Hip Hop 218 Items

For over 20 years, Atmosphere have pursued the underbelly of what it means to be human with a rabid curiosity. Ant’s dusky production has provided the pulse for Slug’s evolving and matter-of-fact pen. As Slug transitioned from throwing-up-in-the-backseat-raps to holding-hands-when-you-cross-the-street-raps, Ant has grown to be a master of crate digging and unearthing the humanity of a drum loop. Thriving at the intersection of guttural and self-effacing, Atmosphere will go down as some of America’s best archivists.

On Whenever, the duo continue to move in lockstep. Within the minutiae lie clues they’re still struggling with mortality and the need to protect emotional energy, as on previous releases, but there’s a quiet romanticism now, with Slug sounding—reluctantly—in love with life. And no other producer can pull truths out of a rapper like Ant fishes the blues out of Slug. Be it the twinkle of “Bde Maka Ska” leading into twanging guitars, or the anxious skitter of “Lovely,” Slug finds obvious comfort in working with Ant. “Postal Lady” recounts the simplicity of Slug’s life over warm and enveloping production, while “Romance” recalls God Loves Ugly with its undulating glitches, as if we crawled through Ant’s drum machine. It’s clear the pair’s harmony is reaching new peaks.

These aren’t dad-raps, these aren’t anti-establishment-raps, and these aren’t chasing-old-fire-raps. Even at its darkest (“You’re Gonna Go”) Whenever houses blessed-to-be-alive-raps. The album breathes in the way only Slug and Ant could summon a collective breath. On Whenever, the duo inhale panic and exhale greatness.

Late nineties / early noughties, hip hop / R&B crossover bombs from Raphael Saadiq & Q-Tip. Straight outta New York. Limited edition.

Quelle Chris' album "Guns" uniquely blends diverse sounds and themes, focusing on the concept of weaponization in various forms, from literal to metaphorical. The album's production features a mix of traditional hip-hop and experimental elements, creating a distinct auditory experience that complements its thematic depth. This work marks Quelle Chris's evolution as an artist, offering a fresh, engaging listening journey. This one time pressing of Quelle Chris "Guns" for the Mello Music Group Artist Series "24 for '24" features limited edition oil painting cover art by KipDaFog Featuring Mach Hommy, James Acaster, Eldar Djangirov, Jean Grae and more

SMK aka South Memphis King is one of the real godfathers of Memphis rap. He released his first album in 1991 and is still active today. This is one of his early recordings, never released on vinyl before, Straight bangin' underground shit for the streets of your city. Roll a blunt and enjoy the sick madness over here.

Lullaby renditions of Snoop Dogg classics in the Rockaby Baby style.

Danny Brown’s fifth studio LP uknowhatimsayin¿ drops at an intriguing point in the rapper’s career. After breaking out with his second album XXX, consolidating fame with the follow-up Old and then blowing the game wide open through 2016’s landmark Atrocity Exhibition, Brown’s status as king of the underground feels assured these days. The question as he surveys his domain, is; what next?

Brown’s answer is to make his most focused record yet. A svelte eleven tracks - short when compared to the sprawling opuses of his past - uknowhatimsayin¿ is a more thoughtful affair than anything Brown has previously released. Gone are the tales of all-night benders yammered with cartoonish intensity over beats that sound like an EDM rave in hell. Instead Brown comes off as considered and in control, his flows spun out with poise and eloquence.

The production here befits the changes in Brown’s delivery. While Brown has always been a great rapper, uknowhatimsayin¿ will go down as his first hip-hop record. While the instrumentals here are laced with the psychedelic potency of Atrocity Exhibition, they also rumble and slap in a manner that recalls classic 90’s boom-bap. This change in sound is unsurprising when you consider uknowhatimsayin¿’s executive producer - none other than the legendary Q-Tip.

uknowhatimsayin¿’s features list also feels carefully curated. JPEGMAFIA, heir apparent to Brown’s throne, gets in amongst it on ‘Negro Spiritual’. Unsurprisingly this new energy turns ‘Negro Spiritual’ into one of the album’s wildest tracks, a head-spinner that would have slotted easily into Atrocity Exhibition. Besides Run The Jewels and Brown schooling younger MCs on ‘3 Tearz’ the other guest spots are reserved for singers - Obongjayar turns in vocals on two tracks while Blood Orange croons softly on penultimate cut ‘Shine’.

Danny Brown is older, wiser, and possibly better than ever on new LP uknowhatimsayin¿

This record comes randomly in a green, blue, yellow or red variant. You can not choose, sorry.

