Del The Funky Homosapien - Future Development 2xLP +7" - Black & White Splatter Vinyl (/500)

Rhymesayers (2026, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Future Development is Del's third album and it was originally meant to be his third for Elektra before he was dropped.  There's a lot of lore about how much of the eventually released album would have been the Elektra version, but that's not anything I can speak to with certainty.  All I can say is that the first version of Future Development that was released was on cassette only in 1997.  I mail ordered that from the Hiero website in those early internet days and found it to be solid, but I din't like it as much as his prior two.  

The next time this album crossed my path was when I found a copy of the 2002 reissue of it on CD at a random NYC record store that I don't remember the name of and I think that was the only time I was ever in there, killing time before a show at Arlene's Grocery or Luna Lounge or whatever pop up venue in that area of the city had bands playing.  It made me reevaluate the album and I liked it a lot more having let some time pass.  Eventually, I picked up the double LP a few years ago and for whatever reason, that's when it really clicked for me.

I'll still say this is an album with highs and lows.  I don't love every song on it as there are some where the production is just a little too slow and dreamy for my personal taste.  But as a whole it's a very strong record and has many highlights where Del reconfirms why he is my favorite MC of all time.  His flow is unlike anyone's and his ability to weave complex rhyme patterns, internal rhymes, external rhymes (sometimes no rhymes) and still all make it work in a way that seems so effortless is nothing short of remarkable.  Even on the tracks that might not have my favorite beats, Del still shines on the mic.

I'll have to be honest, the main reason I bought this LP again was the art of the deluxe version.  It harkens back to the original cassette artwork and I have a fondness for that.  Including a bonus 7" with some extra songs doesn't hurt either.  While they weren't part of the original release of this album, they're of the era and fit in pretty seamlessly.  Makes me wonder if they were slated to be part of whatever version would have ended up on Elektra.

Del The Funky Homosapien - Future Development:

https://delthefunkyhomosapien.bandcamp.com/album/future-development

Swami John Reis & Co. - Don't Believe In Yourself 7" (/500)

 

Swami (2026)

This latest Swami John Reis 7" is something of a precursor to the next Swami John Reis LP, Navajo White, that is due out in August.  I say 'something of' as neither of the songs on this 7" are destined to be part of that record, they're exclusive to this 7" that was only available from the Swami web store.  It was limited to 500 copies and sold out alarmingly fast when it was put on sale a couple of weeks ago.  I'm just relieved that I was able to secure one.

Keen-eyed readers will note the "& Co." suffix after Swami John Reis this time out.  In this case the Co. is Gar Wood, Ben Moore,  Glen Galloway, J Sinclair K and Rick Froberg on the A side with Ben and J also appearing on the B side.  The A side is "Even the Lobsters Can Sing and with the Hot Snakes lineup +2, musically this feels like Automatic Midnight era Snakes with it's repetitive, yet melodic, rolling bass, coupled with a big guitar crunch what veers off into unique chord progressions.  Rick is on guitar only on this track with Swami John handling the vocals.  It's a truly incredible song and the highlight of the 7" for me.

Not that "Bad Lightning" over on the B side is any slouch, but it is different.  This one has a thunderous, galloping drum beat with a clangy, somewhat unusual guitar riff.  It's really wild sounding and while I wouldn't go so far as to say it's metal sounding (because it isn't), it has a higher pitched, piercing tone than stands out as unique in the Swami canon.  It results in two songs that are not similar, but work together by the sheer will of the Swami and his ability to put a signature stamp on anything he creates, no matter where he takes the song to.

You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger fan of John Reis' work than me, I am absolutely predisposed to like it and carry around that bias with me.  But, these are two incredible songs.  John is not rehashing the same Swami John Reis album over and over.  Each time out he brings something new to the party while still always sounding like him,  I cannot wait to hear what he has in store for the LP next month.

 

Mobb Deep - Juvenile Hell LP - Red Vinyl

 

Island / Universal / Urban Legends (2018, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

People in hip hop love Mobb Deep.  I mean, they really love Mobb Deep in a way that I was keen to try to understand.  They made there bones starting in 1995 with the release of their nearly universally acclaimed sophomore album The Infamous...  That's after my prime time of hop hop fandom, so I wasn't around for that when it originally came out.  That means it's time to backtrack and while that album probably is the place that most people would start considering its reputation, I had to start with their debut, Juvenile Hell.  Part of that is because it's their debut and why not start at the beginning, but the other part for me is that it came out in 1993, right in that sweet spot of hip hop production that I love.

And the production is really solid.  It tends to be on the slower side of things, which is something that I don't always have the most patience for, but the tempos vary enough and the sample selection is strong enough that the beats really do sit in that sweet spot I mentioned earlier.  Lyrically, I completely understand where Mobb Deep get their reputation of being storytellers of the highest order.  The tales they tell veer towards the complex, telling stories of the neighborhood mixed with some other tracks that are a bit lighter, content wise.  They keep the lyrics tight and tidy, able to effortlessly string together rhyme schemes without it feeling like they're shoehorning in a word just to make the rhyme work, every syllable serves the story they're trying to tell.

