top shelf 1988 album cover

Unreleased Material from Hip Hop Legends

2 min read

I was excited to find out there was an album released with lost recordings of many of my favorite rappers from 1988. Listening to "Top Shelf 1988" had me feeling so nostalgic and happy. It was in heavy rotation for weeks.

Big Daddy Kane's song felt like Rick Rubin had created the beat. And I swore Kane's voice sounded like it did on "Long Live the Kane" and "It's a Big Daddy thing" before his voice deepened.

I was wrong. But I don't care. Thank you, Rostrum Records. Like a kid who likes to watch a scary movie because of how it makes them feel even if it's make believe. I loved it.

The Beats Were Dope, The Sound Was On

The beats are so golden-era hip hop. It feels as if "it's 88, time to set 'em straight".

  • Biz is indistinguishable from his Cold Chillin heyday.
  • The Craig G beat could be on his "Kingpin" album or "Marley Marl's In Control".
  • Special Ed's flow is reminiscent of "Think About It".
  • MC Lyte sounds like she is flowing over a King of Chill beat...you get the idea.
Top Shelf 1988 T-Shirt Front Top Shelf 1988 T-Shirt Back

The Lost Tapes

The story of how the recordings were lost goes as follows:

A studio named Top Shelf was a popular recording destination for rap artists in the late 80s. The studio was looted during the Tompkins Square Park riots and all these recordings were taken. The recordings were found years later and are now being released.

The Truth

But the story is not true. And again, I don't care. Honestly, the truth isn't far off.

The recordings were done in the 90s by an upstart label Rostrum Records whose founders had a true love for hip hop and recorded artists over the beats they had made which mimicked the sound of the period.

Rostrum Records couldn't get anyone to distribute the album in the 90s but ended up finding success with Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller. Years later the lost recordings have now been released along with the clever publicity campaign about the fictitious studio that was impacted by the real-world riots.

Check it Out

If you are a fan of Golden Age hip hop please go stream the album immediately. You can stream it by searching for the "Top Shelf 1988" album on your favorite streaming platform.

For the whole backstory watch the short Top Shelf 1988 (Documentary) below.