Hip-Hop News

WE DON'T TRUST YOU feierte die historische Partnerschaft zweier kulturverändernder Legenden auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer Kräfte und brachte das Internet fast zum Beben. Die neueste Zusammenarbeit von Future und Metro Boomin ist die Fortsetzung eines musikalischen Vermächtnisses, das bis zu "Karate Chop" zurückreicht, einer elektrischen Single aus dem Jahr 2013, die das dynastischste Hip-Hop-Duo der 2010er Jahre hervorbrachte. Mit Tracks wie "Jumpman" (mit Drake) aus dem Jahr 2015 und "Mask Off" aus dem Jahr 2017, Singles, die zusammen von der RIAA mit 14-fachem Platin ausgezeichnet wurden, haben sie ihre Verbindung weiter gefestigt. WE DON'T TRUST YOU enthält den Track "Like That" feat. Kendrick Lamar sowie weitere "A-List"-Gastbeiträge.

Repress !

The long-awaited reissue of the best ever album of rare Eastern and psychedelic Jazz music by this famous Hungarian guitarist
Gabor Szabo, originally released in 1968. For the first time as extended edition with 2 bonus tracks: radio versions of Fire Dance
/ Ferris Wheel from the 1969 7” single 7”. Deluxe 8-sided Digipak CD and Gatefold Vinyl come with long, exclusively written
inner notes by the famous researcher and biographer Douglas Payne. Remastered by Martin Bowes at Cage Studios (UK).
Gabor Szabo was one of the most original guitarists to emerge in the 1960s, mixing his Hungarian folk music heritage with a deep
love of jazz and crafting a distinctive, largely self-taught sound. Born in Budapest, on March 8, 1936, Szabo was inspired by a Roy
Rogers cowboy movie to begin playing guitar when he was 14 and often played in dinner clubs and covert jam sessions while still
living in his hometown. He escaped from his country at age 20 on the eve of the Communist uprising and eventually made his way
to America, settling with his family in California.
He attended Berklee College (1958-1960) and in 1961 joined Chico Hamilton's innovative quintet featuring Charles Lloyd. Urged
by Hamilton, Szabo crafted a most distinctive sound; as agile on intricate, nearly-free runs as he was able to sound inspired during
melodic passages. Szabo left the Hamilton group in 1965 to leave his mark on the pop-jazz of the Gary McFarland quintet and the
energy music of Charles Lloyd's fiery and underrated quartet featuring Ron Carter and Tony Williams.
Szabo initiated a solo career in 1966, recording the exceptional album, Spellbinder, which yielded many inspired moments and
"Gypsy Queen," the song Santana turned into a huge hit in 1970. Szabo formed an innovative quintet (1967-1969) featuring the
brilliant, classically trained guitarist Jimmy Stewart and recorded many notable albums during the late '60s. The emergence of
rock music (especially George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix) found Szabo experimenting with feedback and more
commercially oriented forms of jazz.
During the '70s, Szabo regularly performed along the West Coast, hypnotizing audiences with his enchanting, spellbinding style.
From 1970, he locked into a commercial groove, even though records like Mizrab occasionally revealed his seamless jazz, pop,
Gypsy, Indian, and Asian fusions. Szabo had revisited his homeland several times during the '70s, finding opportunities to perform
brilliantly with native talents. He was hospitalized during his final visit and died in 1982, just short of his 46th birthday.

Not that Gloucester’s finest Andrew Gillespie needs any introduction, yet we need to talk a little about Dolly James, the great singer featured in this song. Dolly and Andrew met at a local recording/rehearsal studio in 2012 or 2013 where Dolly was rehearsing with her then band Soular UK. Andrew joined them on congas/percussion for a one off gig in Cheltenham and wasted no time in asking Dolly do the vocals for a song that he had just written ( Keep On Doin’ What Your Doin’ ) which was influenced by the Salsoul records disco sound and may take on that style. Andrew Gillespie started off recording as The Aries Vibration ( one self released 45) in 2009 then Gillespie & Co ( various 45 releases, La Glosta Nostra (one 45 release) as well as doing session musician work for labels from California to Switzerland and UK (Discgogs for full history ). Dolly has had a long and successful career as backing singer for the likes of Matt Bianco, Van Morrison, Mick Hucknall and many others. Tesla’s very own Alberto has additionally produced the flipside.

