Search "twit+one" 1697 Items

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Wichita)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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New pressing on blue vinyl, limited to 500 copies.

In March 2020, right as the whole world was entering into a transitional phase, Evidence released a single titled "Unlearning". Now, a year later, Evidence launches the campaign for his upcoming album, Unlearning Vol. 1, picking up where the single of the same name left off, and going beyond. Throughout his career, Evidence has always been adept at both staying true to his roots and evolving as he grows and learns from life experiences, including recognizing when the time comes to unlearn. During the campaign for his last album, Weather or Not (2018), he expressed a desire to close the chapter on the weather-related theme that had been a staple of his solo career to that point. Unlearning Vol. 1 not only sees that vision come to life, but shines brilliantly in the process. Unlearning Vol. 1 pairs Evidence's own production with works from The Alchemist, Nottz, Sebb Bash, Animoss, Mr. Green, V Don, Daringer and Eardrum (QThree). This highlights perhaps an undervalued skill of Ev's - his ability to collaborate with a multitude of producers on a project, while still creating an album with a cohesion and consistency rarely found in such extensive collaboration. While the album's musical soundscape sets the scene, it's Ev's gift for relatable yet inventively clever writing that really paints the picture, continually pulling the listener in. That said, a small but powerful cast of guest appearances also decorate the landscape, courtesy of stellar performances from Boldy James, Conway The Machine, Fly Anakin, Navy Blue, and Murkage Dave. Unlearning Vol. 1 embodies the sound and feeling of pure artistic expression, capturing a moment in time where marketability, album sales & streaming potential, and the desire to please anyone other than the artist themselves, are all just an afterthought. As one could expect, such freedoms allowed Evidence to tap into something special that sounds engaging and unique, and also remains true to his foundation. In essence, Unlearning Vol. 1 finds Evidence at yet another creative peak, creating a listening experience poised to catch the attention of new listeners while strengthening his core fanbase.

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Carrtoons

Home Grown Colored Vinyl

25,99 €*

Adventures In Counter-Culture 10 Year Anniversary Edition

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves

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A year and a half after releasing his self-produced, independent full-length LP Saturday Morning to critical acclaim, producer and multi-instrumentalist Carrtoons plans his return to music with his next album, Homegrown. Evolving his trademark Modern Motown sound, Carrtoons continues to expand his already diverse musical repertoire in jazz, soul, hip-hop, and more. Set for release on April 20th, 2022, Homegrown is Ben Carr's inaugural release with renowned Wichita Recordings (Bloc Party, First Aid Kit, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.) The youngest son of jazz violinist Richard Carr (Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins), Ben received his college degree in Jazz Performance, made his debut with Mad Satta, and opened for artists like Thundercat, Nick Hakim, Gabriel Garzon Montano, and Mac Ayres. Over the last few years, he has become one of the most sought-after producers in music through his eye-catching Instagram videos, powerful bass lines, and memorable melodies. His unique fills, phrases, and compositions made him an instant favorite, leading to recent collaborations with Robert Glasper, Alex Isley, Kiefer, and Butcher Brown. The success of Saturday Morning was the first sign of evolution in Carrtoons career, with the album surpassing 2 million streams on Spotify in mid-February. The ad placement of his track "Give It Up" with Green Mountain Coffee gave him exposure to a whole new audience, while his guest feature on the Tiny Desk series rearranging the NPR theme songs for their 50th anniversary was also a hit. Starting 2022 off strong, Carrtoons' recent work with The Kount led to the release of their ultra-viral video "On My Way" and the organic growth of over 100,000 followers in 4 weeks on Instagram. His continued strides in music, along with astonishing growth across several platforms is clear indication of Ben Carr's promise and potential. More than just an album; Homegrown characterizes the hard work, seeds sown, and natural growth of a gifted musician. An artist you will want to watch!

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Blueprint

2LP | 2021 | US | Original (Rhymesayers)

The Black Rose Certificate

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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The 10 year anniversary edition of this classic album includes a 2xLP on custom blue and purple colored vinyl in gatefold jacket with matte UV and spot-gloss finish, a 24-page zine in 7" size, plus digital download card. First trained in his church choir, Blueprint played in R&B bands in high school and later developed a reputation as a standout rapper. On Adventures in Counter-Culture, he experiments with the synths, keyboards, and drum machines that connected the musical dots of those early days. Print began pursuing his career as a musician in 2001, working on several hip hop projects including his collaborative project Soul Position with DJ/Producer Rjd2. Releasing The Unlimited EP & 8,000,000 Stories on Rhymesayers Entertainment with RJ, Blueprint began work in 2004 on what would become his first solo album, 1988. The success of that album allowed him to tour extensively throughout North America and Europe, before returning home to focus on writing and recording his next album. When he sat down to work on this sophomore effort, Print began with the dark, soulful and sample heavy hip hop of the early 90's, but soon found himself hitting a creative wall. What shook him loose was a new mission: to create an album that encompassed every facet of music he knew, blurring genre lines and bringing it back home as one cohesive listening experience. The more he worked to pair new found interest in rock & electronic music with his love of hip hop, the more he was able to break down that creative barrier. Thus began his Adventures in Counter-Culture, a monumental undertaking that would involve reinventing himself as a musician and person. His growing cynicism with the world, his disdain for pop culture, the state of politics, and an apathetic, uninspired society, all worked as fuel to inspire this sophomore album. Moved by the impact that sampling lawsuits were having on the music community, Blueprint also decided to return to his roots and began writing and producing his own original content.

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uMaNg

CD | 2014 | US | Original (Ill Adrenaline)

14,99 €*

If It Ain't Broke, Remix It

Release: 2014 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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With two full-length albums already under their belts that garnered them buzz in the underground ("Lasting Impressions" & "The Revisited"), New Jersey originated emcee uMaNg, reunites with Swedish producer B.B.Z. Darney ("The Boom Bappin' Zombie"), to complete their trilogy of albums with their label debut on Ill Adrenaline Records entitled, "The Black Rose Certificate."
Shortly after inking a deal with the label, the next eight months would find uMaNg & B.B.Z. embarking on a musical journey that would result in their most personal & brutally honest record to date. The title "The Black Rose Certificate", while a representation of many a symbolism, reflects the duo's state of mind, the hand they've been dealt as typecasts in society. Since being impossible to produce a "black rose" also stands for purest devotion. A kind of devotion that uMaNg & B.B.Z. put forth in their respected crafts.
Over the course of 14 tracks, the duo sonically stick to their traditional "boom-bap" roots, whilst also bringing sounds that range from "darker" to "aggressive", to even more "melancholic". The production B.B.Z. Darney showcases is heavier, more conceptual than previous releases. uMaNg has been notable throughout his career for being a clever & witty, punchline heavy emcee. While staying true to his stylings on the mic, he gets deeper & more transparent than past albums have suggested. For every braggadocious track, there is another where the Jersey emcee bares his soul through the pen, opening up about past discretions, family HIStory, amongst other topics on the emcee's mind. Also unlike "Lasting Impressions" & "The Revisited", that found the duo being the lone contributors to their works alongside the legendary DJ Grazzhoppa, they now bring along with them close collaborators as well as in-label artists. The album features tracks from the likes of Brick City veteran and close Artifacts affiliate Beneficence, Purpose of the Tragic Allies camp, close friends HexOne & Tek-nition of the critically acclaimed duo Epidemic, and Hashfinger to lend their talents and further enhance the album's disposition.

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Newselph

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Illect)

27,54 €* 28,99 € -5%

My Day Begins Where Yours Ends

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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From the cold corners of the Canadian soil, Illect's Newselph returns with some fiery furnace baked heat in the form of a remix album. On If It Ain't Broke, Remix It, Newselph carries on tradition in the spirit of Hip Hop legends like Pete Rock, Erick Sermon and Buckwild in the sacred art of remixing and refixing. Like the boom baptists before him, Newselph's ear hears transmissions reserved for angels and dolphins. He takes tracks that in their original incarnations are perfectly fine, banging even, and gets all up in the inner workings of said slaps to create something entirely different. For his latest release, he mines his backyard and reworks ten tracks from his Illect labelmates. The lead single, Those Were The Days, features the UK's Kinetik and Breis. Newselph turns breezy into bluesy, and the track morphs into a makeshift teleportation device to a simpler time when fat laces, arcade games and handwritten letters reigned supreme. The Flowers remix features Jurny Big and Brand Nubian's most recognisable voice, Sadat X. The two emcees come together to the world and the roles they play within it. Newselph's push-and-pull guitar groove would fit perfectly as the backdrop for a campfire convo filled with nostalgic stories and witty anecdotes. Things get deeper than Atlantis on Matters Of Man, where Newselph again links up with his man, Sareem Poems, and one-third of the Ugly Heroes crew, Chris Orrick. Serving up a healthy slice of adult contemporary musings, the two rhyme writers break down this thing called life with the kind of knowledge, wisdom and understanding that would make King Solomon chill. Like watery clay in the hands of Sam Wheat and Molly Jensen, Newselph scrapes and shapes a rubbery bassline, dreamy droplets of keys and pensive melodies into a reassuring ode of optimism. Other guest appearances on the album include Sivion, Sojourn, MidCentury Modern, Ozay Moore, DJ Because and many more. Like the classic TV show The Wire, all the pieces matter, and the sum of parts come together seamlessly to form something more meaningful.

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2ugli

CD | 2022 | US | Original (Ugli Business)

First Born 20 Year Anniversary Edition

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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2UGLi’s new album, My Day Begins When Your Ends, is more than just his second full-length release; it’s an entirely new starting point for the rapper who hails from Chula Vista, Calif. He spent nearly two decades in the game by the time he released his debut, 2017’s Leaving My Mark, and then stepped away due to industry BS. But he knew his time as an artist wasn’t over yet—not by a longshot—and he immediately started working again with his favorite producer, The Premonist. And with the help of some other producers, 2UGLi crafted one of 2022’s best albums of the year so far with Mdbwye. For longtime fans of 2UGLi, you may be surprised by the material you hear on this record. The emcee purposely avoided more personal stories on this record and instead focused on having fun with the writing process. As he told us, “Many of my supporters will be able to hear the growth and versatility in my writing, but I still stuck to the roots of grimy hip-hop.” And to say he nailed that approach would be a massive understatement, a sentiment that’s clear as soon as the murky intro, “I Am Chicano,” emerges from your speakers. Mdbwye blends a modern and throwback sound masterfully through both 2UGLi’s approach to the mic and his team of producers. While The Premonist handled the bulk of the production, he also worked with the likes of Snowgoons, Zentna, and a few others who stayed true to the emcee’s vision. Not only that, but 2UGLi enlisted prominent like-minded emcees to bless the album, including Raekwon on the dust-covered “The Code,” Cage on the snarling “Eye For An Eye,” and Chino XL on the cinematic “Start to Finish.” The result is a cohesive, engaging look into 2UGLi’s creativity as not just a lyricist, but an artist with a clear concept in mind. That’s what makes Mdbwye such a successful project, and why we’re excited to know 2UGLi isn’t done yet. The 20 track LP becomes available on April 22 via UGLi Business in partnership with Fat Beats.

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Eyedea & Abilities

3LP | 2001 | US | Reissue (Rhymesayers)

41,99 €*

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (U-Trax)

Release: 2001 / US – Reissue

Genre: Hip Hop

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This limited vinyl packaging includes 2-color galaxy effect 2xLP vinyl, with a bonus 12" pressed on ultra-clear laser-etched and UV printed vinyl featuring four bonus tracks: "Pushing Buttons", "Architect's Theme", "Before & After" (feat Blueprint), and "Before & After" (instrumental), as well as printed record sleeves featuring images of some of Eyedea's original handwritten lyrics! Micheal "Eyedea" Larsen and Gregory "DJ Abilities" Keltgen first met in the mid-90s and soon began a working relationship that would play a prominent role in the burgeoning Indie-Rap movement of the time. After numerous successes across nearly every notable MC or DJ battle of the late `90s and early `00s, including HBO's Blaze Battle, the Rocksteady Anniversary, Scribble Jam, the DMC's and more, they had already cemented their legacies both as individuals in the battle scene and as the dynamic duo, Eyedea & Abilities, for their live performances and showmanship. However, determined not to be dismissed as one-dimensional, they set out to prove they were to be taken just as seriously at writing and recording. The release of their debut album, First Born, revealed their talents to be much more versatile and expansive than previously expected. The boastful arrogance and punchlines that had become synonymous with battling were notably scarce on the album. Eyedea chose to tackle subjects that were more conceptual and philosophical in nature, focusing on matters of reality and altered states of perception while pushing his urgent, dense delivery into darker, more abstract terrain. Meanwhile, DJ Abilities was able to craft worlds of depth and emotion, pairing hauntingly suspenseful beats with meticulous turntablism. The resulting album was rich in ambition, ideas and humanity. First Born came at the forefront of an exciting new era of underground hip-hop, delivering messages that emphasized questions over answers, ambiguity over certainty, and self-expression over exploitation, to an audience that was eager to expand their horizons beyond the commercial programming and clichés of the time. In honor of its 20th anniversary, Rhymesayers repackaged and reproduced the long out-of-print vinyl LP and CD with some exciting new features.

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Thavius Beck

Cosmic Noise

25,99 €*

Kool Keith, Scorn & Submerged

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Since our first contact with NYC based producer Thavius Beck in 2018, he sent us over 100 unreleased tracks, or beats, as he calls them. 25 of them have been selected for releases on U-trax, good for over 2 hours of music, across this album and the Lovesick EP.
Growing up in LA, Thavius Beck entered the hip-hop scene as member of Global Phlowtations, and released several solo albums under the Adlib moniker. In later years, he released five albums under his own name on labels like Mush, Big Dada and Plug Research, and also produced albums for artists like Saul Williams and Kâ€‘theâ€‘I???, and did some remixing for amongst others Nine Inch Nails. Nowadays he combines making music with a career as a succesful certified Ableton and Bitwig trainer and as a music teacher at Berklee NYC.
The tracks vary in style a lot, but what they have in common is that they either are moody â€“ in U-trax lingo: deep - or they are drum heavy. The common denominator would probably be 'experimental/instrumental hip-hop', reminiscent of producers like Flying Lotus. People have tried all sorts of comparisons to pinpoint Thavius' sound, ranging from 'between DJ Shadow and Orbital' and 'a mix of Massive Attack and The Orb'. None of these are spot on, yet quite a few of these tracks feel like a happy marriage between hip-hop beats and techno sounds.
Despite the fact that some tracks are 20 years old and have been made with widely different gear (one track was even made on a PlayStation 2), this selection sounds remarkably balanced, yet diverse.
From the irresistible single 'Lovesick/Still Sick' to the dark and massive 'Birdsong' (that echoes the sound of his popular song 'Atmos'), and from the head-nodding 'Work!' to the soothing 'Reunited With The All' - if this collection showcases anything, it's Thavius' brilliant production and composing skills, as well as his wizard-level sampling techniques. The result is a luscious electronic music album with a broad appeal.
Available on double 180 grams colored vinyl vinyl, comes in gatefold picture sleeve.

