Rap & Hip-Hop

There is no disputing that Benny the Butcher has arrived. With anticipation now at a fever pitch, Benny the Butcher puts a bow on his and Griselda's genre-shifting year with his new album Burden Of Proof; an album that aligns the best rapper alive, with the hottest producer (Hit-Boy) of 2020.Mastered by Guru, Burden of Proof is The Butcher's official level up. With Burden Of Proof, Benny took his time and holed up in LA with Hit-Boy to craft a masterpiece; and the one producer methodology, though a somewhat new concept for Benny, aids the albums musical variance, depth and diversity. It's still gritty and vintage, but coupled with the melodic and anthemic production of Hit-Boy; Benny's Pyrex vision raps have never sounded more festival ready."I always wanted to name my first album, The Most Anticipated, because that's always been my position and it's my position now. I've always been a dope artist from the hood, from the city, but I never really put out "the album" Benny commented. "I've recorded a lot of great music. Dope projects, mixtapes, features and people see me on that level to where when I deliver the album it has to be "that album" because expectations are high and I thrive under pressure. Burden Of Proof is that album. We worked hard on this project. I got a lot of input from the team. This is what I wanted to give the people; Burden Of Proof."

Vinyl LP pressing. 2011 album from TV writer, actor, standup comedian and rapper Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino. A unique blend of Hip Hop with multiple genres, combined with lyrical genius, Gambino has gone from a viral cult following to a mega sensation.

In partnership with Dave Sitek's (TV ON THE RADIO) Federal Prism Records and his own Federal Prism imprint Sounds Like Fun, COOL KIDS co-founder and renowned hip-hop producer CHUCK INGLISH will release his debut solo album CONVERTIBLES. The album features appearances by CHROMEO, MAC MILLER, Black Hippy star AB SOUL, ACTION BRONSON, VIC MENSA, SIR MICHAEL ROCKS and CHANCE THE RAPPER. The album is co-produced by MIKE EINZEGER of INCUBUS who has also produced tracks for FRANK OCEAN, AVIICI, ODD FUTURE and many others.

The debut full-length studio release for the Australian rapper features guest appearances from Charli XCX, Mavado, Rita Ora, and T.I.

Initiated in 1998 by Jedi Mind Tricks frontman Vinnie Paz as homage to the incredible rap crews of the 80's and early 90's, the Army of the Pharoahs has, from its outset, been an ever-evolving collective of celebrated emcees from the indie hip-hop scene. Founding members Vinnie Paz and Esoteric were featured on the crew's original 12-inch single, ''Five Perfect Exertions,'' in 1998 and remain with the crew today. With the release of their debut studio album, ''The Torture Papers'' in 2006, the Pharoah clique expanded to include accomplished solo emcees Apathy, Celph Titled, King Syze, Reef The Lost Cauze, and the Philly hip-hop duo and frequent Jedi Mind Tricks collaborators, Outerspace. ''In Death Reborn'' also features appearances from Blacastan, Zilla, Block McCloud, Demoz, Doap Nixon, King Magnetic & Lawrence Arnell.

Limited black and white colored vinyl LP pressing including digital download. Reissue of 2017 debut studio album by rapper Xxxtentacion. It was released on August 25, 2017, by Bad Vibes Forever and Empire Distribution. It features 11 tracks and was supported by the lead single "Revenge". 17 is X's second solo commercial project, succeeding the compilation mixtape Revenge, also released in 2017. It includes a guest appearance from Trippie Redd and uncredited vocals by Shiloh Dynasty, as well as production from X himself, Nick Mira, Taz Taylor, Dex Duncan, Natra Average, Dub tha Prodigy, and Potsu. The album experiments with a variety of genres, such as emo, indie rock, and lo-fi. The album charted at #2 on the US Billboard 200. The album won Favorite Soul/R&B album award at the American Music Awards.

2014 second mini album from the seven-piece Korean boy band. The album was released on February 12, 2014. It contains ten tracks, with "Boy In Luv" as the lead single. On April 9, the group promoted "Just One Day, " another track from the album. BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a seven-member South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Entertainment. The name subsequently became a backronym for Beyond the Scene in July 2017.