Six Nine Records Ltd. UK proudly presents two brand new mixes of the Golden Bridge tunes “Wouldn’t Be The Same” and “I Can Prove It” (an excellent updated version of Tony Etoria’s 70s modern soul track), where Matt Antunes delivers vocals on the first and Leon Beal on the latter.

Both tracks originates from the first (and so far only) full lengthalbum from 2019 by the duo consisting of Monolog (Yukihiro Kanesaka) and
T-Groove (Yuki Takahashi) and are hereby released on 7” vinyl for the
first time ever.

Definitely not to be missed as it is a limited UK press with full colour
printed picture cover!

Gravediggaz: "Digging graves of the mentally dead and resurrecting their state of unawareness and ignorance." Frukwan describes the meaning of the group's name. Helping give birth to hip-hop’s subgenre of Horrorcore and one of hip-hop's first supergroups, Gravediggaz were born at a time when all four members were at low points in their careers. Already one of hip-hop’s most legendary producers, Prince Paul was at a crossroads in his career resulting in experimenting with darker sounding beats. He recruited a young soon to be legendary producer RZA, who was at a different type of crossroads in his career, not having the best experiences with various labels and before going on to start the global phenomenon that is The Wu-Tang Clan. Also added were Frukwan, a former member of Stetsasonic with Paul, and Too Poetic, a young MC navigating his way in the game after creating underground buzz with his 2 brothers and their short lived group the Brothers Grym and before his unfortunate death from colon cancer. The four transformed themselves into The Undertaker (Paul), The RZArector (RZA), The Gatekeeper (Frukwan) and The Grym Reaper (Too Poetic) to form Gravediggaz. On 6 Feet Deep the group utilize horror-themed imagery and lyrics combined with black comedy and satire to vent their frustrations with the hip-hop record industry. Singles "Diary of a Madman," "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" and "1-800 Suicide" lead an onslaught of tracks which The Quietus writer David Bennun described as "a then novel means of addressing black life at street level and finding a new way of getting that message across". Production is mostly handled by Paul with RZA handling a few tracks. Highly regarded and still sought after, this pressing comes in a premium gatefold jacket with only 2000 of this classic available.

2023 repress - Splatter Vinyl

Ende September 2017 veröffentlicht Iglooghost sein Debütalbum 'Neo Wax Bloom', zwei Jahre nach seinem Einstand als Teenager, der - Chinese Nü Year' EP, auf Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder Label. Darauf dokumentierten vier Tracks die abenteuerlichen Zeitreisen eines wurmartigen Wesens aus Gelatine namens - Xianhjiao'. Diese Geschichte wird nun auf 'Neo Wax Bloom' weitererzählt: zwei gigantische Augäpfel prallen unerwartet auf die mysteriöse Welt Mamu. Über die elf Tracks baut Iglooghost einen typisch intensiven, hysterischen und vollkommen durchgeknallten Soundtrack auf, bei dem er neue Charaktere in seine fantastische Welt einführt und außerdem seine alten Freunde Mr. Yote und Cuushe zurückholt.

Welcome to NOPE23. Created by Jaguar Skills. Born from his love of underground Hip-Hop, Funk and Soul, ‘The Savage Planet’ by Jaguar Skills is his label’s first broadcast.

Utilising a band of experienced musicians to create the project, ‘The Savage Planet’ is 8 tracks, 23 minutes and 23 seconds of experimental Hip-Hop Funk, interwoven with official adverts and soundbites direct from the NOPE23 vault.

Featuring the vocal skills of rapper Crimeapple (Soul Assassins), New York MC Johnny Storm, guitar legend Simon Katz (Jamiroquai/ Gorillaz), renowned bass player Zoltan (Erka Badu), flautist Rowen Harwood, alongside the beat alchemist himself; Jaguar Skills.

‘The Savage Planet’ confirms once again, that Jaguar Skills is not of planet Earth.

Stay tuned for more fly sh*t.

NOPE23. For freaks and pencil necked geeks.

Before MF DOOM donned his mask and became one of the most prolific MC-producers of modern Hip-Hop, he was a member of KMD, an early ‘90s rap group whose work still goes criminally under-appreciated to this day.

