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Solo project from emcee John Robinson aka Lil' Sci of Scienz of Life (duo that debuted on Fondle Em in 1996). These conceptual, thought-out hip-hop albums are few and far-between these days. For the most part, JR achieves this higher art through...
expand review his complex combination of producers. His rhymes continually morph over the diverse palettes (which ranges from straight jazz to future LA beats). No surprise, the credits read like a list of who's hot in the beats scene including three tracks from Flying Lotus(1,2,3), two from Jneiro Jarel (4,5), and tracks from Carlos Nino(6) and J Rawls(7). 11 tracks in all. Fresh. -the mgmnt
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J. Rawls and the gang are back for a second full length dose of that smooth "jazzhop" style they've come to master. If you're not up on the sound, think of your favorite hip-hop beats replayed by a live band and given...
expand review an overall smooth-jazz flavor (Shipset likes to call these "soft bangers" LOL). The band has covered everyone from Dilla to Pete Rock and CL Smooth's "TROY" to a good level of success and this latest batch of beats follows the same formula as well as adding in some original compositions. First check some of the known classics to get you into the mood - "Tribute To Beatnuts(1)" covers the infamous "Off The Books" beat and "Tribute To Beatminerz(2)" goes for the Brooklyn anthem "Bucktown." Now check some sampled gems which are covered like "Loran's Dance Redux(3)" by Grover Washington which was sampled for "Push It Along" by ATCQ, as well as the lesser known "Capricorn's Reprise(4)" used by Five Deez. Personally, I really like some of the original works going on in here, especially "Digital Funky (5)" that gets some help from the Soul Makossa drums, "Charlie Chop's Gem(6)" with those tough drums cooled out by the mellow sax work, and the tripped out vibes of "Hebejeedees(7)." Also note that LCP aren't scared to show their roots as evident with the straight ahead jazz of "Retreat At Turnberry(8)" and the deep gospel vibes of "We All Fall Down(9)." 17 tracks total. -snackmaster
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It's hard to believe that it's been more than 10 years since the release of J5's essential debut ep/album (1997). In my opinion, J5 never again achieved the chemistry of this release (came close). This double disc plus DVD set (yes 3...
expand review discs) features the original EP in its entirety (plus bonus tracks), 15 additional rarities, and a full length DVD featuring the Jurassic Period movie, the Brixton Academy concert, and the "Concrete Schoolyard" video. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Mr. Hood is an early 90s lost masterpiece... deceptively playful. For their second album, their subversive tone came out stronger... enough to scare away their label Elektra, and burying the infamous cover art like slavery stories. But like all shit that is...
expand review meant to be, this sophomore masterpiece is finally available after being pressed in rare, short runs. Production-wise this is truly one of my favorite full-lengths. "Suspended Animation(1)" with that blown-out bass has been my rationale for the last couple months. "Plumskinzz(2)" from the hard to find "Nitty Gritty" 12" is also represented here split into 2 parts. Ask Authentic about the heavenly beat, it's on his tape. If you were lucky to catch the one-off singles on Fondle Em, you've heard the catchy loops of "What A Niggy Know(3), It Sounded Like A Rock(4), Constipated Monkey(5), Smokin That Shit(6)," and the others. Shame that SubRoc had to go directly to home, him and Doom were like peanut butter and bananas. 13 tracks in all. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Zev Love X of KMD reincarnated himself as MF Doom the masked villain who came out the ashes of the death (RIP Subroc) and major label weakness (fuc Elektra). He blasted back on the scene with a series of acclaimed Fondle Em...
expand review vinyl releases (which now go for 40 buck a pop!). All of a sudden, his early material was gone. Luckily MF has released a new pressing of his full length which includes all 89.9 classics like "Dead Bent(1) (yes!), Red and Gold(2), Doomsday(3)," and "Gas Drawls(4)." The production is rough and the guests stanky the way like we like it. Classic NY underground. 18 tracks in all. Recommended.
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Before mash-ups, there were the Special Blends. Problem was that this Doom side project was impossible to track down. Now thanks to Nature Sounds we get a new volume, plus the sought after volume 1, all on this 2 disc set. For...
expand review Doom huggers the amount of material here is staggering, 27 tracks, chock full of smog inducing, air freshening beats. The acapellas Doom selects stay away from the obvious for the most part, and at multiple times he hits unlikely favorite spots in my hip-hop crate. The end result is enlightening, like reviewing the last 10 years of hip-hop through the eyes of mask. No need to go through each track, I'll just point out some winners: D'Angelo(1), Big Pun(2), Erykah Badu(3), MOP(4), De La Soul(5), MC Lyte(6), Raekwon(7), Lil Vicious(8), Method Man(9), and Cash Money(10). -the mgmnt
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The latest Stones Throw family affair, Roc C comes with one of their best full lengths in a minute. His buddy Oh No handles production on most of the album and these guys sound right in tune with each other. I'll be...
expand review honest, I don't know Roc C from a hole in the wall and I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to get to know him better, but this album kinda hit me in the head. First things first, the beats are pretty frickin good all the way through. Seriously, Oh No hit him with some shit and his beats are real consistent. Second things second, Roc C has a good voice, strong presence and enough charisma that you want to find out what he's saying. "Hear Me Now(1)" got me interested, "Don't Stop(2)" made it apparent this was gonna have some shit, and by the time "Dirty Dirty(3)" came on I was ready to just let the whole album roll (we rarely do that on the mngmt side of the office. It's either pete's itunes on shuffle, jonesey's jukebox podcasts or the frogman on 45s). "R.O.C.(4)" with Dudley Perkins is one of my favorites from that dude, and the crew track "Watching You(5)" with Aloe Blacc, Oh No and Bizzy Bone is especially hitting. This is that solid Southern Cali hip hop, made for the walkmen, the beat heads and the cars… but it's not corny. -the mgmnt
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This album is a mutual project between Stones Throw and the Adult Swim Network, featuring tracks from every Stones Throw artist, many of which are either exclusive to this comp (at least for now) or are appearing on CD for the first...
expand review time. And they really know how to put one of these things together (check PBW's Juke Box comp if you haven't, or any of the comps Egon's been involved with). They pull from the whole roster with pieces from established vets like Dilla, Dudley Perkins, Madlib, Madvillain and all the other Madlib collabs, plus current up and comers Georgia Anne Muldrow, Koushik, and Roc C, left field shots like Baron Zen, Gary Williams and Pure Essence, and a couple of new guys with funny names: James Pants and Guilty Simpson. So far all we've got to go on is the 30 second audio snippets posted up on the Stones Throw site, but this thing sounds pretty damn good: "Nothing Like This(1)" from Dilla, "Monkey Suite(2)" from Madvillain, "Take It Back(3)" from Madlib, "Drama(4)" from J-Rocc and the list goes on. -the mgmnt
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