“Aggins ain’t playing in CA, a lot of shit happening,
Thinking bout packing & moving to Minneapolis.
We from a culture of capitalists,
Cut throats and savages the utmost embarrassing.”

Kanye’s latest project is much more a work of art than just another Hip-Hop album collecting dust in the memories of those who were around for its release like its contemporaries. Read the rest of this entry »

In the Central Valley of California, our entertainment options are as limited as our attention spans. Hours away from anywhere that is considered a destination, we find alternate forms of recreation to keep us from letting boredom take over. With his partners Night & Dirty Money alongside, Fashawn’s latest video exposes the beauty found while riding around the city without a plan, but plenty of trees, broads and good times. Read the rest of this entry »

Hip-Hop has come a long way from humble beginnings to the biggest stages the civilized world has ever seen. Running parallel to its rise to the mainstream, Cee-Lo Green’s musical journey has been one rooted in grittiness yet lost in decadence at times. Read the rest of this entry »

Humans enjoy the chase more than anything else on the planet. It’s why scientists spend countless hours trying to understand our vast universe. It’s why heroin addicts still scrounge up dollar bills to try and feel that feeling they first felt when needle hit vein. It’s why Black Spade’s success is always building and also why his latest video catches the St. Louis native in some sweatpants following the one thing we chase the most Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: GvB

On strictly a respect level, Freddie Gibbs has outgrown his freshmen class and has been spotted in the parking lot smoking trees with  alumni for the remix to his mixtape single, “The Ghetto.” With a style that reflects a simpler time in Hip-Hop when it was more about lyrical dexterity and unique flows, not an artist’s crossover appeal and what kind of man bag he had draped over his shoulder; it only makes sense that he recruits two Boot Camp Click members in Sean Price & Tek to help narrate listeners through the inner dwellings of the hood Read the rest of this entry »

The last six months of my life have had more ups & downs than a scroll through the front page of TSS. The highs like a J. Cole leak; the lows like a Canibus bonus track. She’s the one who kept me balanced throughout them all. She came out of nowhere to be the constant in my life full of uncertainties. Her voice has kept me sane, her touch has allowed me to feel comfort and her laughter has made me glow with happiness. Bottom line, she makes me smile.

There are plenty of love songs that speak to the feeling that can’t be described, but sometimes it isn’t that deep yet. Sometimes there’s just someone there when you need them. It’s hard to make something so innocent work musically without coming off slightly corny, but Aloe Blacc does it perfectly on the song “You Make Me Smile,” off his stellar release Good Things. Throughout the song, his honest lyrics bounce off a funky backdrop with a sense of humbleness that is necessary when exposing your feelings to the one who’s making you feel them. By the end of the song, all you can think about is the one that makes you smile and you’re left with one of your own as the music fades out.

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Aloe Blacc – “You Make Me Smile”

After blessing one of the most head-nod-inducing tracks on Ski Beatz’s 24 Hour Karate School, up and coming rhymer Rugz D. Bewler finds himself gracing yet another on of Ski’s creations on “Renaissance.” With a barrage of brass instruments bellowing underneath a loop of dirty drums that build steadily with every line heading towards the chorus Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been months since I watched his life slip. All I could think about that day was how life didn’t make sense. How does a 20 year old who bought his first house a week prior just leave like that, never to return to his son because of a negligent driver? Why him? A man who did what was right in a world where so many do wrong? Read the rest of this entry »

Growing up in one of the few cities in the US that could be considered more desolate than Detroit, I’ve become accustomed to the fact that everything good comes with a price. Whether it’s a Hip-Hop show or a BBQ in the park for a charity, drama is lurking in just about every corner of the city, whether you’re looking for it or not. Danny Brown’s latest video to hit the net touches on the concept that when Read the rest of this entry »

It’s funny how accurately a piece of art can hit home with the person enjoying it. This attribute is what makes art such an addictive entity. When a song is easy enough for a listener to relate to, it can cause for self-reflection or be cause for self-realization. Either way, the music takes on a whole new meaning and becomes much more than just notations and lyrics. Read the rest of this entry »

Making great songs people want to play over and over again and being an amazing rapper are two completely different things. It’s a shame that lyricists are overlooked for image-based entertainers who can apply simple rhymes to generic production and sell a million records. Life just isn’t fair I suppose. Read the rest of this entry »

Being a fan of an artist without quality control is one of the most frustrating roles to play as a consumer. Tha Dogg Pound, a group that played a seminal role in West Coast Hip-Hop since its inception, are one of the acts that seem to be reckless with releases. Thankfully, their latest cut “I Fears No One” is one of those songs that serve as reminder that Kurupt & Daz can at times, come together to concoct an amazing song. Read the rest of this entry »

No, Cam & Vado’s song “Speaking In Tungs” is not one that will be looked upon 100 years from now as a cultural landmark for Hip-Hop. Hell, in a year, it will most likely be left for the subconscious to deal with, as the majority of us will be too busy attempting to keep up with the never-ending stream of content that is sure to be continually filling up Google Readers and Facebook pages with each refresh. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it today. Read the rest of this entry »

With a little help from comedian Jon Lajoie’s song “E=MC Vagina” and a few select ad-libs from the constantly locked up DMX and the Shawt Bus Shawty OJ Da Juiceman, Royce’s ode to “Vagina” off The Bar Exam 3 finds itself getting the video treatment. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that first date you have that feels like your twentieth. It’s the first time you make a move and she doesn’t pull away. It’s the look she gives you that speaks volumes amidst the silence. It’s not love, but it’s something. It’s a fearful feeling that could go one of two ways. It’s the reason so many shy away from its allure.

“I See You,” a powerful ballad from British Pop titan Mika, is a song dedicated to the wallflower who never peels himself away from his idle post to speak to the one of his dreams. It’s ironic looking back now, realizing the song’s actual meaning, that this specific composition played the soundtrack to one of my own failed attempts at creating something out of nothing. Thankfully, my own jaded association with the song doesn’t trump the quality of the music and it still stands out amongst the best from his 2009 sophomore album The Boy Who Knew Too Much.

Mika – “I See You”