1) Too $hort No Trespassing (Dangerous Music)

2) Maxilla Blue Volume 3 (Galapagos4)

3) 14 KT A Friendly Game of KT ( A-Side Worldwide/Mello Music)

4) Busdriver Beaus $ Eros  (Fake Four Inc.)

5) Lee Bannon Fantastic Plastic (Plug Research)

E LIT'S PICK of the week: Ecid Werewolf Hologram LP

Special thanks to E-Lit at the Berkeley Amoeba store for taking time to give us the new Top Five list and to record the above video at the Telegraph Ave. store with a nice run down of all the new arrivals in Amoeba. E Lit will do reports each week on the latest hip-hop for the next three weeks here on the weekly hip-hop rap up Amoeblog. In the number slot this week is the latest (19th studio album) from Bay Area's godfather of rap Too $hort: No Trespassing on Dangerous Music.which includes such tracks as the lead single "Money On The Floor (feat E40)" (video below) the weed anthem "Cush Cologne" and the cautionary tale on cheating, "I Got Caught" with guest vocals by Bay Area soul singer Martin Luther.

Maybe it's because this is a leap year that Black History Month 2012, which ended two days ago, seemed a little out of whack. Or maybe it was because it was a Black History Month that started on a really bad note when, on the morning of Feb 1st, the tragic news that Don Cornelius of Soul Train fame had taken his own life was the first thing we were to read about. That was bad enough but this tragic news came hot on the heels of the world losing a string of other black music/cultural icons, including in just the preceding two weeks both Etta James and JImmy Castor.  And then, of course, ten days later, on the eve of the Grammys, the whole world was taken aback with the shocking news that Whitney Houston had died at age 48. Not exactly a great time to joyously celebrate black history!

 
1) Evidence Cats & Dogs (Rhymesayers Ent.)

2) Murs Love & Rockets Vol. 1: The Transformation (DD172)

3) People Under The Stairs Highlighter (Piecelock 70)

4) Exile 4 Trk Mind (Soulspazam/Fat Beats)

5) Freestyle Fellowship The Promise (Decon)

Thanks to Ray Ricky Rivera at the Hollywood Amoeba store for this week's hip-hop top five chart which, you will notice upon closer examination, features exclusively acts from the SoCal store's surrounding area. As Rivera has told me in the past LA area customers have traditionally been highly supportive of their homegrown hip-hop talent. This week those talents include the LA producer/emcee Evidence who first came to fame as part of Dilated Peoples and who recently connected with the respected Mid West Rhymesayers Entertainment label who have released his highly recommended new  Cats & Dogs album.  LA's Murs, the Living Legends star who for a time lived in the Bay Area, is getting positive feedback all over for his latest release - a collab with Ski Beatz, Love & Rockets Vol. 1: The Transformation including down in New Orleans where, just before the album's October 11th release date, he did a unique promo for the new release on DD172 as seen in video clip below.

1) Lil Wayne  The Carter IV (Cash Money/Universal)

2) The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West)
     Watch The Throne (Def Jam) 

3) Casual The Hierophant (F.B.M.G.)

4)  Game The R.E.D. Album (Geffen)

5)  Smoke DZA Rolling Stoned (Fat Beats)

Again this week much thanks go to E-Lit at Amoeba Music in Berkeley for taking time to talk with the Amoeblog for the latest Hip Hop Top Five chart entries plus an overview of the numerous new underground hip-hop releases, in both CD and vinyl formats.  These include Open Mike Eagle's Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes, the full-length by Candy's 22 in CD format, A Girl and Her Gun ("drugged out country & western rap music" - as E-Lit describes the unusual rap release), the ever prolific Blu's (of Blu & Exile fame) latest remastered version of Jesus, and Kirby Dominant & Factor's Champagne Nightmares on Fake Four Recordings. Scroll down a bit to check out the video for the album track "Orca" off the duo (also named Champagne Nightmares) off this fine latest pairing of the unique East Bay emcee with the Canadian producer who first joined creative forces back in 2004 on One Way Ticket on Side Road Records. Their new video was directed and produced by Stuey Kubrick in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Last minute cancellations of artists on promoted concert bills is never a good thing. But a last minute cancellation of the venue is even worse. And when said canceled concert is a benefit for a cancer stricken toddler, it's ten times worse. Such is the scenario playing out right now with the charity concert planned this week for two year old South San Francisco girl Juliana Peña, who a few months ago was diagnosed with an advanced phase of neuroblastoma. The benefit show (Amoeblogged about here a month ago) was to feature a ton of local rap artists donating their time and talent including Too $hort, Hugh EMC, San Quinn, Rappin 4-Tay, Big Rich, Roach Gigz. Equipto, and event organizer / rapper  CoBlooded the Great. Three months ago the venue, Space 550 in San Francisco, was booked for this Friday (Sept 2nd) to hold the charity concert.

But last week CoBlooded, whose real name is Cochise Thomas and who is a close friend of the little girl's family, was issued word that the show would not take place at Space 550. The reason? Apparently an internal dispute between the outgoing management company and the new incoming management company of the venue located just off the Cesar Chavez exit from 101 in San Francisco. According to Thomas the new management claim that they were not given notice of the previously booked event by the outgoing management firm and hence it was not their responsibility to honor the booking.