It's also an album teetering on the line between confidence and arrogance as Prodigy and Havoc were still in their late teens when they recorded this debut.  They have the sort of swagger and poise of much older MCs and listening to it in hindsight it's really interesting to me that the album didn't seem to make much noise in 93 (to be fair, I never heard of it back then and I couldn't have been more obsessed with hip hop at the time) and the group was subsequently dropped.  They came back a couple of years later with The Infamous.. and their trajectory changed massively.  But I'd be lying if I didn't say that the charm of their debut might actually connect with me a bit more.  The production is more in my wheelhouse and these guys are no slouches on the mic.

Mobb Deep - Juvenile Hell:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lnXqjsBtsxvPfQciHOAmVZ4EsthX7gw_s

Shufflepuck - Album LP (/100)

 

Self Released (2024)

Shufflepuck wasn't a band on my radar at all and I'm not sure they would have ever been picked up my my aging radar system if it wasn't brought to my attention by Servo from Bloated Kat records.  However, once I became aware of them I wasn't sure how I could survive without them.

Let's get into the lore.  It's a tale as old as time.  1990s pop leaning rock band gets picked up by a major label, major label doesn't do anything with them to the point where the record doesn't ever really officially come out.  Band fades into the background and life moves on.  You can thank Interscope for this one as Shufflepuck was all set to release their debut full length in 1996 only to have it delayed, pushed back and not put out.  There were advances, singles, promos and then nothing.

Fast forward to 2024 and the band decides to press up 100 copies of this album on vinyl, and the result is Album, a perfect little slice of that major label rock and roll sound that I have such a soft spot for.  This is going to fit right in you collection next to other luminaries like Pluto, 30 Amp Fuse, Fig Dish, Summercamp, Kara's Flowers and other bands that were great bands, but seemed destined to be the best CD in their respective used bin.

Every song on this album is a crunch guitar, hook filled blast from the alternative nation.  Are there echoes of Weezer? Of course there are and and they're the best sort of Weezer echoes.  Top to bottom this album, is just flat out great and while it is a shame that I was robbed of 30 years of listening to it, it's also pretty cool to hear what is essentially a brand new record sound this great to my old man ears.  Highly, highly recommended for being that perfect slice of the 90s.

Shufflepuck - Album:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/album/1757952753

Gang Starr - One of the Best Yet 2xLP

Gang Starr Enteprises / TTT / INgrooves (2019)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

When I started to type up the label name and release date, I was kind of shocked that this record is seven years old already.  It's been sitting in my 'to write about' pile for almost as long.  As I've mentioned before, I'm trying desperately to get through a backlog, particularly of hip hop records, so I'm doing my best to focus on the ones that have been sitting around for a while.  I'm not sure that anything in my pile has been sitting as long as this.

Part of the reason is not really knowing what to say about it.  This was released in 2019.   Guru from Gang Starr passed in 2010.  There's this whole drama where Premier didn't have access to Guru's archive for a while and it's kind of a convoluted mess that I don't feel like trying to explain right now., in part because I'm not even positive that I understand it completely.  He did eventually get access and pieced together this album using the vocal material available to him.  He paired his production to the vocals that were available and brought in guest appearances to flesh out everything until there was enough for an album.

As a technical marvel and a final tribute to the legacy of Guru, I don't want to disparage what everyone was able to accomplish.  I'm glad they did it.  For me, just judging it as an album and forgetting the extra emotional baggage, it's only OK.  The production is solid, but not remarkable.  As much as I love Gang Starr and Premier's production, I have always preferred the sounds he was crafting in the early 90s.  The later we get, the less it connects with me.  It's not like I'm saying Moment of Truth wasn't a well produced record, but I don't think it holds a candle to Daily Operation or Hard To Earn.

The rhymes that they were able to get from Guru's archive are strong.  I've always found him to be underrated as an MC with Premier's production getting so much of the group's attention.  Guru has always been a master at a laid back, confident conversational flow and this material is no different.  The problem is there's probably not enough for a full album, thus the many, many guest appearances.

It's tough to not be the old man saying "back in my day, hip hop albums only had one or two guest appearances and the main MCs did the rest of the heavy lifting," but I have to say it.  I don't buy a Gang Starr record to hear someone else rapping.  Sure, it's cool if Jeru shows up for a song, but when that is one of a dozen features, it turns into a compilation and that's too much for me.  Not to mention that many of the MCs brought in don't really have much to do with Gang Starr and it's a little jarring having them pop in on a verse or drop down a bizarre hook that doesn't have much to do with what Guru was rhyming about.

