Artist: DaghaTitle: Object in MotionRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Paine Despite the high-profile guests on Soul Supreme’s 2003 debut The Saturday Night Agenda, a little known group called The Electric Co. stole a chunk of the show with “Respect Life.” Two and half years later, the Boston group has since spawned Insight to some success, and […]

Artist: Cool Calm PeteTitle: LostRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Starrene Rhett Somewhere to the far left of boring, and on the border of normal lies Lost (Embedded), Cool Calm Pete’s solo debut. A trippy potpourri of cartoony sound effects and voices, obscure samples mainly taken from 70’s Korean soul music, intelligent lyrics that make you […]

Artist: LongshotsTitle: Hunger MusicRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Paine Smart Hip-Hop references itself. It’s aware of its surroundings, and works to create space at the table to eat. New York dup The Longshots are hungry and fast approaching the table. Hunger Music (Sun City) is a debut album speaking directly to those who kept Hip-Hop alive, […]

Artist: Bun BTitle: TrillRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: B. Gatsby UGK’s career has had its share of ups and downs. Starting with their first major label release Too Hard To Swallow to their last collective effort, Dirty Money, UGK was held back due to the lack of respect from their label and rap fans outside of […]

Artist: Movie ReviewTitle: G (Film)Rating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Edwardo Jackson BIASES: 30year old black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare In the real world, Summer G (Richard T. Jones) would be Diddy: he’s a wildly successful Hip-Hop entrepreneur, throws […]

Artist: JinTitle: Emcee’s PropergandaRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Robert Longfellow The Emcee…ahem…Jin can’t win for losing. In a matter of months we’ve seen the Asian rap superhero throw in the white flag with an early retirement, get knocked the fugg out at a Fight Klub battle and reclaim his freestyle battle crown, technically, at the […]

Artist: Brian ColemanTitle: Rakim Told Me (Book)Rating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Paine When an artist today reflects on one of their songs with, “it is what it is,” it leads to something bitter-tasting in the mouth of every purebred Hip-Hop listener. After all, many of us would kill for the chance to ask Biz Markie […]

Artist: M.O.P.Title: M.O.P. Salutes the St. MarxmenRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Bill “Low-Key” Heinzelman Whether you love or hate G-Unit, you have to be happy for M.O.P. For over a decade Billy Danze and Lil’ Fame have repped hardcore Hip-Hop to the death, only to be shunned by the mainstream. With their upcoming G-Unit debut, […]

Artist: SoulsticeTitle: North by Northwest: Solid GroundRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Kye Stephenson Mostly due to the stardom of one Kanye West, Chicago has seen the Hip-Hop spotlight shine bright on their city as of late. And though Kanye can be credited with jumpstarting the Chicago scene, it’s stellar artists such as Soulstice that have […]

Artist: Self ScientificTitle: ChangeRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Conan Milne Self Scientific captured the attention of the underground hip hop conscious with their seminal debut Self Science. Since then, there have been some big transitions for the talented duo of Chace Infinite and DJ Khalil. The group has seen their profile rise through affiliation with […]

Artist: Black RobTitle: The Black Rob ReportRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: James Johnson Who doesn’t remember the joint, “Whoa”? It was only one of the biggest hits of 1999. Black Rob immediately solidified himself as a hood celebrity with the songs and it carried his debut, Life Story to platinum status. With Bad Boy records suffering […]

Artist: Bisc1Title: The Basics EPRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Paine Often times, Hip-Hop’s most talented MC’s got their first Rap checks designing logos and doing murals. Miami’s Skam? and El Da Sensei can testify to that. Bisc1 is the Connecticut born, Brooklyn learned designer behind logos for Def Jux and Eastern Conference. The artist listened, […]

Artist: Tony TouchTitle: The Reggaetony AlbumRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Max Herman When Tony Touch’s latest, The Reggaetony Album (EMI International), dropped this past summer, reggaeton had already made its way onto American pop radio and video rotation. With a few key hits—namely NORE’s undeniably catchy “Oye Mi Canto” and Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina”—this danceable blend […]

Artist: U-GodTitle: Mr. ExcitementRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Danielle Stolich Last heard in 2004 when he released the LP, Ugodzilla Presents: The Hillside Scramblers, original Wu-Tang member U-God recently released his second solo album, Mr. Excitement (Free Agency). Best known for his trademark baritone as well as his unique delivery, U-God returns with an album […]

Artist: J-LoveTitle: Better Your LifeRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: N. Context J-Love, mixtape DJ and producer from Queens, NY, has been bubbling on the underground circuit for quite some time now. Mostly known for his “Best Of” series of CD’s (Ghostface Killa Hidden Darts, Nas’ Finest and Rakim Legends, to name a few), he’s also […]

Artist: Big ToneTitle: The DroughtRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Paine Remember after Snoop, when it seemed like everybody in Long Beach got a record deal? While Warren G and Jayo Felony thrived, others like Twinz and Lil’ ½ Dead fizzled out. The same may happen in Detroit by way of Slum Village. As Phat Kat, […]

Artist: TwistaTitle: The Day AfterRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Jessica Dufresne Sometimes making it big suddenly is more trouble than it’s worth. Twista might know this better than anyone as he drops the follow-up to his platinum Kamikaze. Although he was already well known and respected for years before MTV cared, it wasn’t until “Slow […]

Artist: Lil’ KimTitle: The Naked TruthRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Starrene Rhett Hell hath no fury like Lil’ Kim scorned. The Queen Bee is back with her fourth LP The Naked Truth (Queen Bee/Atlantic). Irreverent and unapologetic, she has a stinger more like a hornet’s. In the midst of the usual “baddest b*tch,” “f**k the haters,” […]

Artist: Omega OneTitle: The Lo-Fi ChroniclesRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Jason Newman You may not know the name Omega One but if you’ve been following underground or alternative Hip-Hop for a minute, chances are you’ve heard at least one of his beats. The longtime DJ/producer, who has worked with such veterans as Aesop Rock, I Self […]

Artist: A-PinksTitle: 10 Rap Commandments (Mixtape)Rating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Angus Crawford After the success of 50 Cent it has become characteristic for most rappers to build a street buzz with freestyle mixtapes. Hailing from Queens and a former student at Howard University, A-Pinks does not differentiate from the norm on his freestyle mixtape, P-Cutta Presents: […]