For Rob Swift, life revolves on a 33 1/3 axis.  To prove it, Rob unveils not only his first solo-LP in three years, Sound Event, but also his new aptly titled imprint Table Turns Records.  And whether it is as a member of the renowned turntablist crew X-ecutioners, or with Sound Event, Rob Swift continues to prove [cont.]

It was only a few years ago that it was somewhat in vogue to be labeled a “backpacker.”  However, as of late the phrase “backpacker” has become typically associated with a slew of negative connotations.  But it hasn’t always been that way.  Before the movement was taken over by Aesop Rock clones and mineral water [cont.]

HHS: First, tell us about your name, RJD2, sounds like it should be reserved for R2D2′s offspring…. Are you a Star Wars fan? RJD2: yeah, I’m a fan, but the name really came from this cat Gomer, who was my first partner in rhyme. My real name is RJ, and he would fuck around in [cont.]

HHS: It was inevitable that sooner or later, your “behind-the-scenes” role and usual position would become more recognized with time – especially seeing how much you’re doing. Is it just that DJ personality which makes you more comfortable just laying low? JJ: “Well, yeah, yeah..actually it is, but that is really encompassing of my personality [cont.]

The game is funny no? Just over a year ago, if you polled any hip-hop head, which member of The Lox that they predicted was ready to make waves as a solo-artist, it’s a good bet most of those voters would have given a ringing endorsement to the group’s most lauded member Jadakiss. However, as [cont.]

While Nature’s under-appreciated debut, For All Seasons, was placed on Columbia’s proverbial backburner and went through nearly two-years of industry gridlock. Nate’s conversational flow, commingled with production from Trackmasters, L.E.S., and EZ Elpee nevertheless stood the test of time and helped salvage what could have potentially been a fruitless effort. Though, many felt Nate caught wood [cont.]

On Built From Scratch’s blazing preamble, “XL”, Large Professor asserts, —”this is how it started, two turntables and a microphone.” Yet, as hip-hop has progressed from park jams to Wall Street, the core elements of the culture have been indubitably blurred in the process. The X-ecutioners (Roc Raida, Mista Sinista, Total Eclipse and Rob Swift) are [cont.]

How do comeback after selling 12-million records and winning a slew of Grammy Awards? Well, if your Lauryn Hill, you take a four-year sabbatical and— get your head right. Not only does Lauryn’s Unplugged endeavor go completely against the grain, it will undoubtedly go down as one of the most emotionally tinged efforts to be [cont.]

   If Hieroglyphics’s wildly inconsistent discography proves anything, it proves you can count on them to deliver dope debuts. Peep game: Del The Funkee Homosapien’s I Wish My Brother George Was Here, Souls’ 93′ Till Infinity, Casual’s Fear Itself and their unifying family effort, Third Eye Vision, were the truth. Even the ostracized Extra Prolific’s [cont.]

A few years ago before the The Neptunes were politicking with the elite industry tastemakers, Chad and Pharrell got together with childhood friends Malice and Pusha T and recorded Clipse’ debut Exclusive Audio Footage. Yet, there was a glitch in the Matrix, as Exclusive Audio Footage was scrapped by Elektra even after receiving some favorable press and reviews in [cont.]

 After seeing his debut, The Best Part, get massively bootlegged and go unreleased for nearly three-years, J-Live is already well versed in Industry rule #4080. Yet, at least J was proactive during his prolonged absence, as just months after The Best Part’s “proper” release, J-Live is ready to tackle the arduous task of following up [cont.]

There are a few emcees that are famous for the debuts that they have not released, Large Professor, Cormega, Ali Vegas, Last Emperor to name a few. Yet, that list would not be complete without including New Jeruz’s Pacewon, as his “true” debut, The Pacewon Effect, (an E-Bay favorite) was pushed back numerous times and eventually [cont.]

 It’s hard to feel sorry for Jay-Z, isn’t it? After all, every time he releases a record, it’s treated like a national holiday. But if you think its easy being the king, you better pump ya brakes! Reason being, as Jigga lamented on “Where’s The Love” — “I got young rappers getting at me, old-timers [cont.]

Name one up-and-coming emcee, (or, in fact, any established emcee) that does not yearn to hear their voice over the production of DJ Premier. However, for every benefit that comes from working with Primo; his signature drum claps and cut-up voice samples add an instant credibility and curiosity to any project. There are drawbacks as [cont.]

The commingling of flavors (hip-hop, reggae, soul, R&B and pop) that were prevalent on The Carnival transformed Wyclef Jean into one of the music industries most sought after producers; and lead to subsequent work with Destiny’s Child and luminaries such as Carlos Santana, and Whitney Houston. Clef’s sophomore LP, Ecleftic, was a direct result of that cross-genre [cont.]

 What does Cormega have in common with Large Professor and J-Live? Well, like the aforementioned, Cormega’s aborted Def Jam  debut, The Testament, gained notoriety for being one of the most celebrated unreleased LP’s in hip-hop history. What the S.O.S.A. EP did for former Firm cohort, AZ, the heavily bootlegged Testament had a similar ripple effect for Mega, [cont.]

One verse is all it took, and we were hooked. AZ’s explosive introduction on Nas’ “Life’s A Bitch” catapulted the young Crooklyn emcee from unknown to most-anticipated almost overnight. His wildly inconsistent debut, Doe Or Die, offered more promising glimpses with “Sugar Hill”, and the Pete Rock assisted “Rather Unique”. Yet, every effort that followed, [cont.]

Sometimes it just does not pay to be ahead of your time. Reason being, those that invent, or are ahead of the curve, rarely reap the financial benefits of that work; Grand Puba is a shining testament of this example! You see Puba has always been one step ahead of the competition. First as a member [cont.]

While Pep Love put some of the “pep” (pun intended) back in Hiero’s step with Ascension. The Hieroglyphic crew desperately needs another member to step-up. And to be blunt, its about time Casual stood up, as he has been lurking in the shadows for over seven-years now. Though a seven-year hiatus is a virtual death-sentence in hip-hop, [cont.]

Talk about putting in work!  Over the past few years, Nate Dogg has become hip-hop’s most valuable sixth-man, coming off the bench to lace more pinch-hit singles then Minnie Minoso.  So many in fact, that finding Nate’s ubiquitous smoky alto on a hook has become almost as commonplace as a Neptunes production credit. While Nate has [cont.]