In his brief twenty-five years of life with us, Tupac Amaru Shakur touched millions of hearts.  His rebellious nature and innate passion were voiced through various platforms including both music and film.  On one of the busiest strips in the country, on September 7, 1996, Pac was suddenly gunned down in Las Vegas.  Succumbing to […]

Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? We have pondered that question for ages, but one artist has lived both sides of the line. Percy Carey a.k.a. MF Grimm has lived a life full of so many twists and turns, you would think it was fiction. From a shady criminal past, to microphone […]

Hurricane Chris obtained his name from devastating battle competition,  causing havoc, and leaving crowds in silence, in the similar fashion of a Hurricane storm.  His first single “A Bay Bay,” inspired by an event for DJ Hollyhood’s “Bay Bay” in a club,  garnered him the attention of Mr. Collipark and a contract with Pologrounds Music/J […]

Nas announced he was naming his 8th album the N Bomb. Once again, the N done started something.History has a funny way, in a Paul Mooney kind of sense, of repeating itself. Just when we think that the power of innovation has no bounds, the proverbial artistic rug is pulled from under our feet, leaving […]

PREVIEW JAY-Z’S AMERICAN GANGSTER YO! If you are hype to hear this Jay-Z album, this might just make you start busting out in a conniption. Look below for the preview of the whole CD…they are just snippets, but should certainly give you an idea. They even give you a look at the song with Lil’ […]

Relevance in the rap game is occasionally a long time coming, and frequently elusive.    Jim Jones, who only recently became a major artist in his own right after years in the Diplomats’ trenches, seems to have a handle on the importance of strategy in prolonging his run. Through his tactics of aggressive competition and frequent […]

Age has never been an issue for Patrick Baril. When he started deejaying at underage clubs in New Hampshire in his early teens, people around the way got to know the name of DJ Statik. But after hearing about others spinning under the same moniker, he got frustrated enough to realize he needed something to […]

When thinking about Preparing Legal Assets for Years from A to Z, don’t forget your duffle bags. At least that’s what Tity Boi and Dolla Boy claim they’re faithful to every day of the year. In this respect they formed Playaz Circle, with the said acronym representing just those terms. The two hail from the […]

For Ras Kass, the time is right now. After an official release from Capitol Records/EMI, he’s free to pursue other label options. It’s just too bad it took six years of legal drama for it to finally happen. Now a free agent at 32, everyone is watching to see if the self-proclaimed “King of the […]

 J. Period would describe himself as an old school A&R, the overseer of the artists’ project that made sure the album got finished as well as making sure the album remained true to the artists’ vision. Today, A&Rs aren’t really known for that process. J. Period says he sees today’s artists send their mixes and […]

Do the math. New York’s own Smif N Wessun has been putting in that work for a long time. Making their introduction on Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage, the duo hit hard with their gritty back and forth Brooklyn hard-rock swag. Tek and Steele dropped the single “Bucktown” and instantly had the underground on smash.  […]

It is somewhat ironic that Freeway, Roc-A-Fella Record’s star pupil and 50 Cent’s latest protégé, has disappeared from the limelight since his 2003 debut, Philadelphia Freeway. A Sunni Muslim convert and self-proclaimed rock fan, despite the North Philly MC’s strong fanbase his career has been basically on hold. After the break-up of Roc-A-Fella Record’s founders, […]

If you’ve tuned into the radio in the ATL  recently, there’s a 99.99 percent chance you’ve heard the voice of Frank Ski, the host of Hotlanta’s # 1 morning show (Frank and Wanda in the morning / V-103).  Ski, with over 20 years of deejaying and radio experience under his belt, has withstood the test […]

Odds are you probably know some of Queens rapper Red Cafe’s#### songs already because of the lengthy amount of ghostwriting he has put in the last few years. You may have even seen the video, “May I,” with the Snoop Dogg inspired hook, which was in rotation a few years ago, too.  If you’re up […]

The story of Percee P is long and battle-laden enough to deserve it’s own feature length documentary. This is a man that started rhyming in kindergarten, put out his first record in ‘89, and has been on the grind like a skateboard ever since. Thanks to the recent surfacing of video footage capturing his legendary […]

Outside of Kanye and 50, only Chad Butler’s name has rung as hard in the Rap game in the last month or so.  Better known as Pimp C, dude has caused a steady stream of controversy with his off the wall interviews and colorful commentary.  In his Ozone Magazine sit down Pimp spazzed out and […]

In a time filled with people concerned about whether Timbaland, Missy, or Pharrell produced a track, rarely do people stop, open a CD booklet and see who actually wrote the song. If they did, one name would show up often; that name is Bryan-Michael Cox. Cox has written songs for everyone from Bow-Wow to Whitney […]

It’s not really a make it or break it situation for Jay-Z. Still, the Def Jam president’s tenth album, American Gangster, is critical in terms of his legacy and  remaining relevant in a burgeoning era of T.I.’s , Lil’ Wayne’s and Kanye West’s. The late 30-something boss is calm and collected much like the infamous […]

Beanie Sigel indeed auditioned for the role of Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace in the late rapper’s forthcoming biopic, but he’s already long been typecast. Sigel himself admits that whether it be via the Broad Street Bully’s aggressive rhymes, his roles in the State Property 2 flick, or his own well-documented run-ins with the law, […]

Freestyle battles are not all they’re hyped up to be. The music from the DJ is hard to hear. There is a lot of standing around and waiting. And let’s remember, a true freestyle battle is just that, completely on the spot, nothing pre-written or memorized. As a result, lyrics aren’t always syncopated and sometimes […]