Review: Junior Mafia consisted of Lil' Cease, Chico, Nino Brown, Larceny, Trife, MC Klepto, and Lil' Kim and hailed from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. Kickin records collects their two biggest hits and includes them on one 7". These two classics of New York hip-hop are guideposts for the history of the genre. Both of them feature the legend Notorious BIG himself. On side one you have the worldwide hit 'Players Anthem' then on side two there is the equally as large 'Get Money'. You could not escape these tracks in 1995. Hip-hop royalty!
Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Band - "What Can You Bring Me?" (2:45)
Review: You just cannot miss with this superb label which is now up to release number 33 in this series. And the latest is a golden-era classic featuring legendary mic men A Tribe Called Quest and top soul boy Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Band. The A-side features the track taken from A Tribe Called Quest's Love Movement album so is packed with their signature beats and bars. On the B-side, you are treated to the funky original sample source from Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Band which delivers a raw, infectious groove. If you love classic hip hop and funk, and why wouldn't you, this is a great pairing.
Review: TakeFingz returns with its seventh release and offers up a double A-side 7" tailored for dancefloor devastation. On Side A, DJ Katch reworks classic funk breaks into a groove-heavy party igniter that betrays some seriously sharp turntable skills and crowd-moving instincts. It's a surefire weapon for any set in high-energy settings. On the flip, DJ Toby Gee drops a bass-driven boogie funk jam packed with vintage chants and break-heavy grooves. Both tracks are precision-crafted with nods to B-Boy culture among them perfect for bodypoppers and lockers alike.
Review: The Boom Bap Classics 7"s series was launched in 2022 and sticks to a sturdy format, always billing two double-A-listers of rap stardom from the 90s on reissued vinyl. The choices are always lesser-trodden, and buck expectational trends; even longtime hip-hop heads are unlikely to have heard of Akinyele and Sadat X, solo progeny of the Rochelle rap collective, Brand Nubian. On 'Loud Hangover', rough gangsta rap hewings prove assimilable with boom bap's tendency to show its sensitive side, with an icy yet mournful string hung and suspended a "y'knowwhati'msayin'?" laden farrago. 'Stages And Lights' leans further into emotive dynamism, with Derrick Murphy waxing real on public housing shortages, church pieties and Black culture.
Review: Two more battle weapons handpicked from the eponymous UK armoury. Label motto ("You want this party started, right?!") and A-cut refrain ("la-di-da-di, we like to party"), converge in perfect sync here on this latest 7": the obverse samples Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick's 1985 mover, peppering slight but bright brasses over a punctuated beat mix. 'Tambou' on the B-side honours a historic canonical Swizz Beatz crunk bit with a re-edit of 'Tambourine', produced and released in 2006 for blase partystarter Eve.
Review: Captain Planet is a globe trotting DJ and producer who mixes up worldly roots music with his own fresh take on hip-hop and dancehall. For this one he joined up with Zuzuka Poderosa & Raphael Futura for a brilliant Brazilian disco and funk song that harks back to the 70s and 80s with influences like Tim Maia, Sandra Da Sa & Gilberto Gil. 'Moqueca' though also has some nice dance floor weight to it as well as the richly tropical percussion, steamy horns and seductive chords. On the flip is an instrumental and the good news is this is a taster of a full album to come.
Review: Kero Uno has been kicking for almost two decades, credited with reviving jazz sensibilities in hip-hop almost three decades since it, unfortunately, fell out of fashion around the turn of the century. K1 introduces city-pop and jazz-hop to two of Kdots biggest tracks, 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe' and 'Love', the former of which was put on SoundCloud almost a decade ago now and created nothing but buzz. K1 skyrocketed to fame, having his album crowdfunded by excited fans and catching the attention of Kendrick's own mix engineer Derek Ali. The 'Don't Kill My Vibes' mix flips the 2012 hit into a vibraphone-led synthy jazz slice of heaven, while the 'Love' flip, 'Vinyl Love', is a chill, wavey city-pop banger, with subtle brass and airtight percussion coming together in perfect matrimony.
Review: An impressively retro-feeling "breaksoul" choice from London label Digga Please?, once again delivering on their promise to bring the finest in funk, soul, disco, rap, b-boy breaks and "all that good shit". First released in 2004 on the iconic Freestyle Records, 'Get It On' is a bona fide cut & paste classic, its break-do backbeat and slippery funk vamps harking a filtered Rhodes line; here an obscure r&b libretto sings demonstratively, warning us of an incumbent detailing of her preferred mode of frisking: "this is how we like to get it on!" The record then segues into a timeless Gil-Scott Heron sample and breaks-tastic track slathered in sax, attesting to a so-called coolness that can be tapped by anyone willing to ease into it: "hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life".
