To use a cliché, Masta Ace is like a fine wine. As with the best that the bottle has to offer, he has become better with age. Most emcees of his era have steadily declined, usually coasting on their name and past merits, and lacking the ability to create anything relevant, choose good production, and [cont.]

Much like his namesake’s explorations introduced the west to Asia, Marco Polo has introduced a lot of talented emcees to new listeners, while at the same time reintroduced legends of yesteryear to a new generation. When 2007 ended, Marco’s Port Authority stood as one of the finest albums of the year. 2009 was no different [cont.]

One might keep the new carpet crisp and clean by slipping on a pair of house shoes when indoors. Detroit bred, and now LA based, producer House Shoes brings a similar style to the production on his debut Let It Go. Following in a line of talented beatsmiths from the land of Lions and Tigers [cont.]

Del is an emcee whose persona transcends the indie underground where he has resided for a number of years. He and his Hieroglyphics cohorts have been able to make the career decisions they have wanted to since being dropped from their major label deals nearly twenty years ago. With creative control intact, Del has been [cont.]

What do Biz Markie, Busdriver, and Blueprint all have in common? Aside from the fact that all three have each made their mark on the hip-hop scene, they all seem as far apart in their lyrical and song delivery approach as possible. On his new album, Hope In Dirt City, Canada’s Cadence Weapon fuses the [cont.]

Let’s face it, Naughty By Nature haven’t necessarily had a plethora of new musical output over the past decade. Aside from Treach’s excellent guest verse on Celph Titled and Buckwild’s Nineteen Ninety Now, and a handful of other guest verses, they have mainly spent their time touring the world off of their catalog of hits [cont.]

These days, most underground artists do not tour nationwide, let alone, worldwide. With the changing musical landscape, fickle fan bases, and the rising costs of touring, most East Coast clubs seldom see their brethren from the West roll through their towns. Zion I and the members of the Living Legends defy modern touring conventions. Both [cont.]

As I open the product, my body starts to shake in anticipation. The latest drug to hit the street, pure and uncut, a newfound experience with Mobb Deep’s Black Cocaine. Once I begin to take it in, my dopamine reactors start to surge. A reggae chant on “Dead Man Shoes” is a unique approach for [cont.]

After releasing one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums of 2010 (Nineteen Ninety Now), Celph Titled and Buckwild return, at the end of 2011, with Nineteen Ninety More; a companion piece to the album from last year. Anyone who spent any time on hip-hop websites and message boards, around the time of the release [cont.]