Trick Daddy: Super Ugly

With Rick Ross being the one to “blow” up Miami as of late, a certain label colleague probably left some wondering if he indeed slipped into obscurity. Trick Daddy fans need not worry though, because Trick hasn’t been sitting idle – even though he won’t say he’s been busy either. Perhaps that’s just thug code, […]

Ice-T: High Roller

Rhyme pays, but TV pays better. In 2006, Ice-T has little to no reason to still be making records. Between a leading role Law & Order: SVU and hosting Hip-Hop Honors, the original gangsta is a well-paid household name, who never lost one bit of his outspoken, street image. But for the love of the […]

Jody Breeze: Trap or Die

Jody Breeze may’ve started as a boy in the hood, but he’s made a successful rap career using his talents. From his humble beginnings in Macon, Georgia to the charts, Jody has seen it all. Young Jeezy, Jody’s former crew-member isn’t the only “Trap Star” either. Here, Jody breaks down the fine lined differences between […]

Mr. T: Pity The Fool

"[You] talking much junk like Mr. T is your back, but he’s not so don’t act cute." -EMPD on "You’re A Customer" Its hard to determine if he realizes it or not, but Mr. T is indelibly linked to Hip-Hop and many of the culture’s ingrained sensibilities. Legendary lyricists like Slick Rick, Bug Pun and […]

Jim Jones: New York Giant

Since the Diplomats first got noticed, Jim Jones was respected as a street entrepreneur, but rarely recognized for his song-making. While “Certified Gangstas” relied on plenty of lyrical help for the first album, “We Fly High” marks Jones’ first big unassisted hit. The Uptown anthem has bled its way onto the charts all over the […]

Kidz in the Hall: School Spirit

On Talib Kweli’s “Right About Now”, he chronicled the rise and subsequent fall of the largest independent Hip-Hop label of the late ‘90s: Rawkus Records. This label introduced the world to Mos Def, Company Flow, Kweli, and reintroduced Kool G Rap and Pharoahe Monch tragically faded in a flash of layoffs, mergers, and push-backs. But […]

Lyrics Born: Channel Live

Lyrics Born has kept it live since the early ‘90s. Formerly half of Latryx, the San Jose MC has watched a solo career where his music continuously finds its way onto commercials, films, television, and even Adult Contemporary radio. As one of the head honchos at Quannum Projects, the veteran MC can also thank himself […]

Sivion: Vision Reconsidered

His life isn’t the average “rags to riches” Hip-Hop story. As a matter of fact, there are no rags or riches involved this time. Instead, it’s a story about understanding every framework of creative expression and hearing Hip-Hop in its purest form. Former Phat K.A.T.S member and current affiliate of Deepspace 5, Sivion has an […]

A-alikes: Public Enemies

They say there’s nothing more dangerous in this world than an educated African-American man with a platform. From the spirited, and often confrontational, championing of black America by Malcolm X and Huey P. Newton to the politico rap rhetoric of KRS-One and Chuck D, when intellect meets a mass medium the combination becomes a powder […]