surrounds it. “This is no rags to riches story,” Solemn warns. Of course––it’s more complicated than that. When, on “Vantablack,” of a toddler cradled in his mother’s arms while that mother nurses a cigarette, he is not asking the listener to imagine a tragic end or a harrowing origin story. The point is that we are all, perpetually, the child and the mother: doing our best to cope, even against our better judgment; persevering despite the circumstances that surround us.

And yet South Sinner Street is buoyed by a sense of playfulness that lights up even the pitch-black corners of Albemarle. “Nothing Left” succeeds in turning end-of-your-rope sorry into something like an in joke. When, on “Vice North,” Solemn raps about putting his hands together in prayer only to find “the line still busy,” his voice bakes something amusing in the complaint––maybe the sense that a young man in a small city is irked at God the way he might be at a flaky friend from the gym. And then, speaking of gyms, comes the laugh-out-loud moment on “Dirty Whip,” when Solemn concedes that he didn’t make the basketball team “‘cause I’m me-first.’”

Across its 14 songs, South Sinner Street argues for Solemn Brigham as one of the most exciting artists in underground hip-hop, a technical virtuoso who also happens to be one of the genre’s most surprising, most deeply personal songwriters. The album evokes the feeling of climbing onto a house’s roof to survey the nearly-burning city around you, with all the peril that entails––but also all the possibility.

Jenova 7 emerges once again as a beacon of auditory innovation with his latest opus, Lost Sci-Fi Movie Themes. Released under the banner of Cold Busted, this collection of 16 tracks serves as a time machine, whisking listeners away on a journey through dimensions both familiar and uncharted since his last foray with 2019's Dusted Jazz Vol. 3. Jenova 7 has meticulously crafted an album that resonates with the essence of ‘90s trip hop nostalgia while propelling us into the cosmos of futuristic soundscapes. The album's standout tracks—“The Future 1995,” “My Zero G Love,” and “Downtown Lost In The City Of Lizards”—are masterclasses in genre-blending and atmospheric storytelling. "The Future 1995" envelops one in a nebula of boom-bap beats, cosmic sound effects, and b-movie vibes, creating a sonic experience that feels like intercepting radio signals from a distant, funk-infused galaxy. Meanwhile, “My Zero G Love” floats the listener through the velvety darkness of space with its sexy lounge feel, portamento synth lines, and the undeniable funk that glimmers under starlight—evoking the sensation of grooving in weightlessness. Then, there's “Downtown Lost In The City Of Lizards,” a track that saunters through the urban jungle with sparkling keys, evocative guitar spurts, and strutting jazz bass, painting a picture as vivid and surreal as its title suggests. Jenova 7's skill lies in his ability to fuse moody, jazz-inflected samples with grooves that draw one into a distinctly atmospheric sound—a cinematic journey through time, space, and emotion. His tracks are experiences, wrapping the listener in a cocoon of vibrant soundscapes that are both introspective and expansive. Lost Sci-Fi Movie Themes is an invitation to explore the unknown, to lose oneself in the depths of imagination and emerge on the other side transformed. For DJs looking to transport their audience to another dimension and for music fans yearning for a taste of nostalgia wrapped in the allure of the future, Jenova 7's latest release is a must-discover treasure. Dive in and let the odyssey begin

With words as weapons and public infrastructure as his blank slate, John Fekner’s City Squad are always questing for the ineffable, even as they yearn for concrete change. Make no mistake, Idioblast is a serious party where everyone is welcome.

Released in 1984, Idioblast is a lost classic, a future shock narrative ahead of its time, and yet completely of its era, like few artifacts before or since. The cover tips you off from the jump—a crude but effective collage featuring classic Fekner slogans like Toxic Junkie, Growth Decay and Soft Brains Watch The Screen And Buy The Jeans. In an uncanny and tragic coincidence, the very first lyric on the album—“The place to be is on the space shuttle/if you’re brave enough to get on it”—seems to anticipate the Challenger disaster just two years later. But for the most part, the tracks on Idioblast directly reference the concepts that inspired Fekner’s visual art.

Musically, “Rapicasso” utilizes pneumatic pounding with an industrial edge as Fekner equates the great and controversial painter with risk-taking graffiti kids bombing trains and billboards across the city. Art is in a constant state of exploding—forms, paradigms, outdated ideas. Splitting the difference between hip-hop and new wave, the Santaniello-sung “The Beat” is like Thomas Dolby meets Run-DMC and should’ve been a radio staple for at least one sticky summer. It could soundtrack either a couples roller skate or a drug-fueled evening out.

Channeling Fekner’s slogan-stencil aesthetic, “Travelogue The 80’s” is a tour de force reminiscent of Negativland’s experiments in audio culture jamming. As Fekner details, “I grabbed all of the sounds via a shortwave radio picking up transmissions from LaGuardia airport and the TV. I recorded and edited on a Sony Pro Walkman and an Aiwa dual cassette deck.”

In 1996, after 14 years in the game that started with Too $hort and Freddy B selling tapes out of the trunk of their car in East Oakland, Too $hort announced he would be retiring. On May 21, 1996, Too $hort released his 10th studio album Gettin' It with the lead single of the same name featuring Parliament Funkadelic. Retirement was more of a hiatus as Too $hort got back in the game in 1999 with the appropriately named album Can't Stay Away. If Gettin' It was going to be Too $hort's last album, he was going off on a high note by earning his 6th Platinum record. In addition to having Parliament Funkadelic contribute to two songs, Ant Banks and Shorty B are back with their laid-back Bay Area funk along with some G-Funk contributions by Colin Wolfe, L.A. Dre, and Spearhead X. Too $hort delivers another Bay Area classic full of nasty pimpin' rhymes with dope features by MC Breed, Erick Sermon and Rappin' 4-Tay. Previously only available on promo vinyl, Get On Down in partnership with Sony's Certifed is proud to present a proper vinyl release of Gettin' It in an orange swirl-colored vinyl run packaged in a gatefold jacket with a foldout lyric sheet.

