Raphael Saadiq: Still Ray
You can call Raphael Saadiq a lot of things: singer, songwriter, and producer are the first to come to mind. The former Tony Toni Toné lead singer has spent the better part of the last decade establishing himself as a one-man showcase for urban music, crafting hits for the likes of DAngelo, Total, and, of […]

Saul Williams: Word Perfect
MC. Poet. Rock Star. Actor. Writer. Activist. Artist. B-Boy. Saul Williams carries many titles, only some will he admit. While hes been in the inner-circle of Hip-Hop for the last half decade plus, hes still unknown to many despite his many mediums. His debut album was largely misunderstood and mistimed, but Saul has returned in […]

Toshi: Beyond Barriers
In 2000 you might remember seeing a video on BETs Midnight Love that featured this Asian cat singing soul music. His name is Toshi, and while he might be a hazed memory to you, he is hysterically famous in his native Japan, and he is famous for being a soul singer. Toshi was introduced to […]

Ozomatli: Activism with a Beat
When Ozomatlis sophomore album, Embrace The Chaos, was released on September 11, 2001, it sat in vacant record stores all over the country as all eyes and hearts were fixated on the most catastrophic day in contemporary American history. While our entire country paused to absorb the magnitude of 9/11, Ozomatli felt it important to […]

Michael Eric Dyson: Politic Ditto
It appears that this election year the actions of our President and the current world situation have energized everyone, even the usually apathetic, to become involved in the political equation. Whether you disagree or agree with our Presidents decisions in the last four years, our country is collectively galvanized to express their political voice, especially […]

Jill Scott: The Golden Life
Jill Scott is a combination of intriguing beauty and flawless emotion. Combined with an array of talent and a smile that illuminates every place she graces, Jill has proved time and again that she is one of the world’s most contagious souls. Her latest opus, Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2, is titled perfectly, […]

James Poyser: The Soul Innovator
Erykah Badus debut album, Baduizm, marked the beginning of a unique blend of old school soul with Hip-Hop sensibility that would dominate and influence the way soul was done from that point forward. Since then, artists like The Roots, Lauryn Hill, DAngelo, Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton, Common, Talib Kweli, Bilal, and Musiq have all released […]

Lamon Brewster: Mama Said Knock You Out
Boxing has been sharply criticized lately with some extremely controversial calls that many affiliated with the sport are furious over. The latest mêlée at Mandalay Bay was the title bout between defending World Boxing Organization champion Lamon Brewster and Pan Pacific Heavyweight titleholder Kali Checkmate Meehan. The split decision left a sour taste, once again, […]

JD Williams: Walking The Wire
The long awaited third season of "The Wire" aired on HBO on September 19th to the delight of the show’s loyal following, and AllHipHop.com was able to catch up with a couple of the actors from this exciting streetwise series. First up is JD Williams, who plays the sometimes quiet but always aware character Bodie. […]

Ciara: Around The Way Girl
When you first see Ciara on your television screen, you may think that she is just a beautiful young lady made to compliment the scenery. Do not be fooled by first impressions, kiddies. This 18 year-old is the scenery, the backdrop, and she is determined to be the entire show. With a hot scene like […]

Martin Luther: Soul Riffs
Don’t get caught up on the name. Yes, he is named after the late Martin Luther King Jr., and yes, he has a certain rebellious spirit – but the only preaching this Martin Luther will be doing comes from the wail of his guitar, or maybe even at your next business seminar. Martin Luther has […]

Wale Oyejide: To the East Blackwards
When he was known as ‘Science Fiction’, AllHipHop.com embraced his project Walls Don’t Exist as one of the top-shelf albums of 2003. We’ve watched our boy do a stellar EP, work with DOOM and Jay Dee, and come back try to do it real big in ’04. If you caught the latest review, One Day, […]

ORyan: Third Times A Charm
O’Ryan is one of the rare R&B artists blessed enough to have a sizable fan base long before he releases his debut album. Being the younger brother of former B2K front man Omarion and IMX’s Marques Houston has helped considerably, but he plans to carve his own niche above and beyond anything done before him. […]

Tarralyn Ramsey: From The Heart
Making the unlikely transition from Gospel to R&B has not been as difficult as Tarralyn Ramsey once envisioned. As a matter of fact, it has seemingly bolstered her career in both arenas. Tarralyn is a startling talent at the age of 22, already having shared stages with music’s most prominent figures. Her self-titled debut is […]

New Edition: Call It A Comeback
When Boston grade school pals Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Bobby Brown formed a singing group in 1978, they may not have known the impact that their decision would make over the next two decades and beyond. Within two years of getting together, they added Ralph Tresvant and Ronnie DeVoe to the group, and were […]

Rowdee Black Giants: Breaking Conventions
When you hear the name Rowdee Black Giants, you might start thinking about some testosterone infused heavy metal version of Living Colour, a group of b######## guys screaming and destroying musical equipment. Actually, The R-B-Geez, as they are called by their fans, don’t destroy their equipment and they aren’t even a bunch of Black guys. […]

Rick James Pt. 5: Farewell Rick
AllHipHop.com: It’s really good to hear somebody like yourself say these things. It’s good for us to be able to talk like this and really be real and let people know that it’s not a joke. Rick: But you know what? It’s just that Black people are just taking the stance that they just don’t […]

Rick James Pt. 4: Politically Minded
AllHipHop.com: Are you Muslim? Rick: I study Islam and prefer to call God, Allah. I have studied Islam for 7 years. I am a spiritualist, I believe in God but I prefer to call him Allah AllHipHop.com: What attracted you to Islam? Rick: Because Islam is one of the most powerful dedicated regimented religions that […]

Rick James Part 3: The Music Industry
When AllHipHop.com announced this 5 part series, we like everyone else, could never have forseen this shocking blow to the music industry, especially black music. Rick James had died. Like Ray Charles, Rick James was a titan that influenced several genres of music. The first group he was in was known as the Mynah Birds, […]

Rick James: Fire And Desire Pt. 2
AllHipHop.com: You guys made timeless music, we always say that the type of music Hip-Hop is, when we are older we wont really be able to enjoy it Rick: Hip-Hop is a replica or a refurbished version of old school. When you cant make a hit record unless you do a Rick James album what […]