TwoDaystoAlaska is not a well-known name, in large part because the producer has not made a lot of information available to the public. However, the producer originally from the UK, now residing in Berlin, has contributed to a few Cult Classic compilations over the years. Now, seven years after this debut album was first hinted at, we finally get the self-titled album. TwoDaystoAlaska might have taken the long way to get here, but the good news is that now that their debut album is finally here, it’s a very mature-sounding album.

Kaidi Tatham is a producer and multi-instrumentalist from London best known for his work as part of the collective Bugz in the Attic. Just this past year he released two solo instrumental EPs. Now he comes back with a full-length album, It’s a World Before You. It doesn’t take too long into this album to get a feel for what Kaidi Tatham is throwing down, which is just tons of smooth, jazzy grooves that sound straight out of the ‘70s that will get you dancing.

Seattle producer/vocalist SassyBlack is a few years into her solo career now, following the split of THEESatisfaction. She’s been releasing a bunch of different projects at a steady pace, including instrumentals and themed EPs. Her latest project is the Black Panther-inspired Wakanda Funk Lounge. The name of this EP can be a little misleading, in that this is neither a nerdcore release, or strictly a Black Panther-themed EP. That is to say, outside of the last song, “Wakanda Bounce,” you’re not getting a collection of songs directly referencing the Marvel Universe.

Shaun Judah might be seen as something of an elder statesman to the Birmingham hip hop scene, but that doesn’t mean that he’s just sitting off to side offering wisdom to younger artists. No, he’s hopping on stages and dropping projects that shows that while he might have been doing this longer than others, he’s nowhere near done yet. Case in point, he has just dropped his latest album, Prima Vox Audiat.

Umi Copper might not be a name you know yet, but this Long Beach native has already begun to turn some heads, including those at Black Acre Records, who were excited to add him to their roster. Now that his debut EP, Requiem, is here, you can see what the fuss is all about. Normally when I see a debut EP with four songs on it, I tend to think I’m in for a quick introduction to who the artist is, but it will be fairly inconsequential beyond that.

Back in 2015, Mega Ran teamed up with a young emcee from Glendale named Bag of Tricks Cat to release an EP called Emerald Knights. Now the two have finally found the time to meet back up and expand upon that effort, giving us a full-length album, Emerald Knights 2. For this album, Ran and Cat enlist the help of producers G-1, Philharmonik, DJ DN3, K-Murdock, El-Jay Beats, and U’Nique Music.

German producer Pawcut has been putting out music for several years now. The last time we checked in with him was back in 2015, when he released his album Maverick. Now he comes back again with Radio Juicy to release another full-length, God’s Plan. God’s Plan starts strong, and Pawcut works quickly to establish an overall tone for the album, one with crisp drum hits and lots of jazz piano, guitar, and trumpet.

Kuna Maze is a French producer who’s been putting out music for the better part of this decade. The last time we heard from him was just back in May, when he collaborated with Nikitch to release an EP called Cake. Now he comes right back with a tribute to his most immediate influences with an EP called 2009. It only feels appropriate as we get ready to say goodbye to the Low End Theory, which helped foster the Los Angeles beat scene along with other adjacent acts with a weekly series of shows since 2006, that we get an EP that seeks to pay tribute to that influence.

Just one year ago, we got the debut EP from Nottingham soul singer Yazmin Lacey. In that short time, she’s been garnering a bit of attention around the UK. Now that she’s come back with a second EP, When The Sun Dips 90 Degrees, this time on First Word Records, you can see what the buzz is all about. As the EP opens with “90 Degrees,” it becomes immediately apparent what Lacey is all about, at least on the surface.

Just at the beginning of May of this year, we got an album from former Panacea member Raw Poetic called Paging Mother Earth. The album saw the debut of Raw Poetic not just as an emcee, but as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and everything else. It also marked a bit of a departure in style, as the album saw Raw Poetic move his sound more towards rock and soul. He now follows that album up with a companion release, Hemlock.