US Hip Hop 274 Items

close to NM

Still in shrink but opened. Tiny wear.

Records are close to NM.

close to NM

Still in shrink but opened. Cover and vinyl are close to NM.

Record is close to NM.

Tear in stickered sleeve, which is still in opened shrink.

Records and sleeve are close to NM.

close to NM

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

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

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

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

US original. Stunning copy in next to NM condition. Small , inaudible (!) pressing error on A4. The Cover is close to NM.

After doing the 1996-1997 sessions from the Field aka Killin' Field not long ago we just had to do this one right here. The official debut album "Criminal Street Slang: The Album" from the Mission Hill, Boston duo was released originally back in 1999.



It only came out on CD back then in very limited fashion and has been sought after by many as the last copy sold back in 2020 on discogs.



Mastered by Master Cutting Room N.Y.C. and limited to only 250 CD's total.

Still in shrink but opened with hype sticker. With insert. Original US pressing with black&white label stickers.

Vinyl with scuffs and hairlines. Still in shrink, but opened, with hype sticker. With original inner sleeve

Still in shrink but opened. US reissue from 2000. Limited edition.

US reissue from 1998. Open spine is wavy, Record is close to NM.

Records are close to if not VG+.

Reissue of the 1998 album that started it all. Features six bonus tracks and new artwork from Mikel Elam and Paul Romano. Vinyl features a 12pg booklet with liner notes by John Morrison.

Original inner sleeves. In opened shrink with hype sticker.

Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs. Still in shrink, but opened,

Small pressing error on B3, rest is closer to NM.

Writing on white label (not on picture).

Originally released in 1997. Presented here for the first time on Limited Edition Double LP. Remastered for vinyl by The Stuntman at Suite Sound Labs.

Illmatic, the 1994 studio debut of Nasir "Nas" Jones, was more than just a critical success for the Queensbridge-based rapper. At a time when East Coast hip-hop was increasingly being taken less seriously than their West Coast counterparts, Illmatic's raw jazz and soul-based production, dire atmosphere and lyrics, coupled with Nas' uncompromising flow was integral in restoring interest in the East Coast as a hotbed of hip-hop artistry. Along with key releases from Wu-Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G.,it shifted attention away from the funky, dayglo synth-based G-funk coming out of California and back to the grimy streets of New York. After such an unprecedented debut record, expectations were understandably high for Nas' follow-up. What came next threw critics and fans for a loop, but was no less influential than Illmatic, and would become the most commercially successful album in the entirety of Nas' discography. The 1996 sophomore follow-up was titled It Was Written, and in contrast to the urban bleakness of his debut, had Nas dipping his toes into the world of mafioso rap. Amidst production from heavy hitters like Trackmasters, Dr. Dre, L.E.S., Havoc of Mobb Deep, and Illmatic-collaborator DJ Premier, among others, Nas weaves evocative narratives of gang warfare, downtrodden neighborhoods, drug deals gone awry, and gangsta triumph, against a backdrop of samples from Sam Cooke, Etta James, the Isley Brothers, and even Chuck Mangione.

It Was Written was not hard up for top-tier guests either, featuring major guest turns from Lauryn Hill and Joel "JoJo" Hailey of K-Ci & JoJo. It also introduced the world to The Firm, the brief Nas-led msupergroup featuring rappers AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. mIt even managed to cause some minor controversy in the hip-hop mcommunity for its collaboration with West Coast producer Dr. Dre, at a time when the East Coast/West Coast rap feud was reaching a fever pitch, briefly attracting the ire of one Tupac Shakur. Not only was It Was Written received warmly by critics, but became a major commercial success, reaching the top of the Billboard 200 charts, reaching platinum sales status four times, and alongside malbums like Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, helped usher in the era of mafioso rap in the mainstream. It rendered chart hits out of singles like the Eurhythmics-mimicking "Street Dreams", and the Grammy-nominated "If I Ruled The World Imagine That", and proved to be a major influence on artists like Kendrick Lamar, Lupe mFiasco, and many more.

Limited edition of 500 copies, only available hat HHV! Only 2 copies per customer!

Bahamadia’s 1996 debut album Kollage is rightly regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of the 1990s. For the first time ever, Be With present the definitive double LP version of this eternal hip-hop classic, including the legendary "Path To Rhythm" which never appeared on the original LP or on vinyl, anywhere. An indelible VIBE from start-to-finish, Kollage presents Bahamadia's swirling rhymes delivered with an irresistibly butter flow and razor-sharp assuredness over a steady slew of smoothed-out, jazzed-up, blunted beats. Achingly cool and effortlessly funky throughout, it's an absolute must for true 90s hip-hop fanatics.

The entire Kollage project was recorded at D&D Studios and the ties to Gang Starr are keenly felt, with DJ Premier producing five tracks in addition to the killer songs Guru had already produced with her. Working with the cream of the mid-90s East Coast sound, Kollage is, accordingly, a record that demonstrates a varied musical taste with disparate influences, as Bahamadia has previously stated: “The title Kollage was a reflection of my state of mind. I first got interested in music from playing my parents’ and grandparents’ records, as well what I heard on the radio. I wanted Kollage to reflect that diversity both lyrically and sonically."

With intelligent, poetic lyricism and a laconic verbal style bursting with both warm texture and deceptive energy, Bahamadia’s flow was as inspired by Aretha and Nancy Wilson as it was Q-Tip, Schoolly D and Lady B. Swaggering out the gate, "WordPlay" finds Bahamadia confidently showcasing her considerable old-school battle-rhyme skills over a Guru beat that utilises an infectiously bouncy bassline with splashes of sultry jazz horns and a Jeru vocal snatch for the hook. Up next, the quietly shimmering and ruggedly beautiful "Spontaneity" is one of the most alluring on the record, Da Beatminerz crafting a brilliantly soulful and jazzy soundscape for Bahamadia's effortless vocals to float across. It's followed by "Rugged Ruff", where the rapper carefully constructs a swift off-beat flow over Premier's raw jazzy fire.

With smooth spacey synth vibes overseen by former Geto Boys producer N.O. Joe, "I Confess" is, without question, a fly love song and soothing (p)-funk groove. "UKNOWHOWWEDU" is an airy, chilled tribute to her hometown. Produced by Ski Beatz & DJ Redhanded, it rides a gloriously mellow break. It's a true Philly anthem, shouting out a who’s who of the entire city’s scene. Early banger "Total Wreck" follows, presenting a murky Guru instrumental elevated by jazzy horns. Bahamadia invokes the title's suggestion, firing her brilliant bars more aggressively than we’re accustomed to. More Beatminerz-brilliance comes in the way of "Innovation", an opportunity for the MC to invoke Freestyle Fellowship in her forward-thinking and literary verses. "Da Jawn" features hometown buddies The Roots, with Black Thought gliding into a back-and-forth with Bahamadia over ?uestlove’s warm, snapping percussion. With the strut club banger "True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Sh*t)", DJ Premier provides some laidback vibrant boom bap for Bahamadia to share a wild, cautionary tale about a night out with her girl, Kia.

Fan favourite "3 Tha Hard Way" is a hypnotically sinister cut, with Bahamadia, K-Swift and Mecca Star taking star turns to coast over DJ Premier’s raw beat whilst the tender "Biggest Part Of Me" is a heartfelt stunner dedicated to her son. Incredibly, only the European and Japanese CD versions of Kollage was released with the brilliantly breezy “Path To Rhythm”, featuring Ursula Rucker. Whilst ostensibly a "bonus track", it's anything but, to our ears. Very much in sonic conversation with KRS-One's stretched-out sleeper classic "Higher Level", it's absolutely essential so we had to include it, appearing on wax for the first time here, exclusively. Quite a coup.

Somewhat predictably, whilst Kollage was released to significant critical acclaim, it suffered from disappointing sales. In the intervening years - and for far too long - it was a criminally underrated record, an increasingly hidden gem. We hope this double LP reissue - which looks and sounds amazing - will go some way to correct this. This 2024 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston and pressed at Record Industry. It's too bold and beautiful to remain overlooked and underserved.

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