Back catalogue: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: There seems to be a wealth of excellent hip hop LPs landing this month and right up there with the best of them is this gritty, streetwise collection from Amityville, New York MC Rozewood. His involving narrations are hugely detailed and make for an album packed with tight story telling. There is some rich melody to lighten the mood in most tracks, with serene strings, dusty beats and jazzy chords all adding richness and realness to the confrontational rhymes. Somehow thew album harks back to the golden 90s era of rugged boom-bap while also bringing something new and utterly contemporary. Essential stuff.

Review: One of the most iconic groups of the eighties music scene was Run-DMC, no question. They blew up the world of rap with their raw, swaggering beats and impactful lyrical insights, which often came with a tag-team delivery between numerous band members. Their self-titled album remains a high water mark for the band, and the genre at large, with singles like "Rock Box" and worldwide smash "King Of Rock" still resonating today. This landmark album was the first rap full-length to achieve Gold status, and the band kept the pressure on with two even bigger follow up albums in the years after.

Review: The American hip-hop group Run DMC are some of the earliest pioneers of rap and hip-hop music. The pair emerged from a strange melting pot of a time in which rap was still stooped in the late vestiges of funk, but rappers themselves were becoming more interested in fusing their now harder-beat-driven style with elements of other extant and popular styles such as rock. Such is why this Run DMC album is called 'King Of Rock', capturing the duo's striking out into appealing to the already established rock music market, with guitar riffs and drum machines fusing neatly together on cuts like 'King Of Rock', 'You Talk Too Much', and 'Can You Rock It Like This'.

Review: Raising Hell was legendary US hip-hop group Run-D.M.C's third studio album and it dropped in May 1986. The one and only Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons produced the album which peaked at three in the Billboard chart and also produced some of the band's biggest ever singles. They are of course 'My Adidas', 'Walk This Way' with Aerosmith', 'You Be Illin'' and 'It's Tricky' and are the sound of this collective at their most potent. Raising Hell is also the name of one of the band's legendary tours back in 1986 and The Apollo 86, a live recording of one of the nights in that run, is one of their best, so why not cop both.

Review: Run-DMC was one of the most influential groups of the 1980s thanks to them revolutionising rap with their bold beats and sharp lyrical exchanges. Their self-titled debut album set a new standard for hip-hop and features hits like 'Rock Box' and the global sensation 'King of Rock,' which both still resonate today. This album became the first rap full-length to achieve Gold status and cemented the group's legacy forever. Run-DMC continued their momentum with two more groundbreaking albums after this, but you can't beat the OG realness and rawness of this classic.

Review: Run-DMC's vital Down With The King album is now a hard to believe three decades old and so Get On Down mark the occasion with this special red & clear vinyl 7" real of its title tune for its 30th Anniversary. The album - their sixth at the time - marked a superb comeback for the band having already hit massive sights with the previous platinum album Tougher Than Leather. Gangsta rap had rather pushed the group to the sidelines but this one brought them back to the fore with its catchy melodies and crunchy beats as well as superb bars. On the flip here is the low slung and classic boom-bap sound of 'Come On Everybody.'

Review: Raising Hell originally came in 1986 and became a groundbreaking album that built on the success of King of Rock and went on to sell over three million copies worldwide. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album raised the standard for hip hop as it was packed with hard-hitting hooks, inventive samples, scratches and of course many catchy choruses. Tracks like 'Peter Piper'# with its Bob James sample, 'It's Tricky' which made use of The Knack's 'My Sharona' and 'My Adidas' became and remain classics. However, the 'Walk This Way' bridged hip hop and rock in all new ways and consigned Aerosmith's original version almost to irrelevance.

Review: Undoubtedly, one of the most influential groups to emerge from the eighties music scene was Run-DMC. With their bold beats and insightful lyrics delivered through a tag-team style among band members, they revolutionized rap music. Their eponymous album stands as a pinnacle not only for the band but also for the entire genre, boasting timeless singles like 'Rock Box' and the global hit 'King Of Rock'. Remarkably, this album was the first rap full-length to attain Gold status, solidifying their impact. Run-DMC continued their momentum with two subsequent albums, further cementing their status as rap icons.

Review: Hip-hop supergroup Run The Jewels aka Brooklyn-based rapper-producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike return with their fourth in their self titled album series. Once again the American heavyweights call on a big roster of collaborators with DJ Premier, 2-Chainz, Pharrell Williams and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme all appearing. The tracks remain hard-edged and direct, with cacophonous synths and oversized hits making each track an attention grab. The rhymes are of course on point throughout, with standouts including the machine gun bars of 'Walking The Shadow.'

