You can almost sense Stalley gaining confidence with each new release. On the seventh track of his “Songs By Me, Stalley” series, the Ohio native’s familiar stoicism is nowhere to be found. The brief Block Beattaz-produced “Midnight Satori” has a bit of an edge that may surprise some fans. Read the rest of this entry »

T.Shirt seems to be making all the right connections. Premiering on this week’s episode of CSI of all places, Shirt’s new Maker-produced release, “Come Home With Me,” broadcast him to about 10 million pairs of eyes and ears at once. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s an icebox where the artist formerly known as PUSH! Montana’s heart used to be. Now unencumbered by his surname and feelings for random women, PUSH! get’s all Mr. Freeze on would be conquests on “ICEMAN!” Read the rest of this entry »

You didn’t make those reservations, did you? So now you show up at your woman’s house with a wilted grocery store bouquet and a Whitman’s sampler, and you need to save the night (and your relationship). Lucky for you, the R&B Neo-Soul Hippie Rockstar, Raheem Devaughn has got you covered with his brand new EP, Destination: Loveland. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a time when emcees wanted to be heard, in the most literal sense of the word. They were loud. The Chuck Ds, Melle Mels and Runs of the world didn’t let rhymes tumble carelessly from their mouths, as commonly heard in this current swag-based musical environment. Read the rest of this entry »

On the DJ Burn One-produced “Paradise,” Rittz dreams of Detroit-engineered machinery floating away from dead-end jobs and missed opportunities. Heaven is the lost city of Atlanta, with long stretches of asphalt clouds, bright lights and plumes of exotic smoking floating freely. Read the rest of this entry »

After Wale, Meek Mill and Pill joined the MMG roster, Rick Ross’ original dream team, Triple Cs, seemed to fade into the background. In a statement of unity, the whole crew, including recent signee Stalley but sans the ubiquitous Bawse, come together on Torch’s old-school free for all “Slow Down.” Read the rest of this entry »

As you make your ascent towards success, it’s typical to lose some, so-called, friends along the way. Reaching the highest height, or falling to the lowest low, is probably the only foolproof way to find out who your real friends are. On “Frienemies” DC’s Kingpen Slim laments having to cut off opportunistic parasites Read the rest of this entry »

Alabama’s other non-Black Hip-Hop artist du jour is back with an oldie but goodie. Originally placed on one of DJ Burn One’s, I don’t know, 1000 projects last year, “Don’t Violate” didn’t get the attention it deserved during its original release. Finding new life on his upcoming mixtape with Nick Catchdubs, After Hours, Jackie Chain’s Gangsta Boo-assisted track Read the rest of this entry »

New York is finally beginning to regain its own identity. After nearly a decade of wandering aimlessly toward regional trends and pop radio, there is a simmering resurgence of something that resembles the aggressive youth movement that was once the engine that drove Hip-Hop. The movement is small and exists just beneath the surface, but it seems like Rotten Apple Hip-Hop is returning Read the rest of this entry »

“I’m grown, I ain’t watching the throne, I’m sabotaging it” – Joe Budden, Shady 2.0 Freestyle 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards

Prolific tweeter and part time super emcee, Joe Budden released a new track via his favorite online medium today. Complete with references to Joe Paterno’s death, Drake and Common’s beef, Love and Hip-Hop and the San Francisco 49ers’ unfortunate kick returner, Budden’s “No Church In The Wild” is obviously fresh from the studio. Read the rest of this entry »

Fueled by the hardcore lyricism of The LOX, the edgy sexiness of first lady Eve and the soul-bearing intensity of de-facto crew leader DMX, the Ruff Ryders stood atop Swizz Beatz Triton keys at the top of the Hip-Hop charts from the late 90s to early 2000s. The thing about eras, though, is they eventually end. Read the rest of this entry »

Harlem native Rugz D. Bewler takes the viewer on a high-res stroll through Uptown with the wistful video for “By Any Means Necessary.” The beautifully shot, Anthony Sylvester-directed clip’s warmth in tone and color is juxtaposed with Bewler as a bundled up, physically cold lead. Read the rest of this entry »

Fresh off of an impressive turn on The Roots’ latest release, Greg Porn (which is what the I.T. department at my day job calls me) steps out on his own with the first leak from his upcoming solo project, American Junky. Read the rest of this entry »

With a slight tip of the hat to the Snap classic, Juve is back, and he’s brought along Hip-Hop heavyweight Rick Ross for his first single “Power.” Read the rest of this entry »