1)  Aesop Rock Skelethon (Rhymesayers Entertainment)

By far the current bestselling hip-hop title in the store is this new self-produced solo album from Aesop Rock, which really shines a spotlight on the man’s originality and talents. This one is possibly his strongest offering to date, with superb production
that really matches his vocals and carves a niche in hip hop that is all his own. One  listen through this, and my immediate thought was “no other person in hip hop makes  music that sounds like this.” Support brilliant original music and pick this up!

Skelethon is available from Amoeba in both CD format and album/LP format.





2) Nas Life is Good (Def Jam)

The latest from [Nasty] Nas is more of what fans should expect from the man: some hot singles, raps about his daughters and his current state of mind, plus his signature voice and flow. Production credits include No I.D, Buckwild and Salaam Remi. This is grown
man rap music that reflects Nas’ life in an honest way that most mainstream artists steer away from. Cool stuff.

1) Aesop Rock Skelethon (Rhyemsayers Ent.)

2)  El-P Cancer4Cure (Fat Possum)

3) Killer Mike R.A.P. Music (Williams Street)

4) J Dilla Rebirth of Detroit (Yancey Music Group)

5) Azealia Banks 1991 EP (Interscope)

Like El-P, whose Cancer4Cure is his first album since 2007, another hip-hop artist who can patiently keep fans waiting five years before dropping a new album is Aesop Rock. And this week Aesop Rock, who used to be on El-P's currently on hiatus Def Jux label, returns triumphantly after half a decade between albums with a stellar new full-length: Skelethon on Rhymesayers Entertainment.. The album does not disappoint with powerful songs like "ZZZ Top" (video above), the opening “Leisureforce,” “Homemade Mummy,” and the lead single “Zero Dark Thirty.” With Aesop's usual barrage of intricate lyrics luckily the physical release comes with a lyrics sheet. Another new release this week is a re-release of an older hip-hop album: The Pharcyde's 1992 Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde [Expanded Edition] which differs from the original two-decade old classic in that it is a triple disc set with the original album in its entirety, plus two additional discs including instrumentals, remixes, and “B-cydes” plus really nice packaging that include some classic old photos of the legendary SoCal hip-hop crew and enlightening liner notes from producer J-Sw!ft.  And in honor of this most welcome reissue/extended set here is one of the great tracks from that hip-hop classic: "Passin' Me By,"