You’ve gotta feel for Royce Da 5’9. Here was a man that was poised as “next to blow”, not only from being Eminem’s right-hand man, but also being more talented than anyone in D12 not named Marshall. He even got the chance to pen a few tracks for Dr. Dre’s 2001 LP, but after [cont.]

     Like the animal the group is named after, Giant Panda’s members are black, white, and Japanese, with Maanumental, Newman, and Chikaramanga making up the multi-racial trio. As the first full-length release from Thes-One of People Under The Stairs’ new imprint, Tres Records, GP’s debut album, Fly School Reunion, brings them together to reminisce of [cont.]

   Mr. X-To-The-Z has had a long career of paying dues and crew hopping, from getting his start as a member of the Likwit Crew, to deflecting to the Shady/Aftermath family, and most recently deflecting again to become godfather of his own crew, Strong Arm Steady. But despite having one of the most dangerous flows [cont.]

 The last two years have been crucial to the career of MF Doom, who transformed himself from forgotten KMD leftover into perhaps the most popular underground emcee of the moment. In 2004 alone, he released the certified classic “Madvillain” collaborative LP with producer Madlib, as well as Viktor Vaughn 2, the official follow-up to last [cont.]

Over the past year, Lil Jon has transformed from obscure southern rapper to household name, thanks to a number of hit singles (for himself and others) and popping up in comedy bits from Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. The crunk war-cries of “Yay-yuh”, “Hwhat?!?!”, and “Okaaay” have not only been parodied to death, but have [cont.]

     While he has over ten years invested in the game, The Alchemist still remains a virtual unknown name to the average hip-hop fan. However, ask the same fan if they’ve heard Mobb Deep’s “Got It Twisted”, Jadakiss “We Gonna Make It”, or Dilated Peoples “Worst Comes To Worst”, and they’ll nod, probably adding in [cont.]

      With the release of Dr. Octagon, Kool Keith reinvented himself; no longer was he the star of Ultramagnetic MC’s, but now a full-fledged solo artist. After the release of this classic LP, Keith followed up with two more excellent releases, Sex Style, and Dr. Dooom. Both showcased Keith’s strange, spaced-out style, each with their [cont.]

      2004 has been a big year for Talib Kweli. It got a jump-start when ’03 ended with Jay-Z’s The Black Album, where the Jiggaman immortalized his fellow Brooklyn brethren on “Moment Of Clarity”, where he stated “If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be lyrically, Talib Kweli”. From there, the hype for Talib’s [cont.]

    When Al Tariq (aka Kool Fash) left The Beatnuts  after their self-titled full-length debut, it felt like a devastating blow to the group’s then uncertain future. After all, they had just dropped a classic EP and LP back-to-back, and suddenly, the third-of-the-trio packed it up to pursue a solo career. However as the years [cont.]

    “So what are you guys? Old school, new school, R&B or hip-hop,” asked a fan at the beginning of Digital Underground’s “The Way We Swing”, some 15 years ago, and to no surprise, with Shock G (Digital Underground)’s latest release, Fear of A Mixed Planet , heads will probably still be asking that same [cont.]

     Legend has it, that in the 80′s, a young Jose Cartargena was a Bronx bomber, who tagged “TS” everywhere he went, which at the time stood for “The Squad”. However “The Squad” - whoever this consisted of at the time – wouldn’t begin to take form until the 1990′s, as Joe first had to get [cont.]

 Last year, MF Doom – under the guise of Viktor Vaughn – dropped one of the strongest underground releases of the year, in the form of Vaudeville Villain. This was a concept album that presented Doom’s new alias rhyming over the beats of many of Sound Ink’s in house producers, as well as as few [cont.]

 Throughout a career that spans almost twenty years now, KRS-One has undoubtedly paid his dues, delivering countless classic albums and classic singles, from “Criminal Minded” to “Step Into A World”. However, as the years go on, new generations of hip-hop fans emerge, many not even knowing who KRS-One is, or what the letters “B.D.P.” stand [cont.]

 As forerunners of the independent hip-hop movement, Rasco and Planet Asia have both paid their dues over the last decade, however much like many other pioneers of the rap game, have suffered a similar fate – younger fans missing out on their classics, and therefore sleeping on the crew in across the board. Yet with Head [cont.]

    In the year of the space odyssey, Vast Aire, along with fellow emcee Vordul (Of Cannibal Ox), teamed up as Cannibal Ox  to release The Cold Vein . As the first full-length release on Def Jux, Vast and Vordul were blessed with wall-to-wall production from El-P, which easily made this one of the label’s [cont.]

     Getting his start under the wing of Peanut Butter Wolf, Planet Asia first caught the attention of hip-hop fans with appearances on two defining Stones Throw releases, PB Wolf’s My Vinyl Weights a Ton and Rasco’s Time Waits For No Man. Show stealing verses on both albums led to subsequent 12inch singles with west-coast staple [cont.]

 In preparation for his upcoming solo album, 1st Infantry, Alchemist, the young producer who got his start as an understudy for DJ Muggs, delivers his second volume in his mix CD series. This time titled Insomnia (“The Alchemist Vs. The Cousin Of Death”), Al once again spotlights his production with upcoming music from groups like [cont.]

     Who knew that the little heard 12inch single “Shatterproof” would eventually blossom into four albums, a successful independent rap label, two Juno Awards and unparalleled popularity as leaders of Canada’s rap scene, with popularity even crossing over into the U.S. Yes, Swollen Members went from being the brainchild of Madchild and Prevail, to being one of [cont.]

   While there is little argument that Mobb Deep is past its prime, there still remains a core fanbase built upon the classic Infamous Mobb Deep LP, which extended in both directions - backwards to Juvenile Hell and forwards all the way up to Infamous Allegiance. And while they aren’t as popular as they once were, [cont.]