Posted on 09/18/2009
Braille is traveling unchartered territory. As far as Gospel rappers are concerned, who’s really paving the way? The closest person that comes to mind is Christopher Martin also known as “Play” from Kid ‘N Play and he only further proves the aforementioned concern. So, considering the odds of Christian rap replacing Southern rap as Hip-Hop’s go-to subgenre, there is a warm authenticity, Cloud Nineteen, Braille’s collaboration album with...

Posted on 09/18/2009
K’Jon has endured several challenges along his road to recognition, and he tells all on his major label debut, I Get Around, a brutally honest musical biography in which the Detroit native rises above haters like a superhero, compares the emotions of love to summer rainfall, and proclaims that he wants to live forever. The smooth and sultry production makes this record perfect for a romantic evening or down...

Posted on 09/18/2009
It’s always a bad sign when a press release spends most of the time listing the artist’s past glories (especially when most of the original DJ Food collective are long departed) before summarily asking, “So what about the music?” and brusquely giving a release schedule in response. So, what about the music then? Well, it’s a bit average. Six vaguely jazz/hip hop flavoured tracks of which little...

Posted on 09/08/2009
Energy. Excitement. Passion. These are more than the empty promises of a Vitamin Water ad, they're the ingredients to one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of 2009. From the bumping "Prelude" to the gospel-infused "Something to Believe," Blitz the Ambassador's third release, Stereotype, delivers the strongest 1-2 (add in "Breathe" and make it 1-2-3) punch on a hip-hop album in a long time. There are few stereotypes played to...

Posted on 09/08/2009
For the past few years, the model of releasing LPs to the public has changed drastically. Mixtapes, “street” albums, and the like have become standard fare – mostly free of charge. Listeners are spoiled now, what with some artists releasing better free product than their retail outputs. Chicago’s Scheme adds on to this current trend but with a twist. His new release, The Manifesto EP, has been made...

Posted on 09/08/2009
Hip Hop music’s most blatant (and detrimental) truth is the lack of female participation across the board. The gender imbalance has famously nurtured a division that continues to grow as misogynist lyrical content and violent imagery offer little in the way of contrast. Thankfully, there are female proponents of the genre who choose to go against even their respective genre’s grain, so to speak, and offer a shift....