On the Amen, corner I stood looking at my former hood, felt the spirit in the wind, knew my friend was gone for good. Threw dirt on the casket, the hurt, I couldn’t mask it, mixing down emotions, struggle I hadn’t mastered. I choreograph seven steps to heaven,and hell, waiting to exhale and make the […]

  DJ Drama’s life atop the mixtape food chain isn’t all good. In his case, Fulton County SWAT raided AMG studios leaving the I-Pod King and partner Don Cannon charged with racketeering and bootlegging. Fueled by adversity and a refusal to wave the white flag of defeat, he accepted the setback and kept it moving. […]

  When approaching a Wyclef album you know not to expect traditional Rap music. He has always colored outside the lines, blurring the boundaries of what it’s suppose to sound and feel like. The Carnival Vol. II Memoirs Of An Immigrant (Columbia) is no different. It plays more like a Reggae/Soca album than Hip-Hop, with Wyclef […]

  He’s a Cash Money Records CEO, a Louisiana G, and more notably Lil’ Wayne’s daddy. Throughout his come up, Birdman has lost friends, family, and even his New Orleans hood; still his presence lingers. One would think with ten plus years in the game, and not to mention all of his materialistic treasures, Baby […]

  Pulling from beats you’d find somewhere in the mid 90’s, Styles P’s Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) (Koch) plays out as a homage to the New York gangster rap era since lost in decadent 21st century Hip-Hop. Makes sense, right? After all, Styles has almost thirteen years under his belt, and a resume that includes […]

  As 2007 draws to a close and year-end lists are compiled for the best albums, it’s a given that Roc-A-Fella artists will be rubbing shoulders at the top. The Roc has been pumping pure quality into the mainstream from Kanye’s Graduation, Freeway’s scorching sophomore effort Free At Last, and Jay-Z’s American Gangster. Unfortunately with […]

I put my lifetime in between the paper’s lines, I’m the quiet storm ni**a who fight rhyme. P yeah you heard of him but, I ain’t concerned with them.  Ni**a I pop more guns than you holding them. Make my route while the sun’s out and scold your men. Unload ten, in broad daylight, get […]

  What does it mean to be made? In the cinematic Cosa Nostra hierarchy, it’s the process of “making” an associate. Bringing him into the fold; making him virtually untouchable without proper say-so from other “Men of Honor.” A few artists have previously used it as an album title, but none are more deserving than […]

Ghostface can’t lose. While the Shaolin rapper’s sales fail to parallel the critical adoration that revolves around his Marble cake dripping steez, Tony Starks nevertheless continues to pad his already impressive discography. In ’06 he dropped not one but two solid albums, Fishscale and More Fish, and before old man winter can get a fresh […]

Seems these days everyone is spitting rhymes and doing beats, so it’s a wonderful gem when an artist not only masters his verbal art form, but also commands the stage as a true performer. Boston native Akrobatik took over the New York City’s Tap Room at the Knitting Factory on Thursday night (11/29) for a […]

Jam Master Jay is still rocking. Last night (Nov. 30) the first annual J.A.M. (Justice, Arts & Music) Awards & Concert were held in the late, great Run-DMC DJ’s honor in New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom. They key word is concert with the numerous and varied musical guests eclipsing the few awards given out. Nevertheless, […]

You might mistake Katt William’s new stand up comedy DVD American Hustle: The Movie (Salient) with his last new DVD, The Pimp Chronicles. While The Pimp Chronicles was a lukewarm, semi-funny, made for HBO special, American Hustle, on the other hand, is a steaming, hilarious classic, not doomed to be played out on network television. […]

  Wu-Tang Clan’s first album since 2001 is already shrouded in controversy and legend. The Clan is at a strange crossroads as infighting plays out in real-time through back and forth interviews and videos. With that said, it’s hard not to feel a chicken or egg scenario when listening to their new opus 8 Diagrams (SRC). […]

Mood Muzik 2: Can It Get Any Worse? was released about two years ago to critical acclaim for one benched rapper named Joe Budden. Finally, off Def Jam’s gargantuan shelf, he now offers Mood Muzik 3: It’s About to Get Worse, the latest in the trilogy. The offering shows that Budden hasn’t missed a step […]

  Memphis’ Project Pat puts forth his fifth solo effort Walkin’ Bank Roll (Hypnotize Minds/Koch) with heavy influence and production from the newly crossed over Three 6 Mafia. This album gives you that signature Ten-a-key influenced syrupy flow laced with hard core drug references and money stacking.   The opener “Rubberband Me” gives you that […]

  “We must confront the past in order to capitalize in the future. We must concentrate on education and provide not only mental development, but physical development, so we can stand united and kick our enemy’s ass.” With an introduction like that, one must assume that you will have a relatively conscious album at hand […]

My mind warps and bends, floats the wind, count to ten, meet the twin Andre Ben welcome to the lion’s den. Original skin many men comprehend, I extend myself so you go out and tell a friend. Sin all depends on what you believing in, faith is what you make it that’s the hardest s### […]

Working through tragedy, Kanye West certifies his Stadium Status.While many wondered whether the show would go on; Kanye West made it to the stage in fine form during Thursday’s (11/22) sold out concert in London. Two days after his mother’s funeral, West showed that the best way for him to cope with his grief was […]

Jim Jones shows on Harlem’s American Gangster mixtape that he isn’t worried about topping “We Fly High.” Though Jones has attracted his share of controversy from such incidents as challenging rapper Tru Life to a fight with $50,000 at stake, his growth as an artist has been largely overlooked. From his debut, On My Way […]

Despite all the recent negative criticism, Dipset chief Cam’ron is back with Public Enemy #1 (Diplomats).  This latest offering, in the form of a double mixtape, boasts thirty eight tracks of mostly unreleased material.  Silent and seldom seen since his well publicized beef with G-Unit kingpin 50 Cent, Cam is finally ready to recant all […]