Still, the fact that it exists at all is a great thing, as a tribute to Guru and Gang Starr and as a bit of hopeful closure for DJ Premier.  Not to mention that there are moments on here that are truly great.  They are unfortunately only just moments though.  Worth a listen if you are a fan if nothing else.

Gang Starr - One of the Best Yet:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mfOxmtWGvvX7ehOGD9IlGqOPgZqSk5P8U

The Arrivals - Payload LP - Yellow Vinyl (/250)

Recess (2026)

The Arrivals popped onto my radar with their 2010 album Volatile Molotov.  I remember reading such incredible things about it and the fact that Paddy from Dillinger Four was on bass pushed me over the edge to pick that album up.  And I was underwhelmed at first.  Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but it didn't really grab me aside from the closing track "Simple Pleasures in America."  But that song did a lot of heavy lifting.  Its strength kept me going back to the record and it did that thing that a lot of great records do.  It grew on me.  A lot.  Today, I can say I unequivocally love that record and I've been waiting 16 years for a follow up that seemed like was never going to arrive (heh).  Well, it finally has.

I had very lofty expectations for Payload upon its arrival (OK, I'll stop now).  And having spent some time with it over the past few weeks, I'm sort of in the same boat as I was with Volatile Molotov at first.  It's unquestionably a very good record and I enjoy listening to it, but it's not knocking me over or providing any 'holy shit' type moments.  This time out, I have a different perspective on the band based on how the last record grew on me, so I've been patient and that patience is paying off.   I still haven't had that 'holy shit' moment yet, but every time I listen to this record it gets better than I thought it was the previous time.

Part of that is probably because of the lyrics and how it takes some listens for the ideals and imagery to sink it.   This is a band that is actually saying something and if you're the the sort of person where lyrics aren't the initial thing you pay attention to when listening to an album (for me, it's never been the first time I focus on), you're going to miss some of the subtleties and messages.  But after a while, the way these stories are woven into very catchy working-class punk rock start clicking and for me there's another click every time I put this on the turntable.

Like Volatile Molotov, I fully expect this to end up being one of my favorite records of the year.  Truthfully, it already is, but by December I expect to be singing its praises from the highest mountain.  It's a grower and I'm being patient and giving it the time it needs.

The Arrivals - Payload:

https://recessrecords.bandcamp.com/album/payload

Diamond D And The Psychotic Neurotics – Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop 2xLP

Get On Down (2014, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Diamond D (Or Diamond as he's billed on this particular album cover for whatever reason) is part of the Diggin' In The Crates (DITC) crew and has hand on the production side of classics throughout the 90s.  He also can step up to the mic with the best of them as he proves on his debut album from 1992: Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop.  I've written before about my never ending love for 1992 as far as being one of the most under appreciated years in hip hop, but I haven't written about this album before.

Part of the reason is that for whatever reason, l I didn't hear this album back when it was released.  I was neck deep in hip hop at the time, but whether it was from lack of funds or lack of awareness I didn't check this album out until quite a few years later.  I've also had this on vinyl for absolute AGES, but kept passing it over to write about something different over and over.  The funny thing is it's because I love this record and don't want to inadvertently give the impression that I don't.

How could that happen? It's mostly because of one track, "Sally Got A One Track Mind."  I just don't like this song.  It's slow, it's kind of a downer and it's sitting there at track three, just grinding the album to a halt before it even begins.  I know it's a song that people point to as being one of the great cuts here, and I will never try to convince someone not to like anything, but this is one of those songs that has never clicked for me personally.  Once I get past that, this is a record that just dishes out classic after classic, but "Sally" is a buzz kill for me every time.  Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about Diamond D as the double threat that he is.  

Diamond D produced almost every track on this in addition to handling the vocal duties.  On the production side, you can almost hear Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop forcing its way out of the 80s sound and laying the blueprint for what the 90s would become.  The sound is perhaps a little more sparse than what was to follow, but you can hear the progressing as new ideas and samples take hold as you move through the track list.  When it comes to rhyming, Diamond can hold his own there as well.  He has a smoother flow that I find similarities with Lord Finesse in.  When you combine the vocals and the beats, it's just another bonafide 1992 classic.  I have no idea why it took me so long to write about it, but it's essential, both as a standalone album and a crucial building block on 1990s golden era hip hop.

Diamond D And The Psychotic Neurotics – Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop:

https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCymQzV2rUMuXj7jd3Dnww2g

Hooper - Carry Your Own Saints 12"

 
Snappy Little Numbers (2026)

It seems inconcievable to me that the first time I wrote about Hooper was 14 years ago.  I picked up a 7" of theirs and it not only kicked off my fandom of the band, but opened the door to the world of the entire Snappy Little Numbers label. It was definitely an important record that I acquired up over the years and it's led me to so many great things, not the least of which are the various Hooper releases that have come out in the intervening years.  The news one is in the form of a 12" EP called Carry Your Own Saints.

