First Word Records is proud to bring you 'The Essance' - the classic debut album by Essa (formerly known as Yungun), originally released in 2004, now released on vinyl & digital for the first time, 20 years on!
A lyricist, lawyer and a Londoner, legendary MC Essa has earned praise over the years from artists such as Nas and Mark Ronson, as well as performing and recording with legends like De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, Guru, Slum Village and Pharoahe Monch. Learn More
First Word Records in collaboration with Heavenly Sweetness proudly bring you a ‘Beautiful’ new album from the formidably funky French duo, Souleance.
So the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or perhaps in this case, the ear!). How we define beauty varies from person to person. Be it a meal, a landscape, a picture, a record…
Appreciating and admiring beauty could be considered an art in itself, and one that Souleance have made a rule of life. This ethic is transposed into their own craft, used as fuel to turn beautiful moments into music. This 15-track album seeks to convey this through an assortment of sun-saturated grooves of different shapes and sizes. Learn More
The next album release on Goldie's fast-rising, boutique label Fallen Tree 1Hundred, The Day Out of Time by The Degrees is the Acid Jazz/Soul and Trip Hop long-player from drum and bass man of the moment Break, alongside singer songwriter Isha Campbell, heavily inspired by their home town of Bristol. Learn More
4 European beat makers @Dexplorist @Carlskee @Funkychild @Chilla Ninja come together as a beat collective to present volume 1 of their SKWR beat collective. 16 tracks of instrumental hip hop.
Influenced by golden era hip hop and packaged in a tribute to classic library records. Learn More
This is the second album from DJ Harrison, Richmond VA producer, and player of every instrument in the house. Three years in the making, this album reflects how Harrison hears the South and moves through the world. He reimagines decades of soul, funk, rock, R&B, hip-hop, and other Black music, striving for personal peace despite centuries of racial injustice. Warm, syrupy neo-soul descended Voodoo-era D’Angelo, soulful gothic folk, futuristic disco, breakbeats and Learn More
Ghetto Pop Life is a collaborative studio album by Danger Mouse and Jemini The Gifted One. Originally released on Lex Records in 2003, it has been out of print for a number of years and is now being reissued to coincide with the release of Born Again. Featuring guest appearances from the likes of J- Zone, Prince Po, and the Pharcyde. Learn More
Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop! Featuring some of the catalog’s greatest hits from the iconic Naughty By Nature, De La Soul, Digital Underground, and Queen Latifah to digitally unreleased hits from G.L.O.B.E & Whiz Kid, Sweet Trio and more. Learn More
To celebrate 3 years since the release of Andrew Ashong & Kaidi Tatham’s now classic Sankofa Season, Kitto Records invite some of their favourite artists to remix and reimagine the music. The result is an all-star line up that crosses genre and generations to produce a truly cracking EP, one that is clearly rooted in the original music while also moving into new, unexpected territories. Whether it is dubstep pioneer Mala bringing a heavy and sophisticated twist to ‘Low Ceilings’, or breakthrough post-punk artist Wu-Lu flipping ‘Washed in You’ into a completely new realm, complete with a captivating feature from the one and only Lex Learn More
First Word Records is proud to bring you 'Resonance'; a full-length album from Essa & Pitch 92. A lyricist, lawyer and a Londoner, Essa initially released music under the name Yungun in the early noughties, in the midst of UK hip hop's own "golden era". Learn More