Vinyl - Hip Hop

Big Grams is the self-titled debut EP by American hip hop trio Big Grams, which consists of rapper Big Boi and electronic rock duo Phantogram., featuring guest appearances by Run the Jewels and Skrillex.

In December 2010, Big Boi, one half of famed hip hop duo Outkast, accidentally discovered Phantogram, an electronic rock duo consisting of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, when hearing their single "Mouthful of Diamonds" in a pop-up ad. Big Boi shared the song on his website as the "Jam of the Week". Barthel saw the post and contacted Big Boi, which led to future collaborations. Big Boi's 2012 studio album Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, included three tracks featuring Phantogram: "Objectum Sexuality", "CPU" and "Lines", and in a interview days before its December 11 release, Big Boi revealed that he and Phantogram were planning to record a "one-off EP type of thing" titled Big Grams.

Carter described the project's sound as "sort of" "psyched-out hip-hop". Barthel and Big Boi provided sung vocals and rapped vocals respectively, while Carter only occasionally provided vocals and was the project's primary producer. – Wiki

“Since the dissolution of OutKast, Big Boi has proven himself to be a restless worker, creating Southern rap epics like 2010's Sir Lucius Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty as well as experimenting with other genres and collaborating with a bevy of often surprising artists. Primary among them is the indie electro-pop group Phantogram, who appeared a couple times on Big Boi's last record, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors. During the sessions for that album, Big Boi revealed that he was pursuing a continued project with the band, and now we have the BIG GRAMS EP. It's been a few years, and despite the curiosity about the success of such a collaboration, the EP works surprisingly well.

If you thought that Big Boi's funky Southern rap wouldn't quite mesh with the smooth, woozy electronic pop of Phantogram, you're not alone. And while the EP really sounds like an exact collision of the two sounds, Big Grams, as the group calls themselves, nail a lot of the hooks and psyched-out verses.”  - Under the Radar

Item description:

“In recent years, Los Angeles rapper Blu has become one of hip-hop’s most prolific artists, releasing more than a dozen acclaimed projects and building a worldwide fanbase. The gifted lyricist often joins forces with a single producer for an entire collection, leading to classic collaborative releases with Exile, Nottz, Madlib, and more. Now, Blu is back with The Blueprint, a new mixtape produced by Shafiq Husayn. Known as one third of visionary production team Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Shafiq has produced for the likes of Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Andre 3000, John Legend, Anderson .Paak, Thundercat, Bilal, Ty Dolla $ign, Ice T, and many more. Dedicated to the gang culture that permeates the city they both call home, The Blueprint reflects Blu’s eternal L.A. state of mind, with Shafiq’s eclectic soundscapes providing the perfect backdrop.” – Fat Beats

Item description:        

“BROOKZILL!'s debut album, Throwback to the Future, is an exuberant mash-up of old-school hip-hop, funky jazz, and Brazilian funk and pop that captures the best aspects of all the separate ingredients and revels in the combination they make. Created by legendary producer Prince Paul, Digable Planets' Ladybug Mecca, keyboardist Don Newkirk (who trainspotters might remember from his voice-overs on De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising), and Brazilian hip-hop icon Rodrigo Brandão, the project is good-time grooves and grin-inducing fun from beginning to end. With guests on board who range from Gil Scott-Heron collaborator Brian Jackson to Del the Funky Homosapien and a raft of Brazilian artists, Throwback plays out like a street party where the alcohol flows and people are dancing like the weekend will never end. Prince Paul holds down the turntables, dropping in samples and locking down rock-solid hip-hop beats and rollicking Brazilian grooves while Ladybug lays down rhymes like it was 1993, and her sweet vocals add some honey to the mix.” – All Music

“About half of the lyrics on BROOKZILL!’s debut, Throwback to the Future, are in Portuguese, but this doesn’t obscure the album’s overarching themes of unity, tribute, and spirituality for non-native speakers. While they possess more polemical meanings, certain words and phrases, like “macumba,” a Brazilian religious practice, will ostensibly be accepted at face value for its celebratory invocation on “Macumba 3000.” Macumba is an encapsulation of BROOKZILL!’S syncretic purpose: bringing people together under the banner of music.

