Featured Videos

Twista: F5 (Review)

In the closing months of 2003 Kanye West, while introducing himself, reintroduced the hip-hop world to his fellow Chicagoan, a rapid-fire spitter known as Twista. Despite several break-out verses on projects from Do or Die, Puff Daddy and the Ruff Ryders, Twista had achieved limited mainstream success prior to the Kanye-featured-and-produced “Slow Jams,” and the […]

REVIEW: “Subway Art”

Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant, both world-class photographers in their own right, reclaim graffiti fame with this 25th anniversary re-release of their remarkable visual documentation of graffiti’s golden age in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The portfolio-sized book is not one of those stuffy academic releases dedicated to the history of graffiti, its commercialization, […]

The Alchemist: Chemical Warfare (Review)

  It’s been five years since his last solo effort, 1st Infantry, but on Chemical Warfare, Alchemist—Eminem’s tour DJ and Prodigy’s go-to-beatsmith—doesn’t disappoint his eager fans. As always, Al flips both exotic and noteworthy samples to accompany his signature sound—sinister melodies over thumping drums. A good selection of artists from Memphis to Brooklyn laces the […]