Hip-Hop News

UMC are proud to present two reissues of certified multi-platinum albums from DMX. Nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2001 Grammys, '...And Then There Was X' is the third studio album from DMX. Featuring the hits "What's My Name" and "Party Up (Up In Here)". Released in 2001, 'The Great Depression' was the fourth album by the American rapper. Featuring the singles "We Right Here", "Who We Be" and "I Miss You". Both packages presented as 2LPs on 180g vinyl.

On October 15th, Mac Miller's cult favourite mixtape Faces will be available on all streaming services for the first time since its initial release. The project, which originally debuted on Mother's Day 2014, is a vital release in Mac's catalogue that followed-up his critically-acclaimed sophomore album Watching Movies With The Sound Off. Upon its arrival, the mixtape served as the high water mark for Mac's technical prowess and cemented a creative actualization that would continue through his career; reinventing himself with each new project. Reviewing the project following its release, critic Craig Jenkins succinctly described it as "the best work of his career.
"In addition to being made available on streaming services, Faces will be available on vinyl for the first time on October 15th. .

The announcement of the mixtape’s release on streaming services next month arrives alongside a new music video for Faces highlight "Colours and Shapes." Its director Sam Mason speaks on the work: “The track felt very visual to me—like it had its own world. This atmospheric night time place that was sometimes dangerous, sometimes comforting, then I saw a picture of Ralph and a story emerged. To build it out I asked Malcolm’s family to send me bits and pieces from his childhood, scenes from the town where he grew up, objects, toys from his room—little pieces of his life that I extrapolated outwards and used to inspire the story. In the abstract, it’s meant to be a video about childhood—growing up as an artist and the highs and lows of that experience. It’s sort of a look at the emotional and difficult and perilous but noble path of an artist. ”Stay tuned for more Mac Miller and Faces news soon.

We are always happy to throw you a curve ball, Athens of the North have an LP of our catalog flipped by Scottish beat Maker / Hip-Hop producer extraordinaire Jaisu.

We have always been a huge fan and sorted Jaisu with records whenever he popped down the office for a chat. One day early this year in full covid gear he came down to the studio with some beats from our previous releases and immediately I was like "Man do us an LP" and so the project was born. Jaisu took arms full of vinyl back to his studio in Niddrie and started feeding his MPC.

Tasty Boombap 7inch produced by French beatmaker MOAR (The Vibe Drops) featuring 2 legends MC from the indy Rap scene, SADAT X (Brand Nubian) & EL DA SENSEI (Artifacts), on a limited pressing.

The music that would become Conversation Peace began with a trip to KPM’s London HQ in late January of 2020. I had just finished wrapping up post production on my album Ocean Bridges with Archie Shepp and Raw Poetic. I actually received the invitation during the summer of 2019 during studio sessions for Ocean Bridges and scheduling for the top of 2020 made the most sense. So I packed up a few records and a few drum machines then embarked on my first trip to England. We had a quick meeting about expectations, then it was time to see the archive. As a record collector, I’m very familiar with the legacy of the KPM brand. I had been lucky enough to find a few over the past decade during my digging trips up and down the east coast, but looking at the complete vinyl catalogue was a great privilege. I anxiously began combing through records from morning to night looking for the right sounds. The whole experience was surreal.



Listening to the entire catalogue was a history lesson and the amount of great composers and compositions in the recordings was endless. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t somewhat overwhelming. As a producer looking for textures, inspiration and grooves, the abundance of those things made it extremely difficult to narrow down what I wanted to use. From drums to sound fx to orchestras to small rhythm sections to ambient noises, I heard a wide variety of things and they were all so well produced and recorded. Every instrument you can think of was there! I spent a little over a week capturing sounds knowing that my work was cut out for me when I returned to my home in DC. Once I got home, I got to work. I captured so much, that it took me about a month just to organize all those ideas. Little did I know the world would drastically change in the next month following my return. My flight to and from London would indefinitely be my last time traveling for a while. I worked diligently with the material and took my time making sure I had strong ideas. The history of KPM and the opportunity to collaborate with the prestigious lineage made the stakes very high for me and I knew I needed to deliver a quality product. It’s an honor to be the first artist to release a KPM Crate Diggers title. - Earl Davis (Damu the Fudgemunk)

