The unbelievably underrated second album from hip-hop producer extraordinaire, Knxwledge's 1988! Knxwledge has slowly but surely built his reputation around creating layered and textured beats around obscure soul samples, which has paid off in his collaborations with Anderson Paak on Nxworries and his production work on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly.

On his second record, Knxwledge aims to tell a story through his beats, with each track title forming a poem that carries themes of black power and resilience. Knxwledge's production work on here is next level, whether its the whirling synths and soul vocals on opener 'dont be afraid', the excellent lowkey bounce on 'learn', the tremendous team-up with Anderson Paak on 'itkanbe [sonice]' and the groovy interplay with the bass and piano on the closer 'mindingmybusiness'.

Having this album on vinyl is essential, as I believe it should be hailed as a phenomenal achievement in instrumental hip-hop, along the lines of J Dilla's Donuts.