Back catalogue: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: The Cold Diggin label out of Dresden has long been serving up the work of The Duke Ya Love To Hate, which is one of myriad aliases of an artist who gets by the name of Stefan Senf. They are generally few and far between but are always worth copying when they do drop and this one comes on lovely hand-numbered 7" in a special screen-printed sleeve. 'Introducin' is a loose-limbed funk workout with classic hip-hop breaks and free-wheeling pads. 'Prescribin' is more slow and seductive with its florid melodic leads and lovely lazy beats.

Review: Scaring The Hoes was the 2023 collaborative record by unequivocal avant-hip-hop crown bearers Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA. The album was almost instantly met with widespread critical acclaim, most notably for its weird use of contemporary political imagery in music videos (frequently Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un, for some reason) and its staunch defiance of the misogynistic injunction to "stop scaring the hoes" with weird, left-of-centre music. Now comes the 'DLC' and/or 'expansion pack' version of the album, which includes four exclusive new mixes from the album sessions; Brown shines on an ultra-kooky, SFX-laden intro, 'Guess What Bitch, We Back Hoe!', followed by the crackly soul-bap of 'Hermanos' and the crossticking lo-fi of 'Tell Me Where To Go'. Closer 'No! No! No!' presents an incredible gospel timestretch-spaghettification, over which a medley shared between both MCs makes their enduring talents ever more apparent.

Review: Tyler Daley is a UK hip-hop mainstay and the vice of the brilliant Children of Zeus. Here he branches out with his own solo album, Son of Zeus - see what he did there? It comes on the band's home label of First World and bares plenty of their signature sonic hallmarks - dusty, undercooked production, lazy hip hop beats, and gorgeous vocals that sit somewhere between neo soul, golden era boom-bap from Tribe and something else a little unique. It's a warm world where yearning bars, lush harmonies and hooky melodies all float around the stripped back but bumping beats. Superb stuff.

Review: DJ Nappa is a UK hip-hop originator who digs deep into his love of film for this superb new album of instrumentals. Specifically, Midnight Music looks to the world of horror, thrillers and sci-fi from the 1970s and 1980s and turns out some wonderfully inspired joints for We Stay True Records. As such there is an expectedly creepy vibe with eerie pads, slow-motion beats and plenty of haunting vocal samples weaving their way in and out of earshot. It all plays out like an absorbing mind movie full of shadowy corners and menacing moods. Another triumph for man like Nappa.

Review: 20-year scene veteran DJ Unknown has dropped plenty of great albums in his time both in solo mode and with the Tru-Paz band. He is known for his harmonious and soulful sound and for offering up driving beats for MCs to set to work on. He first rose to prominence in Toronto playing a mix of house, rock, reggae and hip hop but is now a full matured beatmaker who excels on his new album Prisoners of Gravity. It embarks on an epic science fiction journey, depicting life in a dystopian Earth and the quest for a purpose beyond its bounds conveyed through a captivating audio-visual narrative with psychedelic undertones. Ambitious in scope and execution, it offers an immersive experience that pushes the boundaries of hip-hop imagination and creativity.

Review: Well, well, well. We did not see this one coming, never in a month of stoner Sundays. he might have become the nation's sweetheart thanks to his unlikely hit show with Martha Stewart in the US but did you ever expect Snoop Dogg to be putting out an album of kids hits featuring him on the mic? It's an actually quite wonderful collision of words that pairs all the big hooks and melodies with a more modern style of production and charming vocal guests spots from Snoop on each tune. Amazing stuff.