DJ Quik: Justify My Thug
As the precursor for his long awaited and highly anticipated next release, Trauma serves as an ample title for the soon to be released mixtape from one of the West coasts most enigmatic pioneers. Typically trauma is a catalyst for some type of change, and with hip-hop arguably in a state of emergency, Quik aims […]

Czar*Nok: Ziplock
For the last decade, groups like Mood and Five Deez have given Cincinnati its place in Hip-Hop history. But perhaps Hi-Teks work with Snoop and G-Unit isnt the only thing thats gangsta about Southern Ohio. Czar*Nok is a duo ten years in the making that aims to shed light on the Natis underbelly, while still […]

The Game: Locked and Loaded
The last time AllHipHop.com caught up with The Game, "300 Bars" was just days away from dropping. Id say at least 200 of those bars gave the streets something to talk about, and a lot of follow-up questions. It turns out that our man Semtex over in London just caught Chuck Taylor swinging through, and […]

50 Cent: The Clean-up Man Part Two
With books, film, video games, drinks, clothing, a label, and an already platinum music career, 50 Cent is going to soon require a consumer report of his own. In the event thats not going to happen, AllHipHop.com wanted to check with 50 on his many forms of merchandise, and get a sense of just how […]

50 Cent: The Clean-Up Man Part One
50 Cents empire is under siege. Clearly, the lyrical assault by various posses, crews and cliques has been a partial construct of the Southside, Queens native. Although his adversaries have come back at him as if they were avenging a brothers death, Fiddys gate has withstood the battering and thrived amidst the adversity. Hes […]

Tony Yayo: So Destructive
Tony Yayo is a loose cannon. While his man Fif was busy putting the rap game in a choke hold, the Talk of New York, as hes known now, was only the talk of Rikers Island back then [what up Mike Joooones!] due to parole violations stemming from gun charges he caught while hugging the […]

David Banner: Gots To Go
David Banners album covers have always showed the pained disposition of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. AllHipHop.com wanted to see why exactly that is. Theres a history of blood in Mississippis soil, its not surprising that its brightest star wouldnt settle for speaking without thinking. The inquisition and introspection […]

Kool Keith: 360 Degrees
Kool Keith and his many pseudonyms first put his name in the game as a member of the Ultramagnetic MCs. Since then, Keith has blazed a trail with a variety of different solo projects under a number of different names. Somewhere after Black Elvis and before Diesel Truckers, a portion of Keiths audience dropped the […]

Tha Dogg Pound: Doggie Bag
Who would have thought? After all of the things that have been said, and all the harsh words, Daz and Kurupt are finally back together the most significant reunion since The Fugees and A Tribe Called Quest. While once bitter enemies, through the help of Snoop Dogg and his push for West Coast unity, […]

Proof: Body of the Life Force
The days of concept albums appeared to be a thing of the past. Recently, people have been concentrating on quantity over quality – and real music lovers often feel cheated when purchasing a CD. Proof, an essential ingredient of D-12 is dropping his debut and not only is it a concept album, it is packed […]

EA-Ski & The Frontline: Bring ‘Em Out
A little over a year ago people started seeing a change in the sound from the Bay. It was getting thicker, harder and the rhyme schemes over them had a new edge. Pretty soon everybody was gettin’ “hyphy”. Hyphy is to the Bay what Crunk is to the South. It drives hard, gets people wild […]

KLC: Medicated Music
The Southern regions of the America have boasted a host of hot, classic songs over the last ten years. Rising from an auspices of just the faithful few to receiving spins in the North, the East, the West, and around the globe. Below the Mason-Dixie, the key difference from other Hip-Hop tracks is the beat. […]

Diamonds & Sierra Leone: A Hard Rock Life
When diamonds literally cost an arm and leg, is it really worth it? “Wodi, I’m tattooed and barred up/ Medallion iced up/Rolex bezelled up/ And my pinky ring is platinum plus/ Earrings be trillion cut/ And my grill be slugged up…” -Baby, “Bling, Bling,” Cash Money Millionaires (1999) The concept of “bling,” a term so […]

Royce DA 59: Standing Tall
People with crystal balls, astrology degrees, and too much time on their hands might try to tell you that Royce Da 59 was destined to be where he is today. Hes a Cancer. No, not the kind that comes from smoking, radiation, or other causes and spreads like wildfire. The kind thats born in July. […]

Maino: Heard it Through the Grapevine
Brooklyn rapper Maino will tell you he recognizes what is real and what isn’t. When it’s the only thing that you know, you have no other choice. Not only is Maino determined to keep his music in the streets, but also hustle the game for everything its worth. AllHipHop.com spoke with Maino about running through […]

High & Mighty Respond to Cage’s Comments
Eastern Conference Records, Inc. and its principals, DJ Mighty Mi and Eon, are disturbed by Cages recent published comments about us. His remarks are particularly disturbing because we had a personal as well as a professional relationship with him. Were known in the business as an open, honest, and tell-it-like it-is operation. In that vein, […]

AZ: So Serious
AZ, like a class of others, arrived to win in 1994. Through the Nas association, he garnered a deal through the seemingly deep pockets of EMI. Sugar Hill resulted as an anthem, and AZs arrival was punctuated with a Gold single and plenty of fans. The following decade between then and now was neither cruel […]

Cage: Bringing Out the Dead
There comes a time in every individual’s life when a person looks in the mirror and asks, “Do I like what I see?” While not many expected it, Cage has gone through an epic transformation in which he drastically changed his lifestyle, his music, his attitude and even the way his blood streams in his […]

Kool G Rap & Ma Barker: Fatal Attraction
Kool G Rap has never had a public beef, but now he and his wife/rapper Ma Barker find themselves embroiled in a situation that momentarily shorted out the seedy gossip circuit. In the rap world nobody wanted it with the lyrical icon and his personal life was mostly shrouded in privacy. Until Karrine Superhead Steffans […]

Soloman Childs: Patience
Since his initial debut on Cappadonnas The Pillage, Soloman Childs has been keeping fans in awe. With his clever word play and menacing rhymes the Staten Island bred MC is already proved that he is a force to be reckoned with. After rocking with the most talented squad in the game, Wu-Tang affiliate Soloman Childs […]