45 Kings US Vinyl & CDs

Review: The pinnacle of original-visional femme rap, Bahamadia quickly dominated the Philly hip-hop scene at the age of 30 with the release of her independently-made LP Kollage in 1996. But she'd been active on the scene at least two years prior; 'Total Wreck' was her first ever single, and preempted the record alongside 'Uknowhowwedu', 'I Confess' and 'Biggest Part Of Me' in a two-year drumroll that would eventually set the Penn state capital slowly afire. Now fab flippers 45 Kings provide a furtherance of Bahamadia's original offering, with 'Total Wreck' and 'Uknowhowwedu' appearing in calmly reedited form here, making no bones of sampli-fying the complementary 'Street Version' of the A-side, which preposed the original record on 12".

Review: The 45 Kings return with Vol 12, delivering two essential cuts from Nas's legendary Illmatic album. On Side-1, 'N.Y. State of Mind' captures the raw spirit of New York with its darker, jazz-influenced beats, perfectly complementing Nas's gritty lyrical flow. Side-2 features 'Represent'. a timeless track, exuding class with its sharp production and quintessential boom-bap vibe. Both tracks showcase why Illmatic is hailed as one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time. This 45 is perfect for any vinyl collector or fan of classic hip-hop, encapsulating the golden era with two undeniable gems from Nas's breakthrough masterpiece.