Limited to 300 copies of each title, on 180 gram black vinyl, with special gatefold packaging, including liner note stories from Mello Music Group about the creation of each title.

Over the course of 2018-2019, to celebrate their upcoming tenth anniversary, Mello Music Group will be releasing special Audiophile Editions of their classic titles. The Mello Signature Series will be pressed on double LPs, limited to 300 copies of each title, on 180 gram black vinyl, with special gatefold packaging, including liner note stories from Mello about the creation of each title. Available exclusively at Fat Beats.

In 2009 Mello Music Group had released just four records (101, Mental Liberation, New Money, and Black & Read All Over). Diamond District “In The Ruff” was the fifth record and the first to garner national attention. It was the moment we felt like a bonafide record label. Oddisee had crafted a brilliant group album that was timely in multiple ways: a DMV album riding the appeal of HBO’s The Wire that had just concluded its fifth and final season; giving the album away free first in a time when people still looked at you funny for even having a free song; and touching on the nostalgia for golden era Pete Rock, Marley Marl style sounds and Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul styled groups.

The record was an indie hit. “Streets Won’t Let Me Chill”, “Who I Be”, and “I Mean Business” all struck chords as singles, but the album itself was a complete front to back masterpiece helmed by Oddisee who produced, arranged, mixed, mastered, and rapped on the whole thing. yU offered philosopher king’s poetry to the album, while Uptown XO brought the street sensibility to the project. iTunes named it to their best rap of 2009 list. NPR included the vinyl on their best of 2009 along with calling the trio a DC Supergroup.

In a time of Blog Supremacy, OkayPlayer, 2DopeBoyz, NahRight, and Potholes In My Blog pegged the record as a best of. For myself, a Little Brother mega-fan, Phonte’s praise rang loudest. The entire music world felt open after “In The Ruff” laid a concrete foundation for Oddisee and Mello Music.

The new audiophile edition of course made sense to do with Fat Beats who put out the original vinyl edition with us. The cover art from J. William Washington, aka Brutha Brub is as iconic today as it was then, highlighting the DMV (Maryland, DC, Virginia) map that shaped the album’s sensibility and sound. After almost a decade of being out of print, we are excited to present the new 180g audiophile edition as part of the Mello Signature Series.