2009 is here and the streets are uncertain.  The economy is deteriorating. Political change and turmoil abound and socially we have police killing unarmed cooperating men.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.The 1990s had similar issues and historically, in the tradition of Melle Mel, MC’s have generally risen to the occasion […]

Guess who’s back?  Its no question, The Honorable One is here once again to get TALE OF THE TAPE roaring into 2009. Haters take a deep breath, the column that snatches your eyes for a bit of time each week is prepped and ready to deliver the best in mixtape analysis across the board.   […]

Well, well, well. We welcome supporters, complainers, and swagger jackers alike back to the trillest column in Hip-Hop, TOP 5 DEAD OR ALIVE. Yes we return with more of the real.   This week we holler at the young boy Juelz Santana for his top five list. The Harlem Diplomat has recently upped his profile […]

Hate it or love it, 2008 will go down as a historical year in and outside of Rap. First and foremost we have Barack Obama winning the Presidential election. But on the flipside our country hit economic lows that haven’t been seen since The Great Depression. Inside of the music spectrum we had Kanye West […]

The oft-underestimated Midwest region continued to carve out their own distinct identity with a nice mix of mainstream and underground stars. Chicago elites Kanye West and Common were joined by Lupe Fiasco, who courtesy of the well-received The Cool began to receive recognition as one of the game’s premier young artists.   Detroit’s Hip-Hop scene […]

Like their East Coast brethren, it was the veteran West Coast artists that made the most noise in 2008.   The West delivered good to solid LPs from vets Ice Cube, E-40, and Snoop Dogg. The Game also supplied a shining mainstream moment with LAX, the only gold-certified album to come from the Westside this […]

While the East Coast awaits a new crop of emcees to emerge in the national spotlight, the veterans continue to hold down the fort. This year saw mainstays like Nas and Jay-Z continue to make moves on the music and business front. Although several stars didn’t release albums, many like Fabolous, 50 Cent, and Jadakiss […]

Atlanta went in hard this past weekend as Ludacris, Young Jeezy and T.I. took to the stage at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, N.Y. as part of HOT 97 and Big League Entertainment’s Holiday Bash ’08. Despite the inclement weather, thousands of Hip-Hop heads of all ages ranging from tiny tots in hoodies to […]

There’s one life / One love / So there can only be one king   Nas “The Message”   For our purposes, Nas’ rule of one will be modified to a rule of four. Every year there are a handful of artists from each region that leave an indelible mark on Hip-Hop through their hard […]

When you look at all the events that occurred throughout the entire calendar of 2008, it is clear this year will go down in the books. From a social and political vantage point, we have the biggest presidential election in history with a man of color winning.   On a music note, we had Lil […]

If you were to ask any fan of Rap music what the biggest album of the year was, Tha Carter 3 would most likely be the most common answer, and with great reason. In 2008, Lil Wayne would be an unavoidable force in music.   With a flood of mixtape material and countless guest appearances, […]

    The self proclaimed prince of swag is back at it with his second installment of studio magic on iSouljaBoyTellEm (Interscope). For sixty minutes or so, Soulja raps over what seems to be the same beat, talking about, well, mostly nothing. If Soulja planned on presenting the world with something new, he surely missed […]

The last twelve months have been far from an easy ride. Economically, Wall Street stocks plummeted to astronomical lows causing our country to go into a financial collapse. Tragedy struck in all shapes and forms with the losses of all star comedian Bernie Mac and iconic Soul artist and composer Isaac Hayes. Furthermore Pop songstress […]

    You can throw shade as much as you want, but self proclaimed ‘real’ rapper, Plies seems to not be falling off anytime soon. Although he may not get embraced in every market, Florida’s resident goon continues to keep the streets buzzing in the South with his third album in less than two years, […]

Welcome back with another Tale Of The Tape. You already know the deal, its five mixtapes, four ratings, and a mix of the best tracks at the bottom to give you a sample of what you’re getting yourself into.   Beefing with label mates happens to be a hot commodity. Charles Hamilton and Soulja Boy […]

Yes yes ya’ll. After seven days of patiently waiting, your favorite rapper’s favorite column has returned. Every Wednesday morning TOP 5 DEAD OR ALIVE gets one of your mans and them to set the record straight on what MCs land on their top five list.   This edition we get New Jersey lyricist Joe Budden […]

How do you measure the relevance of an emcee in Hip-Hop culture? Some point to the simple word of mouth on the streets a given rapper generates. Others reference more tangible evidence such as Youtube hits and ringtone purchases.   And for a dwindling select few, some still reference actual album sales. With iconoclast legend […]

1991 was the number, a hell of a summer.  The music was good. Damn good, and Hip-Hop was firing on all cylinders.  Today’s Classic Clashes (cause sometimes I’m out with the crew on Saturday Night so I had to stop living a lie about that Saturday Night Special Stuff) is about two albums from the […]