Thirstin Howl III steps up with Boston up-and-comers, God Forbid and Father Time, to form The Alaskan Fisherman, with their debut project, Fire and Ice. But why did Thirstyman and his crew choose this profession? So says the man himself on the first track – “You don’t watch the National Geographic channel?? Being an Alaskan Fishermen [cont.]

Back in 1993, two New York-based super-groups burst onto the scene and changed the Hip-Hop world dramatically. One was Wu-Tang Clan, the other Boot Camp Clik, and together they ushered in an era of dirty beats and raw rhymes that helped to revitalize the Big Apple in the face of a flourishing West Coast. Ten [cont.]

Heaps of hip-hop themed feature and documentary flicks have dropped over the years, but none can touch the authenticity and historical significance of Style Wars. Originally aired on PBS in 1983, the gritty documentary from Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant chronicles the exploits of young NYC graffiti writers whose unbridled desire to tag is captured [cont.]

After the highly anticipated release of his Non-Phixion crew’s The Future is Now LP, Ill Bill  returns with his solo full length Ill Bill is the Future. Following a mixtape format, the album is a good introduction to those that may have been introduced to Ill Bill by way of his Non Phixion material. Many of the [cont.]

Ah, underground hip-hop. Only a few years ago, having the phrase attached to your music was somewhat like wearing a badge of honor.   However, those days are now a distant memory.  But the four man crew from Pittsburgh, Strict Flow, reps the banner proudly.  Strict Flow’s debut, Without Further Ado, fits snuggly between Styles of [cont.]

With the runaway success of Landspeed’s official (?) 50 Cent mix CD, Guess Who’s Back, the Boston-baked label looks to recapture that same fever with Mobb Deep’s own Free Agents: The Murda Mix Tape. While not an official Mobb Deep album, the question remains - will this remove Mobb Deep from the downward spiral they’ve been in [cont.]

“I’m afraid though we rap for food, were still hungry.”  The Cunninlynguists (Deacon The Villian  & Kno) maybe the next crew residing past the Mason Dixon (Kentucky to be exact) line too generate a healthy underground buzz. After their debut, Will Rap For Food, went largely ignored, the rapidly improving duo is back with a [cont.]

The Dirty Dozen have been slept on, as most simply pass them off as nothing more than eager Eminem’s sidekicks. People have either forgot, or are unaware, of the fact that all of D12′s members were doing their thing before Em’s commercial success. Using the most popular promotion tool of the moment, the crew hits [cont.]

Lil Kim is back, with no Notorious B.I.G. (rest in peace), no P. Diddy, and no Junior M.A.F.I.A. The “Hollyhood” superstar is set to make noise on her own and with her new crew The Beehive. Sounds promising, right? Heed the warnings of Public Enemy, don’t believe the hype. “Hold It Now” sets it off like [cont.]

As the old saying goes, you can’t judge an album by its cover. The cartoon image of a white MC on the cover of Remedy’s Code:Red in a sweatshirt that says “HIP HOP” isn’t shocking or even interesting anymore. Yes, Remedy is white, Jewish, and Wu-Affiliated, but is he more than that? Does his artwork [cont.]

Royce Da 5’9 isn’t a megastar, at least not yet. Despite a notable, but eroded partnership with Eminem, penning memorable tunes for Dr. Dre and label deals with Tommy Boy, Game, and Columbia, a substantial level of commercial appeal has eluded him. After checking his exhaustive, but incredibly fresh double disc, Build and Destroy, it’s obvious that [cont.]

While rumors have swayed that The Lootpack has disbanded, Wildchild silences those during a skit on his solo debut Secondary Protocol, but even further proof is evident on the production credits, as both Madlib and DJ Romes have a big hand in the creation of this album. However, while obviously Madlib has brought his production to the forefront, [cont.]

Over the years, it’s been argued that Duck Down and the Boot Camp Clik have fallen off, never truly regaining the status or quality product found on releases such as Black Moon Enta Da Stage, Smif N Wesson Da Shinin’, or Heltah Skeltah Nocturnal. However, despite the fact that hip-hop is constantly changing, the BCC have rolled with the [cont.]

Although her name may somewhat ring a bell, T-Love has never in her more than 10-year career, released an LP up until now. Already hitting the shores of the UK, Europe and Japan before the U.S., Long Way Back actually gathers a lifelong assembly of T-Love’s old and new works – some from as far back [cont.]

Something is stirring beneath the windy city streets of Chicago and it isn’t a bunch of back-talking mutant turtles (that’d be Manhattan). On second thought, back-talking may actually be a fitting description for the iller noise oozing out of Illinois’ burgeoning underground scene, a scene well represented by Gravel Records’ premiere release, The Chicago Project. [cont.]

 Best known as the emcee blessing RJD2′s beats on the recently released Soul Position (RJD2 + Blueprint) Unlimited EP, or known to others as the producer blessing Illogic’s emceeing on Got Lyrics, Blueprint joins the ranks of Diamond, Lord Finesse, Evidence, and others as one of the few emcees/producers that can hold his own weight in [cont.]

  What first caught my attention from Planet Asia’s new album Still In Training was the irony of its title.  After all, Asia has already sewn his oats on the underground scene and parlayed that into a major label deal with Interscope where he recorded a still vaulted debut that included collaborations with Pete Rock and Ghostface [cont.]

Within the last year, instrumentalist RJD2 has gone from being a complete obscurity to one of the most popular producers of the moment, at least among those keeping a close ear to the underground (and those picking the soundtracks for Saturn ads). Following the runaway success of his smash debut, Dead Ringer, RJD2 does what any [cont.]

If Killer Mike were an NBA baller, he’d be a merciless roughneck on the glass, nabbing orange spheres from the sky and throwing elbows aplenty to keep defenders at bay. Handling his tunes in the same relentless fashion, his aggro flows coupled with thrashing, rock inspired production creates a rip-roaring debut. “I’m the monster/I’m your sick [cont.]

When The Artifacts separated, little did we all know, but the community of hip-hop, then seemingly segregated in its own right (via media drummed coastal wars), was on the precipice of its own departure. Few have shown strength in longevity throughout the years, sadly disappearing from their fans grasps before truly coming of age.  As [cont.]