Artist: Ultramagnetic MC’sTitle: The Best Kept SecretRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Serge Fleury For the eighties babies still in tune with their Hip-Hop roots, The Ultramagnetic MC’s are not an unfamiliar name. The legendary foursome that brought us classics like “Traveling at the Speed” of Thought,” “Mentally Mad,” and “Watch Me Now” back in Hip-Hop’s […]

Artist: Talib Kweli & MadlibTitle: LiberationRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Sidik Fofana Did you see Talib Kweli on that episode of MTV’s Wild N Out? When it came down to the Wildstyle segment, my man roasted every single red team member, stinging them with sharp battle couplets. It was fair and unfair at the same time. […]

Artist: Trick DaddyTitle: Back By Thug DemandRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Slav Kandyba While it is generally not a good idea to judge a book by its cover, there’s no better way to judge Trick Daddy’s seventh album than by its title. Back by Thug Demand has all the musical and topical ingredients that will please […]

Artist: Various ArtistsTitle: Grand Hustle Presents In Da Streets, Vol. 4Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Serge Fleury Getting into the music business is one of the hardest things for a person to accomplish. You are more likely to achieve a perfect score on the SAT exams than landing a solid and lengthy career in music. […]

Artist: DJ Clue?Title: The Professional, Vol. 3Rating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Claudio Cabrera “The Professional” is DJ Clue?, who for the last decade has kept his faithful salivating on street corners, or near speakers, to hear what’s dropping next, early. Remember when Clue? broke the disses between Beanie and Jada? Jay and Nas? If it […]

Artist: VoiceTitle: GumboRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Kathy Iandoli For years, the male-dominated rap world has emphasized the scarcity of talented female MC’s that could sustain “flow-tation” as they swim the mainstream. Previously, our options were sex, sex, and Lauryn Hill. Now, we have sex and sex. Of course, there is an army of independent […]

Artist: Mos DefTitle: True MagicRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Paine If KRS-One hadn’t taken it first, Mos Def deserves to title an album The Sneak Attack. Following The New Danger’s sparse at best promotional campaign, Mos Def snuck into the last days of 2006 with the quietly released True Magic (Geffen). Released with no inserts or […]

Artist: J XavierTitle: Young Prince Of Tha SouthRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Melanie J. Cornish The Hip-Hop nation watched as a rather over-publicized battle ensued over who the real King of the South was. Now as fourteen year old J Xavier steps forth with Young Prince of Tha South (Nooday/Music World) claiming the name of Prince […]

Artist: James BrownTitle: Jungle Grooves – Greatest James Brown Samples, EverRating: 5 StarsReviewed by: Alvin “Aqua” Blanco Pick the greatest usage of James Brown songs for Hip-Hop samples? Impossible. We’re not even going to play ourselves and go that route. Well, it can’t hurt to at least try. 40,000 plus songs and you’d be hard […]

Artist: ChamillionaireTitle: Mixtape Messiah 2 (Mixtape)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Felipe Delerme If the best revenge is living well, then hell hath no fury like a Chamillionaire scorned. Coming off of a platinum album, a slew of award nominations, record ringtone sales, a hit single about, of all things, racial profiling, and a landmark of pop-culture […]

Artist: Bow WowTitle: The Price Of FameRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Latifah Muhammad Barely legal but already talking like he’s been around for years, Bow Wow’s fifth album, The Price of Fame (Sony/Columbia) is a step in the right direction from bubble gum sweet rap lyrics to the world of pending adulthood . The self-proclaimed […]

Artist: De La SoulTitle: The Impossible Mission, Pt. 1Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Paine Two years after the critically acclaimed, but commercial snoozed, The Grind Date, De La Soul has been laying low. They grabbed a Grammy with The Gorillaz for “Feel Good Inc,” but have apparently defected from Sanctuary Records as “Live @ The Dugout […]

Artist: Movie ReviewTitle: Dreamgirls (Film)Rating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Edwardo Jackson My name is Edwardo and I’m a “Dreamgirls”-aholic. Allow me to introduce you to the movie of the year–and now one of my favorite movies of all time. Scooped out of obscurity after a local Detroit talent show by car dealer turned promoter Curtis […]

Artist: Blak JakTitle: Place Your BetsRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Adam Thomas Blak Jak, a rapper from Decatur GA, drops his debut, Place Your Bets (Universal/Republic), an interesting album that shows a bit of everything from the young rapper. From his tough childhood, to his dealings in the trap, you get an interesting introduction to […]

Artist: Fat JoeTitle: Me, Myself & IRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Dr. Zero Many hip-hop veterans are typically acknowledged by Hip-Hop heads for contributing one element to the art or their entire career regardless of the fan’s age. Rakim is known by many as the “God MC,” KRS-One as “The Teacha” and one of the most […]

Artist: Ying Yang TwinsTitle: Chemically ImbalancedRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Rodney Dugue The Ying Yang Twins have lived, worked, and slept in the club for the past few years, specializing in crafting rambunctious four minute sex manuals. It’s not just a party, but a bacchanalian worship of women’s assets (and more “Dangerously,” the effects of […]

Artist: NasTitle: Nas @ Nokia Theater (Concert Review)Rating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: odeisel Here Lies Hip-Hop August 11, 1973-??? The line stretched around the block at the Nokia Theatre to see the funeral procession. Following a furious set of old school tunes by DJ Cut, L.E.S. took over and brought out the Master of Ceremonies, […]

Artist: VariousTitle: 2006 AllHipHop.com Holiday DownloadsRating: 5 StarsReviewed by: Kathy IandoliHoliday music can either enhance your spirit of the season, or make your life a living hell. Anyone who has braved shopping during the holidays can attest to the fact that few Holiday songs can be played ad nauseam without developing the desire to hurt […]

Artist: Mary J. BligeTitle: Reflections (A Retrospective)Rating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Eb Haynes Music critics, reviewers, braniacs with pens, a thesaurus and opinions; all at times forget two basic ingredients, soul and passion. Mary J. Blige a once critically shunned, unpolished ghetto siren emanating from 1992’s What’s the 411, has been a beacon of truth […]

Artist: Talib Kweli Presents…Title: Blacksmith: The Movement (Mixtape)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Serge Fleury Talib Kweli is one of those rare MC’s; the kind that feeds you food for thought, and doesn’t leave a nasty after taste in your mouth. Whether he’s talking about children being forced to work in Africa’s diamond mines or corrupt politicians […]