In the Jive years, E-40’s Sick Wid It Records produced stars out of B-Legit, Celly Cel and Suga-T. That was 15 years ago, and the stars fell to bargain bin CD sales. With a renewed interest in E-40 in 2006, Sick Wid It strikes again with Turf Talk, an anticipated street rapper who can still […]

Where are all the female producers?  The director of Lady Beat Makers, Vol. 1 (Femmixx.com), Tachelle “Shamash” Wilkes embarks on a passionate journey to answer this elusive question.  Wilkes is a Hip-Hop artist and journalist with an impressive resume stemming from opening for KRS-One to contributing articles to Vibe Magazine and holds an MA in […]

Custom Made’s new EP titled Truth Be Told (Rawkus) is here to do exactly what its name states, tell the truth. Custom Made’s roster, which includes rappers Six, Bluff, Element, Scoobs and Aneek, has been making a name for itself in the streets of L.A. for years, selling over 100,000 mixtapes worldwide. From the sounds […]

Blue Scholars wear their ideologies on their sleeves. The three years between their self-titled debut album and its follow-up, Bayani (Rawkus) have been remarkably turbulent. Let it be the politics of government, cultural developments, or economic depletion, there are opinions to be had and to be shared. On their sophomore LP, MC Geologic and DJ […]

“Sammy Davis told me it was the most beautiful fight he had ever seen, and he only has one eye.” This citation is one of Muhammad Ali’s many historical witticisms, frozen in time from the storied boxer’s life and career, and recently compiled by George Lois into the photo art coffee table book release Ali […]

Jeezy’s CTE Movement has been strong since the beginning.  The Snowman has bolstered a movement that has swept the industry and that has a hand in how it now works in regards to mixtapes. He has now taken on the task of every successful rapper—putting his crew on.  Since the Trap or Die days, the […]

If there’s one thing that brings fans of hip-hop together from coast to coast, its the feeling of frustration you get when you cop a new mixtape and, instead of hearing some fresh heat from your favorite MC, you hear a DJ screaming his name and dropping explosions all over the track. All you want […]

Anyone who was at this year’s Summer Jam at Giant Stadium may just be recuperating from pneumonia, but there’s no doubt there is still buzz about a couple of the performances. Thousands of fans braved a torrential downpour, winds and absolutely no cover (they don’t allow umbrellas in the stadium…) as dozens of artists took […]

Premo, RZA, Dilla, Dre; throw on a record and their distinctive sounds are instantly apparent.  A producer needs a voice and the legends have it.  DJ Babu is a legend in his own right, as an essential turntablist and Hip Hop ambassador.  On The Beat Tape, Vol. 1 (Nature Sounds), he moves his production experiments […]

It’s been over a decade since founding Beatnuts Psycho Les and Al Tariq debuted with Intoxicated Demons, and these guys still haven’t settled down. On The City Never Sleeps (Nature Sounds), Les and Tariq join longtime affiliate and Missin Linx member Problemz to become Big City on an album full of boasts and bad behavior. […]

Mr. F-A-B-O….you know the rest. He’s back, and more consistent than ever. Let’s face it, when Fabolous drops an album your mind won’t be blown, but you may work up a little sweat bobbin’ your head to the beats. Fab’s new album From Nothin’ to Somethin’ (Def Jam) is no exception.Despite a persistent “Muhammad Ali […]

Don’t let the stoned sprawl fool you.  As serious as a heart attack, Emergency Powers: The World Tour (Backwoodz) faces gentrification, the drug war, and terrorism; all in dope, bud-fueled streams of consciousness.  Priviledge and Billy Woods are funny—“You’re like Dexter Manley in English class, straight dunce,” and they are high—“I’d rather blaze till I […]

Instrumental albums are always hit-or-miss since they are niche items. Constructed of a particular producer’s beats from various artists—sometimes even various genres—the beats are never truly defined as to whom they are catered to. Alchemist hopes to do away with all the confusion by letting you know exactly who Rapper’s Best Friend: An Instrumental Series […]

Diamond D said it best: “You’ve got to get your fingers dusty.” For anybody subscribing the Hip-Hop sub-culture of crate-digging, Deep Crates 2 (Beatdawg Films) is the sequel within an essential documentary series told by the most respected producers. Although the first installment covered ground with Premier, Madlib, Evil Dee and the aforementioned D.I.T.C. member, […]

Ever since, and even before, Nas dropped his last disc it seems everybody and their mother had an opinion on the lifeline of our culture.  Media outlets ate it up while rappers old and new addressed it to overkill.  In a unique twist KRS-ONE and Marley Marl put their past differences aside in an effort […]

Look out below—Soul Sides just dropped the world’s 5 bazillionth soul compilation. In case this is your first time using the internet, Soul Sides is a popular blog focused on all things funky, souly and hip-hoppy. The site is run by Oliver Wang, an incredibly knowledgeable journalist and music nerd who has decided to bless […]

One definite key to success is to follow in the footsteps of those who have succeeded before you.  This way you limit your failures and have a measuring stick for your success.  It’s not fool proof, but it can be very effective. That’s what Kurupt told a young group from his hometown that was looking […]

Say whatever you want about The Bay, but the region’s rappers are experts at finding their audience. From hometown hero Too $hort to left-field wordsmith’s like Del tha Funkee Homosapien, the boys from Oakland are out to do their own thing whether the rest of the country is paying attention or not. Determined to be […]

After the successful 1999 release, Rhyme Related, the musically-talented, Hip-Hop educated Addicts are back. This time around they bring a lady friend. Break Glass (Babygrande) formally introduces Tiye Phoenix as she joins DJ Spinna, Mr. Complex, and Shabaam Sahdeeq on this prolific release that is sure to restore the faith in Hip-Hop fiends. Each member […]

Self-proclaimed as his ode to Pete Rock’s Soul Survivor LP,  Marco Polo’s debut album Port Authority (Rawkus) lives up to that lofty standard.  The Toronto-born, Brooklyn-bred producer takes you back to a time when Hip-Hop really did live at Hot 97 and fans still got excited when albums dropped. Overall, Port Authority is reminiscent of […]