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Distortion

12" | 2021 | UK | Original (Ohm Resistance)

14,99 €*

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Future Times)

Release: 2021 / UK – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Kool Keith Is The Most Legendary Trailblazer Of Hip Hop Music. With Characters Spanning From Dr. Octagon To Tashan Dorsett To Black Elvis To Dr. Dooom, Keith Is Always Delivering Realness, Spectacles In Word And Sound, And Creating New Worlds With His Many Auras. Scorn Is The Electronic Beat Project Of Acclaimed Exnapalm Death Drummer Mick Harris, The Dark Lord Of Ambient Dub. Mick Harris' Prolific Ventures Across Numerous Projects Include Painkiller (With John Zorn And Bill Laswell), Quoit, Lull, Monrella, And Many More. Submerged Is The King Of Underground Drum N Bass DJs, Having Pioneered The Scene For The Hard Sound From Astana To Sao Paulo To Kiev To Brooklyn. He Is The Founder Of Galactic Enterprise That Is Ohm Resistance. Distortion Is A Collaborative Single With Some Of The 100% Certified Dopest Kool Keith Verses. He Is Tuned Into His Co-Authors, Dropping Lines About "Power Sources, Mediterranean Bosses", Going "52 States, European, Worldwide", Discussing "More Power To Explore", And Knowing How To "Stick My Hand Out The Speaker And Reach Y'all". A Massive Energy Liftoff Occurs As Keith Joins His Multiverse With That Of The Ohm Resistance Artists.Mick Harris' Instantly Recognizable Bludgeoning Beat Carries The Weight, As He Trades Off Bass Blast Duties With The Organic Overdriven Bassline Of Submerged. A Warning Shot Fired In Advance Of Scorn's Album, "The Only Place", This Single Adds The Missing Element To Scorn That Brings Out The Richness And Flavor Of Mick Harris Behind The Mixing Desk. "I'm So Happy To Be Working With A Great Voice - I Could Do More Of, It Adds Another Dynamic To Scorn." Says Harris. Submerged Explains His Usual Streak Of Unusual Luck - "I Had A Bassline I Had Written And Wanted To Send To Mick Harris For Scorn. When The Opportunity Came To Work With Kool Keith, Mick Made His Beat, And My Riff Fit Exactly - So We Coordinated The Forces To Put This Record Together". With Kool Keith Being One Of The Most-Named Influences By Many Of The Ohm Resistance Artists, His Arriv...

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Model Home

32,99 €*

RAST & 7L (The Czar Keys)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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LP vinyl + 12x12" sized zine Nappynappa and Pat Cain’s Model Home project realigns with Dolo Percussion for SE, their second album on Future Times. A deviation from their self-released run of numerically-titled LPs, SE builds on the impact of REV b/w Flesh - released earlier in 2020 on the label - and shows the Future Times formation of Model Home in full Special Edition mode. If you’ve been sleeping on Model Home, Nappa and Pat have become a prolific and potent unit of “liberated sound, vision and performance” emblematic of DC’s thriving musical underground community. Self-releasing nearly 20 albums in two years, Pat Cain and Nappa have perfected a sound; a raw expression that is wholly their own. A perfect musical balance attained through intense experimentations in sonic and lyrical imperfection. Nappa’s blurry-eyed spoken word raps should be recognised alongside the powerful polemics of Moor Mother or the explosive experimentation of Pink Siifu, or fellow DC legend Sir E.U. Nappa is an artist deeply entrenched in the expression of rap but one that recognises there are so many sonic ways in which to frame his state of mind. Which is why the frazzled sound design of Pat Cain has made Model Home such a perfect backdrop for Nappa to express himself. Rap existing in unison with raw electronixxx, dancehall, noise, industrial and whatever else they throw in the mix. Add the crisply-programmed drums and chaotic FX of Dolo Percussion into the Model Home mix and SE zones into a murky yet richly detailed space that leaves you going “WTF?” multiple times and hammering the repeat button again and again. Spread over nine tracks, the Model Home trio approach the game from various angles; swerving from the dizzying Bounce triplets and smudged Nappa vox on “Omnipresent Love” to the spacious lyrical interplay n’ woozy moog of “Bag” via the warped Pan Sonic curdle of “Are You Shur?” and the hyper-kynetic rhythmic aerobics of “Topic.” SE showcases Model Home at their most expressive; plunging deeper into their own weird universe. “Like the seed in the soil,” as Nappa raps on album closer “Cold Gettin’ Dogg.

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I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

LP | 2018 | US | Original (Dope Folks)

29,99 €*

RAST & 7L (The Czar Keys)

Release: 2018 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Over the last decade RAST has made a name for himself as one of the undergrounds most original voices. RAST has released a handful of albums, freestyles and a slew of online singles (including collaborations with Czarface, Hus Kingpin and Your Old Droog). But before all this, RAST held down the 90’s as part of the New York Graffiti crew RFC. It was
during this time that many of the tracks on “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” draw from. The album has no features and was produced entirely by The Czar-Keys (7L & Jeremy Page) - and this was done by design. 7L and RAST worked together on the vision and the direction they wanted to go with for the
album. As 7L points out “I wanted to really take it back to a time when the rapper was the main focus. This is also why we didn’t go with a group name or a RAST & 7L title. For me it was really all about RAST, and his
story is so personal that it just made sense for him to be the only voice you hear”. From the albums start, “Base” sets things off with organs that sound
straight off old Surf footage accompanied by a pounding break beat. RAST’s signature gruff voice goes from rugged raps to melodic singing and back. On “The Devils Playground” RAST delivers some of his most honest lines recalling his youth and battles with depression. On “I Lost My Mind and Found God” RAST states plainly in the hook “I ain’t gonna see no doctor unless I die". RAST delivers these lines with the maturity of a seasoned blues man. "Runaway Slave" is another great example of this, as the track roars with a powerful hook as if he were exorcising his demons over what sounds like a dusted church organ.
Other stand out gems like "Children of Attica", “The Little Boy Who Lived in a Tree” and “The Remarkable Story of the Silent Machine Gun” show that RAST is cut from a different cloth. “I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings” is an album where, as pointed out in the albums intro "Caged", is RAST at his most honest and vulnerable.

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I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

CD | 2018 | US | Original (Boston George)

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Below System)

Release: 2018 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Verbal Kent & Superior

Half My Life

17,99 €*

Layers Gold Vinyl Edition

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Limited edition vinyl!
Chicago wordsmith Verbal Kent (Ugly Heroes) and Spanish-German beat maker Superior have joined forces. The resulting full-length album “Half My Life” is set for release via Below System Records. Known for his mixture of verbal gymnastics with humor and everyday pathos, Verbal Kent delivers what might be among his most personal rhymes.
Speaking on the significance of the album title Kent said “Half My Life signifies the amount of time I’ve been at this. I started rhyme writing seriously at 18/19 years old and never looked back. I’ve always felt grounded in my expectations, fame and fortune was never a factor for me. I love making music enough to do it seriously for 20 years now, and I doubt I’ll ever be able to stop.”
Superior’s creative use of psychedelic, rock, soul and funk samples create an eclectic yet cohesive musical backdrop. Some examples of the chemistry include the first single “The Little Things” which is Kent’s version of the love joint (see Common’s “The Light”) but
more in Seinfeld territory. Sample lyric “Dr. Kirschenbaum’s my dentist and now he’s your dentist and that goes for any practitioner of medicines.”
Tracks like “Classic Shit” and “For The Love” are deeply biographical tracks while there is also straight quality emceeing tracks including “Go Get The Dank” and “Steven Hawking Walking”. Guests that get it in on the album include Vic Spencer, Sonnyjim, Recognize Ali and Lance Ambu.
Initially linking up on a track on Superior’s album “The Journey” (released early 2017) the duo realized that they were a good combination. Speaking on the album process Kent said “when Superior started sending me beats I started realizing his beats are emotional, so I let them lead the way as a result a lot of the content is reflective.”
The budding of a serious team for boom bap lovers, Superior and Verbal Kent were able to link up in person this summer and perform at Hip Hop Kemp, one of Europe’s biggest festivals. “More on the way” Kent adds."

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2LP | 2017 | EU | Original (Quality Goods)

13,74 €* 24,99 € -45%

Nym Lo X & Static Selektah

Release: 2017 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Quality Goods Records finally presents the vinyl release of UZ’ album “Layers” in limited edition gold vinyl!

Something of a man of mystery, UZ emerged into the world of constantly evolving bass music back in 2012, and his intense musical creativity has kept fans guessing ever since. Widely considered one of the founding fathers of the floor-shattering trap sound that has taken the world by storm, UZ’s innovative approach to production and impeccable reputation as a tastemaker has kept him on top of the pile for the past five years.
2017 is possibly set to be the biggest year to date for this artist, having built such a tangible platform for himself over the past couple of years, both as a DJ and producer. Reaching five full years in the game this April, a giveaway of material from 2012-2015 hit well over 600,000 downloads – showing the consistent demand for fresh “Trap Shit” sounds, including the series of 25 tracks that fell under the same name. The likes of SPIN, Complex, Billboard and Hypetrak have offered their full support since the start, pushing his vision to a wider audience. UZ counts official remixes for the likes of Flosstradamus, Zeds Dead, 12th planet, Birdy Nam Nam, Ice Cube, Elliphant, GIA, Alvin Risk and DJ Shadow in his arsenal, whilst in 2013 he was commissioned to make a very special mixtape for Red Bull Academy.
UZ’s touring schedule continues to take him across the globe several times over, appearing in Australia, Canada, Asia, Europe, South America and South Africa. Representing bass music at its finest, he is increasingly in demand from international festivals such as Coachella, Sonar, Ultra, Stereosonic and EDC.
2016 saw the start of a thrilling chapter, with UZ beginning his trap-influenced record label Quality Goods Records in April. Hand selecting the most exhilarating new music and artists, the inaugural release came from the label head himself in the form of “Magellan” EP. Other works include the UZ & Myrne remix of “Trapshit 16,” “Amazon” from Mayhem and UZ and a remix EP of the brilliantly received “Magellan.” QGR is just getting started, and as with UZ, the best is yet to come…

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Straight From The Horse's Mouth

LP | 2023 | US | Original (Ruffnation)

32,99 €*

12" | US | Original (Not On Label (Clinton Sparks Self-released))

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Nym Lo is the epitome of New York hip hop. Raised by the streets of New York, Nym Lo has been around long enough to see the city change. Nymlo new record with Static Selektah is a guaranteed promise there is some music from the new Hip-hop genres that is true to the culture . When asked what New York means to him and his sound he stated, "New York is the epicenter of everything. Then more specifically, Harlem is the center of that. I'm heavily influenced by it. My look, my talk, my music, everything. My whole lifestyle." We went to go visit his new billboard up on 125th St. and we can't go five minutes without someone coming to say hello. He gets his name from his fashion sense. Always rocking Ralph Lauren Polo head to toe. If you ever see Nymlo, chances are 183rd isn't far away. Friends for over 10 years, the duo has made countless classic records. In October 2019 they dropped their collab EP High Horse, and now they're back for the second installment, High Horse 2! High Horse 2 sounds like new age Harlem and success. The project perfectly showcases 183rd and Nymlo's energy and chemistry. 183rd's old school samples with boom bap drums backing Nym Lo's silky smooth witty bars. On High Horse 2, Nym makes you feel like you're with him walking through the streets of Harlem, counting money, reflecting on career growth and change. The album is accompanied by high caliber features from frequent collaborators Benny The Butcher, Smoke Dza, Jay Worthy and OT The Real. We conducted this interview at Ruff Ryder's Powerhouse studio, the same place where DMX, Jadakiss, Styles P, and more legendary rappers recorded. Nymlo also named DMX as a figure that he's looked up to and one of his favorite rappers since he was a child. Go stream High Horse 2 and make sure you keep a look out for more new music from Nym Lo.

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Clinton Sparks

Foolin Yourself

4,99 €*

Word...Life Vinyl Me, Please Edition

Release: US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Used Vinyl

Medium: VG+, Cover: Generic

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O.C.

2LP | 1994 | US | Reissue (Vinyl Me, Please)

43,99 €*

Chocolate Bars Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 1994 / US – Reissue

Genre: Hip Hop

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Preorder shipping from 2024-11-08

Word...Life is the debut studio album by O.C., released on October 18, 1994, through Wild Pitch Records. O.C. (Omar Credle), a member of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), was highly regarded for his thoughtful and intricate lyricism. Word...Life is considered a classic East Coast hip-hop album, reflecting the 90s boom-bap sound with its jazzy, soul-infused beats and introspective lyrics.

The production on Word...Life was handled by prominent figures in the New York hip-hop scene, including Buckwild and Lord Finesse, both members of the D.I.T.C. collective. The beats feature a mix of jazz samples, soulful loops, and hard-hitting drums, typical of the 90s East Coast sound.
O.C.’s delivery on the album is laid-back yet razor-sharp, and his rhymes are filled with vivid imagery, social commentary, and personal reflections. The album is celebrated for its lyrical depth, with O.C. blending storytelling and wordplay seamlessly throughout.

"Time's Up" – This is O.C.’s most famous track and a standout from the album. The song addresses the fakeness in the rap industry, calling out rappers who portray false images of success and street life. The production, courtesy of Buckwild, is minimal yet powerful, with its heavy bassline and sparse drums giving space for O.C.’s sharp lyrics.
"Born 2 Live" – A reflective and nostalgic track where O.C. looks back on his youth, reminiscing about childhood experiences and the loss of friends. The beat, produced by Buckwild, is soulful and smooth, underscoring the bittersweet tone of the lyrics.
"Word...Life" – The title track is a declaration of O.C.’s philosophy and approach to hip-hop. His rhymes are thoughtful and reflective, addressing real-life struggles, growth, and staying true to one’s self. The beat features a jazzy piano loop, characteristic of the album’s overall production style.
"O-Zone" – A track that showcases O.C.’s lyrical prowess, where he delivers intricate wordplay and multisyllabic rhymes. The beat is more aggressive, with a harder bassline and sharp drum patterns, complementing the confident tone of O.C.’s verses.
"Ga Head" – This track has a more laid-back vibe, with O.C. discussing the realities of life in the streets, success, and staying grounded. The production is smooth, and the track has a reflective quality similar to “Born 2 Live.”

Authenticity in Hip-Hop: A major theme on the album, especially on tracks like "Time's Up", where O.C. critiques rappers who fabricate stories about their street credibility or success.
Reflection and Growth: O.C. often reflects on his life, past experiences, and the journey of growing up in a tough environment. "Born 2 Live" is one of the best examples of this theme, where he revisits childhood memories and the impact of losing friends.
Intellectual and Philosophical Insights: O.C.’s lyrics often touch on deeper, more philosophical ideas about life, the challenges of success, and the importance of staying true to oneself.

Buckwild, Lord Finesse, and O.C. himself contributed to the production on Word...Life. The beats are built around soulful and jazz-infused samples, and the production maintains a gritty, underground feel. The album’s production fits well within the aesthetic of 90s boom-bap hip-hop but is elevated by the thoughtfulness and precision of the samples and drum programming.

Word...Life was praised for its lyrical depth and intellectual approach to hip-hop, standing out in a year when many classic albums were released. Critics and fans alike admired O.C.’s smooth flow and ability to tackle both personal and broader social issues in his rhymes.
The album did not achieve massive commercial success upon release, but it has since been recognized as a cult classic and a staple of 90s underground hip-hop.
"Time’s Up" in particular became a defining moment in O.C.’s career and has been used in various hip-hop compilations and media over the years.

Word...Life has influenced many artists, particularly in the underground and conscious hip-hop scenes, where lyricism and authenticity are highly valued.
O.C. has continued to be an important figure in hip-hop, and his work on Word...Life is seen as a critical contribution to the legacy of East Coast rap, alongside artists like Nas, Big L, and other members of the D.I.T.C. collective.

Word...Life is a cornerstone of 90s underground hip-hop, showcasing O.C.’s lyrical prowess and commitment to authenticity. The album's introspective themes, sophisticated wordplay, and soulful production make it a classic that continues to resonate with fans of conscious and lyrical rap.