The masked ninja Jaguar Skills returns with a mammoth compilation for the legendary US label Nervous Records. This 2014 record sees Jaguar Skills move away from his normal genre-defying scintillating style and embrace his Hip-Hop roots, as he breathes fresh life into Nervous Records classic Hip-Hop back catalog. The artists and tracks may be familiar to some, but here they sound like never before. 90's Hip-Hop Revisited is equally a nostalgic treat for the heads who saw the golden era of Hip-Hop first hand or an introductory masterclass for the younger generation to feast themselves on.

Freddie Gibbs is the product of violent, drug-laden streets but unlike most rappers with similar resumes, he brings the block to the booth without inhibition or an exaggerated rap persona. Piñata, a 17 track collaboration with producer Madlib, is the best distillation yet of his transparent approach to making music, combining an at times stark honesty with electrifying talent as a lyricist and performer. Piñata is "a gangster Blaxploitation film on wax," says Gibbs, who came up on the streets of Gary, Indiana, the disregarded city previously best known for producing Michael Jackson. Here he is joined by Mac Miller, Earl Sweatshirt, Raekwon, Scarface, Domo Genesis, Ab-Soul and a host of others in setting his soliloquies of the streets alongside film snippets and dusted funk, soul and prog musical tapestries. While this is the latest in a series of single-artist collaborations for Madlib, after Jaylib (J Dilla), Madvillainy (MF Doom) and the street-centric O.J. Simpson with Detroit's Guilty Simpson, the pairing is unique as it is the first time for Gibbs working with just one producer. On Piñata, where Gibbs can shift from textbook lessons in robbing and drugging on trackslike "Scarface" and "Knicks," to perhaps the album's most personal song, "Broken," a collaboration with Scarface, who, along with Tupac, DMX and 50 Cent, make up the rapper's own Mount Rushmore of MCs ("You re getting a hurricane of all those motherf&%kers hitting you at once when you listen to Freddie Gibbs," he says). "Deeper," a Gibbs favorite and the third single from the album after "Thuggin'" (2012) and "Shame," (2013) is an ode to hip-hop in the mold of Common's "I Used to Love H.E.R."; "High," featuring Danny Brown, is self-explanatory and just what you would expect from Gibbs, Madlib and one of Detroit's finest; while on "Real," Gibbs addresses an old score just as Michael Corleone settled all family business on baptism day. As a producer, Madlib, quite simply, is music, and ten years into his career a time when other artists become comfortable Gibbs remains restless, focused, with an eye on the competition and their position relative to his ascent. This is because mentally, he s still on the corner hustling, which would be the downfall of the average rapper. With Piñata, Gibbs confirms that he is anything but average.

Man on the Moon: The End of Day is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi, released on September 14, 2009, by Dream On, GOOD Music, and Universal Motown. A concept album, narrated by fellow American rapper Common, it follows the release of his first mixtape A Kid Named Cudi (2008). Production for the album took place during 2007 to 2009 and was handled by several record producers, including Cudi, Kanye West, Emile Haynie, Plain Pat, No I.D., Dot da Genius and Jeff Bhasker, among others. The album debuted at number four on both the US Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Rap Albums chart, selling 104, 000 copies in it's first week of release in the United States. It later became certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments exceeding 500, 000 copies in the US. Outside of the US, the album was less commercially successful, generally peaking outside of the top fifty positions of album charts.

Standard album features 12 tracks including the hit songs "Collard Greens Ft. Kendrick Lamar", "Break The Bank" and "Man Of The Year".

The recording process for the album began in 2012 and continued until October 2013. Because the Internet features guest appearances from Chance The Rapper, Jhene Aiko and Azealia Banks, with production handled by Gambino himself, Christian Rich, Thundercat and Ludwig Goransson among others.

