Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1The Low End Theory (1991)The Low End Theory (1991)Released 1 Jan 1991The definitive blueprint for jazz-rap. Q-Tip enlisted legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter to lay down acoustic upright basslines alongside dusty vinyl samples from Art Blakey and Freddie Hubbard. The rhythm section breathes with organic warmth, providing the perfect trampoline for Q-Tip and Phife…0
  2. 2Blowout Comb (1994)Blowout Comb (1994)Released 1 Jan 1994A breezy, sunlit Brooklyn masterpiece. Digable Planets moved beyond 1990s bohemia to incorporate live session musicians alongside deep crate-digger jazz samples. Fluid horn lines, vibraphone accents and walking basslines wrap around Ishmael Butler, Doodlebug and Ladybug Mecca's laid-back street…0
  3. 3Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995)Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995)Released 1 Jan 1995Recorded entirely without sampling, Philadelphia's The Roots proved that hip-hop could be delivered with the dynamic virtuosity of a live jazz combo. Questlove's crisp, unquantised drum swing and Leonard Hubbard's walking bass trade melodic solos with Black Thought's dizzyingly precise lyrical…0
  4. 4Jazzmatazz, Volume 1 (1993)Jazzmatazz, Volume 1 (1993)Released 1 Jan 1993Gang Starr's Guru brought real jazz giants into the studio for a groundbreaking summit meeting. Trumpeter Donald Byrd, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, vibraphonist Roy Ayers and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith improvise directly over hip-hop beats, creating a timeless dialogue between jazz elders…0
  5. 5Buhloone Mindstate (1993)Buhloone Mindstate (1993)Released 1 Jan 1993De La Soul and producer Prince Paul traded pop accessibility for rich, horn-drenched musical maturity. Enlisting James Brown band legends Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley to play soaring saxophone and trombone lines, the album treats jazz harmony as a playful, expressive vehicle for sharp industry…0
  6. 6Like Water for Chocolate (2000)Like Water for Chocolate (2000)Released 1 Jan 2000Crafted at Electric Lady Studios by the legendary Soulquarians collective. J Dilla's signature off-grid MPC swing, Pino Palladino's liquid bass guitar and Roy Hargrove's blistering live trumpet arrangements lift Common's passionate Chicago lyricism into an uplifting spiritual masterwork.0
  7. 7To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)Released 1 Jan 2015A generational monument that reunited contemporary West Coast rap with avant-garde jazz and funk. Kamasi Washington's lush orchestral horn arrangements, Thundercat's dizzying six-string basslines and Terrace Martin's crying alto sax wrap around Kendrick's chameleonic vocal deliveries in…0
  8. 8Room 25 (2018)Room 25 (2018)Released 1 Jan 2018Arranged by Chicago multi-instrumentalist Phoelix, Room 25 is recorded with a live rhythm section that breathes with intimate cafe warmth. Gentle brushed drums, upright double bass and lush Rhodes piano chords provide a tender, responsive backdrop for Noname's conversational, devastatingly clever…0
  9. 9Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021)Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021)Released 1 Jan 2021Producer Inflo builds an astonishing musical tapestry of vintage big-band brass, cinematic strings, Afrobeat percussion and modal jazz grooves. Little Simz commands the arrangements with complete vocal mastery, demonstrating how grand orchestrations can amplify rather than overpower vulnerable…0
  10. 10Sour Soul (2015)Sour Soul (2015)Released 1 Jan 2015Canadian jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD joined forces with Wu-Tang Clan talisman Ghostface Killah. Playing vintage analog instruments with 1970s tape warmth, the group crafts moody, cinematic jazz-noir arrangements that provide the ultimate soundtrack for Ghostface's vivid, kaleidoscopic crime narratives.0