Access Music

I don’t know if I came in right after they sold everything but I was really disappointed in there selection especially in hip hop. I was in there for 10 minutes and the only thing I found was a new super seal breaks record.

TURN IT UP!
I love this spot. Small and hidden in the neighborhood where everyone goes to get drunk.
Always a great selection.
A lot of times I can’t wait to get my hands on a record but I hold off on purchasing them online because supporting this spot is more important!
I love that they carry a great selection of artist from Dilla to the ‘cyde, Madlib to pretty much everyone on the stones throw roster, to shit like bonobo and ta-​ku. Knx!!! Damu, atcq, and so many other favorites of mine.
I always find some cool stuff in here. Love all the books and magazines. I copped my hip hop family tree comics here and a couple of tapes.
Just love this place in general. I wish I could live here. Adopt me. Please :(

This is a small, but great shop that specializes in hip-​hop. I did not rate this store 5 stars due to coming in on more than one occasion with the intention to buy a new release on the actual release date, but by the time I would get there, they were already sold out. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but for a store that specializes in just one genre of music, I expected them to have a larger quantity of new releases. Each time I came in and had to walk out empty handed, I found the same album at Record City, a record store that has all genres including hip hop. It just made me scratch my head sometimes. Other than that, you’ll find great gems old and new here. I’ve bought plenty of albums here and I recommend anyone to come check it out.

THE go to shop for hiphop heads in SD. There’s really no where else that even competes. Old school to new school, they got it

This is the spot for all of your hip hop needs! I make sure to visit every time I’m in the area. This place is dripping with hip hop history on the walls! The older dude working at the time was real nice and helpful. Didn’t mind helping me locate every Dilated Peoples record he had. Very good spot for local talent and beat albums.

This is my record shop from now on! I was in PB last month for my birthday and stopped in. The big homie that helped me was very knowledgeable and friendly. He even hooked me up with a free bicasso ep! When it comes to hip hop wax around here, access is second to none! Will definitely be back!

Love it. Great shop, super friendly and helpful employees.
Found one of my grails at a very fair price. First pressing of Notorious BIG «Ready to Die» from 1994. Can’t wait to visit regularly to find more great gems!

Amazing Hip Hop record store. Staff is always friendly. Prices are just right. Great selection. This is a must stop! If you are in the area.

Awesome spot! didnt expect to find everything i was looking for. copped 6 albums on my first trip there. Staff was very knowledgeable. good look West.

I’m originally from the Bay Area, so naturally, I’m addicted to good music: p Access Music is hip hop heaven. They have an awesome selection and the guys who work in the shop are friendly and helpful and awesome. When I have time, I can spend a good 1−2hours in the store and the guys will introduce me to new albums or remind me of classics (think Grouch, Eli, J Dilla, People Under the Stairs, Apollo Brown…). Hip Hop heads, look no further.

I have been ordering off access hip hop’s website since 2008, I moved down to san diego in 2010 and had no idea that they had a physical location. I try to come here as often as possible to support this shop, its one of a kind. Mark is probably one of the nicest guys Ive met, his staff are dope too. Support your local hip hop shop and skip out on best buy and itunes.

Legit! This place is the real deal. 5 stars to any music store still on its feet in 2013. Love having this place in my neighborhood!

This is the place for real Hip Hop heads. They have a great selection of vinyl, cds, shirts, posters, etc. Basically everything that you need in regards to real Hip Hop is here.
You wont find your lil wayne bullshit here, but you’ll find everything else from Murs to Blue Scholars to Bambu to Visionaries to Dilated Peoples, etc.
The staff her are extremely friendly. Mada, Mark, and Norm Rockwell are good peeps!

Great selection of music!
More steered towards hip hop and underground hip hop which is a huge plus. Cool employees that are always knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to this genre of music. Definitely a must see shop for any hip hop heads.
Thank me later.

THIS IS THEE PLACE TO GO FOR HIP HOP MUSIC… hands down, no questions asked…
Not only is the staff knowledgable, but they are SUPER friendly, welcoming and they recommend GREAT music. They’ll ask what you’re looking for, or into and they’ll suggest other artists/​albums you also might enjoy… THEY HAVE NEVER STEERED ME WRONG… EVER!
Vinyl, CDs, DVDs and CASSETTES… YES!!! TAPES!!! These guys have it all. Their mail order is on point too. I could go on and on, so I’ll just quit NOW saying… ACCESS IS THE PLACE! Highly recommended!!!

It takes about 0.005 seconds for someone (especially someone working in retail) to make a good or bad impression on a customer.
I want to give this place more stars, and initially I liked it. I like the concept of an independent Hip-​Hop record store existing in Pacific Beach (which is generally not very Hip-​Hop). I was really excited to visit the storefront because A) I love Hip-​Hop and B) I like to support my local businesses in San Diego.
As an indie Hip-​Hop obsessee and record enthusiast, I was looking forward to visiting this store, not only to pick up some wax goodies, but also to network with other people who shared the same musical interests as me and somehow contribute to the Hip-​Hop community in my new city. Access, although small, has a pretty good selection of Hip-​Hop staples, and some neat local-​produced music. There’s a wider range of Hip-​Hop here than Record City in Hillcrest (which is also a good spot). Prices are fair, and there are a small section of records on sale for $ 2.99. In addition to having a good selection, they have in-​stores, freestyle sessions, and all that good stuff.
However, even with all of that, I’m sad to say that I did not receive the best customer service here. Don’t get me wrong. Most of the people were very nice, but no one really went out of their way to help me find what I was looking for, or even offer me suggestions. This is the essence of any record store! Or maybe I could be spoiled from previous experiences where record store employees (and I won’t name names for comparison’s sake) made sure I was well taken care of.
Could it be because I’m a chick and chicks don’t know anything about underground Hip-​Hop? Possibly. But unfortunately, I do know about this kind of music, and I do not appreciate the assumption that I’m just wandering about the store aimlessly, not knowing what I’m looking at. I still bought what I wanted to buy, so I can’t complain.
However, I will say. to the Hip-​Hop community in SD, or anywhere else: girls can dig it too.

WARNING: If you run into some guy named, Norm Rocwell, he’ll probably try to oversell you any album done by Little Dragon or some other artist he’s obsessed with at the moment. Don’t worry tho’. He has good taste. Which overrides the warning.
Ever tripped and fell into a gold mine real good? If you dig deep for hip-​hop, and even for music in general, then this is your stop. Vinyls, CDs, DVDs, promos, shirts, live performances and tasteful suggestions. Right here. I still hit this place up every so often for new releases and hidden gems. Knowledgeable staff and the quality of stock is superb (if you’re quick on the uptake of course). Recommended.
NOTE: Affiliated with Living Legends. You can find a section dedicated to them in their shelves.

Staff is super friendly and EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE about their archives, music, and hip hop itself.
For any music lover, that already says a lot about the shop.
Go see Norm, he will talk your ear off on all things music and hip hop =)

Their staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. I went to Access to pick up some new hip hop. I knew the kind of mood I was in, but not what I wanted in particular. I told Norm the sort of stuff i’m into and he was able to suggest several artists and albums.
As far as underground hip hop goes, they have the best selection around. A lot of times they won’t have a specific album, but if they don’t they’ll most likely be able to find it for you.
This is the sort of place people go to find some early collaboration with J Dilla, not the latest Pitbull single.

The staff is helpful and very personable. I will be back!
Daygo’s finest right here.