Dee V’s abrasive interview style lives on, questioning Soul Brother numero uno.

Nicki Minaj has had an incredible year, collaborating with just about every major rapper that had an album, and in many cases stealing the show. Sure, her ridiculous bodily proportions, unique facial expressions, and Gaga-esque wardrobe collection suggest that she’s nothing more than a concoction of some evil record company, but Nicki’s style is all [cont.]

Canibus had kind of a tough break. One minute he was the most critically lauded emcee in the Tri-State area, the next he found himself blackballed by the very industry that jocked him. Strangely enough, he was even used as a punchline in Benzino’s (terrible) Eminem dis track some years back saying “Five shades darker [cont.]

Following up a pair of poorly received LP’S – his rock-opus, Rebirth, and the Young Money album – Lil’ Wayne’s buzz hasn’t died down over the last year. While we all expected Tha Carter IV to be released around this time, his extended vacation at beautiful Riker’s Island has pushed that project back for a [cont.]

While Ski Beatz might not be a household name among hip-hop heads, he has without a doubt made his mark on the industry. Most famously, he produced much of Jay-Z’s classic debut album, Reasonable Doubt, as well as Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night. He also started his own offshoot of Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc-A-Blok Records, which [cont.]

We’re going to go out on a limb and suggest that this song was simply not meant to be performed live. Plastic black and pink hair-piece and all.

You too can celebrate the legacy of Suge Knight by wearing the electric-chair logo on your chest, back, head, ass, or genitals, as official Death Row Records merchandise is available now. While there are no Doggystyle of Chronic t-shirts available, you can proudly rock the logo that invokes memories of murder cases, random beatdowns, album [cont.]

Bay Area rap outfit, The Pack, return with their second full length LP, Wolfpack Party, following their 2007 LP Based Boys, which expanded on their debut EP, Skateboards 2 Scrapers. It’s been four years since their debut hit single, “Vans”, and The Pack has gained more publicity for the antics of Lil’ B than any [cont.]

Posthumous albums never seem to pan out. Reason being, is that they are usually made up of songs leftover from the artist’s catalog that either the artist or the label did not feel were strong enough to see release. While we all dream of raiding the vaults of unreleased music from our favorite artists (and [cont.]

Dirt Nasty is the rapping alter-ego of actor and all-around-man-about-town Simon Rex. He made his debut in 2008 with his self titled album, a loose knit collection of songs that found him rapping about sex, celebrity, and the mean streets of Hollywood. His persona was that of a washed up actor using hip-hop as his [cont.]

Bay Area producer Amp Live has always been one to think outside the box in terms of his beats, from lacing his Zion I partner Zumbi with the freshest of tracks over the years, to remixing Radiohead to great critical acclaim. Unfortunately, his official solo debut, Murder At The Discotech, does not deliver like many [cont.]

Hartford, CA’s Blacastan is a relic of the old school, one that missed out on participating in hip-hop’s golden age, after being locked up on drug-dealing charges in the 90′s at 16 years old. While inside, he studied underground hip-hop and honed his craft as an emcee, unexposed to the watered down styles of rap [cont.]

Lil Jon’s Crunk Rock was announced five years ago, to be released on TVT off of the strength of the hit single, “Snap Ya Fingaz”, along with E-40 and Sean P. After a lengthy legal battle with the label, Jon moved over to Universal Republic, taking Crunk Rock with him, in theory, at least. The [cont.]

Roc Marciano has a long history in this game, as a member of both the Flipmode Squad and the U.N. family, but perhaps his most famous appearance is on Pete Rock’s Petestrumentals album, which dropped in 2001. With Marcberg, he finally gets around to venturing out as a solo artist, but the question remains as [cont.]

Hmmm, is Floyd’s Mayweather Music making moves outside of Vegas…?

Some of the industry’s oldest and most respected writers explain why Drake is “special”. New York Times’ Jon Caramanica, XXL’s Bonsu Thompson, and Vibe editor Jermaine Hall all offer their opinions on the subject in the above clip.

Lazarus is the debut from Gym Class Heroes frontman, Travie McCoy, who looks to build a name for himself as a solo artist after a public breakup with Katy Perry. Experimenting with rap-rock fusion on his earlier material, Lazarus – along with it’s popular lead single “Billionaire” (feat. Bruno Mars) – takes it even a [cont.]

Open Mike Eagle comes from the school of the west coast underground, studying under the tutelage of Project Blowed greats that came before him, such as Freestyle Fellowship. But for a scene that prides itself on how off kilter one can spit, Open Mike Eagle delivers a surprisingly down to earth, smart hip-hop record with [cont.]

Industry blackballed artists gotta stick together. Canibus, Suge, where you at!?! LISTEN: Jae Millz + Chris Brown – “Green Gobblin” (MP3) Jae Millz + Chris Brown – “Green Gobblin” (MP3)

You have to love this industry. Babygrande released their own Reflection Eternal LP on May 25th, comprised of collected works from Hi-Tek’s work with the label. This dropped the same day as Revolutions Per Minute. Tracklist: 1. Time Is Now – Hi-Tek, Reflection Eternal (Hi-Tek & Talib Kweli) 2. Power, Money & Influence – Guru, [cont.]