Back catalogue: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: Earthtones have got a new albumin the way and this is the very first and very tasty teaser single from it. This one is actually a collaboration with longtime friend and co-producer Oliwa and it has a stunning lead vocal that is full pf passion and heart ache and comes from Colombian-Canadian talent Lido Pimienta. The drums are slow, heavy and cumbia influenced extra bass synths, keys, guitars and drums all making it feel contemporary as well as traditional. We're told "the vision of this track is one of upliftment of womxn and femmes everywhere."

Review: Ewonee has some superb credentials - he is a Mutant Academy member as well as having done some production for Fly Anakin, Henny LO and Koncept Jack$on amongst others. He shows his class here with two deep and stylish joints for High Water Music. 'Do Your Dance' is up first and has nice low slung and dusty kick drums, organic finger clicks and muttered vocals for a late night feel. 'The World Is Ours' then layer sup some tender piano chords with another dusty and minimal drum line then layers in some sun kissed chords and classic hip-hop samples for outdoor fun.

Review: Oxnard producer and emcee Body Bag Ben returns to conspire with New York's finest producer and rapper Eto, for the sequel to their 2019 LP release Integrity. This is a no-holds-barred King Kong vs. Godzilla ten-track showdown, burning through a round number of dark horrorcore bits and surely tricksy instrumentals full of idiosyncratic syncopations and hard-knocks allusions. From the cradle of 'Pros & Cons' to the grave of 'Integrity 2', every track here is a tragic montage of young death memorials and ransom demands, bringing hauntingly poetic breadth to a harsh and unforgiving world.

Review: Once known as the technical wunderkind of alt hip-hop collective Odd Future, the ascension of Earl Sweatshirt to incomparable outlier status as a wordsmith very much in his own lane, has been a muted spectacle to behold. Celebrating the tenth birthday of Doris (his acclaimed major label debut released in 2013) earlier this year in front of a sold out KOKO just a stone's throw (no pun intended) from our offices, the anniversary show was immediately followed by a mass exodus down to Camden's Jazz Cafe where a limited club experience teased material from the much-pondered collaborative project with legendary producer and long-time Earl affiliate The Alchemist. Currently available to stream while vinyl continues to be pressed, Voir Dire exudes a lackadaisical, dare we say positive demeanour across its brief half-hour runtime, with Earl unpacking his fading twenties, preparing for his encroaching thirties and delving into the shift in perspective that comes with fatherhood. Brimming with both artist's trademark flourishes of drugged out, apathetic delivery and chopped, screwed and warped jazz and soul samples, the subtle coalescing of styles results in a work that's equal parts enlightening yet understated, while long-time collaborators/friends Vince Staples and MIKE both offer standout appearances.

Review: A decade after making his major label with Doris, all all-star affair featuring contributions from the RZA, Frank Ocean and Tyler The Creator, Los Angeles MC Earl Sweatshirt delivers album number six - a two-way hoedown with acclaimed beat-maker, Cypress Hill affiliate and fellow LA resident The Alchemist. It's a musical marriage with great potential, all told, as Earl Sweatshirt delivers distinctively enigmatic lyrical flows in his distinctive timbre over impeccable beats that draw on an impressively diverse range of samples. Compare and contrast, for example, the sparse, bluesy brilliance of 'Vin Skully' and the West Coast synth-funk influenced smoothness of 'Heat Check', or gospel-influenced Vince Staples hook-up 'Mancula' and the slow-motion drowsiness and aural beauty of 'Sirius Blac'.

Review: Elusive former Odd Future wordsmith Earl Sweatshirt celebrated the ten year anniversary of his seminal 2013 major label debut Doris back in August to a sold out crowd down the road from our offices in KOKO. Directly after the show had finished, the mass would march down to the Jazz Cafe for an exclusive club night where teasers were unveiled of the long-gestating collaborative album with esteemed, multi-generational hip-hop producer The Alchemist. Already streaming while vinyl currently sits on the presses, Voir Dire offers a reliably hazy, laid back yet subtly esoteric collection of forward thinking, muted bangers; breathing with the same sonic ambivalence of a project such as Madvillainy, while the mainstay features from Sweatshirt alumni MIKE and Vince Staples aid in grounding the work within the ever-expanding tapestry of Earl's output.

Review: He might not be quite as well known but top producer and trackmaker edbl should be considered to be right up there with the likes of Tom Misch. He has his own distinctive style and it's packed with soul and emotion. Now he finally makes his debut in Japan with this new album on P-VINE which collects together two 12" EPs from him and friends. Steeped in rap jazz knowledge, it's all lounge grooves with naive melodies and gentle piano keys, dusty and deep beats, heady highs and romantic lows.

Review: This album emerged as a live show experience only back in 2022 but now finally it arrives on vinyl. It's a cracking coming together of legendary Boston MC, Edo. G and New York City MC and producer Fokis and it draws on the classic era of boom bap but brings it right up to date. Importantly, the mic work is right on point - it is packed with thought-provoking lyrics that take in a wide array of subjects such as social justice, private struggles, inequality and more. Add in crips drums and smooth samples and you have a real doozy that has been rather slept on if you ask us.

Review: Legendary Queensbridge MC Tragedy Khadafi and acclaimed producer Endemic Emerald met a decade ago at Goblin Studios in Queens. They soon found they had shared musical chemistry and have worked on several great songs together. Now they drop Rebel Kings, a new album that again lives up to the hype. Tragedy is in fine flow through as he touches on a wide range of subjects in evocative fashion over the timeless production of Endemic. Nods to the game, childhood memories and much more all comes up on these well-crafted songs with plenty of boom-bap stylings and guest appearances from DJ Eclipse, DJ Akil, Kasim Allah and Foul Monday.