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16 new tracks from indy hip hop's top cat, ex-Little Brother producer 9th Wonder. This time around 9th is joined by a whole slew of recognizable names, including Mos Def, Jean Grae, Memphis Bleek, DJ Premier ("Brooklyn In My Mind(1)"), Little Brother...
expand review ("No Time To Chill(2)"), Sean Price ("Shots(3)"), Saigon ("Saved(4)"), Black Moon ("Backlash(5)"), Camp Lo ("The Milky Lowa(6)"), Royce The 5' 9", Strange Fruit Project and more. Also includes two exclusive bonus songs, "Special (Remix)" and "You Wanna." 18 tracks total; double vinyl. -Larri Byrd
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Five years after dropping his solo debut, Ak is back with his sophomore LP! One of the top MCs ever to emerge from Boston (Dorchestah, to be exact) is now inked with Fat Beats, and he's got a whole squad of top-notch...
expand review producers and guests behind him for Absolute Value. First single "Put Ya Stamp On It(1)" sports some string-y production from Dilla and a verse from Kweli, riding Mr. Yancey's ever tuff drums. 9th Wonder and Little Brother continue the Boston/NYC collab on "Be Prepared(2)," Da Beatminerz lace up the skratchy ska-tempo beat to "Soul Glo(3)," and J-Zone sounds like an indy Just Blaze on the fiery title track(4). Meanwhile, Ak trades lines with Cypress Hill's B-Real on "A To The K(5)," ex-Bostonian Mr. Lif on "Beast Mode(6)" and the one and only Chuck D on "Kindred." Also features guest spots from Bumpy Knuckles and Willie Evans Jr., plus production by Illmind, Fakts One, Therapy and Tzarizm. 15 tracks; double vinyl. -Chris Lemon-Red
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This brand new single from Akrobatik is packing quite a punch. Check the credits on this, it's like a dream team of hip hop. You got Detroit's legendary J-Dilla (R.I.P.) providing the beats for Boston's finest alongside Talib Kweli on "Put Ya...
expand review Stamp On It(1)." The rhymes are rough as they get for conscious hip hop and Dilla's beat is awesome as expected. Add on cuts by DJ Jayceeoh from The Masters and it’s a rap! And for the true Dilla fans, the instrumental is included. New mobbing fodder for days. "Be Prepared(2)" on the flip is just as hard with 9th Wonder on beats and Ak rhyming alongside Detroit's Little Brother. Perfect new mobbing material to wake your ass up while driving! Instrumental included for that one also. If you like this, keep a look out for his "Absolute Value" LP dropping soon. -C'mish
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Aloe Blacc comes with his second single on the ever open-minded Stones Throw label. Aloe really goes in to win on this single. He handles all the production and offers a little bit for everyone. The title track(1) is...
expand review a broken beat soul number with some really sincere, I don't give a fu*k about reviewers trying to categorize my sound type vocals over the top. The second song, "Patria Mia(2)" is a powerful tribute to Panama, his homeland, heart and soul from the sounds of things. I have been playing this song at various dj spots for the last couple of weeks and it never fails to get at least one person up to the turntables asking what it is. "Evildoers(3)" closes out the selection with a squiggle-bass soul-shot that shows the range as Aloe sings and raps with total control. This is a very exciting glimpse of what's to come on his soon to be released full length. All three instrumentals included. -Telekinetic Kat
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New tracks from your boy, Atmosphero! If you like Strictly Leakage, the full album they gave away on their website last Christmas, you'll be glad to hear these new singles from his forthcoming album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That...
expand review Shit Gold. I like the direction he's taking with these new tracks. It's the same lyricsm as you'd expect from the midwest poet, but with some new beats. The slump groove on "Shoulda Known(1)" plays the foundation for his soulful delivery 'bout lovin the "bad" girl. Also check the awesome beat, or lack of beat I should say, on "Guaranteed(2)." First of all, the guitar work is great and Atmosphere rhyming over it is a bold move. It's like hearing Atmosphere Unplugged. If you like this, get prepared for his epic new album. I heard it comes with a 40 page hardcover book of a children's story written by Slug! -C'mish
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Folks had been telling us about Black Milk for a minute, about how he's from Detroit and he's the new Dilla and all that, but it's hard not to be skeptical of anyone with "the new ___" as their claim to fame....
expand review Turns out folks are just dumb and Black Milk is actually pretty dope! This new EP from our homies Fat Beats features 8 fresh tracks with Black producing everything and sharing mic time with some guests. D12's Mr. Porter shows up on "Keep It Live(1)" sounding like Detroit's answer to Redman, and that's not a bad thing. T3 and Dilla associate Phat Kat spit on "Danger(2)," whose stuttering beat gives an idea of how good BM's production can be when he's on. But Black's best beat is the soul-sampling "U's A Freak Bitch(3)," which actually does sound like he could be the new Dilla. Pretty impressive stuff. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Full set of instrumentals from Black Milk's debut LP on Fat Beats on double vinyl. The fourth side includes the full instrumentals from Black's Broken Wax EP. 19 tracks total. -Larri Byrd
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While everybody was jumping up and down to Definition, heads on the know were feeling Respiration. NY was on top of it, goin berserk at Summer Stage when the beat dropped. One of the best choruses of the year and Common giving...
