With twelve years and four critically acclaimed albums on her resume, Joi is definitely no stranger to the ups and downs that the music industry offers. The story of her career reads like a never-ending roller coaster, going round-n-round, up-n- down, never stopping along the way. In 2004, she plans to rewrite her history book […]

Anyone who knows who Truth is knows she was lied to from the very beginning. She was on the verge of becoming R&B’s next big thing, but it never happened. Her debut single, “Addictive,” blew away mainstream listeners across the globe, but that’s as far as it went. Although Truth was the victim of another […]

It’s not often that you can listen to an album from beginning to end. There are always those filler tracks that the artist just threw on the album to keep it from being an EP. Well that’s not the case with New York native Stephanie McKay. Her self titled debut CD will having you grooving […]

Although the name Santi White may be unfamiliar to you, her emotions and lucid lyrical prowess are more known to you than you may know. As the scribe of 11 out of the 12 songs on the highly acclaimed How I Do album by Res, Santi White was instantly praised and acknowledged by the critical […]

When Chuck D becomes President, who will deliver the presidential poem at his inaugaration? I suggest Saul Williams. Without Saul’s film Slam, would Def Poetry Jam be so popular? Without Saul’s books, the hip-hop section might be reduced to rapper autobiographies and books on Tupac. Without Saul’s album, our ears might not be ready for […]

The widely anticipated Red Star Sounds Vol 3: Def Jamaica album is finally here, and everyone should know that this is more than a mere collection of songs. The Heineken Music Initiative’s Red Star Sounds label worked in conjunction with Def Jam and Tuff Gong to bring together the hottest in dancehall artists and Hip […]

Pioneer. Trendsetter. World-renowned. Legend. Choose any list of adjectives you can conceive, and none of them can accurately describe what Al Jarreau has accomplished in almost 40 years in the music business. He is the only vocalist, male or female, in history to win Grammy awards in three different categories (jazz, pop, and R&B, respectively). […]

This is a trite bit personal. Peaches? She is simply fu**ing amazing. I was first introduced to her music from my co-worker at the office. I couldn’t believe my ears. She was saying all the stuff that my mouth wanted to say. Making songs that my ears always wanted to hear. Peaches is musical liberation […]

In the early nineties a young insect by the name of Butterfly founded an insect collective called the Digable Planets. With Ladybug and Doodlebug by his side, Butterfly had all us earthlings expressing how cool we were with the infectiously jazzy “Cool Like Dat.” The Digable Planets dropped two hip hop gems in 1993’s Reachin’ […]

He is single-handedly one of the most popular dancehall artists to emerge from Jamaica. Many will remember him from his 1996 single, “Deport Them” which garnered much success in urban radio, especially Hot 97. He has been burning up the charts since last year with his successful crossover single, “Give Me the Light”. The man […]

Don’t take a double take at your speakers, those throwback vocals aren’t hip hop’s latest sampling of some Bill Withers’ classics, no, it’s the original sounds of Charlotte, NC native, Anthony Hamilton. Even though the first time many of us ever heard of Anthony Hamilton was on the hook to the immensely popular Nappy Roots […]

He is not Kirk Franklin. And while newcomer KNAGUI (pronounced NUH-guy) has mad love for Kirk and his pioneering work to diversify today’s urban music scene, he wants to make a name for himself in a Franklin-dominated market. Knagui’s debut album, The Meaning of Love, with its high quality sound and notably risky covers of […]

Undeniable Hot 97 FM is one of the hottest in the nation. The morning show with the sinister Star and blunted Bucwild was off the hook with a quick wit and tongues meant for lashing. Known for its controversial subject matter and on the spot surprises there was forcasting what might happen. Then, suddenly things […]

Zab “Super” Judah’s ability to punish as a boxer has rarely been questioned, but as a hip-hop CEO? In July, the newly appointed WBO Junior Welterweight Champion pounded Demarcus “Chop Chop” Corley despite breaking his hand in the third round. Of course he’s got other rumbles on deck, but in the interim, the Brooklyn native […]

Domineering Hip-Hop Soul Queen Mary J. Blige has held the game tightly in her hand for 10 years strong and probably won’t let it slip from her vice-grip anytime soon. On her upcoming album, Love and Life she flips it back to ’92 as she and P. Diddy return to her musical roots. And thus, […]

Lately, Brian McKnight has been victimized by the music listening public’s mass narcolepsy. Nevertheless, B. McNeezy remains an R&B icon whose romantic songs have quietly influenced a generation, if not the population. Not only a singer, he’s a down-low musician, producer, athlete and biking enthusiast with thug-like undertones. Still, for over a decade he’s blessed […]

There’s a female artist on the rise who isn’t your ordinary, sleazy, cheesy pop star. She does not have background dancers. She does not employ pyrotechnics during her stage show. In fact, she does not even have a record deal. What she does have is talent, business savvy, and the ability to do whatever she […]

Dwele: Deja Vu You gotta respect a man with a belly ring fetish—says he’s all about the details. With his debut album Subject Dwele conveys his adoration of the female being, in all her voluptuous and enigmatic entirety. Even if you’ve never heard of the Detroit native, bets are you’ll recall his smooth-as-Henny vocals on […]

To define anyone by the tragedies they’ve experienced is a mistake. The world is made up of those who have suffered. The ones we view as survivors and not victims are the ones who handle tragedy with grace. Until her life became tabloid fodder, Monica Arnold was considered one of the successes in this industry […]

KRS can make you think. Chuck D can make you act. M.O.P. can make you hit your momma in the mouth, but who can make you experience a feeling? Is it Tupac? Is it Mary J. Blige? Well, Science Fiction, an instrumental hip-hop producer has found a way to convey emotions to his audience through […]