Dumi Right and the late Cadence of Raw Produce were frequent collaborators who connected after becoming label mates on the fledgling Domination Records. This led to a number of incredible creative works including a project called Alternate Reality. While much of their work has since seen the light of day, this song remained, unheard and locked in the vault until now. Produced by Cadence, “Opposite Day” features each MC hilariously playing the role of a rapper rhyming about things totally contrary to what they would do in reality. The song highlights all too common contradictions inherent in much of the commercial rap that is popular today. The “Nightfall” is another dope track by Dumi Right that features Mr. Lif in a cautionary tale about working to not get caught up in negative cycles. Nightfall serves as a metaphor for falling victim to the darkness and self destructive activities that would lead one down a dead end path.

2 more party detonators from the Bombs label

Debut release for The Fear Ratio's Mark Broom and James Ruskin under their 'Deadhand' alias, which proceeds on a strictly experimental hip-hop tip, accompanied as they are here by 4 x world scratch champion DJ Prime Cuts (of The Scratch Perverts) and illbient rap legend Sensational, who brings his characteristic broken charm to the EP's itchy, spartan production vibes: "Step into my office, now we sparkin' it... I spit the isms in yer ear... you better recognise it's raw shit from orbit."

This pairing with Sens makes total sense: Distinct from Mark and James' work as The Fear Ratio, their Deadhand project delivers something closer to 90s illbient in any case: extending the boom-bap era of hip-hop production with elements of hallucinogenic dystopianism, the energy of the EP nevertheless vibes playfully: Given the dispiriting global situation at present, the EP title 'Meanwhile' might simply refer to getting on with things in spite of all the cultural and political misendeavor the era will no doubt be long remembered for. Despite the global health pandemic and the looming spectre of wide-scale environmental collapse, little despair or surrender prevails here, but rather a hankering to attempt a few tripped-out experiments.

Three remixes bring further twists of the screw: A cosmic break flex from ETCH resituates Sensational amidst the magmic glow of Reaktor bass ensembles, while DJ Prime Cuts repurposes 7" soul gold by way of a more 'traditional' SP1200 approach. 90s trip-hop pioneer and graffiti legend REQ steps up with all the painterly flair he is rightly renowned for, obliterating the Monster Orchestra's classic 'I Can't Stop' stab towards a double dose of galactic melancholia.







g 07: Touch (ETCH's Pink Ladies in Space Remix) feat. Sensational
[h] 08: Meanwhile (DJ Prime Cuts Remix) [feat. Sensational]
[i] 09: Touch (REQ's Dub) [feat. Sensational]
[feat. DJ Prime Cuts]

Most fans of hardcore Hip-Hop know and love Benny The Butcher and 38 Spesh's 2018 joint album Stabbed & Shot, yet many aren't aware that before that there was Cocaine Cowboys. The duo dropped this potent joint mixtape back in 2008. They split the project into two parts and added a couple hard-to-find bonus cuts for the vinyl release. Plus, new alternate art by the one and only Manuel "Cep" Concepcion only available on this second edition re-release. Cocaine Cowboys 2 features a number of weight moving anthems like "Cocaine Wishes," "American Dopeboy, and Spesh and Benny's earliest collab with Conway The Machine, "Trapping." This is a must-have for TCF Music Group, Griselda Records, and BSF Records collectors.

Most fans of hardcore Hip-Hop know and love Benny The Butcher and 38 Spesh's 2018 joint album Stabbed & Shot, yet many aren't aware that before that there was Cocaine Cowboys. The duo dropped this potent joint mixtape back in 2008. They split the project into two parts and added a couple hard-to-find bonus cuts for the vinyl release. Plus, new alternate art by the one and only Manuel "Cep" Concepcion only available on this second edition re-release. Cocaine Cowboys 1 features some early production from Spesh himself, Rick Hyde, and Beat Butcha, as well as some of Benny and Spesh's rarest freestyles. This is a must-have for TCF Music Group, Griselda Records, and BSF Records collectors.

