Only a year after making his stateside debut with Tales Of The Forgotten Melodies, Frenchman Wax Tailor (a.k.a. WT) returns with another quality release, full of cinematic beats. But on Hope & Sorrow (Decon), this producer is less concerned with making his mark as an instrumentalist and more invested in collaborating with others—a move that […]

If there was one thing The Diplomats ever did right, it was image branding.  Dip-heads around the globe love their rock star aesthetic just as much as the music itself.  And as such, Hip-Hop’s foremost swagger peddlers deliver their latest compilation as, More Than Music, Vol. 2 (Diplomat/KOCH).  But in the midst the crew’s biggest […]

In order to understand Madlib’s erratic sound choices on the CD The Other Side Los Angeles (Deaf Dumb + Blind Recordings) fairly, you have to be familiar with the whole crux of Time Out Magazine’s “Other Side” campaign. The trendy lifestyle rag’s series devoted to the underdog’s tour of major cities in the world pairs […]

It may not be Def Comedy Jam, but Oscar winning comedian/actor/singer Jamie Foxx has taken his love for stand-up comedy and given today’s up-and-coming comedic talent a hell of a shot.  Live from Laffapaolooza Jamie Foxx presents, America’s Funniest Comics, Vol 1 (Universal Music & Video Distribution).  A first in a series of four DVD’s […]

Apparently, Dr. Dre has done something deserving of a whole book about his life. Ronin Ro certainly thinks so. Avalon Publishing definitely thinks so. Both are banking on the hope hundred thousands of readers think so as well. After all, we are talking about a pioneer of gangsta rap. The beat helmsman who put his […]

Don’t call it a comeback.  As one of the few DJs who can seamlessly transition from mainstream to underground while still remaining relevant today as a producer and turntablist, Grammy winner DJ Jazzy Jeff needs no introduction. Jeff returns with a refreshing soul-influenced album sure to whet the palates of those craving a dose of […]

Just as M.O.P. fans have been asking 50 Cent for three straight years, “how about some hardcore?” Kanye West’s GOOD Music imprint has tied a few acts of their own up in paperwork. While it might be a good thing that Fonzworth Bentley is still in development, veteran genre-bending troop Sa-Ra Creative Partners has had […]

With the majority of the 80’s rappers having moved on long ago, the 90’s rappers are beginning to show their age in this young man’s game. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are the latest vets attempting their big comeback (with the help of Swizz Beatz), but as these things typically go, Strength & Loyalty (Full Surface/Interscope) is an […]

Rhode Island’s Sage Francis is the kind of MC that purists love to support given his articulate, socially conscious material. Unfortunately, wanting an album to be good doesn’t make it so. On paper, Sage’s latest, Human the Death Dance (Strange Famous/Epitaph) is everything a hip-hop album supposedly should be, but on vinyl, the overall work […]

Hip-Hop writers are subtly proving that they may be doing more for the genre than emcees themselves. William Jelani Cobb’s To the Break of Dawn (NYU Press) breaks down the storied tradition behind the haloed craft of emceeing. Cobb’s book serves as a schematic to rapping, decomposing the nuances of MC technique and analyzing lyrical […]

Snoop Dogg described his latest album release in a recent Los Angeles Times article as trying to “squeeze” more out of the rap game. It’s a simple statement that offers up little more about the compilation album than the title itself states: The Big Squeeze (Doggy Style/Koch). In many respects, the album could be thought […]

We’ve all heard about that one kid with talent.  The one guy where the world is literally waiting to be his oyster.  It’s the kid that’s about to get the full scholarship to Princeton.  It’s Len Bias coming out of college.  It’s Ryan “Royce Da 5’9”” Montgomery spitting rhyme for rhyme with Eminem circa ’98.  […]

  With the hyphy (or hyphie) craze invading the music industry and permeating the ears of the Hip-Hop lovers the last few years, it was only a question of when – not if. With Bravez Team Hyphy, the sub-genre’s first foray into the boy band idiom has officially started. Unfortunately, it’s not All Systems Go (Stand Up/Green Light), as […]

Phat Kat has a lot to be passionate about. As a matter of fact he should be pretty damn frustrated. Aside from the passing of his longtime friend DJ/Producer J Dilla, the lyrical go-getter rarely gets the credit due for putting Detroit on the map.  His name is often lost when Eminem, Slum Village and […]

Artist: SlaineTitle: The White Man is the Devil Volume 2: Citizen CaineRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Kathy Iandoli The heart of Boston Hip-Hop is forever held in the arms of its independent artists. Logistically, Beantown can give New York a run for its money in the number of lyricists that flood the underground. Almost impossible to […]

Artist: Concert ReviewTitle: Jedi Mind Tricks & Sean Price (Concert)Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Jake Paine >Jim Jones might have his Dipset “goonies,” but there’s little question that a group like Jedi Mind Tricks has the true goon squad. On Saturday, April 21 the The Philadelphia-based duo of Stoupe and Vinnie Paz returned home to […]

Artist: HieroglyphicsTitle: Over TimeRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Stewart Rudy If the Oakland-based Hip-Hop collective Hieroglyphics had ever gained the mainstream recognition they deserved, then it would seem strange that their first release of studio material in four years is largely made up of remixes and B-sides. But given their history of under-appreciation, Hieroglyphics latest release, […]

If the Oakland-based Hip-Hop collective Hieroglyphics had ever gained the mainstream recognition they deserved, then it would seem strange that their first release of studio material in four years is largely made up of remixes and B-sides. But given their history of under-appreciation, Hieroglyphics latest release, Over Time (Hieroglyhics Imperium), is a perfect addition to […]

Artist: The HeatmakerzTitle: The RushRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Adam Thomas The soul sample is heavily used in Hip-Hop as inspiration for the current street sound. There are many producers who use them—sometimes too much—but there are few who distinguish themselves. The Heatmakerz , the production duo consisting of Rsonist and Thrilla stay among the […]

Artist: T.I.Title: I Am (T.I. Vs T.I.P.)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Alejandro Mojado Following the huge success of last year’s aptly titled King, the King of the South has continued to pound the air waves with hit after hit. It’s almost summer time and T.I.P is still giving the public what they want…more music.  This time […]