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Emma Lee M.C. & Roccwell

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Ill Adrenaline)

26,99 €*

CD | 2024 | US | Original (Ill Adrenaline)

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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The debut collaboration by Harlem, New York City raised, Ugandan born, award winning hip-hop creative Emma Lee M.C. and decorated German producer Roccwell is a potent offering of globally creative proportions. Merging her bold, flowful vocals and piercingly imaginary lyricism with his smooth, classic, world-renowned "boom bap" production over seven tracks, the two who met during a pandemic aimed to stifle their artistry have used the "new normals" as opportunity to create new energy, tell new stories and re-balance tastes in the culture.

On the lead single “Like It’s 93” featuring hip-hop legend Masta Ace, listeners are treated to a unique twist on nostalgia. Emma Lee personifies hip-hop by lyrically describing a dysfunctional but loving relationship using over 40 classic rap album titles all released in the year 1993, with Masta Ace responding metaphorically in a classic rebuttal. The track rolls in with a dreamy soundscape over Roccwell's signature snare drum spine, lifts and waves with Emma Lee's softly layered vocals in the hooks, and ends with a sonic collage of reflective cuts by DJ LP2 reminding us why we fell in love with hip-hop. As mentioned from "Digable Planets to Doggystyle," this track is a witness and poetic questioning of a pivotal time in music.

The follow-up single "Cravings & Withdrawals" with hip-hop legend Bahamadia holds its own as one of the smoothest rap duets put to wax in a long time. As Roccwell riffs the beat like a spacey and jazzy interlude, an elite skill level of emceeing is on display by two generational talents unapologetically pouring onto the track. The dream duo gives us an unbeatable breather during the hooks which are elevated by an adaptation of classic neo-soul R&B, asking whether listeners are "craving something real?" Clever cuts by DJ LP2 once again punctuate the odyssey and are sure to please most music heads.

“Chocolate Bars” by Emma Lee M.C. & Roccwell stays true to its rooted theme and includes a few musical twists, start to finish. From its concept, choice of instruments, variation, undeniable lyricism, sounds and messaging, it creates both curiosity and satisfaction, and leaves hip-hop lovers surely wanting more.

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Emma Lee M.C. & Roccwell

Chocolate Bars

CD | 2013 | EU | Reissue (Hip Hop Enterprise)

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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NoDoz

Ready To Detonate

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Ruffnation)

Release: 2013 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Hip Hop

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HHE is back with some legendary old school Houston, TX hip-hop! Rap-A-Lot headz better take notice right now!! For those unfamiliar, NoDōz were an old school rap duo out of Houston, TX created by the legendary Def Jam Blaster and rapper D. Latroi.

Def Jam Blaster... aaah where to begin? Maybe back in 1987 when he worked on a 7" which started the career of a local rapper named DJ Akshen? Or 1988 when he worked on one of the most iconic 12" records Ever in hip-hop? A 12" from that same rapper Akshen that would have the world forever know him as Scarface from that day on. Or when Def Jam Blaster started the duo Private Identity in 1989 with another legendary Houston rapper 3-2? Or how in 90's Def Jam Blaster worked on albums for Raheem, Royal Flush, Willie D, Big Mello, Madd Hatta and Mobb Deep.

I think you get my point by now, this is a man that paid his dues with the best of them... Now back to our story... After Private Identity died down after doing some recordings Def Jam Blaster hooked back up with D. Latroi, a rapper he met a year before, and started making some demos, material that has remained shelved up until now as we have had the pleasure to include them as bonus tracks for the CD release.

In 1992 NoDōz were signed to Revolution Records, an imprint that was focused primarily on R&B. Right before they could finish the album D. Latroi started having some serious health issues and Revolution Records started second guessing their decision to drop a hip-hop record so the album was shelved.

Now 30 years later we are excited to present you all the tracks from those 1992 sessions, the demos and remixes all from the DAT tapes. The 8 page booklet will include an interview done by Werner Von Wallenrod with Def Jam Blaster which was done specifically for this release. All tracks remastered by Justin Perkins and DJ Pyra-C and the entire CD layout was handled by man Laurence Di Lullo.

Limited to only 300 copies!

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B Real X Scott Storch

Tell You Something

32,99 €*

CD | 2017 | US | Original (Musicinyaear)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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B Real From Cypress Hill New Lp Produced By Scott Storch Ft. Ty Dolla $Ignlouis "B-Real" Freese From The Platinum Selling Hip-Hop Group Cypress Hill Releases A 10 -Song Vinyl Lp "Tell You Something" Cat.Rn 10002 Ruffnation / Entertainment One Music. Produced By Grammy Winning Producer Scott Storch Who Has Worked With 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Dr. Dre, Nas, Snoop Dog. The Album Features Collaborations With Freeway, Ty Dolla $Ign, Berner, DJ Paul, Rick Ross, Krayzie Bone. The Tracks "Mother Mary" Ft DJ Paul And "Triple Og" Ft. Freeways Are Currently On All Dsp's.. Not Only Does Storch's Production Deliver On All Of The Sonic Treatments And Musical Motifs He Is Known For, But He Also Incorporates The Ethereal Dusted Soundscape Which Provides A Perfect Blend With B Real's Animated Delivery. B Real's Distinct Timbre And Delivery Style Makes Him The Rare Stand Alone Artist Not Seldom Seen In The Hip-Hop Genre. Given B-Real's Cypress Hill Legacy, This Album Will Find A Ready Audience Among The Millions Of Cypress Hill Fans Worldwide. . Cypress Hill Created Their Own Market Attracting Devoted Followers By Incorporating Their Unique Vocals, Brilliant Writing And Production. T Their Lyrical Commentary On Street Culture Is Both Real And Often Veiledisteners With Fans Of Public Enemy, Prophets Of Rage, Rage Against The Machine, Lincoln Park, House Of Pain, Sonic Youth, Nwa, Wu-Tang B-Real Has Almost 8 Million Active Followers Across His And Cypress Hill's Various Social Media Platforms Including His B Real Tv, Dr. Greenthumb Podcast, Which Is The Platform For His Successful Chain Of Dr Greenthumb's Licensed Dispensaries In California. The Vinyl Lp Is Audiophile Quality, 180g Colored Neotech 100 % Virgin Vinyl Manufactured Using The Digital Matrix Nickel Plating System For Zero Playback Degradation.For Fans Of House Of Pain, Prophets Of Rage, Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Clanpress Quotesb-Real And Freeway Connect With Scott Storch For A 4/20-Friendly Record.It's A National Holiday For Smokers Acros...

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Powerule

The Anomaly: Reloaded

Black Radio III Indie Exclusive Chartreuse Vinyl Edition

Release: 2017 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Limited edition CD!

Featuring productions by Large Professor, Ayatollah, Lord Finesse and Psycho Les with guest appearances by Tragedy Khadafi, Sonny Banks, Thirstin Howl The 3rd and many others!

In the late 80's and early 90's Powerule stood century as the vanguard of an eventual Latin explosion in Hip Hop. Dominating mix shows and video mediums the Nuyorican experience in hip hop culture finally had their own voice. In 1991 they released their debut album “Volume 1” on Interscope Records that featured Leaders of The New School, Large Professor & Kurious Jorge. Powerule along with 2Pac were one of the first Hip Hop artists signed to Interscope Records.

Powerule went on to pave the way for artist like Fat Joe, Kurious, Big Pun, Tony Touch, The Beatnuts and others. Throughout the 1990s they released a string of classic singles such as "Dawn to Dusk”, "Bright Lights Big City", "Rock your Knot Quick", "Heatin up" & “Well Connected” produced by some of Hip Hop’s most celebrated producers: Mark Ronson, Erick Sermon & VIC from The Beatnuts.

It's been 26 years since Powerule released a physical album. This is unprecedented in the industry and happens to be their best work to date. The music and the lyricism proves that the Golden Era of Hip Hop still is relevant. A virtual who's who of producers provide the back bone for the album. Large Professor provides a hypnotic melody on “Glorify and Praise” and Prince Powerule delivers an adult contemporary message. When asked how it was working with Large Professor again after 26 years Prince said "I've never been pushed so hard in the booth. It took me a month to really get the flow and the lyrics right. It was exactly what I need to thrust myself back in the game."

Production from Psycho Les of the Beatnuts on “718” with verses by himself and Tragedy Khadafi make this Queens anthem bump!! DJ Eclipse provides a resident DJ appeal appearing on 3 songs. The album has a consistent feel capturing the essence of NY hip hop with strong story-telling and jewels of wisdom. Lord Finesse gifts Powerule with a melodic gem on “Get Right” feat Sonny Banks. Ayatollah, Self Service, VIC, Team Demo and others fill out this album but it ever loses its authentic feel..

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Robert Glasper

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Loma Vista)

39,99 €*

CD | 2022 | UK | Original (Concord)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves

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Robert Glasper is a premiere example of musical aptitude and a proven champion of Black music - boasting nine Grammy nominations and four wins for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, Best Traditional R&B Performance, and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, and an Emmy Award for his song for Ava Duvernay’s critically hailed documentary “13th” with Common and Karriem Riggins. The 43-year old Houston native has a rich history contributing his artistry across both music and film, all the while carrying a consistent cultural message. In 2012, Glasper delivered his album Black Radio that hit the scene as the first album in history to debut in the top 10 of 4 different genre charts simultaneously: Hip Hop R&B, Urban Contemporary, Jazz and Contemporary Jazz. The feat was then repeated by Black Radio 2. The ongoing Black Radio series has since become Glasper’s calling card, upholding a place at the heart of a trailblazing community: from long-time sonic brothers Mos Def and Bilal, to legends including Ledisi, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu.

"Robert Glasper has established himself as a master of the territory where jazz, hip-hop and R&B overlap" – Rolling Stone

“No one has shaped the resurgence of jazz in black music more than Robert Glasper in the 2000s” – Nate Chinen (NPR)

Black Radio and Black Radio II are landmark albums that have shaped the genres of jazz, hip hop and r&b for the past decade. Direct lines can be drawn to Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Kendrick Lamar, and black music writ large.

For Black Radio III, 4-time grammy® winner Robert Glasper cements his legacy as producer, curator and cultural icon. These collaborations range from the most powerful voices in contemporary black music (Killer Mike, ty dolla $ign, D Smoke, PJ Morton) to the most important lyricists and performers of the past 30 years (Jennifer Hudson, Ledisi, Common, Gregory Porter, Musiq Soulchild, India.Arie)

Black Radio III is also a statement for these times. It is Glasper’s most direct statement of the frustration and opportunity of a world disrupted by social change.

It is at once beautiful, powerful and innovative.

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Robert Glasper

Black Radio III

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Loma Vista)

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves

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Robert Glasper

Black Radio III

39,99 €*

Marlowe (L'Orange & Solemn Brigham)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves

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Marlowe Colored Vinyl Edition

LP | 2018 | US | Original (Mello Music Group)

Chocolate Bars HHV Exclusive Brown Vinyl Edition

Release: 2018 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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L'Orange & Solemn Brigham are Marlowe

"An artist afraid to overreach himself is as useless as a general who is afraid to be wrong.”

Over a half-century later, the axiom remains true for hyper-kinetic hip-hop innovators, North Carolina’s L’Orange and Solemn Brigham—the hard-boiled duo behind the fun house fever dream, Marlowe.

Released on Mello Music Group, Marlowe is a triumph of ambition, a rap bricolage blending prohibition and civil rights-era samples with Asian psychedelic rock flourishes. Solemn Brigham controls the microphone like a general who can’t help but be right. His flow is a blitzkrieg. It’s an Olympian sprint, gliding over snares and kick-drums like hurdles. He’s a showman seeking revolution—resolute in his desire to strike equilibrium between awareness and entertainment.

Solemn applies the fictional protagonist’s search for the truth towards different ends. His crimes are existential yet specific, rooted in the injustices of the past and the attempt to redress them in the present. He’s an artist perennially seeking something to fight for, channeling energy from the music of the civic rights era, stealing timeless rhythms and inflection from classic funk and soul. An old soul with original ideas, tapping into the eternal reservoir of Sam Cooke to Ice Cube, Otis Redding to Chuck D, Curtis Mayfield to KRS-One.

Over the course of 17 tracks, Solemn hurls sharp darts at counterfeits trying to crack his religion, the onslaught of time, and prevaricating rappers—all while paying homage to those who paved the road for him. He bounces off the beats like a trampoline placed in a speakeasy, doubling up on the vocals, burrowing into dense cryptic tangles of slang and then stretching them out with melodic ease.

With dazzling cinematic mise en scene, L’Orange crafts a world that sounds like an old-time medicine show dropped into 90s Brooklyn, with Solemn summoning the holy spirit of Big L. Cymbals crash, drums pound, fuzzy guitars ride out, a bronze rain of horns cascade. This is gorgeous celestial dust, high-powered fuel with every syllable meticulously ordained. Marlowe cracked the case, but how they did it can only become clear under deeper investigation.

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Emma Lee M.C. & Roccwell

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Ill Adrenaline)

28,99 €*

Stay Close To Music Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Limited to 100 copies. Exclusively available at HHV. The debut collaboration by Harlem, New York City raised, Ugandan born, award winning hip-hop creative Emma Lee M.C. and decorated German producer Roccwell is a potent offering of globally creative proportions. Merging her bold, flowful vocals and piercingly imaginary lyricism with his smooth, classic, world-renowned "boom bap" production over seven tracks, the two who met during a pandemic aimed to stifle their artistry have used the "new normals" as opportunity to create new energy, tell new stories and re-balance tastes in the culture.

On the lead single “Like It’s 93” featuring hip-hop legend Masta Ace, listeners are treated to a unique twist on nostalgia. Emma Lee personifies hip-hop by lyrically describing a dysfunctional but loving relationship using over 40 classic rap album titles all released in the year 1993, with Masta Ace responding metaphorically in a classic rebuttal. The track rolls in with a dreamy soundscape over Roccwell's signature snare drum spine, lifts and waves with Emma Lee's softly layered vocals in the hooks, and ends with a sonic collage of reflective cuts by DJ LP2 reminding us why we fell in love with hip-hop. As mentioned from "Digable Planets to Doggystyle," this track is a witness and poetic questioning of a pivotal time in music.

The follow-up single "Cravings & Withdrawals" with hip-hop legend Bahamadia holds its own as one of the smoothest rap duets put to wax in a long time. As Roccwell riffs the beat like a spacey and jazzy interlude, an elite skill level of emceeing is on display by two generational talents unapologetically pouring onto the track. The dream duo gives us an unbeatable breather during the hooks which are elevated by an adaptation of classic neo-soul R&B, asking whether listeners are "craving something real?" Clever cuts by DJ LP2 once again punctuate the odyssey and are sure to please most music heads.

“Chocolate Bars” by Emma Lee M.C. & Roccwell stays true to its rooted theme and includes a few musical twists, start to finish. From its concept, choice of instruments, variation, undeniable lyricism, sounds and messaging, it creates both curiosity and satisfaction, and leaves hip-hop lovers surely wanting more.

