Hip Hop/R&B charts

Review: Maya Blandy's latest single, Lemons, is a vibrant and infectious track that seamlessly blends upbeat urban funk with an acid jazz sound, resulting in a potential pop hit. The song takes a spin on the classic adage about making the best out of life's challenges, presenting it with a fresh and edgy perspective. With its catchy hooks, groovy rhythm, and Maya Blandy's convincing vocals, Lemons is destined to be an instant hit once heard.
The Side-2 is equally as good with 'BIB (Bitch In Black).' This song oozes with soulful vibes, showcasing Maya's mesmerizing vocals against an urban beat backdrop. The addition of a horn section adds depth and richness to the track, elevating its sonic experience.

Review: It was big news this year when hip-hop legends De La Soul finally made all of their music available to stream on digital platforms. That move was backed up by them also dropping a load of reissues of their finest albums and now we have, for Record Store Day/Back Friday, this special coloured vinyl boxset featuring their most iconic LP, 3 Feet High and Rising, on seven individual 7"s, making them perfect for DJ deployment. The box set also includes a funky slipmat making this a perfect Christmas gift for the hip-hop head in your life.

Review: There are an awful lot of great records in the J Dilla's catalogue, but few can match the consistent quality and coherent construction of Welcome 2 Detroit, his 2001 breakthrough album. Designed as a love letter to his home city with a sample palette and blend of styles to match, it saw the late producer and a string of then largely unknown local MCs showcase their vocal talents over some of his best ever beats. This lusciously expansive 20th anniversary box set does a brilliant job in expanding on the original album, with the 12 included "45s" pairing vocal mixes with instrumentals, unreleased cuts and occasional remixes. The included hardback book is brilliant, too, and packed with first-hand accounts of the creation of a now iconic LP.

Review: Japanese rapper MC RYT hails from the Serpat Crew and this expansive new record finds him step out with producer Djar One and Kesta AKA Kool Kest. It is a limited album that packs in plenty of different and effective styles from classic boom bap sweeter R&B-tinged joints via jazz swing sounds. Favourites include the laidback and louche sounds of 'On & On', the deep rolling 'Space Talk' with its hard bars and 'Izakaya Style', a nice jazz and loungey cut with a guest sport from Le Jules. This is a superb addition to the shelves of any beat lover and hip hop head.

Review: To commemorate the 30 year Anniversary of Cypress Hill's debut album, Get On Down presents the complete album on 7 inch vinyl singles for the first time ever housed in a deluxe casebook. Cheeky, goblin-like rhymes come courtesy of lead vocalist B-Real and hypeman Sen Dog, doing justice to the two-tone rapper-hypeman formula of the day, trailblazed by Public Enemy. An important slice of history homing in on one of the few hip hop acts to straddle the rivalry between East and West Coast rap at the time.

Review: Run-DMC's vital Down With The King album is now a hard to believe three decades old and so Get On Down mark the occasion with this special red & clear vinyl 7" real of its title tune for its 30th Anniversary. The album - their sixth at the time - marked a superb comeback for the band having already hit massive sights with the previous platinum album Tougher Than Leather. Gangsta rap had rather pushed the group to the sidelines but this one brought them back to the fore with its catchy melodies and crunchy beats as well as superb bars. On the flip here is the low slung and classic boom-bap sound of 'Come On Everybody.'