History has finally vindicated MC Hammer. The rapper holds the honor of being one of the top selling artists in history (Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em was Hip-Hop’s first diamond-selling album). He’s got an indelible, enduring fashion status that continues to march through the decades (Hammer Pants live). Hammer’s even got hits that can rock […]

The world stopped on June 25, 2009 when news broke over TMZ and filtered through subsequent media outlets that cultural icon Michael Jackson had died suddenly of cardiac arrest. That morning, Jackson was discovered not breathing in his Los Angeles bedroom by his doctor Conrad Murray. Several hours before, Jackson had completed a rehearsal for […]

VIBE EXCLUSIVE: Two weeks after Shawty Redd fatally shot a man in his Atlanta mansion, the successful young producer faces life in prison if convicted on murder charges. As Shawty Redd claims self-defense, LINDA HOBBS uncovers new details about the deceased, a man known in the streets as “Choppo.” Two weeks after Demetrius “Shawty Redd” […]

This guy may just really be the next best thing coming out of D.C. since E.U. with “Da Butt.” Wale tirelessly puts it on for his city and for those that need convincing probably also need industrial Q-tips for their ears. Obubowale “Wale” Florain first rose to prominence in 2006 with his heavy demand through […]

  Last February, music fans from around the world were aghast at the news that two of the industry’s biggest young stars, Chris Brown and Rihanna, were involved in a horrific domestic violence confrontation that left Rihanna badly battered the night of the Grammys. The incident happened on an early Sunday morning (February 8), with […]

When Jay-Z’s “On To The Next One” video premiered New Year’s Eve, the black-and-white clip, with its ominous images of animal horns, crucifixes, and skulls, sparked a barrage of conspiratorial questions. Was Jigga a Freemason? Was the clip backed by the all-powerful Illuminati? And just how in the hell did Jay get the new Jaguar […]

Lana Moorer, better known as MC Lyte, is a Hip-Hop legend.   Straight up.  Having developed her career for over twenty years, the Brooklyn native has cemented her reputation as not only one of the pioneering female emcees but also a street anthropologist of sorts. Her intricate storytelling and undeniable presence within the game even […]

For a guy who wasn’t physically on the scene for much of 2009, T.I. was just as present as any rapper in the public eye. With a hit album (Paper Trail) and a string of popular singles (“Whatever You Like” “Swagga Like Us, Live Your Life” featuring Rihanna and “Dead and Gone” featuring Justin Timberlake) […]

Hee, hee…the AllHipHop Staff thought they were going to have the final word on 2009. They were so wrong. Here are the final 2 words. Rick Ross. The name causes calamity. The name causes hate. The name causes scorn. The name causes debate! People hated on Ross so badly, they thought AllHipHop named him the […]

This is the final word on the year 2009: AllHipHop’s Person(s) of the Year! These two men come from the same era in Hip-Hop, but have assumed very different paths in the game since the 90’s. However, their journeys thus are both bookmarked by greatness, in some form or fashion. These mighty individuals are Jay-Z […]

The year 2009 hosted quite a few beefs between rappers, with Beanie Sigel airing Jay-Z out, Canibus reengaging Eminem and Joe Budden incurring the wrath of a couple of Wu-Tang Clan rhymesayers over comments about Method Man. While these triggered discussion among music fans, the biggest feud of the past year belonged to Rick Ross […]

  2009 was another year where the South took center stage in Hip-Hop’s mainstream consciousness. Lil Wayne took completely over while T.I. prepared himself for prison and Ludacris took the majority of the year off. Gucci and cohorts Soulja Boy, Wocka Flocka, and OJ da Juiceman set the streets ablaze, and Young Jeezy began laying […]

Following the release of the highly-successful Blueprint 3, Rocafella artist Beanie Sigel used the second half of 2009 to call out his former mentor Jay-Z. The private issues became public when Sigel released the diss track “Average Cat,” which he justified as appropriate retaliation to lines on Jay-Z’s “What We Talkin’ Bout.” On Jay’s track, […]

The West wasn’t heavy on the national radar last year, but that doesn’t mean the Westside struggled to put out quality music. Acts like Exile (Radio) and Blu (Sene’s A Day Late & A Dollar Short) used 2009 to experiment with concepts and song arrangements, while others like Jay Rock and Nipsey Hussle continued their […]

Atlanta rapper Alfamega has experienced some rough times since thesmokinggun.com published his criminal record, which revealed that he served as an informant in a drug case, to have time shaven 18 months shaved off a prison 110 month sentence for selling guns. Since the news broke, his one-time ally T.I. kicked him out of Grand […]

Most Slept On (Max. 5): We loathed the jokes. It seemed like everybody and their mother had some sort of link to SoundScan sales in 2009 and that was somehow and indication of how good or bad and album was. For example, M.O.P. sold a meager 2,100 units their first week, but the Mash Out […]

In 2009, one of hip-Hop’s most well-known couples called it quits when Kelis filed for divorce from Nas on the grounds of “irreconcilable differences.” News hit the media on April 30 when the singer filed papers in Los Angeles through high-powered attorney Laura Wasser. Complicating matters was the fact Kelis was seven months pregnant with […]

Like the best albums category, there’s much to consider when appointing the best of the best when it comes to the beats. Still, there is one thing we know for certain, a lot of producers stood out in major ways this year. Whether it was the potency of Just Blaze to the melodious J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League […]

 The best major albums category has always been a major and contentious topic for Hip-Hop fans and critics. There are so many factors to consider, including sales, societal impact, artistic merits, among a plethora of other matters. And, the indies arguably have it worse. They dwell in a world where every fan is a rapper […]

Joe Budden has always been a fixture on the internet with his personal blogs, but the New Jersey emcee upped the ante in 2009 with a very public breakup with longtime girlfriend Tahiry, and notable beefs with Saigon and the Wu-Tang Clan. In January 2009, Budden launched the first diss track entitled “Letter to Saigon” […]