Artist: ShareefaTitle: Point Of No ReturnRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Starrene Rhett Shareefa sings with the passion of a talented inmate who wants to get free to pursue her dreams of stardom. That dream has become a reality for Disturbing Tha Peace’s newest crooner. Her debut Point of No Return (Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam) takes […]

Artist: Snoop DoggTitle: Tha Blue Carpet TreatmentRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Paine In 2004, Snoop Dogg scored his biggest hit in the post riding shotgun with Dr. Dre years with The Neptunes-assisted “Drop it Like it’s Hot”. But while R&G was aimed at the charts with Southern and East Coast-seasoned production, Snoop’s Tha Blue Carpet Treatment […]

Artist: Killer MikeTitle: I Pledge Allegiance To The GrindRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Alejandro Mojado Hell hath no fury like a rapper scorned, or something like that. Killer Mike sets out to personify his rage on his new double CD entitled I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind (Grind Time). The Atlanta native has been somewhat […]

Artist: Original SoundtrackTitle: Save The Last Dance 2Rating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Alex Thornton Back in the 90s, some of the best Hip-Hop and R&B came from film soundtracks. Major label artists weren’t releasing albums and mixtapes every 8 months, so soundtracks were a great way to stay on the scene. Remember Above the Rim and […]

Artist: Big PunTitle: Capital Punishment (CLASSIC REVIEW)Rating: 5 StarsReviewed by: Pitbull Let’s face the facts, there will never be another Big Pun. The Bronx bomber went in so hard (pause), it will be almost impossible to replicate his ill combination of innate raw lyricism and loveable playboy charisma. On his debut Capital Punishment, he displayed […]

Artist: Clinton Sparks & EminemTitle: SmashTime Radio: Shade 45 Anniversary EditionRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: KeiSaundra “K.Sincere” Henderson The definition of a mixtape at times requires that there be several artist who have come together to help a DJ compile music assisted by mixing and sampling of previously recorded tracks. Clinton Sparks and Eminem’s SmashTime Radio: […]

Artist: Moka OnlyTitle: The Desired EffectRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Slav Kandyba The NBA may have pulled out of Vancouver, but not even a sour situation with a major can stop the city’s own Moka Only. The emcee’s recognizable mellow chops have hit U.S. eardrums on a variety of releases and fans accustomed to Moka’s sound […]

Artist: MolemenTitle: Killing FieldsRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Michael P###### Chicago Hip-Hop is in the middle of everything, and that means sedimentary influence: New York boom-bap, L.A. swagger, Southern drawl; it’s all around, all for the taking. It reached a new high in 2005, with Common (Be) and Kanye West (Late Registration) putting out groundbreaking albums […]

Artist: A.G.Title: Get Dirty RadioRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Slav Kandyba When a veteran rapper out of the South Bronx relocates to the Bay for a minute to do an album, does he emulate the sound of rappers around him or stay true to his roots? Fortunately for A.G., the Diggin’ in the Crates vet […]

Artist: CL SmoothTitle: American MeRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Kye Stephenson “I reminisce for a spell, or shall I say think back…” Ahh yes, it’s been over a decade since those words first spilled out over those beautiful horns. And CL Smooth is still here, ready to recapture the successes of past with patented soulful […]

Artist: PitbullTitle: El MarielRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Kathy Iandoli Anyone who has either read or watched an interview with Pitbull knows that the Miami Cubano is light years wiser than the music he creates. So when an MC who has the ear of the universe releases a record titled El Mariel (TVT), it’s assumed that […]

Artist: The GameTitle: Doctor’s AdvocateRating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Conan Milne If adversity were to be personified, its daunting presence would stand face-to-face with a weary Jayceon Taylor. Compton’s own has been through it all in the past year: label defections, family turmoil, and intense musical feuds. All as the media watched and noted. Fanning […]

Artist: NasTitle: Hip Hop Is Dead PREVIEWRating: 5 StarsReviewed by: Robert Longfellow<font face="verdana" size="2" Again, that is not the rating, but most of y’all won’t bother even reading this line so at least wipe the foam from the side of your rabid mouths. Last night (Thursday, November 9th), AllHipHop.com was strategically inside New York City’s […]

Artist: Jim JonesTitle: Hustler’s P.O.M.E.Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Maiya Norton With street credibility, a distinguished Uptown swagger and a hit single in heavy rotation, Jim Jones has little to prove. He will gladly take a white tee or a thermal or a purple label. He will show up to an interview with red eyes […]

Artist: Kevin FederlineTitle: Playing With FireRating: 1 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Alex Thornton Some things are so bad that they can be entertaining in an ironic sense, but Kevin Ferderline’s Playing With Fire (Reincarnate) is not in this category. K-Fed’s inexcusably poor attempts at rapping are too bad even to laugh at, let alone ride with. […]

Artist: Birdman & Lil WayneTitle: Like Father, Like SonRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Sidik Fofana In a certain music genre, it is not gangsta to love your father. In fact, it is customary to forsake your pops because, oftentimes, it makes for a quality tune. Now, Birdman and his adopted son, the South’s posterboy Lil Wayne, […]

Artist: AZTitle: The FormatRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Michael P###### It means nothing to call AZ a veteran. It’s the wars he’s seen and the aftermaths he’s survived that count, and trigger the double-take every time he releases a new album. Yes, this is the AZ from “Life’s a B####.” Yes, the same AZ that […]

Artist: Z-RoTitle: I’m Still Livin’Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Eb Haynes “I’m 27 but I’m feelin’ 71/I pray so much I feel like I’m kin to the heavenly son.” Immediately on its opening track, the reminiscent to vintage Geto Boys tune “City Streets”, Z-Ro Da Crooked sets a bluesy mono-thematic theme of survival through faith. […]

Artist: Kevin PowellTitle: Someday We’ll All Be Free (Book)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Sidik Fofana In the rapid blood rush that is American society, very few leaders pause to make sure everyone is informed about the events that define our time. Prominent activist and former Vibe Magazine staff writer, Kevin Powell releases Someday We’ll All Be […]

Artist: Tech N9neTitle: Everready (The Religion)Rating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Paine With a style derived from Bay Area and Southern Hip-Hop, it’s geographically convenient that Tech N9ne hails from Kansas City. With a rapid-fire flow, an overpowering personality, and common man subject matter, Tech has spent the last decade touring endlessly, and releasing albums cherished by […]