"These “Big Hole” 7 Inches From Lord Willin’ Are Presented On White Vinyl In Mini Star Trak Die-Cut Jackets – Replicas Of The Label’s Original 12” Sleeves. The first hip-hop group signed to The Neptunes' newly formed Star Trak label in the early 2000s was a Virginia based duo known as The Clipse. The group’s first single “Grindin’,” impacted young people with its bare-boned but infectious drum beat in the same way that Run-DMC’s “Sucker MCs” did almost two decades earlier. MCs Pusha T and Malice, combined with The Neptunes’ groundbreaking production, sent a clear message to the rap world – “we are not the same.” Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were able to combine their electro-punk production with just the right group to create a street masterpiece. Following in the footsteps of such rap criminologists as Kool G Rap, Nas, Jay-Z and Mobb Deep, the Clipse offer a hustler's viewpoint, with clever, hard-hitting lyrics that are consistent throughout the album. Select singles from Lord Willin’ will now be available from Get On Down on white vinyl in 7” size diecut jackets that reproduce the look of the original 12” releases on the Neptune’s Star Trak imprint."

Limited edition of 500 LPs only (250 Transparent Red / 250 Transparent Green)!

Edo. G's new album “FreEDOm” couldn't come at a better time in history as we are in an age where it seems like our freedoms are slowly getting taken away with a corrupt dictator in office.

“FreEDOm” has a sound that is reminiscent to one of your favorite Hip-Hop albums with songs that touch every part of your life. Edo. G's conscious lyrics over banging beats are bound to resonate and inspire. The song "Smoke" features Masta Ace, marking their first collaboration since the critically acclaimed 2009 "Arts & Entertainment" album. “Boom”, Produced by Sir Williams is the first music video from the album that sheds light on gun violence and the affect it has on victims, families and communities. “FreEDOm” is Edo.G’s 15th studio album produced by up and coming producers Torchbars, Kelz With Tha Heat, Sir Williams, Geronimo X, DJ Scienz & more.

Limited edition of 500 LPs only (250 Transparent Red / 250 Transparent Green)!

Edo. G's new album “FreEDOm” couldn't come at a better time in history as we are in an age where it seems like our freedoms are slowly getting taken away with a corrupt dictator in office.

“FreEDOm” has a sound that is reminiscent to one of your favorite Hip-Hop albums with songs that touch every part of your life. Edo. G's conscious lyrics over banging beats are bound to resonate and inspire. The song "Smoke" features Masta Ace, marking their first collaboration since the critically acclaimed 2009 "Arts & Entertainment" album. “Boom”, Produced by Sir Williams is the first music video from the album that sheds light on gun violence and the affect it has on victims, families and communities. “FreEDOm” is Edo.G’s 15th studio album produced by up and coming producers Torchbars, Kelz With Tha Heat, Sir Williams, Geronimo X, DJ Scienz & more.

The long lost debut by DJ Quicksilver Cooley & Black A.G. "Things Will Be". Originally recorded in the early 1990's and scheduled for release in 1992 on Darn Good Records, the album tragically never saw the light of day... until now. Sourced from the original master tapes and remastered by Jee Van Cleef, we have included all tracks intended for the original release, plus two bonus tracks "No Typa Drugdeala (1992 Remix)" and "She's The One" (sourced from the 1990 cassette single).

10 year anniversary CD edition of this hip hop classic by Kool Keith. Produced by Kutmasta Kurt!

Back in 2006 DJ Cappel & Smitty mashed up Frank Sinatra with Notorious B.I.G. in a weird and wonderful mix CD called "Blue Eyes Meets Bed-Stuy". There was a vinyl sampler released but only now can you get all 12 mashups from the CD on vinyl. Pressed on double vinyl with color labels and picture sleeve.

Toronto-based rapper Killy has returned with a brand new surprise album titled Light Path 8.
The title is inspired by Killy’s interest in the concept of numerology and the discovery of his life path number, which he cleverly repurposed as a light path for this project.
“Sometimes when you’re so focused on getting to your end goal, you forget to look back and see how far you’ve actually come. That’s why I’m naming this project Light Path 8,” explained KILLY.

The 13-track project includes production from Scott Storch, Richie Souf, Bijan Amir, VOU, KBeaZy, JUDGE, G Koop and more. It arrives on the heels of his latest one-off single “Swag Flu.”

“Everything has happened so fast and sometimes I can take it for granted. It feels like I’m maybe not getting anywhere fast enough,” commented KILLY on his journey so far. “The project is a collection of songs that I’ve created over the past two years, recorded in different places while on tour. I managed to tether all of them together into a cohesive body of work.”

This pre-order item is a made-to-order, limited edition release. They are available to order until November 30, 2023, at which time pre-orders will close. To secure your copy, please place a pre-order by November 30, 2023. We advise you to order this item by itself. Shipping March 2024

Straight from the "Slums of Shaolin" thirty years ago on November 9, 1993, The RZA, The GZA, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon The Chef, Ol' Dirty Bastard, U-God, Masta Killa, Method Man and Ghostface Killah released their classic debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

To commemorate the 30th Anniversary of The Wu, Get On Down in partnership with Sony's Certified and The RZA is reissuing their debut album on limited edition clear with black and yellow splatter vinyl with a 30th Anniversary commemorative OBI. This is a shared exclusive with Get On Down in the US. In Europe only available at HHV.

