Juno Recommends Hip Hop / R&B July 2021

Review: CZARFACE & MF DOOM's newest team-up record Super What? is an all powerful outing. Doom's famous wordy wizard is unleashed with wicket wordplay tying your mind in lots for the first to the last beat. CZARFACE's production (with help from Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck and Esoteric) is on point, with golden age beats, cosmic thrills and spills and killer bars all lock-in you in.

Review: When it comes to tasteful mash-ups and club-ready re-edits, DJ Soopasoul's Soopastole Edits series is always a reliable source of fresh dancefloor heat. He's in predictably fine form on this latest volume - the 26th in total, fact fans - which sees him re-animate an already killer Fatman Scoop cut. On the A-side, he places energy-raising snippets of the Harlem-raised, gravel-voiced rapper's 'Put Your Hands Up' atop a funky backing track crafted from loops lifted from a classic disco-funk workout. That fresh, sample-heavy instrumental re-edit can be heard in full on the flip, offering is a chance to wallow in the killer groove and tight, clipped guitar licks.

Review: Children of Zeus' sophomore LP Balance takes the blueprint of their debut and evolves it into a deeper and more refined sound. The British duo of Konny Kon and Tyler Daley hail from Manchester and incorporate soul music with hip hop, neo-soul, gospel and R&B with help from Grammy award winning producer Beat Butcha, with rising UK soul talents Akemi Fox and Georgie Sweet contributing guest vocals. The definitive sound of UK street soul in 2021.

Review: DJ Dez aka Andres never puts out a bad beat. His hip-hop influenced house style is hugely identifiable by now and varies only a little with each new outing, but it remains compelling whether he is doing albums for Moodymann's label or turning out shorter beat studies for labels like the all new Detroit outlet Papaya Records. This one opens with the trilling chords and punchy kicks of 'Sweetest Pain' complete with a beautifully aching vocal sample and sun kissed guitar riffs. The flip side is a hyper speed juke-esque joint with churchy chords and another great vocal. They both make for a vital 7".

Review: For those not up to speed with Japanese jazz and hip-hop culture, A.Y.B Force are an outfit who specialise in creating cuts that sound like - to quote the title of their fine debut album - "lost breaks". This essential 45 features two of their finest workouts to date, both of which first appeared on that now legendary 2006 LP. On the A-side you'll find 'Carioca Moon', a sun-kissed dancefloor jazz excursion in which sweet piano motifs and twinkling solos ride a brilliant, Latin-tinged groove. Their love of fiery, Blaxploitation-era funk is explored on flipside 'A.Y.B Boogaloo', a tougher affair full of razor-sharp guitar licks, righteous horns and punchy, hip-hop style funk breaks.

Review: After selling out their red hot 2020 Record Store Day Special, Idlers return with another one for 2021. This time out the label offers up the title rack from Jungle Brothers's acclaimed debut album Straight Out of The Jungle. It has never before made it onto its own 45rpm but its hard to know why: 'Straight Out Of The Jungle' is crisp boom bap with funky samples, big, strident horns and characterful raps that will get any party popping right off. On the flip is a second slice of golden era hip hop with 'Black Is Black,' a tune that is as lyrically relevant now as it was all the way back then.

Review: American R&B girl group Total penned the original 'Can't You See' in 1995 as part of the New Jersey Drive soundtrack. By then, the duo had already appeared on classic joints by Notorious BIG such as 'One More Chance' and 'Juicy,' so he returned the favour with an intro rap verse to this one. IT made it a huge success n the US Billboard Top 100 and also hit the Top 50 of the UK chart. On the flip is the Keith Murray Bad Boy remix which is that bit slower and more sensuous

Review: Sometime sis feels like The Roots is one of the most underrated yet important groups in hip hop. Musically and lyrically they were always cut from a different cloth. Do You Want More?!!!?! was their second full length and it landed in January 1995 on DGC Records, It was their first outing on a major after the success of their debut and is often talked about as a classic of the genre. This newly remastered trifold, triple vinyl repress has been remastered from the original tapes. It comes with bonus tracks curated by Questlove, plus rare photos, essays by Questlove and Black Thought, and even a track-by-track commentary.