Der erfolgreichste Musiker des letzten Jahrzehnts ist diesen Herbst wieder ganz er selbst: Schon der Titel des neuen Albums, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, macht deutlich, dass sich hier streng genommen gar nicht Eminem, sondern vielmehr ein gewisser Marshall Mathers zurückmeldet - was bekanntlich der Geburtsname des King of Rap ist. Flankiert von den beiden Producer-Legenden Dr. Dre und Rick Rubin, hat er schon mit der ersten Auskopplung - Berzerk' bewiesen, dass ihm nach wie vor kein anderer Rapper das Wasser reichen kann.

Nachdem mit - Survival' noch ein weiterer Vorgeschmack zu hören war, machte er mit dem zuletzt erschienen Track - Rap God' endgültig klar, worum es ihm auf dem neuen Album geht: Er verneigt sich vor denjenigen Rappern, die ihn zu Beginn seiner Karriere beeinflusst haben (z.B. Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh etc.) und beweist mit seinem - supersonic flow' und einem Non-Stop-Rap-Rundumschlag, dass er der wahre Rap-Gott ist: - Die Geschichte des HipHop und seine eigene Entwicklung' bringe er damit wortgewaltig auf den Punkt, schrieb der US-Rolling-Stone über den programmatischen Track. Unterstützt wird Eminem auf dem Album zudem von West-Coast-Rap-Sensation Kendrick Lamar (- Love Game'), Skylar Grey (- Asshole'), Rihanna (- The Monster') und Nate Ruess (- Headlights') von der Band Fun. Obendrein sind auf der Deluxe-Edition des Albums noch Gastauftritte von Jaime N Commons und Sia zu hören.

Nachdem Eminem im Sommer 2013 auf den größten europäischen Festivals vor insgesamt 450.000 Menschen aufgetreten war, kehrt er allein visuell mit seinem achten Album in seine Heimatstadt zurück: Auf dem Cover des Albums ist wie beim gefeierten ersten Marshall-Mathers-Album aus dem Jahr 2000 sein wenig einladendes Elternhaus in Detroit zu sehen. Man erkennt sofort: Es geht ihm um eine Rückkehr zu den Wurzeln, verpackt in Songs fürs kommende Jahr.

Er selbst bezeichnet das Album daher auch nicht als Vorsetzung des Marshall-Mathers-Vorgängers, sondern vielmehr als - Rückkehr zu genau diesem Vibe' von damals.

This killer limited editon vinyl EP is a collaborative effort between Montreals SENZ Beats & Roughneck Jihad (From Third Sight). SENZ made all the beats and handled the scratch duties. Jihad held down the MC duties on all the tracks and there are no features. All vocals were recorded by Roughneck Jihad at Imhotep's Garden Studios. The cover art is by @misfitsleep and the project was mixed and mastered by Sqreeb.

Black Sheep – and their 1991 ‘A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’ album - were definitely an outlier in the Native Tongues fold. They were raunchier and more playful than their peers which, given that those peers were A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers, is really saying something.

‘Strobelite Honey’ catches that difference perfectly, leaning heavily on a pair of 1980 disco samples rather than the jazz of their brethren, and taking a somewhat less chivalrous approach to women. ‘Strobelite’s slender but fun narrative sees rapper Dres up in the club and fooled by the lights – approaching a girl he likes the look off but backing off when they reveal she’s not what he expected. Charmed, we’re sure.

Dres and his partner Mr. Lawnge were always willing to push boundaries, and that extends to the often confusing labelling of the various remixes of this choice single. 12”s dropped with the ‘No We Didn’t Mix’, ‘Yes We Did Mix’ and ‘Maybe We Did Mix’ (not to mention a separate 12” of House mixes).

The last and best of these accompanied the original version on the now-rare 1991 7”, as it does here. The ‘Maybe We Did Mix’ adds urgent horns - almost like the buzzing of a bee - and a new beat to completely reconfigure the sound into something much more of its era. It’s a reminder of when remixes were about much more than the same beat with different rappers.