Jus-P has consistently dropped music over the past decade that has kept underground Hip Hop fans full and satisfied. His new album Black Canvas is a gem full of clever rhymes and explosive Boom Bap production. The album features stellar production from notable producers Dirty Diggs, G.S. Advance, Skinny Bonez Da Godfather amongst a few producers that has contributed to Black Canvas Jus-P’s flow reminiscent of the Notorious B.I.G. and Jeru The Damaja keeps the listener entertained. Guest appearances to assist Jus-P on this album are Underground Hip Hopís finest Rim Da Villain,Killa Kali, Jon Murdock of The Lost Children of Babylon, G.S. Advance and more. Black Canvas is all you can ask for from a Hip Hop album full of dope beats and rhymes. Jus-P will be performing at various shows across the nation in support of their album release.

On his twelfth studio LP in nearly 20 years, Reks sounds just as hungry and passionate on T.H.I.N.G.S. (The Hunger Inside Never Gets Satisfied) as he did when Along Came The Chosen dropped back in 2001. Perhaps even more so. There seems to be a fire that gets lit under the Lawrence, MA native whenever he begins crafting a new album. “While my conceptualizing process has grown over the years, the actual approach to getting started has remained consistent,” Reks says. “There’s a youthful eagerness that comes over me every time I’m about to start a new record.” That feeling is palpable throughout T.H.I.N.G.S., an album bursting with everything you’d want from a Reks record, but also so much more. There are certainly instances of his trademark wordplay mixed with bravado on here, like the Apollo Brown-produced banger “King of the Town” featuring Lucky Dice & Chi Knox. But the real core of this record is Reks’ reckoning with bigger societal issues that have simply run rampant for far too long. And given his talents with the pen, he’s able to blend strong songwriting with deep, conceptual lyrics. Just listen to how he tackles white privilege on the otherwise catchy “Rachel Green” or the way he chronicles being Black in America on “White House.” That’s not even mentioning “The Complex,” a lyrically gripping look at Ptsd and Big Pharma featuring Pharoahe Monch, and his personal favorite track, “Nana & Grampy’s Song,” a heartfelt dedication to Black love. For Reks, it’s all about delivering the best possible music to his fans while staying true to himself. And he does exactly that not just through his own gifts, but also through collaborations with the likes of Pharoahe Monch, Lil Fame, Nottz, Apollo Brown, Statik Selektah, Evidence, and Marco Polo, among others.

Planet Asia is in his King Medallions bag this year. After dropping the criminally slept-on "Initials On My Jewelry" last Spring, the Fresno beast is back with the drip-heavy A.G.E. (All Gold Everything). The album features production from DJ Skizz, DirtyDiggs, Nicholas Craven, and more. Guests include Defari, TriState, Montage One, Stylistik Jones, and more! Planet Asia, originally hails from Fresno, California. He is prominent for being one half of the now reunited hip-hop duo the Cali Agents and is currently a member of the groups Gold Chain Military and Durag Dynasty. He is one of the most consistent artists in hip-hop these days, releasing several releases independently each year to keep his fans satisfied.

Griselda's Rick Hyde release's Plates 2 w/ features by Benny The Butcher, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn and othersWith Griselda rhymer Benny The Butcher having what seems like an endless run of Ws, his BSF Records imprint appears to be getting more attention by the day. Rick Hyde is one of the top benefactors. His new project Plates II, a sequel to his independent mixtape Plates, positions Hyde as one to watch in the Griselda-wave 2.0. Sporting production from the likes of Daringer, Sha Money XL, Harry Fraud and the late DJ Shay (who the album commemorates by its release date falling on the anniversary of his death), as well as verses from Benny, Heem, Skyzoo and Westside Gunn, Hyde flexes his connections and curates a solid body of work.The project's shiniest gems include some of the singles that have already hit the net. "Hustler's Prayer" features Hyde and Heem interlocked in a battle to see who can drop the most street flexes, complemented by The SoulMonsters' grainy production. Another noteworthy cut is the DJ L-produced "Alone" featuring Benny and G Herbo -- which, aside from the DJ Shay-produced outro "Black Sinatra," is possibly the project's most replayable track.One thing that comes across crystal clear is Hyde's lyricism. He holds his own alongside a formidable tracklist of guests and shows a lot of diversity with his delivery. Look no further than the "Sarah Freestyle," where the subdued DJ Chopz and Skrilla loop provides an atmospheric backdrop to a relentless, two-minute onslaught.

The Good People are exactly that, good folks that have maintained a strong presence in Hip-Hop since the mid-naughts. Consisting of MC/DJ Emskee and MC/producer Saint, these two heads eschew the violence and misogyny of hardcore Hip-Hop but still give fans that energy and sound of classic 90s Boom Bap. While some may even group them under the conscious Hip-Hop banner, their intent is to just make the kind of music that listeners can't help but nod their heads to. The type of tunes that send b-boys into the circle without a second thought.

While this true school twosome dropped a number of well-received projects (group and solo) between 2004-2013, it wasn't until earlier this year that they released their third official group album, "Good For Nuthin". The effort showed they hadn't lost a step. In fact, it is the very definition of essential, "no frills" Hip-Hop. The LP features some of the genre's most enduring pioneers and vets, including DJ Red Alert, Large Professor, Sadat X, Lil Fame, the Cella Dwellas and more.