Luniz - "I Got 5 On It" (feat Michael Marshall) (4:17)
Review: The Street Knowledge "45 series" appears to have been set up to educate heads on original 1990s hip-hop jams, or at the very least deliver fresh pressings of some seriously classic cuts. This inaugural release begins with Warren G and Nate Dogg's 1994 heater "Regulate", a deep and seductive number that makes great use of samples from Michael McDonald's teary blue-eyed soul classic "I Keep Forgetting". Flip to the B-side and you'll find Luniz 1995 hit "I Got 5 On It", a cut that's been bitten, reworked and re-made umpteen times in the 24 years that have passed since it was first released. As this reissue proves, the Oakland duo's original version is still streets ahead of the rest.
Review: Two remix-mashups come courtesy of Hoffstein under the pseudonym 'Westside Doom', dedicating some well-known MF Doom acapellas to some new instrumentals. The producer behind these cuts is Eets, who lends murderous, xylophonic moods to Doom's '2 Stings', while an even slower instrumental, full of lolling strings and warring ambience underpinning Westside Gunn's alto raps.
Review: Common is a giant of the hip-hop world and his eternally loved 1994 long player Resurrection is one of the best things he ever did. 'I Used To Love H.E.R.' is an iconic tune taken from it, and one that is said by many to be one of hip-hop's great ever tunes. It is so admired because of its great lyrical twist and is now on 7" for the first time ever. This vital rap record is timeless and a perfect personification of hip hop which finds Common lamenting what the genre became and how commercial it was after a mass influx of mainstream rap in the 90s. A gorgeous sample of George Benson's 'The Changing World' is the icing on the cake.
Review: Private Stock Records is slowly but surely building up a golden catalogue of funk magic. This fourth EP is another high-class double dose that opens with Cutso's 'Fallen Love (Woo Woo)', a swirling slow burner of a tune with heavy, languid drums and twisted vocal samples that eventually coalesce into a warming party vibe. Excel's 'Had To Shut You Down' is a glorious soul gem with lush Philly strings and ornamental arrangements that raise your spirits and elevate your mood with its seductive grooves, not to mention a classic r&b vocal sample.
Review: Whenever you next need to select your dancefloor arsenal look no future than this first volume of battle weapons from the French label of the same name. It's a super tidy 7" with two very different sounds on each side. The first is Mr Doris & D-funk's 'New York Kiss' which is a low slung hip hop joint with East Coast bars and psyched-out guitars. The flip is a mix of two classics to give rise to a new funk sound that is brilliantly irresistible with a killer Clash bassline.
Review: Canadian-born, London-based DJ Jim Sharp strikes gold again, a mid-tempo jazz hip-hop 7" featuring the flow of Marlon Craft, crisp bars and a silky smooth tone that doesn't skip a beat. Big horns, scratching and boom-bap drums punctuate Craft's message in such an effortless way it leaves you wanting more (Don't pretend you wouldn't want an album with these two laying down the law). The flipped remix is really the star of the show, it would be more shocking if it weren't there frankly. Sharp does what he does best, chopping up and scratching like the best of them whilst a xylophone beat overlays the blown-up strings. It's that perfect blend of jazz, late 90s bling-era hip-hop and "conscious rap" (whatever you want to call it - it'll always be "abstract" to a Tribe fan). The perfect skating anthem.
Review: Long-time hip-hop heads will be familiar with this particular bit of beat-making history from back in 1998 when it dropped as part of PF Cuttin's 44 Magnum (Tape 44 Side A & B). It was his 44th mixtape back then and one of his most classics with this jam, Medina Green's 'Crosstown Beef', one of the standouts. It is lo-fi, perfectly undercooked, rides on a catchy bass riff with some slick bars and is a great and instant hit of nostalgia that has aged to perfection. An instrumental also appears on the flip.
Review: Omar is a real British musical institution and as such it's surprising but also not so shocking, he has recently completed a stint on BBC soap Eastenders. This cheeky 7" is a reissue of the title track from his album The Man and a fine example of his perfectly soulful vocals and mellifluous melodies over nice broken beat and nu jazz sounds. It represents some of his best work and this contemporary take uses the final few bars of the original track as its starting point in a "part 2" style.
