After an artist releases a classic album – or in the case of Public Enemy – several classic albums, the fans of those records always return to their future releases with the hopes that they can still capture that old magic. While P.E. has had a misstep or two throughout the span of their 25+ [cont.]

The story of 2 Chainz goes like this. He was originally signed to Ludacris’ DTP imprint under the name “Tity Boy”. But no matter if you spell it with one “T” or two, Wal-Mart is never going to carry an album by a guy who has titties in his name. It doesn’t “sit well”, as [cont.]

Harlem native Azealia Banks is part of a modest surge in female rappers, joining the likes of Kreayshawn, Iggy Azalea and the ubiquitous Nicki Minaj. With her new mixtape, Fantasea, Banks makes a forgettable impression. The first 10 tracks of the nearly hour-long mixtape are filled with non-stop frenetic, high-pitched, sped up electro-dance house beats. [cont.]

Super-groups are a tough call. Most of the time these things get planted as an idea that never comes to fruition, and other times the idea is milked for all it’s worth. The Gravediggaz, for instance, released an arguably classic album with 6 Feet Deep, only to lose a member – and a degree of [cont.]

There was a time when Large Professor was regularly mentioned next to names like DJ Premier and Pete Rock, but unlike his more prolific brethren, Extra P has instead taken almost Dr. Dre-lengths of time to release full-length albums. And like the good doctor’s “I don’t smoke weed or cess…” line from “Express Yourself”, Large [cont.]

It’s 1:00AM and I’m thinking about the love of my life. Only problem is I’m not the love of his. Ingeniously, Frank Ocean has provided mood music for my pining. If someone decided to create a soundtrack centered on Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” line, “tell me who I have to be to get some reciprocity” it [cont.]

Admittedly, after the group effort of Hail Mary Mallon, expectations were lowered for Aesop Rock’s most recent effort, Skelathon. Are You Gonna Eat That? had it’s moments, but none of them resonated like Aesop’s past work on Labor Days or None Shall Pass. While we knew Aesop had his moments as a producer, the last [cont.]

There was a period of time when Rick Ross seemed like a parody of the commercial rap scene. His larger than life persona was buzzworthy through songs like “Hustlin’”, but he was dismissed as another one-hit wonder. When the accusations of him being a former correctional officer came out, it seemed like a sure-fire credibility [cont.]

Alchemist’s latest, Russian Roulette, shouldn’t be classified as an album, nor as a mixtape. As Al describes in HipHopSite’s own interview from a few months back: “I’m still trying to figure out exactly what it is. It’s audio, it’s a length of time…. It’s just different from anything I’ve done, at least. It just kind [cont.]

Yes, Nas is easily the most consistant rapper in the game. While Eminem may be the most technically amazing, and Jay-Z the one with the biggest catalog of hits, as XXL has put in their perfect rating of Life Is Good, Nas’ career has stretched the longest. If Biggie’s reign on the top was short [cont.]

Some album titles convey strong messages and use creative wordplay to show their hard work, pride, confidence, and of course, all of the marvelous benefits that go along with success. However, not many artists are capable of holding up those cocky record titles. Nevertheless, Childish Gambino has proved his kingship with his latest mixtape, Royalty, [cont.]

After hip-hop’s golden era of the 90′s ended, a lot of rappers found themselves trying to adapt to new standards set by commercially-relevant-yet-street-saavy acts like the Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, and Snoop Dogg. Soon, every New York emcee was trying to carve out the next “Hypnotize”, resulting in a lot of our favorite emcees releasing [cont.]

In a mere two years, Big Krit has gone from virtual unknown to sought after veteran. When the Mississippi native burst on the scene in 2010 with his impressive mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, he did so without a national following and without really any known commodities backing him. Since then Krit has become an artist [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.]

The trio of Andy Cooper, Dizzy Dustin, and Young Einstein have built up a small, but loyal fanbase over the years, with their lighthearted, classically trained brand of hip-hop. Producer Young Einstein propels the group with an endless selection of breaks and samples, changing every few bars or so, always keeping listeners on their toes. [cont.]

Curren$y is an emcee lucky enough to experience a second childhood in hip-hop, as he first debuted as a No Limit solider ten years ago, as a member of the 504 Boyz. With the sheer amount of crap the label was shoveling out at that time, it was easy to overlook diamonds in the rough [cont.]

If there is one lesson Rick Ross has continually found success from it’s the old “If it’s not broke, then don’t fix it” cliché. While one could make a case over the technical abilities of the rapper, you can’t deny his ability to crank out hits. His formula of being able to capture ears with [cont.]

Let’s get something out of the way from the jump. The initial reaction to Masta Ace’s new album might go something like this: “I’ve heard all of these beats before. And what’s up with that album cover?”. It’s a good thing we don’t judge books by their covers; or albums, for that matter. At surface [cont.]

Nepotism has always existed in hip-hop, for better or for worse. Rapper gets on, then signs his less talented friends and cousins, many whom try to acts as clones of their successful peer, usually bringing down said rapper in the process. There are some exceptions to the rule; The Clipse are a pair of brothers [cont.]

Let’s face it – posthumous albums usually disappoint. In the case of J. Dilla, he’s been pretty fortunate to have his legacy live on in a positive manner with solid releases like The Shining and Ruff Draft, the latter of which was completed before his passing. There hasn’t been a terrible amount of remixing or [cont.]