Conceived in the literal underground of the INDEX:Records basement studio in Berlin, the enigmatic, new-coming “pop” group Downstairs People, is an unlikely collaborative project to be birthed from 2020 – the year of isolation. ‘Underground Pop’ is a collection of aural serotonin hits that touch the feel good receptors, genre hopping between synth-pop, house and neo-RnB.

The group is conducted and glued together by INDEX:Record's own, Jorge Camacho, the maestro behind his alias, vase. Camacho brings together a gauntlet of Berlin-based artists and INDEX: affiliates, dishing out something fresh after countless late night sessions, only to curate a serendipitously coherent record of left-field pop hits, that arrive just in time for summer.

Underground Pop by Downstairs People is out 16 April 2021 via single disk 12” LP vinyl, in full colour outer-sleeve and black inner-sleeve. A limited run of 250 copies are distributed worldwide by Rubadub.

Ltd. Pop-Up Vinyl

10 tracks of beautiful Hip Hop music produced by Vienna Producer Mez & French producer 20Syl.

"We made this album after running into each other on tour in Brazil then again in France. We kept talking about needing to do a project together then eventually met up on my homies farm in Southern Oregon in the U.S. and made this record. Being in the same space and recording in the age of sending verses back and forth seemed a bit crazy in a sense but we really wanted to catch a real vibe of 2 mc’s in sync and where a real moment and connection was captured. We spent 7 days eating bomb food, living, laughing, writing, recording, and just vibing.

We asked for beats from a bunch of folks but ended up feeling the overall vibes of Mez, a Vienna based producer who I previously worked with on my solo material and whose beats just hit us and Rita as the perfect instrumentation to the album we wanted to create. The incredibly talented homie 20Syl (Hocus Pocus, C2C, AllttA) who I also had worked with before and who Rita collaborated with on his group's (C2C) album came in with 2 joints to round it out. We also got some amazing features from our folks Destani Wolf, Wes Restless, and the ever dope Georgia Anne Muldrow."

LP Vinyl include two exclusive remixes by Moar & Mossy P

The sophomore studio album from rapper and singer Doja Cat, with the singles “Juicy,” “Rules” and “Say So,” plus guest appearances from Smino, Gucci Mane and Tyga.

Nach der gefeierten Premiere des Dokumentarfilms „L.A. Originals“ in diesem Frühjahr erscheint nun der Offizieller Soundtrack zum Netflix-Film.
Die Geschichte dreht sich um den Hip-Hop-Fotografen Estevan Oriol und den Tätowierkünstler Mister Cartoon (Mark Machado).
„L.A. Originals“ folgt den beiden L.A.-Einheimischen von ihrem ersten Treffen im Jahr 1992 bis hin, dass sie zu den größten und einflussreichsten kreativen Chicano-Künstlern der SoCal-Straßenkultur, des Hip-Hop und darüber hinaus wurden.

„CLOUDS (The Mixtape)“ ab sofort auch als Vinyl erhältlich: Der multi-platin ausgezeichnete ChartTopper NF kehrt mit seinem Mixtape erstmalig in 2021 zurück! Das Mixtape umfasst 11 neue Tracks,
inklusive des gleichnamigen Hits „Clouds“, der es bereits auf Platz 53 der Billboard Hot 100 schaffte. Seit
der Veröffentlichung wurde das Album weltweit schon 350 Millionen Mal gestreamd. Mit seinem Megahit
„Let You Down“ konnte der US-Amerikaner bisher über 3 Mrd. Streams generieren, war international
Top10 in den Charts und ging in den USA 5-fach Platin. Sein drittes Studioalbum „Perception“ schaffte es
in den Vereinigten Staaten auf Platz 1 der Charts. Global generierte NF mit seiner Musik überwältigende
16,3 Milliarden Streams. Auch hierzulande hat er eine sehr treue Fanbase, die für zwei restlos ausverkaufte
Deutschland-Tourneen sorgte.”