Review: 5 Borough Breaks continues to focus on red hot hip hop classics that have come from the famous New York boroughs over the years. This latest mad limited 7" is another tidy one that goes all the way back to 1996 for 'The Nod Factor' from Skillz's From Where??? album. It's smooth and seductive, self congratulatory and sure to get floors bumping. On the reverse is a more soul drenched slow jam that gets you in the mood thanks to the buttery vocals of American blue sand funk musician "Johnny Guitar" Watson. This is a must cop.

Review: The late MF Doom is widely regarded to be one of the finest hip hop lyricists of all time. His death hit people who had grown up with his intricate world play hard and so it is natural that there will be an avalanche of tribute records. This collection of remixes from MOAR is a tribute to MF Doom's use of samples and has all he track names mixed up, which makes for a fun game of detangling while you're laying back and soaking up the stoner beats, boom-bap joints and lush instrumentals. RIP to the greatest.

Review: The late MF Doom's 2014 collaboration with mic man Bishop Nehru, Nehrudviandoom, remains one of the strongest releases in either artist's catalogue. It was recorded at a time when Nehru was on the cusp of wider success and acclaim, and when Doom was crafting some of the tightest, most adventurous and ear-catching beats of his career. Should you need a reminder of its greatness, check the clips of this "Redux" addition, which cuts out some of the original's numerous short, mixtape-style skits to create a much tighter and on-point mini album. Should you need more persuading to part with your cash, this fresh vinyl edition has been pressed to a superb-looking picture disc in limited numbers.

Review: Kool Keith's lyricism is the stuff of legend. He has an urgent style, often with libidinous overtones, and on his latest album explores plenty of the apparent pitfalls of modern life. Our love of VIP rooms, constant capitalist desires, obsessions with beauty, luxury and fame in place of more rewarding life values. All these notions are explored over a fresh blend of dub rhythms that are clean and supple and veer into occasional boom-bap or minimal trap. That is down to the production of avant-techno maven Bruno Pronsato and Benjamin Jay and it helps make this an instant classic.

Review: Hillside & Matulah is a Helsinki based instrumental duo composed of Risto Kumpulainen (keys) and Janne Mathlin (drums & percussion) who mix various genres with their own unique style. Here they present their block rockin' jam titled 'Fo Yo Mind' featuring the lyrics of rapper Tykopaatti, who is part of the Finnish hip-hop collective Joku Roti Mafia. Over on the flip, they go for a completely different tempo on the psych-rock/acid jazz crossover of 'Knock Out'. As well as their usual project, Kumpulainen & Mathlin are known for collaborating with several homegrown blues, rock and soul artists.

Review: Following up that last one in April which featured 'Strange World' & 'Purple Desire', When Doves Cry are back with their third release and it's said to be by two well known DJs on the scene - who wish to remain under the radar. As the name may well suggest, we have a perfectly pitched down R'n'B number that many will be familiar with called 'I Wanna Be 5 Semitones Down', which comes with a handy instrumental edit over on the flip. Through dewy pads and echoing percs, they concoct a late night anthem for the club and the bedroom.

Review: Kids See Ghosts's self titled debut album in 2018 was the official coming together of American hip hop icons Kanye West and Kid Cudi. They had previously worked on each others work since 2008 but often "experienced personal quarrels due to creative differences." The album got plenty of high praise and made many a year end list mainly because of the chemistry between the two artists. Lyrically, West touches on plenty of the mental health issues he has suffered over the years and production wise, the sound is fragmented hip hop beats of the sort the pair pioneered in proceeding years. This limited edition reissue comes on clear blue vinyl.

Review: Lucy Pearl's self titled album from 1999 is a stone cold r&b and neo-soul classic. Back then, conversations around female empowerment and independence were a million miles away from the attention they get today. But that didn't stop Dawn Robinson centering feminist messages. Her backing band is of course a-grade, too, with Raphael Saadiq formerly of Tony! Toni! Tone! and Ali Shaheed Muhammad formerly of A Tribe Called Quest laying down deep grooves, funky riffs and lush chords. The band never did another album, sadly, but to have just one record as good as this in your discography is worth of all the praise in the world.