Now, only a little more than four months later they are back with an offering perfect for the upcoming dog days, which is appropriately titled "The Summer EP". The 6-track affair carries on tradition without sounding retro. It starts with the genuine LA vibes of "Windows Down" featuring Tash of Tha Alkaholiks, which is followed up by a braggadocios posse cut with A-F-R-O and Termanology titled "Sidewalk Barbecue." Quintessential East Coast horns and thumping drums dominate the remainder of songs, including the laid back lead single, "A Summer Night At The Symphony." The joint starts with the same narrated intro as The Juice Crew's "The Symphony," and features noted spitter John Jigg$ and his team, MXNXPXLY Family, getting busy on the mic.

Suffice it to say, this extended player will be getting enough spins in convertible rides, at BBQs, and on late night radio shows that still play the real. Push play and experience that feeling of a cold drink on a sweltering day.

Yo! Boombox is the new instalment of Soul Jazz Records’ Boombox series on the early days of hiphop on vinyl and features some of the many innovative underground first-wave of early rap and disco rap records made in the USA in the period 1979-83. The album includes the first releases of seminal groups such as Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and The Funky Four Plus One More through to a host of rarities and little-known obscurities such as the Carver Area High School band’s ‘Get Live 83’, an awesome record made at a Chicago high school. The album is released as a deluxe triple LP complete with 3x full inner sleeves of extensive sleeve notes, exclusive photography and original label artwork. There is also a very-limited one-pressing only special deluxe version that comes with an extra bonus super-rare 7” single of ‘Magic’s Rap’ by Magic’s Trick, aka ex-marine Magic Fraga, a record that was only ever available on US military bases! The album also comes as a deluxe double CD pack with 30-page booklet and slipcase. Yo! Boombox also features the stunning photography of Sophie Bramly, one of a very select group of photographers (alongside Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper, and Joe Conzo) who were allowed full access to document the exciting early days of hip-hop in New York. These first exuberant wave of innocent, upbeat, party-on-the-block rap records were the first to try and create the sounds heard in community centres, block parties and street jams that first took place in the Bronx in the mid-1970s. Where the first DJs – Flash, Kool Herc and Bambaataa – were back-spinning, mixing and scratching together now classic breakbeat records like The Incredible Bongo Band’s Apache or Babe Ruth’s The Mexican, these first pre-sampling rap records were all made using live bands, often replaying then current disco tunes. As Chic’s ‘Good Times’ was to ‘Rappers’ Delight’, the songs here feature then-current dancefloor hits such as the Tom Tom Club’s ‘Genius of Love’, Cheryl Lynn’s ‘To Be Real’, MFSB’s ‘Love Is the Message’ while MCs rapped over the top, creating a unique new sound. In fact, the links between disco and rap date back earlier to the ‘party style’ MCing of figures such as the legendary DJ Hollywood or radio DJs like Frankie Crocker. This new Soul Jazz Records collection celebrates these first old-school rap records, bringing together rare, classic and obscure tracks released in the early days of rap.

Like an ode to your Walkman and to those 90-minute tapes that you used to rewind with your pen, DA BREAK's first LP was all about Funk & Hip Hop 90's flavors.
That album immediately found itself on playlists on all your favorite radios (Radio Nova, FIP, Couleur 3, France Inter, RFI, BBC 6…), and enabled Da Break to play live in major festivals and venues (Nuits Sonores, Nuits Zebrées Nova, Radiomeuh Festival, Woodstower, Festival de Marne, Hortus Live…).
This was completely unexpected, a major learning experience, and above all a lot of fun and gave the Lyon-based gang a whole lot of ideas for the next stage in their musical journey, propelling them towards new musical horizons: infectious riddims with grooving keyboard & guitar licks as their bedrock and free association leading them into jazz, broken beat, soul or disco vibes … During the creation of Let It Shine, all doors were wide open and all musical genres potentially welcome.
The production still has a « home made » feel to it, like the previous album, but with a modern, sonic twist when needed- a result of three years on the road together and new creative input from group members. Whether it be on a New York summertime roof-top, or settled in a Low-Rider with some G-Funk, or moving to some phat Jamaican style bass-lines or getting sensual on a tight breakbeat, lead singer Hawa knows how to shine her feminine and versatile brilliance on the project. She gives to the songs the final touch and the emotion needed to share with us her stories about human relationships - everyday tales sharing her real life-experience. This ever-expanding musical spectrum, Da Break play with it, explore it and also let it kick completely free at times ! Song after song, they bring a magic glow to LET IT SHINE.

First time on vinyl. Brown & White vinyl. Limited to 1000 copies. Memphis Rap legend Project Pat released his third studio album Layin' Da Smack Down in 2002 on CD and Cassette via Loud/Columbia/Hypnotize Minds. Following up Mista Don't Play, Project Pat spits rapid-fire street tales of the dirty south over DJ Paul and Juicy J's signature Three 6 Mafia bangin' 808 beats. From rowdy club tracks to smoother pimp tales and true-to-life stories of being incarcerated, Project Pat delivers another Hypnotize Minds North Memphis classic. The album also contains the single "Choose U" which would be reworked in 2007 for UGK's "International Players Anthem." Get On Down in partnership with Sony Music's Certified is proud to present Layin' Da Smack Down for the first time on vinyl. Pressed on colored vinyl packaged in a gatefold jacket with a printed insert and numbered OBI limited to 1000 copies.

Featuring Pharoahe Monch, M.O.P., Celph Titled, A.G., Locksmith, Ryu and Diabolic. Production by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Buckwild, Nottz, Stu Bangas, Chumzilla and more.

