What with June being a bit of a graveyard for decent releases - a bit like the cinema: plenty of big shit but mostly fluff - I thought it best to just do a half time report for ‘09 on some bits what slipped under the radar in the hip hop, beats and beyond world. Ish that may take a bit longer to bubble to the surface or never get any shine. Like last year and the year before and the year before, it has obviously been pish for new hip hop releases - plenty of good one-off 12”s, but decent LPs are thin on the ground. Maybe that’s the way it should be as some would argue that hip hop lost its way when the focus shifted to LPs (‘85 or ‘86 depending on your viewpoint). That might seem slightly polemical, but with random rap in demand on eBay - check it out – it is pretty rare to find a poor record pre-1986.

One group who could school anyone in such random rap would be the mighty P Brothers. While they were schooled and fully Zulu-ifed in the ‘80s and though their LP, The Gas is another ode to the Bronx, it's a post-crack, post-Regan, pre-Clinton New York. Stuck in a time warp between block party optimism and Giuliani cynicism, the world of the P Brothers is an odd one - a GZA-esque Cold World full of shooters, dealers, beats slowed down to chronic levels and hella raw raps.

If you don’t know, the brothers are DJ Ivory and Paul S. Nottingham-born, ex B-Boys and avid breaks collectors. Check out Ivory’s ‘Hear No Evil mix series – a trawl through ‘80s obscurities to get some idea of how serious this lot take rap. The MCs on this LP are the remnants of Bronx based Money-Boss (nee Money Boss Players) plus a couple of others: Milano and the UN’s Roc Marciano. You may vaguely remember these cats from the mid ‘90s - a track on the ‘America is Dying’ comp, a couple of random OK-to-good white label 12”s but most likely they would have passed you by. For the P Brothers though, this is no ‘random rap as interesting oddity/quirk’ - the Bronx is a religious experience and they manage to coax performances out of all involved here.

The LP is a dark, minimal effort but what is so depressing about it all, is that it will completely slip under the radar. It’s not that you would expect it to be cropping up in those mid-year polls, but left of centre DJ's on the beeb and such will pass this over using a Kanye, Lil Wayne or Ghost track for their token hip hop tune. A shame 'cos this is an irony/stupid free zone but easily as raw as any of the above - check out ‘Digital B Boy’ for some updated Gary Numan, and pretty much every other tune for plenty of gun and drug talk - back pack/boom bap retro ish this isn’t.

More future primitive spiritual shit – they flip the same Dionne Warwick sample Dilla used for Donuts: “When the spirit in people is dying/That’s the time to be twice as hard trying.” Pretty much their mission statement!

Lex Records is kind of like a label version of Chelsea FC - potloads of money, a tax write-off and willing to pay way over the odds for big names. And capable of producing some stellar performances! Strangely enough then, especially given Lex's ties to Warp, they never seem to do the hard sell but they spend an absolute fortune on artwork and promo ish - check out those Doom masks. They obviously gave Doom a shedload of dough as his LP ‘Born Like This’ is up there with ‘Doomsday’ but it is the Willie Isz record which I reckon you should be peepin’. Willie Isz is Jnerio Janel aka Dr Who Dat and Khujo of the Goodie Mob. Jnerio is mad underrated - his ‘Beat Journey’ LP on Lex is a classic.

Perhaps its Lex's anonymity - with its very similar artwork and rotating roster or just general lack of identity - that has held him back. Whatever the reason, a lot of people who know they music don’t know this man – this is his third LP in 3 years (check ‘Shape of Broad Minds’ also on Lex from last year and also dope).

This time he's teamed up with the Goodie Mob’s Khujo. JJ has flitted all over the US and this was done in the heart of the Dungeon Fam’s Atlanta basement. As ever with next-level hip hop shit, we are on some concept ting here: Willie Isz coming from the 51st state of the US – Geogiavania, where anything is possible, an alternative Atlanta where the pair are free to fuse music any way they want. While that can often be horrible, we’re dealing with a pair on top of their game here, so this is no Gorillaz. Check out ‘Blast Off’ and the title track plus ‘The Grussle’, which even comes with some Irish trad business. Last word to Jneiro: “We’re like butter on burnt bagels; we about to smooth this whole thing out.”

Another summer release - but this time with tonnes of hype is Sa-Ra. The LA based production trio - Om Mas, Taz Arnold and Shafiq - get crazy love from all the right places. Gilles and Benji hype these boys to bits and I think Simon Reynolds has recently given them the big ups. Personally I've always dug them and Shafiq’s mini beat fest last year on Poobah is Dope dOpe doPe - I strongly urge you to buy it. Oh and the cover shot taken by Mochilla’s Coleman? Come on! It is ridiculous (in a good way) Post-flouro sailor chic - like an updated version of Norman Connors - these cats don't do sports casual.

One day Kanye will be as cool, but like Sa-Ra they alienate as many as they attract, probably due to the sartorial silliness and some of the over-the-top press. The new LP ‘Nuclear Evolution’ is actually out now - you've probably Rapidshared it already. I've heard six tracks and I like it. ‘Love Czars’ is my joint but I'm not sure this will be the coffee table LP Ubiquity has been banking on. It may be too downtempo for the Observer Music Monthly crowd but I shall be copping and bumping. And yeah, definitely check that Shafiq record.

From the Bronx to Atlanta, Obama or no, it’s still hell out there – take a look at the new Witchdoctor track ‘Rich and Poor’. Dungeon Fam member and old school Southern rap legend, he’s been around for years and while he’s probably not going to win many new fans here, this is conscious rap at its finest. The video is hood, the hook and the lyrics are sick: "Rich people pray less/poor people pray a lot/Rich people’s colour white/poor people’s colour black". The beats and the cadence may change but I’m sure the P Brothers would agree this is some more hip hop as religious experience! This is a future classic surely?!