1) Common The Dreamer, The Believer (Warner)

2) Young Jeezy TM-103 (Def Jam)

3) The Roots Undun (MCA)

4) Gangrene Vodka & Ayahuasca (Decon)

5) Union Analogtronics(Fat Beats)

Special thanks to Ray Ricky Rivera at the Amoeba Music Hollywood store for this week's Amoeba Hip Hop Chart which includes the latest from Common (The Dreamer, The Believer), The Roots (Undun), Gangrene (Oh No & The Alchemist) Vodka & Ayahuasca (Decon), and Young Jeezy (TM-103 on Def Jam).  Meantime the newcomer (released this week) to the chart is the number 5 chart entry from Union, aka Union Analogtronics, which is the Paris, France based hip hop group comprised of the production duo OJ & Gold whose instrumentation of choice is classic synths and various vintage keyboards. Hence the album title Analogtronics which means the analog at the service of the electronic. This album works on two levels: the chilled out groove of the instrumentals by these talented French producers and also on the vocal tracks for which he very tastefully selected their invited guests.  Case in point is the lead Talib Kweli and Sly Johnson track "Time Leak" (video immediately below) in which Kweli shares some of his best rhymes. Another excellent guest vocal track is (MF) DOOM track "Co Co Mango" in which the masked emcee delivers, in his trademark flow, such top notch rhymes. The list of other emcees on this album, which might lead some to file under Various Artists/Compilations category, include Moka Only, Elzhi, Roc Marciano, and Guilty Simpson. A really good album, available from Amoeba in both CD and LP formats, as you will figure out if you check out that video below.

    
Pharoahe Monch, who plays San Francisco's 330 Ritch tonight (Thursday June 2nd) and The Pagoda in San Jose on Saturday, has the distinction of being one of that rare breed of emcees who has managed to  sustain a career for two solid decades, which is an eternity in hip-hop and to keep reinventing himself along the way. The Queens, NY Monch, who came to fame as one half of the much heralded (read critically but not commercially acclaimed) early 90's hip-hop act Organized Konfusion, went solo after the split and by the end of the decade enjoyed the biggest commercial success of his career with his 1999 solo debut Internal Affairs which spawned the raunchy rap hit "Simon Says" (see video below).

Since then Monch has released just two more albums including 2007's Desire (with live band backing he did a wonderful instore performance at Amoeba Berkeley around that same time) and this year's excellent W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) which includes the anti-police brutality track "Clap (One Day)" as seen above in its extended video version. The album W.A.R. was a hot item at Amoeba when it dropped two months ago. It was the number one selling hiip-hop album at Amoeba Hollywood the first week of April. Since the newt album dropped the artist has been busy promoting it by doing lots of gigs including several in Cali and Nevada this week. Tonight, Weds June 1st, he plays Fulton 55 in Fresno. Tomorrow, Thursday June 2nd is the big San Francisco show, that also features DJ Apollo spinning all night, at 330 Ritch (that's the club's address too) in downtown San Francisco.  9pm 21+ $15 More info here  Saturday, June 4th he plays at the Pagoda (inside the Fairmont Hotel) at 170 S. Market Street, San Jose. 10pm, 21+ $15. And Sunday, June 5th, he plays at the Underground at 555 East 4th St in Reno, NV. 9pm 21+ $10. More info.

1) Zion I & The Grouch are Heroes in the Healing of the Nation (Z&G Music)

2) Pharoahe Monch W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) (W.A.R. Media/Duck Down Music)

3) Equipto & Michael Marshall Keep it Movin' 2 Love Changes-Solidarity Records

4) Raekwon Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (Ice H2O Records)

5) Lupe Fiasco Lasers (Atlantic Recording Corp).

Thanks to Luis for this week's Amoeba Hip-Hop Top Five for the San Francisco store where the highly recommended new Zion I & The Grouch's latest collaborative album Zion I & The Grouch are Heroes in the Healing of the Nation is number one after only hitting Amoeba Music's shelves on Tuesday (March 22nd). A sequel to Zion I & The Grouch's similarly themed, successful 2006 collaboration, Heroes in the City of Dope, this latest teaming of hip-hop talent even surpasses that critically acclaimed release. Joining producer Amp Live and emcees Zumbi and The Grouch throughout this release are such guests as Fashawn, Casual, Mystic, Brother Ali, Eric Rachmany, Freeway, Roy Ayers, Jacob Hemphill of Soja, Eligh, Codany Holiday, The R.O.D., and Silk-E, whose soaring vocals elevate the single "Rockit Man," as seen in the brand new video above.