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Mykki Blanco

LP | 2022 | UK | Original (Transgressive)

19,99 €*

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Crane City Music)

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Stay Close To Music’, the forthcoming new studio album from Mykki Blanco, is unlike anything they have released before. Adventurous and expansive, it shatters any previously held assumptions about Mykki’s artistry, leaving them free to define their sound for themselves. The LP is being released on October 14, 2022 via Transgressive. Throughout their evolution, poet, artist, musician Mykki Blanco has continuously blurred genres - pulling rave, trap, grunge and punk influences into a swirling pool of experimental hip hop that celebrated queer and trans experiences. Yet, Mykki admits that “at that point in my career, I didn't know what my own music sounded like without any kind of direct, outside reference. That's not a bad thing; that's how the majority of music is made.” Ultimately Mykki concluded they wanted to create their own sonic universe from scratch. To facilitate this, they collaborated with producer and multi-instrumentalist FaltyDL, who allowed them to envision new soundscapes built from lush, live instrumentation. “It just transported me,” they admit. “It enabled me to dream in a way that I had never dreamed with my own songwriting. All of a sudden, I felt like I had this template where I could make that sound my own.”

The songs spun together through numerous jam sessions, with writing taking place in Lisbon, Paris, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. By 2019, Mykki realized that they were working on two different records concurrently. The first became 2021’s lauded mini-album Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep and now Mykki readies the second collection of the sessions via Stay Close To Music. “I wanted to see what it would be like to go back and be a musician from another time where you had to start every ingredient raw from scratch. That process, ideology and that way of making has not only changed me as a musician, it has creatively changed me as a person.” Stay Close To Music features from Michael Stripe, Saul Williams, Anohni, Dianna Gordon, Devendra Banhart, Jónsi and more.

Mykki Blanco is an artist revered for their fearless ability to evolve, placing their creative exploration at the forefront of their career. With ‘Stay Close To Music’, Mykki Blanco is leveling up. By stepping into unchartered territory untethered and free, they have fulfilled their ambitions and created a rich, complex and accomplished sound that belongs entirely to them and which only solidifies their status as one of the world’s most innovative musical pioneers.

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Perry Porter

Bobby Ro$$

16,49 €* 29,99 € -45%

Carte Blanche Splatter Vinyl Edition

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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The seventh record in the Crane City Music collection
The 140g black vinyl pressing is limited to 250 copies and individually numbered
There is only one single pressing. Once these are sold out, they’re gone for good
Cover photography by visual artist Izzy Vibes
Specially mastered for vinyl by Adam Straney (BreakPoint Mastering)

Crane City Music is proud to release Bobby Ro$$ from accomplished Seattle rapper and visual artist Perry Porter. His first full-length, Bobby Ro$$ is a vibe-heavy hustle through the landscape of art, blackness, and self-love. On it, he inhabits the alter ego of Bobby Ro$$, the trap music avatar of the much-loved PBS painter, Porter uses snippets of interviews with cultural luminaries such as Kara Walker, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Maya Angelou as a narrative lattice to paint himself into the canon of black art.

Originally from Tacoma, Washington—by way of rural Spanaway—Porter grew up playing drums and rapping over his own beats. His first foray into hip-hop was as half of buzzy local duo Sleep Steady, who received much acclaim in the Pacific Northwest and placed two songs in major video game titles (EA Sports UFC 2 and Cyberpunk 2077). He has since released several solo mixtapes, including 2018’s critically-acclaimed Channel Surfing mixtape.

As a visual artist, Porter’s dreamlike watercolor portraits and lush murals have been shown in galleries across the country. His notable collectors include several NFL Seahawks players. He incorporates live painting into his performances and is currently planning a 30-city pop-up painting tour of record stores for Spring 2020.

Bobby Ro$$ is the seventh record in the Crane City Music collection, a library of the hottest recent hip-hop albums from the Pacific Northwest on wax. The record assembles a wide variety of Seattle- and Tacoma-area talent, including producers Chong The Nomad, Jamie Blake, and Khris P, alongside rappers Blake Anthony, Romaro Franceswa, and Jarv Dee. The Crane City “Black Excellence” edition of Bobby Ro$$ is limited to 250 copies on black vinyl and features a cover designed by visual artist Izzy Vibes and liner notes by music journalist Martin Douglas.

Perry Porter has opened for national touring artists such as Joey Badass, SuperDuperKyle, and The Flavr Blue, and performed to sold-out crowds at 2019’s Capitol Hill Block Party music festival.

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Phat Kat

2LP | 2007 | EU | Reissue (Rrc Music)

47,99 €*

Kiss The Sky (Melinda Camille, John Robinson & Pat Van Dyke)

Release: 2007 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Hip Hop

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“For fans old and new, they can expect to be reintroduced to some raw, authentic, classic Detroit Hip-Hop from beginning to end.”-Phat Kat on the Deluxe Edition re- release of “Carte Blanche”. Phat Kat’s phenomenal sophomore solo LP, “Carte Blanche”, fi rst released in ’07 via Look Records, is the sound of Detroit. It’s gritty, soulful, and raw, three key ingredients in bringing the blue-collar city’s vibe to life in music form. It’s also a modern classic that is getting the deluxe edition re-release it deserves, Below System Records is adding two rare bonus tracks produced by late Detroit legend, J Dilla. Anyone familiar with Kat or Dilla’s work knows the two shared a special bond. In fact, Dilla would often go to the gruff-voiced emcee whenever he was looking to create a particularly tough track. This friendship led to them forming the group 1st Down, and this re-release’s two bonus cuts, “World Premiere” and “It Don’t Get No Liver Than This (feat. La Peace),” which were recording in 1996 and ’97, respectively. Despite 1st Down never taking off due to label issues, Kat and Dilla remained close and recorded a number of underground classics. Those include several joints off “Carte Blanche”, such as the stirring “Don’t Nobody Care About Us”, “Game Time”, and the Elzhi-featured “Cold Steel”. It’s actually that last track that Kat picks as his favorite cut off the record. “If I gotta choose one, it would have to be ‘Cold Steel’ because it makes you wanna wild out as soon as the beat drops”, he says, adding that this was the fi rst time he got to choose a Dilla beat to rap over. “He would never let me rock over beat tape beats-he use to say ‘Nah Kat, just write to them cause I’m gonna make all ya shit from scratch.’ ” The album also boasts collaborations with other Detroit rap heavy-hitters, such as Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Nick Speed, and T3 & Young RJ (of Slum Village). With Kat as their host, they were able to not only capture the sound of the Motor city in 2007 (when the album was originally released), but also cement its place in the greater canon of hip-hop as we know it today.

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Sugar Pie / Glory Black Vinyl Edition

7" | 2018 | US | Original (Ill Adrenaline)

13,99 €*

Kiss The Sky (Melinda Camille, John Robinson & Pat Van Dyke)

Release: 2018 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Limited edition vinyl!
"Kiss The Sky" is Melinda Camille, John Robinson, and Pat Van Dyke; a collective of soulful singer/songwriter, veteran MC, and multi-instrumentalist. Funky organic production, intelligent wordplay, and soulful songwriting define the group's sound.
"Kiss The Sky" is Melinda Camille, John Robinson, and Pat Van Dyke; a collective of soulful singer/songwriter, veteran MC, and multi-instrumentalist which first came to fruition in 2012 on the B-Side of the Cotter Records' release "Miles & Trane" from John Robinson & PVD. The organic chemistry between the 3 artists continued to flourish on the "Modern Vintage" LP as Camille lent her vocals and songwriting skills to 3 tracks from JR & PVD's full length debut.
Here with "Sugar Pie" b/w "Glory", we witness the formal debut of the project from the 3 artists now known as "Kiss The Sky".
Recorded in Jersey City off and on over the course of the past few years, these two tracks introduce the world to what's to come from "Kiss The Sky". Funky organic production, intelligent wordplay, and soulful songwriting define the group's sound.

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Sugar Pie / Glory

7" | 2018 | US | Original (Ill Adrenaline)

14,99 €*

John Robinson (Lil Sci of Scienz Of Life) & Lewis Parker

Release: 2018 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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"Kiss The Sky" is Melinda Camille, John Robinson, and Pat Van Dyke; a collective of soulful singer/songwriter, veteran MC, and multi-instrumentalist. Funky organic production, intelligent wordplay, and soulful songwriting define the group's sound.

"Kiss The Sky" is Melinda Camille, John Robinson, and Pat Van Dyke; a collective of soulful singer/songwriter, veteran MC, and multi-instrumentalist which first came to fruition in 2012 on the B-Side of the Cotter Records' release "Miles & Trane" from John Robinson & PVD. The organic chemistry between the 3 artists continued to flourish on the "Modern Vintage" LP as Camille lent her vocals and songwriting skills to 3 tracks from JR & PVD's full length debut.

Here with "Sugar Pie" b/w "Glory", we witness the formal debut of the project from the 3 artists now known as "Kiss The Sky".

Recorded in Jersey City off and on over the course of the past few years, these two tracks introduce the world to what's to come from "Kiss The Sky". Funky organic production, intelligent wordplay, and soulful songwriting define the group's sound.

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A Place Called Home

7" | 2009 | EU | Original (Project: Mooncircle)

6,99 €*

John Robinson (Lil Sci of Scienz Of Life) & Lewis Parker

Release: 2009 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Tune in and listen to a man and his mission! John Robinson is back with an Exclusive Mr. Cooper Produced 7 Inch “A Place Called Home” Featuring UK’s own Lewis Parker. Join Robinson and Parker as they collectively paint a picture of their foundation habitat backed by a Mr. Cooper sound scape. Lyrics to go! Limited edition!

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A place called home HHV Bundle

7" | 2009 | EU | Original (Project: Mooncircle)

9,99 €*

John Robinson (Lil Sci of Scienz Of Life) & MF DOOM

Release: 2009 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Who is this man?

CD | 2008 | EU | Original (Project: Mooncircle)

11,99 €*

John Robinson (Lil Sci of Scienz Of Life) & MF DOOM

Release: 2008 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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written by John Robinson aka Lil’ Sci (Scienz of Life), all music produced by MF DOOM, scratches and cuts by DJ Rhettmatic of the World Famous Beat Junkies ... the brand new joint “Who is this man?” as limited cd version + BONUS VIDEOS ... artwork provided by Gordon of Beta Bodega Coalition Europe & Sushi.TV (Russian Federation)!

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Who is this man?

2LP | 2008 | EU | Original (Project: Mooncircle)

John Robinson (Lil Sci of Scienz Of Life) & MF DOOM

Release: 2008 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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written by John Robinson aka Lil’ Sci (Scienz of Life), all music produced by MF DOOM, scratches and cuts by DJ Rhettmatic of the World Famous Beat Junkies ... the brand new joint “Who is this man?” on limited double vinyl version ... artwork provided by Gordon of Beta Bodega Coalition Europe & Sushi.TV (Russian Federation)!

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Who Is This Man? HHV Bundle

CD | 2008 | EU | Original (Project: Mooncircle)

11,99 €*

John Robinson (Lil Sci of Scienz Of Life) & MF DOOM

Release: 2008 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Who Is This Man? HHV Bundle

LP | 2008 | EU | Original (Project: Mooncircle)

2LP | 2024 | US | Original (Backwoodz Studioz)

Release: 2008 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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written by John Robinson aka Lil’ Sci (Scienz of Life), all music produced by MF DOOM, scratches and cuts by DJ Rhettmatic of the World Famous Beat Junkies ... the brand new joint “Who is this man?” on limited double vinyl version ... artwork provided by Gordon of Beta Bodega Coalition Europe & Sushi.TV (Russian Federation)!

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Cavalier

Different Type Time

65,54 €* 68,99 € -5%

Call Me When You're Outside...

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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It seemed that if I didn’t somehow repeat the process of greatness, and do so immediately, multiple times away to satisfy playlist and binge watch culture, then I “wasn’t shit”. After a while I was like “nah this doesn’t feel good,… I don’t know if I am finding joy in this”. I would record songs and not release them, obsess over sessions recorded in my home with 30 takes of vocals and wake up only to delete them. When it began to feel right I found solace in an epiphany that I was not obligated to operate at any other wavelength. I am moving on a different type of time, and that doesn’t expire. -Cavalier For heads of a certain time period of NYC hip-hop, Brooklyn born, New Orleans-based rapper and songwriter, Cavalier was the one that got away. The outrageously talented artist whose name and reputation preceded him everywhere you went in the scene. The rapper who everyone knew was so dope that he had to blow, but who never seemed concerned with any of that. The pretty boy draped in Polo who stole every live show with a feather in his hair and a mouth full of gold fronts. The cat so dedicated to his own independence that even indie labels stopped trying to sign him and projects came when they came, but when they came they were undeniable. Cavalier was That guy for a lot of us; a silver-tongued philosopher with an eye for the poignant details of black life and a delivery as effortless as a young Ken Griffey’s swing. All that said, it never really felt like Cav had that moment in the spotlight that we always assumed was coming. After chiseling away through headier cult corners of the NYC hip-hop scene Cavalier was recognized for his memorable co-pilot to Quelle Chris’ 2013 Mello Music debut, Niggas Is Men. The critically acclaimed LP helped propel Quelle Chris into the forefront of indie hip-hop (and also happened to be the first production credits for Messiah Muzik). Cav followed up with his first full length, Chief, which sports a notable Raekwon feature but also early work from producers like Ohbliv and Tall Black Guy. A relocation to New Orleans and partnership with producer/vocalist Iman Omari yielded two more projects: 2015’s Lemonade EP and Private Stock in 2018. Great records all; eagerly sought by collectors and signal boosted by influential media like OkayPlayer, Solange’s Saint Heron, and Pitchfork. Cavalier’s bonafides have never been in question, but his new album Different Type Time feels like a revelation—a sonic suspension bridge between his rich history and the artform’s future. Different Type Time doesn’t sound like the future though, its vibrations are somewhere all their own. It sounds like jazz, like a conversation overheard in roti shop, or a pool hall, or the foyer of your old building on a fall day, front door propped open with a brick. The blues is in there too, and the south—the American South, and the Global South, and South Brooklyn. It’s not that it sounds like the past, but you can hear everything that came before in the thick of the basslines and the yearning of the keys. Different Type Time also doesn’t sound like now, it sounds like Right NOW; the bounce of the lyrics like the staccato of basketball in the park, carried on a spring breeze. Although he doesn’t rap on DTT, Quelle Chris plays a pivotal role; producing eight songs and serving as associate producer/consigliere to Cav throughout the creative process. “There is no time wasted in explaining things when I collaborate with Quelle. He understands the universe I am in and the realities I want to create. He’s in them. And I don’t think I can envision one without him,” Cavalier explains. Messiah Muzik, Wino Willy, Ohbliv, Ahwlee, Child Actor, Fushou and several other producers round out the credits, all lending their talents to the album’s spaciously soulful sound. At the center of all these alchemies is Cavalier, nimbly dancing in and out of pockets like a sidewalk game of jumprope. Different Type Time is a masterclass in this thing we call hip-hop; daring and original, yet always standing deeply rooted in the culture

1. Different Type Time prod. Quelle Chris & Cavalier
2. Custard Spoon prod. Quelle Chris
3. Can’t Leave It Alone feat. Eric Jaye prod. GLassC!ty
4. Come Proper prod. Jacob Rochester
5. Touchtones prod. Aummaah
6. Déjà vu / Tydro ‘97 prod. Messiah Muzik / Quelle Chris
7. Doodoo Damien prod. Quelle Chris
8. Baby I’m Home prod. Wino Willy
9. Yeah Boiii prod. Quelle Chris
10. All Things Considered (prod. Wino Willy
11. Pears (prod. Malik Abdul-Rahmaan
12. Told You (prod. Fushou
13.Badvice (prod. Low Key
14. Think About It feat. Billzegypt prod. Obliv
15. Up From Here / 7th Ward Spyboy prod. Ahwlee / Quelle Chris
16. Manigaults / I Miss Them prod. ruffiankick
17. Lazaroos prod. Vinny Cuzns
18.Bespoke feat. Dominic Minix prod. Hann_11
19. 50 Bags feat. Lord Chilla prod. Child Actor
20. Axiom / My Gawd prod. GLassC!ty / Quelle Chris
21. Flourish prod. Quelle Chris

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Steel Tipped Dove

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Backwoodz)

30,39 €* 31,99 € -5%

CD | 2021 | US | Original (Rhymesayers)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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In every arts community, there are people who, despite being little known even to fans of the scene, are deeply embedded in its past and present. When it comes to NYC independent hip-hop, Joseph Fusaro aka Steel Tipped Dove is one of those people. Not only has he quietly made beats for everybody and their cousin but for more than fifteen years Dove has run a recording studio out of the same 2nd floor walk-up in Brooklyn, weathering gentrification and the proliferation of home studios alike. In that time, a wealth of artists have crossed his threshold; some famous, some forgotten, and many in between. Dove’s was always a place where you could schedule a last-minute session or have an out-of-town artist meet you at 1am after their show, no need to worry, Dove would be there. It’s a place that you drop by because you’re around the corner and end up leaving with a jump drive full of wild beats.