BROOKZILL’s cultural synthesis wouldn’t be possible without the skillfully realized instrumentation: 808-style breakbeats are masterfully mixed with samba percussion on “Raise the Flag,” “Mysterious,” and “S. Bento MC5,” creating unexpected rhythms, but ones which still make sense within a traditional hip-hop framework. On “Nascido No Céu,” bossa-nova horns and woodwind instruments align with synthesizers and turntablism to lay slow-jam groundwork for Ladybug Mecca and Gorila Urban’s rhymes. Though the beats never threaten to become generic like on “Mad Dog in Yoruba” and “BROOKZILL Suite,” which lean more on the album’s Brazilian musical influences, they emphasize Throwback to the Future’s individuality and cross-cultural appreciation in a way a more streamlined mash-up would not.” – Slant Magazine

Item description:        

“Electric Circus is the fifth studio album by rapper Common, released December 10, 2002 on the now-defunct MCA Records. The album was highly anticipated and praised by many critics for its ambitious vision. However, it was not as commercially successful as his previous album, Like Water for Chocolate, selling under 300,000 copies. An eclectic album, Electric Circus featured fusions of several genres such as hip hop, pop, rock, electronic, and neo soul. "I wasn't feeling hip hop," the rapper remarked. "So my motivation for that album were other genres of music, like Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. It wasn't hip hop." This was Common's second and last album for MCA, and the label's final release prior to its absorption into Geffen Records.” – Wiki

Item description:        

“Cigarette Boats is an EP by American rapper Curren$y and producer Harry Fraud. It was released for online download on July 10, 2012. XXL named it the "2012 EP of the Year.” – Wiki

“Curren$y is back at it again. Following the release of his recent album The Stoned Immaculate, he teams up with producer Harry Fraud for the brief new EP, Cigarette Boats. Despite its short length, the project allows Spitta and Harry Fraud to pack plently of punch with each track, as one of the hottest producers in rap and a grizzled vet link for a tape fans are sure to remember.” – XXL Mag

Item description:        

CZARFACE (Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck & 7L & Esoteric) is back! Fresh off the heels of their collaboration with Marvel Comics the trio continues to combine music and art with their latest release "A Fistful of Peril."

The back story of this album begins in the summer while Deck and Esoteric were in the studio recording some new Czarface material. During this time Marvel Comics had reached out to Czarface wanting some music to soundtrack their Black Panther web series, promoting their breakout comic of the same name. This Marvel meeting spawned the lead track "All in Together Now" and served as the primary inspiration for a fleshed-out album that nobody saw coming. The group camped out in the studio playing beats, talking comics, video games, and pop culture....what came about was "A Fistful of Peril."

Starting the album off with the ARP keyboard odyssey of "Electric Level 1" is like entering the vortex of color and light in Kubrick's 2001. The aptly titled "Two in the Chest" showcases Deck & Eso's ability to deliver punchlines and pop culture references with ease over an exceptional bass and guitar combo. "Czar Wars" has the two sparring back and forth bringing that 'X-Men/Danger Room' mentality that Deck often to refers to when in Czar-mode. Psycho Les of The Beatnuts steps in on "Dust" while "Lizard City" introduces 'Czarface Pajamas'. Yes you read that correctly. The off-kilter "Steranko" has Meyhem Lauren and Rast join forces with Czarface as they weave their way through a mind-bending array of varying beats. Other features on the album are Conway on "Machine, Man & Monster" and AOTP's Blacastan on "Tarantulas." Another one of the album's highlights is "Dare Iz A Darkseid" which along with "Talk That Talk" is the perfect balance of wit and humor that make up the core of Czarface.

Building on an already rock solid foundation with two critically acclaimed albums, "A Fistful of Peril" features some of the groups most cohesive material. The chemistry between the hungry-as-ever Deck and Eso overflows as the two mc's trade lines, humor and plenty of razor sharp lyrics over the backbone of 7L and Todd Spadafore's production.

"A Fistful of Peril" in a word? "Excelsior!" – Press Release

Item description:

“Eminem's claim that "nobody listens to techno" notwithstanding, hip-hop and dance music have often enjoyed a mutual respect in Detroit. Countless artists have tried their hand at both—just look at the tracklist for the 1998 compilation Eleven Phases. J Dilla, possibly the city's most loved hip-hop producer, had two posthumous releases on Moodymann's label, Mahogani Music. Danny Brown, the city's biggest rap export at the moment, put out an album on Warp Records that began with the line, "I'm sweatin' like I'm in a rave."…”

“…In this context, a figure like Tadd Mullinix makes sense. Alongside the grimy techno he makes as JTC (or James T. Cotton), the Ann Arbor producer has, over the last two decades, sidelined in glistening hip-hop beats, most of which have come out in a three-part series of albums on Ghostly International. Three/Three, which lands nearly 12 years since the last installment, is the final chapter in the series, but not, we're told, the end of Dabrye's run…”