Now, longtime readers may or may not remember that I am predisposed to dislike 12" EPs.  I cannot explain exactly why I find them annoying, but I do.  If you don't have enough songs for a full album, either wait or just put out a 7".  That's just one of my weird rules that I don't expect anyone else to follow, but there's just something so much more satisfying to me to have a full album to listen to.  But enough whining about other people not doing the exact, weirdly specific thing that I want, there's new Hooper songs to discuss.

I was a little worried at first as the EP doesn't really start off with a bang.  "Dulouz" is a pretty slow song, that kind of keeps grooving to its lower-mid tempo energy and just sort of stays there.  There's no big hook or anything to really smack you in the face and announce their arrival.  It feels like the band is setting the table for the songs that follow, which would work better on a full length than it does on an EP where there's a much smaller table to set.

Luckily, things pick up immediately for the second track, "92U."  Here we have the fuzzier, more energetic Hooper that I have known and loved all of this time.  The rest of the EP carries on in this tradition.  This isn't to say that the other four songs are all fast ones, but they have the energy and the hooks that I'm used to getting from this band.  

Each time Hooper puts out a release it's never really the same thing that you've gotten before.  While the band usually has a certain tone that they stick to, the songs themselves tend to be pretty varied overall.  I can always point to my favorites from each album and can also find a couple that don't connect with me quite the same way.  I'm not going to lie, I prefer it when they are uptempo, but as long as they sneak in a good hook, I can get down with something more subdued as well.  I also want to call out the cool little lyric booklet/zine thing that this EP comes with.  It really stands out as a nice addition to the whole package.

Carry Your Own Saints is a good EP.  With "92U" and "Farther" you have 2 songs that would be standouts on any of their albums.  "Arclight" and "Lurid Blue" slow things down a bit, but still have the hooks and energy that I'm looking for.  "Dulouz" isn't really my bag, though I think it would probably make more sense to me in the context of a full album (yes, I am going to beat that EP stuff into the ground today, sorry).  All in all, it's a fun release and definitely worth grabbing if you're a fan of the band.  

Hooper - Carry Your Own Saints:

https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/carry-your-own-saints

Rough House Survivers – Straight From The Soul 2xLP +7"

90s Tapes (2025, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I wrote about the original pressing of this Rough House Survivers record a couple of years ago and looking back on it, I spend more time writing about what a great year 1992 was in hip hop than I did the actual record.  To be fair, I still don't think 92 gets the credit it deserves, but in some ways I didn't give Rough House Survivers the credit they deserved while trying to make that point.

Luckily I get another swing at it because hip hop's best reissue label has reissued this classic as a double LP (with a bonus 7"),  As usual, the pressing g sounds incredible and really highlights what I love most about this album, the incredible production work.  This is an album full of jazz based loops, be, fat drum beats and the sort of accompanying horn accents that set off the whole package.  There's a good, solid tempo throughout the album.  It never gets super fast or frantic, but it also never drags or becomes too slow to keep things interesting.

In addition to their DJ Swinn, Rough House Survivers have 3 different MCs taking turns on the mic,  As is the case with a lot of multi-MC crews that don't spend a lot of time identifying themselves, I won't pretend that I always know exactly who is providing the rhymes at every turn but whether it's Dread One, Kev or Roberto, all three rise to the occasion that the production provides.  You're never going to get a subpar bar.  That fact is even more impressive when you see the rogue's gallery of guest appearances with microphone killers like Grand Puba, CL Smooth and Sadat X dropping by to further light up a few tracks.  That the main 3 MCs are never overshadowed is nothing shot of remarkable.

Once again, I cannot say enough great things about the amazing work that 90s Tapes puts into their release.  I wish they were allowed to handle every hip hop reissue, though that sort of workload might be a tad overwhelming.  I can only be grateful for the classics that we do get to have and their Rough House Survivers reissue is a perfect example of how to treat an album.  While the group may not have gotten the attention and accolades that they deserved at the time, at least they have a incredible version of their album to put on the shelf.

Rough House Survivers – Straight From The Soul:

https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/straight-from-the-soul

Last Jazz Club - Jazz Is... LP - White & Green Vinyl (/100)

 

Chopped Herring (2018)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

A few years ago I stumbled across an album called Neva Sellin' Out by Tha Anthom 'N Mike B.  It was an incredible album full of really nice production.  I've been patiently waiting for a follow up, but that' isn't something that has materialized just yet, so in the meantime I went about trying to find this album by Last Jazz Club.

Last Jast Club features the production and DJ skills of Mike B from Neva Sellin' Out fame.  Here he is paired with an MC from San Diego called Veks.  Veks does an admirable job on the microphone, weaving his higher pitched vocals over, around and through the beats.  If I had to do a side-by-side comparison to Tha Anthom, I probably prefer Anthom ever so slightly due to a small preference for the tone of his voice, but both have the vocabulary needed to fill out their respective albums.

