J-Live has long been a major presence is the underground Hip-Hop community. His immaculately produced, energetic debut The Best Part to many, is on the same plane as Black Star and Nia. His follow-up: the mellow, Jazz-inspired, All of the Above reached many more listeners through major media endorsements. Three years, a few EP’s, and […]

Royal Flush is casually-cool, laid-up lounging in a recording studio/apartment in his native Flushing, Queens. His cell-phone interrupts the conversation every few minutes, as his smoke clouds the room. The small, square box apartment is half living room and half recording space. It is here that Royal Flush plans his attacking return to Hip-Hop. In […]

Before Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. came into prominence, there was Big Daddy Kane. A product of Brooklyn, Kane and others like him marked the era of the super emcee. However, Kane, a dark-skinned brother, was decidedly different that most emcees before and after him. Kane was able to astound males with his lyrical ferocity, […]

Born Melvin Glover, Grandmaster Melle Mel is more than one of the pioneers of hip-hop – he is heralded, by those that know, as one of the finest lyricists Hip-Hop has ever seen. While we at AllHipHop deem him the original G.O.A.T., the notion is certainly arguable with greats before and after him. But. Melle […]

Some Hip-Hop fans may’ve thought that Sean Price was forever Rock’s wingman in Heltah Skeltah. Though he lacked the baritone delivery that sounded sweet on hooks, Sean’s solo debut, Monkey Barz is proving to be a lead-pony in Duck Down Records’ “Triple Threat Summer” of albums from Buckshot and Smiff-N-Wesson. Away from his partner, Sean […]

Ice-T is perhaps the most understated legend of hip-hop music. EVER. As the original gangster of hip-hop, his influence, is represented in nearly every aspect of the genre seen today. While Schoolly D fathered it, Ice populated it, making it possible for Eazy E. NWA, and every other n***a with an attitude to have a […]

Big Shug is that dude who held doors for everybody until there was no room left to get in. At least, that’s how it would seem. Luckily, when you’re as big as Shug, you can shove your way in whenever you want. That’s exactly what the Gang Starr Foundation father out of Boston is doing. […]

“Dope beats, dope rhymes/ What more do y’all want?” –Phonte, on Little Brother’s “Not Enough” This straightforward question seems rather telltale for Little Brother’s current mood. In some ways, the North Carolina-based trio [MC’s Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder] have reluctantly been cast as Hip-Hop’s “saviors.” Amidst an industry abundant in […]

Remember when A Tribe Called Quest helped usher in Jay Dee to Hip-Hop ears? Though he’s not 9th Wonder, Holland’s Nicolay has gained a lot of fans, respect, and work after last year’s Connected project with Phonte, as Foreign Exchange. Although Little Brother may be skeptical of the internet reaction to certain things in Hip-Hop, […]

In 1993, Hip-Hop in America was so light-hearted that a group named Yall So Stupid dropped a all-but-forgotten album called Van Fulla Pakistans on Rowdy Records – to limited success. Hard to imagine – through today’s memory. As it were, after 2001 though, such a title could hault even the smartest publicity campaign. Old jokes […]

AllHipHop.com: One of the big issues surrounding The Minstrel Show has been magazine’s album ratings. What are your opinions on the reviews? 9th Wonder: Regardless of what people feel, those magazine ratings definitely help record sales. Credible or not, they help. Big Pooh: When you go into a bookstore, you may not even buy the […]

It may not be easy to spot now, but going to the “big house” may be the best thing to happen to Lil’ Kim’s career. Based on a recent interview on BET’s “106 & Park” she indicated that knows this notion to be true. “I’m gonna go do what I gotta do for a year […]

As Mike Jones, Slim Thug, and Paul Wall garner mainstream recognition in 2005, Chamillionaire patiently waits. After all, some critics claimed he carried the 2002 Get Ya Mind Correct album that put him and Paul Wall, then as a group, on the map. Though the Swisha House affiliation and the independent labels have progressed to […]

Tupac Amaru Shakur fathered so many minds in Hip-Hop. Many people, if given the chance to have dinner with anybody, would opt for Tupac. At 13 years old, Candyman 187’s father-figure became the late, great rapper who died nine years ago, today. Chances are, you haven’t heard of Candyman. That guessed, you’re probably unaware of […]

A decade of artistry surfaced for many people when California’s Murs linked up with North Carolina’s 9th Wonder to release Murs 3:16 on New York’s Def Jux label. One of the inspired listeners was film student with a mission to get discovered. A year and a half later, Murs’ song, “Walk Like a Man” has […]

Paul Wall’s smile costs a fortune. Perhaps he protects his investment in being a man of few words and many blinding smirks. The Houston rapper, who lives at Asylum/ Swishahouse Records,is on the fringe of releasing The People’s Champ to more fans than he’s ever had in his releases. With supporting appearances by Freeway, Screwed […]

Crack. The name alone evokes a million thoughts. Many reading these words knows someone or is related to a person that has succumbed to the drug’s hypnotic grasp. Today Hip-Hop stands in the aftermath of one of the most deadly drug epidemics to ever hit the planet. In the new book A Time Before Crack, […]

While Eminem’s annual Anger Management Tour and Jay-Z’s Fade To Black make national headlines with their three-month concert circuits, touring is a way of life for One Be Lo. The Pontiac, Michigan native has been winning fans over with his live shows ever since he was named OneManArmy, one-half of Midwestern gurus, Binary Star. He […]

Lil’ Kim is about to go away for a while. But, the pint-sized rapper isn’t leaving without leaving an indelible mark that will hold fans down until she returns from 366-day bid in prison. Kim’s new album, The Naked Truth, hits stores on September 27, and her fourth opus is already being touted as her […]

In an industry dominated by new, young talent, it’s not easy for a rapper with a career spanning more than ten years to be taken seriously. Sure, that rapper would be respected, but not necessarily as someone who could drop a relevant album. Those who have tried, with the exception of a rare few, have […]