RAP / HIP-HOP

Last August marked the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hip-Hop and we continue to honor the artists and albums that had a significant impact on the culture. In partnership with Sony's CERTIFIED, we are following up on our RSD reissue of BDP's Edutainment and KRS-One's Return of the Boom Bap with a...

Lyrically gifted, socially aware, and politically insightful, Talib Kweli is one of the most influential hip-hop artists of the last 25 years. His early collaborative albums with Mos Def and Hi-Tek were among the most important releases in the genesis of modern rap, forging a future for...

Fillmore district,San Francisco in full effect!!!! This banger EP finally on vinyl! 210 copies on 180gr. vinyl!

Known for classic collaborative albums with artists like J Dilla, MF DOOM, and Freddie Gibbs, widely celebrated producer Madlib is a sampling savant who has crafted beats for the likes of Erykah Badu, Anderson .Paak, Tyler The Creator, Logic, De La Soul, and many more. The California artist's...

Illmatic, the 1994 studio debut of Nasir "Nas" Jones, was more than just a critical success for the Queensbridge-based rapper. At a time when East Coast hip-hop was increasingly being taken less seriously than their West Coast counterparts, Illmatic's raw jazz and soul-based production, dire...

Thirty years ago Nasir "Nas" Jones dropped Illmatic which is regarded by many as the greatest hip-hop album of all time. Before 1994, Nas (under the name "Nasty Nas") was rapping and making demo tapes with LargeProfessor, and in 1991 performed an unforgettable verse on Main Source's "Live at the...

Planet Asia and 38 Spesh is that team-up fans didn't know theyneeded until they got it. When Trust The Chain dropped in 2020,heads were afforded a dose of the antidote. While Asia is alwaysnice on the mic, he was in rare form over Spesh's soulful production.So, it should come as no surprise that...

Few artists are ever as controversial as they are influential. New York legend R.A. The Rugged Man has lived up to this billing by combining the authenticity of his undeniably rugged life with undisputed mic skills. Among the most gifted lyricists hip-hop has ever seen, R.A. burst onto the scene...

The contributions of the late Detroit producer James DeWitt Yancey - better known to the world as J Dilla- to the world of hip-hop can't be overstated, and nowhere is his legacy more apparent than his work as a member of Slum Village. A founding member of the trio, (Alongside rappers T3 and Baatin)...

Flying Objects is the new collaborative project from indie heavyweights Smoke DZA and Flying Lotus - featuring Black Thought (The Roots/Jimmy Fallon), Estelle, Conway The Machine, and more.Smoke DZA is a popular independent rapper from New York City who has worked with Big K.R.I.T., Wiz Khalifa,...

Teflon's much-anticipated new album, 2 Sides to Every Story, is a celebratory moment for the Brooklyn native, who burst onto the scene as part of M.O.P.'s First Family during the late '90s New York rap scene. Following contractual headaches and some time away from the game, the acclaimed emcee is...