“…The cast of collaborators on Three/Three shows this is more than a techno artist's side project. There are two generations of MCs, from Detroit old guard like Guilty Simpson and Phat Kat to newer names like Danny Brown and Nolan The Ninja. There's a bit of rap royalty as well, namely MF Doom and the Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah. Fellow Ghostly International staple Shigeto stops by as a guest producer.” - Resident Advisor

“Three/Three is stacked with features from Detroit area MCs (Danny Brown, Clear Soul Forces) and heavy-hitting veterans (MF DOOM, Ghostface Killah), but only a handful of his guests truly rise to the occasion. On “Pretty,” Los Angeles journeyman Jonwayne effortlessly delivers tongue-in-cheek punchlines overtop muffled horns and jazzy keys. Elsewhere, the eerie, Sunday morning cartoon-sampling “Lil Mufukuz” reunites the producer and DOOM, who gleefully schools SoundCloud stars and “snotty-nosed club rats.” Less successful are the relatively unknown trio of Kadence, Intricate Dialect, and Silas Green, whose clunky socio-political musings on “Culture Shuffle” will make listeners wish somebody had gotten Mullinix a landline to Jay Electronica instead.” - Pitchfork

Item Description:

“Due to popular demand, Damu The Fudgemunk's "Supply For Demand" LP (2010) is back in stock. This time redef's go-to visual artist Joseph Buckingham, who recently contributed to De La Soul's mega successful Kickstarter campaign, decided to completely redesign the album packaging from the ground up. Besides the updated artwork, the music remains the same as heard on last year's remastered pressing, featuring a potent mix of instrumental and vocal tracks featuring Damu himself as well as a Y Society collabo in the form of "Don't Do It."

We here at Redefinition Records appreciate the simplicity of this arrangement and are certainly not of the mind to buck fundamental economics. We're also in the enviable position of having a loyal fan base that keep pushing us to put out quality product (that's the supply bit in case you weren't paying attention).

Supply For Demand is therefore what you've come to expect from Damu: Gimmick-free head nodders that wrap themselves around you like sheets of sonic velvet. Keep askin' and we'll keep givin'. The pleasure is all ours.” - UndergroundHipHop.com

About Damu The Fudgemunk:

“Damu the Fudgemunk (born Earl Davis on June 8, 1984, in Washington, DC) is an American hip hop music artist and producer from Washington, DC. In addition to his career as a solo artist, music producer, and DJ, he is a member of the groups Y Society and Panacea.

Damu released his official debut album as a member of Y Society, Travel at Your Own Pace, on October 10, 2007, to positive reviews. The album is reminiscent of true-school hip-hop with its liberal use of jazz and soul samples and scratching throughout. In 2008, Damu released two free albums primarily composed of instrumental music, titled Spare Time and Overtime. He built himself a respectable and loyal fan base through his unique YouTube videos and live street performances around Washington, DC, and New York City, which require him to use a portable electricity generator to power his sampler and speakers.

Damu the Fudgemunk releases the bulk of his music through Redefinition Records, a label that he co-owns and operates. The label focuses on releasing vinyl records and cassettes even if the records are also released on CDs.” - Wiki

Item description:

 "Vignettes is a true example of 'art imitating life.'  All the commentary/music is a collection of my personal experiences and those reflections applied to music to document an honest depiction of my current perspective on life and the world we share." - Damu The Fudgemunk / Redefinition Records 

Item description:

Item description:

“The jazz rap trio’s 1993 debut questions the very fabric of our existence while celebrating its nuances. Seconds into any Digable Planets’ song and you’ll hear it: the Afrofuturism of Sun Ra, the unorthodox free jazz of Albert Ayler, the black spirituality of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, the spoken-word funk of the Last Poets. Freedom, progressivism, oneness, harmony, and serendipity are the core tenets that would come to define the rap trio and their ideology throughout their career. How fitting, then, that intuition and a kiss of luck would birth their first jazz rap odyssey, 1993’s Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), which is both a product of community and exploration.

