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Wow, haven't had an Eminem record come through here in a while. These are original, deadstock copies from 1998. Arguably the blanco bullet that started it all, "My Name Is(1)" still has that grating bite today. Includes the Dr. Dre produced original...
expand review and the acapella. Limited stock. -the mgmnt
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God this was the hardest song in the world to find when it first came out. Absolute perfect Large Professor beat, and one of those tracks that falls into the "does anybody even remember what the original sounds like" category. The kind...
expand review of thing that got me super hyped for summertime nights and tugging at bra straps, sort of a pre-"Regulators" dudes anthem. But no single, no cd, not even the White Man Can't Jump soundtrack like it was supposed to be. I think it was the end of Wild Pitch, the end of Main Source and during the time when vinyl took a major production dip. Anyway, it's a great 12" track that's turned up a couple times on import joints like this over the years, but they don't last long. Instrumental included. -the mgmnt
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One of Pun's last hits, this is still an Uptown anthem that makes em shake beyond the PR day parade. For "It's So Hard(1)" he flips a faux-cutesy flow to match those tinkling little keys, while laying down lyrics that are nothing...
expand review but serious. Addictive AND smart- the mark of a true craftsman I say. They need an edit for the part where he goes "I just lost a hundred pounds, I'm trying to live!" though. Includes acapella and the b-side "Leatherface." -the mgmnt
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Deluxe, double vinyl import reissue of the classic third De La Soul album. It's one of those rare records you don't even have to think about skipping tracks on (these don't seem to exist anymore). Everybody even knows the Japanese group's verse...
expand review on "Long Island Wildin(1)." The guests on here work perfectly, especially Maceo Parker laying down something beautiful on the instrumental "I Be Blowin(2)." The flipside's sleeper hit "I Am I Be(3)" echoes Maceo and balances the whole album, providing counter weight to the amped "Ego Trippin(4)" and "Eye Patch(5)." 16 tracks. -the mgmnt
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Rashid Lynn Jr. returns from the land of Lincoln Navigators and Zune ads for album number eight (damn!) with the Neptunes backing him on 7 of the 10 tracks. Can't front on the "Planet Rock"-biting title single(1) or Kanye on the hook...
expand review of the chillout "Punch Drunk Love(2)" - Com, Chad and Pharrell clearly have some nice outer space/Soulquarian chemistry in the lab, as you can hear on stuff like "Announcement(3)." Even the non-Neps tunes are kinda fire, like "Make My Day(4)" with Cee-Lo on the hook and Mr. DJ on the bouncy Dangermouse-y beat. Also check "Gladiator(5)" and "Everywhere(6)," which features with former Tricky and Diplo collaborator Martina Topley-Bird. Double vinyl; 10 tracks. -Van Hammersly
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Woah, KAWS doing artwork for a Kanye West record? Yep, it's true - the man puts his distinct style all over the original art for 808s & Heartbreak for this super deluxe vinyl edition. In addition to the sharp KAWS-designed triple gatefold...
expand review jacket, the set also includes a double-sided poster (one side: Kanye + KAWS doodles, other side: Kanye with moms), a fold-out lyric sheet, the full album on two LPs, plus a CD version for your iPodding convenience. Includes the singles "Love Lockdown(1)" and "Heartless(2)," plus "Welcome To Heartbreak(3)" with Kid Cudi, "Amazing(4)" with Jeezy and "See You In My Nightmares(5)" with Lil Wayne. Extremely limited pressing - act quick, we never even saw the vinyl for Graduation in here (if it exists?). Recommended. -Van Hammersly
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Limited test press of the Kid Cudi remix everyone's been clamoring for. Previously only available as a download, Italian duo Crookers'(1) stuttering, air-raid siren-sounding mix of the new indy rap stoner anthem "Day N Nite" sounds even nicer on wax, and here's...
expand review it's buoyed by a trio of equally effective dancefloor versions. Bimbo Jones(2) brings a nice tech-y house version with a killer piano breakdown, and the flip includes the Jokers of the Scene(3) mix which was on the original (now out-of-print) Fool's Gold 12" as well as a Mobin Master(4) mix which is pretty similar to the Crookers version (not a bad thing). Get 'em while they're hot. Recommended. -Van Hammersly
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Spiffy deflated balloon pic disc for the first single off Kanye's Auto-Tune overload album. Really can't front on this one - the way the track shifts between the quiet, key-driven verses and thumping tribal drums in the hook, plus Ye's vocals just...
expand review kill. Money. Track repeats on both sides. Plays at 45. -Van Hammersly
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These picture covers are fucking awesome: another import joint, another blank b-side with etching. This is the kind of stuff that makes buying vinyl so so rewarding. "Smiling Faces(1)" is definitely one of the better joints on the album, and what with...
expand review the Gnarls internet fanboy/hateboy phenomenon petering out, I think it's even safe to say you like this shit again. Actually los too cool guys can eat it cause I've always been riding for Cee-Lo. Dangerman, not so much, but this is good pop music that feels like it's gonna be around for a while. You also get the "Go Go Gadget Gospel(2)" and the "Smiling" instrumental. -the mgmnt
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Deadstock find, limited copies."Back up in D&D for this Primo track." B-side wins again! This is up there on the post-Hard to Earn Premier production list. Chop beats and skratch choruses never sounded so good. Jay's best (real) hip-hop song since his...
expand review last Primo collabo (A Million and One Questions), "So Ghetto" truly exhibits Jay's gusto and word play. A-side features the club-set segueway track "Do It Again (Throw Your Hands Up)." Instrumentals for both. -the mgmnt
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Perennial lab favorites Cousin Cole and Pocketknife are back with another round of white label remixes. Pocketknife leads off this time, adding his touch to Scandinavian indie darling Lykke Li's "Breaking It Up(1)." Pknife layers hand claps, tambourines and snare...
expand review rolls together to give the track a strobelight makeover, and the result is fantastic moody disco that's perfect for this time of year. On the flip, Cuz Cole offers up not one but two Kanye remixes. First up is "Love Lockdown(2)," which gets put through the disco-house machine and comes out the other side with swirling strings and filters galore. This one's already getting lots of play from A-Trak (who's said it's the only "Love Lockdown" remix he fucks with), Bird Peterson and Willy Joy, among others. Also includes Cole's sped up hip-house take on Kanye's "Champion(3)." Hand-stamped white label pressing, limited to 900 copies world wide. Recommended. -Hires
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Looking at my Gucci it's about that time... Philadelphia stand up! "Gucci Time(1)" was originally a b-side to 1985's "PSK." Heads might have liked the relentless drum cascade of "PSK" but with the urban bootleg luxury brand explosion of 80s...
expand review (yes, there was such a thing, check an EPMD cover), "Gucci Time" hit the hall of fame first. Got to give to Schoolly too, he was one of the first hip-hop hustlers, creating a producer alias under his government name. -the mgmnt
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This is a real bit of hip-hop nerdery. The only place you'll find this Ultramagnetic track is on Red Alert's 1987 compilation Red Alert Goes Berserk. During the height of hip-hop collecting, the track appeared on a Japanese-only promo 7" (with a...
expand review slightly different outtro), pushing the track to near mythical status (not to mention the rumored 4 verse unreleased version). Same program on both sides. -the mgmnt
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Nifty 7" reissue of the first Main Source single. The 1989 original 12" (released on the group's own Actual Records) is a pretty big record amongst hip-hop collectors, but this 7" just feels right for some reason. Maybe it's the bouncy Paul...
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