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The Abstract

Q-Tip

 Modern hip-hop and R&B music can both arguably be divided into pre- and post-A Tribe Called Quest, and the musical efforts of its lead MC and producer Kamaal Ibn John Fareed-better known to the world as Q-Tip. Consider the jazzy sampling, laid-back tempos and boho-chic vibe he introduced, then mull over the bohemian posturing and sounds of the neo-soul movement, plus any rap music that shies away from hardcore posturing. All roads lead back to ATCQ and the beats, rhymes and life of one man: Q-Tip. And now the time is ripe for The Renaissance, the Abstract MC's first solo album in nine years. Read more...

latest reviews.

Eric Benet

Love & Life
(Reprise : 2008)
89B+

Various Artists

Zang Tumb Tuum: The ZTT Box Set
(ZTT/Salvo : 2008)
89B+

Illa J

Yancey Boys
(Delicious Vinyl : 2008)
77C

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Christmas On Mars
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75C

Restiform Bodies

TV Loves You Back
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73C

Various Artists

The Roots Of Hip Hop
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reviews.

latest.

 

LL Cool J
Exit 13
(Def Jam : 2008)
70C-
Posted on 09/26/2008
No one questions LL Cool J’s iconic status as a hip-hop pioneer. Yet after twenty plus years of service in the art of rhyme, Mr. Smith feels the need to prove he’s still got it. At least that’s the subject of choice on Exit 13, his thirteenth and final album for Def Jam. You wouldn’t know LL was so confident in his skills based on the number of times he...
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Hits: 1408
 
 

Aram Danesh and the Super Human Crew
The Grind
(Mammonth Ent. : 2008)
68D
Posted on 09/26/2008
Rap is not pop/if you call it that, then STOP! One of the memorable gems dropped on A Tribe Called Quest’s classic The Low End Theory, and a sentiment that those considering the tricky title of ‘hybrid music’ would do well to take note of. For a group like Aram Danesh and the Super Human Crew, the attempt to blend the two diametrical genres ultimately sinks the whole boat, a...
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Hits: 338
 
 

The Pussycat Dolls
Doll Domination
(Interscope : 2008)
65D-
Posted on 09/26/2008
For all intents and purposes, the second album by The Pussycat Dolls is really Nicole Scherzinger's third solo album.  I'm not one to comment on other reviews before I write my own, but a review in "Entertainment Weekly" stated that this is more of a brand and not a band (well, they're not really a band either) and "after a while, listening to this CD feels like a one-way conversation...
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Hits: 868
 
 

Johnson&Jonson
Johnson&Jonson
(Tres Records : 2008)
88B
Posted on 09/22/2008
In a time when rappers run through producers like yellow lights over the course of an album, L.A.’s underground wunderkind, Blu, appears to be the rare serial monogamist. He bared his soul over the textured warmth of Exile’s soulful soundscapes on their 2007 masterpiece, Below The Heavens, then opened ’08 with free wheeling energy over Ta’Raach’s minimalist boom-bap as one half of C.R.A.C. Knuckles. Rounding out his trilogy of single-producer...
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Hits: 3188
 
 

Freddie Foxxx
Crazy Like A Foxxx
(Fat Beats : 2008)
85B
Posted on 09/22/2008
Fourteen years overdue, Crazy Like a Foxxx – the lost album by New York’s Freddie Foxxx (a.k.a. Bumpy Knuckles) has finally been released after being shelved by MCA back in 1994. With ’94 being part of what many would consider Hip-Hop’s renaissance, it’s no wonder that Foxxx’s double release is full of uncovered gems and could-have-been street anthems. With one CD of the double-album being the demo version...
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Hits: 1026
 
 

Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution
(DVD)
(Sexy Intellectual : 2008)
91A
Posted on 09/22/2008
The DVD case states very clearly that Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution is "not authorized by Kraftwerk," but the scope and depth of the three-hour documentary suffers very little for not having the direct participation of Ralf and Florian. Offering an excellent overview of the experimental and electronic music that came to prominence in Germany during the 1970s, the film is also a chronological examination of the unique musical and...
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Hits: 657
 
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