Juga-Naut, a multi-talented artist, emcee, producer and chef with an international following. He creates every aspect of his music himself from concept to final product. He has gained major recognition with a prolific plethora of solid self released projects.
'Marble & Granite' is a gargantuan collaboration between Jugz & Jazz T. The sound is two mountains colliding with the classic Hip-Hop ethos and a modern flyness. The core of the track is sculpting beautiful art from the hardest materials, starting from scratch with raw talent, never stopping, constantly honing your craft to create a solid lasting legacy. Available on 7" vinyl with full colour artwork by Jugz and digital!

The Master Scratch Band was first break-dance / hip-hop / electro funk band in Yugoslavia in 1984. The band members were Zoran Vracevic, Zoran Jevtic and Milutin Stoisiljevic, previously known as Data and Sizike. Jugoton, the biggest label in Yugoslavia, published Data 7'' and MSB's 'Degout' 12'' with limited edition cassette containing two bonus tracks. Impossible to find on the collectors market, Fox & His Friends team in collaboration with Jugoton / Croatia Records is releasing a full, complete version of the rare "The Breakwar" tape, with tracks "Tonight" and "Pocket" never pressed on vinyl. All tracks are sourced from original studio tapes. With the kind help of Zoran Vracevic on credit list and liner notes, this is now the ultimate Master Scratch Band album, released originally in a year 1984 when break-dance was in the peak of its popularity in Yugoslavia. While Data was synthpop, Sizike mellow synth-disco recorded in private studio, this release is pure breaks and hip-hop electro, done old-school way in one of the best studios in Yugoslavia, Enco Lesic's 'Druga maca' in Belgrade. MSB used impressive electronic gear and were helped by huge list of famous musicians and guests: Duca Markovic from hit-show 'Hit meseca' (Yugoslavian Top Of The Pops); Japanac on bass, Max Vincent of Max & Intro on synths, Dudu Vudu from Du-Du-A, Goranka Matic as photographer and many more. MSB sampling technique and choices are unique: from obscure industrial records to freestyle; from found-sounds to cut-up breaks and even real prank-calls. This is document of time that still sounds fresh and needs to find it's new, young audience of hip-hop history researchers, break-dancers, b-boys, b-girls and DJ's. When you know that it's produced in 1984 Yugoslavia, far away, but actually, so close to its USA & EU brothers and sisters, it's even more mind-boggling. Thanks to Fox & His Friends and Jugoton CR collaboration, this gem is waiting for your freezes, footwork and electric boogie moves. ----- Equipment used: Commodore 64 Computer, Roland MC-4B Microcomposer, Prophet Pro-One, RSF Cobol II Expander, Korg Mono-Poly Synthesizer, PPG Wave 2.3 Synthesizer, PPG Waveterm Computer, Boss DE-200 Digital Delay, Drumtraks Digital Drum Machine, Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, Electro Harmonix Vocoder, Linn Drum MKII, Juno 60, SH-101, SVC-350, VP-330 Vocoders, Polysix & MS10, Simmons drum module.

“Introducing Coldtron, the formation of Best Available Technology x Withdrawn x Birthmark x ELDON, who on this 30 minute tape jam place themselves firmly in the vanguard of dynamic rap music.

The mystical sonic signatures of Best Available Technology are given the inimitable stamp of spun out saxophone solos that followers of Withdrawn have come to recognise, creating an ethereal sojourn, punctuated by the striking vocal stylings dispersed throughout the piece.

Withdrawn, Birthmark, ELDON and guest artist D Ham strike an acute balance between earnest personal reflection, abstract whimsy and a sharp tongued assessment of their world and indeed yours. (And keep an ear out for input from the dog of the house & original four legged member of the crew on his recording debut.)

Press play for an exercise in curious modes and indelible lyricism. A true exploration of the uncanny hive mind that is COLDTRON.”

