It’s been a minute since Hip-Hop’s O.G beat architect Pete Rock has blessed us with a full length piece of fresh material. NY’s Finest (Nature Sounds) doesn’t disappoint as it breaths in some much needed life into Rap. Rock combines no-nonsense, vintage East Coast production with a mixed bag of complimentary lyricists. The result […]

It’s a known fact the music industry is a tough business to survive in. Artists getting jerked by their label or extorted on the streets, radio payola, fickle fans; the list goes on and on. Even the Notorious B.I.G. had lawyers watching lawyers so he didn’t go broke. Now add the ever increasing popularity of […]

Out of the many questions which arise in a Hip-Hop conversation, there is one query that never dies. Who’s the most underrated? AZ said it best in 2005 on “Still Alive:” “Who’s the most underrated G Rap, AZ, and Jada.” One of the aforementioned, Kool G Rap, is out to prove that despite the lack […]

  Who is B.o.B.? An Atlanta bred rapper who’s been writing since the third grade. Yes, but more importantly, he could be one of the next emcees to add another layer of significance to the cannon of Hip-Hop and not to the already expanding ringtone reserve. His signature twang and its mellow feel, have been […]

  The description of a mega tour shouldn’t be used too often. Whether the record companies don’t have the caliber of talent on hand or performers don’t wish to do shows; it is rare for a bunch of artists with like minds to get together and rock the party like the crews of old. 2008’s […]

Common occupies a fairly unique lane in the Hip-Hop scene.  He’s at once an acclaimed actor, a lyricist of the highest order, and emcee of substance as well as style. Respected by both the bourgeoisie and the boulevard.  With a catalogue that spans over a decade, he’s gone through many stylistic changes and has plenty […]

As the initial buzz fom Jay-z’s American Gangster album subsided, Hov, like he did previously for the Black Album released an a capella version of the album.  Back then, a host of producers rose to the challenge with Grey albums, White albums, and just about any flavor you could imagine.  This time around producers took […]

For fans of the Hall of Justus click, they are already well aware of the N.Y. affiliate Chaundon. The Bronx native has paid his dues with plenty of guest spots on HOJ projects as well as dropping his own work. That past material has had fans salivating to see what the kid could do on […]

There are few producers that can truthfully speak on pioneering a new era in Rap, and more so changing the game entirely. Yes, you got Puff (Don’t hate, he made jacking look good) with his seemingly unstoppable rise with Bad Boy Records and Dr. Dre taking it back to the West when he put the G […]

  With the massive popularity of keyboards and synthesizers, it is still refreshing to know that the art of beat and loop digging has not totally fallen wayside. Those LP’s priced at discount that once filled various record store bins were turned into classics by a surging Hip-Hop community in the eighties. Artists such as […]

    It’s crazy how such a talented MC with a powerful catalog can just get ignored. Devin The Dude somehow just seems to glide under the radar which may just make his fans appreciate him just that much more. It’s just something about his creative flow and his every day topics that strike with […]

With a bit more than a week left until he begins a three and a half year prison bid, Prodigy of Mobb Deep gave a farewell performance this past week at New York City’s B.B. Kings. A crowd of approximately two hundred people, mostly thugs with a female sprinkled here and there; made it clear Queens […]

  With the overflow of watered down subject matter and lack of artistry in the recent years, it is clear that Rap has been in a stagnant position. Artists and fans alike have been looking for something different; something that stands out and proves that that Hip-Hop is indeed not dead. There is a lot of […]

If you really know your Rap music then you’re surely aware that The Notorious B.I.G. or dare I say it, Jay-Z didn’t architect the infamous Brooklyn swagger that made the borough famous. They couldn’t have; the formula was already created and perfected in 1988. Point blank Big Daddy Kane is the Don Corleone of what […]

  The infamous G-Unit had a relatively quiet 2007. While 50 Cent dominated headlines with his sales feud with Kanye West, and Young Buck dropped one of the better albums of the year, when compared to the years previous, anyone would be remiss to not call it a slow burn. At the start of 2008, […]

  Remember when mixtapes had heart? Before these street compilations were ever considered apart of the artist’s marketing plan, they were done out of love. Consumers loved to get the exclusives and MCs loved to show how nice they were. Now with the popularity of CD burners and big named DJ’s selling their vocal drops, […]

After a few hours of partying hard, briefly interrupted by the announcement of Joba Chamberlain as ESPN Magazine’s NEXT athlete, you could have thrown out a couple midgets riding unicycles and the crowd would have been fine.  Thankfully Luda don’t play that and took the stage ready to rock   After a quick survey of […]

  DJ Clue is one of the DJ’s who need no introduction. He lit the streets on fire with his mixtapes back in the late nineties; scoring exclusives with some of Hip-Hop’s strongest acts, and giving the hood something to rock with early. Even though some may say he isn’t the king anymore, he has […]

For the glamorous world of street fiction, the vendor tables on 125th Street in Harlem are the fledgling genre’s version of Soundscan. Famed author K’wan newest book, Still Hood (St. Martin’s Press), sells like hot cakes. K’wan’s first book, Gangsta, about a deft killer-for-hire who decides to turn it all around, is a mainstay in […]

Do your homework. It is a rare occurrence where a Rap album is a classic from the intro to the outro and singlehandedly changes the scope of Hip-Hop culture in one fell swoop. Yes some have succeeded with bringing us timeless material; but only a certain few have clearly impacted our social awareness through rhyme. […]