Juno Recommends Hip Hop / R&B March 2020

Review: When it comes to West Coast hip-hop classics, there are few more stone cold than N.W.A's Dr Dre-produced 1988 anthem "Straight Outta Compton". Here it gets the Ronnie Razzle re-edit treatment, though the producer has wisely chosen not to tamper with it too much. As with the original version, the beats are fat, the bass fatter and the collective's rap flows delightfully in-your face. Over on side B Above The Law's 1994 gem "Black Superman" gets a similar treatment. Deeper, groovier and more indebted to Los Angeles' rap's G-funk heritage, the track offers a nice counterpoint to the full-throttle dancefloor insanity of NWA's all-time classic.

Review: When it comes to DJ-friendly reworks, re-edits and mash-ups, few producers can boast quite as strong a track record as Jim Sharp. Here he proves our point with another pair of certified dancefloor heaters. On the A-side he takes his scalpel to Q-Tip's typically jazzy and bass-heavy 1999 hip-hop cut "Ride", adding a little more grunt to the bass and beats whilst retaining the essence of the Tribe Called Quest man's superb original version. On the flip he delivers a radically different revision of Rahzel's "Southern Girl", placing Erykah Badu's superb lead vocal atop an entirely different Tribe Called Quest beat. It turns it into a dusty, jazzy, head-nodding treat.

Review: Given the recent upsurge in interest in '90s "golden era" hip-hop, we're not all that surprised to see a new pressing of this lesser-celebrated NYC gem - an early highlight from the now long-serving Smif-N-Wessun crew. It first landed in 1994 on house imprint Nervous' relatively short-lived rap offshoot Wreck. "Bucktown" is reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest cuts from the period, with on-point raps rising above suitably dusty beats and prominent samples from Jack Bruce's 1970 jazz-rock classic "Born To Be Blue". This seven-inch single version boasts both vocal and instrumental versions with the latter naturally allowing the smoky jazz samples a little more room to breathe.

Review: Given that Gang Starr recently reformed and jazz is now all the rage, it seems fitting that Mr Bongo has decided to reissue the rare 7" version of the group's 1990 masterpiece "Jazz Thing". It's a wholehearted tribute to the greats of jazz - and the role jazz records have in hip-hop's sample culture - that comes in two distinctively different mixes. On the A-side you'll find the "Video Mix", a bouncy and suitably jazzy DJ Premier production that layers Guru's fine rap flows above loose-limbed drums, smoky horn samples and his own super-tight scratches. Turn to side B for the "Movie Mix" - so-called because it was created for a Spike Lee flick - where Guru's vocal rides improvised horns and an entirely different beat crafted from Kool & The Gang samples.

Review: Blackstreet's "No Diggity" is a stone cold hip hop classic. From proper club plays to cheesy parochial nights out, it unites everyone on the dance floor and never fails to become a communal singalong. It sounds as hot now as it ever did and so makes sense for Home Hitters to serve up a new limited pressing. The b-side is from US giant Ginuwine. "Pony" was his debut single co written with Timbaland and Static Major, and it is a deep cut and libidinous tune with obvious sexual metaphors and vocodered vocal samples, a cartoon whistle slide and stop-start rhythm makes it all the more alluring.

Review: If you went out in the 2000s - particularly to eclectic, open-minded parties such as Manchester's Electric Chair - you'd have found yourself dancing to these two next-level R&B jams rather a lot. It goes without saying that they're both stone cold classics and the kind of brilliantly produced, chart-bothering cuts that are capable of setting any dancefloor alight. Beyonce's Chi-Lites sampling and Jay-Z sporting "Crazy In Love" remains one of her most potent and club-ready cuts, while Amerie's "1 Thing" offers a similar blend of unlikely drum breaks, fuzzy funk samples and a lead vocal that will have you singing along in no time at all.

Review: Joint American/Canadian hip-hop group Main Source were late 80s, early 90s hip hop giants, right from the off. The reason? Their debut single, "Think", was an immediate hit: the hard hitting rhymes and crisp boom bap struck a cord and went on to become a hugely sought after 7". Now it gets a proper reissue with the original piano hooks, busy scratching and big horns all sounding fresh as ever, while the instrumental on the flip provides an alternative take. For a slice of OG hip hop goodness, there are few finer tracks.

Review: In our eyes, Children Of Zeus can do no wrong. Then again, they've yet to release a duff record, so it's hardly a controversial opinion. Their latest outing on First Word is another two-track gem. A-side "Royal" is particularly sumptuous, with the Manchester duo delivering a soul slow jam so deep, sugary and musically rich that you might want to take it home to meet your parents right away. Honestly, it's seriously seductive. Flipside "Get What's Right" is a little more hip-hop flavoured (check the crunchy breaks) but every bit as smooth and soulful, with the pair's vocals riding atop a suitably twinkly, late-night musical soundscape.

