Posted on 06/02/2009
Cam’ron has officially made ignorance a brand. But before this is pegged as one of those gangsta rap-condemning, gaudy-jewelry disapproving, industry-hating indictments, let’s crown this Harlemite’s trademarking of slackmindedness as one of the most brilliant entrepreneurial moves in modern day Hip-Hop. Think about it, although Crime Pays, Cam’ron’s sixth studio album, packs all of the no-homo quips and crack recipes that have incensed the more progressive Hip-Hop listeners for the...

Posted on 06/02/2009
Busta Rhymes did a grave disservice naming his 8th album Back On My B.S. The title alludes to a return to the days where he made everyone "put there hands where their eyes could see." The end result couldn't be further from the truth. What was guaranteed a revitalization of one of the most animated characters in hip-hop history turned out to be the absolute worst entry to the catalogue...

Posted on 06/02/2009
Crew 54 have been previously compared to Little Brother for their mix of soulful productions and everyman lyricism, but judging by this couplet on “Can’t Lose,” it’s a tag they’re trying to shake: “some cats can’t win for losing, but me and the crew couldn’t take an L even if we wanted to.” Well, Crew Deep might not get a straight L, but it’s far from being an outright triumph....

Posted on 05/21/2009
No surprises here. Between these dudes, decades upon decades of dues paid and relentless maverick steez for breaking new talent; it’s properly fitting that Rich Medina and Kool Bob Love got kicked the assignment of compiling an early summer drop chock full of today’s rising Afro-Beat and Latin talent crop for R2 Records. Whether you’re macking on a rooftop with a mojito or just maintaining in the shower like Mookie;...

Posted on 05/21/2009
The last time we heard from Ben Harper, he teamed with the Innocent Criminals to deliver the Lifeline LP, a no-frills, acoustic album recorded in Paris and heavily influenced by classic rock, folk and the blues. On Harper's latest offering, White Lies for Dark Times, "no-frills" remains the common theme, as the California native joins forces with Relentless7 to serve some raw, high-powered rock and roll to the musical universe....

Posted on 05/21/2009
Apart from Seattle, Minneapolis is one of those unlikely havens where musical movements seem to stew. Naturally, one of the most notable Minneapolis acts is the royalty that is Prince. But the Minneapolis sound doesn’t stop with electro-funked-out-rock music. It permeates into all the genres, and the Minnesota duo, Big Quarters, proves that.