It’s been ten years since the prophet of hip-hop breathed new life into the game with the release of his instant classic Illmatic. Dropping science, dropping emcees and sometimes even dropping the ball, Nas takes it all in stride as he prepares to release a double disk CD to celebrate the past decade of delivering […]

Since Stillmatic, Nas has been continuously beating life into heart of Hip-Hop. Recent tracks like “Get Down” and “Thief’s Theme” proof that rap courses through his veins. Known for his reserved ways, Nas rarely talks about the insides of the game, not to mention his life. Usually, it’s all business and music. But, Nas has […]

Trillville has become an entity all itself – a place, an attitude, and most notably, a person. As a result of Lil’ Jon’s stronghold in mainstream Hip-Hop, Crunk is finally getting its praises. A key architect in the last five years of Crunk, is Atlanta’s three man collective Trillville. Part of Jon’s BME Recordings Group, […]

Whether he’s traveling the country, pent up in the studio, strategizing the next corporate hustle, or just out on the daily grind with his Dipset fam, Jim Jones knows that his role in the world doesn’t stop at ‘artist’. The capricious Capo of Harlem’s heavily hyped Diplomats crew never sleeps on opportunity, and he’ll be […]

Unlike so many, Masta Ace is arguably at his pinnacle as he leaves us. The Brownsville native made it so that AllHipHop.com was one of the first to know. While we all hope and fight to change the man’s mind, we joined Ace to remember a stellar career, preview an outstanding album, and look to […]

Hip-Hop’s prodigal son has returned. Mase exited the rap game five years ago after experiencing tremendous multi-platinum success with his album, Harlem World. He was Bad Boy Records’ marquee artist during the windfall after the death of Biggie Smalls. Before his sophomore CD, Double Up, emerged a couple of years later, Mase had hung up […]

Flip is coping with success the best way he can. After a decade’s worth of grinding, he moved to major status and has dealt with the roller coaster called fame. With a local following threaded in street credibility, there was beef and rap tofu knocking on his front door. In a recent interview with AllHipHop.com, […]

Freekey Zeekey has always made a big splash in the rap game, and suddenly he was out. Just like G-Unit and Tony Yayo, the crew still built a palace of fame and recognition waiting for Zeke on the outside. In the midst of his time on Riker’s Island, AllHipHop penetrated the correctional facility to get […]

Brand Nubian: Fire In The Soul By Topher Sanders It’s been more than half a decade since we’ve heard from Lord Jamar, Sadat X, Alamo, and Grand Puba as the collective Brand Nubian. In that time, the quartet has kept busy with solo projects, acting, and simply being family men. Now signed to Babygrande Records, […]

To have Shyne tell it, he learned quite a bit during his truncated stint as Sean ‘P.Diddy’ Combs protégée. Perhaps, the Bad Boy mantra, “We won’t stop” is an appropriate motif for Jamal “Shyne”Barrow’s life. The last four years of his young life, Shyne has made the Clinton Correctional Facility his home after being convicted […]

Watching G-Unit videos such as “Stunt 101” and “Poppin’ Them Thangs,” the uninformed hip-hop fan may foolishly think that the Guerilla Unit is made up of only 50 Cent, Young Buck, and Lloyd Banks. True followers of the infamous Unit, however, know that there has been a missing link riding with the crew in spirit […]

Part II of G-Unit: Pop & Politics AllHipHop.com: They consider the South to be a real racially charged type of place, how is racism down there. Young Buck: The s**t is real. The s**t is realer than anywhere I’ve ever seen in the world. I know in New York, a lot of interracial people, all […]

July 24, 2004: Even when the birthplace tried to shut them down, the Rocksteady Crew managed to hold their annual free concert across the water in Newark, New Jersey. Representatives from the Hip Hop community, ranging from the mainstream down deep into the underground, came to support and honor the roots of Hip Hop. Performances […]

Over fifteen years ago, rap deity Dr. Dre helped birth N.W.A., one of the most radically active groups of all time. The Compton-based collective was armed with “street knowledge” and so are their descendents Young Buck and Lloyd of 50 Cent’s G-Unit. N.W.A. and G-Unit’s intellect manifests itself in different ways, but don’t assume these […]

It’s commonly understood that first impressions are of the utmost importance. This old adage can easily be applied to new MCs hoping to make names for themselves in this fickle rap climate. Coming with simple punchlines and on-beat freestyles are a thing of the past, especially after hearing ‘Alphabetical Slaughter” by Brooklyn resident Papoose. Running […]

AZ is vintage. Not Urban Outfitter-manufactured vintage, but genuine, back of the thrift store vintage. From his classic verse on Nas’s “Life’s a B***h” to his pairing with the QB vet on the Grammy-nominated “The Essence,” the Brooklyn-bred emcee has always embodied the sound of an influential era. Mid-90s New York, to be exact. But […]

From the most hedonistically concerned club hopper, to the most obsessively analytical college kid, and everyone else in between, Brooklyn’s Talib Kweli is respected and admired. “Get By,” from 2002’s Quality is Kweli’s biggest hit, and it proved to be a sign of things to come for Kweli. Many who have followed his career felt […]

Back in 2002, the mixtape scene was rapidly launching little-known New York City rappers into the forefront of the hip-hop game. Names such as 50 Cent and Joe Budden were dominating the streets with various freestyles while making bootlegs by the likes of Kay Slay and DJ Clue must-haves. One MC whose name appeared alongside […]

In the Land of Milk and Honey, where everything isn’t always so sunny, it seems like it gets more difficult for musicians – especially Hip-Hop – to find the keys to longevity. Jurassic 5, however, one of West Coast hip-hop’s pioneers, has figured out how to allow six individual voices to stand out and stand […]

The Beatnuts are one of the most criminally slept on crews, ever. “Off the Books” and “Watch Out Now” are gems for the history books. But while MTV might play an instrumental while their cornball hosts talk, you won’t see a Beatnuts heater getting airplay. Like a lot of artists, JuJu and Psycho Les have […]