Posted on 10/21/2009
When KRS-One proclaimed: “we will be here forever,” to set off his 1993 classic, Return of the Boom-Bap, the words reverberated with more than just the bombast of the Blast Master’s baritone. In the face of necessary artistic expansion, as well as corrosive commercialism, the teacha was letting it be known that Hip-Hop, the boombox and breakbeat real shit, would find a way to survive. Sixteen years later, arrives Survival Skills, his collaboration with fellow true school luminary, Buckshot, to largely make good on Kris’s lofty promise.

Posted on 10/21/2009
In a time where dense lyrics and layered production have taken back seats to simplicity on both fronts, it is indeed refreshing to note that the underground movement in Hip Hop continues to propel itself forward by not remaining stagnant. The phase of so-called “conscious” rap has long been pushed to the side in favor of more easily digestible fare. However, groups such as Scienz of Life have continued to make music on their own terms and bucking convention at every turn. Their excellent latest venture, Leviathan, stands as both a testament to rail against current Hip Hop trends and a return to form of sorts for John Robinson (Lil Sci) and Invizible Hands (I.D. 4 Windz).

Posted on 10/12/2009
Raekwon had heard the fans ask him to return to his roots, to deliver another dose of hardcore “crack rap,” — a staple that made his 1995 debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx such a classic. That album, commonly referred to as “the purple tape,” was a straight-up raw piece of East coast hip-hop. Fast forward to now, and Raekwon has cooked up Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. II, which easily picks up where the purple tape left off, as it takes listeners through the dark and gritty essence of the drug game. Rae, Ghostface Killah, and their Wu-Tang affiliates sound sharp throughout, as if the original banger was released last year and not fourteen years ago.

Posted on 10/12/2009
If George Clinton had booted more heroin and smoked less crack back in the day, he might have churned out something like this. That’s not to say that drugged-out allegory should dismiss the artistic merit of Nuclear Evolution. Sa-Ra’s new double album is a layer cake soundscape; mad noises joined forces to effectuate an aural opiate rush. Fans of Koushik or The Love Below should feel at home but for all those uninitiated in the intergalactic realms of electro sex, welcome to sensory overload made soulful.