Posted on 10/02/2007

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...

Posted on 09/25/2007

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...

Posted on 09/20/2007

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...

Posted on 08/25/2007

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...

Posted on 08/25/2007

If you have the privilege of seeing Ledisi live, or live from your laptop via YouTube, a few things are obvious: confident stage presence, amazing pipes, great audience participation. What you don't get at first glance is the ‘little soul sister that could' has some serious hustle in her. Besides creating and running her own label, LeSun Records, Ledisi keeps herself busy with a constant touring schedule and the occasional...