From the inception of the Jazzmatazz series, Guru has used his clout as the lyrical half of Gangstarr to explore his extracurricular artistic interests that marry hip-hop with its musical forefathers and modern day brethren. It’s not a novel concept, but one that can be disastrous if not conducted carefully and thoughtfully.     While [cont.]

    It’s clear that if A.G. is pretty confident in his place in the hip-hop lexicon. The numerous references to his long-celebrated Diggin’ In The Crates (D.I.T.C) crew and samples of other rappers calling out his name on Get Dirty Radio will give any newcomer reason enough to Google A.G. But reminding listeners of past [cont.]

    After the breakup a few years ago of the seminal Boston group Electric Company, which left emcee Insight and emcee/DJ Edan in search of solo fame, the remaining members of the band – Anonymous, Raheem Jamaal and Moe Pope — reemerged as Project Move to reclaim its spot as one of the leaders of [cont.]

   The Low Budget crew is no joke. After first gaining national attention with the release of Kev Brown’s reinterpretation of Jay-Z’s swan song, Oddisee, Cy Young and Kenn Starr boosted the collective’s profile on Halftooth Records’ early compilation You Don’t Know The Half. But it was the track “If” — which featured the likes [cont.]

     In the dozen or so years since El Da Sensei was introduced to the world as one-half of The Artifacts, it seems like the New Jersey hip-hop multi-tasker has received more attention for what he once did than what he is currently doing. Questions about his professional breakup with Tame One and his history [cont.]

    Hype is at times an MC’s greatest asset. Proper marketing, a strong buzz and a dramatic bio can do wonders for your career – just look at Shyne. Saigon’s rise to moderate hip-hop fame is no different. The Yardfather mixtapes, a few appearances in the rap mags, minor beef with a few New York [cont.]

     As the Unspoken Heard – otherwise known as Asheru and Blue Black – have gained iconic indie hip-hop stature, the reputation of their early work has become a hot subject among record collectors and rap nerds.  With catchy rhymes and creative samples to boot, their official LP debut, Some Come, was met with a [cont.]

     Jean Grae  is self-aware, if nothing else. At times captivated by a world of fantasy to hide her real thoughts, for the most part she is brutally honest with herself and the listener. Delivering her personal mantra on her second solo effort, the Babygrande release is as lyrically visceral as they come - a great irony [cont.]

     On “The Message”, Tragedy Khadafi delivers a blanket statement: “We plagued with media propaganda.” He appears to have taken the saying “rap is black America’s CNN” quite literally.  However, staying true to his conspiracy theories and anti-establishment ethos, the former Intelligent Hoodlum is less beat reporter and more hood documentarian. With Still Reportin’…, the Queensbridge [cont.]

There is a chance that any MC from Queensbridge could record himself going to the bathroom and a certain population of the hip-hop universe would still buy the album. Because of this, there is the tendency of some residents of this Long Island City neighborhood to take such actions, releasing, re-releasing and jumping on nearly [cont.]

It is clear that Fredro Starr’s time in Hollywood has had an influence on his music. After years of feature and cameo roles in everything from an HBO series (“The Wire”) to cheesy, urban films (“Ride”), it is almost a given that you are going to see this Onyx member on screen if you search the [cont.]

When Onyx came out of the gates in 1993, the group epitomized the Timberland-sporting, baggy pants, “Throw Ya Gunz Up” energy that everyone in New York was striving for. Das Efx  was new, Run DMC  was making its first comeback (while JMJ executive produced Bacdafucup), and New York was losing its popularity to the laid-back G-Funk [cont.]