After developing a loyal cult following which spans over 15 years worth of catalog, seasoned veteran Apathy unleashes his 6th studio full length, which undoubtedly is one of the biggest albums of his career thus far. The Demigodz/Army of the Pharaohs MC maintains a hardcore vibe with surgically-precise writing and has brought along a who's who of legendary hip hop heavyweights to contribute on the project. Conceptually, the album is steeped within the mysteries of Freemasonry, showcasing songs that touch upon subject matter that only a Master Mason could craft. A theme running throughout the album that evokes intrigue with a sneak peak behind the curtain of an ancient fraternity. The concepts also delve in to the metaphysical, philosophical and spiritual -- Dissecting corruption of the government and holding a mirror to the ills of society, without losing the tradition of classic boom bap hip hop.

2021 double vinyl re-issue, 140g vinyl, includes “Pure Thought” bonus track from the original CD version, original picture sleeve and printed inner sleeves based on the original one. Innercity Griots, the second album from Freestyle Fellowship, is perhaps *the* essential West Coast left-field rap album of the early ’90s. Released in 1993 on 4th & Broadway, it’s a towering, progressive hip-hop masterpiece that expanded rap’s boundaries through lyrical elevation and production innovation. Their talent was ahead of everybody else by light years. This is pure b-boy jazz. The original single vinyl LP is now hideously scarce, and of course the sound suffers from not being officially released as a double. This Be With re-issue fixes both problems, and for completeness also includes “Pure Thought” from the CD version of the album. This incredible display of imaginative hip-hop sounds better than ever. Freestyle Fellowship were some of the earliest technically dazzling rappers to come out of California. Mikah 9, P.E.A.C.E., Aceyalone and Self Jupiter - along with DJ Kiilu - forged their famed lyrical dexterity in the ultra-competitive crucible of the Good Life Cafe. Founded in Leimert Park, South Central LA in December 1989, this earthy health-food store and cafe was where the city’s finest microphone fiends would gather to showcase their freestyle skills at the Thursday night open-mic.

Limited edition of 300 copies on 2LP incl. bonus 7" ("We Getz Buzy (Rowdy Main Mix Remix)" b/w "On Da M.I.C. Feat. A.G. & Lord Finesse").

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.

DJ $HIN's first new release in 16 years, the culmination of many years of battle craftsmanship has been completed!

A masterpiece crafted with precision - the more you experience, the more you appreciate!

Product Review by DJ $HIN

Side A has 15 skipless scratch contents unified at 83 BPM (total of 19 pieces including drum material and tone material).

Side B features 9 skipless scratch contents at 99 BPM and 3 songs to practice beat juggling. (17 pieces, including drum and tone material) We crafted this record to make it accessible for beginners and experts alike.

Track List
Side A
1. Ahhh Fresh
2. Freshhh Ah
3. Ahhhh Fresh
4. Ahh Really Fresh
5. Buta 1
6. Tone 1
7. Unstoppable Uh Go
8. Get Wild Ha Yeah
9. Break Down Yo Word
10. WTF Say Ahh
11. Buta 2
12. Tone 2
13. Rock The Beats with your Hands
14. Break It Down Say Yeah
15. Hey What Yo Come On
16. 1,2,3, Run
17. To The Break It Down
18. All Skipproof Contents 1
19. Tone 3 (Endless)

Side B
1. Ahhhh Beep
2. Freshhh Beep
3. Ahh Fresh Yo Yeah
4. Ah Cut Skratchin' Fresh
5. Buta 3
6. Tone 4
7. Wow Bah woo Hey
8. Yo What It's Fresh
9. Do It huh Come On Yeah
10. Here We Go Ah What Is It
11. Buta 4
12. All Skipproof Contents 2
13. Skratch Samples (ENG)
14. Impeach 2023
15. King Kuter
16. Baddest DJ
17. Endless Beats

Record is close to VG+

Tuff City anthology of Old School DJ scratch classics with insert 7", half on red vinyl, half on blue featuring Davy DMX, Marley Marl, Cool Djaj, Charlie Chase of the Cold Crush Brothers Tuff City is pleased to present the best possible reissue program of Hip-Hop's first decade. These reissues were made as a tribute to Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary. Each volume represents an important facet of performers on Tuff City: The Solo MC’s, The MC Crews, The DJ’s and The Female MC’s. Each volume features an inner sleeve with liner notes and bonus 7” insert. Each pressing consists of 750 on red vinyl and 750 of an opaque color specific to the volume (Yellow, Gold, Blue, Orange). A bonus 7” single is slipped in the cover encased in a Tuff City logo sleeve in the style of its iconic 12” singles. The series was also conceptualized as a multiset release to stand side by side with the classic Old School Rarities series (The Funky Drum Jams, The Electro Jams, The Linn Drum Jams & The Disco Jams) issued by our Ol’ Skool Flava imprint. The DJ’s get going with “Masters of The Scratch” from West Harlem duo Master OC & Krazy Eddie. Legendary Hollis, Queens multi-instrumentalist Davy DMX gives us the classic “One For The Treble.” Crash Crew DJ Darryl C is here with the previously unreleased “Party and Bullspit.” DJ Charlie Chase of the Cold Crush Brothers closes the first side with “We’re Gonna Need A Little Scratch.” Side Two opens with a master mix from the then 16 year old Hot Day from Queensbridge. Also from Queensbridge, genre archetype Marley Marl delivers his theme song “The Man Marley Marl.” DJ Quik aka Beatbox Master Quick delivers a “Scratch Attack.” The 1982 classic “Ah, That’s The Joint” by another early legend DJ AJ closes out the second side. The bonus includes a Ced Gee remix of “The 900 Number,” a signature track from The 45 King backed with “Marley Marl’s Scratch” from Marley Marl with a feature from MC Shan. Track Listing: A1 Master O.C. and Krazy Eddie-Masters of the Scratch; A2 Davy DMX-One For The Treble; A3 Daryl Cee AKA Julio- Party and Bullspit; A4 Charlie Chase-We're Gonna Need A Little Scratch; B1 Hot Day-Hot Day Master Mix; B2 Marley Marl-The Man Marley Marl; B3 Beatbox Master Quik-Scratch Attack; B4 Cool DJ AJ aka DJ Scratch-Ah, That's The Joint; Single A: The 45 King-The 900 Number (Ced Gee Remix); B: Marley Marl-Marley Marl Scratch.

