Eerie melancholia is pushed your way through silk production with different live instrumentation and atmospheric sampling. The Hiero concept as we know it. Then again, A-Plus has his rasta background.

Almost 25 years and already been around the world and ay, ay, ay, this Canadian turntablism prodigy has quite a story to tell. From his Bar Mitzvah, when he bought his first set of record players, to his recent tour with the almighty Kanye West, 'Sunglasses Is A Must' (no particular symbolism) offers a closer look at his travels, battles and him meeting up with some of hip-hop’s most colourful people.

'Signature of The Ill' is a collection of street chronicles telling the life of hustling, surviving and staying real in the rap game. In 'No Tyme To Heal', A.D.O.R. looks back on his career and drops this essential line: 'Gotta rock that boom bap, stay true to my dealf and my first Yankee cap', makin perfectly clear what A.D.O.R. is all about.

A.G. is one of the smallest MC’s physically, but one of the greatest lyrically, 'I belong in hip-hop’s Hall of Fame', as he accurately puts it down himself.

Hip-hop from the soul, in beats and rhymes, but as well hard, totally in the vein of 'the more emotion I put in it, the harder I rock'-philosophy. 'This is been overdue so are you ready for change?', Aarophat asks in the album. We certainly are.

Absolute Power created a mature record inspired by their own outside-of-the-box-thinking definition of hip-hop, which makes this album not so accessible voor the narrow minded or lazy listener. It took a while for us to appreciate (let alone comprehend – no pun intended) the style and concepts, but it most def did grow on us.

There was once a time when Al Capone ruled the Chicagoan underground, but nowadays hip-hop does. Contemporary hip-hop giants such as Kanye West and Common have put the city on the rap map and are rowing their boat on the mainstream, but beneath it all, there lays an underground that has never been stronger than today.

'Shades of Reality' is real life lyrics, no-nonsense and raw beats: something to be treasured in these days of artificial music!

'Magnificent City' sounds so fresh and so clean like both protagonists be dressed on the cover art. A collaboration that was due to happen after Aceyalone’s 'Love & Hate' record. Maybe not as obvious like an RJ collabo with Blueprint or Copywrite but the utterly creative chemistry between both artists’ different personalities and sounds totals an interesting, very electrifying album.

This album is a West Coast classic, bringing the Californian summer straight into your room. Not long after the release Ahmad was dropped by his label, and after almost ten years of silence Ahmad returned on the scene with his group 4th Avenue Jones.

'Legacy' is not a classic, but it reaches a high level on a lyrical side, provin the critics right when they compare him with Nas, although Akir leaves a more profound criticism and a very thorough insight in social and political issues.

Ali Dee ends the album on the rough tip with the steamin 'Stompin Committee' with Das Efx-like rhymes over buckwild (the adjective, not the producer!) drums.