Posted on 05/18/2007
Rawkus Records, perhaps the most famous of independent Hip Hop labels, has released some strong records of late with the debuts of Kidz in the Hall, Panacea and Blue Scholars. The recent release of Canadian-born producer Marco Polo's debut, Port Authority, adds to their track record. The disc is a return to a sound long dormant in the Hip Hop landscape where amateur keyboard arrangements and memorable, if mundane, choruses...

Posted on 05/01/2007
When most people think of Devin the Dude, the three W's come to mind: wine, women and weed.  In todays shock value music world that type of subject matter serves as fodder for an audience that settles for the simpler things.  Fact is there's a lot more to The Dude than meets the ears. Recently, true okayplayer for real-Mel Blunt (It's me snitches) sat down to get the real deal...

Posted on 04/10/2007
When Brother Ali speaks, he attaches a degree of respect and consideration to every word that comes out of his mouth- a practice that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone familiar with his albums, recordings that showcase a man with a platform to speak on a slew of topics with the utmost thoughtfulness and emotion.  With the release of his latest album The Undisputed Truth on Rhymesayers on the...

Posted on 03/20/2007
As one third of Los Angeles hip hop group Dilated Peoples, Evidence has been immersed in the culture for over a decade.  Along with fellow emcee Rakaa and turntablist DJ Babu, he was given a platform to speak to the masses, and did so with four albums sporting an uncompromised underground aesthetic.    In stark contrast to the typical major label horror stories, the emcee/producer had no ill words towards Capitol...

Posted on 03/06/2007
Since erupting onto the independent hip hop scene in 2002 with the critically acclaimed Deadringer, producer extraordinaire RJD2 has built a name for himself as an innovative talent, with his cinematically layered approach to music.  In addition to his soulful genre-crossing work on his sophomore release, Since We Last Spoke, the Columbus, Ohio-native has done projects with emcees Aceyalone, Blueprint, and countless remixes and guest spots with a who's who...