You never have to guess what Tink’s thinking. The Chicago-born songstress and rapper says it all in her music. She spits, speaks, and sings straight from the heart without filter or apology. At the same time, she breaks boundaries, dropping off bars with uncontainable charisma and belting out hooks with show-stopping range. She can be romantic in one crescendo before getting raw in a bout of wild wordplay. This versatility consistently affirms her as a force in her own lane. Following her 2011 debut mixtape Winter’s Diary, she dropped projects at a prolific pace, including Alter Ego, Blunts & Ballads, and Boss Up. 2014 saw Winter’s Diary 2: Forever Yours arrive to widespread critical acclaim, landing on year-end R&B album lists from Billboard and Rolling Stone. It also yielded “Treat Me Like Somebody,” which gathered 64 million Spotify streams and counting. A year later, XXL touted her among its coveted “Freshman Class.” Following a stint in the major label system, she embraced independence again with Winter’s Diary 4 [2016], Voicemails [2019], Hopeless Romantic [2020], and A Gift And A Curse [2020]. She collaborated with everyone from Sleigh Bells and Pentatonix to Future, G Herbo, 6lack, and K Camp. During 2021, she served up Heat of the Moment powered by “Rebel” [feat. Jeremih] and “Might Let You” [feat. Davido]. After raking in streams in the hundreds of millions and earning acclaim from Pitchfork, The Fader, Hypebeast, and more, she opens up like never before on her 2022 album, Pillow Talk.

These days everything you consume has to be checked - a vibrant outside can hide a genetically modified Frankenstein interior. Finding that 100% organically grown with no artificial rhymes can be difficult. This album is for those looking for something less calculated.

Powerful production runs the range from soulful, funk filled, and hard knocking to cool, laid back easy nodders. The rhymes are politically aware without taking themselves too serious - so from the occasional judo chop to the need for sexy, dirty slutty money - Denmark explores life from the perspective of a man who grew up on minimum wage and butter sandwiches but has grown into a self-aware scholar.

Lyrics don't sugar coat anything -no matter how rough that truth might appear: "The fleek shall inherit the Earth and the meek shall be buried in dirt - ain't nothing sweet." Denmark delivers existential truths while still throwing in a "where the hoes at?" A street savvy album that explores Black love, brutality, capitalism's grip on our daily thoughts, and the connection it all has to our ancestors. Gensu Dean has produced for David Banner, Large Professor, Roc Marciano, and more, while Denmark Vessey has had his praises sung by the likes of Earl Sweatshirt. This is that sh*t to get you through sh*t.

Tuff City anthology of early Hip-Hop solo performers with insert 7" half on red, half on yellow vinyl featuring Spoonie Gee, T-Ski-Valley, Ultramagnetic MC’s featuring Kool Keith, Grandmaster Caz, etc. Tuff City is pleased to present the best possible reissue program of Hip-Hop's first decade. These reissues were made as a tribute to Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary. Each volume represents an important facet of performers on Tuff City: The Solo MC’s, The MC Crews, The DJ’s and The Female MC’s. Each volume features an inner sleeve with liner notes and bonus 7” insert. Each pressing consists of 750 on red vinyl and 750 of an opaque color specific to the volume (Yellow, Gold, Blue, Orange). A bonus 7” single is slipped in the cover encased in a Tuff City logo sleeve in the style of its iconic 12” singles. The series was also conceptualized as a multiset release to stand side by side with the classic Old School Rarities series (The Funky Drum Jams, The Electro Jams, The Linn Drum Jams & The Disco Jams) issued by our Ol’ Skool Flava imprint.

The Solo MC’s kicks off with Harlem’s pioneering Spoonie Gee’s influential “Spoonin’ Rap” from 1979. “Catch The Beat” from T-Ski Valley captures the post-Disco Bronx era of Rap. The side closes with the underground personality Funkmaster Wizard Wiz whose “Knucklehead Rappers” came after he broke from The Undefeated Three. Brooklyn’s Jimmy Spicer delivers a 14+ minute marathon “Adventures of Super Rhyme (Rap).” Grandmaster Caz from Cold Crush is paired with the Fantastic’s Whipper Whip for “To All The Party People” Captain G Whiz from Freddy B’s Mighty Mic Masters closes with his solo 12” track “All The Way Live.” The bonus single features a Kool Keith solo from the Ultramagnetic MCs backed with Grandmaster Caz by himself doing “I’m What Is and You’re What Wants To Be.” Track Listing: A1 Spoonin' Rap-Spoonie Gee; A2 T-Ski Valley-Catch The Beat; A3 Funkmaster Wizard Wiz-Knucklehead Rappers; B1 Adventures of Super Rhymes-Jimmy Spicer; B2 Grandmaster Caz with Whipper Whip-To All The Party People; B3 All the Way Live-Captain G. Whiz; Single A: Ultramagnetic MC's-Kool Keith Wild; B: Grandmaster Caz-I'm What Is Your What Wants To Be

Oh shiiiii - we're back in again with more unreleased joints from NJ producer Mixture. Some killers on this one, including a sick unheard 1995 demo from Massive Staff. Plus we also have an unheard banger from the Outsidaz 5 years before they dropped for the first time! Wow!!