Following their 1991 debut album, Mr. Hood, the former trio shed one member leaving only two remaining – Subroc and his brother, Zev Love X (better known today as MF DOOM). Originally scheduled for release in 1994, their sophomore album Black Bastards showed clear progression from their debut. It was a truly amazing record, both sonically and lyrically, full of youthful creativity and tinged with the stresses of growing up as Black men in urban America. Songs like the lead single “What A N*gga Know”, the slippery, bass-driven “Get U Now”, and the album’s title track explore Black consciousness viewed through young-but-experienced eyes. Musically alternating between bouncy and raw – many times both, concurrently – the tracks gave the MC’s the springboard they needed to express themselves clearly.

Sadly, Subroc would face a sudden and untimely death in 1993, just as the duo were finishing the album. Grief-stricken, his brother Zev Love X – now the sole remaining member of the group – was determined to carry the legacy of KMD onward, but Elektra Records unceremoniously shelved the project in the eleventh hour, due to controversy surrounding the album’s provocative cover art. Following the fallout with Elektra, Zev tried for years to release the album on other labels, but he was continually met with dead ends. Struggling through the pain of losing his brother, coupled with the inability to release their final project together, a discouraged Zev Love X quietly withdrew from the scene and began quietly plotting his revenge on an industry that had broken him spiritually. Thus, in order to understand the true origin story of the super-villain, MF DOOM, one must recognize and appreciate the evolution of his former group, KMD, and the backstory of their pivotal album, Black Bastards.

For his twelfth studio album, Pianissimo, Matthias Vogt (re:jazz, Motorcitysoul) makes a clear political statement in symbiosis with his well-placed notes and the stylishly experimental and pronouncedly eclectic electro-jazz sound. Pianissimo does not only mean playing very softly but also playing very intensively. It is definitely not an album to skip through.

Matthias Vogt combines great music with current socio-political attitudes and issues for this new album. He conducted interviews on topics like “climate change” with people from his circle of friends and acquaintances - creatives, artists, activists and musicians who tick similarly to himself and with whose voices he could give expression and form to his own thoughts. With this material, he created this hybrid piece of music and socio-political reflexion.

His companions are Demian Kappenstein (ÄTNA & Massa) on drums & guitarist Daniel Stelter (Sing mein Song, TV-Total Heavytones). Vinyl incl. the outer packaging will be produced on a completely recycled basis by INFRACom! which starts its 30 years celebration with this release.

10 tracks filled with the soothing vocals from one of the most interesting voices around today Swedish born singer Natalie Gardiner. blue broken soulful vibes producer by RMJC.. Sweet sweet music!!!

20 years in the sound system game, 20 years of musical back-catalogue, 20 years setting fire to dance floors and elaborating their unique dub sound heavily soaked in reggae and bass music. Since the 70s, much like reggae, dub has been through non-stop mutations leaving its impact on the course of music evolution, and O.B.F Sound System are spearheading the genre’s recent growth; a style born from the underground that has discretely influenced the development of electronic music. Straight outta the French Alps, stemming from the core of Geneva’s alternative scene, one of the most warrior sound systems of the continent has established itself as an irresistible magnetic phenomenon.

On “LAVA” O.B.F continue their sonic ascension. Reaching a new milestone in their endless quest in dub music, unmistakably forward-thinking and bursting with modern influences. At the crossroads between contemporary urban sounds, bass music, club music and dancehall, LAVA's dub is heavy, undiluted. No half-stepping, O.B.F demonstrate how they whip up sound matter, how they fry up music in order to make big sound systems smoke.

‘LAVA’ is the O.B.F crew in fusion; consisting of its stellar team of MCs and renown solo- producer Rico; together concocting spontaneous studio eruptions. It’s the raw energy of a tight-knit family, a collection of 16 tracks of pure volcanic matter slapped onto wax. One after another or as a duo Belén Natalí (Argentina), Charlie P (UK), Sr. Wilson (Spain), Junior Roy (France) and the late great dub poet Nazamba (Jamaica) take turns blowing fire into the microphone. English, French, Jamaican Patois and Spanish collide, affirming O.B.Fs transnational identity.

An uncontrollable crew that controls the dance, their unity, clashes, sweaty sound system sessions are all put together into one project. O.B.F paint their vision onto a range of musical canvases; "LAVA" brazenly portrays new facets of one of the most exciting dub sounds in existence: the O.B.F Sound. Ah O.B.F ting dis!

