I have an affinity for legends who continue their careers beyond their primes.  I liked it when Jordan came back in his forties.  I’m glad Favre is going to play another year.  Shaq’s not what he used to be, but he’s still worth having around.  The thing is when a legend plays until he’s entirely [cont.]

“It’s been about four years now.  I’ve been through a lot.” That’s how Ashanti’s new album, The Declaration, starts out.  While she’s been going through it, the airwaves have been dominated by the likes of Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Rihanna.  Leaving us to wonder, where does Ashanti fit in?  What can she offer that the [cont.]

It’s been a hot minute since we heard from Immortal Technique – five years to be exact – who last blessed us with a pair of albums in the form of Revolutionary Volumes 1 and 2. With back to back releases from the politically charged Harlem-by-way-of-Peru emcee, it seemed as if the third volume in [cont.]

Writing this review I’m reminded of the fact that I live in the Midwest where it’s winter nearly 7 months out of the year.  When listening to something like The Grouch’s new LP Show You the World it has a certain California feel that just feels different then the music that comes out of the [cont.]

Trying to come up with a list of great female MCs is a little bit like trying to name the best white American players in the NBA.  If you can name five who are even decent, you’ve accomplished something.  Obviously there’s Lauryn Hill (that is, when “her heart still was in rhymin’”), and she’s better [cont.]

To be completely honest, I’m a little bit over this “bedroom musician” thing that’s been going around lately. Yeah, technology is cheaper and studio-quality music programs can be downloaded for free through nefarious means, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that every half-assed music fan with access to a computer should be out promoting themselves as [cont.]

The thing you have to realize when listening to Tyga’s No Introduction is that it’s essentially children’s music.  Okay, not children, but teenagers.  It’s for kids.  This is fitting since the 18-year-old Tyga is barely out of high school himself.  Granted, there isn’t that much difference these days between the social lives of those in [cont.]

The word “nigger” is defined as (1) a hateful slang term for an African-American person or (2) a member of a socially disadvantaged class.  Perhaps the most derogatory term in the English language, it managed to become a term of endearment, a symbol of comradory, an in a sense, instilling the feeling of social/emotional acceptance.  So is it still offensive?  [cont.]

Coming somewhere off the Chicago-Detroit expressway is buzz-worthy new act, The Cool Kids who recently signed to local indie imprint Chocolate Industries. Poised to move on the majors any second now, the duo made up of Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish have ironically caught a huge buzz, named as one of 2008’s top 10 artists [cont.]

Pace Won first got notice with a guest spot on The Fugees’ The Score back in 1996.  That’s right, 12 years ago.  Dude’s been around for a minute.  He served as one of the front men for the group The Outsidaz and if you’re wondering where he’s been or surprised he’s still around, it’s been [cont.]

In 2006, will.i.am helped reinvent classic Brazilian samba/bossa nova pioneer Sergio Mendes with the release of Timeless, after a ten year absence from the artist. Bringing out some of the biggest and best names in the industry to help modernize his sound, Timeless had an extensive guest list, including The Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Justin [cont.]

When Cannibal Ox dropped their Def Jux classic, The Cold Vein, in 2001, people were instantly looking for more from the group. Despite being an independent classic, there hasn’t been anything close to a full on follow-up outside of a few team-ups Marvel-style since. Vast Aire struck out on his own and put out his [cont.]

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.]

Embarking on a cult classic with their debut, In Search Of…, The Neptunes’ rock-band alias, N*E*R*D, has yet to recapture the success of that first record. Perhaps it’s the ever-changing styles of the Chad and Pharrell, always pushing the envelope to turn the industry on it’s ear, whether producing for Clipse or Madonna. After amazing [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.]

Sampled by everyone from Eric B & Rakim to Kanye West, classic soul singer Al Green has been around for over 40 years now, with perhaps his biggest and best known hit “Let’s Stay Together” still relevant to bedrooms and dessert commercials alike. While he made his career out of slow, sultry love jams like [cont.]

This isn’t Lil’ Wayne’s first album, clearly you knew that by the Roman numeral “III” in the title. But by the way it’s been hyped up over the last year, you’d think it was. What it is instead, is the first album that establishes Wayne as an official superstar, joining in the ranks of Jay-Z, [cont.]

It’s safe to say that J-Live is one of the most consistent emcees in hip-hop today.  Maybe this writer is getting old or is tired of hearing “Lollipop” 72 times a day on the radio, but J-Live has never done anything this writer didn’t like.  We all know his beginnings with Raw Shack and his [cont.]

On the low, the Midwest has been on the rise.  Since the early 2000s, Midwest emcees have been the recipients of both commercial and critical acclaim.  This is evident with the success of artists like Eminem, Nelly, Kanye West, Common, and Lupe Fiasco. So now the gates are open and it is up to the [cont.]

With the success of The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey made a comeback that many artists at their crossroads could only dream of, from being on the brink of being written off as a tragic story to returning with one of 2005’s best R&B albums. So to follow up the groundbreaking LP, Carey returns with the [cont.]