Artist: DeclaimeTitle: Conversations With DudleyRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Kenny Rodriguez Declaime (alias Dudley Perkins) is living proof that simply knowing the right people can do wonders for a rap artist’s career. Having the good fortune to grow up alongside siblings Otis and Michael Jackson – now known as Madlib and Oh No – when Declaime […]

Artist: EminemTitle: EncoreRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Matt Barone Without a doubt one of the game’s all-time grand lyricists, one of Eminem’s superior strengths throughout his illustrious career has been the uncanny ability to bring listeners into his turbulent psyche, one loaded with violent baby mama drama, parental neglect, and shameless insults. But on his fourth […]

Artist: JinTitle: The Rest is HistoryRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Robert DeGracia There are few tougher tasks in Hip-hop than selling your written raps to an audience that has grown accustomed to your success in the freestyle forefront. The Rest is History, is an attempt to pickup where Miami-native and freestyle champ Jin left off […]

Artist: MF DoomTitle: MM..Food Rating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Alvin aqua boogie Blanco If skeptics took some of their time spent panning underground Hip-hop music for being dull and lifeless-admittedly, on many occasions rightfully so-and used it to listen to MF Doom’s MM..Food (Rhymesayers), they would shut their traps for a little less than an […]

Artist: Wu-Tang ClanTitle: Disciples of the 36 Chambers: Chapter 1Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Shawn Lawrence James The year was 1993. Rather than scratching the surface, the rap collective known as the Wu-Tang Clan punctured Hip-Hop with sharp compositions of street life and quickly became a gritty alternative to the commercial avenue the West Coast paved […]

Artist: Ja RuleTitle: R.U.L.E.Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Matt Barone While many have prematurely considered his career a wrap, Ja Rule has risen up to silence all naysayers with his sixth, and arguably most important, album, R.U.L.E (Def Jam). Cleverly opening up with Ja delivering Denzel Washington’s campfire spiritual from the Civil War epic Glory, R.U.L.E. […]

Artist: KaziTitle: The Plague (Feat. Oh No)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Jesse Fairfax If you’re even vaguely familiar with the underground scene you’ve heard the name Stones Throw Records by this point. This West Coast powerhouse has built its reputation for putting out experimental jazz, hip-hop and funk music mainly produced by the extraordinary Madlib. Not […]

Artist: VirtuosoTitle: World War II: Evolution of the TorturerRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Max Herman Politically aware MC’s may never be satisfied with the government, but let’s face it: the outcome of the 2004 election will leave mindful lyricists no choice but to get even more militant on the mic. Just look at how many […]

Artist: Jacki-OTitle: Poe Little Rich GirlRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Shawn Lawrence James Jacki-O should know that there is a thin line between vending sex and lyricism. While artists like Foxy Brown and Salt –N- Pepa exercised their provocative appeal to garner attention from many, their substance conveyed on wax, especially the latter, is what […]

Artist: MC EihtTitle: Veterans DayRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Jozen Cummings Dear Mainstream Media: I write this letter to you with deep concern. For close to 10 years, you have waited for the resurrection of West Coast Hip-hop. Ever since Pac died, you claim the West just isn’t the same. Snoop can make a great record […]

Artist: SupastitionTitle: The DeadlineRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Maurice Downes With The Deadline (Soulspazm), it seems like we’ve caught Supastition at “that” album. To be more specific, the album, technically an EP, that’s some kind of massive change between then and now, between the artist that sounded like A, but now comes across like B. It’s […]

Artist: R.A. the Rugged ManTitle: Die, Rugged Man, DieRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Max Herman After being lavishly courted by a host of major record labels in the early-90s, R.A. the Rugged Man opted to sign with Jive Records only to be dropped and sued. This erratic MC simply proved to be too much to […]

Artist: LibrettoTitle: Ill-oet The Last ElementRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Jesse Fairfax When thinking of the West Coast, even the most “die hard rider” of fans will admit that it’s slumped since the famed demise of Death Row Records. The Pharcyde broke up and Ice Cube discovered an acting career, leaving us with Snoop Dogg and […]

Artist: GoretexTitle: The Art of DyingRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Matt Barone In a time of disposable albums filled with conventional methods of songwriting and all-too-familiar sounding beats, Goretex’s The Art of Dying is a rare exercise in completely unique rap music. One-third of underground revolutionaries Non Phixion (along with Ill Bill and Sabac), Goretex has […]

Artist: Edo. G featuring Pete RockTitle: My Own Worst EnemyRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Matt Barone Uniting the microphone abilities of Boston veteran Edo. G with the board skills of Mount Vernon legend Pete Rock would have surely been a high-profile collaboration a decade ago. As an unfortunate sign of the times, however, My Own Worst […]

Artist: MaroonsTitle: AmbushRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Jason Newman As Quannum heads anxiously begin their 6-month countdown for the new Blackalicious album, they hopefully will not overlook the release of Ambush (Quannum), the ambitious and innovative debut from Maroons AKA Latyrx’s Lateef the Truth Speaker and Blackalicious’ DJ Chief Xcel. A precursor to next year’s release […]

Artist: R. Kelly & jay ZTitle: Unfinished BusinessRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Jayson Rodriguez If The Best Of Both Worlds was Jay-Z and R.Kelly’s “Fiesta”-fueled Friday night then Unfinished Business (Def Jam), the duo’s second collaborative album, is their Saturday night sequel. Jigga and Kells re-team with the intention of flaunting their fantasy-inducing fairy tales, but […]

Artist: Mos Def/Medina GreenTitle: U Know The Flex, Vol. 1Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Boudreaux The Love Child Everyone is proud of their hometown but Brooklyn, NY citizens are especially fanatical about reppin’ their habitat. That devotion is evident throughout U Know The Flex Mixtape Vol. 1. Presented by the Mighty Mos Def and Illson […]

Artist: Wu-Tang ClanTitle: Legend of the Wu-Tang: Wu-Tang Clan’s Greatest HitsRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Jason Newman Given the uneven career of Wu-Tang Clan, ranging from undeniable classics like Enter The Wu-Tang 36 Chambers to weak (at best) efforts like Iron Flag, compiling a greatest hits package is bound to present some problems for its creators. […]

Artist: Special EdTitle: Still Got It MadeRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Martin A. Berrios Do the math yourself, few songs are able to capture the true essence of our culture and at the same time be hot enough to be considered a classic. Before the bling and the stuntin’, Special Ed pulled this off in […]