Posted on 08/14/2009
Toronto has always been a city better known for its cold and cleanliness than its emcees. Now, in a city distracted by a young boy named Drake, emcee, poet, and new-era bluesman Ian Kamau emerges from the shadows with the September Nine Mixtape (Vol 1). Well, kinda.

Posted on 08/14/2009
The subgenre of acid jazz is inherently a bit odd. The music, especially in the case of The Herbaliser Band, is a sometimes-erratic and always-eclectic blend of styles. Tracks may feature touches of everything from hip-hop to funk to house to soul to, of course, jazz in its most standard form. And while that coagulation of sounds isn't necessarily strange, it's just how it all comes together...

Posted on 08/14/2009
Hip-Hop’s equivalent to the revolutionary Black Panther Party, dead prez, is one of the few rap conglomerates that enjoy life without censorship. Plus, that damn double consciousness of theirs grants them access to both the unofficial fiefdom of worldwide gangstas and the equally unofficial roundtable of political overthrowers with social ease and very little credibility points damaged. Stic.Man and M-1 crack their ambassadorial knuckles on the Pulse of...

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Posted on 08/14/2009
While many question the future of Jazz's popularity, 66 year-old musician/composer Mulatu Astatke and the Heliocentrics play on. In the true spirit of jazz, Ethiopia's musical pioneer continues exploring new territory. If genre-defying modern jazz music is your taste, you'll likely be pleased with this release.

Posted on 08/14/2009
If charm were everything, The Pepper Pots would be huge. They make relentlessly upbeat soul that recalls, or rather rips off, the likes of The Supremes, Dusty Springfield and every good song written by Holland/Dozier/Holland. And you’ve got to admire a group who have the stones to call a record that wears its retro heart on its sleeve Now! But no matter how beautiful The Pepper Pots’...

Posted on 08/14/2009
He may be from Inglewood, California, but Shawn Chrystopher sounds more like a mix of Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West than someone you would expect from the city that has been known in hip-hop as the place where you do no good. But Chrystopher is making attempt to do good for himself by relying on a few trusted formulas to become a success. A City With No Seasons is...