Catch The Beat (Dimitri From Paris & Mousse T's Oldskool edit) (3:56)
Catch The Beat (Special remix instrumental) (5:02)
Review: Slick, plinky-plonky hip disco editry/reissue-tastics from Peppermint Records, who celebrate their 30th anniversary in style with the first in a series of edits and remixes on vinyl. First up is a 7" version of T-Ski Valley's 'Catch The Beat', featuring an edit of Dimitri from Paris & Mousse T's classic Oldskool mix, flipped with the 'Special remix instrumental' on the B. Limited Edition - so act fast!
Review: The third volume in the Insense Music compilation series, Insense Music for Dining Room, deepens its exploration of ambient, jazz, chill-out and Balearic sounds, all of which are perfect for serene dining moments. Curated by Tohru Hashimoto with artwork by Jiro Fujita and mastering by Calm, who a key figure in Japan's music scene as well as a renowned Balearic boss, this 7" release shines from the off: side A features Yakenohara's subtle, exclusive take on Bill Evans's 'Peace Piece' which blends his genre-fluid skills as rapper, DJ and producer. Side B offers Noa Noa's warm tribute to Bobby Hutcherson's 'Montara,' a hip-hop sampling favourite. The release precedes a full compilation dropping this May.
Review: First featured on Nas' peerless 1994 album "Illmatic" - a classic that really should be in your collection - "The World Is Yours" is a classic Pete Rock production that has never appeared on a seven-inch single before. Mr Bongo has decided to set the record straight, pairing the album version, which includes some of Nas' most potent lyrics, delivered in fine style as you'd expect, with an instrumental take that showcases Pete Rock's brilliant beat and tight, on-point scratches. It's a deliciously baggy beat all told, with sampled pianos and subtle jazz lifts combining cannily to create a suitably laidback, golden-era groove.
Review: DJ Soopasoul's last mash-up was an inspired affair that saw him perfectly fuse tracks by Philadelphia Soul legends MFSB and the Beastie Boys. Here he takes a similar approach, placing the rap vocals from the 1995 hip hop classic "How High" atop a suitably funky, lolloping beat crafted from Clavinet-heavy sections from Stevie party-starting floor-heater "Superstitioun". It works remarkably well on the A-side vocal mix, and those who'd not heard either track would be convinced that there was no mash-up antics going on. Over on side B you'll find an instrumental mix that showcases Soopasoul's editing skills; minus the Hip Hop vocals, is a fine re-edit of the Wonderful jam.
Review: A historical pairing of hip-hop and soul that celebrates the connection between the iconic rap track and its sampled origin. Side-1 features 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me' by the Geto Boys', a landmark 1991 hit, widely regarded as the first Southern hip-hop classic. Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill deliver deeply introspective verses exploring paranoia, mental health and street life, setting a precedent for emotional storytelling in rap. The track's haunting atmosphere and raw vulnerability put Houston's 5th Ward on the map, cementing the group's legacy in the genre. On Side-2, Isaac Hayes' 'Hung Up on My Baby' takes center stage, the soulful 1974 instrumental that inspired the Geto Boys' masterpiece. With its funky guitar licks and cinematic grooves, the track embodies Hayes' genius and underscores the lineage between soul and hip-hop.
Carnival (feat Rich The Kid & Playboi Carti) (4:20)
Talking (feat North West) (3:08)
Vultures (feat Bump J & Lil Durk) (4:40)
Vultures (Havoc remix) (4:24)
Stars (CD) (1:57)
Keys To My Life (2:54)
Paid (3:17)
Talking (3:07)
Back To Me (4:55)
Hoodrat (3:42)
Do It (3:48)
Paperwork (2:29)
Burn (1:54)
Fuk Summ (3:30)
Vultures (4:40)
Carnival (4:24)
Beg Forgiveness (6:12)
Problematic (3:16)
King (2:41)
Review: Kanye West may be widely criticised and sidelined these days, but he will forever be known as a vital hip-hop pioneer whose influence is undeniable. Back in 2024, he teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign to release Vultures 1 - an album that is bold and genre-defying and reflects the duo's musical prowess and polarising personas. Production is layered and lush, with contributions from heavyweights like Timbaland and James Blake, and standout features from equally big names like Playboi Carti and Travis Scott. Tracks here all shine with lively rhythms and high-energy flows, even if the lyrics don't always hit the mark. Nonetheless, the project topped the Billboard 200 all the same.
