soul jazz records’ new boombox 2 is a new selection of early rap music from the period 1979-83, with barely a household name in sight. featured here are some the earliest hip-hop records that came out of new york city following the enormous commercial success of the first ever rap record, ‘rapper’s delight’ by the sugarhill gang, in september 1979. artists and producers alike tried to jump aboard the new commercial possibilities of hip-hop. by the end of the year there were 30 hip-hop singles, all released by independent new york labels. the following year there were over 100 more, and so on.
boombox 2 is a triple 180g vinyl set (+ download code) that features extensive text, exclusive interviews and stunning photography by jamel shabazz, martha cooper and others.