Snoop Dogg’s fourth studio album, No Limit Top Dogg, debuted on May 11, 1999, under No Limit Records and Priority Records. Working alongside renowned producers like Dr. Dre, Dj Quik, G-One, Jelly Roll, Bud’da, and Meech Wells, they created the signature West Coast G-Funk sound that is synonymous with Snoop Dogg. The album reached the #1 spot on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Featuring hit singles ‘Buck’em’ (featuring Sticky Fingaz), ‘Down 4 My N’s’ (featuring C-Murder and Magic), and ‘Bitch Please’ (featuring Xzibit).

a a1 Dolomite Intro (Voice Uncredited – Dolomite)



e a5 Dolomite (Voice Uncredited – Dolomite)

a a1 Dolomite Intro (Voice [Uncredited] – Dolomite)



[e] a5 Dolomite (Voice [Uncredited] – Dolomite)

There’s no room for chance in the beats of Spectacular Diagnostics. Every movie dialogue, every loop, and every tiniest of sample serves a clear purpose. Layers of sound unfold a new world to explore, carefully put together like an archeologist excavating old records—a theme more literally hinted at with the title of his previous album, ‘Ancient Methods.’

On ‘Raw Lessons,’ that focused, detailed approach also shows in the rigorous selection of emcees the Chicago-based producer works with. The features are a snapshot of today’s supernova of an independent scene. From Wrecking Crew and Backwoodz affiliates Curly Castro and PremRock, to the distinct signatures of Fatboi Sharif and Bruiser Wolf. The UK is well represented with features by

SonnyJim, King Kashmere, CLBRKS, Lee Scott & Bisk, and long-time collaborator Kid Acne. Two of the earliest Big Dada signees in the late-90s—Juice Aleem and Mike Ladd—close the album as two contemporaries who paved the way for much of the forward-thinking

2022 Repress

Tapper Zukie still asking the questions and stating the facts that few artists of his calibre would attain to.His classic Dee-Jay style has been copied by many but bettered by few.Over some of his killer rhythms that he previously worked up while producing fellow roots groups such as ‘Prince Allah’, ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Junior Ross and the Spears’.
Alongside some fresh rhythms, he has taken these as a backbone to some further questions and biblical reasoning that needed answering.
Tapper tells it as it is on this mighty collection of tunes put together under the name ’X is Wrong’.
This is the first time this set of remarkable tracks have seen a proper release only previously being available as a download from Tapper’s website.
A great set of songs that finally get the release they deserve….
Hope you enjoy the set….

You know it's a guarantee when we welcome back the legendary Breakbeat Junkie to represent the 14th installment of the Toxic Funk series that things will be all about the Party rocking Breaks!

The Breakbeat Junkie has been around since the early nu funk days as a solo producer and as part of the dynamic duo Second Hand Audio, who has dropped various classic releases on both BBP and the Ghetto Funk label.

Toxic Funk Vol. 14 features 2 golden funky cuts from the beat master, which will be sure to get the party rocking anywhere its dropped.

Lately The Breakbeat Junkie has been stable with his bootleg jams on Craig Charles Funk and Soul show on BBCand we know these cuts will go down perfect with the big jams played on this show.

Another timeless 7- inch donut that will be going quick so get it while you can and look out for more Toxic Funk coming very soon…

After the slammin’ 7-inch „Take You Down“, Britain’s acclaimed Funk combo The Getup returns to Our Label with another heavy Funk-Doublesider. „Gold Digger“ brings back the soulful vocals of Sasha, who will explain to you, why you should keep an eye on your wallet with some of the dates you are having. Never has a warning made you want to dance so much: tight horn section, a groove buried deep in the pocket and a whole lot of breaks. On the flip „Fat Pat’s Kitchen“ takes no prisoners with its dirty, angry hammond riffs and a spot-on rhythm section. Two dancefloor winners on one funky 45.