Digable Planets followed in the conscious footsteps of the ’90s New York collective Native Tongues—spearheaded by A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, and De La Soul—which was cultivating a more positive-minded, jazz-influenced rap community. Linking from varying backgrounds, the three Planets MCs—Ishmael Butler, Craig Irving, and Mary Ann Vieira—sought to embody the inclusivity their forebears had brought to rap. Reachin’ tested the limits of hip-hop alchemy, creating otherworldly transmissions that sampled hard-bopping jazz acts. They turned Karl Marx, Sonny Rollins, and Parliament into pillars of their cool, communal space.” – Pitchfork

Item description:        

“Legendary DJ and GRAMMY award-winning producer releases the long-awaited final installment of his “Magnificent” series…

…DJ Jazzy Jeff brings extraordinary artists together to present a multigenerational perspective on life, love, the current state of society, and the music industry. The Trinity, comprised of Grammy and Oscar award-winning MC Rhymefest, Philadelphia MC Dayne Jordan and multitalented artist Uhmeer, serves as M3’s primary storytellers. With three distinct styles, the trio is a recipe for an unprecedented flow and a magical delivery. The Trinity lays the foundation of real hip-hop with tracks including The Beginning, Scars, and Where You At. Things lighten up with feel good tune Skater’s Paradise, and a tribute to the ladies, Stronger Than Me. And M3 wouldn’t be complete without a few soulful voices. Singer/Songwriter Aaron Camper provides his sultry sound to Midnight Escapade and The Way We Cool. Maimouna Youssef lends her soulful harmony to Child of God, and Masego adds his signature trap-jazz flair to 2Step.” – Bandcamp

Item description:        

Item description:

Widely hailed as the Japanese incarnation of Pete Rock, DJ Premier and J-Dilla,  DJ Mitsu the Beats has earned a notorious reputation amongst the underground Hip-Hip community as a masterful turntablist and serial beatmaker with a career spanning over 20 years.

Check out this stylish and emotional LP from the man himself. Limited edition Jazzy Sport release on 180g vinyl. 

Item description:

“ “Think J-Dilla or The Roots and you’re probably hitting the mark.” – JazzBreakfast

DJM trio breathes fierce artistry into grooved out renditions of Solange, Patrice Rushen, Slum Village, Madvillain, Ohbliv and more. There’s writing on the wall that speaks of time immemorial, where symbols exist on the edge of language and abstraction. It’s upon this precipice that Dominic James Marshall makes his mark, at the helm and on the keys of Cave Art Two - a slate of scintillating digital sounds, spontaneously arranged, etched in wax. The project is a thoughtful and inventive response to a long tradition of musical sampling. Familiarity is a vessel through which Marshall channels a fierce artistry and selection is at the heart of what moves it. The trio build upon what makes beat music burrow into us so deeply, maxing out their offerings of giant synths, splintering chords and impactful beats to soul-shifting degrees. Marshall plunges into the uncanny valley and frolics in it, inventing a fresh path for the genre with irreverent wit and divine grace.

The DJM Trio is led by Dominic James Marshall, an Amsterdam native who is a current member of renowned British nu-jazz and electronic outfit The Cinematic Orchestra. A rising jazz piano star, Marshall was nominated for the Edison International Jazz Award, and the trio earned a coveted set at BBC’s Manchester Jazz Festival, as unanimously selected by a jury including Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum and Jez Nelson.” – Bandcamp

Item description:        

“I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt is the second studio album by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. It was released on March 23, 2015, by Columbia Records and Tan Cressida Records. It features guest appearances from Dash, Vince Staples, Wiki, and Na'kel Smith. The album received widespread acclaim from critics, debuting at number 12 on the US Billboard 200, selling 30,000 copies in the first week.” – Wiki

Earl's latest release feels like the realization of a voice he's been working towards: one that is both fluid and all angles, vacillating between naked introspection and pushing us as far away as possible. He is whittling away carefully at the tendencies he's always had, remaining confident that he’ll light upon something that feels fresh and honest. So far, he's right. – Pitchfork

Item description:        

“Weather or Not is the third solo studio album by American rapper and producer Evidence. It was released on January 26, 2018 via Rhymesayers Entertainment. Production was handled by several record producers, including Alchemist, Budgie, DJ Babu, DJ Premier, Nottz, Samiyam, Twiz the Beat Pro, and Evidence himself. It also features guest appearances from Catero, Defari, Jonwayne, Khrysis, Krondon, Mach-Hommy, Rakaa, Rapsody, Slug, Styles P, and The Alchemist. This album is a follow-up to his 2011 album, Cats & Dogs, and is final on his "Weatherman" series.” – Wiki

Item description:        

"On their second album as a duo, Madlib and Freddie Gibbs pull themselves deeper into one another’s worlds." 

