In a virtually unloving industry, Divine Styler’s second solo LP is a truly inspiring love movement. Focusing on the self-empowerment aspects of life over acid infused breakbeats, the Pharaoh Divine Styler divulges potent doses of uplifting abstract lyrics, however the true genius of this LP lays in his work behind the boards. Coming exquisitely original [cont.]

The 3-man tag-team triumvirate of Chops, Peril-L, and Styles Infinite gained national notoriety after winning Sprite’s “Rhymes From The Mind” contest back in 1996. But many heads in the know had already been checkin’ for the MB’s after their 1996 independent EP surfaced. The buzz only heightened with their subsequent signing with Ruffhouse and stellar singles [cont.]

When even mentioning the Philadelphia hip-hop scene one crew (The Roots) seems to garner most of the attention, and very deservedly so. However, with the release of their critically acclaimed debut “Self: Vol.1″, the next best bet to blow up from the city of brotherly love is the Mountain Brothers (Chops, Peril-L & Styles). Granted, [cont.]

Here to set it on ya, direct from California is the Fresno breed mic-phenom Planet Asia. Bringing true underground skills full-circle, Asia represents the epitome of old school lyricism, in an updated new school package. Lots of names are thrown around when discussing which up and coming emcee holds the most promise for the year [cont.]

 Blowing in like a breath of fresh air from the golden state, Defari Herut brings it back to the time when artists concentrated on dropping pure hip-hop, tailor-made for the heads whose life revolves around the artform. As if their roster wasn’t deep enough already, another member of the hella dope Likwit Crew gets tipsy for our listening [cont.]

Grouch representing Cali and the mighty Living Legends Crew, (still Independent and loving it) seems greatly influenced by the early Hieroglyphic sound. In fact, sometimes you would swear that you were listening to Del. In a quest to bring it a little different, Grouch cleverly implements an assortment of instruments into one concise package. Buckle up, [cont.]

 After dropping the accompanying score to Jay-Z’s mega-successful Hard Knock Life tour, DJ Clue returns with his third major label mixtape endeavor The Professional Pt. 2. Though there is no change to Clue’s loosely scripted formula, his networking abilities remain essential, as his name continues to draw hip-hop’s reigning chart-toppers. However, assimilating these hired guns [cont.]

Personality wise each member of the Living Legends is as different as night & day. But it is readily apparent thru their musical offerings that they all have one thing particularly in common– a taste for the obscure. Eligh is no different in that regard, as his eclectic array of production and mind-expanding lyricism is indeed [cont.]

The Living Legends crew has become synonymous for placing prevalence on innovation, and Eligh is the embodiment of that movement. An against the grain emcee/producer, Eligh’s production, much like his first two offerings, is stripped to the barest of essentials. A master minimalist, Eligh’s tracks take quick turns stylistically, but his most impressive attribute remains [cont.]