DJ QBert is one of Hip Hop’s biggest icons. However, to identify him as just a DJ is incredibly short sighted. QBert recently contributed some of his music to the new martial arts DVD 101 Submissions Vol. 2, which is available now at www.onthemat.com. It features some of the world’s greatest grappling masters in their […]
What started as illegal bootlegging is today in 2004 an ever growing, strategically organized marketing plan. Mixtapes gets new artists from the music industry out to the masses as quick as possible. The man behind the machine, mixtape distributor AG, has positively exploited this market. He is the medium that carries underground music from its […]
Rhymefest is getting a heavy career jump-start. The recent turmoil of whether he wrote all, some, or none of Kanye West’s ‘Jesus Walks’ has overshadowed Rhymfest’s stellar bootleg mix, Blue Collar, and his heavy appearances on albums from Old Dirty and Mark Ronson. But there’s a reason Rhymefest is in the media blitz. He’s on […]
Nelly was thrown into the KRS-One situation a few years ago and was rushed with opposition. With scrutiny coming from Chingy, Nelly has a chance to flex his seniority, his muscle, and his mouth. But before the battle paint is spread, Nelly also takes time to reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King on his day, […]
Right as she dropped her debut, Yo-Yo was featured prominently in John Singleton’s Boyz N’The Hood in 1991. At times juggling her Rap career, Yo-Yo continued to work in other films such as “Sister Act 2,” “Three Strikes,” and “Panther.” This past year, she joined MC Eiht as one of the many colorful, and arguably […]
Yo-Yo was at one time, the voice of many. Before Kam, before Mack 10, it was Yo-Yo that Ice Cube endorsed. She was a star in his first movie, and he was all over her classic debut, Make Way for the Motherlode. This album was a touchstone for many women, who were witnessing the first […]
The other day, while going through some old boxes in my garage I found a box of cassette tapes. Most of them were unmarked. I put some of them in my recorder and to my amazement they had old interviews with Master P and many other Bay Area and LA giants. But these interviews were […]
When Notorious B.I.G left the planet in ’97, we were left with musical memoirs that reminded us of why he was crowned “legendary”. It wasn’t just B.I.G’s voice and lyrics that captured us, but the hypnotic beats that surrounded those vocals. Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie provided a considerable amount of those tailor-made beats to one of […]
MASTA ACE Masta Ace has done it right. Just like shrimps in a fine restaurant, a little goes a long way. For fifteen years, the Masta has been grinding, yet 2004 delivered only Ace’s fifth released album. There should be at least one more. Each album has played a role in Ace’s career as well […]
Surprises : Wha Happened? Mase What’s more? Grand re-opening, grand closing? Mase returned with some gusto and a reminder of why 1997 wasn’t a complete wash in Rap music. Still, just as things got cozy and Mase started to make moves, did the Dipset ruin his party? It’s hard to believe so much can happen […]
AllHipHop.com: The Grind Date has been already received as one of the better albums in your catalog. You’ve never made a poorly received album, but why do you think the album came together so well? Dave: It comes in several ways for us, man. We don’t really stick to one way of recording songs. Sometimes […]
Album Of Year : This Year Was A Good Year Kanye West The College Dropout (Def Jam) Arguably the album that ’04 will be most remembered by. This collage of comedy, spirituality, lyricism, and just party has borrowed from so many of the great albums past. Rightly, Kanye has quietly been a part of some […]
Like Eazy-E juggling success between N.W.A. and his illustrious solo career, GURU first proved that he could be huge whether the MC for Gangstarr or the host with the most on his Jazzmatazz releases. So many new talents have unveiled new labels and introduced boring artists while true visionaries like GURU have let his Ill […]
Slick Rick, Monie Love, and Maybach’s aren’t the only dope English exports to Hip-Hop. Mark Ronson’s audio vision has been running its course on Hip-Hop the last five years. From the soulful Gap ads, to providing the sweeter sounds behind Beanie Sigel and Dirt McGirt, to his criminally slept-on Here Comes the Fuzz album last […]
Game recognized The Game. Dr. Dre signed the Compton neophyte to Aftermath, 50 Cent marketed him as his West Coast G-Unit soldier, and The House That Jimmy Iovine Built, Interscope Records, will distribute his debut album. Not bad company for a fledging rapper. But with all the attention surrounding Game aka Chuck Taylor—whether due to […]
Nore has seen his share of beefs in hip-hop from the East/West turbulence to crew squabbles to petty rap bellyaching. These days, the original “What, What” man has settled down like sand in a calm pond. A long cry from his CNN days, and is enjoying the juicy fruits of his labor. Still, Nore’s got […]
Everybody wants to be a star, yet few are actually willing to put in the work required to achieve their goals. For former Bad Boy recording artist Loon, however, this wasn’t the case. As the latest in a long line of P.Diddy sidekicks, the Harlem-bred rapper paid his dues by ghostwriting the boss’s hits and […]
There are many figures in the relatively short history of Hip-Hop as a movement, a music and a cultural phenomenon. For every pro, there is a con—either gaining our admiration or our enmity via their service or lack thereof to our culture, respect.One central figure has earned both our respect and our anger at once. […]
Jay-Z is one of the greatest lyricists in rap history, but questions loom as to whether or not the multi-platinum semi-retired Brooklyn emcee is capable of running hip-hop’s most legendary record label as a vigilant decision-maker instead of an on-court player. Following the official announcement of Jay-Z’s appointment as president of Def Jam Records, […]
He may not be a thug, hustler, or what one might label an emcee, but Nelly has somehow ensnared the rap world and beyond with his country charm. His 2000 street anthem “Country Grammar,” recognized as the playful rhyming tune (“Down, Down Baby”) the ‘hood used to chant back in the days, instantly connected to […]
