It’s a pretty safe bet the members of G-Unit – especially ringleader 50 Cent – never envisioned themselves anywhere but on top when 2008 rolled around. After all, you only need to go back a few years to reach a time the crew could do no wrong. Every member of the crew was dropping platinum [cont.]

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a year since we were first introduced to the German production team known as Snowgoons. DJ Illegal, Det, DJ Waxworth and Torben are back again for what is essentially German Lugers Part 2. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing due to the fact the original German Lugers [cont.]

If there’s a rapper who is all things to all fans, this reviewer has yet to hear him do his thing. That doesn’t stop some from trying, and it seems to be the primary objective for Fat Joe on The Elephant in the Room, his eighth solo release. No question, Joe’s been in the game [cont.]

In a musical era where carving out a unique identity is more important than ever, Rick Ross’ problem is that he seems interchangeable. With a voice and delivery that makes it hard to pick him out of a lineup of his fellow Southern contemporaries, the Miami-based rapper could easily fall victim to an identity crisis. [cont.]

You have to hand it to Janet Jackson: she’s not giving up. Even though this decade hasn’t been as kind to her as the previous one, and her last two albums have been disappointments – by her standards anyway, since they still went platinum – she’s regrouped on Island Records for her tenth full-length effort, [cont.]

You won’t find too many producers more diverse than Hi-Tek. From teaming up with Talib Kweli to putting in work alongside Dr. Dre, he’s accomplished quite a bit and been involved with the work of artists from coast to coast. He’s also found time to release a few projects of his own, the latest of [cont.]

The first verse of Gucci Mane’s “I’m Cool” includes the line “Gucci Mane’s back and they can’t get rid of me.” That probably sums up the way a lot of people feel about the Atlanta-born rapper, who came up off the strength of his 2005 single “Icy” and never left. Atlantic Records thought enough of [cont.]

A group that calls itself The Away Team sounds like it may have an inferiority complex, a little bit of a chip on its shoulder. With the release of the Team’s second album, Training Day, emcee Sean Boog and producer Khrysis prove they have reason to hold their heads high. Anyone who wants to shoehorn the [cont.]

On the scale of uncreative album names, the eponymous album is at the top. Right below it is what Styles P chose for his third solo release – and first for Koch. Hoping to recapture the gold status of his 2002 debut, A Gangster and a Gentleman, The Ghost attempts to up the ante with [cont.]

It’s been a long time since Tek and Steele, better known as Smif-N-Wessun, crafted a hip hop classic with their debut album, Dah Shinin’. Twelve years to be exact, which is the equivalent of a lifetime or two in the rap game. The passage of all that time is evident on their fourth and latest [cont.]

The subject of hustling has been pretty well covered by rappers over the last two decades or so. That doesn’t stop many of today’s artists from throwing in their two cents on the matter, and with Yung Joc’s sophomore effort, Hustlenomics, you can pretty much bet the house you’ll be getting numerous songs about the [cont.]

   Say what you want about R. Kelly, but there’s no questioning the man’s resiliency. From the charges of sexual offenses to the feud with Jay-Z that forced the scuttling of their joint tour a few years back, he’s had his share of controversy. But he’s also managed to shrug it all off, and continues to [cont.]

    Del, Souls of Mischief and the rest of the Hieroglyphics family certainly aren’t on the radar of the hip-hop community the way they were back in the mid-90′s. That doesn’t mean they quit the game, they simply regrouped and put out music on their own Hieroglyphics Imperium label once the major label love ran [cont.]