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 sample-heavy, Prince Paul produced 1989 De La Soul debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (Tommy Boy) is among the latest 25 American recordings to be officially preserved by the Library of Congress to its registry. The latest additions to the registry (see list in full in chronological order below), announced today, also includes the recently deceased Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band's third album Trout Mask Replica (Reprise), Tammy Wynette's Stand By Your Man from 1968, and Steely Dan's 1977 recording Aja.

Chosen for their cultural significance by the Library of Congress, these musically & chronologically diverse American recordings date back to 1853 and range from Professor Longhair to Mort Sahl to Cylinder Recordings of Ishi (circa 1911 to 1914). The goal of the Library of Congress is to digitize recorded sound and video in formats for long-term preservation so that they can be enjoyed by future generations. The Library's criteria in choosing these recordings for its registry, which was created in 2000, include that they must be "at least ten years old" and that they are "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." Of course, as with any list, there undoubtedly will be those who will complain that certain recordings were not added or that certain ones were. But I say, whoever came up with this list did an excellent job at choosing these 25. It also should be noted that, due to the high number of samples used on the De La Soul album -- at least 75 -- technically, this list includes a lot more than the 25 recordings listed.

1) Lupe Fiasco Lasers (Atlantic) CD

Love him or hate him, Lupe Fiasco’s new one was last week’s best seller by far, selling out the first day we received it and steadily moving units since. Lasers has apparently been disowned by Lupe himself in interviews, which is somewhat of a testament to his testy personality, but he’s clearly tapped into a special realm of the pop music spectrum if he can appeal to Top 40 crowds and seasoned rap listeners alike.

2) Talib Kweli Gutter Rainbows (3D/Javotti Media) CD

Back in stock! I wrote up a bit on this one the other week, but it was out of stock for a sec and now that it’s back on the shelves it’s moving quick. Talib Kweli’s latest is his first independently released solo project in a minute, boasting production from the likes of Oh No, Marco Polo, S1, and Khrysis amongst others. Gutter Rainbows is one crafted for Talib’s long-time fans for sure.

3) Blu Amnesia (Nature Sounds) 10”

New limited 10” single from everybody’s favorite new school West Coast MC, Blu. Taken from his upcoming full length HerFavoriteColour, which was released as a download a while back but is now newly remastered and available to the DJs on wax. The title track and two additional songs on this 10” highlight not only Blu’s natural flow, but also his interesting lo-fi soulful production. Limited and smooth as hell.

While recently checking out the video below by the Audio Bullys (the UK duo whose third album Higher Than The Eiffel arrives in Amoeba tomorrow) for their great 2008 single-only release "Gimme That Punk" in which they display countless classic album covers (including The Clash, The Doors, The Kinks, The Sex Pistols) it further reminded me of why I love (and miss) LPs and their glorious 12" by 12" cover art work so much. This is why I always look forward to checking out new (and always themed) LP cover art posts here by The Gone World Amoeblogger Mr Chadwick and any record or LP cover art gallery shows like the ones at very top and lower points of this blog, courtesy of Siemon Allen Records, whose current exhibit Records (South African Edition) just ended yesterday at the Johannesburg Art Fair. 

The Audio Bullys' video reminded me of another UK musical duo's video from recent years, dan le sac VS scroobius pip's 2007 video for their hit single "Thou Shalt always Kill," in which they also flip through various classic album covers as they dismiss their respective makers as being "just a band." This music video style, utilized by both this pair and the Audio Bullys, of displaying and then tossing on the ground the LP covers that are referenced in their lyrics is directly derived from the film footage of Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home album track "Subterranean Homesick Blues" in which Dylan is filmed tossing large cue cards with key words from the song's lyrics.

Recently ran into Mista B at Amoeba Music San Francisco (as pictured left) as the famed turntablist and member of SF's 4OneFunk crew (with Teeko, B.Cause, Max Kane) was dropping off copies of his tight new independently released CD SonicSoulSpace.

This latest production by  Mista B comes hot on the heels of his collaborative mix CD with fellow 4OneFunk'er B.Cause titled Record Haterz. That ol skool Bay Area rap mix dug deep in the vinyl crates to deliver a flawless mix punctuated by forgotten gems by such bygone Bay rap greats as Totally  Insane, 415 (feat. RIchie RIch), and 11/5.

Mista B will be flying out to New York in a couple of weeks to represent the Bay Area in the 2009 DMC US Finals Battle - the legendary DJ battle where skilled turntablists from all over, usually with endless hours upon hours of practice, converge in a heated battle that only last minutes but whose results go down in the history books forever. This will be Mista B's fifth time to enter a DMC battle.  "I have mixed feelings upon competing again. Usually, DJs compete just once and [then] they're done.  For me, it's not just about the competition but it's about sharing this so called art of turntabilism," he told me. "I feel that DJ battles are one of very few platforms to showcase the art.  So with me, I still practice because I like to work on my craft, my skill if you will.  Specifically beat juggling for me.  I don't do it to be better than the next guy, but to be better than what I was yesterday and to show how graceful sounding this art is" Always pushing himself to improve and to innovate the SF who has been honing his diligently DJ'ng since 1993, told me that.  "I took a class in college and a professor came up with the concept, "sound art." That concept stuck with me since so I like to consider what I do "turntable sound art."  So now I just look for a medium to showcase the art.  So here I am again, competing on a high level versus the country's best DJs, The DMC USA Finals again."