Review: Hip-hop supergroup Run The Jewels is comprised of Brooklyn-based rapper-producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike. They have put pout a wealth of sensibly titled album that remain firm favourers and always sell out. The latest to be reissued is Run The Jewels 3 on this limited edition and coloured vinyl. This one mixes sup the urban grime and decay of New York city with bouncing Southern vibes to pave a new path for hip hop. The tracks remain hard-edged and direct, with cacophonous synths and oversized hits making each track an attention grabber.

Review: Hip-hop supergroup Run The Jewels have looked back on their Run the Jewels 14 album and reworked it through a squarely Latin American lens. They have called upon artists from across the diaspora and in doing so spotlight a real wealth of talent for another superb album in this feel-good band's impeccable run. Oscar-winning Broadway megastar Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of the standouts in an album full of wild different and expressive sounds. This is certainly a collaborative free-for-all that is well worth hearing.

Review: Run The Jewels 2 - 10th Anniversary Limited Edition arrives as a heavyweight celebration of an album that shook up hip-hop and still resonates today. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl, it's an essential collector's piece for those who understand the uncompromising energy and sharp lyricism that defined its impact. With premium packaging and exclusive details, this edition honours the legacy of Killer Mike and El-P's masterwork, delivering a high-quality experience that's all about paying homage to one of the genre's true modern classics.

Review: RZA has become something of a wise old social media elder who often shares tips for a mindful and meditative life. He is of course also the leader of the iconic hip-hop band Wu-Tang Clang and back in 1998 he debuted his Bobby Digital alter ego on the Bobby Digital In Stereo album. Now it's back with another record under the same name. Bobby Digital and the Pit of Snakes is a soundtrack written for an upcoming graphic novel and was produced by DJ Scratch. It is musically diverse with plenty of hip hop, orchestral soundscapes, playful beats, and plenty of great bars and insightful lyricism.

Review: RZA has always been an interesting character who has dabbled in many different projects alongside his legendary presence as part of the Wu-Tang Crew. For this new album, he makes his first foray into the world of classical music and fans have already dubbed it a masterpiece. It's an emotional rollercoaster with turbulent moods, beautiful finales, and plenty in between, all of which have been designed as a way of attempting to get people into classical music who might previously have ignored the genre. It will surely work wonders on that front.

Review: Following the release of Jim Jarmusch movie Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai in 1999, many hip-hop heads were keen for the RZA's immaculate soundtrack - his first movie score - to get a release. It did, but only in Japan. Finally, the RZA has put that right, and now the soundtrack, which features a number of contributions from the Wu-Tang Clan, is available around the world via this new pressing. Largely warm, light and airy, much of the material mixes traditional instrumentation - electric piano, various Japanese instruments, guitar - with head-nodding hip-hop beats and the kind of obscure, Blaxploitation-era funk samples that have long been a staple of the RZA's work. It's a great set of instrumentals, with just enough forthright vocal cuts to keep things fresh.

Review: Los Angeles MC T.F has a bona-fide South Central gangster mindset but he also has all the technical mic skills of a classic New York MC. He first made waves back in 2016 with a feature on 'Tookie Knows II' by ScHoolboy Q and has since drop some classic West Coast sounds but here he works with Lord Mobb producer Mephux as well as the legendary Roc Marciano for a fresh new record that dives deep into his own hood. It tells stories of how and what shaped him with real narrative. It tells the tale of a man proud to have come through the violence and poverty of it all and now be making moves on the world stage.

Review: Featuring a stellar lineup of guest artists including Boldy James, Kool Keith, Grip, Blu, Fatboi Sharif and more, here's an album that truly showcases a seamless synergy between Real Bad Man's atmospheric production and YUNGMORPHEUS's captivating lyricism. From the stony and atmospheric ambiance to the funky undertones, each track on the album offers a unique sonic experience that pushes the boundaries of traditional hip-hop. Real Bad Man's meticulous attention to detail in tailoring the beats to complement YUNGMORPHEUS' flow is evident throughout the project, resulting in a cohesive and engaging product. YUNGMORPHEUS's introspective lyrics delve into themes of dichotomies and self-reflection, adding depth and substance to the album's narrative. Tracks like 'Tripleback Tuck,' 'Just The Three of Us,' and 'Flick of The Wrist' showcase his lyrical prowess and ability to effortlessly navigate complex subject matter. With The Chalice & The Blade, Real Bad Man and YUNGMORPHEUS have crafted an album that transcends genre conventions, delivering a thought-provoking and sonically rich experience that is sure to resonate with fans of innovative hip-hop.