PUT THIS IN YOUR DEN for the internationally renowned classic from the Specifics, featuring intricate wordplay and disgustingly sick beats blending jazz, soul, and melodic lo-fi. You won't find battling between the lyricism and instrumentation on this album; rather the two elements work together in such a fashion that you won't be able to tell what came first: the rhymes or beats.

The Specifics' debut album with iconic original cover art and Japanese obi-strip.

Would there have been a Nujabes without the Specifics? Definitely, but that doesn’t take anything away from one of the finest examples of lo-fi hip-hop during its original golden age!

The Montreal group released their debut album, Lonely City, in 2004, over a decade before YouTube streams with millions of viewers brought lo-fi hip-hop to the public consciousness. Despite its age, the album still sounds fresh; jazzy samples, mellow beats, and downtempo rhymes combine to create a sound both relaxing and intriguing, perfect whether you want to put it on as you study, or sit down and really listen to it.

In the two decades since its initial release, the Specifics have gained high praise in the lo-fi hip hop scene, with appearances on albums such as the Nujabes compiled “modal soul classics by Nujabes” and the posthumous tribute “modal soul classics II-dedicated to…Nujabes”.

But at the end of the day, it all comes back to Lonely City. With unmistakable analog warmth, and the iconic original artwork once again adorning the cover, this album has never looked or sounded this good!