Juno Recommends Hip Hop / R&B March 2021

Review: Some more classic hip-hop action on the cheekily-named Old Chilin' label, this time courtesy of D.I.T.C crew member Omar Credle AKA O.C. Many fans of golden-era hip-hop may already be familiar with 1994 gem 'Born To Live', a Buckwild-produced jam that also features vocal contributions from Pharoahe Monch and Roc Raida. The full vocal version - or at least the "Rap Edit" version prepared for radio stations - resides on the A side and sees Credle spitting atmospheric, largely positive rhymes atop a snappy, head-nodding beat, deep bass and some deliciously jazzy instrumental samples. The quality of Buckwild's production, and the weightiness of the beats in particular, can be further enjoyed on the flipside instrumental take.

Review: There are an awful lot of great records in the J Dilla's catalogue, but few can match the consistent quality and coherent construction of Welcome 2 Detroit, his 2001 breakthrough album. Designed as a love letter to his home city with a sample palette and blend of styles to match, it saw the late producer and a string of then largely unknown local MCs showcase their vocal talents over some of his best ever beats. This lusciously expansive 20th anniversary box set does a brilliant job in expanding on the original album, with the 12 included "45s" pairing vocal mixes with instrumentals, unreleased cuts and occasional remixes. The included hardback book is brilliant, too, and packed with first-hand accounts of the creation of a now iconic LP.

Review: Mr Bongo has been shining a light on the work of Main Source (aka Queens native Large Professor and Toronto's Sir Scratch and K-Cut) for a while now. Their latest reissue - after plenty of other 7"s last year- is Just Hangin' Out, which is an ode to the simple pleasures of relaxing with friends. The a-side is made from two huge samples (Vanessa Kendrick's '90% of Me is You' and Sister Nancy's 'Bam Bam' ) to make for a stone cold and swooning groove. On the flip, 'Live at the Barbecue' is often said to be one of the finest posse cuts of all time.

Review: The fourth studio album from Canadian R&B pinup The Weeknd (released last March) was produced, in the main, by the artist himself. Previous collaborators like DaHeala, Illangelo, Max Martin, Metro Boomin and OPN also stepped up to give a hand and between them, the four singles 'Heartless', 'Blinding Lights', 'In Your Eyes,' and 'Save Your Tears' topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum making the album another hugely successful one. After Hours explores the themes of promiscuity, overindulgence and self-loathing which help to make it one of his finest to date.

Review: This limited-edition EP gathers together some serious heat from the bulging back catalogue of veteran Brooklyn MC Jeru The Damaja, a rapper who has been busting out flows since the early '90s. The A-side is all about 1999's '99.9 Percent', a classic chunk of conscious, laidback NYC hip-hop that remains one of the mic man's greatest musical moments. Here you get both the original vocal and instrumental takes, with the latter offering a chance to bathe in the MC's own superb beat. Turn to the flip for the even more laidback and hazy 'How III' - seemingly an alternate take on a track from the same period as '99.9 Percent' - and the faintly foreboding boom-bap goodness of 2003's 'True Skillz', a lesson on rap etiquette aimed at wannabe-MCs.

Review: Alexis Boettcher aka Packed Rich's musical style is heavily influenced by Pete Rock, DJ Premiere and J Dilla, and won him two beat battles in a row in his hometown of Munich. Utilising the MPC 1000 and some great skills on the piano, he brings an overall organic sound to his style of hip-hop production on Ilian Beat Tape, which is an interesting release to come from the usually techno oriented label by The Zenker Brothers. From the sunny urban vibes of 'Golden', to the contemplative beats of "Changing" (feat Polygonia - part 1) and the blunted mood music heard on tracks like 'Mochi' and 'Momo' - Boettcher proves he certainly has skills.

Review: Tek and Steele make a 360-degree homage to their beloved Brooklyn with two of 'Bucktown's' original producers, DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt of Da Beatminerz. Taking you down memory lane with the results, the experiences of this hip hop duo feed into the music and lend an extra air of authenticity to it. The original is a hard hitting tune with big boom bap beats and raw rhymes next to smart samples. Flip it over for the paired back instrumental but really, why would you ever drop this without the slick verses.

Review: Proven beat maker extraordinaire Tall Black Guy returns to his own label with Airplane Mode, an album formed over continents, big life changes and questions such as Why am I here? Am I enough? What makes me happy? Across just 40 minutes, the record attempts to answer all these with a range of intimate sounds that draw on his usual references - soul, jazz, hip hop, with added focus on the listening experience as a whole. The wealth of guests all bring extra perspectives with standouts from Kenny Keys, Keys Maeesha and more.

Review: Like many within the hip-hop community, Common has drawn significant inspiration from the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. Yet while some of his contemporaries have raged on mic, he has instead chosen to focus his music and lyrics on a broken system built on a mixture of racism and classism. A Beautiful Revolution Part 1, his latest album, is full of what he calls - "movement music": musically rich, socially driven songs touched by jazz and soul, recorded with the aid of a top-notch backing band (vocalist PJ, pianist Robert Glasper and drmmer Karriem Riggins included), and featuring an impressive roll call of collaborators (Stevie Wonder, Chuck D and Lenny Kravitz all feature). The result is an album that's undoubtedly among his best to date.

Review: Following his first full-length collaboration with beat-maker 38 Spesh in 2019, Loyalty & Trust - a set now considered a contemporary underground hip-hop classic - fast-rising Queens mic man Flee Lord promised to release a further 10 albums in the 18 months that followed. Loyalty & Trust II is fittingly the final chapter in that astonishing run and sees him reunite with 38 Spesh, whose eerie, dark and atmospheric instrumentals seem to get the most out of the former Prodigy protege. Certainly, critics have rightly lauded the set, heaping praise both on Flee Lord's hard-hitting lyrics and 38 Spesh's superb production. Notably, the album also includes a guest spot from Fred The Godson - one of the final verses he recorded before he passed away last year.