Back in stock: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: What can you say about this amazing album that has not been said before?! Originally released in 1996 and quickly becoming one of the most important pieces in the history of sampled music, its legacy continues to grow while Shadow remains the archetypal example of a crate digging producer. Everything from jazz, spoken word, hip-hop and more was sampled into this cornucopia of sound - in many ways the zenith of the impressive output of James Lavelle's revered Mo''Wax label - and you wouldn't be surprised if it ended up in the Smithsonian for what it has accomplished and meant to the scene.

Review: Dan The Automator and Nathaniel Merriweather came together to magic and epic effect back in 2001 on this superbly named album, Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By. It is a cult classic and much sought-after record that gets reissued here on turquoise vinyl and still sounds as fiercely original now as it did back then. The Lovage supergroup also features Mike Patton, Jennifer Charles and Kid Koala while guest contributors include an equally hefty mix of names such as Damon Albarn, Africa Bambaata and Maseo. Musically this is a seductive mix of hip hop and soul from across the ages, all with a seductive overtone.

Review: There are not many songs in the history of hip-hop that are more important than 'Hip-Hop Hooray'. The track single handedly helped catapult underground rap sounds into mainstream success. The song was a massive hit moving into the top ten on the Billboard and #1 on the hip-hop chart and with a memorable video directed by Spike Lee, it was in heavy rotation on every music and video platform. Naughty By Nature became household names and the single went on to sell platinum status. You could not escape this anthem of the streets. Now, the groundbreaking song is reissued on 7" for the first time in over 30 years.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


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: The late legendary Japanese beatmaker Nujabes was a musical genius, this we know to be true. His constant resurgence on social media throughout the years affirms this, with 'Modal Soul', his second full-length album in 2005, blowing up time and time again online. It comes as no surprise, his meticulous devotion to hip-hop-jazz was unlike any before him, or since. 'Other Side of Phase' is a 12" three track record, with its title track being the instrumental for the famous anime 'Samurai Champloo', originally featuring one of Japan's most prolific MCs to ever hold the mic. A standout is 'Rainyway Back Home', a fly song combining the keys from an old Jeru the Damaga cut and the drums from a Power of Zeus track. Nujabes will never - ever - go out of style.