The first vinyl release from the Texas based cassette label eastdowntothesouth, run by doomshop affiliate DJ Akoza and Textasy. This compilation is the debut of the jungle producer Ksetdex, and it also features tracks from DJ Agony and Textasy

Hillside & Matulah is a Helsinki based instrumental keys/drums duo mixing all kinds of styles and genres with their own unique minimalistic style. Risto Kumpulainen (keys) and Janne Mathlin (drums & percussion) are a known for their collaboration with several finnish blues/rock/soul-artists.

Tykopaatti, part of the finnish hiphop collective Joku Roti Mafia, has released three solo albums along with numerous collabo/band recordings. He has also released english material under one of hes alter egos; Frankly Irrational. Tykopaatti also plays drums in various groups including the finnish rocknroll/blues guitarist Jo' Buddy.

For fans of DJ Format and Ugly Duckling, this is HipHop how it should sound!

„King’s Disease“ bereitet den Weg für eine neu konzipierte Zukunft und demonstriert dabei die persönlichen Schlachten als auch die Brillanz des Lebens auf dem Thron. Produziert von Hit-Boy enthält das Album 12 brandneue Tracks zwischen Nas unverkennbarer Gewissens-Lyrik und einer Mischung aus vergnügten Partyhits. Der Titel ist gleichbedeutend mit dem Privileg und der Verantwortung der königlichen Herrschaft, in Anerkennung der Tatsache, dass nicht einmal das Königtum gegen jegliches Leid immun ist. „King’s
Disease“ prüft deshalb das Gleichgewicht des Lebens und gibt damit ein Zeitzeugnis über Black Futurism, Black Joy and das Erbe der Black Community. Denn während die Farbe Schwarz oft mit Gefühlen der Dunkelheit assoziiert wird, stellt Nas den Begriff neu dar, um dessen Reichtum, Komplexität und tiefe Schönheit abzubilden und geht dabei über Rasse, Gesellschaftsklasse oder Glauben hinaus. Unterstützt wird er dabei von u.a. den Rapkollegen Big Sean, Don Toliver, ASAP Ferg und seiner alten Crew The Firm, bestehend aus Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ und Cormega. Mit 13 Grammy-Nominierungen, sechs Nr.1-Alben, 30 Millionen verkauften Tonträgern und unzähligen
Platin- und Mehrfachplatin-Auszeichnungen gehört Nas bis heute zur Crème de la Crème der US-amerikanischen Rapszene und erreicht mit ”King’s Disease” bereits zum vierzehnten Mal die Top 10 der US-amerikanischen Albumcharts.

Japan-born singer and producer Joji is a multi-talented visionary, with a cult following from every corner of the inter- net. Joji is one of the most enthralling artists of the digital age. He has a total vision for his work, not just in the writ- ing and producing of his music, but artwork, videos, merch, and live performances as well. It’s a fully realized world that his fans can inhabit and explore—and see themselves in. “My music is not biographical,” he says, but even still, the deep, heavily shaded emotions in his songs are genuine and they speak to anyone who has ever felt stuck on the outside looking in, who knows what it means to not belong. In 2019, Joji sold-out his North America tour within minutes and performed at some of the most coveted festivals across the world, including Reading & Leeds in the UK and Lollapalooza. As Joji surpasses 3.7 billion global streams, 2020 promises to be his biggest year to date. Joji’s RIAA Gold-certified first full-length album BALLADS 1 was released in October of 2018 and has 2.2B+ streams to date. The album debuted #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart making him the first artist from Asia to do so. The album intimates a spectrum of conflicts and experiences in romantic relationships — from desire, unattainable love, torment, to self-loathing. BALLADS 1 also represents Joji’s evolution as an artist since the release of his debut EP In Tongues in November 2017. The album is mostly self-produced, with notable collaborations from producers Shlohmo, Clams Casino, Thundercat, RL Grime, Patrick Wimberly, and Jam City. Joji’s sophomore studio album, Nectar, has already garnered 488M+ streams across all singles –with “Sanctuary” earning RIAA Gold certification. Reacting to these singles, critics have already recognized Joji’s growth as an artist from BALLADS 1 to Nectar. Featuring production from Bekon & The Donuts (Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN., Rich Brian’s The Sailor), Justin Parker (Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die”, Rihanna’s “Stay”), Kenny Beats (Ed Sheeran’s “Take Me Back To London” and DaBaby’s “Toes”), Justin Raisen (Yves Tumor’s Safe in the Hands of Love, Ariel Pink’s Pom Pom), and more, the album’s thematic and sonic diversity remains unified by Joji’s lyricism and tone.