The album Tribe Called Quest wanted to make from the very beginning. It's their most even, consistent album of the original trilogy that also includes People's Instinctive Travels... and the Low End Theory. But in spite of this, or maybe because of it, it's also their most uninteresting. With so many competent tracks, there's no chance for something to stand out above the pack, like "Scenario" did on Low End Theory or "Can I Kick It" did on People's Instinctive Travels. The celebration is there ("Stir It Up"), the jazz drums kick ("Oh My God"), and the stand-up bass dribbles, keeping perfect pace with Q-Tip's unmistakable mic-touch ("Electric Relaxation"). There's even a Native Tongues armistice/reunion with de la Soul ("Awards Tour"). Although it comes together like a seamless tutorial in jazz hip-hop style, it comes together so damn well that it's hard for any one track to excel, cursing the album with consistent quality.

Mastermind is the sixth studio album by hip-hop artist Rick Ross, who describes this as a more "soulful" record than his previous albums. Ross enlists executive producers Scott Storch and DJ Khalid to deliver a lively and grandiose album. It also includes the singles "No Games" featuring Future and "Box Chevy.,"

de la Soul are remembered as the premier Native Tongues posse, those rappers who got low-key, self-consciously thoughtful, and jazzy in the face of gangsta's hardcore threats. But A Tribe Called Quest may have been even stronger, especially on their excellent second album, the bass-thumping, heavily jazz-sampled the Low End Theory. According to the opening "Excursions," rapper Q-Tip's old man says the disc's jazz-rap "reminded him of bebop," and Q calls himself "prominent like Shakespeare." But if Charlie Parker had ever written poetic couplets and backed them with funky-drummer and Ron Carter-on-bass grooves this irresistible, he might have been as big as the Bard and Brother James combined. - David Cantwell.

2014 debut from the California rapper. MY KRAZY LIFE is a collaboration between Pu$haz Ink and Jeezy's Atlanta-based CTE label. The relationship came to fruition after Jeezy came to Los Angeles and witnessed the movement that YG and DJ Mustard had created with their new West Coast rap sound. Since then, Jeezy has taken YG under his wing, establishing a mentorship that played a dynamic role in influencing the direction of the album. YG's career in music started five years ago when he discovered his passion for rapping in high school. Using just a mic and minimal recording equipment, the rapper began his journey to success by releasing popular mixtapes and performing to packed crowds at the hottest clubs in Los Angeles. Working alongside his long-time producer DJ Mustard, the duo quickly carved their own lane in music as the pioneers of a new West Coast rap movement made popular by YG's independent label known as Pu$haz Ink and the release of multiple mixtapes. The mixtapes were the manifestations of YG and DJ Mustard's unique and cutting edge sound that caught radio, record labels and fans by storm. When asked about the inspiration for his new music on MY KRAZY LIFE, YG replied, 'Me and Mustard are the new Dre and Snoop.'

This 30th anniversary LP edition of Beastie Boys' debut album Licensed To Ill is cut from original production masters and presented on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl. The album is back-to-back classic Beastie Boys anthems including 'Hold It Now, Hit It,' 'Brass Monkey,' '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party),' 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' (featuring Slayer's Kerry King) and 'Girls.' Licensed To Ill is the 1st Hip Hop album to top the Billboard 200 and in 2015 it was certified Diamond by the RIAA.

Devin the Dude is back with another classic. At 14 tracks, Soulful Distance plays on the current global scenario and oozes the familiar smooth sounds and cruising music that Devin is best known for. Keeping things local, the album features several notable Houston natives, including Scarface, Slim Thug, Big Pokey, & Lil Keke.

Gravitas is the sixth studio album from U.S. hip-hop artist Talib Kweli, an 11-track record that followed the critically acclaimed Prisoner of Conscious in the same year. Production on the record comes from the artists Oh No, Rich Kidd, and the late J Dilla. Additional guest contributions come from Posner, Raekwon, Rah Digga, and the Underachievers.

18-year-old El Paso-native singer/songwriter, Khalid, burst onto the music scene with his first single "Location", which received great critical acclaim. By 18-years-old, Khalid, who is classically vocal trained, had drawn on his experiences with moving often and the unique experience of growing up having lived in two continents and parlayed them into the creation of his viral smash, "Location". Khalid released "Location" before his high school graduation and it garnered over 1.52 million plays in less than two months, along with critical praise from various music tastemakers.