"Finding themselves within that slipstream of black thought and life, they plot their course on their terms. Bandana is tradition and transgression: one rapper, one producer, no limitations." - Pitchfork

“Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away is a collaborative EP by American rapper Freddie Gibbs and producer Statik Selektah. It was released on June 24, 2011, by Showoff Records and CTE World” – Wiki

Item description:        

Shadow of a Doubt is the second studio album by American rapper Freddie Gibbs. The album was released in 2015 by ESGN and Empire Distribution.

“After dropping last year’s Piñata with Madlib and two subsequent EPs, Freddie Gibbs is back with his third full-length studio album. Shadow of a Doubt features over a dozen wide-ranging names contributing beats, from Canadian hitmaker Boi-1da to 808 Mafia’s Tarentino, and his roots and aspirations have never been clearer.” - Pitchfork

“Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs is a tough, urban storyteller who can rifle off a steady stream of greatness before he lands on the hook, and with his 2015 release, Shadow of a Doubt, the hooks, plus production, are on the same level as his rhymes.” - AllMusic

Item description:

“Acclaimed west coast singer, songwriter, and producer Georgia Anne Muldrow releases a collection of astral instrumentals. VWETO, which means gravity in Ki-Kongo, has just that: a significance that rings true on a deep and profound level, a mixture of dreamscape and fOnk. Each instrumental journeys through sonic realms that wash over the listener with ease, taking them out of their body and into the spirit plane. The vibrations knock hard enough for any Hiphop head, yet bend and curve through the recesses of mind in a much more esoteric way, bringing a fOnk unique to Georgia that hits hard enough to turn Dre's head. Distinctly west coast, yet like nothing released before, Georgia Anne Muldrow's VWETO is a layered album that explores the instrumental depths of fOnkrock, Hiphop, PianoSpace, and Soul.” – Wiki

<iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5hwAZUOEnCCK2iBLQgmgi5" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OQ-N7L4IKZM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NAtmrxAn9tU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Item description:        

“The Lost Tapes, the 13th studio album by Ghostface Killah (one of the Wu-Tang Clan's most revered rhymers), is a release that — considering the year that hip-hop has endured — may have slid in under radars. That's really a shame, because with this LP, produced entirely by writer and Griselda collaborator Big Ghost, he's crafted something special that OG fans and '90s heads will swoon over.

Big Ghost provides the GFK with an incredibly cohesive, soulful, sound bed that at times feels like MPC chops left over from Ironman and Supreme Clientele sessions. There are no solo moments here. Ghost is at a point in his career where an overly stacked playlist could signal desperation, but that isn't the case at all. While this playlist could be considered "star-studded," it's niche. The LP is swimming in features that range from obscure names like LA the Darkman, and newer acts like Big Pun's son Chris Rivers, to heavyweight MCs like KXNG Crooked and Ras Kass. None overpower Ghostdini, and none are out of place.

Some of the album's most obscure points are ultimately the most intriguing. Snoop and E-40 rapping on "Saigon Velour" sounds bizarre on paper, but is seamless in its execution.” – Exclaim

Item description:        

Everybody Looking is the ninth studio album by American rapper Gucci Mane. It was released on July 22, 2016, by 1017 Records and Atlantic Records,[1] serving as Gucci's first studio release since The Return of Mr. Zone 6 (2011). Recording sessions on the album took place in under six days. The album features three guest appearances from Drake, Kanye West and Young Thug, while the majority of production was provided by Gucci Mane's longtime collaborators such as Mike Will Made It and Zaytoven, among others.

Everybody Looking was met with positive reviews from critics, with the album peaking at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 and becoming Gucci Mane's highest-charting album. – Wiki

“Executive produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, Everybody Looking features a spacey, brooding backdrop that’s custom built to help Guwop find his footing once again. As an integral part of his original sound, Zaytoven also does a majority of the heavy-lifting, providing an occasionally lively contrast to Mike WiLL’s typically murky aesthetics. Their collaboration on “Waybach” perfectly matches Gucci’s air of nostalgia, while their work on the sunny instrumentation for “At Least a M” makes it an instant contender for summer anthem. Despite only making brief appearances, Murda Beatz (“Back on Road” w/ Drake) and Drumma Boy (“All My Children”) also fit comfortably into Zay and Mike Will’s newfound dynamic. Everything is methodical, from the thunderous “No Sleep” intro to the way the “Waybach” hook comes back around for an encore towards the end of “Richest Nigga In The Room.”” – HipHopDX

Item description:

Item description:

“Beneath the Surface is the third solo studio album by American hip hop musician and Wu-Tang Clan member GZA. The album was released on June 29, 1999, by MCA Records.” – Wiki

