1) The Cool Kids When Fish Ride Bicycles (Green Label Sound, C.A.K.E. Recordings) 

2) The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West)
     Watch The Throne (Def Jam) 

3)  Wu-Tang Legendary Weapons (Entertainment One Music)

4) Sole & the Skyrider Band Hello Cruel World (Fake Four)

5) Hassaan Mackey & Apollo Brown
     Daily Bread (Mello Music Group)

Thanks to the ever knowledgeable E-Lit at the Berkeley Amoeba Music store for taking time to talk with the Amoeblog for this week's Hip Hop Top Five chart and also for running down (in video above) some of the cool new releases and recent arrivals in the Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley store. I love both that BDP Criminal Minded USB stick, gun key-chain, and DOOM's PIL-packaging inspired, silver can, vinyl box set! One of the new local releases mentioned by E-Lit is the new solo joint, Ilyich on Solidarity Records, from San Francisco artist Equipto who is known for such things as his membership of longtime SF hip-hop crew Bored Stiff and his collaborations with Andre Nickatina. In support of this new album he did an instore performance at Amoeba San Francisco last week, August 11th. Click to see photos of the Equipto Amoeba instore.



The number one hip-hop seller at Amoeba Berkeley and the other stores is the long overdue album from The Cool Kids. When Fish Ride Bicycles is both the second major release and the debut studio album from the duo comprised of Antoine "Sir Michael Rocks" Reed and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll.  But while this is only their second official release (their first since The Bake Sale EP from three years ago) the The Cool Kids have been far from idle; cranking out, over the years, a series of non major label sanctioned underground mixtape releases (none of which were quite as impressive as Bake Sale) including last year's mixtape Tacklebox. But for this album the young Chicago/Detroit duo return in full force with an album that is guaranteed to appeal to gain them wider mainstream success. They've enlisted some impressive collaborators including Bun B, Ghostface Killah, Travis Barker, Mayer Hawthorne and Asher Roth. Transplants/Blink 182 drummer and sometime producer Barker, as well as Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes contributed some production to the album. Chuck Inglish handles the majority of the production and in doing so delivers some nice clean hip-hop beats. Note if you purchase The Cool Kids' When Fish Ride Bicycles from Amoeba online the CD costs only $10.98 and ships free anywhere in the US.




Speaking of hip-hop duos, Oakland's fun and talented (and way underrated) Foreign Legion are playing a gig in their hometown tonight, Friday Aug 19th, when the always entertaining mic-wrekcing pair of Prozack Turner and Marc Stretch return to Disco Volante at 347 14th Street (near Webster) in Oakland to, they claim, "show you how this hip hop music is supposed to be done!"  Performing with a full live band in celebration of their recently released Night Moves album, that includes such winning tracks as the single "Travel Lite," (extended video version above) this should be a night to remember.

"We're gonna do it Vegas style and do two half hour sets and myself and Tim Diesel will be DJing throughout the evening," Marc Stretch told the Amoeblog. "The whole shit is gonna kick off at ten. Our first set will probably be around 10:30. We'll be rocking with the Legionnaire Non-Marching Band too so it's really gonna pop off."  $10 21+ more club info here.



One night later (tomorrow Saturday August 20th) at the same Downtown Oakland venue as Foreign Legion is the ever popular DJ Platurn & DJ friends produced all seven inch vinyl records themed The 45 Sessions with Hot Peas & Butta Crew featuring Skeme Richards and Supreme La Rock, DJ Platurn, E Da Boss, Enki, and myself Billy Jam (I go on at 10pm for a 45 minute set of all 45s - got some classic hip-hop lined up to play).

Also on the bill is special guest emcee Raashan Ahmad who will be celebrating the release of his limited clear vinyl 12" single "In Love With Wax" (look for it at Amoeba) that is off of his new album For What You've Lost. DJ Platurn admits that Raashan Ahmad's inclusion on the bill will "be breaking the 45 only rule" of The 45 Sessions for the first time in all 18 installments of this 7" wax themed monthly. But it'll be worth it. The 45 Sessions will also serve as the official after party for day one of the two-day Oakland Art & Soul festival (the big music and arts n crafts festival happening ) Disco Volante 347 14th st Oakland, CA. $5 21+ More club info  And for more 45 Sessions info.




Presenting what at first appears like a dilemma for fans of conscious, political hip-hop there are two different must-see concerts tonight in San Francisco: Public Enemy at the Regency on Van Ness and The Coup at The Independent on Divisidero. On the surface it looks like an unfortunate overlapping of two hip-hop shows that will no doubt pack an equal appeal to concert goers who might feel torn between which show to go to.

However upon closer inspection of the two shows and the fact that The Coup are expected to hit the stage at 11:15pm (following sets by Inspired Flight and Nio The Gift which if you go to both shows you would miss) it should be possible to catch both shows, provided PE, who follow the one listed opening act  ProHoeZak aka Mynk Floyd that hits the stage at 9pm, start at 10pm and finish by 11pm-ish- which it looks like they should.  Yes it would be an adrenaline fueled (but fun) rush from one SF venue to the other but they are only about a ten minute drive apart - if even that and depending on parking. But it would be possible to catch both shows. If you have to chose one then perhaps the ticket cost will help you make your decision. Tix for PE are listed at $37 here. And The Coup tickets at the Independent are priced at $20.



DJs Quest, DnZ, Cue, Marz, Lady Fingaz, Mista B, Cellskiii, and 2Fresh, as well as "scratch guitarist" The Genie,  and perucssionist Albert Mathias will be among the many performers providing music for tomorrow, Saturday's all day, big annual 2011 La Cocina Street Food Festival in the Mission District of San Francisco. The Street Food Festival, which runs from 11am to 7pm, presents itself as "all about celebrating the diverse food (and people) that makes San Francisco the amazing place it is to eat and live" and invites people to "come prepared to have fun and be part of one of the Mission's largest block parties as our DJs serve a healthy mix of Top 40, modern, traditional, world, electronic & urban sounds" to get the dance floor (in this case the street) moving and grooving. Helping make this happen will be some young members of the Horizons Unlimited/The DJ Project; the local Mission District youth empowerment-organization that teaches DJ skills. DJ Quest is one of the mentors of this program and in the past he has joined some of these young aspiring turntablists at Amoeba San Francisco for special showcases (as in pic above from few years ago). The SF Food Fest happens tomorrow Saturday August 20th from 11am to 7pm and runs on Folsom Street between 22nd and 26th Streets. It is a free event.  For more info on DJ Quest and more info on SF Street Food Fest:




In case you didn't hear already tomorrow's much anticipated Warfield San Francisco show with De La Soul, Z-Trip, Nosaj Thing, and Daddy Kev has been cancelled. If you bought tix for this show you can get a full refund at place of purchase. For further info click here.  And if you are disappointed that the show is no longer happening the above music video for the De La Soul track "Ring Ring RIng (Ha Ha Hey)" from their classic 1991 album De La Soul Is Dead is for you as a sort of consolation.

Meanwhile definitely happening tomorrow (August 20th) in the East Bay is the third annual Bay Area Producers Conference (BAPC) which is a recommended all day (11am - 8pm) conference for aspiring producers, engineers, remixers, and beat makers. The all day event costs $70 and takes place at Ex'pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville. One of the events attractions is the after party beat battle in which contestants can win the $1000 prize. More event info.

And finally I leave you with a brand new Bay Area hip-hop video for the song "Rec Your Life" from the Richie Cunning mixtape - Late Night Special.