Call Me When You’re Outside is a testament to that energy: inspired collaborations with disparate artists from across the country and the indie music spectrum. The album features Elucid, billy woods, KeiyaA, The Koreatown Oddity, Pink Siifu, Shirt, Fat Tony, Fielded, Fatboi Sharif, and Skech185, and is entirely produced by Steel Tipped Dove. Mixed and mastered by Willie Green and executive produced by billy woods, Cmwyo not only speaks to Dove’s history in the scene but the vitality of his current work. He may have been in the game for a long time, but his beats have never sounded better and his vision as a producer has never been clearer. With that in mind, if you buy it directly from us the project comes with the full instrumentals, which are also included in the vinyl and CD versions. The vinyl artwork is masterfully handled by multidisciplinary artist Myra Musgrove, while the CD is designed by the enigmatic Harvey Cliff.

In some ways it’s surprising that for all the artists Dove has worked with—NOSAJ from New Kingdom, R.A.P. Ferreira, Tone Tank, Das Racist, ShrapKnel, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, Kemba fka YC The Cynic—he has never put out a project like this. But if you know Joe, it’s really not. He has always been comfortable playing the background and contributing in whatever way he could. For him, it’s always been about the music. We hope you enjoy this rare peek into Dove’s world: his sound, his friends and collaborators. The studio is open to everyone but the buzzer hasn’t worked for fifteen years, so call when you’re outside.

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DJ Abilities

Phonograph Phoenix

Phonograph Phoenix Transculent Purple Cloudy Effect Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Gregory Keltgen (aka DJ Abilities) gravitated toward the turntables at a young age, becoming a DJ at only 17, before going on to compete in the legendary DMC DJ competitions only 2 years later in 1999. He won the regional title and advanced to the U.S. finals that year, before doing it again in 2001. Soon after, Abilities was also garnering attention for performing all the scratches on indie classic, Fantastic Damage, the debut album by El-P of Run The Jewels' fame, as well as contributing his turntable talents and production skills to other Hip-Hop cult favorites like The Anti-Album by Semi.Official, and The Taste of Rain... Why Kneel? by Deep Puddle Dynamics. But above all, his name would become most celebrated throughout the 2000's as one-half of the dynamic Hip-Hop duo Eyedea & Abilities. DJ Abilities had first met Micheal "Eyedea" Larsen in the mid-90's, and the two soon began a working relationship that would eventually play a prominent role in the burgeoning Indie-Rap movement of the time. Together, the pair developed a near symbiotic creative union that produced three albums _ First Born; E&A; and By The Throat _ a catalog animated by the burning fusion of Eyedea's introspective and technically adept rhymes with Abilities' precise scratches and versatile production. Tragically, his partner Eyedea passed away in 2010 leaving Abilities to soldier on by himself, but the influence of their partnership continues to shape DJ Abilities' music to this day. His latest project, Phonograph Phoenix, finds the DJ/Producer returning to the forefront and embracing an entirely new approach to making music. A departure from previous work that was primarily sample-based, Phonograph Phoenix finds Abilities opting to build the album's compositions from the ground up, creating his own sound through Ableton Live and various soft synths, with razor sharp cuts and select vocal chops providing a voice where his fallen partner may have once stood. Abilities' new production techniques breathe an awakening essence into Phonograph Phoenix, whether that's in the deep, cavernous bass and funky drum loops of "Worldwide", the gorgeous atmospheric synths he conjures on "Waves", or the sinister head-nodding groove of "The Badman" with its vulnerable-but- not-self-pitying vocal samples. Throughout its creation, Abilities sought to remain as truthful as possible, ensuring that each song held qualifying meaning and that the album on a whole made a definitive statement. The process inspired Abilities to dig deep and pull up some heavy, heartfelt beats and, speaking with his hands as all great turntablists do, he used this space to address grief, loss, and his own personal shortcomings, all while making room for hope and optimism.

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DJ Abilities

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Rhymesayers)

26,99 €*

Sex, Props, Cream ... And The Drama In Between

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Punk Barbarians

Tape | 2020 | EU | Original (90's Tapes)

12,99 €*

Sex, Props, Cream ... And The Drama In Between

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Strictly limited edition of 100 copies on green coloured cassette.

Originally released in 1996 on Lethal Records, the entire album "Sex, Props, Cream ... And The Drama In Between" by Long Island's Punk Barbarians finally gets a proper re-release on 2LP and cassette. The original 1LP missed a few tracks off the album, so this is actually the very first time you can hear the full release on your turntable.

In November 1996, The Source gave 3 and a half mic's and here's what Miles Marshall Lewis wrote about the Punk Barbarians debut album: "It seems like recently in rap, everybody's album is based on one of these three concepts, but they're not dealing with the reality of the drama in between," says Doozer mid album, discussing Sex, Props, Cream & The Drama In Between title of his Punk Barbairan crew's debut album. The PBs - Sunny Cheeba, Bam Bam, Doozer and Renegade (aka Shine On) - arrive to a ravaged hip-hop landscape with high aspirations: detailing the drama in between libido, recognition and economics could fill 14 albums, much less the 14 tracks on Sex, Prop, Cream - in essence merely struggle - is, after all, the basis of life itself.
With their work cut out for them, the Punk Barbarians still manage to leave a strong mark. Their lively interplay - with an engaging reminiscent of an Onyx or Lost Boyz - sounds honest, like a crew that's been together since the sandboxes of their native Long Island. The fousome bounce off each other like perfectly arranged quadraphonic accoustics, particularly with thepulsing "Blast Off" and the Spanish-guitar textured "Sweets". Jazzy production includes snippets of vibe and harp that echo masters like Lionel Hampton and Alice Coltrane, while simultaneously evoking the aesthetic feel of The Low End Theory. Some tracks - "The Struggle" (which features Donald Byrd) and "You Don't Know" - ride the line between simple influence and imitation of Tribe's jazz-rap masterpice, but with an intuitive understanding rather than mere bastardization.
"Hooptie Car" shins as a diamond in the rough, dreamily escapist like the Pharcyde's "Passing Me By". As Sunny and Doozer reference Grce Jones and Donna Summer - "Pull up to my bumper," "Toot toot, ah, beep beep" - in mid-rhyme, the irony of this track's dopeness sets in. Because while the Punk Barbarians allude to "Malcolm, Martin and Marcus and W.E.B." on "Rest In Peace" and speak of how their rhymes are "killing you like daily intakes of swine," on "Magic," their real flavor is best presented on frivolous cut like "Hooptie Car."
Sex, Props, Cream & The Drama In Between remains an excellent starting point for the PB quartet, and unless their name erects an Alkaholis-like stumbling block, they should have time to display an interesting evolution.

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Punk Barbarians

2LP | 2020 | EU | Original (90's Tapes)

24,99 €*

Slum Village & Abstract Orchestra

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Strictly limited edition of 300 copies on green and red Colored Vinyl. Comes in UV-finished gatefold sleeve with black poly-lined innersleeves.

Originally released in 1996 on Lethal Records, the entire album "Sex, Props, Cream ... And The Drama In Between" by Long Island's Punk Barbarians finally gets a proper re-release on 2LP and cassette. The original 1LP missed a few tracks off the album, so this is actually the very first time you can hear the full release on your turntable.

In November 1996, The Source gave 3 and a half mic's and here's what Miles Marshall Lewis wrote about the Punk Barbarians debut album: "It seems like recently in rap, everybody's album is based on one of these three concepts, but they're not dealing with the reality of the drama in between," says Doozer mid album, discussing Sex, Props, Cream & The Drama In Between title of his Punk Barbairan crew's debut album. The PBs - Sunny Cheeba, Bam Bam, Doozer and Renegade (aka Shine On) - arrive to a ravaged hip-hop landscape with high aspirations: detailing the drama in between libido, recognition and economics could fill 14 albums, much less the 14 tracks on Sex, Prop, Cream - in essence merely struggle - is, after all, the basis of life itself.
With their work cut out for them, the Punk Barbarians still manage to leave a strong mark. Their lively interplay - with an engaging reminiscent of an Onyx or Lost Boyz - sounds honest, like a crew that's been together since the sandboxes of their native Long Island. The fousome bounce off each other like perfectly arranged quadraphonic accoustics, particularly with thepulsing "Blast Off" and the Spanish-guitar textured "Sweets". Jazzy production includes snippets of vibe and harp that echo masters like Lionel Hampton and Alice Coltrane, while simultaneously evoking the aesthetic feel of The Low End Theory. Some tracks - "The Struggle" (which features Donald Byrd) and "You Don't Know" - ride the line between simple influence and imitation of Tribe's jazz-rap masterpice, but with an intuitive understanding rather than mere bastardization.
"Hooptie Car" shins as a diamond in the rough, dreamily escapist like the Pharcyde's "Passing Me By". As Sunny and Doozer reference Grce Jones and Donna Summer - "Pull up to my bumper," "Toot toot, ah, beep beep" - in mid-rhyme, the irony of this track's dopeness sets in. Because while the Punk Barbarians allude to "Malcolm, Martin and Marcus and W.E.B." on "Rest In Peace" and speak of how their rhymes are "killing you like daily intakes of swine," on "Magic," their real flavor is best presented on frivolous cut like "Hooptie Car."
Sex, Props, Cream & The Drama In Between remains an excellent starting point for the PB quartet, and unless their name erects an Alkaholis-like stumbling block, they should have time to display an interesting evolution."

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Fantastic 2020

2CD | 2020 | US | Original (Ne'Astra Music Group)

Dogma Crystal Clear Vinyl Edition

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Live jazzy orchestral interpretations of the Jay Dee aka J Dilla produced Slum Village classic Fantastic Vol 2!
The contributions of the late Detroit producer James DeWitt Yancey -better known to the world as J Dilla- to the world of hip-hop can't be overstated, and nowhere is his legacy more apparent than his work as a member of Slum Village. A founding member of the trio, (alongside rappers T3 and Baatin) Dilla provided the group's distinctly esoteric, free-wheeling sound, built around winding basslines, quirky drumbeats, subtle low-end frequencies, and classic jazz & soul samples. Against the backdrop of Dilla's rich production, T3 and Baatin's free-flowing style of rhyming would also earn wide critical praise, leading to comparisons as the successors to A Tribe Called Quest. All these elements would come together in a truly prodigious fashion in the early 00s, when Dilla and Slum Village would release their second studio album Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 2. The group had already made critically acclaimed waves with Volume 1, but few could have predicted at the time of its release that Dilla's production, which combined portions of alternative, gangsta, and soul hip-hop, meshed with T3 and Baatin's deft lyrical flows, would become such a far-reaching influence. Artists like D'Angelo and Erykah Badu have name-checked Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 2 as a key influences, while The Roots' drummer ?uestlove declared that they hands down "...birthed the neo-soul movement."
Enter the Abstract Orchestra. Helmed by composer and saxophonist Rob Mitchell, this 18-piece ensemble has become renowned for their distinct sound, which reinterprets some of the most famous hip-hop productions of all time (right on down to the sample material) into a unique blend of big band jazz and live hip-hop. The group has toured alongside the likes of John Legend, Amy Winehouse, and Adele among others, and have provided live backup for Mos Def, and many more. They previously have released orchestral versions of revered hip-hop record Madvillian and a tribute to Dilla to critical acclaim as well.
On this, the 20th anniversary of Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 2's release, the Abstract Orchestra are proud to pay tribute to this highly innovative hip-hop classic. Across two volumes of vinyl and a 2-CD set of studio recordings, the big band applies their own jazzy spin to Dilla's classic productions, with occasional assistance from the surviving members of Slum Village themselves. The end result is Fantastic 2020, a hybrid blend of smooth, funky brass rhythms with boom-bap sensibilities that is just the kind of tribute that an often unsung, but highly influential group like Slum Village deserves, and is a more than welcome addition to any Dilla
completist's library.

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LSDXOXO

LP | 2024 | Original (Because Music)

30,99 €*

CD | 2022 | US | Original (Hip Hop Enterprise)

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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The principles of pleasure radiate a knowing, carnal heat throughout the genre-fluid sound of LSDXOXO. His decade of dedication to the sensibility of underground club culture has brought forth club classics interwoven with pop music hooks and subversive, tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

After four years of what LSDXOXO, real name RJ Glasgow, calls a period of "healing and self-discovery," he is consolidating his multiplicitous sound with one compelling masterstroke: the debut album DOGMA, to be released on his own imprint F.A.G. DOGMA marks a complete paradigmatic shift: it is a poetic and fantastical performance, a route for deep escapism through an expanded musical palette including piano and guitar, and a deeply personal confessional through a fresh approach to songcrafting.

Within DOGMA, RJ meditates on the interlinked qualities of fame, infamy, lust and submission, as he rediscovers a pure, unadulterated approach to music-making, all the while adopting a futurist approach to pop music appreciation. RJ's unmistakable signatures-the smutty dancefloor caller, the maker of irresistible bangers, the latter-day electroclash and DnB nostalgist-take on even more shades and intricacies. Despite his widespread acclaim as a collaborator with and songwriter for other artists, RJ strips DOGMA down almost exclusively to himself, carving out intentional space as a chameleonic vocalist and performer. He breathes life into the album with private thoughts, external fears and a red thread through personal themes that crystallise the album's narrative from front to back.

The album's promo single "Bloodlust" offers angsty, intimate indie-tronica, and musings on the intoxicating nature of love and infatuation. The lead single "Ghost" reaches beyond RJ's Philadelphia origins to find itself in the deep south, in a sultry fever dream of coquettish R&B featuring backing vocals from close collaborator Kelela. Elsewhere on the album futuristic love, pensive pop earworms, evocative vintage dance styles and sleazy club tracks intermingle. While the DOGMA era will eventually explore remixes and reworks, the album is RJ's purest embrace of himself and his artistry.

RJ first garnered attention as LSDXOXO in New York City with his on-the-pulse Soundcloud edits and then as part of the cult GHE20GOTH1K collective. His DJ sets and productions quickly earned him acclaim across globally-linked underground scenes. His decision to shift from sampled vocals to picking up the pen and microphone pushed his reach out to the stratosphere; his association with XL Recordings via the Dedicated 2 Disrespect EP in 2021 was a turning point for the burgeoning superstar.

This multiplicity of the LSDXOXO sound has led to enviable co-signs. These include being selected as the opening DJ for Beyoncé's German Renaissance tour dates, remixing Lady Gaga, Pink Pantheress and Shygirl and producing five tracks for Kelela's highly acclaimed 2023 album for Warp Records, Raven. His fully-realised live show has also taken to the stage, serving fierce charisma to huge audiences at festivals including Primavera, Nuits Sonores and Rewire.

