Grafh : The Big Payoff

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 […]

The Beatnuts: Back

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 […]

Kwame: Nobody’s Laughing

Hip-Hop hurts. I’m not talking about swinging bows and throwing fists. Hip-Hop, the industry, can cut deep, and some scars don’t heal. While most fifteen year olds might not know who Kwame was, they undoubtedly know the opening bars to Biggie’s “Unbelievable” that affirmed Kwame’s decline, and nearly blackballed him from ever being taken seriously […]

T.I.: Royal Rumble

Finally, a battle that goes back to the roots of the battle – a title. T.I. called himself, “The King of the South,” and all across the southern states, MC’s took offense. Most notably, Houston’s Lil’ Flip stood up. In the last six months, T.I. returned from a bid, to reclaim his throne. In doing […]

RJD2: The Main Ingredient

Columbus, Ohio’s RJD2 first earned a name for himself with 2002’s Dead Ringer, an engaging and creative instrumental hip-hop album that quickly garnered massive critical acclaim and put him in the upper echelon of the genre. After numerous side projects and remixes, he recently released Since We Last Spoke, a wildly eclectic album that focuses […]

MF Doom: Unmasked

He gave you Operation: DOOMsday and Vaudeville Villain, and now MF DOOM, along with the layered production of Madlib, gives you the long awaited collaboration album, Madvillainy. Awkward and beautiful; revealing and whimsical – Madvillainy was met with many classic reviews (including AllHipHop.com) and is again proof of why MF DOOM’s unique delivery, superb lyricism, […]