Clear Vinyl

Auf diese Trauerfeier haben seine Fans seit Jahren gewartet: Lil Wayne’s 13. Studioalbum ”Funeral”, das er schon im Jahr 2016 erstmals erwähnt hatte, erscheint nun ein halbes Jahr nach Release auch auf Vinyl! Neben 24 komplett neuen Tracks, enthält das Album eine Vielzahl namhafter Features; darunter Big Sean, Lil Baby, Jay Rock, Adam Levine, 2 Chainz, Takeoff und XXXTentacion. Lil Wayne hatte zuletzt im Herbst 2018 mit ”Tha Carter V” sein großes Comeback gefeiert, als er zum vierten Mal die Spitze der US-Charts erobern und auch hierzulande viel Lob ernten konnte.

”Funeral” stieg unter anderem auf Platz 1 der US Billboard 200 und erscheint nun als Limited 180g 2LP.

A year before Wild Pitch Records properly introduced us to the trio of Queens native Large Professor and Toronto’s Sir Scratch and K-Cut, the soon-to-be-legendary group self-released their own debut single. Dropping on Actual Records, the 12” of ‘Think’ and ‘Atom’ was soon a sought after rarity, with scarce originals still fetching upwards of three figures.

On it, they only hint at the greatness to come, while simultaneously showing that they’d already mastered the three-minute rap single – this is concise brilliance with no flab whatsoever.

Engineered by the late, esteemed Paul C, ‘Think’ is a study in how to turn well-worn samples into something new. The combination of several James Brown snatches, along with bits lifted from Lyn Collins and Jimmy Castor Bunch, could have been tired and almost parodic by 1989, but instead the group weave something interesting from old fabric.

‘Atom’ is arguably even better, built around a brace of elements from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s 1967 duet ‘Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl’. On it, Large Pro gives the first real hints that he’ll not just be a super-producer, but a committed MC to watch. Mixing threats with humour, positivity with braggadocio, it’s a calling card performance on a track that could have still sat comfortably on 1991’s ‘Breaking Atoms’ album.

Heavily bootlegged, this is the first official double-sided 7” release bringing together both these foundational cuts.

The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You
Say is the third studio album by rapper Ice-T, released in
1989. The album has an uncharacteristically gritty sound, featuring some of the darkest musical tracks that Ice-T ever released. Instead of focusing heavily on gangsta rap, Ice-T made First Amendment issues the album’s dominant theme. Setting the album’s tone is the opener “Shut Up, Be Happy”, featuring Dead Kennedy’s Jello Biafra. There are a few examples of first-rate gangsta rap - including “The Hunted Child” and the chilling “Peel Their Caps Back” as well as some humoristic raps on “My Word Is Bond” and “The Girl Tried to Kill Me”. The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say is now available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on transparent red coloured vinyl.

Doktor Normal, the latest addition to Estonia's small yet buzzing funk scene backs its nerd hop/novelty rap with MPC beats and synths. The first compositions date back to 2008, original inspiration lies in the TV series Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. Without any prior knowledge of producing hip-hop, the starting point was humor. After a 10-year hiatus, Doktor Normal got around the record an album.

"World of Ham" is Doktor Normal's début LP released on vinyl (250 copies) and digitally. The 10-track album serves as a fine example of contemporary retro-hop and electro funk with an unusual additude. Child-like creativity, pure and unfiltered flow is further exemplified by the LP cover image, and texts filled purposely with grammatic errors. The essential mantra of Doktor Normal is: make your own rules!

Superb Album... Marbled Blue vinyl.
On the A-sdie get the tunes and on the flip the Instrumental (Vinyl only those)