“Genius/GZA's Beneath the Surface is a worthy continuation and development of the Wu-Tang Clan conglomeration. The best tracks here, "Amplified Sample" and "Crash Your Crew," are quintessentially Wu-Tang, but with important tweaks to the trademark sound. The crisp, clean production -- by Wu associates Inspectah Deck, Mathematics, and Arabian Priest -- sounds much better than any project that had been recently issued (even RZA's Bobby Digital), and GZA's raps prove he's the most innovative and talented vocalist Wu-Tang had to offer.” – All Music

Item description:        

"First of a Living Breed is the fourth studio album by American rapper Homeboy Sandman. It was released through Stones Throw Records on September 18, 2012. 

was listed by NPR Music as one of their "50 Favorite Albums of 2012". It was ranked at number 5 on The Village Voice's "Ten Best New York City Rap Albums of 2012" list." - Wikipedia



Item description:        

Hallways is the fifth studio album by Queens, New York rapper Homeboy Sandman. It was released in 2014 by Stones Throw Records.

“It's here: Homeboy Sandman's Hallways, his second full-length album on Stones Throw Records. Producers on Hallways include Blu, DJ Spinna, Oh No and Jonwayne, who produced the first single, "America, The Beautiful," and Knxwledge, who produced "Problems."

Since signing with Stones Throw Records in 2011, Homeboy Sandman has made himself at home releasing a full length, First of a Living Breed, along with a series of five short records, establishing himself as one of the most productive and creative lyricists of this generation.

"Hallways is simply the sound of a master rap writer at work" – Village Voice's #1 NYC rap album of 2014.” – Stones Throw Records

“Hallways is an accomplished addition to Homeboy Sandman’s ever consistent output. He notes in the album’s first few bars that he’s stuck between street and scholarly aesthetics, but Hallways reinterprets both ends of the spectrum. The material belonging to the former glorifies the smallest details of working class culture, while the material belonging to the latter raises heavy questions without claiming to know the answers.” - HipHopDX

“Hallways represents the latest unfurling from the Ivy League-educated Queens native, whose wry angst and self-reflection have filled up two full-length albums and five EPs since signing to Stones Throw in 2012. Over restless slaps and cartilage-cracking beats from Oh No, Jonwayne and Knxwledge, Sandman unleashes a therapist's office worth of anxiety fit for a lost rap soundtrack to Deconstructing Harry. He frets over infidelities, hypocrisies and loneliness; the smell of tobacco smoke and what his proximity to hipsters says about him. Obsessed with the noise in his head and the rapidly changing neighborhoods surrounding him, Homeboy re-works rap forms and functions into something truly personal.” - Rolling Stone

Item description:

A TAV Curator's Pick.

“Initially intended for release in 2002, The Diary is the final batch of unissued material that Dilla had assembled for release during his lifetime, lending crucial insight into the producer’s prowess and thought process in the period leading up to his break with the major label system and the extremely fertile period that followed (which encompassed the making of the canonical classics Ruff Draft, Jaylib, and Donuts). The Diary features vocal performances by J Dilla, Snoop Dogg, Bilal, Kokane, Frank and Dank, Nottz and Boogie, over production by Dilla, Madlib, Pete Rock, Hi-tek, Nottz, House Shoes, Supa Dave West, Bink! and Karriem Riggins. The album was announced in an interview with Nas on Zane Lowe’s show on Beats1 with the never-before-heard song “The Introduction.”

The Diary was Dilla’s attempt to take advantage of the attention afforded him after his brightest period as a behind-the-scenes hit-maker and influencer. However, the project stalled and the album was literally shelved, the reels languishing in storage in Detroit as a relocated Dilla began a creative renaissance in Los Angeles. The Diary in this, its final form, was painstakingly assembled over a ten year period from two-track mixdowns and multi-track masters found in J Dilla’s archives after his death in 2006. The completion of The Diary was overseen by The Estate of James Yancey’s Creative Director Eothen Alapatt, long term general manager of Stones Throw Records and A&R for Donuts and Jaylib, whose previous archival Dilla work includes the expanded Ruff Draft issue from 2008. The Estate of James Yancey is overseen by California’s Probate Court on behalf of Yancey’s four heirs – his mother, Maureen “Madukes” Yancey, his brother John “Illa J” Yancey and his two daughters, Ja’Mya Yancey and Ty-monae Whitlow.

