Hieroglyphics Imperium US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Hiero Oldies is a collection of early works from the Hieroglyphics crew. It takes in a crack team of beat makers such as Del The Funkyhomosapien, Casual, Pep Love, and Souls of Mischief and marks the first time the timeless tune 'Step To My Girl' has ever been on wax. Oakland-based Hieroglyphics crew might not have the headlines of some of their peers but they sure have made a valued contribution to underground rap over the years as this collection proves with its freestyle rhymes, battle verses and often psyched-out beats.

Review: Montezuma's Revenge is the fifth studio album by Souls Of Mischief, the Oakland, CA hip-hop quartet and splinter group of the mighty Hieroglyphics Crew. Now the first-ever vinyl reissue of this 18-track font of Aztec hip-hop ambrosia is upon us. Notably, the album's striking cover featured a fifth member of the group: the legendarily innovative producer Prince Paul, who executive produced the LP, handling most of the beats and overseeing the musical direction of the album from start to finish. Paul accompanies MCs A-Plus, Opio, Phesto and Tajai as they take turns over multisyllabic flows, witty similes and smooth lyrics, deploying a dry, arid and untreated boom-bap sound; these punishing phonics do timeless justice to a certain mid-90s Cali rap sound, embalming its beats in a rigid, desiccating wrap.