Back catalogue: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: Novela by Brazilian songstress Ceu is a collaborative masterpiece, bringing together diverse musicians to craft an analog-driven, richly textured album. Produced by Pupillo and Adrian Younge, Novela features contributions from LadyBug Mecca, Loren Oden, Jensine Benitez, and DJ/producer Frankie Reyes. Opening with 'Raiou,' a 70s-inspired dramatic piece featuring Ladybug Mecca, the album sets a soulful tone. 'Cremosa' follows with its vibrant chords, slick guitar riffs, and a hypnotic groove.'Gerando na Alta,' on the other hand, is a mellow duet with Franco-Senegalese singer Anaiis which explores sisterhood over lush rhythmic grooves and bilingual lyrics. 'Crushinho' delivers cinematic strings and Ceu's emotive vocals. 'Into my Novela,' featuring Loren Oden and Jensine Benitez, is about the suspense of TV dramas without scripts, while 'Mucho Oro' is a slow ballad about self-expression and love. 'High na Cachu' infuses a reggae bounce with Ceu's whispery vocals to great success. 'Bua Bua' features the amazing Frankie Reyes, adding to the harmony. The album closes with the solemn 'Corp e Colo,' featuring Nando Reis and Kleber Lucas, and the anthemic 'Reescreve,' which addresses Brazil's turbulent history with thought-provoking lyrics. Novela brilliantly melds Brazilian culture, bossa nova, soul, funk and cinematic elements into a dynamic, bold album that strays from the norm.

Review: Fresh from releasing a swathe of conceptual full-lengths, Los Angeles threesome Clipping have returned to their hip-hop roots via a mixtape style album reflective of their hip-hop roots. Of course, this is not hip-hop in the classical sense. According to the accompany sleeve notes, Dead Channel Sky is a collection of cuts focused on the present, dually inspired by the histories of cyberpunk and hip-hop. In practice, that means fast-flowing and lyrically dextrous rhymes, of course, but also beats that variously sample, chop up or reference everything from 90s rave classics, the rock-rave big beat antics of the Prodigy and Nine Inch Nails stail industrial grit, to TB-303-laden acid house, the dark and doomy trip-hop of Mezzanine-era Massive Attack, drum and bass and experimental electronica.

Review: J Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive will likely go down in history as one of 2010s hip-hop's most emotive albums. Through various forces, we'd contend it found itself on the iPods of anyone so much as remotely interested in exploring hip-hop beyond the pales of Kendrick Lamar, Drake or Eminem. It put Cole on the map for many young listeners: the virginity-loss classic 'Love Yourz' is the obvious go-to hit, but it doesn't represent the rest of the album, which mostly falls into the category of gushing and nostalgic. '03 Adolescence' and 'Apparently' are our highlights, with Cole indulging emotive jazz-piano interludes and pop-rap production tropes, with his rhymes always circling back to the album's core subject matters: home, childhood, wrong paths, memories.

Review: The Auditorium, Vol. 1 is a monumental collaboration between hip-hop luminary Common and legendary producer Pete Rock. Common, known for his versatile talent and numerous accolades, joins forces with Pete Rock, whose influential production has shaped hits for iconic artists. The album blends nostalgia with new creative breakthroughs. With intricate compositions and deep themes, The Auditorium, Vol. 1 promises an intellectually engaging listen. The lead single, 'Dreamin,' shows their seamless blend of old-school charm and modern production finesse. Common's soulful delivery adds a depth to the track, highlighting his musicality and unique style. With this album, Common and Pete Rock have created a timeless piece of art that resonates with the younger and older fans of hip-hop.

Review: Hardcore UK hip-hop heads may disagree, but there's a strong argument to say that Cookie Crew were Britain's first wildly successful rap group - even if they were initially more associated with hip-house. The South London four-piece's short but impactful career gets the retrospective treatment on this excellent four-CD set. Disc one offers an expanded edition of 1989 debut album Born This Way, an energetic collection of ear-catching party rockers, while disc two boasts 1991 follow-up Fade To Black, a big budget affair featuring guest production by DJ Premier, Black Sheep and Guru (amongst others), which was clearly informed by saucer-eyed house culture and New Jack Swing. Throw in two discs of remixes from the period, including some genuinely overlooked rarities, and you have a fine career retrospective.

Review: These are buoyant times for leftfield hip hop rooted in experimentation and lo-fi sonics, and here comes Denzel Curry returning with a serious lesson for all newcomers. Hailing from Carol City, Florida, Curry has been dropping pure fire for more than 10 years, but his current form is pushing him even further into the global rap conscious. Kenny Beats is taking no prisoners on the production, while Curry's righteous anger gets processed, re-pitched and mashed up and still it lands every blow. Moving through skits, mad samples and heavyweight tracks, this is everything a visionary hip hop LP should be.

Review: Some critics have called Cypress Hill's Back in Black their best album in 25 years. While this is a bold claim, it has some merit - at least to those who view the cannabis-obsessed Los Angeles crew's early-to-mid-'90s work as the artistic peak of their career. A big part of the allure of Back in Black is Black Milk's production, which in reaching for crunchy snares, classic hip-hop breaks and killer basslines doffs a cap to the group's gangsta-rap era releases. Lyrically, they're at their acerbic and dextrous best, too, matching updated raps on legalized weed with flows that take aim at other issues surrounding personal freedom and politics.