Mass Appeal US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Sample maestro, turntable wizard and genre-blender extraordinaire DJ Shadow unveils his latest album after teasing with hit single "Rocket Fuel" featuring vocals from legendary trio De La Soul earlier in the year. The full length finds the US beat maker in an angry mood, with plenty of anxiety riddled cuts, frazzled synths and raw textures conveying a certain unease with the world around him. There are still moments of his trademark string laced beauty on "Firestorm" and gorgeous instrumentals like "Rosie," but this is definitely the sound of an artist who still has plenty of new things to say.

Review: DJ Shadow has done it all in his career, from groundbreaking debut album Entroducing.... to high-profile collabs with Nas and Run the Jewels and adventurous and alternative explorations of rhythm on more recent albums. His seventh full-length finds him going totally solo once more, looking back at his long relationship with music and 60,000-strong record collection. He explores all sorts of moods and glovers from drum & bass to breakbeat to juke and hip hop, all with a polished digital aesthetic and bright sense of melody. The best tunes for us though, are the more tender and introspective ones like 'Forever Changed'.

Review: The extended Wu-Tang Clan universe continues to throw out plenty of great new music at a rate that nerve seems to slow. Next up is Set the Tone (Guns & Roses), a 12th (yes, 12th!) studio album by cult rapper Ghostface Killah, on Mass Appeal Records. Known for his vivid storytelling and raw lyricism, Ghostface brings that once again with a mix of hard-hitting tracks and reflective moments. It features an impressive lineup of guest appearances including Jim Jones, Sheek Louch, Method Man, Raekwon, Nas and Kanye West, among others. With this star-studded collaboration, Set the Tone delivers a dynamic fusion of classic Wu-Tang sound and modern hip-hop ideas that are sure to maintain Ghostface's reputation as a powerhouse in the rap game.

Review: Mass Appeal are busy putting on a mix of Nas reissues and newly finished versions of demos that have reminded us just how great the legendary New York rapper really has been over his storied career. This time out they are reissuing a full instrumental version of his 15th studio album Magic. It arrives on highlighter yellow coloured vinyl and even without all the brilliant bars from Nas, the beats here are top drawer from 'Wu For The Children' to 'Meet Joe Black' via 'Wave Gods.' Another crucial one for the collection of any hip-hop head.

Review: 2021's 'Magic' is the fifteenth studio album from undisputed East Coast hip-hop icon Nas. Written entirely by him and producer Hit-Boy, these nine brisk, retro hip-hop uppercuts contain the same grit and immediacy that made Nas's 'Illmatic' one of the most beloved hip-hop records of all time. Featuring DJ Premier and A$AP Rocky on 'Wave Gods', a definite highlight on the record of front-to-back bangers, as Hot-Boy and Nas are going at it like they have something to prove - and whatever it is they proved it.

Review: By this point Nas doesn't have anything prove in terms of East Coast hip-hop, but here he is after all this time delivering some of the most vital work of his career. With Hit-Boy on the buttons, the Illmatic man cuts through with razor sharp invective as he weaves stories and standpoints with frankly mind-bending dexterity. Whatever got him fired up, this is the sound of an artist driven to set the mic on fire, but equally there's a sense of maturity in his lyrics and delivery which shows how much he's learned on his long and winding journey. Stepping up to the mighty MC, the beats are no joke either, hitting a sweet spot between true-skool ethics and fresh approaches so it doesn't feel like a throwback exercise. All hail the return of the king.

Review: Nas is riding high on a renewed wave of recognition and relevance in the rap game through these collaborations with Hit-Boy, which have been flying out at a rate of knots since King's Disease in 2020. If the pair sometimes revert to classic boom-bap in the style Was originally found fame with, on Magic 2 they're also testing limits with some Atlanta and Memphis-inspired rhythms that show the NYC veteran to be hungry for new challenges and more than able to step up to them. Just sit for a minute with 'Abracadabra' and you'll hear everything you need to know about the new tricks Nas can fold into his inimitable flow.

Review: Hip hop super group Run The Jewels aka Brooklyn-based rapper-producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike continue to turn out new albums that continue to get a great reception. But at the same time, their old albums are still much sought after and so are being reissued. Run The Jewels 2 first came back in 2014 and received widespread acclaim from critics. They appreciated its darker, more layered production and Killer Mike and El-P's lyricism and chemistry and its guest contributions from the likes of Zach de la Rocha, Travis Barker and Diane Coffee.