With thirteen full-length projects under their belt, Eastern Conference has established itself as one of the premier New York based independent hip-hop labels, a foundation that was built of the High & Mighty’s 1999 debut Home Field Advantage, which was ironically distributed by Rawkus records (who also helped offshoot Def Jux, for better or for [cont.]

We’ve been waving the Apathy flag for a few years now, ever since he released that solid string of 12-inch singles on Bronx Science, back when co-pilot Celph Titled  was making shit happen over at Buds Distribution. Apathy struck while the iron was hot, being one of the last artists to survive the indy 12-inch boom, [cont.]

      “You niggas is clones / I hand out styles like ice cream cones” brags Pharrell Williams on the remix to “Hot Damn”, just one of the many tracks that grace The Neptunes Clones compilation, and a truer statement couldn’t have been made. After all, The Neptunes are the “it” guys of the moment when it [cont.]

     Heads would be in heaven if they could raid the private archives of their favorite artists, as many of them record material as much as every single day, sometimes recording over 100 songs for one album. Outkast was rumored to have recorded over 75 tracks for Aquemini, only picking the best material for the final [cont.]

 Back again with his third solo effort, PMD, the slow-flower delivers The Awakening, just after the dawn of the independent era, on newly formed Solid Records, co-signed by his own Boondox Records imprint. Not much has changed this time around, as PMD is still about his “business”, mostly in the fact that this time he [cont.]

Ever since the release of MF Doom’s Operation Doomsday, former KMD frontman Zev Luv X has created a legion of fans that worship the Temple Of Doom and just about every release he’s attached his name to. Latest out the gate is the debut album from King Geedorah, a new manifestation of MF Doom that comes [cont.]

After Freddie Foxxx stole the show on Gang Starr’s “The Militia” on 1999′s Moment Of Truth LP, heads took notice, and after releasing two little heard albums in the early 90′s, Foxxx took the gusto found in that seminal verse and poured into a whole new album. Reinventing himself as Bumpy Knuckles for the new millennium, [cont.]

 Latest out the gate from the Def Jux stable is MHz (MegaHertz)’s Camu Tao, along with fellow Ohio rhyme merchant, Metro, who team-up to form S.A. Smash for Smashy Trashy, which is described as a party record that brings it back to the days of The Alkaholiks with “all of the rowdy-rowdy, none of the bling-bling”. While press-releases [cont.]

    After making noise on the indy 12″ scene with his Eastern Conference certified banger “Internet MC’s”, catching some attention from his 2001 EP, and sharing the stage on Mr. Lif’s live album, the latest to emerge from the Boston scene (one that mirrors a late 80′s NYC) is Akrobatik, with his graduation to full-length status [cont.]

While rumors have swayed that The Lootpack has disbanded, Wildchild silences those during a skit on his solo debut Secondary Protocol, but even further proof is evident on the production credits, as both Madlib and DJ Romes have a big hand in the creation of this album. However, while obviously Madlib has brought his production to the forefront, [cont.]

Over the years, it’s been argued that Duck Down and the Boot Camp Clik have fallen off, never truly regaining the status or quality product found on releases such as Black Moon Enta Da Stage, Smif N Wesson Da Shinin’, or Heltah Skeltah Nocturnal. However, despite the fact that hip-hop is constantly changing, the BCC have rolled with the [cont.]

Within the last year, instrumentalist RJD2 has gone from being a complete obscurity to one of the most popular producers of the moment, at least among those keeping a close ear to the underground (and those picking the soundtracks for Saturn ads). Following the runaway success of his smash debut, Dead Ringer, RJD2 does what any [cont.]

   It is very possible, that in the future, Soul Supreme will be looked at as one of the strongest producers in underground hip-hop, period, listed among names such as Pete Rock, Diamond, Jay Dee, and DJ Premier. If that prediction does come true, The Saturday Night Agenda will be the album that set it [cont.]

    While there is no animated movie to accompany it, there might as well be, as D-Styles’ Phantasmagoria is the best turntablist album since DJ Q-Bert’s Wave Twisters, if not one that surpasses it. But for this writer, “all that scratchin’ is making me itch,” and in a bad way. That’s right, I’m not a [cont.]

 Working as a “hold-us-over” project, Aceyalone and producer Elusive deliver the better late than never Hip-Hop And The World We Live In, a weekend experiment recorded somewhere around 2000-2001, now surfacing as an “indy shop only” gem for the fans.        Heads first got a taste of this release on the 12-inch single “Bigger They Come”, which [cont.]

    Def Jux has seen lots of success by taking the slot that Rawkus once held as New York City’s number one underground label, and has stayed close within a family unit of acts, such as El-P, RJD2, Aesop Rock, and Cannibal Ox. But their most unlikely signing yet comes all the way from the west coast with [cont.]

     As 2002 came to a close, GZA/Genius took us the fuck outta here with his fourth solo debut (third with GZA attatched to his name), Legend Of A Liquid Sword, with its title reflective of his unprecedented hip-hop classic, Liquid Swords. But this left fans a little uneasy, as in most cases, titling your album [cont.]

 Andre The Giant has traveled a long and consistent path throughout his ten year career, first catching heads’ attention with “Soul Clap” in 1992. More recently, A.G. helped renew interest in himself, with the release of ’98′s Full Scale EP, with his production partner Showbiz. With “The Dirty Version”, A.G. asks Show to step aside, to [cont.]

While many of Rawkus’ former starting line-up have departed the label, each with their share of very public pot shots (Company Flow, High & Mighty, Shabaam Sahdeeq), Talib Kweli remains one of the Rawkus originals during the label’s transition from rusty to platinum razor-logos. As the first post Soundbombing 3 release, it’s evident that Talib Kweli’s [cont.]

    Loosely based upon the late 70′s Sly Stallone film of the same name, Cage quickly follows up his hailed debut album, Movies For The Blind, along with Def Jux squad-car partner Camu Tao, with The Nighthawks.      While other conceptual hip-hop albums have sounded better on paper than they did inside the headphones (Prince Among Thieves, [cont.]