You all know the deal by now, November 1 brought the five-dollar or free digital birth of Niggy Tardust to the inboxes of music lovers and cheapskates alike. The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust is Saul Williams' third full-length album and first independently released. Drawing acclaim as a wordsmith from his Nuyorican Poets Café days and the award-winning indie hit, "Slam," one might mistake Williams, as I did,...

When O.J. Simpson was hauled out of his infamous white Bronco in 1994, people automatically jumped to conclusions. Guilty Simpson—unrelated, in case you were wondering—could be subject to those same early assumptions as well. The Detroit lyricist and member of the Dreadnaughts crew has been igniting the underground scene with his unorthodox flow and ghetto wit since his breakout performance on Jaylib’s Champion Sound, plus a healthy amount of work...

Prince Paul would like you to know that it's been a rough year. A "baaaaad year" is how he actually described it. But he also wants you to know that if he successfully completes 2007 without being ousted from the industry (by whom, it is unknown,) he says he'll have some shit that'll really bug you out. "Really push the envelope" was the exact phrase, but we all know how...

Hezekiah is ill- literally.  The multi-talented emcee/ producer/ musician with a sound deeply steeped in Philly's soulful underground hip hop scene is feeling pretty under the weather when he answers the phone on the evening of our interview, and I begin to worry that this may not be a very fruitful exchange.  My doubts are put to rest, though; as soon as we begin discussing the topic of music, he...

Midway through 1993, between the releases of Daily Operation and Hard to Earn, Guru delivered the first Jazzmatazz album. Backed by the suits at Chrysalis Records and the seemingly immobile power of the Gang Starr brand, Jazzmatazz's fusion of hip-hop and jazz planted Guru alongside intensely organic grooves, warm melodies and established the Boston-born, New York-based rapper as a musical curator as well as an MC.

The idea...