B.G. and Mobb Deep’s Prodigy joined forces years ago to create a song called, “Young Black Entrepreneur.” A lot of new artists claim to be just that; however, when you do a background check or examine current affairs, few actually measure up. Created in Memphis, comes an independent workaholic, Yo Gotti. Gotti swears he doesn’t […]

Ras Kass has been out of prison for ten months. Rumors have swirled that he’s on the verge of signing to G-Unit, that he’s swinging vocal jabs at The Game, and that he’s tucked away recording a classic. Last month, Ras released a mixtape-album, Institutionalized that has critics smiling, and the industry ducking for cover. […]

Rodney O & Joe Cooley’s “You Don’t Hear Me Tho’” was the group’s energetic opus to being snubbed by radio DJ’s, and became their biggest hit. With other animosity-driven records like, “F**k New York,” it’s easy to understand why the Riverside, California duo may be misunderstood. Before the tumultuous early 90’s, which saw many rappers […]

Loon’s back, but not in the manner that he wanted to return. The former Bad Boy, who has sought greener pastures with his own Boss Up Entertainment, was pursuing a career in acting. Then a chance interview with a New York radio station raised the ire of Ma$e, the Harlem entertainer that helped get Loon […]

AllHipHop.com: Everyone has a favorite Busta album, but in my opinion you really shine the most on remixes. Is that because coming from a group setting you had to work harder than a solo MC or is it just the challenge of being around other great MC’s? Busta Rhymes: My goal when I jump on […]

In his illustrious career, Busta Rhymes clearly established to Hip-Hop not only that he was here to stay, but also a distinguishable force to be reckoned with. After enduring professional growth and personal pain, it was Busta’s stand out performance on his verse of the A Tribe Called Quest hit “Scenario” that helped him to […]

Good producers come a dime a dozen, and great ones are even rarer. In time, the Miami-based duo known as Cool & Dre could be classified as the latter. While their name may remain alien outside of rap, their beats should ring multiple bells—Ja Rule’s “New York” and the Game’s “Hate it Or Love It” […]

Beanie Sigel has crossed the burning sands and is now a brother in a distinguished fraternity that includes a select few Black men. Accused of attempted murder, Sigel was found not guilty by a jury of his peers even though he was completely vilified in the media. In the court of public opinion, still guilty […]

Hip-hop is getting a shot in the arm, and it’s not coming from any of the usual places—not New York, not LA, and not the South. Instead, the new sound is beaming in from the slums of East London, thousands of miles across the Atlantic in fair old England. It’s called grime, and although it’s […]

J-Live has long been a major presence is the underground Hip-Hop community. His immaculately produced, energetic debut The Best Part to many, is on the same plane as Black Star and Nia. His follow-up: the mellow, Jazz-inspired, All of the Above reached many more listeners through major media endorsements. Three years, a few EP’s, and […]

Royal Flush is casually-cool, laid-up lounging in a recording studio/apartment in his native Flushing, Queens. His cell-phone interrupts the conversation every few minutes, as his smoke clouds the room. The small, square box apartment is half living room and half recording space. It is here that Royal Flush plans his attacking return to Hip-Hop. In […]

Before Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. came into prominence, there was Big Daddy Kane. A product of Brooklyn, Kane and others like him marked the era of the super emcee. However, Kane, a dark-skinned brother, was decidedly different that most emcees before and after him. Kane was able to astound males with his lyrical ferocity, […]

Born Melvin Glover, Grandmaster Melle Mel is more than one of the pioneers of hip-hop – he is heralded, by those that know, as one of the finest lyricists Hip-Hop has ever seen. While we at AllHipHop deem him the original G.O.A.T., the notion is certainly arguable with greats before and after him. But. Melle […]

Some Hip-Hop fans may’ve thought that Sean Price was forever Rock’s wingman in Heltah Skeltah. Though he lacked the baritone delivery that sounded sweet on hooks, Sean’s solo debut, Monkey Barz is proving to be a lead-pony in Duck Down Records’ “Triple Threat Summer” of albums from Buckshot and Smiff-N-Wesson. Away from his partner, Sean […]

Ice-T is perhaps the most understated legend of hip-hop music. EVER. As the original gangster of hip-hop, his influence, is represented in nearly every aspect of the genre seen today. While Schoolly D fathered it, Ice populated it, making it possible for Eazy E. NWA, and every other n***a with an attitude to have a […]

Big Shug is that dude who held doors for everybody until there was no room left to get in. At least, that’s how it would seem. Luckily, when you’re as big as Shug, you can shove your way in whenever you want. That’s exactly what the Gang Starr Foundation father out of Boston is doing. […]

“Dope beats, dope rhymes/ What more do y’all want?” –Phonte, on Little Brother’s “Not Enough” This straightforward question seems rather telltale for Little Brother’s current mood. In some ways, the North Carolina-based trio [MC’s Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder] have reluctantly been cast as Hip-Hop’s “saviors.” Amidst an industry abundant in […]

Remember when A Tribe Called Quest helped usher in Jay Dee to Hip-Hop ears? Though he’s not 9th Wonder, Holland’s Nicolay has gained a lot of fans, respect, and work after last year’s Connected project with Phonte, as Foreign Exchange. Although Little Brother may be skeptical of the internet reaction to certain things in Hip-Hop, […]

In 1993, Hip-Hop in America was so light-hearted that a group named Yall So Stupid dropped a all-but-forgotten album called Van Fulla Pakistans on Rowdy Records – to limited success. Hard to imagine – through today’s memory. As it were, after 2001 though, such a title could hault even the smartest publicity campaign. Old jokes […]