Free Nationals are best known as Anderson Paak’s live band, until now. Band members Kelsey Gonzalez (Bass), Ron “Tnava” Avant (Keyboard/ Vocoder), Callum Connor (Drums) and José Rios (Guitar) have graced the stage at Coachella, opened for performers such as Beyoncé and completed World Tours alongside J.Cole, Bruno Mars – the list continues. Paying homage to the musical legends that paved the way before them.
Release Date: 24.02.2023
Much of V I N C E N T is wilfully romantic, sometimes super sexy, and often with its head in the clouds, as on tracks like ‘Us’, a dreamy ode to his wife, June, or ‘IHM’, which has a 90s hip-hop flavour slowed right down to lights-out tempo. Not entirely a solo record, ((( O )))) appears on ‘Brass Necklace’ – which has the soft power of The Internet and Stevie Wonder’s keys. It’s no wonder that lead single ‘A Moment of Mystery’, featuring Toro Y Moi, has a spacey vibe: while recording in San Francisco together, FKJ, Toro and his keyboard player Tony took some of what Tony called \”holy water\” – \”we shared this bottle and took a bit of a trip,\” laughs FKJ. The result is a gentle electronic ode to long-term love that could rival Tame Impala for melodic progginess.
Release Date: 22.07.2022
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of “Unorthodox Jukebox”, a limited Dark Red Vinyl edition will be released on the 17th June, with the pre-order going live on the 19th May. “Unorthodox Jukebox” is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. It debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200, The record also reached #1 in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and the U.K.. It became Mars’s fastest-selling album in the latter country in 2012, the third best-selling album in Australia in 2013, and the fifth best-selling in the United States in 2013. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported that Unorthodox Jukebox was globally the fourth best-selling album in 2013. “Unorthodox Jukebox” also won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 56th Grammy Awards.
Release Date: 17.06.2022
Bl_ck B_st_rds was voted in Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists as the most notable rap album of all time that was never released commercially, and with good reason. The fact that this excellent album, slated for a 1994 release, did not seen the light of day until 2001 (its first issue – now out of print) testifies to a time when shortsighted industry backlashes against records that inflamed Middle America were in vogue. Elektra Records higher-ups canned the project due to its controversial cover art, which shows a Sambo figure being lynched. This must-purchase concept album is worth the wait. From the jazzy, hypnotic samples on the title cut to “Sweet Premium Wine,” a farcical ode to swigging 40-ounce bottles of brew (remember when drinking St. Ides and Old English was trendy?), you know you’ve found rap heaven. Classic headbanger “What a Nigga Know?” (and the remix featuring partner-in-rhyme MF Grimm) is equally off the chain.
Release Date: 20.05.2022
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Issued on vinyl for the first time ever, 5000 pressed. The opaque red pressing is housed in a gatefold jacket and exclusive to Record Store Day 2022! Issued on CD and digital in 2007. In the mid-2000s as Prodigy began to map out the follow up to his solo release H.N.I.C. he worked up some new material with long-time collaborator The Alchemist. Material that was meant to be a mixtape. Just a little something to keep the fans interested until H.N.I.C. Part 2. The resulting recordings were so high caliber, so tapped into the very essence of Prodigy’s Mobb Deep pedigree, just so damn good – that a commercial release of the material was inevitable – as Return Of The Mac. Backed by classic Blaxploitation style samples from The Alchemist, Prodigy paints a picture with his words. A picture of the rough and tumble New York of his up-bringing.
Thirty years after its original release, Main Source’s debut album Breaking Atoms has lost none of its capacity to surprise or delight. It remains a prime example of a classically styled hip-hop LP – two DJs, one MC, 11 tracks, no flab or filler. It wasn’t a slow burner – it was adored on release and hasn’t left the top ten of any serious rap fan ever since.
Release Date: 15.07.2022
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Hot off their two smashes for Marvel’s blockbuster film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Czarface is back, triumphantly swinging into your universe with their new LP Czarmegeddon! Expect many twists and turns as Wu-Tang’s Inspectah Deck and Esoteric go to war with an all-new, all-different soundscape from Czarface producers the Czar Keys. Alt-rap icon Kool Keith shatters the lyrical glass and the enigmatic Frankie Pulitzer, who first appeared on the Venom soundtrack on Czarface’s Today’s Special, is back with guns blazing. Collectors will crash the gates for this all new chapter of the Czarface sage. Includes exclusive trading cards illustrated by Czarface chief artist Lamour Supreme! In a gatefold jacket, with Czarface trading cards!
Release Date: 13.05.2022
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When it comes to authentic, ride-or-die hip-hop, few crews have as much resonance as Mobb Deep. Featuring two double-threat MCs who also produced – Havoc and the sadly-departed Prodigy – the crew changed the hardcore rap game in 1995 with their sophomore classic The Infamous, and went on to rule the dark corners of hip-hop for the second half of the 90s and well into the 2000s. After multiple Mobb Deep platters in the ‘90s, Prodigy entered the 2000s as a solo artist with force, rolling over a stomping, piano-freaked backdrop laced by producer The Alchemist, with “Keep It Thoro”. It has held up over time, proving itself as an anthemic classic that the streets and clubs still respect. Flaunting a smooth-but-menacing flow, Prodigy’s no-nonsense lyricism on “Keep It Thoro” is prototypical modern age brag rap.
Release Date: 03.06.2022
Brand new album from Robert. Its features Seaford Mods, Kool Keith, Rag N Bone Man, Atmosphere & Sonnyjim and has received radio support from Giles Peterson & Huey Morgan.
Release Date: 06.05.2022
Culture III is the fourth studio album by American hip hop trio Migos. It was released by Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Quality Control Music on June 11, 2021. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Cardi B, Polo G, Future, Justin Bieber, Juice Wrld, Pop Smoke, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. It is the follow-up to their 2018 album Culture II and serves as the conclusion to their Culture trilogy.
Release Date: 06.05.2022