The musical landscape has shifted mightily in the wake of J Dilla’s final album. Donuts’ release and Dilla’s subsequent death forced a critical and fan-level reexamination of his work and importance on the global stage. J Dilla was marginalized in the years leading up to his death, as he, battling the rare blood disorder that would eventually take his life, eschewed the major label-led music industry where he created or aided some of the music industry’s brightest – D’angelo, Erykah Badu, Common – in the late 90s and early 00s, moved to California from his native Detroit and dug deep into the deepest recesses of his creative spirit to offer a new take on hip hop’s decades old art form of sampling. After Donuts, the likes of Kanye West and Pharrel Williams could be heard echoing words read on a fan’s shirt from one of J Dilla’s last European tours in 2005: J Dilla Changed My Life. They were not the only ones: Justin Timberlake opines openly that the world needs more Dilla. J Dilla became a critical signpost for these stars, and others: the archetype figure that birthed everything they loved and cared for in hip-hop.” – J Dilla.com

“PayJay Productions, Inc. was the company James Dewitt “J Dilla” Yancey founded in 2001 to house his production company and his publishing company. The Estate of James Yancey has revived PayJay as a functioning imprint, and announced the release of J Dilla’s long lost vocal album, The Diary. The tracks come straight from multi-track masters found on 2-inch tape shortly after Dilla’s passing in 2006. Many were mixed by Dilla himself. Those that weren't have been mixed by engineer Dave Cooley, who worked extensively with Dilla during his years in Los Angeles. Using Dilla’s original demo mixes as his guide, Cooley attempted to finalize Dilla’s vision for these tracks, while keeping all of the elements that Dilla had in place in his original demos present.

The Diary is an album of vocal performances recorded between in the early 2000s over production by the likes of Madlib, Pete Rock, Nottz, House Shoes, Karriem Riggins and others. The Record Store Day vinyl issue of The Diary includes a special 7” pressing of "The Ex" that will only be found on the RSD issue of the LP.” – Record Store Day

Tracklist

A1        The Introduction          

A2        The Anthem    

A3        Fight Club        

A4        The Shining Pt. 1 (Diamonds)   

A5        The Shining Pt. 2 (Ice)   

A6        Trucks 

A7        Gangsta Boogie

B1        Drive Me Wild 

B2        Give Them What They Want     

B3        The Creep (The O)       

B4        The Ex

B5        So Far  

B6        Fuck The Police

B7        The Diary        

C          The Ex

D         The Ex (R&B Version)

Note:

• Record Store Day 2016 release. Limited to 4000 copies.
• Includes download card, bonus 7" and a 12-page book detailing the story behind this legendary album.

Item description:        

Jalal Salaam and ewonee’s Past Lives stands among the top releases of 2016. In 2017, it sees a deluxe vinyl release via House Shoes’ Street Corner Music. Beats by Ewonee and raps by Jalal Salaam.

Item description:        

Madlib's remix of Champion Sound with a previously unreleased track – “Da Rawkus” – recorded in the original Jaylib sessions. 

A TAV Curator's Pick.

“To make soul and jazz-tainted hip-hop available to all ears was the first challenge the Jazz Liberatorz pulled off with their first LP “Clin d’Oeil”. Damage, Dusty and Mahdi are now back with their classical vocals and beats. Ancient fruits that have today fully ripened now render a rich, smooth and noble new album “Fruit of the past”.

The already six year-old vinyl discography of the Jazz Liberatorz is not due to chance. From the very beginning they collaborated with renounced musicians, thus enfolding a new musical era in wich acoustic sound is blended with virtual sound. In order to assert their desire to share their music beyond French borders, the band offers listeners a previously unreleased number featuring one of US hip-hop’s top MCs, the boogie man Mos Def. This record is absolutely essential to all quality music amators, who may enjoy it at any time of day or night. You will be thrilled to hear the Jazz Libs’ new original tracks, but also remix versions of the already well known Drum Brothers featuring T Love, or the famous and talented producer Dela remixing Fat Lip and of the great 20syl of Hocus Pocus remixing Mr Dudley Perkins aka Declaime.” – Album liner notes

Item description:

“The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness (often abbreviated as The Psycho-Social CD) is the debut album of underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. The group consists of Vinnie Paz, and producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. The original version of the album was released in 1997 limited to 1000 copies on vinyl by Superegular Records, and was re-released on CD in 2003 on Babygrande Records with six bonus tracks, featuring songs recorded by the group before their debut release. Many[who?] believed the vinyl version was re-issued in 2001, possibly because the back of the vinyl release says "2001 superegular", this is however a nod to the forward-thinking aspects of the album. The album lightly touches on religious corruption and violence, but not nearly to the level of their more well-received, and better produced sophomore effort (most of the braggadocio being in regard to lyrical skill, and not physical threats.) Primarily the album focuses on references to astronomy, history and physics.

