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

2) Illogic & Blockhead Capture The Sun (Man Bites Dog)

3) Kid Cudi Indicud (Dreamworks)

4) R.A. The Rugged Man Legends Never Die (Universal)

5) K-Def The Exhibit (Solid Smoke)

Thanks to my man E-Lit at Amoeba Berkeley for again this week taking time to share information on all the new hip-hop that's been dropping lately while simultaneously proving that, despite what the naysayers might try to have us believe (that the current state of hip-hop is not good), that there is actually a ton  of incredible new hip-hop coming out these days! You just have to look for it - and Amoeba is the perfect place to your looking. As E-Lit noted in the video interview above and in the corresponding top five chart also above - among the new recent arrivals in the hip-hop department at Amoeba Music are (following a nine year gap) R.A. The Rugged Man's Legends Never Die (Universal), K-Def's The Exhibit (an EP in both CD and vinyl formats that arrives in addition to his recently released Signature Sevens 7" series ), and Illogic & Blockhead's five-star new album Capture The Sun on Man Bites Dog. Peep the recent Amoeblog interview with Illogic & Blockhead interview in which they talk about this album, and check out below the latest video from the new album: the Erik Anello directed and edited and  Laura Green shot music video for the charged Capture The Sun track "Atlantis Depth."

1) Black C Still Ruthless (Rightway)

2) Kendrick Lamar Good Kid M.A.A.D City  (Aftermath)

3) E40 & Too $hort History: Mob Music (Heavy On The Grindl)

4) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis The Heist (Macklemore LLC)

5) Wu-Block Wu-Block (Entertainment One)

Thanks to Michelle at the Haight Street store for the above latest Amoeba Music San Francisco Hip-Hop Top Five chart which features in the number one slot the brand new release from longtime hometown rap hero Black C of RBL Posse fame whose new solo album is Still Ruthless on Rightway Productions. As you know RBL Posse, who hailed from the Hunters Point district of San Francisco, released some popular rap albums back in the nineties including their 1992 debut A Lesson To Be Learned on In-A-Minute featuring the hit and future dank anthem "Don't Gimme No Bammer" (Black C's brand new video below for the new album track "I Smoke" is a kind of sequel to that classic even referencing its lyrics), and RBL Posse's second album Ruthless By Law" on In-A-Minute in 1994. Their next album, An Eye For An Eye on Big Beat came out in 1997, a year after Black C's partner in rhyme Mr Cee was shot and killed in cold blood on New Year's Day 1996.