“More than anything, I try to get a sense of the mood of society as a whole. The subtle signals that humans send each other, the way people behave, their frustrations and ebbs and flows. In my part of the world, people are scared. There's rampant homelessness, and a real fear of falling into generational poverty. People are addicted to, and addled by distraction; they're angry and confused, and disaffected by their own governmental institutions. There’re songs on the record that are inspired by this energy and seek to harness it, to make sense of it. In some cases, there's attempts to salve the wound; in others, the songs merely observe but don't offer solutions. I want the album to reflect the times we live in, a signpost in the ground to mark the era...Our Pathetic Age.” - DJ Shadow

A real NY classic from Skyzoo & Pete Rock featuring Pete Rock, Styles, P, Raheem DeVaughn, Westside Gunn, Conway, Benny The Butcher, Elzhi. Mixed by Jamey Staub. Mastered by Dave Kutch. A Mello Music Release.

The latest mash up masterpiece from AMERIGO GAZAWAY unites the NOTORIOUS B.I.G. and the Godfather of Soul JAMES BROWN for 10 crucial cuts cleverly titled "B.I.G. POPPA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG", "THE B.I.G. PAYBACK", "SEX MACHINE GUN FUNK", "TEN CRACK COMMANDMENTS" and more. Full picture sleeve.

It’s been more than forty years since Kool Herc starting throwing parties in the South Bronx, and so you could forgive the casual fan for thinking that nearly every permutation of hip-hop has already been explored. But KEITH, the new album from the iconic rapper Kool Keith and the master producer Psycho Les (due out July 12 on Mello Music Group) argues just the opposite: that what’s absurdly funny can also be sinister and strange, that the form can still be broken in new and radical ways. Keith is, of course, one of the pivotal figures in the history of hip-hop, and has been one of the genre’s most singular writers and original voices. The Bronx native was a founding member of Ultramagnetic MCs, whose debut album, 1988’s Critical Beatdown, served as a blueprint for both internationally famous acts like Public Enemy and for the entire future of underground rap. But Keith’s solo work, which began in earnest in the mid-’90s with Dr. Octagonecologyst (released under a pseudonym, naturally) is even stranger, more experimental, more brilliant. He will enjamb seemingly unrelated ideas and images against one another with a poet’s love for language and a pornographer’s knack for camp. Subsequent records like 1997’s Sex Style, ‘99’s Black Elvis/Lost In Space, and 2000’s Matthew were hailed as instant classics; Keith has spent the last several years crafting expertly written records that are rewardingly bizarre, unlike anything else on the rap landscape –– and KEITH is a crown jewel in that excellent late-period run.

Psycho Les is a founding member of the Beatnuts, who were first notable as the only Latino members of the Native Tongues, the collective of groups that pushed hip-hop to its avant edges in the early ‘90s. They were staples throughout that decade, both with their own albums and via the production they did for artists as disparate as Fat Joe and Common –– as well as for their work pioneering the remix. The Beatnuts’ music had in its foreground cramped house parties and reckless debauchery; Les developed the unique ability as a producer to merge that abandon with technically rigorous sample manipulation and unique arrangements.

If you’re worried that two artists who have been working at this for so long would be tempted to rest on their laurels or make music that’s predictable, disabuse yourself of that notion. Keith opens the album with a tangent about Foot Locker –– not about buying shoes, but about lusting after the footwear chain’s employees, with their tight, referee-striped shirts and form-fitting black pants. It only gets stranger from there. His Lamborghinis aren’t just green, they’re pistachio green; his head is perfectly round like Charlie Brown’s; his handkerchief is worth your per diem. And as a vocalist, Keith is still as slippery and innovative as ever: see the way he slides right into an unorthodox flow at the beginning of “Slave Owner,” only to thin out his writing to allow for a string of insults from the titular slave owner.

KEITH is a laser-focused, remarkably vital work from two artists entering the fourth decades of their respective careers. If nothing else, take as an example a couple of the guests who appear here: there’s Jeru the Damaja, who represents the true-school ethos of New York in the early ‘90s, but there’s also Paul Wall –– he rides shotgun on “Foot Locker” –– who broke through more than a decade after Jeru, as the woozy, laconic Houston scene of the mid-2000s briefly stole the national spotlight. Both serve as ideal foils for Keith: they’re somehow tethered to Earth as we understand it, while he’s free to orbit around them, and us, in a path that only he will ever understand.

Split album by Joe Corfield and Slim, two of UKs most promising beatmakers. It's the follow-up to the “KO-OP 1” album by Smoke Trees and Juan Rios on KO-OP, the sub-label and community dedicated to the art of beatmaking founded by reknown hip-hop label Melting Pot Music from Cologne, Germany.