There's also a dirty version of a previously radio-only track by obscure NJ act Sunz of K.O.S.S. (Kleptomaniacs Of Savage Society) as well as 4 unheard demos all produced by the man like Mixture. Amazing material for the heads!!!!

On his twelfth studio LP in nearly 20 years, Reks sounds just as hungry and passionate on T.H.I.N.G.S. (The Hunger Inside Never Gets Satisfied) as he did when Along Came The Chosen dropped back in 2001. Perhaps even more so. There seems to be a fire that gets lit under the Lawrence, MA native whenever he begins crafting a new album. “While my conceptualizing process has grown over the years, the actual approach to getting started has remained consistent,” Reks says. “There’s a youthful eagerness that comes over me every time I’m about to start a new record.” That feeling is palpable throughout T.H.I.N.G.S., an album bursting with everything you’d want from a Reks record, but also so much more. There are certainly instances of his trademark wordplay mixed with bravado on here, like the Apollo Brown-produced banger “King of the Town” featuring Lucky Dice & Chi Knox. But the real core of this record is Reks’ reckoning with bigger societal issues that have simply run rampant for far too long. And given his talents with the pen, he’s able to blend strong songwriting with deep, conceptual lyrics. Just listen to how he tackles white privilege on the otherwise catchy “Rachel Green” or the way he chronicles being Black in America on “White House.” That’s not even mentioning “The Complex,” a lyrically gripping look at Ptsd and Big Pharma featuring Pharoahe Monch, and his personal favorite track, “Nana & Grampy’s Song,” a heartfelt dedication to Black love. For Reks, it’s all about delivering the best possible music to his fans while staying true to himself. And he does exactly that not just through his own gifts, but also through collaborations with the likes of Pharoahe Monch, Lil Fame, Nottz, Apollo Brown, Statik Selektah, Evidence, and Marco Polo, among others.

-Additional instrumentation by Devin Morrison, Jamma-Dee, Silent Jay, DJ Scratch Nice, and K-Flash.
-Featuring guest appearances by Chris Rivers and Gibby.
-Photography by Repeat Pattern.

The 3rd album by BudaBrose (BudaMunk and Fitz Ambrose) is a collaboration of beatmakers who draw attention worldwide. It includes a dream cast of additional instrumentation including Devin Morrison, Jamma-Dee, Silent Jay, DJ Scratch Nice, and K-Flash. The album also features guest appearances by Chris Rivers and Gibby. BudaMunk’s releases feature many prominent artists and are heralded as culminations in the Japanese Hip Hop scene. In parallel with many domestic activities, BudaMunk also undertakes many projects overseas. Fitz Ambrose, the Canadian / Cape Bretton Island born, now Tokyo based beat maker draws from 80’s & 90’s sounds while maintaining the sensation that injected the same magic the originals did. 5lack, who is featured on the album, continues to gather more attention by offering songs to Japan’s greatest upcomers. Their work commands attention as an entity that connects underground and hip-hop scenes in Japan and abroad via the artist's shared love of 90’s culture. As a hip-hop charm, as 80’s mellow mood, glittery and spectacular, vibrant and smoky beat magic as warm and exciting hip-hop studded in a film. “The combination of Buda and Fitz is nothing but my favorite thing.” –5lack “These are the types of beats that remind me that life can be butter without things having to get so complicated.” –Mndsgn “It’s urban, it’s dirty. This unique sound is becoming a habit and it’s repeating endlessly. The combination of these two is dangerous! Please listen carefully.” –Mabanua (Origami Productions)

Standard black 7" vinyl edition with hype sticker.

Producer album featuring some of the greatest ever to touch the mic. We are happy we could get our hands on some copies of this 2016 release we all slept on. Featuring Fatlip, Blaq Poet, Edo.G, Sadat X, King Magnetic, Ruste Juxx, Blaqastan, Illa Ghee, Born Talent, Percee P and many more.

The only way to cope with this loss was to communicate with my friend through these beats After recoup the Shorter family will receive all funds ❤️

