1) Drake Take Care (Cash Money/Universal)

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

3) Gangrene Vodka & Ayahuasca (Decon)

4) Busdriver Beaus $ Eros  (Fake Four Inc.)

5) Blu & Exile  Below The Heavens (Fat Beats)

This week's hip-hop chart from the Hollywood Amoeba store reflects the state of the current hip-hop market - one in which many titles have a long shelf life including the most recent releases from both Drake (Take Care on Cash Money/Universal) and Kanye West & Jay Z (Watch The Throne on Def Jam) - two major label releases that were originally released in early November and August respectively but have been steadily selling/charting ever since. Meantime another steady seller is  Blu & Exile's  Below The Heavens on Fat Beats which is technically a five year old album but, due to public demand, was reissued recently. The other two album entrants on the new hip-hop chart are the 2012 releases from both LA alt hip-hop talent  Busdriver (Beaus $ Eros on Fake Four Inc. featuring the Loden produced track below "Kiss Me Back To Life") and Gangrene's Vodka & Ayahuasca on Decon.  Featuring Oh No and Alchemist Gangrene are pretty darn good and this is one recommended album; one of those records that you hear something new in every time you play it. 

1) Lil Wayne  The Carter IV (Cash Money/Universal)

2) Blu & Exile Below The Heavens (Sound In Color)

3)   Candy's 22 A Girl and Her Gun
                   (Grimm Image Records)

4) Qwazaar & Batsauce Bat Meets Blaine
          (Galapagos4)

5) Blu Jesus (Nature Sounds)

Thanks to E-Lit at the Amoeba Berkeley store for the latest Top 5 Hip-Hop chart plus overview of what's new and what's hot in his opinion. These include two of the E-Lit's favorite releases for all of 2011; Qwazaar & Batsauce's Bat Meets Blaine on Galapagos4, and Astronautalis' This Is Our Science in whose indie rock meets hip-hop hybrid E-Lit hears traces of both Tom Waits and Nick Cave. Other new/recent releases of E-Lit's include Oddisee's Rock Creek Park (Mello Music) which is named after an area in the now Brooklyn, NY based Washington DC artist's home, and Otayo Dubb's Cold Piece Of Work. This San Francisco Bay Area MC, who is part of the Beatrock Music collective is teaming up with Equipto tonight for a double record release party - combined they've dubbed themselves EQUIPTOTAYO. As you'll recall about five weeks back San Francisco's ever prolific Equipto (known for his solo work, longtime membership of Bored Stiff, and collaboration series with Andre Nickatina) had an Amoeba San Francisco instore for his just dropped latest solo album, Ilyich.

1) Cee Lo Green The Lady Killer (Elektra Records)

2) Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
 
3) Ghostface Killah Apollo Kids (Def Jam)
 
4) Michael Franti & Spearhead The Sound of Sunshine (Capital)

5) Andre Nickatina & Tha Jacka My Middle Name Is Crime EP (I-Khan Distribution)

Special thanks to Amoeba Berkeley's DJ Inti, whose year end list is posted on Amoeblog, for this final Amoeba hip-hop chart of the year. "Due to the holiday shopping rush, some releases that haven't shown up in a while show a spike in sales," Inti told me, explaining that the Michael Franti/Spearhead album released back in early summer is back on the top five for the Telegraph Avenue store. Meanwhile, the more recently released albums from both Kanye and Cee Lo continue to sell well and likely will into 2011. Speaking of Kanye, a leaked version of the new video for his album track "Monster" surfaced earlier today on several sites including YouTube. Click here to see the video/song that features Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and Rick Ross but be forewarned that the audio quality is poor.

New hip-hop releases at Amoeba, as in albums dropping over the past week or two, include both Ghostface Killah's impressive new solo release and Andre Nickatina & The Jacka's collaborative EP release, My Middle Name Is Crime, on Nickatina's I-Khan Distribution label. The 8 song release from these two much celebrated Bay Area rappers follows their series of singles together. 

1) T.I. No Mercy (Grand Hustle)

2) Andre Nickatina/Smoov-E The King & Mr. Biscuits (I-Khan Dist.)

3) Big Rich Built to Last (Big Rich Music)

4) Buff1 & Rhettmatic Crown Royale (ASide)

5) Redman Reggie (Island Def Jam)

Special thanks to Luis at the San Francisco store for this week's top five chart. Beyond the top five, Luis notes that, "Then there's the Kanye, Curren$y and Damu the Fudgemunk, which is super dope!" The latter is also a favorite of DJ Inti at the Berkeley Amoeba, where it was a hip-hop chart contender last week. The latest SF Amoeba chart includes some local Fillmore district SF flavor from both Big Rich and Andre Nickatina. His latest outing is a joint project with his regular studio collaborator, the Tennessee to The Bay transplant Smoov E, who also sometimes goes by the name Smoov Biscuits. That explains the title of their new joint release, The King & Mr. Biscuits, which appears on Nicatina's label, I-Khan Distribution.  The eleven track album features great tracks such as "For The Green (Remix) and "Genuine Draft (Remix)."


Meanwhile, Big Rich, who last year dropped Heart Of The City, is back with his impressive latest two-part release. Built to Last (Big Rich Music) is both an album and a documentary (CD + DVD) from the successful SF artist who has had a mixed year. Musically, he's kept busy and been artistically satisfied, he says, having spent the greater part of 2010 out on the road.

1) Lil Wayne I Am Not a Human Being (Cash Money/Universal Records)

2) Atmosphere To All My Friends (Rhymesayers Entertainment)

3) Foreign Exchange Authenticity (Foreign Exchange Music)

4) Trademark Da Skydiver Super Villain-Issue #2  (iHipHop Distribution)

5) Pigeon John Dragon Slayer (Quannum Projects)

Thanks to Luis at the Amoeba Music San Francisco store for this week's hip-hop top five chart. The still incarcerated Lil Wayne is at the top of the chart with his latest CD I Am Not a Human Being, which continues to garner positive reviews and sales round the country. He continues to cool his heels in solitary confinement in Riker's Island in New York for the next two weeks and is scheduled to be released on November 4th. Let's hope for his sake that at once released he can stay out of trouble and out of jail and that people can pack away their "Free Weezy" t-shirts for good. And while I Am Not a Human Being is way better, nearly all agree, than last year's long delayed Rebirth, it is clearly not as strong an album as 2008's The Carter III. Human Being was rush recorded right before Weezy began his stint behind bars and there are cameos many from his Young Money crew, including Drake, who makes five appearances here. As an album that was rush-recorded, it is a damn good offering but my guess is that once Lil Wayne gets out of jail and is free to go into the studio to record The Carter IV that he will truly appreciate his freedom and deliver perhaps the best work of his career.