On the evening of February 26th, New York’s City’s premier showcase venue Spotlight Live hosted another exclusive RnB Live production with Def Jam/Disturbing Tha Peace. Co-founders Ludacris and Chaka Zulu introduced performances by artists Steph Jones, Shareefa, and Bobby Valentino, while luminaries such as LA Reid and Kevin Liles sat in attendance. Presiding over a […]

Rappers should always multi-task. No, not the standard, “I got a clothing line and I’m trying be an actor too,” nonsense. But more in line with juggling duties like a radio gig on the Boston’s JAM’N 94.5’s Morning Show kicking “Sports Rap-Up” freestyles or having your music featured on TV shows like The Wire or […]

DJs have long been the backbone of Hip-Hop music. Recently we have witnessed a surge in DJs stepping from behind the tables and into the limelight as recording artists and producers.DJ Felli Fel is now stepping into that same arena, armed, and poised to take over. The South Carolina native is currently one of the […]

Ok producers, the battle rages on. Last week we had a very close match up between Meta Maestro and Battle Axe. Meta Maestro was the overwhelming favorite because of his versatility.  This week was a very difficult decision. In particular there were about 5 producers that could have been picked to compete, so we had […]

When you think of a group from the West Coast, you get automatic images of gangbangers in khaki pants, Chuck Taylor’s, red or blue bandanas and a ‘64 Chevy Impala bouncing on hydraulics as G-Funk blasts in the background. Despite West Coast groups like The Pharcyde and The Alkaholiks for years constantly trying to break […]

Pimp C does not define Bun B, but the tragic death of latter’s volatile, longtime rap partner has been a cornerstone of the mainstream attention directed to UGK. Long one of Hip-Hop’s staples, when half of the group departed, it was far more than a daily headline to Bun and legions of fans.According to medical […]

Khia has never been afraid to let loose her speech. Whether it was demanding where men could put their tongues on her “My Neck, My Back” smash, extensively berating her female rap rivals Trina and Jacki-O or brashly declaring her business independence, Khia always speaks freely. Sure she proudly pontificates on the preparation for her […]

There has been a lot said about Devin The Dude over the years. Underrated rapper, pothead, comic. “Serious” has never been one of those words. What you also may not hear are comments like family man or loyal friend. It appears that there is a lot more to Devin The Dude than what we know. […]

A wise person once said, ‘There is a fine line between passion and anger’ or maybe that was just me. Former Gang Starr member and founder Guru and his exclusive producer Solar walk that line better than Johnny Cash. Like many others in Hip-Hop, these two have an inherit problem with what is being publicized […]

James Top is a legendary Graffiti Artist from New York City who will host his first solo show “Afrology” at the new Essex Street Gallery on Friday February 22nd, 2008, 6pm-Midnight [www.essexstreetgallery.com]. Afrology debuts as seventeen artistic variations of the 1970’s hairstyle, the “Afro”, and depicts controversial, nostalgic and historical messages of the African-American experience […]

Mmm the fresh smell of hate in the air almost got us scared to post some new beats. But that won’t stop us, the battle rages on. Last week both producers brought heat with vastly different styles.  After a fierce competition, Sha Beatz ran away with the decision over Poe.  Just to clear up a […]

Longevity. It’s a word that seems to have fallen by the wayside in today’s music scene, where ringtone sales equate relevance and the success of a single depends on a catchy dance step to accompany it.Roger “King T” McBride has been around long enough to see a whole lot change in Hip-Hop, and has learned […]

It was just around the spring of last year when the buzz of Kid Sister escaped Chicago’s borders. As the designer dance movement began to penetrate the Hip-Hop community, groups like Flosstradamus and Chromeo gingerly escorted rap fans through the transition. Luckily, for Melisa Young p/k/a Kid Sister, her flashy nailed fingers rested on the […]

It is a sad day when the average artist doesn’t feel the least bit nervous about how listeners will interpret their new project. Enter Nicolay & Kay, who aren’t afraid to admit they’re harboring slight anxiety about how the Hip-Hop nation will react to the new concept album they’re ready to unleash, TIME:LINE on February […]

Last year rapper Juganot made an impression as sizable as his gerth with “En Why Cee.” A numbing, Frequency produced (with additional production from Scram Jones) groove, guest verses from Joell Ortiz and Uncle Murda equaled a heater of a record chock full of NYC pride. After years of dues paid Juganot plans on maintaining […]

The Original Hip-Hop Photographer Ernie Paniccioli releases five new books.Ernie Paniccioli is the legendary photographer behind the 2002 Hip-Hop classic book Who Shot Ya?: Three Decades of Hip-Hop Photography. Temple of Hip-Hop leader KRS-One says about the book, “Mr. Paniccioli documented the only true representation of authentic Hip-Hop history to date.” A member of the […]

It may seem like the typical rap-braggadocio steez for a production duo to claim they’re the next ones to etch their signature in the A-list production totem pole. However with Sha Money XL backing their beats and 50 Cent dropping their name, Tha Bizness is in a position where such optimism seems warranted. Until two […]

Last week in the Beat Melee, Noface battled Dual Output.  Noface came strongly with the versatility that could stretch several musical genres, while Dual came with the in your face  block rocking tracks. In the end, Dual Output won in the vote tally.  Props to both producers as they were selected from a long list […]

There is a change going on with the people that were raised on Hip-Hop during the Golden Era and the 1990’s. Has a generation that adored Hip-Hop like a newborn started to hate it like an invasive degenerate? LL Cool J, Kevin Powell, Tha Hip-Hop Doc, Planet Asia and a lot of 30-somethings discuss these […]

R.I.P. James “Jay Dee/J Dilla” Yancey (Feb. 7, 1974 – Feb. 10, 2006)Dilla lives! It has been two years since Detroit’s great beat manipulator passed away just after his 32nd birthday. But, Dilla’s legacy is legend. I was blessed to speak to the man when I was an Editor-at-Large at the late Scratch Magazine, and […]