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...

Rare is it when an artist, especially in the overly macho realm of Hip Hop music, can convey a variety of emotions and ideas that don't border on the line of becoming mawkish. This elusive accomplishment was flawlessly demonstrated by Mr. J Medeiros (member of the Hip Hop group The Procussions) on his stellar solo debut Of God and Girls. With a high level of compassion and an alarmingly intense...

It's been almost two weeks since Panacea's sophomore set, The Scenic Route, was released. Producer Kyle Murdock just found out the first week sales were higher than that of their 2006 Rawkus/Glow In The Dark debut, Ink Is My Drink. But there is little time to celebrate.

The Washington, D.C. duo's blue collar work ethic rarely allows them to sit back and enjoy their moderate success. Murdock is busy trying to...

Subsequent to 9/11 nothing really made sense. Two of my friends were dead. I had a bullshit job and I couldn't pay rent. My quest for personal meaning shrunk in the shadows of a broken skyline. On September 18, 2001 "Labor Days" dropped. I stopped by Other Music on East 4th Street, copped it, popped it in and began walking, with discman in hand, the entire 92 blocks to my...