Review: For the latest volume in his essential "Beats And Knowledge" series of albums, 4 Hero man Marc Mac has decided to focus on the largely forgotten story of the tens of thousands of black soldiers who fought in the second World War - and in particular the plight of those black Americans who died for their nation after experiencing segregation and prejudice at home. It's in effect a mixture of social history (delivered via spoken word snippets) and instrumental hip-hop beats mixed together to form a seamless journey that's both thought provoking and musically moving. Sadly there aren't many copies floating around (Omniverse only pressed 400), so we'd advise snapping up a copy while you still can - it's well worth picking up.

Review: Here's a cheeky little surprise from Nervous, as they dig back into the hip hop end of their vaults and offer up this gold-standard slice of mid-90s funk from New York heroes Smif-N-Wessun. "Wreckonize" appears in its remix form here, sounding as fresh as the day it was originally dropped and a perfect document of a true golden era for rap music. As well as the flawless vocal, the flip has the instrumental groove if that's your thing. Handily contained on a 7" for quick deployment when you need to whip out the good stuff.

Review: Many years have passed since Roc Marciano served his apprenticeship under Pete Rock and Busta Rhymes, but he's yet to really break through as a mainstream hip-hop hero. It's a pity, because his solo albums are universally good and in some cases simply essential. "Marcielago", his first album for two years, is very, very good. Utilizing backing tracks that flit between a soft-focus take on the jazzy, laidback "golden era" sound of A Tribe Called Quest, bolder beats and more intricate, detailed and experimental soundscapes, the veteran NYC artist delivers raps in his distinctive flow that celebrate both the profound and the mundane. It's a great combination.

Review: Since first emerging a few years ago, Jamie 3:26 has carved a career out of offering up seriously sweaty scalpel jobs. Here he continues that trend with a new batch of edits of classic Chicago cuts. He begins by brilliantly chopping up BSTC's samba-fired disco-era heater "Venus & Mars", before adding his Midas touch to the squelchy Afro-Cosmic throb of Mighty Science's "The Lesson". His sparse but percussive tweak of Jungle Wonz's "Jungle" and drum machine-heavy revision of Quest's "Mind Games" are both essential, as is his stomping, high-octane, Ron Hardy style take on Braxton Holmes' "Stomps N Shouts". The revision of Chip-E's early house gem "It's House" is suitably sweaty, while the edit of Calendar's disco slammer "Comin' On Strong" is arguably the best of the lot.

Review: It's taken a while, but finally Knxwledge has delivered the follow-up to his "official" debut album, 2015's "Hud Dreems". A concept album of sorts - the tall tale behind it being that the beats were created in 1988 by an infant version of our musical hero after he climbed inside an SP-12 sampler and mastered the machine - the set sees Knxwledge sprint through a beat-tape style assortment of short, sweet and often sublime instrumentals that make use of a variety of period samples. Given his track record, it's an impressive album, regardless whether the beats were genuinely made when he was in "Nike diapers" (as the press release amusingly claims) or not.

Review: Canadian/American hip-hop crew Main Source released some sublime music during rap's "golden era", with both of their albums remaining stone cold classics. "Watch Roger Do His Thing" was never quite as successful commercially as its predecessor, "Looking At The Front Door", but is nevertheless a quality bit of conscious rap. For the uninitiated, the 1990 cut is based around loose, slack-tuned drums, weighty bass, jazzy organ flourishes and bass so fat it probably has its own postcode. This edition pairs the superb vocal version with the under-celebrated instrumental, both of which appeared on the song's original single release.

Review: When he released third album "Me Against The World" in 1995, Tupac Shakur was arguably the biggest name in hip-hop. As we now know, it wouldn't last, with the LA rapper losing his life in a drive-by shooting 12 months later. As tragic as his demise was, his music still resonates and this album - here reissued to celebrate its 25th anniversary - is arguably the best of the lot. Produced by an all-star cast of beat-makers (Brian G, Easy Mo Bee, Tony Pizarro and Moe ZMD included), the set offered a glossy and polished take on the then dominant gangster rap style while including numerous nods to R&B, swing and G-funk. If you don't already own a copy, grab one of these pronto.