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El Gant

O.S.L.O.

2LP | 2009 | UK | Reissue (Be With)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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It's here! HHE secured a limited CD release of the new El Gant album O.S.L.O! Production and features by DJ Premier, Marco Polo, Ras Kass, Planet Asia, Killah Priest, King Magnetic, J57, Jon Doe and more! What's even better is that 2 bonus tracks will be added! Very limited one-time press of 150 joints only!

Check the breakdown...

“This album outlines my growth as a human. I wanted to share it as a way to help others who have experienced personal tragedies and may need help processing that.” —El Gant on his new solo album, O.S.L.O.

Following several tragedies in his personal life, New York rapper El Gant had a decision to make—face those losses head on or bury them deep within. Luckily for us, he chose the former. The result is O.S.L.O., the emcee’s most gripping and personal project yet. It’s also his most relatable, because it shows what we’re all capable of when we’re equipped with the right tools to cope and, in El Gant’s case, transform that tragedy into something powerful.

The album arrives nearly a decade after his previous solo effort, 2014’s great Beast Academy, and after several years spent touring and recording with his group, Jamo Gang, with Ras Kass and J57. Despite the highs associated with that time, El Gant also experienced major personal losses. In particular, he lost three close friends—The Last Original, Bones, and Jim Misa—all of whom had a major impact on his life and career. In fact, the album’s title, O.S.L.O., references the Last Original, because it’s an acronym for “Our Sun the Last Original.”

“His death really made me think about life and I made some huge transformations after that mentally, physically, and financially,” El Gant says. You can hear that personal growth on standout tracks like “Leave It Alone” and “Rubber Match,” produced by the legendary DJ Premier and J57, respectively. But it’s the stirring closing track, “Beautiful Disaster,” where El Gant speaks on losing his close friend, the Last Original, and how he found beauty amidst the chaos of those final days.

But it wouldn’t be an El Gant project without some straight-up dope hip-hop, too. Tracks like “Avirex (feat. Innocent? & King Magnetic)” and “Chromed Out (feat. Ras Kass & Planet Asia)” are absolute bangers filled with shape-shifting flows and crazy wordplay.

There’s a reason for these tonal shifts, too; El Gant didn’t want to simply create a linear album. “I want to take the listener on a few ups and downs, just like life does for most of us,” the emcee says. It’s those qualities that make O.S.L.O. so immediately satisfying, and why it’s his most accomplished work to date.

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Superstar Quamallah

Invisible Man

34,99 €*

2LP+7" | 2024 | EU | Original (90's Tapes)

Release: 2009 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Hip Hop

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Holy grail hip-hop alert! Superstar Quamallah's Invisible Man was never released on wax so, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of this astounding record, we present the first ever vinyl edition. A stunning record which gained accolades upon its initial release, such as a prominent feature on Gilles Peterson's renowned Best Of 2009 show, it's one of the most essential jazz rap albums of all time. Cut across double vinyl, it’s exceedingly limited, with just 500 pressed for the world.

Deep jazz rap on that mellow-melodic tip, Invisible Man is an unforgettable album with nothing but dope beats and dope bars. There's a strong chance this album has passed you by but we truly believe it to be a lost hip-hop masterpiece. It supremely captures the essence of a golden age classic without being slavish to the past. No, this ain't some facile throwback rap. It's a fresh and deeply soulful, original album shot through straight from the heart. Perfect to chill to, Invisible Man is profoundly jazz-oriented and captures with simplicity and sincerity the essence of hip-hop circa 1983-1994. It sounds like vibing with your nearest, dearest and oldest friends on a long hot summer night as the tantalising thought that anything is possible fills the air. You know what, we can just call this "magic hour rap" and we think you'll know what we mean. It's just beautiful. Just Listen.

Brooklyn-born, California-based emcee, DJ, and producer Superstar Quamallah was active in the West Coast underground scene throughout the 90s and recorded extensively with such revered names as Defari and Tajai. His parents were some serious artistic heavyweights, too; his father was soul organist Big John Patton, a giant in the jazz world known for his releases on Blue Note whilst his mother was an active designer. However, he remains relatively unknown. Invisible Man, named ostensibly after the classic Ralph Ellison novel, could also refer to how he is viewed by the public at large. With close affiliations to the Hieroglyphics, Dilated Peoples and Likwit crew, his debut EP "Don't Call Me John" arrived in 1999 on ABB Records, after which he took a sabbatical from recording which included graduate school, travelling, teaching at Inglewood High and eventually a professorship of African Studies at Berkeley.

With a laidback flow and deep, relaxing presence on the mic, Superstar Quamallah is equal parts Big Daddy Kane, Rakim and Guru. Invisible Man is refined, soulful, feel-good hip-hop of the old school. Its wise, spiritual and literate sound, combined with the summertime vibes projected by the smooth beats and the nostalgia-inducing samples and vocal scratches, created jazzy boom-bap rap reminiscent of prime De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr.

Irresistibly bouncing opener "You Need Knowledge" loops sparkling pianos, horns and a nagging whistle refrain with scratched vocal refrains from Slick Rick, Mobb Deep and Guru. The super-smooth head-nod classic "88 Soul" also utilises a beautifully swelling piano line and dusty breaks whilst Quamé reminisces about his childhood in NYC. Deeply moving, the silky, sultry "Black Shakespeare" is built around an elegant piano loop and goes hard on the superman lover tip whilst "For My People...It's Spiritual" is transcendental rap in conversation with Rakim and older gods. The "Moment Of Truth"-sampling "Lonely At The Top" is striking for its undiluted boom-bap stylings and the staccato flute-hop of "Just Listen" is riddled with soulful refinement. The deeply-affecting, wistful-yet-triumphant bells and horn-drenched single "California Dreamin'" is top-tier rap of unimpeachable quality. What a flow!

Another highlight is the rich melodic piano-rap of "Purity", a beautiful ode to the foundations of rap and those keeping the culture authentically alive. Beautifully played instruments and spiritual jazz samples elevate the deep thinking present on "Kunta Kente" whilst the darker jazz-tinged battle-rap of "93 Shit" goes super hard both in a lyrical sense and with its no-holds drum punches. The breezy Rhodes and string loops that serve as the sonic backdrop to the slinky jazz rap of "We Got Plots" are just gorgeous as our hero evokes Common's "I Used To Love H.E.R." with a head-spinning tale of crime, deception and double crossing. And some twist! "Do Win-Dis" has a tense crime-funk backing and rolling beats which complement Quamé's flow perfectly before the record is rounded out by the tough yet jazzy brilliance of rap confessional "Hope She Remembers Me". Just sensational.

Upon its original release, Quamallah himself declared: "My favorite time period for Hip Hop music was definitely between 1983 and 1994 with 1988 and 1993 being two years that standout as extremely impressive years musically and culturally. The fashion, slang, movies, TV shows and vibe during those years was incredible. While totally submerged in the feelings and music of that entire time period, I went to work on Invisible Man and I am excited for people to hear the result! It is an album that I would want to hear from some of my favorite artists of the past and present today. This is not a RETRO trip for me; this is me at my best lyrically and spiritually using the accessories of the 80s and 90s to fuel me. I am a 88 soul as the song states!"

This album goes deep. It goes all in. When Invisible Man first came out it had a real hold on us here at Be With HQ. We couldn't stop listening to it. We'd venture to say it's one of the top 25 rap records of the 2000s. In the years since its release, it has remained a criminally underrated record, an increasingly hidden gem. We sincerely hope this first time double LP release will go some way to correct this. It's been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston and pressed at Record Industry. Finally available on the format it should always have been on, it must never be rendered invisible again.

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Grav

Down To Earth

39,99 €*

CD | 2024 | EU | Original (Rrc Music)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Limited edition of 300 copies on 2LP in gatefold sleeve incl. bonus 7" ("C'mon" b/w "Instrumental"). One per customer!

"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.

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Rakim

G.O.Ds Network - Reb7rth

19,99 €*

In Search Of... White Vinyl Edition

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Hip-hop legend Rakim is breaking new ground with his upcoming studio album, G.O.D.'S Network (reb7rth), by fl exing his skills both on the mic and behind the boards. Widely lauded as the best lyricist of all time, The God MC himself is blessing the culture with the next step in his historic career. “I feel like the battery in my back has been reenergized,” Rakim said about his new album, which arrives nearly four decades after the release of his classic debut with Eric B., Paid In Full. Since then, he’s continued to shape the landscape and culture of hip-hop as we know it, inspiring rising artists with his hype live shows and incredible studio albums. And while he’s produced some of his previous work—notably “Don’t Sweat the Technique,” “Juice (Know The Ledge),” and “Paid In Full”—this feels like new territory for the 18th Letter, whose production and scratching talents are nothing short of remarkable. G.O.D.'S Network (reb7rth) is proof that Rakim is truly one of the most special artists we’ve known not just in hip-hop, but all of music. You can tell he feels that level of praise when speaking about the genesis of the album. “Having the ability to showcase my talents behind the boards coupled with the elite lyricism the world already knows and gives me in fi nite praise for alongside some of the best talents to ever do it is truly a blessing and for that I am humbled,” he said. Rakim is more than an of fi cial triple-threat as an artist, because he’s also showing off skills as a curator. On this album’s seven tracks, he enlists a who’s-who of top hip-hop talent, including the dearly departed Nipsey Hussle, Fred the Godson, DMX, and Prodigy (of Mobb Deep). Rakim also linked with many of his contemporaries, such as Snoop Dogg, Method Man, Kxng Crooked, B.G., and Kool G. Rap, among others. The album’s fi rst single, “Be Ill,” is the perfect introduction, as it pairs Rakim’s raw rhymes and head-nodding production with slick guest features from Kurupt and Masta Killa. Elsewhere, Rakim slows it down for the soulful “Love Is The Message,” which features Nipsey Hussle, Planet Asia, Louis King, Snoop Dogg, Sally Green, Kobe Honeycutt, and the LA Grand Choir. And then there’s the chest-thumping “International,” a straight-up slapper with hard-hitting rhymes from Kool G. Rap, Tristate, and Joell Ortiz. RRC-066.pdf For fans of hip-hop, and especially of Rakim’s storied discography, there is so much to love on this record. You can hear his hunger as an emcee and producer on every track, as well as his desire to collaborate with so many respected artists. Despite having decades in the game and many classics to his name, it feels like Rakim is just getting started. While the world awaits the July 26th release date, fans can catch Rakim performing live throughout the US from now until the end of year in support of G.O.D.S Network (reb7rth). In addition to debuting new material, he’ll be performing all the classics from his beloved catalog.

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N.E.R.D

2LP | 2002 | US | Reissue (Virgin)

47,99 €*

CD | 2020 | US | Original (BMG)

Release: 2002 / US – Reissue

Genre: Hip Hop

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N.E.R.D’s "In Search Of..." is the debut studio album by the American band, originally released in 2001, and reissued in 2002 with a significant change in sound. The band, consisting of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo (both also known as the production duo The Neptunes), and Shay Haley, crafted a genre-blending project that marked a shift in the way hip-hop, funk, and rock could come together in mainstream music.

"In Search Of..." fuses hip-hop, rock, funk, and R&B into an eclectic sound that was highly innovative at the time.

The album was released in two versions:
2001 Version: Heavily electronic, incorporating synthetic beats and drum machines, typical of The Neptunes' production style.
2002 Version: Re-recorded with live instruments, featuring the band Spymob. This second version has a rawer, more organic rock feel, giving the album a different energy and appeal.

The lyrics on "In Search Of..." are a mix of youthful rebellion, self-reflection, and social commentary. Some recurring themes include:

Personal freedom and identity: The album often explores the idea of breaking free from societal norms and expectations.
Power and politics: Tracks like "Lapdance" offer a cynical take on politicians and authority figures.
Relationships and desire: The album also delves into personal relationships, touching on lust, romance, and heartache.

Notable Tracks:
"Lapdance": A standout track known for its aggressive beat and politically charged lyrics, criticizing corruption and manipulation in politics.
"Rock Star": A high-energy anthem that channels frustration with societal pressures and celebrates nonconformity.
"Provider": One of the more introspective songs on the album, telling the story of a man struggling to provide for his family while making difficult choices.
"Truth or Dare": Featuring Kelis, this track mixes funky beats with provocative lyrics, offering a lighter, playful side to the album.
4. The Concept Behind the Album Title:
The album's title, "In Search Of...", reflects the band's desire to explore new musical and thematic territories. It’s also a nod to the 1970s American TV show In Search Of..., which investigated mysterious phenomena, paralleling N.E.R.D.'s exploration of uncharted musical landscapes and personal identity.

"In Search Of..." was groundbreaking in its approach to combining genres, breaking the mold of what was expected from a hip-hop project. Pharrell, Chad, and Shay’s ability to blend live instrumentation with hip-hop production created a blueprint for future artists to mix rock and urban sounds. The album became a touchstone for genre-bending artists and a precursor to Pharrell’s later solo work.

Although "In Search Of..." did not achieve massive commercial success upon its initial release, it was critically acclaimed and has since gained a cult following. The innovative sound and unique blend of genres helped establish N.E.R.D. as pioneers in the music world, influencing a wide range of artists across various genres.

N.E.R.D.'s "In Search Of..." remains a seminal album that pushed the boundaries of genre and sound. Its blend of live instrumentation with hip-hop, rock, and funk created a distinctive sonic identity that resonated with listeners seeking something outside the norm. The album not only showcased the diverse musical talents of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shay Haley but also laid the groundwork for the genre-fusion movement that would follow in the years to come.

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Run The Jewels

RTJ4

19,99 €*

CD | 2020 | EU | Original (BMG)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Run The Jewels, the lauded duo of El-P and Killer Mike, have shared the long-awaited details of their feverishly anticipated new album, Run The Jewels 4. Set for release via Jewel Runners / RBC Records / BMG, this eleven song, 40 minute powerhouse is their most ferocious and focused effort to date, and sports a lineup of all-star guests including Pharrell Williams, Mavis Staples, 2 Chainz, Zack de la Rocha, Josh Homme, DJ Premier, and Greg Nice. Recorded primarily at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La Studios and the iconic Electric Lady Studios in NYC, RTJ4 represents two years of intensive writing, recording, distilling, and amplifying the most potent elements of their music. The result is a collection of wall-to-wall bangers illuminating the group's unique ability to straddle the worlds of pointed social commentary and raw, boisterous fun.

The new album is preceded by two singles, both of which arrived to rapturous reception. The first, “yankee and the brave (ep.4),” dropped during an impromptu Instagram Live session the duo held as shelter in place orders were starting to take hold. Days later, the second single “ooh la la (feat. DJ Premier & Greg Nice)” made a surprise debut in the season finale of the hit Netflix series Ozark, and became the #5 most Shazam’d song in the country. This was soon followed by the song’s glorious new music video, directed by Brian & Vanessa Beletic, which quickly shot to the #7 trending position on YouTube, surpassing 1.5 million views in its first week, and brilliantly setting the stage for the arrival of RTJ4.

The time between albums has been a very busy one for the duo, including scoring their first gold-certified record for “Legend Has It” from RTJ3; receiving their first Grammy nomination for the song “Chase Me,” a collaboration with Danger Mouse for the hit film Baby Driver; embarking on a full US arena tour with Lorde; contributing an exclusive song for the Marvel blockbuster Venom; and landing a major sync in a global Cadillac ad, which premiered during the 2020 Academy Awards. Additionally, Killer Mike debuted his acclaimed Netflix show, Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, continued his advocacy for Bernie Sanders, and lent his political muscle to the successful election of Atlanta’s first female black mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms. He’ll also be making his Hollywood debut in a soon to be announced feature film. Meanwhile, his partner in rhyme and RTJ producer El-P stayed busy in the studio making the music for RTJ4, contributing a song to the soundtrack for the Oscar-winning film Roma, scoring the biopic Capone starring Tom Hardy (which makes its digital debut today), and began a major reissue campaign for his celebrated solo recording catalog. He also made a surprise cameo in the new season of Mr. Robot with Rami Malek.

