One of the most consistent independent hip-hop crews as of late has been Swollen Members. With their album just about to drop on American recently dropping, the crew brings an underground compilation on two pieces of wax on their own label, Battle Axe. Del The Funkee Homosapien wins for having the phattest track on this album [cont.]

 I played “Dr. EZ’s Cool Fantastic Part II” for my homie a while back and his response to the buzzing bass bumps and floating spaced-out keys was, “this don’t go together”. I beg to differ my friend, it fits like the number 3 special at Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits. And that is what basically sums [cont.]

 After dropping the accompanying score to Jay-Z’s mega-successful Hard Knock Life tour, DJ Clue returns with his third major label mixtape endeavor The Professional Pt. 2. Though there is no change to Clue’s loosely scripted formula, his networking abilities remain essential, as his name continues to draw hip-hop’s reigning chart-toppers. However, assimilating these hired guns [cont.]

Personality wise each member of the Living Legends is as different as night & day. But it is readily apparent thru their musical offerings that they all have one thing particularly in common– a taste for the obscure. Eligh is no different in that regard, as his eclectic array of production and mind-expanding lyricism is indeed [cont.]

In 1996, Kool Keith reinvented himself. While most hip-hop aficionados knew of Kool Keith from his ego trippin’ Ultramagnetic days, it wasn’t until the release of the Dr. Octagon album that he became a nationwide underground sensation, soon to be chillin’ on billboards in L.A. He’d always been the weird one, and even back in [cont.]

 The influence of Project Blowed is unquestionably un-measurable. Both the loose collective of Los Angeles artists and the ’94 compilation album of the same name have made more progressive strides for an underground movement than any other related occurrence/release. Musically influencing all types of artists across the globe while simultaneously introducing the world to some [cont.]

Way before Rakim was rocking a graying beard next to the luscious lips of Truth Hurts, or even before he pioneered the idea of rap and R&B collaborations on Jody Watley’s “Friends” (yes, it was all his fault), there was Paid In Full, the debut album from Eric B. & Rakim, which ushered in a new [cont.]

The diversity of sound is nice, but I found the vast bulk of this seven cut EP kind of snoozy. “Say It Loud”, might stimulate the mental and I appreciate the message it’s trying to impart, but the beat is slow and rather dull, has very little punch to it as all. Same goes for [cont.]

The Living Legends crew has become synonymous for placing prevalence on innovation, and Eligh is the embodiment of that movement. An against the grain emcee/producer, Eligh’s production, much like his first two offerings, is stripped to the barest of essentials. A master minimalist, Eligh’s tracks take quick turns stylistically, but his most impressive attribute remains [cont.]

Gang Starr’s Step In the Arena is widely credited as one of the first albums to really pioneer a jazz/hip-hop fusion but people got it slightly wrong.  Sure, DJ Premier sampled jazz songs to make some of the tracks for Arena but his innovation was taking the jazzy and making it funky. In comparison to the [cont.]

Class is in session - EPMD has been in the rap game for over 12 years, yet have somehow managed to maintain the respect of both commercial & underground audiences throughout this time. The double limited edition LP Out Of Business with 14 new selections (along with a must-have collection of 13 classic Erick Sermon & Parrish Smith joints [cont.]

     Shortly after the success of collaborative tracks, “The Show” and “La-Di-Da-Di”, with Doug E. Fresh, the show-stealing (no-pun intended) MC Ricky D, landed a solo deal of his own, with Russell Simmons’ newly formed Def Jam Recordings. 1988 was the year that Slick Rick emerged on the scene with his debut album, chronicling twelve of [cont.]

     When Cypress Hill appeared on the scene in 1991, it was like a breath of fresh buddah smoke. The fisherman capped, goateed trio were a crew that hailed from the streets of Los Angeles, East Coast Stomping their way on the scene. Abandoning the traditional sound of gangster rap that was coming out of [cont.]

The Bay Area’s Mystik Journeymen return with yet another project, keeping the spirit of true underground hip-hop alive. If you have never heard these cats before, just imagine a few frustrated, unsigned and hella broke brothers coming from the Bay, with more to say than the average player the town is know for. The formula here [cont.]

Another forgotten mystery of the 1990′s was Black Sheep’s A Wolf In Sheep s Clothing, an incredible debut album from Dres and Mr. Lawnge, of the then functional Native Tongue family, (which also consisted of Brothers in the Jungle and cousins on a Quest, as well as De La Soul, for those that slept.) A [cont.]

Back in the early ’90s, if you browsed the CD shelves of people who weren’t rap fans but were at least open to it, you were likely to find one or more of the following: Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Digable Planets Reachin’. While it’s hard to [cont.]

Acey’s alone once again with his follow up to his slept on solo debut All Balls Don’t Bounce, with his latest effort Book of Human Language. This time striking independently, giving us an entire bible of life’s lessons in rhyme form. But without a major label Capitol to direct him, Acey defines his own hip-hop [cont.]

Showbiz and AG’s Runaway Slave is perhaps the best album I have that I’ve never really loved.  I know that sounds utterly contradictory and well, it is. For whatever reason, I just can’t get into it though I’m hard pressed to suggest what’s wrong. Is it the beats? Are you kidding?  Showbiz is killing it with [cont.]

Gang Starr’s Step In the Arena is widely credited as one of the first albums to really pioneer a jazz/hip-hop fusion but people got it slightly wrong.  Sure, DJ Premier sampled jazz songs to make some of the tracks for Arena but his innovation was taking the jazzy and making it funky. In comparison to the [cont.]