Where Last Jazz Club really shines for me is in the production.  As the name of the group likely implies, we've got buckets of jazzy loops and samples creating a warm, textured sound.  There's so much great upright bass driving the bulk of this album and when paired with the loud, thumping drums, it hits that perfect sound.  While I do think that the tempos as a whole run a little slower than I typically like, the way the sounds are crafted and the loops are used make complete sense in the context of the album.  Not everything has to be fast for me to enjoy it and the laid back groove of this album shows that you can decrease the BPMs and still keep me interested.

Last Jazz Club - Jazz Is...:

https://lastjazzclub.bandcamp.com/album/jazz-is 

Tanner - (Germo)Phobic LP - Green Vinyl (#107 /202)

 
Beihai Park (2026)

(Germo)Phobic is Tanner's 2nd album and was originally released on CD back in 1997, but never on vinyl.  Beihai Park stepped up and finally brought this album to vinyl for the first time and I couldn't be happier to have this record in my hands.

I'm not one of the cool kids that was aware of what Tanner was doing in real time as it happened.  I knew the name of the band and even had the split 7" they put out with No Knife, but I didn't really dig any deeper in the 90s.  It wasn't until Hot Snakes broke onto the scene that I backtracked and checked out Gar Wood's prior band.  To say that I was impressed would have been a gigantic understatement.  The way this band is able to blend complex guitar dynamics with a driving drum beat and high register, melodic vocals is nothing short of amazing.

I've always been torn between this album and Tanner's debut, Ill Gotten Gains.  I've definitely spent more time with the debut as that's been on vinyl for a while.  But there's something about the energy and freshness of (Germo)Phobia that knocks me over every time I listen to it.  Maybe it's because I'm a little less familiar with it so it's still able to surprise me in a way that Ill Gotten Gains doesn't anymore, but whatever it is I couldn't help but be impressed as I spun this vinyl version for the first time.

A lot of that is because of how great it sounds.  It's not like the CD didn't also sound great, but Beihai Park has done an incredible job with this release and it's a perfect record to put on the turntable and play slightly louder than appropriate.  

Tanner - (Germo)Phobic:

https://beihaiparkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/germo-phobic

Beezewax - A Dozen Summits LP - Purple Vinyl

 
SellOut! / Boss Tuneage (2025, Reissue)

A Dozen Summits is a pretty pivotal record as it was when Beezewax appeared on the radar of PopKid Records HQ.  I'm not sure where the band heard of PopKid, but they sent this (at the time) CD only release and demos of some of the songs that would go on to become South of Boredom to Alan back in 1997 or 1998.  He loved them and the rest is history.  Somewhere in there we procured a copy of the CD for me as well and it's been in my frequent rotation ever since.  This is a record that has long been on my short list for my most wanted records to get a vinyl release and the fine folks at SellOut and Boss Tuneage made that a reality last year.

A Dozen Summits is only second to South of Boredom in the Beezewax catalog for me.  It's a perfect guitar pop record with perhaps a bit more fuzz a roughness than the rest of their catalog.  But it's in those fuzzy, imperfect moments where I find the perfection in these songs.  There's so many great songs on here and there's moments, like where they go from the heavier Posies-esque "Take the Wheel" to the blown out bass intro of "Miss Playin Basketball," that wow me every time I listen.

As with many things in life, it ruins my brain to realize that this album is 29 years old.  At the same time, this record is kind of a remarkable snapshot of youthful enthusiasm, energy and optimism that's probably difficult to replicate when you is double digits and starts with a 4 or a 5.  This is an album that takes me back to a hectic, stressful and challenging time in my life, but one that certainly had its good moments and a ton of great music.  So happy to finally be able to spin this on my record player after all these years.

Beezewax - A Dozen Summits:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nvzAF9zW_F2bPR5feGmqPZpg5oi9IkiV0

Mrs. Magician - Spiritual Hangover LP - Black Vinyl (/250)

 
Swami (2026)

I have been talking about Mrs. Magician since the moment I acquired some of their early 7"s.  I really dug those singles, but I was not prepared for their debut full length in 2012, Strange Heaven.  It instantly became an all timer for me and I often mention it as my favorite record of the last however many years (though at this point, that however is getting to be a pretty big number).  Their 2016 follow up Bermuda was also my album of that year.  But then we didn't hear a whole lot from Mrs. Magician.  For about a decade.

Spiritual Hangover is the 2026 return of Mrs. Magician, though this time Jacob Turnbloom is collaborating with a new crew that make up the band.  I would be lying if I said this didn't give me pause when I first heard that.  The main reason being that during Mrs. Magician downtimes there were some very good Jacob Turnbloom solo records, but they were different from Mrs. Magician.  I wanted this record to feel like the others.  Luckily, any worries I had evaporated almost immediately as Spiritual Hangover is exactly what I need from a Mrs. Magician record.

