Even with Lauryn Hill taking an extended sabbatical, no one has stepped up in her absence to carry the hip-hop/songbird flame. That was until now. With her debut, Cuts For Luck and Scars For Freedom, Mystic seamlessly bridges the gap between soulful harmonizing, and introspective lyricism; and no one since Lauryn has bridged this gap so [cont.]

On the heels of two-critically acclaimed EP’s Music Tu Madre, and A Bottle Of Whup Ass, J-Zone’s first  full-length release, Pimps Don’t Pay Taxes, is a more maturated continuation of the brazen lyricism, and off-kilter samples Zone supplied on previous endeavors.  While Pimps Don’t Pay Taxes is almost like an interview in itself, J-Zone was gracious [cont.]

If Omar Credle (O.C.) has learned anything in his seven-year recording career, it’s that while skills are a widely appreciated commodity, they are not enough to pay the rent. Reason being, though O.C. has been warmly embraced by critics, and fans alike, there has always been one thing that has eluded him: record sales. O.C.’s [cont.]

Y’all know the name, and you know the countless amount of controversies he’s been embroiled in over the past three-years.  Yes, the Canibus man is back.  And though he has been out of sight for a minute, Bis’s new LP, C True Hollywood Story, promises to be just as controversial as his debut.  Yes, Germaine [cont.]

HHS: The Platform was a debut that was handled almost exclusively in-house.  Yet, Expansion Team, includes more contributions from artists outside the Dilated family, why the change? Rakka: Well, The Platform included allot more vocal collaborations. On the Expansion Team project Babu really stepped up his production game.  The people that we always work with [cont.]

While the Masterminds’ put the Indy scene on notice with their under-utilized 2001 debut The Underground Railroad. The duo’s sophomore project, Stone Soup, finds Kimani & Oracle in somewhat of a transitory state. Not only has the group ended their short relationship with Nu Gruv and created their own Third Earth Music imprint, but with former [cont.]

 In 1993, Jam Master Jay protegees, Onyx, temporarily locked down the East Coast’s thug market. Onyx’s grimy debut, Bacdafucup, aided by the energetic “Slam”, and the anthemic “Throw Your Gunz In Da Air” officially ushered in the “bald-head invasion”; the group’s two respective follow-up’s, Shut Em Down, and All We Got Iz Us proved that this [cont.]

Jay Dee and Pete Rock’s extremely contrasting contributions to BBE’s ambitious, and rapidly unfolding Beat Generation series, has made it increasingly difficult to discern where the labels true musical vision lies. While Jay Dee’s Welcome To Detroit was a more rhyme-orientated opus, Pete Rock’s Petestrumentals was a distinctly jazzy, instrumental based endeavor. Wil.I.Am’s Lost Change is [cont.]

Da Beatminerz (Evil Dee, Mr. Walt, Baby Paul, Chocolate Ty, and Rich Blak) gained notoriety for being the architects behind the Boot Camp Click’s emergence. Yet, after producing classic debuts for Black Moon, and Smif N Wesson, the Boot Camp Click entered a new stage, one that saw them eschew their dark, and sinister sound [cont.]

Since breaking in quietly with hometown duo, Mood, in the mid-90′s, DJ Hi-Tek’s climb up the crate-digging ranks has been a slow one. While Hi-Tek garnished some well-overdue exposure for his work on Black Star’s debut, and with running mate Talib Kweli on their critically acclaimed Reflection Eternal endeavor. Tek’s name is still rarely mentioned when [cont.]

 Self Scientific (Chase Infinite & DJ Khalil) emerged from Cali’s underground scene in 1998 with “Return”, a celebratory ode, which lauded hip-hop’s humbler beginnings— “return to the way we were, before the influx of drugs and money occurred.” The LA based duo’s debut, Self-Science, offers more of that romanticism, as it is an intriguing mixture of [cont.]

Let’s face it; every emcee has limitations. And even ones as brilliantly talented as Nas are no exception to the rule. Nas’ weakness was exposed on Nastradamus; a horrid attempt at gaining pop-acceptance, which by there own admission was the last straw for even the most steadfast Nas fan. Though Nastradamus was Nas’ artistic abyss, for [cont.]

 After years of being on the cusp, Mobb Deep finally broke thru and achieved Platinum status with 1999′s Murda Muzik. So, you would think shit should be copasetic for Havoc & Prodigy right? Not quite! Because shortly after Prodigy’s highly anticipated solo-bow, H.N.I.C., hit the streets Mobb experienced an unexpected bump in the road. That bump came [cont.]

 In terms of sheer anticipation, Jada “Mwaah” Kiss ‘ buzz is at an apex. While fellow Lox members, Sheek and Styles, flashed improved flows and lyrics on Lox’s sophomore strike, We Are The Streets, Jadakiss remained the group’s undisputed front man. However, thanks to pinch-hitting on a slew of dazzling collaborations, Jada had simply outgrown the [cont.]

While The Alkaholiks return minus a few syllables (please now refer to them as Tha Liks). The trio’s first LP in four-years, X.O. Experience, has a very familiar theme; which J-Ro elegantly reiterates on “Bullyfoot”—”keep it pouring motherfucker till it hurts to swallow.” Though Tash & J-Ro’s frat-boy exuberance still runs rampant, the groupÂ’s return [cont.]

 On the celebratory posse-cut “Da Bridge” Nas laments “we from the largest project, yo the biggest on earth, Queensbridge know the history, left y’all cursed.” While Nas’ salvo may at first appear to be nothing more then your typical, emcee hood-reppin rhetoric, there is truth to his manifesto. After all, the infamous Queensbridge projects have churned [cont.]

 If B.I.G.’s Born Again, Big L’s The Big Picture and Big Pun’s Endangered Species proved anything (other then hopefully dissuading any aspiring emcee from donning the “Big” moniker) it’s that posthumous efforts are a risky proposition. Though each of the aforementioned projects had their moments, and offered some rare gems. The majority of the material [cont.]

 After a four-year sabbatical, the self-christened “god” of hip-hop, KRS-ONE, has returned to reclaim his spot as hip-hop’s moral-conscious with Sneak Attack. While Krs’ re-entry comes without the same fanfare/anticipation he is normally accustomed too, Sneak Attack proves that his voice and ideologies have never been more needed. Though he has not released a solo [cont.]

 Being one of the most beloved hip-hop groups ever assembled has certainly become a double-edged sword for Run DMC. As one of the cultures most influential groups, the names of Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay immediately garners a certain degree of well-earned respect. Conversely, it has also put the trio under an incredibly intense [cont.]

 For over a decade Erick Sermon, and his on-again, off-again partner, Parrish Smith, have been lauded, and deservedly so, as one of hip-hop’s most influential duo’s. Yet, for all the success EPMD has tasted as a group, neither has been able too achieve that same level of success as solo artists. However, after the disappointing Double [cont.]