Review: Premier Norwegian rapper Ivan Ave is set to release his long-awaited debut album in April, but before that he serves up this sweet 7". He's established himself in the Soundcloud generation as a man with a distinctive voice and ear for melody. Check "Triple Double Love", where his voice floats smoothly above the beats that lull you into a mellow vibe. "Phone Won't Charge" is a rickety one with lush chords and hits poking through to add bite, while the instrumental versions on the flip are fully laid back and spaced out quality stoner jams. That album can't come fast enough.

Review: Those who bought Kate Tempest's superb new album "The Book Of Traps and Lessons" should know "Holy Elixir", a track that caused a stir when she performed it at Glastonbury festival last summer. Here she delivers a radically reworked version called "Unholy Elixir", a triumphant fusion of alien-sounding synthesizer lines, booming sub-bass and off-kilter hip-hop breaks topped off with her distinctive spoken word vocals. Over on the flipside Tempest reworks another recent album track, "People's Faces", re-casting it as a yearning tribute to London neighbourhood Streatham in which her heavily accented spoken word vocals seem more pertinent and hard-hitting than ever.

Review: The D.O.C.'s "No One Can Do It Better" is a revered but underrated West Coast classic that has been long out of print. Produced from front to back, top to bottom by Dr Dre, it serves up thirteen super sweet rap tracks from a golden age. It hits hard from the off, with raw breaks and incisive lyrics, big prog guitar samples, clunking beats and plenty of DJ scratching that adds up to a whirlwind ride. Fact fans will know that the D.O.C. was a crucial behind-the-scenes member of the N.W.A. inner circle as he wrote most of the rhymes for Eazy-E. Here he shines on his own terms.

Review: Australia-based American Ivan "Choi" Khatchoyan made his name as the producer/arranger behind funk band The Traffic. Here he switches focus, joining forces with veteran mic man Guilty Simpson for a club-ready hip-hop outing that's every bit as good as his funk and soul productions. The A-side original version is hazy, hot and heavy, with Simpson's celebratory flows about hip-hop culture rising above a slick, '80s style backing track rich in fuzzy bass, vibrant synthesizer lines, organ stabs and some suitably tight scratches. Over on side B the "Space Remix" sees him re-invent the track as a head-nodding slab of boom-bap deepness for those who fancy lighting up and listening rather than dancing.

Review: Much has changed for Kelis since the release of her debut album "Kaleidoscope" 20 years ago - see her albums on Ninja Tune and a surprise recent appearance on bizarre variety show "The Masked Singer" - but the album itself remains a turn-of-the-millennium classic. Here reissued in expanded form to celebrate its 20th birthday, the Neptunes-produced set sparkles just as much as it did way back in 2000. For proof, check the still-familiar, acoustic guitar-sporting bump of "Caught out There" (complete with famous "I hate you so much right now" refrain"), the R&B perfection of "Get Along With You" and the dancefloor-friendly disco-pop of "Good Stuff".

Review: 108 was a short-lived Bay Area hip hop group consisting of rappers Encore and Grand The Visitor along with producer Sedric Edwards. They released their "Mission Infinite" album in 1996 in very low qualities and now NBN Archives has done the right thing and press it up once more. It's an album deserving of all the attention it will get as it fuses fluid flows with woozy late-night hip-hop production and killer basslines. Made on a simple home set up but with a live bass player, it oozes that lo-fi, imperfect feel that makes it all the more lovable.

Review: While he's never hit the dizzying heights of crossover success, German beat-maker Suff Daddy has released rather a lot of good albums over the years. "Pompette", his first full-length for two years, is another understated gem. Rich in colourful synthesizer lines, hazy jazz-funk instrumentation, choice samples, pulsating electronic motifs and head-nodding boom-bap beats, it sees him flit between boogie and synth-funk influenced instrumentals, drowsy beat-scapes and vocal cuts (the cast list includes Illa J, Guilty Simpson, Kadeshia and the Lunchbirds) that sometimes tiptoe a fine line between hip-hop and Fugees style neo-soul. It's the sort of set that rewards repeat listens, though we can guarantee it will impress from the first play to the last.

Review: Elaquent's "Forever is a Pretty Long Time" is a fantastic compilation of the producer's finest moments. Grooves don't come much smoother and more seductive than "Guidelines (feat. Oddisee)" with its gentle flow, bumping kicks buried deep down below and languid chords. Elsewhere "Chase The Light (feat. Cavalier)" brings some open air melodies to the cosy beats, "Annoyed" offers some fantastic verses from Lexy Reid aka Saturn, Alexander and "Lottery Check" (feat. Brainorchestra) will have you doing slow motion gymnastics thanks to the expert beat making. This is a mesmeric offering with top shelf guests who all help make this album feel so alive.