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. 


                                 

1) Cee-Lo Green
The Lady Killer (Elektra Records)

2) Kid Cudi Man On The Moon 2: The Legend of Mr Roger (Universal/Motown)

3) Eligh Grey Crow (Legendary Music/ Alpha Pup)

4) Eminem Recovery (Aftermath, Interscope, Shady)

5)  Drake Thank Me Later (Young Money, Cash Money/Universal)

As Cee-Lo Green's runaway hit of a new album The Lady Killer (Elektra Records) continues to dominate charts all over the globe, including the latest hip-hop top five from Amoeba Music Hollywood this week, radio DJs everywhere debate whether playing the sanitized / FCC friendly version of the album's popular online song and video "Fuck You" is worth playing at all. As you know, in its airplay-ready version it becomes "Forget You" with all swear words getting changed or edited. So is it worth playing? I say a good song is a good song, and "Forget You" is a great song. And if you had never heard the other (real) version you would enjoy it thoroughly. It reminds me of back in '94 when listeners heard "Mack Of The Year" by Dru Down being played on KMEL long before they heard the original, much nastier version, "Pimp Of The Year," by the Oakland rapper. However, once you have heard the original Cee -Lo song, the radio version sounds like it is missing the main ingredient. Below are both versions for you to be the judge of. Please post your opinion in comments below. Thanks!

1) Lyrics Born As U Were (Decon)

2) Von Pea Pea's Gotta Have It (Interdependent Media)

3) Skillz The World Needs More (Big Kids Music)

4) 2Mex My Fanbase Will Destroy You (Strange Famous Records)

5) Cunninlynguists Presents: Kno-Death is Silent (A Piece of Strange Music)

Lyrics Born's newest studio album, As U Were on Decon, arrived at Amoeba Music on Tuesday (Oct 26) and within three days shot to number one on this week's hip-hop chart for the San Francisco store. With a diverse and accessible sound that ranges from old school disco beats ("Coulda Woulda Shoulda") & old school electro (think Bambaataa) to post-hyphy Bay rap ("Black Bots"), alternative grooves and more, the album features guest spots from Lyrics Born's long time Solesides/Quannum rhyme buddies The Gift of Gab from Blackalicious and Lateef (who joins him on both "I Wanna B W/U" & "Pushed Aside / Pulled Apart"). Other contributors include Sam Sparro, Trackademics, and Francis and the Lights. The low points on the 15 track As U Were CD are the three unnecessary & not-funny skits, while the high points include the sharp critical commentary on prescription drugs, "Pillz (feat. The Gift of Gab)" and the mad raw & fast breakbeat driven "Oh, Baby!" To coincide with the new album, Lyrics Born's Auto Reverse tour is currently underway along with fellow Decon artists Rakaa and Chali 2na. There is one week left of the tour that stops in Victor, ID tonight at Knotty Pine and finishes next Friday (11/05) at Dante's in Portland, OR. Meanwhile, to peep pics of Lyrics Born doing an instore at Amoeba San Francisco back in '03 click here.

The highly anticipated new Souls of Mischief album, Montezuma's Revenge, on Clear Label is the Hieroglyphics collective's first official studio album in almost a decade. There's a good reason why the long awaited record has been selling extremely well at each of the three Amoeba Music stores since it was released early this month. It's an amazing album; one that recaptures the magic of each stage of the longtime, unique East Oakland hip-hop crew. Souls of Mischief first burst on the scene in 1993 when they captured the attention of the hip-hop world with their stunning debut 93 Til Infinity on Jive/Zomba. And of course, having Prince Paul, one of hip-hop's most gifted producers, at the helm for Montezuma's Revenge only helpted bring out the best in the Souls of Mischief.

I recently caught up with Tajai of the group and asked him why it took such a long time for this new official Souls full-length album to drop.  "We have been traveling and promoting a gang of records, from Hiero Full Circle and Full Circle Live to Power Movement, Triangulation Station and My Last Good Deed, from the crew and individual members," said Tajai. And just how did the Prince Paul collaboration come about? "Opio and Domino were on the Handsome Boy Modeling School (Dan the Automator & Prince Paul) tour a few years back and they tossed the idea of doing an album back and forth. Prince Paul actually followed up and the rest is history," he said, adding, " Working with him {Paul} was incredible. He is a perfectionist and really brought out the best in all of us." 

2009 was another good year for Bay Area rap/hip-hop, with a string of new releases dropping over the past twelve months, including the thirty four full-length releases listed below. Appearing in no particular order, these choices are based mainly on releases culled from the Amoeba Music San Francisco Weekly Hip-Hop charts compiled by Luis at the Haight Street store over the past year. Not every single Bay Area hip-hop release is included here (feel free to nominate any worthy omissions in the comments below), but many of them are, and they give a good sense of the vibrant Bay Area music scene for the year of 2009.

Three albums appeared on early 2009 Amoeba Hip-Hop charts but did not make the list below since they technically were each 2008 releases (released late last year):  E40's The Ball Street Journal, released on Sic Wid It and distributed through Warner Brothers; San Quinn's From A Boy To A Man (SMC/Fontana); and Keak da Sneak & San Quinn's Welcome To Scokland on Ehustl, which combined the best of "the Sco" (San Francisco) with the "O" (Oakland) on an album that was extremely popular in the Bay in '09.

North Oakland rapper Mistah F.A.B. may not have released a new solo album in 2009 but he did pop up on countless other artists' releases over the past year, including most recently on The Grouch's just released Three Eyes Off The Time. Mistah F.A.B  appears on the CD track "Already" with hella popular Fresno emcee Fashawn. F.A.B. also appeared on Fashawn's critically & commercially acclaimed official debut album, following a string of mixtapes, Boy Meets World on Loud, which was a hit at all three Amoebas. Mistah F.A.B. also released joint full-length projects in 2009 with both the Alchemist and Glasses Malone, with whom he unleashed The Sideshow CD.