It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Mr. Khaliyl, (aka Mr. Man from the Bush Babees). In fact, hasn’t it been since “Fortified Live”? Anyway, Mr. Khaliyl’s coming back, sounding gruffer than ever, reworking his previous slick flow with a thuggish touch that I’m not completely down with but at least he’s not trying [cont.]

Hey, I like Kool Keith. Really. But every album he’s put out since Dr. Octagon have practically been the same. Keith excels as these bizarre, stream of consciousness rhymes that invent new ways to disrespect you. It’s all wildly entertaining – I mean, Keith says on “Stank MC’s”, “I’ll slap you with a condom” Who the [cont.]

Architect’s one of hip-hop’s hidden production talents – he’s had his chances to shine with Encore and Grand The Visitor but it’s good to see him getting more work and potential exposure. This new 12″, featuring Encore’s crew (including Grand, Persevere, Turbin, Dave Dub and Halekast) is a strong posse effort (but I need a score card to [cont.]

Now that Mad Skillz is on some spittin’ hot sh*t tip, I can’t be too mad at him. After all, he’s clearly paid his dues (meaning his first album was trashed and ignored) in this rap game, besides, for a punchline rapper, I can’t help but be amused by some of his lines. “Ya’ll Don’t [cont.]

Usually I don’t like covers, but this is a rare case. “Da Bridge 2001″ is more a remix than a cover, saluting the original, yet coming some 13 years after it was released. Marley Marl pretty much leaves the original beat in tact, and MC Shan starts things off with altered lyrics, getting the last word in [cont.]

It’s been a minute since this blue-eyed, Boston duo dropped anything and they team up with former Beantownian Mr. Lif for “I Am Myself”. I wanted to like the song more than I actually did – the production lacks substance and really needed some harder drums just to anchor the floating melodic elements. Lif’s cameo is [cont.]

Last heard getting down with LA’s Self Scientific, Lao Fai returns for an ABB Records affiliated 12″. DJ Khalil lends his production talent to the sides but hits a slight misstep with “My Word”. The guitar melody is a welcome departure from the conventional boom bap but it comes off too light, lacking the meat to bring you [cont.]

Ok, despair now. KRS-ONE proves that his new calling card might be mediocrity with a flat pair of songs on a 12″ that’d be forgotten in a New York minute if it wasn’t for the Blastmaster’s name cred. Maybe the fatal flaw with “Hot”, is that KRS’ self-produced beat is flatter than Utah salt fields but [cont.]

For whatever reason, I’m really feeling Edan. Maybe I just have a soft spot in my heart for wacked-out white MCs from Boston. Or maybe it’s just because Edan is dope-a-delic in a way that hasn’t impressed me for a long time. Yeah, his retro-88 style – nicely exemplified on the Ultramagnetic tribute song “Ultra ’88″ [cont.]

I’m not going to front – I like this two-EP project even if I wasn’t one of the DJs named on the “Just Tryin’ To Make Friends With Your Deejay” (note to Atmosphere - I better be on your next installment). While it’s the type of hyperactive, self-enthused hip-hop that just screams “midwest” and/or “white”, there’s [cont.]

I’m not going to front – I like this two-EP project even if I wasn’t one of the DJs named on the “Just Tryin’ To Make Friends With Your Deejay” (note to Atmosphere - I better be on your next installment). While it’s the type of hyperactive, self-enthused hip-hop that just screams “midwest” and/or “white”, there’s [cont.]

After turning heads with last year’s “Ill Bomb” on Funkmaster Flex’s The Tunnel, LL hopes to regain his spot in the sunshine with his forthcoming release G.O.A.T. “Imagine That” gives us the usual player shit that we?ve grown to expect from Cool J, but this one takes it back to the “Big Ol’ Butt” / [cont.]

Funnier in concept than in execution, Thirstin Howl III tries his best to match the hilarity of Notorious B.I.G.’s classic B-side, “Dreams of F*ckin’ an R&B B*tch” on “Dreams Of Fucking A Cartoon Bitch”, but frankly, the execution falls far beneath B.I.G.’s original simplicity. Plus, his X-rated perversions just ain’t that funny as Howl describes how [cont.]

Erule might have to live under the shadow of his own achievements, having cemented his name with “Synopsis” and “Listen Up” from the mid-90s, but at least he’s striving to reach that peak again. His last 12″ was pleasant enough (“The Real Me”) but “Milestone” seems to go a step further. While a lyrical style that [cont.]

While his flow reminds me a lot of Mad Skillz, I’m feeling Rise’s approach – mad accessible with a nice touch of cleverness. Request though: can emcees stop referring to themselves in the third person? I can’t stand it when professional athletes do it and I’m not really feeling emcees doing the same (exceptions made [cont.]

Don’t know much about Decompoze though I’m assuming he’s the producer here. The MC on “Decompoze Presents”, J.U. seems to have borrowed a page from the Alkaholiks’ book of flow. Not that this is a bad thing, but he overreaches on some lines, e.g. “I take it back to the day so of Harold Melvin [cont.]

Damn, did these take long enough to come out or what? I remember talking with the folks at Certified about this single months ago (maybe even a year?). Better late than never I suppose and both songs were some of the best material that Encore’s put out (and yeah, I’m including stuff off his album in [cont.]

Hey – why is it that Battle Axe 12″ s are really more like EPs? They all feature at least three songs and this new Moka Only 12″ flaunts a funky four. Moka’s hop-up/drop-down flow works well with the bouncy wah wah bassline on “Imagine Me” (produced by Moka himself) and while the lyrical content (a blend [cont.]

Who is Que. D? Little brother to Slum Village frontman Jay Dee, so you can imagine what kind of vibe this record is on. “Supa Shit” is an easy head-nodder propelled by some simple guitar licks and Jay Dee’s trademark snares. Nothing super-spectacular, but followers of SV will be all over it. “Rock Box” is a [cont.]

Germany’s Groove Attack strikes again with a cameo packed 12″. Some weird combos on this: “Misuse” pairs De La protege Truth Enola with former milk carton MC Kwest The Madd Lad. Kwest seems to have twisted his verbal style up a notch – spilling words all over the track (which is an ok, guitar-powered ditty, but [cont.]