expand review power to the three position like Shawn Marion. Flying High Remix on the b-side with instrumentals. -the mgmnt
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The fourth album from Lab favorite Count Bass D (didn't know he had an album on Sony in 95?). Count's albums are more like sketchbooks, he mixes up rough instrumentals and off-the-cuff rhymes with more polished material. He even gets into...
expand review singing here (think hip-hop lounge singer in Fort Greene bar). It's really candid stuff, you can picture Count in his basement tapping out the beats on his MPC making random track changes on the fly. For all the beatheads and producers, Count has always been known to uncover some of the tastiest unused loops... the album is chock full of em. This endeavor is 20 tracks deep, for a diverse sampling, check "Case O Dilla(1), Tradin Whore Stories(2), False Or True(3), Half The Fun(4), No Time For Fakin(5)," and "Junkies(6)." Double vinyl. -the mgmnt
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C.R.A.C. (pronounced "Crass") is the new duo featuring two hotly tipped Sound In Color affiliates, Detroit beatmaker Ta'raach and LA MC Blu. "Bullet Through Me(1)" is their first outing and it alternately calls to mind the trippy fuzzy guitar and melodies of...
expand review Prince, Pharrell's falsetto and those trademark dirty Detroit drums. B-side features the (somewhat) more straight forward "Major Way(2)," plus instrumental and acapella versions for "Bullet." I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but I like it. -Chris Lemon-Red
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This single dropped in France back in 2005, but with Para One blowing up and Dabaaz's album finally ready, we're thinking it's still a safe bet. Proceed directly to the B-side here for the Para One-produced "Le Da(1)," which is bound to...
expand review grab you whether you appreciate its farting, off-kilter electro beat or Dabaaz's swaggering Frenchy flow. Disque Primeur's own Drixxxe gets behind the boards for the A-side, "Explose(2)," a fireworks-sampling beast of a track which firmly places Dabaaz on the same Euro-crunk level as his countrymen, TTC. (And I mean that in a good way.) Includes instrumentals for both tracks. -Chris Lemon-Red
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LAB US EXCLUSIVO. Import-only pic sleeve 12" featuring two of the biggest tunes from Dabaaz's new full-length. A-Trak gets behind the boards for "Regarde-Les(1)," scratching up a Clipse sample and crafting yet another ridiculously infectious beat. Flipside features the Drixxxe-produced "Tu Veux...
expand review La Guerre?(2)" - the term "Eurocrunk" kinda makes me wanna shoot my face, but this is pulled off so nicely, it doesn't feel like a joke. Totally dark, Dirty South style production. DJ Paul & Juice would be proud. Includes instrumentals for both tracks. Limited stock. Recommended. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Before dropping the Grey Album and making every critic's year-end list, DJ Danger Mouse released three remix EPs that we carried for a little while. I say "little while" because whenever they were restocked, they immediately sold out like Pure Hot Fire....
expand review Much like that damn Amerie single (PHF of right now), people would constantly call or come in the store, pestering us for more Danger Mouse, and someone finally saw fit to respond to the overwhelming demand by releasing a kind of "Best Of" from those three EPs. While I'm currently of the "Mash Up Needs To Get Shot Out of a Canon" mentality, I must admit that the Nas/Portishead(1) and the Audio Two/Air(2) remixes are two of the finer moments the genre has offered so far, and still sound remarkably well put together four years after the fact. Pick it up now, late-comers. Other mashes include "Tom's Diner" over "In Da Club(3)," Outkast's "Whole World" over Funkadelic(4), and Xzibit over Radiohead's "Karma Police(5)." -the Woodman
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If Blu Jemz' recent observation is correct, then the beats are back. And this downtempo record should already be in your cart. Dday One produced the cult classic Loop Extensions in 2005, now he's back with another long player (dude doesn't like...
expand review singles?) that's competing again for the title. If you miss that boom-bap - Memphix - early MoWax - DJ Shadow bonus beats - dusty sample stuff - this is definitely for you. Checkout: "Terminal 86(1), From Heritage(2), Omega Point(3), Burning Alone(4), Dying Heart(5)," and "Price of Freedom(6)." If there's one complaint about this, it's that he brings too many beats(?), I'm tired. High quality double vinyl pressing with a nice thick matte cover. -the mgmnt
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Tres Record's DJ Alibi delivers the proper single from his similarly titled full-length. When I mean proper, he's got the original version(1), a new remix version(2) with added verses from J-Live, its instrumental and acapella, and a 12"-only cut "Ecology(3)"... all encased...
expand review in a handsome matte sleeve. To rewind a bit, "One Day" is that summery, buttery beatology. Beautiful guitar chords and smooth percussion embody the 60s west coast sound, all sunshine and breezes. For the remix, Alibi beefs up the track with stuttering hip-hop drums, and damn if J-Live sounds like he's spitting back in 99. "Ecology" is a perfect closer, it reminds me of DJ Day's weighty productions. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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"Go Left(1)" is another piece of great, break-driven production from Bay Area native E Da Boss, this time featuring the new backpack superteam Underdogs, aka Gift of Gab & Lateef. The remix from Exile(2) hits pretty hard too, but his fuzzy bass...
expand review and dirty drums have nothing on the clean sound of the original. On the flip, E's back behind the boards for a team-up with Bicasso of Living Legends crew on "Banana Split(3)." It's "a West Coast party track... specially designed for the ladies." Hrmm. Anyway, there's a main mix, instrumental, acapella
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