When Slum Village released their debut in 2000, Fantastic Vol. 2, they became the Little Brother of their time, as the trio received critical praise, heavy interest from major labels and saw the man responsible for their sound (Jay Dee) star rise.  However, due to inter-group turmoil (Jay Dee left the group before their 2002 [cont.]

     If you haven’t heard about Dujeous, you may have been living under a rock the last couple of years. From working with ESPN to Roc-A-Fella to Anti-Drug Campaigns, this live band from NYC is quickly making a name for themselves.  It has been a long time coming for the 7 man crew debut LP, City Limits, [cont.]

      While DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing set the standard for instrumental hip-hop records, the L.A. super-producer only has to look across the U.S. to find his east coast counterpart, in New York City ‘s DJ Signify, whom carries the torch for the sound birthed on Shadow’s debut. But just as RJD2 took Shadow’s concept and expanded on [cont.]

    What would you need to travel back to a time before hip-hop was littered with bling bling, high priced cars, and half-naked women? When hip-hop was fun? The Answer: A time machine! Unfortunately those things only exist in Michael J. Fox movies and H.G. Wells novels, but the next best thing is the aptly [cont.]

   Fans of Atoms Family will know that Cryptic One is their production mainstay, his booming basslines, crisp drums and cinematic soundscapes forming an equally dark yet more conventional alternative to El-P’s explosive grime. On Euphony he gave Aesop Rock the truly superb “Water” to flow over and dropped “Half Life”, whose elaborate concept and powerful [cont.]

    The raspy voice of AWOL One is unmistakable–once you hear it, you’re not likely to forget it. But it’s not just the hoarse resonance of this L.A. MC’s vocals that catches ears–it’s his internal conflict that is channeled through this voice. On his new self-titled album, AWOL continues to treat his raps like self-help [cont.]

    Some MCs talk about ‘taking it back’ and even more boast about ‘being on some next shit.’ Meanwhile the little known trio, The Others, have found the equilibrium right between these two ideologies. Don’t be fooled by their name–these Charlotte, North Carolina reps aren’t creating inaccessible music by any means. Following in the steps [cont.]

    The success of Built From Scratch made the X-ecutioners a little bit more than your average DJ’s it seems, and they are once again primed to stake their claim as the most underrated turntablist crew in the game. Being that “It’s Goin’ Down” introduced the masses to X-ecutioners with a little help from Mike Shinoda from [cont.]

     Time is of the essence. If you wait too long it can become your worst enemy. Age is the biggest variable in hip-hop today. There are some, but not many, who age like fine wine, while others never know when to quit. Closing in on almost two (yes two) decades in the game, transcending hip hop from [cont.]

     Calling all sucka emcees, calling all fans and critics: Queens MC, Consequence, is armed with an arsenal of Kanye West beats and supreme wordplay, and he’s here to make his mark on hip-hop with his debut album, Take ‘Em To The Cleaners.  Well…..       It might prove to be quite ominous that A Tribe Called [cont.]

    “This is probably the most challenging record that you have ever put on your turntable” claims tracks on this colorful first offering from instrumentalist, Sharkey. So, is he the next white DJ/super-producer after DJ Shadow  and RJD2 to shake the game up? Well, the simple answer is… no. This record is certainly mixes genres up more [cont.]

     Next out of the gate for Definitive Jux is the debut album from Hangar 18, another NYC based crew repping the Atoms Family (Vast Aire, Cryptic One), made up of emcees Alaska and Windnbreeze, along with deejay/producer paWL. Taking a purposely generic marketing approach, the crew follows-up  The Shameless Self-Promotional Mix CD with The Multi-Platinum Debut Album, [cont.]

     Eyedea has crushed rivals in battles (from Scribble Jam to the televised HBO Blaze Battle), giving him a strong reputation amongst underground heads and hip hop fans alike. The difference between him and the other white battle emcee is he has gone the independent route completely. After releasing First Born to critical acclaim many were [cont.]

    Power Movement marks the first solo album from longtime Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics member Tajai. After years of creating classics with his crew, Tajai steps out to create a project all his own. Tajai enlists the help of a few familiar faces, such as Pep Love, Domino, Casual, and A-Plus to provide that undeniable Hiero [cont.]

      On the “Intro” to Method Man’s Tical 0: The Prequel, RZA waxingly laments “peace to the Wu-Tang family/ten-years strong/over 40 million records sold/platinum and gold/and the saga continues.”  But is the Wu-Tang Clan movement really being furthered?  After all, RZA recorded nearly a full-LP worth of material with Meth for Tical: 0 and all he has [cont.]

     These days, labels have become a little more lenient on their artists as far as outside projects are concerned, mainly because they now expect them to promote themselves, much like 50 Cent did with mix CD’s or Kanye West did with his pocket-money funded “Through The Wire” video. Working as the first of two projects to [cont.]

    Rahzel’s is a voice that has been heard everywhere from video games to commercials to classic albums over the past half decade or so. Since making a name for himself with the Legendary Roots Crew, Rahzel has definitely paid his dues. Following his off beat solo debut album, Rahzel has gone back to the lab to [cont.]

    Hype is at times an MC’s greatest asset. Proper marketing, a strong buzz and a dramatic bio can do wonders for your career – just look at Shyne. Saigon’s rise to moderate hip-hop fame is no different. The Yardfather mixtapes, a few appearances in the rap mags, minor beef with a few New York [cont.]

     The greatest hip-hop album of all time? For some, it’s Nas’ Illmatic, for others, it’s Boogie Down Productions’s Criminal Minded. For this critic, it’s Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, and for another group of people, it’s Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. But among these staples that have shaped [cont.]

“What up with Cormega?/ Did you see him, are y’all together?” – Nas from “One Love”      The lines above from the classic ’94 album Illmatic served as the excellent introductory platform for Mega Montana to step up and get his own in the game. But even the co-signing from an established emcee, and in [cont.]