#1: Apollo Brown  Sincerely, Detroit (Mello Music)

#2: Homeboy Sandman Dusty (Mello Music)

#3: L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae Complicate Your Life With Violence Vinyl LP  (Mello Music Group) (also avail on CD)

#4: Big Shug The Diamond Report  (Brick Records)

#5: Billy Woods Terror Management (backwoodz)

Brand new release in the Amoeba new arrivials this week, via the unstoppable independent hip-hop label Mello Music, is Detroit producer Apollo Brown’s excellent new full-length Sincerely, Detroit. A hip-hop homage to the producer’s hometown, the one hour and 19 minute new album is a Detroit centric, compilation-like album as much as a single artist release. The talent-packed 79 minute album’s 21 tracks feature a long list of guest collaborators from Detroit, acting as yet another reminder of just how much incredible hip-hop talent the Motor City has given and continues to give the world!  Artists joining Apollo Brown include elZHI, Slum Village, Phat Kat, Guilty Simpson, Chris Orrick and Clear Soul Forces. Among the too many great tracks to mention are the upliftingly soulful "God Help Me (feat. Black Milk, Ketchphraze & DJ Los)" and "The Backbone (feat. Guilty Simpson, Fat Ray & Melanie Rutherford)" (scroll down to see the song's accompanying music video).  Order Sincerely, Detroit  HERE. 

The other chart entries include more excellent releases from over the past couple of weeks; Big Shug's The Diamond Report, L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae's Complicate Your Life With Violence Vinyl LP  (avail also on CD), and Billy Woods' Terror Management. The other top five album is Homeboy Sandman's post Stones Throw release Dusty with his new label home Mello Music. Among the stellar tracks on this album is  "Lookout" that features both Quelle Chris and Your Old Droog.

Tonight in Los Angeles hometown author Ben Merlis will be throwing a launch party for his recommeded new book (to be published Nov 5th) on the interrelated topics of hip-hop’s most important crews and hip-hop's influential golden era record label; Goin Off: The Story Of The Juice Crew & Cold Chillin Records. With guest appearances by Cold Chillin legend Marley Marl, Cut Chemist and Peanut Butter Wolf (who wrote Forward for the book) this evening's event is at 7:30pm at the Artform Studio.

Admission is the price of a copy of the new book that you can buy and get signed by the author at tonight's event. To confirm attendance in advance and for more info on the book launch simply go its dedicated Facebook Events page.

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the death of Mac Dre. Check the Amoeblog on the topic posted earlier today; 15 Years After Mac Dre's Murder,  Popularity Of Beloved Bay Area Rapper Continues To Grow [includes Mac Dre Top 10 Amoeba Guide].

Talented young, LA based collective BROCKHAMPTON kicked off their latest North American tour last weekend in Vancouver. Tonight they’ll headline The Van Buren theater in Phoenix AZ on a bill with both 100 Gecs and grime/hip-hop act slowthai. California tour dates will include Nov 7th at the Frost Amphitheater in Stanford and Nov 8th in LA as part of the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. where among the many many other acts next weekend will be Tyler, The Creator, YG and 21 Savage.

Meanwhile Open Mike Eagle, whose most recent release is the early 2019 What Happens When I Try To Relax (also on EP/vinyl), is also on a new national tour that kicked off last week. His upcoming Bay Area date on the tour will be November 17th at Oakland’s Starline Social Club.

Boot Riley, the longtime Bay Area hip-hop artist/activist turned independent movie-making breakout star, will be among those speaking tomorrow afternoon (Nov 2 @2pm) at the Oakland Museum’s “OMCA at 50 CommunityConversations: Belonging, on Film.”   Not just the frontman of political hip-hop group The Coup, Boots is truly a renaissance man whose other titles include author, art curator and stage director.

Most recently Boots gained wide recognition in the world of film with his critically acclaimed directorial debut; the 2018 Oakland as an alternate Sci-Fi world set film Sorry To Bother You. Also on the OMCA panel will be Executive Director of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Stephen Gong and Pixar animator Rosana Sullivan. Tix and more info.


Apollo Brown "The Backbone (feat. Guilty Simpson, Fat Ray, Melanie Rutherford)" from Sincerely, Detroit