Also this album was inspired by a lot of "crazy books" mentioned by Vinnie Paz in an interview. One of those books was called "Matrix III - The psycho-social, chemical, biological & electro-magnetic manipulation of human consciousness".” – Wiki

Item description:        

“Overly Dedicated (stylized as O(verly) D(edicated)) is the fifth (fourth solo) mixtape by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on September 14, 2010, via Top Dawg Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Dash Snow, Jhené Aiko, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Ash Riser, Dom Kennedy and Murs, among others. The album's production was handled by several TDE in-house producers, including King Blue, Sounwave, Tae Beast and Willie B; other producers such as Tommy Black,Jairus "J-Mo" Mozee, and Wyldfyer, also contributed production.” – Wiki

Item description:        

A TAV Essential Listening Album.

““I wanted to make a record that would be weird forever.”  — Kid Koala

Part radio play, part comedy, all turntables… and next to no beats!  Carpal Tunnel Syndrome includes the hits “Barhopper 1,”  “Barhopper  2,” and “Drunk Trumpet,” as well as the Thom Yorke-approved “Like Irregular Chickens.”” – Kid Koala

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the first album by turntablist Kid Koala.

The track "Like Irregular Chickens" is a reference to fellow Ninja Tune artist Amon Tobin's track "Like Regular Chickens" on the album Permutation, which itself references the David Lynch film Eraserhead. – Wiki

“"Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was not an easy record to make," says Kid Koala, erupting into one of his trademark peals of laughter. It's a fair point, too. First, there was the pressure of being signed to his dream label, Ninja Tune; then the fact that he told them he'd deliver an album in six months. Four years later, he handed in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - possibly the weirdest artist album the label had put out, and for them that's saying something.

It runs at just over half an hour, but takes the listener on a timeless and phantasmagorical journey through the mind and record collection of this celebrated Canadian turntablist and producer.

The striking thing about it is that it was made almost entirely by hand-cutting vinyl records onto an eight-track recorder. No computer splicing or looping was used to arrange it, and no samplers were employed to trigger the hundreds of records that were assembled to piece the tracks together.

"None of these tracks are songs," says Kid Koala. "They were more inspired by the Monty Python mantra of, 'Now for something completely different', or the sketches from The Muppet Show. That's what was informing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, more than me making some type of dancefloor destroyer or something. It was much more on the topic of it being an adventure in sound and records."

The results were staggeringly good. Not that Kid Koala likes to blow his own trumpet. In fact, at the time, he was riddled with self-doubt over his attempt to be an artist.

"The sample that rings truest for that whole era in my life is at the end of A Night At The Nufonia and says, 'And that, of course, is what he deserved for pretending to be a musician when he was only a butcher' [laughs].

"I wanted to make this album purely on turntables, so the question was, can this be musical? I had to wrestle with that throughout. At times, it did break through and transcend that realm, and go into a place where I could see it as a future."” – Music Radar

“Koala makes it easy for listeners to follow the transformation of his source material into totally different creations, and builds some deceptively dense, layered tracks; plus, his explosive scratching (best heard on "A Night at the Nufonia") is the equivalent of a guitar shredder soloing. His infectious sense of fun is simply a gateway to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome's readily apparent musical sophistication. All in all, a superb and accessible introduction to a specialist art form.” – AlMusic

About Kid Koala:

Kid Koala is a world-renowned scratch DJ, music producer, and award winning graphic novelist. He has released four solo albums on Ninja Tune the most recent being 12 bit Blues. He has also released two graphic novels: Nufonia Must Fall and Space Cadet. He has also been involved in collaborations such as Gorillaz, Deltron 3030, and The Slew.

Kid Koala has toured with the likes of Radiohead, the Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire, Money Mark, A Tribe Called Quest, Mike Patton, DJ Shadow, and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He has contributed to scores for the films Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Looper and The Great Gatsby. He has composed music for The National Film Board of Canada, the Cartoon Network, Sesame Street, and Adult Swim. He has also been commissioned to create music for runway shows for Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten. Kid Koala’s unforgettable live shows range from silly touring turntable carnivals like Short Attention Span Theater (featuring turntable bingo) and Vinyl Vaudeville (including puppets and dancers) to quiet-time events like Music To Draw To and his Space Cadet Headphone Experience. – KidKoala.com

Item description: