US Hip Hop 418 Items

“One” is a compilation of the best early work from Thrice Great
artist/emcee Realio Sparkzwell (formerly IRealz) of Vast Aire’s
Crimson Gods crew. This anthology will please Tru-Skool Hip-Hop
fans with some of the heaviest raw boom bap music of the new
millennium, by an artist who is established, yet a buzz that is still
growing, as he has most recently become part of the Poison Ring
Regime (Planet Asia). “One” focuses primarily on tracks where
Realio has more than held his own alongside legends such as Planet
Asia, Sean Price, Baby Blak, Trife Diesel (TMF), Copywrite, Jean
Grae, Big Noyd (Mobb Deep), El Da Sensei (Artifacts), and Vast Aire
(Cannibal Ox). Production includes Realio himself, Tone Spliff, Street
Scrolls, Kyo Itachi, & Al Tarba.

Limited edition vinyl!
Since the emergence of the group in 1995 and first album A Long Awaited Drama released in 1996, Real Live has been on hiatus. Meanwhile "K-Def" Producer/DJ of the group has been keeping the groups brand alive with countless LP's and music to date. As years flew by, the group has been recording intricate songs in the process of staying true to the sound. While maintaining the unorthodox approach of real boom bap hip hop.
This 7 inch brings you the gritty rhyme flow with intelligent decisions on music that reflects how we advanced in sound technology. There's a lot to be told in a 20+ year absence. The song "Chatter in the Background" is an example of what happens when you've been counted out. Crazy hitting pulsating drums, scratching and wicked rhymes come to the listeners ear. The B-Side has 2 songs "Shake and The Fatman" which features an up and coming new artist. K-Def recreates a old school classic. "Uncontrollable" Is an Iceberg Slick thought.. Real Live is letting you get a preview of what to expect from the groups 2nd LP "20 TO THE DOOR!

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.

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.

Rahsheed (now known as Maylay Sparks) dropped one of the most slept on debut albums of 1997 with Wasabi. The album was only released in Japan and came out on a very limited basis so it pretty much stayed under the radar in Europe and the US. Now the CD will be back available on a limited basis with revisited artwork and obi as well!

Strictly limited edition vinyl!
Only one copy per customer!
Dope Folks’ 90th release comes from the vaults of The Beatnuts' own PSYCHO LES! Formed in 1988, 2*2*4 (2 BAD 2 BE 4 REAL) consisted of Psycho Les, JMD, Universal and cuts by Rob Swift. 2*2*4 only released one single back in 1988 ("ILL Tempo" b/w "I Don't Play") and that was it... until now!
Psycho Les has gone through his DATS to find the demos that would've made up their full-length album. This 12" features both tracks from their only official release, and 6 previously unreleased tracks! Straight from the DATS of Psycho Les, these are the only existing tracks of the group! Dope Folks did their best to clean up these raw demos to compile an 8-song historic document that kicked off the careers of Psycho Les, and Rob Swift! Limited to 350 copies (50 colored vinyl, 300 standard black) and never to be repressed. This is the BLACK VINYL version.

"Right on Time" b/w "Tonight" - recorded in 1983, Treasure Records.

Prophet is an underground funk musician from the San Francisco Bay Area, who, until this year, had only put his name to one record: an obscure private-press LP called “Right On Time” (1984, Treasure Records). Full of mind-blowing no-BS boogie, it now has a dedicated cult following, with original copies are still changing hands.
Now he has a new album, his first in 34 years, and it still sounds '84. “Wanna Be Your Man”, produced with Mndsgn, will be released May 2018.

PRhyme 2 is the second official full-length collaboration from two of HipHop’s most respected artists. PRhyme marks the first time that DJ Premier has been part of a group since being ½ of the legendary Gang Starr. The PRhyme 2 album exclusively samples the work of composer and producer AntMan Wonder, produced by the legendary DJ Premier. Featuring Dave East, Yelawolf, CeeLo Green, 2 Chainz, Big K.R.I.T., Curren$y, and Rapsody.

Originally released on Raina Records out of Phoenix, Arizona. Vocal + killer dubbed out instrumental arranged and conducted by the legendary Rich Cason. Recently sold for over £1000 on Discogs! Very limited one-off pressing of 500 copies worldwide on Soul Jazz Records.

Cold Busted returns to familiar label artist Poldoore to release the Belgium-based producer’s album, The Day Off. Poldoore’s sound is about good vibes, creating warm atmospheres that blend funk, soul, lounge, and reggae with punchy drum breaks. The Day Off also features some talented guests, including the mysterious Maverick, distinguished emcee Awon and DMC 2012 Team World Champion turntablist DJ Damented (of The Mixfitz), emcee duo The 49ers, American blues singer Bodhilynn, and trumpeter Will Magid. There’s plenty of highlights on the release: “Morning Glory” with its rocksteady beat, “Natural High” and its psychedelic vibe, “Unconditional” with its beefed up Motown-like feel, “Call It A Day”’s dreamy funk affair, and the reminiscing rhymes of Awon, a figure in the new emerging ‘jazz hop’ scene, flow rhythmically while DJ Damented’s scratch skills add a next level vocal chop to the beat on “Sweet Memories”. Deciding to include this one in the crate should be easy, much like the cut’s vibe. The Day Off is full of sonic sunshine, exactly the kind of weather fit for enjoying what little time there is for leisure and much appreciated in today’s music climate. Give this one a spin.

Planet Asia helped jump-start the West Coast independent hip-hop movement, and has solidified himself as one of the most consistent and respected MCs in the game over his 20+ year career. He dropped his debut EP with producer Fanatik in 1998, and followed up quickly with the singles "Definition of Ill" (Stones Throw) and "Place of Birth" (ABB Records). In 2001, The Source Magazine gave him the ‘First Round Draft Pick’ and ‘Independent Album of the Year’ awards for ‘How the West Was One’, which was recorded with fellow CA rapper Rasco under the group name Cali Agents. This landed him a deal with Interscope Records, where he was signed until 2003 without releasing an album.
Planet Asia was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002 for his feature on the song "W" by Mystic, and was later signed to Avatar Records, which released his official debut album, ‘The Grand Opening,’ in 2004. It earned him another ‘Independent Album of the Year’ award from The Source. Later, he started his own imprint Gold Chain Music, on which he has churned out multiple projects. He has also collaborated on albums with the likes of DJ Muggs (‘Pain Language’), Evidence (‘The Medicine’) and Madlib (‘Cracks In The Vinyl’), among others, and released songs with artists such as Linkin Park, Bun B, Talib Kweli and Ghostface Killah.
The Fresno MC is fresh off of a strong 2017 which featured well-received collaborative albums with producers DirtyDiggs (‘Dirty Planet’) and Apollo Brown (‘Anchovies’). For 2018, Asia teamed up with Bay Area producer izznyce for this true solo project, sure to be considered the next classic in his vast catalog.
‘The Golden Buddha’ was produced entirely by izznyce (producer for Superstar Quamallah and more) and features AZ, Hus Kingpin, Turbin, Marvelous Mag, Killa Kali, TriState, Xiomara and The Architect. Speaking on the project, Planet Asia says: “This album represents the foundation of what Planet Asia is about and that is ‘balance’. Me and izznyce also took our time with the record, and had a chance to really vibe out and make the type of music we personally like that will stand the test of time!”

Planet Asia helped jump-start the West Coast independent hip-hop movement, and has solidified himself as one of the most consistent and respected MCs in the game over his 20+ year career. He dropped his debut EP with producer Fanatik in 1998, and followed up quickly with the singles "Definition of Ill" (Stones Throw) and "Place of Birth" (ABB Records). In 2001, The Source Magazine gave him the ‘First Round Draft Pick’ and ‘Independent Album of the Year’ awards for ‘How the West Was One’, which was recorded with fellow CA rapper Rasco under the group name Cali Agents. This landed him a deal with Interscope Records, where he was signed until 2003 without releasing an album.
Planet Asia was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002 for his feature on the song "W" by Mystic, and was later signed to Avatar Records, which released his official debut album, ‘The Grand Opening,’ in 2004. It earned him another ‘Independent Album of the Year’ award from The Source. Later, he started his own imprint Gold Chain Music, on which he has churned out multiple projects. He has also collaborated on albums with the likes of DJ Muggs (‘Pain Language’), Evidence (‘The Medicine’) and Madlib (‘Cracks In The Vinyl’), among others, and released songs with artists such as Linkin Park, Bun B, Talib Kweli and Ghostface Killah.
The Fresno MC is fresh off of a strong 2017 which featured well-received collaborative albums with producers DirtyDiggs (‘Dirty Planet’) and Apollo Brown (‘Anchovies’). For 2018, Asia teamed up with Bay Area producer izznyce for this true solo project, sure to be considered the next classic in his vast catalog.
‘The Golden Buddha’ was produced entirely by izznyce (producer for Superstar Quamallah and more) and features AZ, Hus Kingpin, Turbin, Marvelous Mag, Killa Kali, TriState, Xiomara and The Architect. Speaking on the project, Planet Asia says: “This album represents the foundation of what Planet Asia is about and that is ‘balance’. Me and izznyce also took our time with the record, and had a chance to really vibe out and make the type of music we personally like that will stand the test of time!”