If you like Mrs. Magician already, you go in with a certain set of expectations.  You want the reverb tinged, surf hooks.  You want interesting chord progressions that break down into side quests, but come right back where they're supposed to be.  And then you expect to be popped in the jaw with a picture perfect hook.  All the while, you've got lyrics that demand repeated listens to try to catch every one of the nuggets that are thrown out there.  I've always sort have found the lyrics to be humorously depressing or having a feeling of resigned optimism.  There's crappy stuff out there and a Mrs. Magician record will point those things out, but in a way that makes you begrudging laugh and realize you've got to keep pushing through even if some things seem kind of hopeless.

Every time I've listened to this record I just dig it more and more. To the point where I think it's even better than Bermuda.  I love the scrappy production that while still sounding clean and warm, manages to have those fuzzy elements that keeps it feeling real and not over produced.  This is a band with a near flawless catalog and I am so happy whenever I get to hear something new.  I just wish these records would come out more often. Ten years is way too long to wait!

(PS - I am pretty sure the black vinyl was limited to 250 copies, but I can't find where I thought I read that.  I'll update that info if it's wrong.)

Mrs. Magician - Spiritual Hangover:

https://mrsmagician.bandcamp.com/album/spiritual-hangover

Dredknotz - Under Pressure 4xLP

90s Tapes (2025)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Dredknotz were a group that were active in the mid 90s.  Helped along by DJ Richie Rich of 3rd Bass fame, the tracks that comprise Under Pressure have been done and waiting for a release since 1995.  It wasn't until 2025 that they finally saw the light of day, courtesy of my favorite reissue label, 90s Tapes.

1995 is usually that line in the sand for me, it's where hip hop started to move in a direction that wasn't what I wanted out of it.  But as I've mentioned many, many times in the past, I have constantly found exceptions to this rule the more I dig around and I'd include Dredknotz in that list.  Under Pressure is built on the back of some dark, upright bass loops, blaring horn accents, alongside of plentiful kick and snare drum rumbling. It gives the album a post-Enta Da Stage Boot Camp Clik sort of feel when it comes to the production.  

Sometimes I wish the tracks were a bit faster, as slower tempos are kind of the bane of hip hop released after 1994 for me, but Dredknotz keep the energy level up with a lively, dynamic lyrical delivery.  While not to the same extreme as Onyx, there are times where Dredknotz remind me of a slower, moodier version of those kings of Queens.  The end result is an album that harshly rumbles along, never getting too wild, but also never slowing down to the point where I lose interest.

90s Tapes did another fantastic job with this reissue, from how great it sounds, down to the the smallest details of the art.  Not being a DJ and only being a person who likes to listen to records, the release being a quadruple LP to include all of the instrumentals is probably a bit more than I need personally.  Though I imagine there are plenty of folks significantly more talented than me that wouldn't have it any other way.  

Dredknotz - Under Pressure:

https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/under-pressure

Lord Finesse - Return of the Funky Man 2xLP - Tan & Black Splatter Vinyl

Get On Down / Giant (2025, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

For me, 1992 is the miracle year of hip hop.  While it's not the year that most of my favorite records came out, I think it's the best and most consistent year of hip hop before the golden era started showing signs of cracking.  It built off of 1991 and took things, particularly from a production standpoint, to higher levels.  Innovation was careening forward weekly with new releases that explored new ground in a genre that was making sure the world knew was here to stay.

Return of the Funky Man is Lord Finesse's 2nd full length, though he's lost DJ Mike Smooth since his 1990 release.  Also by this time the Diggin' In The Crates crew (or DITC, for short) saw their notoriety rising as Diamond D and Showbiz & AG were making noise.  Despite all of that, Lord Finesse flew under my radar when I was buying records in 1992.  I don't remember seeing Finesse on Yo! and I guess what The Source had written about him wasn't enough to make me hunt down anything by him at the time.  Part of that is tragic, because this is exactly the sort of thing I was listening to at the time and I should have had decades to grow with this record.  But on the plus side, I was able to discover a true classic many years later and hear the exact kind of hip hop production I love in the mid 2010s.

And it is the production that really makes this record soar for me.  There's enough of that late 80s and early 90s fast tempo drums, with those eclectic samples and bass lines that were starting to assert themselves by this point.  There isn't a stinker in the bunch as every song is funkier than the one before.  On the mic, Finesse has a voice that did take me a little time to get used to.  It's a little higher pitched and nasally, but not in an over the top B-Real sort of way.  Just in a way that didn't grab me immediately and required a few listens to have his lyrics sink in. Once they did sink in, it became easy to see why he's so respected all these years later.

While I cannot say that this splatter colored vinyl is aesthetically the most pleasing record I have ever seen, I am gratefully to have a nice double LP reissue of this as even the 2005 and 2014 reissues had become quite scarce over the years,  If he originally flew under your radar like he did mine, it's probably time to give Lord Finesse a listen, and this is a great place to start.

