Juno Recommends Hip Hop / R&B November 2021

Review: Decades after he died, pioneering rapper Christopher Wallace aka Biggie aka B.I.G remains a hip hop giant, not least for us here at Juno HQ. He had the flow, the character, the lyrics, and showed all of it on his masterclass album The Notorious BIG. It is now getting a well deserved reissue on double vinyl, with all the original tunes included. There are uber-hits like the ubiquitous 'Juicy', tracks that make astute social commentaries about the black experience such as 'Everyday Struggle' and then some darn right killer grooves like 'One More Chance' and 'Big Poppa.' RIP to the greatest to ever do it.

Review: Following the success of her debut album Man Made this year, here's a reissue of London artist Aria Wells aka Greentea Peng's Rising EP from back in 2019 on Different. She worked with different producers on this one such as Fred Cox, Kiko, Samo and Earbuds who lent their various talents. Peng's soothing vocal delivery is accompanied perfectly by hypnotic polyrhythms on songs like 'Risin', the blunted urban blues of 'Inna City', and the broken beat neo-soul of 'Liberation' being just some highlights on this terrific EP.

Review: RECOMMENDED
Dean Blunt is nothing short of an enigma. Whether you're reading one of his interviews of few words, listening to the records that seem to both celebrate the avant-garde and obsess over it, or watching him descend into strange, otherworldly cacophonies on stage, usually shrouded in smoke, he's never really been an easy guy to pin down. And that's exactly what he's always been going for.

It's something of a surprise, then, to learn that Black Metal 2, the long-awaited, seven years in the making sequel to his critically acclaimed Black Metal, is actually pretty straight forward. In a Dean Blunt kind of way. Opening on the compressed strings and near-spoken word of 'Vigil', the record takes us into the deep dark depths of strange, hook-fuelled guitar poetry, and we never want to find our way back.

Review: Following their first boom-bap flavoured collaboration with Crimson Alchemist, last year's 'Storytelling', Diess Productions regulars Mister Modo and Ugly Mac Beer once again join forces with the underground MC for a similarly retro-futurist hip-hop throwdown. Crimson Alchemist's Q-Tip-esque rap sounds superb on both versions, both of which boast fat, toe-tapping beats and tons of nods towards Mister Modo and Ugly Mac Beer's turntablist roots. The A-side 'Donut Mix' is the slightly bouncier of the two takes, with tidy organ motifs and sweeping synth-strings, while the flipside 'Serious Mix' revolves around some killer horn samples and a descending bassline.

Review: It has been a long three year wait for fans, but finally Nigerian-born neo-soul singer Wayne Snow has unveiled his new album Figurine. It is a deeply immersive and widescreen record that takes in bittersweet lows and soul drenched highs. Production has been taken care of by Brandt Brauer Frick, Crayon and Nu Guinea with contributions from jazz guitarist Oscar Jerome on the track 'Magnetic' and the music was written between Paris and Berlin, with one simple question in mind, Who is the real you? From this start point, Snow explores renewal, individuality and his origins with spell binding results.

Review: Golden Era boom-bap and modern hip hop sounds are fused to perfection on this new collaborative EP from the big dogs Tall Black Guy and Ozay Moore who team up with guests including KUMBAYA, Malaya and more on this fresh new gatefold LP. 'Viberite' is one of this pair's best collars - a smooth and celebratory track with mellow vibes and soulfully atmospheric textures. 'Make It Like This' rides a nice loose, tumbling beat with warming chords heating it up from below and seductive flows up top. 'Does Anybody Care?' is not only a great title but a string-laced, soul-enriching gem of a tune, too,

Review: Lovers of heart aching soul are well attuned to the output of the Izipho Soul label. Each and every 7" they serve up is impossibly emotive and the new one is no different from Cornell CC Carter. It features singles taken from the artist's hugely anticipated new album, Next Life, and suggests it's going to be an absolute cracker. It will feature 13 carefully constructed songs with rich 70s and 80s soul influences throughout. Here the two chosen singles offer mid tempo, deep cut funk backed with a big ballad that will melt anyone's heart.

Review: Brooklyn producer downstairs J a.k.a. Josh Abramovici offers up his accomplished debut album on the Incienso label and we are big fans. It's a smorgasbord of drum driven sounds from trip hop to dub, acid house to broken beats all lathered in plenty of cinematic ambience and vibes-late night feels. The seven tracks all develop sounds he has explored on previous releases under the aliases snacs and VOSE 106. Right from the majestic opener 'Three Times' this is late night music when space and time bends and edges are blurred. 'Soft Tissue' is a stuttering broken beat thank gets you lost in dub wise reverb and 'Viewing Space' is all neon synths and day-go keys. Lovely.

Review: He may not have achieved the same acclaim and status as his fellow West Coast native Thundercat, but Mychaal Fisher AKA MMYYKK looks set to follow in his footsteps. His genre-bending music, as showcased on this brilliant Rhythm Section International debut, draws on a similar pool of influences - think Prince style purple funk, jazz, hip-hop, R&B and classic electrofunk - while also upping the soul factor to dizzyingly high levels. The results speak for themselves, with Fisher - in cahoots with a wealth of collaborators from around the world - remaining front and centre throughput thanks to his own emotive lyrics and smooth-as-butter lead vocals. In other words, it's an EP you need in your life right now.