Alter Ego
Artist: Black-Ty/TyreseTitle: Alter EgoRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Maiya Norton In a climate where the musically jaded are chanting Hip-Hop is dead, testing the rap waters is probably daunting for Tyrese. In the same window he unveils his emcee skills, Nas, The Game, Jay-Z and other notables have been the catalyst to the resurgence of […]

2nd Annual Rap Sessions Speaking Tour Launches, Focuses On Women
As the ongoing debate over misogyny and Hip-Hop rages on Rap Sessions, a 10-city speaking tour, will launch in March to examine the role Hip-Hop plays in influencing relationships between young women and men.The Rap Sessions speaking tour will Kick of at Purdue University on March 5 and concludes at the University of California in […]

Snoop Dogg, Diddy Launch European Tour
Snoop Dogg and Sean "Diddy" Combs have announced a major European concert tour, that will feature the former foes as co-headliners of the Snoop/Diddy Tour. The 18-city tour kicks off March 12 in Oslo, Norway and wraps up with a performance at the Nottingham Arena in the United Kingdom in April. The rappers will visit […]

Lil Boosie Spreads Holiday Cheer With Day Care Initiative
Parents will get a little relief during the holidays, courtesy of Lil Boosie.The Trill Entertainment/Asylum Records emcee is working in conjunction with radio stations to provide child care for listeners who send in stories explaining why they need help with their own little "bad azzes."Lil Boosie will provide winners with child care tuition as well […]

Atlantic Records Co-Founder Ahmet Ertegun Slips Into Coma
Ahmet Ertegun, the famed pioneering co-founder of Atlantic Records, is in a coma after sustaining a serious injury to his brain after a fall. Ertegun, 83, lapsed into a deep coma after he fell on Oct. 29 while attending a Rolling Stones concert. Ertegun is currently on life support at Weill Cornell Medical Center in […]

Lyrics From New York Rapper Cited in 2003 Shooting
Rap lyrics written by a man charged in the shooting of two New York Police Department detectives were presented as evidence Monday (Dec. 11) by federal prosecutors. Ronnell Wilson, 24, who is on trial in a Brooklyn federal court, is charged with killing undercover detectives James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews in Staten Island in March […]
Nike Air Force 1: 25th Anniversary Party
Artist: Special Event ReviewTitle: Nike Air Force 1: 25th Anniversary PartyRating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Boudreaux No one would have figured a basketball shoe designed for elite players a quarter century ago would be co-opted so fiercely and enthusiastically by the Hip-Hop generation. Such is the case with the Nike Air Force 1, which celebrated […]

The Inspiration
Artist: Young JeezyTitle: The InspirationRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Alex Thornton With so much complaining about Hip-Hop going corporate, a self-made man like Young Jeezy is a refreshing alternative. In less than two years, he’s become a top artist on a top label, and while his rhyme skills are the subject of heavy debate, you can’t […]

Ill Bill Is The Future, Vol. 2: I’m A Goon!
Artist: Ill BillTitle: Ill Bill Is The Future, Vol. 2: I’m A Goon!Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Paine Since his 2003 debut, Brooklyn’s Ill Bill has stayed quiet. His group for the last decade, Non-Phixion, parted ways. His active independent label, Uncle Howie Records, went into near hibernation. Three years later, Ill Bill returns with […]

DJ Clue: Quiet Storm
2006 has been a year where the DJ returned to the mainstream consciousness of Hip-Hop. DJ Khaled supplied a crossover album in Listennn while DJ Dramas Gangsta Grillz mixtapes brought the best out in everybody from Little Brother to Lil Wayne. Michael 5000 Watts chopped and screwed numerous albums as DJ Nasty produced bangers for […]

Project Pat: Some More Mr. Nice Guy
In the eyes of the law, Project Pat may be some sort of menace to civilization, but those that come into contact with him know there’s more sides to him than a dice from a Dungeons and Dragon’s game. He’s a genuine sort of person with penchant for base, gutter lyrics – lyrics that were […]

Russell Simmons Replies To ‘Blood Diamond’ Director’s Comments
A week after returning from a fact-finding mission for his Simmons Jewelry company, Russell Simmons is facing criticism from film director Edward Zwick. Zwick, who helmed the new Leonardo DiCaprio movie Blood Diamond, implied that Simmons is merely a public relations puppet for diamond companies. Simmons’ recently returned from a trip to South Africa and […]

AHH Stray News: Public Enemy, Ecko, Busta Rhymes, Jada Pinkett-Smith
Public Enemy performed twice last week in Arizona for the first time, since the group launched a boycott of the state. The socially conscious group imposed the ban on Arizona with the controversial release of “By the Time I Get to Arizona," taken from their classic 1991 album Apocalypse ’91: The Enemy Strikes Black. The […]

Tragedy Strikes Family Of Cash Money’s Williams Brothers
Tragedy has struck the family of Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Baby" Williams yesterday (Dec. 11) when their sister Tamara Williams, 26, was killed in a head-on collision in New Orleans. Williams, who majored in psychology and was studying for a nursing degree, died when her 2006 Toyota Camry was struck by a motorist who […]

Evel Knievel Sues Kanye West Over “Touch the Sky” Video
Legendary daredevil motorcycle stuntman Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Kanye West, claiming the Chicago rapper tarnished his image in the video for the hit single "Touch The Sky."The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court, accuses Kanye West of trademark infringement and unauthorized use of the Evel Knievel […]

More Fish
Artist: Ghostface KillahTitle: More FishRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Martin A. Berrios Ghostface Killah must love his craft. Starks dropped one of the best albums of ’06 with Fishscale but the sizeable sales numbers to match his rep still elude him. Instead of going into hibernation after taking that respectable “L”, Tone is back in […]

The Game: Not Like Daddy
When The Game visited the UK last week, I was honored to be granted a face-to-face interview. I was however warned that he may not turn up, say little, or could lock it off at any time. As I waited in the lobby of a posh London hotel, the previous journalist emerging from his own […]

Legal Wrestling Match Between DDP & Jay-Z Continues, Rocawear Added To Lawsuit
The legal wrestling match between wrestler Diamond Dallas Page and Jay-Z continues in court, as the wrestler has added Roc-A-Wear to a trademark and copyright infringement lawsuit.Diamond Dallas Page filed the original lawsuit in December of 2005 in Los Angeles Federal Court, claiming that Jay-Z’s popular Roc-A-Fella diamond hand gesture was illegally adopted from his […]

B.G. Introduces Chopper City Boyz’ Debut
New Orleans native B.G. will introduce The Chopper City Boyz’ debut album We Got This on his Chopper City Records imprint this February. B.G. has helped The Chopper City Boyz (Sniper, Hakim aka Hakizzle, VL Mike and Gar) develop a following by featuring the group on four of his last studio albums that were released […]

Will Smith Discusses Shift in Acting Style in ‘Pursuit of Happyness’ Experience
Through the course of his career, Will Smith has carved a niche as a likable actor who brings a bit of himself to each role. But that persona, according to the Philadelphia rapper, is nowhere to be found in his latest feature, The Pursuit of Happyness. Instead, Smith brings a new dimension to his acting […]
