Soundpieces: Da Antidote! – Lootpack
1999’s Madlib led effort is just dope. The cover art is as crazy as the mind of the producer!
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Author: sunny
Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars – Dan the Automator
Arguably one of the most innovative producers in Hip Hop history, Dan the Automator’s 1998 offering is incredible. Having grown
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Black Business – Poor Righteous Teachers
Consistently dope throughout the 90s, PRT’s 1993 effort depicts the brotha’s looking all, well, righteous. Always droppin’ their 5 percenter
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Fear of a Black Planet – Public Enemy
No need to say much about this 1990 masterpiece! Fight The Power!
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The Water(s) – Mick Jenkins
Another contemporary Chi town MC, Mick’s 2014 debut depicts him either sinking, floating, or ascending. Listening to the LP, I
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The Cool – Lupe Fiasco
Lupe’s 2006 sophomore concept effort has Chi town’s MC at his lyrical best. Incredibly dense and layered, this is a
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B4DA$$ – Joey Bada$$
After dropping guest verses and mixtapes, 2015 saw Joey release his debut LP. Unapologetically 90s in its sound, here we
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Music for tu madre – J-Zone
Zone’s 1999 recorded debut has him at his eclectic best. A real producer’s producer, Zone remains criminally slept on. Independent,
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A Journey Into Abstract Hip-Hop – Gasoline
This experimental French group dropped a bonafide masterpiece in 2002. Conceptually similar to the work of Handsome Boy Modelling School
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Liquid Swords – Genius/GZA
A masterpiece. RZA at his best, GZA at his best, the clan bringing pure fire throughout, 1995 saw the release
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Angles – Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
This 2007 debut from the super duo of Dan and Pip depicts them play-doh’d up, and creating colourful tapestries throughout.
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Black Sunday – Cypress Hill
Hill’s 1993 sophomore effort features an eerie graveyard (their competition?!). One of the most influential groups to come from the
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These Days – Ab-Soul
Probably the weakest LP in Soul’s oeuvre, 2014’s concept album has Solo depicted as a Christ like figure. 2016’s Do
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Poor Peoples Planet – Mandeep Sethi
Another criminally slept on contemporary MC, The Bay’s Sikh brotha and MC extraordinaire, Mandeep Sethi, fused the insightful thoughts of
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Mental Liberation – Oddisee
Oddisee is a criminally slept on contemporary producer and MC. This 2009 offering has DC’s Amir, well, liberating yo mind!
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Deadringer – RJD2
Rjd2 is something of a slept on producer behind contemporaries like Shadow and Cut Chemist. ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ on this
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To Pimp a Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick won a Pulitzer for 2017’s DAMN. But it was 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly that separated K-dot from his
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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
An incredible, eclectic offering by L-boogie (who, it must be remembered, is non-violent!). The cover art depicts Ms Hill as
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Ki-Oku – DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo
This 1996 offering from the dark underbelly of Tokyo is Krush at his Jazz-Hop finest. The cover art ain’t half
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ATLiens – Outkast
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never really ‘got’ ATL’s finest. But even an ignoramus like me ‘gets’
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Run The Jewels 2 – Run The Jewels
This 2014 sophomore effort from Killer Mike and El-P is similar to the cover of 1 and 3, but the
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Sugarhill Gang – The Sugarhill Gang
Seminal 1980 record from The Sugarhill Gang, featuring ‘Rapper’s Delight’
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Slime & Reason – Roots Manuva
The UK punches man! Manuva’s 2008 ‘Slime & Reason’ cover is, well, slimey
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The New Danger – Mos Def
Mos’ 2004 sophomore effort was bluesy, with a cover to match
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3 Feet High and Rising – De La Soul
De La’s (1989) debut LP certainly stood out on the shelves!!
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Hip Hop Is Dead – NaS
NaS dropped some fire on this 2006 LP, the cover wasn’t half bad either!
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Death Certificate – Ice Cube
I seem to be stuck in the early ’90s! Ice Cube’s sophomore effort sees Uncle Sam lain to rest. Good
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The Geto Boys – Geto Boys
This Remix LP cover is dope!! 1990 seems to be THE year for Hip Hop album covers…
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By All Means Necessary – Boogie Down Productions
In homage to the late, great, Malcolm X, here’s KRS-One on the cover of 1988’s seminal ‘By All Means Necessary’.
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Khaos and Konfusion: The Spell of Leviathan – Black Radical MKII
Inspired by PE, here’s London’s Black Radical MKII’s 1998 offering. A Black Panther in the distance?
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The Horns of Jericho – Hijack
There’s industrial rap, and then there’s this! Comprised of members, all from London, entitled: Kamanchi Sly, DJ Supreme, DJ Undercover, Ulysses,
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War Bytes With Bad Intention – Red Ninja
OK, so 1990 EP, not an LP, but still, this is a madness! Shout out to the UK again.
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My Afro’s on Fire!! – Outlaw Posse
Shout out to the man like Dev! Good lookin’ out! The UK has some gems to proffer here. Outlaw Posse’s
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Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury – The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
Before Spearhead, Michael Franti dropped this bad boy in ’92 along with Rono Tse.
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Diary Of A Black Man Living In The Land Of The Lost – Katch 22
This 1991 gem from the Kold Sweat label was recommended by a good mate Dev, from Cardiff. Absolutely killer!
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Doublethink – Akala
Incredible album cover from Akala’s 2010 Orwellian Doublethink. The inlay was just as dope, and opened out into tidy poster
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Ecstatic – Mos Def
Still from the seminal ‘Killer of Sheep’ film.
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Tetsuo and Youth – Lupe Fiasco
And painted by Lupe Fiasco himself…
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A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing – Black Sheep
Just the best
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