Review: Chad Jackson and Hallmighty deliver a fresh take on classic sounds with Jazz Be Good To Me on Battle Weapons France. This hip hop/R&B release features two creative tracks. Side-1 showcases Chad Jackson's 'Jazz Be Good To Me,' a lively hip hop groove that echoes the late 80s and 90s, when dance music was a key component of the genre. Jackson updates the early 80s classic by the S O S Band with a vibrant, contemporary twist, making it a perfect fusion of old and new. On Side-2, Hallmighty presents 'What Is Stormy Love,' a masterful mash-up of Haddaway and Diana Ross & The Supremes. This track is produced so seamlessly that it feels like an original song from the late 60s, blending vintage soul with modern production techniques.
One To Grow On (As Tall As Manute Bol) (instrumental) (3:44)
Review: If you are a true boon-bap obsessive you will know that The U.M.C.'s 'One To Grow On' is a prime cut form that sounds heyday back in 1991. It sounds as good now though all these years later and is still the sort of dusty, infectious vibe that new school producers so often try and ape. You can't beat the OGs though and whether you go for the a-side with the hard bars or the more sunny and carefree flip with its sunny flutes and crisp breaks, then this is a 7" for you.
Review: Dangerous Goods bring fresh energy to I Travel to You with 'Wish,' reshaping a 2001 r&b track through the lens of street soul. The A-side thrives on a punchy bassline, crisp 808 drums, and a newly recorded vocal, giving it a sleek, modern flair. For the Deepest Dub mix, the track slows down, cut to tape and drenched in the bass-heavy influence of late 80s and early 90s breaks. It's a dual homage, blending nostalgic grooves with bold, contemporary production.
Review: This is the debut release by the French duo Last Bongo In Paris, also known as Cleon & Jazzy Pidjay. Both are DJs and producers with a background in Latin funk and jazz-funk, and these influences more than strongly shine on 'Green Season', a release whose priority is heavy breakbeats backed by a whismical, live-instrumental flavour. The title track swims and sways through meandering kazoos and psychedelically-filtered falsettos, while the B-side brings up the flip with yet three more incredible live-but-edited-in-post numbers, plus a really weird, never-heard-before 'Bonus Scratch'.
Review: Aussie mash-up maestro and re-editor DJ Agent '86 first made his mark two decades ago and has periodically delivered killer cuts ever since. Of those, the most celebrated is undoubtedly 'All About The Money' - a cannily constructed party jam that first dropped digitally at the tail end of the noughties. Here it finally makes it to wax. It's a simple idea, expertly executed, with the Australian producer peppering a jaunty reggae-disco groove (built mostly from a late 70s disco cover of Pink Floyd's 'Money') with a variety of cash-money related rap samples. Over on the B-side he works his magic on Blondie classic 'Rapture', adding in subtle elements from other cuts early on before building energy via the familiar groove and well-used effects.
Review: Debut release on the Canadian label imprint from two Icons Of Hip Hop with the the debut 45 with Otis . This 45 draws on hip-hop's golden moments drenched in soul samples .Up first on 'Otis', which is offered up as a vocal mix on the A-side. It's three minutes of beat-making perfection with muted horns sampled throughout, raw back-and-forth bars and dusty drums with plenty of guttural soul. Flip it over for the massive funk instrumental which is stripped of the mic-work and allows the rawness of the classic 6t's soul sample to really shine through.A great start to what is sure to be an essential label for hip-hop heads.
Cool Breeze On The Rocks (The Melted version) (4:08)
Can U Keep A Secret (1:54)
Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge) (4:22)
Ghetto Thang (2:06)
Transmitting Live From Mars
Eye Know
Take It Off
A Little Bit Of Soap
Tread Water
Potholes In My Lawn
Say No Go
Do As De La Does
Plug Tunin' (Last Chance To Comprehend)
De La Orgee
Buddy (with Jungle Brothers & Q-Tip From A Tribe Called Quest)
Description
Me Myself & I
This Is A Recording 4 Living In A Full Time Era (LIFE)
I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)
DAISY Age
What's More (From The Movie Soundtrack Hell On 1st Ave)
Jenifa (Taught Me) (12" mix)
Buddy (feat Jungle Brothers & A Trible Called Quest , Queen Latifah & Monie Love - Native Tongue Decision part 1)
Buddy (feat Jungle Brothers & A Trible Called Quest , Queen Latifah & Monie Love - Native Tongue Decision part 2)
Review: It was big news this year when hip-hop legends De La Soul finally made all of their music available to stream on digital platforms. That move was backed up by them also dropping a load of reissues of their finest albums and now we have, for Record Store Day/Back Friday, this special coloured vinyl boxset featuring their most iconic LP, 3 Feet High and Rising, on seven individual 7"s, making them perfect for DJ deployment. The box set also includes a funky slipmat making this a perfect Christmas gift for the hip-hop head in your life.