In addition to new music, Run the Jewels will be launching the group’s much-anticipated cannabis line, a collaboration with the founder of the legendary Cookies strain. The group are also set to join Rage Against The Machine for their massive world tour, which just last week was rescheduled for 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic, and is already sold out.

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Run The Jewels

RTJ4

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Epic International)

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Busta Rhymes

Blockbusta

30,59 €* 33,99 € -10%

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Spread Butte)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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(New York, NY – October 23) Celebrated hip-hop luminary, Busta Rhymes, renowned for his lyrical brilliance and enduring contributions to the genre, has just unveiled a groundbreaking announcement in an exclusive in-studio film clip. The iconic MC is gearing up to release his long-anticipated new studio album, “BLOCKBUSTA,” in partnership with an exceptional team who bring an unprecedented amount of star power as project curators. You can’t get a mind squad with any more cultural equity than Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz and Busta Rhymes himself. All serve as Executive Producers on “BLOCKBUSTA.”

In the video, wizz Beatz, proudly introduces the extraordinary alliance working with Busta Rhymes on “BLOCKBUSTA.” There’s Pharrell Williams, who he refers to as “The Pharaoh,” Timbaland, who he calls “The King,” and Swizz Beatz humbly refers to himself as “The Student.” All three super producers also helm tracks on the album in addition to their executive duties. This collaboration of four of hip-hop’s most prolific and celebrated heavyweights is poised to give rise to a dynamic masterpiece, destined to be embraced by fans across the globe. The LP is to be released on Friday November 24, 2023, by way of Busta Rhymes label, The Conglomerate Entertainment distributed by Epic Records/Sony Music Entertainment. For the megastars joining forces with their close friend Busta Rhymes, working on

“BLOCKBUSTA” was a labor of love and brotherhood Timbaland expressed his gratitude, in the film clip stating to Bus, “I’m so grateful that you chose me to be a part of your legacy.” Pharrell passionately added to Busta “You really feel illuminated; this illumination is good because I think people are going to be able to get and feel that.” Their enthusiasm is palpable, heralding the launch of a historic musical endeavor. The year 2023 has been a monumental year for Busta Rhymes, as he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the B.E.T Awards. This accolade celebrated his heralded legacy over the years and his continued impact on the world of entertainment. Busta Rhymes, accompanied by five of his six children, graced the awards show and the red carpet, making it a heartwarming, family-centered celebration. As anticipation continues to mount for “BLOCKBUSTA,” one of the album’s tracks, “Beach Ball,” featuring the emerging femcee BIA, has garnered significant attention in the run-up to the 2024 Grammy Awards. It is under consideration in multiple Grammy categories, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video, further cementing Busta Rhymes’ legacy as a dominant force in hip-hop. Busta’s latest single is “Luxury Life” featuring Coi Leray. The song, produced by Swizz Beatz and Busta Rhymes, finds both MCs speaking their clout while providing a banger to put any club into overdrive. Fans have been and are continuing to go into frenzy from seeing Busta Rhymes, live as well. Busta and his family Spliff Star and DJ Scratchator are currently overseas with headliner 50 Cent as part of “The Final Lap Tour.” After selling out everywhere in the U.S. this past summer and into fall, the acclaimed 90 city outing has gone international, exciting ticket holders in foreign countries.

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Cedar Hill

Variety EP

31,99 €*

Felt 4 U Pink & Teal Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Cedar Hill is made up of rapper Nish and beatmaker Lancecape, from Ontario, Canada. The pair met at the age of 11 while playing hockey for Cedar Hill House League, which gave birth to the group’s name. Both were huge fans of hip-hop music, and started writing rhymes and creating pause tapes from college radio shows like Power Move and Masterplan. Shortly after that, they joined forces with Korry Deez and Black Cat of IRS (“Instinctive Reaction to Struggle”) to form the Horde Crew and then combined with a North Scarborough Crew - the Lyrical Coalition - to form a super crew of MCs, DJs and beatmakers called “The Monolith”. In 2000, Nish ventured off into a solo venture, appearing on DJ Serious’s album “Dim Sum” for the lead single and video, “Enlightening”, released by Sound King Records and distributed by Fat Beats. The success of the single led to a Canada-wide tour and garnered a Juno nomination for Rap Recording of the Year. Nish continued working with DJ Serious and appeared again on his follow-up album, “Cold Tea” on Audio Research Records. For a second time Nish landed the A-Side single titled “Frost Bite” and the B-Side consisting of the unreleased remix of “Enlightening”. Powered by Fat Beats, this helped cement Nish’s name as one of Canada’s finest MCs and shine light on Canadian hip-hop globally. In 2006, Lancecape received his first major placement producing “What Up”, the first single for J Dilla affiliates Frank N Dank’s album “Xtendedplay Version 3.13”. This led to further production for some of the biggest names in hip hop, including Keith Murray and Canibus as well as features on his beats from A.G (ditc) and Rapper Big Pooh (Little Brother). Lancecape also remained a key “battle” beatmaker twice coming second in the Redbull Big Tune Beat Battles which led to vinyl released by DJ House Shoe on his label, Street Corner Music. Most recently, Lancecape became 2x champion in Ski Beats Smackpack Battles. During this time, Nish and Lance continued recording music and, in 2018, they decided to join forces and become an official group, Cedar Hill. Their music has since been picked up by some of the biggest DJs Stateside, including their single “Strains”, which was played by DJ Premier on his acclaimed Sirius XM radio show “Live From Headquarterz”. Since then, DJ Premier has played every single released by Cedar Hill and has even promoted and featured their music a number of times on his Instagram page. In early 2022, Lancecape was approached via Instagram by Nij aka Nijmakesbeats of Spread Butter - a brand that had started out in streetwear apparel - who was interested in joining forces to release a Cedar Hill EP via a new label, Spread Butter Records. The Cedar Hill EP would be the first release of the label. Building from that point, we now have the EP offering from Cedar Hill, “Variety”. The EP consists of 4 previously released songs and 2 unreleased vinyl-only tracks, together with the accompanying instrumentals on the B-side. This release is for any boom bap head or hip-hop lover of lyrics, beats and cuts. This record is a tribute to the music that Cedar Hill was raised on and continues in the vein of classic boom-bap hip hop of the 90s Golden Era.

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Felt (Murs & Slug)

2LP | 2020 | US | Original (Rhymesayers)

Raheem Devaughn & Apollo Brown

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Custom Pink and Teal Colored Double Vinyl, 12" Gatefold Jacket, Printed Record Sleeves and Free Digital Download Card. After an 11-year hiatus, Murs and Slug are back with their fourth Felt album, Felt 4 U. Their musical journey began back in 2002, with the release of Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci, which soon became one of Rhymesayers' most-cherished releases. That continued with the release of Felt 2: A Tribute to Lisa Bonet, in 2005, by which time Murs & Slug's creative partnership had been elevated to a cult-like status, and intensified further in 2009, with the release of Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez. While their personal relationship is fundamental to Felt's legacy, with their comradery establishing itself as a driving force for their creativity, the production on Felt albums has also been a major part of their success. The beats on the first release were provided by another member of Murs' Living Legends crew, The Grouch, while the second album was produced by Ant of Atmosphere, and the third by Aesop Rock. With notable changes in the sonic backdrops for each album, the MC's were allowed to share a unique side of themselves each release, while fine-tuning their styles and showcasing their own growth. The decision to use different producers for those albums was an integral part of the group's journey. A lot has changed since their last release in 2009, including for Murs and Slug themselves in both their personal and professional lives. Their careers have continued to elevate and their families have continued to grow, and this fourth album is something of a reflection of those changes, starting with the title of the project itself. Felt 4 U seemed the simplest, most direct way of saluting the fanbase that has made Felt what they are, a thank you to the dedicated; as well as moving away from the perhaps more male gaze-feel of the previous titles. Even amidst the changes we still find familiarities, like Ant making a return to handle full production on Felt 4 U. Sonically, the album is overflowing with the influences of funk, soul, blues and even country flavors. While Felt 3 had a wintery feel, Felt 2 sounded perfect in autumn and the first Felt captured the blossoming sounds of spring, this is a distinctly summery album, with the richness of Ant's production creating an overall warmth that envelops the whole project. From the opening chords of "Never's Enough", with its funk-fueled, vaguely retro feel, to the outrageously smooth vibes of "Underwater", this is a rap album that demands as much attention for the music, as it does for the rappers themselves. The album is unique to the Felt catalog for its inclusion of guest artists though, with four features making their way onto the final cut. The aforementioned "Underwater" features an excellent appearance from Blimes, who brings her inimitable style to the hook, and Blueprint is credited as his alter-ego, Shepard Albertson, thanks to his vocal support on "Crimson Skies", while The Grouch and Aesop Rock join in on "Hologram" making the perfect Easter egg for Felt fans, thanks to their contributions on previous projects. Overall, this album provides the perfect segue into Felt's next chapter. It reflects changing attitudes in the culture and in the world as a whole, and it reflects the changes in Murs and Slug as well. Whereas before, when some songs were delivered with perhaps a slight tone of judgement - for want of a better word - on Felt 4 U we find two artists offering us their opinions and viewpoints in the hopes of furthering discussion. It's exactly what's needed in the current climate and also a sign that the Felt story is far from over.

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Lovesick HHV Exclusive Teal Colored Vinyl Edition

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Mello Music Group)

Raising Hell Numbered Limited Edition 180G LP SuperVinyl

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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HHV Records Exclusive colored edition limited to 300 copies.

Soul is more than a sound. It is a timeless idea and an immortal condition. It can’t be borrowed or traded, bequeathed or imitated (no matter how much they try). Soul isn’t the blues, but the best blues has soul. Hip-Hop isn’t soul, but it’s the most fundamental component of its DNA. R&B is the genre, but soul is the yearning, the lust, the regret. Without soul, love is merely sex. With it, you get something like Lovesick. Lovesick is a collaboration between the 3x Grammy-nominated singer Raheem DeVaughn and the legendary hip-hop producer, Apollo Brown, best known for making hip-hop so grimy that it permanently lodges in your lungs and underneath your fingernails. It is a work of startling beauty, a blend of modern R&B, classic soul, and guttural funk that recalls Smokey Robinson, Al Green, and Marvin Gaye. Yet it doesn’t sound out of step alongside DeVaughn’s peers The-Dream, Anderson.Paak, and Miguel. It is an album that bears the echoes of Jodeci and James Brown, but it is ultimately the clarion vision of two masters of their respective forms.
Released on Mello Music, Lovesick is a stylistic departure from Apollo Brown’s coldblooded 21st century boom-bap, but it shouldn’t come as a shock considering his historical skill at soulful sample chopping. Still, it’s testament to the Michigan native’s versatility and emotional depth; he has turned a sonic left turn into an eternal groove -- an expansion that feels reminiscent of DJ Premier producing for D’Angelo, Salaam Remi collaborating with Amy Winehouse, J Dilla’s bible material with Erykah Badu, or more recently, Knxlwdge’s NxWorries project with .Paak.
Credit DeVaughn for making the extraordinary feel effortless. In Lovesick, the Love King has built a vessel to transport you to a different, better time. It is a tribute to the artists who came before him: all those aforementioned names, plus Parliament and Prince. Listening to the lead single, “When a Man,” you intuit the sweat and soulful anguish of the hardest working man in show business, but also float from Apollo’s head nod to A Tribe Called Quest’s “Luck of Lucien.” The post-modern commentary seductively fused into a warm-hearted nostalgia. “If I Made Love to You” finds DeVaughn telling his lover that he’ll play all the slow jams and quiet storm ballads for them, before unleashing a falsetto that can stop space and time. If you play this at the proper volume on the right system, the aromatic candles and incense will light themselves, and the sheets will turn to 10,000 thread count silk. A form of bedroom gospel. On “Just Fall in Love,” DeVaughn grapples with the carnal double standards that apply to men and women. For the third act, Compton’s Westside Boogie, unleashes a hyper-melodic rap lamentation, in search of loyalty, healing, and love. Elsewhere, on the album, Skyzoo and 3D Na’Tee contribute impressive lyrical 16s that are seamlessly interwoven into its satin tapestry.

For the legendary DeVaughn, it further cements his stature as one of the finest crooners of his generation. The DMV raised singer has sold hundreds of thousands of records, won BET Awards and been nominated for three Grammys, but this stands among his finest work. He has conjured the perfect record for the Sunday backyard BBQ and for riding in the car with the object of your affections, the ideal nocturnal soundtrack for when it’s time to lower the lights. For Brown, this is a panoramic expansion that shows the full range of his gifts. It is the home cooked meal, the perfectly rolled joint, soft lighting, a pledge to love and fidelity, and all the struggles with temptation. It is soul, as smooth and supernatural as it gets.

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Run DMC

LP | 1986 | US | Reissue (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab)

99,99 €*

LP | 2018 | US | Reissue (Fat Beats)

Release: 1986 / US – Reissue

Genre: Hip Hop

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SOURCED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES AND PRESSED ON MOFI SUPERVINYL
1/2" / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe

Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell remains the turning point at which hip-hop crashed through mainstream barriers and never left. Anchored by the crossover smash "Walk This Way," the 1986 blockbuster still sounds like a revolution unfolding in real time. It has everything – hard-rock riffs, turntable scratching, itchy rhythms, hit singles – not the least of which are the trio's invigorating raps and inseparable chemistry. And now it's the first rap record afforded audiophile treatment, courtesy of Mobile Fidelity.

Sourced from the original master tapes and pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, the reissue label's numbered-edition 180g 33RPM SuperVinyl LP elevates Raising Hell to sonic heights on par with its musical and cultural significance. Ranked the 123rd Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone, 43rd on Pitchfork's Greatest Albums of the 1980s, one of the Top 100 Albums of All Time by TIME – and included on "Best of" lists by Spin, Paste, XXL, Entertainment Weekly, and basically every other significant media outlet – the triple-platinum effort rocks the house.

Benefitting from the ultra-low noise floor and groove definition of SuperVinyl, Raising Hell unleashes a torrent of massive dynamics and tsunami of frequency-plumbing details underlined by Rick Rubin's taut, crisp, albeit raw and streetwise production. Just as the Queens-based group both defined what hip-hop could represent – and displayed just how big it could get – Rubin's work melded ear-worm hooks, savvy drum loops, metal-leaning guitars, and, of course, Run and D.M.C.'s cross-fire lyrical interplay into watertight frameworks bursting with ideas, tones, samples, and beats. Heard anew on Mobile Fidelity vinyl, Raising Hell is in every regard the aural equivalent of a direct-to-console 1970s classic. And it sounds as fresh as hell.

As for the music, it ranks among the most influential, inventive, and invigorating ever released – rap or otherwise. Vanguard artists such as Ice-T, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Public Enemy's Chuck D – who declared it his all-time favorite and "the first record that made me realize this was an album-oriented genre" – have testified on behalf of its brilliance. And never mind the presence of the Top 5 single "Walk This Way," whose power helped make Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry relevant for the first time in nearly a decade – and literally put Run-D.M.C. in bedrooms ranging from the Bronx to Bartlett to Bad Axe.

