Let’s face it, first impressions are important. Whether it’s a first date or a debut album, they set the tone of our opinions and are very hard to change. Maybe that’s why Kenn Starr is a self proclaimed perfectionist. The work may be long hard, but the rewards for an impeccable album are even greater. [cont.]

If you have followed independent hip-hop in the last 10 years, 7L and Esoteric need no introduction.  From 7L’s boom-bap production reminiscent of the greats to Esoteric’s wordplay, consistency is definitely the name of the game.  Unfortunately that game has changed a great deal in the 8 plus years since they dropped their underground classic [cont.]

This man really needs no introduction, hip-hop icon, 1/3 of Brand Nubian, true believer in the hip-hop culture and 5% belief.  He’s dropping his solo “The 5 Percent Album” June 27th on Babygrande…. HHS: What’s up man, how are you doing? Lord Jamar: I’m great, I’m great. You killed it on Oz and of course [cont.]

Adam Drucker, Anticon’s oddball emcee Dose One, is never at a loss for words. For more than a minute now, the elusive rapper/singer/spoken word artist has released a slew of revered music projects that bear his name. Whether it is spoken word (Pelt), collaborations (13 & God, Peeping Tom, Prefuse 73, Boom Bip), side projects [cont.]

If there is one word to describe the dynamic duo known as People Under the Stairs it’s longevity, through their deal with OM they reached a much larger fan base than the average hip-hop head.  The appeal of this grassroots hip-hop group spans the world.  After numerous worldwide tours and 4 albums it’s that time [cont.]

In the early nineties the Wu-Tang Clan was heard from West to South to North to East, everybody was banging “Cuban Linx” and “36 Chambers”.  After much success in the nineties the millennium has been plagued with mediocre side projects and slumping sales.  It is now time for a rebirth; Bronze Nazareth is part of [cont.]

There are groups in hip-hop that you can’t categorize into a box and The Cunninlyguists are definitely one of those groups.  From the debut album “Will Rap for Food” to their newest offering “A Piece of Strange” you never know quite what to think.  Each of their albums have a different sound and for this [cont.]

When you hear the name Vakill you think of one thing, lyrics.  On his debut album “The Darkest Cloud” we were introduced to a lyrical emcee hailing from Chi-Town.   Amongst the talent in Chicago Vakill has always stood out as one to watch.  He’s serving you up again with “Worst Fears Confirmed”, but if you [cont.]

Why are you doing a solo project?  What’s good with you and stic.man? Well, everything is good with me and stic.man.  He’s always gonna be there.  dead prez is not just a rap group; we’re family.  I decided to do a solo album because I thought he deserved to hear what M1 would do with [cont.]

Cut Chemist got his start with the group Unity Committee, which ended up merging with another group, the Rebels of Rhythm, to form the Jurassic 5. Over the years, he has been DJing for and producing joints for Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, plus dropping dope mix albums like “Brainfreeze” with DJ Shadow, or live recordings of performances. [cont.]

Ugly Duckling is a rarity in today’s hip-hop world. The California—-based group, comprised of emcees Dizzy Dustin and Andy Cooper and DJ Young Einstein—–are not scared to show their more humourous side while spitting rhymes about everything from their struggle to get a record deal to smacking fake emcees to slowing down long enough to [cont.]

“Give me your address, so I can send you my new cd,” immediately replied Joey Beats when I approached him for this interview. Perhaps one of the most underrated current producers, Rhode Island’s Joey Beats isn’t only humble and approachable, but is also extremely skillful at what he does. The production half of the Non-Prophets’ [cont.]

What in the hell made you two hook up for this Boss Hog Barbarians album? Explain how you two cooked up the concept for this album. Celph: J-Zone and I have known each other since around ’99 and we’ve always been homeboys. We’ve been working on songs with each other for years now, some of [cont.]

Interviewed by Darin Gloe When you hear the name El Da Sensei, you automatically think “Wrong Side of the Tracks” and “The Ultimate”.  Sure El was a part of the Artifacts, but since 1998 El has created quite a name for himself outside of that group and outside of major label status.  Since 1998 he [cont.]

HipHopSite.com:  This Army of the Pharaohs album has been talked about for years, so how does it finally feel to get it accomplished when some didn’t think it would ever come out? Vinnie Paz: Yeah, it feels good man.  It was hard because every time we wanted to make it everyone else was working on [cont.]

Hip-Hop started in the Bronx, but Connecticut?  Hell yeah, Connecticut is where Apathy is resides and continues to rep to this day.   After dropping successful bootlegs and several independent releases, Apathy has truly dropped a masterpiece in “Eastern Philosophy” which is released on March 21st.  We sat down with Ap and found out what Atlantic’s [cont.]

Within the last few years, America has been through a lot. Terrorist attacks, war in Iraq and a devastating hurricane are among the events the country has experienced, with the government taking a lot of the heat. Lost Children of Babylon, a Philadelphia-based group featuring Rasul Allahu, the Breath of Judah, Richard Raw, Cosmic Crusader, [cont.]

From when I was in High School I was always fascinated by the Wu-Tang sound.  It was truly an honor and a privilege for me to sit down and actually talk to someone who I felt changed the face of hip-hop.  With the “Fishscale” dropping on March 14th, Ghostface has been a very busy man.  [cont.]

In the world of hip-hop no one ever gets to see the side of every artist when they are outside of their role as a performer.  A performer’s true self is, more often than not, shrouded in the guise of the ever so common bling-bling, the sports cars, rims, women, money and so forth.   Enter [cont.]

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. 2005 was poised as the year of underground Hip Hop. It was penciled in, and practically every indie rapper under the sun stood in the green room, anxiously clutching their crossover albums in one hand, backpack straps in the other. Years of “next rap explosion” were set to [cont.]