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 […]

 In the digital age we live in, when everybody and their friend is making beats, it can get difficult to distinguish the real from the fake, the fluke from the official. It’s at the point where producers are almost forced to ‘Just Blaze’ their beats to keep from getting lost in a sea of mediocrity, […]

After the success of his single “Icy,” featuring a yet to blow Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane was set to be the next big star out of Atlanta. But a murder charge and six months time served for assaulting a promoter seemed to stall out any hopes Gucci had for mainstream success. But you don’t sell […]

THE PRELUDE: THE AMERICAN GANGSTER STORY It would seem like Jay-Z is about to do what he once rapped about on the intro track, “The Prelude, ” of Kingdom Come, his 2006 “comeback” album. The game’s f**ked up N***a’s beats is banging, n***a your hooks did it Your lyrics didn’t and your gangster look did […]

How many independent artists can attest to moving 220,000 units on the streets of New York, recognition in some of today’s most popular urban music magazines, and garnering the praise from the snootiest of industry types? You might be at a loss for words, but the dynamic duo, known as Duo Live, has a lot […]

Last week we discussed the emergence of MP3s and making the transition from DJ to producer. This week we’ll discuss the natural progression of going from a DJ to a remixer. 8. From Deejaying to Remixing – For most DJs remixing is a natural progression because when you are blending two records, you are in essence, […]

The Star Trak camp is all about sci-fi and Fam-Lay might as well be Back To the Future. We revisit Norfolk, Virginia’s “Rock N’ Roll” champ three years after his Traintogo debut floated into outerspace aboard the Def Jam ship and wasn’t released. Naturally frustrated like his Clipse label-mates, Fam-Lay had to re-work his game […]

As a producer on the rise, a surefire piece of advice is to be prepared to pay dues. “There will be many to pay,” as the production due of Sam and Jay will tell you. It’s usually a rough road to travel just to get a buzz in your own hood, let alone outside of […]

It’s rare to find a rapper who doesn’t have a dance or talks about something other than chicks, cars, and money without suffering for it. Even Jay-Z, the arguable best rapper alive, has continually struggled to find that balance between substance and commercial success over the course of his career. With today’s Hip-Hop becoming more […]