A general is a leader.  Someone who surveys the landscape, develops and implements strategy and sets a battle plan in motion.  As one half of Bucktown’s finest duo, Smif N Wessun, General Steele has big plans.His solo album Welcome To Bucktown is both a departure from his Smif N Wesson material, and a renewal of […]

I’m going to be honest for a second. I have never been a very big fan of Maino. I knew his reputation was in great street standing and I thought his rap skills were up to par. But there was something preventing me from giving him that nod. That all changed after I saw footage […]

When it comes to Hip-Hop, the prize goes to the artist that toils through the darkness, emerging into the light of success. Deams is a testament to the undying tenacity it takes to make it and that of the love of Hip-Hop. During a visit to Amsterdam, I was fortunate enough to jump off the […]

In Part 2 of this “lost and found” interview with Hip-Hop legend Rakim, the Microphone Fiend delves deeper into his life and times. He courses through the 80’s and 90’s, cruising into present day. He explains his personal and public life, the streets’ relationship to rap and even offers his views on the dedication song […]

Rakim is one of the most influential artists ever, but that didn’t stop me from somehow losing my first and only interview with the “god of rap.” After some moving and some searching, the 30-minute chat has been unearthed. The Long Island native was supremely informative and  surprisingly candid during the conversation. Rakim speaks on […]

A few years back it was all about Mike Jones, the Houston rapper who reached national stardom with the hit singles “Back Then” and “Still Tippin.” His catchphrase—“Who? Mike Jones!—was heard throughout the clubs, and both fans and haters alike dialed the personal cellphone number he shouted out in songs. “I was the Lil Wayne […]

What qualifies you as a triple threat? It is certainly more than the ability to do three things at once. It is the ability to do those same three things and actually excel at each. Self proclaimed triple threat Tray Chaney originally caught the eye of audiences around the world with his performance on the […]

If you were privy to the air waves of Los Angeles radio from 1997-2007, then it was next to impossible to listen and not have heard DJ Hideo in the mix at any given time. Dubbed “The Hardest working DJ on the West Coast,” DJ Hideo spent nearly a decade mixing and scratching his way […]

A general knows the value of good soldiers. In recent months, Rick Ross’ Triple C’s (Carol City Cartle) have served the Miami native well in his lyrical and sometimes personal war with 50 Cent. Additionally, the duo (Torch & Gunplay) has done their best to deflect criticism on Ross’ character in light of their mentor […]

Devyne Stephens is an branding machine. What that means for an up and coming artist is that he can take them and help to create an image all their own. Having already worked with some of today’s most prominent artists such as Mary J. Blige, Akon, Mariah Carey and so on, he is being cast […]

When it comes to the Crash Movement do not be fooled by their first single’s “Home Of The HeatMakerz” content and gritty cinematography. There is much more to The Crash Movement than hard hitting hip-hop beats and lyrics about shooting dudes.   What they have planned for the audience is an atypical Hip-Hop album that will […]

West Coast Gangsta rap veteran Spice 1 is not a grumpy old man. But dude is p##### about the state of the music he has spent the greater part of two decades etching with his thought-filled hardcore rhymes.   In the early ’90s, coming in on the back of a well-known Bay area comrade Too […]

When you hear the phrase caught on tape, many things come to mind. Dressing room hi jinx, botched gas station robberies, and dumb criminals come to mind.  In Stone and Rob: Caught on Tape, Camp Lo returns to the music scene caught in the midst of a Hip-Hop landscape that is probably more prepared for […]

What a difference a day makes. Before the release of his Statik Selektah produced album All In a Day’s Work, Saigon was one of the many new school MCs struggling to fulfill their potential amidst label woes and ever-changing consumer attitudes.   Over the past year, the Yardfather tried everything from a dramatic MySpace retirement […]

“Music can steer you in the wrong way or the right way, and hopefully I steer people in the right way at the end.” – Mack Maine As a long-standing fixture on the underground scene, Mack Maine has steadily garnered attention in the mainstream, a presidential campaign years in the making. A choice feature on […]

Somalian born lyricist K’naan is far left of the normal gangster, hipster, or baller acts that rip the air waves today. His anti-norm noise contains worldly sounds of reggae, rock, and Hip-Hop which lay background to lyrics of struggle, spiritually and empowerment. Without being anymore obvious, K’naan simply cannot be compared to the musical efforts […]

Queens, N.Y.   Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Cam’ron, 50 Cent,   Logic, MPK 49, AKAI MPC 2500   17 Years.   The moniker “super producer” is too often given out freely based on the number of years honing one’s craft. While this is important, the criteria should also recognize those whose production throughout their […]

Jadakiss has survived the Bad Boy era, successfully gone head up with 50 Cent up and remains in the rap game after being on playing field over 10 years. The feat is about as rare as a 40-year-old virgin in Las Vegas. Yet, ‘Kiss has endured as one of the most versatile and respected rap […]

“We got a whole song in auto-tune, but it’s a like Kweli and Hi-Tek kind of auto-tune song,” says Talib Kweli, one half of the musical duo known as Reflection Eternal.  As this statement was muttered from the lips of an MC who has contributed to underground Hip-Hop’s rebirth in the late 90’s, one could […]

T La Rock is certain to befuddle Hip-Hop conspiracy theorists. The Boogie Down Bronx-bred rapper isn’t often mentioned when it is time to pay mainstream homage to heroes of the genre. It almost seems like an overt snub by the powers-that-suppress. Yet, the man born Terry Keaton finds himself in one of the best positions […]