Even though Ghostface has attained Zeus-like status in rap’s corridors, it’s no secret that the follow-up albums to his breakthrough, Supreme Clientele, haven’t packed the same punch. It might have well been a conscious decision on his part to caramelize his unabashedly raw sound to swell up his billboard scans, but the end result [cont.]

Compilation; no rating given. “Bring back/what hiphop lacks/with lyrical contact.” Thus the lyrics of a 10 year-old on Chick Tha Supah Latin & Fam’s “Contact”. Modern mainstream hip-hop, for all the beauty and precision of modern production, for all the musicianship of the ubiquitous Kanye West, for all the girl-friendly club beats, is severly lacking [cont.]

    Weldon Irvine was a true original in American music. He was a uniquely soulful jazz pianist with a vision that touched all of his peers, from Joe Henderson to Nina Simone. He was a conduit of experience to the hip-hop world, influencing and working with artists like Black Star and Q-Tip. He was a [cont.]

     Still doing it, huh? Many assumed that Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds Of Science, marked the end of a long and illustrious career for the Boys, especially on the intro to the album’s only original song “Alive”. Here, Mike D states, “I have never been more ready in my entire life to do this [cont.]

 Throughout a career that spans almost twenty years now, KRS-One has undoubtedly paid his dues, delivering countless classic albums and classic singles, from “Criminal Minded” to “Step Into A World”. However, as the years go on, new generations of hip-hop fans emerge, many not even knowing who KRS-One is, or what the letters “B.D.P.” stand [cont.]

    Illogic has been keeping very busy lately. From putting out his spoken word piece, Write to Death, to the resounding work of art known as Celestial Clockwork, Illogic has done more in the past year than ever. Not one to slow down, Ill has joined forces with rising producer DJ PRZM to put together [cont.]

    “From the birth to the hearse/what’s your worth and your purpose?” If Non-Phixion’s The Future Is Now” established them as a symbol of hardcore hip-hop and violent anarchy, their writing on the wall drawn in blood and spinal fluid, Sabac’s debut places much greater emphasis on political matters and a conscious approach, albeit a rigorously revolutionary [cont.]

     Do you love hip-hop? Regardless of your experience, regional bias or knowledge of the music, if you can answer “yes” to that question, then you probably already have Biggie Smallz’ classic 1994 debut album, Ready To Die. You probably have already seen the videos from this album, which are just about the only videos [cont.]

   When one thinks of Texas, many different things come to mind, the last of which is being soul. But when three emcees take it upon themselves to inject soul in one of the least checked out places, a new vibe is inherited. Taking their name from the song Billie Holiday made famous; The Strange Fruit [cont.]

     The year is 1996. Hip-hop stations all over the country, but particularly on the east coast, are showing tremendous rotation to the Wu-Tang Clan. Having released four albums between the nine members of the group (not counting pre-Clan discs from the RZA and the Genius), just about everyone is up on the Wu, regarding [cont.]

   When one thinks of Texas, many different things come to mind, the last of which is being soul. But when three emcees take it upon themselves to inject soul in one of the least checked out places, a new vibe is inherited. Taking their name from the song Billie Holiday made famous; The Strange Fruit [cont.]

     With most acts that reach their seventh album, The Tipping Point, usually means they are just about to “tip” over and fall off. While the legendary Roots crew has come a long way since the days of “organic hip-hop jazz” that was found on both Organix and Do You Want More?!?!, this has never [cont.]

     On the “Intro” to Jadakiss’ sophomore effort, Kiss Of Death, he marks his return as the people’s champion “back by popular demand of the hood.”  And while that mandate was not due to his misguided solo-debut, Kiss The Game Goodbye, as even its powerful singles “Knock Yourself Out” and the celebratory “We Gone Make [cont.]

 With Marxmen Cinema, a sneaky M.O.P. delivers the second album-before-the-album (following the rock cover album, Mash Out Posse) to help them prepare for their forthcoming Roc-A-Fella debut, Ghetto Warfare. Billed as “the official M.O.P. mix tape” Marxmen Cinema is 30+ track extravaganza, spread across two discs, presenting the past, present, and future of the world famous [cont.]

   Just six cuts – all instrumentals – set off DJ Spinna’s Compositions 2 into an outbound journey for a hopefully great summer venture. The ears of soul’s sophisticated hip hop lovers more interested in who’s behind the boards, than who’s behind the mic, are the welcomed bunch. In this case, the mic stand is [cont.]

    Oh, where have you been Mr. Complex? After the demise of Rawkus it was a toss up where he would end up. He released his debut album, Hold This Down, on 7Heads to moderate critical acclaim. Time passed, and although he traded verses with many lyrically inclined emcees, one of the most respected pioneers of the underground [cont.]

     If it wasn’t for Prince Po’s guest spot on Danger Mouse & Jemini’s Ghetto Pop Life last year (“Copy Cats”) it would have been safe to assume for most heads that Po fell off the face of the earth. Compared to his ex-Organized Konfusion partner in rhyme, Pharaohe Monch, Po has taken a bit longer to [cont.]

      Since last year’s introduction of the G-G-G-Unit, 50 Cent and his crew have risen to the top with their own brand of New York gangsta rap, with chart topping singles and albums, not to mention a consistent series of “street platinum” mix CD’s, courtesy of affiliate DJ WhooKid. With original G-Unit member Tony Yayo [cont.]

    Before even discussing the music, it is worthwhile to note that Goodie Mob’s latest release is one of the most aptly titled albums to come out in a long time. When the group first jumped out onto the national hip-hop scene in 1995, they already had a monkey on their back– no matter what [cont.]

      Journalists are taught to enter into a review with no preconceptions or thoughts prior to hearing an album. However, when an album features the word “mobb” on the cover and a depressing watercolor painting of an equally grimy Queensbridge on the back, Havoc and Prodigy of Mobb Deep are usually not far from the scene [cont.]