Juno Recommends Hip Hop / R&B April 2021

Review: The golden oldies are golden for a reason, so there will also be room for them in our collections. And they don't come much more classic that 'Still' on the a side. It features textbook west coast production, with low riding bass and the ice cold keys as well as some fine work from the Dogg . Flip over and keep the party bumping with 'Give It Up', a deep cut rap gem with fantastic samples and cool to spare. They both come on a limited red vinyl for extra spice, too.

Review: Many years after its release, Illmatic still remains a gold standard hip hop album and one of the most accomplished debuts ever recorded. It's the multi-syllabic internal rhymes of Nas, the tales he tells of life in the Queensbrudge suburbs of New York and the lexicon he uses which makes it resonate through the ages. Of course, the production (taken care fo by Bas as well as DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip) and wealth of samples also elevates each tune to a higher plane that few have ever matched since. Including Nas himself, frankly. The album is widely regarded as one of greatest and most influential hip hop albums of all time, so don't sleep on this latest vinyl issue.

Review: Tek and Steele make a 360-degree homage to their beloved Brooklyn with two of 'Bucktown's' original producers, DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt of Da Beatminerz. Taking you down memory lane with the results, the experiences of this hip hop duo feed into the music and lend an extra air of authenticity to it. The original is a hard hitting tune with big boom bap beats and raw rhymes next to smart samples. Flip it over for the paired back instrumental but really, why would you ever drop this without the slick verses.

Review: Davie is a brand new singing for Defected who grew up with a father who was a pastor in the local church. That is where he eventually start this own journey and with elements of Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson added in, he now lands with a fully formed, heart swelling soul sound. It comes on Defected after label A&R Simon Dunmore hunted Davie down having heard him singing on an advert for Wild Turkey bourbon in the cinema. A big and bubbly dance song with lively instrumentation and warm bass, it will get any party started.

Review: Seven Times Down Eight Times Up is the much anticipated new record from Elzhi. It's a fresh 12 track collection of collaged thoughts and memories elegantly aid down over well crafted beats from JR Swiftz, a fast rising young producer. Guests include Detroit artists Monica Blaire and Fes Rock who appear on excellent cuts 'Smoke & Mirrors' and 'God', and 'Guns & Boats' respectively, while humourist and hip hop advocate Foolish also adds his own thoughts throughout the record. Fine wordsmithery and messages of resilience make this a high class contemporary hip hop oeuvre.

Review: Proven beat maker extraordinaire Tall Black Guy returns to his own label with Airplane Mode, an album formed over continents, big life changes and questions such as Why am I here? Am I enough? What makes me happy? Across just 40 minutes, the record attempts to answer all these with a range of intimate sounds that draw on his usual references - soul, jazz, hip hop, with added focus on the listening experience as a whole. The wealth of guests all bring extra perspectives with standouts from Kenny Keys, Keys Maeesha and more.

Review: Blade of the Ronin is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Cannibal Ox, originally put out in 2015. It came 12 years after their debut The Cold Vein and made many a year end list when it came to best hip hop albums thanks to its many off beat rhythms and athletic bars. The subjects range from grief to misspent youth, with white-knuckle realism interspersed between more abstract ideas. The mood of the production is rather bleak and dark, with lurching kick and crunchy textures offering up a harsh sonic environment.

Review: Gee Bag's 'Foreigners' is presented here on a limited 7" with a picture sleeve and is taken from Gee Bag & Illinformed's 2020 long-player Respect Ya Elders! on Revorg Records. It's a classic boom bap sound with super smooth backing vocals and the fine flow of Gee Bag up front. That original single is backed by an exclusive remix by Sam Krats. He flips it into a more loose and live sounding cut with some nice frayed textures and party ready beats that are sure to get the floor jamming.

Review: Iconic American rapper Action Bronson and producer Statik Selektah came together in 2011 for their collaborative studio album Well-Done. They enlisted gusts such as Lil' Fame, AG da Coroner, Nina Sky, Meyhem Lauren, and Maffew Ragazino who helped make all 15 tracks bumping, minimalist masterpieces. Bronson might be a white guy from the Bronx who sounds just like Ghostface Killah but he always manages to standout with his undeniable rap talent. Add in horn stabs, clipped beats, scratches and funky chords and you have a record that's hard to diss. Well Done indeed.

Review: New label Cold Diggin has taken a whole year to get from release number one to number two. This one again comes from The Duke Ya Love To Hate, which is one of myriad aliases of an artist who gets by the name of Stefan Senf. Cutting, chopping, editing is his game and here offers the nice and soulful roller that is 'Cloud Nine' with its crisp boom bap, leggy drums and languid riffs. 'Make It Ruff' is a pile of ramshackle loops that feel like they could collapse around you at any time. As long as they hold together though they mark for a dark beatsrumental.

Review: While many producers have tried to match him in recent years, DJ Muggs the Black Goat is style the undisputed master of dark, macabre hip-hop. That much is proved by Dies Occidendum, an undeniably mystical, moonlit affair that sounds like it was designed to be played at haunted burial sites, overgrown graveyards and occult rituals. As you'd expect, the beats are heavy, but it's the musical elements around them -oddball spoken word samples, pulverising sub-bass thrusts, horror movie chords, gnarled black metal guitar riffs, ghostly choirs and so on - that makes Dies Occidendum such a rewarding and atmospheric listen.