Da Banggaz: Knuck if You Buck
S t. Louis, usually known as the gateway to the west, has a new movement forming and Da Banggaz are right in the middle helping it cross the river. With hopes of going beyond the niche that Nelly and the St. Lunatics carved, Da Banggaz aspire to bring in a New St. Louis still respecting […]

Ali & Gipp: Kindred Spirits
A li, the elder statesman of the St. Lunatics has done something that has some in Hip-Hop furling their eyebrows. Hes lent his Pop Star notoriety to the lyrical and eclectic flows of Big Gipp of Goodie Mob fame. Hip-Hop evolving the way it has it seems only right for the two artists to try […]

Notorious C.O.P. (Book)
Artist: Book ReviewTitle: Notorious C.O.P. (Book)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Sidik Fofana When the NYPD decides that it’s going place heavy surveillance on a culture of black musicians, to say that an explanation is warranted is a ripe understatement. With the almighty dollar as a wonderful lubricant, retired NYPD detective Derrick Parker teams up with journalist […]

Diddy and Essence Hook Up For Black Style Now Gala At Museum of the City of New York
Rap mogul Sean “Diddy Combs will team up with Essence magazine to help kick off New York’s Fashion Week. Combs will host the Essence -sponsored Black Style Now opening gala from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Museum of the City of New York. The event will celebrate the opening of Black […]

Black August Benefit (Concert)
Artist: Concert ReviewTitle: Black August Benefit (Concert)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Robert Longfellow Who says conscious rappers can’t get down? This year’s 9th Annual Black August Hip-Hop Benefit Concert was held on Sunday, August 13 at New York City’s BB Kings in Times Square. The sold out show proved to be equally entertaining as enlightening. Hosted […]

Louder Than Fiction
Artist: Rico PabonTitle: Louder Than FictionRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Matt Caputo With Louder Than Fiction (Hard Knock), Rico Pabon’s latest release, the Puerto Rican rapper finds the middle ground between raggaeton and pure Hip-Hop. Born to a family of Salsa musicians in Queens, N.Y., Pabon had stops in The Bronx and Boston before settling down […]

50 Cent: Bulletproof Coming To PSP’s
Vivendi Universal announced that 50 Cent’s video game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, will now be available on Play Station Portable (PSP) and will include newly-designed features game options. The new video game, first released in 2005 for Play Station 2 and X Box, will feature 36 new counter-kill moves and a large variety of melee and […]

AHH Stray News: Rappers On Top 49 Mens List, Bryan Barber, Diddy, Ski Beatz
A host of top-selling rappers have been nominated for AskMen.com’s annual Top 49 Men list. Over 15,000 nominations were submitted for the list of men that best represent the male gender. Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Timbaland and others made the semi-finals, which have been narrowed down to just over 100 candidates. […]

Omillio Sparks Launches Indie Record Label, Working On New Album
Former Roc-a-Fella Records rapper Omillio Sparks is forging a new path with his new independent record label, Colossal Entertainment.The first project under the Philadelphia-based label will be the lyricist’s forthcoming album, This Is The Life. The release, which will include tracks chronicling Spark’s life in his native West Philadelphia, will feature songs such as "I […]
Jazzy Jeff & Koch Team To Release Debut Album By Black Ice
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Koch Records have teamed to release The Death of Willie Lynch, the debut album of Def Poetry Jam alum Black Ice. Due to arrive in stores on September 5, the new disc features collaborations with Musiq Soulchild, Natalie Stewart of Floetry, Vee and Chyna Black. The CD also features production from […]

Generalz: Decorated Duo
F For the relatives who call themselves, Generalz, their music and their lives represent every aspect of West Coast living. For Pro Styles the streets was the beat that he marched to, leaving home at the young age of 14 sleeping in the g-rides he used to steal. Whereas life in the suburbs for Tee […]

Trae: A Touch of Trae
R ap-A-Lot Records has helped make local luminaries Houston Hip-Hop royalty for the last 20 years. The labels most recent experiment has been Trae, a longtime affiliate of both The Screwed Up Click and Guerilla Maab. A cousin to Z-Ro, Trae has watched his friends and familys lives forever changed by the legal system. In […]

Hip-Hop Historian Kevin Powell Preps Book On Presidential Elections, 9/11, Katrina Disaster
Award-winning writer and Hip-Hop historian Kevin Powell is set to release his seventh book, Someday We’ll All Be Free, a collection of three essaysinspired by 9/11, the 2004 presidential election and Hurricane Katrina.The three essays, inspired by Powell’s personal visits to New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Houston during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, are a […]

David Banner To Be Honored At Mississippi’s Best Awards
Rapper’s David Banner and Kamikaze (Crooked Lettaz) will be honored during the Mississippi’s Best Awards, scheduled to take place Saturday, Oct. 28 at the TelCom Center in downtown Jackson.Over 1500 nomination ballots were received for the event, which honors natives of the state for their excellence and achievements in various. Banner and Kamikaze will be […]

Rappers Lead 2006 MOBO Award Nominations
This year’s Music of Black Origin Awards nominations were announced on Monday (Aug 14). The award ceremony is one of the largest events in the UK music calendar and will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 20th September.This year’s nominations reflect more UK artists, due to organizers being forced to create four […]

Authorities Question Validity of Beanie Sigel Incident
By Chris Ricbburg Philadelphia investigators are questioning the details of events pertaining to a recent robbery and shooting involving rapper Beanie Sigel. The Philadelphia Daily News reports the suspicions were heightened Friday (Aug. 11) when Sigel appeared on The Aphilliates: The Streetz is Watchin,’ a weekly hip-hop show on Sirius Satellite Radio. “Oh! My getting […]

Judge Defends Decision in C-Murder Case
A 24th Judicial District Court judge is speaking out concerning her July 13 decision to release No Limit Records rapper Corey "C-Murder" Miller from a home incarceration program.In a three-page order issued Wednesday (Aug. 9), Judge Martha Sassone wrote that Miller was punished for violating the conditions of his house arrest only once, despite arguments […]

Jurassic 5: Five Alive
W hile the sickle on Rawkus Records logo popped the jiggy balloon in 90s New York, Jurassic 5 led the charge out West. The six man crew combined harmonious choruses, sample-stacked beats, and tangible concepts to release the critically acclaimed Quality Control, followed by a respected Power in Numbers. However, in the three years since, […]

Mack 10 Lands Executive Position At Melee Recordings
Westside Connection member Mack 10 has been named an executive at the newly formed Melee Recordings. In his post at the new West coast-based label, Mack 10 will be responsible for signing artists to his own Hoo Bangin’ Records. He will also take on the task of scouting new talent for the more mainstream division […]

AHH Stray News: Eminem, Snoop, E-40, DFB
Eminem is among the celebrities supporting the international nonprofit Caps for Kids, a New Orleans – based organization that provides autographed hats for children losing their hair due to cancer treatments. Eminem signed a cap for a 17-year-old girl who had her leg amputated and has had cancer since the age of 9. Other celebrities […]