About The Getup

Since starting their own breed of Hammond-heavy horn-laden Funk in 2004 The Getup have gathered an impressive group of fans including DJ Snowboy and Craig Charles alongside many club and festival goers in the UK and all over Europe. They continue to impress music lovers all over with appearances at the famous Jazz Cafe in London or the Saint Paul Soul Jazz Festival. The Getup are: Mark Ashfield (Hammond/Keys), Mark Claydon (Drums/perc), Ian Stevens (Bass), Lee Blackmore (Guitar), Stephen Wilcock (Sax/Flute), Tristan Gaudion (Trumpet) with Sasha Patterson (vocals) and guest appearances from Ben Greenslade-Stanton (Trombone/The Mighty Mocambos) and Mark Norton (Sax/The Fantastics).

Following their first album in 2016, The Pilotwings are back – having gone from two to three members - with the LP « Les Charismatiques » on the infamous Brothers From Different Mothers label.

As witty and sparkling as ever, the trio’s given birth to a 2020 millesime that dares to oscillate from synth-pop to digit dub, psych-rock and new-age ; combining acoustic sounds with traditional music, all tainted with an 80s summer-hit influence…

As whacky as it may sound at first listen through its melting-pot of personal anecdotes and dated corporate speeches, the album does succeed in avoiding the totally-offbeat ; by adjusting sensibilities and altering the way one listens to music these days, these tracks transcend and fly. Guided by anti-conformist synth-sounds, « Les Charismatiques » embarks on the path towards the gilded light of remission and spiritual rebirth !

New collaborations have also emerged on this album from long-lasting friendships but also impromptu meetings, with HAJJ firstly, the Dawn Records’ boss who needs no introduction, but also with their Lyon friend Amélie Arcuri alias Bigoudi, half of Schmilblick ; or more surprising, with the cult underground figure of Robert Lapassenkoff, crooner and singer from the 80s band of the same name who’s been recently re-issued on vinyle before joining the Pilotwings on tour.

5 years later the Pilotwings are back on BFDM with an album that seems ripe for tasting, like a fine wine with a mouthful of flavors.

Boogie Butt Records presents its new reissue. Originally Released in 1983 on Becket Records, Time To Throw Down, is a party banger, between P.Funk & Boogie, created by the one & only Paul Thomas, founder of the "Magic Crew", The Circle City Band. Bandleader Paul Thomas had produced three 12" single's released under the title Circle City Band in 1983-84, one of those records titled Magic became extremely popular in the mid1980's, but this record was supposed to be the 4th 12inch single on Becket Records.

At the same time in 1983, when Reggie Griffin and Paul Thomas was mixing this instrumental track in L.A, the reverend "Rickie Clark" originally from "Circle City" in Indianapolis, came to see them hearing what there was doing, and fall in love with this track, asking if he could used it for himself .

The "Circle City Band" (CCB) is made up of eight remarkably talented souls. The band is lead and managed by founder, producer/musician/singer/songwriter Paul Thomas otherwise known as "P" aka the "Funky Skunk" and also features long time friends and mentors, including the legendary award-winning, multi-musician/songwriter/producer Reggie “Mr. Everything” Griffin of Tech-No-Funk fame

Tony Allen (1940 – 2020) has long been acknowledged as Africa's finest drummer and one of the continent's most influential musicians. Together with Fela Kuti (with whom he played for 15 years) Allen co-created Afrobeat - the hard-driving, horns-rich, funk-infused, politically insurrectionary style which became such a dominant force in African music and such an influence worldwide. His iconic drumming has since underpinned an extensive catalogue of solo works as well as collaborations with the likes of Damon Albarn (as part of The Good, The Bad and The Queen), Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sebastien Tellier, Grace Jones, Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré, Jeff Mills and Hugh Masekela.

His 2009 World Circuit debut, the raw and uncut Secret Agent, has all the ingredients that combine to make Afrobeat so special - fat, full-throated, hard riffing horns; nagging tenor guitars; jazz- and funk-informed saxophone and trumpet work outs; effervescent chicken-shack keyboards; lyrics rich in folk metaphors and proverbs, some of which confront state corruption and oppression (Kuti’s most frequent targets); deep-soul call and response vocals; and, of course, energising everything around it, Allen’s majestic drumming.

To mark the 2nd anniversary of Tony Allen’s passing at the age of 80, World Circuit will re-release this classic album on 2 x 180g heavyweight vinyl. The audio has been remastered and the package features the original 2009 sleeve notes in a 4p 12” booklet.

