When diamonds literally cost an arm and leg, is it really worth it? “Wodi, I’m tattooed and barred up/ Medallion iced up/Rolex bezelled up/ And my pinky ring is platinum plus/ Earrings be trillion cut/ And my grill be slugged up…” -Baby, “Bling, Bling,” Cash Money Millionaires (1999) The concept of “bling,” a term so […]
People with crystal balls, astrology degrees, and too much time on their hands might try to tell you that Royce Da 5’9” was destined to be where he is today. He’s a Cancer. No, not the kind that comes from smoking, radiation, or other causes and spreads like wildfire. The kind that’s born in July. […]
Brooklyn rapper Maino will tell you he recognizes what is real and what isn’t. When it’s the only thing that you know, you have no other choice. Not only is Maino determined to keep his music in the streets, but also hustle the game for everything its worth. AllHipHop.com spoke with Maino about running through […]
Eastern Conference Records, Inc. and its principals, DJ Mighty Mi and Eon, are disturbed by Cage’s recent published comments about us. His remarks are particularly disturbing because we had a personal as well as a professional relationship with him. We’re known in the business as an open, honest, and tell-it-like –it-is operation. In that vein, […]
AZ, like a class of others, arrived to win in 1994. Through the Nas association, he garnered a deal through the seemingly deep pockets of EMI. “Sugar Hill” resulted as an anthem, and AZ’s arrival was punctuated with a Gold single and plenty of fans. The following decade between then and now was neither cruel […]
There comes a time in every individual’s life when a person looks in the mirror and asks, “Do I like what I see?” While not many expected it, Cage has gone through an epic transformation in which he drastically changed his lifestyle, his music, his attitude and even the way his blood streams in his […]
Kool G Rap has never had a public beef, but now he and his wife/rapper Ma Barker find themselves embroiled in a situation that momentarily shorted out the seedy gossip circuit. In the rap world nobody wanted it with the lyrical icon and his personal life was mostly shrouded in privacy. Until Karrine “Superhead” Steffans […]
Since his initial debut on Cappadonna’s The Pillage, Soloman Childs has been keeping fans in awe. With his clever word play and menacing rhymes the Staten Island bred MC is already proved that he is a force to be reckoned with. After rocking with the most talented squad in the game, Wu-Tang affiliate Soloman Childs […]
DMX is the last of a dying breed in Hip-Hop – the unpredictable. These days everything from singles to beef has become formula concocted within boardrooms and color-by-numbers marketing plan. But, nobody gave the plans to DMX, the Yonkers-bred lyricist. And fortunately, if they did make him privy to what he’s supposed to do, he […]
Littles is a survivor. Raised in the infamous Queens Bridge housing projects, the rapper has overcome adversity and hardship his entire life. He was only in seventh grade when he dropped out of school to run the streets. Eventually, the street life caught up to Littles and he served five years in prison. Once released, […]
What do you know on Killer Mike? Certainly, if Big Boi’s promises paint the game with his Purple Ribbon, the world will know much more about his Outkast’s Monster. But Mike’s first outing was lost in a sea of Bonecrushers, Bubbas, and Cool Breezes to many listeners that tuned in. Monster might have been an […]
Juelz Santana was the first Diplomat, besides Cam’ron to bring out the solo. He got his name known through his song titles, his pretty face, and his vital association to the Dips. The market sped up, and Juelz watched his crew swarm. But unlike his brothers, Juelz has stayed put comfortably at Def Jam. It […]
Admit it. You thought Cam started the hazy purple trend. Sometimes two different people walk two different paths to get to the same place. One walks the streets of Harlem, conveniently stopping in a corner bodega to showcase the one-stop shop playing a song on his recent mixtape, while he offers daps and pounds to […]
In the 1920’s, Harlem was the centerpiece of the Black universe. Poets, writers, scientists, and others all made their presence known. The entrepreneurial spirit was rich, as were the innovators. While the rest of the world admired and resented the oasis, Harlem thrived. In 1929, the stock market crashed and the whole western world went […]
If you take a look at most Rap outfits, it seems every crew has their own young gun. That one cat that spits relentlessly trying to prove one thing and one thing only : “I’m nice.” Enter JR Writer. Buzzing on the mixtape scene for almost two years now, he hit big with “Stop-N-Go” off […]
Hate him or love him, Jim Jones is on top. The Diplomats Capo has risen from his meager beginnings as Cam’s sidekick into a full fledged hood mogul. As a solo artist, he scored big in 2004 with his street anthem “Certified Gangstas”. Additionally, he got his Hype Williams on by directing videos for Dipset-related […]
For more than a decade Buckshot has been stunning Hip-Hop crowds with his fiery rhymes. Whether it was with Black Moon or the entire Boot Camp Clique, lyrics ranged from insightful to riot-inspiring, striking a chord in all that listened. But after 1998, Buckshot unstrapped the backpack and became disassociated with his purist audience. Alone, […]
Atlanta has proven to be a breeding ground for many of today’s most talented artists. This group is no different. The famous music/film producer, Dallas Austin, believes in Da Backwudz’ music and talent so much that he even re-launched his defunct label, Rowdy Records, just so he can work with them. Their video and song […]
Some artists truly do get better with time. Jay-Z and Masta Ace proved that last year. Quietly, O.C. may be showing 2005 what he’s made of. At the top of the year, O.C. released the import, Starchild, but only 20,000 copies were made available. Still, the work was strong enough to attract Pete Rock and […]
A lot has changed in the life of Wu affiliate Shyheim since he first debuted on the scene. At the age of fourteen, his precious antics matched with his innocent face captured the hearts of Hip-Hop heads and teen girls everywhere. After releasing his debut album The Lost Generation and performing countless guest spots along […]
