The Third Unheard

Stones Throw records, and its sister label, Now-Again, raised the bar with its critically acclaimed Funky 16 Corners, a deep funk retrospective. Additionally, they may have Hip-hop’s strongest (and strangest) reissue of the year: The Third Unheard. Now-Again label head, Egon, spent years putting together this brilliant collection of Hip-hop from Connecticut, recorded between 1979 and 1983. The ringleader of the scene, Mr. Magic, gets the most face time, with three songs, including the incredible “2001 Kazoos,” which might be raps first song to feature said instrument. Also far ahead of its time is the novelty rap masterpiece “Ventriloquist Rap” by the semi-famous Willie Brown and Woodie, proving that you don’t have to be a dummy (pun intended) to enjoy the whimsical. While Hip-hop began in New York, people often forget that the music quickly spread, making compilations like this important in developing a better understanding of the origins of the culture that so many claim as their own.