Artist: J. PeriodTitle: G.O.O.D. Music: The Class of ’06 (Mixtape)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Sidik Fofana Kanye West is a good rapper. Whether you recognized this when he was splitting a bucket with his girlfriend at KFC or after he went to Jacob the Jeweler with his advance, the realization is delayed but intense. So if […]

Artist: Roots ManuvaTitle: Alternately DeepRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Orisanmi Burton Who is Rodney Smith? The answer may illicit blank looks and shoulder shrugs by those in the Western hemisphere but pose that same question to folks on the other side of the pond and be prepared to hear a barrage of accolades. The bloke from […]

Artist: J. PeriodTitle: Man On Fire: The Freestyle Sessions (Mixtape)Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Jason Hortillas The name CL Smooth has not been in many ears since the mid to late ‘90’s. CL, one half of the legendary Pete Rock & CL Smooth, created gems including their classic, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”. Although his […]

Artist: Boot Camp ClickTitle: Video Surveillance (DVD)Rating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Orisanmi Burton Beginning in 1993 with Black Moon’s seminal Enta Da Stage, the Hip-Hop collective known as the Boot Camp Click (BCC) unleashed a full clip of coveted albums, each showcasing their impressive roster of skilled wordsmiths. The Click’s Wu-Tang Clan contemporaries may be […]

Artist: Ugly DucklingTitle: Bang For The BuckRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Brandon Edwards Relentlessly determined and optimistic, ugly ducklings are the ones that no one wants: the hideously unloved and underappreciated. As the tale goes, the ill regarded fowl eventually transforms into the beautiful swan, adored by all. This isn’t the case for the Long […]

Artist: GLC & A-TrakTitle: Drive Slow (Mixtape)Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Conan Milne If you want something done, do it yourself. While Chicago’s GLC could have sat back and waited for Kanye to release his major label debut, the rapper instead takes the admirable route of creating a buzz for himself without the aid of […]

Artist: Lupe FiascoTitle: Food & Liquor (Bootleg)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Illseed Sorry, but the almighty AllHipHop.com doesn’t condone rips, burns or copping joints from seedy looking cats on the street. Don’t take loot out of Lupe’s pocket, even though a record deal with Atlantic and a Reebok shoe deal means said pockets ain’t seeing no […]

Artist: People Under The StairsTitle: StepfatherRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Conan Milne Although other seminal West Coast Hip-Hop acts such as Dilated Peoples and Jurassic 5 have gone on to achieve some sort of mainstream acknowledgement, this sort of commercial success has evaded the People Under The Stairs (PUTS) thus far in their career. Nonetheless, […]

Artist: CoppershotTitle: IssuesRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Sidik Fofana In an age where many rappers have waited for Moses to leave them unsupervised only to worship golden calf grills, we have closed our Bibles. We have surrendered to the unfortunate reality that the next Nasir Jones is somewhere wearing a hardhat on his way to […]

Artist: LL Cool JTitle: Todd SmithRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: The Closer What more can be said about the career of the original Hip-Hop Icon? LL Cool J has been an enduring presence in Hip-Hop for the duration of it’s mainstream history. Before the Tupac’s, the B.I.G.s and the Jiggas ,and even before the Snoops, […]

Artist: Green LanternTitle: Alive on Arrival (Mixtape)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: John Kennedy Through his exclusive features, masterful mixes and precise production, Green Lantern has cemented his name among the most innovative of mixtape DJs. Since departing from his post as Eminem’s official disk jockey, Green has honed his handiness on the boards, adding joints from […]

Artist: NemissTitle: Bottom Line EPRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Jessica Dufresne Eddie Murphy opens this EP complaining that “the girls are always coming up short.” Okay, that’s from Harlem Nights, but it sums up Nemiss’ beef with female MCs. This Chi-town transplant has been on a steady grind toward recognition in New York’s underground scene […]

Artist: Mr. Nogatco aka Kool KeithTitle: Nogatco Rd.Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Michael P###### In the 10 years since he found breakthrough success with Dr. Octagon, his masterful collaboration with Dan the Automator, Kool Keith has seemed bent on obscurity. He’s dodged would-be followers with a rap sheet of head-scratching alter egos and released one-off […]

Artist: Soul PositionTitle: Things Go Better Wit RJ And AlRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Paine Columbus, Ohio-bred luminaries Blueprint and RJD2 are almost shoe-ins for designation as their city’s best MC and producer, respectively. With Blueprint’s introspective and evocative writing abilities set against RJ’s crate-digging and stellar arrangements, Soul Position seems like a Showbiz & A.G. […]

Artist: Dudley PerkinsTitle: Expressions (2012 a.u.)Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Brolin Winning Columbus, Ohio-bred luminaries Blueprint and RJD2 are almost shoe-ins for designation as their city’s best MC and producer, respectively. With Blueprint’s introspective and evocative writing abilities set against RJ’s crate-digging and stellar arrangements, Soul Position seems like a Showbiz & A.G. of the […]

Artist: Nature Sounds Presents…Title: Natural SelectionRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Max Herman Brooklyn’s Nature Sounds is not your typical independent label. Unlike most indies that focus on harvesting up-and-coming talent, this still relatively new imprint has made a name for itself by putting out records by some of the New York’s top veteran MCs (and a […]

Artist: Bubba SparxxxTitle: The CharmRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Nadiyah R. Bradshaw Warren Anderson Mathis, known to many as Bubba Sparxxx , is trying to cause a fire with his newest effort, The Charm (New South/Purple Ribbon/Virgin). The aptly named title alludes to this album being his third release and, God willing, the album that makes […]

Artist: B.G. aka B GizzleTitle: The Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 2 – I Am What I AmRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: ambers mom B.G. aka B Gizzle couldn’t have chosen a better title for his latest effort, The Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 2 – I Am What I Am (Chopper City/Koch). At a […]

Artist: M-1Title: ConfidentialRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Starrene Rhett Instead of emulating Scarface and Al Capone, dead prez (DP) channeled Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey on their debut Let’s Get Free (2000). They garnered a strong fan base as a result of their audacious Black Nationalist message and hard body production-i.e. “Hip-Hop,” the classic DP joint […]

Artist: CaponeTitle: Menace 2 SocietyRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Angus Crawford After watching Noreaga’s rise as a solo artist from prison, Capone returned stronger than ever on the group’s second album, The Reunion. While Noreaga remained visible as a solo artist, Capone had to wait another six years to release his solo debut, last year’s Pain, […]