Lord Finesse - Return of the Funky Man:

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=e9kJNgcTmCM

Superdrag - Last Call For Vitriol LP - Red Vinyl

 

Superdrag Sound Laboratories (2025 (Reissue)

I have been a fan of Superdrag from the first time I heard "Sucked Out."  When it came out in 1996, I wasn't really the sort of person that would listen to the radio or watch MTV.  In fact, I'm pretty certain that I've never seen the video for that song even to this day.  But I was writing for my college newspaper in 1996 and Regretfully Yours was sent to the office for review.  I took it as something of a guilty pleasure as I knew the band was getting popular in the buzz bin section of the world, but to me it was just an excellent pop record.  That sort of fleeting fame comes and goes pretty quickly, but Superdrag remained consistent, pumping out strong records for the next few years.

Last Call For Vitriol is the fourth album of that initial run.  They did eventually do a fifth in 2009, but to be honest, I've not heard it.  Last Call came out in 2002 on Arena Rock records.  I remember it vividly because I was interning at my eventual music industry job and I stuffed about 400 of them into envelopes to send out to college radio.  I'll be honest, while I did like it, I wasn't blown away at the time.  

As the years have gone by (way too many years, if you ask me) my appreciation for the band's entire catalog has grown and Last Call For Vitriol has come along for that ride.  That said, there's still some misses on here for me.  I still don't really love the garage-y swagger of "I Can't Wait" or the alterna-rock of "The Staggering Genius" or the 'hey-is-this-a-Fountains-of-Wayne-ballad' of "Safe & Warm."  But when the band is in full on pop mode like they are on "Baby Goes To 11," "So Insincere" and "Remain Yer Strange" it's impossible to not love Superdrag.

While I would still probably rank Last Call For Vitriol as the weakest of the four main Superdag records, that doesn't make it a weak album.  There are half a dozen killer songs on here and even the ones I mentioned above aren't bad at all, they're just not at the level of the pop madness the band is capable of.  More than anything, I'm just really happy this is finally on vinyl so I can complete my run of Superdrag full lengths.

Superdrag - Last Call For Vitriol:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kDHh0b7uaGtMOxDrd4sgNVGSYatPCNtIo

Sham & The Professor - Split Personalities LP

Freeze / Priority (1994)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I wish I knew a little more about Sham & The Professor.  There's very little information about them that I'm able to find on ye olde internet, though that isn't exactly surprising as the actual informational content on the internet has been vanishing over the years.  That's a completely different, and very depressing, topic.  But all I can really find about this early 90s hip hop group is their list of releases on Discogs.

Split Personalities is the debut Sham & The Professor full length album though there were a bunch of single released leading up to and shortly thereafter its 1994 release date.  There's also a follow up that came out in 2001, but I haven't delved into that one just yet.  I don't even remember exactly how I stumbled across this album.  It may have been from those recommendations that show up at the bottom of Discogs listings, but I'm not positive.  However I found it, I'm sure glad I did as it's a great album.

1994 is that transitional year in hip hop for me.  While there's lots of great records, there's also quite a few that are moving in a direction that I don't care for.  On the production side, Sham & The Professor sit right where I want a record to be.  This is bass heavy, thick production with pounding drums and the sort of samples that take control of my neck, rendering me incapable of not nodding my head along in approval.  There's also some nice fast beats, as one of my biggest peeves about mid 90s hip hop is how slow it is.  

Lyrically, both Sham and The Professor can hold their own.  They complement each other and pass the mic back and forth with ease, reminding me of how seamlessly groups like EPMD are able to do it.  The content is serious, though they are certainly able to battle and do so on occasion.  The way that they fold their flows into the beats is super impressive and it leaves me scratching my head about how these guys slipped through the cracks for me for so many years.

It took me a minute to find a nice copy of the LP at a reasonable price, and mine was sealed before I popped it open.  The only complaint I have about any of this is that Split Personalities is one of those 90s hip hop records where the vinyl is a single LP and because of that there's not as many songs on it as there are on the CD version.  So we only have 11 of the 17 tracks on the vinyl, which bums me out.  Especially egregious is "Murder on My Hands" being missing from the vinyl.  That's a killer song.  Maybe someday one of those great reissue labels like 90s Tapes will do a fancy rerelease of this, but for now I'm just happy to have the record period.

Sham & The Professor - Split Personalities:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kMXJzZEopn4aGKs1Qwud-PeyjqYXV5qTo

Swami John Reis - Turn On You 7" (/250)

 
Swami (2026)

Swami John Reis kicks off his 2026 with a 7" of two new songs.  If I remember the listing on the Swami shop page correctly, I think these were from the same sessions that produced the last full length.  Though I am not positive about that as the page for this on the site is now gone, likely because the 250 copies of this record that were pressed disappeared pretty quickly.

