Last year, Royce Da 5’9 released perhaps the strongest mixtape of the year, teaming with DJ Premier and Statik Selektah for The Bar Exam. Here, Royce righted all wrongs, once again reinventing himself after a short jail stint and the disappointing response to his third LP, Independence Day. Reunited with DJ Premier, who helped craft [cont.]

The term “helter skelter” is used to describe something that is in complete chaos or disarray, made infamous in the 1960′s by Charles Manson, who suggested his murder spree was in preparation of an apocalyptic race war by the same name. But Ruck and Rock boiled it down to simply “Heltah Skeltah means war”, with [cont.]

People Under the Stairs have been representing the laid back sun and hazy smoke aloft in California hip-hop for over 10 years now.  While their consistency or at least longevity is commendable, it’s also what makes this release a relative non-essential.  You can only cruise on the same gimmick for so long and while they [cont.]

Beyonce has become a sort of force of nature.  She’s not only a musician and actress, she’s an icon of the celebrity culture.  She’s Jay-Z’s wife, for God’s sake, and she’s never overshadowed.  But for as many roles as she’s taken on and as popular as she is, it’s just as much her attitude that [cont.]

New from Decon is the Fresh Rhymes and Videotape CD/DVD double-disc package, which chronicles the recent tour featuring Dilated Peoples, Aceyalone, The Alchemist, and 88 Keys. Coincidentally, the new set includes brand-new songs from each artist, whom team up with one another for a series of dope collaborations. Was there a mini-studio on that tour [cont.]

Little Brother’s Phonte Coleman and Netherlands based producer Nicolay reunite as The Foreign Exchange, following up their critically acclaimed 2004 debut, Connected, with Leave It All Behind. As legend has it, the duo had met on OkayPlayer.Com, and began recording music, sending it back and forth via instant messenger, completing and releasing the album without [cont.]

In most music circles, Raphael Saadiq is not an unfamiliar name.  The Oakland singer, songwriter, and producer first found success with his brother and cousin in Tony, Toni, Tone, which garnered commercial and critical acclaim all throughout the 1990s.  He later went on to form the R&B/Soul super group Lucy Pearl with other heavyweights Dawn [cont.]

The name Kevin Rudolf might have not been that familiar three months ago, and even with a chart topping radio smash single on his hands right now (“Let It Rock”, featuring Lil’ Wayne), a lot of people still don’t know who he is. But fact of the matter is, young Kevin – a guitar-wielding rock [cont.]

There’s no question that Akon pretty much has the R&B/hip hop game on lock. Between his production efforts and frequent guest appearances, it’s hard to go half an hour on any radio station playing an urban or Top 40 format and not hear something he’s touched. He’s been successful with his own songs too, going [cont.]

According to Kanye, after his debut, The College Dropout, he would follow with Late Registration, then Graduation, and his fourth album, A Good Ass Job. The titles of each album were meant to mirror most students’ real life aspirations, “because after college you are supposed to get a good ass job”, as he put it. But, [cont.]

Just about anything we’ve seen on Black Milk seems to mention either Dr. Dre or J Dilla.  Sometimes both in the same review, interview, or what have you. The disservice this does to Black Milk however is that he’s setting out in his own direction.  His records don’t sound like anyone else’s.  His name is quickly becoming like [cont.]

Chris Bridges could be forgiven for coasting at this point in his career. It would be perfectly understandable if he put it on cruise control, content to cash checks from his blossoming acting career and occasionally dropping a hot 16 on someone else’s song. It’s to Ludacris’ credit, then, that he sounds as committed to [cont.]

The weatherman needs no introduction. There are certain groups and individuals in hip-hop that are always consistent and constantly deliver.  The man they call Evidence is one of those individuals.  Whether it with his group Dilated Peoples alongside Rakka Iriscience and DJ Babu or on the solo tip, Evidence has never disappointed.   After a year and [cont.]

Another year has passed, and in the wake of “eleven number ones” as he casually mentions on “Lorraine Interlude”, T-Pain delivers another LP of millennial computer love, with Thr33 Ringz. Comparing the rap game to a circus, Pain crowns himself the ringleader, as he essentially is the main ingredient to every other artists’ respective hit [cont.]

Not many artists have had the chance of being a member of one of the most influential hip-hop groups ever, and find success as a solo artist. Q-Tip has been a beneficiary as the front man for A Tribe Called Quest and with his debut solo album Amplified. The later found commercial success, but many fans [cont.]

About a year ago, a virtual unknown Los Angeles based emcee, Blu, teamed with Emanon producer, Exile, to deliver Below The Heavens. This album was heavily argued as an underground classic, receiving spots on numerous year-end lists (this site not withheld), and even garnering props from XXL Magazine, who rarely salutes the backpack scene. The [cont.]

I can remember the day I received my copy of the Justus League mix tape “N.C. State Of Mind” from this very site back in ’03. I excitedly read the inlay card and one name jumped out at me – Edgar Allen Floe. Not only did I think it was a cool name but I [cont.]

Murs has released 13 albums in the last 11 years (not to mention a handful of EP’s and compilations) proving he is quite possibily the hardest working man in indie hip-hop (next to Madlib, at least). While many of his Living Legends brethren have nowhere close to the sizable catalog that he does, it’s more because [cont.]

In just over three years, Miami based Khaled Khaled (yes, that’s his first and last name) has gone from being Terror Squad’s DJ, to being one of the biggest names in the business. He is now mentioned in the same breath as other superstar hood DJ’s, like Funk Master Flex, DJ Clue, and DJ Drama, [cont.]

A title like Evolver is a scary thing, especially if you are an artist like John Legend, whom has delivered two arguably classic albums, relying mostly on his own strengths to do so. The album’s lead single, “Green Light”, is a great pop jam, teaming John Legend with Andre 3000, as the unsure duo asks [cont.]