Leave The Bells (feat Halfcut & Ghettosocks) (3:16)
All Or Nothing (feat Adam Bomb, Merkules, Fortified Mind & Halfcut) (3:33)
Review: Calgary's DJ Cosm, scar-faced veteran of hip-hop, has been immersed in the culture since toddlerhood. Longtime host of The Main Ingredient mix show on CJSW 90.9, he's furthermore half of the celebrated rap duo Dragon Fli Empire. On his latest 7", Cosm merges golden era influences with modern boom bap production, drawing from his digital album Natural Within; kicking off with the hard-hitting 'Rome', which corrals fellow rappers Daniel Son and Saipher Soze, then moving on to the funky boom-bapper 'Leave The Bells' with Halfcut and Ghettosocks, we're in good company with Cosm's signature scratches. On the B, 'All Or Nothing' brings a fierce break, with Adam Bomb, Mercules, Fortified Mind, and Halfcut laying down sharpened verses.
Review: Jalapeno remains one of the hottest and most spicy labels out there for hip hop lovers, and now it is The Allergies who bring the heat on a new and limited edition 7". They kick this one off with 'Stanky Funk' which features Bootie Brown and brings some old school cool, plenty of retro organ chords and noodling basslines that will tie the dance floor in knots. 'Never Gonna Let Go' then ups the ante with even more raw and hard hitting breaks next to big vocals and driving brass.
Review: Kiss Klassics is keeping all you party DJs supplied with the best tackle once more here as this time they spotlight a trio of standout tracks from Montero Lamar Hill aka Lil Nas X's debut LP. Montero came back in 2021 and these cuts haven't been available on wax before now. There is the celebratory pomp and hefty distorted low end of 'Industry Baby' as well as the more deep sounds of 'Montero' with its strings, finger clicks and Afro-tinged beats, then the high-speed party pomp of 'That's What I Want' with its epic chorus and summer festival feel.
Review: Smoove returns with his label Wack Records and delivers two killer cuts straight from the heart of Motown. Utilizing original multitrakcs from the home of Rick James and The Supremes, Smoove gets his swirv on and delivers two uptempo hip-hop bangers, curveball-tinged with the instrumental backings of Motown. On the A, 'Empty World', we hear an attention-grabbing Nas mashup ('Life's A Bitch'), while the aforementioned artists are equally as well fused on the much more positive B-side.
Review: Mantronix declared themselves 'King of The Beats' back in 1988 and managed to live up to the title across a fine career. The tune is of course widely credited with being the first track to ever sample the amen break so many art forms owe it a real debt of gratitude. Its blend of old school hip-hop, electro and club music is topped off with rapper MC Tee in fine form. This reissue on Lil Static comes in limited quantities and is backed with 'Get Stupid Fresh' (part 1), another classic joint from back in the day.
Review: A timeless gem from the mid-80s, this ballad is a magical slow jam of its era with a soulful touch that remains irresistible. Produced and written by the legendary duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song features their unparalleled ability to craft heartfelt melodies and lush arrangements. Its delicate piano-driven sound and tender vocal delivery immediately connect, making it an enduring favorite. Initially featured in the movie Krush Groove, the track quickly outshone its cinematic origins, climbing to number four on the r&b charts and breaking into the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. It introduced the group to a wider audience, transcending their early hip-hop and pre-new jack swing roots. Now released on heart-shaped vinyl, this edition feels like a perfect tribute to a song that's all about emotion and connection.
Review: The DMV crew presents two Biggie-inspired tracks on a limited 7" vinyl here that drives just in time for you to flip some Christmas party dance floors inside out and back to front. Side A opens with the wonderful and timeless 'Juicy Groove,' which is a funky, brass-infused twist on a classic NYC hit that will connect with a wide array of dancers. Flip to side B and you will find a Caribbean-flavoured mashup that's sure to leave you 'Hypnotized'. Do not excuse the pun.
Review: Kendrick Lamar's 'King Kunta' and Kelis' 'Milkshake' hear an unlikely pairing on the perfunctorily named Edits series. The former track - some might agree its dust is still settling, as it was released in 2015 - sounds almost twice as lively here, its "oh, yes, you can, oh, yes you can!" ad-lib sounding about as squeezed as a hand-wrung lime steeped in its own juices and then dried out in Saharan heat. There's a diatonic, electric piano hook added on top too; Kelis' flip has a similar feel, mashing up the noughts teaser hit with a dash of easily identified r&b goodness - we're 99% sure you'll recognise the instrumental, its having also originated somewhere in the familiar fires of pop musical preeminence.
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