“if you’re wondering why Afrobeat is hip, start here.” Observer Music Monthly

“There is no question that Tony Allen is a genius, one of the greatest percussionists in the history of popular music” The Guardian

“While seeking to revive Afrobeat from the roots, Tony Allen imposes here a modernist vision and achieves the best possible synthesis between Yoruba foundations, Blue Note jazz arrangements and electro sound resolution.” – Les Inrockuptibles

Imagine if you could put together a dream line-up of MCs and producers from all four corners of the rap world?

That’s what artist and illustrator Gangster Doodles set out to do when he put together a stellar collection of tracks by the rappers and talent that inspire his work for the first Gangster Music comp back in 2018. Working on that he says “was one of the most satisfying & fun projects I've been able to be a part of and the idea of continuing the series was a no-brainer. Thankfully All City was interested in keeping the party going”

If it ain't broke and all that – this second volume follows the first with an all-star line-up which features everyone from hotly-tipped emerging Producers and MCs like Ovrkast, Shungu, Woodie Smalls, Big Baby Scumbag next to underground perennials like Teebs, Ohbliv and Knxwlege all the way up to top flight producer Dam Funk and established vets like M.E.D, Black Milk, Lil B and Open Mike Eagle.

This second collaboration between All City Records and Gangster Doodles is a jam-packed sonic adventure featuring 28 killer tracks from some of the finest creators out there. “Gangster Music Vol.2 is a living/breathing tracklist of all the music and artists I've been obsessively listening to over the past couple of years(and beyond). Every artist that's on Vol.2 is a creative force pushing boundaries and trailblazing new paths to greatness.”

An exhausting compiling process via emails, DMs, texts and a myriad of other electronic form of badgering and prodding, the last few years have been busy for Marlon "Gangster Doodles" Sassy. In addition to this he released his acclaimed Gangster Doodles (The Book) alongside an ever-expanding array of prints, original works, apparel and exhibitions across the globe. Topping that off with animation projects, a graphic novel in the works and now, with this his second curated LP titled " Gang$ter Music Vol 2".

Describing the cover art “Every morning I start my day with a bowl(or 2) of Fruit Loops. Usually on the back of the box they have different activities to do. On one of them was a black and white image of Toucan Sam chilling in a tree. In large colorful font, it said you could cut out the image and color it in to create your own version. That idea really resonated with me. Continuing the cartoon cat theme from Vol.1 I chose Felix the Cat to help encapsulate this idea and then flip it on its head. A black and white album cover that could be left as is or if the mood strikes- go and grab some markers, pens, crayons, paint, ink and create your own unique doodle versions”

“After a year and a half of covid hell I'm thrilled to be able to release this new music compilation. Fuck the bubble. It's time to get weird.”

This 80's 12 Inch Remixes Collected edition is from the decade when the extended remix was an artform. A remix is usually an alternative, and sometimes longer, version of a previous recorded song.

Der US-amerikanische Rapper Vince Staples gehört ”neben Kendrick Lamar zu den anerkanntesten und
versiertesten ”Story-Teller” / Rap-Erzählern zurzeit”, schreibt der SPIEGEL.
Auf seinem sechsten Studioalbum ”Dark Times” (Blacksmith Records / Def Jam Recordings) verfeinert
der 30-jährige kalifornische Musiker alle Elemente, die seinen Katalog im letzten Jahrzehnt auszeichneten:
dichte, melancholische Lyrik, voll von Beobachtungen über das Leben, dargeboten auf üppigen vielschichtigen Beats, die Lichtnischen in der endlosen Dunkelheit suchen.

NEW YORK – (June 7, 2024) – Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ciara's Goodies, the groundbreaking debut that launched the superstar in 2004, with an expanded 2LP limited-edition in opaque hot pink pressing.

The 15-track Goodies (20th Anniversary) includes the original album and two rarities – “Crazy” and “Represent Me” – both tracks were previously released on the bonus CD packaged with 2004’s Goodies: The Videos & More DVD. The album closes with the premiere of a fresh dance mix of “Goodies” from Dipha Barus.

Keeping the classics on 45.

Donald Byrd, Wind Parade. Hot stepping into the 80’s this jazz-funk classic has been tough to track down on 45.

Sampled by Black Moon for their underground hip hop classic “Buck Em Down”. Billy Brooks, Fourty Days. Never before on 45, infectious brass driven jazz-funk grooves with a well known intro sampled by Tribe called Quest for ‘Luck of Lucien’.

