What are the first thoughts that come to mind when you hear the term ‘rap/rock hybrid’?  Half-baked, half-assed, and poorly conceived?  Coincidentally similar terminology has been used to describe mashups and the ratio of genuinely good genre-blending amalgamations to detritus and doo-doo is close to violating the definition of a fraction.  On December 25th Reef The Lost Cauze released Reef The Lost Cauze is Dead for free on Bandcamp, effectively combining hip-hop and rock while shooting the fig

Detroit has a long and storied history as  a hotbed of musical genius.  The Motor City’s lineage can be traced from the likes of the legendary Stevie Wonder all the way through to the late great James Yancy.  Even with J Dilla’s passing, the past decade has seen The D make its presence especially felt in hip-hop; with Apollo Brown, Black Milk, Karriem Riggins, and Tall Black Guy all establishing themselves with their distinctive individual sounds and garnering more accolades than a drunk chick a

Since its inception, hip-hop has been a youth-driven culture and one of the pitfalls of this situation is that we fail to give proper due to our elders.  If there were ever an MC who deserved a lifetime achievement award Craig G would be near the top of the short list.  As a Juice Crew member he rhymed on Marley Marl’s paradigm-shifting  “Symphony,” destroyed the previously impervious Supernatural in a legendary battle, cultivated a legion of underground followers in the 90s–and to top it all of

There was once a legendary clan from the slums of Shaolin that had the rap game in a chokehold.  Their dominance was so complete and the movement  so powerful that not only are their first two albums considered by most hip-hop fans to be classics, the same esteem was conferred onto the majority of the individual MC’s solo offerings by a public that couldn’t get enough of The Wu.  Every good run must come to an end, however, and ironically the one cat who didn’t strike while the iron was hot saw

For a hot minute–really the entirety of 2000s–there’s been a proliferation of doomsayers and pessimists bemoaning the decline of hip-hop.  According to this huddled mass of Chicken Littles, The South ruined everything, New York fell off, and the West looked like something from the imagination of Robert Kirkman.  In the midst of all these gloomy proclamations it’s been easy to overlook a dope new act that comes out and defies the groupthink belief that it’s all downhill from the 90s on.  And whil

Once upon a time having a rep as good battle rapper or off the dome virtuoso used to be a near prerequisite for being perceived as an accomplished emcee. Those days are long past however and the truth is that the skillset required for being an ace in the cipher or in head to head competition rarely translates to making actual records.  Brooklyn-bred emcee Skyzoo is a throwback to a bygone age, however.  He first got some shine on the 106 & Park Freestyle Friday series six years ago (ultimately l

Once upon a time having a rep as good battle rapper or off the dome virtuoso used to be a near prerequisite for being perceived as an accomplished emcee. Those days are long past however and the truth is that the skillset required for being an ace in the cipher or in head to head competition rarely translates to making actual records.  Brooklyn-bred emcee Skyzoo is a throwback to a bygone age, however.  He first got some shine on the 106 & Park Freestyle Friday series six years ago (ultimately l

From the intro of Labtekwon’s new release HARDCORE Labtekwon and the Righteous Indignation Rootzilla vs. Master Akbar the Baltimore native makes his intentions plain.  His foremost objective is “to inform the listener regarding the philosophies that have shaped the lives of mankind, from 0 AD to 2020 AD” and his second  is simply “to cause rappers to shut the fuck up.”  Suffice to say, this emcee with a 19-year subterranean career has been wildly successful on both counts.  HARDCORE is rife with

There are a number of albums that need to be revisited to appreciate their historical context and consequent impact on the culture (accusations of of Golden Age Boom Bap fetishism be damned).  The GZA’s Liquid Swords was not only a watermark for the Wu at their arguable peak but for hip-hop in general.  Seventeen years after its intial release, record label Get On Down pays only-appropriate homage to the Genius and RZA’s seminal masterpiece with a deluxe edition reissue.  This collectors item in

Contrary to the declarations of a certain Aubrey Graham, Drake is not the first dude to rap and sing.  If you’re on this website then you probably already know that–what you may not know is that Drake isn’t even the first cat in the game from Toronto to have that particular skillset.  T.Dot veteran rapper, producer, and singer Saukrates has been doing it longer and if his second full length LP Season One is any indication, he also juggles the two more ably.  Saukrates nearly singlehandedly paved

Jakarta Record is a nifty little boutique label out of Cologne, Germany specializing in eclectic hip-hop, funk, soul, and electronic music.  In commemoration of their 40th release they’ve elected to dig in their vaults for unreleased gems by Jakarta artists, friends, and affiliates.  Some Jewels From Jakarta sports guest spots from Raashan Ahmad, Looptroop Rockers, Blitz the Ambassador, Shogun Orchestra, and Blu among others.  The project is hit-or-miss at times and as a whole it bounces back an