When we started KO-OP in the summer of 2017, little did we knew where this journey would take us to. Ever since we had the pleasure to work with 21 artists from all over the world and have put out almost 80 tracks on lp, tape and digital. Now we are happy to share with you KO-OP 2 - a split album by two of our favourite producers from the UK: Slim and Joe Corfield. Slim is one half of London rap group Summers Sons. The Sons are signed to MPM where they have released two albums (“Undertones” & “Uhuru”). In February 2019 Summers Sons will play their first German tour together with Children of Zeus. Slim has released instrumental cuts on KO-OP, Brownswood and Banoffee Pie, plus a beattape on Yogocop Records. Joe Corfield hails from Birmingham and has released a string of albums via Radio Juicy and Yogocop. He is coming with his very own sound. Futuristic and soulful, with a great ear to detail. It was actually Flofilz' idea to have them both on one record. “KO-OP 2” will be released on one LP with two individual covers by Rahel Süßkind, a Berlin based artist (and part of Money $ex Records) who is responsible for all KO-OP artwork.

US import.

Grammy® Award-nominated multi-platinum hip hop trio Migos (Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff) return with their anxiously awaited full-length album, Culture II, almost exactly a year after the record breaking first installment. Lead single "Motorsport (feat Nicki Minaj & Cardi B)" is already topping charts, followed by the Pharrell produced smash, "Stir Fry".

The Complete Collection is a true hip-hop collectors dream, featuring all four studio albums from the pioneering hiphop duo, including a bonus 2CD set containing over 20 rare remixes from 1986 - 1992, booklet, liner notes and more! It includes eight vinyl records and two CDs.

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2018!

Reissue on 150g vinyl.

On Donald Glover’s latest project as Childish Gambino, he ditches rap for lovingly produced funk worship, resulting in his most enjoyable project yet.

J. Cole's last album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, was both a profound personal statement about childhood, sexual insecurities, adult angst, and the follies of success, on top of being an addictive listen with smooth beats that sounded closer to Jay-Z's prime in the early 2000s. But after hints at an early retirement and a declaration in September that he was going to stop performing for "a long time," it's a real sigh of relief to get this album. Partially recorded at the famous Electric Ladyland studios, J. Cole has made this his most intimate and personal album. He even jams out on the piano and guitar along to some of the tracks.

Limited edition CD!
Produced by J Dilla aka Jay Dee!!
5-Elementz formed in Detroit in 1992. The group met while attending Osborn High School on 7 Mile. The original members consisted of Thyme, Proof, Mudd, Jay Dee & DJ Head.
These great tracks produced by Jay Dee only released on cassette later in 1998. Chopped Herring had access to the original studio DATs and presents to you this great EP. Ya better don’t sleep!

Fredfades is a Norwegian producer specialising in the uncut RAW hip hop. Here’s his debut solo album, “Warmth”.

In 2013 he dropped a classic with Ivan Ave called Breathe on KingUnderground Records. "Warmth" is his debut solo album following a long line of singles, collaborative albums, cassettes and load of independently released projects. The album has 16 tracks made from jazz, soul and boogie samples with gritty drums and a dash of synth stabs, mixed by Fred and mastered at Strype Audio in Oslo by Christian Obermayer.

The title track "Warmth" is the last track on the album and was sampled from a live recording off one of Fred’s favourite
jazz records that is always on heavy rotation at the crib.

Guests at the table include MED (Stones Throw), Mndsgn (Stones Throw), Ivan Ave, (Jakarta), MoRuf, Koreatown Oddity (Stones Throw), Chester Watson and more.

Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American Hip Hop recording artist from Carol City, Florida. He released his debut full-length album, titled “Nostalgic 64” in 2013. His second full-length album is titled “Imperial”.

J Dilla is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, having supplied timeless soundbeds for the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, The Pharcyde, Busta Rhymes, Common, De La Soul, The Roots, D'Angelo, Erykah Babu, Madlib, and many more. In 2005, rumors began circulating about an album called "Jay Love Japan", a J Dilla solo project inspired by one of Jay Dee's favorite locations to visit on tour. After Dilla's untimely death in early 2006, the album became a lost classic shrouded in mystery, with only unofficial bootlegs and promo versions available. An official CD version was eventually released in 2008, but quickly went out of print.

Now, the album is finally receiving the official release it always deserved. J Dilla's mother Ma Dukes and her label Vintage Vibez Music Group are proud to present official Vinyl and CD versions of "Jay Love Japan". With six soulful Dilla instrumentals and vocal appearances from Blu, Miguel, J*Davey, Ta'Raach, Exile, Baatin, and more, this 11-track collection is a perfect snapshot of late-period J Dilla brilliance.

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

The bubbling beanie wearing beat producer, Kaytranada, pops up on XL. Anderson .Paak guests on "Glowed Up" and the combination is fire. Limited edition 12" of album tracks "Glowed Up" with "Lite Spots" as the b-side.

Speakthru, his first album on Jakarta Records, is a testament to the connective power of music. Transcending musical boundaries, Flo managed to bring together a wide range of MCs to feature on his tracks such as LA's own Blu and Co$$ up to Norway's Ivan Ave and London's Barney Artist, including a half-dozen of powerful instrumentals sprinkled in between.