One man’s floor is another man’s ceiling, dig? Hip-Hop remains progressive and stagnant almost simultaneously, or is it perhaps progressively stagnant or stagnantly progressive? Which ever end you light it, it’s ultimately going to burn down to something. It could be the essence, the bomb, or it could essentially be a bomb, like weed, follow? [cont.]

Forget the whole Marshall/Slim Shady/Eminem trichotomy, the real identity crisis going on in hip-hop is in the churning thoughts of Oliver Hart, alias Eyedea. He’s a self-hating braggart, an introspective extrovert, a seriously poetic battle rapper, a new-jack producer, at home alone with a pad as he is onstage on HBO. After slaying his competitors on [cont.]

What else can be said about Jay-Z? He is perhaps the only artist in New York City, much less this industry, who demands equal respect from the streets, the underground, and lovers of pop music – the determining factor that separates him from every other hip-hop artist, surpassing even the late great Frank White. Jigga [cont.]

 You don’t have to wipe your feet before you enter into this first release from BBE’s Beat Generation series, because this house of productions on Jay Dee’s LP is as grimy as you’ll have ever heard this prolific Hip-Hop and R&B beat technician. Not at all tamed by his outside field trip assignments such as Tribe’s last [cont.]

        Which is worse rappers that want to be gangsters, or gangsters that want to be rappers? Most likely the latter, because what saves rappers that want to be gangsters, is while even though they may be faking the funk, they at least possess some inkling of musical talent, (Dr. Dre). On the other hand, [cont.]

One verse is all it took, and we were hooked. AZ’s explosive introduction on Nas’ “Life’s A Bitch” catapulted the young Crooklyn emcee from unknown to most-anticipated almost overnight. His wildly inconsistent debut, Doe Or Die, offered more promising glimpses with “Sugar Hill”, and the Pete Rock assisted “Rather Unique”. Yet, every effort that followed, [cont.]

 “What does it mean?” asks the faceless female who is coaxed into opening this album, still unsure of what the title Koolmotor means. What can’t be put into words is better described sonically upon listening to the debut album from Five Deez. Cats may best know the Deez from their 1999 little heard debut single [cont.]

 Ozomatli first caught the attention of hip-hop listeners through the release of their self-titled debut album, most likely because two of their members also shared membership in Jurassic 5. Cut Chemist was pulling double duties as the DJ for both Ozo and J5, while Chali 2na worked as an emcee for both crews. Ozomatli’s debut was an incredible [cont.]

 Worshipped as gods of super-white genius rap with the release of The Overcast, Atmosphere’s direction has taken a slightly different turn with the release of its Lucy Ford LP. While several years have passed since The Overcast loomed over listener’s heads, in that time, Atmosphere’s lead emcee, Slug, has taken things to a much more [cont.]

 Being one of the most beloved hip-hop groups ever assembled has certainly become a double-edged sword for Run DMC. As one of the cultures most influential groups, the names of Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay immediately garners a certain degree of well-earned respect. Conversely, it has also put the trio under an incredibly intense [cont.]

 The point where style transcends the initial boundaries of a gimmick can be where true artistry is born. For some, Necro’s unavoidable nastiness is nothing more than uninteresting shit talking, for others, totally enthralling shit talking, yet for the few that truly sit down with his body of work and devote a critical ear, you’ll [cont.]

Leave it to DJ Mighty Mi to compile a crate of quality underground hip-hop for the second volume in High & MightyÂ’s Eastern Conference Allstars compilation series. The latest chapter in whoÂ’s crew with Eon and Milo brings a wide variety of artists, from old pros (Big Daddy Kane , Kool Keith ) to next-to-blows (Royce [cont.]

Debuting in 1999, courtesy of Rawkus’ projects Soundbombing 2 and alongside Eminem on DJ Spinna’s Heavy Beats compilation, Thirstin Howl III quickly made a name for himself, and followed these appearances with two do-it-yourself discs, Skillionaire and Skillosopher. These CD’s introduced the underground hip-hop world to a cartoon character emcee obsessed with Polo gear, who repped the [cont.]

“I ain’t made a record in three years and that’s why you rich,” laments the emcee on “Let ‘Em Live”, as before there was the multi-platinum success of Eminem , Chino XL preceded him, with amazing freestyle gymnastics and equal amounts of celebrity bashing hilarity. While his debut album, Here To Save You All was [cont.]

 Death Row’s latest attempt at hoodwinking their former artists and bamboozling the fans comes in the form of Dogg Pound’s 2002. The title itself is not only an allusion that this album is made up of new millennial material, but also that it is a step ahead of Dr. Dre’s 2001 (of which it is [cont.]

Rasco has become a sort of an elder statesmen in hip-hop; he’s not much older than a lot of his contemporaries, but commands a regal-like demeanor when on track. He’s earned his stripes with presence. Various Blendz had joints, but it was the Soulfather’s voice that turned heads – enough to carry himself over a stellar debut [cont.]

 All Natural’s identity has always seemed a little undetermined; “50 Years” touched heads as the virtual underground equivalent to Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “T.R.O.Y.” yet ever since then the group has never seen a return to the same fanfare or creative success as bottled in that one song. While the track may have pigeonholed [cont.]

 No matter how hard you try, there is no escaping The Neptunes (Chad Hugo & Pharrell Williams)! Turn your FM dial to any urban station long enough, and you will hear them. Cop the latest commercial blockbuster release, and you’re sure to find a Neptune’s production credit looming somewhere on the insert. And lets face it, when [cont.]

While the Masterminds’ put the Indy scene on notice with their under-utilized 2001 debut The Underground Railroad. The duo’s sophomore project, Stone Soup, finds Kimani & Oracle in somewhat of a transitory state. Not only has the group ended their short relationship with Nu Gruv and created their own Third Earth Music imprint, but with former [cont.]

 Following contributions from Jay Dee, Pete Rock, and Wil.I.Am Of Black Eyed Peas, legendary producer Marley Marl delivers his entry into the Beat Genration series, and his Re-Entry into the rap game. Many a hip-hop classic have emerged from Marley’s House Of Hits – with an incredible production resume, from mapping the entire blueprint of the [cont.]