After the release of debut record Gris-Gris, Dr. John found himself in a strange and awkward position. The US was deep into the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were fresh in the public memory. On top of that, Dr. John was being pursued by various Los Angeles authorities for a handful of criminal offenses. It was, in his own words: "a heavy time for me." Much like Sly & The Family Stone's There's A Riot Goin' On, Dr. John's follow-up album Babylon would be a reflection of the chaotic and tumultuous time that he was living in. He and band dove deeper into the voodoo-inflected psychedelic rock and R&B of Gris-Gris, while touching upon elements of free jazz and Captain Beefheart-style avant garde. As with his debut record, production was handled by the legendary Harold Battiste, and much of the same session personnel who performed on it returned for Babylon, including Plas Johnson on saxophone, Alvin Robinson on guitar, and backing vocals from Jessie Hill, Shirley Goodman, and Tami Lynn. Babylon stands out as one of Dr. John's most overtly political albums, and is a singularly murky and darkly entrancing record in his discography. A psychedelic swamp of apocalyptic lyrical content, drunk, disorienting experimentation, and a fascinating entry into Dr. John's catalogue well-worthy of his expansive legacy. Get On Down is all too eager to reissue this unique record for Record Store Day Black Friday, which has not been repressed on vinyl in over 40 years. In keeping with the album's hallucinogenic sound, it is presented on trippy splattercolored vinyl, and housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket.Shuggie Diamonds is my ‘singing’ and ‘more soulful’ alter ego, so the title The Diamond Report is based off that. The nickname was given to me by my brother, the late, great Guru. My music is also a form of me dropping jewels; I have always been a diamond in the rough.” - Big Shug on his new album, The Diamond Report Boston rap stalwart Big Shug blends equal parts raw soul and grimy street rap on The Diamond Report, an album that’s bursting with life and character from an emcee who exudes longevity. With decades in the game, the Gang Starr Foundation co-founder continues to sound hungry and passionate with his art, and it’s led to one of his strongest album showings yet. After delivering smooth vocals on the opening track, Shug hits your ear like a freight train on the bombastic “EMF” that’s produced by longtime collaborator DJ Premier. A lyrical middle-finger to “every motherf*cker” who’s ever doubted or crossed him, the single also received the video treatment from director Myster DL. It puts the focus directly on Shug and his rhymes, and it actually sets the tone for the remainder of The Diamond Report. At 20 tracks deep, the album plays like a highlight reel of all of Shug’s artistic strengths. On “Doing My Sh*t,” he kicks back and oozes confidence as he croons over the Thir(13)teen-produced instrumental. And then on the Lil Fame-produced “Keep It Cool,” he’s back in bruiser mode alongside M-Dot, B.A.M and International Dreez. Shug also embodies the wise hip-hop sage on several cuts, including standouts “Old Man Rapper” and closer “You Ain’t About It.” But it’s on the lyrically charged “Stay The Course” that everything hits hardest. With Elevated Music’s snarling beat as his canvas, Shug takes aim at Trump, big ups Colin Kaepernick, and spits rewind-worthy bars like: “I still hustle, that’s how I was raised/ When I started out they said rap was a phase/ 20 years later, I still get paid/ While some of y’all clowns, still get played.” It’s a powerful reminder of exactly who Shug is, where he comes from, why he’s still here, and why everyone needs to be paying attention. To paraphrase the man himself, it may be 20 years later, but Shug’s pen is as sharp and necessary as ever.

“This is me at my most imaginative, freakiest, and yet still most grounded and introspective,” says Japanese American rapper/actor Lyrics Born not only about his new album Vision Board, but also his “self” and his existence. “I feel like a new man! I’m healthier physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.” The lead single and video “Diamond Door” is a pop/rap banger that lands you with an infectious barb and keeps you hooked for days, and is a thinly-veiled tribute to a particular style of female appreciation, but it can also be taken as a welcome mat to the new era of Lyrics Born. The accompanying video which shows Lyrics Born in his current physical form - svelte, stylish and with a confident swagger - reinforces this next chapter in his life. 60 pounds lighter, he lost the weight during the pandemic when he knew he needed to make a change. “Touring was becoming harder, and I was having all these weird health problems, but nothing that anybody could put their finger on,” he explains “My anxiety was high. I was not sleeping well. I was on the verge of really bad health.” And this improvement brought more confidence which shows in his new album. Vision Board is a focused affair that found him stretching his creativity farther and challenging himself to write in a way he’s never written before. Recorded primarily in New Orleans and produced by Rob Mercurio of Galactic (who also produced 2015’s Real People and 2018’s Quite a Life), it posited him in a new environment that helped his creative juices flow even more fluidly. “There’s nothing like recording in the Crescent City. It just gets in your blood, and the results are always funky and wild.” “This is about as psychedelic as I’ve ever been,” LB says. “I’m so proud of this album. I’m in a different space. The world is in a different space, and I wanted to celebrate that, loosen up and really create some imagery and share some emotion that I never have. I was listening to a lot of Shuggie Otis; a lot of obscure psychedelic soul and later Temptations,” he explained. “This is like if Alice in Wonderland was Japanese.” Vision Board was also inspired by another Bay Area rap luminary, although one who’s no longer with us - Gift of Gab. The dexterous Blackalicious MC and fellow Quannum Projects alum had a profound effect on Lyrics Born’s life, both creatively and philosophically. “I asked myself on some of these songs: ‘How would Gab approach them?’” he said. “I’d play with certain cadences, certain styles; I tried to stretch stylistically, lyrically and vocally on every single song. None of the patterns are the same.” Lyrics Born’s vulnerability shines through on the nine-track effort, something he’s not ashamed to admit (nor should he be). At one point during the pandemic, he was losing one friend, peer or family member every other week - from Zumbi of Zion I to Gift of Gab to Digital Underground’s Shock G. While many of the songs are deeply introspective, he had to “write some fun shit,” too. Celebratory horns, uptempo rhythms and fiery bars pepper the project from start to finish, and truly encapsulate Lyrics Born’s evolution of not just a groundbreaking Asian-American MC but also a human being. As the only Asian-American MC to release 10 studio albums, the first Asian-American to play major music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza and the first Asian-American to release a greatest hits compilation, Lyrics Born has been breaking barriers his entire life - and he’s not going to stop anytime soon. From the bombastic and tribal “I’m the Best Rapper in the World” with its self-winking boastfulness to the playful scat of “Bang Bang Bang” that slinks like an outtake from West Side Story, to the smooth and seductive “Who's The Best? (Dear Young LB)," to the psychedelic and swoony ”Alligator Boots” with it dreamy “Walk on the Wildside”-esque reverby sway, Vision Board sees Lyrics Born tackling different tones, textures and genres without fear and making them completely his own. It's an eclectic body of work that boasts more synths, more psychedelia and is generally more abstract.

Oh shiiiii - we're back in again with more unreleased joints from NJ producer Mixture. Some killers on this one, including a sick unheard 1995 demo from Massive Staff. Plus we also have an unheard banger from the Outsidaz 5 years before they dropped for the first time! Wow!!



There's also a dirty version of a previously radio-only track by obscure NJ act Sunz of K.O.S.S. (Kleptomaniacs Of Savage Society) as well as 4 unheard demos all produced by the man like Mixture. Amazing material for the heads!!!!