Look instead to the rest of the entirely filler-free set, be it the corkscrew turns, slippery wordplay, and "My Sharona"-meets-"Mickey" mixology of the boisterous "It's Tricky," the fat-but-minimized bass grooves and warped turntable wobble of the hysterical "You Be Illin'," chimes-accented inertia and boombox-on- shoulder thunder of the now-iconic "Peter Piper," or voice-as-percussion attack of the funky "Is It Live." With Raising Hell, the answer to the question is always affirmative – a sensation bolstered by the fact the group always had something to say.

The definition of Golden Age Hip-Hop in every way, Run-D.M.C. avoids the negativity and misogyny that later plagued the style, spinning assertive tales about identity (the biographical and culture-changing "My Adidas"), work ethics ("Perfection"), and, most notably, pride (the Harriet Tubman- and Malcom X.-referencing "Proud to Be Black"). Pavement-packed inner cities, tree-lined suburbs, and cornfield-rimmed rural areas would never again be the same. And rocking a rhyme that's right on time would become trickier than ever.

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Brownout

Fear Of A Brown Planet

29,99 €*

So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously

Release: 2018 / US – Reissue

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves

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Twenty-eight years ago, pissed-off twelve-year-olds around the universe discovered a new planet, a Black Planet. Public Enemy’s aggressive, Benihana beats and incendiary lyrics instilled fear among parents and teachers everywhere, even in the border town of Laredo, Texas, home of the future founders of the Latin-Funk-Soul-Breaks super group, Brownout. The band’s sixth full-length album (out May 25th) Fear of a Brown Planet is a musical manifesto inspired by Public Enemy’s music and revolutionary spirit.

Chuck D., the Bomb Squad, Flava Flav and the rest of the P.E. posse couldn’t possibly have expected that their golden-era hip hop albums would sow the seeds for countless Public Enemy sleeper cells, one that would emerge nearly three decades later in Austin, Texas. Greg Gonzalez (bass) remembers a kid back in junior high hipped him to the fact that Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” is built on James Brown samples, while a teenaged Beto Martinez (guitar) alternated between metal and hip-hop in his walk-man, and Adrian Quesada (guitar/keys) remembers falling in love with Public Enemy’s sound at an early age. “When I got into Hip hop, I was looking for this aggressive outlet . . . and I didn’t even understand what they were pissed off about, because I was twelve and lived in Laredo . . . but I loved it and I felt angry along with them.”

Joseph Abajian (Fat Beats’ owner) must have sensed the deep hip-hop well lying beneath the versatile band’s Latin-Funk veneer. “I thought their sound would work covering Public Enemy songs,” Abajian says, and, “it was good to know they were P.E. fans . . . We came up with a track listing and they went to work.” Despite the band’s eagerness to work on new original material (an album of original songs is slated for next year), they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pay homage to this iconic and influential posse.

Translating sample-based music to a live band turned out to be more of a challenge than they anticipated. Adrian tried to get inside the Bomb Squad’s [Public Enemy’s producers/beat-making team] head in order to find the inspiration to reinterpret P.E.’s songs: “imagine the Bomb Squad going back in time and getting the J.B.s [James Brown’s funky backing band] in the studio and setting up a couple analog synths and then playing those songs.” While some songs closely follow the original musical blueprint, others use the source breakbeats as jumping-off points later sweetened by Trombonist Mark “Speedy” Gonzales’ horn arrangements, synth wizardry courtesy of friend-of-the-band Peter Stopschinski, and DJ Trackstar’s turntable scratches. But don’t listen expecting to hear paint-by-numbers recreations of classic Public Enemy jams. “Our approach is never in the tribute sense,” Adrian explains. “We’ve always taken it and made it our own, whether it’s the Brown Sabbath thing or this Public Enemy thing.”

Coming off numerous tours as Brown Sabbath and even a stint backing the late legend Prince, Brownout is arguably the tightest and funkiest band on the road today and they’re psyched to bring this revolutionary music to the people. For a band without an overt political agenda, they collectively couldn’t resist the opportunity to play this music live, especially now. “If there’s any way that we can use the already political and protest nature [of P.E.’s music], we would like to try,” Beto says. “The album’s title, Fear of Brown Planet is definitely a relevant idea today and we’re not afraid to put it out there, because we want to speak out.” By reinterpreting these hip hop classics in their unique style and channeling the spirit of Public Enemy that first echoed around the world and captured their imaginations all those years ago, Brownout is doing exactly that.

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Atmosphere

CD | 2023 | US | Original (Rhymesayers)

Standing On A Giant Shoulders

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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In their 25-plus years as a duo, Atmosphere's rapper Slug and producer Ant have built a legacy that is embedded in the fabric of underground hip-hop. Rising in the ranks of Minneapolis, their debut album, Overcast! was released in 1997. Presented as a flurry of vignettes, and paired with an unending touring schedule, the album was a springboard from which the group was able to become a fixture in the midwest music scene. It wasn't long before their songwriting evolved from telling inventive third-person tales to delivering introspective first-person eviscerations, and by the early 2000's Slug would jokingly birth the phrase "emo rap" in an interview before publications began running with the genre tag to describe them and others. In the decades since their debut, Atmosphere has maintained a course of rigorous output, releasing over two dozen studio albums, EP's and collaborative side projects in as many years. The venerated duo have built a legacy out of bringing honesty, humility and vulnerability to the forefront of their music. Slug has proven masterful at storytelling and writing compelling narratives, leaving a trail of his own influence while paying homage to the rappers and songwriters that helped shape him. Meanwhile, Ant has skillfully molded the soundtracks with inspiration from soul, funk, rock, reggae, and the wizardry of hip-hop's pioneering DJ's and producers, creating his own trademark sounds and providing the pulse for songs about life, love, stress and setbacks. At its essence, Atmosphere has been a musical shepherd, guiding generations of listeners through this thing called life. Their newest album, 2023's So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously, captures perhaps some of Atmosphere's most personal work to date. The odyssey opens with a gentler approach than recent works, with the lead-off track "Okay" seemingly focused on comforting and reassuring the listener. As Slug raps over one of the most twinkling productions Ant has ever released, the song lays the groundwork for an album-length exercise in fumbling consciousness. Yet, as gently as the album begins, there's an unmistakable sense of unease from the outset that continues to evolve throughout the project, as Slug and Ant weave the listener through indistinct themes of insomnia and woe. From the subtle panic at the heart of songs like "Dotted Lines" to the overt anxiety of songs like "In My Head," the unease across tracks is unmistakable. Yet, as the tears might begin to well, they find resolve again through songs like "Still Life," whose hopeful outlook undercuts the tensity of the album. All the while, the rhythms on So Many Other Realities are some of the most inventive of Atmosphere's career. Ant's playful percussion on "In My Head" acts as a nice counterweight to the roiling writing, while the drum patterns on "Holding My Breath" and "Bigger Pictures" allow Slug to play with his flow to emphasize the anxiety driving the record. Where previous records in this most recent act of Atmosphere's career have been focused on emphasizing the parts of life that carry the most meaning_family, brotherhood, purpose_So Many Other Realities is an almost unnerving excavation of paranoia inspired by the general malaise of a pandemic weary society full of civil unrest. The tension in these songs is palpable, but the album's mere presence is a testament to the hope that has to underpin even the most stressed out epiphanies. The greatest risk Atmosphere has continued to take across their career is that of being vulnerable and unafraid. The world has inconceivably changed since Slug and Ant entered into the underground hip-hop scene, but despite the seismic shifts in music and culture, they've held strong to a foundation rooted in sly innovation and truth. The duo's relentless release & touring schedules only tell a piece of the story, but spending time with their records_whether you're a new fan or a longstanding listener_reveals a pair of friends who love to create and live for unabashed self-expression. Their bare reflections on life and the mundane traumas and joys that make living worthwhile are a gift, and that is Atmosphere's legacy in and of itself. If the music stopped tomorrow, the duo would go down as two quiet titans who changed the course of everyman rap forever.

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Seafood Sam

CD | 2024 | US | Original (Drink Sum Wtr)

Standing On A Giant Shoulders

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Seafood Sam is a futuristic artifact. If that description might sound confusing at first, it matches the eclectic dualities found in true originals. With his effortless cool and timeless style, the North Long Beach native defies convention and exact comparison. He's a virtuosic rapper, a stop-you-in-your tracks singer, and a symphonic producer. Welcome to the lavish life of a laid-back transcontinental man of mystery, rolling in old school Cadillacs, eating caviar with a blade in his pocket, and making plays in vintage Pelle Pelle gear. A blaxploitation icon for the Instagram age, blessed with the bars of a `90s legend and 23rd century swagger. Seafood Sam is a true hero of modernity. On his full-length album debut for up-and-coming label drink sum wtr (Kari Faux, Deem Spencer, Aja Monet) debut, Standing on Giant Shoulders, Sam splits the difference between Snoop Dogg and D' Angelo, Curren$y and David Ruffin. The songs reveal a forward-thinking sensibility rooted in ancestral soul. He creates spiritual hymns for the streets that tap into universal ideals and irrepressible groove. In an era plagued by short-term thinking, his ambitions reveal a crate-digging depth of music history and a meticulous ear for detail. The giant shoulders in the album's title refer to James Brown, Bobby Brown, and Miles Davis - the holy trinity who inspired Sam's process. From the Godfather of Soul, Sam took a perfectionist's rigor and focus. The example of Bobby Brown lent an unshakeable confidence and self-belief. While the constant artistic left turns of the trumpeter that birthed Ccool offered an aspirational archetype. The story starts in the glory days of Long Beach hip-hop. As a young child, the G-Funk era soundtracked rides in Sam's father's car. Some of his earliest memories are trying to memorize Snoop's verse on "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang." Beyond gangsta rap, the LBC has historically doubled as a capital of lowrider soul and carwash oldies. At any intersection, you could hear Dogg Food or Brenton Wood, Warren G or Barbara Lynn. This too was absorbed via osmosis. It also just so happened that the art of performance was always in Sam's blood. So at family functions, he and his sister supplied entertainment by singing karaoke renditions of The Isley Brothers. While his Harlem Shake remains a thing of local lore. Long Beach is a culturally diverse mecca of skate parks and gang life, street fashion and tricky dance moves. This is the place that raised Sam on a diet of Wu-Tang and Nelly Furtado, Lil Bow Wow and Allen Iverson. He was the middle ground between his two older brothers: one who gangbanged, the other who graduated with a master's degree from UC-Santa Barbara. But it wasn't until the end of high school that Sam started to take rap seriously. Alongside long-time collaborators like Huey Briss and Reaper Mook, Sam's name began to make waves on the northside of the city, but he was partially distracted by a modeling career that paid the bills and took him all to way to walk in Paris' fashion week. The first turning point arrived with 2018's "Ramsey," a self-produced, slick-talk anthem with over 10,000,000 streams across all platforms. With each subsequent release, Sam showcased his peerless consistency, building buzz both online and in the city streets. Spin hailed his "smooth and unhurried cadences and understated lyricism_ that sounds like nothing else in Long Beach." Clash raved about Sam's "evolution as an artist, cruising through nostalgic production with slick, witty rhymes." The culmination arrives with Standing on Giant Shoulders. It's the evidence of a master, a young sensei in the model of Quincy Jones. All rhymes, singing, production, and arrangements were handled by Sam - with an assist from his close Long Beach kinsman Tom Kendall from the group Soular System. It's hard-edged and lyrical enough for disciples of Larry June and Roc Marciano, but orchestral and melodic enough for fans of Anderson .Paak and H.E.R.

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Seafood Sam

Tape | 2024 | US | Original (Drink Sum Wtr)

13,99 €*

Standing On A Giant Shoulders Forest Green Vinyl Edition

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Seafood Sam

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Drink Sum Wtr)

29,99 €*

Luminous Rubble HHV Exclusive Blue Vinyl Edition

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Blockhead

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Def Presse)

34,99 €*

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (KingUnderground)

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Limited to 200 copies.

It’s a producer’s dream: Being given access to a vast library of material to construct something completely new and exciting out of all of it—and when Blockhead’s at the controls, the results are a listener’s paradise, too. The New York City-based hip-hop production legend’s latest album, Luminous Rubble, is also the fifth release in the London-based label Def Pressé’s KPM Crate Diggers series, which hands the keys to the KPM Library’s storied collection—home to over 70 years of music and sound designs made for television, film, and radio—to some of the best behind the boards. The results are like witnessing a kid unleashed in a candy shop, as Blockhead unleashes his boundless creative mind on the KPM Library’s limitless potential—pure inspiration and joy, for your listening pleasure.

Luminous Rubble is the latest missive in a particularly busy period for underground hip-hop veteran Tony Simon, who’s spent the last decades lending his considerable talents to work from artists like Armand Hammer, billy woods, Murs, and Open Mike Eagle; in 2021, he released the critically acclaimed collab LP Garbology with rap legend and longtime collaborator Aesop Rock, just last year he unleashed his twelfth solo album, The Aux. Luminous Rubble had its origins in a chance meeting after a Hamburg show between Simon and a KPM rep, who explained the Crate Diggers conceit to him.

“For me, as a producer who uses samples, there’s nothing better than free rein,” Simon recalls. “I was like, ‘Are there any rules?’ And he said, ‘Just make whatever you want.’ That was so exciting for me. I don’t get that on my own releases, but in this case every sample is cleared and it’s all good.”

As is the case with many sample excavators, Simon already had a deep history with what the KPM library had to offer him as well—to the point where, while digging through the crates in the making of Luminous Rubble, he even came across records he’d sampled from in the past. “Their vault is the one I’m most familiar with,” he says with a laugh. “Back when I used to go record shopping a lot, I would pretty much buy any KPM record on sight. They were always a huge find at record stores. So to be able to tap into these records with no limitations was really nice.”

“The challenge for me was trying to boil down what I wanted to do,” Simon continues while discussing the genesis of Luminous Rubble, which came together over the course of 2022. “I thought about making an album of super-long songs, but it would’ve been a whole different undertaking. So I just went with what I knew, because it’s a foolproof approach to me.” Of course, Simon’s track record as Blockhead meant that the familiar path was tried and true—but as Luminous Rubble’s ten tracks prove, it’s foolish to assume that would mean any laurel-resting on his part.

“My music is always very quirky and melody-driven,” Simon states while talking about how he stretched his creative wings in the studio. “I took chances more than usual when it came to samples and how I used them for foundation.” Indeed, Luminous Rubble finds Simon using the KPM library’s vastness to craft new and engagingly twisted beat-driven shapes; “Dork Crystal” radiates a sinister ominousness, with streaks of strings rubbing against stabbing guitar chords, while a delightfully scuzzy horn line dances around a hi-hat shuffle in “Scumlord.” “There’s something dirty about the horn sample,” Simon explains while discussing the track’s title. “It reminds you of oil-slicked streets in an alley. I wanted to embrace that feeling.”

Glittering bells and a woozy gait to “Serious About My Fitness” makes the tune sound as if you’re sweating it out on the Stairmaster (in a good way), while there’s a distinct thousand-karat shine to “Oh You Fancy,” which nearly resembles a glitzed-out haunted house in its gilded spookiness. “It just sounds like royalty,” Simon exclaims, before going into greater detail about how the creative parameters of the Crate Diggers series proved its own inspiration.

“I’ve always appreciated working within limitations,” he says. “Having no boundaries can be overwhelming when it comes to the creative process. Working with these samples forced me to find middle ground in cases where I’d typically just walk away and look elsewhere.” After hearing Luminous Rubble, you’ll be happy he stuck around.

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Yogi & Woof

Let Tha Dopeness Begin

23,99 €*