On the A side we have "Turn On You."  This one is a medium tempo chugger with lots of good downstroking in the verse.  But the guitar really shines through said chugging as it has a bright tone with just a hint of jangle. We blast into the expectedly big chorus that also has some nice keyboard flourishes.  It's a fun one.

"Meme Bitch" holds down the B side and is much faster with perhaps double the downstrokes per minute. It kicks off with a relatively straightforward verse with a chord progression that feels very Swami, even though it probably would seem unusual for many songwriters.  I, however, am not a songwriter, so I probably don't know the technical name for this part of a song, but there's a bridge/transition/breakdown thing right before the before the chorus that has a a strong Hot Snakes feel to me, but without the big crunch of guitars that is synonymous with that band.  RIt's great.  The chorus is a cathartic shout along and The whole shebang wraps up pretty quick. 

The Swami can do no wrong by me and this 7" is just another excellent record to add to the collection.  I feel like the amount of new Swami music is definitely on the uptick these last couple of years and I hope that continues to be the case.  I always want more.

Del The Funky Homosapien + AMP Live - Gate 13 2xLP

IOT (2018)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

This is another one of those records that I bought ages ago and still haven't written anything about it.  I will buy pretty much anything that has Del The Funky Homosapien's name on it.  He's been my favorite since No Need For Alarm rearranged by brain back in 1993 and as far as golden era rappers go, he has had way more successes in the intervening than most in my book.  

Del always, and I mean always, brings in on the mic.  I'm not sure there has ever been anyone that has ever rapped in a way that connects with me more than him.  There's something really unique about the way he weaves his rhymes in super intricate ways, but makes them so they can still be understood and digested.  He has a cadence that has been part of my life for over 30 years and it's always familiar, but surprising, if that makes any sense.  This album is no exception, every song has piles of lyrics to dissect and enjoy.  And unlike a lot of folks, del has not abandoned the concept of having a hook.

What separates good Del albums from great Del albums is usually the production.  I'm not familiar with AMP Live and I wasn't really sure what to expect as far as beats go.  And honestly, they're somewhere in the middle.  I don't think they're incredible, but they're good enough.  I wish they were a little louder and faster, a bit more rugged perhaps.  There's something that feels a little clinical about their sound.  Even the ones that I really dig, like "Gravy Train," seem to be missing a little bit of fuzz or analog hiss that would make everything feel a bit more grounded.  

So as far as Del's catalog goes, I'd put this in somewhere in middle.  Gate 13 is not the same thing as his 90s releases (which it's not going to be, that was ages ago). but it's a solid record and gives Del an easy to listen to playground to spout off his unmatched lyrics.

Del The Funky Homosapien + AMP Live - Gate 13:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kMin2n6cIQxGtL8j56vZX-LMRZU1uq11U

Daddy-O - You Can Be A Daddy But Never Daddy-O LP

Island (1993)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Daddy-O is likely best known for being part of the hugely influential hip hop group Stetasonic.  They split up after their 1991 album Blood, Sweat & No Tears and the next time we would hear from Daddy-O was on this album, his 1993 debut You Can Be A Daddy But Never Daddy-O.  I don't think it made much of a splash when it was released, I certainly don't remember hearing about it at the time.  1993 was a pivotal year in hip hop as the genre was moving at an alarmingly fast bace, changing weekly.  A new album released by someone whose group's heyday was in the 80s probably wasn't as exciting to the tastemakers at the time.

It wasn't until many, many years later that I stumbled across this record and decided to check it out.  I would not go so far as to proclaim it a 'lost classic' or anything that grandiose, but it's a very strong record that I think would have made a bit more noise had it not come out during such a crowded time in hip hop.  

More than anything, I really enjoy the production on the album.  It's a hard hitting, east coast flavor that fits in nicely with the sound of the era.  There's a ton of head nodders in here and while not necessarily treading any new ground, it's a fun listen.  Lyrically, Daddy-O knows what he's doing.  He's got a steady flow that works with his scratchy vocal delivery.  I think perhaps he could have spent a bit less time talking about how much he likes other rappers, as it's a topic that certainly comes up more than once, but it's not that I'm in any way opposed to a good old fashion shout out.  

Again, there's nothing earth shattering here, but the steady vocals mixed with better than average production makes it an album worth checking out.  Unfortunately, the only vinyl version that exists is this 'clean' promo version.  Daddy-O isn't swearing all over the place, so it being clean doesn't bother me that much.  But the bigger issue is that the LP only has 12 of the 16 songs that the CD does.  It's even missing the single that it advertises on the hype sticker, "Brooklyn Bounce."  I'm not sure how much demand there is for a nice reissue of this album, but I'd certainly buy one.

Daddy-O - You Can Be A Daddy But Never Daddy-O:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mYGZawQKOZxaUL48KJjycB6z7Aitr5dPo