1) Ghostface Killah Twelve Reasons To Die (Soul Temple)

2) Kid Cudi Indicud (Dreamworks)

3) Trek Life Hometown Foreigner (Mello Music)

4) DJ Neil Armstrong Sweet: 10 Year Anniversary Box Set (Turntable Lab)

5) Kev Brown Songs Without Words Vols 1 + 2 (Green)

Special thanks to E-Lit at Amoeba Berkeley  for taking time to record video above and run down the latest new hip-hop arrivals at Amoeba which include goodies such as Mello Music's Trek Life  (Hometown Foreigner) and Kev Brown (Songs Without Words Vols 1 + 2). Then of special interest to DJ/turntablist fans are both the Beat Junkies Record Store Day leftover vinyl release plus the beautifully done box set by DJ Neil Armstrong (Sweet: 10 Year Anniversary Box Set). Speaking of the craziness of Record Store Day last Saturday, E-Lit reports that two of the hottest hip-hop RSD 2013 exclusive items at the Berkeley Amoeba were the Notorious B.I.G. vinyl reissue of Ready To Die and the GZA chess set - both of which were snapped up and sold out in record time. Continuing to sell well at Amoeba Berkeley and the other two Amoeba stores this week are both the new Kid Cudi (Indicud on Dreamworks) and Ghostface Killah's Twelve Reasons To Die (Soul Temple). And below is a video from this hot new collab with Adrian Younge.

This is the third and final part in the 2012 Year End Best of Hip-Hop Amoeblogs in which I do my personal top ten albums of the year, plus some other highlights of the past twelve months in hip-hop music and culture. This is all from one person's perspective and includes some losses of 2012 like Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys who had been battling cancer since 2009 and passed on at the young age of 47. MCA joined the ranks of such other hip-hoppers as Camu Tao who also died from cancer. Coincidentally, 2012 was the year that Bay Area graffiti fan Sonae Ponce produced the Graffiti Against Cancer event. Within a week of MCA's passing, BK rapper Tone Tank recorded a great tribute to the Beatie Boy (with cool accompanying logo - left) based on the Beasties' "Shake your Rump."

Overall in 2012, we gained much more than we lost with such things as a resurgence in the art of the skratch DJ. Best evidence of the Return of the DJ in 2012? The return of the DMC DJ battle to San Francisco and releases such turntablists as DJ Needlz and DJ Moschops (who also raps). Also in 2012 artists began to specialize more in their own respective niches. These included Oh No's guest heavy tribute album to Dolemite, Ohnomite (Traffic Entertainment). In 2012 some of the best labels making music included Mello Music and Stones Throw.

1) JJ DOOM Key to the Kuffs (Lex Records)

2) 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story (Deluxe Edition) (Def Jam)

3) 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story (Def Jam)
 
4)  Nas Life is Good (Def Jam)

5) Aesop Rock Skelethon  (Rhymesayers)

The latest top five hip-hop chart from Amoeba Hollywood this week is pretty consistent with the last few weeks at each Amoeba with the top sellers including the highly recommended new albums from Nas ( Life is Good), Aesop Rock, (Skelethon ), and DOOM's (formerly MF Doom) latest outing with producer Jneiro Jarel as JJ DOOM - Key to the Kuffs which I was surprised to hear some DOOM fans were not feeling upon first listen. I really like it and believe it stands side by side in quality with his previous work and that Jneiro's production compliments DOOM - and the other guests - perfectly. My personal favorite tracks are "Banished," "Guv'nor," "Borin' Convo," Dawg Friendly," and the opening sample heavy, album intro track "Waterlogged."  Again on this week's Amoeba chart are both versions of 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story (regular and the Deluxe Edition) from the ever popular artist who was among those featured performers at last night's MTV's Video Music Awards (VMA).

         


1) El-P Cancer4Cure (Fat Possum)

2) Killer MIke R.A.P. Music (William Street)

3) J Stalin The Body Snatchers (CR)

4) Cadence Weapon Hope In Dirt City (Upper Class Records)

5) BPos Pos Tapes Volume 3 (One League)

Thanks to E-Lit at Amoeba Music Berkeley for the latest Amoeba Hip-Hop Top Five chart and new releases overview that include the two El-P albums Cancer4Cure on Fat Possum which is his own first full solo length album in several years which as E-Lit notes in video above, is dedicated to his friend/lebel-mate/fellow band member the late Camu Tao who died four years ago at age 30 from lung cancer (hence the title), and the highly recommended album R.A.P. Music on William Street that El-P produced for Killer Mike - both of which are among the best albums released this year so far. Although technically mostly a collection of previous year releases that new Madlib Medicine Show The Brick box set with all 13 CDs (and nicely priced at $95) is another great new arrival in Amoeba that E-Lit outlines in the video above that compiles all of the super-talented producer's Medicine Show installments - the ambitious once a month release series he unleashed in 2010.  

This 14 track brand new album, which will soon be out on CD and available at Amoeba but currently is available only as a digital release, is released jointly by F.B.M.G. (Fat Boy Music Group) and Hieroglyphics Imperium.  The album has that distinction of sounding new while simultaneously giving a refreshing throwback 90's Hieroglyphics vibe - thanks in great part to killer production by fellow Hiero DJ Toure who perfectly compliments Casual's flow - resulting in an album that will appeal equally to both longtime Casual & Hieroglyphics fans as well as new fans just now catching up on this mostly under-the-radar hip-hop talent.