Critical Beatdown

The four members of Ultramagnetic MCs stand in front of a brick building on the cover of their debut, dressed in bright patterned outfits and sportswear, with the group's name in bold green capitals above them and the title in yellow below.

Critical Beatdown, released on 4 October 1988, was a sampling landmark. Ced-Gee's chopped, layered drums and James Brown breaks sounded years ahead of their time, and Kool Keith's abstract, science-fiction rhymes on songs like "Ego Trippin'" introduced one of rap's strangest and most influential voices.

The cover looks like a typical late-1980s group shot, which makes the record inside even more surprising. Kool Keith went on to create Dr. Octagon and dozens of other alter egos, and the album's dense production is often described as years ahead of its time.