Gucci Mane: Lab Rat

It’s a quiet night in the “Z” room at Sony Studios in midtown Manhattan, where various engineers and Czar Entertainment representatives are milling around in anticipation of Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane’s arrival. The silence is broken by a commotion at the door. Debbie, Gucci Mane’s full-bodied and outspoken manager, storms in with Gucci and friends […]

Boo: Birds Fly South

Mississippi’s place in the pantheon of Black music is well-documented. Jazz, Gospel and the Blues all trace their roots along the dusty paths and dirt roads of the Magnolia State. Hip-Hop has heard from this area in the country before. Boo’s brand of Hip-Hop is hard-edged, forceful and delivered with the sound and spirit of […]

AllHipHop Black History Month

Black History Month is upon us. Though its Hispanic contributions must be recognized, Hip-Hop culture has become one of the largest outlets of expression in Black history. Whether it was Big Daddy Kane updating Donny Hathaway’s definition of “Young, Gifted & Black”, dead prez’s outcry about the education inequalities in “They Schools” or Chamillionaire feeling […]

DG Yola: Ghetto Pop Life

Yola’s initials, DG stands for “Da Great,” and for the 21-year-old rapper, there is no telling him otherwise. The uncompromising A-Town native bum rushed the music scene with his “f**k all haters” mantra on his scorching cut “Ain’t Gonna Let Up.” Building up his own fan base through his mixtape, Really Really in the Streets, […]

Mike Jones: The American Dream

Between Lil’ Flip and Chamillionaire, it was Mike Jones that helped bring Houston back to the Hip-Hop forefront. Jones was more lighthearted than Flip, and less topical than Cham, but with his Yellow Pages raps, rags to riches banter, and happy-go-lucky attitude, Who is Mike Jones? answered its own question. However since the platinum run […]

Tru Life: Teach the Babies

As Hip-Hop fans debate on New York’s return to the marketplace, 2007 will deal out several fresh faces. While Young Jeezy and Rick Ross have succeeded in strong debuts under The Carter Administration, Def Jam readies its homegrown talent Tru Life. With platinum pressures increasing, some already know this Lower East Side talent for reasons […]

Young Buck: Buck Stops Here

Cashville, Ten-A-Key. The fact that Country Music’s reigning capital has been given a Hip-Hop inspired nickname speaks volumes about the influence of the city’s newest ambassador—Young Buck. Mayor Bill Purcell is probably not too thrilled that his city has adopted a nickname synonymous with copping cocaine at a bargain basement price, but in terms of […]

O.F.T.B.: A Daily Operation

You probably don’t know it, but O.F.T.B. is in your CD collection. Operation From The Bottom was one of the groups that through numerous soundtrack appearances (Above the Rim, Gang Related, Gridlock’d), gave Death Row its street credibility. Balanced by Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound representing Crips, Flipside, LowMB, and DJ Bus Stop joined […]

Narcicyst: Mirror Music

Narcicyst is obsessed with himself. Maybe that’s because he’s one-of-a-kind, as it would seem. This Iraqi MC presently lives in Montreal, where he is finishing up college. After eight years of rhyming, Narcicyst began flipping classic records from Notorious B.I.G. and N.W.A., and incorporating circumstances of Iraq culture, in blunt detail. Released through mixtapes, the […]

The Oprah Issue

The Oprah Issue – starring Nas, Killer Mike, Gayle King, Young Jeezy, The Game, Elon Johnson, Ice Cube, Ludacris, Hip-Hop and Ms. Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey and Hip-Hop have peacefully co-existed for decades with little-to-no fanfare, but the inevitable happened – friction. The Oprah Winfrey Show debuted in 1986, the same year Run DMC injected […]

Mathematics: No Fraction

Mathematics has been in the shadows of greatness. Joining 4th Disciple as the producers to fill in for RZA, Mathematics has pounded out such hits as Ghostface’s “Mighty Healthy” and GZA’s “Labels.” Those credits, along with the Long Islander’s own album have made him a cult favorite amongst Wu fans, but relatively undiscovered to the […]