KENDRICK LAMAR Vinyl & CDs

Review: Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, the Compton-based rapper's first album since 2012's major label debut, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, has been receiving rave reviews. In truth, it's not hard to see why. Imaginative, soulful, and blessed with the looseness of live performance (a result of the use of jazz-minded live players as much as anything else), it sounds like the kind of album that may one day be hailed as a hip-hop classic. Sure, there are big name guests - Dre, Snoop, George Clinton and Thundercat included - but the focus remains on Lamar's distinctive flow and almost cinematic tales of life on L.A's streets. Given the quality of his lyrics, that's no bad thing.

Review: Kendrick Lamarr has always been one of hip-hop's most thoughtful and thought-provoking MCs, with a passion for utilising beats and backing tracks that often sidestep hackneyed rap tropes and lazy samples. Even so, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, Lamarr's first solo album for five years, is an arresting listen from start to finish. Impeccably produced, with countless musical twists and turns, spellbinding instrumentation (including jazz pianos, orchestration, intriguing electronics, sparkling synths and punchy rhythms aplenty), it sees Lamarr lyrically signposting his own failings (something not enough rappers of his profile are comfortable doing) within a wider framework of accountability. It's brave but brilliant, with some of the topics covered including his relationship with money, white women and his father, gender and generational trauma. A genuinely landmark album all told.

Review: Kero Uno has been kicking for almost two decades, credited with reviving jazz sensibilities in hip-hop almost three decades since it, unfortunately, fell out of fashion around the turn of the century. K1 introduces city-pop and jazz-hop to two of Kdots biggest tracks, 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe' and 'Love', the former of which was put on SoundCloud almost a decade ago now and created nothing but buzz. K1 skyrocketed to fame, having his album crowdfunded by excited fans and catching the attention of Kendrick's own mix engineer Derek Ali. The 'Don't Kill My Vibes' mix flips the 2012 hit into a vibraphone-led synthy jazz slice of heaven, while the 'Love' flip, 'Vinyl Love', is a chill, wavey city-pop banger, with subtle brass and airtight percussion coming together in perfect matrimony.

Review: The reviews that followed the recent release of Kendrick Lamarr's first album in five years, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, were universally positive. Of course, he's always been one of hip-hop's most insightful and thought-provoking MCs, with a passion for utilising backing tracks that sidestep hackneyed rap tropes and lazy samples, but even by his high standards this album is something special - as this differently packaged Japanese edition proves. Impeccably produced, with countless musical twists and turns, spellbinding instrumentation and all manner of guest stars, it sees Lamarr lyrically signposting his own failings and character flaws within a wider framework of accountability. It's brave but brilliant, with some of the topics covered including his relationship with money, his father, gender and generational trauma. A genuinely landmark album.