Talib Kweli: Listen Up Part 1
Ever since Talib Kweli quietly stepped on to the scene in the late 1990s, his bars penetrated the ears of its listeners with stinging truth. His early classic, The Manifesto plowed the minds of the youth with lines like, We pickin’ 100% designer name brand cotton, they still plottin and Back in the day they […]
Dan The Automator Presents 2K7
Artist: Dan the AutomatorTitle: Dan The Automator Presents 2K7Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Max Herman After releasing arguably the best video game soundtrack of 2005 (NBA 2K6: The Tracks) the folks at 2K Sports and Decon are back to try and reclaim the crown. With Dan The Automator Presents 2K7 (Decon), the lineup of MCs […]
Catch As Catch Can
Artist: GlueTitle: Catch As Catch CanRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Jessica Dufresne Listening to Glue is like being transported somewhere between two decades ago when the Beasties ruled and into the future where one can imagine anything goes sound-wise. That being said, it’s sound that takes center stage on Catch as Catch Can (Fat Beats Records) […]
Stones Throw Launches International Tour To Support ‘Chrome Children’
Artists on indie label Stones Throw Records will hit the road for their first international tour, in support of their new CD/DVD Chrome Children, starting Oct. 13 in Los Angeles, CA. The sixteen-city tour will feature performances from Stone Throw records artists including Madlib, Peanut Butter Wolf, J.Rocc, Percee P and Oh No. New songs […]
Jay-Z Makes Vanity Fair’s ‘New Establishment’ Power List
Def Jam Records President and CEO Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter can add another accomplishment to his growing list of achievements. The mogul/rapper ranked number 46 on Vanity Fair’s annual New Establishment power List, joining Oprah Winfrey (9) and Richard Parsons of Time Warner (11) as the only African-Americans on the list. Carter is also one of […]
The Healing
Artist: Strange Fruit ProjectTitle: The HealingRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Sidik Fofana Seeing a group name like the Strange Fruit Project grace a Hip-Hop site, one won’t be surprised also to see a word like “alternative” or “conscious” next to it. Depending on the boldness of the pen, you might even see the phrase “real Hip-Hop” […]
Hip-Hop Lovers In Britian Have More Sex According To Survey
According to a recent survey performed by Adrian North for the University of Leicester, people in Britian who listen to Hip-Hop are more likely to have had more sexual partners in the last five years, than people who listen to country music. North, who is a psychologist, polled 2,500 Britons to determine how music related […]
Pigeon John…And The Summertime Pool Party
Artist: Pigeon JohnTitle: Pigeon John…And The Summertime Pool PartyRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Paine To some, Pigeon John has engaged audiences in his music with a homogenous blend of humble humor and blunt honesty on his three previous albums. Others argue that John’s singing and off-color topics violate the conventions of what a master of […]
By Choice Or By Force
Artist: Pastor TroyTitle: By Choice Or By ForceRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Matt Caputo Pastor Troy returns to the altar with By Choice or By Force (Fast Life/Koch), his eighth solo sermon. The album is a complete and concentrated effort from a veteran southern MC. Its weaker production is made up for with Troy’s sheer ability […]
Jim Jones Planning Third Album ‘Hustler’s P.O.M.E.’
Jim Jones is preparing to deliver his third studio album Hustler’s P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment), due via Koch and Diplomat Records.The new disc set is Jones’ follow-up to Harlem: Diary of a Summer, which debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 Chart.The album will feature guest appearances from Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, Lil Wayne, Max […]
Scott Storch Working On Bilingual Rap Album With Philly Rapper Nox
Producer Scott Storch continues to keep busy creating songs for superstar rappers like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, but he is also breaking new acts and recently signed Philadelphia rapper Nox, to a major label deal. "I’m working on a bilingual project with Scott," Nox told AllHipHop.com. "It’s English, Spanish. I’m Latin so, there’s a […]
Tupac Shakur: A Roundtable Discussion
Tupac Shakur once said that his big mouth had the tendency to get him into a lot of trouble. The man responsible for violent songs like Hit Em Up and Bomb First made his detractors confirm their beliefs when he got into trouble. And he sure did get in trouble a lot. He allegedly shot […]
Kevin Powell on Tupac: Media Momentum
The mid-to-late 90s can be best described as the gift and the curse for Hip-Hop Journalism. In one respect, the urban written word was in its heyday, where heads anxiously awaited how many mics an album received from The Source. The power of the pen echoed through publications laden with everything from beef to the […]
Tupac Shakur: What If?
Tupac Amaru Shakur was many things to many people. Rebel. Poet. Sex Symbol. Skinny dude with a big mouth. But to most of our generation, Tupac was an icon that represented both the promise and the trappings of youth. A man who teetered on the cusp of truly taking a leadership role in the direction […]
No Friends
Artist: LoonTitle: No FriendsRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Latifah Muhammad Falling into virtual obscurity after splitting from Hip-Hop and MTV staple Diddy, Loon is back with a less than perfect, but decent effort in his latest release No Friends (X-Ray/Cleopatra). Proving that his rap persona is rawer since leaving Bad Boy, this album is a more […]
Ras Kass, The Game Fight In Los Angeles Nightclub
West coast rappers Ras Kass and The Game squared off in a physical confrontation last night (Sept. 14) at a Los Angeles club. Ras Kass is on a nationwide tour with Rakim and Kid Capri. Both of the internationally respected West coast rappers were in club Element, when Game confronted Ras Kass over the lyrics […]
Young Jeezy Renames Clothing Line, Working On Album With Akon
Atlanta GA rapper Young Jeezy recently revealed that he had to rename his clothing line U.S.D.A. (United Streets and Dopeboys of America) to 8732, at the behest of the United States government. According to Young Jeezy, the government of the United States prevented him from using the U.S.D.A. acronym, which also stands for the United […]
Cassidy, Bone Thugs N Harmony and Eve On Board for Peace Single
This year’s International Day of Peace will include a slice of Hip-Hop with the addition of rappers Cassidy, Eve and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The collective, along with fellow artists Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Sean Paul, Chris Brown, Floetry, Lyfe Jennings and Mario, will lend their voices to “One Day,” a new multi-artist global peace tribute song […]
Hip-Hop Rumors: The Game & Nas? 8 Minutes of Fury?
THE GAME AND NAS – 8 MINUTES OF FURY The Game is one of my favorites. I don’t get into all the lil’ beefs and such; I’m just into the music like Nas. Now, with that said, I heard a rumor so sweet I have brush off the plaque after saying it! On Game’s album, […]
Madden NFL 07 (Video Game)
Artist: Video Game ReviewTitle: Madden NFL 07 (Video Game)Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Martin A. Berrios With the opening of a new NFL season, pigskin fans and gamers alike got to rejoice a little early. EA Sports sticks to their usual script with their yearly release of Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports/PS2) right before the […]