Butterflies go through a four-staged life cycle: egg, caterpillar, pupa (chrysalis) and then adult as a butterfly. The transformation from caterpillar to butterfly happens in the chrysalis where the caterpillar body dies to give life to a new, beautifully winged body. This album is an ideal soundtrack to this amazing phenomena, a representation to inner transformation and deep evolution.

On his new album, Samurai, Lupe retreats inward to give fans one of his most personal albums in his deep catalog. “I sometimes get tagged by my fans as not doing personal records,” Lupe says, “but I always tell people there's me in there if you listen closely enough. This album is one of my more personal records to date. It's not a full biography, but my personal experiences are tied up in all of my music. A lot of the records are me. Some are from the POV of a character. and some are me. The album weaves things from my life as an artist, touching on things other artists go through.” The narrative follows a battle rapper through various moments in his career, starting with how they honed their battle rap skills, following their career through different moments. Musically, the new album finds Lupe delighting in the simple pleasures of assembling assonant syllables into playful and poignant narratives. The 8-track album is smooth, yet cerebral, brimming with ideas, but always radiating Lupe’s pure love for the art of emceeing and committing himself as a servant of the rap game. The album was produced in full by longtime collaborator and friend, Soundtrakk (“Superstar,” “Kick, Push,” “HipHop Saved My Life”), their second time linking up on a full album after 2022’s DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, and is also the first time Lupe, Trakk, and longtime manager Charles “Chill” Patton were in the studio together since Patton’s release from prison in 2023. “It felt great to be back in the studio again as a family,” Lupe says. It’s the first time they’d worked together in the studio since Lupe’s seminal album, The Cool in 2005. “The word ‘samurai’ means to serve,” Lupe says on the album’s title. “My relationship to that word has always meant that you need to be at the service of other people, either in the overall community, or in this instance, the rap community at large that I’ve been a part of for years. You have some duty, some purpose to serve. The title alone is very important to me. Before rap even, martial arts was my whole life, and it still plays a huge role in my life. The album is me, but also inspired by a quote I heard from one of my favorite artists. The overall themes of the album speak to the constant fight and the battle one goes through being in the entertainment industry. Some of the things we need to defend.”

Five years into the project, Yermande announced a thrilling new phase for this Dakar-Berlin collaboration; a giant step forward.

The group of players is boiled down to twelve for recordings, eight for shows; sessions in Dakar become steeply more focused. ‘This time around I was better able to specify what I wanted right from the initial recording sessions in Dakar,’ says Ernestus; ‘and further in the production process I took more freedom in reducing and editing audio tracks, changing MIDI data, replacing synth sounds and introducing electronic drum samples.’

Right away you hear music-making which has come startlingly into its own. Rather than submitting to the routine, discrete gradations of recording, producing and mixing, the music is tangibly permeated with deadly intent from the off. Lethally it plays a coiled, clipped, percussive venom and thumping bass against the soaring, open-throated spirituality of Mbene Seck’s singing. Plainly expert, drilled and rooted, the drumming is unpredictable, exclamatory, zinging with life. Likewise the production: intuitive and fresh but utterly attentive; limber but hefty; vividly sculpted against a backdrop of cavernous silence.

Six chunks of stunning, next-level mbalax, then, funky as anything.

Mobb Deep was a legendary 1990s rap duo formed in Queensbridge, New York, by Havoc and Prodigy. They are considered the foremost progenitors of hardcore rap and one of the most influential hip hop groups in history. Their music reflects the hostile reality of an era when poverty, drugs and gang violence plagued the streets of New York. Their music is characterised by dark samples, the drums, snares and bass are defined and the raw lyrics are of a very high standard, in the most competitive era in rap history. With their albums The Infamous (1995) and Hell On Earth (1996) they achieved fame within and outside the hip hop community, including hits such as "Shook Ones (Part II)" and "Survival of the Fittest". They would later collaborate with top East Coast rappers such as Notorious B.I.G., members of the Wu-Tang Clan collective, Jay-Z, Nas and 50 Cent, on whose label G-Unit they would release their album Blood Money (2005). Prodigy's sad death in 2017 due to a long and cruel illness only has amplified an already existing legacy. On this album we will be able to enjoy the instrumentals and acappellas of many of their best tracks throughout their career.