Back catalogue: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: Last year, former Sons of Sam rapper Raphael Xavier AKA The Xav offered up his first ever solo single, the Amazing Maze produced A.G collaboration 'Come On'. That cut - a genuine boom-bap treat featuring some tight scratches from DJ Danetic - naturally features on Black Duke, the Philadelphia MC's long awaited debut album. It's a hugely entertaining set all told, with Xavier's distinctively fluid flows (and those of guests including Ed O.G and Omar) riding deliciously jazzy, warm and sample-rich "golden era" style beats produced by a cast-list that includes Lord Finesse, Large Professor and Nottz. If you're in the mood for some classic-sounding hip-hop, it's an album that should be right up your street.

Review: The third volume of the Members Only mixtapes would serve as the final addition to the saga released during the lifetime of controversial experimental emo-hip-hop artist XXXTentacion (real name Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy), who would tragically lose their life in a botched robbery/shooting just under a year later. Known for his genre-bending fusion of hyper aggressive trap interspliced with emotive displays of tortured catharsis, these collaborative collections, originally formulated with friend and regular collaborator Ski Mask The Slump God, became a highlight for fans of the young artist's seemingly endless and expansive discography. Extending the banner to incorporate a myriad of like-minded alternative rappers such as Wifisfuneral, Bass Santana, Robb Banks, Craig Xen and Killstation, Volume 3 is regularly commended for its collective vision, dynamic production and ever-shifting moods, while Onfroy's charisma would still commend the focal point spotlight across its weighty 23 tracks and hour-long runtime.

Review: American hip-hop collective Members Only is led and presented by XXXTentacion. Members Only, Vol. 4, was released on what would have been XXXTentacion's 21st birthday on January 23, 2019 and is the only record to have come since his murder. The record debuted at number 23 on the US Billboard 200 chart and was well received by fans and critics alike with production taken care of by the likes of Flyboy Tarantino, Denzel "Heartbreak" Richards, Courtney "AyooiNk" Jenkins and several others. The record samples the likes of Billie Ellish and Mort Garson and now makes its way to vinyl for the first time.